Pope Francis: Works of mercy are at heart of our faith

Many people appear to be spiritual but live in a way that is totally detached from the presence or needs of others, Pope Francis said on Thursday, in his first homily after Christmas at Casa Santa Marta. Warning against false spirituality and worldliness the Holy Father stressed that works of mercy are at the heart of our faith in God and the visible sign of that faith.

Reflecting on the first letter of John where the Apostle writes of remaining in the Lord, the Pope explained that a Christian is somebody who remains in God, who has the Holy Spirit and who is guided by Him. Noting that John warned against Antichrists, Pope Francis said not every spirit is to be trusted and it's necessary to test them to see whether they are from God. He said to do this we need to discern if we follow the spirit of God. And this is the daily rule of life that John teaches us."

But what does it mean to "test the spirits," asked the Pope? It is not about "ghosts", it is about testing, to see "what happens in my heart", what is at the root "of what I'm feeling now, where does it come from? This is to test if "what I'm hearing comes from God" or comes from the other," from the Antichrist.

Pope Francis went on to warn against worldliness, saying this is the spirit that distances us from the Spirit of God. He said we need to have a good discernment of what is happening in our soul and the Apostle John gives us that guideline.

"The criterion is the Incarnation. I can feel so many things inside, even good things, good ideas. But if these good ideas, these feelings, do not lead to God who became flesh, do not lead me to my neighbour, my brother, then they are not from God. For this reason, John begins this passage of his letter by saying: 'This is God's commandment that we should believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another.'"

We can have "many pastoral plans", imagine new "methods to get closer to the people", but "if we do not follow the path of God who became flesh, the path of the Son of God who became man to walk with us, we are not on the path of the good spirit: it is the Antichrist, it is worldliness, it is the spirit of the world."

"How many people seem spiritual: 'How spiritual that person is!' but they do not talk about doing works of mercy. Why? Because the works of mercy are the visible sign of our confession that the Son of God became flesh: visiting the sick, feeding the hungry, taking care of those who are abandoned... works of mercy: why? The reason is because each of our brothers, whom we must love, is the flesh of Christ. God became flesh to identify with us. And those who suffer are one and the same as the suffering Christ."

Pope Francis went on to warn against believing every spirit, saying "you have to test to test the spirits to see whether they are from God." "Serving our neighbour, our brother, our sister in need", maybe "in need, also, of good advice, of a listening ear," "these are the signs that we are following the path of the good spirit, namely the path of the Word of God made flesh."

"Let us ask the Lord today, he concluded, for the grace to know exactly what happens in our hearts, our desires, if we are more open to the spirit of God, that brings me to the service of others, or to the spirit of the world that revolves around myself, my closed views, my selfishness, so many other things ... Let us ask for the grace to discern what happens in our hearts."

Source: Vatican Radio