64. After this brief look at the word of God, we cannot just say that young people are the future of our world. They are its present; even now, they are helping to enrich it. Young people are no longer children. They are at a time of life when they begin to assume a number of responsibilities, sharing alongside adults in the growth of the family, society and the Church. Yet the times are changing, leading us to ask: What are today’s young people really like? What is going on in their lives?

In positive terms

65. The Synod recognized that the members of the Church do not always take the approach of Jesus. Rather than listening to young people attentively, “all too often, there is a tendency to provide prepackaged answers and ready-made solutions, without allowing their real questions to emerge and facing the challenges they pose”.[24] Yet once the Church sets aside narrow preconceptions and listens carefully to the young, this empathy enriches her, for “it allows young people to make their own contribution to the community, helping it to appreciate new sensitivities and to consider new questions”.[25]

66. We adults can often be tempted to list all the problems and failings of today’s young people. Perhaps some will find it praiseworthy that we seem so expert in discerning difficulties and dangers. But what would be the result of such an attitude? Greater distance, less closeness, less mutual assistance.

67. Anyone called to be a parent, pastor or guide to young people must have the farsightedness to appreciate the little flame that continues to burn, the fragile reed that is shaken but not broken (cf. Is 42:3). The ability to discern pathways where others only see walls, to recognize potential where others see only peril. That is how God the Father see things; he knows how to cherish and nurture the seeds of goodness sown in the hearts of the young. Each young person’s heart should thus be considered “holy ground”, a bearer of seeds of divine life, before which we must “take off our shoes” in order to draw near and enter more deeply into the Mystery.

Many ways of being young

68. We might attempt to draw a picture of young people today, but first I would echo the Synod Fathers, who noted that “the makeup of the Synod brought out the presence and contribution of many different regions of the world, and highlighted the beauty of our being a universal Church. In a context of growing globalization, the Synod Fathers wanted the many differences of contexts and cultures, even within individual countries, to be duly emphasized. The worlds of today’s ‘youth’ are so many that in some countries one tends to speak of ‘young people’ in the plural. The age group considered by the Synod (16-29 years) does not represent a homogeneous category, but is composed of distinct groups, each with its own life experience”.[26]

69. From a demographic standpoint too, some countries have many young people, whereas others have a very low birth rate. “A further differentiating factor is historical: there are countries and continents of ancient Christian tradition, whose culture is indelibly marked by a memory that cannot be lightly dismissed, while other countries and continents are characterized by other religious traditions, where Christianity is a minority presence – and at times a recent one. In other places still, Christian communities, and young people who belong to them, experience persecution”.[27] There is also a need to distinguish young people “with access to the growing opportunities offered by globalization from those who live on the fringes of society or in rural areas, and find themselves excluded or discarded”.[28]

70. There are many more differences, which it would be difficult to examine here. In any event, I see no need for a detailed analysis of today’s young people, their lives and their experiences. At the same time, since I do not want to neglect that reality, I will briefly summarize some contributions received before the Synod and others that I heard in the course of our meetings.

Some experiences of young people

71. Youth is not something to be analyzed in the abstract. Indeed, “youth” does not exist: there exist only young people, each with the reality of his or her own life. In today’s rapidly changing world, many of those lives are exposed to suffering and manipulation.

Living in a world in crisis

72. The Synod Fathers acknowledged with sorrow that “many young people today live in war zones and experience violence in countless different forms: kidnapping, extortion, organized crime, human trafficking, slavery and sexual exploitation, wartime rape, and so forth. Other young people, because of their faith, struggle to find their place in society and endure various kinds of persecution, even murder. Many young people, whether by force or lack of alternatives, live by committing crimes and acts of violence: child soldiers, armed criminal gangs, drug trafficking, terrorism, and so on. This violence destroys many young lives. Abuse and addiction, together with violence and wrongdoing, are some of the reasons that send young people to prison, with a higher incidence in certain ethnic and social groups”.[29]

73. Many young people are taken in by ideologies, used and exploited as cannon fodder or a strike force to destroy, terrify or ridicule others. Worse yet, many of them end up as individualists, hostile and distrustful of others; in this way, they become an easy target for the brutal and destructive strategies of political groups or economic powers.

74. “Even more numerous in the world are young people who suffer forms of marginalization and social exclusion for religious, ethnic or economic reasons. Let us not forget the difficult situation of adolescents and young people who become pregnant, the scourge of abortion, the spread of HIV, various forms of addiction (drugs, gambling, pornography and so forth), and the plight of street children without homes, families or economic resources”.[30] In the case of women, these situations are doubly painful and difficult.

75. As a Church, may we never fail to weep before these tragedies of our young. May we never become inured to them, for anyone incapable of tears cannot be a mother. We want to weep so that society itself can be more of a mother, so that in place of killing it can learn to give birth, to become a promise of life. We weep when we think of all those young people who have already lost their lives due to poverty and violence, and we ask society to learn to be a caring mother. None of this pain goes away; it stays with us, because the harsh reality can no longer be concealed. The worst thing we can do is adopt that worldly spirit whose solution is simply to anaesthetize young people with other messages, with other distractions, with trivial pursuits.

76. Perhaps “those of us who have a reasonably comfortable life don’t know how to weep. Some realities in life are only seen with eyes cleansed by tears. I would like each of you to ask yourself this question: Can I weep? Can I weep when I see a child who is starving, on drugs or on the street, homeless, abandoned, mistreated or exploited as a slave by society? Or is my weeping only the self-centred whining of those who cry because they want something else?”[31] Try to learn to weep for all those young people less fortunate than yourselves. Weeping is also an expression of mercy and compassion. If tears do not come, ask the Lord to give you the grace to weep for the sufferings of others. Once you can weep, then you will be able to help others from the heart.

77. At times, the hurt felt by some young people is heart-rending, a pain too deep for words. They can only tell God how much they are suffering, and how hard it is for them to keep going, since they no longer believe in anyone. Yet in that sorrowful plea, the words of Jesus make themselves heard: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Mt 5:4). Some young men and women were able to move forward because they heard that divine promise. May all young people who are suffering feel the closeness of a Christian community that can reflect those words by its actions, its embrace and its concrete help.

78. It is true that people in power offer some assistance, but often it comes at a high price. In many poor countries, economic aid provided by some richer countries or international agencies is usually tied to the acceptance of Western views of sexuality, marriage, life or social justice. This ideological colonization is especially harmful to the young. We also see how a certain kind of advertising teaches young people to be perpetually dissatisfied and contributes to the throwaway culture, in which young people themselves end up being discarded.

79. Our present-day culture exploits the image of the young. Beauty is associated with a youthful appearance, cosmetic treatments that hide the traces of time. Young bodies are constantly advertised as a means of selling products. The ideal of beauty is youth, but we need to realize that this has very little to do with young people. It only means that adults want to snatch youth for themselves, not that they respect, love and care for young people.

80. Some young people “find family traditions oppressive and they flee from them under the impulse of a globalized culture that at times leaves them without points of reference. In other parts of the world, even more than generational conflict between young people and adults, there is mutual estrangement. Sometimes adults fail, or do not even try, to hand on the basic values of life, or they try to imitate young people, thus inverting the relationship between generations. The relationship between young people and adults thus risks remaining on the affective level, leaving its educational and cultural aspects untouched”.[32] What harm this does to young people, even though some do not notice it! Young people themselves have remarked how enormously difficult this makes the transmission of the faith “in some countries without freedom of speech, where young people are prevented from attending Church”.[33]

Desires, hurts and longings

81. Young people are aware that the body and sexuality have an essential importance for their lives and for their process of growth in identity. Yet in a world that constantly exalts sexuality, maintaining a healthy relationship with one’s body and a serene affective life is not easy. For this and other reasons, sexual morality often tends to be a source of “incomprehension and alienation from the Church, inasmuch as she is viewed as a place of judgment and condemnation”. Nonetheless, young people also express “an explicit desire to discuss questions concerning the difference between male and female identity, reciprocity between men and women, and homosexuality”.[34]

82. In our times, “advances in the sciences and in biomedical technologies have powerfully influenced perceptions about the body, leading to the idea that it is open to unlimited modification. The capacity to intervene in DNA, the possibility of inserting artificial elements into organisms (cyborgs) and the development of the neurosciences represent a great resource, but at the same time they raise serious anthropological and ethical questions”.[35] They can make us forget that life is a gift, and that we are creatures with innate limits, open to exploitation by those who wield technological power.[36] “Moreover, in some youth circles, there is a growing fascination with risk-taking behaviour as a means of self-exploration, seeking powerful emotions and gaining attention… These realities, to which young generations are exposed, are an obstacle to their serene growth in maturity”.[37]

83. Young people also experience setbacks, disappointments and profoundly painful memories. Often they feel “the hurt of past failures, frustrated desires, experiences of discrimination and injustice, of feeling unloved and unaccepted”. Then too “there are moral wounds, the burden of past errors, a sense of guilt for having made mistakes”.[38] Jesus makes his presence felt amid these crosses borne by young people; he offers them his friendship, his consolation and his healing companionship. The Church wants to be his instrument on this path to interior healing and peace of heart.

84. In some young people, we can see a desire for God, albeit still vague and far from knowledge of the God of revelation. In others, we can glimpse an ideal of human fraternity, which is no small thing. Many have a genuine desire to develop their talents in order to offer something to our world. In some, we see a special artistic sensitivity, or a yearning for harmony with nature. In others, perhaps, a great need to communicate. In many of them, we encounter a deep desire to live life differently. In all of this, we can find real starting points, inner resources open to a word of incentive, wisdom and encouragement.

85. The Synod dealt in particular with three areas of utmost importance. Here I would like to quote its conclusions, while recognizing that they call for greater analysis and the development of a more adequate and effective ability to respond.

The digital environment

86. “The digital environment is characteristic of the contemporary world. Broad swathes of humanity are immersed in it in an ordinary and continuous manner. It is no longer merely a question of ‘using’ instruments of communication, but of living in a highly digitalized culture that has had a profound impact on ideas of time and space, on our self-understanding, our understanding of others and the world, and our ability to communicate, learn, be informed and enter into relationship with others. An approach to reality that privileges images over listening and reading has influenced the way people learn and the development of their critical sense”.[39]

87. The web and social networks have created a new way to communicate and bond. They are “a public square where the young spend much of their time and meet one another easily, even though not all have equal access to it, particularly in some regions of the world. They provide an extraordinary opportunity for dialogue, encounter and exchange between persons, as well as access to information and knowledge. Moreover, the digital world is one of social and political engagement and active citizenship, and it can facilitate the circulation of independent information providing effective protection for the most vulnerable and publicizing violations of their rights. In many countries, the internet and social networks already represent a firmly established forum for reaching and involving young people, not least in pastoral initiatives and activities”.[40]

88. Yet to understand this phenomenon as a whole, we need to realize that, like every human reality, it has its share of limitations and deficiencies. It is not healthy to confuse communication with mere virtual contact. Indeed, “the digital environment is also one of loneliness, manipulation, exploitation and violence, even to the extreme case of the ‘dark web’. Digital media can expose people to the risk of addiction, isolation and gradual loss of contact with concrete reality, blocking the development of authentic interpersonal relationships. New forms of violence are spreading through social media, for example cyberbullying. The internet is also a channel for spreading pornography and the exploitation of persons for sexual purposes or through gambling”.[41]

89. It should not be forgotten that “there are huge economic interests operating in the digital world, capable of exercising forms of control as subtle as they are invasive, creating mechanisms for the manipulation of consciences and of the democratic process. The way many platforms work often ends up favouring encounter between persons who think alike, shielding them from debate. These closed circuits facilitate the spread of fake news and false information, fomenting prejudice and hate. The proliferation of fake news is the expression of a culture that has lost its sense of truth and bends the facts to suit particular interests. The reputation of individuals is put in jeopardy through summary trials conducted online. The Church and her pastors are not exempt from this phenomenon”.[42]

90. A document prepared on the eve of the Synod by three hundred young people worldwide pointed out that “online relationships can become inhuman. Digital spaces blind us to the vulnerability of another human being and prevent us from our own self-reflection. Problems like pornography distort a young person’s perception of human sexuality. Technology used in this way creates a delusional parallel reality that ignores human dignity”.[43] For many people, immersion in the virtual world has brought about a kind of “digital migration”, involving withdrawal from their families and their cultural and religious values, and entrance into a world of loneliness and of self-invention, with the result that they feel rootless even while remaining physically in one place. The fresh and exuberant lives of young people who want to affirm their personality today confront a new challenge: that of interacting with a real and virtual world that they enter alone, as if setting foot on an undiscovered global continent. Young people today are the first to have to effect this synthesis between what is personal, what is distinctive to their respective cultures, and what is global. This means that they must find ways to pass from virtual contact to good and healthy communication.

Migrants as an epitome of our time

91. How can we fail to think of all those young people affected by movements of migration? “Migration, considered globally, is a structural phenomenon, and not a passing emergency. It may occur within one country or between different countries. The Church’s concern is focused especially on those fleeing from war, violence, political or religious persecution, from natural disasters including those caused by climate change, and from extreme poverty. Many of them are young. In general, they are seeking opportunities for themselves and their families. They dream of a better future and they want to create the conditions for achieving it”.[44] Migrants “remind us of a basic aspect of our faith, that we are ‘strangers and exiles on the earth’ (Heb 11:13)”.[45]

92. Other migrants are “attracted by Western culture, sometimes with unrealistic expectations that expose them to grave disappointments. Unscrupulous traffickers, frequently linked to drug cartels or arms cartels, exploit the weakness of migrants, who too often experience violence, trafficking, psychological and physical abuse and untold sufferings on their journey. Nor must we overlook the particular vulnerability of migrants who are unaccompanied minors, or the situation of those compelled to spend many years in refugee camps, or of those who remain trapped for a long time in transit countries, without being able to pursue a course of studies or to use their talents. In some host countries, migration causes fear and alarm, often fomented and exploited for political ends. This can lead to a xenophobic mentality, as people close in on themselves, and this needs to be addressed decisively”.[46]

93. “Young migrants experience separation from their place of origin, and often a cultural and religious uprooting as well. Fragmentation is also felt by the communities they leave behind, which lose their most vigorous and enterprising elements, and by families, especially when one or both of the parents migrates, leaving the children in the country of origin. The Church has an important role as a point of reference for the young members of these divided families. However, the stories of migrants are also stories of encounter between individuals and between cultures. For the communities and societies to which they come, migrants bring an opportunity for enrichment and the integral human development of all. Initiatives of welcome involving the Church have an important role from this perspective; they can bring new life to the communities capable of undertaking them”.[47]

94. “Given the varied backgrounds of the Synod Fathers, the discussion of migrants benefited from a great variety of approaches, particularly from countries of departure and countries of arrival. Grave concern was also expressed by Churches whose members feel forced to escape war and persecution and by others who see in these forced migrations a threat to their survival. The very fact that the Church can embrace all these varied perspectives allows her to play a prophetic role in society with regard to the issue of migration”.[48] In a special way, I urge young people not to play into the hands of those who would set them against other young people, newly arrived in their countries, and who would encourage them to view the latter as a threat, and not possessed of the same inalienable dignity as every other human being.

Ending every form of abuse

95. Recently, urgent appeals have been made for us to hear the cry of the victims of different kinds of abuse perpetrated by some bishops, priests, religious and laypersons. These sins cause their victims “sufferings that can last a lifetime and that no repentance can remedy. This phenomenon is widespread in society and it also affects the Church and represents a serious obstacle to her mission”.[49]

96. It is true that “the scourge of the sexual abuse of minors is, and historically has been, a widespread phenomenon in all cultures and societies”, especially within families and in various institutions; its extent has become known primarily “thanks to changes in public opinion”. Even so, this problem, while it is universal and “gravely affects our societies as a whole… is in no way less monstrous when it takes place within the Church”. Indeed, “in people’s justified anger, the Church sees the reflection of the wrath of God, betrayed and insulted”.[50]

97. “The Synod reaffirms the firm commitment made to adopting rigorous preventative measures intended to avoid the recurrence [of these crimes], starting with the selection and formation of those to whom tasks of responsibility and education will be entrusted”.[51] At the same time, the determination to apply the “actions and sanctions that are so necessary” must be reiterated.[52] And all this with the grace of Christ. There can be no turning back.

98. “Abuse exists in various forms: the abuse of power, the abuse of conscience, sexual and financial abuse. Clearly, the ways of exercising authority that make all this possible have to be eradicated, and the irresponsibility and lack of transparency with which so many cases have been handled have to be challenged. The desire to dominate, lack of dialogue and transparency, forms of double life, spiritual emptiness, as well as psychological weaknesses, are the terrain on which corruption thrives”.[53] Clericalism is a constant temptation on the part of priests who see “the ministry they have received as a power to be exercised, rather than a free and generous service to be offered. It makes us think that we belong to a group that has all the answers and no longer needs to listen or has anything to learn”.[54] Doubtless, such clericalism can make consecrated persons lose respect for the sacred and inalienable worth of each person and of his or her freedom.

99. Together with the Synod Fathers, I wish to thank, with gratitude and affection, “those who had the courage to report the evil they experienced: they help the Church to acknowledge what happened and the need to respond decisively”.[55] Particular gratitude is also due for “the generous commitment of countless lay persons, priests, consecrated men and women, and bishops who daily devote themselves with integrity and dedication to the service of the young. Their efforts are like a great forest that quietly grows. Many of the young people present at the Synod also expressed gratitude to those who have accompanied them and they emphasized the great need for adults who can serve as points of reference”.[56]

100. Thank God, those who committed these horrible crimes are not the majority of priests, who carry out their ministry with fidelity and generosity. I ask young people to let themselves be inspired by this vast majority. And if you see a priest at risk, because he has lost the joy of his ministry, or seeks affective compensation, or is taking the wrong path, remind him of his commitment to God and his people, remind him of the Gospel and urge him to hold to his course. In this way, you will contribute greatly to something fundamental: preventing these atrocities from being repeated. This dark cloud also challenges all young people who love Jesus Christ and his Church: they can be a source of great healing if they employ their great capacity to bring about renewal, to urge and demand consistent witness, to keep dreaming and coming up with new ideas.

101. Nor is this the only sin of the members of the Church; her long history is not without its shadows. Our sins are before the eyes of everyone; they appear all too clearly in the lines on the age-old face of the Church, our Mother and Teacher. For two thousand years she has advanced on her pilgrim way, sharing “the joys and the hopes, the grief and anguish”[57] of all humanity. She has made this journey as she is, without cosmetic surgery of any kind. She is not afraid to reveal the sins of her members, which some try at times to hide, before the burning light of the word of the Gospel, which cleanses and purifies. Nor does she stop reciting each day, in shame: “Have mercy on me, Lord, in your kindness… my sin is always before me” (Ps 51:3.5). Still, let us never forget that we must not abandon our Mother when she is wounded, but stand beside her, so that she can summon up all her strength and all her ability to begin ever anew.

102. In the midst of this tragedy, which rightly pains us, “the Lord Jesus, who never abandons his Church, offers her the strength and the means to set out on a new path”.[58] This dark moment, “not without the valuable help of the young, can truly be an opportunity for a reform of epoch-making significance”,[59] opening us to a new Pentecost and inaugurating a new stage of purification and change capable of renewing the Church’s youth. Young people will be all the more helpful if they feel fully a part of the “holy and patient, faithful People of God, borne up and enlivened by the Holy Spirit”, for “it will be precisely this holy People of God to liberate us from the plague of clericalism, which is the fertile ground for all these disgraces”.[60]

A way out

103. In this chapter, I have taken time to look at the reality of young people in today’s world. Some other aspects will be dealt with in the following chapters. As I have said, I do not claim to be exhaustive in this analysis. I encourage communities to examine, respectfully and seriously, the situation of their young people, in order to find the most fitting ways of providing them with pastoral care. At the same time, I do not want to end this chapter without addressing some words to each of you.

104. I remind you of the good news we received as a gift on the morning of the resurrection: that in all the dark or painful situations that we mentioned, there is a way out. For example, it is true that the digital world can expose you to the risk of self-absorption, isolation and empty pleasure. But don’t forget that there are young people even there who show creativity and even genius. That was the case with the Venerable Carlo Acutis.

105. Carlo was well aware that the whole apparatus of communications, advertising and social networking can be used to lull us, to make us addicted to consumerism and buying the latest thing on the market, obsessed with our free time, caught up in negativity. Yet he knew how to use the new communications technology to transmit the Gospel, to communicate values and beauty.

106. Carlo didn’t fall into the trap. He saw that many young people, wanting to be different, really end up being like everyone else, running after whatever the powerful set before them with the mechanisms of consumerism and distraction. In this way they do not bring forth the gifts the Lord has given them; they do not offer the world those unique personal talents that God has given to each of them. As a result, Carlo said, “everyone is born as an original, but many people end up dying as photocopies”. Don’t let that happen to you!

107. Don’t let them rob you of hope and joy, or drug you into becoming a slave to their interests. Dare to be more, because who you are is more important than any possession. What good are possessions or appearances? You can become what God your Creator knows you are, if only you realize that you are called to something greater. Ask the help of the Holy Spirit and confidently aim for the great goal of holiness. In this way, you will not be a photocopy. You will be fully yourself.

[Pope Francis, post-synodal exhortation Christus Vivit]

I Am, and our dignity

(Jn 8:51-59)

 

The Gospel passage is addressed to the disciples of the Johannine communities who still hesitated to declare themselves fully of Christ.

Hunted and insulted by veterans of Jewish learning, they were founding it difficult to identify the immanence of the Eternal with a simple carpenter.

Dignity of Christ cannot be established by comparison with the most celebrated figures of salvation history: his is an eternal being, though he appears [in us] of insufficient figure.

But what he effectively communicates does not only exist in a specific place or at a specific moment in time. So he could not be an instrument for cultural claims.

His Mystery seems difficult to fathom and describe.

To express it briefly, we can refer to the paradoxical reversal of the categories «from up there» and «from down here» (cf. vv.21-30).

 

His is a spirituality founded on personal Faith that goes beyond the common religious sense.

In whoever keeps united with Him, the Mystery implied becomes light’s creative, yet without pretensions.

As someone who subtly has no beginning and no end, everywhere; even in the daily and modest brief, but continuous and present.

Although devoid of full-blown fame, if ‘intimates’ to the Lord, we too can become a ‘bridge’ between two worlds - without ostentation.

This teaches us to recognize «his day» (v. 56).

Here Jesus claims the divine condition, ridiculing the knowledge of the experts, position defenders only.

 

Ancient or new leaders always feel diminished by the sword of the Word in action.

Seed that in those who receive it, make their own, and cultivate it, transmits an indestructible power of regeneration.

Word that emanates a perspective, a rejoicing in being; new beginnings, without the cloak of descent or à la page ideas.

Those who want to break free from the land of slavery cherish this Proposal. It emancipates us from the sense of belonging at all costs, and it does not die.

Nor does he capitulate in the face of bygone or glamour power’s pitfalls.

System that despite the great promises, does not give the Eternal's quality of Life; it does not make us Allies.

 

The Name of God that Jesus attributes to himself indicates that He is sacrament of enlightenment.

«I Am» is not the attribute of a character to be counted in the gallery of those who have fought and paid for their ideas - fathers in faith and prophets.

The Lord is our Liberator. In him we can say: «I» - with dignity.

Now we are no longer on the leash of the slavery’s land.

We are able to express ourselves. We do not remain pawns of twilights and of narrow districts.

 

Such an inner Friend ‘does not die’: he also allows us to wander, but ‘knows’ where.

He unerringly ‘guides’ to destination; to the brightness of open horizons, vital because they are still raw, unsophisticated.

We are thus introduced into the knowledge of the One who is by now «coming out» of the Temple (v.59).

With the immeasurable breadth that does not weigh on the heart.

 

 

[Thursday 5th wk. in Lent, March 26, 2026]

Controversy over descent (and the abstract world)

(Jn 8:51-59)

 

The Gospel passage addresses the disciples of the Johannine communities who were still hesitant to declare themselves fully Christ's.

Hunted down and insulted by the veterans of Judaic learning, they found it difficult to identify the immanence of the Eternal with a mere carpenter.

Christ's dignity cannot be established by comparison with the most celebrated figures of salvation history: his is an eternal being, though he appears [in us] of insufficient figure.

But as effectively as he communicates, he does not exist only in a specific place or at a specific moment in time.

So he could not be a tool for contrived cultural claims, nor a means to accentuate elective nationalistic tares.

Its mystery seems difficult to probe and describe.

To express it briefly, we can refer it to the Appeal of precious but unsophisticated life, in the paradoxical reversal of the categories "from up there" and "from down here" (cf. vv.21-30).

 

His is an earthly spirituality, not an empty one - founded on the creative Love of personal Faith that surpasses the common religious sense.

And in the believer it becomes a vital forge, which becomes a reality, even a summary one; yet continuous, present.

In those who are united to Him, the implied Mystery becomes a new Person, gushing forth, majestic in its modesty; creative with light, yet unpretentious.

Like someone who subtly has no beginning and no end, everywhere.

Although lacking in overt fame, intimate with the Lord, we too can become a bridge between two worlds - without much showiness.

This teaches us to recognise "his day" (v.56).

Here Jesus claims divine status, ridiculing the knowledge of the ancient experts, who were only advocates of position.

And ignorant of their specifics - that is, of life in the Spirit - apart from some vague concordist thinking; partial, apodictic but inadequate, or extravagant.

 

Leaders old or new always feel diminished by the sword of the Word in action.

Seed that in those who receive it, make it their own and cultivate it, transmits an indestructible power of regeneration.

Word that emanates a perspective, a rejoicing of being; new beginnings, without the cloak of descent or à la page ideas.

He who wants to break free from the land of bondage, cherishes this Proposal. It emancipates us from the sense of belonging at all costs, and does not die.

Nor does it capitulate before the snares of ancient or glamorous power.

A system that despite its great promises does not give the quality of life of the Eternal; it does not make us Allies.

At most it locks us into the bewilderment of devotions, facades, opportunisms, fantasies.

 

The Name of God that Jesus attributes to Himself indicates that He is a sacrament of enlightenment.

Not a little picture to keep on the bedside table, to send kisses to [to snatch reassurance or position].

This is not the Seal He pours out.

Nor is "I Am" the attribute of a character to be counted in the gallery of those who have fought and paid for their ideas - fathers in the faith and prophets.

The Lord is our Deliverer. In Him we can say "I" with dignity.

This - although as in the Gospel passage, the snobs or the old (and logical) slickers of the worldly quarters consider the true believers to be deranged and demented.

Those who follow them unfortunately remain on the leash of the land of bondage and fail to express themselves; they remain pawns of twilight, of narrow quarters.

Such a follower will not err "track" or "manners"... only by fixed and aligned opinion.

Instead, the Inner Friend does not die: he also allows us to wander, but he knows where.

 

He guides infallibly to the destination.

He leads from the experience of stylistic and doctrinal hoods, all noble and out of phase, to the luminosity of open horizons, vital because they are still raw, unsophisticated.

Says the Tao Tê Ching (xix): 'Omit holiness and repudiate wisdom, and the people will gain a hundred doubles'.

Master Ho-shang Kung comments: 'Omit the regulating and creating of saints [...] return to non-acting [according to intentions or dirigisme] [...] The activities of agriculture develop the sense of community without selfishness'.

 

The Lord blesses and approves. Presence always unseen, deployed in every spark and distracted by manipulation.

Thus prompting one to cross conditioning cliques, and every threshold - to access further experiences of self, group, God, and neighbour outside, which becomes intimate.

Projected beyond the sacred enclosure reduced to a swamp, on the wave of his Word related to events we are introduced into the knowledge of the One who now comes out of the Temple (v.59).

From traditional or chic religiosity to personal faith.

With the boundless breadth of concrete and sovereign Abode, always successive, not weighing on the heart.

 

 

To internalise and live the message:

 

How do you live the "If anyone keeps my Word, he will never see death"? 

What about your relationship with those who feel they are specialised doctors?

 

 

Joy and Hope, or abstract world

 

"In the two readings" proposed by the liturgy today, the Pontiff was quick to point out in his homily, "there is talk of time, of eternity, of years, of the future, of the past" (Genesis 17:3-9 and John 8:51-59). So much so that precisely 'time seems to be the most important reality in the liturgical message of this Thursday'. But Francis preferred 'to take another word' which, he suggested, 'I believe is precisely the message in the Church today'. And they are the words of Jesus reported by the evangelist John: "Abraham, your father, rejoiced in the hope of seeing my day; he saw it and was filled with joy".

So today's central message is 'the joy of hope, the joy of trust in God's promise, the joy of fruitfulness'. Precisely "Abraham, in the time of which the first reading speaks, was ninety-nine years old and the Lord appeared to him and assured the covenant" with these words: "As for me, behold, my covenant is with you: you will become a father".

Abraham, Francis recalled, "had a son of twelve, thirteen years old: Ishmael". But God assures him that he will become "father of a multitude of nations". And "he changes his name". He then "goes on and asks him to be faithful to the covenant" saying: "I will establish my covenant with you and with your descendants and after you from generation to generation, as an everlasting covenant". Basically, God tells Abraham 'I give you everything, I give you time: I give you everything, you will be a father'.

Surely Abraham, the Pope said, 'was happy about this, he was full of consolation' on hearing the Lord's promise: 'Within a year you will have another son'. Of course, at those words 'Abraham laughed, the Bible says later: but how, at a hundred years a son?'. Yes, "he had begotten Ishmael at the age of eighty-seven, but at a hundred years a son is too much, you cannot understand!" And so he "laughed". But precisely "that smile, that laughter was the beginning of Abraham's joy". Here, then, is the meaning of Jesus' words re-proposed today by the Pope as the central message: 'Abraham, your father, rejoiced in hope'. In fact, "he dared not believe and said to the Lord: 'But what if at least Ishmael lived in your presence?'". He received this reply: "No, it will not be Ishmael. It will be another'.

For Abraham, therefore, "joy was full," said the Pope. But "even his wife Sarah laughed a little later: she was a little hidden, behind the curtains of the entrance, listening to what the men were saying". And 'when these envoys of God told Abraham the news about his son, she too laughed'. This, Francis reiterated, is 'the beginning of Abraham's great joy'. Yes, "the great joy: he exulted in the hope of seeing this day; he saw it and was filled with joy". And the Pope invited us to look at "this beautiful icon: Abraham who stood before God, who prostrated himself with his face to the ground: he heard this promise and opened his heart to hope and was full of joy".

And precisely "this is what these doctors of the law did not understand," Francis remarked. "They did not understand the joy of the promise; they did not understand the joy of hope; they did not understand the joy of the covenant. They did not understand." And "they did not know how to rejoice, because they had lost the sense of joy that, alone, comes from faith". Instead, the Pope explained, "our father Abraham was able to rejoice because he had faith: he was made righteous in faith". For their part, those doctors of the law "had lost faith: they were doctors of the law, but without faith!". But "more: they had lost the law! For the centre of the law is love, love for God and for one's neighbour". They, however, "had only a system of precise doctrines, which they made more precise every day that no one touched them".

They were 'men without faith, without law, attached to doctrines that also became a casuistic attitude'. And Francis also offered concrete examples: "You can pay tax to Caesar, can't you? This woman, who has been married seven times, when she goes to heaven will she be the wife of those seven?" And "this casuistry was their world: an abstract world, a world without love, a world without faith, a world without hope, a world without trust, a world without God". Precisely "for this reason they could not rejoice".

And they did not rejoice even if they had some party to enjoy themselves: so much so that, the Pope said, they must surely have "uncorked a few bottles when Jesus was condemned". But always 'without joy', indeed 'with fear because one of them, perhaps while they were drinking', must have remembered the promise 'that he would rise again'. And so "immediately, with fear, they went to the procurator to say 'please take care of this, let there be no trick'". All this because "they were afraid".

But 'this is life without faith in God, without trust in God, without hope in God', the Pope said again. "The life of these," he added, "only when they realised they were not right" did they think there was only the way left to take the stones to stone Jesus. "Their hearts were petrified". In fact, "it is sad to be a believer without joy," Francis explained, "and joy is not there when there is no faith, when there is no hope, when there is no law, but only prescriptions, cold doctrine. This is what applies'. In contrast, the Pope re-proposed "the joy of Abraham, that beautiful gesture of Abraham's smile" when he heard the promise to have "a son when he is a hundred years old". And "also Sarah's smile, a smile of hope". Because 'the joy of faith, the joy of the Gospel is the touchstone of a person's faith: without joy that person is not a true believer'.

In conclusion, Francis invited people to make Jesus' words their own: "Abraham, your father, rejoiced in the hope of seeing my day; he saw it and was filled with joy". And he asked "the Lord for the grace to be exultant in hope, the grace to be able to see the day of Jesus when we are with Him and the grace of joy."

[Pope Francis, s Marta, in L'Osservatore Romano 27/03/2015].

Hope is the expectation of something positive in the future, yet at the same time it must sustain our present existence, which is often marked by dissatisfaction and failures. On what is our hope founded? Looking at the history of the people of Israel, recounted in the Old Testament, we see one element that constantly emerges, especially in times of particular difficulty like the time of the Exile, an element found especially in the writings of the prophets, namely remembrance of God’s promises to the Patriarchs: a remembrance that invites us to imitate the exemplary attitude of Abraham, who, as Saint Paul reminds us, “believed, hoping against hope, that he would become ‘the father of many nations,’ according to what was said, ‘Thus shall your descendants be’" (Rom 4:18). One consoling and enlightening truth which emerges from the whole of salvation history, then, is God’s faithfulness to the covenant that he entered into, renewing it whenever man infringed it through infidelity and sin, from the time of the flood (cf. Gen 8:21-22) to that of the Exodus and the journey through the desert (cf. Dt 9:7). That same faithfulness led him to seal the new and eternal covenant with man, through the blood of his Son, who died and rose again for our salvation.

At every moment, especially the most difficult ones, the Lord’s faithfulness is always the authentic driving force of salvation history, which arouses the hearts of men and women and confirms them in the hope of one day reaching the “promised land”. This is where we find the sure foundation of every hope: God never abandons us and he remains true to his word. For that reason, in every situation, whether positive or negative, we can nourish a firm hope and pray with the psalmist: “Only in God can my soul find rest; my hope comes from him” (Ps 62:6). To have hope, therefore, is the equivalent of trusting in God who is faithful, who keeps the promises of the covenant. Faith and hope, then, are closely related. “Hope” in fact is a key word in biblical faith, to the extent that in certain passages the words “faith” and “hope” seem to be interchangeable. In this way, the Letter to the Hebrews makes a direct connection between the “unwavering profession of hope” (10:23) and the “fullness of faith” (10:22). Similarly, when the First Letter of Saint Peter exhorts the Christians to be always ready to give an account of the “logos” – the meaning and rationale – of their hope (cf. 3:15), “hope” is the equivalent of “faith” (Spe Salvi, 2).

Dear Brothers and Sisters, what exactly is God’s faithfulness, to which we adhere with unwavering hope? It is his love! He, the Father, pours his love into our innermost self through the Holy Spirit (cf. Rom 5:5). And this love, fully manifested in Jesus Christ, engages with our existence and demands a response in terms of what each individual wants to do with his or her life, and what he or she is prepared to offer in order to live it to the full. The love of God sometimes follows paths one could never have imagined, but it always reaches those who are willing to be found. Hope is nourished, then, by this certainty: “We ourselves have known and believed in the love that God has for us” (1 Jn 4:16). This deep, demanding love, which penetrates well below the surface, gives us courage; it gives us hope in our life’s journey and in our future; it makes us trust in ourselves, in history and in other people. I want to speak particularly to the young and I say to you once again: “What would your life be without this love? God takes care of men and women from creation to the end of time, when he will bring his plan of salvation to completion. In the Risen Lord we have the certainty of our hope!” (Address to Young People of the Diocese of San Marino-Montefeltro, 19 June 2011).

Just as he did during his earthly existence, so today the risen Jesus walks along the streets of our life and sees us immersed in our activities, with all our desires and our needs. In the midst of our everyday circumstances he continues to speak to us; he calls us to live our life with him, for only he is capable of satisfying our thirst for hope. He lives now among the community of disciples that is the Church, and still today calls people to follow him. The call can come at any moment. Today too, Jesus continues to say, “Come, follow me” (Mk 10:21). Accepting his invitation means no longer choosing our own path. Following him means immersing our own will in the will of Jesus, truly giving him priority, giving him pride of place in every area of our lives: in the family, at work, in our personal interests, in ourselves. It means handing over our very lives to Him, living in profound intimacy with Him, entering through Him into communion with the Father in the Holy Spirit, and consequently with our brothers and sisters. This communion of life with Jesus is the privileged “setting” in which we can experience hope and in which life will be full and free! 

[Pope Benedict, Message for the L World Day of Prayer for Vocations, 21 April 2013]

Christ says: "Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58). He does not say: "I was", but "I am", that is, from everlasting, in an eternal present. The Apostle John in the prologue of his Gospel writes: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God: all things were made through him, and without him nothing was made of all that exists" (John 1:1-3). So that 'before Abraham', in the context of Jesus' polemic with the heirs of Israel's tradition, who appealed to Abraham, means: 'well before Abraham' and is illuminated by the words of the prologue of the Fourth Gospel: 'in the beginning was with God', that is, in the eternity proper to God alone: in the eternity shared with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Indeed, the Quicumque Symbol proclaims: "And in this Trinity nothing is before or after, nothing greater or less, but all three persons are coeternal and coequal with one another."

[Pope John Paul II, General Audience 6 November 1985].

 

1. "I believe . . . in Jesus Christ, his (God the Father's) only Son, our Lord; who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary". The cycle of catechesis on Jesus Christ, which we develop here, makes constant reference to the truth expressed in the words of the Apostles' Creed, now quoted. They present Christ to us as true God - Son of the Father - and, at the same time, as true Man, Son of the Virgin Mary. The previous catecheses have already enabled us to approach this fundamental truth of the faith. Now, however, we must seek to deepen its essential content: we must ask ourselves what true God and true Man mean. This is a reality that is revealed before the eyes of our faith through the self-revelation of God in Jesus Christ. And since it - like every other revealed truth - can only be rightly accepted through faith, what is at issue here is the 'rationabile obsequium fidei', the reasonable obedience of faith. The next catecheses, which focus on the mystery of the God Man, are intended to foster such faith.

2. We have already noted above that Jesus Christ often spoke of himself, using the title "son of man" (cf. Mt 16:28; Mk 2:28). Such a title was connected with the messianic tradition of the Old Testament, and at the same time responded to that "pedagogy of faith" to which Jesus deliberately resorted. For he wanted his disciples and listeners to come to the discovery on their own that the 'son of man' was at the same time the true Son of God. We have a particularly significant demonstration of this in Simon Peter's profession, which took place in the vicinity of Caesarea Philippi, to which we have already referred in the previous catecheses. Jesus provokes the apostles with questions and when Peter comes to the explicit recognition of his divine identity, he confirms his testimony by calling him "blessed because neither flesh nor blood has revealed it to him, but the Father" (cf. Mt 16:17). It is the Father, who bears witness to the Son, because he alone knows the Son (cf. Mt 11:27).

3. Nevertheless, in spite of the discretion to which Jesus adhered in application of that pedagogical principle of which we have spoken, the truth of his divine filiation became more and more evident by what he said, and particularly by what he did. But while for some it was an object of faith, for others it was a cause of contradiction and accusation. This manifested itself in definitive form during the trial before the Sanhedrin. The Gospel of Mark recounts (Mk 14:61-62): "The high priest questioned him, saying, 'Are you the Christ, the blessed Son of God?' Jesus answered, 'I am! And you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of heaven'". In the Gospel of Luke (Lk 22:70) the question is formulated as follows: "'Are you then the son of God?' He answered them: 'You say so yourselves: I am'".

4. The reaction of those present is unanimous: "He has blasphemed! . . . you have heard the blasphemy . . . He is guilty of death!" (Matthew 26: 65-66). This accusation is, so to speak, the result of a material interpretation of the ancient law.

Indeed, we read in the Book of Leviticus: "Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall be put to death: the whole community shall stone him" (Lev 24:16). Jesus of Nazareth, who before the official representatives of the Old Testament claims to be the true Son of God, pronounces - according to their conviction - blasphemy. He is therefore 'guilty of death' and the sentence is carried out, though not by stoning according to Old Testament discipline, but by crucifixion, according to Roman law. Calling himself "Son of God" meant "making himself God" (cf. Jn 10:33), which provoked a radical protest from the guardians of Old Testament monotheism.

5. What eventually came to pass in the trial brought against Jesus had in fact already been threatened earlier, as the Gospels, particularly that of John, report. We read there more than once that the listeners wanted to stone Jesus, when what they had heard from his mouth sounded to them like blasphemy. They found such blasphemy, for example, in his words on the subject of the Good Shepherd (cf. John 10: 27, 29), and in the conclusion he came to on that occasion: "I and the Father are one" (John 10: 30). The Gospel account continues: "The Jews again brought stones to stone him. Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works from my Father; for which of them do you wish to stone me?" The Jews answered him, 'We do not stone you for a good work, but for blasphemy, and because you, who are man, make yourself God'" (Jn 10:31-33).

6. Similar was the reaction to these other words of Jesus: "Before Abraham was, I Am" (Jn 8:58). Here too Jesus was faced with an identical question and accusation: "Who do you claim to be?" (Jn 8:53), and the answer to that question resulted in the threat of stoning (Jn 8:59).

It is therefore clear that, although Jesus spoke of himself above all as the "son of man", nevertheless the whole of what he did and taught bore witness that he was the Son of God in the literal sense of the word: that is, that he was with the Father one, and therefore: as the Father, so also was he God. Proof of the unambiguous content of this testimony is the fact that he was recognised and accepted by some: "many believed in him": (cf. e.g. Jn 8:30); and, even more, the fact that he found in others radical opposition, indeed the accusation of blasphemy with the disposition to inflict on him the punishment, provided for blasphemers by the Old Testament Law.

7. Among Christ's statements on this subject, the expression: "I Am" appears particularly significant. The context in which it is pronounced indicates that Jesus here recalls the answer given to Moses by God himself, when he is asked about his name: "I am he who am . You shall say to the Israelites: I am he that sent me to you" (Ex 3:14). Now, Christ uses the same expression "I Am" in very significant contexts. The one mentioned, concerning Abraham; "Before Abraham was, 'I Am': but not only that. Thus, for example: "If . . . you do not believe that I Am, you will die in your sins" (Jn 8:24). And again: "When you have lifted up the son of man, then you will know that I Am" (Jn 8:28), and further: "I tell you this now, before it happens, so that, when it has happened, you may believe that 'I Am'" (Jn 13:19).

This "I Am" is also found in other places in the Synoptic Gospels (e.g. Mt 28:20; Lk 24:39); but in the statements quoted above, the use of God's name, proper to the Book of Exodus, appears particularly clear and firm. Christ speaks of his paschal "elevation" through the cross and subsequent resurrection: "Then you will know that I Am". Which means: then it will be fully evident that I am the one to whom the name of God belongs. With such an expression Jesus therefore indicates that he is the true God. And even before the passion he prays to the Father like this: "All things that are mine are yours and all things that are yours are mine" (Jn 17:10), which is another way of saying: "I and the Father are one" (Jn 10:30).

Before Christ, the Word of God incarnate, let us also join Peter and repeat with the same transport of faith: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Mt 16, 16)

[Pope John Paul II, General Audience 26 August 1987].

 

1. In the previous catechesis we paid particular attention to those statements in which Christ speaks of himself using the expression "I Am". The context in which these statements appear, especially in the Gospel of John, allows us to think that, in resorting to this expression, Jesus refers to the Name by which the God of the ancient covenant qualifies himself before Moses, when entrusting him with the mission to which he is called: "I am he who am . You shall say to the Israelites: I am he who sent me to you" (Ex 3:14).

Jesus speaks of himself in this way, for example in the discussion about Abraham: "Before Abraham was, I Am" (John 8: 58). Already this expression allows us to understand that "the Son of Man" bears witness to his divine pre-existence. And such a statement does not stand alone.

2. More than once Christ speaks of the mystery of his Person, and the most succinct expression seems to be this: "I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; now I leave the world again, and go to the Father" (John 16: 28). Jesus addresses these words to the apostles in his farewell discourse on the eve of the Easter events. They clearly indicate that before "coming" into the world, Christ "was" with the Father as Son. They thus indicate his pre-existence in God. Jesus makes it clear that his earthly existence cannot be separated from this pre-existence in God. Without it his personal reality cannot be correctly understood.

3. Similar expressions are numerous. When Jesus mentions his coming from the Father into the world, his words usually refer to his divine pre-existence. This is particularly clear in the Gospel of John. Jesus says before Pilate: "For this I was born, and for this I came into the world: to bear witness to the truth" (John 18: 37); and perhaps it is not without significance that Pilate later asks Him: "Where are you from?" (John 19: 9). And before that we read: "My testimony is true, because I know where I come from and where I am going" (Jn 8:14). Regarding that "where are you from?" in the nocturnal conversation with Nicodemus we can hear a significant statement: "No one has ever ascended into heaven except the Son of Man who came down from heaven" (Jn 3:13). This "coming" from heaven, from the Father, indicates the divine "pre-existence" of Christ also in relation to his "departure": "What if you saw the Son of Man ascend to where he was before?" - Jesus asks in the context of the "Eucharistic discourse" near Capernaum (cf. Jn 6:62).

4. Jesus' entire earthly existence as Messiah results from that "before" and is reconnected to it as to a fundamental "dimension" according to which the Son is "one" with the Father. How eloquent in this respect are the words of the "priestly prayer" in the Upper Room: "I have glorified you above the earth, doing the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me before thee with that glory which I had with thee before the world was" (John 17: 4-5).

The Synoptic Gospels also speak in many places of the "coming" of the Son of Man for the salvation of the world (cf. e.g. Lk 19:10; Mk 10:45; Mt 20:28); however, John's texts contain a particularly clear reference to the pre-existence of Christ.

5. The fullest synthesis of this truth is contained in the Prologue of the Fourth Gospel. It can be said that in that text the truth about the divine pre-existence of the Son of Man acquires a further, in a certain sense definitive explication: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God: all things were made through him . . . In him was life, and the life was the light of men; the light shines in the darkness, but the darkness did not receive it" (Jn 1:1-5).

In these phrases the evangelist confirms what Jesus said of himself when he declared: "I came forth from the Father and have come into the world" (Jn 16:28), or when he prayed that the Father would glorify him with that glory that he had taken of him before the world was (cf. Jn 17:5). At the same time, the pre-existence of the Son in the Father is closely connected with the revelation of the Trinitarian mystery of God: the Son is the eternal Word, he is "God from God", of the same substance as the Father (as the Council of Nicaea expressed it in the Symbol of Faith). The Council formula precisely reflects John's Prologue: "The Word was with God and the Word was God". Affirming the pre-existence of Christ in the Father is tantamount to recognising his Divinity. To his substance, as to the substance of the Father, belongs eternity. This is what is indicated by the reference to the eternal pre-existence in the Father.

6. John's Prologue, through the revelation of the truth about the Word contained therein, constitutes as it does the definitive completion of what the Old Testament had already said about Wisdom. See, for example, the following statements: "Before the ages, from the beginning he created me; for all eternity I shall not fail" (Sir 24:9), "My creator pitched my tent and said to me: pitch your tent in Jacob" (Sir 24:8). Wisdom, of whom the Old Testament speaks, is a creature and at the same time has attributes that place her above the whole of creation: "Though unique, she can do all things; though remaining in herself, she renews all things" (Wis 7:27).

The truth about the Word, contained in John's Prologue, reconfirms in a certain sense the revelation about wisdom in the Old Testament, and at the same time transcends it in a definitive way. The Word not only 'is with God', but 'is God'. Coming into this world in the person of Jesus Christ, the Word "came among his own people", for "the world was made through him" (cf. Jn 1:10-11). He came among "his own" because he is "the true light, the one who enlightens every man" (cf. Jn 1:9). The self-revelation of God in Jesus Christ consists in this "coming" into the world of the Word, who is the eternal Son.

7. "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us; and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (Jn 1:14). Let us say it once again: John's Prologue is the eternal echo of the words with which Jesus says: "I came forth from the Father and have come into the world" (Jn 16:28), and of those with which he prays that the Father will glorify him with that glory that he had with him before the world was (cf. Jn 17:5). The Evangelist has before his eyes the Old Testament revelation about Wisdom, and at the same time the whole Paschal event: the departure through the cross and the resurrection, in which the truth about Christ, Son of Man and true God, became completely clear to those who were his eyewitnesses.

8. In close connection with the revelation of the Word, that is, with the divine pre-existence of Christ, the truth about Emmanuel is also confirmed. This word - which in literal translation means "God with us" - expresses a particular and personal presence of God in the world. That "I am" of Christ manifests precisely this presence already foretold by Isaiah (cf. Is 7:14), proclaimed in the wake of the prophet in Matthew's Gospel (cf. Mt 1:23), and confirmed in John's Prologue: "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (Jn 1:14). The language of the evangelists is multiform, but the truth they express is the same. In the synoptics, Jesus pronounces his "I am with you" particularly in difficult moments (e.g. Mt 14:27; Mk 6:50; Jn 6:20), at the time of the calmed storm, as well as in the perspective of the apostolic mission of the Church: "Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the world" (Mt 28:20).

9. Christ's expression: "I came forth from the Father and am in the world" (Jn 16:28) contains a salvific, soteriological meaning. All the evangelists manifest it. The Prologue of John expresses it in the words: "To those who . . . received him (the Word), he gave power to become children of God", that is, the possibility of being begotten of God (cf. Jn 1:12-13).

This is the central truth of all Christian soteriology, organically connected with the revealed reality of the God-Man. God became man, so that man could truly participate in God's life, could indeed become, in a certain sense, God himself. The early Fathers of the Church were already clearly aware of this. Suffice it to recall St Irenaeus, who, exhorting people to follow Christ, the only true and sure teacher, stated. "Through his immense love he made himself what we are, to give us the possibility of being what he is" (cf. St Irenaeus, Adversus haereses, V, Praef.: PG 7, 1120).

This truth opens up boundless horizons for us, in which to situate the concrete expression of our Christian life, in the light of faith in Christ, Son of God, Word of the Father.

[Pope John Paul II, General Audience 2 September 1987]

"In the two readings" proposed by the liturgy today, the Pontiff immediately pointed out in his homily, "there is talk of time, of eternity, of years, of the future, of the past" (Genesis 17: 3-9 and John 8: 51-59). So much so that precisely 'time seems to be the most important reality in the liturgical message of this Thursday'. But Francis preferred 'to take another word' which, he suggested, 'I believe is precisely the message in the Church today'. And they are the words of Jesus reported by the evangelist John: "Abraham, your father, rejoiced in the hope of seeing my day; he saw it and was filled with joy".

So today's central message is 'the joy of hope, the joy of trust in God's promise, the joy of fruitfulness'. Precisely "Abraham, at the time of which the first reading speaks, was ninety-nine years old and the Lord appeared to him and assured the covenant" with these words: "As for me, behold, my covenant is with you: you will become a father".

Abraham, Francis recalled, "had a son of twelve, thirteen years old: Ishmael". But God assures him that he will become "father of a multitude of nations". And "he changes his name". He then "goes on and asks him to be faithful to the covenant" saying: "I will establish my covenant with you and with your descendants and after you from generation to generation, as an everlasting covenant". Basically, God tells Abraham 'I give you everything, I give you time: I give you everything, you will be a father'.

Surely Abraham, the Pope said, 'was happy about this, he was full of consolation' on hearing the Lord's promise: 'Within a year you will have another son'. Of course, at those words 'Abraham laughed, the Bible says later: but how, at a hundred years a son?'. Yes, "he had begotten Ishmael at the age of eighty-seven, but at a hundred years a son is too much, you cannot understand!" And so he "laughed". But precisely "that smile, that laughter was the beginning of Abraham's joy". Here, then, is the meaning of Jesus' words re-proposed today by the Pope as the central message: 'Abraham, your father, rejoiced in hope'. In fact, "he dared not believe and said to the Lord: 'But what if at least Ishmael lived in your presence?'". He received this reply: "No, it will not be Ishmael. It will be another'.

For Abraham, therefore, "joy was full," said the Pope. But "even his wife Sarah laughed a little later: she was a little hidden, behind the curtains of the entrance, listening to what the men were saying". And 'when these envoys of God told Abraham the news about his son, she too laughed'. This, Francis reiterated, is 'the beginning of Abraham's great joy'. Yes, "the great joy: he exulted in the hope of seeing this day; he saw it and was filled with joy". And the Pope invited us to look at "this beautiful icon: Abraham who stood before God, who prostrated himself with his face to the ground: he heard this promise and opened his heart to hope and was full of joy".

And precisely "this is what these doctors of the law did not understand," Francis remarked. "They did not understand the joy of the promise; they did not understand the joy of hope; they did not understand the joy of the covenant. They did not understand." And "they did not know how to rejoice, because they had lost the sense of joy that, alone, comes from faith". Instead, the Pope explained, "our father Abraham was able to rejoice because he had faith: he was made righteous in faith". For their part, those doctors of the law "had lost faith: they were doctors of the law, but without faith!". But "more: they had lost the law! For the centre of the law is love, love for God and for one's neighbour". They, however, "had only a system of precise doctrines, which they made more precise every day that no one touched them".

They were 'men without faith, without law, attached to doctrines that also became a casuistic attitude'. And Francis also offered concrete examples: "You can pay tax to Caesar, can't you? This woman, who has been married seven times, when she goes to heaven will she be the wife of those seven?" And "this casuistry was their world: an abstract world, a world without love, a world without faith, a world without hope, a world without trust, a world without God". Precisely "for this reason they could not rejoice".

And they did not rejoice even if they had some party to enjoy themselves: so much so that, the Pope said, they must surely have "uncorked a few bottles when Jesus was condemned". But always 'without joy', indeed 'with fear because one of them, perhaps while they were drinking', must have remembered the promise 'that he would rise again'. And so "immediately, with fear, they went to the procurator to say 'please take care of this, let there be no trick'". All this because "they were afraid".

But 'this is life without faith in God, without trust in God, without hope in God,' the Pope said again. "The life of these," he added, "that only when they understood that they were not right" did they think that the only way left was to take the stones to stone Jesus. "Their hearts were petrified". Indeed, 'it is sad to be a believer without joy,' Francis explained, 'and joy is not there when there is no faith, when there is no hope, when there is no law, but only prescriptions, cold doctrine. This is what applies'. In contrast, the Pope re-proposed "the joy of Abraham, that beautiful gesture of Abraham's smile" when he heard the promise to have "a son when he is a hundred years old". And "also Sarah's smile, a smile of hope". Because 'the joy of faith, the joy of the Gospel is the touchstone of a person's faith: without joy that person is not a true believer'.

In conclusion, Francis invited people to make Jesus' words their own: "Abraham, your father, rejoiced in the hope of seeing my day; he saw it and was filled with joy". And he asked "the Lord for the grace to be exultant in hope, the grace to be able to see the day of Jesus when we are with Him, and the grace of joy."

[Pope Francis, st Marta, in L'Osservatore Romano 27/03/2015]

From religion to Faith, from barren to Beloved one

(Lk 1:26-38)

 

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

From outside to inside ourselves. From patterns to innate prophecy. Unique Promise, more subtle condition.

Faith-surrender - that of Mother - which shows the freedom and beauty of the new orientations, in the progress of the inner guiding images.

Alliance no longer for what is already known.

His Pact is all in the Opening to the Inexplicable that lives inside us. 

Intimate Eternal, which can now concretize the hope and the journey of the peoples. A turning point of authenticity, growing.

If the heart’s virgins do not impose demands, the Call by Name (from our own fibers) opens the incapable and sterile breath.

 

Ad coeli Reginam: silent Echo... this invisible core-Vocation is startling. And with spontaneous virtue introduces the spirit into the fruitful synergy of God himself.

Spousal Trust that re-annotate the threads of the history of salvation: and is opposed to the broad road of alliances with people "who matter".

 

In the intertwining between fruitfuling Initiative and welcome into the bosom, the Handmaiden is icon of the expectation and the way of each one - where what remains decisive is not the usual, predictable desire.

Vibrant Appeal that is prolonged through history, in a sort of unfolded and continuous Incarnation, thanks to the collaboration of “distant”, unstable and insignificant servants, like Mary.

 

Ours too, despite us still being filled of normal expectations.

 

 

To internalize and live the message:

 

Which Words open us to life in the Spirit and question the foreseen path?

What is our still intermediate zone, without Encounter?

 

 

How to make the invisible Seed bloom

 

The Tao Tê Ching (Lxi) says: «The great kingdom which held itself below is the confluence of the world; is the female of the world. The female always overcomes the male with the quiet, since she is modestly submissive. For this reason, the great kingdom which places below the small kingdom attracts the small kingdom; the small kingdom that is below the great kingdom attracts the great kingdom: one lowers to attract, the other attracts because below. […] In order for each one to obtain what he craves, it’s better for the great to keep down».

 

God at home, and Visits we would not expect?

Slowing down a little, we are Born.

 

 

[Annunciation of the Lord, March 25]

Mary, the Art of Perception that breaks the mould

(Lk 2:19) (Lk 1:26-38)

 

For a life from the authentic I to the unknown Culmination

 

"Now, Mary kept and treasured all - really all - these event-words, putting them together and comparing them in her heart" [sense of the Greek text].

What about her, her Son and all the others?

She wanted to understand the essential affinities - with the soul and elsewhere: the meaning of strange and simple happenings. Golden rule for us also.

In the portrait of Jesus suckling, his silence did not linger - and he did not allow himself to be demotivated: he dug.

For this she knew far more expressive things than many minds - sublime and yet incapable of breaking out of automatisms, already flooded with remarkable doctrines and traditions.

We are willingly there too, with Mary; in a culture that invades our senses and pollutes our souls with noisy opinions, with seemingly eloquent but knee-jerk models: stressful and futile.

All emphatic, impactful reproductions - but external.

Yet they overflow into the inner self, and despite glittering appearances, lock the personality into a narrow space of unhealthy habits, only to be exhibited.

Indeed, we force ourselves to run from one side to the other, often reciting prototypes. Precisely, forcibly intrigued by plans, organigrams and thoughts, even devout ones, which however become forms of personal and social trivialisation.

We are becoming accustomed to the fear of our discreet, reserved, non-gossipy, secluded, hidden side, all our own and close to the Source: in a word, custodian of the Calling by Name - which wants to pause to return to the ancient Listening of the new.

A side we do not yet know: it never has the same tone as always. It is all ours, but it hints at real encounters.

By refining our inner vision, we grasp our source and the meaning of history; and its folds - thus we can still give birth to the precious world inside and outside of us.

We do this from the intangible, which acts as the pivot of essence. And guards the Fire within.

 

For a stretch - ever so brief - the official pundits delude us that we are at the centre of the world.

They want to inoculate us with the false sense of protagonism and permanence that quickly fades away; in fact, they overwhelm us.

We feel the need for a rediscovery of being and essence, not dissolved in the realm of night and illusion [to have power appear, to hold back ascend dominate]. Without escapes, nor rhythms that do not belong to us.

We seek involvement, and distance.

We want to 'perceive' like Mary and like the shepherds - baffled by the religious opinions of others - to become and be reborn, and to become again. Recovering the frenzies, the surprises, the wounds; without dispersing the centre.

 

"Taking refuge" in a secret space was not for her a rediscovery of the self expected by all, stereotypical and adequate as always.

Rather, he expressed his being - in flight from conventional ways.

In order to live intensely, she did not wish to enter into the nomenclature - then be normal, and enslaved - rather to distance herself, but to be there. So she did not exclude anything.

She also recognised herself in those wanderers.

She would never have imagined herself as the (acting) protagonist of a tradition that placed her on pedestals, forms, solemn attributes, and constraints - the very ones that would have made her sweetly but decisively rebellious.

She did not revisit herself to bask, but rather to verify and reactivate her 'way' - which she did not want to lose: it could be overwhelmed by external opinions and buried by circumstances [impelling but without horizon].

She did not want to lose her address within common, standardised goals, losing sight of what she really was, and introducing her into the heaven of the timeless - nor did she yearn to resemble the majority, or to be above them.

The one we built for her was not her home.

Mary did not face reality and today within us [to help us look at "our" Mystery] with a conformist face; sweetened and artefactual, or intimist, swampy.

 

Her soul was always on the move. To know the unknowable, she would never stop - even without knowing in advance where to go.

Her character did not want the certainties of accommodation. Without wavering, even within herself she preferred to perceive and live the Passion of love.

He let himself be guided and saved, but from his own sacred centre, sanctuary of the God-Con. He who unlocks, sets us on our way, and sets us free.

She could not allow her Vocation to be covered by idols, nor by any plot, which was nevertheless unfolding.

In the 'here and now' he found his affinity from his very being as a wayfarer, who by advancing put hardship behind him.

As she developed her inner eye, she also transmuted her inner self to find the step of the Annunciation hidden in the misfits, which still led her.

Only this lasted her through the years - not the functional side.He did not dream of a quiet life, but of understanding his personal mission.

 

Without naivety, she questioned the meaning of her intimate callings, of the happenings, of the ways, and of her motions - alien only to the anxiety of pleasing everyone.

She wished to understand how best to fit in, moving towards the new promised land [cf. Lk 1:29: "But she was greatly troubled by the Word and wondered what greeting this was"; Lk 1:34: "How shall this be?"].

The stillness within was not uniform, but filled with the vicissitudes and unpredictable 'news'.

Never did she want to be a model: an expired identity card - plastered, dogmatic. Never an icon of privilege, and ostentatious - like a woman who extinguishes her consciousness, and makes herself identified, empty, disjointed.

In the midst of others - even the lazy, indiscreet ones - Maria let herself be, perceiving the inaudible sounds of the silence of the soul.

Notes that produced her figure and - even better - her evolution and Destiny, without disturbing her with separate stubbornness.

Removing the gaze from conformist intention.

 

To really exist, intensely, she changed or broke through; she recovered history but listened to the inside of herself.

Catching her own deep layers, perceiving herself in her most intimate voices, she became aware of the meaning of her life, and of the unfolding story. 

In the intervals of thought, she reactivated the energy of the 'gaze'.

And without mortification, she brought her attention to another dimension, gradually entering the Wind that ceaselessly disengaged her.

In this way, he learnt not to expect something aligned to normal intentions and predictions, nor to social and cultural ranking: he had to enter into the events, and detach himself (to contemplate their importance and depth).

Mysteriously - thus peering without doing too much - he read the 'notes', chose the right registers; he interpreted the score.

Epiphany of God in a creature completely devoid of hieratic or courtly style; rather, delicate and gypsy.

She did not rush to put things in place: she sensed 'inside' the summary life, rather than leading it and organising it, or arranging it.

He waited for his eminent Self to lead the strange, non-directed, non-voluntarist path that was unfolding, truly all eccentric and unexemplary.

 

She did not act to please.

We also learn in her: to see the domestic God happen, the 'visits' we would not expect; the intensity of different colours.

They then lead us to a different look into the soul as well; involved and detached.

Like the surrounding reality, Mary was not always the same.

She did not have in mind a champion to chase to the end, only to find herself chronicled in the exemplarity of others - uprooted, external, dissipated and unloaded.

Situations and emotions had value, not only and not primarily on the basis of the paradigm register - now useless - with which they were interpreted.

In the hope of things present and in their sensitive Listening, she was acquiring fluidity.

In this way, she passed unforced from the religion of the fathers to the Faith, to the risk of friendship in the unpredictable proposal of the one Father.

Retreating into the Abode of the Spirit, within a Hope that unveiled itself wave by wave, she learned to understand relationships and inner energies, unpacked.

Once listened to and assumed, they could deviate, and take precisely the unexpected path.

 

Step by step, the attentive eye, ear and heart also introduce us - like Mary - into a territory of suspension of closed intentions. Where the love and destiny of the Newness of God dwells.

He expanded the Vision not just from around.

Unfolding her lost self in the We, not selective, but only from her own sacred centre, the horizon also dilated in the sensation of infinity in action.

In contemplating events, she would flesh out and even reinvent the figure of the heart that had guided her there.

She still reinterpreted the expressive image of her Vocation. And it changed its destiny - not giving weight to one-sided angles.

No obligations and chiselled intentions - against the tide but natural, without the laceration of titanic efforts.

Thus even the hardships brought her closer to her Mission as Mother of the new humanity, in her Son.

 

And each one equally rediscovered the energy of the primordial suggestion that led him or her, so that in Meditation he or she might once again embrace the Calling that still wants to snatch him or her from the mire.

Echo of the Primal Call that is woven into the events and is already the Destination.

Witnessing every moment to be rediscovered in the "intimate and full void" to be made within, to wait for something we do not know what it is first.

Mary let herself be traced in time by unpatented Love.

Such are the Dreams of creatures totally immersed in the true passions, which grasp, anticipate and actualise the timelessness in time.He did not give up wondering what - with its many aspects - was inhabiting it and silently guiding it.

 

We still imagine it (v.19) 'as with eyes closed': a situation our culture often ignores.

She did not think of efficient causes: it was to rediscover otherwise her opening the door to visitors, and to each new thing to be astonished.

She was already nursing, not only her Son; at the same time she was feeding herself.

Not out of vain intimism did he rediscover the subtle Mystery nested in the different - and raw - unpredictable within and without.

Without realising it, it was already feeding the world, guarding itself.

Truly, she comes to us and in us, tending the nest of essence and history... without any semblance of banners and display cases - respecting only what happens.

Similarly, her entire Family becomes the true fruitful lady of an impossible Feast of the Announcement around - which one does not understand where it came from (Lk 1:20).

Certainly from nothing outside. Therefore decisive.

Totally adherent to circumstances and present in himself, he became completely - in the clear and spontaneous motions, even of others.

 

Certainly he had no people around him who could boast of screens. Just strange individuals, but who ceaselessly let their vital instincts emerge.

They too did not tell each other beforehand where to go. That is why they found themselves in an incessant pregnancy.

All they had in store was the experience of distance; often frost and rejection. 

They never knew a figure who helped them to recognise themselves completely, and to look at things from the point of view of the timelessly discovered gentleness.

Even capable of tending to the wider and more inclusive global [we would say, to the servant eternity of the angelic condition].

Instead, they were set ablaze by the everlasting Flame - that of the whole world (past, present and future) that knows how to recover and stay hidden, apart but in the cosmos - as the dawn and day of the Lord.

In the culture of the time, the condition of the spirits of the heavenly throne service, who glorified and praised God (v.20) "for all that they had heard and seen".

 

Faced with the domestic Church Family, in Mary and Jesus the shepherds have a decisive experience.

No longer of one-sided lack and judgement, but of rebirth in esteem; of another world, available and inclusive - of another realm, unison without uniformity.

The Mother of God is a possibility of tending to the eternal present, no longer exclusive: but like a dance, where the changing whole puts one perfectly at ease - with no tracks to follow already.

Society's oddballs, pilgrims and prairie dogs in hiding, skilled only in transhumance, had perhaps never had the ability to recognise the ecstasy of being well and intensely in the summation.

Perhaps they had never had the experience of recognising in an accurate creature their own sensitive, tender and feminine side.

Appearance that in the authentic Woman Church becomes the guardian and differently announcer [in the shaky] of the treasure chest of Life.

From the warmth of Mary and the Cradle, amidst their labyrinths, they now brought to their own secluded place a thrilling blessing, and the indestructible intimate side; even elsewhere.

To question ourselves as well.

 

We seek a silent soul, for an art of rebirth.

Here was Maria: she had noticed, as she meditated, that others reflexively did too.

When she carved out preparatory energies, she also arranged herself in a more balanced, fuller way for the Announcement.

He walked through life to guard and nurture new fathers and mothers of humanisation. 

Not to comment, but to intuit and dissolve; not to extinguish the dreamy side with the 'up to the mark', old.

Her realm of truthfulness that heals the I and the Thou was the heaven and earth of new powers.

Reliable virtues because they sprang from the Silence of the Way that was completely renewing her - loving contradictions. 

Because everything can now happen, regenerate; and each day bring its tide (of the unprecedented) in the presence of Spirit, without routine.

A genuine soul, devoid of pretense, can do that.

For an adventure that pushes away continuity, filled with foundational Eros; for a direct exploration to the unknown Culmination.

 

 

Mary: Slowing down a little, one is born

 

Those who do not follow innate intuitions, a call more radical than the self, or stunning proclamations [Lk 1:26-38. 2:8-15] do not develop their destiny, do not move; they do not set things right.

Common proclamations end up incinerating personalities.

It is true that the shepherds find nothing extraordinary or prodigious but a family reduced to an ordinary condition, which they know.

But it is that simple hearth that draws them into the new Project, and into the proclamation of its scandalous unconditional Mercy - which did not electrocute them for impurity.

Archaic religion had branded them forever: lost, despicable beings, without remedy. Now they are free from identification.They have another eye - like that of the first time. A look that will bring them one hundred per cent.

Exodus facing a defenceless image of God, they do not bother to engage in ethical discipline: it would have crumbled them.

Rather, they enjoy the wonder of a simply human reality - in a mysterious relationship of mutual recognition.

 

A baby in a manger, an unclean place where the beasts used to play.

It is strange that the modest sign convinces them, makes them regain esteem, and makes them evangelisers - perhaps not even assiduous evangelisers.

Like Calvary (to which it refers), the resolving Manifestation of the Eternal is a paradox.

But the affective geography of this Bethlehem devoid of conformist circuits remains intact, because it is spontaneously rooted in us.

There is a sense of immediacy, without any particular entanglement or ceremony.

The Child is not even worshipped by the now 'pure' gazes of the little, vilified prairie dogs and transhumance dogs - as, conversely, the Magi will do (Mt 2:11).

They did not even know what it meant, reflecting Eastern court ceremonials - like the kissing of red slippers.

[This is why Pope Francis rejected them, along with the ermine - after Paul VI had had the courage to lay down the pluridirigist sign of tiaras, with its three overlapping crowns; a little more intricate was the affair of the anachronistic gestatorial chair].

The wretched of the earth and the distant of the flocks are those who hear the Announcement, readily verify it, and found the new divine lineage.

People untroubled by static judgement - men in the midst of all; no longer at high altitude.

 

Meanwhile, Mary sought the meaning of surprises and thus regenerated, for a new way of understanding and 'being' together - to give birth also to the inner world of a whole different people of fullness.

She would put facts and Word together, to discover the common thread.

And to remain receptive; not to be swayed by the convictions of the devotional enclosures - targetted and inflexible, which would have given her no escape.

The Mother herself, though taken by surprise, prepared herself for God's eccentricity, without departing from time and her real condition.

 

Her figure and that of the shepherds question us, demand the courage of an answer - but after letting the same kind of inner Presences flow: worthy visitors, who are allowed to express themselves.

 

Like us, she too had to move from the beliefs of the fathers to Faith in the Father.

From the idea of love as reward to that of 'gift'.

From the practice of cults and closures that do not make one intimate with the Eternal at all, to the opening of the mind and the exits.

She did not achieve this without effort, but rather by enduring the resistance of her arid environment.

Jesus was indeed circumcised - a useless rite that according to custom claimed to change the Son of God into the son of Abraham.

 

The Good News proclaims a reversal: what religion had considered far from the Most High is very close to Him; indeed, it corresponds fully to Him.

Never before imagined.

In the Annunciations of the Gospels, the adventure of Faith is opened wide.

And the new Babe has a Name that expresses the unprecedented essence of Saviour, not executioner.

His whole story will also be fully instructive from the point of view of how to internalise uncertainties and discomforts: these 'no moments' and precariousness that teach us how to live.

Indeed, we too, like Mary, 'recognise' the presence of God in the enigmas of Scripture, in the Little One 'wrapped in bandages' - even in the ancestral echo of our inner worlds.

And we let ourselves go - we don't really know where. But so is the Infinite, the immense Secret, the inexplicable Breath, in its folds.

 

The wise Dream that inhabits the human knows of ancient humus, but its echo is reborn every day, in the tide of being that directs one to truly 'look', without veils.

A conformist demeanour of 'seeing things' would not solve the problem.

Sometimes, in order not to be conditioned, we need to rebuild ourselves in silence, like the Virgin; to build a kind of hermeneutic island that opens different doors, that introduces other lights.

Within her sacred circuit, the Mother of God also valorised the innate transformative energies, precisely by rooting them in the questions...

Thus returning to her primordial being and the sense of the Newborn - an image steeped in primordial sense and life-wave, dear to many cultures.

 

Mary entered an Elsewhere and did not leave the field of the real.

She was 'inside' her Centre, unhurried - searching for the Sun drowned in her being and which returned, emerged, resurrected; from within, it made her exist beyond.

Thus he did not allow himself to be absorbed by the conformist ideas of others or by [external] situations that wanted to break the balance.

In her veracious solitude - filled with Grace - that superior and hidden self in essence came more and more to Her. He made himself a new Dawn and guide.She did not want to live inside thoughts, knowledge and reasoning around - none capable of amplifying life - all in the hands of the drugs of procedures, dehumanising the Enchantment.

The happy magic of that Frugolo of flesh brought her Peace.

Dreams sustained and conveyed her nest and inner core - causing new life to flow from the core of her Person, and the youth of the world.

 

"Now Mary kept all Word-events by comparing them in her heart".

From generation to generation, the wonder evoked by this ineffable mystery never ceases. St Augustine imagines a dialogue between himself and the Angel of the Annunciation, in which he asks:  "Tell me, O Angel, why did this happen in Mary?". The answer, says the Messenger, is contained in the very words of the greeting:  "Hail, full of grace" (cf. Sermo 291: 6).

In fact, the Angel, "appearing to her", does not call her by her earthly name, Mary, but by her divine name, as she has always been seen and characterized by God:  "Full of grace - gratia plena", which in the original Greek is 6,P"D4JTµXv0,  "full of grace", and the grace is none other than the love of God; thus, in the end, we can translate this word:  "beloved" of God (cf. Lk 1: 28). Origen observes that no such title had ever been given to a human being, and that it is unparalleled in all of Sacred Scripture (cf. In Lucam 6: 7).

It is a title expressed in passive form, but this "passivity" of Mary, who has always been and is for ever "loved" by the Lord, implies her free consent, her personal and original response:  in being loved, in receiving the gift of God, Mary is fully active, because she accepts with personal generosity the wave of God's love poured out upon her. In this too, she is the perfect disciple of her Son, who realizes the fullness of his freedom and thus exercises the freedom through obedience to the Father.

In the Second Reading, we heard the wonderful passage in which the author of the Letter to the Hebrews interprets Psalm 39 in the light of Christ's Incarnation:  "When Christ came into the world, he said:  ..."Here I am, I have come to do your will, O God'" (Heb 10: 5-7). Before the mystery of these two "Here I am" statements, the "Here I am" of the Son and the "Here I am" of the Mother, each of which is reflected in the other, forming a single Amen to God's loving will, we are filled with wonder and thanksgiving, and we bow down in adoration.

What a great gift, dear Brothers, to be able to conduct this evocative celebration on the Solemnity of the Lord's Annunciation! What an abundance of light we can draw from this mystery for our lives as ministers of the Church!

You above all, dear new Cardinals, what great sustenance you can receive for your mission as the eminent "Senate" of Peter's Successor! This providential circumstance helps us to consider today's event, which emphasizes the Petrine principle of the Church, in the light of the other principle, the Marian one, which is even more fundamental. The importance of the Marian principle in the Church was particularly highlighted, after the Council, by my beloved Predecessor Pope John Paul II in harmony with his motto Totus tuus.

In his spirituality and in his tireless ministry, the presence of Mary as Mother and Queen of the Church was made manifest to the eyes of all. More than ever he adverted to her maternal presence in the assassination attempt of 13 May 1981 here in St Peter's Square. In memory of that tragic event, he had a mosaic of the Virgin placed high up in the Apostolic Palace looking down over St Peter's Square, so as to accompany the key moments and the daily unfolding of his long reign. It is just one year since his Pontificate entered its final phase, full of suffering and yet triumphant and truly paschal.

The icon of the Annunciation, more than any other, helps us to see clearly how everything in the Church goes back to that mystery of Mary's acceptance of the divine Word, by which, through the action of the Holy Spirit, the Covenant between God and humanity was perfectly sealed. Everything in the Church, every institution and ministry, including that of Peter and his Successors, is "included" under the Virgin's mantle, within the grace-filled horizon of her "yes" to God's will. This link with Mary naturally evokes a strong affective resonance in all of us, but first of all it has an objective value.

Between Mary and the Church there is indeed a connatural relationship that was strongly emphasized by the Second Vatican Council in its felicitous decision to place the treatment of the Blessed Virgin at the conclusion of the Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium.

The theme of the relationship between the Petrine principle and the Marian principle is also found in the symbol of the ring which I am about to consign to you. The ring is always a nuptial sign. Almost all of you have already received one, on the day of your episcopal ordination, as an expression of your fidelity and your commitment to watch over the holy Church, the bride of Christ (cf. Rite of Ordination of Bishops).

The ring which I confer upon you today, proper to the cardinalatial dignity, is intended to confirm and strengthen that commitment, arising once more from a nuptial gift, a reminder to you that first and foremost you are intimately united with Christ so as to accomplish your mission as bridegrooms of the Church. May your acceptance of the ring be for you a renewal of your "yes", your "here I am", addressed both to the Lord Jesus who chose you and constituted you, and to his holy Church, which you are called to serve with the love of a spouse.

So the two dimensions of the Church, Marian and Petrine, come together in the supreme value of charity, which constitutes the fulfilment of each. As St Paul says, charity is the "greatest" charism, the "most excellent way" (I Cor 12: 31; 13: 13).

Everything in this world will pass away. In eternity only Love will remain. For this reason, my Brothers, taking the opportunity offered by this favourable time of Lent, let us commit ourselves to ensure that everything in our personal lives and in the ecclesial activity in which we are engaged is inspired by charity and leads to charity. In this respect too, we are enlightened by the mystery that we are celebrating today.

Indeed, the first thing that Mary did after receiving the Angel's message was to go "in haste" to the house of her cousin Elizabeth in order to be of service to her (cf. Lk 1: 39). The Virgin's initiative was one of genuine charity; it was humble and courageous, motivated by faith in God's Word and the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit. Those who love forget about themselves and place themselves at the service of their neighbour. Here we have the image and model of the Church!

Every Ecclesial Community, like the Mother of Christ, is called to accept with total generosity the mystery of God who comes to dwell within her and guides her steps in the ways of love. This is the path along which I chose to launch my Pontificate, inviting everyone, with my first Encyclical, to build up the Church in charity as a "community of love" (cf. Deus Caritas Est, Part II).

In pursuing this objective, venerable Brother Cardinals, your spiritual closeness and active assistance is a great support and comfort to me. For this I thank you, and at the same time I invite all of you, priests, deacons, Religious and lay faithful, to join together in invoking the Holy Spirit, praying that the College of Cardinals may be ever more ardent in pastoral charity, so as to help the whole Church to radiate Christ's love in the world, to the praise and glory of the Most Holy Trinity. Amen!

[Pope Benedict, homily with the new cardinals 25 March 2006]

“Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to your word” (Angelus Prayer).

Your Beatitude,
Brother Bishops,
Father Custos,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,

1. 25th March in the year 2000, the Solemnity of the Annunciation in the Year of the Great Jubilee: on this day the eyes of the whole Church turn to Nazareth. I have longed to come back to the town of Jesus, to feel once again, in contact with this place, the presence of the woman of whom Saint Augustine wrote: “He chose the mother he had created; he created the mother he had chosen” (Sermo 69, 3, 4). Here it is especially easy to understand why all generations call Mary blessed (cf. Lk 2:48).

I warmly greet Your Beatitude Patriarch Michel Sabbah, and thank you for your kind words of presentation. With Archbishop Boutros Mouallem and all of you – Bishops, priests, religious women and men, and members of the laity – I rejoice in the grace of this solemn celebration. I am happy to have this opportunity to greet the Franciscan Minister General, Father Giacomo Bini, who welcomed me on my arrival, and to express to the Custos, Father Giovanni Battistelli, and the Friars of the Custody the admiration of the whole Church for the devotion with which you carry out your unique vocation. With gratitude I pay tribute to your faithfulness to the charge given to you by Saint Francis himself and confirmed by the Popes down the centuries.

2. We are gathered to celebrate the great mystery accomplished here two thousand years ago. The Evangelist Luke situates the event clearly in time and place: “In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph. . . The virgin’s name was Mary” (1:26-27). But in order to understand what took place in Nazareth two thousand years ago, we must return to the Reading from the Letter to the Hebrews. That text enables us, as it were, to listen to a conversation between the Father and the Son concerning God’s purpose from all eternity. “You who wanted no sacrifice or oblation prepared a body for me. You took no pleasure in holocausts or sacrifices for sin. Then I said. . . ?God, here I am! I am coming to obey your will’” (10:5-7). The Letter to the Hebrews is telling us that, in obedience to the Father’s will, the Eternal Word comes among us to offer the sacrifice which surpasses all the sacrifices offered under the former Covenant. His is the eternal and perfect sacrifice which redeems the world. 

The divine plan is gradually revealed in the Old Testament, particularly in the words of the Prophet Isaiah which we have just heard: “The Lord himself will give you a sign. It is this: the virgin is with child and will soon give birth to a child whom she will call Emmanuel” (7:14). Emmanuel - God with us. In these words, the unique event that was to take place in Nazareth in the fullness of time is foretold, and it is this event that we are celebrating here with intense joy and happiness. 

3. Our Jubilee Pilgrimage has been a journey in spirit, which began in the footsteps of Abraham, “our father in faith” (Roman Canon; cf. Rom 4:11-12). That journey has brought us today to Nazareth, where we meet Mary, the truest daughter of Abraham. It is Mary above all others who can teach us what it means to live the faith of “our father”. In many ways, Mary is clearly different from Abraham; but in deeper ways “the friend of God” (cf. Is 41:8) and the young woman of Nazareth are very alike. 

Both receive a wonderful promise from God. Abraham was to be the father of a son, from whom there would come a great nation. Mary is to be the Mother of a Son who would be the Messiah, the Anointed One. “Listen!”, Gabriel says, “ You are to conceive and bear a son. . . The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. . . and his reign will have no end” (Lk 1:31-33). 

For both Abraham and Mary, the divine promise comes as something completely unexpected. God disrupts the daily course of their lives, overturning its settled rhythms and conventional expectations. For both Abraham and Mary, the promise seems impossible. Abraham’s wife Sarah was barren, and Mary is not yet married: “How can this come about”, she asks, “since I am a virgin?” (Lk 1:34). 

4. Like Abraham, Mary is asked to say yes to something that has never happened before. Sarah is the first in the line of barren wives in the Bible who conceive by God’s power, just as Elizabeth will be the last. Gabriel speaks of Elizabeth to reassure Mary: “Know this too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age, herself conceived a son” (Lk 1:36). 

Like Abraham, Mary must walk through darkness, in which she must simply trust the One who called her. Yet even her question, “How can this come about?”, suggests that Mary is ready to say yes, despite her fears and uncertainties. Mary asks not whether the promise is possible, but only how it will be fulfilled. It comes as no surprise, therefore, when finally she utters her fiat: “I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let what you have said be done to me” (Lk 1:38). With these words, Mary shows herself the true daughter of Abraham, and she becomes the Mother of Christ and Mother of all believers. 

5. In order to penetrate further into the mystery, let us look back to the moment of Abraham’s journey when he received the promise. It was when he welcomed to his home three mysterious guests (cf. Gen18:1-15), and offered them the adoration due to God: tres vidit et unum adoravit. That mysterious encounter foreshadows the Annunciation, when Mary is powerfully drawn into communion with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Through the fiat that Mary uttered in Nazareth, the Incarnation became the wondrous fulfilment of Abraham’s encounter with God. So, following in the footsteps of Abraham, we have come to Nazareth to sing the praises of the woman “through whom the light rose over the earth” (Hymn Ave Regina Caelorum). 

6. But we have also come to plead with her. What do we, pilgrims on our way into the Third Christian Millennium, ask of the Mother of God? Here in the town which Pope Paul VI, when he visited Nazareth, called “the school of the Gospel”, where “we learn to look at and to listen to, to ponder and to penetrate the deep and mysterious meaning of the very simple, very humble and very beautiful appearing of the Son of God” (Address in Nazareth, 5 January 1964), I pray, first, for a great renewal of faith in all the children of the Church. A deep renewal of faith: not just as a general attitude of life, but as a conscious and courageous profession of the Creed: “Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine, et homo factus est.”

In Nazareth, where Jesus “grew in wisdom and age and grace before God and men” (Lk 2:52), I ask the Holy Family to inspire all Christians to defend the family against so many present-day threats to its nature, its stability and its mission. To the Holy Family I entrust the efforts of Christians and of all people of good will to defend life and to promote respect for the dignity of every human being.

To Mary, the Theotókos, the great Mother of God, I consecrate the families of the Holy Land, the families of the world. 

In Nazareth where Jesus began his public ministry, I ask Mary to help the Church everywhere to preach the “good news” to the poor, as he did (cf. Lk 4:18). In this “year of the Lord’s favour”, I ask her to teach us the way of humble and joyful obedience to the Gospel in the service of our brothers and sisters, without preferences and without prejudices.

“O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy hear and answer me. Amen” (Memorare).

[Pope John Paul II, homily Basilica of the Annunciation 25 March 2000]