It is necessary to live "the petty holiness of negotiation", that is, that "healthy realism" that "the Church teaches us": that is, it is a matter of rejecting the logic of "either this or nothing" and embarking on the path of the "possible" in order to be reconciled with others. Here is the proposal launched by Francis in the Mass celebrated on Thursday morning, 9 June, in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta. With a small note of tenderness: during the homily a child started to cry but Francis immediately reassured his parents: 'No, let's stay calm, because the sermon of a child in church is more beautiful than that of the priest, than that of the bishop and than that of the Pope. Let it be: let it be, which is the voice of innocence that is good for us all".
For his reflection, the Pope started from the passage in Matthew's Gospel (5:20-26), proposed by the liturgy: "Jesus is in the midst of his people and teaches the disciples, teaches the law of God's people". In fact, "Jesus is that legislator whom Moses promised: 'One shall come after me...'". He is therefore "the true lawgiver, the one who teaches us how the law must be in order to be just". But "the people were a bit bewildered, a bit at a loss, because they did not know what to do and those who taught the law were not consistent". And it is Jesus himself who tells them: "Do what they say, but not what they do". After all, "they were not consistent in their life, they were not a testimony of life". Thus "Jesus, in this Gospel passage, speaks of overcoming: 'Your righteousness must overcome that of the scribes and Pharisees'". Therefore, "to this people somewhat imprisoned in this cage without exit, Jesus shows the way out: it is always to go out, to overcome, to go up".
And in this direction, Francis explained, Jesus 'takes as a first example - he takes many, doesn't he? - the first commandment: love God and love your neighbour: "You have heard that it was said to the ancients, 'You shall not kill', one of the commandments of love of neighbour, 'but I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother shall be subject to judgment. And whoever then says to his brother foolish shall be subjected to the sanhedrin, and whoever says to him insane shall be destined for the fire of Gehenna'".
In essence, Jesus states that "it is a sin not only to kill", but also to "insult and scold" one's brother. And "this is good to hear", the Pope added, precisely "in this time where we are so used to qualifiers and have such a creative vocabulary for insulting others". To offend, therefore, 'is also a sin, it is killing'. Because 'it is giving a slap in the face to the soul of the brother, to the dignity of the brother', to say phrases like: 'pay no attention, this one is a fool, this one is a fool', and 'many other swear words that we say, with much charity, to others'. This, the Pontiff reiterated, "is sin".
Francis noted that "Jesus resolves" the doubts "of this bewildered and imprisoned people by looking up: the law up. And he goes on to connect the conduct of the people with worship to God and says: 'If you go to the altar to give an offering and you have a problem with your brother, or your brother has a problem with you, go to your brother first, be reconciled'". And "this is going beyond the law and what it says is a justice superior to that of the scribes and Pharisees".
"How many times do we in the Church hear these things, how many times!" the Pope noted, recalling that it is not uncommon to hear phrases such as: "But that priest, that man, that woman from Catholic Action, that bishop, that Pope tell us "you must do this!", and he does the opposite". This is precisely "the scandal that wounds the people and does not let God's people grow, that goes forward. It does not free". Also "these people," he continued, "had seen the rigidity of these scribes and Pharisees", so much so that "when a prophet came who gave them some joy they persecuted him and even killed him: there was no place for prophets there".
That is why "Jesus says to the Pharisees: 'You have killed the prophets, you have persecuted the prophets: those who brought the new air'". Jesus, "as he said in the synagogue of Nazareth, came to bring us the year of grace, to bring us liberation, true liberation: that of Jesus". For Francis, 'generosity, holiness is going out but always, always up: going out up'. This 'is liberation from the rigidity of the law and also from idealisms that do us no good'.
"Jesus knows us so well," the Pope explained, "and he knows how we were made because he is the creator, he knows our nature. And here he suggests to us: "If you have a problem with a brother - he says the word 'adversary' - get your act together quickly". Thus the Lord "also teaches us a healthy realism: many times you cannot arrive at perfection, but at least do what you can, agree not to come to judgement". This is the 'healthy realism of the Catholic Church: the Catholic Church never teaches 'either this, or this'". Rather "the Church says: 'this and this'". In short, "be perfect: reconcile with your brother, do not insult him, love him, but if there is any problem at least come to an agreement, so that war does not break out". Here is the 'healthy realism of Catholicism'. Instead "it is not Catholic but it is heretical" to say "it is this or nothing".
"Jesus," Francis assured, "always knows how to walk with us, he gives us the ideal, he accompanies us towards the ideal, he frees us from this caging of the rigidity of the law and tells us: 'Do as much as you can do'. And he understands us well'. This is "this our Lord, this is what he teaches us", telling us: "Please, do not insult yourselves and do not be hypocrites: go and praise God with the same language with which you insult your brother, no, this is not done, but do what you can, at least avoid war among yourselves, come to an agreement". And, the Pope added, "I allow myself to tell you this word that seems a little strange, it is the small holiness of negotiation: I cannot do everything, but I want to do everything, but I agree with you, at least we do not insult each other, we do not make war and we all live in peace".
"Jesus is great," the Pontiff said in conclusion, "and he frees us from all our miseries, even from that idealism that is not Catholic. This is why "we ask the Lord to teach us, first of all, to come out of all rigidity, but to come up, so that we can worship and praise God; that he teach us to reconcile with one another; and also, that he teach us to agree with one another to the point that we can do."
[Pope Francis, S. Marta homily, in L'Osservatore Romano 10/06/2016]
