Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)  [25 January 2026]

May God bless us and may the Virgin Mary protect us! Today marks the end of the week of prayer for Christian unity. The word of God offers food for thought, especially  the second reading  (which recounts the situation of the community in Corinth with divisions due to the presence of various preachers).

The Gospel shows the beginning of Jesus' preaching with his disciples, who will accompany him all the way to Jerusalem.

 

*First Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (8:23b - 9:3)

At the time of Isaiah, the kingdom of Israel was divided into two: the North (Israel, capital Samaria) and the South (Judah, capital Jerusalem), the latter being legitimate as heir to the dynasty of David. Isaiah preaches in Jerusalem but speaks mainly of places in the North, such as Zebulun, Naphtali, Galilee and Transjordan, territories that were conquered by the Assyrian Empire between 732 and 721 BC. The prophet announces that God will transform the situation: the regions that were initially humiliated will be honoured, as a sign of liberation and rebirth. These promises also concern the south, because geographical proximity means that threats to one area weigh on the other, and because the south hopes for future reunification under its own leadership. Isaiah describes the birth of a king, associating his coming with royal coronation formulas: 'A child has been born to us, a son has been given to us' (Isaiah 9:5-6). This is the young Hezekiah, associated with the reign of his father, King Ahaz, and considered the 'prince of peace'. The prophet's certainty is based on God's faithfulness: even in trials and oppression, God will never abandon the dynasty of David. The promised victory recalls that of Gideon over the Midianites: even with few resources, faith in God leads to liberation. The final message is one of hope: do not be afraid, God does not abandon his plan of love for humanity, even in the darkest moments.

 

*Responsorial Psalm (26/(27)

"The Lord is my light and my salvation" is not just an individual expression: it reflects the invincible trust of the people of Israel in God, in every circumstance of life, from joys to difficulties. The psalm uses concrete images to tell the collective story of Israel, a frequent procedure in the Psalms called clothing: the people are compared to a sick person healed by God, to an innocent person unjustly condemned, to an abandoned child or to a besieged king. Behind these individual images, we recognise specific historical situations: external threats, sieges of cities and internal crises of the kingdom, such as the attack of the Amalekites in the desert, the kings of Samaria and Damascus against Ahaz, or the famous siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib. The people can react like David, a normal and sinful man, but steadfast in his faith, or like Ahaz, who gives in to panic and loses his trust in God. In any case, the psalm shows that collective faith is nourished by trust in God and the memory of his works. Another key image is that of the Levite, servant of the Temple: just as the Levites serve God daily, so the whole people of Israel is consecrated to the service of the Lord and belongs to him. Finally, the psalm ends with a promise of hope: 'I am sure that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living'; trust is rooted in the memory of God's actions and translates into courage and active hope: 'Hope in the Lord, be strong,  strengthen your heart and hope in the Lord'. This hope is like the "memory of the future," that is, the certainty that God will intervene even in the darkest circumstances. The psalm is therefore very suitable for funeral celebrations, because it reinvigorates the faith and hope of the faithful even in times of sorrow, reminding them that God never abandons His people and always supports those who trust in Him.

 

*Second Reading from the Letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians (1:10-13, 17)

The port of Corinth, due to its strategic position between two seas and its lively trade, was a true crossroads of cultures, ideas and peoples. This explains why newly converted Christians reacted in different ways to the teachings of preachers: each traveller brought testimonies of the Christian faith according to his own experience, and the Corinthians were very sensitive, perhaps too sensitive, to beautiful words and persuasive arguments. In this context, divisions arose in the community: some referred to Paul, others to Apollos, others to Peter, and finally a group called themselves 'of Christ'. Paul not only condemns wrong behaviour, but sees in this phenomenon the risk of compromising the very meaning of baptism. Apollos, a Jew from Alexandria, is an emblematic example: an intellectual, well-versed in the Scriptures, eloquent and fervent, he was baptised only by John and perfected by Priscilla and Aquila in Ephesus. When he arrived in Corinth, he was very successful, but he never sought to become a personal leader and, in order not to fuel divisions, he then moved to Ephesus. This episode shows how passion and skills should not become a source of division, but should be put at the service of the community. Paul reminds the Corinthians of the truth of baptism: to be baptised means to belong to Christ, not to a human preacher. Baptism is a real and definitive union with Christ, who acts through the sacrament: as the Second Vatican Council says, 'when the priest baptises, it is Christ who baptises'. Paul also emphasises that preaching should not be based on eloquence or persuasive arguments, because the cross of Christ and love are not imposed by the force of words, but are lived and witnessed. The image of grafting clarifies this point well: what is important is the result – union with Christ – not who administered the baptism. What matters is fidelity to the message and love of Christ, not rhetorical skill or personal prestige. Ultimately, Paul's message to the Corinthians is universal and relevant: the unity of the Christian community is based on a common faith in Christ, not on leaders or human eloquence, and the true greatness of the Church lies in its spiritual cohesion, founded on baptism and belonging to Christ.

 

*From the Gospel according to Matthew (4:12-23)

We are in chapter 4 of Matthew's Gospel. In the previous three chapters, Matthew has presented us with: first, a long genealogy that places Jesus in the history of his people, particularly in the lineage of David; then, the angel's announcement to Joseph: "Behold, the Virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel, which means God with us," a quotation from Isaiah, with the clarification that all this happened so that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, emphasising that the promises are finally fulfilled and the Messiah has arrived. The subsequent episodes reiterate this message of fulfilment: the visit of the Magi, the flight into Egypt, the massacre of the children of Bethlehem, the return from Egypt and the settlement in Nazareth, the preaching of John the Baptist, the baptism of Jesus and the Temptations. All these stories are full of biblical quotations and allusions. Now we are ready to listen to today's text, which is also rich in references: from the outset, Matthew quotes Isaiah to show the importance of Jesus' settlement in Capernaum. Capernaum is located in Galilee, on the shores of Lake Tiberias. Matthew specifies that it belongs to the territories of Zebulun and Naphtali: ancient names, no longer in common use, linked to Isaiah's promise that these once-humiliated lands would be illuminated by the glory of Galilee, 'the crossroads of the Gentiles' (Isaiah 8:23). The prophet continues: "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light," a formula reminiscent of the sacred ritual of the coronation of a king, symbolising a new era. Matthew applies these words to the arrival of Jesus: the true King of the world has come; light has dawned on Israel and on humanity. Galilee, the crossroads of nations, becomes an open door to the world, from which the Messiah will spread salvation. Furthermore, Matthew already foreshadows future events: Jesus heads for Galilee after the arrest of John the Baptist, showing that Christ's life will be marked by persecution, but also by the final victory over evil: from every obstacle, God will bring forth good. Upon arriving in Capernaum, Matthew uses the expression "From then on," which is unique in the Gospel along with another in chapter 16, signalling a major turning point. Here it indicates the beginning of public preaching: "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near." The other reference in chapter 16 will concern the passion and resurrection. This episode marks the transition from the time of promise to the time of fulfilment. The Kingdom is present, not only in words but in action: "Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom and healing every kind of disease and infirmity among the people." Isaiah's prophecy is fully realised: the Kingdom of God is among us. To spread this Good News, Jesus chooses witnesses, ordinary men, to join him in his mission of salvation. He calls them "fishers of men", that is, those who save from drowning, a symbol of their task of salvation. Thus the apostles become participants in the Saviour's mission.

+ Giovanni D'Ercole

«Blaspheming the Holy Spirit»

 (Mk 3: 22-30)

 

Holy Spirit is a term that translates the Hebrew Ruah haQodesh: impetuous wind, not a stagnant air.

«Spirit»: energy that blows up the personal, community and ecclesial story ... in order to mature and renew it.

Not to confirm the standard, but to dilate the boundaries.

He does this by introducing a sort of sublime quality into reality, (above all) breaking through with an Action that discerns evolution and overturns it, making it a whole other.

«Holy» because it distinguishes the sphere of Life - Holiness - from the swampy one of deadly germs, which turn us to withdrawal and self-destruction.

 

Today's Gospel was born as an appeal to churches and faithful exposed to hostilities, so that they do not allow themselves to be discouraged by real and genuine witness.

Believers must not give up feeling attracted to the Word’s critical power.

Over time it has the strength to strip the intriguing people of their manias of vain grandeur or perversion, and bring out the Light that unites us, attracts spontaneously, without artifice.

In short, church members who live on Faith-love cannot identify with advantageous lifestyles, typical, non-crucial interpretations of reality.

Other than small transgressions!  It is at the moment of the fundamental threats that we can read the significance of our choice for the Lord.

Mk especially alludes to circumstantial, particular excuses in the search for support: favors of "cultural" paradigms, or of guys who matter.  Eg.  facilitating their own affairs thanks to an ideological servility to the authorities, with adjoining guarantees of way out.

Here comes the danger of ‘blasphemy against the Holy Spirit’: moving away from the Gospel, believing that Jesus indicates paths of ruin and death, instead of authentic Life.

 

Today the impulses of the Spirit who renews the face of the earth upset the landscape, not to abandon humanity to pure limits and to an inexorable oblivion.

The path of the one who walks on the Way of Freedom must be fearless, because the Exodus makes us to ourselves; redeemed and sanctified.

Returned to our Core and by the power of the Faith that intertwines our story with the Christ, we will see the impossible Promise fulfilled; ‘things that we not know’, sovereignly effective.

 

We want to exist completely, because we are not “gone bad” people.

That’is why there are crises, upheavals, and cuts: they lead back to our fragrance, which - this yes - we could lose.

Danger and agitated times come to remind us of our eternal side.  It can only be expressed when the matrix of our being in the field deflects, to prepare us to welcome the unexpected solution.

This is the case even when it seems to others that our life is lost.

In reality, we are gambling it without externality of content, in order to trigger the integral Beauty of the new Youth that we do not know, but which is advancing.

 

 

[Monday 3rd wk. in O.T.  January 26, 2026]

"Blaspheming against the Holy Spirit"

(Mk 3:22-30)

 

"But he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not have forgiveness for ever, but is guilty of eternal sin" (v.29).

 

Holy Spirit is a term that translates the Hebrew Ruah haQodesh: an impetuous Wind, not a stagnant air.

The latter would be an atmosphere without a vital wave, lacking a forge of relations; which does not grow: it makes the situation flat.

"Spirit": energy that throws personal, community and ecclesial affairs into the air... in order to make them mature and renew them.

Not to confirm the standard, but to expand the boundaries.

It is enough to glance at the points dealt with in the recent encyclical on social friendship to realise: borders, the shadows of the closed world, shattered dreams, the end of historical consciousness, without a project for all, world waste, even food waste... etc.

The Spirit introduces a kind of sublime quality into reality, (above all) bursting in with an Action that discerns evolution and turns it upside down, makes it something Other than the stagnant spirit - only willing to reaffirm, celebrate and spread itself.

"Holy" because it distinguishes the sphere of Life - Holiness - from the swampy sphere of deadly germs, which turn us towards retreat and self-destruction.

 

There was a time when even Catholic 'missionary activity' [even the precious activity of human promotion, imagined as extraneous to 'evangelisation' - an ideal with a 'Protestant' flavour] was conceived in terms of internal proselytism.

Fratelli Tutti, on the other hand, denounces the reality and reminder of the overall scourges: the shortcomings of a common project, the persistence of a 'world gap' and the universal inadequacy of human rights; situations of conflict and fear, progress 'without a common course'... and so on.

Today's Gospel itself was born as an appeal to the churches and the faithful exposed to hostilities, so that they would neither deflect nor allow themselves to be discouraged in their real and genuine witness to Christ in the world.

An appeal that must not be ignored, despite the deep misery and boundaries that continue to lurk in hearts.

Believers must not give up that they are drawn to the critical power of the Word.

In time, it has the power to strip the intriguers of their delusions of vain grandeur or perversion, and bring out the Light that unites us, attracts us spontaneously, without artifice.

Church members who live by Faith-love cannot identify with advantageous lifestyles, outdated and uncritical interpretations of reality, although they are typical of 'doctrine-discipline religions' - or of the various historical denominations.

 

As Brothers All sadly points out about the encounter between different Christian denominations:

"We cannot forget the desire expressed by Jesus: that all may be One (Jn 17:21). Listening to his invitation, we acknowledge with sorrow that the process of globalisation still lacks the prophetic and spiritual contribution of unity among all Christians" (n.280).

This is an 'unforgivable sin' - in every sense - not a laughable one.

As John Paul II stated: "The 'blasphemy' [in question] does not really consist in offending the Holy Spirit with words; it consists, instead, in refusing to accept the salvation that God offers man through the Holy Spirit, and which works by virtue of the sacrifice of the cross [It] does not allow man to come out of his self-prison and to open himself up to the divine sources of purification" (General Audience 25 July 1990).

 

Only the work filled with hope meets the teachings of Jesus.

It is the Crucified One who reveals the intimacy of God and man, as well as the distortions of that pious hypocrisy that privileges the spirit of interest and frontier, power, the accumulation of any resources, and disvalues.

In symbiosis with the passage from Luke and the new Magisterium, we can reaffirm that it is precisely in the moment of the threats in the situation - today unfortunately also global - that we read the extent of our choice for the Lord.

There are those who rely on transparent fraternity, on the spirit of the sons, on the love that "integrates and gathers" (FT 190-192)... conversely, there are those who seek self-confidence or try to fall back on the usual worldly calculations (vv.11-12), looking for results rather than the fruitfulness of initiating processes (cf. FT 193-197).

So much for petty transgressions!

It is in the moment of fundamental threats that we read the extent of our choice for the Lord.

 

Mk alludes in particular to circumstantial, particular excuses in the search for support: favours from 'cultural' paradigms, or from people who matter. E.g. by facilitating one's own affairs through ideological and cowardly servility to the authorities, with guarantees of a way out.

All this without ever 'thinking and generating an open universe' (cf. FT 87-127) who knows how to go beyond the 'world of associates' and cordatas - even ecclesial ones, as the current pontiff has reiterated on several occasions [alluding precisely to the prelates themselves].

Here we face the danger of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit: distancing oneself from the Gospel by believing that today Jesus is for exclusivism, or a stranger who points out paths of ruin and death, instead of authentic Life.

 

Of course, there are not a few who may outwardly deny Christ, but they do not reject the meaning of Jesus: they live by his very Spirit [love of neighbour, victory over evil, hope in a more authentic kingdom: v.10; FT 271ff].

The Master and the new magisterial commitment - sounding in unison - intend to shake consciences and make us understand the seriousness of choices contrary to God's plan.

Today, the impulses of the Spirit renewing the face of the earth are upsetting the landscape, but not to abandon humanity to pure limits and inexorable oblivion.

 

The Tao Tê Ching (xxxiv) writes about our reliance on the Perfect One:

"How universal is the great Tao! He can be on the left as well as the right'. And Master Wang Pi comments: "There is nothing that the universality and superabundance of the Tao does not reach: left and right, high and low. If everywhere it confers and strives, there is nothing it does not reach". Master Ho-shang Kung reiterates: "There is no place it does not reach.

 

The path of he who walks the Path of Freedom must be fearless, because the Exodus makes us to ourselves; redeemed and sanctified.

With a "heart open to the whole world" (FT 128-153): established in the "local flavour" with a "universal horizon".

Restored to our Core and by the power of Faith that intertwines our story with the personal and cosmic Christ, we will see the impossible Promise realised; things we do not know, sovereignly effective.

Only the Spirit does not go against our eminent nature, therefore it is impermeable, definitive - though it is not. Because it calls us to trust, it does not leave us clinging to shadows, memories, old certainties and commemorations that do not guide our gaze elsewhere.

To foment the museum of vintage details [or to abandon oneself to the wave of fashions, even of thought] is to strand one's mind on the past, on experiences that perhaps were never even put into being.

Simple ideals of another's time, models; archaic theologisations, or conversely hedonistic ones.

 

We want to exist completely, because we are not gone bad people.

That is why there are crises, upheavals, cuts: they lead back to our fragrance, which - this one - we could lose.

If, on the other hand, we were to remain identified, we would run the risk of not putting ourselves in a snapping position; of not changing our relationships, and letting the energies now present in the round (also within) fade away.

Let us not let them slip away - detracting from the unseen emergencies that call to us.

We have sides to our souls that would otherwise not express themselves, except in the dangers that bewilder, in the difficult and all-encompassing relationships, or in the most painful and finally overwhelming rejections that force us to shift our gaze.

But we must put aside the hasty and opportunistic mind, which immediately seeks to remedy and repair according to stereotypes.

Danger and the busy times come to remind us of our eternal side. It can only express itself when the matrix of our being in the field deflects, to prepare us to welcome the unexpected solution.

 

Unexpected punishment or defeat will not make us 'like it by force' in society, even ecclesial society, but will allow us to be what we are. And to become ourselves, to discover other views - according to Signature.

This even when it seems to others that our life is lost.

In reality, we are gambling it without externality of content, in order to trigger the integral Beauty of the new Youth that we do not know, but which is advancing.

 

 

To internalise and live the message:

 

How do you live persecution? Curse or Opportunity?

Under threat, insult, slander, trial, mockery, violence, emergency, have you ever thought that Jesus led you down paths of death?

And making the new Magisterium your own, what cut with the indecencies of the past, what youthful horizon, what beauty and differing relationships have you tasted?

 

 

Evil is not an anonymous force.

Limit of human liberation

 

We must be well aware that evil is not an anonymous force acting in the world in an impersonal or deterministic way. Evil, the devil, passes through human freedom, through the use of our freedom. It seeks an ally, man. Evil needs him to spread. Thus, having offended the first commandment, love of God, he comes to pervert the second, love of neighbour. With him, love of neighbour disappears in favour of lies and envy, hatred and death. But it is possible not to be overcome by evil and to overcome evil with good (cf. Rom 12:21). It is to this conversion of the heart that we are called. Without it, the much-desired human 'liberations' disappoint, because they move in the reduced space granted by man's narrowness of spirit, his harshness, his intolerances, his favouritism, his desires for revenge and his death drives. A deep transformation of spirit and heart is necessary to regain a certain clairvoyance and impartiality, a deep sense of justice and the common good. A new and freer gaze will make one capable of analysing and questioning human systems that lead to dead ends, in order to move forward with the past in mind, never to repeat it again with its devastating effects. This required conversion is exhilarating because it opens up possibilities by appealing to the innumerable resources that dwell in the hearts of so many men and women eager to live in peace and ready to commit themselves to peace. Now it is particularly demanding: it is about saying no to revenge, acknowledging one's wrongs, accepting apologies without seeking them, and finally forgiving. For only forgiveness given and received lays the lasting foundation for reconciliation and peace for all (cf. Rom 12:16b.18).

[Pope Benedict, Address to the Meeting in Baabda Lebanon 15 September 2012].

We need to be very conscious that evil is not some nameless, impersonal and deterministic force at work in the world. Evil, the devil, works in and through human freedom, through the use of our freedom. It seeks an ally in man. Evil needs man in order to act. Having broken the first commandment, love of God, it then goes on to distort the second, love of neighbour. Love of neighbour disappears, yielding to falsehood, envy, hatred and death. But it is possible for us not to be overcome by evil but to overcome evil with good (cf. Rom 12:21). It is to this conversion of heart that we are called. Without it, all our coveted human “liberations” prove disappointing, for they are curtailed by our human narrowness, harshness, intolerance, favouritism and desire for revenge. A profound transformation of mind and heart is needed to recover a degree of clarity of vision and impartiality, and the profound meaning of the concepts of justice and the common good. A new and freer way of looking at these realities will enable us to evaluate and challenge those human systems which lead to impasses, and to move forward with due care not to repeat past mistakes with their devastating consequences. The conversion demanded of us can also be exhilarating, since it creates possibilities by appealing to the countless resources present in the hearts of all those men and women who desire to live in peace and are prepared to work for peace. True, it is quite demanding: it involves rejecting revenge, acknowledging one’s faults, accepting apologies without demanding them, and, not least, forgiveness. Only forgiveness, given and received, can lay lasting foundations for reconciliation and universal peace (cf. Rom 12:16b, 18).

[Pope Benedict, Address to the Meeting in Baabda Lebanon 15 September 2012]

And when he foretells to his disciples that persecution awaits them, with imprisonment and interrogation, he adds: "Do not worry about what you will have to say, but say what will be given you at that hour: for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit" (Mk 13:11). "The Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you have to say" (Lk 12, 12).

5. The synoptic Gospels record another statement by Jesus in his instructions to the disciples that cannot fail to impress. It concerns "blasphemy against the Holy Spirit". He says: "Whoever speaks against the Son of Man will be forgiven him, but whoever blasphemes the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven him" (Lk 12:10; cf. Mt 12:32; Mk 3:29). These words create a problem of greater theological and ethical magnitude than one might think, on the surface of the text. "Blasphemy" (of which we are speaking) does not really consist in offending the Holy Spirit with words; it consists, instead, in refusing to accept the salvation that God offers to man through the Holy Spirit, and which works by virtue of the sacrifice of the cross. . If blasphemy against the Holy Spirit cannot be remitted either in this life or in the life to come, it is because this 'non-remission' is linked, as its cause, to 'non-penitence', that is, the radical refusal to be converted . . . Now blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the sin committed by man, who claims his supposed 'right' to persevere in evil - in any sin - and thus refuses redemption . . . (It) does not allow man to come out of his self-prison and open himself to the divine sources of purification of conscience and remission of sins' (Dominum et vivificantem, 46). This is the exact inversion of the condition of docility and communion with the Father, in which Jesus lives in prayer and action, and which he teaches and recommends to man as an inner attitude and as a principle of action.

6. In the whole of the preaching and action of Jesus Christ, which flows from his union with the Holy Spirit-Love, is contained an immense richness of heart: "Learn from me, who am meek and humble of heart," he exhorts, "and you will find rest for your souls" (Mt 11:29), but present at the same time is all the firmness of the truth about the kingdom of God, and therefore the insistent invitation to open one's heart, under the action of the Holy Spirit, to be admitted to it and not be excluded from it.

In all of this, the "power of the Holy Spirit" is revealed, and indeed the Holy Spirit Himself is manifested by His presence and action as the Paraclete, the comforter of man, the confirmer of divine truth, the eradicator of the "master of this world".

[Pope John Paul II, General Audience 25 July 1990]

Jesus reacted with firm and clear words; he did not tolerate this, because those scribes, perhaps without realizing it, were falling into the gravest sin: denying and blaspheming against God’s Love which is present and active in Jesus. And blasphemy, the sin against the Holy Spirit, is the one unforgivable sin — as Jesus said — because it comes from closing the heart to God’s mercy which acts in Jesus.

[Pope Francis, Angelus 10 June 2018]

The Call of the fishermen

(Mt 4:12-23)

 

It is not the call of the boss, but the invitation of the Friend, who lives firsthand what he preaches, exposing himself.

To Abraham God says «Go to the land that I will point you to». Jesus does not say «Go», but «Come»: it’s He who risks and goes ahead, offering Himself as Lamb.

Abraham is only an envoy; the disciple of Christ on the way reproposes a Person in relationship and his whole story.

«Fishermen of men»: the meaning of the expression is clearer in Lk 5:10 [Greek text]: our mission is to raise to life those who no longer breathe, suffocate, enveloped by impetuous waves, by forces of negativity.

Pull them out of polluted eddies where one live dehumanizing. To place everyone in transparent water, with values that are no longer those of the folded up and corrupt society of the cunnings.

The Son of God calls us to cut off what degrades the experience of personal fullness. He promotes in each one the dna of God who doesn’t create competition, but communion.

It’s essential to abandon the «nets»: what envelops and prevents, blocks. Even the «boat», that is, the way of managing work.

And the «father», who in the family passed on the tradition, customs which risked blurring the new Light.

All jerseys to be broken. It means: a new approach, even if you continue to carry out the previous life.

Values are no longer static and banal [seeking consensus, settling down...]: fatuous glitters, that inculcate external idols, regulating and uniformizing.

 

To give these new impulses, Jesus flies over the court palaces, from which nothing would have been born.

Nor does he designate anyone with the title that belongs to Him alone: «Pastor».

We need attention, not directors and leaders who judge, or binaries that do not concern us; nor unnecessary mental patterns.

The woman and the man of all times need only wise support; traveling companions who help discover their hidden sides, unknowns, secrets, that can flourish.

The Person dimension is essential.

Of course, we must distract the mind from the known, and take the Way of the "farther": no shortcut free of unknowns.

Road traveled on foot, which changes one’s own and other people’s mental atmosphere; wich flies over the custom, used, whatever, external way of seeing things.

Here, standing in our Call and naturalness, we’ll be all-round ourselves. And we will be surprised.

This in the gamble of unpredictable Love: only in this way can one contact one’s own deep states, to know each other; thus realizing unexpected dreams of open and complete life, by activating dormant energies.

And like Jesus, able to put into action anyone who we meet - recovering the opposite sides and eccentricities, for a total ideal.

 

Special trait: to turn to all the earth, even the enemies. Without presumption, without any foreclosure.

In Christ, there is no more imperfection, mistake or unfirm condition that can keep us distant.

Each is indispensable and precious. Everyone is legitimized. No one should atone.

 

Openness, not effort.

 

 

[3rd Sunday in O.T. (year A)  January 25, 2026]

(Mt 4:12-23)

 

Conversion and Kingdom Near

 

Accepting and not transferring assessments

(Mt 4:12-17)

 

The Kingdom is near if, thanks to our involvement, God comes to earth and happiness knocks at the door, converting us to something profoundly new: choices of light instead of judgement, possession, the exercise of power, and the display of glory.

The Gospel of Matthew was written to support the communities of Galilee and Syria, composed of converted Jews who suffered accusations of having betrayed the promises of the Covenant and welcomed pagans.

The purpose of the text is to bring out the figure of Jesus the Messiah [no longer the son of David] who brings salvation, extended beyond the boundaries: not only to the chosen people and those who observe its normative clichés.

He excludes no one, and everyone must feel adequate.

Already in the initial genealogy, Matthew heralds the universal ecclesiology of the new Rabbi as a source of abundant blessing, even outside Israel and its observances.

This is not an ambitious reality, an alternative to the Empire or to the life of restricted cultures - absolutely not set up or ruled by us.

 

To encourage his faithful not to fear being excluded, and to recognise themselves in the Master, the evangelist reiterates the criterion of redemption without boundaries.

He does so in the text of the Magi and in the one in question: salvation proposed as a journey, and without too much struggle against it.

The sad situation of ancient times (vv. 14-16) is behind us.

Even in the Sermon on the Mount - for which Matthew 4 prepares the audience - the evangelist emphasises the specificity of the vocation of Christian fraternities.

Their special trait: turning to the whole earth, even to enemies. Without presumption, without any preclusion.

In Christ, there is no longer any imperfection, mistake or unstable condition that can keep us apart.

Everyone is indispensable and precious. Everyone is legitimised. No one has to atone.

In this way, the call not to feel marginalised, the vocation not to neglect oneself and not to neglect others, is reiterated throughout the book.

 

The authentic and divine Herald does not raise his voice or his pace, does not break the bruised reed (Mt 12:2-3), and transcends the boundaries of purity and race.

This is the basis of good formation of those who are close to him; there is no cultural, ethnic or religious gap.

The young Announcer then sends his disciples to all peoples - in the style of opening up without hesitation and not being picky.

The complete idea of what we would today call the 'culture of encounter' was already born in the confrontation with the internal reality of the school of the Baptist.

The son of Zachariah and Elizabeth claimed to be able to prepare well for the Coming of the Kingdom. Conversely, it remained unpredictable.

John's environment was one in which the Announcement was not only positive, nor always full of life and only joy and welcome: often it was judgemental and sharp.

The Baptist did not fully legitimise spontaneity or each person's own ways. He did not dispel the fears of every perplexed soul, the fear of being 'wrong'.

Instead, if the Kingdom with its unexpected facets is here, all we have to do is live it fully and with wonder.

 

Following the Baptist [and pupil, together with his first disciples], the new Master had definitively grasped the difference between reductionist ascetic dynamics and the Father's plan of salvation.

A stimulus towards all-round humanisation - based on the exchange of gifts, the creative freedom of love, and a spirit of broad understanding.

 

The luminous and universal mission of the Son of God is understood by only a few - all fragile and insignificant people - and was slow to establish itself.

This is the condition of the faithful to whom Matthew addresses himself.

The Lord's friends must not give up if they cannot convince everyone immediately.

It is too difficult to make veteran religious and their established realities believe that no one has the exclusive right.

Even the strong and self-confident must simply accept the Life that comes - let alone the weak and errant.

But until the Precursor himself is imprisoned and silenced, even the authentic Messiah lives almost in the shadow of the last of the ancient prophets (cf. Jn 3:22-23).

Then he is forced to flee even from his small, traditionalist and nationalist village (Mt 4:12-13, 25).

No one could believe in a Kingdom without grand proclamations and arduous conditions.

It seemed impossible that the Eternal One could share his life in such a broad way, already among us, so ordinary and nothing exceptional.

As if he were a Father who transcends but draws us all close, without prior conditions of purity.

 

It seemed unlikely to move from the idea of the imminence of the announced empire of power to its daily and unspectacular presence.

All the more so in the Person of the Messiah as servant; not as executioner, leader, or self-sufficient avenger.

Such a humble closeness, nothing sensational, just like his friends, who were converts from popular Judaism and paganism.

To animate the churches at a critical moment, Matthew brings out in the Lord's own story the characteristic experiences and the same peaks of discrimination suffered by the poor members of his tiny fraternities.

Like Jesus, they were not to be overcome by fear, condemnation, narrow-minded separatist and distinctive ideas, nor by feeling like a minority - or by fears of persecution.

In fact, those reborn of such a broad Spirit were no longer to stifle their tendencies and innate inclinations, perceiving their minds and natural abilities as a conflict to be adjusted according to models.

We are not called to a small and stagnant delegation, but to be Light and Presence - in motion - towards ourselves and the multitudes we recognise inside and outside ourselves (vv. 23-25).

Even with silent and not frenzied Faith.

 

The innate wisdom transmitted by God the Creator to each of us can emerge anywhere, in the authenticity of the Gospel.

The Word crosses sacred boundaries: especially when it echoes our essence in a non-artificial way and calls upon our good-natured instinct.

It is a new Voice: one that recomposes the intimate energy of all and unfolds its higher Guidance.

A radical appeal that addresses and even fulfils the disturbances in every woman and man - a world that belongs to us, only apparently inferior.

And it goes beyond the absolute piety of exclusive plans or mortifications.

A reality that does not transfer evaluations beyond the person - but knows how to wait for them and does not dictate procedures, measures, or the rhythms of others; elective.

No foreground, not even religiously 'correct'.

Openness, not effort.

 

Commenting on the Tao Tê Ching (i), Master Ho-shang Kung states: 'Mystery is Heaven. He says that both the man who has desires and the man who has none receive the ch'i from Heaven in the same way'.

 

 

To internalise and live the message:

 

How can you avoid cultural, doctrinal or charismatic closures (everything already planned and regulated) and live the universality of the new humanisation? 

What is the yardstick by which your ecclesial reality approaches those who are different?

 

 

Meaning of "Gospels" and Integral Healing

 

In today's liturgy, the evangelist Matthew presents the beginning of Christ's public mission. It consists essentially in preaching the Kingdom of God and healing the sick, to show that this Kingdom is near, indeed, that it has already come among us. Jesus begins to preach in Galilee, the region where he grew up, a 'peripheral' territory with respect to the centre of the Jewish nation, which is Judea, and in it Jerusalem. But the prophet Isaiah had foretold that this land, assigned to the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali, would have a glorious future: the people immersed in darkness would see a great light (cf. Is 8:23-9:1), the light of Christ and his Gospel (cf. Mt 4:12-16). The term "gospel" in Jesus' time was used by Roman emperors for their proclamations. Regardless of their content, they were called "good news," that is, announcements of salvation, because the emperor was considered the lord of the world and each of his edicts a harbinger of good. Applying this word to Jesus' preaching therefore had a strongly critical meaning, as if to say: God, not the emperor, is the Lord of the world, and the true Gospel is that of Jesus Christ.

The "good news" that Jesus proclaims can be summed up in these words: "The kingdom of God - or kingdom of heaven - is at hand" (Mt 4:17; Mk 1:15). What does this expression mean? It certainly does not indicate an earthly kingdom limited in space and time, but announces that it is God who reigns, that God is Lord and his lordship is present, actual, and is being realised. The novelty of Christ's message is therefore that God has become close to us in Him, reigning among us, as demonstrated by the miracles and healings He performs. God reigns in the world through His Son made man and with the power of the Holy Spirit, who is called "the finger of God" (cf. Lk 11:20). Wherever Jesus goes, the creative Spirit brings life and people are healed of their bodily and spiritual illnesses. God's lordship is thus manifested in the integral healing of man. In this way, Jesus wants to reveal the face of the true God, the God who is close to us, full of mercy for every human being; the God who gives us the gift of life in abundance, of his own life. The kingdom of God is therefore life triumphing over death, the light of truth dispelling the darkness of ignorance and falsehood.

Let us pray to Mary Most Holy, that she may always obtain for the Church the same passion for the Kingdom of God that animated the mission of Jesus Christ: passion for God, for his lordship of love and life; passion for man, encountered in truth with the desire to give him the most precious treasure: the love of God, his Creator and Father.

[Pope Benedict, Angelus, 27 January 2008]

 

 

An arduous journey, but not without joy

 

The call of the fishermen

(Mt 4:18-23)

 

It is not the call of a leader, but the invitation of a Friend who lives first-hand what he proclaims, exposing himself.

It is he who takes risks and goes before, offering himself as the Lamb. He does not sit down to lecture and teach doctrines.

His "Good News" [Mk 1:15] reveals a divine face opposite to that preached by the official guides: the Father does not absorb our energies, but gives them in fullness and freely.

'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand' (v. 17) is the famous parallel in Mark: 'Repent and believe in the Gospel'.

Both expressions are, in fact, hendiadys: for example, the two coordinated terms 'repent and believe' express the same meaning. 

But not in a separatist or doctrinal sense.

In short:

The Kingdom is near if, thanks to our involvement, God comes to earth to replace the daily grind, and happiness knocks at the door.

Transformation that comes; change that bursts in. It is not planned down to the smallest detail; it is not built as if it were a scaffold.

It turns us towards something profoundly new: choices of light instead of judgement, possession, the exercise of power, the display of glory.

 

The Baptist claimed to prepare for the coming of the Messiah; Jesus proclaims the Kingdom already close at hand and deeply in tune with human beings - present, therefore simply to be welcomed, in order to live fully.

Following John [his pupil, together with his first disciples], the new Master had definitively grasped the difference between ascetic - reductionist - dynamics and the Father's plan of salvation.

A stimulus towards an all-round humanisation based on the exchange of gifts, the creative freedom of love, and a spirit of broad understanding.

The luminous and universal mission of the Son is understood by only a few - all fragile and insignificant people - and is slow to assert itself.

It is too difficult to make long-standing Judaizing religious leaders and their established realities believe that no one has exclusivity: everyone must simply accept the new Promises of the Covenant.

 

Until John [even more famous than Christ during his public life] is imprisoned and silenced, the Son of God lives almost in the shadow of the Precursor (cf. Jn 3:22-23).

Then he is forced to flee even from his small, traditionalist and nationalist village (Mt 4:12-13).

No one could believe in a divine reality without grand proclamations and arduous conditions.

No one could have imagined a widespread Jerusalem, already among us, so spontaneous, ordinary and open-ended - transcending but bringing us all together.

It was too difficult to move from the idea of the imminent empire of power to its unifying, unspectacular Presence - in the Person of a servant Messiah, not a self-sufficient avenger.

Such a humble closeness, nothing exceptional, like his faithful - 'converts' both from the religion of their fathers and from paganism, and therefore marginalised.

 

In the First Testament, Galilee appears only fleetingly, because observant Jews did not appreciate its contamination of beliefs.

Yet that region of suspicious people becomes the land of change.

In concrete terms, the unexpected invitation to conversion on Galilean soil (v. 18) means: 'Turn the ladder of values upside down!'.

There is indeed a freedom to be regained, but the scene is quick, because the young Master teaches not as the know-it-alls do: with his life.

God says to Abraham, 'Go to the land that I will show you'. Jesus does not say 'Go', but 'Come'.

Abraham is only an envoy; the disciple of Christ on his journey proposes a Person, his whole story.

He is interested in real life: he does not advocate a return to the Temple, to the ancient religion, to the cult that would have had to patch up its already recognised practice.

In this way, here are the first ones called: from 'fishers' to 'fishers of men' (vv. 18-19). The meaning of the expression is clearer in Luke 5:10 [Greek text].

Our mission is to raise to life those who no longer breathe and are suffocating, enveloped by impetuous waves (the forces of negativity).

The true task of the Apostle is to pull everyone out of the polluted environment, where they live in a dehumanising way.

And to place everyone in transparent water, with values that are no longer those of a closed and corrupt society - a habitat of obsessive blocks, useful only to the strong, quick and cunning.

The Son of God calls us to cut away what degrades the experience of personal fulfilment.

He promotes in each person the DNA of the communal God. Transmitted inwardly and unconditionally.

[Commenting on the passage from the Tao Te Ching (LXV), Master Ho-shang Kung emphasises:

'The man who possesses the mysterious virtue is opposed to and different from creatures: they want to increase themselves, the mysterious virtue gives to others'.

 

It is essential to abandon the 'nets' (v. 20): that which envelops, impedes, and stops. Even the 'boat' (v. 22), that is, the way of managing work.

Even the 'father' (v. 22): the imposed tradition that obscures the new Light.

All these are chains that must be broken.

In fact, the Lord must begin far away from the observant region and the holy city - Judea, the capital Jerusalem.

This means a new approach, even if one can continue to live one's previous life.

But values are no longer static and trivial: seeking consensus, settling down, keeping things for oneself, and so on.

Frivolous sparkles that instil external idols.

Too 'regular' and normal, uniforming; without uniqueness or decisive peaks. They pose a thousand obstacles to the free expression that is our right.

 

To give these unprecedented impulses, Jesus does not choose sacred environments and perhaps devout people who would not know how to regenerate anyone.

He flies over the court palaces, from which nothing would have been born (cf. Jn 4:1-4).

Nor does he designate anyone with the title that belongs to him alone: 'Shepherd'.

And even today, it is not clear why all denominational traditions have (immediately) filled themselves with 'shepherds', that is, guides, teachers, directors of the 'flock'.

 

We need attention, not leaders who judge and pass sentences of inadequacy. Nor do we want tracks that do not concern us, useless mental models.

Women and men of all times need only wise support; travelling companions who help them discover the hidden, unknown, secret sides that can flourish.

Teachers who let us complete ourselves, allowing our personalities to embrace the aspects that are still in the shadows.

This inner alliance will be a source of fulfilment, a sense of confidence and a fullness of life.

But to this end, someone must teach us to distract our minds from the known, and thus embark on the Path of 'beyond'.

Of course, this is a danger for those who like to interpret things with a sense of permanence: in short, there are no shortcuts without unknowns.

It is a path that changes our own and others' mental atmosphere; it overlooks the usual, indifferent, superficial way of seeing things.

Here, staying in our Calling and naturalness, we will be ourselves in the round. And we will surprise ourselves.

Here we are in the gamble of the Gift received: only in this way are we able to contact our deepest states; to know ourselves, and thus realise unexpected dreams of open and complete experience.

Precisely by activating dormant energies.

Like Jesus, able to set anyone he meets into action; recovering the opposite sides and eccentricities, for a humanising, total ideal.

 

Natural Wisdom says, in the Tao Tê Ching (LXV):

'In ancient times, those who practised the Tao [the Way] well did not use it to make the people insightful, but strove to make them obtuse'.

The theme - from the biblical evangelical point of view - is precisely that of Exodus: the allusion to the 'sea' [v.16; actually a lake].

Therefore, the 'Conversion' forward that the new Rabbi proposes is not a U-turn - as is often said.

'Conversion' does not concern a devout return to worship and the Temple, but a change of mentality and orientation.

And 'Kingdom of God' does not allude to a world 'in' Heaven: it does not refer to the afterlife, but to areas where the Beatitudes are lived.

'Conversion'? Authentic, without the punishments of a mortifying religion. Nor - as will unfortunately happen - the submission of consciences.

Obviously, no subjection to the cycle of profits without sharing.

 

The obtuseness of ancient, passing, insipid, provincial power - even of an ecclesiastical nature - is to believe that a voice of denunciation cannot be replaced by a more incisive Herald.

But it can (vv.11-12).

 

In Christ, we will launch radical changes, bringing out and activating in people awareness that is valuable and lasting.

No longer will we insist on seeking false, glossy, glamorous or papier-mâché securities, but we will know how to transmit life, taking all the risks of love.

Faith will stand out everywhere over conformist devotion, good for all seasons. This is because it does not plan for further stagnation, but rather a ceaseless journey.

Way, homeland, and way of seeing the world, unanchored from certainties of little specific weight: ultimately, they produce situations that are as reassuring as they are poor.

Then we will be ourselves in the fullness of the power of the Spirit [cf. parallel passage Lk 4:14], that is, in the unknown of unpredictable Love.

And in the risk of contamination: only in this way will we be able to realise the dreams of others for an open and complete life that goes beyond (Lk 4:15).

Like Jesus, and in Him, for our brothers and sisters. With his new way of taking action and marching forward.

Not: held back, in order to 'prepare' assurances and fine-tune according to clichés of manner.

 

Moving forward without the background: every trajectory is personal.

An orientation that draws us into exploration and action, towards a total ideal.

Openness, not effort.

 

 

To internalise and live the message:

 

Do you care about assurances? What certainties do you still need to leave behind?

Do you cultivate vital openness?

In the Church, do you feel closeness and life moving forward?

Or do the background, judgements, cataloguing, anonymity, ostentation and detachment prevail?

If you met Jesus walking, travelling, going beyond: how and according to what inclinations do you think your sterility could become fruitful?