Signs of the times

"Times change and we Christians must constantly change". Pope Francis repeated this invitation to change several times during the Mass celebrated on Friday morning, 23 October, in the chapel of Casa Santa Marta. An invitation to act "without fear" and "with freedom", keeping away from tranquilising conformisms and remaining "firm in faith in Jesus" and "in the truth of the Gospel", but moving "continually according to the signs of the times".

The starting point for the reflection was offered to the Pontiff by the readings of this last part of the liturgical year, which propose in particular the letter to the Romans. "We emphasised," he recalled in this regard, "how Paul preaches with such strength, the freedom that we have in Christ". It is, the Pope explained, "a gift, the gift of freedom, of that freedom that saved us from sin, that made us free, children of God like Jesus; that freedom that leads us to call God Father". So Francis added that 'to have this freedom we must open ourselves to the power of the Spirit and understand well what is happening within us and outside us'. And if in the "past days, last week", we had dwelt "on how to distinguish what happens within us: what comes from the good Spirit or what does not come from him", that is, on discerning what "happens within us", in the liturgy of the day the passage from Luke's Gospel (12, 54-59) exhorts us to "look outside", making us "reflect on how we evaluate the things that happen outside of us".

Here then is the need to question ourselves on "how we judge: are we capable of judging?". For the Pope 'we have the capacity' and Paul himself 'tells us that we will judge the world: we Christians will judge the world'. The Apostle Peter also says something similar when he 'calls us a chosen race, a holy priesthood, a nation chosen precisely for holiness'.

In short, the Pontiff clarified, we Christians 'have this freedom to judge what happens outside of us'. But, he warned, 'to judge we must know well what happens outside of us'. And so, Francis asked, "how can we do this, which the Church calls 'knowing the signs of the times'?"

In this regard, the Pope noted that "times change. It is proper Christian wisdom to know these changes, to know the different times and to know the signs of the times. What means one thing and what another'. Of course, the Pope is aware that this 'is not easy. Because we hear so many comments: "I heard that what happened there is this or what happens there is the other; I read this, I was told this...". But, he quickly added, 'I am free, I have to make my own judgement and understand what it all means'. Whereas 'this is a job we don't usually do: we conform, we reassure ourselves with "I've been told; I've heard; people say; I've read...". And so we are quiet". When instead we should ask ourselves: 'What is the truth? What is the message that the Lord wants to give me with that sign of the times?".

As usual, the Pope also offered practical suggestions "to understand the signs of the times". First of all, he said, "silence is necessary: be silent and watch, observe. And then reflect within ourselves. An example: why are there so many wars now? Why has something happened? And to pray'. So 'silence, reflection and prayer. Only in this way can we understand the signs of the times, what Jesus wants to tell us".

And in this sense there are no alibis. Although in fact each of us may be tempted to say: 'But, I didn't study that much.... I didn't go to university or even to secondary school...', Jesus' words leave no room for doubt. For he does not say: 'Look how university students do, look how doctors do, look how intellectuals do...'. On the contrary, he says: "Look at the peasants, the simple: they, in their simplicity, know when the rain comes, how the grass grows; they know how to distinguish the wheat from the weeds". Consequently, 'that simplicity - if it is accompanied by silence, reflection and prayer - will make us understand the signs of the times'. Because, he reiterated, 'times change and we Christians must change continuously. We must change steadfast in our faith in Jesus Christ, steadfast in the truth of the Gospel, but our attitude must continually move according to the signs of the times'.

At the end of his reflection, the Pontiff returned to his initial thoughts. "We are free," he said, "because of the gift of freedom that Jesus Christ has given us. But our work is to examine what is happening within us, to discern our feelings, our thoughts; and to analyse what is happening outside of us, to discern the signs of the times". How? "With silence, with reflection and with prayer," he repeated at the conclusion of his homily.

[Pope Francis, St. Martha, in L'Osservatore Romano 24/10/2015]

61 Last modified on Friday, 16 January 2026 01:58

Rate this item

1
2
3
4
5

(0 votes)

don Giuseppe Nespeca

Giuseppe Nespeca è architetto e sacerdote. Cultore della Sacra scrittura è autore della raccolta "Due Fuochi due Vie - Religione e Fede, Vangeli e Tao"; coautore del libro "Dialogo e Solstizio".

Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Latest from don Giuseppe Nespeca

Previous
« Prayer and witness: not easy tasks, but of the pillars

Next
Beginning of the public mission. Opening, not effort »

back to top

The image of the vineyard is clear: it represents the people whom the Lord has chosen and formed with such care; the servants sent by the landowner are the prophets, sent by God, while the son represents Jesus. And just as the prophets were rejected, so too Christ was rejected and killed (Pope Francis)

L’immagine della vigna è chiara: rappresenta il popolo che il Signore si è scelto e ha formato con tanta cura; i servi mandati dal padrone sono i profeti, inviati da Dio, mentre il figlio è figura di Gesù. E come furono rifiutati i profeti, così anche il Cristo è stato respinto e ucciso (Papa Francesco)

‘Lazarus’ means ‘God helps’. Lazarus, who is lying at the gate, is a living reminder to the rich man to remember God, but the rich man does not receive that reminder. Hence, he will be condemned not because of his wealth, but for being incapable of feeling compassion for Lazarus and for not coming to his aid. In the second part of the parable, we again meet Lazarus and the rich man after their death (vv. 22-31). In the hereafter the situation is reversed [Pope Francis]

“Lazzaro” significa “Dio aiuta”. Lazzaro, che giace davanti alla porta, è un richiamo vivente al ricco per ricordarsi di Dio, ma il ricco non accoglie tale richiamo. Sarà condannato pertanto non per le sue ricchezze, ma per essere stato incapace di sentire compassione per Lazzaro e di soccorrerlo. Nella seconda parte della parabola, ritroviamo Lazzaro e il ricco dopo la loro morte (vv. 22-31). Nell’al di là la situazione si è rovesciata [Papa Francesco]

Brothers and sisters, a frequent flaw of those in authority, whether civil or ecclesiastic authority, is that of demanding of others things — even righteous things — that they do not, however, put into practise in the first person. They live a double life. Jesus says: “They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger (v.4). This attitude sets a bad example of authority, which should instead derive its primary strength precisely from setting a good example. Authority arises from a good example, so as to help others to practise what is right and proper, sustaining them in the trials that they meet on the right path. Authority is a help, but if it is wrongly exercised, it becomes oppressive; it does not allow people to grow, and creates a climate of distrust and hostility, and also leads to corruption (Pope Francis)

Fratelli e sorelle, un difetto frequente in quanti hanno un’autorità, sia autorità civile sia ecclesiastica, è quello di esigere dagli altri cose, anche giuste, che però loro non mettono in pratica in prima persona. Fanno la doppia vita. Dice Gesù: «Legano infatti fardelli pesanti e difficili da portare e li pongono sulle spalle della gente, ma essi non vogliono muoverli neppure con un dito» (v.4). Questo atteggiamento è un cattivo esercizio dell’autorità, che invece dovrebbe avere la sua prima forza proprio dal buon esempio. L’autorità nasce dal buon esempio, per aiutare gli altri a praticare ciò che è giusto e doveroso, sostenendoli nelle prove che si incontrano sulla via del bene. L’autorità è un aiuto, ma se viene esercitata male, diventa oppressiva, non lascia crescere le persone e crea un clima di sfiducia e di ostilità, e porta anche alla corruzione (Papa Francesco)

This is the road Jesus points out to all who want to be his disciples: "Judge not... condemn not... forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you.... Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful" (Lk 6: 36-38). In these words we find very practical instructions for our daily conduct as believers [Pope Benedict]

duevie.art

don Giuseppe Nespeca

Tel. 333-1329741

Disclaimer

Questo blog non rappresenta una testata giornalistica in quanto viene aggiornato senza alcuna periodicità. Non può pertanto considerarsi un prodotto editoriale ai sensi della legge N°62 del 07/03/2001.
Le immagini sono tratte da internet, ma se il loro uso violasse diritti d'autore, lo si comunichi all'autore del blog che provvederà alla loro pronta rimozione.
L'autore dichiara di non essere responsabile dei commenti lasciati nei post. Eventuali commenti dei lettori, lesivi dell'immagine o dell'onorabilità di persone terze, il cui contenuto fosse ritenuto non idoneo alla pubblicazione verranno insindacabilmente rimossi.