Vatican City, 24 February 2016 (VIS) –
Mercy and power were the theme of Pope Francis' catechesis in this
week's Wednesday general audience in St. Peter's Square, attended by
more than twenty thousand faithful and pilgrims.
The Holy Father explained that various
passages of the Bible speak about kings and men of power, and also of
their arrogance and abuses, demonstrating that "wealth and power
can be good and useful for the common good if placed at the service
of the poor and of all, with justice and charity. However if, as
often occurs, if lived as a privilege, with selfishness and
arrogance, they become tools of corruption and death".
An example of this unjust privilege is
found in the account of the vineyard of Naboth. The king Ahab wishes
to acquire it since it was situated adjacent to the royal palace, but
Naboth refuses since for Israel the land is God's, and receives His
blessing which is handed from generation to generation. Ahab is
indignant at receiving this refusal, which he perceives as an offence
to his power, undermining his authority. His wife, Jezebel, which
also considered royal power to be absolute, decides to eliminate
Naboth and makes false witnesses accuse him before the elders and the
authorities of having blasphemed and spoken ill of the king, crimes
which carried the death penalty. Naboth was executed and the king
inherited his vineyard.
"Recalling these events, Jesus
tells us: 'You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over
them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not
be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your
servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave'. If
the dimension of service is lost, power transforms into arrogance and
oppression". The story of Naboth, continued the Pope, "is
not a story of other times; it is also the story of today, of the
powerful who exploit the poor, exploit the people, to have more
money. It is the story of human trafficking, of slave labour, of poor
people who work illegally and with the minimum salary to enrich the
powerful. It is the story of corrupt politicians who want more and
more".
The episode of Naboth's vineyard
teaches us "where the exercise of authority without respect for
life or justice and without mercy leads us. And here we see where the
thirst for power leads: it becomes avarice, the desire to possess
everything". Francis gave the example of the words of the
prophet Isaiah, "who was not a communist", when he observed
the avidity of the rich landowners who sought to acquire more and
more houses and land. "Woe to those who join house to house, who
add field to field, until there is no more room, and you are made to
dwell alone in the midst of the land".
However, "God is greater than
evil, and the dirty games human beings play, and in His mercy He
sends the prophet Elijah to help Ahab convert. The king, faced with
his sin, is humbled and asks for forgiveness. How good it would be if
today's powerful exploiters were to do likewise!", exclaimed
Francis. "The Lord accepts his penance, but an innocent man was
killed and this inevitably has consequences. Indeed, the evil
committed leaves painful traces, and the history of mankind bears the
scars".
In this case too, mercy shows the path
to follow as it is able to cure wounds and change history. "Divine
mercy is stronger than the sin of men. It is stronger, this is the
example of Ahab! We know its power, when we remember the coming of
the Innocent Son of God Who made Himself man to destroy evil with His
forgiveness. Jesus Christ is the true king, but His power is
completely different. His throne is the cross. He is not a king who
kills, but on the contrary gives His life. His approach to all,
especially the weakest, defeats solitude and the destiny of death
that sin leads to. Jesus Christ, with His closeness and tenderness,
leads sinners into the space of grace and forgiveness. And this is
God's mercy".