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Don't use peer pressure, greed or laziness as an excuse to chase after false gods and become a wildly successful failure, Pope Francis said. Slow down, reflect and choose the path that takes you closer to God and your loved ones, he said during a recent morning Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where he lives. One mistake in life, he said, is "always seeking one's own success, one's own benefit without thinking about the Lord, without thinking about one's family," he said. Vatican Radio and L'Osservatore Romano released excerpts from his homily, which examined the day's first reading from Deuteronomy, in which Moses sets before the people "life and prosperity, death and doom," and encourages them to choose life by following the Lord. Christians are still faced with the same difficult choice every day, the pope said, "to choose between God and the other gods -- those that have no power to give us anything, just tiny little what-nots that are fleeting." It is not easy to make the right choice because "we always have this habit of following the crowd a little." So our work begins. How does this look in the USA where we have been told that more is always better? I have taken the first step to simplify my life. Any clothes or shoes I haven't worn in six months, I donate to a local St. Vincent de Paul store. I am looking more closely at how I spend my money. I am looking to increase my donations to my church and other Catholic charities. It is the Franciscan model that is most helpful in this habit-changing exercise. I hope your Lenten journey is filled with opportunities for the Holy Spirit to grow in you.

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