ANGELUS POPE FRANCIS 24 JANUARY 2016
ANGELUS POPE
FRANCIS
Saint Peter's Square Sunday, 24 January 2016
Dear
Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!
In today’s Gospel, before
presenting Jesus’ programmatic speech in Nazareth, Luke the Evangelist briefly
recounts the work of evangelization. It is an activity that Jesus carries out
with the power of the Holy Spirit: his Word is original because it reveals the
meaning of the Scriptures; it is an authoritative Word because he commands even
impure spirits with authority, and they obey him (cf. Mk 1:27). Jesus is
different from the teachers of his time. For example, he doesn’t open a law
school but rather goes around preaching and teaching everywhere: in the
synagogues, on the streets, in houses, always moving about! Jesus is also
different from John the Baptist, who proclaims God’s imminent judgment. Instead
Jesus announces God’s fatherly forgiveness.
Now let us imagine that we too
enter the synagogue of Nazareth, the village where Jesus has grown up, until he
is about 30 years old. What happens is an important event, which delineates
Jesus’ mission. He stands up to read the Sacred Scripture. He opens the scroll
of the Prophet Isaiah and takes up the passage where it is written: “The Spirit
of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the
poor” (Lk 4:18). Then, after a moment of silence filled with expectation on the
part of everyone, he says, in the midst of their general amazement: “Today this
scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (v. 21).
Evangelizing the poor: this is
Jesus’ mission. According to what he says, this is also the mission of the
Church, and of every person baptized in the Church. Being a Christian is the
same thing as being a missionary. Proclaiming the Gospel with one’s word, and
even before, with one’s life, is the primary aim of the Christian community and
of each of its members. It is noted here that Jesus addresses the Good News to
all, excluding no one, indeed favouring those who are distant, suffering sick,
cast out by society.
Let us ask ourselves: what
does it mean to evangelize the poor? It means first of all drawing close to
them, it means having the joy of serving them, of freeing them from their
oppression, and all of this in the name of and with the Spirit of Christ,
because he is the Gospel of God, he is the Mercy of God, he is the liberation
of God, he is the One who became poor so as to enrich us with his poverty. The
text of Isaiah, reinforced with little adaptations introduced by Jesus,
indicates that the messianic announcement of the Kingdom of God come among us
is addressed in a preferential way to the marginalized, to captives, to the
oppressed.
In Jesus’ time these people
probably were not at the centre of the community of faith. Let us ask
ourselves: today, in our parish communities, in our associations, in our
movements, are we faithful to Christ’s plan? Is the priority evangelizing the
poor, bringing them the joyful Good News? Pay heed: it does not only involve
doing social assistance, much less political activity. It involves offering the
strength of the Gospel of God, who converts hearts, heals wounds, transforms
human and social relationships according to the logic of love. The poor are
indeed at the centre of the Gospel.
May the Virgin Mary, Mother of
evangelizers, help us to strongly perceive the hunger and thirst for the Gospel
that there is in the world, especially in the hearts and the flesh of the poor.
May she enable each of us and every Christian community to tangibly bear
witness to the mercy, the great mercy that Christ has given us.
After
the Angelus:
Dear brothers and sisters, I
warmly greet all of you from various parishes in Italy and other countries, as
well as associations and families.
I wish everyone a happy
Sunday. Please do not forget to pray for me! Have a good lunch! Arrivederci!
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