Pope Francis: Try to follow the Beatitudes

Source: Vatican Media

During morning Mass at Casa Santa Marta on Monday, 21 January, Pope Francis said that some people believe themselves to be good Catholics but don't act like good Christians as described by Jesus in the Beatitudes.

The Gospel, the Word of the Lord, is the "new wine" that has been given to us, he said. But to be good Christians we need a "new behaviour", a "new style" that is truly the "Christian style" - which is indicated by the Beatitudes.

Pope Francis said we can learn about the Christian style by first knowing our attitudes that don't belong to the Christian style. In this regard, he points to three of them: the "accusatory style", the "worldly style" and the "selfish style."

The Pope said that the accusatory style belongs to those who always try and live by accusing others, disqualifying others, acting as absent promoters of justice. But they don't realize that it's the style of the devil: in the Bible, the devil is called the "great accuser", who is always accusing others.

This was the same in the time of Jesus who in a few cases reproached the accusers: "Instead of looking at the speck in the eyes of others, look at the beam in yours"- or again: "Those who have not sinned can throw the first stone." Living by accusing others and looking for defects, the Pope says, is not "Christian," not new wineskin.

Speaking about worldliness, Pope Francis said it is an attitude of Catholics who can "recite the Creed", but live on "vanity, pride and attachment to money," believing themselves to be self-sufficient.

The Lord has offered you the new wine but you did not change the wineskin, you did not change yourself. This worldliness is what ruins so many who are good but they enter into this spirit of vanity, of pride, of being seen... Humility that is part of the Christian style, like that of Our Lady and St Joseph, is lacking, the Pope said.

Commenting on the third un-Christian style, the Pope says it is the selfish spirit, the spirit of indifference that is common in our communities. One believes oneself to be a good Catholic but doesn't worry about the problems of others - wars, illnesses and the suffering of our neighbours. This, the Pope said, is the hypocrisy that Jesus reproached the doctors of the law for. What then is the Christian style?

According to the Pope, the Christian style is that of the Beatitudes: meekness, humility, patience in suffering, love for justice, ability to endure persecution, not judging others... If a Catholic wants to learn the Christian style, so as not to fall into this accusatory style, the worldly style and the selfish style, he/she must read the Beatitudes. They are the wineskins, the path we must take. To be a good Christian one must have the ability not only to recite the Creed and the Our Father, with the heart.