Jesus says that those who wish to be first must desire to serve, and not be served, the Pope observed.
He "upsets their 'logic', their mindset, simply by telling them that life is lived authentically in a concrete commitment to our neighbor."
Pope Francis said we must be attentive to this call to serve others in their vulnerability, be they in our families, society, or people.
"Theirs are the suffering, fragile and downcast faces which Jesus tells us specifically to look at and which he asks us to love," he said.
"People of flesh and blood, people with individual lives and stories, and with all their frailty: these are those whom Jesus asks us to protect, to care for, to serve."
Pope Francis then addressed the Cuban people directly, noting their tendency toward festivities, friendship, and beautiful things.
"It is a people which marches with songs of praise," he said. Although wounded like many others, the Cuban people know "how to stand up with open arms, to keep walking in hope, because it has a vocation of grandeur."
"Do not neglect them for plans which can be seductive, but are unconcerned about the face of the person beside you."
Pope Francis concluded: "Let us not forget the Good News we have heard today: the importance of a people, a nation, and the importance of individuals, which is always based on how they seek to serve their vulnerable brothers and sisters. Here we encounter one of the fruits of a true humanity."
"Whoever does not live to serve, does not 'serve' to live."