Yesterday at the Angelus Pope Francis warned about what stifles freedom: addictions, dominant fashions, fear, "the idolatry of power, which generates conflicts and resorts to weapons that kill or make use of economic injustice and the manipulation of thought". The invitation is to pray to the Holy Spirit that "instead of violence and cries of hatred there may be freedom and peace"."The devil wants to possess, to chain our souls. And we must be careful," the Pontiff said. Commenting on Mark's Gospel which tells of Jesus freeing a person possessed by an "evil spirit", the Pope urged vigilance so that the heart does not end up imprisoned by evil. And he helped bring into focus some of the forms through which the evil one disguises himself to deceive us into losing our freedom. Francis called the "chains" by name, and offered a brief list of them: "I am thinking of addictions, which enslave, always dissatisfied, and devour energy, goods and affections; I am thinking of dominant fashions, which drive to impossible perfectionisms, consumerism and hedonism, which commodify people and spoil their relationships".
|