For a transparent coexistence

(Mt 7:1-5)

The Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5-7) lists catechesis on salient questions of living in the communities of Galilee and Syria - composed of Jews converted to Christ.

There was no lack of contempt on the part of the veterans for the new ones who appeared at the threshold of the churches - for their way of life far from the recognized norm, or even for trifles.

«Theatrant» (v.5) is one who thinks big about himself and always has the ability to look around to convince himself that he can excel - without putting himself in an attitude of respect for the enigma of life, where instead the burdens can turn into progress.

The objective view of ourselves and our personal growth - often resulting from deviations from stereotypes or nomenclatures - can make us benevolent. It can convince of due respect and even deference for the ‘more’ that surrounds us and calls.

The legalism of plastered details leads in fact to the neglect of the essential, in mutual love (cf. vv.3-5).

In the 70s of the first century the awareness of the different familiar and serene relationship with God - and the new way of living his Law - was questioning believers and involved relations with community’ sisters and brothers.

After having introduced both the new criteria of ‘Greater Justice’ and the recovery of the principles of Creation, the evangelist suggests some essential ideas for the internal quality of life of the fraternities.

The cultural background of older church members was fiercely legalistic. This baggage did not favour the freedom of mutual evaluations: coexistence had to be more transparent.

To encourage communion, Mt wants to present a free and tranquil Jesus - not superhuman, nor idol or model: vice versa, genuine Person; not unilateral Master.

In fact, he knew how to recover and wanted to enhance all the individual sensitivities, to allow the expression of friendship and enrichment in every human reality.

Only its strong ‘root’ in the relationship with the Father had to be of sacred example for each one, and inviolable comparison for everyone, always.

In Palestine the Lord had not shown himself to be fundamentalist. 

«Trust» in the Father and in his «life to come» gave the Son himself the certainty that he could open completely to situations and to everyone - whatever circumstances he found himself in.

A convivial openness to differences, in order not to block the gates and the outcome of the Novelty, in the Spirit of the Beatitudes.

This is because we have been called to make our existence exponential and that of all, not to dampen it with preconceptions and relative convictions.

We accept Providence, ourselves and the others as they are: aware that there is a precious secret, an unprecedented destiny, a Mystery that surpasses us... behind every event, in each of our own ‘intimate faces’ [supported by the Father], or in the brother even if eccentric.

The ways of following that resonate deep in the heart are as varied as people, events, rhythms commensurate with the soul, ages.

They embrace the same Proposal - without losing the enduring Mystery or any link in this versatility.

Only here... real World, Person, Nature and Eternity are allied.

[Monday 12th wk. in O.T.  June 22, 2026]

For transparent coexistence

(Mt 7:1-5)

The Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5-7) lists catechesis on salient issues in the life of the communities of Galilee and Syria, composed of Jews converted to Christ.

There were episodes of mutual contempt, fuelled especially by veterans accustomed to scrutinising newcomers who presented themselves at the door of the churches, either because their lifestyle was far from the accepted norm or even for trivial reasons.

But we are not judges, we are family members. And of course, in the final analysis, it is precisely malice that sharpens the eye to the slightest faults in others: generally, specks and external shortcomings.

This while the same shrewdness overlooks our own enormities - the heavy beam that separates us not only from God and everyone else, but even from ourselves, bringing us closer to the selfish and arrogant ego.

A 'theatral' person (v. 5) is someone who thinks highly of themselves and is always looking around to convince themselves that they can excel - without showing any respect for the enigma of life, where burdens can be transformed into progress.

An objective view of ourselves and our personal growth - often arising precisely from deviations from stereotypes or nomenclatures - can make us benevolent. It can convince us of the respect and even deference due to the greater reality that surrounds us and calls us.

Legalism in rigid details leads to neglect of what is essential in mutual love (cf. vv. 3-5).

We know very well how hard it is to question ourselves, or to educate perfectionist religious people to detach themselves from their accidental convictions [or fads], which have become sclerotic habits like totems.

In short, in the 70s of the first century, awareness of a different, peaceful relationship with God – and a new way of living his Law – was challenging believers and affecting their relationships with their brothers and sisters in the community.

After introducing both the new criteria of 'greater justice' and the recovery of the principles of Creation, the evangelist suggests some essential points for the quality of life within the fraternities.

The cultural background of the older members of the church was fiercely legalistic. 

This background did not favour freedom in mutual evaluation: coexistence had to be more transparent.

Devout preconceptions seemed an insurmountable obstacle to personalised life and mutual sharing according to the new logic of the Beatitudes [Mt 5:1-12: Self-portrait of Christ as an 'open book' (pierced by a spear)].

The cultural baggage linked to obligations, a sense of duty and hierarchy, an ingrained lifestyle, and beliefs that were difficult to abandon multiplied harsh judgements between generations and between different cultural backgrounds.

To encourage communion, Matthew wants to present a free and peaceful Jesus - not a superman, nor an idol or model: on the contrary, a genuine Person; a non-unilateral Teacher.

He knew how to restore; he wanted to value all the multifaceted, individual sensibilities, to allow the expression of friendship and enrichment in every human reality.

Only his strong 'roots' in his relationship with the Father were to be a sacred example for everyone and an inviolable model for all, always.

This was for the sake of a rich and global transparency, to be proposed also to his disciples.

In this way, adherence to particular beliefs or the repetition of the usual disciplines of perfection did not take shape.

Nor should pious mass observances be favoured, as these are sometimes the first obstacle to dialogue and to the Exodus in its various forms.

Then life itself would providentially guide each person towards a specific witness, which could itself create another opening - relevant to their own character and vocation of the soul.

In Palestine, the Lord did not show himself to be obsessive or one-sided, nor was he reduced to normal and plausible patterns based on cultural codes, evaluative prudence, or moral and religious paradigms.

Trust in the Father and in the life that is given gave the Master Jesus the certainty that he could open himself totally to situations and to everyone, whatever reality he found himself in.

A convivial openness to the most exceptional differences, so as not to block the gateways and the outcome of the Newness, in the Spirit of the Beatitudes.

Unconditional love always applies first and foremost to the disciple, the members of the same community, and one's neighbour.

This is because we have been called to make our existence and that of everyone else exponential, not to dampen it with glamorous versions, preconceived ideas, and relative convictions.

We were created to love the exceptional truth of women and men, not to extinguish uniqueness by passing judgement on trifles.Let us accept Providence, ourselves and others as they are: aware that there is a precious secret, a destiny of newness, a Mystery that surpasses us... behind every event, in each of our own intimate faces [supported by the Father], or in our eccentric brother.

The ways of following that resonate in the depths of our hearts are as varied as the people, events, rhythms commensurate with the soul, and ages.

They embrace the same Proposal - without losing the enduring Mystery or any bond in this multifacetedness.

Only here... the real world, the Person, Nature and Eternity are united.

"When the weaver raises one foot, the other lowers. When the movement ceases and one of the feet stops, the fabric is no longer woven. His hands throw the shuttle from one to the other, but no hand can hope to hold it. Like the weaver's gestures, it is the union of opposites that weaves our life" [African Peul oral tradition].

"We are utterly lost if we lack this particular Individuality, the only thing we can truly call our own and whose loss is also a loss for the whole world. It is precious precisely because it is not universal" [Tagore].

"We must learn to abandon our defences and our need to control, and trust totally in the guidance of the spirit" [Sobonfu Somé].

"True morality does not consist in following the beaten path, but in finding the path that is true for us and following it without fear" [Gandhi].

Beams and specks: a paradoxical situation, where there is sometimes an excess of 'belief' - yet Faith is lacking.

“Let us be concerned for each other”: responsibility towards our brothers and sisters.

This first aspect is an invitation to be “concerned”: the Greek verb used here is katanoein, which means to scrutinize, to be attentive, to observe carefully and take stock of something. We come across this word in the Gospel when Jesus invites the disciples to “think of” the ravens that, without striving, are at the centre of the solicitous and caring Divine Providence (cf. Lk 12:24), and to “observe” the plank in our own eye before looking at the splinter in that of our brother (cf. Lk 6:41). In another verse of the Letter to the Hebrews, we find the encouragement to “turn your minds to Jesus” (3:1), the Apostle and High Priest of our faith. So the verb which introduces our exhortation tells us to look at others, first of all at Jesus, to be concerned for one another, and not to remain isolated and indifferent to the fate of our brothers and sisters. All too often, however, our attitude is just the opposite: an indifference and disinterest born of selfishness and masked as a respect for “privacy”. Today too, the Lord’s voice summons all of us to be concerned for one another. Even today God asks us to be “guardians” of our brothers and sisters (Gen 4:9), to establish relationships based on mutual consideration and attentiveness to the well-being, the integral well-being of others. The great commandment of love for one another demands that we acknowledge our responsibility towards those who, like ourselves, are creatures and children of God. Being brothers and sisters in humanity and, in many cases, also in the faith, should help us to recognize in others a true alter ego, infinitely loved by the Lord. If we cultivate this way of seeing others as our brothers and sisters, solidarity, justice, mercy and compassion will naturally well up in our hearts. The Servant of God Pope Paul VI stated that the world today is suffering above all from a lack of brotherhood: “Human society is sorely ill. The cause is not so much the depletion of natural resources, nor their monopolistic control by a privileged few; it is rather the weakening of brotherly ties between individuals and nations” (Populorum Progressio, 66).

[Pope Benedict, Message for Lent 2012]

In the liturgy of the word, Luke's Gospel presents us once again with Jesus' question: "Can a blind man guide a blind man?" (Lk 6:39). The Lord means that a guide cannot be blind; he must see well if he does not want to risk harming those entrusted to him. Jesus thus draws the attention of all those who have educational or leadership responsibilities: pastors of souls, rulers of peoples, legislators, teachers, parents, urging them to be aware, to feel responsibility, to ask themselves about the right path and to be the first to follow it themselves.

3. And the right path is the one traced by the divine Master. He said so himself with a Semitic expression that sounds like this: "The disciple is not above his master, but everyone who is well trained will be like his master" (Lk 6:40). With this, Jesus presents himself as a model and invites us to follow his conduct and his teachings. Only in this way can we be sure and wise guides. The Lord's teachings on moral life are contained mainly in the Sermon on the Mount, which we have been reading for the past three Sundays during the celebration of Holy Mass. In today's passage, we find another very significant phrase, which urges us not to be presumptuous and hypocritical. "Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye and not notice the log in your own?" (Lk 6:41). How easy it is to see the faults and sins of others and not see our own! And how can we tell if our eye is clear or if it is impeded by a beam? The proof comes from our actions. It is Jesus himself who tells us: "Every tree is recognised by its fruit" (Lk 6:44). The fruit is our actions, but also our words. These too reveal the quality of the tree. In fact, those who are good bring out good from their hearts and mouths, and those who are evil bring out evil. This teaching of Jesus echoes the ancient words of wisdom from Sirach, which we heard in the first reading: 'The fruit shows how the tree is cultivated, so words reveal the feelings of a person' (Sir 27:6).

[Pope John Paul II, homily at Corviale, 1 March 1992]

Jesus has given us clear guidelines to avoid falling into hypocrisy: do not judge others, lest we ourselves be judged by the same standard; and when we are tempted to do so, it is better to look in the mirror first, not to hide behind make-up, but to see clearly who we really are. Recalling that the only true judgement is that of God in his mercy, Pope Francis — during Mass celebrated on Monday morning, 20 June, in the chapel of Casa Santa Marta — urged us not to give in to the temptation to put ourselves in the Lord’s place, doubting his word.
‘Jesus speaks to people and teaches many things about prayer, about riches, about vain worries—so many of them—and about how his disciples should behave,’ said Francis. And so ‘we come to this passage of the Gospel on judgement’, proposed by the liturgy (Matthew 7:1–5). It is a passage in which ‘the Lord is very concrete’. For whilst “sometimes the Lord tells us a parable to help us understand, here it is: ‘ta, ta, ta’: direct, because judgement is something only he can do”.
“It begins” with a clear word from Jesus: “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged”. So, “if you do not want to be judged, do not judge others: ‘tac, tac’, clear.” And the Lord “goes a step further”, pointing precisely to the criterion of measure: “For with the judgement with which you judge, you will be judged, and with the measure with which you measure, it will be measured to you.”
“We all want, on the Day of Judgement, for the Lord to look upon us with kindness, for the Lord to forget the many bad things we have done in life,” said Francis. And “this is right, because we are children, and a child always expects this from his father.” But “if you constantly judge others, you will be judged by the same measure: this is clear.”
“First, the commandment, the fact: ‘Do not judge, so that you may not be judged’,” the Pope reiterated, adding: “Second, the measure will be the same as that which you use for your brothers and sisters.” And then “the third step: look in the mirror, but not to put on make-up so that your wrinkles aren’t seen; no, no, no, that’s not the advice!” Rather, Francis suggested, “look in the mirror to look at yourself, just as you are.” Jesus’ words are clear: “Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye and not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, “Let me take the speck out of your eye,” when there is a log in your own eye?’”
“How does the Lord describe us,” the Pontiff asked, “when we do this? One word: ‘Hypocrite, first remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye’.” In reality, the Lord’s reaction should come as no surprise: “He gets angry; it is very strong, and it even seems as though he is insulting us: he calls those who judge others ‘hypocrites’.”
The reason is that “those who judge,” the Pope explained, “put themselves in God’s place, make themselves God, and doubt the word of God.” It is precisely “what the serpent persuaded our forefathers to do: ‘No, no, God is a liar; if you eat of this, you will be like him.’ And they wanted to put themselves in God’s place.”
For this reason, the Pontiff insisted, “it is so wrong to judge: judgement belongs to God alone, to him alone!” It is rather our duty to show “love, understanding, and to pray for others when we see things that are not good”, and if necessary “even to speak to them” to warn them if something does not seem to be going the right way. In any case, “never judge, never”, because “if we judge, it is hypocrisy”.
After all, Francis stated, “when we judge, we put ourselves in God’s place; this is true, but our judgement is a poor judgement: it can never, ever be a true judgement”. Because, precisely, “true judgement is that which God gives”. And “why can’t ours be like God’s? Because God is almighty and we are not? No, because our judgement lacks mercy”. And “when God judges, he judges with mercy”.
In conclusion, the Pope suggested reflecting “today on what the Lord tells us: do not judge, lest you be judged; the measure by which we judge will be the same one used against us; and, thirdly, let us look in the mirror before judging’. And so when we feel like saying: ‘she does this, he does that’, it is better to look in the mirror before speaking. Otherwise ‘I will be a hypocrite — Francis repeated — because I am putting myself in God’s place’. And in any case, “my judgement is a poor judgement: it lacks something so important that God’s judgement possesses, it lacks mercy”. The Lord, the Pope hoped, “will help us to understand these things clearly”.
[Pope Francis, homily at Santa Marta, in L’Osservatore Romano, 20 June 2016]

The important Uniqueness does not let us 'resume': it does, however, lead to Rebirth.

(Mt 10:26-33)

Christ’s proposal subverts quietism and the sense of personal and social life, so his friends find themselves counter-hand.

The disciple of Truth is exposed to attacks.

There is no set orientation. But in states of discomfort, in defeat, in humiliation, a malleable energy world acts, which brings innate capacities to the surface; it activates the person to fly with its own wings.

It is a point of origin, which wherever we go we do not shake off. Because here we are ourselves; in the centre of our Mission, not homologated under conventions and accommodations.

As such, belonging to the Church is not a safe haven and shelter from every storm.

The faithful should not be astounded by the trials, sufferings, isolation, blackmail - ploys of those who use power [or established religiosity itself] for their own gain and as a weapon.

The fear of being marginalized cannot push us to hide the truth, which is a factor of recognition for us: to lose the connection and neglect to be one with it would be worse than torture.

To be honest, what makes us cowards, unfaithful, diplomatic and weak - therefore useless and irrelevant - is often much much less than a danger to life, to goods, or to our smallest freedoms.

Purposes that are too close do not unite man and the world to God. They do not confirm the rightness and conformity of the great End and Source: continuous Presence that accompanies our particular activity.

There are many «falling hairs», but each of them has an original appearance: it “is” in a special way, it has its own place and meaning.

The personal Call remains constitutive of the unrepeatable essence that opens the door to the commitment of Uniqueness.

It opens up the task of 'rebirth', in the exceptional awe of the new genesis of each person, and of the earth.

It is unprecedented essence. Grammar of our language, character of interacting in the world, and of listening to God.

The genuine Vocation - unrepeatable to the end, whatever the cost - is the only path to take to read and meet the 'genius of the age' before the problems.

Personal Atypicality fertilised by Mystery is a kind of impulse that turns crises into opportunities. Willingness-factor of recognition that accompanies and orients us in them; with the help of simplicity, for a new blossoming.

Here, even in seemingly insignificant or downright critical situations, we can perceive the energy of inner resources - left free to act and nurture all opposing situations.

By walking the paths of the unusual, we will become flexible; we will ride the waves of unexpected change.

But right there we will be totally ourselves: cosmic and divine intention, immeasurably important ones.

To internalize and live the message:

Did a persecution happen to you that - while you would have preferred other near goals - brought out the very originality of your vocational physiognomy?

Uniqueness

11. “Each in his or her own way” the Council says. We should not grow discouraged before examples of holiness that appear unattainable. There are some testimonies that may prove helpful and inspiring, but that we are not meant to copy, for that could even lead us astray from the one specific path that the Lord has in mind for us. The important thing is that each believer discern his or her own path, that they bring out the very best of themselves, the most personal gifts that God has placed in their hearts (cf. 1 Cor 12:7), rather than hopelessly trying to imitate something not meant for them. We are all called to be witnesses, but there are many actual ways of bearing witness. Indeed, when the great mystic, Saint John of the Cross, wrote his Spiritual Canticle, he preferred to avoid hard and fast rules for all. He explained that his verses were composed so that everyone could benefit from them “in his or her own way”. For God’s life is communicated “to some in one way and to others in another”.

[Gaudete et Exsultate]

[12th Sunday in O.T. (year A), June 21, 2026]

Persecution and Inappearance: from one's Core to the terraces

(Mt 10:26-33)

The all-important Oneness does not let us "resume": however, it makes us be Reborn.

Christ's proposal subverts the quietism and meaning of personal and social life.

The disciple of the Truth is exposed to attack.

There is no set orientation. But in states of discomfort, in defeat, in humiliation, a malleable energy world acts, which brings out innate capacities; it activates the person to fly with his own wings.

It is a source of origin, which wherever we go, we do not shake off. Because here we are ourselves; in the centre of our Mission, not homologated under conventions and accommodations.

In this way, belonging to the Church is not a safe haven and shelter from every storm.

The faithful must not be astounded by the trials, sufferings, isolation, blackmail - ploys of those who use power [or established religiosity itself] for their own gain and as a weapon.

The fear of being marginalised cannot drive us to hide the truth, which is a factor of recognition for us: to lose the connection and neglect to be one with it would be worse than torture.

To be honest, what makes us cowardly, unfaithful, diplomatic and weak - hence useless and irrelevant - is often much less of a danger to life, property, or our smallest freedoms.

Purposes that are too close do not unite man and the world with God. They do not confirm the rightness and conformity of the great End and Source: continuous Presence that accompanies our particular activity.

Many are the "falling hairs", but each of them has an original physiognomy: it "is" in a special way, it has its own place and meaning.

The personal Calling remains constitutive of the unrepeatable essence that opens to the commitment of Oneness.

It opens to the task of 'rebirth': in the time of the global crisis, not of 'recovery as before' - but of exceptional astonishment in the new genesis of each person, and of the earth.

It is unprecedented character, even with ourselves. Cipher of the grammar of our daily language, of interacting in the world.

And in the soul, of listening to God who reveals himself by triggering vital energies [complete because discordant]. With its unthinking healing processes, without formula.

The genuine Vocation - unrepeatable to the end, whatever the cost - is the only path to take to read and encounter the 'genius of time' before problems.

Personal Atypicality fertilised by Mystery is a kind of impulse that transforms crises into opportunities.

Willingness-factor of recognition that accompanies and orients us in them; with the help of simplicity, for a new blossoming.

Here, even in seemingly insignificant or downright critical situations, we can perceive the energy of inner resources - left free to act and nurture all opposing situations.

By treading the paths of the unusual, we will become flexible; we will ride the waves of unexpected change.

But right there we will be totally ourselves: cosmic and divine intention, immeasurably important.

The encyclical Fratelli Tutti rails against "a model of globalisation that consciously aims at one-dimensional uniformity and seeks to eliminate all differences and traditions in a superficial quest for unity. If globalisation claims to make everyone equal, as if it were a sphere, it destroys the distinctiveness of each person and each people. This false universalist dream ends up depriving the world of the variety of its colours, its beauty and ultimately its humanity. Because the future is not monochromatic, but, if we have the courage, it is possible to look at it in the variety and diversity of the contributions that each person can make. How much our human family needs to learn to live together in harmony and peace without us all being equal!" (n.100)

It is good to rejoice in the dissimilarities that inhabit us, in the variety of contributions and points of view that each one can communicate - important: also in the view of difficulties and ways of solving them.

The mature, integral man, in the diversification and variety of knowledge, in the dissimilarity of approaches and processes, in the versatility of channels of expression, is more complete.

Today, even in a culture strongly marked by communitarian anthropology, such as that of Africa, one realises perfectly well the value of what is personal and unprecedented - even in favour of ties:

"A day will come when you too will have to share your knowledge of things and men. You will bear singular witness to a unique event revealed to you alone, in a language as yet unseen. And you will tell your brothers the unspeakable wisdom of your heart' [Irénée Guilane Dioh].A similarly African oral tradition - ceremonial and personalistic - indeed reads:

"The outward initiation is the opening of the eyes, all the teaching that is given during the traditional ceremonies or periods of retreat that follow. But this teaching one must then live it, assimilate it, make it bear fruit, adding to it one's own personal observations, one's own understanding, one's own experience'.

The scene of the spontaneous examples that Jesus draws from nature is also an echo of the conciliatory life dreamt for us by the Father.

It introduces us to the Happiness that makes one aware of existing, in all personal reality.

In fact, the Gospel passage shows the value of genuine, silent, unremarkable things, which nevertheless inhabit us - they are not 'shadows'. And we perceive them without effort or cerebral commitment.

In the time of epochal choices, of the emergency that seems to checkmate us - but wants to make us less artificial - this awareness can overturn our judgement of substance, of 'the small' and 'the great'.

Indeed, for the adventure of love there is no accounting.

'Heaven' that conquers death is in God and in reality the 'place' for each of us without lacerations.

The afterlife is not imprecise.

One does not have to distort oneself for consensus... much less for a constellated firmament.

The destiny of exceptional Uniqueness does not go to ruin: it is precious and dear, as every singularity is in nature.

One must glimpse its Beauty, future and already present.

With immediate gain marginalised, or any social guarantee that does not concern the value of littleness - there will be no more need to identify oneself with the skeletons of established [or fashionable] thought and manners.

Nor will it matter to place oneself above and in front: rather, in the background; already rich and perfect, in the intimate sense of fullness of being.

Thus we will not have to trample on each other (cf. Lk 12:1)... even to meet Jesus.

In short:

"We are absolutely lost if we lack this particular individuality, the only thing we can truly say is ours - and whose loss is also a loss for the whole world. It is most precious also because it is not universal' [Rabindranath Tagore].

Indeed, even in a relationship of deep love and coexistence "there is a need to free oneself from the obligation to be equal" (Amoris Laetitia, no.139).

To internalise and live the message:

Did a persecution happen to you that - while you would have preferred other near goals - brought out precisely the uniqueness of your vocational physiognomy?

For Jesus we are not a "mass", a "multitude"! We are individual "persons" with an eternal value, both as creatures and as re-deemed persons! He knows us! He knows me, and loves me and gave himself for me! (Gal 2:20) [John Paul II]

Uniqueness

11. “Each in his or her own way” the Council says. We should not grow discouraged before examples of holiness that appear unattainable. There are some testimonies that may prove helpful and inspiring, but that we are not meant to copy, for that could even lead us astray from the one specific path that the Lord has in mind for us. The important thing is that each believer discern his or her own path, that they bring out the very best of themselves, the most personal gifts that God has placed in their hearts (cf. 1 Cor 12:7), rather than hopelessly trying to imitate something not meant for them. We are all called to be witnesses, but there are many actual ways of bearing witness. Indeed, when the great mystic, Saint John of the Cross, wrote his Spiritual Canticle, he preferred to avoid hard and fast rules for all. He explained that his verses were composed so that everyone could benefit from them “in his or her own way”. For God’s life is communicated “to some in one way and to others in another”.

[Gaudete et Exsultate]

All of us today are well aware that by the term "Heaven" we are not referring to somewhere in the universe, to a star or such like; no. We mean something far greater and far more difficult to define with our limited human conceptions. With this term "Heaven" we wish to say that God, the God who made himself close to us, does not abandon us in or after death but keeps a place for us and gives us eternity. We mean that in God there is room for us. To understand this reality a little better let us look at our own lives. We all experience that when people die they continue to exist, in a certain way, in the memory and heart of those who knew and loved them. We might say that a part of the person lives on in them but it resembles a "shadow" because this survival in the heart of their loved ones is destined to end. God, on the contrary, never passes away and we all exist by virtue of his love. We exist because he loves us, because he conceived of us and called us to life. We exist in God's thoughts and in God's love. We exist in the whole of our reality, not only in our "shadow". Our serenity, our hope and our peace are based precisely on this: in God, in his thoughts and in his love, it is not merely a "shadow" of ourselves that survives but rather we are preserved and ushered into eternity with the whole of our being in him, in his creator love. It is his Love that triumphs over death and gives us eternity and it is this love that we call "Heaven": God is so great that he also makes room for us. And Jesus the man, who at the same time is God, is the guarantee for us that the being-man and the being-God can exist and live, the one within the other, for eternity. 

This means that not only a part of each one of us will continue to exist, as it were pulled to safety, while other parts fall into ruin; on the contrary it means that God knows and loves the whole of the human being, what we are. And God welcomes into his eternity what is developing and becoming now, in our life made up of suffering and love, of hope, joy and sorrow. The whole of man, the whole of his life, is taken by God and, purified in him, receives eternity. Dear Friends! I think this is a truth that should fill us with deep joy. Christianity does not proclaim merely some salvation of the soul in a vague afterlife in which all that is precious and dear to us in this world would be eliminated, but promises eternal life, "the life of the world to come". Nothing that is precious and dear to us will fall into ruin; rather, it will find fullness in God. Every hair of our head is counted, Jesus said one day (cf. Mt 10: 30). The definitive world will also be the fulfilment of this earth, as St Paul says: "Creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God" (Rom 8: 21). Then we understand that Christianity imparts a strong hope in a bright future and paves the way to the realization of this future. We are called, precisely as Christians, to build this new world, to work so that, one day, it may become the "world of God", a world that will surpass all that we ourselves have been able to build. In Mary taken up into Heaven, who fully shares in the Resurrection of the Son, we contemplate the fulfilment of the human creature in accordance with "God's world". 

Let us pray the Lord that he will enable us to understand how precious in his eyes is the whole of our life; may he strengthen our faith in eternal life; make us people of hope who work to build a world open to God, people full of joy who can glimpse the beauty of the future world amidst the worries of daily life and in this certainty live, believe and hope. Amen!

[Pope Benedict, homily at Castel Gandolfo, 15 August 2010]

1. God is the judge of the living and the dead. The final judge. The judge of all.
Even in the catechesis preceding the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Gentiles, Saint Peter proclaims of Christ: “He is the judge of the living and the dead, appointed by God” (Acts 10:42). This divine power (“exousía”) is, already in Christ’s teaching, linked to the Son of Man. The well-known passage on the Last Judgement in the Gospel of Matthew begins with the words: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory with all his angels, he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats” (Mt 25:31–33). The text then describes the course of the judgement and foretells the verdict, that of approval: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Mt 25:34); and that of condemnation: “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Mt 25:41).
2. Jesus Christ, who is the Son of Man, is at the same time true God because he possesses the divine power to judge human works and consciences, and this power is definitive and universal. He himself explains why he alone has this power, saying: “For the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgement to the Son, so that all may honour the Son just as they honour the Father” (Jn 5:22–23).
Jesus links this power with the ability to give life. “Just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also the Son gives life to whom he wills” (Jn 5:21). “For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself; and he has given him the power to judge, because he is the Son of Man” (Jn 5:26–27). Thus, according to this statement of Jesus, the divine power to judge has been linked to the mission of Christ as Saviour, as Redeemer of the world. And judging itself belongs to the work of salvation, to the order of salvation: it is a definitive salvific act. For the purpose of judgement is full participation in divine life as the ultimate gift bestowed upon man: the definitive fulfilment of his eternal vocation. At the same time, the power to judge is linked to the outward revelation of the Father’s glory in his Son as the Redeemer of mankind. “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father . . . and will repay each person according to their deeds” (Mt 16:27). The order of justice has been inscribed, from the very beginning, within the order of grace. The Last Judgement must be the definitive confirmation of this bond: Jesus clearly states that “the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of the Father” (Mt 13:43), but no less clearly he also announces the rejection of those who have committed iniquity (cf. Mt 7:23).
Indeed, as is evident from the parable of the talents (Mt 25:14–30), the measure of judgement will be cooperation with the gift received from God—cooperation with grace or rejection of it.
3. The divine power to judge all and each belongs to the Son of Man. The classic passage in the Gospel of Matthew (cf. Mt 25:31–46) particularly emphasises the fact that Christ exercises this power not only as the Son of God, but also as a Man; He exercises it—and pronounces the judgements—in the name of solidarity with every person, who receives good or evil from others: “I was hungry and you gave me food” (Mt 25:35), or “I was hungry and you did not give me food” (Mt 25:42). A fundamental “element” of the judgement is works of charity towards one’s neighbour. Christ identifies himself precisely with this neighbour. “Whenever you did this to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you did it to me” (Mt 25:40); “Whenever you did not do it . . . you did not do it to me” (Mt 25:45).
According to this passage from Matthew, everyone will be judged above all on the basis of love. But there is no doubt that people will also be judged on their faith: “Whoever acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God” (Lk 12:8). “Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and that of the Father” (Lk 9:26; cf. also Mk 8:38).
4. From the Gospel we therefore learn this truth—which is one of the fundamental truths of the faith—namely, that God is the judge of all men in a definitive and universal way, and that this power has been entrusted by the Father to the Son (cf. Jn 5:22) in close connection with his mission of salvation. This is attested to in a particularly eloquent manner by the words spoken by Jesus during his night-time conversation with Nicodemus: “God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him” (Jn 3:17).
While it is true that Christ, as we see especially in the Synoptic Gospels, is a judge in the eschatological sense, it is equally true that the divine power to judge is linked to God’s saving will, which is manifested in Christ’s entire messianic mission, as John particularly emphasises: “I have come into this world to judge, so that those who do not see may see (and those who see may become blind)” (Jn 9:39). “If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not condemn him: for I have not come to condemn the world, but to save the world” (Jn 12:47).
5. Without doubt, Christ is and presents himself above all as Saviour. He does not consider it his mission to judge men according to merely human principles (cf. Jn 8:15). He is, first and foremost, the One who teaches the way of salvation and not the accuser of the guilty. “Do not think that I am the one who accuses you before the Father; there is already one who accuses you, Moses . . . for he has written about me” (Jn 5:45–46). In what, then, does judgement consist? Jesus replies: “And this is the judgement: the light has come into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their deeds were evil” (Jn 3:19).
6. It must therefore be said that, in the presence of this Light which is God revealed in Christ, in the presence of this Truth, in a certain sense one’s own works judge each person. God’s will to save humanity finds its definitive expression in the word and work of Christ, in the entire Gospel right up to the Paschal Mystery of the Cross and the Resurrection. It becomes, at the same time, the deepest foundation, so to speak, the central criterion for the judgement of human works and consciences. It is above all in this sense that “the Father . . . has entrusted all judgement to the Son” (Jn 5:22), offering in him to every person the possibility of salvation.
7. In this very sense, unfortunately, man has already been condemned when he rejects the possibility offered to him: “Whoever believes in him is not condemned; but whoever does not believe has already been condemned” (Jn 3:18). Not to believe means, strictly speaking, to reject the salvation offered to man in Christ (“He did not believe in the name of the only Son of God”) (Jn 3:18). It is the same truth foreshadowed in the prophecy of the aged Simeon, recorded in the Gospel of Luke, when he proclaimed of Christ: “He is destined for the fall and the rising of many in Israel” (Lk 2:34). The same may be said of the reference to the “stone rejected by the builders” (cf. Lk 20:17–18).
8. It is, however, a certainty of faith that “the Father . . . has entrusted all judgement to the Son” (Jn 5:22). Now, if the divine power to judge belongs to Christ, it is a sign that he—the Son of Man—is true God, for judgement belongs to God alone. And since this power of judgement is deeply united to the will for salvation, as we learn from the Gospel, it is a new revelation of the God of the covenant, who comes to mankind as Emmanuel, to free them from the bondage of evil. It is the Christian revelation of the God who is Love.
Thus, that all too human way of conceiving God’s judgement—seen as cold justice alone, if not outright vengeance—is corrected. In reality, this expression, which is clearly derived from the Bible, appears as the final link in God’s love: God judges because He loves and in the light of love. The judgement which the Father entrusts to Christ is in accordance with the measure of the Father’s love and of our freedom.
[Pope John Paul II, General Audience, 30 September 1987]

In this Sunday’s Gospel (cf. Mt 10:26-33) the invitation that Jesus addresses to His disciples resonates: to have no fear, to be strong and confident in the face of life’s challenges, as he forewarns them of the adversities that await them. Today’s passage is part of the missionary discourse, with which the Teacher prepares the Apostles for their first experience of proclaiming the Kingdom of God. Jesus persistently exhorts them to “have no fear”. Fear is one of the most terrible enemies of our Christian life. Jesus exhorts: “have no fear”, “fear not”. And Jesus describes three tangible situations that they will find themselves facing.

First and foremost the hostility of those who would like to stifle the Word of God, by sugar-coating it, watering it down, or by silencing those who proclaim it. In this case, Jesus encourages the Apostles to spread the message of salvation that He has entrusted to them. For the moment, He has transmitted it cautiously, somewhat covertly, among the small group of disciples. But they will utter his Gospel “in the light”, that is, openly; and will proclaim it “upon the housetops” — as Jesus says — that is, publicly. 

The second difficulty that Christ’s missionaries will encounter is the physical threat against them, that is, direct persecution of them personally, to the point of being killed. This prophesy by Jesus is realized in every age: it is a painful reality, but it attests to the faithfulness of witnesses. How many Christians are persecuted even today throughout the world! They suffer for the Gospel with love, they are martyrs of our days. And we can say with confidence that they are more numerous than those of the earliest times: so many martyrs, just for the fact of being Christians. Jesus advises these disciples of yesterday and today who suffer persecution: “do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul” (v. 28). We should not allow ourselves to be frightened by those who seek to extinguish evangelizing power with arrogance and violence. Indeed, they can do nothing against the soul, that is, against communion with God: no one can take this away from disciples, because it is a gift from God. The only fear that a disciple should have is that of losing this divine gift, closeness, friendship with God, giving up living according to the Gospel, thereby acquiring moral death, which is the effect of sin. 

Jesus indicates as the third type of test that the Apostles will have to face, the sensation, which some may feel, that God himself has abandoned them, remaining distant and silent. Here too, Jesus exhorts them not to fear, because even while experiencing these and other pitfalls, the life of disciples lies firmly in the hands of God who loves us and looks after us. They are like three temptations: to sugar-coat the Gospel, to water it down; second: persecution; and third: the feeling that God has left us alone. Even Jesus suffered this trial in the Garden of Olives and on the Cross: “Father, why have you forsaken me?”, Jesus asks. At times one feels this spiritual barrenness; we must not fear it. The Father takes care of us, because our value is great in His eyes. What matters is frankness, the courage of our witness, our witness of faith: “recognizing Jesus before men” and going forth doing good.

May Mary Most Holy, model of trust and abandonment in God in the hour of adversity and danger, help us never to surrender to despair, but rather always to entrust ourselves to Him and to his grace, because God’s grace is ever more powerful than evil.

[Pope Francis, Angelus, 21 June 2020]