In the Annunciation

(Gen 3:9-15.20; Lk 1:26-38)

A great theologian of the Mystical Body wrote: «At dawn there is a wonderful moment: the one that immediately precedes the sunrise [...] the light has been growing, slowly at the beginning, then faster» (É. Mersch).

The ecclesial Faith announces and transmits in Mary ‘Most Holy’ a specific style, a Faith and Hope well denoted in Scripture.

She prorupting and freed, not alienated; independent of “night”, not embarrassed.

Capable of passing from the God of fathers to the Father. Son’s God.

Dawn after dawn, story after story, genesis after genesis, moving house after moving, she lived decisively a kind of ‘spirituality of the rising dawn’. And confidence over time.

When a question mark was coming, she realized it was time to ask herself and give answers.

She sensed the Opportunity to rise again: all Fruitful and without losing motivation, thanks to a paradoxical Alliance, with the limits and emotional burdens.

When a labor broke in, she understood that those waves invaded life not to destroy, but to move a sea of reflows, perhaps still too calm.

She didn’t dream of stemting or blocking that tide. She internalized the restlessness of doubts as a great moment of life.

A Happiness that came from innovation. Like a Presence.

Instead of feeling constrained, she paused on every case, to ask herself: «What do I still have to learn, from this?».

Perhaps she understood that inside her usual figure there was a woman capable of transgression - in the sense of feeling called to overturn all the ancient and artificial that didn’t correspond to her.

This is how she began, by accepting the Invitation: by housing in herself and give space to an unnameable Eternal, believed to be absolutely transcendent and never to be mixed with the flesh!

Not just a sacrilege, but heresy. Yet in the Mother of God the paradoxical heterodoxy comes as it were swept beyond.

His spirituality was cleared of the real great "stain": the inability to correspond to the personal Announcement.

«Too bad! What a pity» «Sin! What a shame!» - it is precisely said of a lost opportunity: it’s the decrease of Uniqueness that we are in.

Pearl that every day could yield its uniqueness to the normalizing and sliced outline of common opinion, narrowing the space, the vital wave.

The divine call of every moment directed elsewhere Mary’s dreams and her innate knowledge - antechamber of trust.

In the Covenant of Root and Seed, decisions were not and did not remain poor: without brain burdens the Mother of God went directly to new possibilities, and to the end.

In this form she lived and weaved a sort of «spirituality of the rising sun». Recall of every moment, in the joy of changing herself and things; or in the happiness of living them like this - even by leaving everything.

While growing up, she did not age of uncertainties, because she tuned her destiny forward - saying Yes to what it faced - and instinctively even today we consider her Young.

She knew how to be with the contradictions of the environment subject to the ancient devotion, and with the unexpected waves, as with the eccentricity of the Son.

Mary cared for Him by being ‘present’, in simple everyday gestures. She relied only on the happy energy that surfaced all moments, and inhabited her.

She immersed herself in the minimal expressions of gestures with her gaze on the now, for a clear action.

Inadequate to the miracle but herself, while working thoroughly, she did not squeeze to the bone, like a torn-up person on her last legs - because she was able to get back into play. This is why she knew the dialogue with the most feared and suffered feeling: loneliness.

But even in the dark she regenerated, welcoming and coming out of it by strengthening the germs of change - feeding in the soul a sort of magical garden.

Always off track, the Immaculate has overcome all prejudices.

[Immaculate Conception, December 8, 2024]

In the Annunciation

(Gen 3:9-15.20; Lk 1:26-38)

A great theologian of the Mystical Body wrote: "At dawn there is a stupendous moment: that which immediately precedes the rising of the sun [...] the light has been growing, slowly at first, then more quickly" (É. Mersch, vol.I).

The ecclesial Faith announces and transmits in the all holy Mary a specific style, Faith and Hope, well denoted in Scripture.

Prorompent and enfranchised, not alienated; independent of 'night', not embarrassed.

Able to move from the God of the fathers to the Father. God of the Son.

The reassuring tradition of the feeble, almost dreamy Mother has its own considerable strength - it must be admitted: the intention to represent the nobility of a creature in balance.

Yet in the Gospels she is characterised by a surprising emancipation.

Even so, Mary remains an icon of the praying and authentic People, of the soul bride, of the friendly Church.

Relational, generous person and community, qualified by a dignity in the Spirit that is not exclusive, but at hand, personalising.

Dawn after dawn, affair after affair, genesis after genesis, move after move, he lived decisively - instant by instant - a kind of 'spirituality of the dawning dawn'. And trust in time.

This was his veracious and reflective (rather than withdrawn and pensive) foothold.

Despite the alarms, toils and dangers, strangely for us, she did not develop a sense of emptiness, nor did she allow herself to be conditioned or appalled by the perception of being watched and judged.

When a question mark came, she understood that it was time to ask and give answers.

She sensed the Opportunity to rise again: all Blind and without losing motivation, thanks to a paradoxical Alliance with emotional limits and burdens.

When labour broke through, she understood that those waves invaded life not to destroy, but to stir up a sea of ebbs that was perhaps still too calm.

In this way, she overlooked both the issues and the stasis: they would anchor her to the usual form of being and thinking - to the rushed, identified world, without imagination (and therefore more insecure).

She did not dream of stemming or blocking the tide, the Newness, the vital energy of Providence, even though the Calling by Name burst forth in a violent manner. To raise it to a new Easter.

She internalised the restlessness of doubts as a great moment of life, an incarnated Call that reminded her that there is Other.

She read her anxieties, welcoming and interpreting them, in order to overcome them.

In such an approach to events, the Virgin regenerated - and within her a subtle joy arose; that of the all beautiful dawn that rises.

First glow of a rising sun.

A Happiness hers that came from innovation. Like a Presence.

Secret side that makes creatures' lives take off, and fly over the issues that bridle the soul.

Instead of feeling constrained, she paused over each case, to ask herself: "What more do I have to learn, from this?".

In this way she was able to focus her days not on projects, but on the qualities and predispositions, even of family members - spending them well.

Perhaps she understood that within her usual figure was a woman capable of religious transgression - in the sense of feeling called to overturn all the old and artificial that did not correspond to her.

So she began, accepting the Invitation: to house within herself and give space to an Eternal then imagined unnameable, believed to be absolutely transcendent and that would never mix with the flesh!

Not just a sacrilege, but total heresy. But in the Mother of God the paradoxical heterodoxy [all our own and horizontal] is as if swept aside.

Her spirituality was cleared of the truly great 'stain': the inability to correspond to the personal Annunciation.

"Sin" - it is said of a missed opportunity: it is the flexing of the Oneness that we are within.

A pearl that every day can surrender its exceptionality to the normalising and slicing contour of common opinion, shrinking the space, the vital wave.

The divine call of each moment directed Mary's dreams and her innate knowledge elsewhere - the antechamber of trust.

In the Covenant of Root and Seed, decisions were not and did not remain poor: without cerebral burdens, the Mother of God went directly to new possibilities, and to the end.

In this Form she lived and wove a kind of "spirituality of the rising sun". She called for every moment, in the joy of changing herself and things; that is, in the happiness of living them that way - even of leaving everything behind.

Even as she grew up, she did not grow old with uncertainties, because she tuned her destiny forward - saying Yes to whatever came her way - and instinctively, even today, we consider her Young.

She knew how to be with the contradictions of the environment subject to the ancient devotion, and with the unexpected storms, as with the eccentricity of her Son. 

He cared for it by being 'present', in simple everyday gestures. He relied only on the happy energy that surfaced every moment, and inhabited it.

She immersed herself in the minimal expressions of gestures with her gaze on the now, for clear action.

Inadequate to the miracle but herself, occupying herself did not exhaust - because she was capable of putting herself back into play. That is why she knew the dialogue with the most feared and suffered feeling: loneliness.

But even in the darkness she regenerated, welcoming it and coming out of it reinforcing the germs of change - nurturing a kind of magic garden in the soul.

Always off the rails, Immaculata overcame all prejudices.

Annunciation: how to enter the realm of the soul

From Religion to Faith, from barren to Beloved

The solemnity of the moment that restores the soul to the Mystery invites a wave upon wave: from the religion of the Temple to the domestic and personal Faith.

From the outside to within ourselves. From the models to the prophecy of the innate. Unique promise, more subtle condition.

Faith-faith - that of Mother - which shows the freedom and beauty of the new orientations, in the progression of the inner image-guides.

Covenant no longer for what is already known.

Her Covenant is all in the Openness to the Inexplicable that inhabits us. Intimate Eternal, which can now concretise the hope and journey of peoples. A turning point of authenticity, growing.

If the virgins of the heart make no demands, the Calling by Name (from our own fibres) uncovers the incapable and barren soul.

Ad coeli Reginam: Silent Echo... such an invisible nucleus-Vocation makes one wince. And with spontaneous virtue introduces the spirit into the fruitful synergy of God himself.

Spousal trust that reknots the threads of Salvation history: and contrasts with the broad road of alliances with people 'who matter'.

In the interweaving of the fruitful Initiative and our welcoming into our bosom, the Handmaid is an icon of each one's waiting and journey - where what remains decisive is not the usual, predictable desire.

A vibrant call that is prolonged in history, in a kind of unfolded and continuous Incarnation, thanks to the collaboration of distant, shaky and insignificant servants, like Mary.

Also ours, despite still being filled with normal expectations.

To internalise and live the message:

Which Words open us up to life in the Spirit and challenge the expected path?

What is our still in-between, unencountered zone?

How to realise the invisible Seed

Says the Tao Tê Ching (LXI): "The great realm that is held below, is the confluence of the world; it is the female of the world. The female always conquers the male with stillness, for she cheerfully submits to it. Therefore, the great realm that is below the little realm, attracts the little realm; the little realm that is below the great realm, attracts the great realm: the one lowers to attract, the other attracts because it is low. Let not the great kingdom exceed, lusting to feed and to unite others; let not the small kingdom exceed, lusting to be accepted and to serve others. That each one may obtain what he covets, the great should keep low.

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

Today, we celebrate one of the most beautiful and popular feasts of the Blessed Virgin: the Immaculate Conception. Not only did Mary commit no sin, but she was also preserved from original sin, the common legacy of the human race. This is due to the mission for which God had destined her from eternity: to be the Mother of the Redeemer. All this is contained in the truth of faith of the "Immaculate Conception". 

The biblical foundation of this Dogma is found in the words the Angel addressed to the young girl of Nazareth: "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you!" (Lk 1: 28). "Full of grace" - in the original Greek, kecharitoméne - is Mary's most beautiful name, the name God himself gave to her to indicate that she has always been and will always be the beloved, the elect, the one chosen to welcome the most precious gift, Jesus: "the incarnate love of God" (Deus Caritas Est, n. 12). We might ask: why exactly did God choose from among all women Mary of Nazareth? The answer is hidden in the unfathomable mystery of the divine will. 

There is one reason, however, which is highlighted in the Gospel: her humility. Dante Alighieri clearly emphasizes this in the last Hymn of Paradise: "Virgin Mother, daughter of your Son, lowly and exalted more than any creature, the fixed goal of eternal counsel..." (Paradise, XXXIII, 1-3). In the Magnificat, her canticle of praise, the Virgin herself says: "My soul magnifies the Lord... because he looked upon his servant in her lowliness" (Lk 1: 46, 48). 

Yes, God was attracted by the humility of Mary, who found favour in his eyes (cf. Lk 1: 30). She thus became the Mother of God, the image and model of the Church, chosen among the peoples to receive the Lord's blessing and communicate it to the entire human family. 

This "blessing" is none other than Jesus Christ. He is the Source of the grace which filled Mary from the very first moment of her existence. She welcomed Jesus with faith and gave him to the world with love. This is also our vocation and our mission, the vocation and mission of the Church: to welcome Christ into our lives and give him to the world, so "that the world might be saved through him" (Jn 3: 17). 

Dear brothers and sisters, may today's Feast of the Immaculate Conception illuminate like a beacon the Advent Season, which is a time of vigilant and confident waiting for the Saviour. While we advance towards God who comes, let us look at Mary, who "shines forth..., a sign of certain hope and comfort to the pilgrim People of God" (Lumen Gentium, n. 68).

[Pope Benedict, Angelus 8 December 2006]

1. Today we are celebrating the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a feast very dear to the Christian people. It fits in well with the Advent season and radiates the purest light on our spiritual journey to Christmas. 

Today we contemplate the humble girl of Nazareth who, by an extraordinary and ineffable privilege, was preserved from the contagion of original sin and from every fault, so that she could be a worthy dwelling-place for the Incarnate Word. In Mary, the New Eve, Mother of the New Adam, the Father's original, wondrous plan of love was re-established in an even more wondrous way. Therefore the Church gratefully acclaims:  "Through you, immaculate Virgin, the life we had lost was returned to us. You received a child from heaven, and brought forth to the world a Saviour" (Liturgy of the Hours, Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturday, Benedictus Antiphon). 

2. Today's liturgy once again presents the Gospel account of the Annunciation. In response to the Angel, the Virgin proclaims:  "Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word" (Lk 1: 38). Mary expresses her total assent of mind and heart to God's hidden will and prepares herself to receive the Son of God, first in faith and then in her virginal womb. 

"Behold!". Her prompt compliance with the divine will is a model for all of us believers, so that in great events, as well as in ordinary affairs, we will entrust ourselves entirely to the Lord. 

By the witness of her life, Mary encourages us to believe in the fulfilment of God's promises. She calls us back to the spirit of humility, the right interior attitude of the creature towards the Creator; she urges us to put our sure hope in Christ, who fulfils the divine plan, even when events seem obscure and are difficult to accept. As a shining Star, Mary guides our steps to the Lord who comes. 

3. Dear brothers and sisters! Let us turn our eyes to the Immaculate, all Holy and all Fair. May Mary, our Advocate, Mother of the "King of Peace", who crushes the serpent's head, help us, the men and women of the third millennium, to resist the seductions of evil; may she rekindle faith, hope and charity in our hearts, so that, faithful to our call and ready to make any sacrifice, we may be fearless witnesses to Jesus Christ, the Holy Door of eternal salvation.

[Pope John Paul II, Angelus 8 December 2000]

Today we celebrate the solemnity of Mary Immaculate, which takes place within the context of Advent, a time of expectation: God will accomplish what he promised. But on today’s feast day we are told that something has already been accomplished, in the person and the life of the Virgin Mary. Today we consider the beginning of this fulfilment, which is even before the birth of the Mother of the Lord. In fact, her immaculate conception leads us to that precise moment when Mary’s life began to palpitate in her mother’s womb: already there was the sanctifying love of God, preserving her from the contagion of evil that is the common inheritance of the human family.

In today’s Gospel the Angel’s greeting to Mary resounds: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” (Lk 1:28). God has always thought of her and wanted her in his inscrutable plan, to be a creature full of grace, that is, full of his love. Yet, in order to be filled it is necessary to make room, to empty oneself, to step aside. Just as Mary did, she who knew how to listen to the Word of God and trust totally in his will, accepting it unreservedly in her own life. So much so that the Word became flesh in her. This was possible thanks to her “yes”. To the Angel who asks her to be ready to become the mother of Jesus, Mary replies: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (v. 38).

Mary does not lose herself in reasoning, she does not place obstacles in the Lord’s way, but she promptly entrusts herself and makes room for the action of the Holy Spirit. She immediately makes her whole being and her personal history available to God, so that the Word and the will of God may shape and bring them to fulfilment. Perfectly corresponding to God’s plan for her, Mary then becomes the “all beautiful”, the “all holy”, but without the slightest shadow of complacency. She is humble. She is a masterpiece, whilst remaining humble, small, poor. In her is reflected the beauty of God which is all love, grace, gift of self.

I would also like to underline the word with which Mary defines herself in her surrender to God: she professes herself “the handmaid of the Lord”. Mary’s “yes” to God takes on from the beginning the attitude of service, of attention to the needs of others. The visit to Elizabeth which immediately follows the Annunciation testifies this concretely. One’s availability to God is found in one’s willingness to take on the needs of one’s neighbour. All of this without clamour and ostentation, without seeking places of honour, without advertising, because charity and works of mercy needn’t be exhibited as a trophy. Works of mercy are done in silence, in secrecy, without boasting of doing them. Even in our communities, we are called to follow the example of Mary, practicing the style of discretion and concealment.

May the feast of our Mother help us to make our whole life a “yes” to God, a “yes” made of adoration of him and of daily gestures of love and service.

[Pope Francis, Angelus 8 December 2019]

Free of charge: the Near Kingdom and Incarnate Prayer

(Mt 9:35-10:1.6-8)

Jesus distinguishes himself from the Rabbis of his time, because he doesn’t wait for the exhausted and prostrate people (v.36) to go to him: he seeks it.

And the group of his intimates must be involved, both in works of healing and liberation - fraternity motivated by luminous disinterest.

The Lord enters the prayer assemblies with pastoral concern: to teach, not to discuss. He does not give lessons in logical analysis, but he does bring out Who inhabits him.

He proclaims a Kingdom totally different from how it was instilled by the manipulators of consciences - overflowing with detailed convictions, producing intimate coercion, anonymity, loneliness, passivity.

Still today we are looking for a God to experience, loveable, ‘not invisible’.

Thus the Gospel (v.35) announces Grace: the face of the Father - who doesn’t want anything for himself, but gives everything to transmit us his own Life.

A Friend who Comes, who doesn’t force us to "go up" [in the abstract] nor imprisons in guilt, exhausting already submissive creatures - making them even more desolate than before.

Here a Heaven is revealed that makes us feel adequate, doesn’t punish or impress, but promotes and puts at ease.

The Prodigal Father welcomes people as the Son does in the Gospels - as they are; not by inquiring. Rather by dilating.

His Word-event not only reactivates: it replenishes imbalances and enhances them in perspective of real person paths - without judging or disperse, nor break anything.

For such a work of wise recomposition of being, the Master invites to Prayer (v.38) - first form of disciples’ commitment.

Access to different tunies in the Spirit teaches us to stimulate the gaze of the soul, to value and understand everything and everyone.

Therefore - after making them less unaware - Jesus invites his disciples to get involved in missionary work; not to do the learned, nor moral lessons.

They would be scripted without love, which make the sick people feel yet more desperate.

Mission grows from a small but boundless dimension - that of inner perception, which is aware of the needs and mystery of a favourable Presence.

New configurations of understanding, in spirit: fully discovered only in deep Prayer (v.38). Incarnate Prayer.

Prayer does not want to distract us from our deep realization; on the contrary, it guides us - and relocates the soul scattered in the many common practices to be carried out, to its center.

It makes us feel the struding of desire and of understanding the perfect condition: the Father doesn’t intend to absorb our attitudes, but to empower them. Because everyone has an intimate project, a Call by Name, his own place in the world.

It seems paradoxical, but the outgoing Church is first and foremost a problem of formation and internal consciousness.

In short, we recognize ourselves and become aware of things through the Prayer-hunch, unitive.

In Christ it’s not a performance or a devout expression, but an understanding and above all a Listening to the God who in a thousand subtle forms reveals himself and calls.

Thus the fight against infirmities (Mt 9:35-10:1): we recover and win by sharpening our gaze and reinvesting the energy and character even of our own still blurred sides.

All the Free of charge (Mt 10:8) that may spring from it to build life in favor of the brothers, will not sprout as a childish exchange.

The sense of closeness (v.7) to oneself, to others and to reality, will be an authentic - neither programmatic nor alienated - contribution of the Kingdom that reveals itself: Beside.

[Saturday 1st wk. in Advent, December 7, 2024]

Gratitude: the Kingdom at hand and Prayer Incarnate

(Mt 9,35-10,1.6-8)

Jesus differs from the Rabbis of his time because he does not wait for the exhausted and prostrate people (v.36) to come to him: he seeks them out.

And the group of his own must participate, both in works of healing and deliverance - fraternity motivated by luminous selflessness.

He enters prayer assemblies with pastoral anxiety: to teach, not to disquisition. He does not lecture in logical analysis, but lets the One who dwell in him emerge.

He proclaims a Kingdom that is totally different from how it was inculcated by the manipulators of consciences (overflowing with detailed convictions) - who certainly did not exercise gratuitousness.

The ancient doctrines and its protagonists dampened any dissonance and produced the worst: intimate coercion, anonymity, loneliness, passivity.

They inculcated that it was decisive to acquire their flat securities, certainly not to open up to the personal Mystery, to the innate character - fruitfully not conforming to the context.

In fact, they sought to disturb the journeys of the soul, which sometimes wanders to find itself, and which prefers new glimpses to the usual way of seeing - swampy, stagnant.

They did not admit that in each believer could dwell a fundamental option that did not conform to their ideology and way of seeing.

Everything about other people's lives had to work perfectly according to their goals. So they did not preach upheaval, but static.

Nothing new was to happen that would challenge the social balance, their authoritarian influence... and their income.

Nothing different was to be explored and found.

Yet, yesterday as today, within each woman and man resides a volcano of potential energies - which according to the dominant ideology only had to be stifled and aligned.

For all that still drags on, we conversely seek a God to be experienced, who is lovable, not 'artfully' constructed... nor invisible or far removed from our condition.

We want the One who gives breath, and understands us.

This is clearly understood: what we hatch is not a miserable illusion, to be extinguished in favour of external balances.

In fact, the Gospel (v.35) proclaims Grace: the face of the Father - who wants nothing for himself, but gives everything to transmit his own Life to us. And he does this not to deaden our inner energy.

The Glad Tidings proclaim a Friend who comes, who does not force us to "ascend" [in the abstract] nor imprison us within guilt, exhausting the already subdued creatures - making them even more desolate than before.

Here is revealed a Heaven that makes one feel adequate, does not chastise or even impress, but promotes and puts everyone at ease; a Merciful One who is not only good: exclusively good.

The prodigal Father welcomes people as the Son does in the Gospels - just as they are; not inquiring. Rather by expanding.

His Word-event also does not only reactivate: it reintegrates imbalances and enhances them in the perspective of paths as a real person - without judging or dispersing, nor breaking anything.

For such a work of wise recomposition of being, the Master invites to Prayer (v.38) - the disciples' first form of commitment.

Access to different attunements in the Spirit teaches us to stimulate the soul's gaze, to value and understand everything and everyone.

So - after making them less ignorant - Jesus invites his disciples to involve themselves in missionary work; not to act like scholars or moral lecturers.

That would be careless posturing, which makes the hopeless feel even more lost.

The Mission grows from a small but boundless dimension - that of intimate perception, which becomes aware of the needs and mystery of a favourable Presence.

New configurations of understanding, in spirit: fully discovered only in deep prayer (v.38). Incarnate prayer.

It is not meant to distract us from inner realisation; on the contrary, it acts as a guide, and returns the soul, dispersed in the many common practices to be performed, to its own centre.

It makes us experience the yearning and understanding of the perfect condition: the Father does not intend to absorb our aptitudes, but to strengthen them. For everyone has an intimate project, a Calling by Name, their own place in the world.

It seems paradoxical, but the outgoing Church - the one that does not speculate, nor engage in mass proselytising to impress the mainstream - is first and foremost a matter of formation and internal awareness.

In short, one recognises oneself and becomes not unaware of things through prayer-presentment, unitive.

In Christ, it is not performance or devout expression, but rather understanding and first and foremost listening to the God who reveals and calls in a thousand subtle forms.

The commitment to heal the world is not won without an awareness of vocation, nor by allowing oneself to be plagiarised and going haphazardly.Rather, by sharpening our gaze, and reinvesting virtue and character even in our own sides that are still in shadow.

Nor does it remain essential to always cross every boundary (Mt 10:5-6) with a logic of flight.

For not infrequently - unfortunately - only those who love strength start from the too far removed from themselves [from the far off and out of reach].

The 'sheep' lost and weary of trying and trying again - the excluded, the considered lost, the marginalised - are not lacking. They are close at hand, and there is no immediate urge to extricate oneself. Almost as if to exempt oneself from those closest.

The horizon expands itself, if one is convinced and does not like masks or subterfuges.

The sense of proximity to oneself, to others and to reality is an authentic bearer of the Kingdom that is revealed: the Near.

Understanding the nature of creatures and conforming to it in a growing way, all are inspired to change and complete themselves, enriching even cultural sclerosis, without alienating forcings.

Exercising a practice of goodness even with oneself.

Some of the most quoted aphorisms from the Tao culture read: "The way of doing is being"; "he who knows others is wise, he who knows himself is enlightened"; "a long journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"; "the master observes the world, but trusts his inner vision"; "if you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place"; "when you accept yourself, the whole world accepts you".

So in the battle against infirmity (Mt 9:35-10:1): we recover and overcome by sharpening our gaze and reinvesting the energy and character even of our own still-dulled sides.

All the gratuitousness (Mt 10:8) that may flow from this to build up life for the sake of the brethren, will burst forth not as puerile [hysterical] reciprocation or engagement.

It will be spontaneous, solid and cheering Love Dialogue, because it will be free of those imbalances that smoulder under the ashes of facade conditioning.

The sense of closeness (v.7) to oneself, to others, and to reality will be an authentic - not programmatic, nor alienated - port of the Reign that is revealed: Beside.

To internalise and live the message:

Does Prayer in Christ shake your conscience?

What consolation do you expect from the God Who Comes?

Perhaps a reward?

Or a gratuitousness that triggers - here and now - true Love-understanding, attentive to the calls of every subtle Voice?

Theme: "Vocations at the Service of the Church-Mission

Dear brothers and sisters,

1. For the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, to be celebrated on 13 April 2008, I have chosen the theme: Vocations at the service of the Church on mission. The Risen Jesus gave to the Apostles this command: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 28:19), assuring them: “I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Mt 28: 20). The Church is missionary in herself and in each one of her members. Through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, every Christian is called to bear witness and to announce the Gospel, but this missionary dimension is associated in a special and intimate way with the priestly vocation. In the covenant with Israel, God entrusted to certain men, called by him and sent to the people in his name, a mission as prophets and priests. He did so, for example, with Moses: “Come, - God told him - I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring forth my people … out of Egypt …when you have brought forth the people out of Egypt, you will serve God upon this mountain” (Ex 3: 10 and 12). The same happened with the prophets.

2. The promises made to our fathers were fulfilled entirely in Jesus Christ. In this regard, the Second Vatican Council says: “The Son, therefore, came, sent by the Father. It was in him, before the foundation of the world, that the Father chose us and predestined us to become adopted sons … To carry out the will of the Father, Christ inaugurated the kingdom of heaven on earth and revealed to us the mystery of that kingdom. By his obedience he brought about redemption” (Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, 3). And Jesus already in his public life, while preaching in Galilee, chose some disciples to be his close collaborators in the messianic ministry. For example, on the occasion of the multiplication of the loaves, he said to the Apostles: “You give them something to eat” (Mt 14: 16), encouraging them to assume the needs of the crowds to whom he wished to offer nourishment, but also to reveal the food “which endures to eternal life” (Jn 6: 27). He was moved to compassion for the people, because while visiting cities and villages, he found the crowds weary and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (cf. Mt 9: 36). From this gaze of love came the invitation to his disciples: “Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest” (Mt 9: 38), and he sent the Twelve initially “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” with precise instructions. If we pause to meditate on this passage of Matthew’s Gospel, commonly called the “missionary discourse”, we may take note of those aspects which distinguish the missionary activity of a Christian community, eager to remain faithful to the example and teaching of Jesus. To respond to the Lord’s call means facing in prudence and simplicity every danger and even persecutions, since “a disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master” (Mt 10: 24). Having become one with their Master, the disciples are no longer alone as they announce the Kingdom of heaven; Jesus himself is acting in them: “He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me” (Mt 10: 40). Furthermore, as true witnesses, “clothed with power from on high” (Lk 24: 49), they preach “repentance and the forgiveness of sins” (Lk 24: 47) to all peoples.

3. Precisely because they have been sent by the Lord, the Twelve are called “Apostles”, destined to walk the roads of the world announcing the Gospel as witnesses to the death and resurrection of Christ. Saint Paul, writing to the Christians of Corinth, says: “We – the Apostles – preach Christ crucified” (1 Cor 1: 23). The Book of the Acts of the Apostles also assigns a very important role in this task of evangelization to other disciples whose missionary vocation arises from providential, sometimes painful, circumstances such as expulsion from their own lands for being followers of Jesus (cf. 8,1-4). The Holy Spirit transforms this trial into an occasion of grace, using it so that the name of the Lord can be preached to other peoples, stretching in this way the horizons of the Christian community. These are men and women who, as Luke writes in the Acts of the Apostles, “have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ” (15: 26). First among them is undoubtedly Paul of Tarsus, called by the Lord himself, hence a true Apostle. The story of Paul, the greatest missionary of all times, brings out in many ways the link between vocation and mission. Accused by his opponents of not being authorized for the apostolate, he makes repeated appeals precisely to the call which he received directly from the Lord (cf. Rom 1: 1; Gal 1: 11-12 and 15-17).

4. In the beginning, and thereafter, what “impels” the Apostles (cf. 2 Cor 5: 14) is always “the love of Christ”. Innumerable missionaries, throughout the centuries, as faithful servants of the Church, docile to the action of the Holy Spirit, have followed in the footsteps of the first disciples. The Second Vatican Council notes: “Although every disciple of Christ, as far in him lies, has the duty of spreading the faith, Christ the Lord always calls whomever he will from among the number of his disciples, to be with him and to be sent by him to preach to the nations [cf. Mk3: 13-15]” (Decree Ad Gentes, 23). In fact, the love of Christ must be communicated to the brothers by example and words, with all one’s life. My venerable predecessor John Paul II wrote: “The special vocation of missionaries ‘for life’ retains all its validity: it is the model of the Church's missionary commitment, which always stands in need of radical and total self-giving, of new and bold endeavours”. (Encyclical Redemptoris Missio, 66)

5. Among those totally dedicated to the service of the Gospel, are priests, called to preach the word of God, administer the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation, committed to helping the lowly, the sick, the suffering, the poor, and those who experience hardship in areas of the world where there are, at times, many who still have not had a real encounter with Jesus Christ. Missionaries announce for the first time to these people Christ’s redemptive love. Statistics show that the number of baptized persons increases every year thanks to the pastoral work of these priests, who are wholly consecrated to the salvation of their brothers and sisters. In this context, a special word of thanks must be expressed “to the fidei donum priests who work faithfully and generously at building up the community by proclaiming the word of God and breaking the Bread of Life, devoting all their energy to serving the mission of the Church. Let us thank God for all the priests who have suffered even to the sacrifice of their lives in order to serve Christ ... Theirs is a moving witness that can inspire many young people to follow Christ and to expend their lives for others, and thus to discover true life” (Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis, 26).

6. There have always been in the Church many men and women who, prompted by the action of the Holy Spirit, choose to live the Gospel in a radical way, professing the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience. This multitude of men and women religious, belonging to innumerable Institutes of contemplative and active life, still plays “the main role in the evangelisation of the world” (Ad Gentes, 40). With their continual and community prayer, contemplatives intercede without ceasing for all humanity. Religious of the active life, with their many charitable activities, bring to all a living witness of the love and mercy of God. The Servant of God Paul VI concerning these apostles of our times said: “Thanks to their consecration they are eminently willing and free to leave everything and to go and proclaim the Gospel even to the ends of the earth. They are enterprising and their apostolate is often marked by an originality, by a genius that demands admiration. They are generous: often they are found at the outposts of the mission, and they take the greatest of risks for their health and their very lives. Truly the Church owes them much” (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi, 69).

7. Furthermore, so that the Church may continue to fulfil the mission entrusted to her by Christ, and not lack promoters of the Gospel so badly needed by the world, Christian communities must never fail to provide both children and adults with constant education in the faith. It is necessary to keep alive in the faithful a committed sense of missionary responsibility and active solidarity with the peoples of the world. The gift of faith calls all Christians to co-operate in the work of evangelization. This awareness must be nourished by preaching and catechesis, by the liturgy, and by constant formation in prayer. It must grow through the practice of welcoming others, with charity and spiritual companionship, through reflection and discernment, as well as pastoral planning, of which attention to vocations must be an integral part.

8. Vocations to the ministerial priesthood and to the consecrated life can only flourish in a spiritual soil that is well cultivated. Christian communities that live the missionary dimension of the mystery of the Church in a profound way will never be inward looking. Mission, as a witness of divine love, becomes particularly effective when it is shared in a community, “so that the world may believe” (cf. Jn 17: 21). The Church prays everyday to the Holy Spirit for the gift of vocations. Gathered around the Virgin Mary, Queen of the Apostles, as in the beginning, the ecclesial community learns from her how to implore the Lord for a flowering of new apostles, alive with the faith and love that are necessary for the mission.

9. While I entrust this reflection to all the ecclesial communities so that they may make it their own, and draw from it inspiration for prayer, and as I encourage those who are committed to work with faith and generosity in the service of vocations, I wholeheartedly send to educators, catechists and to all, particularly to young people on their vocational journey, a special Apostolic Blessing.

From the Vatican, 3 December 2007

BENEDICT XVI

[Pope Benedict, Message for the 45th World Day of Prayer for Vocations]

Lent, the providential time for conversion, helps us to contemplate this stupendous mystery of love. It is a return to the roots of our faith, so that by pondering the measureless gift of grace which is Redemption, we cannot fail to realize that all has been given to us by God’s loving initiative. In order to meditate upon this aspect of the mystery of salvation, I have chosen as the theme for this year’s Lenten Message the Lord’s words: “You received without paying, give without pay” (Mt 10:8). 

2. God has freely given us his Son: who has deserved or could ever deserve such a privilege? Saint Paul says: “All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God, but they are justified by his grace as a gift” (Rom 3:23-24). In his infinite mercy God loved us, not permitting himself to be blocked by the grievous state of separation to which man had been consigned by sin. He graciously stooped down to our weakness, and made it the cause of a new and still more wondrous outpouring of his love. The Church does not cease to proclaim this mystery of infinite goodness, exalting God’s free choice and his desire not to condemn man but to draw him back into communion with himself.

“You received without paying, give without pay”. May these words of the Gospel echo in the heart of all Christian communities on their penitential pilgrimage to Easter. May Lent, recalling the mystery of the Lord’s Death and Resurrection, lead all Christians to marvel in their heart of hearts at the greatness of such a gift. Yes! We have received without pay. Is not our entire life marked by God’s kindness? The beginning of life and its marvellous development: this is a gift. And because it is gift, life can never be regarded as a possession or as private property, even if the capabilities we now have to improve the quality of life can lead us to think that man is the “master” of life. The achievements of medicine and biotechnology can sometimes lead man to think of himself as his own creator, and to succumb to the temptation of tampering with “the tree of life” (Gn 3:24).

It is also worth repeating here that not everything that is technically possible is morally acceptable. Scientific work aimed at securing a quality of life more in keeping with human dignity is admirable, but it must never be forgotten that human life is a gift, and that it remains precious even when marked by suffering and limitations. A gift to be accepted and to be loved at all times: received without pay and to be placed without pay at the service of others.

[Pope John Paul II, Message for Lent 2002]

"Service" and "gratuitousness": these are the two key words around which Pope Francis built the meditation of the Mass celebrated at Santa Marta on the morning of Tuesday 11 June. They are the fundamental characteristics that must accompany the Christian "along the way", the Pontiff said, along that journey, that "going" that always characterises life, "because a Christian cannot remain stationary".

The teaching comes directly from the Gospel: it is there that we find - as highlighted by the passage from Matthew proposed by the liturgy of the day (10, 7-13) - Jesus' instructions for the apostles who are sent. A mission that, said the Pope, is also that of "the successors of the apostles" and of "each Christian, if sent". Therefore, first of all, 'the Christian life is to make a way, always. Not to stand still'. And in this going, what does the Lord recommend to his own? "Heal the sick, preach saying that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons". That is, "a life of service".

Here is the first fundamental datum highlighted by the Pontiff: 'The Christian life is to serve'. And it is very sad, he added, to see "Christians who at the beginning of their conversion or their awareness of being Christians, serve, are open to serve, serve God's people", and then, instead, "end up serving God's people. This does so much harm, so much harm to the people of God". The vocation of the Christian therefore is 'to serve' and never 'to serve oneself of'.

Continuing his reflection, Francis then moved on to a concept that, he stressed, "goes right to the core of salvation: 'Freely you have received, freely give'. The Christian life is a life of gratuitousness'. It is clear from Jesus' recommendation to the apostles sent that "salvation cannot be bought; salvation is given to us freely. God saved us, he saves us free of charge. He does not make us pay'. It is, the Pope explained, a principle "that God has used with us" and that we must use "with others". And it is "one of the most beautiful things" to know "that the Lord is full of gifts to give us" and that only one thing is asked of man: "that our heart be opened". As in the prayer of the Our Father, where 'let us pray, let us open our hearts, so that this gratuitousness may come. There is no relationship with God outside gratuity'.

Considering this cornerstone of Christian life, the Pontiff then pointed out possible and dangerous misunderstandings. Thus, he said, "sometimes, when we need something spiritual or a grace, we say: 'Well, I'm going to fast now, I'm going to do a penance, I'm going to do a novena...'". This is all well and good, but "let us be careful: this is not to 'pay' for grace, to 'acquire' grace; this is to enlarge your heart so that grace may come". Let us be clear, in fact: "Grace is free. All God's goods are free. The problem is that the heart shrinks, closes and is not capable of receiving so much love, so much gratuitous love'. Therefore 'everything we do to obtain something, even a promise - "If I have this, I will do that" - this is enlarging the heart, it is not entering into haggling with God... No. With God there is no bargaining". With God, 'only the language of love and the Father and gratuitousness applies'.

And if this is true in the relationship with God, it is also true for Christians - 'Freely you have received, freely give' - and, Francis emphasised, especially for the 'pastors of the Church'. Grace "cannot be sold," he reiterated, adding: "It hurts so much when you find pastors doing business with God's grace: 'I will do this, but this costs so much, this so much...'. And God's grace stays there and salvation is a bargain'. All this, he emphatically reiterated, 'is not the Lord. The Lord's grace is free and you must give it freely'. Unfortunately, he explained, in the spiritual life there is "always the danger of slipping into payment, always, even talking to the Lord, as if we wanted to give a bribe to the Lord". But the relationship with the Lord cannot go "down that road".

Therefore, the Pontiff reiterated, no to the dynamic of the type: 'Lord if you do this to me, I will give you this'; but, eventually, yes to a promise so that with it one's heart may be enlarged 'to receive' what 'is gratuitous for us'. And "this relationship of gratuitousness with God is what will help us then to have it with others both in Christian witness and in the pastoral life of those who are pastors of God's people".

"This is how the Pope summed up his reasoning at the end of his homily'. "The Christian life," he said, "is going. Preach, serve, not 'serve of'. Serve and give for free what you have received for free'. And he concluded: 'Let our life of holiness be this widening of the heart, so that God's gratuitousness, God's graces that are there, gratuitous, that He wants to give, can reach our heart.

[Pope Francis, St. Martha, in L'Osservatore Romano 11.06.19]