Christian Today report– Pope Francis reminded the faithful that Lent is the time to battle against evil.
He likened the faithful’s struggles to that of Jesus himself, who spent 40 days in the wilderness to face off against the temptations presented by Satan.
In his Angelus address, the Pope said that in Christ’s victory over his nemesis, “we have all triumphed but we need to protect this victory in our daily lives.”
The pontiff explained to that like Jesus, it is important to listen to the voice of God, especially during the time of the Lent, which is the representation of Christ’s wilderness.
However, he said that the faithful cannot triumph over temptation without guidance from the Scriptures and underscored the need to seek guidance from the Gospel.
This prompted the Pope to renew his call for the faithful to read and reflect on the meaning of the Gospel even for 10 minutes a day and make it a habit to carry around a copy of the Scripture in their pocket or bag every day.
“The Lenten wilderness helps us to say ‘no’ to worldliness, to ‘idols’, it helps us to make courageous choices in line with the Gospel and to strengthen our solidarity with our brothers and sisters,” he said.
With the help of volunteers, many of whom were homeless, the Pope distributed 50,000 free copies of a small booklet entitled “Safeguard Your Heart,” which contains key teachings of Jesus and the essential tenets of faith. The book includes the seven sacraments, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the Ten Commandments, and the virtues and works of charity.
According to the Pope, having a copy of the booklet will help them in their conversion and religious growth which always starts from the heart.
“It’s there that we play out the daily choice between good and evil, between worldliness and the Gospel, between indifference and sharing. Humanity needs justice, peace and love and we can have this only by returning with our hearts towards God who is the source of all this,” he said.
Source: Christian Today