Pope Francis: When we do not worship God, we worship ourselves

January 6, 2020 CNA Daily News News Briefs 1 Print

Vatican City, Jan 6, 2020 / 04:15 am (CNA).- On the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, Pope Francis said worship of Christ reveals the true meaning of our journey of life, as it did for the magi in the Gospel.

“When we do not worship God, we end up worshiping ourselves,” Pope Francis said Jan. 6 in St. Peter’s Basilica.

“Worship means concentrating on what is essential,” he said. “In worship, we learn to reject what should not be worshiped: the god of money, the god of consumerism, the god of pleasure, the god of success, the god of self. Worship means bending low before the Most High and to discover in his presence that life’s greatness does not consist in having, but in loving.”

In his homily for the Epiphany of the Lord, Pope Francis reflected on the magi, or wise men, who bearing gifts, came to worship the Child Jesus in Bethlehem.

The Magi brought gold to the Lord to tell him that nothing is more precious than he, the pope said. They offered him incense to tell him that only in union with him can our lives rise up to heaven, and healing myrrh to promise Christ aid to marginalized and suffering neighbors in whom he himself is present.

“In worshiping, we too will discover, like the Magi, the meaning of our journey. And like the Magi, we too will experience ‘a great joy,’” Francis said.

“Worship means realizing that you and God belong together to one another. It means being able to speak to him freely and intimately,” he said. “Worship means discovering that, in order to pray, it is enough to say: ‘My Lord and my God,’ and to let ourselves be pervaded by his tender love.”

“Through worship, we discover that the Christian life is a love story with God,” the pope said. “This is what the Church ought to be, a worshiper in love with Jesus her spouse.”

Pope Francis said that worship is an act of love that transforms one’s life. “In worship, we allow Jesus to heal and change us … to kindle light amid our darkness, to grant us strength in weakness and courage amid trials.”

“Once we lose the sense of worship, we lose our direction in the Christian life, which is a journey towards the Lord, not towards ourselves,” the pope said.

“This is a grave risk,” he said. “We use God instead of serving him … How many times have we confused God’s power, which is for serving others, with power of this world, which is for serving ourselves.”

Pope Francis said that worship allows one to realize that faith is not simply a set of doctrines, but a relationship with a living person, Jesus Christ:

“It is in encountering Jesus face to face that we come to see him as he is,” he said. “Worship means being silent in the presence of the divine Word, and learning to use words that do not wound but console.”

“As we begin the New Year, may we discover anew that faith demands worship. If we can fall on our knees before Jesus, we will overcome the temptation to set off on our own path. For worship involves making an exodus from the greatest form of bondage: slavery to oneself,” Pope Francis said.

“Worship means putting the Lord at the center, not ourselves. It is means giving things their rightful place, and giving the first place to God. Worship means making God’s plan more important than our personal time, our entitlements and our spaces,” he said.

Following the Mass, Pope Francis prayed the Angelus prayer with pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square.

“Here is the difference between the true God and the treacherous idols, such as money, power, success,” Pope Francis said in his Angelus reflection. “The difference is that idols bind us … The true God neither holds us back nor lets himself be held back by us: he opens up ways of novelty and freedom.”

“We ask the Holy Virgin that we can become witnesses of Christ where we are, with a new life transformed by his love,” Pope Francis prayed.

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Pope Francis: Help the world’s small food producers

June 14, 2021 Catholic News Agency 1
Pope Francis addresses the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) at their headquarters in Rome on Nov. 20, 2014. / FAO Giulio Napolitano.

Vatican City, Jun 14, 2021 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Pope Francis said Monday that the world must do more to help small food producers.

In a message to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the pope said that the coronavirus crisis should spur efforts to create a global food system capable of withstanding future shocks.

“I appreciate and encourage the efforts of the international community to enable each country to implement the necessary mechanisms to achieve food autonomy, whether through new models of development and consumption or through forms of community organization that preserve local ecosystems and biodiversity,” the pope wrote in Spanish.

“It could be of great benefit to draw on the potential of innovation to support small producers and help them improve their capacities and resilience. In this regard, your work is of particular importance in the current time of crisis.”

The pope’s message was addressed to Michał Kurtyka, Poland’s climate minister and president of the 42nd Session of the FAO Conference, taking place in Rome on June 14-18.

The FAO, founded in 1945, has more than 194 member states and works in over 130 countries.

In addition to the papal message, the conference’s first day featured an address by the Italian President Sergio Mattarella and opening remarks by the FAO’s Chinese Director-General Qu Dongyu, who described the pandemic as “a powerful wake-up call on the fragility and shortcomings of our agrifood systems.”

In his message, the pope noted that in 2020 the number of people at risk of acute food insecurity and in need of immediate subsistence support reached its highest level in five years.

“This situation could worsen in the future. Conflicts, extreme weather events, economic crises, together with the current health crisis, are a source of famine and hunger for millions of people,” he wrote.

“Therefore, in order to address these growing vulnerabilities, it is essential to adopt policies capable of tackling the structural causes that give rise to them.”

The pope continued: “To provide a solution to these needs, it is important, above all, to ensure that food systems are resilient, inclusive, sustainable, and able to provide healthy and affordable diets for all.”

“In this perspective, the development of a circular economy, which guarantees resources for all, including future generations, and promotes the use of renewable energies, is beneficial.”

“The fundamental factor for recovering from the crisis that is striking us is an economy tailored to man, not subject only to profit, but anchored in the common good, friendly to ethics and respectful of the environment.”

The FAO’s 2020 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report predicted that the COVID-19 pandemic would cause 130 million more people worldwide to suffer chronic hunger by the end of last year.

The pope said: “The reconstruction of post-pandemic economies offers us the opportunity to reverse the course followed so far and invest in a global food system capable of withstanding future crises.”

“This includes the promotion of sustainable and diversified agriculture that takes into account the valuable role of family farming and rural communities.”

“Indeed, it is paradoxical to note that it is precisely those who produce food that suffer from the lack or scarcity of food. Three-quarters of the world’s poor live in rural areas and depend primarily on agriculture for their livelihoods.”

“However, due to lack of access to markets, land ownership, financial resources, infrastructure and technologies, these brothers and sisters of ours are the most vulnerable to food insecurity.”

Concluding his message, the pope said that it was not enough merely to outline programs.

“Tangible gestures are needed that have as their point of reference the common belonging to the human family and the fostering of fraternity,” he wrote, assuring the conference of the Catholic Church’s support for its work.


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