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By Carol Glatz , Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY – Offering counsel and admonishing sinners are works of mercy , but they are not a license to pretend to be better than others , Pope Francis said .
To counsel others is a chance to see how well you , too , measure up to essential standards , he said Nov . 16 to people gathered in St . Peter ’ s Square .
In his final general audience during the Year of Mercy , which was to close Nov . 20 , Pope Francis reflected on two verses in the Gospel of St . Luke ( 6:41- 42 ) in which Jesus warns against the hypocrisy of noticing “ the splinter in your brother ’ s eye ,” but not perceiving “ the wooden beam in your own .”
“ Remove the wooden beam from your eye first ; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother ’ s eye ,” Jesus says .
Those verses and Jesus ’ vision of leadership as service , the pope said , help guide Christians in how to carry out the works of mercy traditionally described as instructing the ignorant , counseling the doubtful , admonishing sinners and bearing wrongs patiently .
“ We are all very good at recognizing something that may be an annoyance ” and thinking , how much longer must
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Pope Francis greets people dressed in traditional Mexican outfi ts during his general audience in St . Peter ’ s Square Nov . 16 . ( CNS photo / Alessandro Bianchi , Reuters )
I listen to this person ’ s complaints , gossip , requests or bragging ,” he said .
Patiently putting up with people is an essential part of the faith , he said , because God showed so much mercy and patience with his people .
The best example , the pope said , is seen in the Book of Exodus when the people became “ truly unbearable ,” always finding something new to complain about every time God brought relief to each preceding grievance .
“ What must we do with bothersome people ?” the pope asked . First , look in the mirror and see “ if we , too , may
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sometimes prove to be bothersome to others .”
“ It ’ s easy to point a finger at other people ’ s faults and shortcomings , but we must learn to put ourselves in the other person ’ s shoes ,” he said .
Like his father , Jesus showed a lot of patience , too , the pope said . For example , when James ’ and John ’ s mother begged Jesus to grant her sons positions of power in his future kingdom , Jesus used the opportunity to offer instruction on the true purpose of his coming – to sacrifice himself for and care for others , not wield power over them .
The spiritual works of instructing the ignorant and admonishing sinners , he said , are all about helping people grow in the faith and discover the path to true joy .
Think , for example , how hard it is for catechists , “ especially when kids would rather be playing than listening to the catechism ,” he said . Instead , these women and men patiently dedicate their time to teaching young people about the faith .
It is wonderful and important to help people seek what ’ s truly essential so that they , too , can share in the joy of “ savoring the meaning of life .”
So often people just dwell on things that are “ superficial , ephemeral and banal ,” sometimes because they ’ ve never run into anyone who encourages them
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to look deeper , seek something better and appreciate what really matters , he said . Teaching people to see what is essential is especially critical today when it seems so many “ have lost ( their ) bearings and chase after short-term pleasures .”
Jesus shows how to avoid “ envy , ambition and adulation – temptations that are always lurking even among us Christians . The need to counsel , admonish and instruct must not make us feel superior to others , but , above all , requires us to go back into ourselves to make sure we are consistent with what we are asking of others .”
At the end of the audience , in anticipation of the Nov . 20 celebration of Universal Children ’ s Day , the pope launched an appeal for protecting children and their right to an education .
Pope Francis said he was appealing “ to the conscience of everyone – institutions and families – so that children may always be protected and their well-being safeguarded , so that they never end up in some form of slavery , conscripted into armed groups or mistreated .”
He asked the international community to “ keep watch ” and help guarantee “ the right to schooling and education for every boy and girl so that they grow with serenity and look to the future with confidence .”
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