3 October 1989
Ibague, Colombia

My dear Friends in Jesus Christ,

In the country from which I come, we have in our language a very old phrase to translate the word, priest, a phrase not used nowadays, but in past centuries it was commonly used. A priest was called a teachtaire Dé, which means messenger of God. I like the expression very much, for that is what a priest is, no matter what he is doing. If he stands at the altar to preside at the Eucharist, he is a messenger of God. If he preaches, baptizes, absolves or anoints the sick, he is a messenger of God. Because a priest is a priest, not only when he performs sacred functions, but is a priest at every moment, so he is a messenger of God at all times. As priests we have to convey the message of God to the people of our time. The people to whom we speak, particularly during the celebration of the Eucharist, are thirsty for the word of God. As messengers of God, we priests have to make sure that we are transmitting the message of God and not just our own personal opinions. The message we preach is the message of Jesus Christ and His Church. What we preach must be what Jesus Christ and His Church want us to preach. If I preach my own Gospel, I am betraying the trust that God has put in me when He ordained me priest. All of us know that Vatican Council II stated that the primary work of the priest is to preach the Gospel.

What has prompted me to reflect on the priest as the messenger of God? It is a little phrase in today's Gospel. Jesus, on his way up to Jerusalem, sent, according to St. Luke, "messengers on ahead of Him." (Lk 9:51). He has also sent messengers on ahead of Him to prepare the world for His second coming. Among His principal messengers must be numbered the priests of His Church.

If we are to be faithful messengers of Jesus Christ, then we must have grasped well the message of God. One cannot give a message to another person unless one knows clearly what the message is. So, too, with us who are messengers of God; we must be familiar with and know well what it is God wants to say through us. There is a very rich expression in St. Paul's letter to the Colossians in the third chapter: "Let the word of God dwell in you richly." (Col 3.16). Think well on each of those words. St. Paul is saying that the message of God should be living within us, that through reflection and prayer the message of God should be producing much fruit in our own lives. "Let the word of God dwell in you richly." (Ibid.). It is the fruit which the word of God bears within us that we share with others when we preach or speak or collaborate with God's people.

The message of Christ is caught rather than taught. Certainly, the message of Christ is not to be communicated by fire and sword, that is, by violence. In today's Gospel the Apostles, James and John, wanted to call down fire on those who were not prepared to welcome the message of Christ. Our Lord made clear to them that that was not His way. Jesus Christ had said on another occasion: "Learn of Me because I am gentle and humble of heart." (Mt 11:29). When Our Lord refused to call down fire from heaven on the town that would not receive Him, He was manifesting that gentleness which we, as His followers, must try at all times to show.

Three months or so ago the Pope visited some Scandinavian countries. In some of these countries he was received coldly by religious leaders who were not Catholic. In one Protestant Church to which he was invited, he was told he could be present but that he would not be allowed to speak in the Church. He could speak outside the Church in a hall but not within the Church. The Pope accepted this restriction, and many people, particularly journalists, commented on the gentleness and humility of his bearing. The gentleness and humility of the Pope in the face of a lack of hospitality was a reflection of the attitude of Christ in today's Gospel. What we might call the Pope's silent homily, perhaps achieved more than a spoken one.