It is today

Pope Francis asks priests to stop giving generic homilies that do not affect people's lives. He invokes him at the Angelus on 23 January.

The Pontiff highlights that in the Gospel of that day «we see Jesus inaugurating his preaching. He goes to Nazareth, where he grew up, and participates in prayer in the synagogue. He gets up to read and, in the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, finds the passage concerning the Messiah, who proclaims a message of consolation and liberation for the poor and oppressed. After reading, "everyone's eyes were fixed on him" ». And Jesus begins «by saying: 'Today this Scripture has been fulfilled'».
The Bishop of Rome invites us to dwell «on this today.
It is the first word of Jesus' preaching reported by the Gospel of Luke.
Pronounced by the Lord, it indicates a "today" that crosses every age and remains always valid ».

The Word of God «is always "today ". A" today "begins: when you read the Word of God, a" today "begins in your soul, if you understand it correctly. Today. Isaiah's prophecy dated back centuries, but Jesus, "with the power of the Spirit", makes it current and, above all, brings it to completion and indicates the way to receive the Word of God: today ». Not as an "ancient story, no: today." Today speak to your heart ».

Pope Francis observes: «Jesus' fellow villagers are struck by his word. Even if, clouded by prejudices, they do not believe him, they realize that his teaching is different from that of other teachers: they intuit that there is more in Jesus ". What? There is "the anointing of the Holy Spirit". At this point Bergoglio says: "Sometimes, it happens that our sermons and our teachings remain generic, abstract, do not touch the soul and life of the people". And why? "Because they lack the strength of this today, what Jesus" fills with meaning "with the power of the Spirit is today. Today he is talking to you. Yes, sometimes you hear impeccable lectures, well-constructed speeches, which however do not move the heart and so everything remains as before. Even many homilies - I say this with respect but with pain - are abstract, and instead of waking the soul they put it to sleep.

When the faithful start looking at the clock - "when will this end?" - they put the soul to sleep ". According to the Pontiff, preaching runs this risk: "Without the anointing of the Spirit it impoverishes the Word of God, it expires in moralism or in abstract concepts; presents the Gospel with detachment, as if it were out of time, far from reality. And this is not the way ». For this reason, the one who preaches, "please, is the first to have to experience the today of Jesus, so as to be able to communicate it in the today of others. And if he wants to give lessons, conferences, let him do it, but somewhere else, not at the time of the homily, where he has to give the Word so that it shakes hearts ".


Domenico Agasso
NP February 2022