Pope Francis in Wednesday Catechesis: The "logic of merit" Doesn't Gain Us Heaven

“Indeed, beyond the things we do, our sacrifices and successes, what truly counts in order to be happy is what we carry in our heart,” the Holy Father said.

In his catechesis, the pope invited his readers to consider God’s love as a gift he desires to share with others and not merely as a reward he grants to those who carry out good works.

“Jesus’ love is gratuitous: exactly the opposite of the logic of merit that has beset this person,” he said. “We are truly happy when we realize we are loved in this way, freely, by grace.” 

“This also applies to the relationships between us: as long as we try to buy love or beg for affection, those relationships will never make us feel happy,” he added.

To make “our hearts freer” to accept the proposal of Jesus to follow him, the Holy Father said it is necessary to take a look inside our hearts and give our wounds and weaknesses to the God who wants to heal us.  

“Perhaps today, precisely because we live in a culture of self-sufficiency and individualism, we find ourselves more unhappy because we no longer hear our name spoken by someone who loves us freely,” the pope shared in his catechesis.

Noting the sadness of the young man who refused Jesus’ offer to be his disciple and follow him, the pope said to be aware that “what we think are riches” could be “only burdens that are holding us back.”

The Holy Father concluded his Wednesday catechesis with a prayer, entrusting “all people who are sad and undecided” to the Heart of Jesus “so that they may feel the loving gaze of the Lord.”