Vatican City, Jul 22, 2018 / 05:17 am
A Christian can stay on the right path to Heaven, and grow in love for God and his neighbor, only by keeping close to Christ and his love, Pope Francis said Sunday.
"When one moves away from Jesus and his love, one loses oneself and existence turns into disappointment and dissatisfaction," the pope said July 22. "With Jesus at [our] side we can proceed with security, we can overcome trials, we progress in love for God and for our neighbor."
"To find the right orientation of life," everyone needs the truth – which is Christ – to guide and enlighten their path, he continued.
Speaking before the Angelus, Francis reflected on the day's Gospel reading from Mark, which tells of Jesus' pity on the crowd of people, who "were like sheep without a shepherd." In this passage, Jesus is "the realization of God's concern and care for his people," he said.