Emmanuel
FROM THE EDITOR
In Evangelii Gaudium, his November 2013 apostolic exhortation on
the Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis sets forth a very clear vision of
Christian service: “The Gospel tells us constantly to run the risk of a
face-to-face encounter with others, with their physical presence which
challenges us, with their pain and their pleas, with their joy which
infects us in our close and continuous interaction. True faith in the
incarnate Son of God is inseparable from self-giving, from membership
in the community, from service, from reconciliation with others.” The
Holy Father concludes by saying, “The Son of God, by becoming flesh,
summoned us to the revolution of tenderness” (88).
Two years ago, I was in Saint Peter’s Square in Rome along with
other leaders of provinces and regions of my religious institute, the
Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, from around the world. It
was a brilliant spring day and we were there with tens of thousands
of pilgrims for the Wednesday papal audience. Our group was close to
the front of the reserved section. A sense of anticipation built as we
awaited Francis’ arrival. And suddenly, there he was!
He stood in a simple open vehicle, hands clutching a white bar to
steady himself as the driver negotiated his way through the assembled
mass of humanity several times. What struck me most that day — and
still today as I look at the photo of the pope, his figure framed by the
outstretched arms of a nun in gray habit — was his warm smile: broad
and natural. I think every one of us there that day felt a strong sense
of personal encounter and connection with him despite the sheer
numbers.
The encounter with Jesus Christ is a powerful, life-altering event. The
Gospels are filled with instances where people came to the rabbi
from Nazareth, driven by need, desperation, or curiosity, and seeking
a connection with God and with him. And they left changed by the
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