In his weekly general audience at the Paul VI Audience Hall, Pope Francis candidly addressed the vice of avarice, calling it a “sickness of the heart, not of the wallet.”
Pope Francis explained the profound spiritual malady associated with excessive attachment to material wealth, saying it’s a pervasive ailment that affects individuals across various economic spectrums.
“It is not a sin that regards only people with large assets,” he said, emphasizing the universal nature of this vice. This ‘transversal vice,’ as he termed it, manifests in a distorted perception of reality, leading to compulsive hoarding and pathological accumulation.
Drawing from the wisdom of the Desert Fathers, early Christian hermits renowned for their ascetic lifestyle, the Pope highlighted the paradox of relinquishing vast inheritances only to cling to trivial possessions. This attachment, he noted, signifies a regression, a childlike fixation murmuring ‘It’s mine! It’s mine!’ This, according to the Pope, signifies a disordered relationship with reality.
Pope Francis offered a meditation on death as a poignant antidote to avarice. He reminded the audience that in death, earthly possessions hold no value. “We cannot take property with us!” he exclaimed, urging the faithful to realign their focus from material wealth to spiritual riches.
As he concluded his message, Pope Francis implored his listeners to embrace generosity. “Let us be generous, generous with everyone and generous with those who need us most,” he affirmed, steering the congregation towards a path of altruism and detachment from material bondage.
Pray with Pope Francis!
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