During morning Mass today at Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis urged the faithful not to lead a “double life” because of how it scandalizes others.
Vatican Radio is reporting on the homily which was based upon St. Mark’s Gospel in which the Lord teaches his followers that it is better to “cut off your hand” or “pluck out your eye” rather than scandalize the “little ones” – those who are just, and live closely and simply with the Lord.
“But what is scandal?” the pope asked. “Scandal is saying one thing and doing another; it is a double life, a double life. A totally double life: ‘I am very Catholic, I always go to Mass, I belong to this association and that one; but my life is not Christian, I don’t pay my workers a just wage, I exploit people, I am dirty in my business, I launder money…’ A double life.
“And so many Christians are like this, and these people scandalize others. How many times have we heard – all of us, around the neighborhood and elsewhere – ‘but to be a Catholic like that, it’s better to be an atheist.’ It is that, scandal. You destroy. You beat down. And this happens every day, it’s enough to see the news on TV, or to read the papers. In the papers there are so many scandals, and there is also the great publicity of the scandals. And with the scandals there is destruction.”
He gave an example of a company on the brink of failure whose employees did not receive their paychecks even while the head of the company, a Catholic, took off on a luxurious vacation.
“These are scandals,” the pope said.
When people such as this stand before Jesus on their judgement day, the Lord will say “I don’t know you”, the pope warned.
Leading this kind of double life comes from following the passions of the heart, the capital sins that are the wounds of original sin. We hide our passions from others even though we follow them.
“It would be good for all of us, each one of us, today, to consider if there is something of a double life within us, of appearing just, of seeming to be good believers, good Catholics, but underneath doing something else; if there is something of a double life, if there is an excessive confidence: ‘But, sure, the Lord will eventually forgive everything, but I’ll keep going as I have been…’ If there is something saying, “Sure, this is not going well, I will convert, but not today: tomorrow.’ Let’s think about that. And let us profit from the Word of the Lord and consider the fact that on this point, the Lord is very strict. Scandal destroys.”
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