For Christians, volunteer work is not merely an expression of good will. It is based on a personal experience of Christ. He was the first to serve humanity, he freely gave his life for the good of all. That gift was not based on our merits. From this we learn that God gives us himself. More than that: Deus Caritas est – God is love, to quote a phrase from the First Letter of Saint John (4:8) which I employed as the title of my first Encyclical Letter. The experience of God’s generous love challenges us and liberates us to adopt the same attitude towards our brothers and sisters: “You received without paying, give without pay” (Mt 10:8). We experience this especially in the Eucharist when the Son of God, in the breaking of bread, brings together the vertical dimension of his divine gift with the horizontal dimension of our service to our brothers and sisters.

Christ’s grace helps us to discover within ourselves a human desire for solidarity and a fundamental vocation to love. His grace perfects, strengthens and elevates that vocation and enables us to serve others without reward, satisfaction or any recompense. Here we see something of the grandeur of our human calling: to serve others with the same freedom and generosity which characterizes God himself. We also become visible instruments of his love in a world that still profoundly yearns for that love amid the poverty, loneliness, marginalization and ignorance that we see all around us.

Of course, Catholic volunteer work cannot respond to all these needs, but that does not discourage us. Nor should we let ourselves be seduced by ideologies that want to change the world according to a purely human vision. The little that we manage to do to relieve human needs can be seen as a good seed that will grow and bear much fruit; it is a sign of Christ’s presence and love which, like the tree in the Gospel, grows to give shelter, protection and strength to all who require it.

This is the nature of the witness which you, in all humility and conviction, offer to civil society. While it is the duty of public authority to acknowledge and to appreciate this contribution without distorting it, your role as Christians is to take an active part in the life of society, seeking to make it ever more humane, ever more marked by authentic freedom, justice and solidarity. 

Our meeting today takes place on the liturgical memorial of Saint Martin of Tours. Often portrayed sharing his mantle with a poor man, Martin became a model of charity throughout Europe and indeed the whole world. Nowadays, volunteer work as a service of charity has become a universally recognized element of our modern culture. Nonetheless, its origins can still be seen in the particularly Christian concern for safeguarding, without discrimination, the dignity of the human person created in the image and likeness of God. If these spiritual roots are denied or obscured and the criteria of our collaboration become purely utilitarian, what is most distinctive about the service you provide risks being lost, to the detriment of society as a whole. 

Dear friends, I would like to conclude by encouraging young people to discover in volunteer work a way to grow in the self-giving love which gives life its deepest meaning. Young people readily react to the call of love. Let us help them to hear Christ who makes his call felt in their hearts and draws them closer to himself. We must not be afraid to set before them a radical and life-changing challenge, helping them to learn that our hearts are made to love and be loved. It is in self-giving that we come to live life in all its fullness. 

With these sentiments, I renew my gratitude to all of you and to all those whom you represent. I ask God to watch over your many works of service and to make them ever more spiritually fruitful, for the good of the Church and of the whole world. To you and your associates I willingly impart my Apostolic Blessing.

[Pope Benedict, Meeting promoted by the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum", 11 November 2011]

Lent, the providential time for conversion, helps us to contemplate this stupendous mystery of love. It is a return to the roots of our faith, so that by pondering the measureless gift of grace which is Redemption, we cannot fail to realize that all has been given to us by God’s loving initiative. In order to meditate upon this aspect of the mystery of salvation, I have chosen as the theme for this year’s Lenten Message the Lord’s words: “You received without paying, give without pay” (Mt 10:8). 

Yes! We have received without pay. Is not our entire life marked by God’s kindness? The beginning of life and its marvellous development: this is a gift. And because it is gift, life can never be regarded as a possession or as private property, even if the capabilities we now have to improve the quality of life can lead us to think that man is the “master” of life. The achievements of medicine and biotechnology can sometimes lead man to think of himself as his own creator, and to succumb to the temptation of tampering with “the tree of life” (Gn 3:24).

It is also worth repeating here that not everything that is technically possible is morally acceptable. Scientific work aimed at securing a quality of life more in keeping with human dignity is admirable, but it must never be forgotten that human life is a gift, and that it remains precious even when marked by suffering and limitations. A gift to be accepted and to be loved at all times: received without pay and to be placed without pay at the service of others.

[Pope John Paul II, Message for Lent 2002]

"Service" and "gratuitousness" are the two key words around which Pope Francis built his meditation during Mass celebrated at Santa Marta on the morning of Tuesday, 11 June. These are the fundamental characteristics that must accompany Christians "along the way," said the Pontiff, along that path, that "journey" that always distinguishes life, "because a Christian cannot remain stationary."

The teaching comes directly from the Gospel: it is there that we find — as highlighted by the passage from Matthew proposed by the liturgy of the day (10:7-13) — Jesus' instructions to the apostles who are being sent out. A mission which, said the Pope, is also that of "the successors of the apostles" and of "every Christian, if sent". Therefore, first and foremost, "the Christian life is about moving forward, always. Not standing still." And in this journey, what does the Lord recommend to his followers? "Heal the sick, preach that the kingdom of heaven is near, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons." In other words, "a life of service."

This is the first fundamental point highlighted by the Pope: "Christian life is about serving." And it is very sad, he added, to see "Christians who, at the beginning of their conversion or their awareness of being Christians, serve, are open to serving, serve the people of God," and then, instead, "end up serving themselves. This hurts so much, so much to the people of God." The Christian vocation, therefore, is to 'serve' and never to 'use'.

Continuing his reflection, Francis then moved on to a concept that, he emphasised, "goes right to the heart of salvation: 'Freely you have received, freely give'. Christian life is a life of gratuitousness." From Jesus' recommendation to the apostles he sent out, it is clear that "salvation cannot be bought; salvation is given to us freely. God saved us, saves us freely. He does not make us pay'. This is, the Pope explained, a principle 'that God has used with us' and that we must use 'with others'. And it is 'one of the most beautiful things' to know 'that the Lord is full of gifts to give us' and that only one thing is asked of us: 'that our hearts be open'. As in the Lord's Prayer, where 'we pray, we open our hearts, so that this gratuitousness may come. There is no relationship with God outside of gratuitousness'.

Considering this cornerstone of Christian life, the Pontiff then highlighted some possible and dangerous misunderstandings. Thus, he said, "sometimes, when we need something spiritual or a grace, we say: 'Well, now I will fast, I will do penance, I will do a novena...'". All this is fine, but "let us be careful: this is not to 'pay' for grace, to 'buy' grace; this is to open your heart so that grace may come." Let us be clear, in fact: "Grace is free. All of God's gifts are free. The problem is that the heart shrinks, closes and is incapable of receiving so much love, so much free love." Therefore, "everything we do to obtain something, even a promise — 'If I have this, I will do that' — is to enlarge the heart, not to bargain with God... No. With God, there is no bargaining." With God, "only the language of love and of the Father and of gratuitousness" is valid.

And if this is true in our relationship with God, it is also true for Christians — 'Freely you have received, freely give' — and, Francis emphasised, especially for the 'pastors of the Church'. Grace "cannot be sold," he reiterated, adding: "It hurts so much when you find pastors who do business with God's grace: 'I will do this, but this costs so much, that costs so much...'. And God's grace remains there and salvation is a business." All this, he strongly reiterated, "is not the Lord. The Lord's grace is free and you must give it freely." Unfortunately, he explained, in the spiritual life there is "always the danger of slipping into payment, always, even when talking to the Lord, as if we wanted to give the Lord a bribe." But the relationship with the Lord cannot go down "that road."

Therefore, the Pope reiterated, no to dynamics such as, 'Lord, if you do this for me, I will give you that'; but, if necessary, yes to a promise that with it one's heart will be enlarged 'to receive' what 'is free for us'. And "this relationship of gratuitousness with God is what will then help us to have it with others, both in Christian witness and in Christian service and in the pastoral life of those who are shepherds of God's people."

'Along the way': this is how the Pope summed up his reasoning at the end of his homily. 'Christian life,' he said, 'is about going. Preach, serve, do not 'make use of'. Serve and give freely what you have received freely'. And he concluded: "May our life of holiness be this opening of the heart, so that God's gratuitousness, God's graces that are there, free, that He wants to give, may reach our hearts."

[Pope Francis, St. Martha, in L'Osservatore Romano, 11 June 2019]

Emergency large, through small Name

(Mt 10:1-7)

None of the apostles was worthy of the Call; yet he is called upon, and can receive his Mandate - as if he were already perfect!

Most of them have typical names of Judaism, even of the patriarchs’ time - which indicates a cultural and spiritual extraction rooted more in religion than in Faith... not easy to manage.

Peter was eager to step forward, but also often receding (backtracking) until he became for Jesus a «satàn» [in the culture of the ancient East, an official of the great sovereign, sent to be a controller and whistleblower - practically an accuser]. James of Zebedee and John were brothers, heated fundamentalists, and hysterically they wanted the Master only for them. Philip did not appear to be a very practical type, neither quick or trained to grasp the things of God. Andrew seems instead to be doing well: inclusive person. Bartholomew was probably open but perplexed, because the Messiah did not correspond much to him. Thomas was a little inside and a little outside. Matthew a collaborationist, avid accomplice of the oppressive system. Simon the Canaanite a hothead. Judas Iscariot one who destroys himself by trusting the old spiritual guides, imbued with a nationalist ideology, of private interest, opportunism and power. Two others (James son of Alpheus and Judas Thaddeus) perhaps simple disciples of no great importance or initiative.

But the Kingdom is «near» [v.7: «it has become close»]: God is in our history - it was already experienced in the early days, in first community of sons.

In ancient devotion, the idea of a distant God produced separations, pyramidal hierarchies, cultivation of inner circle interests.

The idea of an Eternal leader and avenger left prolific a priestly class that instead of reconciling and integrating people, neglected and abandoned the irrelevant persons.

The fact of believing in a divine Presence linked to material abundance dulled minds and the ability to read the Redemption.

[The idea of advantage and disadvantage, prosperity and scarcity, always originate in us or in the conventional mentality; from opinions].

Therefore, it is crucial to mature first, wherever we live.

Not infrequently there are unnoble reasons to want to reach everyone, run everywhere, spread, increase and do it immediately.

We say so… not to distinguish the moment of the Call from that of Sending.

It is the ‘way of intimate’ that really penetrates the space of the suburbs. In fact, only those who love strength prefer to start from what is very far from themselves.

The only way to peer far is to stick to the reason of things, a principle that we can know if we are not misled by dispersion.

By understanding the nature of themselves and creatures, everyone is inspired to complete.

In short, the Road to Heaven is intertwined with the Way of the Person, not with the journey of excellence; not with the path on the models base - or we will be overfishers common and cheesy.

The Kingdom has become ‘close’ and by Name since the beginning (vv.2-4): there is no more incisive authentic and healing Mission.

[Wednesday 14th wk. in O.T.  July 8, 2026]

Big emergency, through little Name

(Mt 10:1-7)

"These twelve Jesus sent after he had commanded them, saying, 'Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter the cities of the Samaritans - but go rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.

The proclamation of the new Faith needed breathing space; yet it was to find a dense fire of interdiction, very tenacious, precisely from the frequenters of the ingrained and habitual religiosity - linked to the ideology of power.

The first restriction to Israel had become necessary, precisely in order to uncover the most dangerous devotion: the empty and closed devotion of the synagogue, which - accustomed to the expectation of the extraordinary outside - now waited for nothing authentic to arouse it.

But the meaning of vv.5-6 is also very profound from a personal point of view, and concerns not only the initial restriction to the Chosen People of the Messianic Revelation, of the explicit universalistic openness, or of the Mission.

None of the Apostles were in themselves worthy of the Call; yet they were called, and could accept their Mandate - as if it were already perfect!

Most of them have names typical of Judaism, even from the time of the patriarchs - which indicates a cultural and spiritual background rooted more in religion than in Faith not easy to deal with.

Peter was eager to come forward, but also often backtracked (backtracked) to the point of becoming a 'satan' for Jesus [in the culture of the ancient East, an official of the great ruler, sent to act as a controller and delator - practically an accuser]. James of Zebedee and John were brothers, ardent fundamentalists, and hysterically wanted the Master only for themselves. Philip did not seem a very practical fellow, nor quick-witted or trained to grasp the things of God. Andrew, on the other hand, seemed to do well: an inclusive person. Bartholomew was probably open but perplexed, because the Messiah did not correspond to him much. Thomas was a little in and a little out. Matthew a collaborator, greedy accomplice of the oppressive system. Simon the Canaanite a hothead. Judas Iscariot a self-destructor, trusting the old spiritual guides, imbued with a nationalist ideology, self-interest, opportunism and power. Two others (James son of Alphaeus and Judas Thaddeus) perhaps mere disciples of no great prominence or capacity for initiative.

But the Kingdom is "near" [v.7: "has come near"]: God is in our history - already experienced in the early days, in his first community of sons.

In ancient devotion, the idea of a distant God produced separations, pyramidal hierarchies, the cultivation of inner-circle interests (passed off as great sensitivity and altruism).

The idea of an Eternal leader and avenger allowed a priestly class to proliferate, which instead of conciliating and integrating, neglected and abandoned the irrelevant.

The belief in a divine Presence linked to material abundance dulled minds and the ability to read Redemption.

[The idea of advantage and disadvantage, prosperity and penury, always originate in us or in the conventional mindset, of opinions].

Therefore, it is essential to mature first, wherever we live.

For not infrequently there are less than noble motives for wanting to reach everywhere, to run everywhere (to proselytise), to spread, to increase, and to do so at once.

The man or club of many lusts projects them; and frequently procures in himself or elsewhere his own murky influences.

Concealed infidelities, which, by not proposing simplicity of life and values of the spirit, drive away, building other temples and shrines.

The charge of genuine universality is contained in the rootedness to values, as well as in the knowledge of one's own shortcomings.

Virtuous principles and hidden sides are complementary energetic aspects, and will bear fruit in their own time; in the round.

We must take this deeply, without fatuous projections, even in the unexpressed sides.

In short, it seems a paradox, but openness to the heathen is a purely internal problem.

It is from oneself and from the community that one looks at the world. Not from the too exotic - at least in the first instance.

It is the Way of the Intimate that seriously penetrates the way of the peripheries. Indeed, it is only by loving strength that one prefers to start from the too distant.

One must first heal and complete that which is near.

After all, one who is not free and aware cannot liberate, nor convince - or drag - reality.

The only way then to peer far is to stick to the reason of things, a principle that one knows if not misled by the dispersion of the (even sacred) society of the outside.

Understanding the nature of oneself and of creatures, and conforming to it increasingly, in one's own development, all are inspired to complete and transmute.

This also enriches any cultural sclerosis, without alienating forcing.Thus, exercising a practice of goodness first with oneself... to heal the hardships of others' souls - having known them from within.

For the Tao Tê Ching [XLVII] says:

"Without going out the door, you know the world; without looking out the window, you glimpse the Way to Heaven. The farther you go, the less you know. That is why the saint does not go around and yet knows, does not see and yet discerns, does not act and yet completes.

Only from the Source of being springs a saved life. (It would be harmful to put the cart before the horse).

Are we a sign of dedication and striving people? Without being a sect, after a good formation, inclusive of opposites: integrating faults, bad moments, and intelligence about one's moods.

Not to distinguish the moment of the Calling from that of the Sending.

The Way to Heaven is intertwined with the Way of the Person, not of excellence; not of models - or we will be "fishermen" by the wayside.

The Kingdom has come near and by Name, from the very beginning (vv.2-4): there is no authentic and healing Mission more incisive.

To internalise and live the message:

In your experience, what chain has united Heaven and earth?

The list and effort of transgressions to be neurotically corrected, or a personal Calling, inclusive of your many faces of the soul - a Vocation supported by a Church that became an echo and a free Source of all-round understanding?

To whom would the Apostles be sent? In the Gospel Jesus seemed to limit his mission to Israel alone:  "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel" (Mt 15: 24). In a similar way he seemed to restrict the mission entrusted to the Twelve:  "These Twelve Jesus sent out, charging them:  "Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel'" (Mt 10: 5ff.).

A certain rationally inspired modern criticism saw these words as showing a lack of universal awareness by the Nazarene. Actually, they should be understood in the light of his special relationship with Israel, the community of the Covenant, in continuity with the history of salvation.

According to the Messianic expectation, the divine promises directly addressed to Israel would reach fulfilment when God himself had gathered his people through his Chosen One as a shepherd gathers his flock:  "I will save my flock, they shall no longer be a prey.... I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them; he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, shall be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them" (Ez 34: 22-24).

Jesus is the eschatological shepherd who gathers the lost sheep of the house of Israel and goes in search of them because he knows and loves them (cf. Lk 15: 4-7, Mt 18: 12-14; cf. also the figure of the Good Shepherd in Jn 10: 11ff.). Through this "gathering together", the Kingdom of God is proclaimed to all peoples:  "I will set my glory among the nations; and all the nations shall see my judgment which I have executed, and my hand which I have laid on them" (Ez 39: 21). And Jesus followed precisely this prophetic indication. His first step was to "gather together" the people of Israel, so that all the people called to gather in communion with the Lord might see and believe.

Thus, the Twelve, taken on to share in the same mission as Jesus, cooperate with the Pastor of the last times, also seeking out the lost sheep of the house of Israel, that is, addressing the people of the promise whose reunion is the sign of salvation for all peoples, the beginning of the universalization of the Covenant.

Far from belying the universal openness of the Nazarene's Messianic action, the initial restriction to Israel of his mission and of the Twelve thus becomes an even more effective prophetic sign. After Christ's passion and Resurrection, this sign was to be made clear:  the universal character of the Apostles' mission was to become explicit. Christ would send the Apostles "to the whole creation" (Mk 16: 15), to "all nations", (Mt 28: 19, Lk 24: 47), "to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1: 8).

And this mission continues. The Lord's command to gather the peoples together in the unity of his love still continues. This is our hope and also our mandate:  to contribute to this universality, to this true unity in the riches of cultures, in communion with our true Lord Jesus Christ.

[Pope Benedict, General Audience 22 March 2006]

1. In this Great Jubilee year, the basic theme of our catecheses has been the glory of the Trinity as revealed to us in salvation history. We have reflected on the Eucharist, the greatest celebration of Christ under the humble signs of bread and wine. Now we want to devote several catecheses to what we must do to ensure that the glory of the Trinity shines forth more fully in the world.

Our reflection begins with Mark's Gospel, where we read:  "Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel'" (Mk 1: 14-15). These are the first words Jesus spoke to the crowd:  they contain the heart of his Gospel of hope and salvation, the proclamation of God's kingdom. From that moment on, as the Evangelists note, Jesus "went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people" (Mt 4: 23; cf. Lk 8: 1). The Apostles followed in his footsteps and with them Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, called to "preach the kingdom of God" among the nations even to the capital of the Roman Empire (cf. Acts 20: 25; 28: 23, 31).

2. The Gospel of the kingdom links Christ with the Sacred Scriptures that, using a royal image, celebrate God's lordship over the cosmos and history. Thus we read in the Psalter:  "Say among the nations, "The Lord reigns! Yea, the world is established, it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples'" (Ps 96: 10). The kingdom is thus God's effective but mysterious action in the universe and in the tangle of human events. He overcomes the resistance of evil with patience, not with arrogance and outcry.

For this reason Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds, but destined to become a leafy tree (cf. Mt 13: 31-32), or to the seed a man scatters on the ground:  "he sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows, he knows not how" (Mk 4: 27). The kingdom is grace, God's love for the world, the source of our serenity and trust:  "Fear not, little flock", Jesus says, "for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Lk 12: 32). Fears, worries and nightmares fade away, because in the person of Christ the kingdom of God is in our midst (cf. Lk 17: 21).

3. But man is not a passive witness to God's entrance into history. Jesus asks us "to seek" actively "the kingdom of God and his righteousness" and to make this search our primary concern (Mt 6& ;33). To those who "supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately" (Lk 19: 11), he prescribed an active attitude instead of passive waiting, telling them the parable of the 10 pounds to be used productively (cf. Lk 19: 12-27). For his part, the Apostle Paul states that "the kingdom of God does not mean food and drink but righteousness" (Rom 14: 17) above all, and urges the faithul to put their members at the service of righteousness for sanctification (cf. Rom 6: 13, 19).

The human person is thus called to work with his hands, mind and heart for the coming of God's kingdom into the world. This is especially true of those who are called to the apostolate and are, as St Paul says, "fellow workers for the kingdom of God" (Col 4: 11), but it is also true of every human person.

4. Those who have chosen the way of the Gospel Beatitudes and live as "the poor in spirit", detached from material goods, in order to raise up the lowly of the earth from the dust of their humiliation, will enter the kingdom of God. "Has not God chosen those who are poor in the world", James asks in his Letter, "to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he has promised to those who love him?" (Jas 2: 5). Those who lovingly bear the sufferings of life will enter the kingdom:  "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14: 22; cf. 2 Thes 1: 4-5), where God himself "will wipe away every tear ... and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore" (Rv 21: 4). The pure of heart who choose the way of righteousness, that is, conformity to the will of God, will enter the kingdom, as St Paul warns:  "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, ... nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Cor 6: 9-10; cf. 15: 50; Eph 5: 5).

5. All the just of the earth, including those who do not know Christ and his Church, who, under the influence of grace, seek God with a sincere heart (cf. Lumen gentium, n. 16), are thus called to build the kingdom of God by working with the Lord, who is its first and decisive builder. Therefore, we must entrust ourselves to his hands, to his Word, to his guidance, like inexperienced children who find security only in the Father:  "Whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child", Jesus said, "shall not enter it" (Lk 18: 17).

With this thought we must make our own the petition:  "Thy kingdom come!". A petition which has risen to heaven many times in human history like a great breath of hope:  "May the peace of your kingdom come to us", Dante exclaimed in his paraphrase of the Our Father (Purgatorio, XI, 7). A petition which turns our gaze to Christ's return and nourishes the desire for the final coming of God's kingdom. This desire however does not distract the Church from her mission in this world, but commits her to it more strongly (cf. CCC, n. 2818), in waiting to be able to cross the threshold of the kingdom, whose seed and beginning is the Church (cf. Lumen gentium, n. 5), when it comes to the world in its fullness. Then, Peter assures us in his Second Letter, "there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Pt 1: 11).

[Pope John Paul II, General Audience 6 December 2000]

“Jesus began to preach” (Mt 4:17). With these words, the evangelist Matthew introduces the ministry of Jesus. The One who is the Word of God has come to speak with us, in his own words and by his own life. On this first Sunday of the Word of God, let us go to the roots of his preaching, to the very source of the word of life. Today’s Gospel (Mt 4:12-23) helps us to know how, where and to whom Jesus began to preach.

1. How did he begin? With a very simple phrase: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (v. 17). This is the main message of all Jesus’ sermons: to tell us that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. What does this mean? The kingdom of heaven means the reign of God, that is, the way in which God reigns through his relationship with us. Jesus tells us that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, that God is near. Here is the novelty, the first message: God is not far from us. The One who dwells in heaven has come down to earth; he became man. He has torn down walls and shortened distances. We ourselves did not deserve this: he came down to meet us. Now this nearness of God to his people is one of the ways he has done things since the beginning, even of the Old Testament. He said to his people: “Imagine: what nation has its gods so near to it as I am near to you?” (cf. Dt 4:7). And this nearness became flesh in Jesus.

This is a joyful message: God came to visit us in person, by becoming man. He did not embrace our human condition out of duty, no, but out of love. For love, he took on our human nature, for one embraces what one loves. God took our human nature because he loves us and desires freely to give us the salvation that, alone and unaided, we cannot hope to attain. He wants to stay with us and give us the beauty of life, peace of heart, the joy of being forgiven and feeling loved.

[Pope Francis, homily 26 January 2020]

(Mt 9:32-38)

In the Gospels the recoveries from diseases describe and manifest an experience of Faith.

The first forms of community [here in Mt, of Galilee and Syria] have grown through tireless activity of redemption and people reintegration, even from the ideal point of view.

In a brutally competitive, ruthless and disheartening world, the life of communion in Christ enabled a recovery from any situation of personal debasement and social abandoning.

At the origin of the Mission there is both the Compassion of Jesus and the Prayer of the disciple (so that he overcomes disappointments, freely establishes himself on a good disposition, and does not look for anything else).

Prayer does not convince the Father, but transforms the believer. It awakens consciences to perceive, sense, listen, welcome, and move - in any external condition.

Prayer allows sons to be reborn from the heart - in the small, in the unsteady, in the child, in the adolescent, in the adult, in nature, in history, in themselves, and in God.

In a situation of social collapse and economic exploitation, even the official religion inculcated the idea that material blessings were a sign of spiritual rank, and vice versa.

People consciousness was also stifled by the feeling of exclusion (and punishment for guilt) that emphasized disdain.

The incredible Novelty of the first fraternal realities of Faith detached itself from every "competition": the ability to concretely re-establish discouraged people emerged, and weave both the quality of life and relationships.

The official guides, disinterested in the real life of the people, maliciously defended their positions and tried to exorcise the persons admiration towards the friends of Jesus - with the usual nonsense about evil.

Here the Prayer, which was addressed to the Father so that He would help all his sons in their radiating work, of support, for the birth of a new and urgent vital awareness, and of bonds - for goodness to the needy.

God’s pedagogy is transmitted in available listening, in contemplative Prayer, yet it is not abstract.

The idea and work of Faith are detached from the world of sophisticated, or empty, homologating spirituality.

It is that of leaven that ferments the mass: it saves men through men - starting from the gaze of the soul [shiny, which overcomes the breathlessness].

For a wise recomposition of being, the Master invites precisely to Prayer (v.38) - the first form of disciples commitment.

Access to different harmonies within the Spirit teaches us to cultivate our insightful eye, and to appreciate and understand everything and everyone.

We recognize ourselves and become aware of things through Prayer-presentiment, unitive.

Mission grows from a small but boundless dimension - that of intimate perception, which is aware of the needs and Mystery of a favourable Presence.

New configurations in spirit: fully discovered only in deep Prayer (v.38). Embodied.

[Tuesday 14th wk. in O.T.  July 7, 2026]