Pope Francis: sinners can become
saints, but the corrupt cannot
Be watchful, every day, so that you don’t end up far from
the Lord. That was the invitation of Pope Francis during his homily at the
morning Mass at Casa Santa Marta on Thursday. The Pope spoke of the risk, to
which we are all exposed, of weakness of the heart.
David is a saint, even if he was a sinner; the great and
wise Solomon, on the other hand, was rejected by the Lord because he was
corrupt. Pope Francis focused on this apparent paradox in his homily at the
daily Mass at the Casa Santa Marta. The first Reading in the day’s liturgy,
taken from the First Book of Kings, speaks about Solomon and his disobedience.
“We have heard about something a bit strange,” the Pope said. “The heart of
Solomon was not entirely with the Lord, his God, as the heart of David, his
father, had been.”
The problem of weakness of the heart
He explained that it was strange because we do not know that
Solomon had committed great sins, he was always very balanced; while we know
that David had had a difficult life, that he was a sinner. And yet David is a
saint, while it is said of Solomon, who had been praised by the Lord for
seeking wisdom rather than riches, that his heart was “turned away from the
Lord.” How can we explain this? the Pope asked. It is because David, knowing
that he had sinned, always asked for forgiveness, while Solomon, who was
praised throughout the world, distanced himself from the Lord to follow other
gods, but did not recognize his fault.
And here is the problem of “weakness of the heart.” When
the heart begins to weaken, it is not like a situation of sin: you commit a
sin, and you realize it immediately. “I have committed this sin”; it’s clear.
Weakness of the heart is a slow journey, that slides along step by step, step
by step, step by step… And Solomon, adorned in his glory, in his fame, began to
take this road.
Solomon became tranquil in his corruption
Paradoxically, “the clarity of a sin is better than weakness
of the heart,” the Pope said. “The great king Solomon wound up corrupted:
tranquilly corrupt, because his heart was weakened”:
And a man and a woman with weak hearts, or weakened
hearts, is a defeated woman, a defeated man. This is the process of many
Christians, of many of us. ‘No, I haven’t committed grave sins.’ But how is
your heart? Is it strong? Does it stay faithful to the Lord, or does is it
slowly sliding away?
Guard your heart at all times
The drama of the weakness of the heart can happen to all of
us in life. What do we do then? The answer, Pope Francis said, is vigilance:
“Be watchful. Guard your heart. Be watchful. Every day, be careful about what
is happening in your heart. He concluded:
David was a saint. He was a sinner. A sinner, and he
became a saint. Solomon was rejected because he was corrupt. Someone who is
corrupt cannot become a saint. And one becomes corrupt by following the path of
weakness of the heart. Vigilance! Guard your heart at all times. How is my
heart doing? How is my relationship with the Lord? And enjoy the beauty and the
joy of fidelity.
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