Face to face, Father in relationship

(Mt 18:1-5.10.12-14)

The Gospel passage dictates the line of the entire ecclesial discourse of Mt (18:1-35). The key term of vv.1-5 is paidìon - diminutive of pàis - which stands for the shop boy, the little boy of about 9-11 years of age, who even at home had to take off after every order received.

Jesus crushes the ambitions of greatness of his covetous apostles, who want to seize him for themselves. Yes, they always tail him, but they do not follow him - on the contrary, they would like to seize him and put him on a leash.

The model of the Kingdom is not the commander, but the servant; the one who does not act with a current mentality, out of a spirit of self-interest or promotion.

It is not a sin to desire to give meaning to one's life, but there is a reversal: greater is the lesser - he who does not covet pre-eminent places, remains humble in feeling, condition and position.

Even in spiritual life, he who wants to get there immediately or does good (not out of gratuitousness but only) to secure future positions, scatters his Pearl. The overt importance is a deception: the true 'greats' of the church community do not belong to the world of the 'best', the perfectly installed in society - the quick-witted who come forward and know how to impose themselves.

From v.6 the author speaks of mikròi: the voiceless. They are those who carry no weight, perhaps those who cannot even get accepted into some exclusive 'spiritual' pressure group or clique.

These 'little ones' are those who sooner or later - despite prior exclusion - find their way to the community of the faithful in Christ. They have heard of the spirit of collaboration, synergy and communion that exists between sisters and brothers of Faith. They would like to experience the benefit of this new way of coexistence without humiliating, recovery-oriented demands...

They try to start, but sometimes they shy away from it. Fatigued by the rigmarole, unable to have a personal relationship with the Lord (because in front of them and on every occasion they find themselves with the usual hedge of managers to whom they should pay duties and submit), often irritated by the empty vanity of those who not infrequently turn out to be unscrupulous and very dangerous people.

Jesus does not go easy on them: the excluded are the only ones who make them shout for joy, and they are worth much more than the whole flock of those included (vv.12-14).

The reminder also applies to us: it is precisely in the isolated, lost and seemingly most insignificant people that the great spontaneous content flourishes.

In them lurks the sap that regenerates the world, and the Newness of God is revealed (who also wants to guide us today in our vocational and social exodus).

Simplicity and upheaval: Rebirth without mortification

It is not a question of finding excuses to justify laziness in the spiritual search and exodus: small, spontaneous and natural - but rich inside - one becomes, lowering oneself (Mt 18:3-4 Greek text) from one's character.

It is the art of making life dense and complex, multifaceted and vast, then simplifying, without dispersing. Often all it takes is to look differently or to look elsewhere, to find a thousand unexpected and self-regenerating outlets.

In fact, the solution to the complications that suffocate the soul and the experience of the fullness of being we seek, is not external, but inherent in our own question. It not infrequently belongs to pre-understandings rather than reality or the tide that comes, which simply wants to drag us into the territory of growth.

We are obnubilated by thoughts. But there is an innate knowledge that watches over our uniqueness and does not intoxicate the soul. There is a secret time and space that inhabits us: they resonate with the Gospels. There is no need to "catch up" with all time.

If we surrender to such a wise instinct, comforted by the Word, the Core of Being will come forth with its primordial energies - recreating the earth like the mythical Child of the World: a little Jesus - within and without us. Thus the disaster of the Coronavirus is also annihilated, and we are resurrected: each in his own way (which is not 'his' in the sense of arbitrariness).

And when, in particular cases, we are able to welcome the happenings as a Call to come out of our cages so that we perceive the elsewhere, we will find an intimate result that unravels and re-launches the personal way and the possibilities of exchanging new, non-stereotypical gifts - without even experiencing the tiredness and subtle dissatisfactions we know.

Projected totally into external problems, we overload our mind and spirit with expectations induced by the (once) in vogue cultural paradigm to which we are accustomed. Thus existence quickly becomes conformist again, stagnant in the usual means and goals, devoid of new peaks, authentic relationships and unimagined vitality.The diktat of the objective induced by the roles we imagined we had acquired exhausts us, and the instituted idea of perfection sterilises the humus - it impoverishes us, putting actual needs in brackets; thus making ways of being prevail, consolidated roles already expressed, drying up relationships (making environments murky again).

Fixed ideas condition life and do not allow the inner organism - psychic and spiritual - to feed on transparent (unprejudiced) truths and sincere feelings, which would like to give us breath.

Freeing ourselves from the usual ways of going about things, from apodictic judgments and convictions, would allow us to break the chains that hold back the luminous and rainbow faculties, as well as the ability to correspond to the unrepeatable vocation, opening up other views.

The 'emptiness' advocated by the Tao resembles only in earshot the 'emptiness' of other (decidedly more depersonalising) Eastern wisdom because the teaching of the Way does not lose the sense of uniqueness and exceptionality of the individual seed. On the contrary, it fully respects its propulsive vocation remaining oneself, not only in spite of - but because of - the obligatory abyss we have experienced.

By minimising, on the other hand, the intentions of re-editing the old maquillage - and all non-epochal conditioning (which does not call us, nor would we like to) - we clear the soul of its ballast. We bring out its exceptional specific weight and unrepeatable character, to lighten it and fill it only with what is needed to activate the new paths that await us.

The slowing down and letting go that Lao Tse advocates does not lead to the insignificant flattening of differences, but to dilating the sacred and natural times of wise action, and appreciating its value.

Stages and goals that do not correspond to us will not provide fulfilment, forcing us to amplify our relationships only to cover the problem with ourselves, or even the couple, group, movement, community and work environment.

While we wish to clothe (and not depose) with a sense of permanence the character of before - a cliché that does not correspond to us - we turn in circles, loading ourselves with outsized expectations and useless stress (which makes no room for the love with which we meet ourselves, things, sisters and brothers, the many events).

Natural Wisdom, even bitter events, and the Bible, remind us that the face... every path, name and rhythm is ours alone. So too is the synthesis: each one is called to write his or her own unrepeatable glad tidings for the benefit of the woman and man of all times (Jn 20:30-31).

Please note: Fraternity is not levelling:

"But there are many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written down one by one, I think that not even the world itself could contain the books that should be written" (Jn 21:25).

That would be Happiness in the new eminent Beauty, from discomfort.

In biblical language, the figure of the Angel (v.10) expresses God Himself in dialogue with the personal soul; His Presence in us, in situation - and here our paradoxical fruitfulness.

The Angel is our own eminent and total Self, who knows how to retrieve opposites, who grasps secrets, suggests, guides; he knows our fruitful versatility, and in this way knows where to go.

In short, authentic life is shrouded in Mystery, even in the step-by-step.

The existence that distinguishes us is not all in the circle of visible achievements, of apparent affirmations, and of material, trivial things, more or less at hand.

Complete Life introduces us into the Calling by Name that leads to fulfilment and blossoming, opens us up to the Relationship that counts.

To internalise and live the message:

Why do you think Jesus speaks of Angels in heaven, and Joy in reference to the one sheep?

Why does Jesus speak of Joy in reference to the one sheep?

Value of imperfect uniqueness

(Mt 18:12-14)

The change of course and destiny of the Kingdom. A God in search of the lost and unequal, to expand our life. Christology of the Pallium, power of caresses, joyful energy (in dissociation).

Says the Tao Tê Ching (x): "Preserve the One by dwelling in the two souls: are you able to keep them apart?"

Even in the spiritual journey, Jesus is careful not to propose a dictated or planned universalism, as if his were an ideal model, "for the purpose of homogenisation" [Fratelli Tutti n.100].

The type of Communion that the Lord proposes to us does not aim at "a one-dimensional uniformity that seeks to eliminate all differences and traditions in a superficial search for unity".

Because "the future is not 'monochromatic' but if we have the courage it is possible to look at it in the variety and diversity of the contributions that each one can make. How much our human family needs to learn to live together in harmony and peace without us all being equal!" [from an Address to Young People in Tokyo, November 2019].Although the piety and hope of the representatives of official religiosity was founded on a structure of human, ethnic, cultural securities and a vision of the Mystery consolidated by a great tradition, Jesus crumbles all predictability.

In the Son, God is revealed no longer as exclusive property, but as the Power of Love that forgives the marginalised and lost: saving and creating, liberating. And through the disciples, he unfolds his Face that recovers, breaks down the usual barriers, calls out to miserable multitudes.

It seems an impossible utopia to realise in concrete terms (today of the health and global crisis), but it is the sense of the handover to the Church, called to become an incessant prod of the Infinite and ferment of an alternative world, for integral human development:

"Let us dream as one humanity, as wayfarers made of the same human flesh, as children of this same earth that hosts us all, each with the richness of his faith or convictions, each with his own voice, all brothers!" [FT No.8].

Through an absurd question (rhetorically formulated) Jesus wants to awaken the conscience of the 'just': there is a counterpart of us that supposes of itself, very dangerous, because it leads to exclusion, to abandonment.

Instead, inexhaustible Love seeks. And it finds the imperfect and restless.

The swamp of stagnant energy that is generated by accentuating boundaries does not make anyone grow: it locks in the usual positions and leaves everyone to make do or lose themselves. Out of self-interested disinterest - that impoverishes everyone.

This causes the creative virtues to fall into despair.

It plunges those outside the circle of the elect - those who had nothing superior - into despair. Indeed, the evangelists portray them as utterly incapable of beaming with human joy at the progress of others.

Calculating, acting and conforming - the fundamentalist or overly sophisticated and disembodied leaders use religion as a weapon.

Instead, God is at the antipodes of the fake sterilised - or disembodied thinking - and seeking one who wanders shakily, easily becomes disoriented, loses his way. 

Sinful yet true, therefore more disposed to genuine Love. This is why the Father is searching for the insufficient.

The person who is so limpid and spontaneous - even if weak - hides his best part and vocational richness precisely behind his apparently detestable sides. Perhaps that he himself does not appreciate.

This is the principle of Redemption that astounds and makes interesting our often distracted paths, conducted by trial and error - in Faith, however, generating self-esteem, credit, fullness and joy.

The commitment of the purifier and the impetus of the reformer are 'trades' that seemingly oppose each other, but are easy... and typical of those who think that the things to be challenged and changed are always outside themselves.

For example, in mechanisms, in general rules, in the legal framework, in worldviews, in formal (or histrionic) aspects instead of the craft of the concrete particular good; and so on.

They seem to be excuses not to look inside oneself and get involved, not to meet one's deepest states in all aspects and not only in the guidelines. And to recover or cheer up individuals who are concretely lost, sad, in all dark and difficult sides.

But God is at the antipodes of sterilised mannerists or fake idealists, and in search of the insufficient: he who wanders and loses his way. Sinful yet true, therefore more disposed to genuine Love.

The transparent and spontaneous person - even if weak - hides his best part and vocational richness precisely behind the apparently detestable aspects (perhaps which he himself does not appreciate).

So let us ask for solutions to the mysterious, unpredictable interpersonal energies that come into play; from within things.

Without interfering with or opposing ideas of the past or future that we do not see. Rather by possessing its soul, its spontaneous drug.

This is the principle of Salvation that astounds and makes interesting our paths [often distracted, led by trial and error] - ultimately generating self-esteem, credit and joy.

The idea that the Most High is a notary or prince of a forum, and makes a clear distinction between righteous and transgressors, is caricature.

After all, a life of the saved is not one's own making, nor is it exclusive possession or private ownership - which turns into duplicity.

It is not the squeamish attitude, nor the cerebral attitude, that unites one to Him. The Father does not blandish suppliant friendships, nor does He have outside interests.

He rejoices with everyone, and it is need that draws Him to us. So let us not be afraid to let Him find us and bring us back (cf. Lk 15:5) to His house, which is our house.

If there is a loss, there will be a finding, and this is not a loss for anyone - except for the envious enemies of freedom (v.10).For the LORD is not pleased with marginalisation, nor does he intend to extinguish the smoking lamp.

Jesus does not come to point the finger at the bad times, but to make up for them, by leveraging intimate involvement. Invincible force of faithfulness.

This is the style of a Church with a Sacred Heart, lovable, elevated and blessed.

[What attracts one to participate and express oneself is to feel understood, restored to full dignity - not condemned].

Carlo Carretto said: 'It is by feeling loved, not criticised, that man begins his journey of transformation'.

As the encyclical Fratelli Tutti emphasises again:

Jesus - our Engine and Motive - "had an open heart, which made the dramas of others its own" (n.84).

And he adds as an example of our great Tradition:

"People can develop certain attitudes which they present as moral values: fortitude, sobriety, industriousness and other virtues. But in order to properly direct the acts [...] we must also consider to what extent they realise a dynamism of openness and union [...] Otherwise we will only have appearances'.

"St Bonaventure explained that the other virtues, without charity, strictly speaking do not fulfil the commandments as God intends them" (n.91).

In sects or one-sidedly inspired groups, human and spiritual riches are deposited in a secluded place, so they grow old and debased.

In the assemblies of the sons, on the other hand, they are shared: they grow and communicate; by multiplying, they green up, for universal benefit.

To internalise and live the message:

What attracts you to the Church? In comparisons with the top of the class, do you feel judged or adequate?

Do you feel the Love that saves, even if you remain uncertain?

I mentioned earlier that today the liturgy invites us to remember the holy archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. Each of them, as we read in the Bible, carried out a particular mission in the history of salvation. Dear brothers and sisters, let us confidently invoke their help, as well as the protection of the Guardian Angels, whose feast we will celebrate in a few days, on 2 October. The invisible presence of these blessed spirits is of great help and comfort to us: they walk at our side and protect us in all circumstances, they defend us from dangers and we can turn to them at any time. Many saints had a relationship of true friendship with the Angels, and there are numerous episodes that testify to their assistance on particular occasions. Angels are sent by God "to serve those who will inherit salvation", as the Letter to the Hebrews (1:14) reminds us, and are therefore of valuable assistance to us on our earthly pilgrimage to the heavenly homeland.

[Pope Benedict, Castel Gandolfo, greeting 29 September 2008]

5. We note that Sacred Scripture and Tradition properly call angels those pure spirits who in the fundamental test of freedom have chosen God, his glory and his kingdom. They are united with God through the consuming love that flows from the blissful, face-to-face vision of the Holy Trinity. Jesus himself says: "The angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven" (Mt 18:10). That "always seeing the face of the Father" is the highest manifestation of the worship of God. It can be said that it constitutes that "heavenly liturgy", performed on behalf of the whole universe, with which the Church's earthly liturgy is unceasingly associated, especially in its culminating moments. Suffice it to recall here the act by which the Church, every day and every hour, throughout the world, before beginning the Eucharistic prayer at the heart of Holy Mass, calls upon "the angels and archangels" to sing the glory of God thrice holy, thus uniting herself to those first worshippers of God, in worship and in loving knowledge of the ineffable mystery of his holiness.

6. Again according to revelation, the angels, who participate in the life of the Trinity in the light of glory, are also called to have their part in history in the salvation of mankind, at the moments established by the design of divine providence. "Are they not all spirits entrusted with a ministry sent to serve those who are to come into the possession of salvation?", asks the author of the Letter to the Hebrews (Heb 1:14). And this is what the Church believes and teaches, on the basis of Holy Scripture from which we learn that the task of the good angels is the protection of men and concern for their salvation. We find these expressions in various passages of Holy Scripture, for example in Psalm 90 already quoted several times: "He shall give command to his angels to guard thee in all thy ways. On their hands they will carry thee, that thou stumble not in the stone thy foot" (Psalm 90: 11-12). Jesus himself, speaking of the children and warning them not to give them scandal, refers to "their angels" (Mt 18:10); he also attributes to the angels the function of witnesses in the supreme divine judgement on the fate of those who have recognised or denied Christ: "Whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God; but whoever denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God" (Lk 12:8-9). These words are significant because if the angels take part in God's judgement, they are interested in man's life. Interest and participation that seem to receive an accentuation in the eschatological discourse, in which Jesus makes the angels intervene in the parousia, that is, in the definitive coming of Christ at the end of history (cf. Mt 24:31; 25:31. 41).

[Pope John Paul II, General Audience 6 August 1986]

The Pope's reflection took its starting point from the first reading of the day, taken from the book of Exodus (23:20-23), in which "the Lord promises a very special help to his people and to all of us who walk on the road of life". For we read: "Behold, I send an angel ahead of you to keep you on the path and to bring you into the place I have prepared". And the Church celebrates precisely these 'our companions on the way, our protectors on the path: the angels, who guard us and are right with us, on the path'. Because, added Francis, 'it is true: life is a journey, and we must be helped to walk well, because on the journey there are pitfalls, there are dangers'. A path in which man easily runs the risk of losing his coordinates: 'We need a compass: but a human compass, or a compass that resembles the human and that helps us to see where we have to go'.

First of all, man must face a first danger: that of "not walking". Indeed, "how many people settle down and do not walk, and the whole life is still, without moving, without doing anything.... This is a danger'. These, the Pontiff explained, are situations similar to the one described in the Gospels, where it speaks of the man 'who was afraid to invest his talent'. After burying it, he repeated to himself: 'I am at peace, I am calm. I will not make a mistake. So I don't risk it'. The same happens to so many people who 'do not know how to walk or are afraid to take risks and stop'. But, said the Pope, 'we know that the rule is that whoever is stationary in life ends up corrupting himself. Like water: when the water is still there, the mosquitoes come, they lay eggs, and everything becomes corrupted. Everything'. It is precisely in such circumstances, he added, that 'the angel helps us, urges us to walk'.

But this is not the only risk in the journey of life. "There is another danger", which is that of "taking the wrong path". Here too, Francis recalled experiences common to all people: 'We too - let us tell the truth - how many times have we taken a wrong turn, for not listening to the inspiration of our fellow traveller or the advice of our brothers and sisters'. Again, the man is comforted by a certainty: "The angel is there to help us not to take the wrong path. He is with us for this: because if you make a mistake, at the beginning it is easy to correct, but after so many years - so many years - you go far away, somewhere other than where you should go".

Continuing his reflection, the Pontiff identified a further dangerous attitude. Indeed, he said, 'there are some who walk, but not on the road: they walk in the square. They do the walk of life in the square. And they go, they go to the square, always like that. And some are more creative: they go into the square, but inside the square they go one way and the other, like in a labyrinth'. Once again a concrete image to recall and better understand an inner, spiritual reality: "The labyrinth never leads you to the end: you remain trapped there. It therefore happens that man is convinced: "I am not standing still, I am walking", but he does not realise that he is not walking "on the road". In this situation too, the angel comes to "help us walk the road".

Of course, the Pope explained, that of the angel is a reality that must be recognised: "We must pray to him: 'But help me'". Even in Scripture we read: 'Have respect for his presence'. Because 'the angel is authoritative, he has authority to guide us', but we must 'listen to him', we must 'listen to the inspirations, which are always from the Holy Spirit, but it is the angel who inspires us'.

At this point, Francis addressed those present directly: 'But I would like to ask you all a question: do you talk to your angel? Do you know the name your angel has? Do you listen to your angel? Do you allow yourselves to be led by the hand on the road or to be pushed to move?". It was a call to bring everyone to an important awareness, because "the angel's presence in our lives is not only to help us on the way" but also "to show us where we must arrive".

In this regard, the Pontiff also recalled the Gospel of the day (Matthew, 18, 1-5.10) in which Jesus, faced with the disciples who ask: "But who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?", takes a child and says "a very beautiful thing". Indeed, he says: "This is the greatest" and, continuing, invites them not to despise children because "their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven". This is an important detail: 'Our angel,' the Pope emphasised, 'is not only with us, but sees God the Father. He is in relationship with him. He is the daily bridge, from the hour we get up to the hour we go to bed, who accompanies us and is in connection between us and God the Father". Therefore 'the angel is the daily door to transcendence, to the encounter with the Father': that is, he 'helps me to go because he looks at the Father and knows the way'.

Hence Francis' final exhortation - "let us not forget these companions on our journey" - and the advice: "Let each one think: do I pray to my angel? Do I listen to inspirations? Do I stop when I feel that there is something he is saying to me? And do I know, am I sure that he is a bridge to the Father, because he is looking at the Father?". This was the Pope's concluding prayer: "May the Lord give us all, on this feast of the guardian angels, the grace to understand this mystery of the guardianship of the angel, of companionship on the road, and of contemplation of the angel. Contemplation to God the Father."

[Pope Francis, s. Marta, in L'Osservatore Romano 03/10/2018]

(Lc 9,57-62)

For Semites, parental figures indicate the link with ethnicity, tradition, past and cultural environment.

Jesus seems to exclude the correlation to such figures, although he addresses his own intimates in an exclusive and singular way.

He never speaks of fathers, but about the Father - who is not a repeater.

Therefore he imposes on everyone a horizontal cut with the customs that could delay or condition his Call, the profound discovery of the meaning of events, the rise of a new mentality, the Dishipleship.

He diversifies Vocations, to make everyone understand the intimate character, by Name, of the relationship of Covenant in the Faith - which he does not depersonalize.

Symbiosis with the surrounding mentality or intellectual knowledge itself can paradoxically obscure precisely the intelligence of the unrepeatable inclinations that in our interior manifest the incomparable signature of the Creator.

The authentic Appeal grasps woman and man in an exclusive, penetrating way, in the uniqueness of their experience.

Sometimes the best thing to do for yourself and your neighbor is to cut an umbilical cord, and take a step back from the expectations of people you usually attend.

Always attending the same conformist environments, we identify ourselves in roles, labels, characters and situations: the center of expectations and dreams is blocked.

The doors of other worlds, of another kingdom, are not opened.

Personality wants its space of autonomy, because life in fullness is experiencing a fresh cascade of rebirth in Christ - celebrating together, but standing on one’s own legs.

Jesus is peremptory, because the choice is decisive.

Those who remain with their heads down or backwards - or in confrontation - cannot experience the adventure of Faith. They doesn’t live, but drag along the religion of the dead.

Who is only in the future and has no sense of reality, experiences illusions. But those who stay in the past or with models, are with the skeletons and do not perceive the sense of change.

Behind the main lines of the personality of each is hidden a Pearl, which in order to make significant contributions according to the Lord’s Plan must manifest its very unique nuances.

Over time, compromise becomes a habitus that makes natural trends lose: but the chromosomes of the Vocation are nested in them.

The suggestion of the forms to be perpetuated or overcome at all costs, the snare of narrow judgments, the bonds of circles, can take away from us the hidden wealth.

Self-referential configurations wich steal the present, and future: this is the real mistake to avoid!

What matters is not to restore the situation, copy the ancients or the acclaimed and strongs à la page, identify yourself to be sure and not make mistakes, but renew yourself to evolve, grow, expand, amaze.

Otherwise our clumsy problems will always be identical and there will be no exuberant Way nor Promised Land, but only a vicious circle of regrets or false reassurances.

To live the Faith of the real moment one cannot be repeating schoolchildren of the place or fashions, of the time or the day before.

[Wednesday 26th wk. in O.T.  October 1st, 2025]

Lk 9:57-62 [cf. Mk 5:18-20]

For Semites, parental figures indicate a connection with ethnicity, tradition, the past and the cultural environment.

Jesus seems to exclude any correlation with such figures, even though he addresses his own in an exclusive and singular way.

He never speaks of fathers, but of the Father - who is not a repeater.

He therefore imposes on everyone a horizontal break with customs that could delay or condition his Call, the profound discovery of the meaning of events, the emergence of a new mentality, the Following.

He diversifies Vocations, to make each person understand the intimate character, by Name, of the relationship of Covenant in Faith - which does not depersonalise as in religions.

Paradoxically, symbiosis with the surrounding mentality or intellectual knowledge itself can obscure the very intelligence of the unique inclinations that manifest the incomparable signature of the Creator in our innermost being.

The authentic Call captures women and men in an exclusive and penetrating way, in the uniqueness of their experience. What kind of Covenant and Mission would it be otherwise?

Sometimes the best thing to do for oneself and for others is to cut the umbilical cord and distance oneself from the expectations of people one usually associates with.

This decision is essential in order to seek the meaning of the Spirit, which is only personal Love - and becomes true Passion.

Here, the inner state of individuation and independence must be very present in the soul.

By frequenting the same conformist environments, we identify with people and situations: thus blocking the centre of expectations and dreams. The doors to other worlds, to another realm, do not open.

The personality wants its space of autonomy, because life in its fullness is to experience a fresh cascade of rebirths in Christ - celebrating together, but standing on one's own two feet.

Impossible for our nature... but the Source of being leads us like a skilled director, always from novelty to novelty. And his profound Wisdom will make us dance - even if we have never learned to dance in style.

What kind of life of Faith would it be that claims to stem the waves of the open sea to keep us always in the most familiar, reassuring harbour?

Leaning on family, friends, habitual opinions, the cove of the club or the beach of the movement [in short, wanting to be like everyone else in order to gain immediate approval] does not allow us to experience new beginnings.

Jesus is peremptory, because the choice is decisive.

Those who keep their heads down or look back – or compare themselves to others – cannot experience the adventure of Faith; they do not live, but drag behind them the religion of the dead.

Those who live only in the future and have no sense of reality experience illusions. But those who remain in the past or with models, stay with skeletons (not only in the closet) and do not perceive the meaning of change.

They easily become obsessed or brooding, becoming chronic. Whereas new stimuli could introduce them to a chain of unexpected leaps.

This is why insistent family and cultural ties can take away the intensity or character of the Call by Name.

They encroach on the necessary space, invaded by too many 'Yes, sir's' - which do not belong to us and which we do not want. They only block the hidden mechanisms.

In the passionate exodus with Jesus, the pleasure of the Vocation cannot allow the inclinations of others [and conformists] to pour into, pervade and occupy our personal world and time.

In order to listen to and make the Call to Mission our own, it is necessary to build a sphere of the Self that is eminent, unassailable, friendly, and protected - one whose pace and horizons we will learn to follow over time.

This identifying sphere, with boundaries protected from interference, will help us in the Dialogue of prayer. It will remove us from the danger of being absorbed by the common, impersonal, accommodating mentality.

The defence of this confidentiality, dense with the Unpublished and non-institutional, becomes the springboard and driving force of our committed life, which does not turn back.

Over time, this Nest will teach us to express the quality of relationships in a genuine, rather than conventional, way - even complete disagreement with the prevailing external mentality, which has power, however trivial.

Those who choose otherwise will sooner or later have to compensate for the cut (of themselves) with gratifications of various kinds, which will distance them from their own face and from the ideal that intimately corresponds to it.

[Even a dreamy, saintly wickedness can serve to rediscover the intimate core of a person, the sacredness of each individual].

We are not called to conform to a neutral do-goodism that only wants to please outwardly, perhaps because it is afraid of being excluded from the circle or judged badly - even the opposite.

Behind the main lines of each person's personality lies a Pearl, which, in order to make a significant contribution according to the Lord's Plan, must manifest its own unique nuances.Especially in our spousal relationship with God, we must not adapt to roles that do not belong to us deeply.

Over time, compromise becomes a habit that causes us to lose our natural tendencies: within them lie the chromosomes of our Vocation.

The realisation of our unique missionary calling does not happen according to character or established and widespread principles – conciliatory and successful – nor because we go hand in hand with the whole world of veterans [or those who are 'à la page'].

Instead of adapting and letting ourselves be influenced by irenicism, at a certain point we deviate to follow the inner Friend who knows where to lead us and does not know the pretence of always agreeing.

Otherwise, having lost the energy-Person and the goal that lead us to our destination, Uniqueness fades in the mediations that hold us hostage - behind events, lines of thought and roles that are now obsolete.

Finally, we lose sight of our founding Eros, which wanted to move our desires, our way of knowing the world and our activities.

[Outcome: a now blurred Core, a Source that recycles and no longer gushes as before, dispersed in a thousand rivulets of transformation - astute shortcuts for a smooth career].

Hence the great dances on nothingness: that of missed dangers - staged as quiet compensation by those whom Christ would call 'empty shells' ['makers of vain things': Lk 13:27 original text].

It is not uncommon for the goals of a caste or group linked to tribal and sectoral thinking to consolidate - to take precedence over the specific weight and intimacy of values, replaced by facile and conformist slogans or adultoids that plagiarise existence.

Every missionary knows that entrusting one's life to mannered, serious and quiet opinions, reassuring initiatives or textbook choices does not bear fruit; on the contrary, it becomes counterproductive.

Concordism seems like an attractive refuge, but it only becomes a den of flattery.

According to Chinese thought, in order to acquire polish and escape a polluted and worn-out servility, the Saints 'learn from animals the art of avoiding the harmful effects of domestication that life in society imposes'.

In fact: 'Domestic animals die prematurely. And so do men, whom social conventions forbid to obey spontaneously the rhythm of universal life'.

'These conventions impose continuous, self-interested, exhausting activity [whereas it is appropriate] to alternate periods of slow living and jubilation'.

"The Saint does not submit to retreat or fasting except in order to achieve, through ecstasy, escape through long journeys. This liberation is prepared by invigorating games, which nature teaches."

"One trains for a heavenly life by imitating the pleasures of animals. To become holy, one must first become brutalised – that is, learn from children, animals and plants the simple and joyful art of living only for the sake of life."

[M. Granet, Il Pensiero Cinese, Adelphi 2019, Kindle pp. 6904-6909].

The suggestion of the past to be perpetuated, the bondage of narrow judgements and the ties of circles can rob us of hidden riches, stealing the present and the future: this is the real mistake to avoid!

What matters is not to restore the situation, copy the ancients or the acclaimed and powerful, identify with them in order to remain quiet and not make mistakes, but rather to renew ourselves in order to evolve, grow, expand and amaze. 

Otherwise, our clumsy problems will always be the same and there will be no exuberant Path or Promised Land, but only a vicious circle of regrets or false reassurances.

To live the Faith of the real moment - without giving up and putting things in order - we cannot be schoolchildren repeating the place or fashions, the time or the day before.

A radical and total decision:

the Church does not promote itself

In today's Gospel (cf. Lk 9:51-62), St Luke begins the account of Jesus' last journey to Jerusalem, which will end in chapter 19. It is a long march, not only geographical and spatial, but spiritual and theological, towards the fulfilment of the Messiah's mission. Jesus' decision is radical and total, and those who follow him are called to measure themselves against it. Today, the Evangelist presents us with three characters - three cases of vocation, we might say - who highlight what is required of those who want to follow Jesus to the end, totally.

The first character promises him: 'I will follow you wherever you go' (v. 57). Generous! But Jesus replies that the Son of Man, unlike foxes that have dens and birds that have nests, 'has nowhere to lay his head' (v. 58). The absolute poverty of Jesus. Jesus, in fact, left his father's house and renounced all security in order to proclaim the Kingdom of God to the lost sheep of his people. Thus Jesus showed us, his disciples, that our mission in the world cannot be static, but is itinerant. The Christian is an itinerant. The Church, by its very nature, is on the move; it does not remain sedentary and tranquil within its own enclosure. It is open to the broadest horizons, sent forth – the Church is sent forth! – to bring the Gospel to the streets and to reach the human and existential peripheries. This is the first character.

The second person Jesus meets receives his call directly from him, but responds: “Lord, let me first go and bury my father” (v. 59). It is a legitimate request, based on the commandment to honour one’s father and mother (cf. Ex 20:12). However, Jesus replies: “Let the dead bury their dead” (v. 60). With these deliberately provocative words, He intends to affirm the primacy of following Him and proclaiming the Kingdom of God, even over the most important realities, such as family. The urgency of communicating the Gospel, which breaks the chain of death and inaugurates eternal life, does not allow for delays, but requires readiness and availability. Therefore, the Church is itinerant, and here the Church is decisive, acting quickly, in the moment, without waiting.

The third character also wants to follow Jesus, but on one condition: he will do so after saying goodbye to his relatives. And this is what he hears from the Master: 'No one who puts his hand to the plough and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of God' (v. 62). Following Jesus excludes regrets and looking back, but requires the virtue of decision.

The Church, in order to follow Jesus, is itinerant, acting immediately, quickly and decisively. The value of these conditions set by Jesus – itinerancy, readiness and decisiveness – does not lie in a series of 'no's' to good and important things in life. Rather, the emphasis should be placed on the main objective: to become a disciple of Christ! A free and conscious choice, made out of love, to reciprocate God's inestimable grace, and not made as a way to promote oneself. How sad this is! Woe to those who think they are following Jesus to promote themselves, that is, to advance their careers, to feel important or to acquire a position of prestige. Jesus wants us to be passionate about Him and the Gospel. A passion of the heart that translates into concrete gestures of closeness, of proximity to our brothers and sisters most in need of welcome and care. Just as He himself lived.

May the Virgin Mary, icon of the Church on her journey, help us to follow the Lord Jesus with joy and to proclaim the Good News of salvation to our brothers and sisters with renewed love.

(Pope Francis, Angelus, 30 June 2019)

The biblical readings of Holy Mass […] give me the opportunity to take up the theme of Christ's call and its requirements, a topic on which I also reflected a week ago, on the occasion of the ordinations of the new priests for the Diocese of Rome. In fact, those who have the good fortune to know a young man or woman who leaves the family and studies and works in order to consecrate him- or herself to God know well what is involved, for they have before them a living example of a radical response to the divine call. This is one of the most beautiful experiences one can have in the Church: seeing and actually touching the Lord's action in people's lives; experiencing that God is not an abstract entity but a reality so great and strong that it fills human hearts to overflowing, he is a Person, alive and close, who loves us and asks to be loved. 

The Evangelist Luke presents to us Jesus, walking to Jerusalem, who meets some men on the road probably young men who promise they will follow him wherever he goes. Jesus proves very demanding with them and warns them that "the Son of Man", namely, the Messiah, "has nowhere to lay his head" that is to say, he has no permanent dwelling place of his own and that those who choose to work with him in God's field cannot turn back (cf. Lk 9:57-58; 61-62). On the other hand Christ says to someone else: "Follow me", asking him to sever completely his ties with his family (cf. Lk 9:59-60). These requirements may seem too harsh but in fact they express the newness and absolute priority of the Kingdom of God that is made present in the very Person of Jesus Christ. All things considered, it is a question of that radicalism that is due to the Love of God, whom Jesus himself was the first to obey. Those who give up everything, even themselves, to follow Jesus, enter into a new dimension of freedom that St Paul defines as "walk[ing] by the Spirit" (cf. Gal 5:16). "For freedom Christ has set us free", the Apostle writes, and he explains that this new form of freedom acquired from Christ consists in being "servants of one another" (Gal 5:1, 13). Freedom and love coincide! On the contrary, complying with one's own egoism leads to rivalry and conflict. 

Dear friends, the month of June, characterized by the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Christ, is now coming to an end. On the Feast of the Sacred Heart we renewed our commitment to sanctification together with the priests of the whole world. Today, I would like to invite everyone to contemplate the mystery of the divine and human Heart of the Lord Jesus, to draw from the very source of God's Love. Those who fix their gaze on that pierced Heart that is ever open for our love sense the truth of this invocation: "You are my inheritance O Lord" (Responsorial Psalm), and are prepared to leave everything to follow the Lord. O Mary, who answered the divine call without reserve, pray for us!

[Pope Benedict, Angelus, 27 June 2010]

Christian revelation excludes reincarnation, and speaks of a fulfilment which man is called to achieve in the course of a single earthly existence. Man achieves this fulfilment of his destiny through the sincere gift of self, a gift which is made possible only through his encounter with God. It is in God that man finds full self-realization: this is the truth revealed by Christ. Man fulfils himself in God, who comes to meet him through his Eternal Son. Thanks to God's coming on earth, human time, which began at Creation, has reached its fullness. "The fullness of time" is in fact eternity, indeed, it is the One who is eternal, God himself. Thus, to enter into "the fullness of time" means to reach the end of time and to transcend its limits, in order to find time's fulfilment in the eternity of God.

[Pope John Paul II, Tertio Millennio Adveniente n.9]

5. We shall conclude this catechesis by turning once again to the figure of Jesus Christ, High Priest, Good Shepherd and supreme exemplar of priests. He is the model of the spoliation of earthly goods for the priest who wants to conform to the requirement of evangelical poverty. For Jesus was born and lived in poverty. St Paul admonished: 'From being rich that he was, he became poor for your sake' (2 Cor 8:9). Jesus himself, to one who wanted to follow him, said of himself: "Foxes have their dens and birds of the air their nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head" (Lk 9:57). These words manifest a complete detachment from all earthly comforts. It should not be concluded, however, that Jesus lived in misery. Other passages in the Gospels report that he received and accepted invitations to the homes of rich people (cf. Mt 9:10-11; Mk 2:15-16; Lk 5:29; 7:36; 19:5-6), had female co-workers to support him in his financial needs (Lk 8:2-3; cf. Mt 27:55; Mk 15:40; Lk 23:55-56) and was able to give alms to the poor (cf. Jn 13:29). There is no doubt, however, about the life and spirit of poverty that characterised Him.

[Pope John Paul II, General Audience 21 July 1993]

This Sunday’s Gospel Reading (Lk 9:51-62) shows a very important step in Christ’s life: the moment when, as St Luke writes: “He [Jesus] set his face to go to Jerusalem” (9:51). Jerusalem is the final destination where Jesus, at his last Passover, must die and rise again and thus bring his mission of salvation to fulfilment.

From that moment, after that “firm decision” Jesus aimed straight for his goal and in addition said clearly to the people he met and who asked to follow him what the conditions were: to have no permanent dwelling place; to know how to be detached from human affections and not to give in to nostalgia for the past.

Jesus, however, also told his disciples to precede him on the way to Jerusalem and to announce his arrival, but not to impose anything: if the disciples did not find a readiness to welcome him, they should go ahead, they should move on. Jesus never imposes, Jesus is humble, Jesus invites. If you want to, come. The humility of Jesus is like this: he is always inviting but never imposing.

All of this gives us food for thought. It tells us, for example, of the importance which the conscience had for Jesus too: listening in his heart to the Father’s voice and following it. Jesus, in his earthly existence, was not, as it were “remote-controlled”: he was the incarnate Word, the Son of God made man, and at a certain point he made the firm decision to go up to Jerusalem for the last time; it was a decision taken in his conscience, but not alone: together with the Father, in full union with him! He decided out of obedience to the Father and in profound and intimate listening to his will. For this reason, moreover, his decision was firm, because it was made together with the Father. In the Father Jesus found the strength and light for his journey. And Jesus was free, he took that decision freely. Jesus wants us to be Christians, freely as he was, with the freedom which comes from this dialogue with the Father, from this dialogue with God. Jesus does not want selfish Christians who follow their own ego, who do not talk to God. Nor does he want weak Christians, Christians who have no will of their own, “remote-controlled” Christians incapable of creativity, who always seek to connect with the will of someone else and are not free. Jesus wants us free. And where is this freedom created? It is created in dialogue with God in the person’s own conscience. If a Christian is unable to speak with God, if he cannot hear God in his own conscience, he is not free, he is not free.

This is why we must learn to listen to our conscience more. But be careful! This does not mean following my own ego, doing what interests me, what suits me, what I like.... It is not this! The conscience is the interior place for listening to the truth, to goodness, for listening to God; it is the inner place of my relationship with him, the One who speaks to my heart and helps me to discern, to understand the way I must take and, once the decision is made, to go forward, to stay faithful.

We have had a marvellous example of what this relationship with God is like, a recent and marvellous example. Pope Benedict XVI gave us this great example when the Lord made him understand, in prayer, what the step was that he had to take. With a great sense of discernment and courage, he followed his conscience, that is, the will of God speaking in his heart. And this example of our Father does such great good to us all, as an example to follow.

Our Lady, in her inmost depths with great simplicity was listening to and meditating on the Word of God and on what was happening to Jesus. She followed her Son with deep conviction and with steadfast hope. May Mary help us to become increasingly men and women of conscience, free in our conscience, because it is in the conscience that dialogue with God takes place; men and women, who can hear God’s voice and follow it with determination, who can listen to God’s voice, and follow it with decision.

[Pope Francis, Angelus, 30 June 2013]

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time (year C)  [28 September 2025]

May God bless us and may the Virgin protect us. We continue our teaching on wealth and our relationship with the poor, a subject that is particularly relevant for our reflection in the face of the injustices, both large and small, that we see in the news every day.

First Reading from the Book of the Prophet Amos (6:1a, 4-7)

In the Bible, Amos is the first 'writing' prophet, that is, the first of whom a book remains. Other great prophets before him remained very famous: Elijah, for example, or Elisha, or Nathan... but we do not have their written sermons, only memories handed down by those around them. Amos preached around 780-750 BC and certainly had to say things that not everyone liked, since he was eventually expelled after being denounced to the king.  Originally from the south, he preached in the north during a period of great economic prosperity. Last week we read one of his texts in which he rebuked some rich people for building their wealth at the expense of the poor. Today's passage gives us an idea of the luxury that reigned in Samaria: 'Lying on beds of ivory... they eat lambs from the flock and calves from the stall... they sing to the sound of the harp like David and anoint themselves with the finest ointments, but they do not worry about Joseph's ruin'. The rulers do not know or do not want to know that a terrible threat hangs over them: 'they do not care about the ruin of Joseph'. They will then be deported, indeed they will be the first to be deported, and the band of revellers will no longer exist. This prophet of doom, who sought to warn the powerful and the ruling class, was not listened to; on the contrary, he was silenced by getting rid of him. But what he feared came true. Amos therefore addresses the rich and powerful, those in charge. What exactly does he reproach them for? The first sentence gives us the key: 'Woe to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria'. In other words: you are comfortable, satisfied with your well-being and even your luxury... well, I pity you because you have understood nothing: you are like people who hide under the covers so as not to see the cyclone coming, and this whole society will collapse, crushed a few years later by the Assyrians, with many dead and the survivors deported. Woe to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria'... But what are they doing wrong? The wrong is to base their security on what is passing: some ephemeral military success, economic prosperity and the appearances of piety... so as not to displease God and his prophet. They even boast of their successes, believing they deserve some credit, when everything comes from God. Now, Israel's only security is fidelity to the Covenant. This is the great insistence of all the prophets, as Micah will do a few years later when he preaches in Jerusalem. Hypocrisy reigned in Samaria: when they offer sacrifices, they turn the banquet that follows into a revelry... because the meals that Amos describes are probably sacred meals, like those that followed certain sacrifices. Sacrilegious meals, therefore, that have nothing to do with the Covenant. The difficulty of this passage lies in its conciseness: in fact, to understand it, one must have in mind the whole of prophetic preaching; Amos' logic, like that of all the prophets, is as follows: the happiness of individuals and peoples inevitably depends on fidelity to the Covenant with God; and fidelity to the Covenant means social justice and trust in God, and if one departs from these two points, one is lost. This is what Amos is talking about, and we need only reread last Sunday's text, in which he rebuked the rich for enriching themselves on the backs of the poor. In today's text, the luxury banquets described obviously do not benefit everyone, and the need for God is no longer felt. Isaiah will also say: 'This people honours me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me' (Is 29:13). Samaria was covered with luxurious palaces, built by some at the expense of others; once they had become rich, thanks to flourishing trade, it was easy to expropriate small landowners, reducing some of the poorest to slavery, as in last Sunday's text. Archaeology also provides interesting details on this point: while in the tenth century the houses were all of the same model and represented identical standards of living, in the eighth century, on the contrary, there was a clear distinction between rich and poor neighbourhoods.

*Responsorial Psalm (145/146, 6c.7, 8.9a, 9bc-10)

This splendid litany is only part of Psalm 145/146, and today's liturgy does not include the Alleluias that frame it in the Hebrew text, as it is an Alleluia psalm. This means that, as last Sunday, we are faced with a psalm of praise. Speaking in this psalm are the oppressed, the hungry, the blind, the bent over, the strangers, the widows, and the orphans who recognise God's concern for them. In reality, it is the people of Israel who speak of themselves: it is their own history that they recount and give thanks for God's protection, having experienced all these situations: oppression in Egypt, from which God freed them with a mighty hand and outstretched arm, and oppression in Babylon, where once again God intervened. They experienced hunger in the desert, and God sent manna and quails. God opens the eyes of these blind people, revealing himself progressively through his prophets. It is these broken people that God tirelessly lifts up and makes stand; they are the people seeking justice that God guides. It is therefore a song of gratitude: The Lord brings justice to the oppressed, gives bread to the hungry, frees prisoners, opens the eyes of the blind, lifts up those who have fallen, loves the righteous, protects the stranger and supports the widow and the orphan. The Lord, who returns in a liturgical manner, is the translation of the Name of God in four letters, the Tetragrammaton: YHVH, which speaks of his active and liberating presence. The verse preceding today's verses sums them all up: 'Blessed is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord (YHVH) his God': the secret of happiness is to rely on God and expect everything from Him. This psalm is chosen for this Sunday as a response to the text of Amos, who warned the people of Samaria to know well in whom to place their trust, fleeing false securities because only God is trustworthy. Recognising our dependence on God and living it with complete trust, because He is total benevolence: this is the definition of faith and the secret of happiness, as the prophets preach.  We must not forget the unique experience that the children of Israel had the privilege of enjoying: throughout their journey to freedom, they experienced the presence of the One they recognised as the Lord who led them in their search for freedom and justice for all, indeed for greater justice, respect and defence of the small and the weak. If we look more closely, we see that the law of Israel has no other goal: to make Israel a free people, respectful of the freedom of others. God leads his people on this long journey of liberation. It is good for us to reread this psalm not only to recognise what God does for his people, but also to give us a course of action: if God has acted in this way towards Israel, we, who are heirs to this long journey of Covenant, are in turn obliged to do the same for others.

*Second Reading from the First Letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to Timothy (6:11-16)

One could not imagine a more complete summary of everything that constitutes the faith and life of a Christian. At the same time, Paul's solemn formulas are surprising: 'Before God and... Christ Jesus, I charge you'. At first reading, one seems to perceive echoes of difficulties in the community of Ephesus, where Timothy had responsibilities: 'Fight the good fight of faith'. A little earlier in the same letter, Paul had already spoken of the fight for the faith in the first chapter (1 Tim 1:18-19). There is therefore a battle to be fought in order to affirm one's faith. The moment is serious, which explains the solemn tone: the fidelity of the young Christian community to its baptism is at stake. The passage we read today is framed by two very similar texts that further clarify the two dangers to be avoided: false doctrines and the pursuit of riches. We must believe that there were real problems with false doctrines: Timothy, guard the deposit, avoid ungodly chatter and pseudo-scientific objections. Because they professed it (meaning this pseudo-science), some strayed from the faith (cf. 1 Tim 6:20-21). And in the same vein, a few verses earlier: If anyone teaches a different doctrine, if he does not adhere to the words of the Lord Jesus Christ and to the doctrine in accordance with godliness, he is blinded by pride. He is ignorant, sick, seeking controversy and verbal disputes (1 Tim 6:3-4). This problem had already appeared at the beginning of the letter, and Paul had recommended that Timothy remain in Ephesus (cf. 1 Tim 1:3-4). He then insists with the same force on the risk of seeking riches because the root of all evil is the love of money (cf. 1 Tim 6:10). These, then, are the two worst dangers to the faith in Paul's eyes, and he invites Timothy to remain faithful to his baptism. In Paul's time, baptisms were administered in front of the entire community, and in the baptismal rite itself, the profession of faith was a very important moment because the 'yes' of our baptism is rooted in Christ's 'yes' to the Father, and we must be able to repeat this 'yes' day after day. Timothy will need all his strength, which is why Paul multiplies his recommendations that he persevere in fighting for the faith in order to obtain eternal life. The weapons of combat are faith, love, perseverance and gentleness, which is the main weapon. True combat has nothing to do with religious wars, and history shows that religious wars have never converted anyone. The goal on which we must always keep our eyes fixed is eternal life, which is also the manifestation ('epiphany') of Christ. Paul concludes with a kind of profession of faith, which is precisely what Timothy must continue to affirm against all adversity: 'God is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, the only one who possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has ever seen or can see'. God is the All-Other, a theme we find in the Old Testament: it is the transcendence of God, the All-Other who nevertheless draws close to us and, at the appointed time, will reveal the Lord Jesus Christ.

From the Gospel according to Luke (16:19-31)

The last sentence is doubly terrible: "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead."  This statement seems desperate, as if nothing can change a heart of stone, and it is even more terrible coming from the mouth of Jesus. When Luke wrote the Gospel, he knew full well that Christ's Resurrection had not converted everyone; on the contrary, it had hardened the hearts of some even more. Let us move on to the story of the rich man and poor Lazarus: we do not know much about the rich man, not even his name; it is not said that he is evil; on the contrary, later he will think of saving his brothers from misfortune in the afterlife. However, he lives in his own world, so immersed in his comfort, like the Samaritans mentioned by Amos in the first reading, that he does not even see the beggar dying of hunger at his door who would be content with his leftovers. The poor man's name is Lazarus, which means 'God helps', and this already says a lot: God helps him, not because he is virtuous, but simply because he is poor. This is perhaps the first surprise that Jesus has in store for his listeners: this story was a well-known tale from Egypt, about two characters, a rich man full of sins and a poor man full of virtues: when they arrive in the afterlife, they are weighed on the scales, and the good and bad deeds of both the rich and the poor are evaluated. The good, both rich and poor, were rewarded, while the bad, rich or poor, were punished. Even the rabbis before Jesus told similar stories: the rich man was the son of a sinful tax collector, while the poor man was a very devout man; they too were weighed on the scales and the merits of each were carefully evaluated, with the devout man proving to be more deserving than the tax collector's son. Jesus upsets this logic somewhat: he does not calculate merits and good deeds because it is not said that Lazarus is virtuous and the rich man evil, but simply notes that the rich man remained rich all his life, while the poor man remained poor at his door: this signifies the abyss of indifference that was created between rich and poor, simply because the rich man never opened his door. Another important detail in Jesus' story: it is not entirely true that we know nothing about the rich man, because he tells us how he was dressed: in purple and linen, a clear allusion to the clothes of priests. The colour purple, originally the colour of royal clothing, had become the colour of the high priests because they served the king of the world; linen was the fabric of the high priest's tunic. Jesus means that you can be the High Priest, but if you despise your brothers, you do not deserve the title of children of Abraham. In fact, Abraham is mentioned seven times and is certainly a key to the text. Jesus' question is: "Who is truly a son of Abraham?" and he answers that if you do not listen to the Law and the Prophets, if you are indifferent to the suffering of your brothers, you are not a son of Abraham. And he goes further: the poor man would have liked to eat the rich man's crumbs, but it was the dogs that licked his sores. Dogs were unclean animals... so even if the pious rich man had taken the trouble to open the door, he would still have been scandalised and would have fled from that unclean man licked by dogs... Jesus' lesson is therefore: You worry about merits, you try to remain pure, you are proud to be descendants of Abraham... but you forget the essential... No extraordinary signs are needed to convert: the Law with the Prophets is enough, and for us the Gospel is enough: but we must live them!

+ Giovanni D'Ercole