UNAFRAID OF NOVELTY Pope Francis is calling the Church to come out of herself; forgetting fears and self interest, to put herself in contact with the real life of people and to make the Gospel present in the places where men and women of today suffer and enjoy themselves, struggle and work. With his unmistakable language and vivid, concrete words he is opening our eyes to warn us of the risk a Church takes of suffocating herself in adopting an attitude of self-defense: “when the Church is closed in, she gets sick; I prefer a thousand times a church with a troubled history to one that is sick because it is closed in on itself.” The slogan of Pope Francis is clear: “The Church has to come out of herself to go to the outer margins of society to give witness to the Gospel and to have contact with others.” He is not thinking of theoretical approaches, but of taking very concrete steps: “ Let us go out of ourselves to see for ourselves the effects of poverty.” The Pope knows what he is talking about. He wants to draw the present Church towards a profound evangelical renewal. It is not easy. “Novelty always begets a little fear in us, because we feel more secure if we have everything under our control, if it is we who build, program and plan our lives according to our goals, securities and tastes.” But Francis does not fear the “novelty of God.” On the Feast of Pentecost he put to the whole Church a decisive question to which we will have to find an answer in the coming years: “Are we ready to explore the new ways the newness of God presents us or shall we entrench ourselves in outdated structures that have lost the ability to respond? I don’t want to hide my joy on seeing that Pope Francis is planning to revive the evangelical spirit Jesus always desired to inspire in his followers. The evangelist Luke reminds us of his catchphrases: “Get going on the way. Do not wait for anything.” We must not hold on to Jesus within our parishes. We have to make him known in life. “Do not carry bags, knapsacks, or a pair of spare sandals.” You have to go out into the world in a simple and humble way. No privileges or power structures. The Gospel is not imposed by force. It spreads like contagion from faith in Jesus and trust in the Father. When you enter a house say: “Peace to this house.” This is what’s important. Forget about condemning anyone at all; cure the sick, alleviate the suffering there is in the world. Say to all: God is near and wants to see us work for a more humane way of life. This is the great news of the kingdom of God. José Antonio Pagola
Posted on: Sat, 06 Jul 2013 11:04:57 +0000
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