ROME – Pope Francis has urged believers to go beyond the “barrage” of words in the social media era and to allow themselves to be transformed by God through scripture.
Speaking on 21 January to attendees of the fifth edition of his Sunday Mass celebrating the Word of God in Saint Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis urged the faithful to return to the sources of the Catholic Faith “in order to offer to the world the living water for which it yearns and does not find".
He highlighted how "society and social media reflect the violence of words" and urged Catholics to "draw closer to, and cultivate, the quiet word that brings salvation".
Francis also challenged believers, asking them whether they make room for scripture in their lives and in their homes, asking: “Amid so many books, magazines, televisions and telephones, where is the Bible? In my room, do I have the Gospel within easy reach? Do I read it daily in order to be faithful to my path in life?”
