Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI
VaticanMedia
Rome (Agenzia Fides) – To offer salvation to the men and women of all times, God “did not send us a text message, an email, or a document.” God “sent his Son, the Word of God who became man,” who “became flesh and dwelt among us.”To the “digital missionaries” and “Catholic influencers” who have come to Rome from all over the world to participate in their Jubilee, Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle reminds us that every ecclesial mission, even that which passes through the new channels of digital networks and social media, finds its source in the mystery of the Incarnation. A mystery of gratuitousness and concreteness, of humility and wonder.In his homily at the Eucharistic celebration he presided over this morning in St. Peter’s Basilica, the Cardinal Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization praised the dedication and enthusiasm of thousands of bloggers and communicators, who are themselves called to allow themselves to be “influenced” and transformed by Jesus, so that “through you, the person of Jesus may influence many people, human and digital spaces.”Influences and Intentions”Influence,” the Filipino cardinal explained at the beginning of his homily, “usually refers to the capacity or power to affect or to change someone or something.” And everyone’s daily life is a “tapestry of crisscrossing influences” that affect family, neighborhood, school, and government. But they also extend to “farmers, hospitals, the police, the arts, culture and work that constantly influence us and society, as we also influence them .”Conditioning and influence involve intentions, plans, and even manipulations that we wish to exert on other people and the contexts in which they live. There are those who, to influence consumers so that monetary profit may increase, some manufacturers “resort to false advertising.” Or manipulators who, to push others to embrace their beliefs and ideologies, “use coercion and brainwashing.” Or “powerful persons and nations” who, to subdue their enemies, “resort to war, bombing, and forced starvation.”The influence that emanates from Jesus and that also affects “digital missionaries” is of a different nature, has a different source, and follows different paths. “Jesus,” Cardinal Tagle insisted, “is not a face or voice generated by a digital program. He is the image of the Invisible God, the first-born of all creation. Love cannot be generated by an algorithm. Only a divine person with a human heart can love divinely and humanly, effecting profound and enduring change.” It is enough to “allow God’s love in Jesus to influence us so we could be changed into loving persons.”Martha, Maria, and LazarusChristian mission, including that of Catholic influencers, Cardinal Tagle suggested in his homily, is not a agitation born of self-generated activism: it is always the effect of the work of grace, a movement sparked by the real and active presence of Christ himself. As happened to Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, the family of Jesus’ friends who are also at the center of the passage from John’s Gospel read in today’s liturgy.When Jesus stops by their house, Cardinal Tagle recalled, “Martha set on fire, prepares the best food and rest for Him.” Thus, “when you welcome Jesus in your life, you will be a zealous influencer.” Mary sits at the feet of Jesus to listen to His words. And like her, “when you welcome Jesus in your life, you will be an influencer who listens to Jesus’ word and acts on it.” Finally, Lazarus, whom Jesus brings back to life after his death, “becomes the sign of the glory of the Resurrection. It is said,” the Cardinal noted, “that the last of the five senses to disappear when a person dies is hearing. Lazarus has been dead for four days already when Jesus calls him, “Lazarus, come out!” He comes out. He hears, he is alive. The beloved friend for whom Jesus weeps hears His voice.” Thus, “when you welcome Jesus,” continued the Pro-Prefect of the Missionary Dicastery, “you will be an influencer bringing Jesus’ voice so people could get out of their tombs.” And Martha, Mary, and Lazarus “can be models for us of a missionary influencer. Influenced, transformed and saved by the love of Jesus, they proclaim Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God who is coming, who is “flowing into” the world.””Dear digital missionaries and Catholic influencers,” added Cardinal Tagle, concluding his homily, “Jesus loves you. Do not doubt it. Through you, may the person of Jesus influence many people, human and digital spaces so God’s truth, justice, love and peace may flow to the ends of the earth.” (GV) (Agenzia Fides, 29/7/2025)
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