1. We read in the Constitution Lumen Gentium of the Second Vatican Council that "believers in Christ (God) has willed to call them into the Holy Church, which . . . prepared in the history of the people of Israel and in the Old Covenant . . . was manifested by the outpouring of the (Holy) Spirit' (Lumen Gentium, 2). We devoted the previous catechesis to this preparation of the Church in the Old Covenant, in which we saw that, in Israel's progressive awareness of God's plan through the revelations of the prophets and the facts of its own history, the concept of a future kingdom of God, far higher and more universal than any prediction of the fate of the Davidic dynasty, was becoming increasingly clear. Today we turn to the consideration of another historical fact, dense with theological significance: Jesus Christ begins his messianic mission with the proclamation: "The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand" (Mk 1:15). Those words mark the entrance "into the fullness of time", as St Paul would say (cf. Gal 4:4), and prepare the passage to the New Covenant, founded on the mystery of the redemptive incarnation of the Son and destined to be an eternal Covenant. In the life and mission of Jesus Christ, the kingdom of God is not only "near" (Lk 10:9), but is already present in the world, already acting in human history. Jesus himself says it: "The kingdom of God is in your midst" (Lk 17:21).

2. The difference in level and quality between the time of preparation and the time of fulfilment - between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant - is made known by Jesus himself when, speaking of his forerunner John the Baptist, he says: "Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen one greater than John the Baptist; nevertheless the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he" (Matthew 11: 11). John, from the banks of the Jordan (and from his prison), certainly contributed more than anyone else, even more than the ancient prophets (cf. Lk 7:26-27), to the immediate preparation of the ways of the Messiah. However, he remains in a sense still on the threshold of the new kingdom, which entered the world with the coming of Christ and is in the process of manifestation with his messianic ministry. Only through Christ do men become the true "children of the kingdom": that is, of the new kingdom far superior to that of which the contemporary Jews considered themselves the natural heirs (cf. Mt 8:12).

3. The new kingdom has an eminently spiritual character. To enter it, one must be converted and believe the Gospel, freeing oneself from the powers of the spirit of darkness, submitting to the power of the Spirit of God that Christ brings to men. As Jesus says: "If I cast out demons by the power of the Holy Spirit, surely the kingdom of God has come among you" (Matt 12:28; cf. Lk 11:20).

The spiritual and transcendent nature of this kingdom is also expressed in the linguistic equivalent we find in the Gospel texts: "Kingdom of Heaven". A wonderful image that gives a glimpse of the origin and end of the kingdom - the "heavens" - and the very divine-human dignity of the One in whom the Kingdom of God is historically realised with the Incarnation: Christ.

4. This transcendence of the Kingdom of God is given by the fact that it originates not from a merely human initiative, but from the plan, design and will of God Himself. Jesus Christ, who makes it present and implements it in the world, is not just one of the prophets sent by God, but the Son consubstantial with the Father, who became man through the Incarnation. The kingdom of God is thus the kingdom of the Father and his Son. The kingdom of God is the kingdom of Christ; it is the kingdom of heaven that has opened on earth to allow men to enter this new world of spirituality and eternity. Jesus affirms: "Everything has been given to me by my Father . . . and no one knows the Father except the Son and he to whom the Son wishes to reveal him" (Mt 11:27). "For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself; and he has given him power to judge, because he is the Son of man" (Jn 5:26-27).

Together with the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit also works for the realisation of the Kingdom already in this world. Jesus himself reveals this: the Son of man "casts out devils by the Spirit of God", and because of this "the kingdom of God has surely come among you" (Mt 12:28).

5. But while the Kingdom of God takes place and develops in this world, it has its purpose in "heaven". Transcendent in its origin, it is also so in its end, which is attained in eternity, provided we are faithful to Christ in our present life and throughout the unfolding of time. Jesus warns us of this when he says that, in accordance with his power to "judge" (Jn 5:27), the Son of Man will command at the end of the world to take "out of his kingdom all scandals", that is, all iniquities committed even within the realm of Christ's kingdom. And "then," Jesus adds, "the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father's kingdom" (Matt 13:41, 43). It will then be the full and final realisation of the "kingdom of the Father", to which the Son will send the elect saved by him in virtue of the Redemption and through the work of the Holy Spirit. The messianic kingdom will then reveal its identity with the Kingdom of God (cf. Mt 25:34; 1 Cor 15:24).

There is therefore a historical cycle of the reign of Christ, the Incarnate Word, but the alpha and omega of this reign, and indeed one would say the background in which it opens, lives, develops and reaches its full fulfilment, is the "mysterium Trinitatis". We have already said, and will see again in due course, that the "mysterium Ecclesiae" is rooted in this mystery.

6. The point of passage and connection from one mystery to the other is Christ, who already in the Old Covenant was foretold and awaited as a Messiah-King with whom the Kingdom of God was identified. In the New Covenant, Christ identifies the kingdom of God with his own person and mission. In fact, he not only proclaims that, with him, the kingdom of God is in the world, but teaches to "leave all that is most dear to man for the kingdom of God" (cf. Lk 18:29-30) and, at another point, to leave all this "for his name's sake" (cf. Mt 19:29), or "for my sake and for the sake of the gospel" (Mk 10:29).

The kingdom of God is thus identified with the kingdom of Christ. It is present in him, and in him it is realised. And from him it passes, by his own initiative, to the Apostles, and through them to all who will believe in him: "I prepare a kingdom for you, as the Father has prepared it for me" (Lk 22:29). It is a kingdom that consists in an expansion of Christ himself in the world, in human history, as new life that is drawn from him and communicated to believers by virtue of the Holy Spirit-Paraclete, sent by him (cf. Jn 1:16; 7:38-39 15:26; 16:7).

7. The messianic kingdom, implemented by Christ in the world, is revealed and its meaning definitively clarified in the context of the passion and death on the cross. Already at the entry into Jerusalem an event takes place, arranged by Christ, which Matthew presents as the fulfilment of a prophetic prediction, that of Zechariah about the "king riding on a donkey, a colt son of a donkey" (Zech 9:9; Matt 21:5). In the prophet's mind, Jesus' intent, and the evangelist's interpretation, the donkey meant meekness and humility. Jesus was the meek and humble king entering the Davidic city, where with his sacrifice he would fulfil the prophecies about true messianic kingship.

This kingship becomes very clear during the interrogation Jesus underwent at Pilate's tribunal. The accusations made against Jesus are "that he stirred up the . . . people, prevented them from giving tribute to Caesar, and claimed to be Christ the King" (Lk 23:2). Therefore Pilate asks the accused if he is king. And here is Christ's answer: "My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have fought lest I should be delivered up to the Jews; but my kingdom is not of here". The evangelist narrates that "then Pilate said to him: - So you are king? - Jesus answered: - You say it: I am king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world: to bear witness to the truth. Whoever is of the truth hears my voice" (Jn 18:36-37).

8. It is a declaration that concludes the whole ancient prophecy that runs through the history of Israel and becomes fact and revelation in Christ. Jesus' words make us grasp the gleams of light that pierce the darkness of the mystery condensed in the trinomial: Kingdom of God, Messianic Kingdom, People of God summoned in the Church. In this wake of prophetic and messianic light, we can better understand and repeat, with a clearer understanding of the words, the prayer taught to us by Jesus (Mt 6:10): "Thy Kingdom come". It is the kingdom of the Father, which entered the world with Christ; it is the messianic kingdom that through the work of the Holy Spirit develops in man and in the world to ascend into the bosom of the Father, in the glory of heaven.

[Pope John Paul II, General Audience 4 September 1991]

The "apostolic courage to always tell the truth", the "pastoral love" in welcoming people "with the little they can give", the ability to "doubt" and question one's own vocation: in these days of Advent in which the liturgy places John the Baptist at the centre, these are the characteristics - which were the precursor's - useful for each person to set out "in the Lord's footsteps".

In the Mass celebrated at Santa Marta on Thursday 15 December, Pope Francis paused to meditate on the figure of Jesus' cousin, "the great John", who is great because "he is the smallest in the kingdom of heaven". And a special thought the Pontiff addressed precisely to the little ones at the conclusion of his homily, when, referring to the weeping of a child present in the chapel with his parents, he recalled that "when a child cries at Mass, we must not chase him away", because "it is the best sermon", it is "the tenderness of God who visits us". And at the end of the Mass, in this regard, he added that it was precisely a cry that was the first sermon of the child Jesus.

A concern for the little ones, the humble and the simple people, which Pope Francis also emphasised when profiling the Baptist and, in particular, his attention, 'as a shepherd', to the people in front of him.

To John, "that man who was in the desert", everyone went "attracted by his testimony". But with differences, the Pope stressed: "The Pharisees and the doctors of the law also went to see him, but with detachment". The Gospel emphasises how these too were present but, "not being baptised by him - that is, not listening with the heart, only with the ears, to judge him - they made God's plan for them vain". A detachment similar to that which the doctors of the law had also had from the prophets: "They did not listen to the prophets, they did not follow".

Referring back to the Gospel of Luke (7:24-30), the Pontiff recalled how Jesus, alluding to John, said to the people: "But what did you go to see in the desert? A spectacle? A reed shaken by the wind? A man dressed in fancy clothes? Behold, those who wear sumptuous robes and live in luxury are in the palaces of the king'; and 'some' - Francis commented - even 'in the episcopes'. That crowd, on the other hand, was looking for a prophet. In fact, the Pope explained, 'the last of the prophets, the last of that host of people who began to walk, from our father Abraham until that moment'. And, in this regard, he also suggested reading chapter 11 of the letter to the Hebrews.

He is therefore a prophet, in fact 'the last', because after him comes the messiah. And of him Jesus says: "You have gone to see a prophet, but more than a prophet", a great one: "I tell you indeed, more than a prophet. I tell you among those born of women there is none greater than John'". And it was precisely 'this great one' that attracted the people.

An aspect that the Pontiff wanted to explore further, asking himself: "Where was John's greatness in preaching and attracting people?" First of all, he replied, this is found "in his faithfulness to his mission": John "was a man faithful to what the Lord had asked of him". Therefore 'great because faithful'. And this greatness, he added, was seen precisely in his preaching. In fact, John had the courage to say 'bad things to the Pharisees, the doctors of the law, the priests. He did not say to them, 'But dear ones, behave yourselves'. No. He would simply tell them, 'You race of vipers'". With those who "approached to check and to see, but never with an open heart", he did not use "nuances", and went direct: "You race of vipers!". In doing so, "he risked his life, yes, but he was faithful". He did the same with Herod, to whom "to his face" he said: "Adulterer, you are not allowed to live like this, adulterer!".

Certainly, commented the Pope, 'if a parish priest today in his Sunday homily said: "Among you there are some who are a race of vipers and there are many adulterers"', his bishop 'would receive letters of dismay: "But send away this parish priest who insults us!"'. John was actually insulting because he was 'faithful to his vocation and to the truth'.

Of an entirely different tenor was his attitude towards the people with whom 'he was so understanding'. And to those who asked him: "But what must we do to be converted?" he simply replied: "Whoever has food let him give to the one who does not have. Whoever has two tunics let him give one to the one he does not have'. That is, Francis pointed out, 'he was just starting out', he was behaving like a true shepherd: 'a great prophet and a shepherd'. So 'to the publicans, who were the public sinners, because they exploited the people', he would simply suggest: 'Do not ask more than is right'. He would begin with "a small step" and baptise them. Likewise to the soldiers he recommended: 'Do not threaten or denounce anyone. Content yourselves with your pay, your salary'. In simple terms, the Pope explained in a brief aside, one must be careful 'not to enter the world of bribes', as happens when a policeman takes a bribe in order not to give a fine.

John therefore 'was concrete, but measured' and, in order to baptise 'all these sinners', he only asked for a 'minimal step forward, because he knew that with this step the Lord would do the rest'. And they 'converted'.

There is more, however. This 'great prophet', the only one who was given the grace to proclaim Jesus, this 'shepherd who understood the situation of the people and helped them to go forward with the Lord', although he was 'great, strong, sure of his vocation, also had dark moments, he doubted, he had his doubts'. We read this in the Gospel where it is explained that John 'in prison began to doubt'. In fact, said the Pontiff, in John's eyes, Jesus "was a saviour not as he had imagined him. And perhaps someone was insinuating in his ears: 'He is not! Look he doesn't do this, this, this...'. And in prison, with the anguish, the great, the sure of his vocation, he doubted'. After all, he added, 'the great can afford to doubt, because they are great'.

A clarifying answer to the Baptist came from Jesus himself with the explicit words "that he would later repeat in the synagogue in Nazareth: 'Go and tell John what you have seen. The blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised. To the poor the good news is proclaimed, and blessed is he who finds no cause for scandal in me'".

What Jesus did with the little ones, the Pope explained, "John also did in his sermon, with the soldiers, with the crowd, with the publicans". Nevertheless, 'in prison he began to doubt'. And this, he emphasised, is a 'beautiful' aspect, namely that 'the great can allow themselves doubt'. They in fact 'are sure of their vocation, but every time the Lord shows them a new path they enter into doubt'. And questions arise: 'But this is not orthodox, this is heretical, this is not the messiah I was expecting...'. The devil does this work and some friends also help, don't they?". Herein lies "the greatness of John, a great one, the last of that host of believers who began with Abraham, the one who preaches conversion, the one who does not use half words to condemn the proud, the one who at the end of life allows himself to doubt". Francis concluded: 'This is a beautiful programme of Christian life'.

Therefore, the Pontiff invited everyone to ask "John for the grace of the apostolic courage to always say things with truth"; that of "pastoral love", that is, "to receive people with the little one can give, the first step"; and "also the grace to doubt". Because it can happen that "at the end of life", one can ask oneself: "But is everything I have believed true, or are they fantasies?": it is "the temptation against faith, against the Lord". So it is important that "the great John, who is the smallest in the kingdom of heaven, for this reason he is great, helps us on this road in the footsteps of the Lord".

[Pope Francis, St. Martha, in L'Osservatore Romano 16/12/2016]

God bless us and may the Virgin protect us!

Here is the commentary on the readings and biblical texts for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception [Sunday 8 December 2024].

*First Reading Genesis 3.9-15.20

The tree of life was planted by God in the centre of Eden and somewhere in the same garden, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, that is, the tree of what makes us happy or unhappy. The delivery was simple: "You may eat of all the trees in the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you must not eat, for on the day that you eat of it you must surely die" Gen 2:16-17). God commands not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but it is not specified where this tree is located because the story has a high allegorical and symbolic meaning and invites us to focus rather on the ethical and theological message than on its geographical location. For many theologians and saints, this tree symbolises moral awareness, maturity and human responsibility.  St. Augustine interprets it as a test of obedience and free will: "The fruit of the tree was good not by its nature, but as a sign of a greater good: man's submission to God" (from De Genesi ad litteram, on Genesis verbatim). The serpent asks the woman if it is true that God has commanded not to eat of any of the trees in the garden and she, being very honest, corrects him by answering that one can eat the fruit of the trees in the garden, except of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden because God has said: "You must not eat of it nor touch it, otherwise you will die" (Gen 3:1-3).  She thinks she is rectifying, but, without knowing it, she has already distorted the truth: the simple fact of having entered into conversation with the serpent has distorted her gaze and one could say that now it is the tree that hides the forest because she sees the forbidden tree in the middle of the garden and not instead the tree of life. Now the trap is set and the serpent continues his work of seduction by saying that they will not die at all, and God knows that the day they eat of it their eyes will be opened and they will be like God, knowing what makes them happy or unhappy. To become like God with a simple magic act is irresistible and the woman allows herself to be tempted. Lapidary is the conclusion: "She took of her fruit and ate of it, then she gave it also to her husband, who was with her, and he also ate of it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they knew that they were naked; they plaited fig leaves and made themselves belts out of them"(6-7).  Until that moment, their nakedness (i.e. their fragility) did not seem to make them very uncomfortable, whereas now they are ashamed 'in front' of each other. This is where the relationship - one in front of the other - came into crisis, with all the consequences that mark the difficulties of relationships between us human beings.  They used to trust God, but the serpent whispered that not only was God an antagonist to them, but he was even afraid because you - he told them - 'would be like God'. In reality, their eyes have been opened, but their gaze is completely distorted: from now on they will live in fear of God and that is why they hide. But God does not abandon them, on the contrary, he seeks them out despite the fact that the original project has been contradicted: by now man has broken his relationship as a happy creature with God and is subject to fear, to discomfort in the search for his own autonomy. To the Creator's questions, the man and the woman answer the pure truth without adding or subtracting anything: both have allowed themselves to be seduced and have disobeyed. The man says that the woman gave him the fruit and the woman adds that she was deceived by the serpent: in short, everything comes from the serpent. At this point the Lord assails the serpent: "for you have done this, you cursed of all wild animals. The conclusion we can draw from this highly symbolic tale is that evil is not in man, and this is a fundamental statement of the Bible. In the face of pessimistic civilisations, which consider humanity to be intrinsically evil, biblical revelation affirms that evil is external to man: when we allow ourselves to be lured onto wrong paths, it is because we are deceived and seduced, and the struggle of all the prophets throughout the ages has aimed to counter the innumerable seductions that threaten man, primarily idolatry. Evil is completely alien to God and His wrath is always against that which destroys man. Where does evil come from if God does not want it? As already mentioned, it is clear in the Bible that evil is not part of man's nature and does not even come from God. Legitimate was the desire of the progenitors to be like gods and God does not reproach them for this having created them in his likeness and his very breath (ruah) is the breath of man. The problem is that they have succumbed to Satan's lie, certain that they can fulfil this aspiration on their own, with a sort of magical gesture, and the result is that they discover themselves naked, unhappy. All is not lost, however, and here is the most beautiful news that we read in this biblical page: God intimates to the serpent "I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your offspring and her offspring: she shall crush your head, and you shall undermine (in Hebrew shuph means to crush, to wound, to ambush, to ambush) her heel". A fierce fight is announced between the serpent and the woman's lineage, but the final outcome is already certain: the serpent will be struck in the head, which is its most vulnerable part and the point from which the bite and the poison come. The woman's lineage will be crushed, and the snake will strike and wound her heel. The wound in the heel is symbolic of the sufferings of all kinds of humanity and the voluntary sufferings of Christ crucified, a wound that is not definitive because the Risen One coming out of the tomb defeats Satan forever. Ultimately, these words of God to the serpent constitute a promise of hope of redemption fully realised in Christ. Christian tradition has glimpsed in this Genesis account a distant announcement of the victory of the New Eve, Mary, to the point of calling it a 'proto-gospel', that is, a 'pre-gospel'. Mary is considered a key element in God's plan of redemption, as she is the mother of Christ, the Saviour who defeated sin and death. Her participation in the divine plan of salvation is illuminated by the biblical texts, while subsequent theological reflection has enriched our understanding and better focused on Mary's role throughout history. One of the titles attributed to her in the Christian tradition is precisely that of the New Eve because if Eve was the woman who, by her disobedience, introduced sin into the world, Mary is the one who, by her docile and total obedience to God, made the incarnation of Christ possible.  Just as sin entered the world through a woman, salvation enters through another woman, Mary, through whom God gave the world its Saviour. The Mother of Christ is seen as a co-operator in God's victory over sin and death, and her obedience, sacrifice and intercession make her a central figure in the entire plan of salvation. Finally, three notes to better understand this text: 

1.According to the Hebrew text (Gen 2:9), one should speak of "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil", but such a translation, although correct from a grammatical point of view and often taken up in our translations, could lead to a serious misunderstanding: the terms "good" and "evil" in Italian, as in other languages, have an abstract sense that does not correspond to the concrete and existential sensitivity of Jewish thought. This is why the expression "tree of knowledge of what makes one happy or unhappy" is preferable.  

2. The knowledge of good and evil brings to mind King Solomon traditionally regarded as the symbol of wisdom and enlightened judgement. He asked God not for riches or power, but for a wise and intelligent heart to rule the people with justice (1 Kings 3:9). God granted him and made him the wisest king of his time. According to the biblical view, wisdom is not pure human intelligence, but a gift from God to discern good from evil; it is the ability to rule justly and make just decisions; it is the pursuit of universal knowledge, of nature, of the laws of the cosmos and of human life, as witnessed by the books attributed to Solomon, including Proverbs, Qoelet and the Song of Songs. Finally, it is practical and moral wisdom that integrates intellectual knowledge, moral justice and prudence in human relations. Solomon's reputation as a sage attracted rulers and scholars from distant lands, such as the Queen of Sheba, who visited him to test his wisdom (1 Kings 10:1-13). Wisdom was sought in his court because it is the true way of life.  

3.The biblical account of the sin of the progenitors invites humility because only to God belongs the possession of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, of what makes one happy or unhappy: it is therefore inaccessible to man. What to do then? The Bible invites us to feed daily on the tree of life, which is God's Law, the Torah. Unfortunately, what tempts man is always the thirst for knowledge seduced by the thirst for power in all its forms. God introduces us into another knowledge in the biblical sense, the only one that is really worthwhile, namely love. 

*Responsorial Psalm 97/98:

"All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God" (v.3). 

The speaker is Israel, who calls God "our God", highlighting the privileged relationship that exists between this small people and the God of the universe. A people that has little by little understood that its mission in the world is not to jealously guard this intimate relationship for itself, but to proclaim that God's love is for all men, gradually integrating the whole of humanity into the Covenant. In this psalm we perceive the 'two loves of God': God loves the people he has chosen for himself and he loves all the other peoples of the earth, whom the psalmist defines as 'the nations'. "The Lord has made known his salvation, in the eyes of the Gentiles he has revealed his righteousness" (v.2). And immediately afterwards, in verse 3, we find: "he has remembered his love, his faithfulness to the house of Israel". The house of Israel recalls what we call "the election of Israel". Behind this short phrase we perceive all the weight of history and the past: the simple words "his love" and "his faithfulness" strongly evoke the Covenant. If Israel's election is central, Israel must not forget that its testimony must shine before all mankind. Indeed, even now in the days of the Feast of Tabernacles or Tabernacles (sukkot or "harvest festival" Chag HaAsif), which commemorates the 40 years lived in the desert after the exit from Egypt, in Jerusalem the people already acclaim God as king on behalf of all mankind. This psalm therefore anticipates the day when God will be recognised as king of the whole earth. One of the great certainties that men of the Bible have progressively acquired is that God loves all mankind, not just Israel, and in this psalm, this certainty is also reflected in the very structure of the text. When God's victory is sung, his ultimate victory is also celebrated against all the forces of evil. As Christians, we can acclaim God with even greater strength, because our eyes have come to know Christ, the King of the world: with his Incarnation, the Kingdom of God, which is the Kingdom of love, has already begun.

* Second Reading Eph. 1:3-6.11-12

In just twelve verses, St Paul presents God's plan and invites us to join in his contemplation, a plan that consists in gathering humanity together to form one Man in Jesus Christ, the head of all creation: "making known to us the mystery of his will according to the kindness he had purposed in him for the government of the fullness of time: to bring all things in heaven and on earth back to Christ, the one head" (vv. 9-10).  Let us simply point out some good news. 

First news: God has a plan for each of us and for the whole of creation. History has meaning, direction and significance. For believers, the years do not follow one another evenly and history advances towards its fulfilment, bringing us closer, as St Paul writes "to the fullness of time" (v. 10). We could never have discovered this plan on our own because it is a mystery that infinitely surpasses us and in Paul's language, mystery is not a secret that God jealously guards, but rather his intimacy to which he invites us. 

Second news: God's will is all and only love. The words "blessing, love, grace, kindness" punctuate the text, which then bursts forth "in praise of the splendour of his grace (of his glory v.12,14) with which he has graced us in his beloved Son" (v.6). In praise of his grace because God is to be recognised as the God of grace, that is, the God whose love is gratuitous. Jesus has revealed to us that the heavenly Father is love, he wants us to enter into his intimacy and desires that in every circumstance his will be done, because it is always good.

Third emphasis: God's plan is fulfilled through Christ, who is mentioned many times in these verses: everything happens "through him, with him and in him", as the liturgy says. God has predestined us "to be for him adopted children through Jesus Christ" (v. 5). Christ is the centre of the world and of human history (the alpha and the omega); the beloved Son in whom the Father has "graced" us (v. 6) and in whom we shall all be gathered together at the fulfilment of time. The 'mystery' of God's will is indeed to recapitulate the whole universe in Christ. 

*Gospel Luke 1, 26-38

In Nazareth, a village at that time unknown and insignificant, in a province little considered by the authorities in Jerusalem, the angel Gabriel spoke to a girl named Mary, paying her the most sublime compliment ever received by a woman: "full of grace" (Kecharitomene) which means totally immersed in God's grace, filled with divine favour without any shadow. This virgin, Mary, little more than a teenager, at the end of the encounter and in perfect harmony, responds to God's plan with full adhesion: 'Behold the handmaid of the Lord: let it be to me according to your word'.  Between the angel's words and the Virgin's response, history has known the decisive turning point that is the hour of the Incarnation of the Word. From that moment on, nothing will ever be the same again because all the promises of the Old Testament now find their fulfilment. Indeed, every word of the angel evokes them and reveals the "fulfilment" of the expectation of the Messiah that has forever marked the course of the centuries. A king descendant of David was expected and here echoes the promise made to David by the prophet Nathan (2 Sam 7) from which the whole messianic expectation developed and constitutes the very heart of the angel Gabriel's announcement: "The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever and his kingdom will have no end" (vv. 32-33). Another title attributed to the Messiah is "he shall be called Son of God (of the Most High)", which in biblical language means "king", referring to the promise made by God to David: every new king, on the day of his consecration, received the title of Son of God. Mary understands and reminds the angel that she is a virgin and therefore cannot conceive a child naturally. Well known is the angel's response that recalls other messianic promises, infinitely surpassing them: 'The Holy Spirit will descend upon you and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. Therefore he who is born will be holy and will be called the Son of God'.  The Messiah was expected to be invested with the power of the Holy Spirit to fulfil his mission of salvation as Isaiah had foretold: "A shoot will sprout from the trunk of Jesse, a bud will sprout from his roots. Upon him the spirit of the Lord shall rest" (Is 11:1-2), yet the announcement of the angel Gabriel goes much further because the child conceived will truly be the Son of God. Evident is Luke's insistence on this point: the child does not have a human father, but is "Son of God". The text offers two proofs/signs: firstly, Mary declares: "I know no man" (in the original text: I have no relationship with man). In addition, the angel entrusts the task of naming the child to the mother and this is a very unusual procedure, which can only be explained in the absence of a human father because it was always the father who decided on the child's name as seen in the birth of John the Baptist. The relatives turned to Zechariah, even though he was mute, and not to Elizabeth, to decide what to call the child. Moreover, when the angel reassures Mary: "the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow", it is natural to think of a new creation, bringing to mind what we read in the book of Genesis: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth... The spirit of God was upon the waters" (Gen 1:2). This same image is present in Psalm 104: "Send out your spirit, they are created" (v. 30).  The "cloud", "the shadow" of the Most High God evokes the divine presence on the Tent of Meeting during the Exodus, and on the day of the Transfiguration designates Jesus as the Son of God: "This is my Son, the chosen one; listen to him!"(Lk 9:35). 

Mary's response to such great revelations is moving and surprising, indeed it becomes a school of faith. It is of a disarming simplicity, a perfect example of "obedience of faith" as Paul says (Rom 1:5; 16:26), abandonment with total trust to the divine will. By answering 'yes, here I am', Mary joins the true believers of history.  Samuel answered: 'Speak, Lord, your servant hears you' (1 Sam 3:10) and Mary simply: 'Behold the handmaid of the Lord: let it be to me according to your word'. The term 'handmaid' proclaims full availability to God's plan and shows that a simple 'yes' is sufficient for God's works because 'nothing is impossible to God'. Thanks to the yes of Mary, an unknown girl in Nazareth, "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (Jn 1:14).  The promise of the prophet Zephaniah to the people of God, who had been stained by so many crimes and unfaithfulness that they were reduced to a small remnant, comes to mind: "Rejoice, daughter of Zion, shout for joy, Israel, rejoice and shout with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem... The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst" (Zeph 3:14-15). Today's solemnity exalts an event beyond all possible human imagination and Mary too will need her whole life to "keep all these things, pondering them in her heart" (Lk 2.19; 51). The attitude of meditation and total openness to God's will is a central aspect of Mary's life, and becomes the model of every true believer, every authentic disciple of Christ. 

*The tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Let me add a few thoughts on the symbolic value of this tree often confused with the tree of life. It is not specified where exactly it is located and this alone tells us that its location is irrelevant to its symbolic and allegorical role.  The narrative focuses on the relationship between God and Adam and Eve and each other whereby this tree serves as a test of human beings' obedience to God and invites us to understand why we human beings have difficulty relating to each other.  Specifying the geographical location would have shifted the focus away from the main theme, which is the fall and sin. Many scholars and theologians believe that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil symbolises moral awareness, maturity and human responsibility. The absence of a geographical description also suggests that the tree is not a physical object, but a symbol of knowledge that is reserved for God and not directly accessible to man. In many Jewish and Christian traditions, the tree is seen as a symbol of a boundary between the divine and the human. God does not forbid man the tree out of cruelty, but because the kind of knowledge represented by that tree - an absolute knowledge of good and evil - is a divine prerogative, and its indefinite location might suggest that it is not a physical place reachable by human beings, but represents a spiritual dimension that can only be understood through the experience of relationship with God. Every person, in a certain sense, must face in his or her life the choice symbolically represented by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In Genesis, next to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, there is also the tree of life, also not described geographically. This suggests that both trees represent aspects of spiritual life that transcend material reality. Their location is not important because they are archetypes of spiritual experiences, not physical objects.  Everything here invites reflection not on where the tree is located, but on what it represents in the journey of spiritual growth and confrontation with human freedom and responsibility.

Interpretations that see the tree of knowledge as a symbol of a transcendent reality or a boundary between the divine and the human have deep roots in both ancient and modern exegetical traditions. Here are some examples of authors and theologians, both among the Church Fathers and modern theologians, who have explored this theme:

1. St Augustine of Hippo (354-430 A.D.) interprets the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in a symbolic way, seeing it not as a mere physical tree, but as a test of obedience and free will. In his masterpiece 'The City of God', he emphasises that the tree had no inherent power, but represented the moral limit imposed by God to educate man to dependence on Him. He sees the tree as a symbol of knowledge that only God can fully possess, as man is not created to decide good and evil for himself. Work: De Genesi ad Litteram (On Genesis literally)

"The fruit of the tree was good, not by its nature, but as a sign of a greater good: man's submission to God."

2. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) in the Summa Theologiae, addresses the theme of the tree of knowledge and interprets it as a symbol of the capacity for moral discernment that God wanted to reserve for man at the appropriate time, after he had reached full maturity. According to Thomas, eating the fruit represents a rebellion against the divine order, seeking to appropriate knowledge that man alone was not ready to handle.

Work: Summa Theologiae, I-II, q. 94, a. 2 "The tree was not forbidden because of its fruit, but because of its moral significance: man had to wait for God's time to partake of full knowledge."

3. Gregory of Nyssa (4th century AD) Father of the Eastern Church, interprets the tree as a symbol of spiritual growth and the progress of the soul towards perfection. He sees the tree of knowledge as a stage that man had to reach only at a later stage, through a journey of purification and progressive knowledge of God. Work: De Hominis Opificio (On the Creation of Man) "The tree of knowledge is not evil in itself, but it becomes so when man approaches it with arrogance and disobedience, outside the time appointed by God."

4. Among modern theologians, the symbolic and transcendent interpretation of the tree is taken up by authors such as: Claus Westermann (1909-2000), a German exegete, in his commentary on Genesis, emphasises that the tree represents the moral autonomy that man seeks to gain without God. Work: Genesis (Commentary) "The tree is not merely a physical tree, but a reality that represents man's fundamental choice between trusting God or seeking his own moral independence." Henri Blocher (1942), a French evangelical theologian, interprets the tree as a symbol of the mystery of God's sovereignty, a knowledge that belongs exclusively to the Creator. Work: In the Beginning: The Opening Chapters of Genesis: "The tree represents what belongs exclusively to God: the right to define what is good and what is evil."

*In the Jewish tradition, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Etz HaDa'at Tov va-Ra') has a complex meaning and a wealth of interpretations, which often differ from Christian interpretations. While Christianity focuses on the fall and original sin, Judaism does not regard the sin of Adam and Eve as an inherited guilt, but rather as an event that offers important lessons about human beings, freedom and moral responsibility. Here are some of the main Jewish interpretations of the tree of knowledge:

1. The Tree as a symbol of maturity and discernment. Many rabbis and Jewish scholars see the tree as a symbol of the ability to discern between good and evil, a quality that Adam and Eve acquired by eating its fruit. Before eating from the tree, they lived in a state of innocence, devoid of moral awareness and responsibility.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (1808-1888), one of the founders of modern Orthodox Judaism, interprets the tree as the ability to make autonomous moral choices, a necessary stage for humanity to evolve from a childlike condition to a life of responsibility. "The forbidden fruit represents the transition from childlike obedience to autonomous ethical awareness."

2. Not sin, but awareness of mortality. Some rabbis, including the philosopher Maimonides (Rambam, 1138-1204), argue that eating from the tree did not bring sin into the world, but gave human beings an awareness of their mortality and imperfect condition. For Maimonides, the tree represents sensitive and material knowledge, which contrasts with intellectual and divine knowledge. Work: Guide of the Perplexed (Moreh Nevukhim): "Before eating from the tree, Adam and Eve lived according to pure, intellectual truth; afterwards, they began to perceive the world through the lens of desire and sensible pleasure." In this view, the tree is not necessarily negative: it represents humanity's entry into a complex condition, in which good and evil, life and death, pleasure and pain are mixed.

3. Knowledge as moral responsibility. In the Midrash (rabbinic exegetical accounts), the tree is often interpreted as a test through which God wanted to teach mankind moral responsibility. Adam and Eve were not destined to remain in the Garden of Eden forever, but had to prove their ability to respect God's established boundaries. According to the Midrash Rabbah on Genesis, God wanted man to learn to respect boundaries and to understand that not everything is accessible or useful to him. The prohibition against eating from the tree symbolises the fact that human freedom is always accompanied by ethical limits. "Not everything that is desirable is good, and not everything that is permitted is necessary."

4. The fruit of the tree: symbolism and interpretations. Jewish tradition does not explicitly identify what the fruit of the tree was. However, there are several rabbinic interpretations of the type of fruit: Fig: Some commentators suggest that it was a fig, since Adam and Eve immediately covered themselves with fig leaves after eating the fruit (Genesis 3:7). Grapes: According to another midrashic tradition, the fruit may have been grapes, a symbol of desire and wine, which brings both joy and misfortune. Wheat: Some rabbis interpret the fruit as grains of wheat, symbolising knowledge and the ability to distinguish between good and evil, since in Jewish culture wheat is linked to wisdom.

5. The role of God and human freedom. In Jewish tradition, the tree of knowledge is often interpreted as a gift that God grants to human beings to enable them to become co-creators of their own destiny. Unlike the Christian tradition, which emphasises the concept of the fall and sin, Judaism emphasises the importance of freedom of choice and the possibility of rectifying one's actions through repentance (teshuvah); it is therefore seen as an educational challenge that leads human beings to grow in awareness and responsibility. Authors such as Maimonides, Hirsch and the Midrash Rabbah emphasise that the essence of the tale is the theme of moral freedom, the need to accept the limits imposed by God and the possibility of spiritual evolution.

+ Giovanni D'Ercole 

The Yoke on the Little Ones: religion turned into obsession - for "held back" people

(Mt 11:28-30)

The rabbis chose the disciples from among those who had greater intellectual and ascetic abilities.

Jesus, on the other hand, goes to look for outside the loop, the «infants» (v.25) who didn’t even have self-esteem.

He frees precisely the sick from external constraints, and allow each one to release his inner strength.

Christ does not announce a very distant God, but Close; and the effective itinerary to become intimate with the Father is to know oneself as liberated family member.

Only here can we grasp Him in the centre of His ‘unveiling’: wise, helpful, united Power; for us, as we are.

The experts of official religion - overflowing with self-love and sense of election - preached an almighty Sovereign to be convinced with sure attitudes and artificial, sharp, imperious making.

They didn’t let persons be or become. Intransigence was a sign that they did not know the Father.

The Eternal transformed into Controller had become a source of discrimination and obsession for the intimate lives of minute, vexed by the insecurity of distinguishing-avoiding-observing, and by doubts of conscience.

Bothered by living in the first person [and as class] the conversion they preached to others, the professors did not realize they had to empty themselves of absurd presumptions and become - they - students of normal people.

We are not the subordinates of a scowling and all distant but manipulative Lord, and that asks to always be alert, with effort.

The new ones, the nullities, the voiceless, inadequate and invisible, do not know how to calculate in terms of norm and code - ancient «yoke»  (vv.29-30) that crushes vocations.

No one is empowered by God to force directions, to keep an eye on others in a maniacal, perfectionist and meticulous way [exasperating our failures].

The Father doesn’t want to exacerbate events by regulating every detail even "spiritual" starting from irritating patterns of vigilance that do not belong to us.

Sons prefer to let their personal paths of dealing with reality flow; thus tracing their essential and spontaneous energies.

They reason according to codes of life and humanization: nature, unrepeatable history, cultural influences, friendships of wide character. We don’t live to prevent.

Only in this way can we enrich the fundamental experience: Love - which does not come from judgments, cuts and separations, but from the Father-Son relationship. The bond that doesn't get us angry.

Root of the transformation of being into the Unpredictable of God is precisely the hiding, the concealment [‘tapeínōsis’ (‘lowering’), from ταπεινός (tapeinós, "low") [v.29 Greek text; Lc 1:48].

Only those who love strength start from too far away from themselves.

To internalize and live the message:

Do you suffer from some guide or from yourself a kind of controller complex?

[Wednesday 2nd wk. in Advent, December 11, 2024]

Religion turned into obsession - for "held back"

(Mt 11:28-30)

The rabbis chose disciples from among those who had greater intellectual and ascetic abilities. Jesus, on the other hand, goes looking for the outcasts, the "infants" (v.25) who did not even have self-esteem.

Even for the rebirth that lies ahead today, Christ has no need of false phenomena; on the contrary, it is He who frees from external constraints; He releases inner strength [and also heals the brain].

Into the intimacy of the Mystery of divine life enters he who knows how to receive everything and lets go - but remains himself.

God is not distant, but very close; he is not great, but small: the effective itinerary for becoming intimate with the Father is not to make oneself subordinate with effort, but to know how to be dissolved family members.

Only here can we grasp him in the centre of his unveiling: wise power, succouring, united; for us, as we are.

The pundits of official religion - overflowing with self-love and a sense of election - preached a God to be persuaded with confident attitudes and contrived, edgy, imperious actions.

They allowed neither being nor becoming. Their intransigence was a sign that they did not know the Father.

The Eternal One transformed into the Controller had become a source of discrimination and obsession for the intimate lives of minute people, harassed by the insecurity of distinguish-avoid-observe, and by doubts of conscience.

Discouraged from living personally (and as a class) the conversion they preached to others, the professors did not realise that they had to empty themselves of absurd presumptions and become - they - pupils of ordinary people.

In short, as children we are incessantly invited to build a multifaceted Family, where we are not always on the alert.

We are not the subordinates of a frowning and all-distant - but manipulative - Lord.

Rather, we are called to a paradoxical, personal and class choice: and without forcing it, to recognise ourselves - to stand alongside the humiliated and harassed.

This while provincial false piety continues to drag burdens - precisely those of the thwarted and weary, of existence made more hesitant rather than free; obsessed and heavy, rather than light.

Why? Without mincing words, the Encyclical Fratelli Tutti would answer:

"The best way to dominate and advance without limits is to sow hopelessness and arouse constant distrust, albeit masked by the defence of certain values" (no.15).

As if to say: when the authorities and the leaders have little credibility, only the sowing of fear produces significant conditioning in the people, and puts them on a leash.

In the widespread Church, only in the last few decades have we overcome the cliché of moralistic and terroristic preaching [e.g. even at Advent time] divorced from a meridian sense of humanisation.

The excluded, dejected and exhausted by meaningless fulfilments have nevertheless continued to meet the Saviour frankly, finding rest of soul, conviction, peace, balance, hope.

Instinctively, they were able to carve out what no pyramid religion had ever been able to provide and deploy.

In this way, the new, the voiceless, the inadequate and invisible, never know how to calculate in terms of doctrine and laws, norm and code - ancient 'yoke' (vv.29-30) unbearable, crushing people and concrete vocations; particular autonomies or communionalities.

In short, no 'patriarch' is empowered by God to pack our souls, force directions, and keep a maniacal, perfectionist, meticulous eye on us.

Exaggerating failures, across the board.

Everyone has an innate way of being in the world, all their own - even if it is habitual. It is an opportunity of impulse and richness for everyone.

We ourselves do not want to exacerbate events by regulating every detail, even 'spiritual' ones, from irritating patterns of vigilance that do not belong to us.

We prefer to let personal ways of dealing with reality flow; thus tracing its essential and spontaneous energies.

We reason according to codes of life and humanisation: temperament, unrepeatable history, cultural influences, broad friendships. We do not live to prevent.

Only in this way can we enrich the fundamental experience: Love - which does not come from judgements, cuts and separations, but from the Father-Son relationship. The only one that does not stigmatise.

The root of the transformation of being in the Unpredictable of God is precisely concealment, 'tapinōsis' [(tapeínōsis, 'lowering'), from ταπεινός (tapeinós, 'low') [v.29 Greek text; Lk 1:48].

Only those who love strength start from the too far from themselves.

To internalise and live the message:

Do you find yourself more or less free and serene in community?

Does your Calling gain breath or do you feel the burden of others' doubts, judgements, prohibitions and prescriptions?

Do you suffer from some guide or from yourself a kind of controller complex?

Man needs to be liberated from material oppressions, but more profoundly, he must be saved from the evils that afflict the spirit. And who can save him if not God, who is Love and has revealed his face as almighty and merciful Father in Jesus Christ? Our firm hope is therefore Christ: in him, God has loved us to the utmost and has given us life in abundance (cf. Jn 10:10), the life that every person, even if unknowingly, longs to possess.

“Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” These words of Jesus, written in large letters above the entrance to your Cathedral in Brno, he now addresses to each of us, and he adds: “Learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt 11:29-30). Can we remain indifferent in the face of his love? Here, as elsewhere, many people suffered in past centuries for remaining faithful to the Gospel, and they did not lose hope; many people sacrificed themselves in order to restore dignity to man and freedom to peoples, finding in their generous adherence to Christ the strength to build a new humanity. In present-day society, many forms of poverty are born from isolation, from being unloved, from the rejection of God and from a deep-seated tragic closure in man who believes himself to be self-sufficient, or else merely an insignificant and transient datum; in this world of ours which is alienated “when too much trust is placed in merely human projects” (Caritas in Veritate, 53), only Christ can be our certain hope. This is the message that we Christians are called to spread every day, through our witness.

[Pope Benedict, homily at Tuřany Airport in Brno 27 September 2009]

Bless you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for you have kept these things hidden from the wise and the learned and revealed them to the little ones...". (Mt 11:25).

This phrase from the Gospel of today's Sunday in July comes to mind, dear brothers and sisters, as we have gathered for the recitation of the Angelus.

Mary is the one to whom the most was revealed, at the moment when the Angel of the Lord appeared before her, announcing: "Behold, you will conceive a son, you will give birth to him and you will call his name Jesus" (Lk 1:31).

She was the first to receive this Truth that transforms the world..., a Truth so often hidden "from the wise and intelligent" of this world... And She, Mary of Nazareth, accepts it with the greatest simplicity of spirit and, therefore, in the most authentic fullness.

As we gather for the Angelus prayer, let us continually open our hearts to the same Divine Truth with such simplicity! May it come to us again and again, in the different places and circumstances of life, whether at work or at rest, as now at holiday time.

May this Divine Truth allow us to build everywhere and daily the life to which we have been called in Christ...: may we repeat with Christ: "I bless you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth". Such fruit of the Angelus prayer I invoke both for you, dear brothers and sisters, and for me.

2. Then I pray for you, for each one of you, and for me, that the words that Jesus addresses in today's liturgy to all those who are "weary and oppressed", let us say: suffering, may be fulfilled upon us.

Behold, he says: "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, who am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is soft and my burden light" (Mt 11:29-30).

For the fulfilment of these sacred words upon myself, particularly in the present period of my life, and also upon many, many of my brothers and sisters who are perhaps feeling their "sweet yoke" even more, I pray to Mary, Health of the Sick, / Mary, Refuge of Sinners / Comfort of the Afflicted, / Mary, Help of Christians / and I pray to all the saints.

[Pope John Paul II, Angelus 5 July 1981]

Learn from me (cf Mt 11:28-30)

During this Jubilee we have reflected many times on the fact that Jesus expresses himself with unique tenderness, a sign of God’s presence and goodness. Today we shall pause on a moving Gospel passage (cf. Mt 11:28-30), in which Jesus says: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest ... learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (vv. 28-29). The Lord’s invitation is surprising: He calls to follow Him people who are lowly and burdened by a difficult life; He calls to follow Him people who have many needs, and He promises them that in Him they will find rest and relief. The invitation is extended in the imperative form: “Come to me”, “take my yoke” and “learn from me”. If only all the world’s leaders could say this! Let us try to understand the meaning of these expressions.

The first imperative is “Come to me”. Addressing those who are weary and oppressed, Jesus presents himself as the Servant of the Lord described in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. The passage of Isaiah states: “The Lord has given me a disciple’s tongue, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word” (cf. 50:4). Among those who are weary of life, the Gospel also often includes the poor (cf. Mt 11:5) and the little ones (cf. Mt 18:6). This means those who cannot rely on their own means, nor on important friendships. They can only trust in God. Conscious of their humble and wretched condition, they know that they depend on the Lord’s mercy, awaiting from Him the only help possible. At last, in Jesus’ invitation they find the response they have been waiting for. Becoming his disciples they receive the promise of finding rest for all their life. It is a promise that at the end of the Gospel is extended to all peoples: “Go therefore”, Jesus says to the Apostles, “and make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19). Accepting the invitation to celebrate this year of grace of the Jubilee, throughout the world pilgrims are passing through the Door of Mercy open in cathedrals and shrines, in so many churches of the world, in hospitals, in prisons. Why do they pass through this Door of Mercy? To find Jesus, to find Jesus’ friendship, to find the rest that Jesus alone gives.

This journey expresses the conversion of each disciple who follows Jesus. Conversion always consists in discovering the Lord’s mercy. It is infinite and inexhaustible: the Lord’s mercy is immense! Thus, passing through the Holy Door, we profess “that love is present in the world and that this love is more powerful than any kind of evil in which individuals, humanity, or the world are involved” (John Paul II, Encyclical Dives in Misericordia, n. 7). 

The second imperative states: “Take my yoke”. In the context of the Covenant, biblical tradition uses the image of the yoke to indicate the close bond that links the people to God and, as a result, the submission to his will expressed in the Law. Debating with the scribes and the doctors of the Law, Jesus places upon his disciples his yoke, in which the Law is fulfilled. He wants to teach them that they will discover God’s will through Him personally: through Jesus, not through the cold laws and prescriptions that Jesus himself condemns. Just read Chapter 23 of Matthew! He is at the centre of their relationship with God, He is at the heart of the relations among the disciples and sets himself as the fulcrum of each one’s life. Thus, receiving “Jesus’ yoke”, each disciple enters into communion with Him and participates in the mystery of his Cross and in his destiny of salvation.

The third imperative follows: “Learn from me”. Jesus proposes to his disciples a journey of knowledge and of imitation. Jesus is not a severe master who imposes upon others burdens which He does not bear: this was the accusation He directed at the doctors of the Law. He addresses the humble, the little ones, the poor, the needy, for He made himself little and humble. He understands the poor and the suffering because He himself is poor and tried by pain. In order to save humanity Jesus did not undertake an easy path; on the contrary, his journey was painful and difficult. As the Letter to the Philippians recalls: “he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross” (2:8). The yoke which the poor and the oppressed bear is the same yoke that He bore before them: for this reason the yoke is light. He took upon his shoulders the pain and the sins of the whole of humanity. For a disciple, therefore, receiving Jesus’ yoke means receiving his revelation and accepting it: in Him God’s mercy takes on mankind’s poverty, thus giving the possibility of salvation to everyone. Why is Jesus able to say these things? Because He became all things to everyone, close to all, to the poorest! He was a shepherd among the people, among the poor. He worked every day with them. Jesus was not a prince. It is bad for the Church when pastors become princes, separated from the people, far from the poorest: that is not the spirit of Jesus. Jesus rebuked these pastors, and Jesus spoke about them to the people: “do as they say, not as they do”.

Dear brothers and sisters, for us too there are moments of weariness and disillusion. Thus let us remember these words of the Lord, which give us so much consolation and allow us to understand whether we are placing our energy at the service of the good. Indeed, at times our weariness is caused by placing trust in things that are not essential, because we have distanced ourselves from what really matters in life. The Lord teaches us not to be afraid to follow Him, because the hope that we place in Him will never disappoint. Thus, we are called to learn from Him what it means to live on mercy so as to be instruments of mercy. Live on mercy so as to be instruments of mercy: live on mercy and feel needful of Jesus’ mercy, and when we feel in need of forgiveness, of consolation, let us learn to be merciful to others. Keeping our gaze fixed on the Son of God allows us to understand how far we still have to go; but at the same time it instills us with the joy of knowing that we are walking with Him and we are never alone. Have courage, therefore, have courage! Let us not be robbed of the joy of being the Lord’s disciples. “But, Father, I am a sinner, what can I do?” — “Let yourself be gazed upon by the Lord, open your heart, feel his gaze upon you, his mercy, and your heart will be filled with joy, with the joy of forgiveness, if you draw near to ask for forgiveness”. Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of the hope of living this life together with Him and with the strength of his consolation. Thank you.

[Pope Francis, General Audience 14 September 2016]

Value of imperfect uniqueness

(Mt 18:12-14)

Jesus is careful not to propose a dictated or planned universalism, as if His were an ideal model, «to make everyone uniform» [FT n.100].

The kind of Communion that the Lord proposes to us doesn’t aim at «one-dimensional uniformity that seeks to eliminate all differences and traditions in a superficial quest for unity».

Because «the future is not monochrome; if we are courageous, we can contemplate it in all the variety and diversity of what each individual person has to offer. How much our human family needs to learn to live together in harmony and peace, without all of us having to be the same!».

In the Son, God is revealed no longer as exclusive property, but the Power of a Love that forgives the marginalized and lost: Force that saves and creates, liberating.

It seems an impossible utopia to realize concretely (today of the global crisis) but it’s the meaning of the handover to the Church, called to become an incessant goad of Infinity and leaven of an alternative world, for integral human development.

As the encyclical Fratelli Tutti [Brothers All] emphasizes: Jesus - our Engine and Motive - «had an open heart, sensitive to the difficulties of others» [n.84].

In this way, through an absurd question (rhetorically formulated), Jesus wants to arouse the conscience of the "righteous": there is a side of us that supposes of ourselves, very dangerous because it leads to exclusion and abandonment.

Instead, inexhaustible Love seeks. And finds the imperfect and restless.

The swamp of stagnant energy that is generated by accentuating borders does not make anyone grow: it freezes us in the usual positions and lets everyone arrange or get lost. For an interested disinterest - that impoverishes everyone.

All this brings the creative virtues fall into despair.

Instead, God is in search of the one who wanders unsteadily, easily disoriented, loses his way. 

Sinner and yet true, therefore more disposed to genuine Love. For this reason the Father is looking for the insufficient.

The person so clear and spontaneous - albeit weak - hides his best part and vocation richness right behind the apparently detestable sides. Maybe those he himself does not appreciate.

This is the principle of Redemption that astounds and makes interesting our paths often distracted, led with a snuff, as "to attempt and error" - in the Faith generating however self-esteem, credit, fullness and joy.

Jesus, in short, does not come to point the finger at the 'bad moments', but to make up for those very 'moments not', by leveraging intimate involvement.

This is the style of a Church with a Heart sacred, amiable, elevated and blessed.

[Tuesday 2nd wk. in Advent, December 10, 2024]

Value of imperfect uniqueness

(Mt 18:12-14)

The change of course and destiny of the Kingdom. A God in search of the lost and unequal, to expand our life. Christology of the Pallium, power of caresses, joyful energy (in dissociation).

Says the Tao Tê Ching (x): "Preserve the One by dwelling in the two souls: are you able to keep them apart?"

Even in the spiritual journey, Jesus is careful not to propose a dictated or planned universalism, as if his were an ideal model, "for the purpose of homogenisation" [Fratelli Tutti n.100].

The type of Communion that the Lord proposes to us does not aim at "a one-dimensional uniformity that seeks to eliminate all differences and traditions in a superficial search for unity".

Because "the future is not 'monochromatic' but if we have the courage it is possible to look at it in the variety and diversity of the contributions that each one can make. How much our human family needs to learn to live together in harmony and peace without us all being equal!" [from an Address to Young People in Tokyo, November 2019].

Although the piety and hope of the representatives of official religiosity was founded on a structure of human, ethnic, cultural securities and a vision of the Mystery consolidated by a great tradition, Jesus crumbles all predictability.

In the Son, God is revealed no longer as exclusive property, but as the Power of Love that forgives the marginalised and lost: saving and creating, liberating. And through the disciples, he unfolds his Face that recovers, breaks down the usual barriers, calls out to miserable multitudes.

It seems an impossible utopia to realise in the concrete (today of the health and global crisis) but it is the sense of the handover to the Church, called to become an incessant prod of the Infinite and ferment of an alternative world, for integral human development:

"Let us dream as one humanity, as wayfarers made of the same human flesh, as children of this same earth that hosts us all, each with the richness of his faith or convictions, each with his own voice, all brothers!" [FT No.8].

Through an absurd question (rhetorically formulated) Jesus wants to awaken the conscience of the 'just': there is a counterpart of us that supposes of itself, very dangerous, because it leads to exclusion, to abandonment.

Instead, inexhaustible Love seeks. And it finds the imperfect and restless.

The swamp of stagnant energy that is generated by accentuating boundaries does not make anyone grow: it locks in the usual positions and leaves everyone to make do or lose themselves. Out of self-interested disinterest - that impoverishes everyone.

This causes the creative virtues to fall into despair.

It plunges those outside the circle of the elect - those who had nothing superior - into despair. Indeed, the evangelists portray them as utterly incapable of beaming with human joy at the progress of others.

Calculating, acting and conforming - the fundamentalist or overly sophisticated and disembodied leaders use religion as a weapon.

Instead, God is at the antipodes of the fake sterilised - or disembodied thinking - and seeking one who wanders shakily, easily becomes disoriented, loses his way. 

Sinful yet true, therefore more disposed to genuine Love. This is why the Father is searching for the insufficient.

The person who is so limpid and spontaneous - even if weak - hides his best side and vocational richness precisely behind the apparently detestable sides. Perhaps that he himself does not appreciate.

This is the principle of Redemption that astounds and makes interesting our often distracted paths, conducted by trial and error - in Faith, however, generating self-esteem, credit, fullness and joy.

The commitment of the purifier and the impetus of the reformer are 'trades' that seemingly oppose each other, but are easy... and typical of those who think that the things to be challenged and changed are always outside themselves.

For example, in mechanisms, in general rules, in the legal framework, in worldviews, in formal (or histrionic) aspects instead of the craft of the concrete particular good; and so on.

They seem to be excuses not to look inside oneself and get involved, not to meet one's deepest states in all aspects and not only in the guidelines. And to recover or cheer up individuals who are concretely lost, sad, in all dark and difficult sides.

But God is at the antipodes of sterilised mannerists or fake idealists, and in search of the insufficient: the one who wanders and loses his way. Sinful yet true, therefore more disposed to genuine Love.

The transparent and spontaneous person - even if weak - hides his or her best side and vocational richness precisely behind the apparently detestable aspects (perhaps which he or she does not appreciate).So let us ask for solutions to the mysterious, unpredictable interpersonal energies that come into play; from within things.

Without interfering with or opposing ideas of the past or future that we do not see. Rather by possessing its soul, its spontaneous drug.

This is the principle of Salvation that astounds and makes interesting our paths [often distracted, led by trial and error] - ultimately generating self-esteem, credit and joy.

The idea that the Most High is a notary or prince of a forum, and makes a clear distinction between righteous and transgressors, is caricature.

After all, a life of the saved is not one's own making, nor is it exclusive possession or private ownership - which turns into duplicity.

It is not the squeamish attitude, nor the cerebral attitude, that unites one to Him. The Father does not blandish suppliant friendships, nor does He have outside interests.

He rejoices with everyone, and it is need that draws Him to us. So let us not be afraid to let Him find us and bring us back (cf. Lk 15:5) to His house, which is our house.

If there is a loss, there will be a finding, and this is not a loss for anyone - except for the envious enemies of freedom (v.10).

For the LORD is not pleased with marginalisation, nor does he intend to extinguish the smoking lamp.

Jesus does not come to point the finger at the bad times, but to make up for them, by leveraging intimate involvement. Invincible force of faithfulness.

This is the style of a Church with a Sacred Heart, lovable, elevated and blessed.

[What attracts one to participate and express oneself is to feel understood, restored to full dignity - not condemned].

Carlo Carretto said: 'It is by feeling loved, not criticised, that man begins his journey of transformation'.

As the encyclical Fratelli Tutti emphasises again:

Jesus - our Engine and Motive - "had an open heart, which made the dramas of others its own" (n.84).

And he adds as an example of our great Tradition:

"People can develop certain attitudes that they present as moral values: fortitude, sobriety, industriousness and other virtues. But in order to properly direct the acts [...] we must also consider to what extent they realise a dynamism of openness and union [...] Otherwise we will only have appearances'.

"St Bonaventure explained that the other virtues, without charity, strictly speaking do not fulfil the commandments as God intends them" (n.91).

In sects or one-sidedly inspired groups, human and spiritual riches are deposited in a secluded place, so they grow old and debased.

In the assemblies of the sons, on the other hand, they are shared: they grow and communicate; by multiplying, they green up, for universal benefit.

To internalise and live the message:

What attracts you to the Church? In comparisons with the top of the class, do you feel judged or adequate?

Do you feel the Love that saves, even if you remain uncertain?

Christology of the Pallio: we are all carried by Christ

Humanity - all of us - is the lost sheep who, in the wilderness, can no longer find the way. The Son of God does not tolerate this; He cannot abandon humanity in such a miserable condition. He leaps up, abandons the glory of heaven, to find the sheep and chase it to the cross. He carries it on his shoulders, he carries our humanity, he carries ourselves - he is the good shepherd, who lays down his life for the sheep. The pallium first of all says that we are all carried by Christ. But at the same time it invites us to carry one another. Thus the pallium becomes the symbol of the shepherd's mission, of which the second reading and the Gospel speak. The holy restlessness of Christ must animate the pastor: for him it is not indifferent that so many people live in the desert. And there are many forms of desert. There is the desert of poverty, the desert of hunger and thirst, there is the desert of abandonment, of loneliness, of destroyed love. There is the desert of the obscurity of God, of the emptying of souls with no more consciousness of man's dignity and journey. The outer deserts are multiplying in the world because the inner deserts have become so vast. Therefore the treasures of the earth are no longer at the service of building God's garden, in which all can live, but are enslaved to the powers of exploitation and destruction. The Church as a whole, and the Pastors in it, like Christ must set out, to lead men out of the desert, towards the place of life, towards friendship with the Son of God, towards the One who gives us life, life in its fullness.

[Pope Benedict, homily at the beginning of the Petrine ministry 24 April 2005].

Power of caresses. One is unique

The "joyful announcement of Christmas" is that "the Lord comes with his power", but above all that that power "is his caresses", his "tenderness". A tenderness that, like the good shepherd with the sheep, is for each one of us: God never forgets any one of us, not even if we were tragically 'lost' as happened to Judas who, lost in his 'inner darkness', is in some way the prototype, the 'icon' of the sheep in the Gospel parable.

In the homily of the Mass celebrated at Santa Marta on Tuesday, 6 December, Pope Francis went to the heart of this "joyful announcement" before which, the liturgy of the day reads, we are called to "sincere exultation". And "before Christmas," the Pontiff said, "let us ask for this grace of receiving this glad tidings with sincere exultation and of rejoicing," but also "of allowing the Lord to console us". Why, he asked, does the liturgy also speak of consolation? Because, was his answer, 'the Lord comes and when the Lord comes he touches the soul with these feelings'. For 'he comes as a judge, yes, but a judge who caresses, a judge who is full of tenderness' and 'does everything to save us'. God, he continued, 'judges with love, so much so that he sent his son, and John emphasises: not to judge but to save, not to condemn but to save'. Therefore "always God's judgement leads us to this hope of being saved".

Going deeper into his meditation, the Pope took as a reference the gospel of the day, in which Matthew (18:12-14) speaks of the good shepherd. This judge "who caresses" and who comes "to save", Francis said, has "the attitude of the shepherd: 'What do you think? If one of his sheep goes astray, will he not leave the 99 on the mountains and go and look for the one that has gone astray?"'. Even the Lord, when he comes, "does not say, 'But, I do the math and I lose one, 99.... Is reasonable...'. No, no. One is unique'. For the shepherd does not simply possess 99 sheep, but 'has one, one, one, one...': that is, 'each one is different'. And he "loves each one personally. He does not love the indistinct mass. No! He loves us by name, he loves us as we are'.

Following the thread of the analogy, the Pontiff explained that that lost sheep the shepherd "knew her well", she was not lost, she "knew the way well": she was lost "because her heart was lost, her heart was sick. She was blinded by something inside and, moved by that inner dissociation, she fled into the dark to let off steam'. But 'it was not a girlish act that she did.... She ran away: an escape precisely to get away from the Lord, to satiate that inner darkness that led her to the double life', to 'being in the flock and running away from the dark, in the dark'. And here is the consoling message: 'The Lord knows these things and he goes to look for her'.

It was at this point that Pope Francis introduced another element into his meditation: 'For me, the figure that most makes me understand the Lord's attitude with the lost sheep is the Lord's attitude with Judas. The most perfect lost sheep in the Gospel is Judas'. In fact, the Pontiff recalled, he is 'a man who always, always had something bitter in his heart, something to criticise about others, always in detachment': a man who did not know 'the sweetness of gratuitousness of living with all others'. And since this 'sheep' 'was not satisfied', he 'ran away'.

Judas, said the Pope, 'ran away because he was a thief', others 'are lustful' and likewise 'run away because there is that darkness in the heart that separates them from the flock'. We are faced with "that double life" that is "of so many Christians" and also - he added "with pain" - of "priests" and "bishops". After all, even 'Judas was a bishop, he was one of the first bishops...'.

So even Judas is a "lost sheep", Francis concluded, adding: "Poor guy! Poor this brother Judas as Don Mazzolari called him, in that very beautiful sermon: "Brother Judas, what is going on in your heart?"".

This is a reality to which even today's Christians are no strangers. Therefore 'we too must understand the lost sheep'. Indeed, the Pope emphasised, 'we too always have something, little or not so little, of the lost sheep'. We must therefore understand that 'it is not a mistake that the lost sheep has made: it is a sickness, it is a sickness that he had in his heart' and of which the devil takes advantage. Resuming the comparison used earlier, the Pontiff retraced the last moments of Judas' life: "when he went to the temple to lead a double life", when he gave "the kiss to the Lord in the garden", and then "the coins he received from the priests...". And he commented: 'it's not a mistake. He did it... He was in the dark! His heart was divided, dissociated. "Judas, Judas...". Therefore it can be said that he 'is the icon of the lost sheep'.

Jesus, "the shepherd, goes to find him: 'Do what you have to do, man', and kisses him". But Judas "does not understand". And in the end, when he realises "what his own double life has done in the community, the evil he has sown, with his inner darkness, which led him to always run away, looking for lights that were not the light of the Lord" but "artificial lights", like those of the "Christmas decorations", when he understands all this, in the end "he became desperate". And this is what happens 'if the lost sheep do not accept the Lord's caresses'.

But there is yet another level of depth to which the Pope's reflection descended. Pointing out that 'the Lord is good, even for these sheep' and 'never stops looking for them', he highlighted a word that we find in the Bible, 'a word that says that Judas hanged himself, hanged himself and "repented"'. And he commented: 'I believe that the Lord will take that word and bring it with him, I don't know, maybe, but that word makes us doubt'. Above all, he emphasised: "But what does that word mean? That until the end God's love was working in that soul, until the moment of despair'. And it is precisely this, he said, closing the circle of his reflection, 'the attitude of the good shepherd with the lost sheep'.

Here then is 'the proclamation' spoken of at the beginning of the homily, 'the happy proclamation that Christmas brings us and that asks us for this sincere rejoicing that changes the heart, that leads us to allow ourselves to be consoled by the Lord and not by the consolations that we go in search of to let off steam, to escape from reality, to escape from inner torture, from inner division'. The "glad tidings", the "sincere rejoicing", the "consolation", the "rejoicing in the Lord" spring from the fact that "the Lord comes with his power. And what is the power of the Lord? The caresses of the Lord!" It is like the good shepherd who "when he found the lost sheep, he did not insult it, no", on the contrary, he must have said to it: "But have you done so much wrong? Come, come...'. And similarly, "in the garden of olives" what did he say to the "lost sheep", Judas? He called him "friend. Always the caresses'.

Faced with all this, the Pope said at this point: 'Whoever does not know the caresses of the Lord does not know Christian doctrine. Whoever does not allow himself to be caressed by the Lord is lost'. And it is precisely "this is the glad tidings, this is the sincere exultation that we want today. This is the joy, this is the consolation we seek: that the Lord comes with his power, which are caresses, to find us, to save us, like the lost sheep, and to bring us into the flock of his Church'.

The conclusion was, as usual, a prayer: "May the Lord give us this grace, to wait for Christmas with our wounds, with our sins, sincerely acknowledged, to wait for the power of this God who comes to console us, who comes with power, but his power is tenderness, the caresses that are born from his heart, his heart so good that he gave his life for us."

[Pope Francis, St. Martha, in L'Osservatore Romano 07/12/2016]