ANGELUS POPE
FRANCIS
St Peter's Square
Sunday, 30 October 2016
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| PHOTO: lasacrafamiglia.it |
Dear
Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!
Today’s
Gospel presents us with an event that happened in Jericho, when Jesus entered
the city and was welcomed by the crowd (cf. Lk 19:1-10). In Jericho lived
Zacchaeus, the chief of the “publicans”, that is, of the tax collectors.
Zacchaeus was a wealthy agent of the hated Roman occupation, an exploiter of
his people. Out of curiosity, he too wanted to see Jesus, but his status as a
public sinner did not allow him to approach the Master; moreover, he was small
of stature, and for this reason he climbed a sycamore tree, along the road
where Jesus was to pass.
When he
neared that tree, Jesus looked up and said to him: “Zacchaeus, make haste and
come down; for I must stay at your house today” (v. 5). We can imagine
Zacchaeus’ astonishment! Why does Jesus say “I must stay at
your house”? What duty does this refer to? We know that his highest duty is to
implement the Father’s plan for all of mankind, which is fulfilled in Jerusalem
with his death sentence, the crucifixion and, on the third day, the
Resurrection. It is the Father’s merciful plan of salvation. And in this plan
there is also the salvation of Zacchaeus, a dishonest man who is despised by
all, and therefore in need of conversion. In fact, the Gospel says that when
Jesus called him, “they all murmured, ‘He has gone into the house of a
sinner!’” (cf. v. 7). The people saw Zacchaeus as a scoundrel who became rich
at his neighbours’ expense. Had Jesus said: “Come down, you, exploiter, you
traitor of the people! Come to speak with me and settle the score!”, surely the
people would have applauded. Instead, they began to whisper: “Jesus is going to
his house, the house of the sinner, the exploiter”.
Guided
by mercy, Jesus looks for him precisely. And when he enters Zacchaeus’ house he
says: “Today, salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of
Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (vv. 9-10).
Jesus’ gaze goes beyond sins and prejudices. And this is important! We must
learn this. Jesus’ gaze goes beyond sins and prejudices; he sees the person
through the eyes of God, who does not stop at past faults, but sees the future
good; Jesus is not resigned to closing, but always opens, always opens new
spaces of life; he does not stop at appearances, but looks at the heart. And
here he sees this man’s wounded heart: wounded by the sin of greed, by the many
terrible things that Zacchaeus had done. He sees that wounded heart and goes
there.
Sometimes
we try to correct or convert a sinner by scolding him, by pointing out his
mistakes and wrongful behaviour. Jesus’ attitude toward Zacchaeus shows us
another way: that of showing those who err their value, the value that God
continues to see in spite of everything, despite all their mistakes. This may
bring about a positive surprise, which softens the heart and spurs the person
to bring out the good that he has within himself. It gives people the
confidence which makes them grow and change. This is how God acts with all of
us: he is not blocked by our sin, but overcomes it with love and makes us feel
nostalgia for the good. We have all felt this nostalgia for the good after a
mistake. And this is what God Our Father does, this is what Jesus does. There
is not one person who does not have some good quality. And God looks at this in
order to draw that person away from evil.
May the
Virgin Mary help us to see the good that there is in the people we encounter
each day, so that everyone may be encouraged to bring out the image of God
imprinted in their hearts. In this way we can rejoice in the surprises of the
mercy of God! Our God, who is the God of surprises!
After
the Angelus:
Dear
brothers and sisters, yesterday in Madrid, José Antón Gómez, Antolín Pablos
Villanueva, Juan Rafael Mariano Alcocer Martinez and Luis Vidaurrázaga Gonzáles
were beatified. They were martyrs, killed in Spain in the last century during
the persecution against the Church. They were Benedictine priests. Let us
praise the Lord and entrust to their intercession our brothers and sisters who,
sadly, still today, in various parts of the world, are persecuted for their
faith in Christ.
I
express my closeness to the people of central Italy who were struck by the
earthquake. Even this morning there was a powerful tremor. I pray for the
injured and for the families who have suffered major damage, as well as for the
personnel involved in the rescue operations. May the Risen Lord give them
strength and may Our Lady watch over them.
Over the
next two days I shall make an Apostolic Journey to Sweden, on the occasion of
the commemoration of the Reformation, which will see Catholics and Lutherans
gathered together in remembrance and prayer. I ask all of you to pray that this
trip may be a new step on the path of fraternity towards full communion.
I wish
you all a happy Sunday — the sun is shining — and a happy All Saints’ Day. And,
please, do not forget to pray for me. Have a good lunch. Arrivederci!
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