Vatican City, Sep 12, 2018 / 03:12 am
Attachment to sin and vice is a form of interior slavery which inhibit the ability to love, but true freedom is always found in God's mercy, Pope Francis said at the general audience Wednesday.
"All these vices, these sins, this selfishness turn us away from love and make us unable to love," the pope said Sept. 12. "Who is therefore the true slave? Who is he who knows no rest? That [man or woman] who is not able to love!"
But, he continued, "the mercy of God frees us. And when you meet God's mercy, you have a great inner freedom and you are also able to impart it. This is why it is so important to open ourselves to God's mercy so as not to be slaves to ourselves."
Pope Francis reflected on the third commandment, to keep Sundays holy and to rest, noting that in the Book of Deuteronomy, rest is linked with the end of the Israelites' slavery in Egypt.