(Mt 8:28-34)

 

After the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, the only schools of Judaism that survived were those of the Pharisees and the Jewish Christians.

Both had maintained that the coming of the Messiah had nothing to do with direct political struggle against the Romans.

This was despite their opposition to the unsustainable ideology of power, oppression and exploitation of the humble.

However, while the Pharisees were reorganising and gradually beginning to dominate the Jewish community that wanted to rebuild itself, in the mid-70s, the communities of Mt. were living under oppression in Syria and Galilee.

All this took place in the marginalisation of the empire and the rejection of their co-religionists [who considered them traitors to their roots].

 

In this passage of the Gospel, the evangelist wants to encourage and motivate the members of the church.

Matthew emphasises the 'power' of Jesus' life, who manifests himself as Lord even in difficult territories, ages and times.

In an unclean and deathly place ('tombs'), precisely among the unclean 'pigs', i.e. those most separated from God [probably an image-epithet of some Roman legions: Mk 5:9], the Lord exercises an internal regenerating force.

The background scenario is a figure of 'baptismal immersion' and its outcomes, which are also critical from a family and social point of view.

In short: those who have not yet encountered Jesus proceed haphazardly, they are 'furious' (v. 28); without criteria or goal.

The only constant that unites these souls is that they frighten others: they live in a savage, disordered, pre-human situation, impeded in themselves and a hindrance to everyone (v. 28).

But this seemed normal (v. 29)...

 

The turning point is the new Presence: suddenly, evil crumbles completely, revealing its emptiness - unexpectedly devoid of any solidity.

A disproportion arises: between what seemed frightening and invincible, and the nothingness that appearances were masking (v. 31).

The ideology of domination seemed to everyone to be something extraordinary; suddenly it disintegrates.

Faced with the true Power of Life, the two spontaneously convert and ask for Baptism: a gesture of immersion in the waves of primordial chaos, to drown (v. 32) their self-destructive spirits.

 

In short: Christ and his vital energy are always visiting our territory, whatever it may be.

With Him, we can recover; we are not marked for life.

And there is no need for exhausting climbs or progressions, long and unsustainable trials: everything can happen in an instant.

But autonomy frightens an inert, consolidated, habitual society - alerted by the guardians of the ancient world (v.33).

For some, it is better to be sheep and carve out their usual little securities [even though they do not feel welcomed by God, nor totally alive] than to take on the burden of managing the new Freedom.

The ancient 'onions of Egypt' seem more succulent: chosen out of an atavistic fear of a new life.

It is like saying: better a religion that subjugates us and feeds our fears and anxieties than the spirit of enterprise and risk in Faith.

An unpredictable existence, which would otherwise put us back in the game, which would draw on the strength of life itself and the regenerated autonomy of people in Christ.

On the other hand, many prefer to hold on to their little demons, and so they expel Him as undesirable (v. 34).

 

The Gospels insist on describing the victory of believers over the forces of evil and death.

At the time of Matthew, these were the backbone of Eastern mystery beliefs [which were spreading].

This is to encourage us to overcome the swamp of addiction and the satanic uncertainties instilled by religions that fill hearts with empty spirituality.

And to continue on the good path that finally does not alienate simple people, nor subjugates society and the world - still today here and there inoculated with unfounded terrors and punishments.

 

 

To internalise and live the message:

 

Even gently, how many times have you prayed to Jesus to stay away from your territory?

Have you already become accustomed to Him, or do you feel yourself being activated?

From what alienating power has faith in Christ saved you?

What amazing example do you have to offer?

 

 

Jesus and his disciples reached the other side

 

In all religions, man is invited to bind himself to divine approval in order to receive light and strength, submitting himself to His authority.

The dilemma of the Roman assemblies - reflected here - is whether to close or, conversely, open the circuit of the sacred.

And whether to personalise, or retreat and repeat.

The passage from Mark associates the icons of the sea, the cemetery, the wandering demoniac, and the Roman legions.

The perspective is that of our baptismal purification in Christ, which drowns impurity and the seeds of death.

 

In Semitic literature, the image of the 'sea' alludes to disorderly forces, aimless and not in accordance with God's plan for man.

Powers that generate chaos in our existence.'Cemetery' is the bitter panorama of a world that loses the foundation of its being and becoming.

A circle assiduously forced to grope around... to solve problems and not lose the vital wave forever.

The 'pig' is a figure of that kind of irremediable contamination [symbol of paganism] that prevented human beings from relating to God - and feeling His welcome.

'Legion' is the name of every power (here religious, political and military) that stifled the yearning for happiness, producing confusion, marginalisation and inner division.

It was the milieu and determining factor of processes that worsened the very conditions of poverty.

 

The imperial ideology was threatening and destructive. It played on people's fears in order to subjugate their consciences.

This was the situation of the people - crumbling inside - before the arrival of Jesus.

The legions then ideologically manipulated popular beliefs about demons in order to shatter individual personalities and accentuate the submissiveness of the already oppressed masses.

 

Conversely, in the experience of the victory of life over death, the early Christian communities experienced a breath of faith and a return to themselves, like a therapy for the soul.

They lived a kind of disproportion and self-control, despite their defeats in preaching.

The ancient assembly that had once abhorred contamination began to open the doors of the purist ghetto, making everyone participants.

The church detached itself from the common beliefs in the capital of the empire, which conveyed perverse competition and a sense of mortifying subjugation to the weak - a lack of autonomy and conscience.

Of course, the first heralds immediately realised that the new sense of freedom produced a double feeling: the oppressed man does not always want to be freed from his alienation and torments.

 

Jesus fascinates and disconcerts. He breaks down insubstantial bonds and common idols.

His message is decisive and beneficial, but it forces us to disrupt habits, goals, and all forms of closure.

 

 

God is not a ticket inspector

(Mk 5:18-20)

 

We are called to a more intense enjoyment of existence and to a new "Witness".

The latter does not involve effort, sacrifice or facile moralism.

The Lord does not want us to mix with the sick officialdom of those who crowd around him, but rather to follow our own path.

Jesus' invitation (Mk 5:19) is astonishing.

Ideological demons mortify the being and must be cast out, even if the devout masses are satisfied with them.

Perhaps people have become accustomed to welcoming them into the environment they love, and now consider them part of the indispensable landscape (Mk 5:1-17).

Here, then, is the adventure of Faith - based on one's own experience of God.

In this way, the baptismal proclamation has the 'task' of broadening horizons and expanding communication between Heaven and earth.

This starts with the extraordinary nature of the person. For the joy of all.

 

The Prophet disturbs the ancient balance because he does not adapt to a quiet life.

He goes against the tide... out of a need for an inner fire, which he feels like a burning bush that cannot be extinguished.

He does not seek the opinion of others, but the ever-fresh and crystal-clear water of the Source in action.

The innate paradigm that lies within the Call gives him a vision of a path, an instinct to move forward. Even the essential equipment.

An impulse of life - or exodus - that enables us to set out towards that destination, which is absolute because it is unrepeatable.

The natural interface of the journey lies in the deep identity of each individual.

 

Its extraordinary, incomparable and unusual uniqueness manifests itself in privileged emotional inclinations - and in personal eccentricities - often already detectable at an early age.

Vocation reveals itself to the soul in a burning desire and through a real image [unique to each person, even if dreamlike but lasting] perceptible to the inner eye, which periodically peeps out.

It may be a glimpse of a future situation - not only individually unique and singular (or something else).

It possesses the authentic perfection of character, even relational, of the divine condition. But with its own point of view - albeit communal and joyful - which echoes perseveringly and accompanies the path to be followed.

 

Interacting with the surrounding environment and also by contrast, each root will bear its fruit.

But any distraction from one's own character will become a tiring labyrinth...

Normally, a struggle arises between the individual divine spark and the restriction of the accustomed environment, already endowed with its own twisted expertise.

Consequently, the difficulty of continuing the journey is guaranteed by that hidden icon that is our real and ideal capacity.

This is much more important than the reassurances offered by prevailing knowledge - in situ - or skill and discipline.

Self-realisation will rhyme with trust, but in contrast to the ancient meaning.In fact, in order to achieve one's aspirations, one does not need to improve by imitating 'right' models and becoming skilled, or by imposing greater efforts on oneself.

 

As Pope Francis reiterated: 'God is not a ticket inspector'.

To make your dreams come true, you don't have to fixate, obey external voices, or sweat.

Rather, we must let ourselves go to our innate nature, to our quintessence: there lies the secret of our happiness.

Here, even through partial attempts and momentary errors that recalibrate, everyone finds their own path and fulfils themselves. They do not remain at the starting blocks forever, nor do they feel inferior to their more accomplished friends.

They have gained the confidence of knowing how to please themselves and the Father.

Because they produce attractive effects, their spontaneous beauty also involves others.

And it is this beauty that has found a way to throw off so much ballast: the old artificial posturing, with useless and static things.

By turning a corner... we reconnect with the ancient energy of exceptional inclination - even in our infirmities.

 

In the pious life, in order to grow, one must normally submit to a prescribed task and, if one really wants to excel, exhaust oneself in rigid procedures that have already been followed by others.

In this way, one can hope to have a religious 'career', even a spiritually athletic or catwalk one, co-opted into the upper echelons of good manners.

The soul that runs on the track of its completeness, on the other hand, removes the swampy mentality (which discourages the unusual) and heads towards a new birth and childhood.

A genesis and development that reawaken our interests, or our 'obsession', and allow us to spread our wings of vivacity. A wave that belongs to us.

 

An astonishing example.

 

 

To internalise and live the message:

 

From what alienating power has faith in Christ saved you?

Returning to yourself or something else? What matters to you in the community? The healing of dissipated humanity or the usual bond - insubstantial and destined to collapse - with common idols?

 

 

Faith, caricatures and a different way of following

Mk 5:18-20 [Lk 9:57-62]

 

For Semites, parental figures indicate a bond with ethnicity, tradition, the past and the cultural environment.

Jesus seems to exclude any correlation with such figures, even though he addresses his own in an exclusive and singular way.

He never speaks of fathers, but of the Father - who is not a repeater.

He therefore imposes on everyone a horizontal break with customs that could delay or condition his Call, the profound discovery of the meaning of events, the emergence of a new mentality, the Sequela.

He diversifies Vocations, to make each person understand the intimate character, by Name, of the relationship of Covenant in Faith - which does not depersonalise as in religions.

Symbiosis with the surrounding mentality or intellectual knowledge itself can paradoxically obscure the very intelligence of the unique inclinations that manifest the incomparable signature of the Creator in our innermost being.

The authentic Call captures women and men in an exclusive and penetrating way, in the uniqueness of their experience. What kind of Covenant and Mission would it be otherwise?

Sometimes the best thing to do for oneself and for others is to cut the umbilical cord and distance oneself from the expectations of those one usually associates with.

This decision is essential in order to seek the meaning of the Spirit, which is only personal Love - and becomes true Passion.

Here, the inner state of individuation and independence must be very present in the soul.

By frequenting the same conformist environments, we identify with people and situations: this blocks the centre of our expectations and dreams. The doors to other worlds, to another realm, do not open.

The personality wants its space of autonomy, because life in its fullness is experiencing a fresh cascade of rebirths in Christ - celebrating together, but standing on one's own two feet.

Impossible for our nature... but the Source of being leads us like a skilled director, always from novelty to novelty. And his profound Wisdom will make us dance - even if we have never learned to dance in style.

What kind of life of faith would it be that seeks to stem the waves of the open sea so that we can always remain in the familiar, reassuring harbour?

Leaning on family, friends, habitual opinions, the clubhouse or the beach of the movement [in short, wanting to be like everyone else in order to gain immediate approval] does not allow us to experience new genesis.

Jesus is peremptory, because the choice is decisive.

Those who keep their heads down or look backwards – or engage in confrontation – cannot experience the adventure of faith; they do not live, but drag the religion of the dead behind them.

Those who live only in the future and have no sense of reality experience illusions. But those who remain in the past or with models live with skeletons (not only in the closet) and do not perceive the meaning of change.

They easily become obsessed or brood, turning things into chronic conditions. Meanwhile, new stimuli could introduce them to a chain of unexpected leaps.

This is why insistent family and cultural ties can take away the intensity or character of the Call by Name.

They encroach on the necessary space, invaded by too many 'Yes, sir's' - which do not belong to us and we do not want. They only block the mechanisms that lie dormant.

In the passionate exodus with Jesus, the pleasure of the Vocation cannot allow the inclinations of others [and those who conform] to spill over, pervade and occupy our personal world and time.

In order to listen to and make our own the Call to Mission, we need to build a sphere of the Self that is eminent, unassailable, friendly and protected, whose pace and horizons we will learn to follow over time.

This identifying sphere, whose boundaries are protected from interference, will help us in the Dialogue of prayer. It will also ward off the danger of being absorbed by the common, impersonal, accommodating mentality.

The defence of this intimacy, dense with the Unpublished and non-institutional, becomes the driving force and determination of our committed life, which does not back down.

Over time, this Nest will teach us to express the quality of relationships in a genuine way, rather than in a conventional way, even if we completely disagree with the prevailing external mentality, which is powerful if it is trivial.

Those who choose otherwise will sooner or later have to compensate for the cut (of themselves) with gratifications of various kinds, which will distance them from their own face and from the ideal that intimately corresponds to them.

[Even a dreamy, saintly wickedness can serve to rediscover the intimate core of a person, the sacredness of each individual].

We are not called to conform to a neutral do-goodism that only wants to please on the outside, perhaps because it is afraid of being excluded from the circle or judged badly - even the opposite.

Behind the main lines of each person's personality lies a Pearl, which, in order to make a significant contribution according to the Lord's plan, must reveal its own unique nuances.

Especially in our spousal relationship with God, we must not adapt to roles that do not belong to us.

Over time, compromise becomes a habit that causes us to lose our natural tendencies: these tendencies contain the chromosomes of our vocation.

The realisation of our unique missionary calling does not happen according to a character or established and widespread principles – conciliatory and successful – nor because it goes hand in hand with the whole world of veterans [or those who are 'à la page'].

Contrary to adapting and letting ourselves be influenced by irenicism, at a certain point we deviate to follow the inner Friend who knows where to lead us and does not know the act of always agreeing.

Otherwise, having lost the energy-Person and the goal that lead us to our destination, Uniqueness fades in the mediations that hold us hostage - behind events, lines of thought and roles that have now faded away.

Finally, we lose sight of our own founding Eros, which wanted to move our desires, our way of knowing the world and our activities.

[The result: a now blurred Core, a Source that recycles and no longer gushes as before, dispersed in a thousand rivulets of transformation - astute shortcuts for a career without ups and downs].

Hence the great dances on nothing: that of missed dangers - staged as quiet compensation by those whom Christ would call 'empty shells' ['doers of vain things': Lk 13:27 original text].

Not infrequently, it is precisely the caste or herd objectives linked to tribal and sectarian thinking that consolidate - they take over the specific weight and intimacy of values, replaced by facile and conformist slogans or adultoids that plagiarise existence.

Every missionary knows that entrusting one's life to serious and quiet opinions, reassuring initiatives or textbook choices does not bear fruit; on the contrary, it becomes counterproductive.

Concordism seems like an attractive refuge, but it only becomes a den of flattery.

 

According to Chinese thought, in order to acquire polish and escape a polluted and worn-out servility, the saints 'learn from animals the art of avoiding the harmful effects of domestication that life in society imposes'.

In fact: 'Domestic animals die prematurely. And so do men, whom social conventions forbid to obey spontaneously the rhythm of universal life'.

'These conventions impose continuous, self-interested, exhausting activity [whereas it is appropriate] to alternate periods of slow life and exultation'.

"The saint does not submit to retreat or fasting except in order to reach, through ecstasy, escape through long journeys. This liberation is prepared by invigorating games, which nature teaches."

"One trains for paradise by imitating the pleasures of animals. To become holy, one must first become brutalised – that is, learn from children, animals and plants the simple and joyful art of living only for the sake of life."

[M. Granet, Il Pensiero Cinese (Chinese Thought), Adelphi 2019, Kindle pp. 6904-6909].The suggestion of the past to be perpetuated, the bond of narrow judgements and the ties of the circle can rob us of hidden riches, stealing the present and the future: this is the real mistake to avoid!

What matters is not restoring the situation, copying the ancients or the acclaimed and powerful, identifying with them in order to remain quiet and not make mistakes, but rather renewing ourselves in order to evolve, grow, expand and amaze. 

Otherwise, our clumsy problems will always be the same and there will be no exuberant Path or Promised Land, but only a vicious circle of regrets or false reassurances.

To live the Faith of the real moment - without giving up and putting things in order - we cannot be schoolchildren repeating the place or fashions, the time or the day before.