We feel sad, worried, exposed and afraid not only because of external events, but also because we ourselves have lost the centre of our lives. We’ve become subject to the temptations which Christ rejected in the desert: gluttony, vainglory and the desire for power. We’ve chased after easy money. We’ve sought to climb the social ladder. We’ve become imprudent investors. We’ve organized our lives around selfish aims, love of pleasure and popularity. Even if we consider ourselves believers and claim to acknowledge the virtues of the Gospels, we apply them only insofar as it suits our personal interests. Our relationship with God has become contractual. Even the Churches have become places for the pursuit of interests and ambitions, where shepherds ...
