Pope Francis: all life must be a journey to God

Jesus invites everyone to always go to him, which, Pope Francis said, also means not to make life turn around oneself.

“In what direction is my journey going? Am I just trying to make a good impression, to protect my position, my time and my space or am I going to the Lord? " he asked during a memorial mass for the 13 cardinals and 147 bishops who died in the previous year.

Celebrating mass on November 4 in St. Peter's Basilica, the pope reflected in his homily on the will of God that all those who believe in him can have eternal life and be resurrected on their last day.

In reading the Gospel of the day, Jesus says: "I will not reject anyone who comes to me".

Jesus extends this invitation: "Come to me", so people could be "inoculated against death, against fear that everything will end," said the pope.

Going to Jesus means living every moment of the day in ways that put it at the center - with one's thoughts, prayers and actions, in particular helping someone in need.

He said people should ask themselves, "Do I live by going to the Lord or going around myself," being happy only when things are good for themselves and complaining when they don't.

“You cannot belong to Jesus and rotate around you. Anyone who belongs to Jesus lives by going to him, "he said.

"Today, while we pray for our cardinal brothers and bishops who have left this life to meet the Risen One, we cannot forget the most important and difficult way, which gives meaning to everyone else, is (going out) by ourselves," he said.

The bridge between life on earth and eternal life in heaven, he said, is to show compassion and "kneel before those who need to serve them".

“It is not (have) a bleeding heart, it is not cheap charity; these are questions of life, questions of resurrection, "he said.

It would have been good for people, he added, to think about what the Lord will see in them on the day of judgment.

People can find guidance when making an important decision in life by seeing things from the Lord's perspective: which fruits are derived from which seeds or choices made today.

"Among the many voices of the world that make us lose the sense of existence, let us tune in to the will of Jesus, risen and alive".