After Peter, on the disciples’ behalf, had professed his faith in him, recognizing him as the Messiah (cf. Mk 8:29), Jesus began to speak openly of what was going to happen to him at the end. The Evangelist records three successive predictions of his death and resurrection in chapters 8, 9 and 10. In them Jesus announces ever more clearly the destiny that awaits him and the intrinsic need for it. This Sunday’s passage contains the second of these announcements. Jesus says: “The Son of man” — an expression that designates himself — will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he will rise” (Mk 9:31). “But” the disciples “did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to ask him” (v. 32). 

In fact, on reading this part of Mark’s account the great inner distance that existed between Jesus and his disciples is clearly apparent; they are, so to speak, on two different wavelengths so that the Teacher’s discourses are either not understood, or are only superficially understood. Straight after professing his faith in Jesus, the Apostle Peter takes the liberty of reproaching the Lord because he predicted that he was to be rejected and killed. 

After the second prediction of the passion, the disciples began to discuss with one another who was the greatest among them (cf. Mk 9:34), and after the third, James and John asked Jesus to sit one at his right hand and one at his left when he would come into glory (cf Mk 10:35-40). However, there are various other signs of this gap: for example, the disciples do not succeed in healing an epileptic boy whom Jesus subsequently heals with the power of prayer (cf. Mk 9:14-29); and when children are brought to Jesus the disciples admonish them; Jesus on the contrary is indignant, has them stay and says that only those who are like them will enter the Kingdom of God (cf. Mk 10:13-16).

What does all this tell us? it reminds us that, the logic of God is always “different” from ours, just as God himself revealed through the mouth of Isaiah: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, / neither are your ways my ways” (Is 55:8). For this reason following the Lord always demands of human beings — of all of us — a profound con-version, a change in our manner of thinking and living, it demands that the heart be opened to listening, to let ourselves be illuminated and transformed from within.

A key point in which God and man differ is pride: in God there is no pride, for he is wholly fullness and is wholly oriented to loving and giving life instead in we human beings pride is deeply rooted and requires constant vigilance and purification. We, who are small, aspire to appear great, to be among the first, whereas God who is truly great is not afraid of humbling himself and putting himself last. And the Virgin Mary is perfectly “in tune” with God: let us call upon her with trust, so that she may teach us to follow Jesus faithfully on the path of love and humility.

[Pope Benedict, Angelus 23 September 2012]

1. “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased” (Mt 12:18; cf. Is 42:1-4).

The theme of this Message for the 40th World Day of Prayer for Vocations invites us to return to the roots of the Christian vocation, to the story of the first person called by the Father, his Son Jesus. He is “the servant” of the Father, foretold by the prophets as the one whom the Father has chosen and formed from his mother’s womb (cf. Is 49, 1-6), the beloved whom the Father upholds and in whom he is well pleased (cf. Is 42, 1-9), in whom he has placed his spirit and to whom he has transmitted his power (cf. Is 49, 5), and as the one whom he will exalt (cf. Is 52,13 – 53,12).

The inspired text gives an essentially positive connotation to the term “servant”, which is immediately evident. In today’s culture, the person who serves is considered inferior; but in sacred history the servant is the one called by God to carry out a particular action of salvation and redemption. The servant knows that he has received all he has and is. As a result, he also feels called to place what he has received at the service of others.

In the Bible, service is always linked to a specific call that comes from God. For this reason, it represents the greatest fulfilment of the dignity of the creature, as well as that which invokes the creature’s mysterious, transcendent dimension. This was the case in the life of Jesus, too, the faithful Servant who was called to carry out the universal work of redemption.

2. “Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter …” (Is 53:7).

In Sacred Scripture, there is a strong and clear link between service and redemption, as well as between service and suffering, between Servant and Lamb of God. The Messiah is the Suffering Servant who takes on his shoulders the weight of human sin. He is the lamb “led to the slaughter” (Is 53:7) to pay the price of the sins committed by humanity, and thus render to the same humanity the service that it needs most. The Servant is the Lamb who “was oppressed, and was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth” (Is 53:7), thus showing an extraordinary power: the power not to react to evil with evil, but to respond to evil with good.

It is the gentle force of the servant, who finds his strength in God and who, therefore, is made by God to be “light of the nations” and worker of salvation (Is 49:5-6). In a mysterious manner, the vocation to service is invariably a vocation to take part in a most personal way in the ministry of salvation – a partaking that will, among other things, be costly and painful.

3. “… even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve” (Mt 20:28).

In truth, Jesus is the perfect model of the “servant” of whom Scripture speaks. He is the one who radically emptied himself to take on “the form of a servant” (Phil 2:7) and to dedicate himself totally to the things of the Father (cf. Lk 2:49), as the beloved Son in whom the Father is well pleased (cf. Mt 17:5). Jesus did not come to be served, “but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mt 20:28). He washed the feet of his disciples and obeyed the plan of the Father even unto death, death on a cross (cf. Phil 2:8). Therefore, the Father himself has exalted him, giving him a new name and making him Lord of heaven and of earth (cf. Phil 2:9-11).

How can one not read in the story of the “servant Jesus” the story of every vocation: the story that the Creator has planned for every human being, the story that inevitably passes through the call to serve and culminates in the discovery of the new name, designed by God for each individual? In these “names”, people can grasp their own identity, directing themselves to that self-fulfilment which makes them free and happy. In particular, how can one not read in the parable of the Son, Servant and Lord, the vocational story of the person who is called by Jesus to follow him more closely: that is, to be a servant in the priestly ministry or in religious consecration? In fact, the priestly vocation or the religious vocation are always, by their very nature, vocations to the generous service of God and of neighbour.

Service thus becomes both the path and the valuable means for arriving at a better understanding of one’s own vocation. Diakonia is a true vocational pastoral journey (cf. New Vocations for a New Europe, 27c).

4. “Where I am, there shall my servant be also” (Jn 12:26).

Jesus, Servant and Lord, is also the one who calls. He calls us to be like him, because only in service do human beings discover their own dignity and the dignity of others. He calls to serve as he has served. When interpersonal relationships are inspired to reciprocal service, a new world is created and, in it, an authentic vocational culture is developed.

With this message, I should like, in a way, to give voice to Jesus, so as to propose to young people the ideal of service, and to help them to overcome the temptations of individualism and the illusion of obtaining their happiness in that way. Notwithstanding certain contrary forces, present also in the mentality of today, in the hearts of many young people there is a natural disposition to open up to others, especially to the most needy. This makes them generous, capable of empathy, ready to forget themselves in order to put the other person ahead of their own interests.

Dear young people, service is a completely natural vocation, because human beings are by nature servants, not being masters of their own lives and being, in their turn, in need of the service of others. Service shows that we are free from the intrusiveness of our ego. It shows that we have a responsibility to other people. And service is possible for everyone, through gestures that seem small, but which are, in reality, great if they are animated by a sincere love. True servants are humble and know how to be “useless” (cf. Lk 17:10). They do not seek egoistic benefits, but expend themselves for others, experiencing in the gift of themselves the joy of working for free.

Dear young people, I hope you can know how to listen to the voice of God calling you to service. This is the road that opens up to so many forms of ministry for the benefit of the community: from the ordained ministry to various other instituted and recognised ministries, such as Catechesis, liturgical animation, education of young people and the various expressions of charity (cf. Novo millennio ineunte, 46). At the conclusion of the Great Jubilee, I reminded you that this is “the time for a new ‘creativity’ in charity” (ibidem, 50). Young people, in a special way it is up to you to ensure that charity finds expression, in all its spiritual and apostolic richness.

5. “If any one would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all” (Mk 9:35).

This is how Jesus spoke to the Twelve, when he caught them discussing among themselves “who was the greatest” (Mk 9:34). This is a constant temptation, which does not spare even the one called to preside at the Eucharist, the sacrament of the supreme love of the “Suffering Servant”. Whoever carries out this service is actually called to be a servant in a yet more radical way. He is called, in fact, to act “in persona Christi”, and so to re-live the same condition of Jesus at the Last Supper, being willing, like Jesus, to love until the end, even to the giving of his life. To preside at the Lord’s Supper is, therefore, an urgent invitation to offer oneself in gift, so that the attitude of the Suffering Servant and Lord may continue and grow in the Church.

Dear young men, nurture your attraction to those values and radical choices which will transform your lives into service of others, in the footsteps of Jesus, the Lamb of God. Do not let yourselves be seduced by the call of power and personal ambition. The priestly ideal must be constantly purified from these and other dangerous ambiguities.

The call of the Lord Jesus still resounds today: “If any one serves me, he must follow me” (Jn 12:26). Do not be afraid to accept this call. You will surely encounter difficulties and sacrifices, but you will be happy to serve, you will be witnesses of that joy that the world cannot give. You will be living flames of an infinite and eternal love. You will know the spiritual riches of the priesthood, divine gift and mystery.

6. As at other times, on this occasion, too, we turn our gaze to Mary, Mother of the Church and Star of the new evangelisation. Let us call upon her with trust, so that in the Church there will be no lack of men and women who are ready to respond generously to the invitation of the Lord, who calls to a more direct service of the Gospel:

“Mary, humble servant of God Most High,
the Son to whom you gave birth has made you the servant of humanity.

Your life was a humble and generous service.

You were servant of the Word when the angel
announced to you the divine plan of salvation.

You were servant of the Son, giving him life
and remaining open to his mystery.

You were servant of Redemption,
standing courageously at the foot of the Cross,
close to the Suffering Servant and Lamb,
who was sacrificing himself for love of us.

You were servant of the Church on the day of Pentecost
and with your intercession you continue to generate her in every believer,
even in these our difficult and troubled times.

Let the young people of the third millennium look
to you, young daughter of Israel,
who have known the agitation of a young heart
when faced with the plan of the Eternal God.

Make them able to accept the invitation of your Son
to give their lives wholly for the glory of God.

Make them understand that to serve God satisfies the heart,
and that only in the service of God and of his kingdom
do we realise ourselves in accordance with the divine plan,
and life becomes a hymn of glory to the Most Holy Trinity.

Amen.”

From the Vatican, 16 October 2002

[Pope John Paul II, Message for the XL World Day of Prayer for Vocations]

One cannot live the Gospel by making compromises, otherwise one ends up with the spirit of the world, which aims at dominating others and is "the enemy of God"; but one must choose the path of service. The Pope's reflection, in his homily on Tuesday 25 February, at the Mass at Casa Santa Marta, started from the Gospel passage (Mk 9:30-37) in which Jesus tells the Twelve that if one wants to be first, he is called to make himself last and servant of all.

Jesus knew that along the way the disciples had been arguing among themselves about who was the greatest "by ambition". This fighting saying 'I must go on, I must go up', the Pontiff explained, is the spirit of the world. But the first reading of the day's liturgy (Jas 4:1-10) also echoes this aspect, when the Apostle James reminds us that love of the world is the enemy of God. "This anxiety of worldliness," the Pope remarked, "this anxiety of being more important than others and saying: 'No! I deserve this, I don't deserve that other'. This is worldliness, this - he continued - is the spirit of the world and whoever breathes this spirit, breathes the enmity of God". "Jesus, in another passage, says to the disciples: 'Either you are with me or you are against me'. There is no compromise in the Gospel. And when one wants to live the Gospel by making compromises,' he commented, 'in the end one finds oneself with the worldly spirit, which always seeks to make compromises in order to climb higher, to dominate, to be greater.

So many wars and quarrels come precisely from worldly desires, from passions, the Pope pointed out, referring again to the words of St James. It is true 'today the whole world is sown by wars. But the wars that are among us? Like the one that existed among the apostles: who is the most important?", Francis asked. "'Look at the career I've had: now I can't go backwards!' This is the spirit of the world and this is not Christian. "No! It is my turn! I have to earn more to have more money and more power'. This is the spirit of the world,' the Pontiff stressed. "And then, the wickedness of gossip: gossip. Where does it come from? From envy. The great envious,' Francis reiterated, 'is the devil, we know it, the Bible says so. From envy. By the devil's envy, evil enters the world. Envy is a woodworm that pushes you to destroy, to gossip, to annihilate the other".

In the disciples' dialogue there were all these passions and for this reason, Francis argued, Jesus rebukes them and exhorts them to be servants of all and to take the last place: 'Who is the most important in the Church? - he wondered - The Pope, the bishops, the monsignors, the cardinals, the pastors of the most beautiful parishes, the presidents of lay associations? No! The greatest in the Church is the one who makes himself the servant of all, the one who serves everyone, not the one who has the most titles. And to make this understood, he took a child, placed him in their midst and, embracing him tenderly - because Jesus spoke with tenderness, he had so much of it - he said to them: 'Whoever welcomes a child welcomes me', that is, whoever welcomes the most humble, the most servant. This is the way," Francis said, emphasising again that "the way against the spirit of the world is only one: humility. To serve others, to choose the last place, not to climb'.

One must not, therefore, "negotiate with the spirit of the world", one must not say: "I have a right to this place, because look at the career I have made". Worldliness, in fact, concluded the Pope, "is the enemy of God". Instead, we must listen to this "so wise" and encouraging word that Jesus says in the Gospel: "If anyone wants to be first, let him be last of all, let him be servant of all".

[Pope Francis, St. Martha, in L'Osservatore Romano 26/02/2020]

(Mk 9:14-29)

The messianicity of Christ and Salvation itself belong to the sphere of Faith and Prayer.

 They are the ambits of intimate listening, acute perception, trusting spousal acceptance, and liberating drive.

 On this point Jesus rails against the mediocrity of his followers (vv.18-19) and is forced to start over from scratch (vv.28-29).

 So much so that «having entered the House» that is, into his Church (v.28) he must begin again with basic catechism.

The passage is structured along the lines of the first catechumenal liturgies.

The Lord wants people enslaved by power ideology and false devotion to be brought to Him (v.19) and demands the Faith of those who lead them (vv.23-24).

The beginner goes through a life overhaul that «twists» and «leads to the ground».

This is because one can be plagiarised by unwise spiritual guides.

Then it’s a real heartbreak to discover that from childhood (v.21) one has been regulated to a mortifying model of life - made up of easy classifications, which, however, do not realise but dehumanise.

In order to be liberated and rise to new life (v.27) the candidate passes as if through a death - a sort of baptismal immersion, which drowns his former [de facto, paganising] formation.

At the time of Mk, many spoke of expelling demons.

In the typology of the new Baptism, the community of Rome wanted to express the objective of the Good News of the Gospels: to help people rise up - freeing themselves from fears of the evil’s power.

In the passage, the child's deafness and muteness indicate the lack of the «Word» that becomes an «event» - both in the midst of the disoriented people and among the disciples, who are sick of protagonism and one-sidedness.

The young man's very behaviour (vv.18.20.26) traces the existential patterns of people subjugated by invincible forces, because they are self-destructive - thus in the grip of obsessive, unrelenting lacerations.

It’s a precisely heart-rending situation: that of one who discovers that he has been deceived by a religiosity of all too common beliefs.

The advent of the Kingdom of God meant the coming of a ‘sheltered power’ stronger than the Roman army itself, whose legions were used to maintain situations of civil oppression, even religious fear.

At all times, between the forces that induce profound illnesses [like something that has taken possession of us] and the presence of the Messiah, a no-holds-barred struggle ensues.

The two opposite poles cannot stand each other; they make sparks. But the solution is not to amaze the crowds, nor vice versa to attempt to remake normal things.

Sometimes it seems that we are not in a position to initiate genuine healing processes (v.18).

But evil doesn’t yield by miracle or clamour, nor by force and man's insistence, but by attunement and Gift (v.29). From inner powers.

Here is the space of prayer-listening:

For solutions that solve real problems, we do not constantly need conformist rules, but a new ability to ‘read things’.

Our life is not played on the initiative of what we are already able to set up and practice - or interpret, design and predict (vv.14-19) - but about Attention (v.29).

Prayer takes out of boundaries and puts us in touch with other energies and surprises that we had not noticed: innate virtues and of the Grace, which allow to see every situation through different, liberated eyes.

[Monday 7th wk. in O.T.  February 24, 2025]

(Mk 9:14-29)

How do we adjust to powerlessness in the face of the dramas of humanity? Even in the journey of Faith, at a certain point in our journey we perceive an irrepressible need to transform ourselves.

We want to realise our being more fully, and to do good, even to others. It is an innate urge.

The need for life does not arise from reasoning: it arises spontaneously, so that new situations, other parts of us, emerge.

Change is a law of nature, of every Seed.

Such motion 'calls' to us from the depths of our Core, so that we come to change balances, convictions, ways of going about things that have had their day.

Such a call can be answered by making ourselves available, in order to discover different points of view. Even external ones, but starting from the discovery of a kind of 'new self' that actually lay in the shadows of our virtues.

Energies that we had not yet allowed to breathe.

Conversely, we may instinctively oppose this process, due to various fears, and then every affair becomes difficult; like an obstacle course.

Finally, in our itinerary of transformation we often encounter opposition from others, who may appear more experienced than us...

They appear to be experts and veterans, yet they too are 'frightened' by the fact that we do not intend to stop at the post already dictated.

In any case, the drive for change will not let go.

We will take new actions, express different opinions, show opposite sides of the personality; we will leave more room for the life wave.

No more compromises, even if others may doubt that we have become 'tortuous'.

In short, what power does the coming of the choice of Faith have in life, even in the midst of people's disbelief?

And - as in the Gospel passage - in the unbelieving scepticism [of the apostles themselves, who would be the first to manifest it]?

Even today, some old 'characters' and guides are falling by the wayside, displaced by the new onset of awareness, or by changing enigmas, and different units of measurement.

The old 'form' no longer satisfies. On the contrary, it produces malaise. But there is around - precisely - a whole system of expectations, even 'spiritual', or at least rather conformist 'religious' ones.

What is the point, if even we priests are no longer reassuring? And what does God think?

The messianicity of Christ and Salvation itself belong to the sphere of Faith and Prayer.

They are the realms of intimate listening, acute perception, trusting spousal acceptance, and liberating drive.

The Master himself - fluid and concrete - did not immerse himself in the system of rigid social [mutual] expectations of his time, and decided to step out of the 'group'.

On this point, Jesus rails against the mediocrity and peak-less action - all predictable - of his own (vv.18-19) and is forced to start again from scratch (vv.28-29).

Of course, perhaps the others also lack creative Faith without inflection and turbulence, but at least they recognise it (v.24) and with extreme reserve wish to be helped, well before becoming teachers of others (v.14).

Sometimes the very intimates of the true Master, perhaps still poorly versed in the great signs of God, seek only the hosanna of roles, and consent in spectacularity.

So much so that "having entered into His house", that is, into His Church (v.28), He must begin again to do basic catechism [perhaps pre-catechism, precisely to His leaders].

Without wanting to concede any outside festivals to the crowds, as the 'intimates' would probably have done.

The passage is structured along the lines of the early catechumenal liturgies.

The Lord wants people enslaved by normal thinking, power ideology and false religion to be brought to Him (v.19) and demands the Faith of those who lead them (vv.23-24).

The beginner goes through a life overhaul that "contorts" and "brings one to the ground".

This is because one can be plagued by dirigiste, unwise, covertly manipulative - despite being ineffective and underneath insecure - 'spiritual' guides.

Then it is a real heartbreak to discover that from childhood (v.21) we have been governed by a mortifying model - made up of easy classifications, which however do not realise, but dehumanise.

Perhaps we too have been conditioned by unwise directors.

And it was only through arduous, harrowing experiences that we discovered that precisely what we had been taught as sublime - and capable of assuring us communion with God - was conversely the primary cause of detachment from Him, and from a more harmonious and full personal and ecclesial existence.

In order to be liberated and rise to new life (v.27), the candidate of the path of Faith passes as if through a death - a sort of baptismal immersion, which drowns his old [de facto] paganising formation.

At the time of Mk many spoke of the expulsion of demons.In the typology of the new baptism, the community of Rome wanted to express the goal of the Glad Tidings of the Gospels: to help people rise up - freeing themselves from the conditioning fears of evil.

That is not the real power.

In the passage, the child's deafness and muteness indicate the lack of the 'Word' that becomes an 'event' - unceasing, growing life, capable of transforming the marked, standard fate of 'earth'.

A lack that exists both among the bewildered people and - unfortunately - first and foremost among the disciples, sick of protagonism and one-sidedness.

The young man's very behaviour (vv.18.20.26) traces the existential modes of people subjugated by invincible forces, because they are self-destructive - thus in the grip of obsessive, unrelenting lacerations.

Contrary to the quintessence of personal character.

It is a harrowing situation indeed: that of those who discover they have been deceived by a religiosity of all-too-common convictions - with the epidermic, persuasive trick of herd or mass directions.

The coming of the Kingdom of God already meant the coming of an 'internal' power stronger than the Roman army itself, whose legions were used precisely to maintain situations of civil oppression, even religious fear.

Even today, a no-holds-barred struggle rages between the drives that induce deep-seated illnesses [like something that has taken hold of us] and the presence of the Messiah.

The two opposite poles cannot stand each other; they spark.

But the solution is not to amaze the crowds, nor is it to attempt to remake things that finally return to sacralising the status quo.

Thus, it sometimes seems that we are in no condition to initiate genuine healing processes (v.18b).

Yet evil does not give way by miracle and clamour, nor by man's force or insistence, but by attunement and Gift (v.29). From internal powers-events.

Here is the space of prayer-hearing.

Prayer brings one out of the confines and puts one in contact with other energies and surprises that one was not aware of: innate virtues and Grace, which allow one to see every situation with other eyes, liberated.

For solutions that solve real problems, from within, we constantly need not conformist rules, but a new reading. 

Here is the dissymmetrical gaze.

Says the Tao Tê Ching (i): 'The Tao [way of conduct] that can be said is not the Eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the Eternal Name'. Master Wang Pi comments: 'An effable Tao indicates a practice.

Our life is not about the initiative of what we are already able to set up and practice - or interpret, design and predict (vv.14-19) - but about Attention (v.29).

The "mountain" to be moved [parallel v. Mt 17:20 - cf. Mt 19:20ff; Mk 10:20ff; Lk 18:21ff] is not outside, but within us.

In this way, the conformist idea that discourages us, or all obstacles (instead of harming us) will be precious opportunities for growth.

We will be at the centre of the reality of Incarnation.

To internalise and live the message:

How do you live your conflicts? What is your healing experience?

To overcome that "something of unbelief",

and "putting meat on the fire"

Miracles still exist today. But to enable the Lord to perform them there is a need for courageous prayer, capable of overcoming that "something of unbelief" that dwells in the heart of every man, even if he is a man of faith. A prayer especially for those who suffer from wars, persecutions and every other drama that shakes society today. But prayer must "put flesh on the fire", that is, involve our person and commit our whole life, to overcome unbelief [...].

Returning to the Gospel episode, the Holy Father reproposed the question of the disciples who had not been able to drive out the evil spirit from the young man: "But why could we not drive it out? This kind of demons, Jesus explained, cannot be driven out in any way except by prayer". And the boy's father "said: I believe Lord, help my unbelief". His was "a strong prayer; and this prayer, humble and strong, enables Jesus to perform the miracle. The prayer to ask for an extraordinary action,' the Pontiff explained, 'must be a prayer that involves all of us, as if we were committing our whole life to it. In prayer we must put meat on the fire'.

The Pontiff then recounted an episode that happened in Argentina: "I remember something that happened three years ago in the sanctuary of Luján. A seven-year-old girl had fallen ill, but the doctors could not find a solution. She was getting worse and worse, until one evening, the doctors said there was nothing more they could do and that she only had a few hours to live. "The father, who was an electrician, a man of faith, became like mad. And driven by that madness he took the bus and went to the sanctuary of Luján, two and a half hours by bus, seventy kilometres away. He arrived at nine in the evening and found everything closed. And he began to pray with his hands clinging to the iron gate. He was praying and crying. So he stayed the whole night. This man was fighting with God. He was really struggling with God for the healing of his maiden. Then at six in the morning he went to the terminal and took the bus. He arrived at the hospital at nine o'clock, more or less. He found his wife crying and thought the worst: what happened? I don't understand. What happened? The doctors came, his wife told him, and they said the fever is gone, she's breathing well, there's nothing.... They will only keep her another two days. But they don't understand what has happened. And this,' the Pope commented, 'still happens. There are miracles. But prayer is needed! A courageous prayer, one that struggles to reach that miracle, not those prayers out of courtesy: Ah, I will pray for you! Then a Pater Noster, an Ave Maria and I forget. No! It takes courageous prayer, like that of Abraham who wrestled with the Lord to save the city; like that of Moses who prayed with his hands up and tired praying to the Lord; like that of so many people who have faith and with faith pray, pray".

Prayer works miracles, "but," Pope Francis concluded, "we must believe it. I think we can make a beautiful prayer, not a prayer out of courtesy, but a prayer with the heart, and say to Him today throughout the day: I believe Lord! Help my unbelief. We all have unbelief in our hearts. Let us say to the Lord: I believe, I believe! You can! Help my unbelief. And when we are asked to pray for so many people who suffer in wars, in their plight as refugees, in all these dramas we pray, but with our hearts, and we say: Lord, do. I believe, Lord. But help my unbelief".

[Pope Francis, St. Martha, in L'Osservatore Romano 20-21/05/2013].

Dear Young People, Dear Pilgrims of Trust, welcome to Rome,

You have come in large numbers from the whole of Europe and also from other continents to pray at the tombs of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. Indeed it was in this city that they both poured out their blood for Christ. The faith that motivated these two great Apostles of Jesus is the same faith that inspired you to set out. For the year which is about to begin, you plan to open the sources of trust in God in order to live them out in daily life. I rejoice that in this way you are complying with the intention of the Year of Faith that began in October.

It is the fourth time that you have held a European Meeting in Rome. On this occasion I would like to repeat to you the words that my Predecessor Blessed John Paul II spoke to the young people at your Third Meeting in Rome: “the Pope is deeply committed with you to this Pilgrimage of Trust on Earth…. I too am called to be a pilgrim of trust in the name of Christ” (30 December 1987, ORE, 23 Jan. 1988, p.4).

Just over seventy years ago, Brother Roger established the Taizé Community. Thousands of young people from all over the world continue to go there to seek meaning for their lives. The Brothers welcome them to share in their prayer and provide them with an opportunity to experience a personal relationship with God. It was to support these young people on their journey to Christ that Brother Roger had the idea of starting a “pilgrimage of trust on earth”.

A tireless witness to the Gospel of peace and reconciliation, ardently committed to an ecumenism of holiness, Brother Roger encouraged all those who passed through Taizé to become seekers of communion. We should listen in our hearts to his spiritually lived ecumenism, and let ourselves be guided by his witness towards an ecumenism which is truly interiorized and spiritualized. Following his example, may all of you be bearers of this message of unity. I assure you of the irrevocable commitment of the Catholic Church to continue seeking the paths of reconciliation leading to the visible unity of Christians. And so this evening I greet with special affection those among you who are Orthodox or Protestants.

[French] Today Christ is asking you the same question that he asked his disciples: “Who do you say that I am?”. Peter, by whose tomb we are gathered at this moment, answered this question: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:15-16). And his whole life became a tangible answer to this question. Christ also hopes to receive from each one of you a response that does not come from compulsion or fear but from your deep inner freedom. In answering this question your life will find its strongest meaning. The text of St John’s Letter that we have just heard enables us to understand with great simplicity, concisely, how to answer. “We should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another” (1 Jn 3:23). Believing and loving God and others! What could be more uplifting? What could be more beautiful?

During these days in Rome may you be able to let this “yes” to Christ well up in your hearts, in particular by making the most of the long moments of silence that have an important place in your prayers together, after listening to the word of God. This word, Peter’s Second Letter says, is like “a lamp shining in a dark place” which you do well to look at “until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (1:19). You see, if the morning star has to rise in your hearts it means that it is not always there. Sometimes the evil and suffering of the innocent stir up in you doubt and confusion. And saying “yes” to Christ can become difficult. Yet this doubt does not make you nonbelievers! Jesus did not reject the man in the Gospel who cried: “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mk 9:24).

[German] To ensure that you do not lose heart in this battle, God does not leave you helpless and isolated. He gives all of us the joy and comfort of the Church’s communion. During your stay in Rome, thanks especially to the generous hospitality of so many parishes and religious communities, you are having a new experience of Church. On returning home, I invite you to discover in your various regions that God makes you all co-responsible for his Church in the whole range of your vocations. This communion which is the Body of Christ needs you and you have your own place in it. Starting with your gifts, with what is specific to each one of you, the Holy Spirit forms and breathes life into this mystery of communion which is the Church in order to communicate the Good News of the Gospel to the world today.

[Polish] Like silence, singing has an important place in your community prayers. In these days the songs of Taizé are filling the basilicas of Rome. Singing is a support and an incomparable expression of prayer. In singing to Christ, you also open yourselves to the mystery of his hope. Do not be afraid to precede the dawn in praise of God, you will not be disappointed.

Dear young friends, Christ does not take you away from the world. He sends you wherever his light is lacking so that you may take it to others. Yes, you are all called to be small lights for those around you. With your attention to a fairer distribution of the earth’s resources, with your commitment to justice and to a new human solidarity, you will help all those around you to understand better that the Gospel leads us at the same time both to God and to others. Thus, with your faith, you will help make trust spring up on this earth. 

[French] May you therefore be full of hope! God bless you, as well as your family and your friends!

[Meeting with the young people of Taizé, Rome 29 December 2012]

1. The "miracles and signs" that Jesus performed to confirm his messianic mission and the coming of the kingdom of God are ordered and closely linked to the call to faith. This call in relation to the miracle has two forms: faith precedes the miracle, indeed it is a condition for it to take place; faith constitutes an effect of the miracle, because it is provoked by it in the souls of those who received it, or witnessed it.

It is well known that faith is man's response to the word of divine revelation. The miracle occurs in organic connection with this revealing word of God. It is a 'sign' of his presence and working, a sign, one might say, that is particularly intense. All this sufficiently explains the special link that exists between the "miracle-signs" of Christ and faith: a link so clearly delineated in the Gospels.

2. There is in fact a long series of texts in the Gospels in which the call to faith appears as an indispensable and systematic coefficient of Christ's miracles.

At the beginning of this series are the pages concerning the Mother of Christ in her behaviour at Cana of Galilee, and before that - and above all - at the moment of the annunciation. One could say that it is precisely here that one finds the culminating point of her adherence to the faith, which will find its confirmation in the words of Elizabeth during the visitation: 'And blessed is she who believed in the fulfilment of the words of the Lord' (Lk 1:45). Yes, Mary believed like no other, being convinced that "nothing is impossible to God" (cf. Lk 1:37).

And at Cana of Galilee her faith anticipated, in a certain sense, the hour of Christ's revelation. Through his intercession, that first miracle-sign took place, thanks to which Jesus' disciples "believed in him" (Jn 2:11). If the Second Vatican Council teaches that Mary constantly precedes the people of God on the paths of faith (cf. Lumen Gentium, 58.63; Ioannis Pauli PP. II, Redemptoris Mater, 5-6), we can say that the first foundation for this assertion is already found in the Gospel, which reports "miracle-signs" in Mary and for Mary in relation to the call to faith.

3. This call is repeated many times. . To the leader of the synagogue, Jairus, who came to ask for his daughter's return to life, Jesus says: "Do not be afraid, only continue to have faith!" (and he says "do not be afraid" because some advised Jairus against turning to Jesus) (Mk 5:36).

When the father of the epileptic asks for the healing of his son, saying: "But if you can anything . . . help us", Jesus replies: "If you can! Everything is possible for those who believe". Then we have the beautiful act of faith in Christ of this tried man: "I believe, help me in my unbelief!" (cf. Mk 9:22-24).

Finally, we recall Jesus' well-known conversation with Martha before the resurrection of Lazarus: "I am the resurrection and the life . . . Do you believe this? . . Yes, O Lord, I believe . . ." (cf. Jn 11:25-27).

4. The same link between the "miracle-sign" and faith is confirmed by other negative facts. Let us recall some of them. In Mark's Gospel we read that Jesus in Nazareth "could perform no miracle, but only laid hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marvelled at their unbelief" (Mk 6:5-6).

We know the gentle rebuke Jesus once addressed to Peter: "Man of little faith, why did you doubt?". This happened when Peter, who at first went boldly on the waves towards Jesus, then by the violence of the wind became afraid and began to sink" (cf. Mt 14:29-31).

5. Jesus emphasises more than once that the miracle he performed is linked to faith. "Your faith has healed you", he says to the woman who had been suffering from haemorrhaging for twelve years and who, when she came up behind him, touched the hem of his cloak and was healed (cf. Mt 9:20-22; Lk 8:48; Mk 5:34).

Similar words Jesus pronounced while healing blind Bartimaeus, who at the exit from Jericho insistently asked for his help, crying out: "Son of David, Jesus, have mercy on me!" (cf. Mk 10, 46-52). According to Mark: "Go, your faith has saved you", Jesus answers him. And Luke specifies the answer: "Have sight again! Your faith has saved you" (Lk 18:42).

He makes an identical statement to the Samaritan healed of leprosy (Lk 17:19). While to two other blind men pleading to regain their sight, Jesus asks: "Do you believe that I can do this?" "Yes, O Lord!" . "Let it be done to you according to your faith" (Mt 9:28-29).

6. Particularly touching is the episode of the Canaanite woman, who did not cease to ask Jesus' help for her daughter "cruelly tormented by a demon". When the Canaanite woman prostrated herself before Jesus to ask him for help, he replied: 'It is not good to take the bread of the children to throw it to the little dogs' (this was a reminder of the ethnic diversity between Israelites and Canaanites, which Jesus, son of David, could not ignore in his practical behaviour, but to which he alluded in a methodological function to provoke faith). And here the woman intuitively comes to an unusual act of faith and humility. She says: 'It is true, Lord . . . but even little dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table'. Faced with such a humble, gracious and confident word, Jesus replies: 'Woman, truly great is your faith! May it be done to you as you wish" (cf. Mt 15:21-28).

It is an event difficult to forget, especially when one thinks of the countless "Canaanites" of every time, country, colour and social condition, who reach out their hand to ask for understanding and help in their needs!

7. Note how in the Gospel narrative it is continually emphasised that Jesus, when he "sees faith", performs the miracle. This is clearly stated in the case of the paralytic lowered to his feet through the opening in the roof (cf. Mk 2:5; Mt 9:2; Lk 5:20). But the observation can be made in many other cases recorded by the evangelists. The factor of faith is indispensable; but as soon as it occurs, the heart of Jesus is outstretched to fulfil the requests of the needy who turn to him for help with his divine power.

8. Once again we see that, as we said at the beginning, the miracle is a "sign" of God's power and love that saves man in Christ. But because of this, it is at the same time a call to man to faith. It must lead both the one who is miraculously saved and the witnesses of the miracle to believe.

This applies to the apostles themselves, right from the first "sign" given by Jesus in Cana of Galilee: it was then that they "believed in him" (John 2: 11). Then, when the miraculous multiplication of the loaves took place near Capernaum, with which the heralding of the Eucharist is connected, the evangelist notes that "from then on, many of his disciples turned back and no longer went with him", not being able to accept a language that seemed too "harsh" to them. Jesus then asked the Twelve: "Perhaps you also want to leave?". Peter answered, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words to eternal life, we have believed and known that you are the Holy One of God" (cf. Jn 6:66-69). The principle of faith is thus fundamental in the relationship with Christ, both as a condition for obtaining the miracle and as the purpose for which it is performed. This is made very clear at the end of John's Gospel, where we read: "Many other signs did Jesus do in the presence of his disciples, but they were not written in this book. These have been written, so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and so that, believing, you may have life in his name" (John 20: 30-31).

[Pope John Paul II, General Audience 16 December 1987]

Miracles still exist today. But to enable the Lord to perform them there is a need for courageous prayer, capable of overcoming that "something of unbelief" that dwells in the heart of every man, even if he is a man of faith. A prayer especially for those who suffer from wars, persecutions and every other drama that shakes society today. But prayer must "put flesh on the fire", that is, involve our person and commit our whole life, to overcome unbelief. This was the recommendation given by Pope Francis to those who attended the Mass celebrated this morning, Monday 20 May, in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae.

In his homily, the Pontiff reflected on unbelief starting from the account in Mark's Gospel (9:14-29) about a young man possessed by the evil spirit and delivered by Christ. "It is not the first time," said the Holy Father, "that Jesus complains about unbelief: O unbelieving generations! So many times he said it'; and he suffered greatly from this unbelief towards his words, his message. "They loved him, the crowds went to greet him. They loved him but to a certain extent. They were not risking too much in their faith towards him. They were not risking. And Jesus suffered for that, didn't he? It is powerful what he says today: O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? Until when shall I endure you?".

The Pope then noted that Jesus is serious in his rebuke. Indeed, he addresses the disciples firmly and asks them to bring the possessed young man before him. "He takes things into his own hands" and when "Jesus takes things into his own hands, they go well". But how does one get the Lord to take things into his hands? Of course it is not easy, precisely because unbelief comes into play. "But why this unbelief?" the Pope wondered again. "Everyone saw that Jesus did miracles, so many beautiful things. Jesus' words were so beautiful and they reached the heart'. And it is indeed a question of the heart: 'I believe,' said the bishop of Rome, 'that it is precisely the heart that does not open, the closed heart, the heart that wants to have everything under control'. We are 'afraid to fail'. The Pontiff recalled in this regard what happened on Resurrection Sunday, 'when Jesus comes among his disciples in the cenacle. Luke says: There was so much joy that they could not believe. They were afraid that this joy was a dream, that it was a fantasy, that it was not Jesus...'.

Returning to the Gospel episode, the Holy Father reproposed the question of the disciples who had not been able to drive the evil spirit away from the young man: "But why could we not drive it out? This kind of demons, Jesus explained, cannot be driven out in any way except by prayer". And the boy's father "said: I believe Lord, help my unbelief". His was "a strong prayer; and this prayer, humble and strong, enables Jesus to perform the miracle. The prayer to ask for an extraordinary action,' the Pontiff explained, 'must be a prayer that involves all of us, as if we were committing our whole life to it. In prayer we must put meat on the fire'.

The Pontiff then recounted an episode that happened in Argentina: "I remember something that happened three years ago in the sanctuary of Luján. A seven-year-old girl had fallen ill, but the doctors could not find a solution. She was getting worse and worse, until one evening, the doctors said there was nothing more they could do and that she only had a few hours to live. "The father, who was an electrician, a man of faith, became like mad. And driven by that madness he took the bus and went to the sanctuary of Luján, two and a half hours by bus, seventy kilometres away. He arrived at nine in the evening and found everything closed. And he began to pray with his hands clinging to the iron gate. He was praying and crying. So he stayed the whole night. This man was fighting with God. He was really struggling with God for the healing of his maiden. Then at six in the morning he went to the terminal and took the bus. He arrived at the hospital at nine o'clock, more or less. He found his wife crying and thought the worst: what happened? I don't understand. What happened? The doctors came, his wife told him, and they said the fever is gone, she's breathing well, there's nothing.... They will only keep her for two more days. But they don't understand what has happened. And this,' the Pope commented, 'still happens. There are miracles. But prayer is needed! A courageous prayer, which struggles to reach that miracle, not those prayers out of courtesy: Ah, I will pray for you! Then a Pater Noster, an Ave Maria and I forget. No! It takes a courageous prayer, like that of Abraham who wrestled with the Lord to save the city; like that of Moses who prayed with his hands up and tired praying to the Lord; like that of so many people who have faith and with faith pray, pray".

Prayer works miracles, "but," Pope Francis concluded, "we must believe it. I think we can make a beautiful prayer, not a prayer out of courtesy, but a prayer with the heart, and say to Him today throughout the day: I believe Lord! Help my unbelief. We all have unbelief in our hearts. Let us say to the Lord: I believe, I believe! You can! Help my unbelief. And when we are asked to pray for so many people who suffer in wars, in their plight as refugees, in all these dramas we pray, but with our hearts, and we say: Lord, do. I believe, Lord. But help my unbelief".

[Pope Francis, St. Martha, in L'Osservatore Romano 20-21/05/2013]

Get ahead and Forgive forward

(Lk 6:27-38)

The adventure of extreme Faith is for a wounding Beauty and an abnormal, prominent Happiness. But only those who know to wait will find their way.

Not opposing the wicked allows one to experience the Beatitudes (Lk 6:20-26) - antidote to one-sided relationships; however, tolerating becomes impossible if we do not allow an innate Energy to develop.

Greek text of Lk does not speak of ‘merits’ [cf. Italian translation 1974] or even of ‘gratitude’ [It. translation 2008] but rather of «Gratuity» (vv. 31.33-34)!

Of course, it is not easy to understand the meaning of the Gift, of the Free.

Yet here the flowering will be without forcing, because in the infinitely repeated repaying there is no wisdom that reads inside; in the overthrow, yes.

New experience of God is that of a genuine creative Love, which ceaselessly throws away, introduces new powers, and incredibly turns everything upside down.

It will not be the effort that will make us stay where the perfect Vocation wants us to dwell, but a correspondence - even in the swings.

Outside and within us there is another territory, where the affinity of waiting meets God's plan.

The spiral of returning the offense can occupy all of our space. Thus it dulls the ability to match the new ringing of the Call.

It takes away our perception, all the listening to the News of God which is in its infancy.

Generating all our confusions, the Salvation pales. History which vice versa is creating an unprecedented one: it’s cut at the root.

To grasp the very rhythm of God (which wisely creates), souls must wait the step of things, which mature in linear terms until they overturn or multiply - in an exclusive and unprecedented way.

The events themselves regenerate spontaneously, outside and even within us; useless to force. The growth and destination continues also thanks to the spring of mockery and external constraints.

Then, firmness in acceptance becomes the source of a new child - of an unexpected Genesis that is just intertwining its first roots with that swampy soil.

Suspension experienced in the Mystery opens our destiny of foolishness already decreed to trust in a new, unrepeatable Act of Being.

It opens up the unexpected Sense, in a climate of inventiveness that flies over the action-reaction instinct. This is so that the chain of normality doesn’t take over the prodigy.

Non-violence is therefore not a norm of mere delicacy, but rather a higher Arrow, which indicates a non-mechanical direction of Research, which advances from discovery to discovery.

Allowing everyone to pass on, creates the right detachment so that when we are ready, the time will come to realize: our mortification was a crossroads. It opened destiny to a less short hope, expanding life.

If others are not as we have dreamed of, it’s fortunate: the doors slammed in the face and their goad put us in contact with profound virtues, and with the resources that we have not yet given space to.

Betrayals, harassment, spite, revenge, outrage, mortification suffered... which would like to make us restless and dishearten... are preparing our development, and many other joys.

"Win-or-lose" alternative is false: we have to get out of it.

Forgiveness ahead: do not mark boundaries

Exemplary Encounter and Life at the Unknown Climax

(Lk 6:36-38)

Is it possible to put the Gospel under exemplary «Measure» - eg. of Law (retributive) or of the First Testament and Tradition?

No, a Family would not be built. And the culmination of this kind of experience would be ethnic or elitist prerogative.

Configuration and proposal that would give birth everywhere to a gray, slavish, fragile world; incapable of dialogue, and unknown discoveries.

After feeling separated by a humanizing and divine quality of life, only the awareness of reconciliation can transform environments and persons.

Such is the living and actualized Jesus, in community.

He introduces his intimates into a new experience of fluid understanding, devoid of pride.

Without actually assuming affected or photocopied attitudes.

It’s then that Humility effortlessly floods us, bringing Charity to the summit - in the celestial setting of the Gratis that moves the gaze.

By suppressing and suppressing, the artifices inexorably close the joy of living.

They harness Happiness in "ways", in the endless accentuation of efforts - against themselves, and opposing the world of others.

Conventions, standard duties and reactions, never contain the benevolent, incisive energies of growth.

In the lives of Saints we see it: listening to oneself thoroughly, letting it be... and forgiveness, they increase love a hundredfold.

It becomes a source of incredible gestures in favor of one's neighbor; in the noticing accentuated, in the care, in the free hospitality, in the total and unrestricted gift.

There has always been a need for the contribution of new virtues and situations - even intimate ones - of their surprises.

Not discarding the nonsense of others… means having learned to welcome our own frailties and oppositions.

The world begins to change when we accept ourselves, in the experience of the God-with-us’ esteem.

Thus we learn to perceive Beauty, instead of aridity and detachment: what makes life more intense and at the same time sliding.

Even the knowledge of God is not an asset of confiscation or an acquired science, already internally and externally foreclosed.

It moves from one action to another, incessantly; takes place in an encounter that is always alive, which neither blocks nor dissolves us.

It’s the future world’s beginning; principle of an unpredictable adventure.

God's Newness that creates an environment of Grace - with enormous possibilities, bursting forth from diverse energies.

It bursts in to break up primates and stagnant balances.

It does so through an impossible opening of credit - with a lordship of qualities and perspectives - which regenerate and reactivate people, families, fraternities; the whole world.

Principle of Catholicity, understood as a wide field.

Pearls of the new Pastoral, helping not to mark borders.

Yeast dough. Not self-referential.

[7th Sunday in O.T. (year C), February 23, 2025]