Pope Francis invites the faithful to overcome prejudices and fear of being involved in the lives of others and to follow the example of Jesus who shares our wounds and heals our lives.
By Linda Bordoni
Reflecting on the reading of the Gospel of the day (Mc 1: 40-45), Pope Francis spoke of how the Lord approached us, broke all barriers and touched our lives to heal them.
Speaking during the Sunday Angelus in St. Peter’s Square, the Pope recalled reading the Gospel of the day, which narrates the encounter between Jesus and the sick leper.
He noted that lepers were considered unclean and, according to the law, were marginalized and excluded from all human, social and religious relationships.
But Jesus, said the Pope, allowed the man to approach him, to the point of reaching out and touching him.
“This is how He fulfills the Good News he proclaims: God has come close to our lives, He has compassion on the destiny of wounded humanity and comes to break all barriers that prevent us from relating to Him, with others and with us”, said the Pope.
Two “transgressions”
Pope Francis explained that in this episode, the apostle highlights two “transgressions”:
“The first transgression is that of the leper,” he said, who “despite the prescriptions of the Law, leaves his isolation and goes to Jesus”.
He explained that man’s illness was considered a divine punishment, but “in Jesus, he can see another aspect of God: not the God who punishes, but the Father of compassion and love that frees us from sin and never excludes us from Your mercy. “
The patient, the Pope continued, can thus leave his isolation because in Jesus he finds God who shares his pain.
“The second transgression is that of Jesus: although the Law forbade lepers, He is moved, reaches out and touches him to heal him. He is not limited to words, but touches him ”, he explains.
To touch with love, Pope Francis continued, means “to establish a relationship, to enter into communion, to be involved in the life of another person to the point of sharing his wounds”.
With that gesture, he said, Jesus reveals that God is not indifferent, he does not maintain a “safe distance”: “He approaches with compassion and touches our life to heal it with tenderness”.
This, said the Pope, “is God’s ‘style’: closeness, compassion and tenderness: God’s ‘transgression’. In that sense, He is a great transgressor ”.
Do not fear “contamination”
Lamenting the fact that in today’s world, many of our brothers and sisters suffer marginalization and exclusion because of social stigmas, the Pope has invited the faithful to break these barriers and become involved in their lives.
He said that Jesus tells us that God “is not an abstract idea or doctrine, but the One who contaminates He himself with our human wounds and is not afraid to come into contact with our wounds. ”The Pope urged Christians to go beyond selfishness, calculations or fears that prevent them from becoming involved in the sufferings of others.
Instead, he said, let us ask the Lord for the grace to find the courage to step out of our isolation and self-pity and open our hearts to “a love that goes beyond convention, that overcomes prejudice and the fear of becoming involved in the lives of others. ”
Pope Francis concluded: “Let us learn to be ‘transgressors’ like these two: like the leper and like Jesus”.