Dear readers, today we reflect together on a topic at the heart of our faith: how to proclaim the Gospel in a rapidly changing society. The Church invites us to look at the Gospel of Mark, the oldest of the four, as a model for inculturating the faith. This is not an academic exercise but an urgent pastoral need: to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to men and women living in contexts often far from Christian tradition.
The Patriarch of Venice, Monsignor Francesco Moraglia, in a recent homily for the feast of Saint Mark, emphasized how this Gospel was born precisely in a moment of cultural transition. Mark, a disciple of Peter, wrote for a community living in a pagan environment, where the Christian message had to make itself understood without betraying its essence. Today, in a world that celebrates freedom, we are called to remember that true freedom comes from the encounter with Christ.
«Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation» (Mark 16:15, NIV).
This Word still resonates for us, urging us to step out of our comfort zones to announce the joy of the resurrection.
Inculturating the Faith: A Task for Every Christian
The term 'inculturation' may seem difficult, but it actually points to something very simple: making the Gospel become flesh in a people's culture. Jesus himself became human in a specific time and place, speaking Aramaic, eating Jewish bread, praying the Psalms of Israel. Similarly, Christianity took root in Greco-Roman culture, giving rise to an extraordinary synthesis that shaped the West.
Today, however, we live in a secularized society, where many no longer know the basics of the faith. How can we announce Christ to those who have never heard of Him? The Gospel of Mark offers a path: essentiality and clarity. Mark does not get lost in long genealogies or complex theological discourses; he goes straight to the heart of the message: Jesus is the Son of God, died and risen for our salvation.
The Example of the Roman Centurion
A key episode in the Gospel of Mark is the confession of the Roman centurion beneath the cross: «Surely this man was the Son of God!» (Mark 15:39, NIV). A pagan, an enemy soldier, recognizes Jesus' divinity at the moment of His greatest human failure. This teaches us that faith is not a matter of religious affiliation or culture, but of opening one's heart to God's grace.
The centurion had no preconceptions: he was not a Jew expecting a triumphant Messiah, nor a theologian debating prophecies. He saw a man die with love and understood that something divine was there. This is the attitude we too must have: let ourselves be surprised by God, without imposing our categories on Him.
The Cultural Challenge of Our Time
We live in an age of great contradictions: technological progress and spiritual poverty, search for meaning and relativism, desire for community and rampant individualism. The Christian is called to be salt and light in this context, without fear of proclaiming Christ's truth, but with respect and love.
The 'cultural challenge' mentioned by Monsignor Moraglia requires an evangelization that does not reduce itself to a mere repetition of formulas, but that knows how to speak to the heart of contemporary man. As Saint Paul VI wrote: «Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers» (Evangelii Nuntiandi, 41). We must be credible witnesses, living what we proclaim.
A Gospel Faithful to the Christ Event
Caution: inculturation does not mean diluting the message to make it more acceptable. The Gospel of Mark reminds us that Christian faith is born from apostolic witness.
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