Pope Francis: Christian mediocrity leads to loss of sense of sin

When the presence of God is not felt, "you lose the sense of sin," and so others end up paying the price for our "Christian mediocrity." That was the focus of Pope Francis' homily at Mass this morning, (Friday) at Casa Santa Marta.

All too often today, Pope Francis said, grave sin such as adultery is declassified as simply a "problem to be solved ." He explained, that was what happens in today's reading in which King David falls in love with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, one of his generals. David took her for his own and sent her husband to the front lines of battle where the man was killed. In actual fact, the Pope stressed, David also committed murder. And yet, having committed both grave sins, David was not moved. Despite committing a grave sin, the Holy Father observed, the king does not feel pity and fails to ask forgiveness. He only considers how he can resolve a problem.

This can happen to any of us, the Pope said. "When the Kingdom of God diminishes, one of the signs is that you lose the sense of sin." Conversely, you also lose the "sense of the Kingdom of God" and in its place, said the Pope, there emerges an "all-powerful anthropological vision," that leads us to believe we "can do anything."

The Pope confessed that he himself can fall into the trap of losing a sense of sin. But, he stressed, a commitment to daily prayer can counter the injustices perpetrated out of human pride and stops many from falling victim to "Christian mediocrity" and our "unrecognized sins."

Source: VIS