And the much yeast, which impoverishes

(Mk 8:14-21)

Jesus says one thing, the apostles understand another. The «leaven of the Pharisees and that of Herod» is a theme that alludes to the ideology of domination.

The disciples were close to Christ, because he was the character of the moment.

But enraptured by cheap illusions, they no longer listened to the Master, who was pursuing them.

Even today some followers do not feel like getting involved in things they do not want to know and would put them in shortage (v.14) - with the only possibility of fraternal sharing.

They seem unwilling to hear anything but proclamations of power, opulence, fame and imperial victory.

Their heads and their desires remain distant, engaged only in the validations of "swelling" and profit - despite appearances to the contrary.

They come to kidnap the Son of God for themselves, because they seem to have become exactly like the adversaries of the new Faith: hardened hearts (v.17) - eyes that do not look, ears that do not listen (v.18).

By moving away from him to turn willingly to the usual idolatries and pagan hopes.

Of course, there were confused ideas about the Messiah around - but all related to the [unfaithful] conception of ‘grandeur’.

But the authentic Messiah doesn’t want to reach an eminent position through contacts and deceptions, but rather to help needy and frightened humanity.

Many were waiting for a King, others for a high priest who was finally holy.

Some expected a guerrilla, or a healer;  others a judge or a prophet. No one a Servant.

Everyone reduced him to normal flattery, according to their interests - and class of belonging.

In fact, the very intimates of the Master showed themselves willing to go after any breeze of doctrine, as long as this could allow them to retain the treasures of the Kingdom.

Any title for the Messiah - religious, political, nationalist - could be tolerated, digested and made tameable... except the one that forced them to become servants of others.

The only uncomfortable presence.

Yet the prolonged absence of a prophetic spirit becomes the cause of many torments.

The inclination to coexistence and communion is missionary ‘truth’. Instrument for the redemption of all, starting with those who reach out to needy sisters and brothers.

By its nature and mandate, the small boat of the Church remains sent to all nations. ‘Salt of the earth’, ‘Light of the world’.

No believer must imagine himself exonerated.

Baptism has incorporated us, so that we are launched to cooperate - according to capacity and contexts.

A breath that cannot be interrupted or limited. Death would result.

In short, the Lord doesn’t ask us for marginal and nuanced behavior, but rather receptive and global ones.

Attitudes that affect the sense of history and its assets...

Because sharing the little «bread» doesn’t impoverish; rather, it enriches.

To internalize and live the message:

«They had ‘only one bread’ with them in the boat»: do you complain about it or do you evaluate its meaning?

[Tuesday 6th wk. in O.T.  February 18, 2025]

Dear friends, do not hesitate to follow Jesus Christ. In him we find the truth about God and about mankind. He helps us to overcome our selfishness, to rise above our ambitions and to conquer all that oppresses us. The one who does evil, who sins, becomes a slave of sin and will never attain freedom (cf. Jn 8:34). Only by renouncing hatred and our hard and blind hearts will we be free and a new life will well up in us.

Convinced that it is Christ who is the true measure of man, and knowing that in him we find the strength needed to face every trial, I wish to proclaim openly Jesus Christ as the way, the truth and the life. In him everyone will find complete freedom, the light to understand reality more deeply and to transform it by the renewing power of love.

[Pope Benedict, homily in Havana 28 March 2012]

4. In my first encyclical, in which I set forth the program of my Pontificate, I said that "the Church's fundamental function in every age, and particularly in ours, is to direct man's gaze, to point the awareness and experience of the whole of humanity toward the mystery of Christ."4

The Church's universal mission is born of faith in Jesus Christ, as is stated in our Trinitarian profession of faith: "I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father.... For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man."5 The redemption event brings salvation to all, "for each one is included in the mystery of the redemption and with each one Christ has united himself forever through this mystery."6 It is only in faith that the Church's mission can be understood and only in faith that it finds its basis.

Nevertheless, also as a result of the changes which have taken place in modern times and the spread of new theological ideas, some people wonder: Is missionary work among non-Christians still relevant? Has it not been replaced by inter-religious dialogue? Is not human development an adequate goal of the Church's mission? Does not respect for conscience and for freedom exclude all efforts at conversion? Is it not possible to attain salvation in any religion? Why then should there be missionary activity?

"No one comes to the Father, but by me" (Jn 14:6)

5. If we go back to the beginnings of the Church, we find a clear affirmation that Christ is the one Savior of all, the only one able to reveal God and lead to God. In reply to the Jewish religious authorities who question the apostles about the healing of the lame man, Peter says: "By the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by him this man is standing before you well.... And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:10, 12). This statement, which was made to the Sanhedrin, has a universal value, since for all people-Jews and Gentiles alike - salvation can only come from Jesus Christ.

The universality of this salvation in Christ is asserted throughout the New Testament. St. Paul acknowledges the risen Christ as the Lord. He writes: "Although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth - as indeed there are many 'gods' and many 'lords' - yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist" (1 Cor 8:5-6). One God and one Lord are asserted by way of contrast to the multitude of "gods" and "lords" commonly accepted. Paul reacts against the polytheism of the religious environment of his time and emphasizes what is characteristic of the Christian faith: belief in one God and in one Lord sent by God.

In the Gospel of St. John, this salvific universality of Christ embraces all the aspects of his mission of grace, truth and revelation: the Word is "the true light that enlightens every man" (Jn 1:9). And again, "no one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known" (Jn 1:18; cf. Mt 11:27). God's revelation becomes definitive and complete through his only-begotten Son: "In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom he also created the world" (Heb 1:1-2; cf. Jn 14:6). In this definitive Word of his revelation, God has made himself known in the fullest possible way. He has revealed to mankind who he is. This definitive self-revelation of God is the fundamental reason why the Church is missionary by her very nature. She cannot do other than proclaim the Gospel, that is, the fullness of the truth which God has enabled us to know about himself.

Christ is the one mediator between God and mankind: "For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, the testimony to which was borne at the proper time. For this I was appointed a preacher and apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth" (1 Tm 2:5-7; cf. Heb 4:14-16). No one, therefore, can enter into communion with God except through Christ, by the working of the Holy Spirit. Christ's one, universal mediation, far from being an obstacle on the journey toward God, is the way established by God himself, a fact of which Christ is fully aware. Although participated forms of mediation of different kinds and degrees are not excluded, they acquire meaning and value only from Christ's own mediation, and they cannot be understood as parallel or complementary to his.

6. To introduce any sort of separation between the Word and Jesus Christ is contrary to the Christian faith. St. John clearly states that the Word, who "was in the beginning with God," is the very one who "became flesh" (Jn 1:2, 14). Jesus is the Incarnate Word-a single and indivisible person. One cannot separate Jesus from the Christ or speak of a "Jesus of history" who would differ from the "Christ of faith." The Church acknowledges and confesses Jesus as "the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Mt 16:16): Christ is none other than Jesus of Nazareth: he is the Word of God made man for the salvation of all. In Christ "the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily" (Col 2:9) and "from his fullness have we all received" (Jn 1:16). The "only Son, who is the bosom of the Father" (Jn 1:18) is "the beloved Son, in whom we have redemption.... For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his Cross" (Col 1:13-14, 19-20). It is precisely this uniqueness of Christ which gives him an absolute and universal significance, whereby, while belonging to history, he remains history's center and goal:7 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end" (Rv 22:13).

Thus, although it is legitimate and helpful to consider the various aspects of the mystery of Christ, we must never lose sight of its unity. In the process of discovering and appreciating the manifold gifts-especially the spiritual treasures-that God has bestowed on every people, we cannot separate those gifts from Jesus Christ, who is at the center of God's plan of salvation. Just as "by his incarnation the Son of God united himself in some sense with every human being," so too "we are obliged to hold that the Holy Spirit offers everyone the possibility of sharing in the Paschal Mystery in a manner known to God."8 God's plan is "to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth" (Eph 1:10).

[Pope John Paul II, Redemtoris Missio]

“We offer this Mass for our 21 Coptic brothers, slaughtered for the sole reason that they were Christians”. These were Pope Francis’ words during the Mass celebrated at Santa Marta on Tuesday, 17 February. “Let us pray for them, that the Lord welcome them as martyrs, for their families, for my brother Tawadros, who is suffering greatly”, he added. In a telephone conversation on Monday afternoon, Pope Francis spoke personally with Tawadrosii, Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church. He expressed his profound sadness for the barbaric assassination carried out by Islamic fundamentalists, and assured him of his prayers for the funerals.

Pope Francis opened his homily with the words of the entrance antiphon, “Be my protector, O God, a mighty stronghold to save me. For you are my rock, my stronghold! Lead me, guide me, for the sake of your name” (cf. Ps 31[30]:3-4). He continued with the passage on the flood in the day’s Reading from the Book of Genesis (6:5-8, 7:1-5, 10) which, he said, “makes us think about man’s capacity for destruction: man is capable of destroying everything that God made” when “he thinks he is more powerful than God”. Thus, “God can make good things, but man is capable of destroying them all”.

Even starting from the beginning “in the first chapters of the Bible, we find many examples”. For example, Francis explained, “man summons the flood through his wickedness: it is he who summons it!”. Moreover, “man summons the fire out of heaven, to Sodom and Gomorrah, out of his wickedness”. Then, “man creates confusion, the division of humanity — Babel, the Tower of Babel — with his wickedness”. In other words, “man is capable of destruction, we are all capable of destruction”. This is confirmed again in Genesis with “a very, very sharp phrase: ‘This wickedness was great and every innermost intent of their heart — in the heart of mankind — was nothing but evil, always”.

It isn’t a question of being too negative, the Pope pointed out, because “this is the truth”. At this point “we are even capable of destroying fraternity”, as demonstrated by the story of “Cain and Abel in the first pages of the Bible”. This episode which “destroys fraternity, is the beginning of wars: jealousy, envy, such greed for power, to have more power”. Yes, Francis confirmed, “this seems negative, but it is realistic”. After all, he added, one need only pick up a newspaper to see “that more than 90 percent of the news is about destruction: more than 90 percent! And we see this every day!”.

Thus the fundamental question: “what happens in the heart of man?”, the Pope asked. “Jesus once warned his disciples that evil does not enter a man’s heart because he eats something that isn’t pure, but rather, it comes out of the heart”. And “all wickedness comes out of the heart of man”. Indeed, “our weak heart is wounded”. There is “always that desire for autonomy” which leads one to say: “I do what I want, and if I want to do this, I do it! And if I want to make war over this, I do it! And if I want to destroy my family over this, I do it! And if I want to kill my neighbour over this, I do it”. But this is really “everyday news”, the Pope remarked, observing that “newspapers don’t tell us news about the life of saints”.

Therefore, he continued, returning to the central question: “why are we like this?”. And the answer: “Because we have the opportunity to destroy: this is the problem!”. And in doing so, “with war, with arms trafficking, we are entrepreneurs of death!”. And “there are countries that sell arms to this one that is at war with that one, and they also sell them to that one, so that war continues”. The problem is precisely the “capacity for destruction and this does not come from our neighbour” but “from us!”.

“Every innermost intent of the heart is nothing but evil”, Francis again repeated. And “we have this seed inside, this possibility”. But “we also have the Holy Spirit who saves us”. It is thus a matter of choosing to start with the “little things”. And so, “when a woman goes to the market and finds another, starts to gossip, to speak ill of her neighbour, about that woman over there: this woman kills, this woman is evil”. And this happens “at the market” but also “in the parish, in associations, when there is jealousy, the envious ones go to the priest to say ‘this one no, this one yes, this one does...’”. And this too “is evil, the capacity to destroy, which all of us have”.

This is the point on which “today the Church, on the threshold of Lent, causes us to reflect”. The Pope’s reflection in this regard started from the Gospel of Mark (8:14-21). “In the Gospel, Jesus lightly reprimands the disciples who were arguing: ‘you were supposed to bring the bread — no, you were!’”. Basically the Twelve “were discussing as usual, were arguing amongst themselves”. And Jesus says something beautiful to them “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod”. Thus, “He simply makes an example of two people: Herod is bad, he is an assassin, and the Pharisees hypocrites”. But the Lord also speaks of “‘leaven’ and they do not understand”.

The fact is, as Mark writes, the disciples “were speaking about bread, about this bread, and Jesus tells them: ‘that leaven is dangerous, what we have inside is what leads us to destroy. Take heed, beware!’”. Then “Jesus shows the other door: ‘Are your hearts hardened? Do you not remember when I broke the five loaves, the door of God’s salvation?”. In fact, “nothing good ever comes from arguing”, he said, “there will always be division, destruction!”. He continued: “Think about salvation, about what God too did for us, and make the right choice!”. But the disciples “did not understand because their hearts were hardened by this passion, by this wickedness of arguing amongst themselves to see who was to blame for forgetting the bread”.

Francis then advised that “this message of the Lord” should be taken seriously, because “this isn’t something strange, this isn’t a Martian talking, no: these are things that happen in everyday life”. And to confirm this, he repeated, we only need to pick up “the newspaper, nothing more!”.

However, he added, “man is capable of doing such good: let’s consider Mother Teresa, for example, a woman of our era”. But if “all of us are capable of doing such good” we are “also capable of destroying in great and small measure, in the same family: of destroying the children, not letting the children grow freely, not helping them to grow well” and thus in some way nullifying the children. “We have this capacity and this is the reason constant meditation, prayer, discussion among ourselves is necessary, to avoid falling into this wickedness which destroys everything”.

And “we have the strength” to do it, as “Jesus reminds us”, and “today He tells us: Remember. Remember me, who spilled my blood for you; remember me, who saved you, who save everyone; remember me, who has the power to accompany you on the journey of life, not on the road of evil, but on the path of goodness, of doing good for others; not on the path of destruction, but on the path of building: building a family, building a city, building a culture, building a homeland, always more!”.

With today’s reflection, Francis asked the Lord, for the grace to “always choose the right path with his help and not to let ourselves be deceived by the seduction that will lead us down the wrong path” before Lent begins.

[L'Osservatore Romano, Weekly ed. in English, n. 8, 20 February 2015]

Manifestations of God’s power on earth: nothing external

(Mk 8:11-13)

Jesus clashes with disbelief, stemming from various blinding, or that arises from inattention.

Incarnation: there are no other valid Signs than the events and new relationships with oneself and others - which present the very and unheard-of Person of the Risen One.

God is no longer the pure transcendence of the Jews, nor the peak of the ancient world wisdom: Trace of God is the story of Jesus living in us. He opens the way that leads to the Father.

The «Pharisees» to wich Jesus turns are those of his communities (cf. vv.10-11), who were trying to frame the Messiah in the pattern of normal expectations.

They found it difficult to embrace the idea of the Son of God as a Servant, confident in ‘dreams’ without prestige.

In short, Christ wants a change of pace that can mark the demise of the blatant society, dehumanizing, of the outside world.

“Popular” leaders often miss the meaning of the Sign-Person: Christ the Food of Life.

Because of them, not the distant ones, our Lord «groans in the spirit» (v.12) -  saddened by such blindness.

Life is precluded to those who do not know how to shift their gaze. 

Immediately after Mk 8:15 refers to the danger of the dominant ideology that made the same guides lose the objective perception of events.

A coarse «yeast» but rooted in the painful experience of the people; and that stimulated strange “pufferies” even in the disciples, contaminating them.

To the firsts in the class it might have seemed that Jesus was a leader like Moses, for he had just fed the starving people in the desert (vv.1-9).

But the rejection is sharp: Mk makes him vivid by emphasizing both the Master’s sense of suffering and His radical, peremptory denial (vv.12-13).

To those who don’t want to open their eyes except to have their senses captured, because they remain tied to an ideology of power - the Lord does not reserve impressive confirmations «from heaven» (v.11) that of it would be paradoxical validation.

The only sign is and will be his living Church, the Risen One pulsating in all those who take Him seriously.

But He doesn’t bestow any cosmic display forcing spectators to bow their heads.

[Over the centuries we have sometimes fallen into this temptation that dries us up: looking for marvellous signs and flaunting them to silence opponents]...

Stratagems for a banal attempt to shut the mouth to those who conversely ask for experiences of concrete disalienation; of being one humanity in the Master, remaining themselves.

In our soul we have a fresh power, which not let itself be impressed by flashy, glaring things.

The only Sign of salvation is the ‘image and likeness’ of humanity, new; Manifestation without expedients, of God’s power on earth.

Christ inside. Nothing external.

[Monday 6th wk. in O.T.   February 17, 2025]

The manifestations of God's power on earth: nothing external

(Mk 8:11-13)

Jesus comes up against unbelief. It comes from various blinders and parties taken, or (especially in the disciples) arises from carelessness.

The Lord turns away from those who test him and those who reject what is God-given, claiming to fix how he should act.

The Son of Man respects each person who follows him, but makes it clear that decisions and even before that, lack of acute perception prevent the encounter and redemption of life.

In this perspective, believers do not live to "prove". Christ himself does not wait for us in subliminal and miraculous manifestations, but on the shore of an earthly spirituality.

Value does not need applause (a double-edged sword) - the mask of the artificial proposal, and inauthentic life.

Humanising correspondence does not grow with the multiplication of dizzying signals.

God does not coerce the unconvinced, nor does He overpower them with trials; thus He gains a heritage of Love in growth.

His authentic Church, without clamour or persuasive stance - seemingly insignificant - is all gathered in intimate unity with its Firstborn: native, portentous and regenerative power - solid and real.

The Pharisees sought overt solutions full of impression, but they could know them far better within their own souls and lives.

Incarnation: there are no other valid signs than the occurrences and new relationships - with oneself and others - which bring forth the very and unheard-of Person of the Risen One (the one without wrappings).

The Eternal is no longer the pure transcendence of the Jews, nor the summit of wisdom of the ancient world.

The sign of the Most High is the story of Jesus (alive in us). It opens the exciting road that leads to the Father.

We trust in Christ, so no spiritual drugs that delude us of happiness.

This is the meaning of the new Creation: in the surrender to the Spirit - but all concrete (not mannered) and proceeding dragging the alternative reality.

His Person is a unique signal, which dissolves the many ersatz religion of fears, fetters, established roles.

Tares that would like to imprison him in 'ally' doer of seductive and immediately resolving miracles.

Some into a simple temple purifier or a white mill character - and so are we, if we allow ourselves to be manipulated.

The 'Pharisees' Jesus addresses are those back in his communities (cf. vv.10-11) who wanted to frame the Messiah in the pattern of normal expectations to which they had always been accustomed.

Already they were fed up with it....

In these 'veterans' there was no sign of conversion to the idea of the Son of God as a Servant, trusting in dreams without prestige.

In them? No trace of a new idea - no change of pace that would mark the demise of the blatant, dehumanising - and also sacred - society of the outside.

The popular leaders sometimes miss the significance of the only living Sign: Jesus the Food of Life.

Because of them, not the distant ones, the Lord "groans in the spirit" (v.12 Greek text) - even today, saddened by so much blindness.

Life is indeed precluded to those who cannot shift their gaze.

Immediately after Mk 8:15 he refers to the danger of the dominant ideology that made the leaders themselves lose their objective perception of events.

A 'leaven' that was coarse but rooted in the painful experience of the people - that stimulated puffery even in the disciples, contaminating them.

To the first of the class it might have seemed that Jesus was a leader like Moses, for he had just fed the starving people in the desert (vv.1-9).

But the rejection is stark: Mark makes it sharp by emphasising both the Master's sense of suffering and his radical, peremptory denial.

To save the needy people there is no other way but to start from within.

Then proceeding towards a fullness of being that permeates, approves us, and allows us to break our lives in favour of our brothers.

There is no escape. Only communion with the hidden source of one's own eminent Self and respectful and active dialogue with others saves one from a closed group mentality.

In this way, no club is allowed - claiming monopolistic exclusivity over God and souls (Mk 9:38-40) with an explicit claim to discipline the multitudes.

The community of the Risen One abhors the competitive conception of religious life itself, if it is a sacred reflection of the imperial world and of a society that cramps and embitter the existence of the little ones.

It would be a sick life in the pursuit of even apparent prestige.

Conversely, in fraternal realities the first "will be last of all and servant of all" (Mk 9:35).

Therefore, it is imperative to avoid a pyramid mentality and discard mentality creeping into the faithful. 

A spirit of competition that then inexorably ends up seeking refuge in hypocritical miraculism, a substitute for a life of Faith.

The Master does the same to educate the members of the Church who remain - some still do - affected by a sense of superiority towards the crowds and outsiders.

A feeling of chosen and privileged people (Lk 9:54-55) that was infiltrating even the primitive communities.

To those who do not want to open their eyes except to have their senses captured by phenomena all to be discerned - because despite the official creed they profess, they remain tied to an ideology of power - the Lord never reserves impressive confirmations coming "from heaven" (v.11) that would be the paradoxical validation.

The only sign is and will be his living Church: the 'victory' of the Risen One pulsating in all those who take him seriously.

Without fixed hierarchies - under the infallible guidance of the Call and the Word - the children know how to reinterpret, even in an unprecedented way.

Such is the prodigy, embodied in the thousand events (of history, of personal and community life); in the impossible recoveries, recoveries and revaluations.

The authentic Messiah bestows no cosmic display.

No festival that forces spectators to bow their heads in the presence of such shocking glory and dignity - as if he were a heavenly dictator.

And no shortcut lightning.

Over the centuries, the Churches have often fallen into this 'apologetic' temptation, all internal to devotions of arid impulse: to look for marvellous signs and flaunt them to silence opponents.

Stratagems for a trivial attempt to shut the mouths of those who ask not for experiences of parapsychology, but rather for testimonies with little withering and without trickery or contrivance: of concrete disalienation.

Not bad, this liberation activity of ours in favour of the last, and one that holds fast; not clinging to the idea of a ruffian with triumphalist or consolatory aspects.

We prefer the wave of Mystery.

We yearn to be guided by an unknown energy, which has a non-artificial goal in store - led by the eminent but intimate and hidden Friend (exclusive in us).

We will be one humanity in the Master, on the Right Path and belonging to us. Even on broken and incomplete paths, even of bewilderment.

In commentary on the Tao Tê Ching (i) Master Ho-shang Kung writes:

"The eternal Name wants to be like the infant that has not yet spoken, like the chick that has not yet hatched.

The bright pearl is inside the oyster, the beautiful gem is in the middle of the rock: however resplendent it may be on the inside, on the outside it is foolish and insipid'.

All of this is perhaps rated 'unconsciousness' and 'inconclusiveness'... but it bears what we are - expressing another way of seeing the world.

Within ourselves and within the Call of the Gospels we have a fresh power, approving the path different from the immediately normal and the glaringly obvious.

A Call that is enchantment, delight and splendour, because it activates us by questioning.

A Word that does not reason according to patterns.

A heartfelt plea, which is not impressed by exceptional things, by plays that suffocate the soul in search of meaning and authenticity.

Genuine Wonder, an indomitable impulse nested in the dimension of human fullness, and that does not give up: it wants to express itself in its transparency and become reality.

A kind of intimate Infante: it moves in a way that is judged 'abstruse', but puts things right, inside and out.

The free and life-giving testimony, attentive and always personally ingenious, will be innate and unprecedented, biting, inventive without shrewdness, unpredictable and not at all conformist.

It will unleash and unceasingly re-energise a convinced, singular, incisive experience of Faith - despite the fact that it may appear losing and unsuccessful, unhonourable and senseless.

Far more than miracles, the pleas of our essence and reality will make us recognise the call and action of God in people and in the fabric of history.

Invitations that can germinate other astonishments and prodigies of divine-human goodness, than paroxysmal visions seasoned with neurosis and empty sentimentality, or magic.

The only sign of salvation is Christ in us - without seams, or grand hysterical gestures.

The image and likeness of the new humanity; the manifestation of God's power on earth.

For authentic conversion: nothing external.

To internalise and live the message:

What is the nature of your search for evidence?

How does your Sign (making believe) differ from gimmicks, acts of force, or what others would have you spread?

15. Having reached the end of his life, Saint Paul asks his disciple Timothy to “aim at faith” (2 Tim 2:22) with the same constancy as when he was a boy (cf. 2 Tim 3:15). We hear this invitation directed to each of us, that none of us grow lazy in the faith. It is the lifelong companion that makes it possible to perceive, ever anew, the marvels that God works for us. Intent on gathering the signs of the times in the present of history, faith commits every one of us to become a living sign of the presence of the Risen Lord in the world. What the world is in particular need of today is the credible witness of people enlightened in mind and heart by the word of the Lord, and capable of opening the hearts and minds of many to the desire for God and for true life, life without end.

[Pope Benedict, motu proprio Porta Fidei]

1. There is no doubt that in the Gospels Christ's miracles are presented as signs of the kingdom of God, which has entered human and world history. "If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come among you," says Jesus (Matthew 12:28). No matter how many discussions are made and have been made on the subject of miracles (to which Christian apologists have responded), it is certain that it is not possible to detach the "miracles, wonders and signs" attributed to Jesus, and even to his apostles and disciples working "in his name", from the authentic context of the Gospel. In the preaching of the apostles, from which the Gospels principally originate, the early Christians heard eye-witness accounts of those extraordinary events, which occurred in times close by and were therefore verifiable from what we might call a critical-historical perspective, so that they were not surprised by their inclusion in the Gospels. Whatever the contestations of later times, from those genuine sources of Christ's life and teaching one thing emerges for certain: the apostles, evangelists and the entire early Church saw in each of those miracles the supreme power of Christ over nature and its laws. He who reveals God as Father, Creator and Lord of creation, when he performs those miracles by his own power, reveals himself as Son consubstantial with the Father and equal to him in his lordship over creation.

2. Some miracles, however, also present other aspects that are complementary to the fundamental meaning of proof of the divine power of the Son of Man, in order to the economy of salvation. Thus, speaking of the first "sign" performed in Cana of Galilee, the evangelist John notes that through it Jesus "manifested his glory and his disciples believed in him" (Jn 2:11). The miracle is therefore performed for a purpose of faith, but it takes place during a wedding feast. It can therefore be said that, at least in the intention of the evangelist, the "sign" serves to highlight the whole divine economy of the covenant and grace that in the books of the Old and New Testaments is often expressed with the image of marriage. The miracle of Cana of Galilee could thus be related to the parable of the wedding feast that a king made for his son, and to the eschatological "kingdom of heaven" that "is similar" to just such a banquet (cf. Mt 22:2). Jesus' first miracle could be read as a "sign" of this kingdom, especially if one considers that since "Jesus' hour" had not yet come, i.e. the hour of his passion and glorification (Jn 2:4; cf. 7:30; 8:20; 12:23.27; 13,1; 17,1), which is to be prepared by the preaching of the "Gospel of the kingdom" (cf. Mt 4,23; 9,35), the miracle obtained through Mary's intercession can be considered as a "sign" and a symbolic announcement of what is to come.

3. The miracle of the multiplication of the loaves, which took place near Capernaum, can be read even more clearly as a "sign" of the salvific economy. John relates it to the speech Jesus gave the following day, in which he insists on the necessity of procuring "the bread that does not perish" through "faith in him who sent me", and speaks of himself as the true bread that "gives life to the world" and indeed of the one who gives his flesh "for the life of the world". This is a clear foreshadowing of the salvific passion and death, not without reference and preparation for the Eucharist that was to be instituted the day before his passion, as the sacrament-bread of eternal life (Jn 6:29,33.51.52-58).

4. In turn, the storm calmed on the Lake of Genesaret can be reread as a "sign" of Christ's constant presence in the "boat" of the Church, which many times throughout history is exposed to the fury of the winds during stormy hours. Jesus, awakened by the disciples, commands the winds and the sea to be becalmed. Then he says to them, "Why are you so fearful? Have you no faith yet?" (Mk 4:40). In this, as in other episodes, one can see Jesus' desire to inculcate in the apostles and disciples faith in his operative and protective presence even in the most stormy hours of history, in which doubt about his divine assistance could infiltrate the spirit. Indeed, in Christian homiletics and spirituality, the miracle has often been interpreted as a "sign" of Jesus' presence and a guarantee of trust in him on the part of Christians and the Church.

5. Jesus, who goes towards the disciples walking on water, offers another "sign" of his presence, and ensures constant vigilance on the part of the disciples and the Church. "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid," Jesus says to the apostles, who had taken him for a ghost (cf. Mk 6:49-50). Mark points out the astonishment of the apostles "because they had not understood the fact of the loaves and their hearts were hardened" (Mk 6:52). Matthew reports the question of Peter who wants to go down to the water to meet Jesus and records his fear and plea for help when he feels himself sinking: Jesus saves him, but gently rebukes him: "Man of little faith, why did you doubt?" (Mt 14:31). He also adds that "those who were in the boat prostrated themselves before him, exclaiming: 'You are truly the Son of God'" (Mt 14:33).

6. The miraculous peaches are for the apostles and the church the "signs" of the fruitfulness of their mission if they remain deeply united to the saving power of Christ (cf. Lk 5:4-10; Jn 21:3-6). In fact, Luke includes in the narrative the fact of Simon Peter throwing himself at Jesus' knees exclaiming: "Lord, depart from me, for I am a sinner" (Lk 5:10). John in turn follows the narration of the fishing after the resurrection with Christ's command to Peter. "Shepherd my lambs, feed my sheep" (cf. Jn 21:15-17). It is a significant juxtaposition.

7. It can therefore be said that Christ's miracles, the manifestation of the divine omnipotence with regard to creation, which is revealed in his messianic power over men and things, are at the same time the "signs" through which the divine work of salvation is revealed, the salvific economy that with Christ is introduced and definitively implemented in human history and is thus inscribed in this visible world, which is also always a divine work. People who - like the apostles on the lake - seeing Christ's "miracles" ask themselves: "Who is ...? who is this, whom even the wind and the sea obey?" (Mk 4:41), through these "signs" are prepared to receive the salvation offered to man by God in his Son.

This is the essential purpose of all the miracles and signs performed by Christ in the eyes of his contemporaries, and of those miracles that throughout history will be performed by his apostles and disciples in reference to the saving power of his name: "In the name of Jesus Christ, the Nazarene, walk!" (Acts 3:6).

[Pope John Paul II, General Audience 2 December 1987].

https://disf.org/giovanni-paolo-ii-salvezza-miracoli

There are people who know how to suffer with a smile and who preserve "the joy of faith" despite trials and illness. It is these people who "carry the Church forward with their everyday holiness", to the point of becoming authentic points of reference "in our parishes, in our institutions". In Pope Francis' reflection on the "exemplary patience of the people of God", offered on Monday 17 February during the Mass in the Chapel of the Casa Santa Marta, there are therefore echoes of Sunday afternoon's meetings with the parish community of the Roman suburb of Infernetto.

"When we go to the parishes," said the bishop of Rome, "we find people who suffer, who have problems, who have a disabled child or have a disease, but they carry on with life with patience". They are people who do not ask for "a miracle" but live with "the patience of God" reading "the signs of the times". And it is precisely of this holy people of God that "the world is unworthy", said the Pope, expressly quoting chapter 11 of the Letter to the Hebrews and affirming that also "of these people of our people - people who suffer, who suffer many, many things but do not lose the smile of faith, who have the joy of faith - we can say that of them the world is not worthy: it is unworthy! The spirit of the world is unworthy of these people!".

2

 The Pontiff's reflection on the value of patience started, as usual, from today's liturgy: the passage from the Letter of James (1, 1-11) and the passage from the Gospel of Mark (8, 11- 13).

"Consider it perfect joy, my brothers, when you suffer all kinds of trials": commenting on these words taken from the first reading, the Pope noted that "it seems a bit strange what the Apostle James tells us". It almost seems - he observed - "an invitation to be a fakir". Indeed, he asked, "how can undergoing a trial give us joy?". The Pontiff went on to read the passage from St. James: 'Knowing that your faith, when put to the test, produces patience. And patience completes his work in you, so that you may be perfect and whole, lacking nothing'.

The suggestion, he explained, is "to bring life into this rhythm of patience". But 'patience,' he warned, 'is not resignation, it is something else'. Patience means in fact 'bearing on our shoulders the things of life, the things that are not good, the bad things, the things that we do not want. And it is precisely this patience that will make our life mature'. Those, on the other hand, who have no patience "want everything immediately, everything in a hurry". And "whoever does not know this wisdom of patience is a capricious person", who ends up behaving just "like capricious children", who say: "I want this, I want that, I don't like this", and are never satisfied with anything.

"Why does this generation ask for a sign?" the Lord asks in Mark's Gospel passage in response to the Pharisees' request. And so he meant, said the Pope, that 'this generation is like children who if they hear music of joy do not dance and if they hear music of mourning do not cry. None of it is good!" In fact, the Pope continued, "the person who has no patience is a person who does not grow, who remains in the whims of children, who does not know how to take life as it comes," and only knows how to say, "It's this or nothing!"

When there is no patience, "this is one of the temptations: to become capricious" like children. And another temptation of those "who have no patience is omnipotence", encapsulated in the claim: "I want things at once!". This is precisely what the Lord is referring to when the Pharisees ask him for "a sign from heaven". In reality, the Pontiff pointed out, "what did they want? They wanted a show, a miracle'. It is after all the same temptation that the devil proposes to Jesus in the desert, asking him to do something - so we all believe and this stone becomes bread - or to throw himself down from the temple to show his power.

In asking Jesus for a sign, however, the Pharisees "confuse God's way of acting with a sorcerer's way of acting". But, the Holy Father pointed out, "God does not act like a sorcerer. God has his own way of going forward: the patience of God'. And we 'every time we go to the sacrament of reconciliation we sing a hymn to God's patience. How the Lord carries us on his shoulders, with what patience!".

3

 "The Christian life," is the Pope's suggestion, "must unfold to this music of patience, because it was precisely the music of our fathers: the people of God". The music of "those who believed the word of God, who followed the commandment that the Lord had given to our father Abraham: walk before me and be blameless!" 

The people of God, he went on, quoting again from chapter 11 of the Letter to the Hebrews, 'suffered much: they were persecuted, they were killed, they had to hide in caves, in caves. And they had the joy, the gladness - as the Apostle James says - of greeting the promises from afar'. It is precisely this 'patience that we must have in trials'. It is "the patience of an adult person; the patience of God who carries us, supports us on his shoulders; and the patience of our people," the Pontiff noted, exclaiming: "How patient our people are even now!"

The Bishop of Rome then recalled that there are so many suffering people who are able to 'carry life on with patience. They do not ask for a sign', like the Pharisees, 'but they know how to read the signs of the times'. Thus "they know that when the fig tree sprouts, spring comes". Instead, the "impatient" people presented in the Gospel "wanted a sign" but "did not know how to read the signs of the times. That is why they did not recognise Jesus".

The Letter to the Hebrews, said the Pope, clearly says that "the world was unworthy of God's people". But today "we can say the same of these people of our people: people who suffer, who suffer many, many things, but do not lose the smile of faith, who have the joy of faith". Yes, even of all of them "the world is not worthy!". It is precisely 'these people, our people, in our parishes, in our institutions', who carry 'the Church forward with their everyday, every day holiness'.

In conclusion, the Pope reread the passage from St James that he also proposed at the beginning of his homily. And he asked the Lord to give "patience to all of us: the joyful patience, the patience of work, of peace", giving us "the patience of God" and "the patience of our faithful people who are so exemplary".

[Pope Francis, S. Marta homily 17 February 2014].

 Copyright © Dicastery for Communication - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

(from: L'Osservatore Romano, daily ed., year CLIV, n.039, Mon. 18/02/2014)