I read in the newspaper that some peacocks have invaded a small town.

The news was published some time ago – except that a few days ago the newspaper reported that a man had run some of them over in his car. 

And so here is a starting point for reflection.

The peacock is one of the most fascinating animals; it has long been a symbol of beauty. 

It generally represents self-indulgence. And everything centres on outward appearance.

The female peacock is less showy than the male; she is smaller, and unlike the male, when she displays her tail in a fan-shaped spread, she does not have the colourful feathers. 

There is also the well-known Aesop’s fable in which a crow adorns itself with a peacock’s feathers to look beautiful.

In Greek mythology, the peacock was the symbol of the goddess Juno: the plumage of its tail is said to derive from the giant Argus Panoptes, who had a hundred eyes.

Upon his death, the goddess placed his eyes on the peacock’s tail.

According to more ancient traditions, the peacock, with its eyes and the splendid colours of its tail, evokes the starry sky, and was often associated with the idea of immortality.

Peacock-like behaviour also exists amongst human beings.

Men, too, spread their ‘tail’.

And here, too, it is all a question of degree.

It is one thing to show one’s ‘tail’ now and then or when asked; it is quite another to go through life with one’s tail constantly spread, perpetually on display.

I think it must also be tiring – first of all for oneself, and then for others as well.

Just as the peacock spreads its tail to be noticed and to attract female peacocks, the ‘peacock-like’ individual flaunts all their ‘talents’ to attract admiration and win public approval.

Here too, I should clarify: the normal desire to show one’s best side is not the same as the psychopathological condition characterised by a lack of empathy and an incessant, destructive sense of grandeur. 

Such attitudes do not concern only individuals: often, such behaviours also affect people when they become parents.

They prioritise their own image above all else, even before the child’s needs and emotional requirements, seeking the admiration of their children and craving the approval of those around them.

With parents like this, children do not thrive; they must constantly seek the affection of adults, which should instead be given freely. 

These parents want to appear perfect and expect their children to mirror them: their children, too, must be better than others, through academic success, physical fitness or stylish clothing. 

But this façade, this beautiful ‘peacock’s tail’, conceals some serious issues.

Such parents rarely take responsibility for their own behaviour. When they do something inappropriate, they almost never apologise.

They put on an air of superiority to conceal their own weaknesses.

We sometimes behave inappropriately towards our children – but we must not always give the impression that we have acted correctly.

The child’s reaction may well be justified.

If we insist on always being right, we risk confusing our children about how to perceive reality.

The ‘peacock’ parent then perceives every request from their child for personal growth and autonomy as an offence.

And in adulthood, establishing healthy boundaries or emotional distance becomes a difficult struggle.

Often, this type of parent also demands their children’s constant attention, and every relationship their children form becomes a source of suspicion or jealousy.

These parents become manipulative and often undermine the foundations of independence and autonomy.

Growing up with such individuals or parents can give rise to insecure behaviour, with a likelihood of developing anxious, doubtful attitudes, as the child unconsciously feels compelled to satisfy the demands of others.

I have touched upon the subject of ‘peacock parents’ because, having worked in the field of child development, I have frequently observed such attitudes more prominently in parental figures and only secondarily in children.

I would like to mention or recall a concept from Jung: the child’s unconscious stems from the parental unconscious.

I have also noticed that showing off was more common amongst professional parents – people with a high level of education.

In these cases, due to their behaviour, resolving the situation became complicated.

Very often, these parents decided for themselves when to end psychotherapy, either because they grew tired of accompanying their child to sessions, or because they felt personally implicated – and so they distanced themselves from the process.

Looking back at the last short article – entitled «the histrionic» [«l’istrione»] – it occurs to me that it rhymes with «peacock» [«pavone»].

As always, these reflections are drawn from my specialist training and from my practical experience in my professional work – primarily in the field of child and adolescent psychology. 

Dr Francesco Giovannozzi – psychologist – psychotherapist

Different concerns, and Humanizing Action

(Lk 6:6-11)

Providing good and uplifting the real person - as he or she is, in his or her uniqueness - is the only absolute value; the criterion of the entire Gospel.

Even the Torah in its core and sense wanted to be an important means of human, personal, religious pedagogy - not the end.

The norms accompany us willingly, when they facilitate the way to dialogue with the Lord in us and in our brothers and sisters. But the "letter" is cold and unfounded in itself.

Once the Meeting has taken place, priority must be given to God’s Project, solicitous to realize and make us flourish; not to procedures.

In fact, the prescriptions put everyone and always on alert towards the ‘different need’.

For this reason, solidarity and fraternity are placed above any devotional and identity homage, or doctrinal necessity, as well as external observance of worship (if lived by automatons).

The same norms must be understood so that they lead to life with and in Christ - for the realization and fullness of being.

Otherwise the scrupulous virtue of religion turns into malicious action and vice of faith - which loses the totality of the person [v.9 Greek text].

In this way, on synagogue day, there is no need to celebrate a restoration that stamps the clock.

Rather, we gather in assembly to better restore women and men to their dignity as sublime beings, to be promoted in an unlimited way.

The Sabbath of the Messiah is not a day of custom’s partiality: it is a time of recovered well-being - of Liberation and Creation, of promotion of the vital energies, according to the original and full Plan of the Father.

In fact, in the place of the habitual rite, where the traditional compressed mentality prevails, Jesus does not go to pray, but to teach and cure.

Not even the paralyzed person had asked for healing - so much it seemed normal to him to be there in that way and not to receive attention or any stimulus; not even the good.

Nevertheless, Love is the core and essence of the Law: even in the precept day, help was allowed by same prescriptions, in case of extreme need or repercussion on others.

Jesus is saying that unlocking the person who cannot do anything good [«right hand, arid»: v.6] is a matter of life or death, even for the whole community [heal or «annihilate»: v.9].

Observing the Lord’s day means, even for us: strengthening the expressive possibilities of humanity and reintegrating it into a ‘new order’.

In order to fulfil the redemptive 'precept', deviant attitudes must first also be assumed, and saved - like preparatory energies for new arrangements.

We cannot afford further neglect.

The crisis that affects everyone leaks the difference between... unconscious content, and truth; fossilizations and hidden energies; religiosity and Faith - character of life in Christ and in the Spirit.

In its sides of limitation and Completeness, legalism or Liberation, stasis and Rebirth, return to "as always" or Regeneration, formalism and Joy [so on], today discernment becomes more acute.

[Monday 23rd wk. in O.T.  September 7, 2026]

Different solicitations: the Humanising Action, and the dry action of the misanthropes

(Lk 6:6-11)

Commenting on the Tao Tê Ching (XLVII), Master Ho-shang Kung writes: "The saint knows the great by basing himself on the small, the external by examining the internal".

And he reiterates: 'Without ascending into the heavens or descending into the abyss, the saint knows Heaven and Earth: he knows them with the heart.

Procuring the good and lifting up the real person - as he is, in his uniqueness - is the only non-negotiable value; the criterion of the entire Gospel.

Even the Torah in its core and meaning was meant to be an important means of human, personal, religious pedagogy - not the end.

Norms gladly accompany us, when they facilitate the way to dialogue with the Lord, encountering Him in us and in our brothers and sisters.

But the 'letter' is cold and unmotivated.

Once the encounter has taken place, precedence must be given to God's Project, which is solicitous to fulfil us and allow us to flourish; not to procedures.

In fact, prescriptions put everyone and always on the alert for "different needs".

Hence, solidarity and fraternity are placed above any devout and identity-based obsequies, or doctrinal necessities, as well as outward observance of worship [if lived by automatons].

The same standards must be understood so that they lead to life with and in Christ - to fulfilment and fullness of being.

Otherwise the scrupulous virtue of religion turns into malign action and vice of faith - which loses the totality of the person [v.9 Greek text].

In this way, on the day of the synagogue, one does not celebrate a card-stamping restoration.

Rather, one gathers in assembly to better restore man to his dignity as a sublime being, to be promoted in an unlimited way.

The Sabbath of the Messiah is not the day of customary partialities: gestures and words express the Face of the Father, his solicitude.

It is a time of both Liberation and Creation, of promoting vital energies, according to the original and full Plan.

But in the place of habitual ritual, where the traditional [i.e. à la page] compassionate mentality prevails, Jesus does not go to pray, but to teach and heal.

Not even the paralysed man had asked for healing - so much so that it seemed normal for him to stand there like that and receive no attention, no encouragement; not even good.

Nevertheless, Love is the core and essence of the Law: even on the day of precept, help was still permitted (by the same prescriptions) in case of extreme need or repercussion on others.

The Lord is saying to [his intimate] church leaders:

Unlocking the person who fails to do any good ["barren right hand": v.6] is a matter of life and death, even for the whole community [heal or "annihilate": v.9].

When the wigwams of indifferent and dry religion, and the first-raters of distorted devotion, are provoked, the pious mask disappears.

They become violent even in the face of the good that God works on those who are misguided - and devoted to the worst without even realising it.

The hand [action] to be healed remains first and foremost that of the one-sided mummies to whom the strong teaching of the episode is addressed.

Observing the day of the Lord means, for us too: enhancing man's expressive possibilities and reintegrating him into a 'new order'.

This by clearing the environment prone to sectarianism [or ideologism] of old and new owls who intend to save appearances in order to maintain power, fake doctrinal prestige, and subservience of consciences.

But in order to fulfil the redemptive 'precept', deviant attitudes must also be assumed first, and saved - like preparatory energies for new arrangements.

Master Ho-shang again: 'When those at the top love the Way, those at the bottom love virtue; when those at the top love war, those at the bottom love strength'.

The plagiarism agencies of some particular 'churches' that want souls locked into relationships of domination would gladly plan to keep the sick in their dependent state.

For some perverse mechanisms of pastoral care and mass catechesis, the fearful and insecure must remain anonymous; even in the time of the synodal journey.

The voiceless are always useful, so that the well-introduced can continue to float about the world - with their unchanged foibles or theories.

For pious, moralistic, or partisan interests [this one private and glamorous, i.e. full of legalistic pitfalls] would gladly leave them uncertain and unaware, or worse - even if Jesus himself showed up to set them free.

We can no longer afford this.

We can no longer condone neglect: the current jolt of the global crisis is accelerating the fall of masks, of swampy or histrionic attitudes; and of symbolic practices that are an end in themselves.

The emergence that affects everyone makes it easier to understand the difference between unconscious contents and truths, sedentary fossilisations and hidden energies; religiosity and Faith - the discriminator of life in Christ and the Spirit.

In its sides of limitation and Wholeness, legalism and Liberation, stasis and Rebirth, return to as always or Regeneration, formalism and Gladness, discernment becomes more acute today.

Having already judged it useless to take advantage of the official religious institution to introduce into it the novelty of the Kingdom, [e.g. as far back as chapter 3 of Mk, first of the Gospels] a new community project is advocated.

The Master wants to guide people from all walks of life to feel and live deeply their own and others' human dimension, marked by the paradoxically fruitful experience of fallibility.

Only when they internalise its meaning and live in this way will authorities and believers truly experience compassion for the limitations of the flesh - a characteristic understanding of being 'human'.

In this work, the Lord always starts with the masses abandoned by their shepherds.

The authentic incipit comes from people who are insignificant but disengaged from the authorities of the religious-political fabric, and from the official lines of dynastic succession.

To internalise and live the message:

When have you noticed virtues of religion converted into vices of faith?

What do you mean by Salvation secured by the Kingdom of God?

Theology and symbolism of the Hand:

"Let us therefore reflect again on the signs in which the Sacrament has been given to us. At the centre is the very ancient gesture of the laying on of hands, by which He took possession of me saying: "You belong to me". But with this He also said: 'You are under the protection of my hands. You are under the protection of my heart. You are kept in the hollow of my hands and just so you stand in the vastness of my love. Stay in the space of my hands and give me yours'.

Let us remember then that our hands have been anointed with oil, which is the sign of the Holy Spirit and his power. Why the hands? Man's hand is the instrument of his action, it is the symbol of his ability to face the world, in fact to "take it in hand". The Lord has laid his hands on us and now wants our hands to become his hands in the world. He wants them no longer to be instruments to take things, men, the world for us, to reduce it to our possession, but instead to transmit his divine touch, placing themselves at the service of his love. He wants them to be instruments of service and thus an expression of the mission of the whole person who stands as a guarantor of Him and brings Him to men. If man's hands symbolically represent his faculties and, generally, technique as the power to dispose of the world, then the anointed hands must be a sign of his capacity to give, of his creativity in shaping the world with love - and for this, of course, we need the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, anointing is a sign of the assumption of service: the king, the prophet, the priest does and gives more than he gives himself. In a way, he is dispossessed of himself in service, in which he makes himself available to one greater than himself. If Jesus presents himself today in the Gospel as the Anointed One of God, the Christ, then this means precisely that he acts on the mission of the Father and in unity with the Holy Spirit and that, in this way, he gives the world a new kingship, a new priesthood, a new way of being a prophet, who does not seek himself, but lives for him in whose sight the world was created. Let us place our hands today once again at his disposal and pray to him to take us by the hand again and to guide us".

[Pope Benedict, Chrism homily 13 April 2006]

Let us reflect once again on the signs in which the Sacrament has been given to us. At the centre is the very ancient rite of the imposition of hands, with which he took possession of me, saying to me:  "You belong to me".

However, in saying this he also said:  "You are under the protection of my hands. You are under the protection of my heart. You are kept safely in the palm of my hands, and this is precisely how you find yourself in the immensity of my love. Stay in my hands, and give me yours".

Then let us remember that our hands were anointed with oil, which is the sign of the Holy Spirit and his power. Why one's hands? The human hand is the instrument of human action, it is the symbol of the human capacity to face the world, precisely to "take it in hand".

The Lord has laid his hands upon us and he now wants our hands so that they may become his own in the world. He no longer wants them to be instruments for taking things, people or the world for ourselves, to reduce them to being our possession, but instead, by putting ourselves at the service of his love, they can pass on his divine touch.

He wants our hands to be instruments of service, hence, an expression of the mission of the whole person who vouches for him and brings him to men and women. If human hands symbolically represent human faculties and, in general, skill as power to dispose of the world, then anointed hands must be a sign of the human capacity for giving, for creativity in shaping the world with love. It is for this reason, of course, that we are in need of the Holy Spirit.

In the Old Testament, anointing is the sign of being taken into service:  the king, the prophet, the priest, each does and gives more than what derives from himself alone. In a certain way, he is emptied of himself, so as to serve by making himself available to One who is greater than he.

If, in today's Gospel, Jesus presents himself as God's Anointed One, the Christ, then this itself means that he is acting for the Father's mission and in unity with the Holy Spirit. He is thereby giving the world a new kingship, a new priesthood, a new way of being a prophet who does not seek himself but lives for the One with a view to whom the world was created.

Today, let us once again put our hands at his disposal and pray to him to take us by the hand, again and again, and lead us.

[Pope Benedict, Chrism homily 13 April 2006]

2. The Gospel of the kingdom links Christ with the Sacred Scriptures that, using a royal image, celebrate God's lordship over the cosmos and history. Thus we read in the Psalter:  "Say among the nations, "The Lord reigns! Yea, the world is established, it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples'" (Ps 96: 10). The kingdom is thus God's effective but mysterious action in the universe and in the tangle of human events. He overcomes the resistance of evil with patience, not with arrogance and outcry.

For this reason Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds, but destined to become a leafy tree (cf. Mt 13: 31-32), or to the seed a man scatters on the ground:  "he sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows, he knows not how" (Mk 4: 27). The kingdom is grace, God's love for the world, the source of our serenity and trust:  "Fear not, little flock", Jesus says, "for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Lk 12: 32). Fears, worries and nightmares fade away, because in the person of Christ the kingdom of God is in our midst (cf. Lk 17: 21).

3. But man is not a passive witness to God's entrance into history. Jesus asks us "to seek" actively "the kingdom of God and his righteousness" and to make this search our primary concern (Mt 6& ;33). To those who "supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately" (Lk 19: 11), he prescribed an active attitude instead of passive waiting, telling them the parable of the 10 pounds to be used productively (cf. Lk 19: 12-27). For his part, the Apostle Paul states that "the kingdom of God does not mean food and drink but righteousness" (Rom 14: 17) above all, and urges the faithul to put their members at the service of righteousness for sanctification (cf. Rom 6: 13, 19).

The human person is thus called to work with his hands, mind and heart for the coming of God's kingdom into the world. This is especially true of those who are called to the apostolate and are, as St Paul says, "fellow workers for the kingdom of God" (Col 4: 11), but it is also true of every human person.

[John Paul II, General Audience 6 December 2000]

Winning with good

1. At the beginning of the New Year, I once again address the leaders of nations and all men and women of good will, who recognize the need to build peace in the world. For the theme of this 2005 World Day of Peace I have chosen Saint Paul's words in the Letter to the Romans: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (12:21). Evil is never defeated by evil; once that road is taken, rather than defeating evil, one will instead be defeated by evil.

The great Apostle brings out a fundamental truth: peace is the outcome of a long and demanding battle which is only won when evil is defeated by good. If we consider the tragic scenario of violent fratricidal conflicts in different parts of the world, and the untold sufferings and injustices to which they have given rise, the only truly constructive choice is, as Saint Paul proposes, to flee what is evil and hold fast to what is good (cf. Rom 12:9).

Peace is a good to be promoted with good: it is a good for individuals, for families, for nations and for all humanity; yet it is one which needs to be maintained and fostered by decisions and actions inspired by good. We can appreciate the profound truth of another saying of Saint Paul: "Repay no one evil for evil" (Rom 12:17). The one way out of the vicious circle of requiting evil for evil is to accept the Apostle's words: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Rom 12:21).

[Pope John Paul II, Message for the 2005 World Day of Peace]

Hope is a virtue' that is 'habitually considered second class. We do not believe so much,' he explained, 'in hope: we talk about faith and charity, but hope is a bit, as a French writer said, the humble virtue, the servant of virtues; and we do not understand it well'.

Optimism, he explained, is a human attitude that depends on many things; but hope is something else: 'It is a gift, it is a gift of the Holy Spirit, and that is why Paul said that it never disappoints'. And it also has a name. And 'this name is Jesus': you cannot say you hope in life if you do not hope in Jesus. "It would not be hope," he specified, "but it would be good humour, optimism, as in the case of those people who are sunny, positive, who always see the full half of the glass and not the empty half".

A confirmation of this concept, the Pope indicated it in the passage from Luke's Gospel (6:6-11), in the reference to the theme of freedom. Luke's account places before our eyes a double slavery: that of the man "with the paralysed hand, a slave to his disease", and that "of the Pharisees, the scribes, slaves to their rigid, legalistic attitudes". Jesus "liberates both: he makes the rigid ones see that that is not the way to freedom; and the man with the paralysed hand frees him from his disease". What does he want to show? That 'freedom and hope go together: where there is no hope, there can be no freedom'.

However, the real lesson to be drawn from today's liturgy is that Jesus 'is not a healer, he is a man who recreates existence. And this - underlined the bishop of Rome - gives us hope, because Jesus came precisely for this great miracle, to recreate everything". So much so that the Church in a beautiful prayer says: 'You, Lord, who were so great, so wonderful in creation, but more wonderful in redemption...'. Therefore, the Pope added, 'the great wonder is the great reformation of Jesus. And this gives us hope: Jesus who recreates everything'. And when "we unite ourselves to Jesus in his passion," the Pope concluded, "with him we remake the world, we make it new.

[Pope Francis, St. Martha, in L'Osservatore Romano 9-10/09/2013]

In the midst of the reconciled: the change of course and destiny in the Kingdom

(Mt 18:15-20)

«The word that the Evangelist uses for "agree" is synphōnēsōsin:  there is reference made to a "symphony" of hearts» [Pope Benedict].

This malleable energy has a mysterious grip on the reality core - which is always stronger than we are; it unfolds the plot and proposes, but here, conversely, it welcomes us.

Or it disturbs us with discomfort... which, however, is already therapy. Because every tear leads to the deep layers of our primordial being, our seed and its own world of relationships.

And then the soul loosens up, becomes less tortuous, follows a direction it was not thinking of; it finds the intoxicating road of deep attunements, abandons the shoddy path.

It prefers the Way that corresponds to person, more than the identifications: all the idols that previously held sway, which - despite appearances - struggled with our essential destination.

And without running away from ourselves, but only from external conventions, 'together' we can move from one-sidedness to wholeness, from banality to fullness; to the reason why we are in the world; to the destiny of being that we are.

Perhaps we could not perceive it before, because the eye was bouncing between the walls of the usual domestications.

And the ephemeral, addictive thought did not destroy the idea [without perception] of ourselves; an idea without listening, which did not vanish.

Fraternal correction tugs at our throats, but it is that bitterness that brings back the essentials; it is that anxiety (if accepted) that truly heals us.

Mt suggests dialogue, which attempts to understand the motives of the other.

Indeed, in the early Judeo-Christian realities, the climate was perhaps overly scrupulous.

Thus detachment from the community was also foreseen, but there remained the knowledge that the sinner was not a divided from God, even 'outside' the particular church: «Where are two or three gathered in my Name» (v.20).

It is the centre of the new pedagogical concept - no longer “religious” and mass, but of living and personal Faith.

The expression «in my Name» indicates that Jesus himself had his hands full with the judges of his time.

All real. Even an exclusion can unite us to Him and bring Him to life concretely.

If the true - not vague - Christ remains the pivot of the fraternity, the Father will grant the return of the excluded brother.

Obviously, this can only happen if the excluded person experiences that community leaders first, seek human confrontation - following the same position as the Master: «in the midst».

Equal distance from everyone, and every now and then a nice rotation of roles, which indeed strengthens the ‘harmony’ and genuine unity.

Those who still show us the living Jesus today are not “above” others. They do not take the lead, nor do they place themselves “at the front” – so that some are close by whilst others remain at a safe distance.

People amongst people, and turnover.

We are called to rediscover the bond between honouring God and a humanising understanding of our sisters and brothers.

Love calls for love, forgiveness spontaneously attracts forgiveness - not out of effort, not out of good manners or duty, but as a channel for to enter the world new preparatory energies, and twists.

Fragrant sign of the Church is the reversal of roles and courses.

[23rd Sunday in O.T. (year A), September 6, 2026]

Amongst the Reconciled: a change of course and of fate in the Kingdom

(Mt 18:15–20)

«The verb the evangelist uses for “they will be in harmony” is synphōnēsōsin: there is a reference to a “symphony” of hearts» [Pope Benedict, Vespers at the conclusion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, 25 January 2006].

This new, malleable energy has a mysterious hold on the heart of reality – which is always stronger than we are; it weaves the fabric of life and sets the course, yet here, conversely, it welcomes us.

That is to say, it unsettles us with a sense of unease… which, however, is already the remedy. For every tear leads us towards the deepest layers of our primordial being, of our seed and its own world of relationships.

And so the soul melts away, becomes less convoluted, follows a path it had not envisaged; it rediscovers the intoxicating path of deep harmonies, abandoning the inferior path.

It favours the Way that corresponds to it, rather than mere identifications: all the idols that previously held sway, which – despite appearances – were at odds with our essential destiny.

– Without fleeing from ourselves, but only from external conventions, together we can move from one-sidedness to wholeness, from banality to fulfilment; to the reason why we are in the world; to the destiny of the being that we are.

Perhaps we were unable to perceive this before, because our gaze bounced between the walls of our usual domestication.

And the fleeting, habitual thought did not destroy the [unperceived] idea of ourselves; an idea that went unheeded, which did not fade away.

Fraternal correction grips us by the throat, but it is that bitterness which brings us back to what is essential; it is that anxiety (if accepted) which truly heals us.

    After the destruction of Jerusalem, the contrast between the world of the synagogue and the new brotherhoods in Christ was growing ever sharper.

Those who had converted to the Lord Jesus from the Judaising communities of Galilee and Syria were experiencing a time of great tension, even within their own families.

At the same time, an influx of pagans was beginning, which gradually accentuated the rift with Judaism – both in the external comparison between the synagogue and the ‘ecclesìa’, and in the internal debate within the small assemblies.

It was by no means easy to rebuild relationships and foster dialogue between people from different backgrounds, whose cultural heritage was marked by adherence to archaic forms of religiosity; a devotion that made them obstinate in everything.

But the Risen One sees far ahead.

In the spirit of Faith that supplants the narrow-mindedness of impulsive or idolatrous convictions, Matthew seeks to foster harmony amidst differences within his communities.

The evangelist does this by emphasising reconciliation, and the rightful place of those who wished to become a living sign of the Lord’s Presence.

At the thresholds of the tiny churches, the newcomers often failed to find a warm welcome; rather, they had to endure scrutiny and trials at the hands of distrustful veterans, and live in an atmosphere of suspicion.

The ‘top of the class’, ever scrupulous in defending their beliefs and prominent positions, felt the presence of certain fellow believers (who were freer than themselves) to be a hindrance and a burden.

Many pagans, initially trusting and motivated by innocent expectations, were also drifting away, annoyed by the distrustful atmosphere fostered by the hardliners. Legalists who, in effect, tended to reproduce the very same competitive atmosphere found in the ancient religions.

Other defections were also driven by the emergence of grey areas and internal scandals.

Some perhaps took advantage of the management of assets, or, despite their formal conversion, remained selfish and held on to what was theirs – usurping the dignity of the least among them and marring the atmosphere of cordiality.

Almost all of these people [the very ones who sought to corner the newcomers or the wayward] jostled for precedence, creating a climate of resentment that exacerbated friction and eroded the Faith, eventually leading to its historical downfall.

Matthew suggests dialogue, which seeks to understand the other’s motives.

In fact, in the early Jewish-Christian communities, the atmosphere was perhaps excessively scrupulous. [Later, excommunication also became a weapon...].

Thus, separation from the community was also envisaged, but the awareness remained that the sinner was not, in any case, separated from God, even ‘outside’ the particular church: ‘Where two or three are gathered in my Name...’ (v.20).

This is at the heart of the new pedagogical approach – no longer ‘religious’ and mass-oriented, but one of living, personal faith.

The expression ‘in my Name’ indicates that Jesus himself had his fair share of trouble with the judgemental people of his time.

It is all very real. Even exclusion can unite one to Him and bring Him to life in a very real way, indeed.

If the true Christ – not some vague concept – remains the linchpin of brotherhood, the Father will grant the return of the brother who has excluded himself.

Obviously, this can only happen if the person who has been excluded experiences that, first and foremost, those in charge of the community seek a human dialogue – not acting like little princes, but rather adopting the very same stance as the Master: ‘in the midst’.

Equidistant from everyone, and every now and then with a good rotation of duties – a provision laid down by the new canon law, but completely disregarded on the ground – because still, only the chosen few can in fact stick their noses into matters of importance, and have a hand and a foot in prominent roles.

Those who still show us Jesus alive today do not stand ‘above’ others; they do not take the lead, nor do they place themselves ‘at the front’ [so that some are close and others always remain distant].

People amongst the people. We are called to rediscover the bond between honouring God and loving our sisters and brothers – not only those of the same faith.

Love calls forth love; forgiveness naturally draws forth forgiveness – not through effort, not out of good manners or duty, but as a channel through which new, preparatory energies and unexpected twists can enter the world.

A striking sign of the Church is the reversal of roles and fortunes. The ‘victory-or-defeat’ dichotomy is false: we must move beyond it.

To internalise and live out the message:

What convinces people to forgive or to practise fraternal correction? Perhaps the example of selflessness and the way church leaders conduct themselves? 

Do they correct one another kindly, or is there envy and friction amongst them?

In your community, is the person who claims to represent Christ found amongst the people, or are they always at the head of the line and at the head of the table?

Forgiveness in the unlimited leap of Faith

(Mt 18:21-35)

Throughout the ancient Middle East, non-disproportionate retaliation one to one [not cruel] was a sacred law.

Forgiveness was a humiliating and absurd attitude, an incomprehensible principle to anyone experiencing any injustice.

Conversely, in the dynamic of Faith, forgiveness becomes a power, which not only makes the air breathable, but activates our personal destiny.

Peter instead wants to know the limits of forgiveness (v.21).

Historically, at the end of the first century the picky, severe, style of the synagogue and of the Empire [«divide et impera»] reappear in believers. 

A question arises: will we have to stop welcoming?

In addition, in the same churches one begins to think that someone has sinned in lese majesty towards those who - now hard and heartless - are used to being revered.

Veterans who make trouble more than others and then dot on the minutiae of others (the weak brothers, considered subjected and destined to the fiscal rigour of moralisms, as well as penances).

While religious discipline exacerbates minute defects, the very experience of the disproportion between the forgiveness received from the Father and what we are able to offer to the brothers, makes us understand the need for tolerance.

Church should be this space of the experience of God who return life, an alternative place of fraternity.

Imperial society was harsh and uncompassionate, with no room for the small and shaky, who unassumingly sought any refuge for their hearts - but no religion gave them an answer.

Synagogues, too, identified material and spiritual blessings. Cloaked with requirements, purity rules and fulfilments, they did not offer the warmth of a welcoming place for the weak.

The issue was that in the early Christian communities themselves, some people insisted on the rigour of norms, customs and hierarchies, demanding coexistence based on the Judaizing model.

Furthermore, as the Letter of James testifies, towards the end of the first century the identical divisions of society, between miserables and wealthy, were already beginning to manifest themselves in the churches of Christ!

Welcoming space of the communities that in the Spirit had been given the task by the Lord to enlighten the world with their seed of life as a ‘shelter for all’ (and of alternative relationships) ran the risk of becoming again a place of conflict, judgement, punishment, condemnation.

«So also my heavenly Father will do to you, if you do not condone each one to his own brother from your heart» (v.35).

Divine forgiveness becomes effective and evident only in the testimony of the Church (v.35) where sisters and brothers - instead of showing themselves to be meticulous, let themselves be guided by a Vision of new heavens and new earth.

For this reason - without any effort, indeed blessing the needs of others as territories of preparatory energies - they live the communion of resources and remit even material debts, a misery.

Otherwise, we would always have to live in the incumbency of an indulgent God perhaps, but at times, and according to the cases retracting the doing of mercy.

It would be a life without surprising developments, all weighted down in a swamp of little pennies.

Instead, it’s the active energy of the Faith that doesn’t condemn us to trudge.

The magnanimity that comes out of the automatisms shifts our gaze and brings us an ineffable and growing wave, far ahead of what we can imagine.

Our surrenders are preparing new developments - the ones that count, without limitations.

The "win-or-lose" alternative is false: you have to get out of it.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The biblical Readings of Mass this Sunday converge on the theme of brotherly love in the community of believers whose source lies in the communion of the Trinity. The Apostle Paul says that the whole Law of God finds fullness in love, so that in our relationships with others the Ten Commandments and every other precept are summed up in these words: “Love your neighbour as yourself” (cf. Rom 13:8-10). 

The Gospel text from chapter 18 of Matthew on the life of the Christian community tells us that brotherly love also involves a sense of mutual responsibility. For this reason if my brother commits a sin against me I must treat him charitably and first of all, speak to him privately, pointing out that what he has said or done is wrong. This approach is known as “fraternal correction”: it is not a reaction to the offence suffered but is motivated by love for one's brethren. 

St Augustine comments: “Whoever has offended you, in offending you, has inflicted a serious injury upon himself; and would you not care for a brother’s injury?... You must forget the offence you have received but not the injury of one of your brethren (Discourse 82, 7).

And what if my brother does not listen to me? In today’s Gospel Jesus points to a gradual approach: first, speak to him again with two or three others, the better to help him realize what he has done; if, in spite of this, he still refuses to listen, it is necessary to tell the community; and if he refuses to listen even to the community, he must be made to perceive that he has cut himself off by separating himself from the communion of the Church. 

All this demonstrates that we are responsible for each other in the journey of Christian life; each person, aware of his own limitations and shortcomings, is called to accept fraternal correction and to help others with this specific service. 

Another fruit of love in the community is unanimous prayer. Jesus said: “If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in Heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18:19-20). Personal prayer is of course important, indeed indispensable, but the Lord guarantees his presence to the community — even if it is very small — which is united and in agreement, because this reflects the very reality of the Triune God, perfect communion of love. Origen says “we should practise this symphony” (Commentary on the Gospel according to Matthew, 14,1), in other words this harmony within the Christian community. We should practise both fraternal correction — which demands deep humility and simplicity of heart — and prayer so that it may rise to God from a community truly united in Christ. 

Let us ask all this through the intercession of Mary Most Holy, Mother of the Church and of St Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor, whom we commemorated in the liturgy yesterday.

[Pope Benedict, Angelus, 4 September 2011]