Pope at Angelus: True treasure is
in heaven
Pope Francis during his Angelus address says that Jesus
invites us to consider that riches can chain the heart and distract it from the
true treasure that is in heaven.
Above a sunny St Peter’s Square, Pope Francis joined the
faithful on Sunday for the traditional Angelus Prayer. In his remarks he
reflected on the day’s Gospel reading from Luke and he invited those gathered
to read this beautiful passage. It opens with the scene of a man who stands up
in the crowd and asks Jesus to resolve a juridical question about the
inheritance of a family.
The Pope explained that Jesus “does not address the
question, and exhorts us to stay away from greed, that is, the greed to
possess.”
Jesus and the rich man
Jesus recounts the parable of the rich fool, who believes he
is happy because he has had the good fortune of an exceptional year and feels
secure for the goods he has accumulated. Pope Francis pointed out that
“the story comes to life when the contrast between what the rich man plans for
himself and what God promises him emerges.”
The Pope described how the, “the rich person puts three
considerations before his soul, that is, before himself: the many goods piled
up, the many years that these goods seem to assure him, tranquility and
unbridled well-being. But, said the Pontiff, “the word that God addresses
to him erases these projects. Instead of the "many years", God
indicates the immediacy of "this night"; instead of the
"enjoyment of life" he presents Him with the "rendering of
life", with the consequent judgment.”
Pope Francis went on to say that God addressed the man as
foolish, which in this case is justified, because in practice he has denied
God, and he has not come to terms with Him.
The parable, said the Pope, serves as a warning that reveals
“the horizon towards which we are all called to look. Material goods are
necessary for life, but they must not be the end of our existence, but a means
of living honestly and in sharing with those most in need.”
Riches that can chain the heart
Pope Francis underlined that, “today Jesus invites us to
consider that riches can chain the heart and distract it from the true treasure
that is in heaven.”
He added, however, that “this does not mean being alienated
from reality, but seeking the things that have a true value such as justice,
solidarity, acceptance, fraternity and peace…” “The greed for goods, the desire
to have goods, he remarked does not satisfy the heart, on the contrary it
causes more hunger.”
The Pope concluded by saying that it “is a matter of
inclining towards a life lived not in the worldly way, but in the evangelical
way, meaning, to “love God with all our being, and to love our neighbour as
Jesus loved him, that is, in service and in the gift of himself.”
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