EVANGELII GAUDIUM - page 75

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of debilitating us, is a mystical fraternity, a contem-
plative fraternity. It is a fraternal love capable of
seeing the sacred grandeur of our neighbour, of
finding God in every human being, of tolerating
the nuisances of life in common by clinging to
the love of God, of opening the heart to divine
love and seeking the happiness of others just as
their heavenly Father does. Here and now, espe-
cially where we are a “little flock” (Lk 12:32), the
Lord’s disciples are called to live as a community
which is the salt of the earth and the light of the
world (cf. Mt 5:13-16). We are called to bear wit-
ness to a constantly new way of living together
in fidelity to the Gospel.70 Let us not allow our-
selves to be robbed of community!
No to spiritual worldliness
93. Spiritual worldliness, which hides behind
the appearance of piety and even love for the
Church, consists in seeking not the Lord’s glo-
ry but human glory and personal well-being.
It is what the Lord reprimanded the Pharisees
for: “How can you believe, who receive glory
from one another and do not seek the glory that
comes from the only God?” (Jn 5:44). It is a sub-
tle way of seeking one’s “own interests, not those
of Jesus Christ” (Phil 2:21). It takes on many
forms, depending on the kinds of persons and
groups into which it seeps. Since it is based on
70 Cf. Propositio 8.