Like money too much? It’ll ruin your life, Pope Francis warns priests

Last updated on: November 18, 2016 at 7:38 pm by CNA Daily News

Like money too much? It’ll ruin your life, Pope Francis warns priests 2016-11-18T19:38:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Vatican City, Nov 18, 2016 / 12:38 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis on Friday had a question for priests: “Are you attached to money?”

“The house of our Lord God is a house of prayer. Our encounter with the Lord (is) with the God of love,” he said in his Nov. 18 homily. “The Lord of Money is constantly seeking to enter inside.”

Pope Francis spoke at his Friday morning Mass at Casa Santa Martha’s chapel, largely attended by priests.

His reflection focused on the day’s gospel reading about Christ driving money lenders from the Jewish temple.

The moneychangers were renting their spaces from the priests, said the Pope in a strong warning about the “Lord of Money.”

“This is the lord that can ruin our life and can lead us to end our life in a bad way, without happiness, without the joy of serving the true Lord, who is the only one capable of giving us that true joy.”

The Pope particularly focused on the dangers of the love of money in the priesthood. He said the people of God forgive “so many sins” by priests, except for attachment to money and mistreating people.

“Following the Lord of Money leads a priest to be the head of a firm or be a prince or we can go even higher,” he warned the priests gathered for Mass. “It’s sad to see a priest who’s at the end of his life, he’s in agony, he’s in a coma and his relatives are there like vultures, looking to see what they can take away.”

He recounted the story of Jacob’s wife Rachel who kept hidden her idols, called teraphim. For Pope Francis, this is an image of attachment to material goods.

“Let us grant this pleasure to the Lord, a true examination of our conscience: ‘Lord, are you my Lord or is it, like Rachel, these teraphim hidden in my heart, this idol of money?’”

Pope Francis had some recommendations: “be courageous,” he repeated, “be courageous.”

“Make a choice: sufficient money like that of an honest worker, sufficient savings like those of an honest worker,” he said. “But all these financial interests are not permissible; this is idolatry.”

He closed praying that God “grant us all the grace of Christian poverty.”

“May the Lord give us the grace of the poverty of working people, those who work and earn a fair wage and who do not seek any more.”

Vatican

Previous Post

November 18, 2016

New Venezuelan cardinal says country's crisis prompted red hat

Next Post

November 18, 2016 Pope tells bishops to have compassion on those with failed marriages

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which epistle focuses on joy and is addressed to believers in Macedonia?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Philippians Colossians Ephesians Galatians