VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The devil is sly and sneaky like a serpent and subtly entices people to sin, Pope Francis said at his weekly general audience Dec. 27.Beginning a new series of audience talks about vices and virtues, the pope said that evil grows "when one begins to fantasize about it, to nurse it in the imagination and in thoughts, and one ends up being ensnared by its enticements."One of the devil's first lines of attack, he said, is to go after one's pride just like the serpent who tricked Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden did.When God told them they could eat the fruit of any tree except "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil," God was not telling them they could not use their ability to reason, the pope said. Instead, God was telling them: "Recognize your limits; do not think you are the master of everything, because pride is the beginning of all evil."God made Adam and Eve the guardians of creation but wanted "to preserve them from the presumption of omnipotence, of...
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The devil is sly and sneaky like a serpent and subtly entices people to sin, Pope Francis said at his weekly general audience Dec. 27.
Beginning a new series of audience talks about vices and virtues, the pope said that evil grows "when one begins to fantasize about it, to nurse it in the imagination and in thoughts, and one ends up being ensnared by its enticements."
One of the devil's first lines of attack, he said, is to go after one's pride just like the serpent who tricked Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden did.
When God told them they could eat the fruit of any tree except "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil," God was not telling them they could not use their ability to reason, the pope said. Instead, God was telling them: "Recognize your limits; do not think you are the master of everything, because pride is the beginning of all evil."
God made Adam and Eve the guardians of creation but wanted "to preserve them from the presumption of omnipotence, of making themselves masters of good and evil," the pope said. "This is a horrible temptation even now. It is the most dangerous trap for the human heart."
Pope Francis told people they must "be on guard" because "the devil is a seducer."
"Never dialogue with him, because he is smarter than all of us and will make us pay for it," the pope said. "When a temptation comes, never dialogue. Close the door, close the window, close your heart," which is the only sure way to defend oneself.
"We need to ask for this grace -- that of learning how to guard our hearts" from pride and jealousy, he said.
Greeting German speakers at the audience, Pope Francis said he knows that "evil sometimes seems overwhelming," but "through the birth of his son, God has given us new hope: in the end, the power of love will overcome the power of evil. Let us spread God's love and thus illuminate the darkness of our days."
He told pilgrims from Poland that, looking back at the year that is ending, he wanted to give thanks for the generosity of so many Poles who continue to aid the victims of Russia's war on Ukraine.
"Let us pray with confidence that the Prince of Peace will grant us hope, love and true peace," he said.
St. Stanislaus of Szczepanów is depicted as the patron saint of Poland in a miniature painted by Stanislaw Samostrzelnik of Mogila. / Credit: Polona Digital Library|Wikimedia|PD-ArtWashington, D.C. Newsroom, May 8, 2024 / 16:53 pm (CNA).Pope Francis during his Wednesday general audience invoked the intercession of St. Stanislaus, patron saint of Poland, for peace in Ukraine and Israel.Addressing Polish pilgrims in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, the pope said: "Today you celebrate the solemnity of St. Stanislaus, bishop and martyr, patron of your homeland.""St. John Paul II wrote of him," Francis went on, "that from high in heaven, he shared in the sufferings and hopes of your nation, sustaining its survival, especially during the Second World War."Francis prayed that the intercession of St. Stanislaus "obtain, even today, the gift of peace in Europe and throughout the world, especially in Ukraine and the Middle East."What does Poland have to do with these wars? This co...
null / Credit: ShutterstockCNA Staff, May 8, 2024 / 17:23 pm (CNA).A trio of Catholic radio networks has filed a petition against the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over new requirements that will soon mandate that all U.S. radio and television stations publish information about the race and gender of their employees.In a 3-2 ruling in February, the commissioners of the FCC reinstated a requirement that radio stations must annually file a document, known as Form 395-B, that lists the race and gender of their employees.The FCC governs radio stations transmitting on AM or FM frequencies, satellite radio and TV stations, cable networks, and broadcast TV stations. These entities are required to maintain a summary of publicly accessible information known as a public file, with varying requirements among the types of stations regarding what must be contained in the file.The FCC had not required Form 395-B since 2004, following a 2001 ruling by t...
Servant of God Nino Baglieri. / Credit: ANS/SalesiansACI Prensa Staff, May 8, 2024 / 17:53 pm (CNA).The diocesan phase of the cause of beatification of the Servant of God Nino Baglieri has been closed in Modica, a town in southern Sicily. Overcoming his bitterness due to his quadriplegic condition, Baglieri gave himself to the mission of evangelizing through the means available to him. The closing of the diocesan phase, according to the Salesian News Agency, took place on Sunday, May 5, in Mother of St. Peter church, where a solemn Eucharist was celebrated by Salvatore Rumeo, the bishop of Noto. In his homily, the prelate related that on May 5, 1951, Baglieri received baptism, "becoming a Christian."Regarding the servant of God, he emphasized that "prayer for Nino was everything: Despite his suffering, like a light that shines and burns, he managed to infect others with the meaning of true prayer."Addressing the servant of God in prayer, Rumeo said: "We are grateful t...