Pope's Mass: passion and vanity can make you lose your faith

During his daily Mass at the Vatican, Pope Francis focused about the Word of God, which leads to Salvation. The Pope talked about how Jesus cured the daughter of a pagan woman, because she was not ashamed about having faith in Him.

POPE FRANCIS
"Welcome the Word of God with docility. The Word that has been planted in you can bring you to Salvation. Take the path of the Canaanite woman, of that pagan woman, who accepted the Word of God, which has been planted in us and that will lead us to salvation. Let the powerful Word of God guide our path, so that we do not end up in corruption, which leads us to idolatry.”

The Pope also warned that believers, like Solomon, are at risk of losing their faith from "passion and vanity.” And that knowing how to recite the Creed is not enough, if they lack faith.

SUMMARY OF POPE'S CATECHESIS
Source: Vatican Radio

Believers can lose their faith because of passion and vanity, while a pagan can become a believer through his or her humility. Those were the Pope’s comments during his Homily at morning Mass Thursday at the Casa Santa Marta.

In his Homily at the Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis, referring to Thursday’s readings recalled a courageous woman, a pagan, who asks Jesus to free her daughter from the devil. Jesus , recounted the pope, says to her, "Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She replies"Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.”

The Holy Father explained that this woman was "not ashamed” of having faith in Jesus and, therefore, he grants her a miracle and drives the demon out of her daughter.
On the other hand, continued Pope Francis, there are people like Solomon from today’s reading that are wise and receive great blessings from God. But, said the Pope, he surrounds himself with pagan concubines and his faith is weakened and his heart is corrupted by the life he is living. The Holy Father noted that, yes, Solomon is able to recite the Creed, but one can do this and still have a lack of faith.

The bad seed of his passions led Solomon to idolatry, but the Pope underlined that we should follow the path of the pagan women who accepted the Word of God, the Word that leads us to salvation.