Desires

One cannot live the Gospel by making compromises, otherwise one ends up with the spirit of the world, which aims at dominating others and is "the enemy of God"; but one must choose the path of service. The Pope's reflection, in his homily on Tuesday 25 February, at the Mass at Casa Santa Marta, started from the Gospel passage (Mk 9:30-37) in which Jesus tells the Twelve that if one wants to be first, he is called to make himself last and servant of all.

Jesus knew that along the way the disciples had been arguing among themselves about who was the greatest "by ambition". This fighting saying 'I must go on, I must go up', the Pontiff explained, is the spirit of the world. But the first reading of the day's liturgy (Jas 4:1-10) also echoes this aspect, when the Apostle James reminds us that love of the world is the enemy of God. "This anxiety of worldliness," the Pope remarked, "this anxiety of being more important than others and saying: 'No! I deserve this, I don't deserve that other'. This is worldliness, this - he continued - is the spirit of the world and whoever breathes this spirit, breathes the enmity of God". "Jesus, in another passage, says to the disciples: 'Either you are with me or you are against me'. There is no compromise in the Gospel. And when one wants to live the Gospel by making compromises,' he commented, 'in the end one finds oneself with the worldly spirit, which always seeks to make compromises in order to climb higher, to dominate, to be greater.

So many wars and quarrels come precisely from worldly desires, from passions, the Pope pointed out, referring again to the words of St James. It is true 'today the whole world is sown by wars. But the wars that are among us? Like the one that existed among the apostles: who is the most important?", Francis asked. "'Look at the career I've had: now I can't go backwards!' This is the spirit of the world and this is not Christian. "No! It is my turn! I have to earn more to have more money and more power'. This is the spirit of the world,' the Pontiff stressed. "And then, the wickedness of gossip: gossip. Where does it come from? From envy. The great envious,' Francis reiterated, 'is the devil, we know it, the Bible says so. From envy. By the devil's envy, evil enters the world. Envy is a woodworm that pushes you to destroy, to gossip, to annihilate the other".

In the disciples' dialogue there were all these passions and for this reason, Francis argued, Jesus rebukes them and exhorts them to be servants of all and to take the last place: 'Who is the most important in the Church? - he wondered - The Pope, the bishops, the monsignors, the cardinals, the pastors of the most beautiful parishes, the presidents of lay associations? No! The greatest in the Church is the one who makes himself the servant of all, the one who serves everyone, not the one who has the most titles. And to make this understood, he took a child, placed him in their midst and, embracing him tenderly - because Jesus spoke with tenderness, he had so much of it - he said to them: 'Whoever welcomes a child welcomes me', that is, whoever welcomes the most humble, the most servant. This is the way," Francis said, emphasising again that "the way against the spirit of the world is only one: humility. To serve others, to choose the last place, not to climb'.

One must not, therefore, "negotiate with the spirit of the world", one must not say: "I have a right to this place, because look at the career I have made". Worldliness, in fact, concluded the Pope, "is the enemy of God". Instead, we must listen to this "so wise" and encouraging word that Jesus says in the Gospel: "If anyone wants to be first, let him be last of all, let him be servant of all".

[Pope Francis, St. Martha, in L'Osservatore Romano 26/02/2020]

60 Last modified on Monday, 17 February 2025 06:55

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don Giuseppe Nespeca

Giuseppe Nespeca è architetto e sacerdote. Cultore della Sacra scrittura è autore della raccolta "Due Fuochi due Vie - Religione e Fede, Vangeli e Tao"; coautore del libro "Dialogo e Solstizio".

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Christians are a priestly people for the world. Christians should make the living God visible to the world, they should bear witness to him and lead people towards him. When we speak of this task in which we share by virtue of our baptism, it is no reason to boast (Pope Benedict)

I cristiani sono popolo sacerdotale per il mondo. I cristiani dovrebbero rendere visibile al mondo il Dio vivente, testimoniarLo e condurre a Lui. Quando parliamo di questo nostro comune incarico, in quanto siamo battezzati, ciò non è una ragione per farne un vanto (Papa Benedetto)

Because of this unique understanding, Jesus can present himself as the One who reveals the Father with a knowledge that is the fruit of an intimate and mysterious reciprocity (John Paul II)

In forza di questa singolare intesa, Gesù può presentarsi come il rivelatore del Padre, con una conoscenza che è frutto di un'intima e misteriosa reciprocità (Giovanni Paolo II)

Yes, all the "miracles, wonders and signs" of Christ are in function of the revelation of him as Messiah, of him as the Son of God: of him who alone has the power to free man from sin and death. Of him who is truly the Savior of the world (John Paul II)

Sì, tutti i “miracoli, prodigi e segni” di Cristo sono in funzione della rivelazione di lui come Messia, di lui come Figlio di Dio: di lui che, solo, ha il potere di liberare l’uomo dal peccato e dalla morte. Di lui che veramente è il Salvatore del mondo (Giovanni Paolo II)

It is known that faith is man's response to the word of divine revelation. The miracle takes place in organic connection with this revealing word of God. It is a "sign" of his presence and of his work, a particularly intense sign (John Paul II)

È noto che la fede è una risposta dell’uomo alla parola della rivelazione divina. Il miracolo avviene in legame organico con questa parola di Dio rivelante. È un “segno” della sua presenza e del suo operare, un segno, si può dire, particolarmente intenso (Giovanni Paolo II)

That was not the only time the father ran. His joy would not be complete without the presence of his other son. He then sets out to find him and invites him to join in the festivities (cf. v. 28). But the older son appeared upset by the homecoming celebration. He found his father’s joy hard to take; he did not acknowledge the return of his brother: “that son of yours”, he calls him (v. 30). For him, his brother was still lost, because he had already lost him in his heart (Pope Francis)

Ma quello non è stato l’unico momento in cui il Padre si è messo a correre. La sua gioia sarebbe incompleta senza la presenza dell’altro figlio. Per questo esce anche incontro a lui per invitarlo a partecipare alla festa (cfr v. 28). Però, sembra proprio che al figlio maggiore non piacessero le feste di benvenuto; non riesce a sopportare la gioia del padre e non riconosce il ritorno di suo fratello: «quel tuo figlio», dice (v. 30). Per lui suo fratello continua ad essere perduto, perché lo aveva ormai perduto nel suo cuore (Papa Francesco)

Doing a good deed almost instinctively gives rise to the desire to be esteemed and admired for the good action, in other words to gain a reward. And on the one hand this closes us in on ourselves and on the other, it brings us out of ourselves because we live oriented to what others think of us or admire in us (Pope Benedict)

Quando si compie qualcosa di buono, quasi istintivamente nasce il desiderio di essere stimati e ammirati per la buona azione, di avere cioè una soddisfazione. E questo, da una parte rinchiude in se stessi, dall’altra porta fuori da se stessi, perché si vive proiettati verso quello che gli altri pensano di noi e ammirano in noi (Papa Benedetto)

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