The Call of the fishermen

(Mt 4:12-23)

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

The Person dimension is essential.

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

 

Openness, not effort.

 

 

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

(Mt 4:12-23)

 

Conversion and Kingdom Near

 

Accepting and not transferring assessments

(Mt 4:12-17)

 

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

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

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

He excludes no one, and everyone must feel adequate.

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Even with silent and not frenzied Faith.

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

No foreground, not even religiously 'correct'.

Openness, not effort.

 

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

 

 

To internalise and live the message:

 

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

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

 

 

Meaning of "Gospels" and Integral Healing

 

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

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

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

[Pope Benedict, Angelus, 27 January 2008]

 

 

An arduous journey, but not without joy

 

The call of the fishermen

(Mt 4:18-23)

 

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

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

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

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

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

But not in a separatist or doctrinal sense.

In short:

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

All these are chains that must be broken.

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

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

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

Frivolous sparkles that instil external idols.

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

 

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Precisely by activating dormant energies.

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

But it can (vv.11-12).

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Moving forward without the background: every trajectory is personal.

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

Openness, not effort.

 

 

To internalise and live the message:

 

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

Do you cultivate vital openness?

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

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

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

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

In today's liturgy the Evangelist Matthew, who will accompany us throughout this liturgical year, presents the beginning of Christ's public mission. It consisted essentially in preaching the Kingdom of God and healing the sick, showing that this Kingdom is close at hand and is already in our midst. Jesus began his preaching in Galilee, the region where he grew up, the "outskirts" in comparison with the heart of the Jewish Nation which was Judea, and in it, Jerusalem. But the Prophet Isaiah had foretold that this land, assigned to the tribes of Zebulun and Napthali, would have a glorious future: the people immersed in darkness would see a great light (cf. Is 8: 23-9: 2). In Jesus' time, the term "gospel" was used by Roman emperors for their proclamations. Independently of their content, they were described as "good news" or announcements of salvation, because the emperor was considered lord of the world and his every edict as a portent of good. Thus, the application of this phrase to Jesus' preaching had a strongly critical meaning, as if to say God, and not the emperor, is Lord of the world, and the true Gospel is that of Jesus Christ. 

The "Good News" which Jesus proclaims is summed up in this sentence: "The Kingdom of God - or Kingdom of Heaven - is at hand" (cf. Mt 4: 17; Mk 1: 15). What do these words mean? They do not of course refer to an earthly region marked out in space and time, but rather to an announcement that it is God who reigns, that God is Lord and that his lordship is present and actual, it is being realized. The newness of Christ's message, therefore, is that God made himself close in him and now reigns in our midst, as the miracles and healings that he works demonstrate. God reigns in the world through his Son made man and with the power of the Holy Spirit who is called "the finger of God" (Lk 11: 20). Wherever Jesus goes the Creator Spirit brings life, and men and women are healed of diseases of body and spirit. God's lordship is thus manifest in the human being's integral healing. By this, Jesus wanted to reveal the Face of the true God, the God who is close, full of mercy for every human being; the God who makes us a gift of life in abundance, his own life. The Kingdom of God is therefore life that asserts itself over death, the light of truth that dispels the darkness of ignorance and lies. 

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

[Pope Benedict, Angelus, 27 January 2008]

Dear brothers and sisters.

1. […] Dear friends, being here in Pomposa Abbey, where since the ninth century many people have lived together to follow Christ exclusively, gives me the opportunity to remind you that every Christian, and each one of you, is called to follow in the footsteps of the Son of God.

The ascetic and material work of the monks was, in fact, always at the service of the religious and human growth of the people of this area. And the artistic beauty of the Abbey expresses the truth, freedom and dignity of the person who works in a Christian manner.

Here we can clearly see that "work must not be a mere necessity, but must be considered an authentic vocation, a call from God to build a new world, in which justice and brotherhood coexist, a foretaste of the kingdom of God, in which there will be neither shortages nor limitations" (Address to workers, 30 January 1979).

2. Some of you may wonder how it is possible to realise the sublime gift that is the vocation to be children of the Almighty Lord. There are many difficulties that man encounters in recognising God's plan in his own life. In addition to self-love, which causes him to withdraw into himself, the conditions of social life, often conceived and structured without reference to God, who - unfortunately - is considered by many to be alien to authentically human interests, often act as an obstacle.

Yet Christ, who called the holy abbot Guido, St Pier Damiani, Guido d'Arezzo and many other monks whose names are unknown to us, also addresses his invitation to you, so that in your daily life and work you may accept his invitation to follow him.

One might then ask: "What form should the vocation of the lay faithful, who live and work in the world, take?" Configured to Christ through Baptism, every believer is a witness to divine mercy, which, as it has regenerated us, recreates everything through us, associating us with the plan to "recapitulate all things in Jesus" (Eph 1:10).

In this 'new creation', Christians are called to work with 'the Word of life' (1 Jn 1:1). In their lay state, they persevere in their work, on land or at sea, aware that what they are doing is not merely cooperation, but union with Christ in his redemptive work (cf. Gaudium et spes, 67).

3. Faith is a gift, and believers, recognising God as Father, attain the fullness of their humanity: they then know how to live and die, how to hope, how to love, spreading serenity and peace around them. In this way, they contribute to the building of the new earth and the new heavens (1 Pt 3:13).

I urge you, dear brothers and sisters, not to resist Christ, not to reject the Word who became flesh. Rather, welcome him without reserve, because around him all human existence and the whole world are called to gather in unity and be renewed.

The Abbey in which we find ourselves shows, in its history, how this is possible. The monk, in fact, knowing full well that religious dependence on God does not lead to death but fulfils life in its fullness, consecrates himself exclusively to him. In the rhythm marked by 'Ora et labora', he praises the Lord and points the world towards the One to whom each of us must constantly turn our gaze and our mind. He follows Christ in poverty, obedience and virginal consecration; he offers himself to him totally and definitively. The lay faithful also live by Christ if they converse with him in prayer, encounter him in the sacraments and show him their love by observing the commandments.

Personal and liturgical prayer and moral commitment are intimately connected with friendship with the Redeemer and with the apostolic and missionary task that follows from it.

Dear brothers, always feel yourselves in deep communion with those who in monasteries unceasingly praise the Lord and, supported also by their prayer, bear fruits of holiness with an irreproachable conduct of life in every moment of your existence.

4. This spiritual solidarity shows that work and time devoted exclusively to God are not opposed to each other, but complement each other, as we can clearly see in the 'Ora et labora' of the monks of St Benedict. Devotion to God (the 'ora') is the foundation of authentic dedication (the 'labora') to people and to the earth, which is their home.

Whatever field you work in, you are always called to be witnesses and evangelisers, that is, to make Christ visible, who 'was portrayed before you' (cf. Gal 3:1). Work springs from prayer, just as charity flows from faith. Adhering to Christ and entrusting oneself to his hands generates total openness to the divine will.

Moreover, work, though tiring, when done in close union with Christ, makes us love life, no longer seen as a source of anxiety, but as a training ground for virtue that forms us in serenity and peace.

5. Brothers and sisters, I invite you, finally, to offer your generous contribution to the new evangelisation, which contemporary society so badly needs, and to work actively for the spread of the Gospel in your workplaces. Bring to everyone that hope and solidarity which every person constantly longs for and which can only be found in Christ. Always nourish yourselves with God and with a concrete love that speaks of him to those you meet. I entrust each of you to the Virgin Mary, that you may know how to listen, welcome and cherish the Word made flesh.

May the awareness of the maternal presence of the Mother of God be for you and your families a daily comfort and stimulus to do good.

Once again, I thank you for this invitation, for this very evocative meeting. The Benedictine monks who left us this sanctuary are always present here with their inspiration. But here, at the same time, over the centuries, there has lived and continues to live a population that, from generation to generation, has distinguished itself above all for its agricultural work and fishing. All this constitutes a special synthesis, I would say evangelical. We know well how in the Gospel there are those who work the land as well as fishermen, people loved by Jesus, transformed into apostles.

Today, the Pope, the successor of Peter, who was one of these fishermen, comes to say to you fishermen and to you workers of the land: you are called to be apostles, not by changing your profession and the conditions of your life, but by following Christ, according to the simple and prophetic words of the Benedictine Abbey, of St. Benedict: 'Ora et labora'. This is your method in the apostolate, the simplest and most effective. I hope that this "Ora et labora" will become your daily programme and, despite all the difficulties of agricultural and maritime life, will also make you serene, happy and bearers of good to others.

[Pope John Paul II, speech at Pomposa, 22 September 1990]

Today’s Gospel (cf. Mt 4:12-23) presents us with the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. This occurred in Galilee, a land on the periphery of Jerusalem that was looked upon with suspicion because the population was mixed with Gentiles. Nothing good and new was expected from that region. However, it was precisely there that Jesus, who had grown up in Nazareth in Galilee, began his preaching.

He proclaimed the central core of his  teaching in his condensed appeal: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (v. 17). This announcement is like a powerful ray of light that pierces the darkness and splits the fog and evokes the prophecy of Isaiah that is read on Christmas Eve: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them light has shined” (Is 9:2). With the coming of Jesus, Light of the world, God the Father showed  his closeness and friendship to humanity. These [gifts] are freely given to us  regardless of our merits. Closeness to God and friendship with God, are not deserved but gifts  freely given by God. We must safeguard these gifts.

The appeal to conversion that Jesus addresses to all men and women of good will is fully understood, precisely in view of the event of the manifestation of the Son of God, on which we meditated on recent Sundays. It is often impossible to change life, to abandon the path of egotism, of evil, to abandon the way of sin because we centre our commitment to conversion only on ourselves and on our strengths, and not on Christ and his Spirit. However, our adherence to the Lord cannot be reduced to a personal effort, no. To think this would also be a sin of pride. Our adherence to the Lord cannot be reduced to a personal effort. Instead, it must express itself in a trusting opening of the heart and of the mind in order to welcome the Good News of Jesus. This is — the Word of Jesus, the Good News of Jesus, the Gospel — that changes the world and hearts! We are thus called to trust Christ’s Word, to open ourselves to the Father’s mercy and to allow ourselves to be transformed by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

This is where a true journey of conversion begins. Just as occurred to the first disciples: the encounter with the divine Teacher, with his gaze, with his Word spurred them to follow him, to change their lives by placing themselves concretely at the service of the Kingdom of God.

The surprising and decisive encounter with Jesus began the disciples’ journey, transforming them into proclaimers and witnesses of God’s love for his people. May each of us follow in the footsteps of the Saviour to offer hope to those who thirst for it, imitating these first heralds and messengers of the Word of God.

May the Virgin Mary whom we address in this prayer of the Angelus, support these intentions and strengthen them with her maternal intercession.

[Pope Francis, Angelus, 26 January 2020]

1. Spiritual life needs enlightenment and guidance. This is why Jesus, in founding the Church and sending the Apostles into the world, entrusted them with the task of teaching all the nations, as we read in the Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 28:19-20), but also to "preach the Gospel to the whole creation", as the canonical text of Mark's Gospel says (Mk 16:15). St Paul also speaks of the apostolate as "enlightening everyone" (Eph 3:9).

But this work of the evangelising and teaching Church belongs to the ministry of the Apostles and their successors and, in a different capacity, to all the members of the Church, to continue forever the work of Christ the "one Master" (Mt 23:8), who brought to humanity the fullness of God's revelation. There remains the need for an interior Master, who makes the teaching of Jesus penetrate the spirit and heart of mankind. It is the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus himself calls the "Spirit of truth", and whom he promises as the One who will guide into all truth (cf. Jn 14:17; 16:13). If Jesus said of Himself: "I am the truth" (Jn 14:6), it is this truth of Christ that the Holy Spirit makes known and spreads: "He will not speak of Himself, but will tell all that He has heard . . . he will take of mine and proclaim it to you" (Jn 16:13-14). The Spirit is Light of the soul: "Lumen cordium", as we invoke it in the Pentecost Sequence.

2. The Holy Spirit was Light and inner Master for the Apostles who had to know Christ in depth in order to fulfil their task as his evangelisers. He was and is so for the Church, and, in the Church, for believers of all generations, and especially for theologians and teachers of the Spirit, for catechists and leaders of Christian communities. It has been and is also for all those who, within and outside the visible confines of the Church, wish to follow God's ways with a sincere heart, and through no fault of their own find no one to help them decipher the riddles of the soul and discover the revealed truth. May the Lord grant all our brothers and sisters - millions and indeed billions of men - the grace of recollection and docility to the Holy Spirit in moments that can be decisive in their lives.

For us Christians, the intimate teaching of the Holy Spirit is a joyful certainty, based on Christ's word about the coming of the 'other Paraclete', whom - he said - 'the Father will send in my name. He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have spoken to you" (John 14:26). "He will guide you into all truth" (Jn 16:13).

3. As is clear from this text, Jesus does not entrust his word only to the memory of his hearers: this memory will be aided by the Holy Spirit, who will continually revive in the apostles the memory of events and the sense of the mysteries of the Gospel.

In fact, the Holy Spirit guided the Apostles in the transmission of the word and life of Jesus, inspiring both their oral preaching and writings, as well as the writing of the Gospels, as we have seen in the catechesis on the Holy Spirit and Revelation.

But it is still He who gives the readers of Scripture the help to understand the divine meaning included in the text of which He Himself is the inspirer and main author: He alone can make known "the depths of God" (1 Cor 2:10), as they are contained in the sacred text; He who was sent to instruct the disciples on the teachings of their Master (cf. Jn 16:13).

4. Of this intimate teaching of the Holy Spirit the Apostles themselves, the first transmitters of the word of Christ, speak to us. St. John writes: "Now you have the anointing received from the Holy One (Christ) and you are all taught. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it and because no lie comes from the truth" (1 John 2: 20-21). According to the Church Fathers and the majority of modern exegetes, this "anointing" (chrisma) designates the Holy Spirit. Indeed, St John states that those who live according to the Spirit have no need of other teachers: "As for you," he writes, "the anointing you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you; but just as His anointing teaches you all things, and is true and does not lie, so stand firm in Him, as He teaches you" (1 John 2: 27).

The Apostle Paul also speaks of an understanding according to the Spirit, which is not the result of human wisdom, but of divine illumination: "The natural man (psychicòs) does not understand the things of the Spirit of God; they are foolishness to him, and he is not able to understand them, because he can judge of them only by the Spirit. The spiritual man (pneumaticòs), on the other hand, judges everything, without being able to be judged by anyone" (1 Cor 2:14-15). 

Therefore Christians, having received the Holy Spirit, Christ's anointing, possess within themselves a source of knowledge of the truth, and the Holy Spirit is the sovereign Master who enlightens and guides them.

5. If they are docile and faithful to his divine teaching, the Holy Spirit preserves them from error, making them victorious in the constant conflict between the "spirit of truth" and the "spirit of error" (cf. 1 Jn 4:6). The spirit of error, which does not recognise Christ (cf. 1 Jn 4:3), is spread by the "false prophets", ever present in the world, even in the midst of the Christian people, with an action that is now uncovered and even clamorous, now insidious and creeping. Like Satan, they too sometimes disguise themselves as "angels of light" (cf. 2 Cor 11:14) and present themselves with apparent charisms of prophetic and apocalyptic inspiration. This was already the case in apostolic times. That is why St John warns: "Do not put faith in every inspiration, but test the inspirations, to see if they really come from God, for many false prophets have appeared in the world" (1 John 4:1). The Holy Spirit, as the Second Vatican Council recalled (cf. Lumen gentium, 12), protects the Christian from error by making him discern what is genuine from what is spurious. On the part of the Christian, it will always take good criteria of discernment regarding the things he hears or reads in matters of religion, Holy Scripture, manifestations of the supernatural, etc. Such criteria are conformity to the Gospel, because the Holy Spirit cannot but "take from Christ"; harmony with the teaching of the Church, founded and sent by Christ to preach its truth; the uprightness of the life of the speaker or writer; the fruits of holiness resulting from what is presented or proposed.

6. The Holy Spirit teaches the Christian the truth as the principle of life. It shows the concrete application of Jesus' words in one's life. It makes one discover the relevance of the Gospel and its value for all human situations. It adapts the understanding of the truth to every circumstance, so that this truth does not remain merely abstract and speculative, and frees the Christian from the dangers of duplicity and hypocrisy.

This is why the Holy Spirit enlightens each one personally, to guide him in his behaviour, showing him the way to follow, opening up at least some glimmer of the Father's plan for his life. This is the great grace of light that St Paul asked for the Colossians: "spiritual intelligence", capable of making them understand the divine will. Indeed, he assured them: "We do not cease to pray for you and to ask that you have a full knowledge of his (God's) will with all wisdom and spiritual intelligence, that you may conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work . . ." (Col 1:9-10). This grace of light is necessary for all of us, to know God's will for us well and to be able to live our personal vocation fully.

There is never a shortage of problems, which sometimes seem insoluble. But the Holy Spirit comes to the aid of difficulties and enlightens. He can reveal the divine solution, as at the Annunciation for the problem of reconciling motherhood with the desire to preserve virginity. Even when it is not a unique mystery such as that of Mary's intervention in the Incarnation of the Word, it can be said that the Holy Spirit possesses an infinite inventiveness, proper to the divine mind, which knows how to unravel the knots of even the most complex and impenetrable human affairs.

7. All this is granted and worked in the soul by the Holy Spirit through his gifts, thanks to which it is possible to practise good discernment not according to the criteria of human wisdom, which is foolishness before God, but of divine wisdom, which may seem foolishness in the eyes of men (cf. 1 Cor 1:18, 25). In reality, only the Spirit "searches all things, even the depths of God" (1 Cor 2:10-11). And if there is opposition between the spirit of the world and the Spirit of God, Paul reminds Christians: "We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit of God to know all things that God has given us" (1 Cor 2:12). Unlike the "natural man", the "spiritual man" (pneumaticòs) is sincerely open to the Holy Spirit, docile and faithful to his inspirations (cf. 1 Cor 2:14-16). Therefore he habitually has the capacity for right judgement under the guidance of divine wisdom.

8. A sign of real contact with the Holy Spirit in discernment is and always will be adherence to revealed truth as proposed by the Magisterium of the Church. The interior Master does not inspire dissension, disobedience, or even unjustified resistance to the pastors and teachers established by Him in the Church (cf. Acts 20:29). It is the authority of the Church, as the Council says in the constitution Lumen gentium, "not to quench the Spirit, but to examine everything and hold fast to what is good (cf. 1 Thess 5:12, 19-21)" (Lumen gentium, 12). This is the line of ecclesial and pastoral wisdom that also comes from the Holy Spirit.

[Pope John Paul II, General Audience 24 April 1991]

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (year A)  [18 January 2026]

 

May God bless us and may the Virgin protect us. Today begins the week of prayer for Christian unity (18-25 January) and Ordinary Time resumes.

 

First Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (49:3-6)

This passage belongs to a group of four texts from the prophet Isaiah, called the "Songs of the Servant". They date back to the dramatic period of the Babylonian Exile (6th century BC) and are addressed to a discouraged people who wonder if God has forgotten them. The prophet, however, announces a decisive word: Israel is still God's servant. The Covenant is not broken; God has not only not abandoned his people, but entrusts them with an even greater mission. In this song, the Servant is not a particular individual, but the people of Israel as a whole, as the text clearly states: 'You are my servant, Israel'. Its vocation is equally clear: to manifest the glory of God. This glory is not abstract, but concrete: it is God's work of salvation, identified here with the return from exile. The liberation of the people will be the visible proof that God is the saviour. Thus, those who have been saved become witnesses of salvation before the world. In the ancient mindset, the defeat and deportation of a people could seem like the failure of their God; liberation, on the other hand, will manifest to the pagan peoples the superiority of the God of Israel. Being a "servant" therefore means, on the one hand, the certainty of God's support and, on the other, a mission: to continue to believe in salvation and to bear witness to it, so that other peoples may also recognise God as saviour. This explains the final announcement: 'I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth'. God's plan concerns not only Israel but all humanity. Here, the messianic expectation evolves profoundly: the Messiah is no longer an individual king but a collective subject, the people of Israel, who do not exercise political power but carry out a mission of service. One difficulty remains: if the Servant is Israel, how can he "gather Israel"? Isaiah is actually addressing the "Remnant," the small group of faithful who did not lose their faith during the exile. This Remnant has the task of bringing the people back to God, that is, of converting them. But this is only the first stage: the rise of Israel becomes the initial sign of the plan of universal salvation. Finally, the prophet insists on the divine origin of this message: it is not the fruit of human invention, but the word of the Lord. In the midst of discouragement, a confession of humble and profound trust resounds: the Servant's strength is not in himself, but in God.

decisive role of the faithful Remnant. +The foundation of everything: strength comes from God alone, not from man.

 

*Responsorial Psalm (39/40) 

The statement in Psalm 39/40 – "sacrifice  and offering  you do not desire" is surprising, because the psalms were sung in the temple itself, while sacrifices were being offered. In reality, the meaning is clear: what matters to God is not the ritual itself, but the attitude of the heart that it expresses. This is why the psalmist can say: "You have opened my ears"... then I said: "Here I am, I am coming". The whole Bible recounts a long educational journey in understanding sacrifice, which goes hand in hand with the revelation of the true face of God. To sacrifice means "to make sacred", to enter into communion with God; but the way of doing so changes as we understand who God really is. Israel did not invent sacrifice: it was a common practice among the peoples of the Near East. However, from the beginning, biblical faith introduces a decisive difference: human sacrifices are absolutely forbidden. God is the God of life, and cannot ask for death in order to draw closer to Him. Even the story of Abraham and Isaac shows that 'sacrificing' does not mean killing, but offering. Over the centuries, a true conversion of sacrifice took place, concerning first and foremost its meaning. If God is thought of as a being to be appeased or bought, sacrifice becomes a magical gesture. If, on the other hand, God is recognised as the one who loves first and gives freely, then sacrifice becomes a response of love and gratitude, a sign of the Covenant and not a commodity to be exchanged. Biblical pedagogy thus leads from the logic of 'giving in order to receive' to the logic of grace: everything is a gift, and man is called to respond with the 'sacrifice of the lips', that is, with thanksgiving. The substance of sacrifice also changes: the prophets teach that the true sacrifice pleasing to God is to give life, not to give death. As Hosea says (6:6): 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice'. The ultimate ideal is the service of our brothers and sisters, expressed in the Songs of the Servant of Isaiah: a life given so that others may live. Psalm 39/40 summarises this journey: God opens man's ear to enter into a dialogue of love; in the New Covenant, sacrifice becomes totally spiritual: 'Behold, I come'.

 

*Second Reading from the First Letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians (1:1-3)

This text celebrates the dignity of those of us who are baptised. It is chosen for this Sunday, which marks the return to ordinary time in the liturgy: ordinary does not mean trivial, but simply in the order of the year. Every Sunday we celebrate extraordinary events: here St Paul reminds us of the greatness of our title as Christians. According to Paul, we are those who invoke the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, recognising him as God. To say 'Lord' means that Jesus is the centre of our life, of history and of the world. This is why Paul calls us 'holy people': being holy does not mean being perfect, but belonging to God. Baptism consecrates us to Him, and the community deserves to be honoured in the Eucharistic celebration. If Jesus is not truly our Lord, we must question our faith. Paul emphasises the name of Christ several times in his letter, showing that our relationship with Him is the foundation of Christian life. All Christians are 'called': Paul himself did not choose to be an apostle, but was called by God on the road to Damascus. The word Church (ecclesia) means 'called', and every local community is called to reflect God's universal love. The mission is universal, but accessible: God does not ask us for extraordinary gestures, only willingness to do His will, as today's Psalm reminds us: 'Behold, I am coming'. The Eucharistic liturgy echoes Paul's words: in the gesture of peace and in the greeting 'The Lord be with you', we are immersed in the grace and peace of Christ. This text is particularly suitable for the week of prayer for Christian unity: it reminds us of what unites Christians throughout the world, called to be seeds of a new humanity, which one day will be reunited in grace and peace around Jesus Christ. The historical context of this letter: Corinth was a city of great wealth and poverty, a crossroads between the Adriatic and the Aegean, with a mixed population and marked social contrasts. The Christian community founded by Paul reflected these differences. The letter to the Corinthians that we read today is probably the first to have come down to us, written around 55-56 AD, in response to specific questions from the community.

 

From the Gospel according to John (1:29-34)

John the Baptist solemnly proclaims: "I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God." At that time, the title "Son of God" was synonymous with Messiah: to recognise this in Jesus meant to announce the Messiah awaited by Israel. Every king of Jerusalem received the anointing and the title of Son of God as a sign that the Spirit was guiding him; but unlike previous kings, Jesus is the one on whom the Spirit 'sleeps' permanently, indicating that his entire mission will be led by the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist also describes Jesus as 'the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world'. The figure of the lamb evokes three images: the Paschal Lamb, a sign of liberation; Isaiah's Suffering Servant, innocent and bearing the sins of others; the lamb offered by God, as in Abraham's trial with Isaac. Jesus is therefore the Messiah, the liberator of humanity, but he does not immediately eliminate sin: he offers us the possibility of freeing ourselves from it by living guided by the Spirit, with love, generosity and forgiveness. Salvation is not for one man alone, but for all believers, the 'Body of Christ'. The new humanity begins in Jesus, through his obedience and his full communion with God, offering a model of new life.

*Origen, in his commentary on the Gospel of John, writes: 'Thus John calls Jesus the Lamb of God: "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." With these words, John declares that Christ, the one who was before him, is the one who takes away the sins of the world.

+Giovanni D'Ercole

Baptism of the Lord (year A) [11 January 2026]

May God bless us and may the Virgin protect us! Today marks the end of the Christmas season, as we give thanks to Providence for having been able to celebrate this Mystery of Light and Peace in an atmosphere of serenity.

 

*First Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (42:1-4, 6-7)

The Servant of the Lord and his universal mission. This text from Isaiah is rich and complex, but it can be divided into two main parts. In both parts, it is God who speaks, but in two different ways: in the first part, he speaks of his Servant, and in the second, he addresses him directly. First part: God describes the Servant as the bearer of justice and universal law: 'He will bring justice to the nations... he will not fail or be discouraged until he has established justice on earth; he will not falter until he has established it on earth'. 'I have called you for justice': here judgement does not mean condemnation, but salvation and liberation. The Servant will act with gentleness and respect for the fragile, he will not crush the weak or extinguish those at risk. His mission concerns all humanity, because God desires that even the distant islands aspire to his justice, to his salvation. In all this, the Servant is sustained by the Spirit of God: 'Behold my Servant, whom I uphold... I have placed my Spirit upon him'. Part Two: God clarifies the Servant's mission: "to open the eyes of the blind and bring prisoners out of the dungeon... those who dwell in darkness." Here, judgement becomes total liberation, a passage from darkness to light. The mission is universal: the Servant is the light of the nations, and God continues to sustain him: "I, the Lord, have called you... and taken you by the hand." Who is this Servant? Isaiah does not specify, because it was clear to his contemporaries: the Servant is the people of Israel, called to be the privileged instrument of salvation. Messianism in Isaiah is not individual but collective: the small faithful nucleus becomes light and guidance for the whole world. Jesus, at his baptism in the Jordan, takes the lead of this servant-people and fulfils the mission announced by the prophets. The key message is this: God's judgement is not condemnation but liberation and universal salvation. God supports the Servant and entrusts him with the task of bringing light and justice to all nations. God's faithfulness and creative power are the guarantee of our hope, even in the most difficult moments.

*Important elements: +Text divided into two parts: God speaks about the Servant and directly to the Servant. +Judgement of the Servant = salvation and liberation, not condemnation and universal mission: light for the nations, opening the eyes of the blind, liberation of prisoners. +Gentleness and care for the fragile: 'he will not extinguish a dimly burning wick'. +Support of the Spirit of God on the Servant understood as the people of Israel, collective messianism. +Jesus at his baptism takes on the leadership of the servant-people. +Hope based on God's faithfulness and creative power.

 

 *Responsorial Psalm (28/29)

 To understand this psalm, one must imagine the force of a violent storm, shaking the country from Lebanon and Hermon to the desert of Qadesh. The psalm describes the voice of the Lord as powerful, thunderous, lightning-like, capable of breaking cedars and frightening the desert. This voice recalls the revelation at Sinai, when God made his voice heard to Moses amid fire and lightning, and every word of the Law appeared as flashes of fire. The name of God (YHWH, the Lord) is repeated several times, emphasising God's living presence and his saving action. The repetition of 'voice of the Lord' recalls the creative Word, as in the first chapter of the book of Genesis: the Word of God is effective, while idols are powerless. The psalm insists on God's sovereignty: God is the only legitimate king, worthy of glory and worship, and soon everyone – people and false powers – will recognise his dominion. God's powerful voice also evokes victory over the waters and chaos, as in the time of the flood or the liberation from Egypt, demonstrating his saving and liberating power. The central theme is the glory of God, repeated several times, and the anticipation of a time when all humanity will recognise his kingship. The psalm is linked to the feast of the Baptism of Christ, when the Kingdom of Heaven draws near through Jesus: God is finally recognised as king and his salvation is announced to all.

*Important elements: +Powerful image of the storm: voice of the Lord, lightning, broken cedars and Reference to Sinai: Word of God as fire, Law and covenant. +Repetition of God's name: YHWH, sign of presence and power. +Creative Word: as in Genesis, the Word is effective, idols are powerless. +Universal sovereignty of God: the only legitimate king, worthy of glory. +Victory over the waters and chaos: flood, exodus from Egypt. +Glory of God: central theme, anticipation of his universal recognition. +Connection to the baptism of Christ: manifestation of the Kingdom of Heaven and universal salvation

 

*Second Reading from the Acts of the Apostles (10:34-38)

In this account from Acts 10, we witness a truly revolutionary moment: Peter, guided by the Holy Spirit, breaks all the social and religious rules of his time and crosses the threshold of the house of a pagan, the Roman centurion Cornelius. Cornelius is a pious man who fears God, esteemed by the Jews for his almsgiving and justice, but he is not circumcised. He receives a vision: an angel invites him to send for Peter in Joppa, where he is staying with Simon the tanner. At the same time, Peter receives a vision from heaven: a large sheet filled with animals orders him to eat, but he refuses because, according to the Law, they are unclean. A voice answers him: What God has declared clean, you must not declare unclean. This prepares him to understand that no man is unclean in God's eyes and that faith is no longer limited by nationality or ritual laws. When Cornelius's messengers arrive, the Holy Spirit confirms to Peter: Follow them without hesitation, for it is I who send them. Peter goes down, welcomes them, and sets out for Caesarea with some Christians, aware of the importance of the meeting. The arrival at Cornelius' house is significant: Peter explains to everyone that God is impartial and welcomes anyone who fears him and does good, regardless of nationality. The Holy Spirit falls on all those present, even on the pagans, showing that the gift of the Spirit is no longer reserved for Jews alone. Peter concludes that these pagans must also be baptised, because they have received the Holy Spirit just like the Jewish believers. This episode fulfils what Jesus had promised: the apostles would be witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). The election of Israel is not denied, but salvation in Christ is now open to all nations.

*Important elements: +Missionary revolution: Peter crosses the threshold of a pagan's house by the will of the Holy Spirit. Cornelius, a devout pagan who fears God, is an example of spiritual openness. +Peter's vision: nothing is unclean to God, universal openness of faith, and the Holy Spirit guides Peter, confirming the call of the pagans. +Reception and baptism: even pagans receive the Spirit and the sacrament of water. +Universality of the Gospel: fulfilment of the mission to the ends of the earth. +Balance: election of Israel confirmed, but salvation accessible to all.

 

*From the Gospel according to Matthew (3:13-17)

The baptism of Jesus marks his first public appearance: until then, for many, he was just Jesus of Nazareth. Matthew presents him simply as Jesus, who comes from Galilee and goes to John to be baptised in the Jordan. This gesture becomes the first revelation of his true role as Messiah in the eyes of all. The main images in this text are: The march to the Jordan: Jesus travels through Galilee to the banks of the river, as do the other Jews who go to John for the baptism of conversion. The gesture of John the Baptist: initially surprised and hesitant, John recognises in Jesus the one who is greater than himself and who will baptise in the Holy Spirit and fire. The heavens opening and the dove: the open heavens symbolise the fulfilment of Israel's expectations; the dove represents the Holy Spirit descending on Jesus, recalling the divine presence over Creation and the promised Messiah. The main words are: John expresses his amazement: ' I need to be baptised by you!' recognising the greatness of Jesus. Jesus replies: Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness, that is, to conform fully to God's plan. This shows Jesus' humility and his complete solidarity with humanity. The voice of the Father from heaven: 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased' . With this phrase, Jesus is recognised as Messiah-King and Messiah-Servant, fulfilling the prophecies of Isaiah and the Davidic promise: God declares his love and his saving mission upon him. And these are the theological and spiritual meanings: Jesus fully enters into the human condition, even though he is without sin, taking the place of sinners. Baptism represents a new creation: the waters of the Jordan symbolise purification and the journey towards the spiritual Promised Land, guided by the Spirit. The scene reveals the Trinity: the Father speaks, the Son is baptised, the Spirit descends like a dove. Baptism is the beginning of the building of the Body of Christ: all those who participate in baptism are integrated into this saving mission.

 

St. Gregory of Nazianzus writes: "Christ is baptised not to be purified, but to purify the waters" (Oratio 39, In Sancta Lumina).

*Important elements: +First public manifestation of Jesus: revelation of the Messiah. +Solidarity with humanity: Jesus places himself among sinners to fulfil God's justice. +Role of John the Baptist: recognises the Messiah and his baptism in the Spirit and fire. +Presence of the Holy Spirit: symbol of the dove, confirms the mission and the new creation and Voice of the Father: confirms the divine sonship and love for Jesus. +Messiah-King and Messiah-Servant: fulfilment of Isaiah's prophecies and the Davidic promise. +New creation and journey towards the spiritual Promised Land: baptism as entry into the Body of Christ. +Revelation of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit present in Baptism. +Universality of the message: Baptism opens the way to salvation for all humanity.

+ Giovanni D'Ercole