Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
“All life comes from tenderness.” These are the words of the famous French poet, Charles Péguy. Tenderness - the word evokes strong emotions in me. In 2017, Pope Francis was invited to deliver a TED talk at the annual TED conference. The title of the conference was “The Future You.” TED is known for coaching its speakers to deliver the most effective and optimal performance. Pope Francis decided to prepare his message all by himself. I hope you are not surprised, but Pope Francis made three points in his talk. In his third point, Pope Francis called for a "revolution of tenderness." In today’s gospel reading, Jesus says to his hearers, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28). Jesus was calling for a revolution of tenderness.
In my three points today, I would like to reflect on the gospel virtue of tenderness. I believe more than anything else, our world is ripe for a revolution – a revolution of tenderness.
- Understanding Tenderness. Pope Francis began his section on tenderness with the question: “And what is tenderness? He answers, “It is the love that comes close and becomes real.” To make his definition clear, he gives the example of how “parents talk to their babies, adapting to the little child, sharing the same level of communication.” “This is tenderness,” he continues, “being on the same level as the other. God himself descended into Jesus to be on our level.” Understanding tenderness this way, we become even more aware that Jesus’ entire life was an act of tenderness. His primary hearers were a burdened lot. Not only were they burdened with sin, death, and darkness, the ordinary Palestinian was burdened under a brutal Roman rule, with poverty, oppressive legalism of the religious leaders, and debilitating social unrest. It was into this reality that Jesus stepped in. But he stepped into this reality with the tenderness of a helpless baby. Jesus was the personification of tenderness. Today, Jesus invites us to join the revolution. Pope Francis has called it the revolution of tenderness. In the coming week, please pray about joining this revolution.
- Tenderness: Being Meek and Humble. Jesus’ words of tenderness in today’s gospel reading also includes these words: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart” (Mt 11:29). I believe that the key to Jesus’ revolution of tenderness was meekness and humility. Today our world reels under similar realities that Jesus stepped into. Only, the pandemic presents a crisis that no one in our generation has faced. Ten million people have been infected and more than half-million people have died, a 130,000 in our own nation. The situation continues to worsen in many parts of our country and the world. Our nation is also in the throes of a social upheaval. With the presidential elections in four months, there is genuine concern about what the coming months will be like. To the leaders and tech giants gathered at the TED Conference, Pope Francis said: “Tenderness is the path of choice for the strongest, most courageous men and women. Tenderness is not weakness; it is fortitude. It is the path of solidarity, the path of humility.” Pope Francis’ words remind me of Jesus. Jesus says to us in today’s gospel, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart!” Jesus’ strength is his meekness. Jesus’ power is his humility. Jesus' authority is his tenderness. We must learn from Jesus. As Pope Francis says again, “And it’s true that Jesus teaches people with great tenderness, not because they deserve it, but because he needs to be this way, because the Messiah cannot not love.” If Jesus overcame the world with meekness, humility and tenderness, we too can do the same. I believe that the only way to overcome the global pandemic and social upheavals is to approach these challenges with the meekness, the humility, and the tenderness of Jesus. Like Jesus, we cannot not love!
- The Revolution of Tenderness. What does a revolution of tenderness look like? Here is Pope Francis’ answer: It [tenderness] is a movement that starts from our heart and reaches the eyes, the ears and the hands. Tenderness means to use our eyes to see the other, our ears to hear the other, to listen to the children, the poor, those who are afraid of the future. To listen also to the silent cry of our common home, of our sick and polluted earth. Tenderness means to use our hands and our heart to comfort the other, to take care of those in need.” These days particularly we need to take care of those in need. Wearing a mask, it is sign of humility, meekness, of tenderness that protects those in need. Giving each person their God-given dignity is an act of humility, meekness and tenderness. Standing up for equality, justice, and peace, is an act of humility, meekness and tenderness. Pope Francis ended his TED talk with these words, “The future of humankind isn’t exclusively in the hands of politicians, of great leaders, of big companies. Yes, they do hold an enormous responsibility. But the future is, most of all, in the hands of those people who recognize the other as a “you” and themselves as part of an “us.” We all need each other.” My dear people, the future is in our hands. As the poet Péguy says, “All life comes from tenderness. Today, I hope that we will join Jesus and Pope Francis in the revolution of tenderness.
The revolution of tenderness begins at the Eucharistic table. The Body and Blood of Christ that lays on this altar – this is what the revolution of tenderness looks like.
Fr. Satish Joseph