St Augustine would repeat a sentence that I have always found striking. ‘I am afraid when the Lord passes’. Why? ‘Because I am afraid that he will pass and that I might not notice him’. And the Lord passes in our life as happened here, in the life of Peter, of James and of John”.

In this case the Lord passed with a miracle in the life of his disciples. However, Jesus does not always pass in our life with a miracle. Even though, he always makes himself heard. Always. And when the Lord passes what happened here always occurs. He tells us something, he makes us understand something, then he says a word to us which is a promise; he asks something of us in our way of life, asks us to give up something, to rid ourselves of something. And he then gives us a mission.

These three aspects of Jesus’ passing in our life — he asks of us “a word that is a promise”, he asks us “to get rid of something”, he entrusts us with a “mission” — are clearly portrayed in the passage from Luke. Simon, who was so hot-tempered, went to him: ‘but Lord depart from me for I am a sinful man’. He really felt this for he was such. And what did Jesus say to him? ‘Do not be afraid’”.

“This is a beautiful phrase, so often repeated: ‘Do not be afraid, do not fear’. And then – and here comes the promise, ‘henceforth you will be catching men’. When the Lord enters our life, when he passes in our heart, he always says a word to us and makes us a promise: ‘go ahead, take heart, do not be afraid: you will do this!’”. It is “an invitation to follow him”. And “when we hear this invitation and see that there is something wrong in our life, we must correct it”, and be prepared to renounce generously anything. Even if “in our life”, there is something good, Jesus asks us to leave it in order to follow him more closely. This is what happened to the Apostles who left everything as the Gospel says: ‘And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him’”.

Christian life, therefore, “means following the Lord always”. However, if we are to follow him we must first “listen to what he is telling us”; and then we must “leave what we have to leave at that moment and follow him”.

Lastly there is the mission that Jesus entrusts to us. Indeed, he never says: “Follow me!” without then speaking of the mission. He always says: ‘leave it, and follow me for such and such’”. Therefore if “we take Jesus’ route”, it is in order to do something. This is the mission”.

It is “a sequence that is also repeated when we go to pray”. In fact “our prayers”, must always have these three moments. First of all, listening to the word of Jesus, a word through which he gives us peace and assures us of his closeness. Then the moment of our renunciation: we must be ready to “leave something: ‘Lord, what do you want me to leave in order to be closer to you?”. Perhaps at that moment he does not tell you – but let us ask the question generously. Lastly, the moment of mission: prayer always helps us to understand what “we must do”.

This sums up our prayer: “Listening to the Lord, having the courage to rid ourselves of something that prevents us from making haste to follow him and, finally, from taking on the mission”. This does not mean that we do not have to face temptations. Peter, sinned gravely by denying Jesus. Yet later the Lord pardoned him. James and John committed the sin of careerism, but the Lord granted them forgiveness too. It is therefore important to keep these three moments in mind while praying. “We can ask the Apostles”, who experienced these things from so close at hand, to give us the grace always to pray seeking to listen to the word and to the promise of Jesus; to have the willingness to let go of whatever it may be that prevents us from following the Lord closely; and to open our heart to receive the mission.

05.09.13

Dear brothers and sisters, good afternoon!

The Gospel from today’s liturgy (Mt 4:12-23) narrates the call of the first disciples who, along the lake of Galilee leave everything to follow Jesus. He had already met some of them, thanks to John the Baptist, and God had placed the seed of faith within them (cf. Jn 1:35-39). So now, Jesus goes back to look for them where they live and work. The Lord always looks for us. The Lord always draws near to us, always. This time, he extends a direct call to them: “Follow me!” (Mt 4:19). And “immediately they left their nets and followed him” (v. 20). Let’s take a moment to reflect on this scene. This is the moment of a decisive encounter with Jesus, one they would remember their entire lives and would be included in the Gospel. From then on, they follow Jesus. And in order to follow him, they leave.

To leave so as to follow. And it is always like this with Jesus. It can begin in some way with a sense of attraction, perhaps due to others. Then the awareness can become more personal and can kindle a light in the heart. It becomes something beautiful to share: “You know, that passage from the Gospel struck me…. That service opportunity I had struck me…” – something that touches your heart. This is what happened with the first disciples (cf. Jn 1:40-42). But sooner or later, the moment comes in which it is necessary to leave so as to follow (cf. Lk 11:27-28). That is when it is necessary to make a decision: Shall I leave behind some certainties and embark on a new adventure, or shall I remain like I am? This is a decisive moment for every Christian because the meaning of everything else is at stake here. If someone does not find the courage to set out on the journey, the risk is to remain a spectator of one’s own existence and to live the faith halfway.

To stay with Jesus, therefore, requires the courage to leave, to set out on the journey. What must we leave behind? Our vices and our sins, certainly, which are like anchors that hold us at bay and prevent us from setting sail. To begin to leave, it is only right that we begin by asking forgiveness – forgiveness for the things that are not beautiful. I leave these things behind to move forward. But it is also necessary to leave behind what holds us back from living fully, for example, fear, selfish calculations, the guarantees that come from staying safe, just getting by. It also means giving up the time wasted on so many useless things. How beautiful it would be to leave all this in order to experience, for example, the tiring but rewarding risk of service, or to dedicate time to prayer so as to grow in friendship with the Lord. I am also thinking of a young family who leaves behind a quiet life to open themselves up to the unpredictable and beautiful adventure of motherhood and fatherhood. It is a sacrifice, but all it takes is one look at a child to understand that it was the right choice to leave behind certain rhythms and comforts to have this joy. I am also thinking, of certain professionals, for example, doctors or healthcare workers, who give up a lot of free time to study and prepare themselves, and who do good, dedicating many hours day and night, and spend so much physical and mental energy for the sick. I think of workers who leave behind convenience, who let go of doing nothing so as to put food on the table. In short, to live life, we need to accept the challenge to leave. Today, Jesus extends this invitation to each of us.

So, I leave you with a question about this. First of all: Can I remember a “strong moment” in which I have already encountered Jesus? Each of us can recall our own story – in my life, has there been a significant moment when I encountered Jesus? And, is there something beautiful and significant that happened in my life because of which I left other less important things? And today, is there something Jesus asks me to give up? What are the material things, ways of thinking, attitudes I need to leave behind so as to truly say “yes”? May Mary help us to respond with a total “yes” to God, like she did, to know what to leave behind so as to follow him better. Do not be afraid to leave if it is to follow Jesus. We will always find that we are better.

Dear brothers and sisters!

This Third Sunday of Ordinary Time is dedicated in a special way to the Word of God. Let us rediscover with awe the fact that God speaks to us, especially through the Sacred Scriptures. Let us read them, study them, meditate on them, pray over them. Let us read a passage from the Bible every day, especially from the Gospel. Jesus speaks to us there, he enlightens us, he guides us. And I remind you of something I have said other times: Let’s have a small Gospel, a pocket-size Gospel, to take in your bag, always with us. And when there is a moment during the day, read something from the Gospel. It is Jesus who accompanies us. So, a small pocket-size Gospel always with us.

22.01.23 a