Without fear of newness
Pope Francis is calling the Church to get out of itself, forgetting its fears and its own interests, so as to get in touch with the real life of people and bring the presence of the Gospel where today’s men and women are suffering and rejoicing, struggling and working.
With his unmistakable language and living and concrete words, he is opening our eyes to warn us of the danger of a Church that suffocates itself in a posture of self-defense: “When the Church becomes closed in on itself, it gets sick”; “I far prefer a Church that has had a few accidents to a Church that has fallen sick from being closed.”
Francis’ instruction is quite clear: “The Church must get out of itself and go to the outskirts, to give witness to the Gospel and to meet with the others.” He is not thinking of theoretical approaches, but rather of very concrete steps: “Let us step out of ourselves to meet poverty.”
The Pope knows what he is saying. He wants to pull the Church along toward a thoroughgoing renewal based on the Gospel. It is not easy. “Newness always makes us a bit fearful, because we feel more secure if we have everything under control, if we are the ones who build, program and plan our lives in accordance with our own ideas, our own comfort, our own preferences.”
But Francis is not afraid of “God’s newness.” On the feast of Pentecost, he formulated for the whole Church a decisive question that we will have to go on answering these coming years: “Do we have the courage to strike out along the new paths which God’s newness sets before us, or do we resist, barricaded in transient structures which have lost their capacity for openness to what is new?”
I do not want to hide my joy at observing that Pope Francis calls us to revive in the Church the evangelizing life-breath that Jesus wanted his followers to be animated with. The evangelist Luke reminds us of Jesus’ instructions. “Go on your way.” There is no waiting for anything. We must not keep Jesus held back inside our parishes. We have to make him known in life.
“Carry no money bag, no sack, no spare sandals.” One has to go out to life with simplicity and humility. Without the privileges or structures of power. The Gospel is not imposed by force. Coming from faith in Jesus and trust in the Father, it spreads like a contagious disease.
When you enter a house, say, “Peace to this household.” This is the first thing. Leave condemnations aside, cure the sick, relieve the sufferings there are in the world. Tell everyone that God is near and wants us to work for a life more befitting human beings. This is the great news of the kingdom of God.
José Antonio Pagola
July 7, 2013
14 Ordinary Time (C)
Luke 10, 1-12. 17-20