This Sunday we turn to a reading from the Gospel of Mark. In today’s passage (cf. Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23), Jesus addresses an important topic for all of us believers: the authenticity of our obedience to the Word of God, against any worldly contamination or legalistic formalism. The narrative opens with the objection that the scribes and Pharisees address to Jesus, accusing his disciples of failing to observe the ritual precepts according to tradition. In this way, those challenging him seek to strike at the reliability and authority of Jesus as Teacher because they say: “But this teacher allows his disciples to evade the prescriptions of tradition”. But Jesus responds emphatically; he responds by saying: “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honours me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men’” (vv. 6-7). This is what Jesus says. Clear and emphatic words! ‘Hypocrite’ is, so to speak, one of the strongest adjectives that Jesus uses in the Gospel, and he speaks them as he addresses the teachers of religion: doctors of the law, scribes.... ‘Hypocrite’, Jesus says.

Indeed, Jesus wants to rouse the scribes and Pharisees from the error they have fallen into, and what is this error? That of distorting God’s will, neglecting his commandments in order to observe human traditions. Jesus’ reaction is severe because something great is at stake: it concerns the truth of the relationship between man and God, the authenticity of religious life. A hypocrite is a liar; he is not authentic.

Today too, the Lord invites us to avoid the danger of giving more importance to form than to substance. He calls us to recognize, ever anew, what is the true core of the experience of faith, that is, love of God and love of neighbour, by purifying it of the hypocrisy of legalism and ritualism.

Today’s Gospel message is also reinforced by the voice of the Apostle James, who tells us, in brief, what true religion is meant to be, and he says: pure religion is “to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (Jas 1:27). “To visit orphans and widows” means to practice charity toward neighbours, beginning with the neediest, frailest, most marginalized people. They are the people whom God takes care of in a special way, and he asks us to do the same.

“To keep oneself unstained from the world” does not mean to isolate oneself and close oneself off from reality. No. Here too there must be not an exterior attitude, but interior, substantive: it means being vigilant so that our way of thinking and acting may not be polluted by the worldly mentality, or that of vanity, of greed, of arrogance. Actually, a man or woman who lives in vanity, in greed or in arrogance and at the same time believes and shows him or herself as being religious and even goes so far as to condemn others, is a hypocrite.

Let us make an examination of conscience to see how we embrace the Word of God. On Sunday we listen to it at Mass. If we listen to it in a distracted or superficial way, it will not be of much use. Instead, we must welcome the Word with open minds and hearts, as good soil, in a way that it may be assimilated and may bear fruit in real life. Jesus says that the Word of God is like wheat; it is a seed that must grow in practical deeds. In this way the Word itself purifies our heart and actions, and our relationship with God and with others is freed from hypocrisy.

May the example and intercession of the Virgin Mary help us to always honour the Lord with our heart, witnessing to our love for him in concrete choices for the good of our brothers and sisters.

[Pope Francis, Angelus 2 September 2018]

Talents - Gifts of the new Kingdom

(Mt 25:14-30)

Mt tells this parable because some converted Jews of his communities have difficulty unlocking and evolving.

A competition arises between them that concerns the importance of ecclesial positions. It’s the true evangelical sense of «talents according to capacity» (v.15).

We all receive some accent of the Kingdom, "goods" to be multiplied by transmitting; for example, the Word of God.

Unique gift, but not uncommon: immense prosperity with extraordinary life-propulsive virtues... for each and every one.

Thus the spirit of service and sharing; the attitude to discernment and appreciation of unrepeatable uniquenesses, and much more.

The very idea of the ancient God as lawgiver and judge (vv.24-25) induced believers not to grow or transmit - rather to shut themselves up and move away from the Father’s plan.

The Lord strongly reiterates that a deformed idea of ‘Heaven at points’ can negatively affect the bearing lines of personality, and ruin people’s existence.

Even in later history this happened, when the naive masses were “educated” to perceive Freedom as guilt and the risk of Love a danger of sin.

Instead, the Lord wants to create Family, where no one is alarmed or held in check, nor blocked and potted.

Even the little that everyone has in dowry can be invested - through a contribution to be made, available to all.

This is what happens in the community that values us: the ministerial Church [«bank» of v.27] that projects and infinitely expands the resources, the broken Bread, the "goods" of the Kingdom of God.

What promotes people and reveals God’s Presence is personal and unique, yet it must not remain as rare.

Everyone has an opportunity for apostolate, his particular friendship’s attitude, and his skills... they are territories and energies to be explored without limits, so that they are shared, made wiser and propulsive.

In this way, whoever updates himself, confronts himself, is interested and makes a contribution, sees his own human and spiritual wealth grow and flourish.

Conversely, no one will be surprised that the rearguard or abstract and disembodied situations undergo further declines - finally they perish without leaving regrets (vv.27-30).

In these catecheses of chapter 25, the evangelist Mt tries to make his communities understand and help, remembering that Jesus himself was not under escort, but an involved, willing figure.

He did not want to limit himself to fighting for an appreciable and necessary legal change - but still staying at a safe distance.

In fact, he acted in a laborious, «crafted» way (FT n.217); without placing anything in safe, out of fear.

He was not limited to easy contrasts and grand ex cathedra proclamations, which would not have affected anything.

Did he have alternatives?

Of course: do not move anything, do not guard the minimums, do not protect them, limit himself, keep his mouth closed or open it only to flatter the powerful, the established and well-introduced.

Giving up fighting and neglecting to take winding routes, he would have no problems.

But also for us: the downside and safe game atrophies personal and social life, does not grow a new Kingdom - it loses it.

[Saturday 21st wk. in O.T.   August 31, 2024]

Talents - Gifts of the new Kingdom

(Mt 25:14-30)

How can a community reveal the presence of God? By enhancing and accentuating the facets of life, defending them, promoting them and cheering them up.

Why is it that some grow and others do not? Why is it that those who advance less than others, precisely on the 'religious' path, risk ruin?

We all have unique strengths, bullets, qualities and inclinations. Everyone receives gifts as an outrider (even if only one) and can fit into church services.

Everyone - even the normally excluded [like Zacchaeus, in the parallel passage in Lk 19:1-10.11-28] - has a wealth of unparalleled resources that he or she can pass on, for the enrichment of the community.

Mt tells this parable because some Jewish converts in his communities find it difficult to unlock and evolve. And some just do not flourish, clinging to roles and devotions.

To put it plainly, a competition arises among them concerning the importance of ecclesial assignments [this is the true evangelical meaning of "talents according to ability": v.15].

These tasks are also undermined by the onslaught of those coming from paganism, who are less intimidated and looser than the (somewhat museum-like) Judaizing faithful.

The resulting punctiliousness stiffens the internal atmosphere, accentuates difficulties in collaborating, and exchanging gifts and resources - enriching one another.

Vain and competitive situations we know.

We all receive some accent of the Kingdom, 'goods' to be multiplied by passing on, for example (here) the Word of God.

A unique gift, but not rare: immense prosperity and extraordinary life-promoting virtues... for each and all.

Thus the spirit of service and sharing; the aptitude for discernment and appreciation of unique uniqueness, and much more.

Of course, the community grows not if it produces, showcases and 'yields'. It is made up of members who are all valuable and already 'adults', who spontaneously know where and how to place themselves!

Women and men of Faith do not seek merits, they do not hold back for themselves; they relate to God and their neighbour wisely, even when not in 'correct' terms and formulas (according to the instruction booklet).

Unfortunately, in order to persuade them to respect characters and configuration, and to follow custom, veterans have not infrequently played on fear.

With regard to 'social' fear, in particular, on the popular inclination not to get into trouble (which also paralysed the inner life).

Since the time of Jesus, there has been no lack of fear and the desire to avoid blackmail [my mother used to say in amazement of dishonest leaders: "They use religion as a weapon!"].

The very idea of the ancient God as lawgiver and judge (vv.24-25) induced believers not to grow or pass on, but rather to shut themselves away and distance themselves from the Father's project.

On pain of social exclusion, it was forbidden to welcome new experiences of God, to authentically encounter oneself, to open up personal (even radically identity) spaces, to chart new paths.

Thus for centuries.

To understand the meaning of the parallel passage of Lk 19:11-28 [v.22 where in the CEI translation the King would seem to reiterate the mean idea of the uneducated launderer], it is enough to insert a question mark [the original Greek codes had no punctuation]:

"He says to him: From your own mouth I judge you, wicked servant! Did you know that I am a severe man, that I take what I have not laid down and that I reap what I have not sown?"

The same in Mt 25:26:

"But answering his Lord said to him, 'Wicked and idle servant [...] Did you know that I reap where I have not sown and I gather where I have not scattered?"

As if to say: "But who taught you that!".

The Lord emphatically reiterates that that deformed concept of the doting Heavens can negatively affect the character lines, and ruin people's existence. Especially if Freedom and the risk of Love are perceived as a guilt - in any case a danger of sin that could lead to the deleterious spiritual state of no longer being considered (by traditional religiosity) 'in the grace of God'.

Ancient religions needed followers who were also immature and obtuse, without nerve - who were then content to avoid danger, and clung to the petty securities of the everyday grind.

Instead, the Father desires expanded hearts, which undertake and risk for love, and for love's sake.

If the God of popular piety needs flocks that are sometimes obtuse and servile, Christ needs friends, family members and reckless collaborators, capable of walking on their own legs, who do not dehumanise (others too).

Thus, today, the pastoral of consent [I will give you what you want] presupposes obedient and devout masses, deprived of personality and dreams.

Instead, the Lord wants Family, where no one is alarmed, restrained, blocked, put in the hole. Perhaps for fear of losing the family tranquillity, the little place he has, the fake security he has carved out or taken as alms.

Pope Francis, for example, does not want conquests to frighten us and hold us back, but that as consanguineers of our eternal side, we should be the first to vibrate with prophetic ideals. And ramming through false convictions that do not disturb - indeed, they put us into lethargy - to stimulate more grandiose ideal areas in terms of humanising qualities.

Even the little that each person has in dowry can be invested - through a contribution to be made, available to all.

This is what happens in the community that enhances us: the ministerial Church ["bank" of v.27] that projects and infinitely expands the resources, the broken Bread, the "goods" of the Kingdom of God.

That which promotes people and reveals the Presence of God is personal and unique, yet it must not remain as rare.

Everyone has an opportunity for apostolate, his or her own attitude of friendship and skills... these are territories and energies to be explored without limits, so that they may be shared, made sapiential and propulsive.

As the Pontiff declared:

"The inability of experts to see the signs of the times is due to the fact that they are closed within their system; they know what can and cannot be done, and they stay safe there. Let us ask ourselves: am I only open to my own things and my own ideas, or am I open to the God of surprises?"

Anyone who updates, confronts, takes an interest and makes a contribution - without getting overwhelmed by routine, fear, fatigue - sees their human and spiritual richness grow and flourish.

Conversely, no one will be surprised that rearguard or abstract and disembodied situations - exhausting, though in themselves sluggish, exhausted, spineless and merely boring or fanciful - suffer further downturns and finally perish without leaving regrets (vv.27-30).

In these catecheses of chapter 25, the evangelist Mt tries to make his communities understand, help and act as a springboard, remembering that Jesus himself was not under escort, but an involved, willing figure.

He did not let matters slide, but entered into them - nor did he say: what am I doing here?

Nor did he merely fight for a welcome and necessary legal change - but stood at a safe distance.

Instead, he embodied the gift of self, tracing the path of social choice in the first person, with an arduousness to undertake it; without placing anything in the safe, out of fear.

Paraphrasing the encyclical Fratelli Tutti (No. 262) we would say: he knew that not even norms were sufficient 'if one thinks that the solution to problems consists in dissuading through fear'.

The Lord in fact frequented the out-of-touch and in-between figures; he kept away from envious and smelly circles. He acted in a hard-working, "artisanal" (FT n.217) manner and put his face to it; he did not preach to others ex cathedra.

Did he have alternatives?

Certainly: not to move, not to guard the least, to limit oneself, to keep one's mouth shut; possibly to open it, but only to flatter the powerful, the established and well-connected.

By giving up the struggle and taking tortuous paths, he would have no problems.

And if he had added omertà to the common mediocrity of the spiritual leaders of the time, he might well have had a career.

But for us too: playing it down and safe atrophies personal and social life, does not grow a new kingdom - it loses it.

In everyone, something equal and unequal

The Gospel [...] is the parable of the talents, taken from St Matthew (25:14-30). It tells of a man who, before setting out on a journey, summons servants and entrusts them with his wealth in talents, ancient coins of great value. That master entrusts the first servant with five talents, the second with two, and the third with one. During the master's absence, the three servants must make use of this patrimony. The first and second servants each double the starting capital; the third, however, for fear of losing everything, buries the talent received in a hole. On the master's return, the first two receive praise and reward, while the third, who only returns the coin received, is reprimanded and punished.

The significance of this is clear. The man in the parable represents Jesus, the servants are us, and the talents are the heritage that the Lord entrusts to us. What is the heritage? His Word, the Eucharist, faith in the heavenly Father, His forgiveness... in short, so many things, His most precious possessions. This is the patrimony that He entrusts to us. Not only to be guarded, but to grow! While in common usage the term 'talent' indicates a distinct individual quality - e.g. talent in music, sport, etc. - in the parable the talents represent the Lord's goods, which He entrusts to us so that we may make them bear fruit. The hole dug in the ground by the "wicked and slothful servant" (v. 26) indicates the fear of risk that blocks the creativity and fruitfulness of love. For fear of the risks of love blocks us. Jesus does not ask us to keep his grace in a safe! Jesus does not ask this of us, but he wants us to use it for the benefit of others. All the goods we have received are to give them to others, and so they grow. It is as if he were saying to us: 'Here is my mercy, my tenderness, my forgiveness: take them and make good use of them'. And what have we done with them? Who have we 'infected' with our faith? How many people have we encouraged with our hope? How much love have we shared with our neighbour? These are questions it is good for us to ask ourselves. Any environment, even the most distant and impractical, can become a place where talents can bear fruit. There are no situations or places precluded to Christian presence and witness. The witness that Jesus asks of us is not closed, it is open, it depends on us.

This parable spurs us not to hide our faith and our belonging to Christ, not to bury the Word of the Gospel, but to circulate it in our lives, in relationships, in concrete situations, as a force that challenges, that purifies, that renews. The same goes for forgiveness, which the Lord gives us especially in the Sacrament of Reconciliation: let us not keep it closed within ourselves, but let us allow it to unleash its power, let it bring down walls that our selfishness has put up, let it make us take the first step in blocked relationships, resume dialogue where there is no more communication... And so on. Let these talents, these gifts that the Lord has given us, come to others, grow, bear fruit, with our witness.

I think it would be a nice gesture today for each of you to take the Gospel home, the Gospel of St Matthew, chapter 25, verses 14 to 30, Matthew 25: 14-30, and read this, and meditate a little: 'The talents, the riches, all that God has given me of spiritual, of goodness, the Word of God, how do I make them grow in others? Or do I just keep them in a safe?"

And furthermore, the Lord does not give everyone the same things and in the same way: he knows us personally and entrusts to us what is right for us; but in everyone there is something equal: the same, immense trust. God trusts us, God has hope in us! And this is the same for everyone. Let us not disappoint Him! Let us not be deceived by fear, but let us trust with confidence! The Virgin Mary embodies this attitude in the most beautiful and fullest way. She received and accepted the most sublime gift, Jesus himself, and in turn offered him to humanity with a generous heart. We ask her to help us to be "good and faithful servants", to participate "in the joy of our Lord".

(Pope Francis, Angelus 16 November 2014)

In the well known Parable of the Talents — recounted by the Evangelist Matthew (cf. 25: 14-30) — Jesus tells the story of three servants to whom their master entrusted his property, before setting out on a long journey. Two of them behaved impeccably, doubling the value of what they had received. On the contrary, the third buried the money he had received in a hole. On his return, the master asked his servants to account for what he had entrusted to them and while he was pleased with the first two he was disappointed with the third.

Indeed, the servant who had hidden his talent and failed to make it increase in worth, had calculated badly. He behaved as if his master were never to return, as if there would never be a day on which he would be asked to account for his actions. With this parable Jesus wanted to teach his disciples to make good use of his gifts: God calls every person and offers talents to all, at the same time entrusting each one with a mission to carry out. It would be foolish to presume that these gifts are an entitlement, just as failing to use them would mean failing to achieve our purpose in life.

In commenting on this Gospel passage St Gregory the Great noted that the Lord does not let anyone lack the gift of his charity, of his love. He wrote: “brothers, it is necessary that you pay the utmost attention to preserving love in everything you must do” (Homilies on the Gospel, 9, 6). After explaining that true charity consists in loving enemies as well as friends, he added: “if someone lacks this virtue, he loses every good he possesses, he is deprived of the talent he received and is cast out into the darkness” (ibid.).

Dear brothers and sisters, let us accept the invitation to be watchful, of which the Scriptures frequently remind us! This is the attitude of those who know that the Lord will return and that he will wish to see the fruits of his love in us. Charity is the fundamental good that no one can fail to bring to fruition and without which every other good is worthless (cf. 1 Cor 13:3). If Jesus loved us to the point of giving his life for us (cf. 1 Jn 3:16), how can we not love God with the whole of ourselves and love one another with real warmth? (cf. 1 Jn 4:11). It is only by practising charity that we too will be able to share in the joy of Our Lord. May the Virgin Mary teach us active and joyful watchfulness on our journey towards the encounter with God.

[Pope Benedict, Angelus 13 November 2011]

1. "Well, good and faithful servant, you have been faithful in the little, I will give you authority over much, share in your master's joy" (Mt 25:23).

As we approach the end of the liturgical year, the Church makes us listen to the words of the Lord inviting us to keep watch as we await the parousia. We must prepare for it with a simple but decisive response to the call for conversion that Jesus addresses to us, calling us to live the Gospel as tension, hope, expectation.

Today, in today's liturgy, the Redeemer speaks to us with the parable of the talents, to show us how he who adheres to him in faith and lives industriously in expectation of his return, is comparable to the 'good and faithful servant', who intelligently, industriously and fruitfully looks after the administration of the distant master.

What does talent mean? In a literal sense it means a coin of great value used in Jesus' time. In a translational sense it means 'the gifts', which are shared by every concrete man: the complex of qualities, with which a personal subject, in his psychophysical wholeness, is endowed 'by nature'.

However, the parable highlights that these capacities are at the same time a gift of the Creator 'given', transmitted to every man.

These 'gifts' are diverse and multiform. This is confirmed by observation of human life, in which we see the multiplicity and richness of talents in human beings.

Jesus' account firmly emphasises that every 'talent' is a call and an obligation to a specific work, understood in the dual meaning of work on oneself and work for others. It affirms, that is, the need for personal asceticism combined with industriousness on behalf of one's brother.

4. Frequently, the gifts that God places in our being are difficult talents, but they cannot be wasted either because of disesteem, disobedience, or because they are tiring. The cross for Christ was not an objection to the Father's will, but the condition, the supreme talent, by which "by dying he destroyed death and by rising he gave us life again" (Easter Preface). Therefore I ask all of you, and in particular the sick, the suffering, the handicapped, to make fruitful, through prayer and offering, the difficult talent, the demanding talent received.

Always bear in mind that invocation, prayers and free acceptance of life's labours and sorrows enable you to reach out to all men and to contribute to the salvation of the whole world.

5. This work upon self, which bears fruit for all men, has its root in Baptism, which initiated new life in each of you through the supernatural gift of grace and liberation from original sin. By that sacrament, which made you children of God, you have received those 'gifts' that constitute an authentic inner richness of life in Christ.

Incorporated into Jesus, conformed to him, you are called as living members to contribute with all your strengths and aptitudes to the growth of your parish, which is the gateway to the universal Roman Church.

The talents received at Baptism are also a call to cooperation with grace, which implies a dynamism inherent in the Christian life and a gradual and steady growth into that maturity which is formed by faith, hope, charity and the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

This collaboration takes place above all in that centre of communion that is the parish, a community of men and women who put their various skills at the service of personal growth and of their brothers and sisters near and far.

The parish is Church: a community of men who must develop in themselves 'the talents of Baptism'. Its entire structure, by fostering and guaranteeing a community apostolate, especially through liturgy, catechesis and charity, fuses together the many human differences found there, and allows each person, according to the capacities he or she possesses, to contribute fraternally to every missionary initiative of his or her ecclesial family (cf. Apostolicam Actuositatem, 10).

6. The parable in today's Gospel also speaks of a talent "hidden underground", unused.

"He who had received one talent said, 'Lord, I know that you are a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered, for fear I went and hid your talent underground; here is your talent'" (Mt 25:24-25). This last servant who received only one talent shows how man behaves when he does not live an industrious fidelity to God. Fear prevails, self-esteem, the assertion of selfishness, which seeks to justify its behaviour with the unjust claim of the master, who reaps where he has not sown.This attitude implies punishment on the part of the Lord, because that man failed in the responsibility that was demanded of him, and, in so doing, did not carry out what God's will demanded, with the consequence both of not fulfilling himself and of being of no use to anyone.

Instead, work on oneself and for the world is something that must concretely engage the true disciple of Christ. In the various and specific situations in which the Christian is placed, he must be able to discern what God wants of him and perform it with that joy, which Jesus then makes full and eternal.

7. Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you to unite yourselves with your whole spirit to the sacrifice of Christ, to the Eucharistic liturgy, which represents each time the presence of the Saviour in your community.

Persevere in being and becoming more and more one heart and one soul, to welcome Christ among you each day. May he enter you, and remain in you, to bring you his fullness.

May the Mother of God, St Mary of the People, introduce Jesus into your community and help it to remain with her Son, to bear much fruit.

Here is the synthesis of the teaching contained in the parable of the talents, which we have listened to and meditated on together: to have the fullness of life and bear fruit it is necessary, with passionate vigilance, to do God's will and remain in Christ, with supplicating and adoring prayer.

Let us abide in him! Let us abide in Jesus Christ!

Let us abide through all the talents of our soul and body!

Through the talents of sanctifying and working grace!

Through all the talents of participation in the word of God and the sacraments, especially in the Eucharist!

Let us remain!

Let us remain to bear much fruit!

[Pope John Paul II, homily 18 November 1984]

Gospel presents to us the Parable of the Talents (cf. Mt 25:14-30). Before setting off on a journey, a man gives his servants talents, which at that time were coins of considerable value: he gives five talents to one servant, two to another, one to another, to each according to his ability. The servant who had received five talents was resourceful and he traded with them, earning another five. The servant who had received two behaved likewise, and acquired another two. However, the servant who had received one dug a hole in the ground and therein hid his master’s coin.

Upon the master’s return, this same servant explained to him the reason for this action, saying: “Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not winnow; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground” (vv. 24-25). This servant did not have a trusting relationship with his master, but was afraid of him, and this hindered him. Fear always immobilizes and often leads to making bad choices. Fear discourages us from taking the initiative; it induces us to take refuge in secure and guaranteed solutions, and thus end up not accomplishing anything good. To move forward and grow on the journey of life, we must not have fear; we must have faith.

This parable helps us understand how important it is to have a true concept of God. We must not think that he is a cruel, hard and severe master who wishes to punish us. If this mistaken image of God is within us our life cannot be fruitful, because we will live in fear and this will not lead us to anything constructive. On the contrary, fear paralyzes us; it causes our self-destruction. We are called to reflect in order to discover what our idea of God really is. Already in the Old Testament he revealed himself as “a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Ex 34:6). And Jesus always showed us that God is not a severe or intolerant master, but a father full of love, of tenderness, a father full of goodness. Therefore, we can and must have immense faith in him.

Jesus shows us God’s generosity and care in so many ways: with his words, with his gestures, with his welcome toward everyone, especially toward sinners, the little ones and the poor, as today — the first World Day of the Poor — also reminds us. But he also does so with his admonitions, which show his interest so that we do not pointlessly waste our life. Indeed, it is a sign that God has great esteem for us: this awareness helps us to be responsible people in all our actions. Therefore, the Parable of the Talents reminds us of a personal responsibility and of a faithfulness that even becomes the ability to continually set out anew, walking new paths, without “burying the talent”, that is, the gifts which God has entrusted to us, and for which he will call us to account.

May the Blessed Virgin intercede for us, so that we may remain faithful to the will of God, cultivating the talents that God has given us. Thus we will be helpful to others and, on the last day, we will be welcomed by the Lord, who will invite us to take part in his joy.

[Pope Francis, Angelus 19 November 2017]

Wise souls, or mad ones

(Mt 25:1-13)

The theme is not that of moral vigilance, but punctual: sooner or later all the baptized in Christ fall asleep (v.5).

And the environment doesn’t seem the best: the groom is late, the girls are sleepy, some without oil and others... sour.

But sometimes we are like madmen who go to build houses on the sand: at the first trickle is landslide, and everything collapses.

The enthusiasm was there, the harmony with the Lord and his desire to embrace and transmit fullness of being... maybe not.

It lacks a dimension of depth, or of living hope that animates motivations and lubricates energy, in the impulse to the mission.

It’s the outcome of those who seem to have welcomed the Beatitudes at all points, but don’t make them their own...

Not for the fact that they do not fulfill well the role - a task - but because they do not relate the listening to the practice (not distracted, exquisitely evangelical).

Powering the torch is promoting life!

And the Appeal, the opportune moment, comes suddenly; it does not set itself up through a general or formal choice that evolves without correlations, personal tracks, attention to events and wisdom to correspond.

Here the relationship of Faith is not oil that can be lent.

There are anxious or perfectionist souls who rush to intervene, but lack perception. There are fearful and paralyzed hearts: they must acquire flexibility.

Some stare at the "no" moments and do not know how to turn them into occasions of awakening, or they heal too late. Others depend on the season or live on adrenaline and lack awareness.

Someone has to slow down and recollect himself, rediscover himself and the instinctive vocational lightness, his own infinite part - but avoiding childish strategies.

Others who have already accepted the divine, would need to wake up from numbness, to set in motion the wise and innate light they possess in deep inclinations.

Some need to throw ballasts, become more subtle in hearing and in offering themselves, or less dirigist; others need to prepare for the Encounter in a more relational and visible dimension.

There are people who must complicate their stories and then simplify [without dispersing] eventually becoming sharper; others and perhaps more, learning to donate. And so on.

So... better some with light than all in the dark. The actions and risk for wisdom, love and completeness of being build the Person and his dialogue.

One often imagines having provided for own practice with God by enrolling in parish registers, without elaborating his commitment.

But the person who neither edifies nor communicates life has nothing to do with God himself (v.12).

In this way, even the crisis can have an evolutionary sense; in not feeling absolute, in the logic of options, in personalisation, in the unexpected and different encounter.

Threshold of every Exodus, to Freedom and the Feast.

The paradigm of this high and strong Call of the Gospel is the therapy that can regenerate the world subjugated by external homologations, so that it goes Elsewhere - and does not renounce the dimension of Mystery that arouses it.

To internalize and live the message:

Have you lost the meaning of the Wedding Invitation? Or do you simply prefer to cross the Banquet threshold unscathed?

Is there an Encounter that you feel can awaken your life, or has the habit of waiting turned into a habit of waiting nothing any longer?

[Friday 21st wk. in O.T.  August 30, 2024]

Distraction in the waiting room, or a crisis with an evolutionary sense

(Mt 25:1-13)

The theme is not one of moral vigilance, but timely: sooner or later all those baptised into Christ fall asleep (v.5).

And the environment doesn't look the best: the groom is delayed, the girls are sleepy, some without oil and the others... sour.

But sometimes we are like madmen who go out to build houses on the sand: at the first flood everything collapses.

Enthusiasm is there, attunement with the Lord and his desire to embrace and transmit fullness of being... perhaps not.

What is missing is a dimension of depth, or of living hope that animates motivation and lubricates energy, in the impulse to mission.

This is the outcome of those who seem to have accepted the Beatitudes in full, but do not make them their own....

Not because they do not fulfil the role well - a task - but because they do not relate listening to the non-distracted, exquisitely evangelical practice.

To feed the torch is to promote life!

But how can we focus on it and not obfuscate it, or rather unblock it, and not allow ourselves to be influenced by the trappings, pull it out of the drawer; orient it well - in local and universal favour, one's own, and that of all?

The Appeal, the opportune moment, comes suddenly. It is not set up through a general or formal choice that evolves without correlation, without personal tracks, without attention to events and the ability to correspond.

In short: the relationship of Faith is not oil that can be lent.

As in a Love relationship, each one needs moment by moment a new personal balance - enhanced in fusion.

There are anxious or perfectionist souls who rush to act, but lack perception. There are fearful and paralysed hearts: they must acquire flexibility.

Some stare at "no" moments and do not know how to transform them into opportunities for awakening; or they heal too late. Others depend on the season or live on adrenaline, and lack awareness.

Some must slow down and collect themselves, rediscover themselves and their instinctive vocational lightness, their infinite part - but avoiding puerile strategies.

Others, who have already embraced the divine, would need to wake up from their torpor, to set in motion the wise, innate light they possess in their deepest inclinations.

Some need to shed ballast, to become more subtle in their hearing and presentation, or less dirigiste; others, to prepare for the Encounter in a more relational and visible dimension.

There are some who cannot help but complicate their lives, and then simplify [without dispersing], eventually becoming sharper; others, and perhaps more, learn to give. And so on.

So. to harmonise and invigorate the natural, passionate and vocational organism, better some with light than all in the dark - stuck in the waiting room, lost forever.

Jesus does not favour those slumbering in an empty spirituality without uniqueness - that is, those gripped by the instinct of self-protection. He does not seek first his own resources, what he already finds within himself; but what he obtains outside, or is given on demand, begged by others.

The unusual - perhaps undue - and personal listening, as well as the enterprising actions, the risk for wisdom, love, the stimulus to the completeness of being, build the Persona and its true dialogue.

Conformities do not produce breakthroughs; they persist in the torpid outline. 

The indistinct crowd without conviviality of differences - if mediocre, lacking in exploratory peaks, exceptions - pushes every unrepeatable Call to the bench.

Often one imagines one has made one's own practice with God by enrolling in parish registers, without fully processing the commitment. Perhaps for fear of risk or unforeseen hardship.

Then some zealous mannerists also assume prone attitudes of [formerly called] 'papist' appearance and [fake] orthodoxy - or vice versa, sophisticated, à la page.

Disembodied abstractions, which the Bridegroom is not interested in.

He who does not even work on himself, obviously according to the character of his own vocational inclinations, neither edifies nor communicates life.

He neither enriches nor cheers up even a cursory existence, of the weary times of waiting. Finally, it has nothing to do with God (v.12).

The paradigm of this high and strong call of the Gospel is the therapy that can regenerate the world subjugated by external homologations, so that it goes Elsewhere - and does not renounce the dimension of the Mystery that arouses it.

It is an appeal out of time for the Church itself, so that it does not settle for schemes, models, standard recipes, or to put things in place in a habitual way.

Nor does it get stuck in sick relationships, in nomenclatures of qualunquist support; resounding or museum-like. And thus find themselves outside the Feast, disoriented, overwhelmed; without even having activated themselves, humanising.

As the encyclical Fratelli Tutti recalls in no.33 [quoting a homily by Pope Francis in Skopje]:

"We fed ourselves with dreams of splendour and greatness and ended up eating distraction [losing] the taste and flavour of reality".

But even the crisis can have an evolutionary meaning: in accepting to be wrong, in becoming aware of imperfections.

In not feeling absolute; in the logic of options, in personalisation, in the unexpected and different encounter.

Threshold of every Exodus towards Freedom and Celebration.

To internalise and live the message:

Have you lost the meaning of the Wedding invitation? Or do you simply prefer to cross the Banquet threshold unscathed?

Is there an Encounter that you feel can awaken your life, or has the habit of waiting turned into a habit of not waiting any longer?

In order not to relapse

"The biblical readings of today's liturgy [...] invite us to prolong our reflection on eternal life [...]. On this point there is a clear difference between those who believe and those who do not believe, or, one might equally say, between those who hope and those who do not hope. In fact, St Paul writes to the Thessalonians: "We do not want to leave you in ignorance about those who have died, so that you may not be sad like the others who have no hope" ( 1 Thess 4:13). Faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ also marks a decisive watershed in this area. St Paul again reminds the Christians of Ephesus that, before accepting the Good News, they were "without hope and without God in the world" ( Eph 2:12). In fact, the religion of the Greeks, the pagan cults and myths, were unable to shed light on the mystery of death, so much so that an ancient inscription read: 'In nihil ab nihilo quam cito recidimus', which means: 'Into nothingness from nothingness how soon we fall'. If we remove God, if we remove Christ, the world falls back into emptiness and darkness. And this is also reflected in the expressions of contemporary nihilism, an often unconscious nihilism that unfortunately infects so many young people.

Today's Gospel is a famous parable about ten girls invited to a wedding feast, a symbol of the Kingdom of Heaven, of eternal life (Mt 25:1-13). It is a happy image, with which, however, Jesus teaches a truth that challenges us; in fact, of those ten girls: five enter the feast, because, when the bridegroom arrives, they have the oil to light their lamps; while the other five remain outside, because, foolish, they did not bring the oil. What does this 'oil', indispensable to be admitted to the wedding feast, represent? St Augustine (cf. Sermons 93:4) and other ancient authors read in it a symbol of love, which cannot be bought, but is received as a gift, kept in one's heart and practised in one's works. True wisdom is to take advantage of mortal life to perform works of mercy, because after death, this will no longer be possible. When we are awakened for the last judgement, this will be on the basis of the love practised in earthly life (cf. Mt 25:31-46). And this love is Christ's gift, poured into us by the Holy Spirit. Whoever believes in God-Love carries within him an invincible hope, like a lamp with which to cross the night beyond death, and reach the great feast of life".

[Pope Benedict, Angelus 6 November 2011]

Dear brothers and sisters!

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The Biblical Readings of this […] Liturgy invite us to extend the reflection on eternal life that we began on the occasion of the commemoration of the faithful departed. On this point there is a clear difference between those who believe and those who do not believe or, one might likewise say, between those who hope and those who do not hope.

Indeed St Paul wrote to the Thessalonians: “but we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thess 4:13). Faith in the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ in this sphere too is a crucial divide. St Paul always reminded the Christians of Ephesus that before accepting the Good News they had been “separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Eph 2:12). Indeed the religion of the Greeks, the pagan cults and myths, were unable to shed light on the mystery of death; thus an ancient inscription said: “In nihil ab nihilo quam cito recidmus” which means: “how quickly we fall back from nothing to nothing”. If we remove God, we remove Christ and the world falls back into emptiness and darkness. Moreover, this is also confirmed in the expressions of contemporary nihilism that is often unconscious and, unfortunately, infects a great many young people.

Today’s Gospel is a famous parable that speaks of ten maidens invited to a wedding feast, a symbol of the Kingdom of Heaven and of eternal life (Mt 25:1-13). It is a happy image with which, however, Jesus teaches a truth that calls us into question. In fact five of those 10 maidens were admitted to the feast because when the bridegroom arrived they had brought the oil to light their lamps, whereas the other five were left outside because they had been foolish enough not to bring any. What is represented by this “oil”, the indispensable prerequisite for being admitted to the nuptial banquet?

St Augustine (cf. Discourses 93, 4), and other ancient authors interpreted it as a symbol of love that one cannot purchase but receives as a gift, preserves within one and uses in works. True wisdom is making the most of mortal life in order to do works of mercy, for after death this will no longer be possible. When we are reawoken for the Last Judgement, it will be made on the basis of the love we have shown in our earthly life (cf. Mt 25:31-46). And this love is a gift of Christ, poured out in us by the Holy Spirit. Those who believe in God-Love bear within them invincible hope, like a lamp to light them on their way through the night beyond death to arrive at the great feast of life.

Let us ask Mary, Sedes Sapientiae, to teach us true wisdom, the wisdom that became flesh in Jesus. He is the Way that leads from this life to God, to the Eternal One. He enabled us to know the Father’s face, and thus gave us hope full of love. This is why the Church addresses the Mother of the Lord with these words: “Vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra” [our life, our sweetness and our hope]. Let us learn from her to live and die in the hope that never disappoints.

[Pope Benedict, Angelus 6 November 2011]

1. Christ taught in parables, which were comprehensible to his hearers. Their content could be easily assimilated by the imagination. At the same time, their message opened the mind of their hearers to another reality: the kingdom of heaven. The divine, supernatural reality. Man is called to this reality. He is called to the kingdom of God, which begins here on earth, but which will find its ultimate realisation in the eternal city of God, in heaven. The kingdom of God also constitutes man's eschatological future. Of it Christ is the eyewitness: he is on the throne of the Father, as the consubstantial and eternal Son.

In the parable of the ten virgins, which we have heard, Jesus focuses his attention above all on the man invited to the heavenly banquet, called to participate in the divine future.

2. The parable of the ten virgins does not cease to be topical. Certainly, today the traditions related to the celebration of marriage have taken on different external forms. Nevertheless, the parable is always topical. It may be said that what is recounted in it also happens in our day. It happens here in Naples; it happens in the city and in each of its neighbourhoods; it happens in every parish, in every family, in every man.

What wedding is it about? Who is the bridegroom we are called to? The parable allows us to approach the mystery of God, expressed with the image of the wedding. It is about the wedding of Christ: He is the Bridegroom. He is the Bridegroom first of all as the Incarnate Word: the Son of God married humanity, our human nature, becoming man in the womb of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit.

By virtue of this first marriage, Christ, God-Man, married all men: for he became Man for all, to redeem and save all. Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. His Bride is the Church, which he instituted, so that she might cooperate with him in the work of salvation. It is in her that the children of divine adoption are born and mature, called to share in the life of God in the likeness of the eternal and only-begotten Son.

6. Dear brothers and sisters, today's liturgy reminds us that our whole life is vigilant preparation for the encounter with the Bridegroom. "Watch and be ready"!

Here we must descend into the depths of every man. The Saviour shows us the way. In what does this evangelical 'watch', in what does the readiness of the wise virgins, of which the parable speaks, consist, if not precisely in what the Psalm proclaims? "O God, thou art my God, at dawn I seek thee, for thee my soul thirsts, for thee my flesh yearns, like a desert land, parched, without water" (Ps 62:2).

Sensitivity towards God; the awareness that he is present in the world, in this city, in each one of us. "For in him we live and move and exist" (Acts 17:28). From him we came forth coming into the light. And our life is a way that can lead nowhere else but to him.

Are we aware that this is the way of our life? Are we perhaps lost in steep places? Or are we perhaps now beginning to leave this high road? Are we, perhaps, similar to those virgins in the parable who dozed off and slept? They continue to sleep and do not perceive the coming of the bridegroom. Is there not a risk that not even the powerful shock of his death and resurrection will wake them up?

Yes. Let us admire the works of human genius, but let our eyes be wide open to recognise the works of divine Wisdom. Let our ears be wide open to hear the voice of the Bridegroom. Let not our lamps be extinguished, dimmed by a colluvia of information that leads to nothingness. They do not open up the divine perspectives to us; on the contrary, they prevent us from perceiving the voice of the Bridegroom and do not make us listen to the Church that cries out: "Go out to meet Him!".

7. We cannot remain in ignorance. Nor can we remain in ignorance about those who die (cf. 1 Thess 4:13) . . . about those who have died in your families, in your parishes, in your city. November is the month in which we remember the dead! We cannot remain in ignorance. Hopeless affliction is not enough.

Humanity today seems to underestimate the meaning of death. When the meaning of death is devalued, when the meaning of human life from the first moment of conception is also devalued, man falls into a dangerous slumber. He tries to slumber so as not to face the responsibilities that come with the greatness of his vocation and his God-given dignity. He tries not to perceive the voice of the Bridegroom! November is the month of the dead who live in God.

"For we believe that Jesus died and rose again; so also those who are dead, God will gather them through Jesus together with him" (1 Thess 4:14). Keep watch! Remember that we live immersed in the Communion of Saints. Let us therefore be ready - like the wise virgins in the parable - to enter together with Christ into the wedding of the kingdom of God.

The voice of the Church repeats: "Behold the Bridegroom, go meet him!". Watch, therefore, and be ready. Amen!

[Pope John Paul II, homily Naples 11 November 1990]