During the Mass in St Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis urged the new cardinals and every Christian not to fall into the temptation of turning "to Jesus without turning to the outcast," becoming "a closed caste with nothing authentically ecclesial about it." In today's Church, two ways of thinking are at odds with each other, the fear of losing "the saved" and the desire to "save the lost." However, we have "to serve Jesus crucified in every person who is marginalised, for whatever reason" and "see the Lord present even in those who have lost their faith, or turned away from the practice of their faith." Ultimately, "the Gospel of the marginalized is where our credibility is found and revealed!"

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "The Church's way, from the time of the Council of Jerusalem, has always, always been the way of Jesus, the way of mercy and reinstatement," is the conclusion Pope Francis draws from today's Gospel, which looks at Jesus' healing of the leper (Mk, 1:40-45).

In his analysis of the evangelical story, the pontiff noted "The compassion of Jesus," which "made him draw near to every person in pain," and "his desire to reinstate" the marginalsed. In fact, the healing of the leper, who embodies every outcast, and Jesus' attitude towards him become the model the pope offers the new cardinals he created in yesterday's consistory, and who were present at the Mass, and to the whole Church so that it is not be tempted "to turn to Jesus without turning to the outcast, to become a closed caste with nothing authentically ecclesial about it."

Noting that the Mosaic Law turned away, marginalised and treated lepers as unclean, Francis added, "Imagine how much suffering and shame lepers must have felt: physically, socially, psychologically and spiritually! They are not only victims of disease, but they feel guilty about it, punished for their sins! Theirs is a living death; they are like someone whose father has spit in his face (cf. Num 12:14)."

The purpose of this rule was "to 'safeguard the healthy,' 'protect the righteous,' and, in order to guard them from any risk, eliminate 'the peril' by treating the diseased person harshly." However, "Jesus revolutionizes and upsets that fearful, narrow and prejudiced mentality."

"Jesus, the new Moses, wanted to heal the leper. He wanted to touch him and restore him to the community without being "hemmed in" by prejudice, conformity to the prevailing mind-set or worry about becoming infected. Jesus responds immediately to the leper's plea, without waiting to study the situation and all its possible consequences! For Jesus, what matters above all is reaching out to save those far off, healing the wounds of the sick, restoring everyone to God's family!"

At that time, Jesus' attitude scandalised many people. "Jesus," the pontiff stressed, "is not afraid of this kind of scandal! He does not think of the closed-minded who are scandalized even by a work of healing, scandalized before any kind of openness, by any action outside of their mental and spiritual boxes, by any caress or sign of tenderness which does not fit into their usual thinking and their ritual purity."

In view of this, the pope focused on "two ways of thinking and of having faith: we can fear to lose the saved and we can want to save the lost. Even today," the two are present in the world and the Church itself. One way of thinking is that "of the doctors of the law, which would remove the danger by casting out the diseased person," and the other is the "way of thinking of God, who in his mercy embraces and accepts by reinstating him and turning evil into good, condemnation into salvation and exclusion into proclamation."

Something like this occurred at the time of the controversy that arose inside and outside the Church when the pope said, "Who am I to judge?" when speaking about gay people, a statement considered by some as an endorsement of gay marriage (which the last Synod on the family ruled out), or the debate on the communion for divorced and remarried people, or openings towards Islam.

In his homily, the pontiff did not lay down a rule, but indicated a way. "The Church's way, from the time of the Council of Jerusalem, has always, always been the way of Jesus, the way of mercy and reinstatement. This does not mean underestimating the dangers of letting wolves into the fold, but welcoming the repentant prodigal son; healing the wounds of sin with courage and determination; rolling up our sleeves and not standing by and watching passively the suffering of the world. The way of the Church is not to condemn anyone for eternity, to pour out the balm of God's mercy on all those who ask for it with a sincere heart. The way of the Church is precisely to leave her four walls behind and to go out in search of those who are distant, those on the 'outskirts' of life. It is to adopt fully God's own approach, to follow the Master who said: 'Those who are well have no need of the physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call, not the righteous but sinners to repentance' (Lk 5:31-32)."

 "In healing the leper," he added, "Jesus does not harm the healthy. Rather, he frees them from fear. He does not endanger them, but gives them a brother. He does not devalue the law but instead values those for whom God gave the law. Indeed, Jesus frees the healthy from the temptation of the "older brother" (cf. Lk 15:11-32), the burden of envy and the grumbling of the labourers who bore "the burden of the day and the heat" (cf. Mt 20:1-16)."

For the pontiff, "Charity is creative in finding the right words to speak to all those considered incurable and hence untouchable. Contact is the true language of communication, the same endearing language which brought healing to the leper. How many healings can we perform if only we learn this language!"

Therefore, he told the new cardinals, this "is the 'logic', the mind of Jesus, and this is the way of the Church. Not only to welcome and reinstate with evangelical courage all those who knock at our door, but to go out and to seek, fearlessly and without prejudice, those who are distant, freely sharing what we ourselves freely received."

We need Mary's intercession. She taught "us to be unafraid of tenderly welcoming the outcast, to be unafraid of tenderness and compassion. May she clothe us in patience as we seek to accompany them on their journey, without seeking the benefits of worldly success. May she show us Jesus and help us to walk in his footsteps."

"Dear brothers," he said in concluding, "as we look to Jesus and our Mother Mary, I urge you to serve the Church in such a way that Christians - edified by our witness - will not be tempted to turn to Jesus without turning to the outcast, to become a closed caste with nothing authentically ecclesial about it. I urge you to serve Jesus crucified in every person who is marginalised, for whatever reason; to see the Lord in every excluded person who is hungry, thirsty, naked; to see the Lord present even in those who have lost their faith, or turned away from the practice of their faith; to see the Lord who is imprisoned, sick, unemployed, persecuted; to see the Lord in the leper - whether in body or soul - who encounters discrimination! We will not find the Lord unless we truly accept the marginalized! May we always have before us the image of Saint Francis, who was unafraid to embrace the leper and to accept every kind of outcast. Truly the Gospel of the marginalized is where our credibility is found and revealed!"

• vatican
• pope
• francis
• mass
• cardinals