Envy, he said, "is a cancer that destroys the body in no time."
A fourth attitude the Pope told religious to steer clear of is the temptation to compare oneself to others, because "enrichment is found in the diversity and uniqueness of each one of us."
"Comparing ourselves with those better off often leads to grudges; comparing ourselves with those worse off often leads to pride and laziness," he said, noting that those who always compare themselves "end up paralyzed."
Jesting about the irony of being in Egypt, he also cautioned against the temptation of "to become like Pharaoh," which he said means to "harden our hearts and close them off to the Lord and our brothers and sisters."
The temptation here "is to think that we are better than others, and to lord it over them out of pride; to presume to be served rather than to serve," he said, explaining that the only antidote to this "poison" is to become a servant to everyone.
Pope Francis then warned against the temptation to individualism, quoting a well-known Egyptian phrase that goes: "me, and after me, the flood!"
"This is the temptation of selfish people," he said. "Along the way, they lose sight of the goal and, rather than think of others, they are unashamed to think only of themselves, or even worse, to justify themselves."
The Church, on the contrary, is made up of the communion of faithful where the salvation of one depends on the holiness of all, he said, adding that anyone who adopts an individualist attitude "is a cause of scandal and of conflict."
Finally, the Pope pointed to one last temptation to "keep walking without direction or destination."
At times, "consecrated men and women can lose their identity and begin to be neither fish nor fowl," he said. "They can live with a heart between God and worldliness. They can forget their first love."
When this happens, they lose their clear and solid identity and begin walking aimlessly. As a result, instead of leading other people, "they scatter them," he said.
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Francis told those present that their identity as sons and daughters of the Church "is to be Copts – rooted in your noble and ancient origins – and to be Catholics – part of the one and universal Church: like a tree that, the more deeply rooted it is in the earth, the higher it reaches to the heavens!"
He noted that avoiding these temptations isn't easy, but that it is possible "if we are grafted on to Jesus."
"The more we are rooted in Christ, the more we are alive and fruitful," he said. "Only in this way can we preserve the wonder and the passion of our first encounter with God, and experience renewed excitement and gratitude in our life with God and in our mission."
Given Egypt's rich monastic history, Pope Francis told the religious to draw from the example of figures such as Saint Paul the Hermit, Saint Anthony and the Desert Fathers.
"You too can be salt and light, and thus an occasion of salvation for yourselves and for all others, believers and non-believers alike, and especially for those who are poor, those in need, the abandoned and discarded," he said, and assured them of his closeness.
Elise Harris was senior Rome correspondent for CNA from 2012 to 2018.