Move… to lift up those whose hearts are weary…

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2023
“The Word of God is for everyone.  The Gospel presents us with Jesus always on the move, on his way to others.  On no occasion in his public life does he give us the idea that he is a stationary teacher, a professor seated on a chair; on the contrary, we see him as an itinerant, we see him as a pilgrim, travelling through towns and villages, encountering faces and their stories. His feet are those of the messenger announcing the good news of God’s love (cf. Is 52:7-8).  In Galilee of the Gentiles, on the sea route, beyond the Jordan, where Jesus preaches, there was – the text notes – a people plunged into darkness: foreigners, pagans, women and men from various regions and cultures (cf. Mt 4:15-16).  Now they too can see the light.  And so, Jesus enlarges the boundaries.
The Word of God, which heals and raises up, is not only destined for the righteous of Israel, but for all; he wants to reach those far away, he wants to heal the sick, he wants to save sinners, he wants to gather the lost sheep and lift up those whose hearts are weary and oppressed. In short, Jesus ‘reaches out’ to tell us that God’s mercy is for everyone.  Let us not forget this: God’s mercy is for everyone, for each one of us.  Each person can say, “God’s mercy is for me”.”
Pope Francis