War does not begin in the battlefield. Wars begin in the heart

Oct. 23, 2014

War does not begin in the battlefield. Wars begin in the heart

Speaking at his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis addressed the topic of war. With the majority of the world engaged in some sort of battle, and it's up to the individual to realize that major conflicts begin with little things.

اقتباس :: LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online): Parishes, groups, even neighborhoods can be marked by "divisions, jealousies, misunderstandings and marginalization. All these things are not good because instead of edifying and making the church grow as the body of Christ, they shatter it into many pieces, they dismember it," Pope Francis said.

Jealousy of other people's gifts and luck . "that one bought a new car . that one won the lottery" - tears the community apart and damages the one who is filled with envy, he said.

The Pope told everyone that their homework for the day was to read Chapter 37 of the Book of Ezekiel.
"The jealousy builds up, builds and fills the heart, a jealous heart is acid," as if it were filled not with blood, but vinegar, making the person always be unhappy, he said.

"It is the beginning of war. War does not begin in the battlefield. Wars begin in the heart," he said. "So what must I do?" the Pope asked.

Saint Paul, Pope Francis reminded, had a lot of good advice in his letter to the Corinthians, who "were champions" at the time at infighting and division.

The "concrete advice, which is still valid for us, too: Do not be jealous, but appreciate the gifts and qualities of our brothers and sisters in our communities," he said.

"When I start to feel jealous, because it happens to everyone, you know, we're all sinners, when I start to feel jealous I say, 'Thank you Lord that you gave this to that person."

The occasion marked the feast day of St John Paul II, who "invited everyone to open the doors to Christ," Pope Francis added, who had canonized the Polish pope last April.

As the church celebrated for the first time the memorial of St John Paul, Pope Francis recalled how he "reminded the whole world of the mystery of divine mercy.

"May his spiritual legacy not be forgotten, but drive us to reflect and act concretely for the good of the church, the family and society," he said in a greeting to pilgrims from Poland.

The Pope told everyone that their homework for the day was to read Chapter 37 of the Book of Ezekiel. The passage in question offers a "striking" yet hope-filled image of God's power to join together and breathe new life into a dead and divided people.