VI Sunday in Ordinary Time (year A)  [15 February 2026]

May God bless us and may the Virgin protect us. The theme of the two paths, so dear to the prophets, touches on the theme of human freedom and responsibility. This Sunday's readings help us to better understand how not to go astray in life.

First Reading from the Book of Sirach (15:15-20 NV 15:16-21) 

God created us free, and Ben Sira the Wise offers us here a reflection on human freedom that is divided into three points: FIRST, evil is external to man; SECOND, man is free to choose between evil and good; THIRD, choosing good also means choosing happiness. FIRST: evil is external to man because it is not part of our nature, and this is already great news; because if evil were part of our nature, there would be no hope of salvation: we could never free ourselves from it. This, for example, was the conception of the Babylonians. In contrast, the Bible is much more optimistic: it affirms that evil is external to man; God did not create evil, and it is not he who drives us to commit it. He is therefore not responsible for the evil we commit. This is the meaning of the last verse of this reading: 'God has not commanded anyone to be wicked, nor has he given anyone permission to sin'. Shortly before this passage, Ben Sira writes: 'Do not say, "The Lord has led me astray... Do not say, "He has caused me to go astray"' (Sir 15:11-12).

If God had created Adam as a being who was partly good and partly evil, as the Babylonians imagined, evil would be part of our nature. But God is only love, and evil is totally foreign to him. The account of the fall of Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis was written precisely to make it clear that evil is external to man, since it is introduced by the serpent and spreads throughout the world when man begins to distrust God. We find the same statement in the letter of St James: 'No one, when tempted, should say, 'Temptation comes from God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one'. In other words, evil is totally foreign to God: he cannot push us to do it. And St James continues: 'Each person is tempted when they are dragged away and enticed by their own desire' (Jas 1:13-14). SECOND: man is free and can choose evil or good. This certainty was slowly acquired by the people of Israel; yet, here too, the Bible is unequivocal: God created man free. For this certainty to mature in Israel, it was necessary for the people to experience God's liberating action at every stage of their history, beginning with the experience of liberation from Egypt. The entire faith of Israel was born from its historical experience: God is its liberator; and little by little it was understood that what is true today was already true at the moment of creation, and therefore it was deduced that God created man free. We must therefore learn to reconcile these two biblical certainties: that God is almighty and that, nevertheless, man is free before him. And it is precisely because man is free to choose that we can speak of sin: the very notion of sin presupposes freedom; if we were not free, our mistakes could not be called sins. Perhaps, in order to enter a little into this mystery, we must remember that God's omnipotence is that of love: we know well that only true love makes the other free. To guide man in his choices, God gave him his Law, and the book of Deuteronomy emphasises this strongly (cf. Dt 30:11-14).  THIRD: choosing good means choosing happiness. We read in the text: "Before men lie life and death, good and evil: to each will be given what he has chosen." In other words, it is in fidelity to God that man finds true happiness. To turn away from him means, sooner or later, to bring about one's own unhappiness. Figuratively speaking, man is constantly at a crossroads: two roads open up before him (the Bible speaks of two 'ways'). One way leads to light, joy and life: blessed are those who follow it. The other is a way of night and darkness and ultimately leads only to sadness and death. Unhappy are those who stray onto it. Here too, one cannot help but think of the story of the fall of Adam and Eve: their bad choice led them down the wrong path. The theme of the two paths is very common in the Bible, particularly in the book of Deuteronomy (30:15-20). According to the theme of the two paths, we are never definitively prisoners, even after making wrong choices, because it is always possible to turn back. Through Baptism, we are grafted onto Christ, who at every moment gives us the strength to choose the right path again: this is why we call him Redeemer, that is, Liberator. Ben Sira said that it is up to us to remain faithful and, as baptised persons, we must add: we remain faithful with the grace of Jesus Christ.

Responsorial Psalm (118/119)

This psalm perfectly echoes the first reading from Ben Sira: it is the same meditation that continues; the idea developed (in a different way, of course, but in full coherence) in these two texts is that humanity finds its happiness only in trust in God and obedience to his commandments: "Blessed is the one who is upright in his way and walks in the Law of the Lord". Misfortune and death begin for man when he strays from the path of serene trust. In fact, allowing suspicion of God and his commandments to enter our hearts and, as a result, doing as we please means taking a bad road with no way out. This is precisely the problem of Adam and Eve in the story of the fall in the Garden of Eden. We find, as if in filigree, the theme of the two paths mentioned in the first reading: if we listen to Ben Sira, we are perpetual travellers, forced to constantly check our path... Blessed among us are those who have found the right path! Because, of the two paths that constantly open up before us, one leads to happiness, the other to unhappiness. The believer experiences the sweetness of fidelity to God's commandments: this is what the psalm wants to tell us. It is the longest psalm in the Psalter (176 verses with 22 stanzas of 8 verses) and the few verses proposed today constitute only a very small part of it, the equivalent of a single stanza. Why twenty-two stanzas? Because there are twenty-two letters in the Hebrew alphabet: each verse of each stanza begins with the same letter, and the stanzas follow each other in alphabetical order. In literature, we speak of an 'acrostic', although here it is not a matter of literary virtuosity, but of a true profession of faith: this psalm is a poem in honour of the Law, a meditation on God's gift, which is the Law, that is, the commandments. Indeed, rather than a psalm, it would be better to speak of a litany in honour of the Law: something that is rather foreign to us. In fact, one of the characteristics of the Bible, which is somewhat surprising to us, is the true love for the Law that dwells in the biblical believer. The commandments are not endured as a domination that God would exercise over us, but as advice, the only valid advice for leading a happy life. "Blessed are those who are upright in their ways, who walk according to the Law of the Lord": when the biblical man utters this phrase, he means it with all his heart. Obviously, this is not magic: men who are faithful to the Law may encounter all sorts of misfortunes in the course of their lives; but, in these tragic cases, the believer knows that only the path of trust in God can give him peace of mind. The Law is accepted as a gift that God gives to his people, warning them against all false paths; it is an expression of the Father's concern for his children, just as we sometimes warn a child or a friend against what we think is dangerous for them. It is said that God gives his Law, and it is truly considered a gift. In fact, God did not limit himself to freeing his people from slavery in Egypt; left to its own devices, Israel would have risked falling back into other forms of slavery that might have been even worse. By giving his Law, God was in a way offering a user manual for freedom. The Law is therefore an expression of God's love for his people. It must be said that we did not have to wait for the New Testament to discover that God is Love and that, ultimately, the Law has no other purpose than to lead us on the path of love. The entire Bible is the story of the chosen people's learning in the school of love and fraternal life. The book of Deuteronomy stated: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength" (Deut 6:4). And the book of Leviticus continued: 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself' (Lev 19:18). Later, Jesus, combining these two commandments, was able to say that they summarise the entire Jewish Law. Let us return to the Beatitude of the first verse of this psalm: 'Blessed is the man who follows the Law of the Lord'. The word "blessed," as we have already learned, can be translated as "on the way," so the meaning of this verse would be: "Walk with confidence, man who observes the Law of the Lord." The biblical man is so convinced that his life and happiness are at stake that this litany I mentioned earlier is actually a prayer. After the first three verses, which are statements about the happiness of men faithful to the Law, the remaining 173 verses address God directly, in a style that is sometimes contemplative, sometimes supplicatory, with invocations such as: "Open my eyes, that I may behold the wonders of your Law". And the litany continues, repeating almost the same formulas over and over again: for example, in Hebrew, the same eight terms are always used in each stanza to describe the Law. Only lovers dare to repeat themselves like this, without risking weariness. Eight words that are always the same and also eight verses in each of the twenty-two stanzas: the number eight, in the Bible, is the number of the new Creation. The first Creation was accomplished by God in seven days; the eighth day will therefore be that of the renewed Creation, of the 'new heavens and the new earth', according to another biblical expression. It will finally be able to manifest itself when all humanity lives according to God's Law, that is, in love, since it is the same thing. Other elements of the symbolism of the number eight: there were four human couples (eight people) in Noah's ark; Christ's resurrection took place on Sunday, which is both the first and eighth day of the week. For this reason, the baptisteries of the early centuries were often octagonal; even today, we still see numerous octagonal bell towers.

FURTHER INSIGHT: the eight terms in the vocabulary of the Law, considered synonyms that express the different facets of God's love that is given in his Law: Commandments: to order, to command; Law: derives from a root that does not mean 'to prescribe' but 'to teach'; it indicates the way to God. It is a pedagogy, an accompaniment that God offers us: a gift; Word: the Word of God is always creative, a word of love: 'God said... and so it came to pass' (Gen 1). We know well that 'I love you' is also a creative word; Promise: the Word of God is always promise and faithfulness; Judgements: dealing with justice; Decrees: from the verb 'to engrave', 'to write on stone' (the tablets of the Law); Precepts: what God has entrusted to us; Testimonies: of God's faithfulness.

Second Reading from the Letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians (2:6-10)

Last Sunday, St Paul already contrasted human wisdom with the wisdom of God: 'Your faith', he said, 'is not based on human wisdom, but on the power of God'. And he insisted that the mystery of Christ has nothing to do with our reasoning: in the eyes of men, the Gospel appears to be madness, and those who stake their lives on it are foolish. This insistence on the term 'wisdom' may surprise us, but Paul is addressing the Corinthians, that is, the Greeks, for whom wisdom is the most precious virtue.

Today, Paul continues along the same lines: the proclamation of the mystery of God may seem like folly in the eyes of the world, but it is an infinitely higher wisdom, the wisdom of God. 'Among those who are perfect, we do speak of wisdom, but of a wisdom that is not of this world... we speak instead of the wisdom of God'. It is up to us to choose whether to live according to the wisdom of the world, the spirit of the world, or according to the wisdom of God: two totally contradictory wisdoms. Here we return to the theme of the other readings for this Sunday: the first reading from the book of Sirach and Psalm 118/119 both developed, each in its own way, the theme of the two paths: man is placed at the crossroads of two paths and is free to choose his own way; one path leads to life and happiness; the other sinks into darkness, death, and ultimately offers only false joys. 'The wisdom of God that has remained hidden' (v. 7): one of the great affirmations of the Bible is that man cannot understand everything about the mystery of life and creation, nor the mystery of God himself. This limitation is part of our very being. In this regard, we read in Deuteronomy: 'The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things are for us and our children forever, that we may put into practice all the words of this Law' (Deut 29:28). This means that God knows everything, and we know only what he has chosen to reveal to us, beginning with the Law, which is the key to everything else. Let us return once more to the book of Genesis, which tells of the Garden of Eden, where there were trees of every kind, 'pleasing to the eye and good for food' (Gen 2:9); and there were also two special trees: one, located in the middle of the garden, was the tree of life; the other, located in an unspecified place, was called the tree of the knowledge of what makes one happy or unhappy. Adam was allowed to eat the fruit of the tree of life; indeed, it was recommended, for God had said, "You may eat of every tree in the garden... except one." Only the fruit of the tree of knowledge was forbidden. This is a figurative way of saying that man cannot know everything and must accept this limitation: Hidden things belong to the Lord our God, says Deuteronomy. On the contrary, the Torah, the Law, which is the tree of life, is entrusted to man: practising the Law means nourishing ourselves day after day with what will make us live.

I return to this expression: Wisdom kept hidden, established by God before the ages for our glory (cf. v7). Paul insists several times in his letters that God's plan has been established from all eternity and there has never been a rethinking or a change because the unfolding of God's plan does not change according to the behaviour of humanity: we cannot imagine that God first created a perfect world until the day Adam committed his sin and then, to make amends, decided to send his Son. Against this conception, Paul develops in many of his letters the idea that the role of Jesus Christ has been planned from all eternity and that God's plan precedes all human history. He says this clearly in his letter to the Ephesians (cf. Eph 1:9-10) and in his letter to the Romans (cf. Rom 16:25-26). The fulfilment of this plan, as Paul says, is 'to give us glory': glory is an attribute of God and God alone, and our vocation is to share in his glory. For Paul, this expression is another way of speaking about God's plan to bring us all together in Jesus Christ and make us share in the glory of the Trinity, as we read in the letter to the Ephesians. St Paul writes again: But as it is written: 'What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, God has prepared for those who love him' (v. 9). When he says 'as it is written', he is referring to the prophet Isaiah, who says: "Never before has anything like this been heard or seen, nor has any eye seen a god who acts on behalf of those who trust in him" (Is 64:3). Here is the amazement of the believer gratified by the revelation of God's mysteries. And he continues: "God has prepared these things for those who love him". But could there be people for whom this would not have been prepared? Are there therefore privileged and excluded people? Certainly not: God's plan is for everyone; but only those who have an open heart can participate in it, and each person is the sole master of their own heart. It is the theme of trust in God because the mystery of his providential plan is revealed only to the little ones, as Jesus says: "You have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to little ones" (cf. Mt 11:25 and Lk 10:21). Since we are all little ones, we need only recognise this humbly and with trust in God. 

From the Gospel according to Matthew (5:17-37)

The Kingdom advances slowly but surely. This Gospel of Matthew 5 allows us to understand how the Kingdom of God advances in history: not by breaking, but by fulfilling. The key verb that St Matthew puts on Jesus' lips is 'I have not come to abolish, but to fulfil'. The whole Bible, from Abraham onwards, is oriented towards a progressive fulfilment of God's benevolent plan. Christians, in fact, do not live in nostalgia for the past, but in active expectation: they judge history not on the basis of immediate successes, but on the progress of the Kingdom. This is why we can say that Sunday Mass is the 'meeting of the Kingdom's construction site': the place where we see whether the Gospel is really transforming life. It is a slow growth, inscribed in the Law.  The evangelist shows that this slowness is not a defect, but God's own method. The Law given to Moses represented the first steps: indicating the minimum necessary for coexistence to be possible – do not kill, do not steal, do not lie. It was already a decisive step forward from the law of the strongest. Jesus does not cancel these achievements; on the contrary, he brings them to maturity. The antitheses ('You have heard that it was said... but I say to you...') manifest this advancement of the Kingdom: not only avoiding murder, but eradicating anger; not only avoiding adultery, but purifying the gaze; not only avoiding false oaths, but living in the truth of the word. Each time the Kingdom takes a step forward, because the human heart is slowly converted. And so the Kingdom grows through relationships. The text highlighted a decisive point: the commandments renewed by Jesus all concern relationships with others: reconciliation with one's brother, respect for women, trustworthy speech, love of one's enemy. If God's merciful plan is, as Paul says, to reunite everyone in Christ, then every step towards a truer brotherhood is already an advance of the Kingdom. This is why Jesus does not limit himself to teaching us to pray 'Thy Kingdom come', but shows us how to bring it about: through concrete, daily choices, often hidden but real. At the beginning of his discourse, Matthew presents the Beatitudes that describe those who allow the Kingdom to advance: not the powerful, but the poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful, the peacemakers. It is to the little ones that the Father reveals his mysteries. Here too, the Kingdom does not advance by force or spectacle, but by humility and fidelity.

The Kingdom advances like salt that disappears and like light that shines without noise. It is growth that is measured over the long term, not in the immediate. This is why Jesus can say at the end of the chapter: 'Be perfect' (Mt 5:48), that is, brought to fulfilment. It is not an unattainable ideal, but the goal of a journey that God himself accompanies. The Kingdom of God does not burst in, but grows; it does not eliminate the past, but brings it to fulfilment; it does not advance by force, but by conversion of heart. Every step forward in love, every reconciled relationship, every word made true: this is how, slowly but surely, the Kingdom comes.

+Giovanni D'Ercole

A few days ago, I read in the newspaper about another case of a 22-year-old girl being stabbed. She was stabbed because she was listening to music at too high a volume, annoying her attacker.

Recently, several similar incidents have been reported in the media, all involving young people and all for trivial reasons. Some were for looking too long at the girl of their dreams, others for a slightly risqué compliment, etc.

Unfortunately, many young people these days attack their peers with knives they carry with them. 

It should be noted that, like all objects, knives do not only have a negative value. They are used in the kitchen, for work; in the hands of a skilled chef, they become something precious. 

In primitive societies, they were used to defend against animals and enemies.

Today, in the world of young people and beyond, if we think of the numerous cases of femicide where women are killed with unprecedented ferocity, it seems to be becoming a kind of status symbol.

This tool is perceived as a sign of toughness and strength, especially among young people who feel marginalised. 

The episodes of violence that occur between two individuals have no valid reasons, but the spark that triggers them is a trivial, sometimes frivolous motive.

Often, the use of knives – weapons that are easy to obtain – is inherent in individuals associated with youth gangs, in order to  become part of them and become affiliated. Here, it is as if this object could be a 'magic wand' against feelings of inner malaise and emotional and social disappointments. And this weapon would make us feel invincible, or perhaps just stronger. 

Except for professionals, getting used to carrying a weapon with us can have repercussions on our way of being. We get used to it, and we may increasingly tend towards episodes of aggression towards others. 

Leaving the house and carrying a knife with us - sooner or later, at the slightest provocation, we are tempted to use it, thus fuelling fear and increasing the likelihood of becoming a victim ourselves. In the long run, our psyche 'brings out' aspects of ourselves that may have been 'dormant' in hidden corners of our unconsciousness.

The individual ends up engaging in antisocial behaviour. And in the many goals they try to achieve, this behaviour can sometimes be harmful to themselves.

These are individuals who have a normal intellectual level, sometimes even above average.

In my experience of similar cases, referred by the Juvenile Court to the Child Neuropsychiatry Service, episodes of knife violence were associated with a low intellectual level.

These individuals often encounter failure in every initiative they take, thus increasing their sense of frustration.

They generally tend to lie and often exploit others, giving little importance to moral values.

They habitually almost never tell the truth, even when they make a promise (which they usually do not keep), showing no distress and coldly maintaining their positions.

They may be influenced by films and ancestral cultures, which can reinforce their inclination to use such weapons, without being aware of the possible consequences and the potential escalation of violence. 

We 'young people of the past' were taught and passed on the ability to react constructively to the difficulties and humiliations that life inevitably brings. 

Today, however, it seems that everything is owed to us, that deprivation of anything in this excess of well-being is unbearable. 

And so, especially in emotionally unstable individuals, something triggers them to do harm; we are moving towards an insane, sick aggression. Not towards that 'healthy determination' that helps us overcome life's obstacles.

I have often heard from people who came before me, and perhaps also from some reading that I now cannot remember, that the most cruel beast is man. Two souls lurk in his heart: one made of sociability and a drive towards others, the other of jealousy and rivalry, of cruelty towards others.

People with these issues tend to be dishonest, to lie and deceive others, to try to exploit them, forgetting the moral principles they have learned.

These people always consider themselves 'the best'. If this is not perceived, anger rises - consciously or unconsciously.

When they cause harm, they feel no remorse and no guilt.

The line between what is legal and what is not becomes blurred. We tend to act impulsively, without considering the effect of our actions on others.

As a result, we sink lower and lower. We believe that others are only there to help us get what we want.

Often, violent or even sadistic behaviour is associated with a certain pleasure.

And here we also tend to participate in clashes with 'power'.

On a collective level, just look at the recent events in Turin, where violence is directed at law enforcement officers, those who represent the rules and seek to restore legality.

Without adhering to any ideology, I am personally convinced, leaving aside party politics, that limits must be restored from childhood. In this way, a child can grow up with a clear distinction between what is good and what is evil.

Dr Francesco Giovannozzi, Psychologist-Psychotherapist.

And move the neighbors

(Lk 10:1-9)

Jesus notes that the Apostles are not free people (cf. Lk 9). Their way of being is so grounded on standard attitudes and obligatory behaviors that it translates into impermeable mental armour.

Their predictability is too limiting: it gives no breathing space to the path of those who instead want to reactivate themselves, discover, value surprises behind the secret sides of reality and personality.

That wich remains tied to ancient customs and usual protagonists doesn’t make you dream, it isn’t an amazing appearance and testimony of Elsewhere; it takes away expressive richness from the Announcement and from life.

The Lord is forced to call the Samaritans [the heretics of religion] gathered elsewhere, not coming from "correct" observances, but able to walk, understand, and not be picky.

The new envoys go on the road helpless. Not being able to count on the usual tricks, they are certainly damaged, defrauded and - if they touch all the exposed nerves - torn to pieces.

But their being modest and not doctoral makes us reflect, arouses new knowledge, and awareness. Thus their spontaneous and innocent friendship.

In blocked situations this "disorder" of new amazements will introduce renewed charm, evoke potential, widen expressive opportunities and everyone's field of action.

Once in a territory, it will be good not to go from house to house: from a makeshift accommodation, to the apartment, the villa, and then the palace, because the search for better comforts makes God's Novelty disappear.

The care of the sick and deviations is a cornerstone of the Mission, because it’s precisely from insecurities or eccentricities that a different Kingdom sprouts, the one that notices and takes charge - in the love of those who do not abandon.

And let no time be wasted by combing the “sitting” environment: even a voluntary removal educates to be free.

The momentum of life will awaken consciences and prevail over the negative: on the path that belongs to us, accusations will count for less and less.

Unlike the fruitless action of the Apostles (Lk 9 passim), the return of the new evangelizers is full of joy and results (vv. 17-20).

It’s the last and different ones who bring down from "heaven" - and replace - the enemies of humanity and of our Gladness (vv. 5-6).

In the perspective of the Peace-Felicity [Shalom] to be announced, what had always seemed imperfections and flaws become preparatory energies, which complete and fulfil us also spiritually.

Now the flourishing Salvation (life as saved persons) is within reach of all (v.9), no longer a privilege.

The sides judged to be crazy, extraneous or materially inconclusive are preparing our new paths.

In the great Mystery of perceiving oneself as ‘being in the Gift’ - «two by two» (v.1) to live in fullness - the self understands the opposite polarities of its essence.

Only thus ‘widened’ do we become a being with and for the other. On the Way, in the form of the Cross.

[St Cyril and Methodius, February 14]

Beyond the Twelve: 72 others unsure (but transparent) in the uncertainty of wolves

(Lk 10:1-20)

And I and You

"Truth is not at all what I have. It is not at all what you have. It is what unites us in suffering, in joy. It is what unites us in our union, in the pain and pleasure we give birth to. Neither I nor You. And me and You. Our common work, permanent amazement. Its name is Wisdom'.

(Irénée Guilane Dioh)

Jesus notes that the Apostles are not free people, that is why they do not emancipate anyone and even prevent any breakthrough (cf. Lk 9).

Their way of being is so grounded in standard attitudes and obligatory behaviour that they result in impermeable mental armour.

Their predictability is too limiting: it gives no breathing space to the path of those who instead want to reactivate themselves, discover and value surprises behind the secret sides of reality and personality.

That which remains bound to ancient customs and usual protagonists does not make one dream, it is not an apparition and amazing testimony of the Other; it takes away expressive richness from the Announcement and from life.

The Lord is compelled to call the Samaritans (the heretics of religion) gathered elsewhere, not from 'correct' observances - but capable of walking, understanding and not being picky.

At least they do not disprove the Word they proclaim with a life behind the scenes: what you see, they are.

He is practically induced to fly over the Twelve, with insecure but transparent '72s', in the uncertainty of the (many) wolves who feel destabilised.

The new envoys go on the road helpless. Unable to rely on the usual wiles, they are sure to be damaged, defrauded and - if they touch all the exposed nerves - mauled.

But their low and unassuming being makes them think, arouses new knowledge and awareness. Thus their spontaneous and innocent friendship.

Then, in blocked situations, it will be this 'disorder' of new stupefaction that will introduce renewed fascination; evoke potentialities, broaden the possible expressive inclinations, and the field of action of all.

It is the critical witnesses who transmute the world and lead people to praise (because they may have simply regained resources they did not even know they possessed or had lost sight of).

Those who never cease to surprise must beware of the fakers and profiteers who are disturbed by the smile of the newly naive - and very careful. Only here must one be difficult: let there be no more scruples!

Once in a territory, it will be good not to go from house to house: from a makeshift accommodation to the flat, to the villa, then to the palace, because the search for better comforts makes the Newness of God disappear.

Caring for the sick and deviant is a cornerstone of the Mission, because it is precisely from insecurities or eccentricities that a different kingdom sprouts, one that notices and takes charge - in the love of those who do not abandon.

And let us not waste time combing the environment sitting on the false truncated-altar ideology: even a voluntary departure educates to gratuitousness. On the contrary, it is precisely the religious leaders [old-fashioned and otherwise] and their circle devotees who remain attached to positions of social visibility, to the idol of the place, to the disease of the title (without which they do not feel like characters), that astound and reflect.

They are manipulative, and fill our heads with breeziness.

The spy of the sovereign - the 'satan' [his acolytes are many and unsuspected] enemy of humanity's progress - will no longer be relevant.

The momentum of life will awaken consciences and prevail over the negative: on the path that belongs to us, the accusations of the interested overseers will count for less and less.

Unlike the scrupulous but sad and deviant action of the Apostles [Lk 9 passim] the return of the new evangelisers aggregated by direct Calling and without intermediate rituals is full of verve and results (vv.17-20).

It is the last and different ones - not the most well-known and self-referential aggregates - who bring down from "heaven" and replace the Satan-functionaries, enemies of humanity and inclusive Joy (vv.5-6).

In the perspective of the Peace-Felicity [Shalôm] to be proclaimed, what had always seemed imperfections and flaws become preparatory energies, which also fulfil and realise us spiritually.

Now the blossoming Salvation [saved life, conclusive] is within reach for all (v.9), no longer a privilege.

The sides judged sickly, deranged, suffering, invalid, crazy, or materially inconclusive are preparing our new paths.

In the vocational dynamic, the fixed point does not lie in a satisfactory adherence to criteria of reason, nor in some ingenious elaboration of novelty.

Neither does it lie in the heroicity or fixity of conformed, yet convinced, behaviour.

Our certainty is a surprise that comes.It awakens us, but it resides solely in a perception of the inner eye: in the slight recurring image that dwells there and mysteriously appears, drags and guides.

And cures fears.

The only certainty will be that slight vision that - corresponding and reaffirming its comings and goings - turns each one to its unexpressed personal desire, weaving an ineffable dialogue with the soul and its Way.

The Gift imposes itself upon the intimate scenario, to turn each Name to its destination.

To attract and actualise Future. Of course: not the return to the previous situation that many advocate; today, even in times of global crisis.

There is no other fixed point than our Calling.

It comes to enter into a spousal relationship with the unpredictable and unprecedented work of the personal Faith-Calamite.

Attraction that seduces the soul, frees it from insecurities by infusing it with passion, and demands to be respected.

Only in a vocational and intimately strong sense does the call of the Dream, which emerges to the heart's perception, make us tenacious.

And it revives a wandering existence amidst the storms - like that of a planet adrift - intertwining life with Christ.

It is our Peace in chaos, which also invites introspection.

"Magnet-counter" in the external artifice of being led by others' goals.

Nor is it enough to find a modern antidote to the frenzy that stings us, still making our wandering worse.

Nor is imposing a style that conflicts with the independence of the personal spirit.

A parenthesis is not enough to annihilate the tension of contemporary life.

After all, we do not lack an oasis to reflect on the world, understand ourselves, and friends or those far away.

"I have no peace" - we hear ourselves repeated by people who feel adrift. And this feeling is contagious; rampant today.

How do we proclaim harmony and reconciliation in the home (v.5), in a world besieged by provocations, global maladies and competitions, which if considered responsibly immediately make our wrists shake?

In a New Year's greetings address to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See, John Paul II summarised four epochal emergencies for the new millennium:

"Life, bread, peace and freedom: these are the great challenges of humanity today".

An outlier for our nature.

How can the man of Faith announce balance and prosperity, if weakness is not protected, if the criterion of nature today seems volatile, if nourishment is not abundant and varied for all, if fraternity is not discernible even in protected environments [at most it is mistaken for generic sympathy for advertising purposes, in a church of events - as Pope Francis says], or if belligerence can have theological motivations (in order not to accept the vital needs of others)... if one does not recognise that one can realise oneself 'in a way that corresponds to one's nature'?

This, in my opinion, is the pivotal point: the prerogative of the Vocation and the inner imagery it arouses; of our response of personal and creative spousal trust.

John Paul said: freedom is light "because it allows one to responsibly choose one's goals and the way to reach them".

Not a light that dazzles, but one that rests, and weaves patterns.

A redeemed light, which becomes relationship, the possibility of sharing; Presence that conveys meaning.

Free will pales, hand in hand with our voluntarism, and even the ability to self-determine for the good is not enough for us. We have always known this.

In his second Satire, Juvenal writes:

"Practices have given you this ringworm/

And to many they give it, like sheep/

Or of swine in a herd one communicates/

To all others scabies and dandruff/

And one grain is enough to spoil a bunch/

From this fashion to uglier matters/

Adagio adagio you will pass: the ladder/

Of vices you will not descend/

In short they will make you one of their own/

Those who at home gird their foreheads".

One must live by Communion, even with oneself, or there is no authentic life.

In the great Mystery of perceiving oneself as a "being in the Gift" - "two by two" (v.1) - to enjoy fullness, the self understands the opposite polarities of its essence.

Only thus expanded do we become a being "with" and "for" the other.

Not infrequently, the sacred proposal isolates us or places us in one-sided watertight compartments, which truncate dreams [not disembodied fantasies, which are corollary to them].

The beautiful ancient customs, or the patterns of abstract sociology, and local styles or customs, determine the tracks of our race: the usual totems of costume. Or the fashions of others; external mannerisms.

Jesus (precisely) notes the failure of his own, who fail to liberate people - and even pretend to prevent it [Lk 9].

So he also calls the Samaritans (v.1), that is, the badly indoctrinated, half-breeds and bastards.

In short, he broadens the horizon of the designated tribes, appealing to pagan nations, for a universal task.

The Lord knows that the 'lay' Faith is not of the circle.It does not willingly conform to models without intimate force; therefore, it does not block evolution, because it makes life out of Relationship and Character.

This, in the midst of all facets of being and history: precisely with and for others, but not outwardly - but firmly within oneself.

In this way, in the friendship of self and neighbour, we become by grace and genuinely much more trustworthy than those who are driven by articulate convictions or strong club voluntarism.

The latter are often very dangerous illusions, if they do not recognise as an absolute value the concrete good of the real man, the right to his Happiness.

Totality or integration resulting from the well-being of a completion in being, no longer reduced.

Messianic Presence [Announcement of the Shalôm] that does not devalue; it does not remain one-sided.

The Falling Spy, and the Little Brains

The spy of the "ruler" - the "Satan" [his acolytes are many and unsuspected], the enemy of humanity's progress - will no longer be prominent.

Dethroned from the condition of power over men, it falls into the abyss (v.18).

It means that thanks to the mission in Christ, the momentum of life will prevail over the negative.

In the path that belongs to us, the accusations of the interested overseers will count for zero.

The old kings and prophets had only sighed for the fullness of the Messiah. They felt themselves to be great, but they had not met the Eternal One in superabundance of Person.

They were still slaves to cosmic elements, sometimes subject to the irrational power of evil; often overcome by common thinking, by their own and others' misery, by the attractions of the surrounding worldly reality.

The 'little ones', on the other hand, even today remain open to the Mystery and receive a renewed being.

The wise suppose that the only life is on their side; they think themselves powerful and convincing. They do not need light, nor do they need a Friend.

It is on this plane that one of the definitive revelations about the authentic Man that manifests the divine condition is formulated.

The Son blesses the Father for the gift bestowed on the insignificant in society, and discovers the crux of the Mystery of our communication with the Most High: the spirit of knowing oneself to be in the Family, in its own right.

Ancient religious holiness rested on separation [Qadosh-Santo: it is an attribute of the God who dwells in distinct, remote, inaccessible places] not on essence.

The new name for (domestic) holiness reflected in the Person of Christ and in that of His brethren is no longer synonymous with 'cut off from others and set apart', but 'United'.

Despite the crutches he wears, he remains in himself 'dignified' and even 'called'; hence enabled to be promoted, without further conditions of ideological or cultic purity.

Father and Son constitute a Mystery of reciprocity and dedication into which only those who wish to receive and welcome themselves in the source - in God, to allow themselves to be enveloped by a Friendship that encompasses the whole being - penetrate.

Dialogue that expands even the smallest qualities, sublimates the unknown and obscure sides of the personality into Pearls; to expand the wave of existence, without chasing the voices of the external world [only apparently vital].

Thus Sending and Mission have as their core the unfolding of the intense quality, of the same intimate and indestructible divine reality: Love.

The only Fire that annihilates the consuming powers, in people, in nations, in history.

Precisely, unlike the scrupulous but sad and deviant work of the Apostles [Lk 9 passim], the return of the new evangelisers aggregated by direct Calling and without intermediate rituals is full of joy and results (vv.17-20).

Let us remember Tagore: 'If Christians were like their Master, they would have all India at their feet'.

They are the last and different - the new protagonists of the proclamation.

Not the best known and self-opinionated co-opted ones succeed in bringing down from heaven and replacing the Satan-functionaries, enemies of humanity and our democratic Joy (vv.5-6).

In the perspective of the Peace-Felicity [Shalôm] to be proclaimed, what had always seemed imperfections and flaws become preparatory energies, which complement, include and fulfil us spiritually as well.

Now the Salvation [life of the saved] that flourishes is within reach of all who have a caring spirit and virtue as family members. No longer the privilege of circles that feel secure [but lose uniqueness].

Tagore again: 'Kindly, deliberately make yourself small, come into this small abode [...] As a friend, as a father, as a mother make yourself small, come into my heart. I too with my hands will make myself small before the master of the universe; with my small intelligence I will know you and make you known".

The Mystery resists the "learned" who make profession of high wisdom (v.21). 

Conversely, the Kingdom opens to those not imprisoned by conformist and interposed ideas - slaves to thoughts and conventions.

Here is the Hymn of Jubilation (vv.21-24) that introduces the Commandment of Love (vv.25ff).I remember my Augustinian professor of Patristics: he insisted that one of the nicknames earned by the early Christians was 'little brains'.

They were simple people, but full of aptitudes for fullness, and wise new awareness, which astounded the professors and philosophers of the ancient world.

We, too, ask ourselves: what makes us come close to what we are called to do?

Well, perhaps we already know: the sufficiency of those who profess cerebral doctrine - in reality - only leads to falling from the sky.

It annihilates humble self-perception, makes the ability to notice pale; it closes one to forgiveness, to benevolent acceptance, to listening to the soul and to others, to availability. Even to the acumen of innate knowledge, that which belongs to us and would solve real problems.

Precisely those sides that are judged crazy or materially inconclusive - even in the weave of small things - would make us face the external events that beset us... as opportunities for growth.

They are indeed preparing our new paths, and a germ of an alternative society.

To internalise and live the message:

What happened in you when you accepted the modest (and full) status of son?

What new awareness of yourself and the world did you acquire?

Did you also discover outbursts of gratuitousness, as well as gratitude?

The Mission (Effusion) reaches all frontiers

For the Announcement, without knots at the throat

(Lk 10:13-16)

The difference between religiosity and Faith is in the Subject, of Life in the Spirit: it is not we who dispose, set up, new heavens and new earth - but Grace that silently disposes and precedes.

That is why in the Announcement we are not orphans, and with many knots at our throats.

The Master himself is not alone. The witness of even non-disciples is part of Christ's Way to the Father.

Way that comes. It is not the established "internal" commitment that builds a more authentic world with divine traits.

Rather, it is the Kingdom - effusive in itself - that gives rise to the path to the "far", and activates unthinkable scenarios.

They come to us as a proposal for Peace: openness to a wider Plan, and inter-human justice.

The varied experience, the environment full of surprises of non-followers, generates blossoms, of each one - in the discovery of the limit, of one's own deep states - for communion.

No elective reserve; no right of pre-emption. Salvation according to the Father, not "our way".

The Gospel overcomes the barriers of peoples and if necessary leaves behind its cradle of extenuating cultures, locked in a plastered mentality, perhaps intolerant; annoyed at everything.

Those who in full awareness and deliberate consent reject the Word because the world will no longer be 'as it was before' suddenly find themselves without hope, without children, without the possibility of life and expansion.

Without Presence, without the Spirituality of the Covenant - which chains every witness to the Son and the Father. And only God can overcome the power of obstacles; internal and external powers.

Only in the torch of the divine condition [authentic Source, measure that Christ lives and amazes us] do we learn the meaning of our being, communicating, going.

The inaccessible interrogates, and becomes very close. It annihilates the exclusive ballasts, which remain in vain.

Thus the Announcement unleashes the Spirit, it opens up unusual doors: even a window onto the inner world. Where opposites already have a right to exist. Indeed, they call to the New Covenant, which teaches us to stand with the sides we do not like.

In this way we will investigate and discover: the struggle of the blocks, of the fears of what we do not want to see outside and inside us, must cease.

Tendencies that we thought should be denied become an unpredictable source of other lights and virtues, intimate and in relationships.

Even and especially the shadows call for the Exodus, a new covenant - where we are not absolutely alone and one-sided, but more complete.

In short, the Mystery that inhabits us transcends the bonds of belief, makes us less divided. It starts from the source of being.

It becomes real, compelling transcendence-immanence; for all. New Life Awareness.

"He who listens to you listens to me, and he who despises you despises me, but he who despises me despises Him who sent me" (v.16).

"For the Father judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son that all may honour the Son as they honour the Father. Whoever does not honour the Son does not honour the Father who sent him" (Jn 5:22-23).

Scientists and Little Ones

(Lk 10:21-24)

Unlike the fruitless action of the Apostles [Lk 9 passim], the return of the new evangelisers is full of joy and results (vv.17-20). Why?

That which remains tied to ancient customs and usual protagonists does not make one dream, it is not an apparition and astonishing testimony of the Other; it takes away expressive richness from the proclamation and from life.

The leaders looked at religiosity with a purpose of interest. Professors of theology were accustomed to assessing every comma from their own ridiculously supponent knowledge - unrelated to real events.

The new envoys go on the road helpless.

The Master rejoices in their and his own experience, which brings a non-epidermal joy and a teaching from the Spirit - about those who are well disposed to understand the depths of the Kingdom in ordinary things.

In short, after an initial moment of enthusiastic crowds, the Master delves deeper into the issues and finds everyone against him, except God and the least: the weightless, but eager to start from scratch.

Gleam of the Mystery that leavens history - without making it a possession.

At the conclusion of the encyclical Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis cites the figure and experience of Charles de Foucauld, who - subverting conformism - "only by identifying himself with the least came to be a brother to all" (no.287).

At first, even Jesus was stunned by the rejection of those who were already satisfied with the official religious structure and no longer expected anything that could arouse custom and profit.

Then he understands, praises and blesses the Father's plan.

He understands that the authentic person is born from the depths, in any case from another elaboration and genesis, which upsets the established, inert and reassuring religious relationship - never profound nor decisive for human destiny.

God is Simple Relationship: it demythologises the idol of greatness.

The Eternal One is not the master of creation who manifests himself through the irrepressible powers of nature.

He is Refreshment that refreshes, because He makes us feel complete and lovable; He seeks us out, He is attentive to the language of the heart.

He is Keeper of the world, even of the unlearned - of the "infants" (v.21) spontaneously empty of boastful spirit, that is, of those who do not remain closed in their sufficient belonging.

The Father-Son relationship is communicated to God's poor: those who are endowed with a family-like attitude (v.22).

Insignificant and invisible without great gifts, but who abandon themselves to the proposals of the providential life that comes, like children in the arms of parents.

A spirit of pietas that favours those who allow themselves to be filled, and who do not proceed along the paths of thought or calculating initiative, but of innate Wisdom.

The only reality that corresponds to us and does not present the 'bill': it does not proceed on the paths of functional thinking, of calculating initiative.

It transmits freshness in the readiness to receive - to welcome and personally restore - both the Truth as Gift... and the spontaneous enthusiasm itself, capable of realising it.

A prayer of blessing that is simple and for the simple - this of Jesus (v.21) - that makes us grow in esteem, fits perfectly with our experience, and gets along well with ourselves.

But which strangely the 'learned', who do not live 'the spirit of the neighbourhood' (FT no.152) yet claim positions and always play smart, have not been so willing to pass on to us.

Because such Berakah does not presuppose the energy of 'models', nor the aggressive power of 'bigwigs'.

Precisely, in the perspective of the Peace-Felicity [Shalom] to be announced, what had always seemed to be imperfections and flaws become preparatory energies, which also complete and fulfil us spiritually.

And instead of only with the 'big' and external, one must in this way live in Communion even with the 'small' in oneself, or there is no loveliness, no authentic life.

To internalise and live the message:

What do you feel when you are told: 'You don't count'? Does it remain a humiliating contempt or do you consider it a great Light received, as Jesus did?

Jesus sends 72 disciples out into the great harvest, which is the world, inviting them to pray the Lord of the harvest that there may be no lack of labourers in his harvest (cf. Lk 10:1-3); but he does not send them with powerful means, but “as lambs in the midst of wolves” (v. 3), without purse, bag, or sandals (cf. v. 4). St John Chrysostom, in one of his homilies, comments: “For so long as we are sheep, we conquer: though ten thousand wolves prowl around, we overcome and prevail. But if we become wolves, we are worsted, for the help of our Shepherd departs from us” (Homily 33, 1: PG 57, 389). Christians must never yield to the temptation to become wolves among wolves; it is not with might, with force, with violence that Christ’s kingdom of peace grows, but with the gift of self, with love carried to the extreme, even towards enemies. Jesus does not conquer the world with the force of arms, but with the force of the Cross, which is the true guarantee of victory. The consequence of this for those who want to be disciples of the Lord, his envoys, is to be prepared for the passion and martyrdom, to lose their own life for him, so that in the world goodness, love and peace may triumph. This is the prerequisite needed to say, upon entering into every situation: “Peace be to this house” (Lk 10:5).

[Pope Benedict, Prayer in preparation for the Assisi Meeting, 26 October 2011]

Faith in Christ Is Directed to Man's Freedom

7. The urgency of missionary activity derives from the radical newness of life brought by Christ and lived by his followers. This new life is a gift from God, and people are asked to accept and develop it, if they wish to realize the fullness of their vocation in conformity to Christ. The whole New Testament is a hymn to the new life of those who believe in Christ and live in his Church. Salvation in Christ, as witnessed to and proclaimed by the Church, is God's self-communication: "It is love which not only creates the good, but also grants participation in the very life of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. For he who loves desires to give himself."

God offers mankind this newness of life. "Can one reject Christ and everything that he has brought about in the history of mankind? Of course one can. Man is free. He can say 'no' to God. He can say 'no' to Christ. But the fundamental question remains: Is it legitimate to do this? And what would make it legitimate?"

8. In the modern world there is a tendency to reduce man to his horizontal dimension alone. But without an openness to the Absolute, what does man become? The answer to this question is found in the experience of every individual, but it is also written in the history of humanity with the blood shed in the name of ideologies or by political regimes which have sought to build a "new humanity" without God.

Moreover, the Second Vatican Council replies to those concerned with safeguarding freedom of conscience: "The human person has a right to religious freedom.... All should have such immunity from coercion by individuals, or by groups, or by any human power, that no one should be forced to act against his conscience in religious matters, nor prevented from acting according to his conscience, whether in private or in public, whether alone or in association with others, within due limits."

Proclaiming Christ and bearing witness to him, when done in a way that respects consciences, does not violate freedom. Faith demands a free adherence on the part of man, but at the same time faith must also be offered to him, because the "multitudes have the right to know the riches of the mystery of Christ-riches in which we believe that the whole of humanity can find, in unsuspected fullness, everything that it is gropingly searching for concerning God, man and his destiny, life and death, and truth.... This is why the Church keeps her missionary spirit alive, and even wishes to intensify it in the moment of history in which we are living." But it must also be stated, again with the Council, that "in accordance with their dignity as persons, equipped with reason and free will and endowed with personal responsibility, all are impelled by their own nature and are bound by a moral obligation to seek truth, above all religious truth. They are further bound to hold to the truth once it is known, and to regulate their whole lives by its demands".

[Pope John Paul II, Redemptoris Missio]

Today’s Gospel passage, taken from the tenth Chapter of the Gospel of Luke (vv. 1-12, 17-20), makes us consider how necessary it is to invoke God, “the Lord of harvest to send out laborers” (v. 2). The “laborers” whom Jesus speaks of are the missionaries of the Kingdom of God, whom he himself calls and sends on “ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to come” (v. 1). Their task is to proclaim a message of salvation addressed to everyone. Missionaries always proclaim a message of salvation to everyone; not only those missionaries who go afar, but we too, [are] Christian missionaries who express a good word of salvation. This is the gift that Jesus gives us with the Holy Spirit. This message is to say: “The kingdom of God has come near to you” (v. 9), because God has “come near” to us through Jesus; God became one of us; in Jesus, God reigns in our midst, his merciful love overcomes sin and human misery.

This is the Good News that the “laborers” must bring to everyone: a message of hope and comfort, of peace and charity. When Jesus sends the disciples ahead of him into the villages, he tells them: “first, say ‘Peace be to this house!’ [...]; heal the sick in it” (vv. 5, 9). All of this signifies that the Kingdom of God is built day by day and already offers on this earth its fruits of conversion, of purification, of love and of comfort among men. It is a beautiful thing! Building day by day this Kingdom of God that is to be made. Do not destroy, build!

With what spirit must disciples of Jesus carry out this mission? First of all they must be aware of the difficult and sometimes hostile reality that awaits them. Jesus minces no words about this! Jesus says: “I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves” (v. 3). This is very clear. Hostility is always at the beginning of persecutions of Christians; because Jesus knows that the mission is blocked by the work of evil. For this reason, the laborer of the Gospel will strive to be free from every kind of human conditioning, carrying neither purse nor bag nor sandals (cf. v. 4), as Jesus counseled, so as to place reliance solely in the power of the Cross of Jesus Christ. This means abandoning every motive of personal advantage, careerism or hunger for power, and humbly making ourselves instruments of the salvation carried out by Jesus’ sacrifice. 

A Christian’s mission in the world is splendid, it is a mission intended for everyone, it is a mission of service, excluding no one; it requires a great deal of generosity and above all setting one’s gaze and heart facing on High, to invoke the Lord’s help. There is a great need for Christians who joyfully witness to the Gospel in everyday life. The disciples, sent out by Jesus, “returned with joy” (v. 17). When we do this, our heart fills with joy. This expression makes me think of how much the Church rejoices, she revels when her children receive the Good News thanks to the dedication of so many men and women who daily proclaim the Gospel: priests — those brave parish priests whom we all know —, nuns, consecrated women, missionary men and women.... I ask myself — listen to the question —: how many of you young people who are now present today in the Square, hear the Lord’s call to follow him? Fear not! Be courageous and bring to others this guiding light of apostolic zeal that these exemplary disciples have given to us.

Let us pray to the Lord, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, that the Church may never lack generous hearts that work to bring everyone the love and kindness of our heavenly Father.

[Pope Francis, Angelus 3 July 2016]

Unclogs ears, so that we do not remain deaf and stutterers

(Mk 7:31-37)

The background of the Gospel passage is the theme of initiation into the Faith, which invests the [interior] ‘senses’: they risk being extinguished.

In fact, every believer runs the risk of weakening perception, circumscribing vital energy, drastically reducing the relationship with profound reality, and the horizon of his journey.

«Effatà» was a globally expressive liturgical formula used by the primitive churches in Baptism.

The unlikely itinerary of Jesus (v.31) almost suggests that he was reluctant to go back, rather staying among pagans. Why?

He realizes that the "distant" seem less deaf to the Word of God than the people of Israel: they still have a lively conscience.

The followers do not expose authentic messages. They show themselves intimate, but despite appearances still do not know how to listen.

This is due to the fact that the “ears” of some of them are only open to cunning: they must be «unclogged» without compliments.

In fact, the action of Jesus is violent [v.33 Greek text].

The apostles believed that the Treasury of God was exclusively intended for the "interiors" - not for the peoples.

But the young Rabbi doesn’t want the disciple to resign himself, to withdraw, becoming attached to his own illness.

Condition of unkempt and meaningless life, from which the ‘godparents’ of Baptism would like to emancipate us (v.32a).

They are the true collaborators of Messiah, who bring him a «deaf» [not dumb but] «stammerer».

Christ then brings us out, «aside» (v.33). He wants to separate every believer from the way of reasoning around; detach him from qualunquist goals.

«Open up yourself!»  there remains the urgent invitation to explore new paths again: unravelling the dialogue, to be concrete and respectful, by putting life on the line.  Enriching themselves and others.

The only great ‘miracle’ is to dilate each person to perception and communication, prolonging the creative Action.

Because looking for the truth in deep listening, we no longer stammer.

In Semitic culture, ‘saliva’ [v.33: «and having spat, He touched the tongue of him»] was considered condensed breath.

Image of the same Spirit who frees us from alienation - of course, not starting from the outside.

Evangelization must also be configured in this concomitance, in solidarity with the realization, and committed to processes; from the inside.

So we will live fluently, and proclaim the Good News for our Happiness; by finding unexpected solutions.

Unfortunately, the "closest" disciples continued to want to preach the «Son of man» as «the» [that] Messiah they expected (v. 36).

In this way, however, the ears were closed and the tongue tied, shrinking the soul, spirit, and hands.

In Baptism - on the contrary - the Master and Lord enables us to listen to the «Word» which becomes an «event», so that we make what is proclaimed resound to others.

We used to be stammering. Through this unseal we have been made up believers and prophets.

The aptitude of the ‘sons’? Opening the soul to the world.

And the mission of the Church is not to decide everything, but making people listen and proclaiming. Without the a-priori of unnecessary references.

«Opening up» remains our decisive Vocation.

[Friday 5th wk. in O.T.  February 13, 2026]