Are all churchgoers good people?
Pope Francis tried to answer this question through a homily delivered at the chapel of Saint Martha residence in the Vatican. Through a parable he shared, Pope Francis explained that not all churchgoers are good people.
The parable found in the Gospel of Luke tells the story of a rich man and a beggar known as Lazarus. The rich man, clad in fine clothing and had lavish meals, chose to ignore Lazarus, a neighbor suffering from hunger and diseases.
The rich man was a religious man in is own way and did good things in honor of the church. He often prayed, offered a couple of sacrifices to the temple, and gave big donations to priests. Despite his good deeds, Pope Francis explained these didn’t matter as he failed to see and recognize the struggles of Lazarus who was living close to his home.
According to Pope Francis, a lot of people who are religious are defeated by worldliness. This makes them unable to see the suffering of people around them.
He said: “With a worldly heart you can go to church, you can pray, you can do many things.”
“But if your heart is worldly you cannot understand the needs and hardships of others,” Pope Francis added.
Being blind to the plight of the needy is not only a “subtle sin” but “a sinful state of the soul”, the Pontiff said.
Pope Francis Gives Easter Message
In his message delivered during the Waster vigil service, Pope Francis emphasized that darkness and fear must not triumph and “imprison” the world with hopelessness.
Following the recent days of the attacks in Belgium by Islamic extremists, Pontiff said: “Let us not allow darkness and fear to distract us and control our hearts. Today is the celebration of our hope. It is so necessary today.”