Continuing with the catechetical cycle on evangelization, in the general audience Francis addressed the theme of the first announcement. New call: “Let the cruel suffering of the Ukrainian population end soon.” And from Russia the president of the Old Believers: he would like to go to Moscow to negotiate a peaceful solution for Europe.
Vatican City () – The style of proclaiming the Gospel is not relevance in society, but meekness. And its first content is to show everyone that God is near. Pope Francis said this today during his weekly appointment in the general audience with the faithful in the Paul VI Hall of the Vatican.
Resuming the catechetical cycle on the evangelizing passion after his trip to Africa, the pontiff stopped today on the theme of the “first apostolate”, focusing on the twelve who were called “to be with him and to go and preach”. . “It would be said that it is one thing or another, or stay or go – the Pope commented -. But no: for Jesus there is no going without staying and there is no staying without going”. Next, commenting on chapter 10 of the Gospel of Matthew – the missionary discourse of Jesus, defined by Francis as the “constitution” of the proclamation – the Pope underlined three aspects.
The first: why advertise? “The motivation is in five words of Jesus, which it is good to remember: ‘You have received it freely, give it freely’ (Mt 10,8). The announcement does not start from us, but from the beauty of what we have received freely, without merits: meeting Jesus, knowing him, discovering that we are loved and saved. It is such a great gift that we cannot keep it to ourselves, we feel the need to spread it”
Second: what to announce? For Jesus, Francis replied, first of all it must be said that God is close. “When we preach, we often invite people to do something, and that’s fine, but let’s not forget that the main message is that He is close to us. In fact, it is easier to exhort people to love Him than to let ourselves be loved by others.” Him Accepting God’s love is more difficult because we always want to be the center, the protagonists, we are more inclined to do than to let ourselves be molded, to speak more than to listen, but the proclamation must give priority to God and to others the opportunity to welcome him, to realize that he is close”.
Third: how to advertise? Jesus says: “I send you out like sheep in the midst of wolves” (Mt 10,16). “It does not ask us to know how to face the wolves – the Pontiff pointed out -, that is, that we know how to argue, counter-argue and defend ourselves. We would think like this: let us become relevant, numerous, prestigious and the world will listen to us and respect us. No, I send them like sheep, like lambs. He asks us to be meek and innocent. And He, the Shepherd, will recognize his lambs and protect them from wolves. Instead, lambs disguised as wolves are unmasked and torn to pieces.”
Continuing with the theme of how to announce, Jesus, instead of prescribing what to take on a mission, says what not to take: “Do not take gold or silver or money in your belts, nor a traveling bag, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staff” (Mt 10,9-10). “He says not to rely on material certainties, to go through the world without worldliness.” Finally, the Lord sends all the disciples, but no one goes alone. “The Apostolic Church is all missionary – the Pope concluded – and in the mission it finds its unity. Therefore, go meek and good as lambs, without worldliness, together”.
As every week, at the end of his greetings to the groups present, the Pope asked them not to forget “the beloved and tormented Ukrainian people, praying that their cruel suffering may end soon.” Just today, the Russian news agency Ria Novosti has released some statements by the president of the World Union of Old Believers, Leonid Sebastianov, according to which in a correspondence Francis would have confided to him: “How I would like to go to Moscow and talk to Putin about the plan for a peaceful solution in Europe”.
