Follow Me

Pope Francis has given us two different looks at the nature of sin these last few days. He said, "The problem is not that we are sinners: the problem is not repenting of sin, not being ashamed of what we have done."

We all are sinners. This does not exclude anyone. To think only that the other has sinned but not ourselves is ignorant. At the same time it should not be a game of comparison which looks to see who is worse. We need to stay focused on acknowledging our own sins before God and strive to repent. This is what will make a difference in the lives of others.

If we fail to recognize our own sinfulness we will be tempted to point only at the sins of others in idle chatter or as Pope Francis said, "to compare oneself with others." He goes on to say, "When there is this comparison, we end up in bitterness and even envy, but envy rusts the Christian community, it brings much hurt, and the devil wants that. This kind of talk will not do you any good, because it will just bring to the Church a spirit of destruction."

Rather Pope Francis reminds us of our true role as Christians which is to hear the Lord Jesus saying to us, "Follow me!" Pope Francis concludes, "These are the beautiful words of Jesus, it is so clear, that he has so much love for us." When we hear the call and realize Christ's love for us, we then will have the courage to turn away from sin, to repent and to transform our lives. Hopefully along the way we can encourage others to do the same.

All words of Pope Francis are in quotations above. All other words are my own reflections.

The quotes are a translation from the Italian into English from his Mass on Saturday May, 18, 2013.