There are so many challenges that challenge us as Christians today. For example, the individual and iniquitous management of wealth, which is the cause of injustice and the death of many; the choice of war in the name of mere national and local interests, which makes peace-building unviable; the silence in the face of the desperate cry of the poor, which reveals the project of a classified and divided society instead of a fraternal one; the climate issue, constantly ignored, until it does not touch us individually; the insensitivity to diversity, which prevents the emergence of a diverse society, etc.

This Sunday’s Gospel (Mt 10:26-33) presents the heart of Jesus’ missionary discourse. A mission that consists of a difficult and counter-current proclamation, which causes divisions and in many cases even misunderstandings and persecutions. For Jesus invites us to reveal the hidden plots of power; the conspiratorial designs of those who have no interest in the common good; or the subtle games of alliances in the name of a peace that in reality only masks the interests of groups. This is the proclamation that Jesus gives to missionaries, along with the social responsibility to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons (Mt 10:8). If we interpret these categories of people socially and not only spiritually or morally, we find the rejected of society: those contaminated by the capitalist system; the desperate; the diverse; those affected by the many psychological disorders that affect us today. The gospel of the Kingdom, therefore, is about transforming human, social and ecological situations, which are the product of a sick society, unable to guarantee a healthy and wholesome life for all.

For too long, the Church has advertised itself, with the intention of filling its marvellous temples, which in a very short time have been emptied. The project of Christianity has failed, dragging with it a certain model of Church and religion. I don’t think we have to wait for the crisis to drag us to the bottom of the well to change. The Gospel is extremely clear and comprehensible, and the figure of Jesus is a reminder that Christians cannot retreat in the face of great ecclesial and social challenges. Of course, it is not up to everyone to fill the squares to demonstrate against injustice or against the silence of a deteriorating system. But it is up to each person to take seriously the proposal of Jesus, which is both religious and political, to initially transform his or her life, the Church and the whole of society.

Silence, stillness, passive waiting or the attitude of those who neither see nor hear, are not Christian virtues. They are sins of omission. Nor should we place too much trust in certain practices of piety that are too intimate and individualistic, or in a certain “respectability” that is interested in maintaining the status quo, and incapable of engaging in the transformation of social relations, politics and injustices. We live in the time of prophecy, we feel the need for someone to raise their voice and hold up the banner of the common good, without fear of the consequences to come. Like Jeremiah, the prophet who, despite bearing the consequences of his proclamation on his skin, does not back down, but hardens his face and courageously continues his mission.
“Do not be afraid” – Jesus says – “even the very hairs of your head are all numbered (…), you are worth more than many sparrows”.

Luigi Shiavo, Biblicist