Saint Gertrude Parish - Lasne

Understanding the Gospel

with Marie-Noëlle THABUT

THE MISSION OF GOD'S EMAILS IS A MISSION OF HEALING

The men of the Old Testament had discovered that God is the God of mercy, that is to say, that he looks down on the misery of man; in turn, the evangelist presents Jesus as the one who is filled with compassion: the two words, mercy in Hebrew and the Greek word translated here as compassion, express the emotion that grips the heart in the face of all suffering; an emotion that is not only of the order of feeling since, very concretely, it is accompanied by a work of healing.

It is clear that the mission of God's messengers (whether Jesus or the apostles) is a mission of healing: to be convinced of this, one only needs to look at the itinerary of Jesus' journey, as Matthew has just described it: Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching, proclaiming the Kingdom, and healing… then, when he calls his disciples, what Matthew notes first, even before giving us their names, is "Jesus gave them authority to drive out unclean spirits and to heal every disease and sickness"… finally, when Jesus gives his apostles the program of their mission, he tells them, "Proclaim that the Kingdom of Heaven has come near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons."

At the same time as they proclaim the Kingdom, the Lord's messengers are therefore called upon to give signs of it. And the best proclamation of the Kingdom is victory over evil in all its forms. But for this to happen, one must be deeply moved by the sight of the world's suffering.

It is not only in the face of individual suffering that Jesus feels compassion, but also for his people: “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” The four evangelists, each in their own way, present Jesus as the one who comes to gather the chosen people, a way of saying that in him the promises of the Old Testament are fulfilled; for the awaited Messiah was often presented in the guise of a shepherd. For example, this is how Ezekiel announced him: “I will rescue my sheep, and they will no longer be prey. I will judge between sheep and sheep. I will raise up over them one shepherd, and he will tend them: he shall be my servant David. He will tend them and be their shepherd.” (Ezekiel 34:22-23).

Regarding the people, you have noticed Jesus' recommendation: "Do not go to the Gentiles and do not enter any city of the Samaritans... Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel," which can be translated as "begin with the chosen people; it is they who will then convert the Gentiles"; this means that in Jesus' mind, it is quite clear that Israel remains the chosen people, whose mission is to convert the world.

YOU RECEIVED FOR FREE: GIVE FOR FREE

I now come to the last piece of advice Jesus gives to those he sends out: “Freely you have received; freely give.” This sums up the entire program of our life of faith in two propositions: first, God’s gift is free: let us welcome this gift freely. Then, second, let us, in turn, learn to live freely.

These two points, and particularly the first, are very difficult for us; let's address them one after the other: first point, "God's gift is free"; this is the very meaning of the word "grace." But, strangely enough, we have a terrible time accepting that God's gift is completely free; the proof is that we are still often tempted to keep score in our relationship with him; we don't dare believe that God gives us everything freely without waiting for us to accumulate merit!

The second point is "give freely": in other words, "act like God." This means several things: first, "like God, expect nothing in return," seek neither esteem nor glory nor love; let everything be selfless, for this is how God acts: "Beware of practicing your religion in front of others to attract their attention… So when you give to the needy, do not boast about it… But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret…" (Matthew 6:1-4). Nor should you expect love: "If you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others?… Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous." » (Mt 5:44-47).

Finally, to love your brothers and sisters, don't wait for them to deserve it. This means saying, "Never let anyone hear you say, 'Those people aren't worth anything…'" You are constantly being saved and freely forgiven; in turn, learn to forgive, help, and lift up unconditionally. And if we want to fully emulate the one who sent us, we must be able to call forth harvesters ourselves without relying on excessive guarantees. Jesus didn't conduct many interviews before choosing his apostles, but he trusted them. Nothing suggested that the fishermen by the lake, the tax collector (collaborator), and the zealot (resistance fighter) could ever form a reliable and effective team; yet Jesus didn't hesitate to entrust them with the harvest because time was of the essence; as everyone knows, a harvest doesn't wait!