Jesus invites us to “liberate the sacred from the bonds of money”, following the example of the widow who is not afraid to give all that she has “because she trusts in God’s plenty,” Pope Francis reminded the faithful at this Sunday’s Angelus in St Peter’s Square.
Commenting on the passage proposed by the liturgy today, the Pope noted that “the Gospel places before us a stark contrast: the rich, who give their surplus to be seen, and a poor woman who, without appearing, offers all the little she has. Two symbols of human behavoir”.
In this way he warns against the sin of “living the faith in duplicity”: Jesus invites us to “beware of hypocrites, that is, to be careful not to base our lives on the cult of appearance, of outward show, on the exaggerated care of our own image and, above all, not to bend the faith to our own interests”.
Those scribes,” said Francis, “used religion to take care of their business, abusing their authority and exploiting the poor. This is the evil of “clericalism, this being above the humble, exploiting them, ‘beating down on them’ them, feeling perfect”.
But,” the Pope added, “it is a warning for all times and for everyone, Church and society: never take advantage of one’s role to crush others, never make money on the skin of the weakest. Let us ask ourselves: in what we say and do, do we wish to be appreciated and gratified, or do we wish to render a service to God and neighbour, especially the weakest?”.
But Jesus also points out the way to heal from this illness, inviting us to look at the poor widow. He denounces “the exploitation of this woman who, in order to make the offering, must return home deprived of even the little she has to live on”. He recalls the importance of “freeing the sacred from bonds with money” which is “a master we must not serve”.