At the beginning of the message, the Pope quotes Jesus’s words, as reported by Luke’s Gospel: "You cannot serve God and money", and recalls "how strong is the charm of material riches, and how firm must be our decision not to worship them". Charity, therefore, "helps us defeat this relentless temptation, teaching us to cope with the needs of our neighbours and share with the others what we own by God’s goodness". According to the Gospel, "we are not the owners but the administrators of the goods we have", which "must not be considered exclusive property, but means by which the Lord calls each one of us to act as an intermediary between His providence and our neighbours", aware that "material goods have a social value", as recalled by the Catechism of the Catholic Church. In the Gospel, goes on the Pope, "Jesus’s warning to those who own and use earthly riches for themselves only is clear", especially "before the crowds who, lacking everything, starve". "Helping" the "crowds who suffer in poverty and abandonment" is "a duty of justice even more than a deed of charity", warns the Pope, exhorting people to "share", especially the countries "in which the majorities are Christians". (continued)
