May the Lord bless us and may the Virgin protect us!

7th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year C (23 February 2025)

 

Reading from the First Book of Samuel (26,2.7-9.12-13.22-23)

Saul was the first king of the people of Israel, around 1040 BC. The texts say that "no son of Israel was more handsome than he, and he surpassed from the shoulder upwards anyone else of the people" (1 Sam 9:2). He was a peasant from a simple family in the tribe of Benjamin, chosen by God and anointed king by the prophet Samuel, who initially hesitated because he distrusted monarchy in general, but had to obey God. Saul was anointed with oil and bore the title 'messiah'.  After a good start, Saul unfortunately proved Samuel's worst fears right: his personal pleasure, love of power and war prevailed over loyalty to the covenant. It was so bad that, without waiting for the end of his reign, Samuel, at God's command, set out to find his successor and chose David, the little shepherd from Bethlehem, the eighth son of Jesse. David was received into Saul's court and gradually became a skilful war leader, whose achievements were the talk of the town. One day, Saul heard the popular song that circulated everywhere: "Saul has slain his thousand, and David his ten thousand" (1 Sam 18:7) and was seized with jealousy that became so fierce towards David that he went mad. David had to flee several times to save himself, but contrary to Saul's suspicions, David never failed in his loyalty to the king. In the episode narrated here, it is Saul who takes the initiative: the three thousand men spoken of were gathered by him for the sole purpose of satisfying his hatred for David. "Saul went down into the wilderness of Zif with three thousand chosen men of Israel to seek David" (v. 2) and his intention was clear: to eliminate him as soon as possible. But the situation is reversed in David's favour: during the night David enters Saul's camp and finds everyone asleep, thus a favourable opportunity to kill him. Abisai, David's bodyguard, has no doubts and offers to kill him: 'Today God has put your enemy in your hands. Let me therefore nail him to the ground with my spear in one stroke and I will not add the second" (v 8). David surprises everyone, including Saul, who can hardly believe his eyes when he sees the proof that David has spared him. Two questions arise: why did David spare the one who wanted his death? The only reason is respect for God's choice: "I would not stretch out my hand against the messiah of the Lord" (v.11).  Why does the Bible recount this episode? There are certainly several reasons. Firstly, the sacred author wants to paint a portrait of David: respectful of God's will and magnanimous, refusing vengeance and understanding that Providence never manifests itself by simply delivering the enemy into one's own hands. Secondly, because the reigning king is untouchable and it should not be forgotten that this account was written in the court of Solomon, who had every interest in passing on this teaching. Finally, this text represents a stage in the biblical story, a moment in God's pedagogy: before learning to love all men, one must begin by finding some good reason to love some of them. David spares a dangerous enemy because he was, in his time, God's chosen one. The last stage will be to understand that every man is to be respected everywhere because the image of God is marked in him. We are all created in the image and likeness of God.

 

*Psalm 102 (103) 1-2, 3-4, 8. 10. 12-13

This psalm is encountered several times in the three liturgical years and we can admire the parallelism of the verses, a kind of alternation of verses that answer each other. It would be good to recite or sing it in two voices, line by line or in two alternating choirs. First chorus: "Bless the Lord, my soul" ... Second chorus: "May all that is in me bless his holy name" ... First chorus: "He forgives all your sins ... Second chorus: "He does not treat us according to our sins". And so on. Another characteristic is the joyful tone of the thanksgiving. The expression 'Bless the Lord, my soul' is repeated as an inclusion in the first and last verses of the psalm. Of all the blessings, the verses chosen for this Sunday insist on God's forgiveness: "He forgives all your faults... Merciful and gracious is the Lord, slow to anger and great in love; he does not treat us according to our sins nor repay us according to our faults. As far as the east is from the west, so he turns away our faults from us." Several times we have noted this: one of the great discoveries of the Bible is that God is only love and forgiveness. And that is precisely why he is so different from us and constantly surprises us. When the prophet Isaiah says: "My thoughts are not your thoughts, says God; your ways are not my ways" (55:6-8), he invites us to seek the Lord while he is being found, to call upon him while he is near. He invites the ungodly to forsake his way and the perverse man his thoughts, and adds: 'Return to the Lord who will have mercy on him, to our God who graciously forgives' - and adds - 'because my thoughts are not your thoughts'. Precisely the conjunction 'because' gives meaning to the whole sentence: it is precisely his inexhaustible mercy that makes the difference between God and us. Some five hundred years before Christ, it was already understood that God's forgiveness is unconditional and precedes all our prayers or repentance. God's forgiveness is not a punctual act, an event, but is its very essence. However, it is only we who can freely make the gesture of going to receive this forgiveness of God and renew the Covenant; he will never force us and so we go to him with confidence, we take the necessary step to enter into God's forgiveness that is already acquired. On closer inspection, this is a discovery that goes back to very ancient times. When Nathan announced God's forgiveness to King David, who had just gotten rid of his lover's husband, Bathsheba, David in truth had not yet had time to express the slightest repentance.  After reminding him of all the benefits with which God had filled him, the prophet added: "And if this were little, I would add still more" (2 Sam 12:8). Here is the meaning of the word forgiveness, made up of two syllables that it is good to separate "for - gift" to indicate the perfect gift, a gift beyond offence and beyond ingratitude; it is the covenant always offered despite infidelity. Forgiving those who have wronged us means continuing, in spite of everything, to offer them a covenant, a relationship of love or friendship; it means accepting to see that person again, to extend our hand to them, to welcome them at our table or in our home anyway; it means risking a smile; it means refusing to hate and to take revenge. However, this does not mean forgetting. We often hear people say: I can forgive but I will never forget. In reality, these are two completely different things. Forgiveness is neither forgetting nor erasing what has happened because nothing will erase it, whether it is good or bad. There are offences that can never be forgotten because the irreparable has happened. It is precisely this that gives greatness and gravity to our human lives: if a wipe-out could erase everything, what would be the point of acting well? We could do anything. Forgiveness therefore does not erase the past, but opens up the future. It breaks the chains of guilt, brings inner liberation and allows us to start again. When David had Bathsheba's husband killed, nothing could repair the evil committed. But David, forgiven, was able to raise his head again and try not to do evil any more. When parents forgive the murderer of one of their children, it does not mean that they forget the crime committed, but it is precisely in their grief that they find the strength to forgive, and forgiveness becomes a profoundly liberating act for themselves. Those who are forgiven will never again be innocent, but they can raise their heads again. Without arriving at such serious crimes, everyday life is marked by more or less serious acts that sow injustice or pain. By forgiving and receiving forgiveness we stop looking at the past and turn our gaze to the future. This is how it is in our relationship with God since no one can claim to be innocent, but we are all forgiven sinners.

 

*Second Reading from the First Epistle of St Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians (15:45-49)

St Paul's meditation on Christ's resurrection and ours continues and is addressed to Christians of Greek origin who would like to have a clear and precise answer on the resurrection of the flesh, when and how it will take place. Paul has already explained last Sunday that the resurrection is an article of faith whereby not believing in the resurrection of the dead means not believing in the resurrection of Christ either. Now he addresses the question: How do the dead rise and with what body do they return? In truth he acknowledges that he does not know what the resurrected will look like, but what he can say with certainty is that our resurrected body will be completely different from our earthly one. If we consider that Jesus who appeared after the resurrection was not immediately recognised by his disciples and Mary Magdalene mistook him for the gardener, this shows that he was the same and, at the same time, completely different. Paul distinguished an animal body from a spiritual body, and the expression spiritual body surprised his listeners who knew the Greek distinction between body and soul. However, being Jewish, he knew that Jewish thought never contrasts the body and the soul, and his Jewish training led him instead to contrast two types of behaviour: that of the earthly man and that of the spiritual man, inaugurated by the Messiah. In every man, God has insufflated a breath of life that makes him capable of spiritual life, but he still remains an earthly man. Only in the Messiah fully dwells the very Spirit of God, which guides his every action. To argue, Paul refers to Genesis, in which he reads the vocation of mankind, but does not interpret it historically. For him, Adam is a type of man or, rather, a type of behaviour. This reading may seem unusual to us, but we must get used to reading the creation texts in Genesis not as an account of events, but as accounts of vocation. By creating humanity (Adam is a collective name), God calls it to an extraordinary destiny. Adam, the earthly being, is called to become the temple of God's Spirit. And it must be remembered that in the Bible, Creation is not considered an event of the past because the Bible speaks much more of God the Creator than of Creation; it speaks of our relationship with God: we were created by Him, we depend on Him, we are suspended from His breath and it is not about the past, but about the future. The act of creation is presented to us as a project still in progress: in the two accounts of creation, man has a role to play. "Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it" in the first account (Gen 1:28). "The LORD God took man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it" in the second account (Gen 2:15). And this task concerns all of us, since Adam is a collective name representing the whole of humanity. Our vocation, Genesis goes on to say, is to be the image of God, that is, inhabited by the very Spirit of God. "God said, Let us make man in our image, in our likeness...God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them." (Gen 1:26-27). Adam is also the type of man who does not respond to his calling; he allowed himself to be influenced by the serpent, who instilled in him, like a poison, distrust of God. This is what Paul calls earthly behaviour, like the serpent crawling on the ground. Jesus Christ, the new Adam, on the other hand, allows himself to be guided only by the Spirit of God. In this way, he fulfils the vocation of every man, i.e. of Adam; this is the meaning of Paul's sentence: "Brothers, the first man, Adam, became a living being but the last Adam (i.e. Christ) became a life-giving spirit."

The message is clear: Adam's behaviour leads to death, Christ's behaviour leads to life. However, we are constantly torn between these two behaviours, between heaven and earth, and we can make Paul's expression our own when he cries out: 'Wretched man that I am! I do not do the good that I want, but do the evil that I do not want." (Rom 7:24, 19). In other words, the individual and collective history of all mankind is a long journey to allow ourselves to be inhabited more and more by the Spirit of God.  Paul writes: "The first man from earth is made of earth, the second man is from heaven. As the earthly man is, so are those of the earth; and as the heavenly man is, so are the heavenly". And St John observes: 'Beloved, even now we are children of God, but what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We know, however, that when he is revealed, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." (1 John 3:2). The perfect image of God in Jesus Christ, the apostles saw it on the face of Christ during the Transfiguration.

Note: the serpent crawling on the ground tempts mankind (Adam - adam man related to adamah earth, is not the name of a person but indicates the whole of mankind made of earth Gn1,26-27) and the name of the serpent is nahash a word that can mean either serpent or the dragon of Revelation: Gn3,15; Rev 12)

 

*From the Gospel according to Luke (6:27-38)

"Be merciful as your Father is merciful" and you will then be children of the Most High, for he is good to the ungrateful and the wicked.  This is the programme of every Christian, it is our vocation. The entire Bible appears as the story of man's conversion as he gradually learns to master his own violence. It is certainly not an easy process, but God is patient, because, as St Peter says, one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day (cf. 2 Pet 3:8) and he educates his people with such patience, as we read in Deuteronomy: "As a man corrects his son, so the Lord your God corrects you" (Deut 8:5). This slow eradication of violence from the human heart is expressed figuratively as early as the book of Genesis: violence is presented as a form of animality. Let us take the account of the Garden of Eden: God had invited Adam to name the animals, to symbolise his superiority over all creatures. God had in fact conceived Adam as the king of creation: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the cattle, over all the wild beasts, and over all the reptiles that creep upon the earth" (Gen 1:26). And Adam himself had recognised that he was different, that he was superior: "Man gave a name to all the animals, to the birds of the air, and to all the wild beasts; but for man he found no helper to match him" (Gen 2:20). Man did not find his equal. But two chapters later, we find the story of Cain and Abel. At the moment when Cain is seized with a mad desire to kill, God says to him: "Sin is crouching (like a beast) at your door. It lurks, but you must master it' (Gen 4:7). And starting from this first murder, the biblical text shows the proliferation of vengeance (Gen 4:1-26). From the very first chapters of the Bible, violence is thus recognised: it exists, but it is unmasked and compared to an animal. Man no longer deserves to be called man when he is violent. The biblical texts thus embark on the arduous path of converting the human heart. On this path, we can distinguish stages. Let us pause on the first: "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" (Ex 21:24). In response to the terrible boast of Lamech (Gen 4:23), great-grandson of Cain, who gloried in killing men and children to avenge simple scratches, the Law introduced a first limit: a single tooth for a tooth, and not the whole jaw; a single life for a life, and not a whole village in retaliation. The law of retaliation thus already represented significant progress, even if it still seems insufficient today. The pedagogy of the prophets constantly addresses the problem of violence, but comes up against a great psychological difficulty: the man who agrees not to take revenge fears losing his honour. The biblical texts then show man that his true honour lies elsewhere: it consists precisely in resembling God, who is 'good to the ungrateful and the wicked'. Jesus' discourse, which we read this Sunday, represents the last stage of this education: from the law of retaliation we have moved on to the invitation to gentleness, to disinterestedness, to perfect gratuitousness. He insists: twice, at the beginning and at the end, he says "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you"... "Love your enemies, do good and lend without hoping for anything in return". And so the ending surprises us a little: up to this point, although it was not easy, at least it was logical. God is merciful and invites us to imitate him. But here the last lines seem to change tone: 'Do not judge and you will not be judged; do not condemn and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and it will be given to you: a good measure, pressed down, shaken and overflowing will be poured into your lap, for with the measure with which you measure, it will be measured to you in return' (Lk 6:37-38). Have we returned to a logic of 'quid pro quo'? Of course not! Jesus is simply pointing out to us here a very reassuring path: in order not to fear being judged, simply do not judge or condemn others. Judge actions, but never people. Establish a climate of benevolence. In this way, fraternal relations will never be broken. As for the phrase: "Your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High", it expresses the wonderment experienced by those who conform to the Christian ideal of meekness and forgiveness. It is the profound transformation that takes place in them: for they have opened the door to the Spirit of God, and he dwells in them and inspires them more and more. Little by little they see the promise formulated by the prophet Ezekiel fulfilled in them: "I will give you a new heart, I will put a new spirit within you; I will take away from you the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." (Ez 36:26).

+Giovanni D'Ercole

 

 

Summary on request: Short commentary.

 

Reading from the First Book of Samuel (26.2.7-9.12-13.22-23)

Saul was the first king of the people of Israel, around 1040 B.C. He was a peasant from a simple family of the tribe of Benjamin, chosen by God and anointed king by the prophet Samuel, who initially hesitated because he distrusted monarchy in general, but had to obey God. After a good start, Saul unfortunately proved Samuel's worst fears right: his personal pleasure, love of power and war prevailed over loyalty to the Covenant. It was so bad that, without waiting for the end of his reign, Samuel, at God's command, set out to find his successor and chose David, the little shepherd from Bethlehem, the eighth son of Jesse. David was received into Saul's court and gradually became a skilful war leader, whose achievements were the talk of the town. One day, Saul heard the popular song that circulated everywhere: "Saul has slain his thousand, and David his ten thousand" (1 Sam 18:7) and was seized with jealousy that became so fierce towards David that he went mad. David had to flee several times to save himself, but contrary to Saul's suspicions, David never failed in his loyalty to the king. In the episode narrated here, it is Saul who takes the initiative: the three thousand men spoken of were gathered by him for the sole purpose of satisfying his hatred for David. "Saul went down into the wilderness of Zif with three thousand chosen men of Israel to search for David" (v 2) and his intention was clear: to eliminate him as soon as possible. But the situation is reversed in David's favour: during the night David enters Saul's camp and finds everyone asleep, thus a favourable opportunity to kill him. Abisai, David's bodyguard, has no doubts and offers to kill him: 'Today God has put your enemy in your hands. Let me therefore nail him to the ground with my spear in one stroke and I will not add the second" (v 8). David surprises everyone, including Saul, who can hardly believe his eyes when he sees the proof that David has spared him. Two questions arise: why did David spare the one who wanted his death? The only reason is respect for God's choice: "I would not stretch out my hand against the messiah of the Lord" (v.11).  The sacred author wants to outline the portrait of David: respectful of God's will and magnanimous, who refuses revenge and understands that Providence never manifests itself by simply delivering the enemy into one's own hands. Secondly, because the reigning king is untouchable and it should not be forgotten that this account was written in the court of Solomon, who had every interest in passing on this teaching. Finally, this text represents a stage in the biblical story, a moment in God's pedagogy: before learning to love all men, one must begin to find some good reason to love some, and David spares a dangerous enemy because as king he is God's chosen one. The last stage will be to understand that every man is to be respected because we are all created in the image and likeness of God.

 

*Psalm 102 (103) 1-2, 3-4, 8. 10. 12-13

This psalm would be good to recite or sing in two voices, in two alternating choirs. First chorus: "Bless the Lord, my soul"... Second chorus: "Let all that is in me bless his holy name"... First chorus: "He forgives all your sins... Second chorus: "He does not treat us according to our sins". And so on. Another characteristic is the joyful tone of the thanksgiving. The expression 'Bless the Lord, my soul' is repeated as an inclusion in the first and last verses of the psalm. Of all the benefits, the verses chosen for this Sunday insist on God's forgiveness: "For he forgives all your faults... Merciful and gracious is the Lord, slow to anger and great in love; he does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our faults... "for my thoughts are not your thoughts". Precisely the conjunction 'because' gives meaning to the whole sentence: it is precisely his inexhaustible mercy that makes the difference between God and us. Some five hundred years before Christ, it was already understood that God's forgiveness is unconditional and precedes all our prayers or repentance. God's forgiveness is not a punctual act, an event, but is its very essence. However, it is only we who can freely make the gesture of going to receive this forgiveness of God and renew the Covenant; He will never force us and so we go to Him with confidence, we take the necessary step to enter into God's forgiveness that is already acquired. On closer inspection, this is a discovery that goes back to very ancient times. When Nathan announced God's forgiveness to King David, who had just gotten rid of his lover's husband, Bathsheba, David in truth had not yet had time to express the slightest repentance.  After reminding him of all the benefits with which God had filled him, the prophet added: "And if this were little, I would add still more" (2 Sam 12:8). Here is the meaning of the word forgiveness, made up of two syllables that it is good to separate "for - gift" to indicate the perfect gift, a gift beyond offence and beyond ingratitude; it is the covenant always offered despite infidelity. Forgiving those who have wronged us means continuing, in spite of everything, to offer them a covenant, a relationship of love or friendship; it means refusing to hate and to take revenge. However, this does not mean forgetting. We often hear people say: I can forgive but I will never forget. In reality, these are two completely different things. Forgiveness is not a blank slate. There are offences that can never be forgotten, because the irreparable has happened. It is precisely this that lends greatness and gravity to our human lives: if a wipe-out could erase everything, what would be the point of acting well? We could do anything. Forgiveness therefore does not erase the past, but opens up the future. It breaks the chains of guilt, brings inner liberation and allows us to start again. When David had Bathsheba's husband killed, nothing could repair the evil committed. But David, forgiven, was able to raise his head again and try not to do evil any more. When parents forgive the murderer of one of their children, it does not mean that they forget the crime committed, but it is precisely in their grief that they find the strength to forgive, and forgiveness becomes a profoundly liberating act for themselves. Those who are forgiven will never again be innocent, but they can raise their heads again. Without arriving at such serious crimes, everyday life is marked by more or less serious acts that sow injustice or pain. By forgiving and receiving forgiveness we stop looking at the past and turn our gaze to the future. This is how it is in our relationship with God since no one can claim to be innocent, but we are all forgiven sinners.

 

*Second Reading from the First Epistle of St Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians (15:45-49)

St Paul's meditation on Christ's resurrection and ours continues and is addressed to Christians of Greek origin who would like to have a clear and precise answer on the resurrection of the flesh, when and how it will take place. Paul has already explained last Sunday that the resurrection is an article of faith whereby not believing in the resurrection of the dead means not believing in the resurrection of Christ either. Now he addresses the question: How do the dead rise and with what body do they return? In truth he acknowledges that he does not know what the resurrected will look like, but what he can say with certainty is that our resurrected body will be completely different from our earthly one. If we consider that Jesus who appeared after the resurrection was not immediately recognised by his disciples and Mary Magdalene mistook him for the gardener, this shows that he was the same and, at the same time, completely different. Paul distinguished an animal body from a spiritual body, and the expression spiritual body surprised his listeners who knew the Greek distinction between body and soul. However, being Jewish, he knew that Jewish thought never contrasts the body and the soul, and his Jewish training led him instead to contrast two types of behaviour: that of the earthly man and that of the spiritual man, inaugurated by the Messiah. In every man, God has insufflated a breath of life that makes him capable of spiritual life, but he still remains an earthly man. In order to argue, Paul refers to Genesis and sees Adam as a type of behaviour because the creation account in Genesis is not an account of events, but the account of a vocation. By creating humanity (Adam is a collective name), God calls it to an extraordinary destiny. Adam, the earthly being, is called to become the temple of God's Spirit. And it must be remembered that in the Bible, Creation is not seen as an event of the past, but speaks of our relationship with God: we were created by Him, we depend on Him, we are suspended from His breath and it is not about the past, but about the future. The creative act is presented to us as a project still in progress: in the two accounts of creation, man has a role to play. "Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it" (Gen 1:28). "The LORD God took man and put him in the garden of Eden that he might cultivate it and keep it" (Gen 2:15). And this task concerns all of us, since Adam is a collective name representing the whole of humanity. Our vocation, Genesis goes on to say, is to be the image of God, that is, inhabited by the very Spirit of God. "God said, Let us make man in our image, in our likeness...God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them." (Gen 1:26-27). Adam is also the type of man who does not respond to his calling; he allowed himself to be influenced by the serpent, who instilled in him, like a poison, distrust of God. This is what Paul calls earthly behaviour, like the serpent crawling on the ground. Jesus Christ, the new Adam, on the other hand, allows himself to be guided only by the Spirit of God. In this way, he fulfils the vocation of every man, i.e. of Adam; this is the meaning of Paul's sentence: "Brothers, the first man, Adam, became a living being but the last Adam (i.e. Christ) became a life-giving spirit."

The message is clear: Adam's behaviour leads to death, Christ's behaviour leads to life. However, we are constantly torn between these two behaviours, between heaven and earth, and we can make Paul's expression our own when he cries out: 'Wretched man that I am! I do not do the good that I want, but do the evil that I do not want." (Rom 7:24, 19). In other words, the individual and collective history of all mankind is a long journey to allow ourselves to be inhabited more and more by the Spirit of God.  Paul writes: "The first man from earth is made of earth, the second man is from heaven. As the earthly man is, so are those of the earth; and as the heavenly man is, so are the heavenly. 

 

*From the Gospel according to Luke (6:27-38)

"Be merciful as your Father is merciful" and then you will be children of the Most High, for he is good to the ungrateful and the wicked.  This is the programme of every Christian, it is our vocation. The entire Bible appears as the story of man's conversion as he gradually learns to master his own violence. It is certainly not an easy process, but God is patient and educates his people with such patience. This slow eradication of violence from the human heart is expressed figuratively as early as the book of Genesis: violence is presented as a form of animality. God had invited Adam to name the animals, to symbolise his superiority over all creatures.  And Adam himself had recognised that he was different, superior, and did not find his equal. But next we find the story of Cain and Abel. At the moment when Cain is seized with a mad desire to kill, God says to him: "Sin is crouching (like a beast) at your door. It lurks, but you must master it' (Gen 4:7). And starting from this first murder, the biblical text shows the proliferation of vengeance (Gen 4:1-26). From the very first chapters of the Bible, violence is thus recognised: it exists, but it is unmasked and compared to an animal. Man no longer deserves to be called man when he is violent. The biblical texts thus embark on the arduous path of converting the human heart. On this path, we can distinguish stages. Let us pause on the first: "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" (Ex 21:24). In response to the terrible boast of Lamech (Gen 4:23), great-grandson of Cain, who gloried in killing men and children to avenge simple scratches, the Law introduced a first limit: a single tooth for a tooth, and not the whole jaw; a single life for a life, and not a whole village in retaliation. The law of retaliation thus already represented significant progress, even if it still seems insufficient today. The pedagogy of the prophets constantly addresses the problem of violence, but comes up against a great psychological difficulty: the man who agrees not to take revenge fears losing his honour. The biblical texts then show man that his true honour lies elsewhere: it consists precisely in resembling God, who is 'good to the ungrateful and the wicked'. Jesus' discourse, which we read this Sunday, represents the last stage of this education: from the law of retaliation we have moved on to the invitation to gentleness, to disinterestedness, to perfect gratuitousness. He insists: twice, at the beginning and at the end, he says 'Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you'.... God is merciful and invites us to imitate him. But here the last lines seem to change tone: 'Do not judge and you will not be judged; do not condemn and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and you will be given (Lk 6:37-38). Are we perhaps back to a logic of 'quid pro quo'? Of course not! Jesus is simply pointing out to us here a very reassuring path: to not fear being judged, simply do not judge or condemn others. Judge actions, but never people. Establish a climate of benevolence. In this way, fraternal relations will never be broken.

+Giovanni D'Ercole

Get ahead and Forgive forward

(Lk 6:27-38)

 

The adventure of extreme Faith is for a wounding Beauty and an abnormal, prominent Happiness. But only those who know to wait will find their way.

Not opposing the wicked allows one to experience the Beatitudes (Lk 6:20-26) - antidote to one-sided relationships; however, tolerating becomes impossible if we do not allow an innate Energy to develop.

Greek text of Lk does not speak of ‘merits’ [cf. Italian translation 1974] or even of ‘gratitude’ [It. translation 2008] but rather of «Gratuity» (vv. 31.33-34)!

Of course, it is not easy to understand the meaning of the Gift, of the Free.

Yet here the flowering will be without forcing, because in the infinitely repeated repaying there is no wisdom that reads inside; in the overthrow, yes.

New experience of God is that of a genuine creative Love, which ceaselessly throws away, introduces new powers, and incredibly turns everything upside down.

It will not be the effort that will make us stay where the perfect Vocation wants us to dwell, but a correspondence - even in the swings.

 

Outside and within us there is another territory, where the affinity of waiting meets God's plan.

The spiral of returning the offense can occupy all of our space. Thus it dulls the ability to match the new ringing of the Call.

It takes away our perception, all the listening to the News of God which is in its infancy.

Generating all our confusions, the Salvation pales. History which vice versa is creating an unprecedented one: it’s cut at the root.

To grasp the very rhythm of God (which wisely creates), souls must wait the step of things, which mature in linear terms until they overturn or multiply - in an exclusive and unprecedented way.

 

The events themselves regenerate spontaneously, outside and even within us; useless to force. The growth and destination continues also thanks to the spring of mockery and external constraints.

Then, firmness in acceptance becomes the source of a new child - of an unexpected Genesis that is just intertwining its first roots with that swampy soil.

 

Suspension experienced in the Mystery opens our destiny of foolishness already decreed to trust in a new, unrepeatable Act of Being.

It opens up the unexpected Sense, in a climate of inventiveness that flies over the action-reaction instinct. This is so that the chain of normality doesn’t take over the prodigy.

Non-violence is therefore not a norm of mere delicacy, but rather a higher Arrow, which indicates a non-mechanical direction of Research, which advances from discovery to discovery.

Allowing everyone to pass on, creates the right detachment so that when we are ready, the time will come to realize: our mortification was a crossroads. It opened destiny to a less short hope, expanding life.

If others are not as we have dreamed of, it’s fortunate: the doors slammed in the face and their goad put us in contact with profound virtues, and with the resources that we have not yet given space to.

Betrayals, harassment, spite, revenge, outrage, mortification suffered... which would like to make us restless and dishearten... are preparing our development, and many other joys.

 

"Win-or-lose" alternative is false: we have to get out of it.

 

 

Forgiveness ahead: do not mark boundaries

 

Exemplary Encounter and Life at the Unknown Climax

(Lk 6:36-38)

 

Is it possible to put the Gospel under exemplary «Measure» - eg. of Law (retributive) or of the First Testament and Tradition?

No, a Family would not be built. And the culmination of this kind of experience would be ethnic or elitist prerogative.

Configuration and proposal that would give birth everywhere to a gray, slavish, fragile world; incapable of dialogue, and unknown discoveries.

 

After feeling separated by a humanizing and divine quality of life, only the awareness of reconciliation can transform environments and persons.

Such is the living and actualized Jesus, in community.

He introduces his intimates into a new experience of fluid understanding, devoid of pride.

Without actually assuming affected or photocopied attitudes.

It’s then that Humility effortlessly floods us, bringing Charity to the summit - in the celestial setting of the Gratis that moves the gaze.

 

By suppressing and suppressing, the artifices inexorably close the joy of living.

They harness Happiness in "ways", in the endless accentuation of efforts - against themselves, and opposing the world of others.

Conventions, standard duties and reactions, never contain the benevolent, incisive energies of growth.

In the lives of Saints we see it: listening to oneself thoroughly, letting it be... and forgiveness, they increase love a hundredfold.

It becomes a source of incredible gestures in favor of one's neighbor; in the noticing accentuated, in the care, in the free hospitality, in the total and unrestricted gift.

 

There has always been a need for the contribution of new virtues and situations - even intimate ones - of their surprises.

Not discarding the nonsense of others… means having learned to welcome our own frailties and oppositions.

The world begins to change when we accept ourselves, in the experience of the God-with-us’ esteem.

Thus we learn to perceive Beauty, instead of aridity and detachment: what makes life more intense and at the same time sliding.

 

Even the knowledge of God is not an asset of confiscation or an acquired science, already internally and externally foreclosed.

It moves from one action to another, incessantly; takes place in an encounter that is always alive, which neither blocks nor dissolves us.

It’s the future world’s beginning; principle of an unpredictable adventure.

God's Newness that creates an environment of Grace - with enormous possibilities, bursting forth from diverse energies.

It bursts in to break up primates and stagnant balances.

It does so through an impossible opening of credit - with a lordship of qualities and perspectives - which regenerate and reactivate people, families, fraternities; the whole world.

Principle of Catholicity, understood as a wide field.

Pearls of the new Pastoral, helping not to mark borders.

 

Yeast dough. Not self-referential.

 

 

 

[7th Sunday in O.T. (year C), February 23, 2025]

Want to go ahead of me? Have a seat

(Lk 6:27-38)

 

 

"Win-or-lose" alternative is false: one must move on.

 

Not opposing the wicked allows one to experience the Beatitudes (Lk 6:20-26) - the antidote to one-sided relationships; but this is impossible if we do not allow an innate Energy to develop.

The Tao says: "If you want to be given everything, give up everything". In the infinitely repeated reciprocation, there is no wisdom reading in; in the reversal, yes.

The Greek text of Lk does not speak of "merits" (cf. translation CEI 1974) nor of "gratitude" (translation CEI 2008), but of "Gratitude" (vv.31.33-34)!

Of course, it is not easy to understand the meaning of the Gift, of Gratuity: but the Master does not want us only to become more capable of thankfulness and well-behaved.

Jesus in us is not simply concerned with changing the situation and softening it: he wants to replace the whole system of spurious things and artificial, mannered relationships.

Otherwise nothing would be changed, nothing would be radically reversed; quite the contrary: in the goodness of circumstance the superstructures that alienate us would be strengthened.

The new experience of God is that of a genuine creative Love, which ceaselessly tosses up, introduces new powers, and incredibly turns everything upside down.

 

There is a greater Justice: living in the new position that the tide of life and Providence chisel out for each of us.

It is not effort that will make us stand where the (truly perfect) Vocation wants us to dwell, but a slow correspondence - even in the swings.

Outside and inside us there is another territory, where the affinity of the Waiting meets the Design of God: this after a time of Silence that intensely lives the today by grasping its depth, intuiting it as the unpredictable root of tomorrow.

There is another realm, where condescension meets new drives, cosmic and acutely personal; Profile of the Living.

This goes through a pause, which becomes root and sap of the most exclusive future.

 

The spiral of returning offence can occupy all our space. Thus it dampens the capacity to correspond to the new jingle of the Call.

It takes away our perception, our whole listening to the Newness of God that is in the dawning.

By generating confusions of our own, it pales the History of Salvation that is on the contrary creating a newness: it cuts it off at the root.

This is why the Lord orders the subversion of the customs of ancient religiosity, of its own impetus; of the divisions involved (acceptable or not, friends or enemies, near or far, pure and impure, sacred and profane, etc.).

The divine Kingdom starts from the Seed, not from outward gestures or forms; nor does it use conformist sweeteners, which leave roles untouched.

In order to grasp the very rhythm of God (who wisely creates) souls must take the pace of things, which mature in linear terms until they overthrow or multiply - not in a 'printed' way, but in a personal way.

The events themselves regenerate spontaneously, outside and even within us; no need to force it. Growth and destination also remain thanks to the spring of external mockeries and constraints.

In the Tao Tê Ching we read: 'If you want to obtain something, you must first allow it to be given to others. Flowering will be without compulsion.

So, steadfastness in the tribulation, acceptance and forbearance of profiteers, the superficial and the vain becomes the offspring of a new child, of an unthought-of Genesis that is just weaving its first roots with that very marshy soil.

From ingots nothing is born, from the obstinate the usual things are born, from the hasty the exact opposite; from dung new flowers are born, which we did not even plant.

The suspension experienced in Mystery opens our fate of already decreed foolishness to trust in a new, unrepeatable Act of Being.

It opens up the Meaning that you do not expect, in a climate of inventiveness that glosses over the action-reaction instinct - so that the chain of normality does not take over the prodigy of vocational Identity, of our character and realisation.

Non-violence is thus not a norm of mere exquisiteness of mind, but a superior Arrow, pointing in a direction of non-mechanical Research, which advances from discovery to discovery.

The truly exemplary life is always of a different kind, out of the ordinary.

Letting everyone, even opportunists and holiness actors, get ahead does not immediately put us in the saddle or in the shop window, but neither will it ultimately make us pay too much in person.

It creates the right detachment so that when we are ready, the time will come when we will realise that our mortification was a crossroads: it opened up our destiny to a less short-lived, life-expanding hope.

The Tao says: "New beginnings are often disguised as painful losses [but] what is yielding overcomes what is hard. The slow overcomes the fast'.If the others are not as we dreamed, it is fortunate: the doors slammed in our faces and their sting put us in touch with our deepest virtues, with the resources to which we have not yet given space.

 

Betrayals, abuses, spite, revenge, outrages, mortifications... that would like to make us uneasy and dishearten us... are preparing our development, and much more joy.

 

The adventure of extreme Faith is for a Beauty that wounds and an abnormal, prominent Happiness. But only those who know how to wait find their Way.

 

 

Forgiveness ahead: not marking boundaries

 

Exemplary encounter and Life at the unknown summit

(Lk 6:36-38)

 

Is it possible to put the Gospel under exemplary "Measure" - e.g. of (retributive) Law or of First Testament and Tradition?

No, it would not build Family. And the culmination of this kind of experience would be an ethnic or elitist prerogative.

Configuration and proposal that would give birth everywhere to a grey, slavish, fragile world; incapable of dialogue and unknown discoveries.

 

After feeling separated from a humanising and divine quality of life, only the awareness of reconciliation can transform environments and people.

Such is the living Jesus in community.

He immerses his intimates in a new experience of fluid understanding, devoid of pride - despite being 'devout'.

Without, in fact, assuming prissy or photocopied attitudes.

It is then that humility effortlessly floods us, bringing Charity to the summit: in the heavenly setting of the Gratis that shifts the gaze.

 

By suppressing, artifices inexorably close off the joy of living.

They harness it in manners, in the endless accentuation of effort - against oneself, and against the world of others.

Conventions, standard duties and reactions, never contain the benevolent, incisive energies of growth.

In the lives of the saints we see it: listening deeply, letting it be... and Forgiveness, they increase love a hundredfold.

It becomes the source of incredible gestures in favour of one's neighbour; in the accentuated realisation, in the care, in the free hospitality, in the total and unstinting gift.

 

There is always a need for the contribution of new energies and situations - even intimate ones - and their surprises.

Not discarding the naiveté of others means having learnt to welcome our own frailties and oppositions.

The world begins to change when we accept ourselves, in the experience of the appreciation of the God-With-We.

This is how we learn to perceive beauty, instead of dryness and detachment: that which makes life more intense and at the same time smooth.

 

Even the knowledge of God is not a confiscated commodity or an acquired science, already inwardly and outwardly foreclosed.

It moves from one action and another, unceasingly; it is realised in an ever-living Encounter, which neither blocks nor dissolves the personality of each one.

 

The criterion of acceptance (albeit of varied goods for the soul), the principle of remission, coexistence, communion (even of multiple, even material resources) have been the main catalysts for growth.

Right from the earliest churches, the vector of mercy, even in summary, in petty things, was the source and meaning of all the formulas, of all the signs of the nascent liturgy itself.

The existential and spiritual centre to which to converge.

 

Here was the reconciliation of friction between customs and less closed conceptions, between bell towers and internal tribes, traditionalists and avant-gardists; and so on.

In the Spirit of Providence, every composition is not simply a work of magnanimity proper to those who seek always to look ahead.

It is the beginning of the future world; the beginning of an unforeseeable and unspeakable adventure, even a scapegoat.

And we in such a kingdom are suddenly reborn. Reborn; as if sprung from the new humanity, the condition of authentic children.

Generated again by the Father, who grants everything and everyone: because we have come into frank contact, in the Person of Christ.

 

In short, Christian Forgiveness is not the common 'positive look'. Nor does it have anything to do with so-called 'positive thinking'.

Tolerance of children is not a simplistic 'going beyond' in an artificial sense. As in pretending nothing has happened and turning a blind eye [in a blunt, sometimes intimately contemptuous manner].

The spirit of understanding to which we are called does not derive from good-natured paternalism, which only saves manners.

It is God's newness that creates an environment of Grace - with enormous possibilities, bursting forth from diverse energies.

Novelty that breaks through to shatter primates, stagnant balances.

It does so through an impossible opening of credit - with a lordship of qualities and perspectives.

Scenarios that regenerate and reactivate individuals, families, fraternities; the whole world.

All so that we are freely placed in the position and reciprocity that enables us to reveal the hidden - astounding - meaning of being and vocation.

The very reason why we were born.

 

Per-gifting is a surplus restitution of all lost dignity. Indeed, far beyond.It does not just put us back on our feet; it does not just restore. It enhances and strengthens the dull.

It transforms the mediocre or those who approach despite having a different sensibility, heavy baggage, and the voiceless... into outriders and brilliant inventors.

Because what was unthought of yesterday, tomorrow will be clarifying and driving force.

In the wake of different visions or expectations, confusions will make sense.

The thinning of the fog will not be achieved by normal, enlisted hearts, always indulgent towards themselves but stern when someone touches their interests and habitual automatisms.

The work of healing, of recovering the scattered being - the therapy of real problems - will arise rather through the work of the despised and intruders.

Scorned, despised, eccentric, shaky - out of every turn and predictability.

Leavened dough. Not self-referential.

 

These are the authentic virtuosos. Principle of Catholicity, understood as a wide field.

The Pearls of the New Pastoral: those who help not to mark too many ideal boundaries.

 

"There is a happy formula of St. Vincent de Lérins who, comparing the growing human being and the Tradition that is transmitted from one generation to the next, affirms that one cannot preserve the "deposit of faith" without making it progress: "consolidating with the years, developing with time, deepening with age" (Commonitorium primum, 23.9) - "ut annis consolidetur, dilatetur tempore, sublimetur aetate". This is the style of our walk: realities, if they do not walk, are like waters. Theological realities are like water: if water does not flow and is stale, it is the first to go rotten. A stale Church begins to be putrefied [...].

And here I would like to point out that even on the concept of "the people of God" there can be rigid and antagonistic hermeneutics, remaining trapped in the idea of an exclusivity, of a privilege, as happened with the interpretation of the concept of "election" that the prophets corrected, indicating how it should be correctly understood. It is not a privilege - to be God's people - but a gift that someone receives ... for himself? No: for everyone, the gift is to give it: this is the vocation [...].

Why do I tell you these things? Because in the synodal journey, listening must take into account the sensus fidei, but it must not neglect all those 'presentiments' embodied where we would not expect it: there may be a 'sniff without citizenship', but it is no less effective.

The Holy Spirit in his freedom knows no boundaries, nor does he allow himself to be limited by affiliations. If the parish is the home of everyone in the neighbourhood, not an exclusive club, I recommend: leave doors and windows open, do not limit yourself to considering only those who attend or think like you - that will be 3, 4 or 5%, no more. Allow everyone to come in... Allow yourself to go out and let yourself be questioned, let their questions be your questions, allow yourself to walk together: the Spirit will lead you, trust the Spirit. Do not be afraid to enter into dialogue and let yourselves be moved by dialogue: it is the dialogue of salvation'.

[Pope Francis, Address to the Diocese of Rome 18 September 2021].

 

Says the Tao Tê Ching (LIX):

"When no one knows his culmination, he can possess the kingdom".

 

Life of pure Faith in the Spirit.

It is the paradoxical and unprecedented 'mechanism' that makes one assess the crossroads of history, unravelling the knots of the real questions.

It not only overcomes, but rather supplants difficult moments - bringing us back to the true path.

And it orients reality to the concrete good; multifaceted, not one-sided.

It makes reality itself soar in the wonder of the Spirit, which is unleashed in a more important way than usual - towards itself.

 

 

To internalise and live the message:

 

Do you see in your community that someone claims to commandeer the datum of Faith, turning it into a measured, predictable duty?

In your opinion, what description of God's work does it convey?

Conversely, what unimaginable and out-of-scale effect has your even initial or minimal involvement in the life of Faith-love produced?

 

 

Forgiveness and Faith: Living Encounter

 

Free eccentric, forward: Sacrament of humanity as such

(Lk 17:1-6)

 

The knowledge of God is not a confiscated commodity or an acquired and already plundered science: it moves from one action and another, unceasingly; it is realised in an ever-living Encounter, which does not block or dissolve us.

Typical, the experience of the "little ones" [mikròi v.2]. From the earliest communities of faith, they have been those who lacked security and energy; unstable and without support.

Since time immemorial, "Little Ones" have been the incipients; the new ones, who have heard of Christian brotherhood, but are sometimes forced to stand in line, aside, or give up the journey.

But the criterion of welcome, tolerance, communion even of material goods, has been the first and main catalyst for the growth of the assemblies.Even the origin and meaning of all the formulas and signs of the liturgy.

The existential and ideal centre to which to converge. For a proactive and in itself transformative Faith.

 

In the Spirit of the Master, even for us the conciliation of friction is not simply a work of magnanimity.

It is the beginning of the future world. The beginning of an unforeseeable and unspeakable adventure. And we with it suddenly reborn: coming into frank contact in Christ. He who does not extinguish us at all.

Hence the Christian forgiveness of children, which is not... 'looking positive', and 'turning a blind eye': rather, Newness of God that creates an environment of Grace, propulsive, with enormous possibilities.

Force that breaks through and paradoxically lets the dark poles meet, instead of shaking them off. Genuinely eliminating useless comparisons, words and ballasts, which block the transparent Exodus.

Dynamics that guide one to the indispensable and unavoidable: waves to shift one's gaze. Teaching one to notice one's own hysterics, to know oneself, to face anxiety, its reason; to handle situations and moments of crisis.

Mouldable virtue that places one in intimate listening to the personal essence.

Hence, solid, broad empathy, which introduces new energies; it brings one's own deep states, even standard life, together... arousing other knowledge, different perspectives, unexpected relationships.

Thus without too much struggle it renews us, and curbs the loss of veracity [typical, that in favour of circumstantial manners]. It accentuates capacities and horizons of Peace - crumbling primates, swampy balances.

The discovery of new sides of the being that we are, conveys a sense of better wholeness, then spontaneously curbs external influences, dissolves prejudices, does not make one act on an emotional, impulsive basis.

Rather, it puts us in a position to reveal the hidden and astounding meaning of being. It unfolds the crucial horizon.

 

Activating 'Forgiveness' is gratuitously a surrender of one's character range, of all lost dignity, and far beyond.

By laying down sentences, the art of tolerance expands the [also intimate] gaze. It enhances and strengthens the dull sides; those we ourselves had detested.

In this eccentric way it transforms those considered distant or mediocre [mikroi] into outriders and brilliant inventors. For what was unthought of yesterday will be clarifying and driving tomorrow.

Confusions will make sense - precisely because of the thinking of the minds in crisis, and because of the action of the despised, intruders, outside of all spin and predictability.

Life of pure Faith in the Spirit: i.e., the imagination of the 'weak'... in power.

Because it is the paradoxical mechanism that makes the crossroads of history assess, activates passions, creates sharing, solves real problems.

And so it supplants the difficult moments forwards (bringing us back to the true path) by orienting reality to the concrete good.

By making it fly towards itself.

 

The 'win-or-lose' alternative is false: we must get out of it. It is in such 'emptiness' and Silence that God makes His way.

Mystery of Presence, overflowing. New Covenant.

 

 

Increasing Faith: a dull, intimidated life, or the door of Hope

 

Perhaps we, too, have been inculcated with the idea that faith must be asked for, so God will increase it for us. Instead, we have a say, but not in the sense of a plea to Heaven.

Faith is a gift, but in the sense of a relational, face-to-face proposal and initiative; that asks for welcoming perception. Therefore, it does not grow by falling from a packet - as if by precipice, or by infusion from above. Even forcing it, and convincing the Father.

Nor is it a simple assent linked to good-naturedness. It is not a baggage of notions that some have and prove right; others less so, or not at all.

In falling in love one can be more or less involved!

Faith is not believing that God exists, but adhering to a springing suggestion that (without imposition) guides us to disregard reputation.

The person of Faith cares not for expense or risk, even for the lives of others. He holds particular customs in abeyance; he does not put circle affections first. Forgives without limit.

Often we agree only in part and accept a little bit - perhaps until love goes all the way, or calls us into question.

Thus the head, the quirks, the concatenation of values, and the small world to which we are attached.

 

Increasing Faith? The Gift is not a gift, but an Appeal.

Therefore, Jesus does not even respond to such a ridiculous request - nevertheless, it makes one think about the results of possible adherence.

All it would take is the slightest involvement and there would be extraordinary results in the world (v.6); in community, in families and in personal life.

We would achieve the impossible and important. Real problems would be solved. Even the simplest actions would be transformed.

Then there are great events planted in every man's heart, which we may consider unrealisable: e.g. universal brotherhood, victory over hunger, a dignified and beautiful life for all, a world and a Church without volatile, corrupt and vain characters.

Because we consider them impossible situations, we don't even begin to build them - we immediately drop our arms.

But maturation is the result of secret sides, not of impermeable mental armour.

As a Nobel Prize winner said: 'The innocent did not know that their project was impossible, so they realised it'.

And it is not that after a life spent in service - at the orders of the Principal - in the afterlife we will finally command, on the basis of the rank we have achieved [although this too may have been passed on to us].

One of the wonders that Faith in Christ accomplishes in us - here and now - is to make us aware of the beauty and joy of having the freedom to come down from the pedestals we have already identified, in order to favour the full life (of all).

And at the 'end of the month' - at the 'reckoning' or the 'pay' - we will not finally become bosses - at least in heaven!

Because God is Communion, conviviality of differences; and He does not accept the servant-master scheme, even as a reward.

(Or:)

Change the world quietly

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

This Sunday's Gospel contains some of the most typical and forceful words of Jesus' preaching: "Love your enemies" (Lk 6: 27). It is taken from Luke's Gospel but is also found in Matthew's (5: 44), in the context of the programmatic discourse that opens with the famous "Beatitudes". Jesus delivered it in Galilee at the beginning of his public life: it is, as it were, a "manifesto" presented to all, in which he asks for his disciples' adherence, proposing his model of life to them in radical terms. 

But what do his words mean? Why does Jesus ask us to love precisely our enemies, that is, a love which exceeds human capacities? 

Actually, Christ's proposal is realistic because it takes into account that in the world there is too much violence, too much injustice, and therefore that this situation cannot be overcome except by countering it with more love, with more goodness. This "more" comes from God: it is his mercy which was made flesh in Jesus and which alone can "tip the balance" of the world from evil to good, starting with that small and decisive "world" which is the human heart. 

This Gospel passage is rightly considered the magna carta of Christian non-violence. It does not consist in succumbing to evil, as a false interpretation of "turning the other cheek" (cf. Lk 6: 29) claims, but in responding to evil with good (cf. Rom 12: 17-21) and thereby breaking the chain of injustice. 

One then understands that for Christians, non-violence is not merely tactical behaviour but a person's way of being, the attitude of one who is so convinced of God's love and power that he is not afraid to tackle evil with the weapons of love and truth alone. 

Love of one's enemy constitutes the nucleus of the "Christian revolution", a revolution not based on strategies of economic, political or media power: the revolution of love, a love that does not rely ultimately on human resources but is a gift of God which is obtained by trusting solely and unreservedly in his merciful goodness. Here is the newness of the Gospel which silently changes the world! Here is the heroism of the "lowly" who believe in God's love and spread it, even at the cost of their lives. 

Dear brothers and sisters, Lent, which will begin this Wednesday with the Rite of Ashes, is the favourable season in which all Christians are asked to convert ever more deeply to Christ's love.

Let us ask the Virgin Mary, docile disciple of the Redeemer who helps us to allow ourselves to be won over without reserve by that love, to learn to love as he loved us, to be merciful as Our Father in Heaven is merciful (cf. Lk 6: 36).

[Pope Benedict, Angelus 18 February 2007]

 

1. "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem" (Mk 10:33). With these words, the Lord invites the disciples to journey with him on the path that leads from Galilee to the place where he will complete his redemptive mission. This journey to Jerusalem, which the Evangelists present as the crowning moment of the earthly journey of Jesus, is the model for the Christian who is committed to following the Master on the way of the Cross. Christ also invites the men and women of today to "go up to Jerusalem". He does so with special force in Lent, which is a favourable time to convert and restore full communion with him by sharing intimately in the mystery of his Death and Resurrection.

For believers, therefore, Lent is the appropriate time for a profound re-examination of life. In today’s world, there is much generous witness to the Gospel, but there are also baptized people who, when faced with the demanding call to "go up to Jerusalem", remain deaf and resistant, even at times openly rebellious. There are situations where people’s experience of prayer is rather superficial, so that the word of God does not enter deeply into their lives. Even the Sacrament of Penance is thought by many to be unimportant and the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist is seen as a mere duty to be performed.

How should we respond to the invitation to conversion that Jesus addresses to us in this time of Lent? How can there be a serious change in our life? First of all, we must open our hearts to the penetrating call that comes to us from the Liturgy. The time of preparation for Easter is a providential gift from the Lord and a precious opportunity to draw closer to him, turning inward to listen to his promptings deep within. 

2. There are Christians who think they can dispense with this unceasing spiritual effort, because they do not see the urgency of standing before the truth of the Gospel. Lest their way of life be upset, they seek to take words like "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you" (Lk 6:27) and render them empty and innocuous. For these people, it is extremely difficult to accept such words and to translate them into consistent patterns of behaviour. They are in fact words which, if taken seriously, demand a radical conversion. On the other hand, when we are offended or hurt, we are tempted to succumb to the psychological impulses of self-pity and revenge, ignoring Jesus’ call to love our enemy. Yet the daily experiences of human life show very clearly how much forgiveness and reconciliation are indispensable if there is to be genuine renewal, both personal and social. This applies not only to interpersonal relationships, but also to relationships between communities and nations. 

3. The many tragic conflicts which grievously wound humanity, some of them stirred by mistaken religious motives, have sown violence and hatred between peoples and even at times between groups and factions within the same nation. With a distressing sense of powerlessness, we sometimes see a revival of hostilities which we had thought were finally settled, and it seems that some peoples are caught in an unstoppable spiral of violence, which continues to claim victim after victim, without any real prospect of resolution. And hopes for peace, heard all around the world, come to nothing: for the commitment required to move towards the longed-for reconciliation fails to take hold.

Faced with this disturbing scenario, Christians cannot remain indifferent. That is why, during the Jubilee Year just concluded, I gave voice to the Church’s plea to God for forgiveness for the sins of her children. We well know that the sins of Christians have marred the unblemished face of the Church, but trusting in the merciful love of God, who keeps no account of evil when there is repentance, we can confidently set forth on our journey once more. God’s love is clearly revealed where sinful and ungrateful man is readmitted to full communion with the divinity. Seen in this light, "purification of memory" is above all a renewed proclamation of the mercy of God, a confession which the Church at every level is called to make again and again with fresh conviction. 

4. The only path to peace is forgiveness. Forgiveness given and received enables a new kind of relationship among people, breaking the spiral of hatred and revenge and shattering the chains of evil which bind the hearts of those in conflict with one another. For nations in search of reconciliation and for those who hope for peaceful co-existence between individuals and peoples, there is no other way than this: forgiveness given and received. How full of salutary lessons are the words of the Lord: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the just and the unjust" (Mt5:44-45)! To love those who have offended us is to disarm them and to turn even a battle-field into an arena of mutual support and cooperation.

This is a challenge not only to individuals but also to communities, peoples and humanity as a whole. In a special way it concerns families. It is not easy to be converted to forgiveness and reconciliation. To choose reconciliation can seem problematic enough when we ourselves are at fault. But if the fault is someone else’s, reconciliation may even seem a senseless humiliation. An inner conversion is required if this step is to be taken; the courage to be humbly obedient to Jesus’ command is needed. His word leaves no doubt: not only those who provoke hostility but also those who are its victim must seek reconciliation (cf. Mt5:23-24). Christians must make peace even when they feel that they are victims of those who have struck and hurt them unjustly. This was how the Lord himself acted. He expects his disciple to follow him, and in this way cooperate in redeeming his brothers and sisters.

In our own time, forgiveness appears more and more essential if there is to be genuine social renewal and a consolidation of peace in the world. In proclaiming forgiveness and love of enemies, the Church is aware of adding to the spiritual heritage of all humanity a new mode of human relationships; an arduous mode, to be sure, but one that is also rich in hope. In this, the Church knows she can rely on the help of the Lord, who never abandons those who turn to him in times of difficulty. 

5. "Love is not resentful" (1 Cor 13:5). With these words from the First Letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul recalls that forgiveness is one of the highest forms of the practice of charity. The season of Lent is a favourable time to explore still more deeply the meaning of this truth. Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the Father gives us in Christ his pardon, and this impels us to live in love, seeing others not as an enemies but as brothers and sisters.

May this time of penance and reconciliation encourage believers to think and act according to true charity, open to every human circumstance. This inner disposition will ensure that believers will bear the fruits of the Spirit (cf. Gal 5:22) and that with a heart renewed they will offer material help to those in need.

A heart reconciled with God and neighbour is a generous heart. In the holy season of Lent the "collection" assumes a special meaning, because it is not a matter of giving from one’s surplus in order to soothe one’s conscience, but of taking upon oneself in a spirit of fraternal concern the misery present in the world. To look upon the sorrowing face and the suffering of so many brothers and sisters cannot fail to prompt us to share at least some part of our own possessions with those who are in difficulty. And the Lenten offering becomes still more meaningful if those who make it are set free from resentment and indifference, which are obstacles that keep us far from communion with God and with others.

The world expects Christians to bear unequivocal witness to communion and solidarity. On this point, the words of the Apostle John are most enlightening: "If any of you has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?" (1 Jn 3:17).

Brothers and sisters! In commenting upon the Lord’s teaching as he journeys to Jerusalem, Saint John Chrysostom recalls that Christ does not leave the disciples ignorant of the struggles and sacrifices that await them. Jesus stresses that it is hard but not impossible to renounce oneself when one can count on God’s help bestowed on us "through communion with the person of Christ" (PG 58, 619s).

That is why, in this Lenten season, I wish to invite all believers to an ardent and trusting prayer to the Lord, that he may grant each of us a fresh experience of his mercy. Only this gift will help us to receive and live ever more joyfully and generously the love of Christ which "does not insist on its own way, ... is not resentful, ... does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right" (1 Cor 13:5-6).

With these sentiments, I entrust the Lenten journey of the entire community of believers to the protection of the Mother of Mercy, and I cordially impart to each of you my Apostolic Blessing.

From the Vatican, 7 January 2001

[Pope John Paul II, Message for Lent 2001]

This Sunday’s Gospel passage (cf. Lk 6:27-38) concerns a central point that characterizes Christian life: love for enemies. Jesus’ words are clear: “I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (vv. 27-38). And this is not optional, it is a command. It is not for everyone, but for the disciples, whom Jesus calls “you that hear”. He is well aware that loving enemies exceeds our possibilities, but this is why he became man: not to leave us as we are, but to transform us into men and women capable of a greater love, that of his Father and ours. This is the love that Jesus gives to those who ‘hear him’. Thus it becomes possible! With him, thanks to his love, to his Spirit, we are able to love even those who do not love us, even those who do us harm.

In this way, Jesus wants God’s love to triumph over hatred and rancour in every heart. The logic of love, which culminates in Christ’s Cross, is a Christian’s badge and induces us to meet everyone with the heart of brothers and sisters. But how is it possible to overcome human instinct and the worldly law of retaliation? Jesus provides the answer in the same Gospel passage: “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (v. 36). Those who hear Jesus, who make an effort to follow him even at a cost, become children of God, and begin to truly resemble the Father who is in heaven. We become capable of things we never thought we could say or do, and of which we would have been rather ashamed, but which now give us joy and peace instead. We no longer need to be violent, with words and gestures: we discover that we are capable of tenderness and goodness; and we sense that all of this comes not from ourselves but from him! And thus we do not brag about it but are grateful for it.

There is nothing greater and more fruitful than love: it bestows all dignity to the person, while, on the contrary, hatred and vengeance decrease it, marring the beauty of the creature made in God’s image.

This command, to respond to insult and wrongdoing with love, has created a new culture in the world: “a culture of mercy” — we need to learn this well! And properly practice this culture of mercy — which “can set in motion a real cultural revolution” (Apostolic Letter Misericordia et Misera, 20). It is the revolution of love, in which the protagonists are the martyrs of all times. And Jesus assures us that our behaviour, inspired by love for those who do us harm, will not be in vain. He tells us: “forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you” (vv. 37-38). This is beautiful. God will give us something beautiful if we are generous, merciful. We must forgive because God has forgiven us and always forgives us. If we do not forgive completely, we cannot expect to be forgiven completely. However, if our hearts are open to mercy, if we seal forgiveness with a brotherly embrace and secure the bonds of communion, we proclaim to the world that it is possible to overcome evil with good. At times it is easier for us to remember the harm they have done to us and not the good things; to the point that there are people who have this habit and it becomes a sickness. They are “collectors of injustice”: they only remember the bad things done. And this is not a path. We must do the opposite, Jesus says. Remember the good things, and when someone comes with some gossip, and speaks ill of another, say: “Yes, perhaps ... but he has this good quality...”. Turn the discussion around. This is the revolution of mercy.

May the Virgin Mary help us to let our heart be touched by this holy word of Jesus, burning like fire, that it may transform us and make us able to do good without reciprocation, doing good without reciprocation, witnessing everywhere to the victory of love.

[Pope Francis, Angelus 24 February 2019]

(Mt 16:13-19)

 

Jesus guides his intimates away from the territory of the ideology of power and from the sacred center of the official religious institution, so that they distance themselves from conditioning and appreciation.

[The relative success of the Master in Galilee had revived the apostles' hopes].

The territory of Caesarea Philippi, in the extreme north of Palestine, was enchanting; famous area for lush pastures, beauty of the setting and fertility of flocks and herds.

Even the disciples are fascinated by the landscape and the comfortable life of the inhabitants of the region; not to mention the magnificence of the buildings.

Christ asks the apostles - in practice - what people expected from him - and so He wants them to realize the harmful effects of their own preaching.

The call of the context alludes to the comforts that the pagan religion proposes, and stupefied the Twelve.

While the gods show that they know how to fill their devotees with goods - and a sumptuous court life that bewitched everyone - what does Christ offer?

The Master realizes that the disciples were still strongly conditioned by the propaganda of the political and religious government (vv.6.11), which ensured well-being (vv.5-12; Mt 15:32-38).

 

Jesus instructs them again, so that at least his closest ones can overcome the blindness, the crisis produced by his Cross (v.21) and the commitment required in the perspective of self-giving.

He is not only a continuer of the clear attitude of the Baptist, never inclined to compromise towards the courts and opulence; nor one of the many restorers of the law of Moses, with the zeal of Elijah.

He did not want to limit himself to purifying religion of spurious elements, but ‘replace’ the Temple (Mt 21:12-17.18-19.42; 23:2.37-39; 24:30) - the meeting place between the Father and his sons.

On this question, at that moment the distances not only with paganism, but also the contrasts between Jews converted to the Lord and believers according to tradition were particularly vivid.

In fact, the sacred books of late Judaism spoke of great personalities who had left an imprint in the history of Israel, and should have reappeared to usher in the messianic times.

But even within the persecuted communities of Galilee and Syria of Mt there was a lack of understanding, and all the difficulty of embracing the new proposal that did not guarantee glory or material goals.

It was realized that the Faith did not easily accord with the first human impulses: it was disconcerting for the obvious views and its impulses.

Thus Jesus contradicts Peter himself (vv.20.23), whose opinion remained linked to the conformist and popular idea of ​​«the» (vv.16.20: «that») awaited Messiah.

Hence the ‘messianic secret’ imposed on those who preach it in that equivocal way (v.20).

The chief of the apostles - weak in Faith - must stop showing Christ which path to follow «behind» him (v.23), deviating Him!

Simone - each of the leaders of the assembly - has to start being a pupil again; stop drawing roads, kidnapping God in the name of God.

 

He was forced by the Lord to realize firsthand the novelty of God.

Its «Keys» are therefore not to close the Kingdom, but to open its Doors wide, that is, to make the Church a humanizing, open Community; free from one-sided conditioning.

This is the new task of the 'Chair of Peter': to help believers break out of a canvas of taken-for-granted, or elitist, normalizing and artificial expectations, incapable of regenerating the world.

 

 

[Chair of st Peter,  February 22]

Who I am to you, and the Keys to the open community

(Mt 16:13-20)

 

More than halfway through his public life Jesus has not yet given formulas, but he asks a challenging question - one that purports to ask much more than the usual law-structured expressions.

Globally, the crowd may have likened him to eminent figures such as the Baptist (the one who proved to be a stranger to courtesies) or Elijah (for his denunciation of idols) or Jeremiah (the opponent of the buying and selling of blessings).

But He did not come - like the ancient prophets - to improve the situation or mend devotions, nor to purify the Temple, but to replace it!

The images of tradition depict Christ in many ways (for atheists, a philanthropist), the most common of which is still that of an ancient Lord, guarantor of conventional behaviour.

Instead - to give us pause for thought - he takes the disciples to a construction site [in northern Palestine, Caesarea Philippi was under construction], far from the interested nomenclature of the 'holy' City.

The common mentality evaluated the success of life - and the truth of a religion - on the basis of success, domination, enrichment, security in general.

The question that Jesus poses to his disciples reveals a novelty that supersedes the whole system: the Call is addressed to each and every person.

It is a boundary proposal, as is the symbolic geographical location of the capital of Philip's kingdom (one of the three heir sons of Herod the Great): in upper Galilee, the furthest point from the centre of recognised religiosity.

The Face of the Son of Man is recognisable only by placing the greatest distance from veteran patterns - otherwise we too would not be able to perceive its personal light.

In the congregation of Mt, we were precisely experiencing an increasing participation of pagans, who previously felt excluded and gradually became integrated.

In our mentality, the 'house keys' are used to close and lock the door, so as not to let the ill-intentioned in. In the Semitic one, they were instead an icon of the opening of the door.

In Perugino's famous masterpiece on the north wall of the Sistine Chapel, Jesus gives the head of the Church two keys: the golden one to Paradise and the silver one to Purgatory.

But the meaning of the passage is not the Afterlife - indeed, it is not even institutional [as the sumptuous architecture of the triumphal arches and the temple in the background of the fresco would indicate].

In Hebrew, the term 'key' - maftéach - is derived from the verb patàch, meaning to open: the greatest missionary task of community leaders is to keep the Kingdom of Heaven wide open, that is, to ensure a welcoming Church!

Peter must not follow the type of the arrogant monarch, the image of authority [substitute for the emperor].

Simon must make himself primarily responsible for the acceptance of those who are outside.

This seems strange for any proposal from the past, where God was supposed to fear making Himself impure in contact with the world.

The Father is the One who dares most.

Faith is not a parachute [as in 'doctrinal belief'] but a loving Relationship that does not clog the mindset and allows us to face the enriching flow of life.

Creative Providence - all-round and boundless, today particularly upsetting every habitual arrangement - is a real expression and authentic Revelation of the Mystery.

This is why Jesus severely imposes a total messianic silence (v.20) on the lips and ancient brain of the Apostles.

Peter and the disciples wanted to return to the usual idea of "the" Messiah (cf. Greek text) awaited by all: a too normal plot, incapable of regenerating us.

 

 

Peter's Faith

 

As mentioned above, Jesus guides his disciples away from the territory of power ideology and the sacred centre of the official religious institution - Judea - so that they may distance themselves from limitations and appreciation.

[The Master's relative success in Galilee had revived the apostles' hopes of one-sided glory].

The territory of Caesarea Philippi, in the extreme north of Palestine, was enchanting; famous for its fertility and lush pastures - an area renowned for the beauty of its surroundings and the fecundity of its flocks and herds.

Even the disciples were fascinated by the landscape and the affluent life of the region's inhabitants; not to mention the magnificence of the palaces.

The reminder of the context alludes to the comforts of pagan religion in general; excessive prosperity, which bamboozled the Twelve.

Christ asks the apostles - practically - what the people expected of Him, and so He wants them to realise the harmful effects of their own preaching, which willingly confused material and spiritual blessings.

While the gods show that they know how to shower their devotees with goods - and a lavish court life that [indeed] beguiled everyone - what does Christ offer? 

The Master realises that the disciples were still strongly conditioned by the propaganda of the political and religious government (vv.6.11) that ensured prosperity (vv.5-12; cf. Mt 15:32-38).

And Jesus still instructs them, so that at least his closest ones can overcome the blindness and crisis produced by his Cross (v.21), by the commitment required in the perspective of self-giving.

He is not merely a continuer of the Baptist's limpid attitude, never inclined to compromise with the courts and opulence; nor one of the many restorers of the law of Moses, with the zeal of Elijah.

Nor did he want to limit himself to purifying religion of spurious elements, but even to replace the Temple (Mt 21:12-17.18-19.42; 23:2.37-39; 24:30) - the place of encounter between the Father and his children.

On this issue, not only the distance with paganism, but also the contrasts between Jews who had converted to the Lord and those who were observant according to tradition, were particularly vivid at that time.

Indeed, the sacred books of late Judaism spoke of great figures who had left their mark on the history of Israel, and were to reappear to usher in the messianic times.

Even within the persecuted communities of Galilee and Syria, Mt notes a lack of understanding, and all the difficulty of embracing the new proposal - which did not guarantee success and recognition, nor immediate goals.

[From the earliest generations it was realised that the Faith does not easily accord with early human impulses.]

Thus the Master contradicts Peter himself (vv.20.23), whose opinion remained tied to the conformist and popular idea of "the" (vv.16.20: "that") expected Messiah.

In short, the leader of the apostles - so weak in the Faith - must stop showing Christ which way to go "behind" him (v.23), diverting Him!

Simon must start being a pupil again; he must stop tracing recognised and opportunistic, non-humanising, elitist or one-sided paths - hijacking God in the name of God.

 

 

A special note on the theme of the Name:

 

While for our culture it is often a label, among Eastern peoples the name is one with the person, and designates them in a special way.

As is evident e.g. in the 'second' commandment, the power of the Name carries great weight: it is a knowing of the (divine) Subject in the essence and meaning of action; almost a taking possession of its power.

Even in our prayerful, spiritual and mystical tradition, the Proper Name [e.g. Jesus] has often been considered almost an acoustic icon of the person, inclusive of his virtues; evocative of his presence and power.

In ancient cultures, pronouncing the name meant being able to grasp the seed, the pregnant and global core of the figure of reference.

Not infrequently, in our mentality too, it meant expressing an omen, a mandate, a wish, a blessing, a vocation, a destiny, a task, a call, a mission (nomen est omen).

But here we measure the difference between sacral mentality and faith. In religions, the proper name that the master or founder bestows on the disciple is a sort of signpost: he who lacks the acumen or fortune, strength and courage to realise it, would diminish in dignity.

Instead, Christ with his callings calls us to a path, but one that is deeply commensurate with the essence. He stimulates the exodus - not according to models - because he first brings the person back into himself. So that we all step into the depths and to the extreme that corresponds.

First step: meeting each other in the round; in the different, even surprising, unexpressed or unknown sides - generally, unimaginable characters according to rules and nomenclature.

Even our eccentric, ambiguous, shadowy or even rejected ways of being in the first person: the best sides of ourselves will be revealed along the Way.

Only in this plural track do we find the way to an adventure full of meaning; not mechanical, nor repetitive - but resembling life: always new and authentic. Not from facade or calculating externals: there is an Author's signature that precedes, in the building up of ourselves and the world.

 

Passing among the various building sites in the city of Philip, Jesus instead compared Simon to the inert and piled-up (even confusing) materials he found in front of him.

That condition captured the root of apostolic expectations! The disciples did not yet give space to the Mystery within themselves, to the idea of a secret salvation, which erupts with its own, innate energy; which surpasses ordinary dreams.

Cephas in fact derives from the Aramaic Kefas: building stone; something hard: practically, a stubborn like many; nothing special, indeed. Jesus gives Simon a negative nickname!

In fact, the Greek word petros (v. 18) is not a proper noun: it indicates a stone (picked up from the ground) that can indeed be useful for a construction - if of course it allows itself to be shaped - and that not only supports, but is supported; that not only aggregates, but is aggregated.

And the Greek word petra (v.18) is not the feminine of petros: it indicates rock, and refers to the Person of Christ as the only security (along with Faith in Him), an appellation that unpredictably changes an entire life. Only the inner Friend in fact draws from our bad baggage the unpredictable that springs forth.

 

Each one of us is chiselled by the Lord according to the name Peter, in the sense of a particular piece, an individual and special element - placed singularly but in a great mosaic: that of the history of salvation, where each one is at the same time himself and in a continuous phase of regeneration.

The only feeling of belonging of the many building stones all living: the conviviality of differences, the communion of the disparate fraternal members in the ministerial Church; none forever, but everywhere [unceasingly] pulsating nuclei of an institution all gathered from the earth... and liberated for free.

"You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church" (Mt 16: 18).

What exactly was the Lord saying to Peter with these words? With them, what promise did he make to Peter and what task did he entrust to him? And what is he saying to us - to the Bishop of Rome, who is seated on the chair of Peter, and to the Church today?

If we want to understand the meaning of Jesus' words, it is useful to remember that the Gospels recount for us three different situations in which the Lord, each time in a special way, transmits to Peter his future task. The task is always the same, but what the Lord was and is concerned with becomes clearer to us from the diversity of the situations and images used.

In the Gospel according to St Matthew that we have just heard, Peter makes his own confession to Jesus, recognizing him as the Messiah and Son of God. On the basis of this, his special task is conferred upon him though three images: the rock that becomes the foundation or cornerstone, the keys, and the image of binding and loosing.

I do not intend here to interpret once again these three images that the Church down the ages has explained over and over again; rather, I would like to call attention to the geographical place and chronological context of these words.

The promise is made at the sources of the Jordan, on the boundary of the Judaic Land, on the frontiers of the pagan world. The moment of the promise marks a crucial turning-point in Jesus' journey: the Lord now sets out for Jerusalem and for the first time, he tells the disciples that this journey to the Holy City is the journey to the Cross: "From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised" (Mt 16: 21).

Both these things go together and determine the inner place of the Primacy, indeed, of the Church in general: the Lord is continuously on his way towards the Cross, towards the lowliness of the servant of God, suffering and killed, but at the same time he is also on the way to the immensity of the world in which he precedes us as the Risen One, so that the light of his words and the presence of his love may shine forth in the world; he is on the way so that through him, the Crucified and Risen Christ, God himself, may arrive in the world.

In this regard, Peter describes himself in his First Letter as "a witness of the sufferings of Christ as well as a partaker in the glory that is to be revealed" (I Pt 5: 1). For the Church, Good Friday and Easter have always existed together; she is always both the mustard seed and the tree in whose boughs the birds of the air make their nests.

The Church - and in her, Christ - still suffers today. In her, Christ is again and again taunted and slapped; again and again an effort is made to reject him from the world. Again and again the little barque of the Church is ripped apart by the winds of ideologies, whose waters seep into her and seem to condemn her to sink. Yet, precisely in the suffering Church, Christ is victorious.

In spite of all, faith in him recovers ever new strength. The Lord also commands the waters today and shows that he is the Lord of the elements. He stays in his barque, in the little boat of the Church.

Thus, on the one hand, the weakness proper to human beings is revealed in Peter's ministry, but at the same time, also God's power: in the weakness of human beings itself the Lord shows his strength; he demonstrates that it is through frail human beings that he himself builds his Church.

[Pope Benedict, homily 29 June 2006]