translated from Spanish: The Pope alerted new cardinals to “get lost in a thousand things” and get away from God

The Pope warned the new cardinals of the desire for money, fame or success while invited them to remain “vigilant” so as not to fall into the mistake of “getting lost in a thousand things” and to be distracted by their own interests and “vanities” that prevent them from realizing God’s presence.” And if they wait for us in Heaven, why live with earthly pretensions? Why strive for money, fame or success, all of which are passing things? Why waste time complaining about the night while the light of day awaits us?” asked the Pope at the Mass that has concelebrated from the altar of Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s Baldaquino, in St. Peter’s Basilica with the purpurados present in Rome.” Why look for godparents to go up and make a career?” he added. The pontiff’s words are framed in a difficult context in the Roman Curia after the dismissal of the former Prefect of the Causes of Saints, Angelo Becciu, who was forced to resign on 24 September and to renounce his rights as cardinal after being involved in a case of embezzlement investigated by the Vatican court. His position at the head of this Vatican body has been held by one of the new cardinals, Monsignor Marcello Semeraro.So, in this Sunday’s homily, which also coincides with the first Sunday of Advent, the Pope has warned of the “mistake” of “losing a thousand things and not realizing God”. “Attracted by our interests and distracted by vanities we run the risk of losing the essentials,” he said. The Pope has in turn warned of the “dangerous dream” posed by “mediocrity”. And he has specified, “It comes when we forget our first love and move on through inertia, worrying only about having a quiet life.” In this way, he has made it clear that “without impulses of love for God, without waiting for his novelty”, men become “mediocre, lukewarm, worldly”. “And this eating faith, because faith is the opposite of mediocrity: it is God’s burning desire, it is the persevering courage to become, it is courage to love, it is to always succeed,” he said. That is why he has claimed as an antidote prayer, that he “wakes up from the warmth of a horizontal life” and raises his gaze “to the top”. He added: “We don’t need worshippers.” At another time he has also warned of “the dream of indifference”, which is put into practice when “everything looks the same, as at night, and does not care who is nearby”. Thus, he has influenced: “When we only revolve around ourselves and our needs, indifferent to those of others, night falls into our hearts.” That’s why he has warned of the danger of complaining “of everything” that makes people feel “victims of others” and in the end they make “plots of everything.” The Pope created 13 new cardinals on Saturday, but only eleven of them could be present in St. Peter’s Basilica due to restrictions on pandemic travel. The remaining two followed the ceremony through the Zoom digital platform, marking a technological milestone in Vatican logistics. The ceremony was marked by the health provisions before the pandemic: only about a hundred faithful participated, all with masks.

Original source in Spanish