Living according to the "values" of this world, in worldliness, "greatly pleases the devil". "And this is a grave sin! We begin with perhaps a small bribe, but it's like drugs." It’s the road taken by "some directors of companies, public administrators, some government administrators ... Maybe there are not so many ."

Vatican City ( AsiaNews) - " May the Lord change the hearts of the devotees to the god of bribery" and they realize that "dignity comes from a dignified work, honest work, from every day work and not by these easier roads that in the end strip you of everything", strip you of dignity.

The parable of the dishonest steward inspired the Pope, during Mass this morning at Casa Santa Marta , to pray for those who have " the habit of taking bribes", "a worldly and highly sinful habit" and for their children, who receive "dirty bread ".

Pope Francis, as reported by Vatican Radio in Italian, spoke of " the spirit of the world, of worldliness ," of " how this worldliness acts and how dangerous it is." Jesus "prayed to the Father that his disciples would not fall into worldly ways". "It is the enemy" :

"When we think of our enemies, we really think first of the devil , because that's what hurts us . A worldly atmosphere and lifestyle greatly pleases the devil: to live according to the so-called 'values' ​​of this world. This administrator is an example of worldliness. some of you may say : ' But this man has done what everyone else does ! ' . But not everyone , no! Some administrators, company managers, public administrators, some government administrators .. . Maybe not so many. It is a little of that attitude of the shorter, more convenient path to earning a living . "

In the parable, the master praised the dishonest steward for his shrewdness . "Oh yes, this is a praise of bribery! And the habit of bribery is a worldly and highly sinful habit. It is a habit that is not of God : God has commanded us to bring the bread home with our work honest ! And this man, this administrator, brought it home, but how? He gave his children bread dirty to eat! And his children, perhaps educated in expensive colleges, perhaps reared in cultured circles, received from their father dirt as a meal, because their father, in bringing dirty bread home, had lost his dignity! And this is a grave sin! Because we begin with perhaps a small bribe, but it's like drugs".

So the habit becomes an addiction to bribes. But if there is a "worldly cunning" there is also a " Christian cunning, to do things a little  wiser... not with the spirit of the world" , but honestly . This is what Jesus means when he invites us to be wise as serpents and simple as doves: Putting together these two dimensions "is a grace of the Holy Spirit " , a gift that we must ask . Finally, he concludes with a prayer :

"Maybe today it will do all of us good to pray for the many children and young people who receive dirty bread from their parents: these too are hungry, they are hungry for dignity! Pray that the Lord may change the hearts of these devotees of the god of bribery and recognize the dignity that comes from worthy work, honest work, from every day work and not from these easier roads that eventually strip us of everything.  Then I would end up like that other man of the Gospel who had so many barns and silos filled with so much and he did not know what to do : ' Tonight you will die,' said the Lord . These poor people who have lost their dignity in the practice of bribes carry with them not only the weight of the money they earned, but their lack of dignity! Pray for them !".

 

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