Speaking during his homily at Mass, His Holiness Pope Francis said that in order to love God concretely, one must also love one’s brothers and sisters – all of them: both those we like and those we don’t like. The Pontiff also said good Christians must not neglect to pray even for “the enemy”, nor give way to feelings of jealousy or engage in harmful gossip.
As reported by Vatican news, The Pontiff said the Apostle shows us the way reminding us that if we go by God’s spirit, we will do good things. Concretely, he says that “If anyone says, ‘I love God’ but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen”. “If you are unable to love something you see” the Pontiff explained, “why would you love something you do not see?” Describing this as fantasy, he urged us to love “what you see, what you can touch, what is real. Not the fantasies that you do not see”.
His Holiness Pope Francis concluded saying that the spirit of the world is conquered with the spirit of faith: believing that God is really in the brother and sister who are close to me.
