教皇フランシスコが15日、日曜の正午の祈りを巡礼者と共に唱えられ、説教の中で、マルコ福音書のイエスが十二人を派遣するエピソード（6章7-13節）を取り上げられた。

　イエスは「自分のそばに置くため」「悪霊を追い出す権能を持たせるため」（マルコ3章14節）に、12人を一人ひとり選ばれ、そして、今、「二人ずつ組にして遣わす」ために再び彼らを呼ばれた（6章7節）。

　教皇は、この派遣は、「主の復活後、聖霊の力によって彼らが呼ばれる時のための、いわば『実習』のようなものでした」と説明されたうえで、「福音書はここで宣教者のあり方について述べていますが、それは『中心を持つ』と『何も持たない』という2つの点に集約されます」　と指摘された。

　キリストの弟子である宣教者は、何にもまして「イエス」という中心を持っている。教皇は「12人の派遣とその宣教活動は、イエスという存在と業を中心に、そこから輝き出るように見えるものであり、使徒たちの使命は『自分自身を語り、示す』のではなく、遣わされた者として『イエスのメッセージを伝える」こと」と話された。

　そして、「『自分の福音』を告げるキリスト者はいません」「私たちの宣教もまた、イエスという普遍の中心から出発し、イエスから使命を委ねられた教会の派遣を通してこそ、真の宣教となるのです」と強調された。

　次に、宣教者の第2の特徴として「何も持たない」、すなわち「宣教方法における清貧」を挙げられた。実際、12人は「旅には杖一本のほか何も持たず、パンも、袋も、帯の中に金も持たず」（6章 8節）に出かけるように命じられている。こうして、師イエスは「弟子たちが自由で、身軽で、頼る先も、助けてくれる者もなく、ただ彼らを派遣するイエスの愛と、告げるべく託されたイエスの言葉だけに力づけられることを望まれました」と教皇は語った。

　この「何も持たない」には、また彼らが迎え入れられず、耳を傾けてもらえない（参照：6章 11節）ことも含まれており、「こうした失敗の経験も一つの清貧なのです」と話され、「亡くなり、復活されたイエスに一致してのみ、私たちは福音宣教のための勇気を得ることができるのです」と強調された。

（「カトリック・あい」が編集）

（参考）バチカン公式発表の教皇の説教のイタリア語原文の英語訳全文は次の通り。

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

Today’s Gospel (cf. Mk 6: 7-13) narrates the moment in which Jesus sends the Twelve on a mission. After having called them by name one by one, “because they were with him” ( Mk 3:14), listening to his words and observing his gestures of healing, now he calls them again to “send them two by two” (6, 7) in the villages where He was going to go. It is a sort of “training” of what will be called to do after the Resurrection of the Lord with the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Gospel passage focuses on the style of the missionary , which we can summarize in two points: the mission has a center ; the mission has a face .

The missionary disciple has first of all a center of reference, which is the person of Jesus. The story indicates it using a series of verbs that have him by subject – “called to himself”, “he took to send them”, “gave them power “,” he commanded, “” he told them “(verses 7.8.10) – so that the going and working of the Twelve appears as the radiating from a center, the repetition of the presence and work of Jesus in the their missionary action. This shows how the Apostles have nothing to announce, nor their ability to demonstrate, but speak and act as “sent”, as messengers of Jesus.

This Gospel episode also concerns us, and not only the priests, but all the baptized, called to witness in the various environments of life, the Gospel of Christ. And even for us this mission is authentic only starting from its changeless center which is Jesus. It is not an initiative of individual believers, groups or even large groups, but it is the Church’s mission inseparably united with her Lord. No Christian proclaims the Gospel “on his own”, but only sent by the Church who received the mandate from Christ himself. It is precisely Baptism that makes us missionaries. A baptized who does not feel the need to proclaim the Gospel, to announce Jesus, is not a good Christian.

The second characteristic of the style of the missionary is, so to speak, a face , which consists in the poverty of the means . His equipment meets a criterion of sobriety. The Twelve, in fact, have the order “to take nothing but a stick for the journey: neither bread nor bag, nor money in the belt” (v. 8). The Master wants them free and light, without support and without favors, sure only of the love of Him that sends them, strong only of his word that they go to announce. The stick and the sandals are the endowments of the pilgrims, because such are the messengers of the kingdom of God, not omnipotent managers , non-irremovable officials, not on tour.

Let’s think, for example, of this Diocese of which I am the Bishop. Let’s think of some saints of this diocese of Rome: San Filippo Neri, San Benedetto Giuseppe Labre, Sant’Alessio, Santa Ludovica Albertini, Santa Francesca Romana, San Gaspare Del Bufalo and many others. They were not officials or businessmen, but humble Kingdom workers. They had this face. And to this “face” also belongs the way in which the message is received: in fact it may happen that it is not welcomed or listened to (see verse 11). This too is poverty: the experience of failure. The story of Jesus, who was rejected and crucified, prefigures the destiny of his messenger. And only if we are united with him, dead and risen, can we find the courage of evangelization.

May the Virgin Mary, the first disciple and missionary of the Word of God, help us to bring the message of the Gospel to the world in a humble and radiant exultation, beyond any rejection, misunderstanding or tribulation.