Why Don’t We Talk More About God? Asks Pope Francis

In his homily at Mass Tuesday morning, Pope Francis wondered aloud why Christians waste so much time talking about useless things, instead of focusing more on the things that really matter, like God and eternity.

Francis took inspiration from Saint Paul’s advice to Christians to encourage one another and build each other up, noting that we derive no comfort from gossip but from Godly talk that lifts the spirit.

So this is Paul’s counsel, Francis said, to comfort and encourage each other. “But do we really talk about this? That the Lord will come and we will meet Him?”

“Or do we rather talk about a million other things: theology, priest things, nun things, monsignor things? Is that where we find comfort and hope?”

“Encourage one another, encourage each other in community. In our communities, in our parishes, do we talk about this, that we are awaiting the Lord who will return?” Francis asked. “Or do we just make small talk to pass the time and stave off boredom?”

“Our hope in the final encounter with Christ should be strengthened among Christians thanks to the ‘comfort’ each of us gives one another through ‘good words and good works’ and not by ‘chatter,’ Francis said.

It’s true that Christ will come to judge us, Francis said. “But we also remember that He will also come so that we can see Him with our own eyes, embrace Him and always be with Him. This is the hope that the Apostle Peter tells us to witness to for others, to be witnesses of hope. This is real comfort, this is true certainty: ‘I am sure of the goodness of the Lord,’” he said.

Follow Thomas D. Williams on Twitter @tdwilliamsrome