4th Lent Sunday   [15 March 2026]  Laetare

May God bless us and the Virgin protect us! This Sunday is a pause of light in the penitential journey. In the Gospel, Jesus gives sight to the blind man. Laetare means this: light is already overcoming the shadows. Even though we are still in Lent, Easter is near. The blind man's joy is achieved through questioning, rejection and loneliness. Laetare is not an escape from pain, but joy that arises from trial. Laetare is the smile of the Church in the middle of the desert: if I allow myself to be enlightened by Christ, my night is not definitive. The man born blind thus becomes an icon of the catechumen, but also of every believer who, in the heart of Lent, discovers that the light is already present and that Christian joy is born from the encounter with Him.

 

*First Reading from the First Book of Samuel (16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a)

 Reading this biblical text, we understand that the great prophet Samuel had to learn to change his perspective. Sent by God to designate the future king from among the sons of Jesse in Bethlehem, he apparently had only the embarrassment of choice. Jesse first brought his eldest son, named Eliab: tall, handsome, with the appearance worthy of succeeding the current king, Saul. But no: God let Samuel know that his choice did not fall on him: Do not look at his appearance or his tall stature... God does not look as man looks: man looks at the appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart (cf. 1 Sam 16:7).

So Jesse had his sons pass before the prophet one by one, in order of age. But God's choice did not fall on any of them. In the end, he had to call the last one, the one no one had thought of: David, whose only occupation was to tend the sheep. Well, it was he whom God had chosen to guard his people! The biblical account emphasises once again that God's choice falls on the smallest: "God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong," St Paul will say (1 Cor 1:27), because "my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor 12:9). Here is a good reason to change our way of looking at people! From this text we draw at least three lessons about kingship in Israel:

First: the king is God's chosen one, but the election is for a mission. Just as Israel is chosen for the service of humanity, so the king is chosen for the service of the people. This also entails the possibility of being deposed, as happened to Saul: if the chosen one no longer fulfils his mission, he is replaced. Second: the king receives anointing with oil; he is literally the 'messiah', that is, 'the anointed one'. God says to Samuel: 'Fill your horn with oil and set out! I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have chosen a king among his sons' (1 Sam 16:1). Third: anointing confers the Spirit of God. ' Samuel took the horn full of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers, and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward' (1 Sam 16:13). The king thus becomes God's representative on earth, called to rule according to God's will and not according to that of the world. There is also another great lesson: men judge by appearances, God looks at the heart.  Many biblical stories insist on this mystery: God often chooses the least. David was the youngest of Jesse's sons; no one thought he had a great future. Moses declared himself slow of speech (Ex 4:10). Jeremiah considered himself too young (Jer 1:6). Samuel himself was inexperienced when he was called. Timothy was in poor health. And the people of Israel were small among the nations. These choices cannot be explained by human criteria. As Isaiah says: "My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways" (Is 55:8-9). The text summarises it thus: "What man sees does not count: for man sees the appearance, but the Lord sees the heart" (1 Sam 16:7). This truth protects us from two dangers: presumption and discouragement. It is not a question of merit, but of availability. No one possesses the necessary strength within themselves: God will give it at the right moment.

 

*Responsorial Psalm (22/23) 

We have just heard this psalm in its entirety: it is one of the shortest in the psalter, but it is so dense that the early Christians chose it as the privileged psalm for Easter night. On that night, the newly baptised, rising from the baptismal font, sang Psalm 22/23 as they made their way to the place of their Confirmation and First Eucharist. For this reason, it was called the 'psalm of Christian initiation'. If Christians were able to read the mystery of baptismal life in it, it is because this psalm already expressed in a privileged way the mystery of life in the Covenant, of life in intimacy with God for Israel. It is the mystery of God's choice, who elected this particular people for no apparent reason other than his sovereign freedom. Every generation marvels at this election and this Covenant offered: 'Ask the former generations that preceded you, from the day God created man on earth... has anything so great ever happened?' (Deut 4:32-35). This people, freely chosen by God, was given the privilege of being the first to enter into his intimacy, not to enjoy it selfishly, but to open the door to others. To express the happiness of the believer, Psalm 22/23 refers to two experiences: that of a Levite (a priest) and that of a pilgrim. We are familiar with the institution of the Levites: according to Genesis, Levi was one of the twelve sons of Jacob, from whom the twelve tribes of Israel took their name. But the tribe of Levi had a special place from the beginning: at the time of the division of the Promised Land, it did not receive any territory because it was consecrated to the service of worship. It is said that God himself is their inheritance; an image also taken up in another psalm: "Lord, my portion of inheritance and my cup... for me, the lot has fallen on delightful places" (Ps 15/16:5). The Levites lived scattered among the cities of the other tribes and lived on tithes; in Jerusalem, they were dedicated to the service of the Temple. The Levite in our psalm sings with all his heart: "Goodness and faithfulness shall follow me all the days of my life; I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for long days." His experience is an image of Israel's election: just as the Levite is happy to be consecrated to the service of God, so Israel is aware of its special vocation among humanity. Furthermore, Israel presents itself as a pilgrim going up to the Temple to offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving. On the way, it is like a sheep: its shepherd is God. In the culture of the ancient Near East, kings were called "shepherds of the people," and Israel also uses this language. The ideal king is a good shepherd, attentive and strong to protect the flock. But in Israel it was strongly affirmed that the only true king is God; the kings of the earth are only his representatives. Thus, the true shepherd of Israel is God himself: 'The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want; he makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul'. The prophet Ezekiel developed this image at length. Similarly, the Old Testament often presents Israel as God's flock: "He is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock he leads" (Ps 94/95:7). This recalls the experience of the Exodus: it was there that Israel experienced God's care, who guided them and enabled them to survive amid a thousand obstacles. For this reason, when Jesus said, "I am the Good Shepherd" (Jn 10), his words had a shocking effect: they meant "I am the King-Messiah, the true king of Israel." Returning to the psalm: pilgrimage can be dangerous. The pilgrim may encounter enemies ("You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies"), he may pass through "the dark valley" of death; but he does not fear, because God is with him: "I fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff give me security". Once he reaches the Temple, he offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving and participates in the ritual banquet that follows: a joyful feast, with an overflowing cup and the anointing of oil on his head. We can understand why the early Christians saw in this psalm the expression of their experience: Christ is the true Shepherd (Jn 10); in baptism he leads us out of the valley of death to the waters of life; the table and the cup evoke the Eucharist; the perfumed oil recalls Confirmation. Once again, Christians discover with amazement that Jesus does not abolish the faith experience of his people, but brings it to fulfilment, giving it fullness.

 

*Second Reading from the Letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians (5:8-14) 

Often in Scripture, it is the end of the text that provides the key. Let us start with the last sentence: 'For this reason it is said: "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light."' The phrase "This is why it is said..." clearly shows that the author did not invent this song, but quoted it. It must have been a well-known baptismal hymn in the early Christian communities. Awake... rise... and Christ will give you light was therefore a song of our first brothers and sisters in faith: and this cannot leave us indifferent. Thus, we better understand the beginning of the text: it simply serves to explain the words of that hymn. It is as if, after a baptismal celebration, someone had asked the theologian on duty — Paul, or one of his disciples (since it is not entirely certain that the Letter to the Ephesians was written by him personally) —: "What do the words we sang during baptism mean?" And the answer is this: thanks to baptism, a new life has begun, a radically new life. So much so that the newly baptised were called neophytes, meaning 'new plants'. The author explains the song in this way: the new plant that you have become is profoundly different. When a graft is made, the fruit of the grafted tree is different from the original one; and that is precisely why the graft is made. The colour makes it easy to distinguish what belongs to the new plant and what is a remnant of the past. It is the same with baptism: the fruits of the new man are works of light; before the grafting, you were darkness, and your fruits were works of darkness. But old habits may resurface: this is why it is important to recognise them. For the author, the distinction is simple: the fruits of the new man are goodness, justice and charity. Anything that is not goodness, justice and charity is a sprout from the old tree. Who can make you bear fruits of light? Jesus Christ. He is all goodness, all justice, all charity. Just as a plant needs the sun to bloom, so we must expose ourselves to his light. The song expresses both the work of Christ and the freedom of man: 'Awake, arise' — it is freedom that is called into question. 'Christ will enlighten you' — only he can do this. For St Paul, as for the prophets of the Old Testament, light is an attribute of God. To say 'Christ will enlighten you' means two things: first of all, Christ is God. The only way to live in harmony with God is to remain united to Christ, that is, to live concretely in justice, goodness and charity. The text of Isaiah (Is 58) comes to mind: share your bread with the hungry, welcome the poor, clothe the naked... Then your light will rise like the dawn. This is the glory of the Lord, his light that we are called to reflect. As Paul says in his second letter to the Corinthians (2 Cor 3:18): we reflect the glory of the Lord and are transformed into his image. To reflect means that Christ is the light; we are its reflection. This is the vocation of the baptised: to reflect the light of Christ. For this reason, at baptism, a candle lit from the Paschal candle is given. Secondly, a light does not shine for itself: it illuminates what surrounds it. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul writes: 'You shine like stars in the world' (Phil 2:14-16). This is his way of translating the words of Jesus Christ: 'You are the light of the world'. The Letter to the Ephesians, written directly by Paul or by one of his disciples (according to the then common practice of "pseudepigraphy"), remains for the Church a fundamental testimony of the baptismal vocation, called to pass from darkness to light.

   

*From the Gospel according to John (9:1-41)

The worst blindness is not what one thinks. Here we hear an illustration of what St John writes at the beginning of his Gospel, in the so-called Prologue:

"The Word was the true light, the light that enlightens every man... He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not recognise him" (Jn 1:9-10). This is what we might call the drama of the Gospels. But John continues: 'Yet to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to become children of God'. This is exactly what happens here: the drama of those who oppose Jesus and stubbornly refuse to recognise him as the One sent by God; but also, fortunately, the salvation of those who have the grace to open their eyes, like the man born blind.

John insists on making us understand that there are two kinds of blindness: physical blindness, which this man had from birth, and, much more serious, blindness of the heart.

Jesus meets the blind man for the first time and heals him of his natural blindness. He then meets him a second time and opens his heart to another light, the true light. It is no coincidence that John takes care to explain the meaning of the name 'Siloam', which means 'Sent'. In other cases, he does not translate the terms: here he does so because it is important. Jesus is truly the One sent by the Father to enlighten the world. Yet we return to the same question: why was the one who was sent to bring God's light rejected by those who awaited him most fervently? The episode of the man born blind takes place immediately after the Feast of Tabernacles, a great solemnity in Jerusalem, during which the coming of the Messiah was ardently invoked. And the danger of certainties can be great. At the time of Jesus Christ, the expectation of the Messiah was very intense. There was only one question: is he truly the Father's Envoy or is he an impostor? Is he the Messiah, yes or no? His actions were paradoxical: he performed the works expected of the Messiah — he restored sight to the blind and speech to the mute — but he did not seem to respect the Sabbath. And it was precisely on the Sabbath that he healed the blind man. Now, if he were truly sent by God, many thought, he should observe the Sabbath. It was 'obvious'. But it is precisely this 'obviousness' that is the problem. Many had too rigid ideas about what the Messiah should be like and were not ready for God's surprise. The blind man, on the other hand, is not a prisoner of preconceptions. To the Pharisees who ask him for explanations, he simply replies: "The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes... I washed and gained my sight." The Pharisees are divided: He is not from God, because he does not observe the Sabbath. How can a sinner perform such signs? The blind man reasons with simplicity and freedom: If this man were not from God, he could do nothing (cf. Jn 9:31-33). It is always the same story: those who close themselves off in their own certainties end up seeing nothing; those who take a step in faith are ready to receive grace. And then they can receive true light from Jesus. This episode takes place in a context of controversy between Jesus and the Pharisees. Twice Jesus had rebuked them for  "judging by appearances" (Jn 7:24; 8:15). It is natural to recall the episode of David's choice: "Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (1 Sam 16:7). The worst blindness, therefore, is not that of the eyes, but that of a heart that does not want to be enlightened. The man born blind does not only receive sight: he receives a new way of seeing. At first he sees Jesus as "a man"; then as a "prophet"; finally he recognises him as "Lord" and prostrates himself before him. The real miracle is not only the opening of the eyes, but the opening of the heart. Here we also find the wisdom of The Little Prince (novel by A.M. de Saint-Exupéry): "What is essential is invisible to the eye." The Pharisees see with their eyes, but remain blind inside; the beggar, on the other hand, passing through rejection and trial, comes to see the Invisible. The conclusion is this: faith is a journey from external light to inner light. One can have healthy eyes and remain in darkness; or one can have been blind and become a witness to the light. The man born blind teaches us that true sight is recognising Christ as the Light of the world and allowing our hearts to be illuminated.

 

+Giovanni D'Ercole

«If you do not see signs and wonders, you do not believe»

(Jn 4:43-54)

 

Jesus takes the rhythm of the catechumen's interior journey (v.47) to introduce us in his Vision, which regenerates our flesh and puts us back to the Exodus (v.50) unleashesing a whole dynamism around (v.51).

On the Way, every creature is returned to itself and to the radical goodness of the original project - rediscovered first inside, then outside of itself.

Having Faith is leaving, and letting oneself be traumatized. «In fact, Jesus had testified that a prophet in his own country has no honor» (v.44).

After showing in the episode of the Samaritan woman (vv.1-42) the meaning of Christ as a new Temple for both Jews and "heretics", Jn illustrates its sense for the pagans.

As if the dimension of Resurrection [«after the two days»: v.43] moved the House of God to the whole world.

The fundamentalists of Judaism were forbidden to go through Samaria and stay with the Samaritans (cf. Jn 4:9) considered mestizos [theologically polygamous: Jn 4:17-18].

Jesus is not limited to his own lineage, and not even to his religion.

In Galilee the Lord receives a super-pagan, who begs for help because realizes that the world he comes from is unable to generate life (vv.46-47.49.53).

 

The banal auspices of cultural baggage block the freedom of thought from what is not yet foreseen, setting stereotypes.

The impregnated with idols no longer sees anything; he does not even meet himself and his closests.

And experiences no unknown forces. At best, he believes in the pagan protector god, who works miracles according lottery.

Whoever adjusts himself with the naked eye... supposes to see the Lord who heals through extraordinary gestures [v. 48: «if you do not see signs and wonders, do not believe»].

The life-giving power of the Word escapes him: Logos that touches without being seen but makes Jesus Present in his work and in his incisive, effective entirety.

Christ is interested in making people understand how Faith “flows” in its pure quality: what dynamisms it activates - not the show of the spectacle-religion, all external.

The epidermal expressions close the crowd in intimism, or arouse interest in oddities that shake the senses, triggering a moment of enthusiasm, not the center of each person.

 

The newness of Christ is not transmitted by contact, but by fully welcoming his unexpected Word-event. It is not subject to a locality principle or other ‘guarantee’.

The outward gaze is convinced by miracles, but does not grasp the profound meaning of the Sign that speaks to us of the Son’s Person - the true ‘spectacle’. All yet to be tested.

 

The curious are waiting to see and notice. Thus they die of relative hopes, without ‘root’ in themselves.

Only in Faith does one discover what is not yet seen with the naked eye, nor did we know it existed.

 

 

To internalize and live the message:

 

How does adherence to the Word of Christ help to overcome the banal desire for clamor or escape?

 

 

[Monday 4th wk. in Lent, March 16, 2026]

«If you do not see signs and wonders, you do not believe»

(Jn 4:43-54)

 

Starting from the fourth week, the path of the Lenten liturgy takes a decisive step towards Jerusalem, which is already outlined in the Easter light.

The evangelist wants to introduce us into a more intimate familiarity with the mystery of the person and the story of the Son of God; a communion on the plane of being that bathes other lands.

He takes the rhythm of the catechumen's inner journey (v.47) to introduce us into his Vision, which regenerates our flesh and puts us back into the Exodus (v.50) that unleashes a whole dynamism around it (v.51).

On the Way, each creature is restored to itself and to the radical goodness of the original project - rediscovered first within, then without.

To have Faith is to depart, and to allow oneself to be traumatised. "For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet in his own country has no honour" (v.44). Why?

By the term "homeland" the synoptics imply Nazareth.

The fourth Gospel, on the other hand, alludes to a more theological dimension: that of the Word that transcends local privileges, targeting the ideology of the religious centre as well as the national institution.

After showing in the episode of the Samaritan woman (vv.1-42) the significance of Christ as the new Temple for both Jews and "heretics", Jn illustrates its meaning for pagans.

As if the Resurrection dimension ("after the two days": v.43) displaces the House of God to the whole world.

The observants of Judaism were forbidden to pass through Samaria and stay with the Samaritans (cf. Jn 4:9) who were considered mestizos (theologically polygamous: Jn 4:17-18).

Jesus does not limit himself to his own lineage, nor even to his religion.

In Galilee, he receives a super-pagan, who begs for help because he realises that the world he comes from is unable to generate life (vv.46-47.49.53).

 

Often our piety prevents friendship between different cultures and neutralises the power of intimate self-healing that everyone - of whatever ethnicity or creed - carries.

The trivial auspices of cultural baggage block freedom of thought from what is not yet foreseen, fixing stereotypes.

The idol-impregnated person no longer sees anything; he does not even meet himself and his intimates.

Nor does he experience unknown forces. At most, he believes in the pagan protector god, who performs miracles by lottery.

He who regulates himself with the naked eye... supposes he sees the Lord who heals through extraordinary deeds (v.48: "if you do not see signs and wonders, do not believe").

He misses the life-giving power of the Word, which touches without being seen, but makes Jesus present in his work and in his incisive, effective wholeness.

Christ is interested in making us understand how Faith 'works' in its pure quality: what dynamisms it activates - not the show of spectacle religion, all external, rhyming with impression, evasion, sensation, devotion.

These epidermic expressions lock the crowd into intimism, or arouse interest in oddities that jolt the senses, arousing a moment's enthusiasm, but not the core of each person.

 

The newness of Christ is not conveyed by contact, but by thoroughly accepting his unexpected Word-event. It is not subject to a principle of locality or any other religious guarantee.

The external gaze is convinced by miracles, but does not grasp the profound meaning of the Sign that speaks to us of the Person of the Lord - the true spectacle. All yet to be experienced.

Commenting on the Tao Tê Ching (xii), Master Wang Pi says: "He who is for the eye, becomes a slave to creatures. That is why the saint is not for the eye'.

Master Ho-shang Kung adds: 'The lover of colour harms the essence and loses enlightenment (...) The disordered gaze causes the essence to overflow outwards'.

The curious wait to see and ascertain. Thus they die of relative hopes, without root in themselves.

Only in Faith do we discover what we cannot yet see with the naked eye, nor did we know was there.

 

 

To internalise and live the message:

 

How does adherence to the Word of Christ help overcome the trivial desire for hype or escapism?

Returning to "your home", did you discover what you did not know was there? Has someone announced the Newness to you?What I didn't know was there: Faith, the naked eye, assurance

 

"Unless you see signs and wonders, you do not believe"

(Jn 4:43-54)

 

Starting from the fourth week, the path of the Lenten liturgy takes a decisive step towards Jerusalem, which is already outlined in the Easter light.

The evangelist wants to introduce us into a more intimate familiarity with the mystery of the person and the story of the Son of God; a communion on the plane of being that bathes other lands.

He takes the rhythm of the catechumen's inner journey (v.47) to introduce us into his Vision, which regenerates our flesh and puts us back into the Exodus (v.50) that unleashes a whole dynamism around it (v.51).

On the Way, each creature is restored to itself and to the radical goodness of the original project - rediscovered first within, then without.

To have Faith is to depart, and to allow oneself to be traumatised. "For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet in his own country has no honour" (v.44). Why?

By the term "homeland" the synoptics imply Nazareth.

The fourth Gospel, on the other hand, alludes to a more theological dimension: that of the Word that transcends local privileges, targeting the ideology of the religious centre as well as the national institution.

After showing in the episode of the Samaritan woman (vv.1-42) the significance of Christ as the new Temple for both Jews and "heretics", Jn illustrates its meaning for pagans.

As if the Resurrection dimension ("after the two days": v.43) displaces the House of God to the whole world.

The observants of Judaism were forbidden to pass through Samaria and stay with the Samaritans (cf. Jn 4:9) who were considered mestizos (theologically polygamous: Jn 4:17-18).

Jesus does not limit himself to his own lineage, nor even to his religion.

In Galilee, he receives a super-pagan, who begs for help because he realises that the world he comes from is unable to generate life (vv.46-47.49.53).

 

Often our piety prevents friendship between different cultures and neutralises the power of intimate self-healing that each person - of whatever ethnicity or creed - carries.

The trivial auspices of cultural baggage block the freedom of thought from what is not yet foreseen, fixing stereotypes.

The idol-impregnated person no longer sees anything; he does not even meet himself and his intimates.

Nor does he experience unknown forces. At most he believes in the pagan protector god, who performs miracles by lottery.

He who regulates himself with the naked eye... supposes he sees the Lord who heals through extraordinary deeds (v.48: "if you do not see signs and wonders, do not believe").

He misses the life-giving power of the Word, which touches without being seen, but makes Jesus present in his work and in his incisive, effective wholeness.

Christ is interested in making us understand how Faith 'works' in its pure quality: what dynamisms it activates - not the show of spectacle religion, all external, rhyming with impression, evasion, sensation, devotion.

These epidermic expressions lock the crowd into intimism, or arouse interest in oddities that jolt the senses, arousing a moment's enthusiasm, but not the centre of each person.

 

The newness of Christ is not conveyed by contact, but by thoroughly accepting his unexpected Word-event. It is not subject to a principle of locality or any other religious guarantee.

The external gaze is convinced by miracles, but does not grasp the profound meaning of the Sign that speaks to us of the Person of the Lord - the true spectacle. All yet to be experienced.

Commenting on the Tao Tê Ching (xii), Master Wang Pi says: "He who is for the eye, becomes a slave to creatures. That is why the saint is not for the eye'.

Master Ho-shang Kung adds: 'The lover of colour harms the essence and loses enlightenment (...) The disordered gaze causes the essence to overflow outwards'.

The curious wait to see and ascertain. Thus they die of relative hopes, without root in themselves.

Only in Faith do we discover what we cannot yet see with the naked eye, nor did we know was there.

 

 

To internalise and live the message:

 

How does adherence to the Word of Christ help overcome the banal desire for hype or escapism?

Returning to "your home", did you discover what you did not know was there? Has someone announced the Newness to you?

 

 

Faith and Touch

 

(Mt 8:5-17)

 

"The essential thing is to listen to what is coming up from within.
Our actions are often nothing more than imitation, hypothetical duty, or misrepresentation of what a human being should be.
But the only true certainty that touches our lives and our actions can only come from the springs that gush deep within ourselves.
One is at home under the heavens one is at home anywhere on this earth if one carries everything within oneself.
I have often felt, and still feel, like a ship that has taken on board a precious cargo: the ropes are cut and now the ship goes, free to sail everywhere".[Etty Hillesum, Diary].

 

Says the Tao Tê Ching (LIII): 'The great Way is very flat, but people prefer the paths'.

Commenting on the passage, masters Wang Pi and Ho-shang Kung point out: "winding paths".

The incipient faith of a pagan convert is the example Jesus sets before that of the observant Israelites.

What heals is believing in the efficacy of his Word alone (vv.8-9.16), an event that possesses generating and recreating power.

The Lord shows care, usually by touching the sick or laying his hands on them, as if to absorb what was imagined to be impurity, an alteration from normality [a 'fever' or paralysis that was thought to render the needy unworthy in the eyes of God].

In the Judaizing communities of Galilee and Syria, the question was still being asked in the mid-1970s: does the new Law of God proclaimed on 'the Mount' of the Beatitudes create exclusions?

Or does it correspond to the hopes and deep feelings of the human heart, of every place and time (vv.10-12)?

Those far away possessed a keen intuition for the novelties of the Spirit, and discovered the experience of Faith from other positions - not installed, less tied to conformist concatenations; perhaps uncomfortable.

Not infrequently, it was precisely the newcomers who stood out for their freshness of substantive insight - and they saw clearly.

It was enough to communicate face to face with the Lord, in a sense of secure friendship (v.6).

There is no need to add to this secret, to be born again. God is immediate Action (v.7).

The personal relationship between the ordinary man and the Father in Christ is sober and instantaneous.

Starting from his simple experience, the centurion understands the 'distant' value of the Word and the 'calamitous effect' of true Faith [which does not claim 'contacts' or material and local elements: vv.8-9].

In short, the cultural heritage and ancient religious conformity remained a burden.

Both the experience of the personal Christ the Saviour and the complete discovery of the power of full Life contained in the new total and creative proposal of "the Mount" were missing here and there.

 

Mt wrote his Gospel to encourage community members and stimulate mission to the Gentiles, which precisely the Judeo-Christians were not yet ready to make their own.

But to say "Faith" (vv.10.13) is to advocate a deeper adherence, and [at the same time] a less strong manifestation.

Expression of personal Faith is not to repeat or sweeten a learned doctrine, nor the conviction of others.

There is no need to fear: God has gone before us; the different and distant is not a stranger, but a brother.

Therefore, what saves is not belonging to a tradition or fashion of thought and worship.

Not demanding that the Lord comes in a certain form means not imagining him bound to an external expression.

One reaches and grasps Him only intimately, by certain vision - unencumbered by indispensable imagined convictions - whatever happens.

It will reveal itself time after time in the way that best suits our limitations.

 

Those distant from us are totally 'worthy' creatures, albeit faltering and fallible at times.

Not autonomous, insufficient, like everyone else - for they do not realise that God is in their flesh and hearth.

Thanks to such a clear awareness in the Son, they can finally understand the supreme Love of the Father, gratuitous, unreserved; that astounds, overcomes and launches them.

The pagan is conditioned by his pyramid world, but on encountering Christ he discovers himself to be a totally adequate and fulfilled person.

Not because he has merited or granted favours to the chosen people, or fulfilled a special kind of observances (reciting imprimatur formulas).

In the Lord, he himself is taught to expand the horizon of the usual religion - made up of external vertical relationships.

Although he recognises himself as lacking [v.8 Greek text] he realises that his relationship with God does not depend on an exchange of favours.

This immediate and spontaneous personal friendship does not become subordinate to works of law, nor does it spring from fulfilled norms of purity.

Nor does it subject itself to a headlong religious relationship.

 

The 'distant' includes love. In this way, he is already emancipated from a conspicuous, epidermal, common mentality.

In the Lord, he himself is educated to expand the horizon of the usual religion.

He believes precisely that the Word of the Lord - by Way, out of synchronised or established places and times - produces what he affirms.

And it accomplishes it even at a distance; without even resounding, peremptory signs that make a racket.

Rather, by releasing the mysterious Energy [still captive] of the "Logos" (v.7).

Unconventional Word, which does not run amok.

This, despite the fact that this Power can be found mixed with sometimes contradictory convictions:

He is already far from a magical and carnal mentality.

But he still has to take the decisive step, which will make him grow further - and it concerns us closely.

 

Self-esteem must be the attitude of even remote children, no matter what.Not by vague or emotional recondite feeling, but by Presence guaranteed regardless - even already operating, though sometimes unconscious.

Internalising it will be the work - and the "more" - of mature Faith, which sees, grasps, penetrates the preparatory energies at work.

And actualises them, anticipating the future.

 

"I am not worthy" is, together with "Have mercy on me" or "Son of David" - one of the most unfortunate expressions of spiritual and missionary life.

Formulas that Jesus abhors, although they have become customary in some expressions of the liturgy.

The prodigal son tries with the same rambling expression ["I am no longer worthy"] to move the Father, who precisely does not allow him to finish his absurd tirade.

Rather he prevents him from considering himself "one of his servants" and getting down on his knees before Him [Lk 15:21ff].

This would really be the only danger that endangers the whole of life; not just a small stretch of existence.

By Faith in Christ, from incomplete we become not only worthy, but we are so here and now Perfect to fulfil our Vocation.

Of course, some ideologues or white-mill purists might consider us unfashionable, or even paganising.

 

Our great and only risk is precisely that of absorbing such oppressive views from the environment, and allowing ourselves to be conditioned.

Every contour works not infrequently with the logic of hierarchies and power relations, whereby e.g. the inferior should not consider himself on the same level as the superior.

But at this rate, one can no longer perceive the divine Conspect.

The Face of the Eternal One is within us and in our homes; not in the chain of command with conditioning influences, but in our environment and in those who stand beside us - even across borders.

Family, friends, loved ones and others are on the same level. It is also true with God: we are face to face.

Not even the 'I and Thou' scheme with the Son counts any more: because - widely incarnated - he has planted his Heaven as well as his own therapeutic [even self-healing] capacity 'in' us.

 

Thanks to the Master, we are no longer within an ideology of the submissive - identical to that which prevailed in the empire - nor in a well-disciplined barracks, with distinct roles and confined areas.

External propriety does not belong in the Gospels.

In short, the Father no longer asks anyone to obey 'authorities', but to 'resemble' Him.

This is achieved simply by corresponding - each one of us - to this kind of superior Presence that dwells in us and loves us.

It is the end of the empty rigmarole: we are intimate and consanguineous with our own innermost Self, the super-eminent Face.

There is absolutely no need to "avert" God (v.5) as if we were "underlings" (v.9).

Our work is to unearth and acquire a new 'eye', not to submit to organisation charts.

The reborn eye is intuitive of other virtues - it does not submit to nomenclatures incapable of immediate fruitfulness.

Enough with the senses of shortcomings!

They end up introducing us into hoods and spire dynamics (v.9) typical of every stagnant feudalism.

Swamps that annihilate the new power of love - chronicling arrangements.

Configurations congealed by too many boring concatenations and local monarchies [such as we see in the provinces].

 

In natural listening to oneself and events, genuine esteem and divine Gratuity guide us wave upon wave towards a new way of living and exchanging gifts.

Impassable road for habit; for the obviousness that does not move thoughts, and does not perceive.

A path inaccessible to those who act out of duty - an enigmatic, opaque, devious and very 'tortuous' path.

 

 

To internalise and live the message:

 

How do you understand and cultivate the certain and free Coming of Jesus in your House?

 

 

Catholic

 

The Church is Catholic because Christ embraces all humanity in his mission of salvation. While Jesus' mission in his earthly life was limited to the Jewish people, "to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Mt 15:24), it was nevertheless oriented from the beginning to bring the light of the Gospel to all peoples and to bring all nations into the Kingdom of God. Confronted with the faith of the Centurion in Capernaum, Jesus exclaims: "Now I tell you that many will come from the east and the west and sit down at table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven" (Mt 8:11). This universalistic perspective emerges, among other things, from the presentation that Jesus made of himself not only as "Son of David", but as "son of man" (Mk 10:33), as we also heard in the Gospel passage just proclaimed. The title "Son of Man", in the language of the Jewish apocalyptic literature inspired by the vision of history in the Book of the Prophet Daniel (cf. 7:13-14), recalls the person who comes "with the clouds of heaven" (v. 13) and is an image that heralds an entirely new kingdom, a kingdom supported not by human powers, but by the true power that comes from God. Jesus uses this rich and complex expression and refers it to Himself to manifest the true character of His messianism, as a mission destined for the whole man and every man, overcoming all ethnic, national and religious particularism. And it is precisely in following Jesus, in allowing oneself to be drawn into his humanity and thus into communion with God, that one enters into this new kingdom, which the Church announces and anticipates, and which overcomes fragmentation and dispersion.

[Pope Benedict, address Consistory 24 November 2012].

 

 

 

The Power of the Word and the Creativity

of the Healing Touch of Jesus (feminine)

 

In the communities of Judaizing Galilee and Syria, the question was still being asked in the mid-1970s: does the new Law of God proclaimed on "the Mount" of the Beatitudes create exclusions? Or does it correspond to the hopes and deep feelings of the human heart, of every place and time (vv.10-12)?

The pagans possessed a keen intuition for the novelties of the Spirit, and discovered the experience of Faith from other positions (not installed, less tied to conformist concatenations; perhaps uncomfortable).

It was not infrequently the newcomers who possessed the freshness of substantive insight, and saw clearly. This was in comparison to the veterans - more tied to the leaves than to the seed - to whom they offered healthy jolts of outspoken Trust, married to the Newness of God.

Unlike those from habitual or markedly ethnic religiosity (even of Israel) they had already realised that it was not necessary to explicitly ask for Christ's intervention - as was done with the ancient gods (and according to customary thinking). 

It was enough to communicate face-to-face with the Lord, in a sense of secure friendship (v.6) - not to solicit Him for a miracle: a fundamental acquisition, in order to be able to activate a new course even today, and finally emerge from the idea of a well-chiselled (and chosen) organic culture.

It is the Risen One who authentically does the opportune good... and all the rest: as in Jesus - strengthened by the intimate experience of the Father in the Spirit - all we need is Faith, that is to say, nuptial and fertile confidence in the Word, effective and inventive.

There is no need for any additions to this secret, to be born again.

God is Immediate Action (v.7): he does not like to be "prayed to and reprimanded" - as if he were any kind of sovereign, who takes pleasure in forcing his subjects into deference (with a view to a consequent paternalism of relations).

The relationship between the common man and the Father in Christ is sober and instantaneous, without any mediation means: the work of Grace is not at all conditioned by acknowledgements and formulas, or 'internal' titles, veteran rank; nor targeted bows, prior 'bribes', or rigmarole.

Starting from his simple experience, the centurion understands the 'distant' value of the Word and the calamitous effect of true Faith (which does not demand 'contacts' or material and local elements: vv.8-9).

It is not like magic: the intimate sensitivity of the relationship of Faith communicates to the eye of the soul a Vision of new genesis. Not doctrine, discipline, morals, ritual appointments and so on.

It is a picture of the future (strongly existential) that does not serve to anticipate (v.13) a selfish result, useful only for the believing subject, or from nomenclature: it is for the promotion of life, everywhere.

This corresponds to the deepest yearning of our heart.

In fact, another great novelty of the new Rabbi's proposal - which was spreading - was the acceptance of women as the "deaconesses" (cf. v.15 Greek verb) of the Church here in the figure of the House of Peter (v.14).

This was what had been happening since the middle of the first century (cf. Rom 16:1) and still has much to teach us. With God, one cannot get used to (multi)secular formalities emptied of life.

But religious traditions resisted the onslaught of the Faith-Love experience: even in the mid-1970s, communities did not feel free to gather those in need of care until the evening (v.16).    

According to the parallel passage in Mk 1.21.29-34 (source of the passage in Mt) it was in fact the Sabbath day - and after leaving the synagogue. The same impediment and delay is described in the Magdalene's episode at the tomb on Easter morning.

Cultural heritage and sacred religious conformity remained a great burden for the experience of the personal Saviour Christ, and the complete discovery of the power of full Life contained in the new total and creative proposal of 'the Mount'.

 

The Tao writes (xxviii): "He who knows that he is male, and keeps himself female, is the strength of the world; being the strength of the world, virtue never separates from him, and he returns to being a child. He who knows himself to be white, and keeps himself dark, is the model of the world; being the model of the world, virtue never departs from him; and he returns to infinity. He who knows himself to be glorious, and keeps himself in ignominy, is the valley of the world; being the valley of the world, virtue always abides in him; and he returns to being crude [genuine, not artificial]. When that which is crude is cut off, then they make instruments of it; when the holy man uses it, then he makes them the first among ministers. For this the great government does no harm'.

And this is how Master Wang Pi comments: "That of the male is here the category of those who precede, that of the female is the category of those who follow. He who knows that he is first in the world must put himself last: that is why the saint postpones his person and his person is premised. A gorge among the mountains does not seek out creatures, but these of themselves turn to it. The child does not avail itself of wisdom, but adapts itself to the wisdom of spontaneity'.

 

 

In the apocryphal Gospel of Thomas we read in Nos. 22-23:

 

"Jesus saw little ones taking milk.

And he said to his disciples:

"These little sucklings resemble those

Who are entering the Kingdom.

They asked him:

"If we are like those babies, will we enter the Kingdom?"

Jesus answered them:

"When you make two things one and make

The inner equal to the outer and the outer equal to the inner

And the superior equal to the inferior,

When you reduce the male and the female to one being

So that the male is not only male

And the female does not remain only female,

When you consider two eyes as a unit of eye

But one hand as a unit of hand

And one foot as a unit of foot,

A vital function in place of a vital function

Then you will find the entrance to the Kingdom'".

 

 

"Jesus said:

"I will choose you one from a thousand and two from ten thousand.

And these shall be found to be one individual'".

38. The true measure of humanity is essentially determined in relationship to suffering and to the sufferer. This holds true both for the individual and for society. A society unable to accept its suffering members and incapable of helping to share their suffering and to bear it inwardly through “com-passion” is a cruel and inhuman society. Yet society cannot accept its suffering members and support them in their trials unless individuals are capable of doing so themselves; moreover, the individual cannot accept another's suffering unless he personally is able to find meaning in suffering, a path of purification and growth in maturity, a journey of hope. Indeed, to accept the “other” who suffers, means that I take up his suffering in such a way that it becomes mine also. Because it has now become a shared suffering, though, in which another person is present, this suffering is penetrated by the light of love. The Latin word con-solatio, “consolation”, expresses this beautifully. It suggests being with the other in his solitude, so that it ceases to be solitude. Furthermore, the capacity to accept suffering for the sake of goodness, truth and justice is an essential criterion of humanity, because if my own well-being and safety are ultimately more important than truth and justice, then the power of the stronger prevails, then violence and untruth reign supreme. Truth and justice must stand above my comfort and physical well-being, or else my life itself becomes a lie. In the end, even the “yes” to love is a source of suffering, because love always requires expropriations of my “I”, in which I allow myself to be pruned and wounded. Love simply cannot exist without this painful renunciation of myself, for otherwise it becomes pure selfishness and thereby ceases to be love.

[Spe salvi]

1. The "miracles and signs" that Jesus performed to confirm his messianic mission and the coming of the kingdom of God are ordered and closely linked to the call to faith. This call in relation to the miracle has two forms: faith precedes the miracle, indeed it is a condition for it to take place; faith constitutes an effect of the miracle, because it is provoked by it in the souls of those who received it, or witnessed it.

It is well known that faith is man's response to the word of divine revelation. The miracle occurs in organic connection with this revealing word of God. It is a 'sign' of his presence and working, a sign, one might say, that is particularly intense. All this sufficiently explains the special link that exists between the "miracle-signs" of Christ and faith: a link so clearly delineated in the Gospels.

2. There is in fact a long series of texts in the Gospels in which the call to faith appears as an indispensable and systematic coefficient of Christ's miracles.

At the beginning of this series are the pages concerning the Mother of Christ in her behaviour at Cana of Galilee, and before that - and above all - at the moment of the annunciation. One could say that it is precisely here that one finds the high point of her adherence to the faith, which will find its confirmation in the words of Elizabeth during the visitation: 'And blessed is she who believed in the fulfilment of the words of the Lord' (Lk 1:45). Yes, Mary believed like no other, being convinced that "nothing is impossible to God" (cf. Lk 1:37).

And at Cana of Galilee her faith anticipated, in a certain sense, the hour of Christ's revelation. Through his intercession, that first miracle-sign took place, thanks to which Jesus' disciples "believed in him" (Jn 2:11). If the Second Vatican Council teaches that Mary constantly precedes the people of God on the paths of faith (cf. Lumen Gentium, 58.63; Ioannis Pauli PP. II, Redemptoris Mater, 5-6), we can say that the first foundation of this assertion is already found in the Gospel, which reports "miracle-signs" in Mary and for Mary in relation to the call to faith.

3. This call is repeated many times . . To the leader of the synagogue, Jairus, who came to ask for his daughter's return to life, Jesus says: "Do not be afraid, only continue to have faith!" (and he says "do not be afraid" because some advised Jairus against turning to Jesus) (Mk 5:36).

When the father of the epileptic asks for the healing of his son, saying: "But if you can anything . . . help us", Jesus replies: "If you can! Everything is possible for those who believe". Then we have the beautiful act of faith in Christ of this tried man: "I believe, help me in my unbelief!" (cf. Mk 9:22-24).

Finally, we recall Jesus' well-known conversation with Martha before the resurrection of Lazarus: "I am the resurrection and the life . . . Do you believe this? . . Yes, O Lord, I believe . . ." (cf. Jn 11:25-27).

4. The same link between the "miracle-sign" and faith is confirmed by other negative facts. Let us recall some of them. In Mark's Gospel we read that Jesus in Nazareth "could perform no miracle, but only laid hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marvelled at their unbelief" (Mk 6:5-6).

We know the gentle rebuke Jesus once addressed to Peter: "Man of little faith, why did you doubt?". This happened when Peter, who at first went boldly on the waves towards Jesus, then by the violence of the wind became afraid and began to sink" (cf. Mt 14:29-31).

5. Jesus emphasises more than once that the miracle he performed is linked to faith. "Your faith has healed you", he says to the woman who had been suffering from haemorrhaging for twelve years and who, when she came up behind him, touched the hem of his cloak and was healed (cf. Mt 9:20-22; Lk 8:48; Mk 5:34).

Similar words Jesus pronounced while healing blind Bartimaeus, who at the exit from Jericho insistently asked for his help, crying out: "Son of David, Jesus, have mercy on me!" (cf. Mk 10, 46-52). According to Mark: "Go, your faith has saved you", Jesus answers him. And Luke specifies the answer: "Have sight again! Your faith has saved you" (Lk 18:42).

He makes an identical statement to the Samaritan healed of leprosy (Lk 17:19). While to two other blind men pleading to regain their sight, Jesus asks: "Do you believe that I can do this?" "Yes, O Lord!" . "Let it be done to you according to your faith" (Mt 9:28-29).

6. Particularly touching is the episode of the Canaanite woman, who did not cease to ask Jesus' help for her daughter "cruelly tormented by a demon". When the Canaanite woman prostrated herself before Jesus to ask him for help, he replied: 'It is not good to take the bread of the children to throw it to the little dogs' (this was a reminder of the ethnic diversity between Israelites and Canaanites, which Jesus, son of David, could not ignore in his practical behaviour, but to which he alluded in a methodological function to provoke faith). And here the woman intuitively comes to an unusual act of faith and humility. She says: 'It is true, Lord . . . but even little dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table'. Faced with such a humble, gracious and confident word, Jesus replies: 'Woman, truly great is your faith! May it be done to you as you wish" (cf. Mt 15:21-28).

It is an event difficult to forget, especially when one thinks of the countless "Canaanites" of every time, country, colour and social condition, who reach out their hand to ask for understanding and help in their needs!

7. Note how in the Gospel narrative it is continually emphasised that Jesus, when he "sees faith", performs the miracle. This is clearly stated in the case of the paralytic lowered to his feet through the opening in the roof (cf. Mk 2:5; Mt 9:2; Lk 5:20). But the observation can be made in many other cases recorded by the evangelists. The factor of faith is indispensable; but as soon as it occurs, the heart of Jesus is outstretched to fulfil the requests of the needy who turn to him for help with his divine power.

8. Once again we see that, as we said at the beginning, the miracle is a "sign" of God's power and love that saves man in Christ. But because of this, it is at the same time a call to man to faith. It must lead both the one who is miraculously saved and the witnesses of the miracle to believe.

This applies to the apostles themselves, right from the first "sign" given by Jesus in Cana of Galilee: it was then that they "believed in him" (John 2: 11). Then, when the miraculous multiplication of the loaves took place near Capernaum, with which the heralding of the Eucharist is connected, the evangelist notes that "from then on, many of his disciples turned back and no longer went with him", not being able to accept a language that seemed too "harsh" to them. Jesus then asked the Twelve: "Perhaps you also want to leave?". Peter answered, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words to eternal life, we have believed and known that you are the Holy One of God" (cf. Jn 6:66-69). The principle of faith is thus fundamental in the relationship with Christ, both as a condition for obtaining the miracle and as the purpose for which it is performed. This is made very clear at the end of John's Gospel, where we read: "Many other signs did Jesus do in the presence of his disciples, but they were not written in this book. These have been written, so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and so that, believing, you may have life in his name" (John 20: 30-31).

[Pope John Paul II, General Audience 16 December 1987]

We are the 'dream of God' who, as a true lover, wants to 'change our lives'. Out of love indeed. He only asks us to have the faith to let him do it. And so "we can only weep with joy" before a God who "re-creates" us, said Pope Francis in the Mass celebrated on Monday 16 March, in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta.

In the first reading, taken from Isaiah (65:17-21), "the Lord tells us that he creates new heavens and new earths, that is, he 're-creates' things," Francis pointed out, also recalling that "several times we have spoken of these 'two creations' of God: the first, the one that was made in six days, and the second, when the Lord 'remakes' the world, ruined by sin, in Jesus Christ." And, he pointed out, "we have said many times that this second is more wonderful than the first". In fact, the Pope explained, 'the first is already a marvellous creation; but the second, in Christ, is even more marvellous'.

In his meditation, however, Francis chose to dwell "on another aspect", starting precisely from the passage from Isaiah in which, he explained, "the Lord speaks of what he will make: a new heaven, a new earth". And "we find that the Lord has such enthusiasm: he speaks of joy and says one word: 'I will enjoy my people'". In essence, 'the Lord thinks about what he is going to do, he thinks that he, himself, will be in joy with his people'. So 'it is as if it were a "dream" of the Lord, as if the Lord "dreamed" of us: how good it will be when we will all be together, when we will be there or when that person, that other person will walk...'.

Further clarifying his reasoning, Francis resorted to "a metaphor that can make us understand: it is as if a girl with her fiancé or a boy with his fiancée thought: when we will be together, when we will get married...". Here, indeed, is 'the "dream" of God: God thinks of each of us, he loves us, he dreams of us, he dreams of the joy he will enjoy with us'. And it is precisely 'for this that the Lord wants to "re-create" us, to "re-create" our heart to make joy triumph'.

All this led the Pope to suggest some questions: "Have you ever thought: does the Lord dream of me? Does he think of me? Am I in the mind, in the heart of the Lord? Is the Lord able to change my life?". Isaiah, Francis added, also tells us that the Lord "makes many plans: we will build houses, we will plant vineyards, we will eat together: all those plans typical of a lover".

Moreover, "the Lord shows himself in love with his people" going so far as to say: "But I have not chosen you because you are the strongest, greatest, most powerful; but I have chosen you because you are the least of all". More, "one could say: the most miserable of all. But I have chosen you in this way, and this is love'.

"From there," said the Pope, "this continuous desire of the Lord, this desire of his to change our lives. And we can say, if we listen to this invitation from the Lord: 'You have changed my lament into a dance'", that is, the words "that we prayed" in Psalm 29. "I will exalt you, Lord, because you have lifted me up", the psalm goes on to say, thus recognising that the Lord "is capable of changing us, out of love: he is in love with us".

"I believe there is no theologian who can explain this: it cannot be explained," Francis remarked. Because 'on this one can only reflect, feel and weep with joy: the Lord can change us'. At this point the question arises: what should I do? The answer is clear: 'Believe, believe that the Lord can change me, that he can'. Exactly what the king's official who had a sick son in Capernaum did, as John recounts in his Gospel (4:43-54). That man, we read, asked Jesus "to come down and heal his son, because he was about to die". And Jesus answered him: "Go, your son lives!". So that father 'believed the word that Jesus had told him and set out: he believed, he believed that Jesus had the power to heal his child. And he was right'.

"Faith," Francis explained, "is making space for this love of God; it is making space for the power, the power of God, the power of one who loves me, who is in love with me and who desires joy with me. This is faith. This is believing: it is making room for the Lord to come and change me".

The Pope concluded with a significant note: "It is curious: this was the second miracle that Jesus performed. And he did it in the same place where he did the first one, at Cana of Galilee". Indeed, in today's Gospel passage we read: "He went therefore again to Cana of Galilee, where he had changed water into wine". Again "at Cana of Galilee he also changed the death of this child into life". Truly, Francis said, 'the Lord can change us, he wants to change us, he loves to change us. And this, out of love'. To us, he concluded, "he asks only for our faith: that is, to give space to his love so that he can act and make a change of life in us".

[Pope Francis, S. Marta homily, in L'Osservatore Romano 16-17/03/2015]

Sharp Personal experience, which starts to become more valid than judgements

(Jn 9:1-41)

 

Having escaped from the Temple, Jesus encounters the excluded. He takes the opportunity to make us understand who the Eternal One is, and our own story of Faith, continuing the Father's creative work.

God's coming to us does not proceed from the decrees chiselled by the priestly class and chasing Moses (v.29), but from the attitude towards the needy.

In this way, the 'blindness' to which the passage alludes is constitutive of every woman and man: we do not always 'see' what the right choices to make are.

We realise that our journey of Faith is first and foremost a love story, but also an ever-clearer 'seeing', an 'opening of our eyes' to the whole of reality - to the point of acquiring a clear and personal judgement.

Being a figure of the human, creaturely situation, the protagonist of the Gospel passage has no name, because being born with a defect of vision and orientation brings us together; it is not a fault, but a condition.

Jesus proposes that we allow Him to open our eyes wide, so that our 'mud' and his Breath can trigger the creation of a new person.

In religious leaders there is no joy at the healing (vv.16ff). 

Jesus, on the other hand, increases the dose: once we have been sent to Life in the Spirit symbolised here by the Water, the Master goes off the scene.

 

To grow, you have to stand on your own two feet. God is not a paternalist who is always sticking his nose into everything: He wants us free [only then able to love].

And there remain many doors to be thrown open; many, the thresholds to be crossed.

The world of the élites defends itself by all means, attempting the usual intimidations. Don't worry: these are not signs of strength, but of imminent defeat.

Now the neighbours do not recognise the born blind. He looks like him, but he cannot be him... Those around him are puzzled.

The former blind man says: «I am» (v.9), i.e. in restored humanity he claims divine status.

When we encounter Christ, his dignity is passed on. Shyness is transformed into an ever renewed attitude to fullness.

In the Faith freed from conformity, to have an opinion of one's own is to start Exodus, aiming for the Land of Freedom - because woman and man have realised to what honour and Dream they are called.

He who has been given the Light does not stop, becoming more and more confident, mature, decisive. Now the man «sees», and is finally emancipated.

 

Excluded from the institution (v.34) just like the Lord (Jn 8:59), he is now truly a Person. For he begins to consider his experience more valid than the judgement of the official spiritual leaders.

It is the primacy of naturalness and personal awareness over standard or dominant thinking, roles, and codes - which are no longer able to communicate life. And that is what counts.

In fact, although put on the sidelines, it is now Christ who seeks him out and stands at his side (v.35). Without conditions.

Our instinctive and genuine common sense overrides both fixed beliefs and glamorous, current, à la page opinions.

Kicked out of the devout circle or power groups, the «born blind» - suffering from such insecurity, malformity, 'sin of origin' - will find virtue in its fullness.

By finally putting in the background the routine that makes everything banal, flat, automatic... he no longer flees.

He understands the importance of variation that disrupts plans. It makes them unique.

With new personal Energy he faces the unexpected: life of Love that realizes us, and knows how to turn over a new leaf.

 

 

4th Sunday in Lent (year A), Laetare  [March 15, 2026]

Original Sin

(Jn 9:1-41)

 

The encyclical Fratelli Tutti invites us to take a perspective view that inspires decision and action: a new eye, filled with hope.

It 'speaks to us of a reality that is rooted in the depths of the human being, regardless of the concrete circumstances and historical conditioning in which he lives. It speaks to us of a thirst, an aspiration, a yearning for fulfilment, for a life lived to the full, for a measure of greatness, for that which fills the heart and lifts the spirit towards great things, such as truth, goodness and beauty, justice and love. [...] Hope is bold, it knows how to look beyond personal comfort, the small securities and compensations that narrow the horizon, to open up to great ideals that make life more beautiful and dignified" (n.55) [from a Greeting to young people in Havana, September 2015].

 

Having fled the Temple, Jesus encounters those excluded from the sacred precincts. He takes the opportunity to help us understand who the Eternal One is, and our own journey of faith, continuing the creative work of the Father.

For the princes of religion, going to the God of Israel depended on the fulfilment of the rules.

For the Son, the Father's coming to us does not proceed from the decrees chiselled out by the priestly class and which pursue a dead man: Moses (v. 29), but rather from the attitude towards the needy.

 

The Tao Te Ching [xii] says: 'The five colours blind the eye of man, the five notes deafen the ear of man, the five flavours dull the mouth of man, running and hunting enrage the heart of man'.

There are many influences that affect spontaneity from birth.

Consequently, these pressures hinder any simple solution to real problems [for which it would be enough to shift our gaze to the shadows, welcome them, and embrace them; to make room for new developments that call out to us].

 

The blindness alluded to in the passage is not only an existential characteristic of those who feel lost, but a constitutive condition of every woman and man: we do not always see what the right choices are.

This is why in the early centuries the newly baptised were also called 'the enlightened'.

In many aspects of life, before their conversion they were like blind people, groping their way forward - because they were bombarded and crippled by the outside society.

 

We realise that the journey of Faith is first and foremost a love story, but also an ever clearer 'seeing', an 'opening of the eyes' to the whole of reality - until we acquire a clear and personal judgement.

Does everyone do things in a certain way? Jesus does not want people to be like sheep, who can only see a few metres ahead and stay together, so that wherever the first one goes, the others follow, keeping close together and preventing any agile movement outside the norm.

 

Being a figure of the human, creaturely situation, the protagonist of the Gospel passage has no name, because being born with a defect of vision and orientation unites us.

It is not a fault, but a condition.

If you like, it is the simple way, in keeping with our limited experience, in which the Master and Lord tells of original sin - which is not "sin" and is not "original".

Jesus never deals with that memorised catechism.

Instead, he proposes that we open our eyes wide, so that our 'mud' and his Breath can unleash the blossoming, the creation of a regenerated wayfarer.

 

The ancient man did not know where to go: Who will open his eyes and make him live as an authentic creature? And what is the substance of the new man, reborn from the Light?

The religious leaders take no joy in the healing of humanity (vv. 16ff). 

Jesus, on the other hand, adds to the dose: once we have been sent to Life in the Spirit, symbolised here by Water, the Master leaves the scene.

 

The false spiritual guides were only interested in preserving their institution and position, their 'sound doctrine' and all the trappings.

They claim to still be considered 'the light of the people', 'guides of the blind' - in reality, they themselves are the first to be 'blinded' or unwilling to 'see' the real and beneficial action of the Creator (vv. 39-41).

In short, in order to grow, we must walk on our own two feet.

God is not a paternalist who is always there sticking his nose into everything: he wants us to be free [only then are we capable of loving].

Enough with the little children who only become big children. There are still many doors to open; many thresholds to cross.

 

The world of the past or of the elites defends itself by any means necessary, resorting to the usual intimidation tactics. Don't worry: these are not signs of strength, but of imminent defeat.

 

First interrogation:

The neighbours do not recognise him. He looks like him, but it can't be him... Those around him remain perplexed.

For example: why doesn't he think about his career, why doesn't he live off his position... and so on.

And why doesn't he keep his mouth shut and get himself recommended?

The former blind man says, 'I am' (v. 9), that is, in his restored humanity, he claims his divine condition.

When we encounter Christ, his prophetic dignity is transmitted to all those who welcome his Person.

Shyness is transformed into an ever-renewed attitude of fullness.

 

Second interrogation:

The craftsmen of light are the first enemies of Light.

Hostage to their own prejudices and common idolatrous beliefs, they imagine that if anyone dared not to bow down to their 'sacred' dispositions, they certainly would not come from God.

In reality, those who do not come from God are precisely those who stifle life and do not rejoice in it.

In a faith free from nomenclatures, chains, manners, fashions, and conformist religiosity, having one's own opinion means beginning the Exodus.

Without the imprimatur of the masters of souls, here we free ourselves from oppression.

And we aim for the Land of Freedom - because women and men have realised what honour and Dream they are called to.

Thus, they change their criteria of judgement: the absolute and non-negotiable principle is no longer observance of canon law or a disembodied ideology, but the concrete good of real man (not the fake one).

The authorities who guard custom or their social 'election' are even annoyed that someone is opening their eyes without authorisation.

What is this story of a wretch who was once a devoted and obedient son, who followed the veteran leaders in everything... but now 'sees' differently from the club of leaders and shows independence of judgement?

 

Third question:

Even his parents seem to be afraid of healing.

In truth, they are concerned that the 'authorities' threaten without ceremony those who do not conform to established dictates.

Being expelled from the synagogue meant becoming an outcast: civil death.

Even today, this is still the case for those who live in a highly religious, unilateral, structured, monopolistic provincial environment.

There is little to joke about with those who know how to use religion as a social weapon. Either you are with us, or you and your family are out.

Unfortunately, real power in the territory often intimidates and 'blinds' even those who have to suffer it.

 

Fourth interrogation:

'Give glory to God!' (v. 24) - that is, 'admit that you were wrong and you will see that we will find a way to agree'.

But those who have received the gift of Light do not stop, becoming increasingly confident, mature and decisive.

That is why he continues to say 'I do not know' - while the leaders solemnly affirm: 'We know!' remaining blind.

For the masters of the official cult, their authority is something indisputable, so they feel entitled to treat the person (who is not in line) as a heretic.

They move from insults to violence: a typical style, perhaps we know something about it.

But now the man 'sees', and is finally emancipated.

 

Excluded from the institution (v. 34) just like the Lord (Jn 8:59), now he is truly a Person. Because he begins to consider his experience more valid than the judgement of the official spiritual guides.

It is the primacy of naturalness and personal conscience over doctrine, roles, image, standard or dominant thinking, and codes - which are no longer able to communicate life. And that is what matters.

In fact, even if he is not well regarded by the world of false masters, conditioners and dirigistes, now it is Christ who seeks him and stands by his side (v. 35). Unconditionally.

In other words, if the leaders have branded you as profane, know that those who are truly excommunicated by God are those who do not care about respecting the intelligence of others - and they are precisely those who are not interested in goodness.

Our instinctive and genuine common sense surpasses both fixed opinions and glamorous, current, à la page convictions.

In this way, we overlook all the false doctrines that prevent us from reading the signs of the times and the events of our own history.

 

Cast out from the devout or influential circle, the 'born blind' - afflicted by such insecurity, malformation, 'original sin' - will find virtue in its fullness.

Finally putting the routine that makes everything banal, flat, automatic... in the background, he no longer flees.

He understands the importance of variation that disrupts plans. It makes them unique.

With new personal energy, he faces the unexpected: the life of Love that he realises, and knows how to turn the page.