Monday 5 January 2026
1 John 3:22-4:6. I will give you all the nations for your heritage – Ps 2:7-8, 10-11. Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25.
Go to the margins
One of the things I loved about Pope Francis (may he rest in peace) is that his ministry was always directed towards the most unexpected places – the margins, both physical and metaphorical. So, we see him visiting prisons and washing the feet of refugees in Rome, and making trips to tiny countries (in size or Christian population) such as Timor Leste and Mongolia. In doing so, he drew our attention to places we might otherwise ignore and reminded us that the Church is universal. But I think it was deeper than that – I think he knew, like Jesus, that it was on the margins that our ministry is truly born.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus launches more fully into his public ministry in the most marginal places. In lands ‘overshadowed by death, a light has arisen’. Might it also inspire us to find those places of shadow in our world, places where our light is most needed.
Email this Print This Page
