XXI Sunday in Ordinary Time (year C)  [24 August 2025]

May God bless us and the Virgin protect us. It is useful in these times to reread these biblical texts in light of what is happening in the Middle East.

*First Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (66:18-21)

The prophets speak in the name of God, and their listeners know this well, but when they want to emphasise the importance of their statements, they remind them that these are the very words of the Lord, and therefore something very important. In this passage, there are at least two great announcements: the universal dimension of God's plan, 'I will come to gather', and the role of the small remnant of believers, 'the survivors', those who have escaped and who, amid general discouragement, preserve their faith.  While the first Isaiah or Micah (8th century BC) announced only the salvation of the 'little remnant of Israel', during and after the exile (6th century) Israel discovered the universal dimension of God's plan and learned to consider its election not as an exclusive privilege but as a vocation. This is a new discourse because it highlights the missionary role that God entrusts to Israel in the service of all humanity, the universal dimension of God's plan: "I will gather all nations and all languages" and even more surprising: "they will come and see my glory" (v. 18). The term glory indicates the splendour of God's presence (literally in Hebrew 'weight'). God does not need us to glorify him; rather, it is we who become happy when we live in a covenant of love with him. "They will see my glory" means recognising Him as the only God, freeing humanity from all forms of idolatry. And the text continues: "I will send their survivors to the farthest nations... these messengers will proclaim my glory among the nations... they will bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the Lord... to my holy one in Jerusalem" (v. 20). Here is the fulfilment of the vocation of the chosen people: to be a light to the nations, so that salvation may reach to the ends of the earth (cf. Is 49:6). This is also the vocation of the Church, the people of God called to bear witness to the truth of God in the world, even if it does not replace Israel: to proclaim the glory of God to all peoples, to bear witness to the Gospel that enlightens life: 'I will put my sign upon them' (v. 19), and in this light we understand what Jesus will say: 'When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself' (Jn 12:32). The last sentence is a third important announcement: not only will the peoples draw near to the Lord, but 'I will take priests and Levites from among them' (v. 21), which means that the usual conditions for the priesthood will no longer be required and every human being can draw near to the living God. We can understand why, a few verses before this Sunday's reading, Isaiah invited all those who love Jerusalem to rejoice because the Lord will make "peace flow towards it like a river, and the glory of the nations like a torrent" (Isaiah 66:10-12).

Some notes *St Augustine writes: 'Who would be so foolish as to believe that God needs the sacrifices offered to him? The worship given to God benefits man and not God. It is not the source that benefits us if we drink from it, nor the light if we see it' (The City of God, X, 5-6).

*In Third Isaiah (the prophet after the exile), we find the theology of the "saving remnant," of which we read a trace in Psalm 39/40: "Many will see and fear and trust in the Lord" (Ps 39/40:4), which can be compared to the announcement we find here in Isaiah (vv. 20-21). 

*In the Bible, nations are not always spoken of in a positive way, and the term is sometimes loaded with decidedly negative meanings: The book of Deuteronomy, for example, speaks of the "abominations of the nations" (18:9-12) because of their religious practices in general and human sacrifices in particular. In biblical pedagogy, the chosen people are guided to remain faithful to God, to discover the face of the one God, avoiding all contact with nations at risk of idolatrous contagion. This positive vision is already present in Abraham: "All the families of the earth shall be blessed in you" (Genesis 12:3). With firmer faith, Israel will discover the universalism of God's plan, gradually understanding that it is the older brother, not the only child, with the role of opening the way to its God for all humanity: if God is the only true God, he is the God of all.

Responsorial Psalm 116/117

This psalm is shorter than the psalter and could be summed up in a single word: Alleluia, the last word of the psalm, but also the first, since Praise the Lord (v. 1) is equivalent to Alleluia: 'Allelu' is an imperative: Praise, and 'Ia' is the first syllable of God's name. The purpose of the entire psalter, which means 'Praises' (in Hebrew Tehillim), derives from the same root as Alleluia. Here is the rabbis' commentary on Alleluia: 'God has led us from slavery to freedom, from sadness to joy, from mourning to celebration, from darkness to splendour, from slavery to redemption. For this reason, we sing Alleluia before him." "God has led us from slavery to freedom": this is what God has done for his people, but it is also God's plan for all humanity. The salvation of his people is the beginning and promise of what God will do for all humanity when he announced to Abraham: "All the families of the earth will be blessed in you" (Gen 12:3). Solomon had already dreamed of this: 'All the peoples of the earth will recognise your name and worship you, as your people Israel do' (1 Kings 8:41-43; cf. the first reading). Hence the structure of this psalm, which is very simple but evocative: 'Praise God' (v. 1); "For he has shown his love" (v. 2). Looking more closely, we read: "Praise God, all you nations" (v. 1); For his work on behalf of his people: "For he has shown his love for us". Here the "for" is very important: when the nations see what God has done for us, they will believe. In other words, because God has proven himself by saving his people, other nations will be able to believe in him. The same reasoning is found in Psalm 39/40 (20th Sunday of the year C) where the psalmist says: "God has brought me out of the pit of death... seeing this, many will fear and put their trust in the Lord" (Ps 39/40:4). Similarly, Psalm 125/126 sings of the exile in Babylon: "Then it was said among the nations, 'The Lord has done great things for them'" (Ps 125/126:2). This idea is found several times in the prophets: when the people are in misfortune, other nations may doubt God's power. It is in this sense that Ezekiel dares to say that the exile in Babylon is a disgrace to God and even goes so far as to say that the exile of God's people "desecrated" God's name, while liberation, on the contrary, will be proof of his liberating power before all. This leads him to proclaim, in the midst of the Babylonian exile: "I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned among them; then the nations shall know that I am the Lord... when I have shown my holiness in you before their eyes" (Ezekiel 36:23; 36:36). Recognising God's Name in biblical language means discovering the God of tenderness and faithfulness revealed to Moses (Ex 34:6): tenderness and faithfulness that Israel has experienced throughout its history. This is the meaning of the second verse of the psalm: "His love for us is strong, and the Lord's faithfulness endures forever."  One final observation: this psalm is part of the Hallel (from Psalm 112/113 to 117/118) and occupies a special place in the liturgy of Israel because it is recited after the Passover meal. Jesus himself sang it on Holy Thursday evening, and the Gospels of Matthew and Mark echo it (cf. Mt 26:30; Mk 14:26). We too can repeat: "He has shown his love for us" by listening to Jesus: "No one has greater love than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends" (Jn 15:13) and "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but have eternal life" (Jn 3:16).

Second Reading from the Letter to the Hebrews (12:5-7, 11-13)

The recipients of the Letter to the Hebrews, Christians going through a period of severe persecution, have already suffered greatly for their faith, as is clear in chapter 10:32-34. To console them and instil courage, the author tells them not to forget the exhortation addressed to them and delves into the Old Testament, taking up what the prophet Isaiah said to his compatriots exiled in Babylon: "Strengthen your limp hands and your weak knees" (v. 12). He speaks to them as if they too were living in exile and addresses the problem of suffering not to justify or explain it, but to give it meaning. He calls for perseverance, an indispensable virtue in times of trial when God, like a Father, shows his love even in seemingly absurd ways. The dominant image is therefore that of the pedagogical father of God present in the wisdom literature of the Bible, where suffering can become a journey, a test of the believer's faith, who knows that, whatever happens, God is silent, but is neither deaf nor indifferent. On the contrary, like a father, he accompanies us on this difficult path and helps us to emerge stronger from every evil. What you endure is therefore a 'correction' with references to the book of Proverbs: 'Do not despise the Lord's discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, for the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father disciplines the child he delights in' (Pr 3:11-12). This theme was familiar to the early Christians, who knew well the book of Deuteronomy, which compared God to a teacher who accompanies the growth of those he educates (cf. Dt 8:2-5). Lived in trust in God, suffering can become an opportunity to bear witness to the hope and inner peace that the Spirit gives. Suffering can thus become a school in which we learn to live in the Spirit everything that happens because, as St. Paul writes, tribulation produces perseverance, perseverance a proven virtue, and proven virtue the hope that does not disappoint thanks to the love poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (cf. Rom 5:3-4). Suffering is therefore part of the human condition: even in such a situation, God entrusts us with the honour and responsibility of bearing witness to the faith, and if persecution is part of the journey of life, it is not because God wants it, but for reasons linked to human behaviour. When Jesus said that it was necessary for the Son of Man to suffer, he was not speaking of a demand from God, but of the sad reality of human opposition. St. Paul, addressing the early communities in Asia Minor, which were also persecuted, reminded them that we must enter the Kingdom of God through many tribulations (cf. Acts 14:22).

From the Gospel according to Luke (13:22-30)

Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem and, visibly, does not miss an opportunity to teach, but what he says is not always what one would expect. Here, for example, someone asks a question concerning salvation, and he does not answer directly: 'Lord, are there few who are saved?' (v. 23). The answer does not concern who will be saved, as if there were those who were chosen and those who were excluded in advance, but what is the condition for entering the kingdom: to pass through the door! "Strive to enter through the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able to" (v. 24). The image of the narrow gate is evocative and eloquent: someone who is excessively obese or laden with bulky packages cannot pass through a narrow gate unless they undergo a drastic weight-loss programme or decide to abandon all their baggage. The text that follows allows us to understand what spiritual obesity is and what baggage prevents us from passing through.  Knocking at the door, they will say, 'We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets' (vv. 25-26). Here Jesus denounces the self-assurance of his interlocutors, who are convinced that, simply because they were born of the chosen people, they are entitled to salvation and that the door will open for them. Jesus, however, points out that the door is the same for everyone, so why will they not be able to pass through it? Indeed, the master will specify: "I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you who practise lawlessness' (v. 27). It is true that Jesus is one of them, that he ate and drank with them and taught among them; it is true that their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the prophets are in the Kingdom of God, but all this does not give them any rights. Spiritual obesity and burdensome weights are their certainties: they do not welcome the kingdom of God as a gift, convinced that they have rights. Then the last sentence becomes clear: 'there are those who are last who will be first, and there are those who are first who will be last' (v. 30). The first in God's plan, as St Paul says, are the children of Israel, to whom belong adoption, glory, the covenants, the Law, worship, the promises, the patriarchs, and it is from them that Christ was born. (cf. Rom 9:4-5). The Jewish people are the people of the Covenant by God's sovereign choice, as we read in Deuteronomy: 'The Lord did not set his heart on any nation but your own, to be his people, as he promised to your ancestors and as he promised to you, because you were the people who were a stony ground and a dry rock, where no one lived, and he brought you out of the desert to give you a good land, a land flowing with milk and honey' (Deut 10:15). And with good reason, the people of Israel were happy and proud to be chosen by God, as it is said in Psalm 32/33: "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. Blessed are the people he has chosen as his inheritance... We wait for the Lord. He is our help and our shield. The joy of our hearts comes from him, and our trust is in his holy name." (Ps 32/33:12, 20-21). But, like every vocation, God's choice is a mission: the first ones invited to the kingdom had the task of bringing all humanity into it, as Isaiah reminded us several times (cf. Is 42:6; 49:5-6) so that salvation might be achieved for all. When Jesus speaks, they reject his teaching because it disturbs their certainties and their self-satisfaction, and when Jesus tells them to go away because they are doing evil, he does not mean evil actions, but refers to this closure of the heart. Shortly before, he had healed a sick woman in a synagogue on the Sabbath, and instead of rejoicing at her healing, they criticised the place and the time. This same spiritual obtuseness and selfish view of faith can mark our lives as Christians. By closing our hearts to Grace, we become blind and spiritually obese because, like some of Jesus' contemporaries who were closed in their certainties, we fail to recognise him and follow him as the Messiah. Pope Francis repeated that a closed heart does not hear the voice of God nor recognise the face of our brothers and sisters. Let us therefore accept the Lord's invitation to remove hardness from our hearts, so that we may receive the gift of a heart of flesh: only in this way will we be able to understand his will and proclaim his Gospel with joy.

+ Giovanni D'Ercole

Narrow door: not because oppressive

(Lk 13:22-30)

The meaning of the first question is: «Is Salvation exclusive?» (v.23). Of course not - and not even despotic. But it’s not enough to declare oneself "Friends".

Half a century after the crucifixion of Jesus, the first signs of relaxation began to appear in the communities.

The privileged were already away from “home” [vv.25ss].

Their story warns against the illusion of feeling "elected". And it questions believers. How can we get on ourselves on the right path?

Occasion to understand if we are on the steps that really belong to us is the constant revision of the relationship with the "inadequate" Person of Christ [the «narrow Door»: v.24].

According to the Master, one doesn’t become "better" by following ostentatious habitual clichés, poorly convinced and fulfilled in routine.

In short, who works many things for God (v.26) and not for the brothers - nor even realizes that they exist - in reality does not honor the Father.

Those who do not "deflate", not only lack humility to become servants, but also do not cross the interstices of the walls in which the Spirit wedges.

However, we still wonder surprised how the Father can neglect his own intimates who have so much believed in Him, and even prefer those distant, coming from it’s not well known where.

Maybe they loved like Him. They didn’t have a "correct" relationship with God, but a right relationship with others, yes.

It’s in their hearts that they have come to know the Lord. Personally. And by transmigrating, they have accomplished their Exodus.

Moving directly to the goal, they were interested in the fruit: listening, compassion, generous sharing of goods - instead of the many leaves.

With the eyes of the soul, in these people completely devoid of spiritual presumption, the perception of the inner orientations has overcome the thoughts and the idols of the custom at hand.

They are those who have never considered themselves too great.

It applies for us: not feeling excellent and not having pretensions is by Christ evaluated much more than the papers in order.

He defines these as «makeers of vain things, doers of dead things» [Lk 13,27; the Greek text has a Semitic background of the kind: Ps 6,9 Hebrew text].

He refers to the ‘lukewarm’ people that go on by inertia and still participate in external manifestations with extreme superficiality.

They make number, but personally they do not set anything in motion. They didn’t pass through the «tight Door» which is Jesus himself.

Forcing him to say: «I do not know ‘from’ where you are» (vv.25-27).

True disciples participate in the Banquet without pretense: they have not fled the world, they have struggled (v. 24) to make themselves able to love. They have compromised themselves.

In this way were able to meet the deep states of themselves and accompany the eccentricities of others, recovering the opposites (v.30).

«Narrow Door»: not because oppressive.

[21st Sunday in O.T.  (year C),  August 24, 2025]

Luke 13:22-30 (18-30)

Modest beginnings, a Prodigy that does not stun

From within and in daily things

(Luke 13:18-21)

The two parables were told at a time of doubt about the Master's proposal and the mission of his followers. Could a small group of faithful people with no social connections say anything to the world?

Despite their commitment, women and men are tormented by all their old problems, feeling the weight of suffering and anguish: at first glance, everything seems the same as before, disconnected, chaotic, fragmented.

What meaning does the small hope of a few believers without any visible wealth have for the cultural and civic concert - now global - of today?

It seems that nothing changes in the reality of the cosmos... but the grain has been sown in the furrow of the earth. It seems that the human dough is the same as always, but a leaven is renewing it from within.

Jesus was like a seed planted in darkness, nothing sensational. He was thrown into the garden (v. 19 Greek text), where no spectacular crops are grown, but simple potatoes, lettuce, aubergines, cucumbers, tomatoes - normal things, nothing special.

However, the mustard seed has an incredible and intrinsic evolutionary power.

Of course, the moment of growth ends with a very simple little tree - a shrub like many others, exposed to the elements... yet capable of giving rest and shelter to anyone who passes by (v. 19).

This brings about the final miracle: 'a form of life with the flavour of the Gospel [...] that goes beyond the barriers of geography and space. Here [St. Francis] declares blessed those who love others as if they were close to them, even when they are far away'.

Although taken from expressions in the First Testament, in the passages described by Luke, the Gospel image of the birds of the sky illustrates 'the essence of an open fraternity, which allows us to recognise, appreciate and love every person beyond physical proximity, beyond the place in the world where they were born or where they live' (cf. encyclical Fratelli Tutti, n. 1). 

The experience of the Saint of Assisi, with his "heart without boundaries, capable of going beyond distances," introduces us to a logic of dialogue that avoids "every form of aggression or contention and even of living a humble and fraternal submission" - without ever imposing a "dialectical war" or "doctrines" (FT, 3-4).

So it is enough to put a pinch of yeast in the dough to make it rise completely.

The yeast does not stand out, it is hidden: it disappears inside. And at that time everything was kept in a simple household cupboard.

As we deepen our life in the Spirit, we repeatedly realise that we have only seen part of it: there is still much (more) to discover, although we sense that it is within reach - in relation to the development of ordinary life.

Despite the megalomaniacs, the dimensions of the Kingdom of God, of the universe of the soul and of the Mission are not something that can be verified immediately and completely.

We must enter into a process that is personal and completely hidden - and therefore authentically spontaneous, convinced and open.

In fact, even 'when the work is done, to withdraw is the Way of Heaven' (Tao Tê Ching, ix).

On the horizon of every journey there is always a new plant, another genesis, a different flowering in the seasons; an unprecedented effervescence to be introduced into the ancient order already capitalised.

This splendour (and hidden vitality of the intuitive and missionary soul) does not belong to collective cultural rituals or peripheral duties.

Artificial passes make us prisoners of conditioning that dull our perception and dampen the mission for which we were born.

Indeed, leaving the herd that gives birth to the usual pale (and drug-addicted) interpretative models will be an opportunity to discover something new.

We will be amazed at our own intimate propulsive capacities - accompanied only by the Friend who sees in secret.

Seed and ferment work unbeknownst to us. Lack of spotlight, poverty, smallness... these are not obstacles to growth, but rather the conditions for it.

What seems like nothing becomes what Creation awaits: it is barely visible or not visible at all - but by giving it time, without forcing or rushing, it achieves evolution (cordial and domestic) that is not out of tune with God and the least among us.

The Church that is to come will not be intrusive: it will not demand adherence (under penalty of exclusion).

For this reason, the dynamism of growth will have an extraordinary outcome, but only from a human point of view and in terms of hospitality (v. 19), not in terms of grandiose splendour.

Devoid of sensational, striking and refined magnificence, the new divine Bride will be recognised in her attitude of fullness, because she will correspond to the plan of complete life that dwells in our hearts and which we mysteriously intuit as our own. We will understand: she will make everyone feel good.

The insecure will become decisive, the loser will be transformed by Grace into the wise. We will understand that welcoming the Word and responding to our personal vocation will not be terrifying, but regenerating.

Those who do not get caught up in themselves but shift their thoughts, stake everything, will bring out their essence.

We will understand that our being is already calibrated to innate, subtle, personally and socially corresponding patterns.

In the Spirit and in real life, we will discover the qualitative and special Magnificence that the most conformist and hasty, least dialogical or capable of listening, cannot even remotely imagine can excel.

To internalise and live the message:

What sensational cunning has attempted to destroy your land?

What conformism (even group conformism) has made you pale?

What subdued and measured Word spoken to you did not cause turmoil but regenerated your passion and expanded your life?

First, last. The recovery of opposites

Narrow Gate: not because it is oppressive

(Lk 13:22-30)

The meaning of the first question is: 'Is salvation exclusive?' (v. 23). Of course not - nor is it oppressive.

But it is not enough to declare oneself a 'friend' [here and there a mere proclamation, which has become a licence to lead a double life].

Half a century after Jesus' crucifixion, the first signs of relaxation, affectation and confusion began to appear in the communities.

In fact, it is precisely those who are distant, new and rejected by the veterans who show themselves to be believers who recognise the Lord more than the community's regulars (v. 25).

Some of them are now inauthentic practitioners of his Table and Word (v. 26).

How is it that Luke's indulgent Son ends up slamming the door in the face of his old devotees?

Because they have become fake mannerists, actors like those of the old religion, manipulators of the image of God of the Exodus.

They are now incapable [v. 24 Greek text] of orienting themselves according to the Father's plan, and despotic, only because they are clothed in long ritual practices. These are external stylistic features, fulfilled out of custom and to the detriment of a full life - that is, a life made available to one's brothers and sisters.

The privileged are already outside the House [vv. 25ff].

Their story warns against the illusion of feeling 'chosen' and being on the right path.

In short, we must avoid posing as (Christological) phenomena out of routine - cheaply - instead of serving humanisation.

An opportunity to understand whether we are truly on the right path is the constant review of our relationship with the 'inadequate' Person - Christ (the 'narrow gate': v. 24).

According to the Master, we do not become 'better' by following ostentatious, half-hearted and routine clichés.

Is there therefore a critical point in his clemency? What kind of inflexibility is this? Why is the distinction made within his circle?

Those who do many things for God (v. 26) and not for their brothers and sisters – or do not even notice that they exist – do not really honour the Father.

Those who do not 'deflate' themselves not only lack the humility to become servants, but they do not even pass through the cracks in the stone walls (or rubber walls, more diplomatic) in which the Spirit is wedged.

However, we still wonder with surprise how the Father can neglect his own who have believed so much in him, and even favour those who are far away, coming from who knows where.

Perhaps they loved as He did.

They spontaneously brought about that change of course and destiny that the Church as an institution [reflection of the Kingdom] has always been called to embody.

And how did they manage to find a way through?

They did not have a 'correct' relationship with God - probably - but they did have a right relationship with others.

It is in their hearts that they have come to know the Lord. Personally - even those who have never heard of Him directly. 

And by migrating, they have accomplished their Exodus.

Going straight to the goal, they have focused on the fruit: listening, compassion, generous sharing of goods - instead of the many leaves (of banners, rituals and formulas).

With the eyes of the soul, in these people completely devoid of spiritual arrogance, the perception of inner orientations won out over the thoughts and idols of custom within reach.

They are those who never considered themselves too great.

Not feeling excellent and not having pretensions is and will be valued much more than correct observance and the exact banner.

These are futile characteristics, even (!) - which the new Rabbi attributes precisely to the regulars who seem to have what it takes.

He calls them 'doers of vain things, doers of dead things' [Lk 13:27; the Greek text has a Semitic background of the kind found in Ps 6:9, Hebrew text].

He is referring to the lukewarm who go along out of inertia and still today participate in outward manifestations with extreme superficiality.

They form a body, but personally they set nothing in motion.

The Lord does not want to humiliate us, but to invite us to rethink the reasons and ways in which we follow him.

Receiving his Bread means accepting to become food for the life of the world.

Welcoming his Word is a gesture that denotes an ardent desire to live it, not a habit, nor a way to be appreciated and to slalom.

Yet Christ is forced to say, 'I do not know where you are from' (vv. 25-27).

Meanwhile, some who have never even known the Lord have mysteriously passed through the 'narrow gate' that is Jesus himself, without realising it.

They are free from the hypocrisy of considering themselves great apostles, or those who know how to live in the world.

Their secret is that of a convinced experience and a fraternal practice that has dispelled the spiritual deception of (theatrical) parentheses in society.

They did not participate in (sacred) catwalks only to spend their lives pointing fingers, mortifying and crippling the existence of everyone, especially the infirm.

They are people who have dedicated themselves to the good - and therefore have not drowned in the stale anguish of devout and moralistic local cultures. Perhaps they are stuck there for fear of contamination.

They are souls who have not lived under a cloak of morbid obsessions, typical of those who fixate on the behaviour of others [and cultivate it within themselves in an unexpressed way].

True disciples participate in the Banquet because they have not fled the world, they have struggled (v. 24) to make themselves capable of love.

They have compromised themselves with the vile limitations of their own and their brothers' existential peripheries.

They have dedicated their lives to social inclusion and the acceptance of feelings, to recognising everyone's legitimate desire for life.

They have uprooted themselves from the idea that religious belonging grants a licence of immunity (or even sacralisation) to lukewarmness.

With all their imperfections, they have desired Happiness, not the banal cheerfulness that covers the nothingness of choices.

They are already complete persons, who have also filled our existence, and for this reason they have 'entered' into the light of God.

They have had respect for their infallible Core and for the nature of the things of the world, which they call Communion.

If they were women and men of prayer, they listened to the voice of their own essence.

They knew how to welcome any initial state of mind (and intuition) as a guest of honour. They realised.

They perceived and expressed, not just thought and stifled.

And digging deeper, they asked themselves: what does this joy or sadness mean for me? Why do I feel calm or anxious?

In this way, they learned to encounter themselves in everything and to accompany the eccentricities of others, recovering their opposites (v. 30).

They were angels who remained in tune with the Mystery of God that lurks in the folds of personal history and the events of others, day by day, in the genius of the times.

They grasped God's secret because they did not overlook anything as if it were a deception, nor did they silence their anxieties.

The Lord's teaching transformed their existence: knowledge of God became compassion and empathy.

Thus, they did not mistake indifference for peace, opportunism for tranquillity, or the failure of the 'mixed races' for tranquillity.

They were not so presumptuous as to consider themselves entitled. They did not call the subordination of the least and the excluded victory.

'Narrow gate': not because it is oppressive.

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

Today's liturgy presents to us enlightening yet at the same time disconcerting words of Christ. 

On his last journey to Jerusalem someone asked him: "Lord, will those who are saved be few?" And Jesus answered: "Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able" (Lk 13: 23-24). 

What does this "narrow door" mean? Why do many not succeed in entering through it? Is it a way reserved for only a few of the chosen? 

Indeed, at close examination this way of reasoning by those who were conversing with Jesus is always timely: the temptation to interpret religious practice as a source of privileges or security is always lying in wait. 

Actually, Christ's message goes in exactly the opposite direction: everyone may enter life, but the door is "narrow" for all. We are not privileged. The passage to eternal life is open to all, but it is "narrow" because it is demanding: it requires commitment, self-denial and the mortification of one's selfishness. 

Once again, as on recent Sundays, the Gospel invites us to think about the future which awaits us and for which we must prepare during our earthly pilgrimage. 

Salvation, which Jesus brought with his death and Resurrection, is universal. He is the One Redeemer and invites everyone to the banquet of immortal life; but on one and the same condition: that of striving to follow and imitate him, taking up one's cross as he did, and devoting one's life to serving the brethren. This condition for entering heavenly life is consequently one and universal. 

In the Gospel, Jesus recalls further that it is not on the basis of presumed privileges that we will be judged but according to our actions. The "workers of iniquity" will find themselves shut out, whereas all who have done good and sought justice at the cost of sacrifices will be welcomed. 

Thus, it will not suffice to declare that we are "friends" of Christ, boasting of false merits: "We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets" (Lk 13: 26). 

True friendship with Jesus is expressed in the way of life: it is expressed with goodness of heart, with humility, meekness and mercy, love for justice and truth, a sincere and honest commitment to peace and reconciliation. 

We might say that this is the "identity card" that qualifies us as his real "friends"; this is the "passport" that will give us access to eternal life. 

Dear brothers and sisters, if we too want to pass through the narrow door, we must work to be little, that is, humble of heart like Jesus, like Mary his Mother and our Mother. She was the first, following her Son, to take the way of the Cross and she was taken up to Heaven in glory, an event we commemorated a few days ago. The Christian people invoke her as Ianua Caeli, Gate of Heaven. Let us ask her to guide us in our daily decisions on the road that leads to the "gate of Heaven".

[Pope Benedict, Angelus, 26 August 2007]

2. In the Gospel, Jesus reminds us that we are all called to salvation and to live with God, because there are no privileged people when it comes to salvation. Everyone must pass through the narrow gate of renunciation and self-giving. The prophetic reading vividly illustrates God's plan to gather all people into unity, to make them share in his glory. The reading from the New Testament urges us to endure trials as purification coming from the hands of God, 'for the Lord disciplines those he loves' (Heb 12:6; Pr 3:12). But the reasons for these readings can be said to be concentrated in the Gospel passage.

The question about the fundamental problem of existence: "Lord, are there few who are saved?" (Lk 13:23), cannot leave us indifferent. Jesus does not answer this question directly, but urges us to be serious in our intentions and choices: "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able to" (Lk 13:24). The serious problem takes on a personal, moral and ascetic angle in Jesus' words. He vigorously affirms that achieving salvation requires sacrifice and struggle. To enter through that narrow gate, one must, according to the Greek text, "agonise", that is, struggle vigorously with all one's strength, without ceasing, and with firm determination. The parallel text in Matthew seems even more categorical today: "Enter through the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many enter through it; but the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and few find it" (Mt 7:13-14).

The narrow gate is first and foremost the humble acceptance, in pure faith and serene trust, of the word of God, of his perspectives on ourselves, on the world and on history; it is the observance of the moral law, as a manifestation of God's will, in view of a higher good that fulfils our true happiness; it is the acceptance of suffering as a means of expiation and redemption for oneself and for others, and as the supreme expression of love; the narrow gate is, in a word, the acceptance of the Gospel mentality, which finds its purest expression in the Sermon on the Mount.

In short, we must follow the path traced out by Jesus and pass through the gate that is himself: " I am the door; if anyone enters through me, he will be saved' (Jn 10:9). To be saved, we must take up our cross as he did, deny ourselves in our aspirations contrary to the Gospel ideal, and follow him on his way: 'If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me' (Lk 9:23).

Dear children and brothers and sisters, it is love that saves, love that is already on earth, the inner bliss of those who, in the most varied ways, in meekness, patience, justice, suffering and tears, forget themselves and give themselves. The path may seem steep and difficult, the door may seem too narrow. As I said at the beginning, such a prospect exceeds human strength, but persevering prayer, confident supplication, and the intimate desire to do God's will will enable us to love what he commands.

[Pope John Paul II, homily at the Opera S. Paolo Castelgandolfo, 24 August 1980]

Today’s Gospel passage (cf. Lk: 13 22-30) presents Jesus teaching in towns and villages, on his way to Jerusalem where he knows he will die on the Cross for the salvation of us all. In this context, a man asks a question, who addresses him saying: “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” (v. 23). The question had been a source of debate at that time — how many will be saved, how many not ... — and there were several ways to interpret Scriptures on the issue, depending on the texts chosen. Jesus, however, reverses the question — which stresses quantity, that is: “are they few?...” — and instead places the question in the context of responsibility, inviting us to make good use of the present. Indeed, he says: “Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able” (v. 24).

With these words, Jesus makes it clear that it is not a matter of numbers, there is no “limited number” in Paradise! Rather, it is a case of taking the right way from now, and this right way is for everyone, but it is narrow. This is the problem. Jesus does not want to give us false hopes by saying: “Yes, do not worry, it is easy, there is a beautiful highway with a large gate at the end ....”. He does not say this. He tells us things as they truly are: the doorway is narrow. In what sense? In the sense that, in order to save oneself, one has to love God and neighbour, and this is uncomfortable! It is a “narrow doorway” because it is demanding. Love is always demanding. It requires commitment, indeed, “effort”, that is, a determined and persevering willingness to live according to the Gospel. Saint Paul calls it “the good fight of the faith” (1 Tim 6:12). It takes a daily, all-day effort to love God and neighbour.

And in order to explain himself better, Jesus tells a parable. There is a householder who represents the Lord. His house symbolizes eternal life, thus salvation. And here the image of the door returns. Jesus says: “When once the householder has risen up and shut the door, you will begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying: ‘Lord, open to us’. He will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from’” (Lk 13: 25). These people will then attempt to claim his acquaintance, reminding the householder: “I ate and drank with you ... I listened to your advice, to your public teaching ...” (cf. 26); “I was there when you held that talk ...” . But the Lord will repeat that he does not know them and he calls them “workers of iniquity”. Here is the problem! The Lord will not recognize us for our claims — “But look, Lord, I used to belong to that association, I was friends with this monsignor, this cardinal, this priest ...”. No, claims do not count, they do not count. The Lord will recognize us only for our humble life and a good life, a life of faith that resulted in good works.

And for us Christians, this means that we are called to establish a true communion with Jesus, praying, going to Church, drawing near to the Sacraments and nourishing ourselves of his Word. This keeps us in the faith, nourishes our hope, rekindles our charity. And thus, with God’s grace, we can and must live our lives for the good of our brothers and sisters, fighting against every kind of evil and injustice.

May the Virgin Mary help us in this. She went through the narrow door that is Jesus. She welcomed him with all her heart and she followed him every day of her life, even when she did not understand, even when a sword pierced her soul. This is why we invoke her as “Mary Gate of Heaven”, a gate that traces the form of Jesus precisely: the door to God’s heart, a demanding heart, but one that is open to us all.

[Pope Francis, Angelus, 25 August 2019]

Being present to oneself: do not replace love with flakes and bows

(Mt 23:1-12)

The New Relationship between God and man could not be contained within the detailed rules of the First Covenant and its heavy customs.

At the time of Jesus, such sick obsessions of snooty verticism dominated, therefore only epidermal; incapable of providing breath, freedom, propulsive motivation.

The pyramidal conception of the world and the exterior idea of ​​the plot of the spiritual life do not correspond to Revelation.

Our reality is interwoven with opposing states, which innervate and complete; even making move forward. Sometime turning into a torrent in flood.

A refusal, an abandonment, an experience of failure, limitations, illness or others’ disregard - even a crisis - can bring us back to the dormant energies of life and give birth to the new Person.

How to contact our new ways of being? What precautions should be taken to enter a regeneration dynamism that helps to develop a lively climate - and where to start?

Jesus proposes Faith: a founding Relationship, that is, a new way of placing oneself before the Father and the world... with a trusting, spousal and creative attitude; in the initiative of another point of view.

Multifaceted love, Eros coming to us in a palpable dialogue - not without inner struggles.

This in the time of a path (singular, not at all traced or external). Even on the spur of the moment, annoying, because it goes against the tide.

The religious authorities, on the other hand, sought their security in the rigorous and conspicuous observance of the written and oral Law. 

Without risk or mind-boggling customizations.

Faced with such an accommodating mentality, free from vertigo, the young Master insists on the practice of Friendship [much stronger than willpower] which relativizes the obligations.

He thus gives its true sense to the profound Tradition, rediscovering the authentic meaning of the Torah and the rules of behavior.

After all, it was precisely the spiritual leaders of the official religion who were the first to disbelieve what they preached to others... or felt exempt from it, because they were used to thinking of themselves as elective, recognised, selected, chosen models - almost cast from above.

The exaggerated spirit of control is a false attitude in itself - it causes excessive forcing, deaf to the inner core. But also deleterious for the building up of a family atmosphere, or encounter’s culture, synodal way; and so on.

By insisting, on the other hand, on the [yes, infallible] attitude of mutual service, there will no longer be time to get caught up in vanity, the dispute over priorities, discussions, and the gap between saying and doing.

Where can the theatre of unlove, which does not vitalise but depresses God's people, re-start from, instead?

From the imperishable scribes and pharisees (v.2). Self-styled superiors, with a limited and reductive yardstick.

Well, according to the Gospels, whoever assumes direct ecclesial duties has no right to any "ribbon": he’s simply a «deacon» (v.11) of the sisters and brothers.

To internalize and live the message:

Do you like ribbons? What does your soul say about peacocks?

[Saturday 20th wk. in O.T.  August 23, 2025]

Rabbi, Father and teachers? Be present to yourselves, not at the mercy of approval

(Mt 23:1-12)

The New Relationship between God and man could not be contained within the meticulous rules of the First Covenant and its heavy customs.

At the time of Jesus, such obsessions dominated, with their sickening arrogance, and were therefore only superficial, incapable of giving breath, freedom, or motivating force.

The pyramidal conception of the world and the external idea of the fabric of spiritual life never correspond to Revelation, nor to the simple criteria of natural wisdom.

In fact, the Tao Te Ching (iv) says: 'The Tao mitigates its splendour, makes itself like its dust. What depth! It seems to have always existed'.

Master Wang Pi comments: '[That which has no origin], by blunting its points, does not hurt creatures; by unravelling its knots, it does not tire them; by mitigating its light, it does not debase their bodies; by making itself like its dust, it does not disturb their authenticity'.

Master Ho-shang Kung adds: 'Even though you have extraordinary splendour, you must know how to remain in darkness and gloom [...], make yourself like dirt and dust, together with the crowds: you must not differentiate yourself from them'.

Our reality is woven with contrasting states, which innervate and complete it, even making it advance. Even transforming it into a raging torrent.

Rejection, abandonment, an experience of failure, limitation, illness or lack of self-esteem - even a setback - can bring us back to the dormant energies of life and give birth to the new Person.

In this way:

How can we get in touch with our new ways of being? What steps can we take to enter into a dynamic of regeneration that helps to develop a lively atmosphere - and where do we start?

Jesus proposes Faith: a fundamental relationship, that is, a new way of standing before the Father and the world... with a trusting, spousal and creative attitude; in the initiative of another point of view.

Multifaceted love, Eros that comes to us in a palpable dialogue - not without inner struggles.

This takes place over the course of a journey (unique, not copied or external). Even on the spot, it can be annoying because it goes against the grain.

The religious authorities, on the other hand, sought their security in the strict and ostentatious observance of the written and oral Law.

Without risk, without dizzying personalisation.

Faced with this accommodating, unadventurous mentality, the young Master insists on the practice of Friendship [much stronger than voluntarism], which relativises fulfilments.

He thus gave deep Tradition its true meaning, rediscovering the authentic sense of the Torah and the rules of behaviour.

After all, it was precisely the spiritual leaders of the official religion who were the first not to believe what they preached to others... or rather, they felt exempt because they were accustomed to thinking of themselves as elected, recognised, selected, chosen models - almost as if they had been sent from above.

A recurring vice that the Risen One seems to see in the spiritual leaders of his own new people, where those in charge - while proclaiming Christ himself - began to become lovers of obsequiousness.

Just like the ancient professionals of religion, who pushed for conformism, legalism and moralism; accustomed to showing off, dictating judgement, and conditioning the very course of the Law.

Then, as skilled specialists, they always found any excuse to say and not do - and pass themselves off as 'impeccable believers':

'They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger' (v. 4).

Even today, true experts in communication always act in public, to be acclaimed.

But in their conduct they have no intimate, determining and rooted principle, remaining prey to situations; light as butterflies.

Driven by ambition, they are all show and vanity - even for the self-love aroused by the social influence they willingly desire and exercise.

A spirit of elitism and empty exaltation that Matthew notes winding its way even among his veterans of the community in Galilee and Syria.

Small assemblies were then besieged by an influx of pagans, from whom the Judaizing elders demanded hierarchical respect above all else.

Hypocritically dethroning Christ and the Father, these veterans of ancient religiosity also aspired to be called rabbis, fathers, preceptors (vv. 7-10). 

Self-proclaimed superiors, with limited and reductive standards of judgement.

In terms of the experience of faith, the Lord commands us instead to be all brothers and sisters - that is, equals - in the certainty of one Father.

This also applies to us, especially in this time of rebirth from the global crisis.

In Deus Caritas est (n. 35):

"This right way of serving makes the servant humble. He does not assume a position of superiority over others, however poor their situation may be at the moment. Christ took the last place in the world — the cross — and it is precisely through this radical humility that he redeemed us and constantly helps us. Those who are in a position to help recognise that it is precisely in this way that they themselves are helped; it is not their merit or a source of pride that they are able to help. This task is a grace. The more one works for others, the more one will understand and make one's own the words of Christ: "We are useless servants" (Lk 17:10). For one recognises that one is acting not on the basis of personal superiority or greater efficiency, but because the Lord has given one this gift. At times, excessive need and the limits of one's own work may expose one to the temptation of discouragement. But then he will be helped by the knowledge that, ultimately, he is only an instrument in the Lord's hands; he will thus be freed from the presumption of having to achieve, on his own and by himself, the necessary improvement of the world. In humility, he will do what he can and in humility he will entrust the rest to the Lord. It is God who rules the world, not us. We serve him only as we can and as long as he gives us the strength to do so. However, doing what we can with the strength we have is the task that keeps the good servant of Jesus Christ always on the move: 'The love of Christ impels us' (2 Cor 5:14).

How much we need a bath of humility in the soul of everyone who wants to be present in their actions!

We can start, for example, by avoiding using devotion and the Church as means of promotion, to appear important and emphasise some 'spiritual' rank higher than others.

This attitude is false in itself - it causes excessive forcing, deaf to the inner core. But it is also detrimental to the building of a family atmosphere, or a culture of encounter, a synodal journey, and so on.

On the contrary, by insisting on the attitude [which is indeed infallible] of mutual service, there will be no more time to be caught up in vanity, disputes over precedence, arguments, or the gap between words and deeds.

Where can the theatre of disaffection, which depresses rather than invigorates the people of God, start again?

From the everlasting scribes and Pharisees (v. 2), who are always exaggerated in their spirit of control.

Well, according to the Gospels, those who take on leadership roles in the Church are not entitled to any 'ribbons': they are simply 'deacons' (v. 11) of their brothers and sisters.

To internalise and live the message:

Do you like ribbons? What does your soul say about peacocks?

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In this Sunday’s Liturgy, the Apostle Paul invites us to draw near to the Gospel “not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God” (1 Thess 2:13). Thus we can accept with faith the warning that Jesus offers to our conscience, in order to conform our way of living to it. In today’s passage he rebukes the scribes and the Pharisees, who were the teachers of the community, because their own conduct was openly in conflict with the teaching they rigorously taught others. Jesus underlines that they “preach, but do not practise” (Mt 23:3); rather “they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger” (Mt 23:4). Good teaching must be received but it risks being contradicted by inconsistent behaviour. Thus Jesus says: “practise and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do” (Mt 23:3). Jesus’ attitude is exactly the opposite: he is the first to practise the commandment of love, which he teaches to everyone, and he can say the burden is light and easy because he helps us carry it (cf. Mt 11:29-30). 

Thinking of teachers who oppress the freedom of others in the name of authority, St Bonaventure points out who the authentic teacher is, affirming that, “No one can teach or practise, or reach knowable truths unless the Son of God is present” (Sermo I de Tempore, Dom. XXII post Pentecosten, Opera omnia, IX, Quaracchi, 1901, 442). “Jesus sits on the cathedra of Moses... as the greater Moses, who broadens the Covenant to include all nations” (cf. Jesus of Nazareth, Doubleday, New York, 2007, p. 66). He is our true and only Teacher! We are, therefore, called to follow the Son of God, the Word Incarnate, who expresses the truth of his teaching through his faithfulness to the will of the Father, through the gift of himself. Bl. Antonio Rosmini writes: “The first teacher trains all the other teachers, as he also trains the same disciples themselves, because they exist only in virtue of that first tacit, but very powerful Magisterium” (Idea della Sapienza, 82, in: Introduzione alla filosofia, vol. II, Rome, 1934, 143). Jesus also firmly condemns vanity and observes that “deeds to be seen by men” (Mt 23:5), places them at the mercy of human approval, undermining the values that found the authenticity of the person. 

Dear friends, the Lord Jesus presented himself to the world as a servant, completely stripping himself and lowering himself to give on the Cross the most eloquent lesson of humility and love. His example gives rise to a proposal of life: “He who is greatest among you shall be your servant” (Mt 23:11). We invoke the intercession of Mary Most Holy and we ask especially for those in Christian communities, who are called to the ministry of teaching, that they may always witness by their works to the truths that they communicate by their words.

[Pope Benedict, Angelus, 30 October 2011]