Treat the Bible As You Would Your Cellphone, Says Pope Francis
Pope Francis called on the faithful to carry and read the Bible as often as they check their cellphones. In an address after his weekly Angelus blessing on Sunday, the pontiff wondered aloud what it would be like if people treated the Bible like their phones.
"What would happen if we turned back when we forget it, if we opened it more times a day, if we read the message of God contained in the Bible the way we read messages on our cellphones? What would happen if we always brought it with us, or at least a small pocket-sized Gospel?" he asked.
Being the first Sunday of Lent, Pope Francis reflected on the Gospel reading of Matthew 4:1-11 which tells of the temptation of Christ during his 40-day fast just before beginning His ministry. He explained that the devil tried to distract Jesus from his mission, Vatican Radio reported.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"But the devil's poisonous darts are all 'blocked' by Jesus with the shield provided by God's Word," he said. In that instance, Jesus did not use His own words but "only with the word of God," he pointed out. The pope urged Catholics to follow Christ's example of confronting "the spiritual combat against the evil one" using God's Word.
"That's why it is necessary to become familiar with the Bible: read it often, reflect upon it, assimilate it. The Bible contains the word of God, which is always relevant and effective," he told the packed audience from his window at St. Peter's Square. "If we have the Word of God always in our hearts, no temptation could separate us from God and no obstacle would deviate us from the path of good."
This is not the first time Pope Francis made a swipe at modern technology despite his active usage of Twitter in airing his spiritual messages. He said last year that being attached to the computer is bad for the soul. He also told university students last month to put their phones down at the dinner table.
