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Rome, September 1 (ACI Prensa). – Before praying the Angelus this Sunday, and while reflecting on today’s Gospel, in which Jesus speaks of purity, Pope Francis warns of the dangers of a double life, and of the ritualistic attitude of the Pharisees, which “hurts the soul and closes the heart.”
Referring to the almost “obsession” by the Pharisees of Christ’s time of regarding the distinction between purity and impurity, Pope Francis noted that “it is of no use to wash your hands a few times if you harbor bad feelings in your heart,” such as greed, envy and pride, or evil intentions such as deceit, theft, betrayal and slander.
“Jesus calls attention to ritualism, which does not lead to the growth of goodness; on the contrary, it sometimes leads to neglect and even to justification of choices and attitudes that violate charity, in oneself and in others, which wounds the soul and closes the heart.”
“You cannot, for example, leave the Holy Mass and, once you enter the atrium of the church, stop gossiping evilly and mercilessly about everything and everyone. Gossip that destroys the heart, destroys the soul. It is impossible! If you go to Mass and then do these things, it is a bad thing!” the pope warned.
“Or praying earnestly but being indifferent to one’s family at home, or neglecting elderly parents who need help and companionship.”
“This is a double life, which is impossible. This is what the Pharisees did: outward purity, without a good attitude, a kind attitude towards others,” Pope Francis stressed.
If a person lives like this, he is “unable to penetrate the purifying action of His grace, and there is no love in thought, message, and deed.” We were made for something else. “We were made for pure living, for gentleness, for love.”
Full text of Pope Francis’ Angelus on September 1, 2024
Happy Sunday, dear brothers and sisters!
Today, in the liturgical Gospels (cf. Mc 7,1-8,14-15,21-23), Jesus spoke about purity and impurity: a topic very dear to his contemporaries, which was first of all connected with the observance of rituals and rules of conduct, avoiding any contact with things or people considered impure, and if this happened, removing the “stain” (cf. Lev. 11-15). It was almost an obsession for some religious people of the time: purity, impurity.
When some of the scribes and Pharisees, who strictly adhered to these norms, accused Jesus of allowing his disciples to eat without washing their hands (cf. Mark 7:2), he used the opportunity to invite them to reflect on the meaning of the word “purity”.
Jesus said that purity has nothing to do with outward rituals, but most importantly with the inner attitude. Therefore, if there are bad emotions in the heart such as greed, jealousy, arrogance, or bad intentions such as deception, theft, betrayal, slander, etc., then it is useless to wash your hands many times (Mk 7,21-22).
Jesus calls attention to ritualism, which does not lead to the growth of goodness; on the contrary, it sometimes leads to neglect and even to justifying choices and attitudes in oneself and others that are contrary to charity, thus wounding the soul and closing the heart.
Brothers and sisters, this is also very important for us: you cannot leave the Holy Mass, for example, once you enter the church courtyard, and stop the evil and merciless gossip about everything and everyone. Those gossips that destroy the heart, destroy the soul. It is impossible! If you go to Mass and then do these things, it is a bad thing!
Or being sincere in prayer but being cold and indifferent to one’s family at home, or neglecting elderly parents who need help and companionship (see Amos 7:10-13).
This is a double life, and it is impossible. This is what the Pharisees did: outward purity without a good attitude, an attitude of mercy toward others. Or it is impossible for a person to be outwardly very fair to everyone, and maybe even do a little volunteering and some acts of charity, but inwardly cultivate hatred for others, despise the poor and the last, or be dishonest in their work.
In this way, the relationship with God is reduced to an outward gesture, while the heart of man remains impervious to the purifying effect of His grace, and love is absent from thought, message, and action.
We were born for something else. We were born for pure living, for tenderness, for love.
Let us ask ourselves, then, whether I live out my faith in a coherent way, that is, whether I try to do outside the Church in the same spirit as I do in the Church? In my feelings, words, and works. Do I express concretely in my prayers a closeness and respect for my brothers? Let us think about this.
May Mary, most pure Mother, help us to feel and practice love in love, so that our lives may become worship that pleases God (cf. Rom 12:1).
After the Angelus
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
Yesterday in Szaštín, Slovakia, Ján Havlík, a seminarian of the Missionary Congregation founded by St. Vincent de Paul, was beatified. The young man was murdered in 1965 during the persecution of the Church by the then Czechoslovak regime.
May your perseverance in Christian faith be an encouragement to those who are still experiencing similar trials today. Warm applause for the new blessings!
I learned with great pain that on Saturday, August 24, a terrorist attack took place in the town of Barsaliugo, Burkina Faso, killing hundreds of people, including women and children, and injuring many others.
I express my closeness to the entire nation by condemning these abhorrent attacks on human life and my deepest condolences to the families of the victims. May the Virgin Mary help the dear people of Burkina Faso to regain peace and security.
I also pray for the victims of the accident at the Our Lady of Conceição shelter in Recife, Brazil. May the Risen Lord comfort the injured and their families.
My thoughts remain with the people of Ukraine who have suffered greatly from the attacks on their energy infrastructure. In addition to causing death and injury, they have left more than a million people without electricity and water.
Let us remember that the voices of the innocent always find an echo in God, who is not indifferent to their suffering.
I once again focus on the conflict between Palestine and Israel, which threatens to spread to other Palestinian cities. I call for an end to the negotiations, an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, and help for the people of Gaza, where many diseases are also spreading, including polio.
Peace in the Holy Land, peace in Jerusalem. May Al-Quds be a gathering place where Christians, Jews and Muslims feel respected and welcomed, and where no one questions the status of their respective holy places.
Today is the World Day of Prayer for Creation Care, initiated by each individual, institution, association, family and all people to make concrete efforts for our common home.
The cries of a wounded planet are becoming increasingly alarming, demanding decisive and urgent action.
Tomorrow I will begin an apostolic journey to some countries in Asia and Oceania. Please pray for the fruitfulness of this journey.
Greetings to all of you, Romans and pilgrims. I greet especially the young people of Lucca, accompanied by their Archbishop, Monsignor Paolo Giulieti, and some priests; to the excellent young people of Impaculada and the young people of Campocroce di Milano.
Have a great Sunday everyone. Please don’t forget to pray for me. Have a great lunch and bye.
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