A human character is more complex than what the eye can see and we often attribute a person’s conduct through what our eyes can perceive. If a person regularly attends church services, we attribute ‘goodness’ to that person. On the other hand, there are some people who judge others based on their own standard.
Pope Francis however has a different view on this much-publicized way of judging people. According to Christian Post, the Pontiff delivered a homily at the Chapel of Saint Martha within the Vatican, and shared the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in the Gospel of Luke.
He said that Lazarus was very indigent and lived in a hamlet with some rich neighbors. The Gospel recounts that while the rich lived in lavishness and dined sumptuously, Lazarus was wrecked in hunger and disease. However, the rich in his midst were not evil and had not committed any evil deeds but the eyes of their soul were tinted not to see the suffering of Lazarus.
“Maybe he was a religious man, in his own way,” the Pope said. “Maybe he prayed and a couple times a year he surely went up to the temple to offer sacrifices and he gave big donations to the priests, who in their clerical cowardice would thank him and give him a seat of honour.”
He also said that regular church attendance with much concern for worldly possessions and ignorance of the plight of sufferings does not guarantee a person is a good Christian.
“With a worldly heart you can go to church, you can pray, you can do many things. But if your heart is worldly you cannot understand the needs and hardships of others.”
“There is a curse on the person who trusts in the world and a blessing on the one who trusts in the Lord. The rich man’s soul is a desert and an uninhabitable wasteland “
But the Pope said that there is still hope for everyone: “We have a father who waits for us. In the midst of our worldliness, He calls us his children. We are not orphans,” he said.
