Leading a “double life” is source of crisis in the world, says Peruvian cardinal

Lima, Peru, Mar 5, 2008 / 12:14 pm

The Archbishop of Lima, Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne, said this week the world is in crisis because “there is no interior life, just simple appearance.  We are not sincere, we live a double life, we say sorry but we do not forgive, we talk a lot but we don’t act.”

During Mass for the fourth Sunday of Lent, the cardinal said, “The dark clouds of a dark conscience hide what we do wrong and many times, lying is the main problem of our own spiritual blindness.”

Therefore, we should “go to confession, ask for forgiveness and act with works, so that it in our interior life it can be seen that we are disciples of Jesus,” the cardinal stressed.

“If we want to follow Christ, let us begin by having the same sentiments as Jesus,” he continued.  “Let us contemplate Christ in our own souls,” and be “sincere with Him and recognize our sins” without fear, since “God only wants to help us.”

“Let us also not be accomplices with our consciences in hiding the truth of our own life because, sooner or later, it will lead to our spiritual death,” he emphasized.

Lastly, Cardinal Cipriani prayed that the Virgin Mary would “help us to awaken our consciences to repentance, sincerity and humility,” in order to recognize our failings and be more converted during this Lenten season.