A hardened heart cannot comprehend even the greatest miracles. But "how does a heart harden?" Pope Francis asked this question during the Mass celebrated on Friday 9 January at Santa Marta.

The disciples, we read in the liturgical passage from Mark's Gospel (6:45-52), "had not understood the fact of the loaves: their hearts were hardened". Yet, Francis explained, 'they were the apostles, Jesus' closest ones. But they did not understand'. And although they had witnessed the miracle, although they had "seen that those people - more than five thousand - had eaten with five loaves" they had not understood. "Why? Because their hearts were hardened".

So many times Jesus "speaks of hardness of heart in the Gospel", rebukes the "hard-necked people", weeps over Jerusalem "who did not understand who he is". The Lord confronts this hardness: "So much work has Jesus done," the Pope stressed, "to make this heart more docile, to make it without hardness, to make it loving. A 'work' that continues after the resurrection, with the disciples of Emmaus and so many others.

"But," the Pontiff wondered, "how does a heart harden? How is it possible that these people, who were with Jesus always, every day, who heard him, saw him... and their hearts were hardened. But how can a heart become like that?" And he related: "Yesterday I asked my secretary: Tell me, how does a heart become hardened? He helped me to think about this a little". Hence the indication of a series of circumstances with which everyone can compare their personal experience. 

First of all, Francis said, the heart "is hardened by painful experiences, by hard experiences". This is the situation of those who 'have had a very painful experience and do not want to enter into another adventure'. This is precisely what happened after the resurrection to the disciples of Emmaus, whose remarks the Pontiff imagined: "'There is too much, too much noise, but let's go away a little, because...'" -Why, what? - "Eh, we hoped that this was the Messiah, there was no Messiah, I don't want to delude myself again, I don't want to delude myself!". 

Here is the heart hardened by an "experience of sorrow". The same happens to Thomas: 'No, no, I don't believe it. If I don't put my finger there, I don't believe it!". The disciples' hearts were hardened 'because they had suffered'. And in this regard Francis recalled a popular Argentinean saying: 'If a person is burnt by milk, when he sees the cow he cries'. That is, he explained, 'it is that painful experience that keeps us from opening our hearts'.

Another reason that hardens the heart is then 'closure in oneself: making a world in oneself'. It happens when man is "closed in on himself, in his community or his parish". It is a closure that "can revolve around many things": around "pride, sufficiency, thinking that I am better than others" or even "vanity". The Pope specified: "There are the 'mirror' men and women, who are closed in on themselves to look at themselves, continuously": they could be called 'religious narcissists'. These "have hard hearts, because they are closed, they are not open. And they try to defend themselves with these walls they make around themselves'.

There is a further reason that hardens the heart: insecurity. This is what is experienced by the person who thinks: 'I don't feel secure and I look for somewhere to cling to in order to be safe'. This attitude is typical of people 'who are so attached to the letter of the law'. It happened, the Pontiff explained, "with the Pharisees, with the Sadducees, with the doctors of the law of Jesus' time". They would object: "But the law says this, but it says this up to here...", and so "they would make another commandment"; in the end, "poor things, they would take on 300-400 commandments and feel secure". 

In reality, Francis pointed out, all these 'are safe people, but just as a man or a woman in a prison cell behind the grate is safe: it is a security without freedom'. Whereas it is precisely freedom that 'Jesus came to bring us'. St Paul, for example, reproaches James and also Peter "because they do not accept the freedom that Jesus brought us".

Here then is the answer to the initial question: "How does a heart harden?". For the heart, "when it hardens, it is not free, and if it is not free, it is because it does not love". A concept expressed in the first reading of the day's liturgy (1 John 4:11-18), where the apostle speaks of "perfect love" that "casts out fear". For "in love there is no fear, because fear presupposes punishment, and he who fears is not perfect in love. He is not free. He always has the fear that something painful, sad will happen", that we will "go wrong in life or risk eternal salvation". In reality, these are only 'imaginations', because that heart simply 'does not love'. The disciples' hearts, the Pope explained, "were hardened because they had not yet learned to love".We can then ask: "Who teaches us to love? Who frees us from this hardness?" "Only the Holy Spirit can do it," Francis clarified, pointing out, "You can do a thousand catechesis courses, a thousand spirituality courses, a thousand yoga courses, Zen and all these things. But all this will never be able to give you the freedom of a son". Only the Holy Spirit "moves your heart to say 'father'"; only he "is able to drive out, to break this hardness of heart" and make it "docile to the Lord. Docile to the freedom of love". It is no coincidence that the disciples' hearts remained "hardened until the day of the Ascension", when they said to the Lord: "Now the revolution will take place and the kingdom will come!" In reality "they understood nothing". And "only when the Holy Spirit came did things change".

Therefore, the Pontiff concluded, "let us ask the Lord for the grace to have a docile heart: may he save us from the slavery of a hardened heart" and "bring us forward into that beautiful freedom of perfect love, the freedom of the children of God, that which only the Holy Spirit can give".

[Pope Francis, S. Marta homily, in L'Osservatore Romano 10/01/2015]

God bless us and may the Virgin protect us!

With fresh wishes for this New Year, here is the commentary on the readings for the Solemnity of the Epiphany 

Epiphany of the Lord [6 January 2025]

*First Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (60:1-6)

The reference to the symbols of gold, frankincense and myrrh, present in this text of the prophet Isaiah, made it chosen for today's feast of the Epiphany of the Lord with obvious connection to the gifts of the Magi, but there is much more. Notice all the expressions of light that are in this passage: 'Clothe thyself with light, for thy light cometh, the glory of the Lord shineth upon thee' ... (as the sun rises) upon thee shineth the Lord, his glory shineth upon thee ... the nations shall walk in thy light, kings in the brightness of thy rising. In short, your light, the splendour of your dawn will make you radiant. Contrary to what one might imagine, as is often the case with prophets who cultivate hope, we must immediately deduce that the general mood at the time was rather gloomy. Why was the general mood gloomy, and what did the prophet suggest to invite the people to hope? As for the mood, let us look at the context: this text is part of the last chapters of the book of Isaiah; we are in the years 525-520 BC, that is, about fifteen or twenty years after the return from exile in Babylon. The deportees had returned to their homeland, and it was believed that happiness would be established, but this long-awaited return did not fulfil all expectations. There were those who, having remained in the country, had experienced the period of war and occupation; the exiles who had returned from exile hoped to regain their place and their possessions. Since the exile lasted fifty years, those who had left had died there and the survivors who returned home were their children or grandchildren. This should not have made reunions any easier, especially since those who returned could not claim their parents' inheritance because, precisely because of the long period of fifty years, the property of the absentees and exiles had been occupied and others had taken possession of it. Moreover, many foreigners had settled in the city of Jerusalem and throughout the country and had introduced other customs, other religions. It was evident that this mass of such different people was not an ideal climate for living together. The first cause of disagreement was the rebuilding of the Temple. Since their return from exile, authorised in 538 by King Cyrus, the first returnees, who formed the so-called 'community of return', had re-established the ancient altar of the Temple in Jerusalem and had resumed worship as in the past. At the same time, they wanted to start rebuilding the Temple, but some people considered heretical wanted to intervene. They were a mixture of Jews who had remained in the country and foreign pagan peoples settled there by the occupier mixed together even through marriages who had taken up customs judged heretical by the Jews returning from Exile, and for this reason the 'community of return' refused that the Temple of the One God should be built by people who would later celebrate other cults there. This refusal was badly received and those who had been rejected opposed it by all means: the result was the halting of work and the waning of the dream of rebuilding the Temple. As the years passed, discouragement grew and spread.  Sadness and discouragement, however, are not worthy of the people who are bearers of God's promises, and that is why Isaiah together with the prophet Haggai decided to awaken their compatriots by inviting them not to feel sorry for themselves and to set to work to rebuild the Temple.  Knowing this context, Isaiah's almost triumphant language surprises us, but it is the usual language in prophets. If they promise all this light, it is because the people are morally down and it is in the darkest night. Yet it is precisely during the night that the signs of the dawning of the day are scrutinised, and the role of the prophet is to restore courage by announcing the dawn of the new day. It is clear: the more the prophet insists on the theme of light, the more it means that the people are oppressed by the darkness of discouragement. To lift their spirits, Isaiah and Haggai insist on a single argument that is fundamental for the Jews: Jerusalem is the Holy City, chosen by God to make the sign of his presence dwell there. God himself made a commitment to King Solomon, deciding that "here shall be my Name".  We can thus summarise and actualise Isaiah's message: "You are in a tunnel, in the deepest darkness, but at the end of the tunnel light awaits you. Remember the promise: the Day is coming when all will recognise in Jerusalem the Holy City'.  So do not let yourselves be discouraged and get to work, devote all your strength to rebuilding the Temple as you have promised. In all times when one feels discouraged by difficulties and is groping in the darkness of uncertainty, prophets are needed to awaken the courage of hope. Isaiah makes this clear with determination and this is his reasoning: when one is a believer, even the darkest darkness cannot stifle hope. And here it is not a matter of a promise linked to a political triumph, but of God's promise: one day the whole of humanity will finally be reunited in perfect harmony in the Holy City. 

*Responsorial Psalm (71/72) 

This psalm makes us witness the coronation of a new king, when the priests pronounce prayers over him that collect the wishes and dreams of the people at the beginning of each new reign. They wish for political power for the king, peace and justice, happiness, wealth and prosperity for all, and the chosen people have the advantage of knowing that these dreams of men coincide with God's own plan. However, the last verse of the psalm, which is not part of today's liturgy, changes its tone: it no longer speaks of the earthly king, but of God: 'Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, he alone performs wonders! Blessed be his glorious name forever, may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen! Amen!" And it is precisely this last verse that offers the key to understanding the entire psalm composed and sung after the exile in Babylon (thus between 500 and 100 BC), at a time when there was no longer a king in Israel. The vows and prayers are therefore not about a king in the flesh, but about the future king promised by God, the Messiah-King. And since this is a promise from God, one can be sure that it will come true. The entire Bible is shot through with this indestructible hope: human history has a purpose, a meaning where the term 'meaning' means two things: both 'significance' and 'direction'. God has a single plan that inspires all the events of the Bible and takes on different names according to the different authors: it is the "Day of God" for the prophets, the "kingdom of heaven" for the evangelist Matthew, the "design of his benevolence (eudokia)" for St Paul (Eph 1:9-10). God loves humanity and tirelessly re-proposes his project of happiness. A project that will be realised by the messiah who is invoked whenever the psalms are sung in the Temple of Jerusalem.

Psalm 71 is the description of the ideal king, whom Israel has been waiting for for centuries: when Jesus is born, about 1000 years have passed since the prophet Nathan went to King David on God's side and made him the promise of which our psalm speaks. (cf. 2 Sam 7:12-16). From century to century, the promise has been reiterated and better specified. The certainty of God's faithfulness to his promises made it possible to discover little by little all its richness and consequences; if this king really deserved the title of son of God, then he would be in the image of God, king of justice and peace. At every coronation of a new king, the promise was repeated about him and one would dream again, but the Jewish people still wait, and it must be acknowledged that the ideal kingdom has not yet seen the light of day on earth. One would almost end up believing that it is only a utopia. Believers, however, know that it is not a utopia but a promise from God, hence a certainty. And the entire Bible is shot through with this certainty, this invincible hope that God's plan will be realised. It is the miracle of faith: faced with this promise, each time disappointed, two different reactions are possible: the non-believer says 'I told you so, it will never happen'; the believer resolutely affirms 'patience, for God has promised it, he cannot deny himself', as St Paul recalls (2 Tim 2:13).  Today, the Jewish people sing this psalm in the expectation of the Messiah-King, and in certain synagogues, Jews express their impatience to see the messiah by reciting this profession of faith by Moses Maimonides, a Jewish philosopher, physician and jurist (1135-1204) from Toledo in Spain: 'I believe with sure faith that the messiah will come, and even if he is late in coming, in spite of everything, I will wait until the day of his coming'.  We, Christians, apply this to Jesus Christ and it seems to us that the Magi who came from the East have begun to realise the promise: 'The kings of Tarsis and the islands will bring gifts, the kings of Sheba and Seba will offer tribute... All kings will bow down before him, all nations will serve him. And the day is not far off when all mankind will welcome Christ and the kingdom of his love will be realised.

*Second Reading, from the letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians (3:2-6)

This text is taken from the third chapter of the Letter to the Ephesians, and in the first chapter Paul used the famous expression "the loving design of his will" (v.5), "making known to us the mystery of his will" (v 9). We find here the word "mystery" which for St Paul is not a secret that God jealously guards; on the contrary, it is his intimacy, into which he lets us enter. Paul explains further by saying: "By revelation the mystery has been made known to me": the mystery is the plan of love that God progressively reveals. The whole of biblical history is a long, slow and patient pedagogy that God uses to introduce his people into this mystery of his, into his intimacy. Experience shows that a child cannot be taught everything at once; it must be educated patiently, day by day and according to circumstances. One cannot give theoretical lessons in advance about life, death, marriage or family. The child discovers the family by living with parents, grandparents and siblings: when the family celebrates a marriage or a birth, when it faces bereavement, the child experiences these events with relatives who, little by little, accompany it in its discovery of life. God used the same pedagogy with his people, revealing himself progressively. This revelation with Christ took a decisive step so that history is divided into two periods, before Christ and after Christ, and the apostle explains that this mystery "was not manifested to men of previous generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit" and makes it even clearer that the mystery he is talking about is Christ himself, the centre of the world and history, and the whole universe will one day be united in him, as the members are united to the head. In the phrase "to bring all things back to Christ, the one head" (1:10), the Greek word we translate as head means precisely the head. It is also really about the whole universe, and Paul specifies that "the nations are called in Christ Jesus, to share the same inheritance, to form the same body, and to be partakers of the same promise through the gospel". In other words we can say that the inheritance is Christ, the Promise is Christ, the Body is Christ, God's plan of love is for Christ to be the centre of the world and for the whole universe to be gathered in him. When we say in the Lord's Prayer, 'Thy will be done', we are speaking of this divine plan and, by repeating this invocation, we are impregnating ourselves more and more with the desire for the Day when this plan will be fully realised. Paul explains that this project concerns the whole of humanity, not just the Jewish people: it is the universalism of God's plan, a universal dimension progressively discovered in the Bible and well rooted in the people of Israel, since the promise of the blessing of all humanity is traced back to Abraham: "In you shall all the families of the earth be blessed" (Gen 12:3). The passage from Isaiah that we read in the first reading of the Feast of the Epiphany is exactly along these lines. Obviously, if a prophet like Isaiah saw fit to insist on it, it is because people tended to forget it. Similarly, at the time of Christ, if Paul specifies that 'the nations are called in Christ Jesus to share in the same inheritance, to form the same body, and to be partakers of the same promise through the gospel', it is because this was not taken for granted. We have to make an imaginative effort: we are by no means in the same situation as Paul's contemporaries; for us, in the twenty-first century, this is self-evident: most of us are not of Jewish origin and find it normal that we all share in the salvation brought by the Messiah. After two thousand years of Christianity, we know that Israel remains the chosen people because, as St Paul says elsewhere, 'God cannot deny himself', but we believe that we too are in this plan called to witness to the gospel in the world. At the time of Christ, however, the situation was different. Jesus was born within the Jewish people: this was the logic of God's plan and the election of Israel. The Jews were the chosen people, chosen by God to be apostles, witnesses and instruments of salvation for all mankind. The Jews who became Christians sometimes had difficulty accepting the admission of former pagans into their communities, and St Paul reminds them that even pagans can now be apostles and witnesses of salvation. Moreover, the episode of the Magi, narrated by Matthew in the Gospel of the Epiphany, tells us exactly the same thing. The last words of this second reading resound like an invitation: "the nations are called in Christ Jesus to share in the same inheritance, to form the same body and to be sharers in the same promise through the gospel". Certainly God awaits our collaboration in his plan of love: the Magi then saw a star and set out. For so many of our contemporaries, there may not be a star in the sky, but we are the witnesses of Christ and therefore in need of becoming full of light and joy. 

*From the Gospel according to Matthew ( 2:1-12)

First of all a historical observation: the episode of the Magi narrated by the evangelist Matthew gives us one of the rare clues as to the exact date of Jesus' birth. The date of Herod the Great's death is certain: 4 BC (he lived from 73 to 4 BC), and since he had all children under the age of two killed, these were children born between 6 and 4 BC. Therefore, Jesus was probably born between 6 and 5 BC. The miscalculation occurred in the 6th century, when a monk, Dionysius the Lesser, rightly decided to count the years from the birth of Jesus, and no longer from the foundation of Rome. At that time, as can also be deduced from other historical sources, 

the expectation of the Messiah was very much alive and was spoken of everywhere. Everyone prayed to God to hasten his coming, and some Jews thought that he would be a king: a descendant of David who would reign on the throne of Jerusalem, after having driven out the Romans and definitively established peace, justice and fraternity in Israel. Others more optimistically even hoped that this happiness would extend to the whole world. In this sense, several converging Old Testament prophecies were cited: first of all, that of Balaam in the Book of Numbers. I remember it: when the tribes of Israel were approaching the Promised Land under the leadership of Moses, crossing the plains of Moab (today in Jordan), the king of Moab, Balak, had summoned Balaam (a pagan prophet and soothsayer) to curse these invaders. But, inspired by God, Balaam, instead of cursing, had pronounced prophecies of happiness and glory for Israel, saying in particular: "I see it, I contemplate it: from Jacob a star rises, from Israel a sceptre rises" (Num 24:17). The king of Moab was furious, because he had interpreted this prophecy as the announcement of his future defeat against Israel. But in Israel, in the following centuries, this beautiful promise had been carefully conveyed, going so far as to think that the Messiah's reign would be announced by the appearance of a star. This is why King Herod, consulted by the Magi about a star, took the matter very seriously. Another prophecy concerning the Messiah is that of Micah: 'And thou, Bethlehem, the land of Judah, art not indeed the least among the chief towns of Judah: for out of thee shall come forth a leader who shall be the shepherd of my people Israel'. A prophecy perfectly in line with God's promise to David, according to which his dynasty would never die out and would bring the country the long-awaited happiness.

The Magi probably did not know all these things: they were astrologers and had set out simply because they had seen a new star rise. When they arrived in Jerusalem, they inquired with the local authorities. And it is here that we encounter the first surprise of Matthew's account: on the one hand, the Magi, pagans who have no preconceptions, are looking for the Messiah and will eventually find him by looking at the star visible to all. On the other hand, there are those who know the Scriptures, the scribes of Israel, who can quote them without error and can reveal their meaning... provided, however, that they themselves allow themselves to be guided by the Scriptures, but unfortunately they do not move a finger; they will not even go from Jerusalem to Bethlehem and thus will not meet the Child in the manger. It is indeed a provocation: those who waited for the Messiah like the scribes fail to see and therefore do not meet the Messiah, while the magi who are strangers to the scriptures allow themselves to be guided by the star, which they all saw, and arrive at the meeting with Jesus.  As for Herod, it is a different story. Let us put ourselves in his shoes: he is the king of the Jews, recognised as such by the Roman power. He is very proud of his title and fiercely jealous of anyone who might tarnish it. Let us not forget that he had several members of his family murdered, including his own sons. Whenever someone became a little too popular, Herod had him eliminated out of jealousy. And now a rumour spreads through the city: foreign astrologers have made a long journey and say: 'We have seen a quite exceptional star rise; we know that it heralds the birth of a child-king... just as exceptional. Surely the true king of the Jews has been born!". We can imagine Herod's fury and anguish. Thus, when St Matthew says: 'Herod was distraught and with him all Jerusalem', this is surely a very delicate way of expressing himself. Obviously, Herod could not show his anger; he had to know how to manoeuvre: his goal was to get some information about this child, a potential rival to be eliminated. So he first inquired about the location.  Matthew writes that he summoned the chief priests and scribes to ask them where the Messiah would be born. And this is where Micah's prophecy intervenes: the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Herod also inquired about the age of the child, because he already had a plan in mind to eliminate him. He summoned the Magi to ask them the precise moment when the star had appeared. We do not know their answer, but subsequent events allow us to deduce it: Herod ordered all children under the age of two to be killed, thus taking a wide margin. Most probably, in the account of the visit of the Magi, Matthew already gives us a summary of the whole life of Jesus: from the very beginning, in Bethlehem, he encountered the hostility and anger of the political and religious authorities. They did not recognise him as the Messiah, treated him as an impostor and eventually eliminated him by crucifying him as an evildoer. Yet, he was indeed the Messiah. A great lesson in faith for all! It is really true: only those who seek God sincerely and without preconceptions arrive, like the Magi, to meet Him and enter into the plan of His infinite Mercy

N.B. I attach this prayer taken from the prayer booklet of the Holy Trinity Mercy Sanctuary in Maccio - Como

PRAYER TO THE HOLY TRINITY FOR THE GIFT OF FAITH

Lord, sustain my Faith!

O My Lord, O My God

with deepest faith I am prostrate here to Thee.

Thou art Hope Certain in whom I am made safe!

Thou art Mercy, in Thee all things draw me!

Thou art Charity, Thou all-given to me!

Thou art Eternal Love in whom my heart is quenched!

For this immense Gift

Thou who art All and to me Thou givest me All,

Of the darkness of my night the Light pierces the veil,

And I sing and pray and cry, with as much faith as I can:

I believe, I believe

In thee One and Triune God, my One Lord!

Thou, Father, Thou, Beginning, who art the Source of it;

Thou, Son, Eternal Word, by Whom it grows;

Thou, Divine Spirit, Who confirmest me in it.

Thou, Most Holy Trinity, Impenetrable Mystery of Thee Only God,

in the Holy Sacrifice of the God who becomes Son,

grant that I may always find Food, Comfort and Strength

and Water that purifies,

to make me steadfast and holy,

In Thee who art the Way, the Truth and the Life,

By the sure hand of Virgo Purissima

Who to Thee, and by Thee for me, Thou Amor, Mother didst make,

Firm and secure in abiding

In the bosom of thy Holy and Beloved Bride,

the Faith that, in the Son, unites me and makes a gift to Thee!

+ Giovanni D'Ercole

Multiplication by Sharing

(Mk 6:34-44)

«Man is a limited being who is himself limitless» (Fratelli Tutti [Brethren All] n.150).

In our hearts we have a great longing for fulfilment and Happiness. The Father has introduced it, He Himself satisfies it - but He wants us to be associated with His work - inside and outside.

The Son reflects God's plan in compassion for the crowds in need of everything and - despite the plethora of teachers and experts - lacking any authentic teaching (v.34).

His solution is very different from that of all “spiritual” guides, because He does not gloss over us with an indirect paternalism (v.37) that wipes away tears, heals wounds, erases humiliations.

He invites us to make in person use of what we are and have, even though it may seem ridiculous. But He teaches in no uncertain terms that by shifting energies, prodigious results are achieved.

This is how we respond in Christ to the world's great problems: by recovering the condition of the man ‘viator’ - a passing being, her/his essential mark - and by sharing goods; not letting everyone make do (v.36).

Our real nakedness, the vicissitudes and experience of the many different brothers and sisters, are resources not to be evaluated with distrust, «viewing others as competitors or dangerous enemies» of our fulfilment (FT no.152).

Not only will the little we bring be enough to satiate us, but it will advance for others and with identical fullness of truth, human, epochal (vv.42-43).

The new people of God are not a crowd of chosen and pure people. Everyone brings with them problems, which the Lord heals - taking care not by proxy measures (v.37), as if from above or from without.

In short: another world is possible, but through breaking one's own (even miserable) bread and companion (v.38).

An authentic solution, if one brings it out from within, and by standing in the midst - not in front, not in charge, not at up high (v.36).

The place of God's revelation was to be the place of thunderbolts, on a "mountain" steaming like a furnace (Ex 19:18)... but finally even Elijah's violent zeal had to recant (1 Kings 19:12).

Even to women and men on the other side (vv.31-32) the Son reveals a Father who does not simply erase infirmities, but makes them understood as a place that is preparing a personal development, and that of the Community.

It was imagined that in the time of the Messiah, all the needy would disappear (Is 35:5ff.). ‘Golden age’: everything at the top, no abyss.

In Jesus - distributed Bread - an unusual fullness of times is manifested, apparently nebulous and fragile (v.38) but real and able to reboot people and relationships.

Our shortcomings make us attentive, and unique. They are not to be despised, but taken up, placed in the Son's hands and energised (v.41).

The same falls can be a precious sign; in Christ, they are no longer mere humiliations, but path indicators (vv.32-34): perhaps we are not using and investing our resources to the best of our ability.

Thus collapses can be quickly transformed into (different, unpacked) ascents and a search for total completion in Communion.

The image of the Kingdom in the puny Eucharist does not eliminate the flaw and death: it takes them up and transfigures them into strengths; by creating encounter, dialogue, predilection for the least realities - and New Covenant.

[Weekday Liturgy of 8 January]

The very different solution

(Mk 6:34-44)

«Man is a limited being who is himself limitless» (Fratelli Tutti [Brethren All] n.150).

In our hearts we have a great longing for fulfilment and Happiness. The Father has introduced it, He Himself satisfies it - but He wants us to be associated with His work - inside and outside.

The Son reflects God's design in compassion for the crowds in need of everything and - despite the plethora of teachers and experts - lacking any authentic teaching (v.34).

His solution is very different from that of all 'spiritual' guides, because it does not gloss over us with an indirect paternalism (v.37) that wipes away tears, heals wounds, erases humiliations.

It invites us to make use of what we are and have, even though it may seem ridiculous. But it teaches in no uncertain terms that by shifting energies, prodigious results are achieved.

This is how we respond in Christ to the world's great problems: by recovering the condition of the man viator - a being of passage, his essential mark - and by sharing goods; not letting everyone make do (v.36).

Our real nakedness, the vicissitudes and experience of the many different brothers and sisters, are resources not to be evaluated with distrust: "as dangerous competitors or enemies" of our fulfilment (FT no.151).

Not only will the little we bring be enough to satiate us, but it will advance for others and with identical fullness of truth, human, epochal (vv.42-43: the particular passage insists on the Semitic symbolism of the number "twelve").

In Christ, everyone can inaugurate a new Time, and Salvation is already at hand, because people gather spontaneously around Him, coming as they are, with the burden of so many different needs.

The new people of God are not a crowd of chosen and pure people. Everyone brings with them problems that the Lord heals - healing not by proxy (v.37), as if from above or from without.

In short: another world is possible, but through the breaking of one's own (even paltry) bread and companion (v.38).

An authentic solution, if one makes it emerge from within, and by standing in the middle - not in front, not at the top (v.36).

In the symbolism of the five loaves and two fishes (v.38) - from a Christological perspective - it means: taking on the tradition, even the legalistic one, which has been the wise basic nourishment (5 books of the Torah), then one's own history and sapiential afflatus (Writings: Kethubhiim) as well as the prophetic character (Nevi'im: Prophets).

[As St Augustine said: "The Word of God that is daily explained to you and in a certain sense 'broken' is also daily Bread" (Sermo 58, IV: PL 38,395). Complete food: basic food and "companion" - historical and ideal, in code and in deed].

The place of God's revelation was to be the place of thunderbolts, on a "mountain" smouldering like a furnace (Ex 19:18)... but finally even Elijah's violent zeal had to recant (1 Kings 19:12).

Even to women and men on the other side (vv.31-32) the Son reveals a Father who does not simply erase infirmities: he makes them understood as a place that is preparing a personal development, and that of the Community.

He imagined that in the time of the Messiah, all the needy would disappear (Is 35:5ff.). Golden age: everything at the top, no abyss.

In Jesus - distributed Bread - an unusual fullness of times is manifested, apparently nebulous and fragile (v.38) but real and capable of restarting people and relationships.

The Spirit of God acts not by descending from on high, but by activating in us capacities that appear intangible, yet are able to gather up our dispersed being, classified as insubstantial - involving the everyday summary - and re-evaluate it.

The Incarnation retracts the heart in dignity and promotion; it truly unfolds, because it does not drag away poverty and obstacles: it rests on them and does not erase them at all. Thus it surpasses them, but transmutes them: creating new life.

Sap that draws juice and sprouts Flowers from the one muddy and fertile soil, and communicates them. Solidarity to which all are invited, not just those deemed to be in a state of 'perfection' and compactness.

Our shortcomings make us attentive, and unique. They are not to be despised, but taken up, placed in the Son's hands and energised (v.41).

Falls themselves can be a valuable sign; in Christ, they are no longer mere humiliations, but rather path markers (vv.32-34): perhaps we are not using and investing our resources to the fullest.

Thus collapses can be quickly transformed into (different, unpacked) rises, and a search for total completion in Communion.

Therefore, in the ideal of realising the Vocation and perceiving the type of contribution to be made, nothing is better than a living environment that does not clip the wings: a lively fraternity in the exchange of qualities.Not so much to dampen our jolts, but so that we are enabled to build knowledge stores not calibrated by nomenclatures - but full of personal resources and relationships that everyone can draw on, even those who are different and far from us.

'Together', the 'bad moments' immediately become a springboard for not stagnating in the same old situations - regenerating, moving on elsewhere; even by a lot.

Thus, the failures that put us on edge serve to make us realise what we had not noticed, thus to deviate from a conformist destiny.

They force us to seek suggestions, different horizons and relationships, a completion we had not imagined.

In short, our Heaven is intertwined with flesh, earth and our dust: a Supernatural that lies within and below, even in the souls of those who have collapsed to the ground; not behind the clouds.

It is the direct contact with our humus filled with royal juices that regenerates and even creates us... as new women and men, newly re-parturified in sharing.

The image of the Kingdom in the puny Eucharist does not eliminate defect and death: it takes them on and transfigures them into strengths; creating encounter, dialogue, predilection for the minimal - and New (frankly propulsive) Covenant.

Unfortunately, the exaggerated targeting of films about Jesus 'multiplying' abundance leads us completely astray.

It breeds the devotees of accretion... who disdain division (triplicators of money, property, titles, goals, relationships that matter, and so on).

Conversely, in Christ who distributes all things, we become like an actualised and propulsive body of sensitive witnesses (and living Scriptures!).

Infants in the Lord, we swim in this different Water - sometimes perhaps outwardly veiled or muddy and murky, but finally made transparent if only because it is yielding, compassionate (v.34) and benevolent.

The old exclusive puddle of religion that does not dare the risk of Faith (v.33) would not have helped to assimilate the proposal of the Messiah who solves the world's problems without immediate lightning bolts or shortcuts.

He is in us who have embraced his life proposal. And his Victory is this People, fraternal.

Initiative-Response of the Father, support in the journey in search of the Hope of the poor - of all of us destitute and waiting.

To internalise and live the message:

Have you ever transmitted happiness and made recoveries that renew relationships or put people who do not even have self-esteem back on their feet?

Is your Journey of Hope ethereal or concrete?

The Eucharist, bread broken for the life of the world

88. "The bread I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world" (Jn 6:51). In these words the Lord reveals the true meaning of the gift of his life for all people. These words also reveal his deep compassion for every man and woman. The Gospels frequently speak of Jesus' feelings towards others, especially the suffering and sinners (cf. Mt 20:34; Mk 6:34; Lk 19:41). Through a profoundly human sensibility he expresses God's saving will for all people – that they may have true life. Each celebration of the Eucharist makes sacramentally present the gift that the crucified Lord made of his life, for us and for the whole world. In the Eucharist Jesus also makes us witnesses of God's compassion towards all our brothers and sisters. The eucharistic mystery thus gives rise to a service of charity towards neighbour, which "consists in the very fact that, in God and with God, I love even the person whom I do not like or even know. This can only take place on the basis of an intimate encounter with God, an encounter which has become a communion of will, affecting even my feelings. Then I learn to look on this other person not simply with my eyes and my feelings, but from the perspective of Jesus Christ." (240) In all those I meet, I recognize brothers or sisters for whom the Lord gave his life, loving them "to the end" (Jn 13:1). Our communities, when they celebrate the Eucharist, must become ever more conscious that the sacrifice of Christ is for all, and that the Eucharist thus compels all who believe in him to become "bread that is broken" for others, and to work for the building of a more just and fraternal world. Keeping in mind the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, we need to realize that Christ continues today to exhort his disciples to become personally engaged: "You yourselves, give them something to eat" (Mt 14:16). Each of us is truly called, together with Jesus, to be bread broken for the life of the world.

[Pope Benedict, Sacramentum caritatis]

«How are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?»

Before the multitude which has followed him from the shores of the Sea of Galilee to the mountains in order to listen to his word, Jesus begins, with this question, the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves. This is the significant prelude to the long speech in which he reveals himself to the world as the real Bread of life which came down from heaven (cf. Jn 6:41).

1. We have listened to the evangelical narration: with five barley loaves and two fish, offered by a boy, Jesus feeds about five thousand people. But the latter, not understanding the depth of the "sign" in which they have been involved, are convinced that they have at last found the King-Messiah, who will solve the political and economic problems of their nation. Before this obtuse misunderstanding of his mission, Jesus withdraws, all alone, to the mountains.

We, too, beloved Brothers and Sisters, have followed Jesus and continue to follow him. But we can and must ask ourselves "With what interior attitude?" With the true one of faith, which Jesus expected of the Apostles and of the multitude that he had fed, or with an attitude of incomprehension? Jesus presented himself on that occasion like, in fact more than, Moses who had fed the people of Israel in the desert during the Exodus. He presented himself like, in fact more than, Elisha, who had fed a hundred persons with twenty loaves of barley and grain. Jesus manifested himself, and manifests himself to us today, as the One who is capable of satisfying for ever the hunger of our hearts: "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst." (Jn 6:33)

And man, especially modern man, is so hungry: hungry for truth, justice, love, peace, beauty; but, above all, hungry for God. "We must hunger for God!", St Augustine exclaims ("famelici Dei esse debemus": Enarrat. in psal.146, n. 17,: PL 37, 1895 f.). It is he, the heavenly Father, who gives us the true bread!

2. This bread, which we need, is first and foremost Christ, who gives himself to us in the sacramental signs of theEucharist, and makes us hear, at every Mass, the words of the last Supper: "Take and eat, all of you: this is my body offered in sacrifice for you." In the sacrament of the eucharistic bread—the Second Vatican Council affirms —"the unity of all believers who form one body in Christ (cf. I Cor 10:17) is both expressed and brought about. All men are called to this union with Christ, who is the light of the world, from whom we go forth, through whom we live, and toward whom our journey leads us." (Lumen Gentium, 3.)

The bread that we need is, moreover, the Word of God, because "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Mt 4:4; cf. Dt 8:3). Certainly, men, too, can express and utter words of high value. But history shows us how the words of men are sometimes insufficient, ambiguous, disappointing, biased; while the Word of God is full of truth (cf. 2 Sam 7:28; 1 Cor 17:26); it is upright (Psalms 33:4); it is stable and remains for ever (cf. Psalms 119:89; 1 Pet 1:25).

We must listen religiously to this Word continually; assume it as the criterion of our way of thinking and acting; get to know it, by means of assiduous reading and personal meditation; but especially, we must day after day, in all our behaviour, make it ours, put it into practice,

The bread we need, finally, is grace; and we must invoke it, ask for it with sincere humility and tireless constancy, well aware that it is the most precious thing we can possess.

3. The path of our life, laid out for us by God's providential love, is a mysterious one, sometimes incomprehensible on the human plane, and nearly always hard and difficult. But the Father gives us the bread from heaven" (cf. In 6:32), to encourage us in our pilgrimage on earth.

I am happy to conclude with a passage from St Augustine, which sums up admirably that upon which we have meditated: "We can understand very well... how your Eucharist is daily food. The faithful know, in fact, what they receive and it is good that they should receive the daily bread necessary for this time. They pray for themselves, to become good, to be persevering in goodness, faith, and a good life... the Word of God, which is explained to us and, in a certain sense, broken, every day, is also daily bread" (Sermo 58, IV: PL 38, 395).

May Christ Jesus always multiply his bread, also for us!

Amen!

[Pope John Paul II, Homily 29 July 1979]

Jn 6:1-15 recounts the parable of the multiplication of the loaves and the fish. Seeing that a large crowd had followed him to Lake Tiberias, Jesus turned to the Apostle Philip and asked him: “How are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” (v. 5). The few denarii that Jesus and the apostles had were in fact not enough to feed that multitude. And then came Andrew, another of the Twelve, leading a young lad to Jesus, who made all that he had available to them: five loaves and two fish. But certainly, Andrew says, this is not enough for that crowd (cf. v. 9). He was a good lad! Courageous. He too could see the crowd and the five loaves but he says: “I have this: If you need it, take it”. This boy makes us think.... What courage.... Young people are like this. They have courage. We must help them express this courage. And yet, Jesus ordered his disciples to ask the people to sit down. He then took the bread and the fish, gave thanks to the Father and distributed it (cf. v. 11) and everyone was able eat their fill. Everyone ate as much as they wanted.

With this Gospel passage, the liturgy inspires us to keep our gaze on Jesus, who, in last Sunday’s Gospel passage according to Mark, upon seeing “a great throng ... had compassion on them” (Mk 6:34). That boy too with the five loaves had understood this compassion and said: “Poor people! I have this...”. His compassion moved him to offer what he had. Indeed today, John shows us again that Jesus is attentive to people’s primary needs. The parable describes a concrete fact: the people were hungry and Jesus engaged his disciples so that this hunger could be satisfied. This is the concrete fact. Jesus did not only offer this to the crowd — he offered his Word, his solace, his salvation, ultimately his life —, but he certainly did this too: he took care of the food for the body. And we, his disciples, cannot ignore this. Only by listening to the peoples’ most simple requests and being close to their practical existential situation can one expect to be listened to when speaking about higher values.

God’s love for a humanity that is hungry for bread, freedom, justice, peace and, above all, his divine grace, never fails. Even today, Jesus continues to feed, to make his presence alive and comforting, and he does so through us. So the Gospel invites us to be available and hard working, like that youth who, realizing he had five loaves, says: “I contribute this, then you will see [to it] ...”. Faced with the cry of hunger — all types of “hunger” — of many brothers and sisters in every part of the world, we cannot be detached and calm spectators. The proclamation of Christ, Bread of eternal life, requires a generous commitment of solidarity toward the poor, the weak, the least ones, the defenceless. This action of closeness and charity is the best test of the quality of our faith, both at the personal level and at the community level.

Then at the end of the story, Jesus, when everyone had eaten their fill, Jesus told the disciples to gather up the leftovers so that nothing would be wasted. And I would like to suggest to you this sentence that Jesus uttered: “Gather the fragments left over, that nothing may be lost” (v. 12). I am thinking about the many hungry people and how much leftover food we throw away.... Let each of us think about this: where does the food that is left over from lunch go, from dinner, where does it go? What is done with the leftover food in my house? Is it thrown away? No. If you have this habit, I will give you some advice: speak to your grandparents who lived through the post war period and ask them what they did with the leftovers. Never throw away leftover food. Either heat it again or give it to someone who can eat it, to someone who needs it. Never throw away leftover food. This is a piece of advice and also an examination of conscience: what do we do with leftovers at home?

Let us pray to the Virgin Mary so that programmes dedicated to development, food and solidarity may prevail in the world and not those of hatred, weapons and war.

[Pope Francis, Angelus 29 July 2018]

Welcoming and not transferring assessments

(Mt 4:12-17.23-25)

The Kingdom is near if thanks to our involvement God comes to earth and happiness knocks on the door, converting us to something profoundly new: choices of light in place of rulings, possession, exercise of power, display of glory.

The Gospel of Mt was written to support the communities of Galilee and Syria, composed of converted Jews, who suffered accusations of betraying the promises of the Covenant and welcoming the pagans.

The purpose of the text is to bring out the figure of Jesus the Messiah [no longer the son of David] who brings salvation deployed beyond perimeters: not only to the chosen people and to observants of its normative clichés.

He doesn’t exclude anyone, and everyone must feel adequate.

Already in the initial genealogy, Mt foretells the universal ecclesiology of new Rabbi as a source of broad blessing, even outside of Israel and the observances.

Non-ambitious reality, an alternative to the Empire or to life of narrow cultures - reality not set up or uprighted by us.

The sad situation of ancient times (vv.14-16) is behind.

Even in the Discourse of «the Mount» - to which Mt 4 prepares us - the Evangelist underlines the specific vocation of Christian fraternities.

Their special trait: to turn to all the earth, even the enemies. Without presumption, without any foreclosure.

In Christ, there is no more imperfection, mistake or unfirm condition that can keep us distant.

Each is indispensable and precious. Everyone is legitimized. No one should atone.

In this way, the Call not to feel marginalized, the Vocation not to neglect themselves and not to neglect brothers, is reiterated throughout the book.

The authentic and divine Herald doesn’t raise the tone nor the rhythm, doesn’t break the cracked cane (Mt 12,2-3), crosses the frontiers of purity and race.

Such the basis for the good formation of the intimates. Then Christ send the disciples to all peoples - in the style of opening without hesitation, and not being picky.

The realized idea of what we would call today the «culture of encounter» was already born in comparison with the internal reality of the Baptist’ school.

Zechariah’s son was claiming to be able ‘to prepare’ well for the Coming of the Kingdom. Conversely, it remains unpredictable - not immediately full of judgments.

Instead, if the Kingdom with unexpected facets is here, there is only to live it fully and with astonishment.

An incentive to all-round humanization - based on the exchange of gifts, the creative freedom of love, and a spirit of wide understanding.

It’s a new Voice: which reassembles the inner energy of persons, and unfolds its superior Guide.

Radical appeal that in every woman and man directs and even performs the disturbances - a world that belongs to us, only seemingly inferior.

And it goes beyond the absolute pious of exclusive plans or mortifications.

A reality that doesn’t transfer evaluations beyond the person - but knows how to wait and doesn’t dictate procedures, measures, cadences of others; electives.

No close-ups, not even religiously "correct".

[Weekday Liturgy of January 7]

Accepting and not transferring evaluations

(Mt 4:12-17.23-25)

The Kingdom is near if, thanks to our involvement, God comes to earth and happiness knocks at the door, converting us to something profoundly new: choices of light instead of judgement, possession, the exercise of power, the display of glory.

The Gospel of Matthew was written to support the communities of Galilee and Syria, made up of converted Jews, who were suffering accusations of betraying the promises of the Covenant and welcoming pagans.

The aim of the text is to bring out the figure of Jesus the Messiah [no longer the son of David] who brings salvation, deployed beyond the perimeters: not only to the chosen people and the observers of its normative clichés.

He excludes no one, and everyone must feel adequate.

Already in the opening genealogy, Mt foretells the universal ecclesiology of the new Rebbe as a source of wide-ranging blessing, even outside Israel and the observances.

An unambitious reality, an alternative to empire or the life of narrow cultures - absolutely not set up or ruled by us.

To encourage his faithful not to fear being excluded, and to recognise themselves in the Master, the evangelist reiterates precisely the criterion of redemption without borders.

He does so in the text of the Magi and in the present one: a salvation proposed as if on a journey, and without too much fighting against it.

The sad situation of ancient times (vv.14-16) is behind us.

Even in the Sermon on "the Mount" - for which Matthew 4 prepares the audience - the evangelist emphasises the specific nature of the vocation of Christian fraternities.

Their special trait: to turn to the whole earth, even their enemies. Without presumption, without any preclusion.

In Christ, there is no more imperfection, mistake or shaky condition that can keep us apart.

Everyone is indispensable and precious. Everyone is legitimate. No one has to atone.

Thus, the Call not to feel marginalised, the Vocation not to be neglected or overlooked, is reiterated throughout the book.

The authentic and divine Herald does not raise the tone or the pace, does not break the cracked reed (Mt 12:2-3), transcends the boundaries of purity and race.

Such is the basis of the good training of intimates; no cultural, ethnic or religious background gaps.

The young Announcer then sends out the disciples to all peoples - in the style of opening up without hesitation, and not being picky.

The accomplished idea of what we would today call a 'culture of encounter' was already born in the confrontation with the inner reality of the school of the Baptist.

The son of Zechariah and Elisabeth claimed to be able to prepare well for the Coming of the Kingdom. Conversely, it remained unpredictable.

An environment - John's - in which the Announcement was not solely positive, nor always full of life and only of joy and welcome: often of judgement and clear cut.

The Baptiser did not fully legitimise spontaneity, each person's own ways. He did not extinguish fears; nor the fears of every perplexed soul, that it might be 'wrong'.

Instead, if the Kingdom with unexpected facets is here, there is nothing but to experience it fully and with wonder.

Following the Baptist [and pupil, along with his first disciples] the new Master had definitively grasped the difference between reductionist ascetic dynamics and the Father's plan of salvation.

He stimulated an all-round humanisation - founded on the exchange of gifts, the creative freedom of love, and a spirit of broad understanding.

The luminous and universal mission of the Son of God was not understood except by very few - all fragile and little people - and was slow to assert itself.

This is the condition of the faithful addressed by Mt.

The Lord's friends must not let themselves go if they cannot convince everyone, immediately.

It is too difficult to make the religious veterans and their established realities believe that no one has the exclusive right.

Even the strong and self-confident need only accept the coming Life - let alone the weak and errant.

But until the Forerunner himself is imprisoned and silenced, even the authentic Messiah lives almost in the shadow of the last of the ancient Prophets (cf. Jn 3:22-23).

Then he is forced to flee even from his small, traditionalist and nationalist village (Mt 4:12-13.25).

No one could believe in a Kingdom without great proclamations and arduous conditions.

It seemed impossible that the Eternal One could share his wide-ranging life; already among us, so ordinary and nothing exceptional.

As if he were a Father who transcends but approaches us all, without prior conditions of purity.

It seemed improbable to pass from the idea of the imminence of the announced empire of power, to his daily and unclamorous presence.

All the more so - all this, in the Person of the servant Messiah; not executioner, nor leader, nor self-sufficient avenger.Such dim closeness, nothing clamorous, just like his friends, converted precisely from popular Judaism and paganism.

In order to animate the churches at a critical moment, Mt brings out in the Lord's own story the characteristic experience and the same peaks of discrimination suffered by the poor members of his tiny fraternities.

Like Jesus, they were not to be overcome by fear, condemnation, separatist and distinctive ideas, nor by feeling themselves to be a minority - or by fears of persecution.

Indeed, those reborn by such a wide Spirit were no longer to stifle their tendencies, innate inclinations, perceiving the mind and natural abilities as a conflict to be adjusted according to patterns.

We are not called to a small and stagnant proxy, but to be Light and Presence - in motion - to ourselves and the multitudes we recognise within and without (vv.23-25).

Also with silent and unforced Faith.

The innate Wisdom Character transmitted by God the Creator to each one can surface everywhere in the authenticity of the Gospel.

The Word crosses sacred boundaries: especially when it becomes a non-artificial echo of our essence, and a call of good-natured instinct.

It is a new Voice: that recomposes the intimate energy of all, and unfolds its superior Guidance.

Radical call that in every woman and man addresses and fulfils even the disturbances - a world that belongs to us, only apparently inferior.

And it goes beyond the absolute piousness of exclusive plans or mortifications.

A reality that does not transfer assessments beyond the person - but knows how to wait for it and does not dictate procedures, measures, cadences of others; electives.

No foreground, not even religiously 'correct'.

Commenting on the Tao Tê Ching (i) Master Ho-shang Kung states: "Mystery is Heaven. He says that both the man who has desires and the man who does not have desires equally receive ch'ì from Heaven".

To internalise and live the message:

How can you avoid cultural, doctrinal or charismatic closures (already all designed-regulated), and live the universality of the new humanisation? 

What is the yardstick by which your ecclesial reality approaches those who are different?

Meaning of "Gospels", and Integral Healing

In today's liturgy, the evangelist Matthew presents the beginning of Christ's public mission. It consists essentially in the preaching of the Kingdom of God and the healing of the sick, showing that this Kingdom has come near, indeed, has now come among us. Jesus begins to preach in Galilee, the region where he grew up, a territory of "periphery" compared to the centre of the Jewish nation, which is Judea, and in it Jerusalem. But the prophet Isaiah had foretold that that land, assigned to the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali, would know a glorious future: the people plunged in darkness would see a great light (cf. Is 8:23-9:1), the light of Christ and his Gospel (cf. Mt 4:12-16). The term "gospel", in Jesus' time, was used by the Roman emperors for their proclamations. Regardless of the content, they were referred to as "good news", i.e. proclamations of salvation, because the emperor was regarded as the ruler of the world and every one of his edicts as heralding good. Applying this word to Jesus' preaching therefore had a strongly critical meaning, as if to say: God, not the emperor, is the Lord of the world, and the true Gospel is that of Jesus Christ.

The 'good news' that Jesus proclaims is summed up in these words: 'The kingdom of God - or the kingdom of heaven - is at hand' (Mt 4:17; Mk 1:15). What does this expression mean? It certainly does not indicate an earthly kingdom delimited in space and time, but proclaims that it is God who reigns, that it is God the Lord and his lordship is present, actual, being realised. The novelty of Christ's message is therefore that God in Him has become close, He now reigns in our midst, as the miracles and healings He performs show. God reigns in the world through his Son made man and through the power of the Holy Spirit, who is called the "finger of God" (cf. Lk 11:20). Where Jesus comes, the Creator Spirit brings life and men are healed of diseases of body and spirit. God's lordship is then manifested in the integral healing of man. With this, Jesus wants to reveal the face of the true God, the near God, full of mercy for every human being; the God who gives us life in abundance, his own life. The kingdom of God is therefore the life that asserts itself over death, the light of truth that dispels the darkness of ignorance and lies.

Let us pray to Mary Most Holy, that she may always obtain for the Church the same passion for the Kingdom of God that animated the mission of Jesus Christ: passion for God, for his lordship of love and life; passion for man, met in truth with the desire to give him the most precious treasure: the love of God, his Creator and Father.

[Pope Benedict, Angelus 27 January 2008]

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

In today's liturgy the Evangelist Matthew, who will accompany us throughout this liturgical year, presents the beginning of Christ's public mission. It consisted essentially in preaching the Kingdom of God and healing the sick, showing that this Kingdom is close at hand and is already in our midst. Jesus began his preaching in Galilee, the region where he grew up, the "outskirts" in comparison with the heart of the Jewish Nation which was Judea, and in it, Jerusalem. But the Prophet Isaiah had foretold that this land, assigned to the tribes of Zebulun and Napthali, would have a glorious future: the people immersed in darkness would see a great light (cf. Is 8: 23-9: 2). In Jesus' time, the term "gospel" was used by Roman emperors for their proclamations. Independently of their content, they were described as "good news" or announcements of salvation, because the emperor was considered lord of the world and his every edict as a portent of good. Thus, the application of this phrase to Jesus' preaching had a strongly critical meaning, as if to say God, and not the emperor, is Lord of the world, and the true Gospel is that of Jesus Christ. 

The "Good News" which Jesus proclaims is summed up in this sentence: "The Kingdom of God - or Kingdom of Heaven - is at hand" (cf. Mt 4: 17; Mk 1: 15). What do these words mean? They do not of course refer to an earthly region marked out in space and time, but rather to an announcement that it is God who reigns, that God is Lord and that his lordship is present and actual, it is being realized. The newness of Christ's message, therefore, is that God made himself close in him and now reigns in our midst, as the miracles and healings that he works demonstrate. God reigns in the world through his Son made man and with the power of the Holy Spirit who is called "the finger of God" (Lk 11: 20). Wherever Jesus goes the Creator Spirit brings life, and men and women are healed of diseases of body and spirit. God's lordship is thus manifest in the human being's integral healing. By this, Jesus wanted to reveal the Face of the true God, the God who is close, full of mercy for every human being; the God who makes us a gift of life in abundance, his own life. The Kingdom of God is therefore life that asserts itself over death, the light of truth that dispels the darkness of ignorance and lies. 

Let us pray to Mary Most Holy that she will always obtain for the Church the same passion for God's Kingdom which enlivened the mission of Jesus Christ: a passion for God, for his lordship of love and life; a passion for man, encountered in truth with the desire to give him the most precious treasure: the love of God, his Creator and Father.

[Pope Benedict, Angelus 27 January 2008]