Pope Francis: The Antidote to Worldliness is Christ

“Worldliness is a culture,” according to the pope. The world “has superficial values” and “no fidelity because it changes according to the circumstances.”

He warned that Christians, too, are not immune to this spirit of the world, and quoted from the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians: “You were slaves to the world, to worldliness.”

This, he said, makes him recall the end of the book, Meditation on the Church, by Henri de Lubac, which calls spiritual worldliness “the worst of the evils that can happen to the Church,” Francis stated.

“And Jesus insists on defending us from this and prays for the Father to defend us from this culture of worldliness,” he said.

The pope pointed to the apostle Paul’s preaching of the Gospel in Athens. When St. Paul spoke about the cross and resurrection, some of the people “were scandalized and went away,” according to Francis.

More in Vatican

Pope Francis Calls on Vatican Christmas Concert Artists to Promote Peace, Reconciliation

Read the article

The apostle John, he said, also spoke about worldliness when he wrote that “the victory that conquers the world is our faith.”

“The only one: faith in Jesus Christ, dead and risen.” The pope said “that doesn’t mean being fanatics. This does not mean neglecting to have dialogue with all people, no: but with the conviction of faith, the scandal of the cross, the foolishness of Christ and also the victory of Christ.”

Pope Francis’ intention for the Mass was for those burying the dead during the coronavirus pandemic.

“It is one of the works of mercy to bury the dead and it is not a pleasant thing of course. We pray for those who risk their lives and catching the infection,” he said.

After Mass, the pope concluded with Eucharistic adoration and benediction. He also led congregants and those following the Mass via livestream in making a spiritual communion.