“The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost”.

God excludes no one, neither the poor nor the rich. God does not let himself be conditioned by our human prejudices, but sees in everyone a soul to save and is especially attracted to those who are judged as lost and who think themselves so. Jesus Christ, the Incarnation of God, has demonstrated this immense mercy, which takes nothing away from the gravity of sin, but aims always at saving the sinner, at offering him the possibility of redemption, of starting again from the beginning, of converting [...]

Let us pray to the Virgin Mary, perfect model of communion with Jesus, to be renewed by his love, so that we too may experience the joy of being visited by the Son of God, of being renewed by his love and of transmitting his mercy to others.

[Pope Benedict, Angelus 31 October 2010]

The particular circumstances of John's birth have been handed down to us by the evangelist Luke. According to an ancient tradition, it took place in Ain-Karim, before the gates of Jerusalem. The circumstances surrounding this birth were so unusual that even at that time people were asking: "What is this child to be?" (Lk 1:66). It was evident to his believing parents, neighbours and relatives that his birth was a sign from God. They clearly saw that the "hand of the Lord" was upon him. This was already demonstrated by the announcement of his birth to his father Zechariah, while he was providing priestly service in the temple in Jerusalem. His mother, Elisabeth, was already advanced in years and was thought to be barren. Even the name 'John' he was given was unusual for his environment. His father himself had to give orders that he be called "John" and not, as everyone else wanted, "Zechariah" (cf. Lk 1:59-63).

The name John means in the Hebrew language "God is merciful". Thus already in the name is expressed the fact that the newborn child would one day announce God's plan of salvation.

The future would fully confirm the predictions and events surrounding his birth: John, son of Zechariah and Elisabeth, became the "voice of one crying out in the wilderness" (Matt 3:3), who on the banks of the Jordan called people to penance and prepared the way for Christ.

Christ himself said of John the Baptist that "among those born of women no greater one has arisen" (cf. Mt 11:11). That is why the Church has also reserved a special veneration for this great messenger of God from the very beginning. An expression of this veneration is today's feast.

4. Dear brothers and sisters! This celebration, with its liturgical texts, invites us to reflect on the question of man's becoming, his origins and his destination. True, we already seem to know a great deal about this subject, both from mankind's long experience and from ever more in-depth biomedical research. But it is the word of God that always re-establishes the essential dimension of the truth about man: man is created by God and willed by God in his image and likeness. No purely human science can demonstrate this truth. At most it can come close to this truth or intuitively surmise the truth about this 'unknown being' that is man from the moment of his conception in the womb.

At the same time, however, we find ourselves witnessing how, in the name of a supposed science, man is 'reduced' in a dramatic trial and represented in a sad simplification; and so it happens that even those rights that are based on the dignity of his person, which distinguishes him from all the other creatures of the visible world, are overshadowed. Those words from the book of Genesis, which speak of man as the creature created in the image and likeness of God, highlight, in a concise yet profound way, the full truth about him.

5. We can also learn this truth about man from today's liturgy, in which the Church prays to God, the creator, in the words of the psalmist:

"Lord, you scrutinise me and know me . . . It is you who created my bowels and wove me in my mother's womb . . . you know me to the depths. When I was formed in secret . . . my bones were not hidden from thee . . . I praise thee, for thou hast made me like a wonder" (Ps 139 [138], 1. 13-15).

Man is therefore aware of what he is - of what he is from the beginning, from the womb. He knows that he is a creature that God wants to meet and with whom he wants to dialogue. More: in man, he wants to meet the whole of creation.

For God, man is a 'someone': unique and unrepeatable. He, as the Second Vatican Council says, "on earth is the only creature that God willed for itself" (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 24).

"The Lord from my mother's womb has called me; from my mother's womb he has pronounced my name" (Is 49:1); like the name of the child who was born in Ain-Karim: "John". Man is that being whom God calls by name. For God he is the created 'you', of all creatures he is that personal 'I', who can address God and call him by name. God wants that partner in man who addresses him as his own creator and Father: 'You, my Lord and my God'. To the divine "you".

7. God called John the Baptist already "in the womb" so that he might become "the voice of one crying out in the wilderness" and thus prepare the way for his Son. In a very similar way, God has also "laid his hand" on each one of us. For each of us he has a particular call, each of us is entrusted with a task designed by him for us.

In each call, which may come to us in the most diverse way, we hear that divine voice, which then spoke through John: "Prepare the way of the Lord!"(Mt 3:3).

Every man should ask himself in what way he can contribute within the scope of his work and position, to open the way for God in this world. Every time we open ourselves to God's call, we prepare, like John, the way of the Lord among men.

[Pope John Paul II, homily Eisenstaedt 24 June 1988]

There are Christians who have "a certain allergy to preachers of the word": they accept "the truth of revelation" but not "the preacher", preferring "a caged life". It happened in Jesus' time and unfortunately continues to happen today in those who live closed in on themselves, because they are afraid of the freedom that comes from the Holy Spirit.

For Pope Francis, this is the teaching that comes from the readings of the liturgy celebrated on Friday morning, 13 December, in the chapel of Santa Marta. The Pontiff dwelt above all on the passage from the Gospel of Matthew (11, 16-19) in which Jesus compares the generation of his contemporaries "to those children sitting in the squares who turn to their companions and say: we played the flute and you did not dance, we sang a lament and you did not weep".

In this regard, the Bishop of Rome recalled that Christ in the Gospels "always speaks well of children", offering them as a "model of Christian life" and inviting them to "be like them to enter the kingdom of heaven". Instead, he noted, in the passage in question "it is the only time he does not speak so well of them". For the Pope, it is an image of children who are "a bit special: rude, discontented, even scornful"; children who do not know how to be happy while playing and who "always refuse the invitation of others: nothing goes well for them". In particular, Jesus uses this image to describe "the leaders of his people", defined by the Pontiff as "people who were not open to the word of God".

For the Holy Father there is an interesting aspect in this attitude: their rejection, precisely, "is not for the message, it is for the messenger". It is enough to read the Gospel passage to confirm this. "John came, who neither eats nor drinks," the Pope noted, "and they said: he has a devil. The Son of Man came, who eats and drinks, and they said: here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of publicans and sinners'. In practice, people have always found reasons to delegitimise the preacher. Just think of the people of that time, who preferred 'to take refuge in a somewhat elaborate religion: in moral precepts, like the Pharisees; in political compromise, like the Sadducees; in social revolution, like the Zealots; in Gnostic spirituality, like the Essenes'. All of them, he added, "with their own neat, well-made system", but which does not accept "the preacher". That is why Jesus refreshes their memory by reminding them of the prophets, who were persecuted and killed.

Accepting "the truth of revelation" and not "the preacher" reveals for the Pontiff a mentality that is the result of "a life caged in precepts, in compromises, in revolutionary plans, in spirituality without flesh". Pope Francis referred in particular to those Christians "who allow themselves not to dance when the preacher gives you good news of joy, and allow themselves not to cry when the preacher gives you sad news". To those Christians, that is, 'who are closed, caged, who are not free'. And the reason is the "fear of the Holy Spirit's freedom, which comes through preaching".

Moreover, "this is the scandal of preaching of which St Paul spoke; the scandal of preaching that ends in the scandal of the cross". In fact, 'it scandalises us that God speaks to us through men with limitations, sinful men; and it scandalises us even more that God speaks to us and saves us through a man who says he is the son of God, but ends up as a criminal'. So for Pope Francis we end up covering up 'the freedom that comes from the Holy Spirit', because ultimately 'these sad Christians do not believe in the Holy Spirit; they do not believe in that freedom that comes from preaching, which admonishes you, teaches you, even slaps you, but it is precisely freedom that makes the Church grow'.

So the image of the Gospel, with "children who are afraid to dance, to cry", who are "afraid of everything, who ask for security in everything", makes one think of "these sad Christians, who always criticise the preachers of truth, because they are afraid to open the door to the Holy Spirit". Hence the Pontiff's exhortation to pray for them and also to pray for ourselves, so that "we do not become sad Christians", those who take away "the Holy Spirit's freedom to come to us through the scandal of preaching."

[Pope Francis, St. Martha, in L'Osservatore Romano 14/12/2013]

The dark aspect, allied

(Lk 7:11-17)

Na'im means Delicious: symbol of all the pleasant and laughing places, where life flows quietly until the day when the carefree ends: smiles turn into tears and songs into lamentation.

There are always two parades, and two guides. The procession of death comes to collect everyone: it is precisely preceded by a corpse.

Destiny that knocks down, and we try to exorcise. But beyond distractions - it anguishes us to imagine that the physical end is a way without return.

Who can stop humanity’s march to the grave?

Here, in the opposite direction, comes another procession, preceded by the Lord of Life, who wins ours.

In the common opinion of religions, impurity is contagious, transmitted immediately by contact, and even prevails over holiness.

According to the rabbis themselves, if e.g. an object came into contact with the hem of a priestly cloak, it would not be sanctified, despite having touched a holy person.

But if the same object had touched a corpse, it would have become unclean. 

Rambling fixations and extravagant idols, typical of superstitions.

Christ deliberately, in a blatant way, violates both the law of purity and the customary of common thought.

In the path of Faith that He proposes, not only does life prevail over death, but death itself has nothing unclean.

The reality that baffles us all is no longer a dark frontier, but a ‘mouth’.

It introduces us into the fullness, the expression and complete flowering of our potentialities.

[It’s the Easter Announcement: it resounds as a source of expectation of the One who makes every death pure, and transforms it into the Womb of Life].

The "widow" Israel had been deprived of the affection of the Bridegroom for the deleterious work of false official guides.

That nation had thus found itself begetting spiritually dying ‘children‘ (from a young age).

Infertile, barren, destined for solitude [in Hebrew the term Israel is of female gender]. That is, without the true Son of God.

A people deprived of the Messiah, therefore without a future.

In addition to this central message, Lk - evangelist of the needy - wants to draw the attention of his communities to those who are left alone.

«And Jesus gave him to his Mother» (Lk 7:15b).

The Church has the task of returning sons or families to those who have lost them.

Fraternity must respect and care for those who mourn loneliness.

Like Jesus, it stands out from all other competitive devotional forms because revives, restores affections, communicates balance and the desire to succeed.

It always marks a triumph of life over the haze of the tombs.

Pope Francis said: «In order to give himself to us, God often chooses unthinkable paths, perhaps those of our limitations, our tears, our defeats».

In short, in our trials and error, [alongside] we have to keep all the aspects - which we have come to know over time, and which we have realised are part of us.

This will change the solidity of our relationship with ourselves, others, nature, history, and the world.

Here the dark aspect becomes invigorating, Allied.

[Tuesday 24th wk. in O.T.  September 16, 2025]

The dark, allied aspect

(Lk 7:11-17)

Na'im means Delightful: a symbol of all pleasant and laughing places, where life flows peacefully until the day when carefreeness ends: smiles turn to tears and songs to lament.

There are always two processions, and two guides. The procession of death arrives to pick everyone up: it is preceded by a corpse.

Destiny that we abate and attempt to exorcise, but - beyond distraction - it distresses us to imagine that the physical end is a path of no return.

Who can stop humanity's march towards the grave?

Here in the opposite direction comes another procession, preceded by the Lord of Life, who has the upper hand.

In the common opinion of religions, impurity is contagious, is transmitted immediately by contact, and even prevails over holiness.

According to the rabbis themselves, if, for example, an object had come into contact with the flap of a priestly cloak, it would not have been sanctified, despite having touched a holy person.

But if the same object had touched a corpse, it would have become unclean. 

Rambling fixations and extravagant idols, typical of superstition.

Christ deliberately and blatantly breaks both the law of purity and the custom of common thought.

In the path of Faith he proposes, not only does life prevail over death, but death itself has nothing unclean about it.

The reality that bewilders us all is no longer a dark frontier, but a mouth.

It ushers us into the fullness, the complete expression and flowering of our potential.

[In this way, the Paschal Announcement resounds as a source of expectation of the One who makes all death pure, and transforms it into a Womb of Life].

The 'widow' Israel had been deprived of the affection of the Bridegroom by the deleterious work of false official guides.

That nation had thus found itself begetting spiritually moribund children from their youth.

Infecund, sterile, doomed to loneliness [in Hebrew, the term Israel is feminine]. That is: without the true Son of God.

A people deprived of the Messiah, therefore without a future.

Alongside this central message, Lk - evangelist of the needy - wants to draw the attention of his communities to those who are left alone.

«And Jesus gave him to his Mother» (Lk 7:15b).

The Church has the task of restoring children or family to those who have lost them.

The fraternity must respect and care for those who mourn loneliness.

Like Jesus, it differs from all other competitive forms of devotion because it revives, restores the affections, restores balance and the will to succeed.

It always marks a triumph of life over the gloom of the tombs.

To internalise and live the message:

How have you experienced the injection of life that the Risen One has provided you by moving from the procession of religion supine to the graveyard to the company of Faith and the horizon of the Father and the Son in the Spirit?

Have you experienced the life-giving closeness of the brethren of faith in bereavement? (How) have you experienced Christ in them who restores life and affection?

The dark aspect

Pope Francis said: "In order to give himself to us, God often chooses unthinkable paths, perhaps those of our limitations, our tears, our defeats.

The Lord's call is not Manichean, but profound.

Our behaviour has fascinating roots. Lights and shadows of our being remain in dynamic relationship.

At times, however, our discomforts or distortions are the result of an excess of 'light' - detached from its opposite. 

Such excess is willingly associated with the claim to exorcise the dark aspect in us, which we would like to conceal for social reasons.

It seems to us that the business card should only reflect our bright, loose, serious, and performing appearance.

Perhaps, a moral style all of a piece - at least at first glance.

However, those who become attached to their bright side and even try to promote it for reasons of look (also ecclesiastical), established culture, habit (also religious), run the risk of enhancing the other side.

Beware: in every man there is always a side that misfires, that fails; and not one-sidedly.

Perhaps it is precisely in those who preach the good that there is the most pronounced danger of neglecting its co-present opposite - which sooner or later will break through, will find its space.

Blowing up the whole house of cards. But to achieve something alternative and absolutely not contrived.

For those who embark on a path of 'perfection', their own counterpart only seems a danger.

And conditioned by the models, we continue to play [our] already identified 'part'.

Yet in the dark side are hidden resources that the light-only side does not have.

In the dark side we read our character seed.

Here is the therapy and healing of the discomforts that we rush to conceal (in the family, with friends, in the community, at work).The dark aspects [selfishness, coldness, closure, introversion, sadness] lurk within; no point in denying it.

It is rather worth considering them as a source of characterising primordial energies.

It is indeed concealment - sometimes depression itself - that makes us fish for unimaginable solutions.

As if we were a grain planted in the earth, which wants its existence. And it finally wants natural life, which develops its capacities.

It is precisely the emotions that we dislike and ourselves detest - like the muddy, dark earth - that reconnect us with our deepest essence.

In short, the unpleasant emotional states will be the well from which other ideas, other guiding 'images', new insights; different sap come to us. And change.

Light does not possess all possibilities, all dynamism. On the contrary, it not infrequently seems to be declined [by the same traditions, or cultural fashions] in a fictitious, reductive way.

In chiaroscuro, conversely, we no longer pretend. For it is the foundation of the house of the soul.

All this we consider, for a solid harmony, which arises from within.

Paradoxes of the Personal Vocation: if we did not follow it to the full, we would continue to follow misconceptions, or the styles of others.

And we would become sick. Evil will take over.

If we are structured on an abstract, local, or bogus identity, this is where the storm could destroy everything.

In our trial and error, [alongside] we have to keep all the aspects - which we have come to know over time, and realised are part of us.

This will change the solidity of our relationship with ourselves, others, nature, history, and the world.

Here the dark aspect becomes an ally.

The harmony between conduct and intention of the heart overcomes hypocrisy, but conformity between Word and life is not set up by practising automatisms, nor by surrendering to others' convictions.

In the post-lockdown we are realising this sharply.

Gaslini project was born in the heart of a generous benefactor, the industrialist and Senator Gerolamo Gaslini, who dedicated this institute to his daughter who died when she was only 12 years old. It is part of the history of charity which makes Genoa a "city of Christian charity". Today too, faith inspires in many people of good will acts of love and material support for this Institute, which, with justifiable pride, the Genoese regard as a precious patrimony. I thank you all and encourage you to continue. In particular, I rejoice at the new complex whose foundation stone was laid recently and which has found a munificent donor. The effective, cordial attention of the public Administration is also a sign of recognition for the social value of the Gaslini institute for the children of the City and beyond. Indeed, when a good is destined for all it deserves the contribution of all, with the proper respect for roles and competence.

I now address you, dear doctors, researchers, paramedical and administrative staff; and you, dear chaplains, volunteers and all who are involved in offering spiritual assistance to the small patients and their relatives. I know that you are unanimously committed to ensuring that the Gaslini Institute is an authentic "sanctuary of life" and a "sanctuary of the family", where workers in every sector combine loving attention for the person with their professionalism. The decision of the Founder, who held that the President of the Foundation must be the pro-tempore Archbishop of Genoa, expresses the wish that the Christian inspiration of the Institute may never be lacking and that everyone may always be sustained by the Gospel values.

In 1931, when he was laying the foundations of the structure, Senator Gerolamo Gaslini predicted "the perennial work of good that must shine out from the Institute itself". Hence your Hospital's aim is to radiate goodness through the loving care of sick children. Therefore, while I thank all the personnel - managerial, administrative and medical - for their professionalism and dedicated service, I express the hope that this excellent Paediatric Institute may continue to develop its technologies, treatments and services, but also to extend its horizons increasingly in that perspective of positive globalization for which resources, services and needs are recognized, creating and reinforcing a network of solidarity that is so urgently needed today. And all this must never lack that supplement of affection which the little patients feel to be as important as the indispensable treatment. The Hospital will then become ever more a place of hope.

Hope at the Gaslini institute is expressed in the care of paediatric patients, for whom help is provided through the continuous formation of health-care workers. In fact, as an esteemed Institute for scientific research and treatment, your Hospital is known for being monothematic and multifunctional, covering almost all the specializations in the paediatric sector. Hence the hope that is fostered here is well-founded. Yet, to face the future effectively, it is indispensable that this hope be sustained by a loftier vision of life that enables the scientist, the doctor, the professional, the nurse and the parents themselves to devote all their capacities, sparing no efforts to obtain the best results that science and technology can offer today at the level of prevention and treatment. Then comes the thought of God's silent presence which, almost imperceptibly, accompanies the human being on his long journey through history. True "dependable" hope is God alone, who in Jesus Christ and in his Gospel opened wide the dark door of time to the future. "I am risen and now I am always with you", Jesus repeats to us, especially at the most difficult moments: "my hand supports you. Wherever you might fall, you will fall into my arms. I am present even at the threshold of death".

It is children who are treated here at the Gaslini institute. How is it possible not to recall Jesus' special love for children? He wanted them beside him, he pointed them out to the Apostles as models to follow in their spontaneous, generous faith, in their innocence. With harsh words he warned people against despising or shocking them. He was moved by the widow of Nain, a mother who had lost her son, her only son. The Evangelist Luke wrote that the Lord reassured her and said to her: "Do not weep" (cf. Lk 7: 13). Still today Jesus repeats these comforting words to those in pain: "Do not weep". He shows solidarity to each one of us and asks us if we want to be his disciples, to bear witness to his love for anyone who gets into difficulty.

Lastly, I address you, dearest children, to repeat to you that the Pope loves you. I see your relatives beside you, who share with you moments of anxiety and hope. You may all rest assured: God never abandons us. Stay united to him and you will never lose your calm, not even in the darkest and most difficult moments. I assure you of my remembrance in prayer and entrust you to Mary Most Holy who, as a Mother, suffered for the sufferings of her divine Son but now dwells with him in glory. I thank each one of you again for this meeting, which will remain impressed on my heart. I bless you all with affection.

[Pope Benedict, speech to the Gaslini of Genoa 18 May 2008]

Merciful Father,

Lord of life and death,

our fate is in your hands.

Look with kindness

upon the affliction of those

who mourn the death of loved ones:

sons, fathers, brothers, relatives, friends.

May they feel the presence of Christ

who comforted the widow of Naim

and the sisters of Lazarus,

for He is the resurrection and the life.

Help us to learn

from the mystery of sorrow

that we are pilgrims on earth.

(John Paul II)

In his homily today at Mass in the Santa Marta house, Pope Francis commented on the day's gospel, which tells of the widow of Naim, whose son Jesus resurrected. But Christ did more, the Pope observed: he showed himself close, sharing in the drama experienced by the woman. "He was close to the people," Bergoglio said. "God close who can understand the heart of the people, the heart of his people. Then he sees that procession, and the Lord draws near. God visits his people, in the midst of his people, and drawing near. Closeness. That is God's way. And then there is an expression that is repeated in the Bible, so many times: 'The Lord was moved with great compassion'. The same compassion that, the Gospel says, he had when he saw so many people like sheep without a shepherd. When God visits his people, he comes close to them and feels compassion: he is moved.The Lord is deeply moved, as he was before the tomb of Lazarus", as the Father is moved "when he saw the prodigal son come home".Christ shows us the way forward: 'Proximity and compassion'. Not to stay far away and preach, like "the doctors of the law, the scribes, the Pharisees", but to come close, "to suffer with the people".

Pope Francis wanted to highlight another passage from the Gospel: "The dead man sat down and began to speak, and he - Jesus - returned him to his mother.When God visits his people, he gives them back their hope. Always. One can preach the Word of God brilliantly: there have been many good preachers in history. But if these preachers have failed to sow hope, that preaching is useless. It is vanity'. For this reason, the Pontiff concluded, addressing an invitation to the faithful, we must "ask for the grace that our witness as Christians may be a witness bearer of God's visitation to his people, that is, of closeness that sows hope".

[Editor "Tempi", 16.9.2014.

https://www.tempi.it/papa-francesco-non-belle-prediche-ma-vicinanza-e-compassione-come-quelle-che-ebbe-gesu-con-la-vedova-di-naim/]

Mary in the Church, begetting sons

(Jn 19:25-27)

The short Gospel passage in vv.25-27 is perhaps the artistic apex of the Passion narrative.

In the fourth Gospel the Mother appears twice, at the wedding feast of Cana and at the foot of the Cross - both episodes present only in Jn.

Both at Cana and at the foot of the Cross, the Mother is a figure of the genuinely sensitive and faithful remnant of Israel.

The people-bride of the First Testament is as if waiting for the real Revelation: they perceive all the limitation of the ancient idea of God, which has reduced and extinguished the joy of the wedding feast between the Father and his sons.

Authentically worshipping Israel prompted the shift from religiosity to working Faith, from the old law to the New Testament.

An alternative Kingdom is generated at the foot of the Cross.

Mothers and fathers of a different humanity are being formed, proclaiming the Good News of God - this time for the exclusive benefit of every man, in whatever condition he may find himself.

In the theological intent of John, the Words of Jesus «Woman, behold your son» and «Behold, the Mother of yours» were intended to help settle and harmonise the strong tensions that at the end of the first century were already pitting different currents of thought about Christ against each other.

Among them: Judaizers; advocates of the primacy of faith over works; Laxists, who now considered Jesus anathema, intending to supplant Him with a generic freedom of spirit without history.

At the beginning of second century, Marcion rejected the entire First Testament and appreciated only a part of the New.

To those who now wanted to disregard the teaching of the 'fathers', Jesus proposed to make the past and novelty walk together.

The beloved disciple, icon of the authentic son of God [widespread Word-event (of New Testament)] must receive the Mother, the culture of the Covenant people, at Home - that is, in the nascent Church.

Yet, even if it is in the Christian community that the full meaning of the whole of Scripture is discovered… the Person, the story and the Word of Christ Himself cannot be understood nor will it bear concrete fruit without the ancient root that generated Him.

Projections alone are not enough, even if they shake the mental prisons, often edifices of false certainties: the Seed is not an enemy to be fought, but a virtue that comes from deep within.

The Alliance is precious, it gives the real jolt to life. Thus new family relationships flourish: then the Church is born.

And the Church raised up by its Lord will reveal something portentous: fruitfulness from nullity, life from the outpouring of it, birth from apparent sterility.

In Mary and the faithful icons generated from the breast of Christ - inseparable in the Mission - the intimate cooperation is intensified by moments of humble and silent community existence.

In perfect worshipping the identity-character of the Crucified One and in the movement of self-giving, the freedom of abasing oneself gaits and arises.

If anyone gets down, the new will advance.

And the old can also re-emerge, this time for good. For there are other Heights. For what makes one intimate with God is nothing external.

A river of unimagined attunements will reconnect the human spirit of believers to the motherly work of the Spirit without barriers.

Thus, in silence we will not oppose discomfort. The offended body will speak, manifesting the soul and filling the life, in a crescendo.

To internalize and live the message:

How do you get into the rhythm of this Gospel passage? In which character do you recognise yourself, or why do you see yourself in all of them? What is in each one your measure, which you give to the world?

[Blessed Virgin Mary of Sorrows, September 15]

Mary in the Church, who gives birth to sons

(Jn 19:25-27)

The brief passage of the Gospel in verses 25-27 is perhaps the artistic climax of the Passion narrative.

In the fourth Gospel, the Mother appears twice, at the wedding at Cana and at the foot of the Cross - both episodes found only in John.

Both at Cana and at the foot of the Cross, the Mother is a figure of the rest of Israel, authentically sensitive and faithful.

The people-bride of the First Testament are as if waiting for the real Revelation: they perceive all the limitations of the ancient idea of God, which has reduced and extinguished the joy of the wedding feast between the Father and his children.

The authentically adoring Israel brought about the transition from religiosity to active Faith, from the ancient law to the New Testament.

At the foot of the Cross, an alternative Kingdom is generated.

Fathers and mothers of a different humanity are formed, proclaiming the Good News of God - this time exclusively in favour of every person, whatever their condition.

In the theological intent of John, Jesus' words 'Woman, behold your son' and 'Behold, your Mother' were intended to help resolve and harmonise the strong tensions that already existed at the end of the first century between the different currents of thought on Christ.

Among them were the Judaizers, who believed in the primacy of faith over works, and the Laxists, who considered Jesus anathema and wanted to replace him with a generic freedom of spirit without history.

At the beginning of the second century, Marcion rejected the entire First Testament and seems to have appreciated only part of the New Testament.

To those who now wanted to disregard the teaching of the 'fathers', Jesus proposed to bring together the past and the new.

The beloved disciple, icon of the authentic son of God [Word-event spread throughout the New Testament], must receive the Mother, the culture of the people of the Covenant, into his home - that is, into the nascent Church.

Yet, even if it is in the Christian community that the full meaning of all Scripture is discovered, the Person, the story and the Word of Christ himself cannot be understood nor will they bear concrete fruit with the many dreams ahead, without the ancient root that generated them.

Projections alone are not enough, even if they shake mental prisons, often built on false certainties: the Seed is not an enemy to be fought, but a virtue that comes from deep within.

The Covenant is precious; it gives life a genuine jolt. Thus, new family relationships flourish: then the Church is born.

And the Church raised up by her Lord will reveal something portentous: fruitfulness from nothingness, life from the outpouring of it, birth from apparent sterility.

In Mary and in the faithful icons generated from the breast of Christ - inseparable in the Mission - the intimate cooperation intensifies the moments of a humble and silent community life.

In the perfect adoration of the identity-character of the Crucified One and in the movement of self-giving, the freedom to let go advances.

If someone lays down, the new will advance.

And even the old may re-emerge, this time everlasting. Because there are other Heights. Because what makes us intimate with God is nothing external.

A river of unimagined harmonies will reconnect the human spirit of believers to the maternal work of the Spirit without barriers.

The Tao Te Ching (xxii) says: 'If you bend, you preserve yourself; if you bow, you straighten yourself; if you hollow yourself, you fill yourself; if you wear yourself out, you renew yourself; if you aim for little, you obtain; if you aim for much, you remain disappointed. For this reason, the saint preserves the One [the maximum of the little], and becomes a model [sets the standard] for the world. He does not see by himself, therefore he is enlightened; he does not approve by himself, therefore he shines; he does not glory by himself, therefore he has merit; he does not exalt himself, therefore he lasts long. Precisely because he does not contend, no one in the world can contend with him. What the ancients said: if you bend, you preserve yourself, were these perhaps empty words? In truth, they were whole'.

In this way, in silence, we will not oppose hardship. The offended body will speak, manifesting the soul and filling life, in a crescendo.

To internalise and live the message:

How do you enter into the rhythm of this passage from the Gospel? Which character do you identify with, or why do you see yourself in all of them? What is your measure in each of them, what do you give to the world?

Blood Water: Body still torn apart

Blood and Water: life given and life transmitted

(Jn 19:31-37)

The Lord's cruel departure is not an end: it inaugurates new life, albeit amid gruesome signs and true death.

The Crucified One saves: he communicates a life of salvation. He takes us from one world to another: only in this sense does the ancient Passover coincide with the new one.

His is a Liberation and Redemption that goes far beyond the ritual promises of propitiatory sacrifices and the religion of purification.

The Blood of Christ is here a figure of the ultimate Gift of Love. The Water from the same pierced side is that which is assimilated and makes us grow.This supreme Friendship, given and received, conquers every form of death, because it offers a double principle of indestructible life: the acceptance of an ever-new proposal, and growth wave upon wave.

Thus, the Jewish feast of liberation is replaced by Christian Easter - and by the signs of the essential Sacraments.

In the body of Jesus and in those of the men crucified alongside him, John sees the brotherhood of the Son with the human race, which is also made a divine sanctuary.

With Jesus dead, we too can follow him [criminals whose legs are broken] because no one can take the life of the Risen One, even if they try to do so to the unfortunate ones with him.

In fact, the 'piercing' of Christ's Body continues even after his death on the Cross (v. 34): hostility towards him will not subside; on the contrary, it wants to destroy him forever.

But from his pierced Body [the authentic Church] will continue to flow dizzying love and finally the joy of a festive banquet, as promised since the wedding at Cana.

The evangelist's testimony becomes the solemn foundation of the faith of future disciples. And faith will replace the yoke of religion already written down.

Thus, the author invites each of us to write our own Gospel (Jn 20:30-31) in the experience of the paradoxes and salvation of God, who has reached us precisely from our sins or uncertain situations.

Future disciples are proclaimed blessed (Jn 20:29) precisely because they 'have not seen' that spectacle with their eyes.

However, they recognised it in themselves and in their own journey, repeatedly experiencing the place of Mercy in their own weaknesses.

Maternal sense, not a Church of bachelors

On 21 May, at Santa Marta, Pope Francis celebrated Mass for the first time in memory of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church: from this year, in fact, the feast day in the general Roman calendar is celebrated on the Monday after Pentecost, as decreed by the Pontiff in the decree Ecclesia mater of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (11 February 2018), precisely to "foster the growth of the maternal sense of the Church in pastors, religious and the faithful, as well as genuine Marian piety".

"In the Gospels, whenever Mary is mentioned, she is referred to as 'the mother of Jesus'," Francis immediately pointed out in his homily, referring to the Gospel passage from John (19:25-34). And even if "the word 'mother' is not used in the Annunciation, the context is one of motherhood: the mother of Jesus," said the Pope, emphasising that "this maternal attitude accompanies her work throughout the life of Jesus: she is a mother." So much so, he continued, "that in the end Jesus gives her as a mother to his own, in the person of John: 'I am leaving, but this is your mother'." Here, then, is "Mary's motherhood."

"The words of Our Lady are the words of a mother," explained the Pope. And so are "all of them: after those at the beginning, of willingness to God's will and praise to God in the Magnificat, all the words of Our Lady are the words of a mother." She is always "with her Son, even in her attitudes: she accompanies her Son, she follows her Son." And again, "before, in Nazareth, she raises him, nurtures him, educates him, but then she follows him: 'Your mother is there.'" Mary "is a mother from the beginning, from the moment she appears in the Gospels, from that moment of the Annunciation until the end, she is a mother." She is not referred to as "the lady" or "the widow of Joseph" — and in reality "they could have said so" — but Mary is always "a mother".

"The Fathers of the Church understood this well," said the Pontiff, "and they also understood that Mary's motherhood does not end with her; it goes beyond." The Fathers always "say that Mary is mother, the Church is mother, and your soul is mother: there is something feminine in the Church, which is maternal." Therefore, Francis explained, "the Church is feminine because she is 'church', 'bride': she is feminine and she is mother, she gives birth." She is, therefore, "bride and mother," but "the Fathers go further and say: 'Your soul is also bride of Christ and mother.'"

"In this attitude that comes from Mary, who is the mother of the Church," the Pope pointed out, "we can understand this feminine dimension of the Church: when it is not there, the Church loses its true identity and becomes a charitable association or a football team or anything else, but not the Church."

"The Church is 'woman'," Francis reiterated, "and when we think about the role of women in the Church, we must go back to this source: Mary, mother." And "the Church is 'woman' because she is mother, because she is capable of 'giving birth to children': her soul is feminine because she is mother, she is capable of giving birth to attitudes of fruitfulness."

"Mary's motherhood is a great thing," insisted the Pontiff. In fact, God "wanted to be born of a woman to teach us this way." Moreover, "God fell in love with his people as a husband with his wife: this is said in the Old Testament. And it is "a great mystery." As a consequence, Francis continued, "we can think" that "if the Church is a mother, women must have roles in the Church: yes, it is true, they must have roles, many roles, and thank God there are more roles for women in the Church."

But "this is not the most significant thing," the Pope warned, because "the important thing is that the Church is woman, that she has this attitude of bride and mother." With the awareness that "when we forget this, it is a masculine Church without this dimension, and sadly it becomes a Church of bachelors, who live in this isolation, incapable of love, incapable of fruitfulness." Therefore, the Pontiff affirmed, "without women, the Church does not move forward, because she is a woman, and this attitude of a woman comes from Mary, because Jesus wanted it that way."

In this regard, Francis also wanted to point out "the gesture, I would say the attitude, that most distinguishes the Church as a woman, the virtue that most distinguishes her as a woman." And he suggested recognising it in "Mary's gesture at the birth of Jesus: 'She gave birth to her firstborn son, wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger.'" An image in which we find "the tenderness of every mother towards her child: caring for him with tenderness, so that he does not hurt himself, so that he is well covered." And "tenderness" is therefore also "the attitude of the Church, which feels like a woman and feels like a mother."

"St Paul — we heard him yesterday, we also prayed to him in the breviary — reminds us of the virtues of the Spirit and speaks to us of meekness, humility, these so-called 'passive' virtues," said the Pope, pointing out that instead "they are the strong virtues, the virtues of mothers." Thus, he added, "a Church that is a mother walks the path of tenderness; she knows the language of the great wisdom of caresses, of silence, of a gaze that speaks of compassion, that speaks of silence." And "even a soul, a person who lives this belonging to the Church, knowing that she too is a mother, must walk the same path: a meek, tender, smiling person, full of love."

"Mary, mother; the Church, mother; our soul, mother," Francis repeated, inviting us to think "about this great richness of the Church and ours; and let the Holy Spirit fertilise us, us and the Church, so that we too may become mothers to others, with attitudes of tenderness, meekness, humility. We are certain that this is Mary's way." And, in conclusion, the Pope also pointed out how "curious Mary's language is in the Gospels: when she speaks to her Son, it is to tell him things that others need; and when she speaks to others, it is to tell them: 'do whatever he tells you'."

[Pope Francis, homily at St. Martha's, in L'Osservatore Romano, 22 May 2018]