“If we interpret it from a social point of view, gluttony is perhaps the most dangerous vice, which is killing the planet,” Pope Francis said in his weekly general audience.

On the Solemnity of the Epiphany, Pope Francis reminds us that "contemplating God is beautiful, but it is only fruitful if we take a risk, the risk of the service of bringing God to others."

A famous saying attributed to Abba Anthony the Great, the first great father of monasticism, goes like this: “Remove temptations and no-one will be saved.”

One must never dialogue, brothers and sisters, with the devil. Never!

Pope Francis tells us that the nativity is like a living Gospel, enabling us to experience the "great joy" that comes from the mystery of Christ.

The phrase "Ephphatha," meaning "be open," signifies the need for believers to be receptive to God's message and to serve others. Christians are encouraged to embody openness.

In his weekly audience, Pope Francis explained that as we bear witness to the Resurrected Christ, we are summoned to emulate the creativity and simplicity that characterize the Spirit’s actions.

In a speech to the COP28 meeting of world leaders in Dubai read by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Pope Francis decried the ‘inordinate greed that has made the environment the object of unbridled exploitation.’

We can easily be discouraged during these difficult times in our world. Yet, Saint Paul reminds us that in God’s plan, we are compelled to express the joy of the Gospel in our daily lives.

“We cannot say that we are privileged compared to others—no,” Pope Francis said at today’s general audience. “The calling is for a service. And God chooses one in order to love everyone, to reach everyone.”