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Illustration: The Woman of Canaan by Michael Angelo Immenraet, 17th century
Pope Francis Catechesis 27.
Passion for evangelization, Apostolic Zeal no. 27
“Announcement is for everyone”
St. Peter’s Square Wednesday, 22 November 2023
The second point is the Christian proclamation is joy for all(the first of four was ‘joy; the 3rdand 4th will follow in the next few weeks)
The Christian proclamation is joy for all”
Matthew (28: 18-20)
After the resurrection Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”
Catechesis. Passion for evangelization: the apostolic zeal of the believer. 27. Announcement is for everyone
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Having seen last time that the Christian proclamation is joy, today we want to dwell on a second aspect: the Christian proclamation is joy for everyone
When we truly meet the Lord Jesus, the wonder of this encounter permeates our lives and demands to be taken beyond ourselves He wants his Gospel to be for all. In it there is indeed a “humanizing power”, a fulfilment of life destined for every man and woman, because Christ was born, died and rose again for everyone. For everyone: no one is excluded.
In Evangelii Gaudium we read: “Everyone has the right to receive the Gospel. Christians have the duty to proclaim it without excluding anyone, not as one who imposes a new obligation, but as one who shares a joy, points out a beautiful horizon, offers a desirable banquet. The Church does not grow by proselytism but ‘by attraction'” (n. 14).
Brothers and sisters, let us feel that we are at the service of the universal goal of the Gospel.
It is for everyone; and let us distinguish ourselves by our ability to come out of ourselves.
A proclamation, in order to be true, must leave behind one’s own selfishness – and let us also have the capacity to cross all borders.
Christians meet in the churchyard rather than in the sacristy, and they go “through the squares and streets of the city” (Lk 14:21).
They must be open and expansive, Christians must be “extroverted”, and this character of theirs comes from Jesus, who made his presence in the world a continuous journey, aimed at reaching everyone, even learning from some of his encounters.
In this sense, the Gospel relates Jesus’ surprising encounter with a foreign woman, a Canaanite woman who begs him to heal her sick daughter (This is it – (Mt 15:21-28) Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon.” But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And he answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly).
Jesus refuses, saying that he was sent only “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” and that “it is not good to take the children and throw it to the little dogs”. But the woman, with the insistence typical of simple people, replies that even “little dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table“. Jesus was struck by this reply and said to her: “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done to you as you wish”.
There is something unique about this encounter with this woman. Not only does someone change Jesus’ mind, and she is a woman, a foreigner and a pagan; but the Lord himself finds confirmation in the fact that his preaching cannot be limited to the people to which he belongs, but open to all.
The Bible shows us that when God calls a person and makes a covenant with some of them, the criterion is always this: He chooses some to reach others. This is God’s criterion, God’s call. All the friends of the Lord have experienced the beauty but also the responsibility and the burden of being “chosen” by Him. And all has experienced discouragement in the face of their weaknesses or the loss of their securities.
But perhaps the greatest temptation is to consider the call received as a privilege. Please no, the call is not a privilege, ever. We can’t say that we are privileged compared to others, no. The call is for a service. And God chooses one to love all, to reach all.
It is also to avoid the temptation of identifying Christianity with a culture, an ethnicity, or a system`.
In this way, however, it loses its truly Catholic nature, that is, universal for all: it is not a small group of first-class chosen people. Let us not forget: God chooses some to love everyone.
This horizon is universal. The Gospel is not only for me, it is for everyone. Let us not forget this. Thank you.
