A word for me

Francis launches an appeal to overcome ecclesiastical divisions. There is only one Church, "God asks us to be united".
The Pope warns that an institution "with a narrow heart would be a curse"; and he admonishes: «Let's not get lost in so many secondary discussions». On January 22, the Pope celebrates mass in St. Peter's Basilica on the occasion of the "IV Day of the Word of God".

In the homily, the bishop of Rome points out that "it is a gift addressed to each one and that therefore we can never restrict its field of action because, beyond all our calculations, it sprouts spontaneously, unexpectedly and unpredictably, in the ways and in the times that the Spirit knows".
And if "salvation is meant for all, even for the most distant and lost, then the proclamation of the Word must become the principal urgency of the ecclesial community, as it was for Jesus. May it not happen that we profess a God with a broad heart and be a Church with a narrow heart»; he adds without reading the written text: «This would be, I take the liberty of saying, a curse»; let it not happen “to preach salvation for all and make the way to welcome it impassable; of knowing that we are called to bring the announcement of the Kingdom and neglect the Word, scattering ourselves into so many secondary activities, or – he again affirms off the cuff – so many secondary discussions". We need to learn "from Jesus to put the Word at the centre, to broaden the boundaries, to open ourselves up to people, to generate experiences of encounter with the Lord".

Jorge Mario Bergoglio says "simply 'thank you' to those who work to ensure that the Word of God is put back at the centre, shared and proclaimed. Thanks to those who study it and deepen its richness; thanks to the pastoral workers and to all those Christians committed to listening to and spreading the Word, especially to readers and catechists". Thanks to those who "have accepted the many invitations I have made to take the Gospel with me everywhere and to read it every day".
And finally a «particular thanks to the deacons and priests: thank you, dear brothers, because you do not make the holy People of God lack the nourishment of the Word; thank you for committing yourself to meditate on it, live it and proclaim it; thank you for your service and sacrifices.
For everyone, let the sweet joy of announcing the Word of salvation be a consolation and a reward".

Domenico Agasso
NP February 2023