(Mt 9:32–10:15)

 

Itinerant ministry, Vocation, Prayer

 

In support of the oppressed

(Mt 9:32-38)

 

    In the Gospels, healings from illness describe and manifest an experience of Faith.

The earliest communities [here in Matthew, in Galilee and Syria] did not grow by miracle, but through tireless work to redeem and reintegrate people, even from an idealistic perspective.

In a brutally competitive, ruthless and disheartening world, life in communion with Christ enabled church members to recover from any situation of personal despondency and social abandonment.

At the heart of the Mission lies both the Compassion of Jesus and the disciple’s prayer (so that he may overcome disappointments, freely choose a positive attitude, and seek nothing else).

Prayer does not persuade the Father, but transforms the disciple. It stirs consciences to perceive, take notice, listen, welcome, and be moved – in whatever external circumstances.

Prayer enables children to be reborn from the heart – in the small, the faltering, the child, the adolescent, the adult, in nature, in history, in themselves, and in God.

 

In a situation of social collapse and economic exploitation, even the official religion instilled the idea that material blessings were a sign of spiritual standing, and vice versa.

People’s consciences were also stifled by a sense of exclusion (and punishment for sin) that accentuated their low self-esteem.

By exploiting the sense of unworthiness among the voiceless, the spiritual leaders never missed an opportunity to manipulate consciences, prey on the weak, and profit from their misfortunes.

The incredible novelty of the first fraternal communities of Faith stood apart from the ‘competition’ of ancient religion: there emerged the ability to tangibly restore discouraged people and to weave anew both the quality of life and relationships.

The official leaders, irresponsible and utterly disinterested in the real lives of the people, maliciously defended their positions and attempted to dispel the people’s admiration for the friends of Jesus – with the usual nonsense about evil.

Thus sprang the Prayer of the Inner Circle, addressed to the Father to help all his children in their radiant, supportive work; for the birth of a new, urgent vital awareness, and of bonds – out of kindness towards the needy.

In short, God’s teaching is conveyed through attentive listening and contemplative prayer, yet it is not abstract.

The idea and work of Faith stand apart from the world of sophisticated, or empty, standardising spirituality.

It is that of the yeast that leavens the dough: it saves people through people – beginning with the gaze of the soul (lucid, overcoming anxiety).

 

 

To internalise and live the message:

 

Faced with human and social emergencies, what do you expect, and how do you find refreshment from weariness and opposition? Does anxiety or clarity prevail?

 

 

Prayer-premonition, unitive. So as not to lose the magic of the Mystery

 

Freely: the Kingdom at hand and Incarnate Prayer

(Mt 9:35–10:1, 6–8)

 

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

And his group must be involved, both in works of healing and of liberation – a brotherhood motivated by luminous selflessness.

He enters prayer gatherings with pastoral concern: to teach, not to pontificate. He does not give lessons in logical analysis, but allows the One who dwells within him to emerge.

He proclaims a Kingdom entirely different from that which was instilled by the manipulators of consciences (overflowing with detailed convictions) – who certainly did not act out of selflessness.

 

The ancient doctrines and their proponents stifled all dissent and produced the worst: internal coercion, anonymity, loneliness, passivity.

They instilled the belief that it was crucial to acquire their flat certainties, certainly not to open oneself to the personal Mystery, to one’s innate character – fruitfully non-conformist to the context.

In fact, they sought to disrupt the soul’s journeys, which sometimes wander in search of self-discovery, and which prefer new vistas to the usual way of seeing – murky, stagnant.

They would not admit that within each believer might dwell a fundamental choice not aligned with their ideology and way of engaging with the world.

Everything in other people’s lives had to function perfectly, according to their objectives. So they did not preach upheaval, but stagnation.

Nothing new was to happen that might call into question the social balance, their authoritarian influence… and their income.

There was to be nothing different to explore and discover.

And yet, yesterday as today, within every woman and man lies a volcano of potential energies – which, according to the dominant ideology, were simply to be stifled and conformed.

 

Because of all this that still drags on, we seek, on the contrary, a God to be experienced, a God who is lovable, not ‘artificially’ constructed… nor invisible or distant from our condition.

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

It is clear: what we harbour is not a pitiful illusion, to be extinguished in favour of external balances.

Indeed, the Gospel (v.35) proclaims Grace: the face of the Father – who wants nothing for himself, but gives everything to impart his very Life to us. And he does so not to stifle our inner energy.

The Good News proclaims a Friend who is Coming, who does not force us to ‘ascend’ [in the abstract] nor imprison us in guilt, wearing down creatures already subjugated – leaving them even more desolate than before.

Here a Heaven is revealed that makes us feel adequate; it does not punish or even intimidate, but rather uplifts and puts everyone at ease; a Merciful One who is not merely good: exclusively good.

The prodigal Father welcomes people as the Son does in the Gospels – just as they are; not by scrutinising, but by expanding.

Even his Word-event not only reactivates: it restores imbalances and values them in the context of the journey of a real person – without judging or scattering, nor breaking anything.

 

For such a work of skilful recomposition of being, the Master invites us to Prayer (v.38) – the first form of commitment for the disciples.

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

Therefore – having made them less oblivious – Jesus invites his own to become involved in missionary work; not to act as scholars or give moral lessons.

These would be performances without genuine concern, which make the vulnerable feel even more lost.

The Mission grows from a small yet boundless dimension – that of intimate perception, which discerns the needs and the mystery of a benevolent Presence.

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

It does not seek to distract us from inner realisation; on the contrary, it acts as a guide, and brings the soul—scattered amongst the many common practices to be carried out—back to its centre.

It makes us feel the yearning of desire and of understanding the perfect condition: the Father does not intend to absorb our aptitudes, but rather to enhance them. For each of us has an intimate plan, a Calling by Name, a place of our own in the world.

It seems paradoxical, but the Church that goes forth – the one that does not speculate, nor engage in mass proselytism to impress the mainstream – is first and foremost a matter of formation and inner awareness.

 

In short, we recognise ourselves and become aware of things through unitive Prayer-prescience.

In Christ, this is not a performance or a devout expression, but rather an understanding and, above all, a Listening to the God who reveals himself and calls out in a thousand subtle ways.

The commitment to healing the world cannot be achieved without an awareness of vocation, nor by allowing oneself to be swayed and proceeding haphazardly.

Rather, by sharpening our gaze, and by reclaiming the virtue and character even of those aspects of ourselves that remain in the shadows.

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

For it is not infrequently – alas – that only those who love power begin with what is too far removed from themselves [from what is so remote and out of reach].

The lost ‘sheep’, weary of trying and trying again – the excluded, those considered lost, the marginalised – are not in short supply. They are within reach, and there is no urgency to distance oneself immediately. Almost as if to absolve oneself of responsibility for those closest to us.

The horizon expands of its own accord, if one is convinced and does not favour pretence or subterfuge.

The sense of closeness to oneself, to others and to reality is an authentic fruit of the Kingdom that is revealed: the Near One.

By understanding the nature of creatures and increasingly conforming to it, everyone is inspired to change and become whole, enriching even cultural rigidity, without alienating constraints.

By practising kindness, even towards oneself.

 

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

 

Thus, in the struggle against infirmities (Mt 9:35–10:1): one is restored and triumphs by sharpening one’s gaze and reinvesting energy and character even in those aspects of oneself that remain clouded.

All the ‘Gratis’ (Mt 10:8) that may spring from this to build up life for the sake of our brothers and sisters will flow forth not as a childish [hysterical] quid pro quo or transaction.

It will be a spontaneous, solid and joyful Dialogue of Love, because it is free from those imbalances that smoulder beneath the ashes of superficial conditioning.

 

The sense of closeness (v.7) to oneself, to others and to reality will be an authentic – not programmed, nor alienated – fruit of the Kingdom that reveals itself: Beside.

 

 

To internalise and live the message:

 

Does Prayer in Christ stir your conscience?

What consolation do you await from the God who is Coming?

Perhaps a reward?

Or a gift that triggers – here and now – true Love-understanding, attentive to the calls of every still, small voice?

 

 

The Kingdom has drawn near

 

A great emergence, for a small Name

(Mt 10:1-7)

 

    ‘These twelve Jesus sent out after giving them instructions, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any town of the Samaritans – but go rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.”

The proclamation of the new Faith needed breathing space; yet it would encounter a dense, tenacious barrage of opposition, particularly from those steeped in a deep-rooted and habitual religiosity – linked to the ideology of power.

The initial restriction to Israel had become necessary, precisely in order to expose the most dangerous form of devotion: the empty and closed devotion of the synagogue which – accustomed to awaiting the extraordinary from outside – no longer expected anything authentic that might rouse it.

But the meaning of verses 5–6 is also very profound from a personal perspective, and concerns not only the initial restriction regarding the Chosen People of the messianic Revelation, of the explicit universalist opening, or of the Mission.

 

    None of the apostles was in himself worthy of the Call; yet he is called upon, and can accept his Mandate – as if he were already perfect!

Most of them have names typical of Judaism, even from the time of the patriarchs – which indicates a cultural and spiritual background rooted more in religion than in Faith… not easy to manage.

Peter was eager to step forward, yet he often retreated (backtracked) to the point of becoming a ‘Satan’ to Jesus [in the culture of the ancient East, an official of the great sovereign, sent to act as an inspector and informer – practically an accuser] . James son of Zebedee and John were brothers, fervent fundamentalists, and hysterically wanted the Master all to themselves. Philip did not seem a very practical sort, nor quick or trained to grasp the things of God. Andrew, on the other hand, seems to have got on well: an inclusive person. Bartholomew was probably open-minded but perplexed, because the Messiah did not quite fit his expectations. Thomas was a bit in and a bit out. Matthew a collaborator, a greedy accomplice of the oppressive system. Simon the Canaanite a hothead. Judas Iscariot a self-destructive figure who trusted the old spiritual leaders, steeped in a nationalist ideology, private interest, opportunism and power. Two others (James son of Alphaeus and Judas Thaddeus) were perhaps simply disciples of little note or initiative.

 

But the Kingdom is ‘near’ [v.7: ‘has drawn near’]: God is in our history – this was already being experienced in the early days, in his first community of children.

In ancient devotion, the idea of a distant God produced divisions, pyramidal hierarchies, and the cultivation of internal circle interests (passed off as great sensitivity and altruism).

The idea of an Eternal leader and avenger allowed a priestly class to proliferate which, instead of reconciling and integrating, neglected and abandoned those without influence.

Believing in a divine Presence linked to material abundance dulled minds and the ability to comprehend Redemption.

[The idea of advantage and disadvantage, prosperity and scarcity, always originates within us or in the conventional mindset of opinions].

Therefore, it is essential first to mature, wherever we live.

Indeed, it is not uncommon for there to be less than noble motives for wanting to reach everywhere, to rush about everywhere (to make converts), to spread, to increase, and to do so immediately.

The man or the club with many desires projects them; and frequently brings about within itself or elsewhere its own murky influences.

Hidden disloyalty, which, by failing to propose simplicity of life and spiritual values, drives people away, whilst building other temples and sanctuaries.

 

The power of genuine universality lies in being rooted in values, as well as in the awareness of one’s own shortcomings.

Virtuous principles and hidden aspects are complementary energetic elements, and will bear fruit in due course; in every respect.

We must take this deeply to heart, without vain projections, even regarding the unexpressed aspects.

In short, it seems a paradox, but openness to pagans is an exquisitely internal matter.

It is from oneself and starting from the community that one looks upon the world. Not from the overly exotic – at least initially.

It is the Way of the Inner Self that truly permeates the way of the peripheries. Indeed, only by loving strength does one prefer to start from what is too distant.

One must first of all heal and complete what is close at hand.

After all, those who are not free and aware cannot liberate, nor convince – or drive reality forward.

 

The only way, then, to look far afield is to adhere to the reason of things, a principle known to us if we are not misled by the dispersion of external society (including the sacred).

Once the nature of oneself and of creatures is understood, and by conforming to it increasingly as one develops, all are inspired to complete and transmute themselves.

All this also enriches any cultural rigidity, without alienating constraints.

In this way, by practising kindness first towards oneself… to heal the distress of others’ souls – having known them intimately.

Indeed, the Tao Te Ching [XLVII] states:

‘Without stepping outside the door, know the world; without looking out the window, perceive the Way of Heaven. The further you go, the less you know. For this reason, the sage does not go about and yet knows, does not see and yet discerns, does not act and yet completes.’

Only from the Source of being does a life of salvation spring forth. (It would be harmful to put the cart before the horse).

Are we a sign of dedication and people reaching out? Without forming a sect, after a sound formation, inclusive of opposites: integrating flaws, difficult moments, and insight into one’s own states of mind.

 

Not to distinguish the moment of the Call from that of the Sending.

The Way of Heaven is intertwined with the Way of the Person, not of excellence; not of models – or we shall be overworked ‘fishermen’.

The Kingdom has drawn near and by Name, from the very beginning (vv.2-4): there is no authentic and healing Mission more incisive.

 

 

To internalise and live the message:

 

In your experience, what chain has united Heaven and earth?

The list and the neurotic effort to correct transgressions, or a personal Calling, inclusive of the many facets of your soul – a Vocation sustained by a Church that has become an echo and a free Source of all-encompassing understanding?

 

 

The Proclamation of Peace: the Free Gift before any interest

 

‘Go and preach, saying [that] the kingdom of heaven is at hand’ (v.7)

(Mt 10:7–15)

 

    To the friends who proclaim it, Jesus recommends not carrying a bag or money, so as to distinguish themselves from customs and contexts (and to instil the poison of fear). 

The eloquent gesture of ‘Peace’ by the faithful in Christ is not to fill empty vessels, but to help others discover God already Present in those to whom they turn, without preconceptions.

An understanding of woman and man in themselves, in their ‘limitation’ – the divine seed within them – which becomes an impulse to open up.

For a consideration of the human condition that does not start from ‘ideals’, but from reality; that does not proceed from disembodied (and elsewhere) ‘values’ but from the concrete reality.

Compared to other movements seeking a new way of living and coexisting – Pharisees, Essenes, John the Baptist – the believer must not be prejudiced.

By trusting both in the hospitality and in the food of others (all ritually pure), the friend of the Lord broadens the expression of the First Covenant.

Welcoming the needy comes before obligations. It allows one to become human. It lifts the burdens. It does not make ‘guilt’ the measure of life.

The Kingdom is ‘near’. It conveys a sense of adequacy, not of reproach. It starts from conscience, not from error.

 

The small communities of Galilee and Syria to which Matthew directs his message are modest realities – within the reach of ordinary people.

The ‘conversion’ they can propose has no definitive measure.

It gives everyone (including those who proclaim it) permission to make mistakes and fall, without any further shame at their state of need.

Thus, the actions of men and women of Faith inspire a renewed perspective, for they bear witness to closeness and freedom – not to the observance of obsessive, artificial, unnatural obligations.

 

In the small gatherings of the early days and in their selfless action, God himself was made present. Without pyramids or a heap of recriminations.

For a new earth, animated by a new Heaven: that of the Beatitudes which restore torn relationships, and reintegrate into community life precisely those who are imperfect, previously excluded in the name of God.

The Kingdom – a seed of reality in its infancy – would, thanks to the spirit of Gift, transform the world by reconciling opposites.

Proposing the alternative of an unexpected face of the Eternal Lover, but also of the successful man, and of society.

 

What, then, is the driving force behind inclusion? How is Peace conveyed, when so many admit, broken-hearted and disappointed: ‘I have no peace’? It is impossible through mere effort.

Before the eyes of the first protagonists of evangelisation, the solution sprang from a spontaneous development.

Even today, boundless kindness arises simply from recognising the great, absolute privilege of being approved by the Creator Father, precisely because we are ourselves; unique.

[‘The trial for crimes is underway, but what does the jury think? Who are the jurors? Who is the deputy attorney general of humanity?’ (Djibril Tamsir Niane)].

Only by grasping the profound connection between the dignity of the Call, the desire for a life of fulfilment, and personal identity and character, will we proclaim the ‘Gratis’ we have received, showing trust in people.

 

A sign of integration will also be not moving from house to house: from a makeshift first accommodation to a flat, then a small house, and finally a mansion (which will absorb all one’s energy).

The missionary and the authentic Church are critical signs in relation to the culture of accumulation – a shame still unspoken and widely spread in the petty gerontocracy – which certainly does not reveal a model of coexistence and appreciation of profound goods.

A passion for another Kingdom above all other interests will be an entirely inner fruit: a recognition of preferences ‘by Name’, the fruit of unique, non-external riches.

Fidelity to a Heaven not to be conquered, but which already dwells within.

 

 

To internalise and live the message:

 

In which of Jesus’ teachings do you recognise yourself? How do you entrust yourself to Providence?

What is your selfless sign that reflects a great extra step?

 

 

‘When the weaver lifts one foot, the other comes down. When the movement ceases and one of the feet stops, the fabric is no longer made. His hands throw the shuttle, which passes from one to the other; but no hand can hope to hold it. Like the weaver’s gestures, it is the union of opposites that weaves our life’ (African Fulani oral tradition).

 

“We are utterly lost if we lose this particular individuality, the only thing we can truly call our own – and whose loss is also a loss for the whole world. It is most precious precisely because it is not universal” (Rabindranath Tagore).

 

“Truth is not at all what I have. It is not at all what you have. It is what unites us in suffering, in joy. It is the child of our Union, born of pain and pleasure. Neither I nor You. Yet I and You. Our shared work, a constant wonder. Its name is Wisdom” (Irénée Guilane Dioh).

 

“The bewilderment and loss of all certainty and refuge is both a kind of trial and a kind of healing” (Pema Chödrön).

 

‘When we suffer a grave disappointment, we never know if it is the conclusion of the story we are living: it could also be the beginning of a great adventure’ (Pema Chödrön).

 

‘To grow means to transcend who you are today. Do not imitate. Do not presume you have reached your goal, and do not try to rush things. Simply strive to grow’ (Svami Prajnanapada) .

 

‘True morality does not consist in following the beaten track, but in finding the path that is right for us and following it without fear’ (Gandhi).

 

‘Truth lies in every human heart, and that is where we must seek it; we must let ourselves be guided by the truth as each of us sees it. But no one has the right to force others to act according to their own vision of the truth’ (Gandhi).

 

‘You must stand up to the whole world even if it means remaining alone. You must look the world in the eye, even if it may happen that the world looks at you with bloodshot eyes. Do not fear. Believe in that little thing within you that resides in the heart and says: abandon friends, wife, everything; but bear witness to that for which you have lived and for which you must die’ (Gandhi).

 

“In Benin, if you see a water jar placed under a tree in front of a house, know that it is for you, a passing stranger; there is no need to knock on the door to ask for a drink, simply open the jar, take the gourd, drink the water and continue on your way if there is no one there” (Raymond Johnson).

 

“We must learn to let go of our defences and our need to control, and trust completely in the guidance of the spirit” (Sobonfu Somé).

 

“Observing and listening are a great art. From observing and listening we learn infinitely more than from books. Books are necessary, but observing and listening sharpen your senses” (Krishnamurti).

 

“Fire is linked to the Dream, to maintaining our connection with ourselves and with our ancestors, and to the art of keeping our visions alive” (Griot of Central Africa).

 

“As in life, opposites coexist everywhere: in social organisation and in emotional life, in interactions between individuals. To live and realise the contradiction, that is the essential’ (Alassane Ndaw).

 

‘The trial for crimes is underway, but what does the jury think? Who are the jurors? Who is the deputy attorney-general for humanity?’ (Djibril Tamsir Niane).

 

“Man must take responsibility for the bonds, visible and invisible, which together give meaning to life” (Aminata Traoré).

“Bringing the spirit of other people into our lives gives us more eyes to see and allows us to transcend our own limits” (Sobonfu Somé).

 

‘In the forest, when the branches quarrel, the roots embrace’ (African Proverb).

 

Indeed, even in a relationship of deep love and coexistence, ‘there is a need to free oneself from the obligation to be equal’ (Amoris Laetitia, n.139).

 

“The waves rise each to its own height, as if ceaselessly competing with one another, but they reach only as far as a certain point; in this way they lead our mind to the great calm of the sea, of which they too are a part and to which they must return with a rhythm of marvellous beauty” (Rabindranath Tagore).

 

 

To internalise and live out the message:

 

What Gospel do you feel called to write with your life?