Pope Francis: God isn't interested in 'cosmetic' religion

Jesus asks us to perform good deeds with humility and rejects 'cosmetic' religion that is only concerned with outward appearance and pretends to be what it's not - that was the message of Pope Francis at morning Mass in Casa Santa Marta on Tuesday.

Reflecting on the day's readings from St Paul's letter to the Galatians and the Gospel account in which Jesus rebukes a Pharisee for being totally concerned with the outward appearance of cleanliness rather than on the inner substance of his faith, the Pope noted that Jesus's answer to the Pharisee who was unequivocal.

"'Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil.'" And Jesus repeats this many times in the Gospel to these people: Your interior is wicked, is not good and is not free. 'You are slaves because you have not accepted the justice that comes from God, the justice that Jesus has given us.'"

Mentioning another passage from the Gospel, the Pope noted that Jesus urges us to pray without being seen, without being show-offs or like those cheeky and shameless people who pray and give alms so they can be admired. Our Lord, he stressed, instead shows us the path of humility.

Pope Francis went on to explain that, as Jesus said, what is important is the freedom given to us by redemption.

"That inner freedom, that freedom to do good deeds in secret without blowing our trumpets, because the path of true religion is Jesus' path - humility and humiliation. And as Paul says to the Philippians, Jesus humiliates himself, empties himself. This is the only way to remove egoism, cupidity, arrogance, vanity and worldliness from ourselves. On the contrary, these people that Jesus rebukes are people who follow a "cosmetic" religion: about show, appearance and pretending to be something but inside... Jesus uses a very strong image to describe these people: "You are like whitewashed tombs that look handsome on the outside but inside are full of the bones of the dead and every kind of corruption."

Pope Francis then pointed out that Jesus asks us to perform good deeds with humility. He said you can do all the good deeds you want but if you don't do them with humility, as Jesus taught us, these good deeds count for nothing because they are born from you and your self-assurance rather than from the redemption that Jesus gave us.This same redemption comes via "the path of humility and humiliations because humility never comes without humiliation. And we see Jesus humiliated on the Cross."

"Let us ask the Lord for us never to get tired of journeying along this path, to never get tired of rejecting this religion of show, of appearance, of pretending. And let us journey silently doing good, freely just as we freely received our inner freedom. And may HE guard this inner freedom for all of us. Let us ask for this grace."

Source: Vatican Radio