NEWS, OTHERS

Christian formation includes mission.

Published by victor caleb on February 22nd, 2023.

At the General Audience on Wednesday morning, 15 February, Pope Francis continued his series of catecheses on apostolic zeal in the Paul VI Hall. Reflecting on the passage from the Gospel of Matthew about the first apostolate, the Pope explained that “every Christian activity, especially the mission”, begins from an encounter with the Lord, “not from what is learned in an academy”. The words of the Holy Father are translated below.

Greetings, Brothers and Sisters.
Hello and good morning!

We continue our catechesis; the theme we have chosen is “The passion of evangelizing, apostolic zeal”. Because evangelizing does not consist of simply saying, “Look, blah, blah, blah,” and nothing else. There is a passion that involves everything: the mind, the heart, the hands, going out… everything, the entire person is involved with the proclamation of the Gospel, and this is why we speak of the passion for evangelizing. After seeing Jesus as the model and teacher of proclamation, we now turn our attention to the first disciples and what they did. According to the Gospel, Jesus “appointed twelve, to be with Him, and to be sent out to preach” (Mk 3:14); two things: to be with him and to be sent out to preach. One aspect appears to be contradictory: He invited them to accompany him and preach. One could argue that it is either one or the other, stay or go. But, according to Jesus, there is no going without staying and no staying without going. It’s not easy to grasp, but that’s the way it is. Let us try to grasp a gist of what Jesus means when he says these things.

First and foremost, there is no going without staying: before sending the disciples out on mission, Christ, according to the Gospel, “calls them to himself” (cf. Mt 10:1). The encounter with the Lord gives birth to the proclamation; every Christian activity, especially mission, begins there. Not from what is taught in a classroom. No, no! It all starts with the encounter with the Lord. In fact, witnessing him means radiating him; but if we do not receive his light, we will be extinguished; if we do not spend time with him, we will bear ourselves instead of him — I am bringing myself, not him — and it will all be for naught. As a result, only those who remain with him can spread the Gospel of Jesus. Anyone who does not remain with him is incapable of bearing the Gospel. He’ll bring thoughts, but not the Gospel. However, there is no such thing as staying without leaving. In fact, following Christ is not an inward-looking fact: the relationship with Jesus does not grow without proclamation, service, and mission. We can see in the Gospel that the Lord sends the disciples before they have finished preparing: he sends them soon after calling them! This means that mission experience is a part of Christian formation. Let us then recall the two defining moments for every disciple: remaining with Jesus and being sent forth by Jesus.

Christ addresses a discourse to the disciples after calling them to himself and before sending them, which is known as the “missionary discourse” in the Gospel. It is found in chapter 10 of Matthew’s Gospel and it is like the ‘constitution’ of the proclamation. I draw three aspects from that discourse, which I recommend you read today — it is only one page in the Gospel — why proclaim, what to proclaim, and how to proclaim.

Why declare: The inspiration comes from a few words of Jesus that we should remember: “Freely you have received, freely give” (v. 8). They’re only a few words. But why declare? Because I have freely received and should freely give. The beauty of what we have received for free, without merit: meeting Jesus, knowing him, discovering that we are loved and saved, is where the proclamation begins. It is such a wonderful gift that we cannot keep it to ourselves; we feel compelled to share it, but in the same manner, right? That is, gratuitously. In other words, we have a gift, and we are called to give it to others; we have received a gift, and our vocation is to give it to others; we have the joy of being God’s children, and we must share it with our brothers and sisters who do not yet know it! This is why the proclamation was issued. Going forth with the joy of what we have received.

Second, what should I say? “Preach as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand,'” Jesus says. (v. 7). The first thing that must be said is that God is close. So remember this: God has always been near to the people. “Look, what God is as close to the nations as I am to you?” he said to the people. One of the most important aspects of God is his proximity. There are three essential elements: closeness, mercy, and tenderness. Don’t forget about it. What exactly is God? Close, tender, and merciful. This is God’s reality. We often urge people to do something in our sermons, which is fine, but let us not forget that the main message is that he is near: closeness, mercy, and tenderness. Accepting God’s love is more difficult because we always want to be the center of attention, the protagonists; we prefer to do rather than be moulded; we prefer to speak rather than listen. However, if what we do comes first, we will remain the protagonists. Instead, the proclamation must give God primacy: to give God primacy, to give God first place, and to give others the opportunity to welcome him, to recognize that he is close. And there’s me in the background.

The third point is about how to proclaim. This is the aspect on which Jesus focuses the most: how to proclaim, what method to use, and what language to use. It’s significant: He tells us that the manner, or style, of witnessing is critical. Witnessing is more than just using one’s mind and saying something. No. It entails everything, mind, heart, hands, everything, the three languages of the person: thought, affection, and work. Three different languages. One cannot evangelize solely through the mind, the heart, or the hands. Everything is at stake. And, in terms of style, the important thing is to bear witness, as Jesus desires. “I send you out as sheep among wolves,” he says (v. 16). He does not expect us to be able to face the wolves, that is, to argue, offer counter-arguments, and defend ourselves. No, no. We may believe that if we become relevant, numerous, and prestigious, the world will listen to and respect us, and we will defeat the wolves. That is not the case. No, I send you out as lambs, as sheep. This is critical. The Lord will not protect you from the wolves if you do not want to be sheep. Handle it as best you can. But if you are a sheep, you can be confident that the Lord will protect you from the wolves. Be modest. He asks us to be meek and innocent, to be willing to sacrifice; this is what the lamb represents: meekness, innocence, dedication, and tenderness. And he, the Shepherd, will recognize and protect his lambs from the wolves. Lambs disguised as wolves, on the other hand, are unmasked and ripped apart. “As long as we are lambs, we will conquer, and even if we are surrounded by many wolves, we will overcome them,” wrote a Church Father. But if we turn into wolves — ‘Ah, how clever, look, I feel good about myself’ — we will be defeated because we will no longer have the shepherd’s assistance. He does not tend to wolves, but rather lambs” ( ST JOHN CHRYSOSTOM , Homily 33 on the Gospel of Matthew). If I want to be the Lord’s, I must allow him to be my shepherd; and he is not the shepherd of wolves, but of lambs, meek, humble, and kind as the Lord is.

Still on the subject of how to proclaim, it’s worth noting that Jesus, rather than telling us what to bring on a mission, tells us what not to bring. At times, one sees apostles, people who relocate, and Christians who claim to be apostles and have given their lives to the Lord while carrying a lot of luggage. This, however, is not from the Lord. The Lord requires you to lighten your load. “Do not carry any gold, silver, or copper in your belts, nor a bag for your journey, nor two tunics, sandals, or a staff” (vv. 9-10). Nothing should be taken. He advises not to rely on material certainty, but rather to enter the world without worldliness. That is to say, I am going into the world without the world’s style, values, or worldliness — because the Church falling into worldliness is the worst thing that can happen. I will proceed with simplicity. This is how one should proclaim Jesus: by showing him rather than talking about him. And how do we demonstrate Jesus? As evidenced by our presence. Finally, by traveling in community: the Lord sends all of the disciples, but no one travels alone. The apostolic Church is entirely missionary, and it finds its unity in the mission. So, go forth, meek and gentle as lambs, without worldliness, and together. This is the key to proclamation; this is the key to evangelization success. Let us respond to Jesus’ invitations. Let his words serve as our guide.

SPECIAL THANKS
I extend a warm welcome to today’s English-speaking pilgrims, particularly those from England, Vietnam, and the United States of America. I invoke the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ upon all of you and your families. God’s blessings!

Finally, as is customary, my thoughts turn to young people, the sick, the elderly, and newlyweds. I invite you to witness the Gospel every day, spreading the scent of Christ’s charity that conquers hearts to do good, inspired by Saint Cyril and Methodius, Apostles to the Slavs and co-patrons of Europe, whose liturgical feast we celebrated yesterday.

And, brothers and sisters, let us not forget Ukraine’s dear and tormented people, praying for an end to all their cruel suffering. All of you have my blessing.