Pope Francis: “The devil always tries to divide us…”

From today’s homily—and he makes a reference to deacons, too: 

In his homily at morning Mass in Casa Santa Marta Tuesday, Pope Francis focused on “the three characteristics” of this group, capable of full agreement inside the community, to bear witness of Christ to the outside world, to prevent any of its members from suffering and misery: the “three characteristics of a people reborn”. He focused on what the whole week of Easter, the Church brought to light: our “rebirth from on high”, in the Holy Spirit , who gives life to the first group of “new Christians” when “they still didn’t bare that name”.

“‘They had one heart and mind’. Peace. A community in peace. This means that in this community there was no room for gossip, envy, calumnies, defamation. Peace. Forgiveness: ‘Love covered everything’ . To qualify a Christian community on this, we have to ask about the attitude of the Christians. Are they meek, humble? Do they vie for power between each other in that community? Are there envious quarrels? Is there gossip? They are not on the path of Jesus Christ. This feature is so important, so important, because the devil always tries to divide us. He is the father of division”.

Not that problems were lacking in the first community. Pope Francis recalled “the infighting, the doctrinal struggles, power struggles ” which also overtook [the community] later. As an example of this he pointed to the widows who complained of a lack of assistance and the Apostles “had to create deacons”. However, the “high point” of the community’s beginnings forever fixes the essence of a community that is born of the Holy Spirit . A harmonious community and, second, a community of witnesses of faith.”

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