6. The dialogue of Jesus with the rich young man, related in the nineteenth chapter of Saint Matthew's Gospel, can serve as a useful guide for listening once more in a lively and direct way to his moral teaching: "Then someone came to him and said, 'Teacher, what good must I do to have eternal life?' And he said to him, 'Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments. 'He said to him, 'Which ones?' And Jesus said, 'You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honour your father and mother; also, You shall love your neighbour as yourself.' The young man said to him, 'I have kept all these; what do I still lack?' Jesus said to him, 'If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me' " (Mt 19:16-21).

7. "Then someone came to him...". In the young man, whom Matthew's Gospel does not name, we can recognize every person who, consciously or not, approaches Christ the Redeemer of man and questions him about morality. For the young man, the question is not so much about rules to be followed, but about the full meaning of life. This is in fact the aspiration at the heart of every human decision and action, the quiet searching and interior prompting which sets freedom in motion. This question is ultimately an appeal to the absolute Good which attracts us and beckons us; it is the echo of a call from God who is the origin and goal of man's life. Precisely in this perspective the Second Vatican Council called for a renewal of moral theology, so that its teaching would display the lofty vocation which the faithful have received in Christ, the only response fully capable of satisfying the desire of the human heart.

In order to make this "encounter" with Christ possible, God willed his Church. Indeed, the Church "wishes to serve this single end: that each person may be able to find Christ, in order that Christ may walk with each person the path of life".

[Pope John Paul II, Veritatis Splendor nn.6-7 cf. ff.]

The Lord Jesus gives us the fulfilment; he came for this. That man had to come to the brink, where he had to take a decisive leap, where the possibility was presented to stop living for himself, for his own deeds, for his own goods and — precisely because he lacked a full life — to leave everything to follow the Lord. Clearly, in Jesus’ final — immense, wonderful — invitation, there is no proposal of poverty, but of wealth, of the true richness: “You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” (Mk 10:21).

Being able to choose between an original and a copy, who would choose the copy? Here is the challenge: finding life’s original, not the copy. Jesus does not offer surrogates, but true life, true love, true richness! How will young people be able to follow us in faith if they do not see us choose the original, if they see us adjusting to half measures? It is awful to find half-measure Christians, — allow me the word — ‘dwarf’ Christians; they grow to a certain height and no more; Christians with a miniaturized, closed heart. It is awful to find this. We need the example of someone who invites me to a ‘beyond’, a ‘plus’, to grow a little. Saint Ignatius called it the ‘magis’, “the fire, the fervour of action that rouses us from slumber”.

The path of what is lacking passes through what there is. Jesus did not come to abolish the Law nor the Prophets, but to fulfil. We must start from reality in order to take the leap into ‘what we lack’. We must scrutinize the ordinary in order to open ourselves to the extraordinary.

[Pope Francis, General Audience 13 June 2018]

Flame and Peace, Diving and Division. Not tactical quietism

(Lk 12:49-57)

Difference “religiosity vs Faith” becomes evident in the comparison between mentality that identifies biblical Fire with punishment, and that of a sacred Flame poured out with passion of love (v.49) that evokes the Gift in our favor.

St Francis proclaimed: «Laudato sie, mi Signore, per frate focu,/ per lo quale ennalumini la notte:/ et ello è bello e iocundo/ et robustoso et forte».

[«Praise be to you, my Lord, for brother fire, / through whom you light the night: / and he is beautiful and playful / and strong and powerful»].

For the little poor man of Assisi, fire was a «noble and useful element among the creatures of the Most High» [Legenda antiqua].

He had with «friar fire» a disconcerting relationship of courtesy. Certainly it didn’t drive out the night in the same way as the Sun, but brought light.

On the contrary, the disciples’ blaze was not very wise: James and John wanted it to incinerate opponents (Lk 9:54).

Before Jesus, John the baptizer awaited a Messiah who still would immerse everyone in a devouring and executioning bonfire (Lk 3:17).

The «fire» of Faith announced by the Person and activity of the Son does not consume, does not corrode.

On the contrary, it is like a ‘Bread’: fullness of energy for a «complete life», not a destructive or separating element.

All this revives people, relationships and surrounding realities. It changes our Relationship with God, with ourselves and our neighbour.

Such is the ‘division’ proclaimed (v.51): discrimination of our Call.

In common devotion the error of evaluation or the condition of weakness is considered an infirmity, to be pointed out, corrected, punished.

"Impurities" should not be ‘melted’ into divine and providential Fire: they should only be normalised according to atavistic prescriptions or more recent sophisticated ideas [à la page].

For life in the Spirit, on the other hand, attention is elsewhere: personal oscillations become possibilities; the fellings, a new Force.

Sense of incapacity, failure and impediments arouse intensity, exchange, dialogue, new elaborations, search for other processes.

Faith is kindled wave upon wave, in welcoming and responding to God who reveals himself, calls and continues to propose – even cross-cultural mixtures that entangle purisms.

Food and Flame are also… our unsatisfactory situations: boulders that seemed to crush and make us negative are taken on board, hired, becoming gasoline that animates and propels us forward.

«Incarnation» is the recovery of opposing sides.

On this path, imperfection becomes a driving force, with its Treasures that we cannot see, hidden behind dark sides.

They are those slopes that will then dominate our Desire.

In this way, Baptism is not a procedure or a coat of grey colour and common opinion.

It is not even a device that labels, immediately cornering personalities and tensions - but rather an «Immersion» (see v. 50 Greek text).

By taking care of the neglected parts and merging the "extraneous" or different sides, from the exteriority of things we are brought back to the Origin of what happens.

[20th Sunday in O.T. (year C),  August 14, 2022]

(Lk 12:49-59)

A functional Church? Discernment of the Fire

Flame and Peace, Immersion and division. Not tactical quietism

(Lk 12:49-53)

«I have come to cast fire upon the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!» (Lk 12:49)

The difference between religiosity and Faith becomes clear when comparing the mentality that identifies the biblical Fire with punishment, and that of a sacred Flame poured out with passionate love (v. 49) that evokes the Gift in our favour.

Francis proclaimed: "Praised be you, my Lord, through my brother fire, through whom you give light to the night: and he is beautiful and playful and strong."

For the Poor Man of Assisi, fire was a "noble and useful element among the creatures of the Most High" [Legenda antiqua].

He had a disconcerting relationship of courtesy with "brother fire". Of course, it did not chase away the night in the same way as the sun, but it brought light.

The disciples' fervour, on the other hand, was not much to write home about: James and John wanted it to incinerate their adversaries or the unfortunate (Luke 9:54).

Before Jesus, John the Baptist was still waiting for a Messiah who would immerse everyone in a devouring and avenging bonfire (Luke 3:17).

In the passage in Matthew 19:13-15, for example, the same theme is confused with the purist and fundamentalist zeal of the apostles who wanted at all costs to separate Jesus from his beloved children, who had no intention of submitting themselves.

The fire of Faith announced by the Person and activity of the Son does not consume or corrode; on the contrary, it is like food: full of energy for a complete life, not a destructive or divisive element.

All this brings about the rebirth of people, relationships and the surrounding reality. It changes our relationship with God, with ourselves and with our neighbour. Such is the division proclaimed (v. 51): the dividing line of our calling.

In common devotion, error of judgement or weakness is considered an infirmity, to be pointed out, corrected and punished.

Doctrine and discipline constitute the outer armour of consciences, and worship celebrates and inculcates them [not infrequently in a conformist and poor manner, albeit pretentious].

'Impurities' should not be 'melted' in the divine and providential Fire: only normalised according to atavistic prescriptions or sophisticated ideas à la page.

For life in the Spirit, on the other hand, the focus is elsewhere: personal fluctuations become possibilities; discouragement becomes a new strength.

Feelings of inadequacy, failure and impediments give rise to intensity, exchange, dialogue, new elaborations, the search for other processes; even anger and indignation flare up and stimulate redemption.

Faith is kindled wave upon wave, in welcoming and responding to God who reveals himself, calls and continues to propose - even cross-cultural mixtures that entangle abstract purisms.

"Let us dream as one humanity," emphasises the encyclical Fratelli Tutti (n. 8), rejoicing "in the diversity" that dwells within us (cf. n. 10).

In the imperfection of critical situations, the Father does not throw stones at us, but Bread [not stale - as in ancient ideologies].

Our unsatisfactory situations are also Food and Flame: the boulders that seemed to crush us and made us negative are taken up and become fuel that propels us forward; jubilation that, instead of 'settling us down', makes us grow even more.

Called to collaborate, we participate in the same creative, gratuitous and joyful action of the Lord.

He directs us towards the unprecedented Peace of completeness in the making, of all-round humanisation yet to be acquired.

The Plan of Love evolves and strengthens through concrete events, not excluding the engaging dynamics that spring from the awareness of one's own limits - which should not be swept away.

Faith does not create divisive idols that equate eccentricity with sin, but only looks at them in order to understand, allowing them to melt and blossom from that malleable energetic magma, transfiguring us.

For ancient beliefs, it was unimaginable that the Most High would not feel repugnance for our condition - and that it was precisely on the folds of carnal precariousness that he wanted to build a history of salvation.

Instead, the Son is our accomplice. He even winks at those aspects that the conformist gaze dismisses as imbalances, disorders, illnesses.

He wants to make each of us not a censor or a do-gooder, but a unique masterpiece - not built in a test tube, but unexpected.

The Lord does not standardise or sterilise, demanding unnatural performances or climaxes. It is He who humanises Himself - even in our oddities.

He recognises Himself in that which is mixed with expectations and sweat, even though it is considered unseemly for man [even the devout, or vice versa, the sophisticated] who longs to rise above himself.

Do we feel settled and 'arrived'? Only here is there no 'fire', passion, discovery, genesis, or therapy - and we are not even at the threshold of Faith.

'Incarnation' is the recovery of opposite sides: imperfection becomes a springboard, with its Treasures that we cannot see, hidden behind dark sides.

It is these sides that will then dominate our Desire.

This is the whole game: we start from where we are, and attention to the opportunities of the imperfect present - which we must not rush to disinfect - will make us startle at the unexpected life that rises again there.

The Flame of the Spirit that is building God's Newness lurks in the embers and in the sides considered inconclusive or opposed - it does not place itself in the shop window to immediately stifle instinct.

So it is with the Church: not 'functional', but capable of giving life. Kingdom and territory not marked by tactical pacifism, which anaesthetises.

In this way, Baptism is not a rubric or a coat of grey and common opinion, nor a device that brands, immediately cornering personalities and tensions - but rather an Immersion (v. 50 Greek text).

"Now, why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?" (v. 57).

In Christ, we have the capacity to think and we are made autonomous, for a solid fraternity with ourselves, which has 'stopped' - and which unfolds, revitalising Uniqueness.

By caring for the neglected parts and merging the foreign or dissimilar sides, we are brought back from the exteriority of things to the Origin of what happens.

Signs of the times and present motive (Person)

The room of Happiness, on the decisive Horizon

(Lk 12:54-59)

"Now, why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?" (v. 57).

We must learn lessons from nature and events - even for the horizon of Mystery.

In Christ, we have the capacity to think and we are made autonomous: from the exteriority of things, we are brought back to the Origin of what is happening.

Jesus' appeal on the Signs of the Times was the text that inspired Pope John to convene the Second Vatican Council, so that the Church might finally question itself, paying greater attention to God's calls in history and to the hopes of humanity.

Self-congratulatory security and the pomp of grand forms had dampened the ardent feeling and liberating enthusiasm of the Risen One.

Predictability did not change the spiritual pace; in each person, their predictions did not allow the soul to see far ahead.

The certainties of the codes dampened enthusiasm and caused the faithful to be overwhelmed by routine and petty problems.

Even today, the certainties of structure and circumstance - all established - weaken the blossoming of the present; they do not allow us to perceive and experience what is happening.

Clichés are capable of shifting Vocation from the magical territory where it arises (and knocks within), turning it into a sacramental everyday life that is entirely predictable - approved by the social or ecclesial context consolidated in the territory.

Instead, our founding Eros must be spent now and outwardly, because it lives on passion, not stagnation; it rests on desire and complicity with the Spirit, who with his Fire renews the face of the earth.

But it dies out if we allow ourselves to be carried away by pondered assessments of the forces at play: give-and-take calculations, opportunistic situationalism... even the intentions of others, or purists, and those of circumstance.

Convinced and personal enthusiasm pales in the face of coercion, planning, obsessions with control and verification, without decisive turning points - as if we were in kindergarten.

Love, in fact, is never based on expectations or linked beliefs, normal, without new, astonishing satisfactions - nor does it follow the ideas of a distracted mass, distracted by the usual conformist thoughts that dry up the gaze.

Beliefs that have never been examined or tested place character impulses on dead tracks.

Inculcated certainties generate paths that go round in circles, suspend awareness, and weaken any ability to perceive the possibilities of the inner world, as well as opportunities for communion.

It is the heart that sees the slightest possibilities. It grasps them in perennial questions in a reciprocal relationship with the meaning of the present life.

And Jesus wants our plant to sprout new leaves, all green (not withered). 

No mould: what we believe belongs to us is already lost.

So the invitation to Conversion - instead of grounding the soul and thought in ancient models or abstract, one-sided utopias - makes us attentive to the multifaceted nature of Friendship with ourselves, with our brothers and sisters, even those far away, and with all things, now.

A world of relationships that considers nothing irrelevant and can enrich us (unlock us) with adventurous, fresh, lively differences, which emerge from free energies that do not want a standard life, nor too much attachment to memories, but rather radical change, together.

As the encyclical Fratelli Tutti emphasises: 'This implies the habitual capacity to recognise in others the right to be themselves and to be different' (n. 218).

Radical change is... not thinking only of quick consensus, of our own immediate (even trivial) gain, which deep down we do not really want - and we know does not work: it would not change anything.

This intimate and social appeal must be grasped immediately, here and now, while the human time of grace lasts - God's moment in our favour.

The moment to discover the contents and not let ourselves be bewildered, the present opportunity, the spirit of the pilgrim, the recognition of cultures... are decisive for the evolution of life in the Spirit.

It does not rest on codified, enlisted protagonism, which already knows where it is going - and thus runs aground, adapts, loses sight of us, leaves us perplexed; it reaps victims of illusions and external friction, poisoning the path with muscular approaches and thoughts.

These are fleeting things, such as the fixed and unattractive idol that often enslaves souls: 'what we have achieved' - with its conformist goals, hard-won promotions, the gaze of others...

External compliments do not bring the 'I' and the 'you' back to the Roots, nor do they explode into the true future, the one to be lived intensely, the one that will make us vibrate.

The 'present moment' is simply the door to open to enter the room of happy energy, which remains magmatic - an incessant gift, 'anointing' and Vision that we do not know.

Amazement that invites and leads far beyond the conformist, one-sided, tail-wagging aspect - of noise, clichés, tactical manoeuvring, or the age of others to be reproduced.

'Theatre people! You know how to discern the appearance of the earth and the sky, but how is it that you do not know how to discern this time?

To internalise and live the message:

How do you experience the tension between the vision of the genius of the time and the present moment?

What relationship do you see between God's promise and our hopes?

Faith and Signs of the times

Faith is not a kind of object or ideology (which one may or may not have), but a relationship.

It proceeds from a God who reveals himself, challenges us and calls us by name.

His varied and rich face does not coincide with common thinking, but intercepts our desire for fullness of life, and in this way corresponds to us and conquers us.

It is not a one-off event, but something that springs forth and proceeds in waves throughout our existence – with all the surprises that time brings [which sometimes challenge us, sabotage us or astonish us].

In this relationship, the Faith that arises from listening is kindled when the initiative of the Father, who manifests and reveals himself in a proposal that comes to us, is accepted and not rejected.

In evolution, this dynamic establishes an invisible Presence in the hidden Self, the unquenchable fire of our founding Eros; a perceptible Echo – even in the genius of the times, in the furrows of personal history, in the folds of events and relationships, advice, opposing evaluations and even fractures.

The Relationship of Faith has different approaches. A first stage is that of Faith Assent: the person recognises themselves in a world of knowledge that corresponds to them. It is a very dignified level, but common to all religions and philosophies.

Scrutinising the Word, we understand that what is specific to biblical Faith concerns concrete existence much more than thought or discipline: it has a different character from codes, it is Spousal.

Already in the First Testament, faith is typically that trust of the Bride [in Hebrew, Israel is a feminine term] who has complete trust in the Bridegroom.

She knows that by relying on God-With, she will flourish authentically and enjoy the fullness of life, even when going through unpleasant events.

Faith lived in the Spirit of the Risen One enjoys other facets, which are decisive in giving colour to our journey in the world and to our full maturation and joy of living.

[In everything, it is essential both to listen to Sacred Scripture and to move from the whirlwind of thoughts that fragment our inner eye to perception, that is, to a contemplative gaze that knows how to rest on ourselves and on things].

The third step of Christological faith is precisely a kind of appropriation: the subject identifies himself and, secure in the friendly reciprocity experienced in the Gifts, takes possession of the meek and strong heart of the Lord with a stroke of the hand and without any prescribed merit.

Quoting St. Bernard, Alphonsus Maria de' Liguori states: "That merit which I lack to enter Paradise, I usurp from the merits of Jesus Christ." No arcane procedures or discipline.

Please note: this is not a "proof" of vicarious substitution, as if Jesus had to pay off a debt of sins because the Father needed blood and at least one person to pay dearly for it.

The person becomes intimate with Christ not simply through common belief, but through personal inner action.

God redeems us by educating us.

It is true that by sending a lamb among wolves, its end is sealed. But it is also the only way to teach men – still in a pre-human condition – that competition is not the life of people, but of ferocious beasts.

The lamb is the meek being that makes even wolves reflect: only by appropriating it completely do the beasts realise that they are such.

Thus we can begin to say, 'I' as human beings instead of beasts. 

Of course, only people who are reconciled with their own story do good. But the authentic and full best is beyond our reach; it is not our own production. We are not omnipotent.

A further stage in the journey of life in Christ and in the Spirit is that of Faith-Magnet.

This too takes the form of an Action, because the soul-bride reads the signs of the times, interprets the surrounding reality and her own inclinations. And by grasping the significance of the Future, she anticipates and actualises it.

In this way, we avoid wasting our lives supporting dead branches.

But the final and perhaps even more perfect stage (I would say the summit) of this Faith-Trigger is that of Faith-Wonder.

This is the specific belief in the Incarnation, because it recognises the Treasures hidden behind our dark sides.

These Pearls will come into play during the course of existence [they will do what they must when necessary] and it will be a wonder to discover them.

The broken cocoon will generate our Butterfly, which is not a construction homologated to prototypes, but Amazement.

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

In this Sunday's Gospel there is an expression of Jesus that always attracts our attention and needs to be properly understood. 

While he is on his way to Jerusalem, where death on a cross awaits him, Christ asked his disciples: "Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division". And he adds: "[H]enceforth in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against her mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law" (Lk 12: 51-53). 

Anyone who has even the slightest knowledge of Christ's Gospel knows that it is a message of peace par excellence; as St Paul wrote, Jesus himself "is our peace" (Eph 2: 14), the One who died and rose in order to pull down the wall of enmity and inaugurate the Kingdom of God which is love, joy and peace. 

So how can his words be explained? To what was the Lord referring when he said he had come - according to St Luke's version - to bring "division" or - according to St Matthew's - the "sword" (Mt 10: 34)? 

Christ's words mean that the peace he came to bring us is not synonymous with the mere absence of conflicts. On the contrary, Jesus' peace is the result of a constant battle against evil. The fight that Jesus is determined to support is not against human beings or human powers, but against Satan, the enemy of God and man. 

Anyone who desires to resist this enemy by remaining faithful to God and to good, must necessarily confront misunderstandings and sometimes real persecutions. 

All, therefore, who intend to follow Jesus and to commit themselves without compromise to the truth, must know that they will encounter opposition and that in spite of themselves they will become a sign of division between people, even in their own families. In fact, love for one's parents is a holy commandment, but to be lived authentically it can never take precedence over love for God and love for Christ. 

Thus, following in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus, in accordance with St Francis of Assisi's famous words, Christians become "instruments of peace"; not of a peace that is inconsistent and only apparent but one that is real, pursued with courage and tenacity in the daily commitment to overcome evil with good (cf. Rom 12: 21) and paying in person the price that this entails. 

The Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace, shared until his martyrdom her Son Jesus' fight with the Devil and continues to share in it to the end of time. Let us invoke her motherly intercession so that she may help us always to be witnesses of Christ's peace and never to sink so low as to make compromises with evil.

[Pope Benedict, Angelus, 19 August 2007]

1. The World Day of Peace this year is being celebrated in the shadow of the dramatic events of 11 September last. On that day, a terrible crime was committed: in a few brief hours thousands of innocent people of many ethnic backgrounds were slaughtered. Since then, people throughout the world have felt a profound personal vulnerability and a new fear for the future. Addressing this state of mind, the Church testifies to her hope, based on the conviction that evil, the mysterium iniquitatis, does not have the final word in human affairs. The history of salvation, narrated in Sacred Scripture, sheds clear light on the entire history of the world and shows us that human events are always accompanied by the merciful Providence of God, who knows how to touch even the most hardened of hearts and bring good fruits even from what seems utterly barren soil.  

This is the hope which sustains the Church at the beginning of 2002: that, by the grace of God, a world in which the power of evil seems once again to have taken the upper hand will in fact be transformed into a world in which the noblest aspirations of the human heart will triumph, a world in which true peace will prevail.

Peace: the work of justice and love 

2. Recent events, including the terrible killings just mentioned, move me to return to a theme which often stirs in the depths of my heart when I remember the events of history which have marked my life, especially my youth.  

The enormous suffering of peoples and individuals, even among my own friends and acquaintances, caused by Nazi and Communist totalitarianism, has never been far from my thoughts and prayers. I have often paused to reflect on the persistent question: how do we restore the moral and social order subjected to such horrific violence? My reasoned conviction, confirmed in turn by biblical revelation, is that the shattered order cannot be fully restored except by a response that combines justice with forgiveness. The pillars of true peace are justice and that form of love which is forgiveness.

[Pope John Paul II, Message for the 35th World Day of Peace]

The Gospel for this Sunday (Lk 12:49-53) is part of Jesus’ teachings to the disciples during his journey to Jerusalem, where death on the cross awaits him. To explain the purpose of his mission, he takes three images: fire, baptism and division. Today I wish to talk about the first image: fire.

Jesus expresses it with these words: “I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled!” (v. 49). The fire that Jesus speaks of is the fire of the Holy Spirit, the presence living and working in us from the day of our Baptism. It — the fire — is a creative force that purifies and renews, that burns all human misery, all selfishness, all sin, which transforms us from within, regenerates us and makes us able to love. Jesus wants the Holy Spirit to blaze like fire in our heart, for it is only from the heart that the fire of divine love can spread and advance the Kingdom of God. It does not come from the head, it comes from the heart. This is why Jesus wants fire to enter our heart. If we open ourselves completely to the action of this fire which is the Holy Spirit, He will give us the boldness and the fervor to proclaim to everyone Jesus and his consoling message of mercy and salvation, navigating on the open sea, without fear.

In fulfilling her mission in the world, the Church — namely all of us who make up the Church — needs the Holy Spirit’s help so as not to let herself be held back by fear and by calculation, so as not to become accustomed to walking inside of safe borders. These two attitudes lead the Church to be a functional Church, which never takes risks. Instead, the apostolic courage that the Holy Spirit kindles in us like a fire helps us to overcome walls and barriers, makes us creative and spurs us to get moving in order to walk even on uncharted or arduous paths, offering hope to those we meet. With this fire of the Holy Spirit we are called to become, more and more, communities of people who are guided and transformed, full of understanding; people with expanded hearts and joyful faces. Now more than ever there is need for priests, consecrated people and lay faithful, with the attentive gaze of an apostle, to be moved by and to pause before hardship and material and spiritual poverty, thus characterizing the journey of evangelization and of the mission with the healing cadence of closeness. It is precisely the fire of the Holy Spirit that leads us to be neighbours to others, to the needy, to so much human misery, to so many problems, to refugees, to displaced people, to those who are suffering.

At this moment I am thinking with admiration especially of the many priests, men and women religious and lay faithful who, throughout the world, are dedicated to proclaiming the Gospel with great love and faithfulness, often even at the cost of their lives. Their exemplary testimony reminds us that the Church does not need bureaucrats and diligent officials, but passionate missionaries, consumed by ardour to bring to everyone the consoling word of Jesus and his grace. This is the fire of the Holy Spirit. If the Church does not receive this fire, or does not let it inflame her, she becomes a cold or merely lukewarm Church, incapable of giving life, because she is made up of cold and lukewarm Christians. It will do us good today to take five minutes to ask ourselves: “How is my heart? Is it cold? Is it lukewarm? Is it capable of receiving this fire?”. Let us take five minutes for this. It will do everyone good.

Let us ask the Virgin Mary to pray with us and for us to the Heavenly Father, that he dispense upon all believers the Holy Spirit, the divine flame which warms hearts and helps us to be in solidarity with the joys and the sufferings of our brothers and sisters. May we be sustained on our journey by the example of St Maximilian Kolbe, martyr of charity, whose feast day is today: may he teach us to live the fire of love for God and for our neighbour.

[Pope Francis, Angelus, 14 August 2016]

Get closer without being submissive

(Mt 19:13-15)

«I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security» [Evangelii Gaudium n.49].

We must not allow ourselves to be dragged along by the obvious dismissive sentences on legal impurity. According to Jesus, a useless, artificial weight; which curtails the wings and renders unhappy.

On the contrary, it’s always appropriate to acquire a different perception of the things of God in woman and man. And there is no need to be well trained in customary practices: young people are not.

What happened in the small churches of Galilee and Syria in the early 80s? Many pagans began to present themselves at the threshold of the  (Judaizing) communities and were becoming a majority.

Members of the chain of command valued the incipients poorly qualified from the point of view of the observance of the ‘fathers’ dispositions .

Some haughty veterans considered the new ones who asked to be welcomed, like servants still murky [«paidìa»: age 9-11 years], contaminated and “mixed”.

At that time, in the conditions in which they lived, the boys certainly did not fulfill the laws of religious purity; but they served others, both at home and at work.

In short, Jesus proposes a paradigm change to the Apostles.

Make peace with the world of judgments.

The proposal seemed absurd to religions (all pyramidal), not for the person of Faith who proceeds on the Way, in the Spirit.

God does not believe at all that his holiness is endangered by contact with the normal realities of this world.

Indeed, the Lord and Master identifies himself precisely with the little boys of shop and house, with the "polluted" beings, socially null and badly valued.

This is to say: the disciple of the Kingdom cannot afford to disavow the needs of others.

Enough with clichés, nomenclatures, double standards and recognized procedures.

What matters is the concrete good of the real person, as her/he is.

The acceptance of little sons - that is, of those who are at the beginning - in their condition of creative and affective integrity, still considered ambiguous and transgressive, is an icon of a social, religious and inverted class logic; radically not homologable.

So woe to those who prevent the insignificants from going to the Lord!

The laying on of hands on them (vv.13.15) is a sign of redemption, enhancement, emancipation and promotion of the condition of the last, excluded, irrelevant, holdless and ‘mestizo’ [not pictures of candor].

Whoever welcomes a privileged man, a legalist, one who has made his way but doesn’t accept changes, hardly welcomes Jesus.

«In the synodal process […] it must not neglect all those “intuitions” found where we would least expect them, “freewheeling”, but no less important for that reason».

Only the unknown and uncertain must be placed at the center of the new Church that we will have to build.

[Saturday 19th wk. in O.T.  August 16, 2025]

Approach without being submissive

(Mt 19:13-15)

Pope Francis has often reiterated: "I would rather have a Church that has crashed than a Church that is sick from closure. Not a 'comfort zone', but a 'field hospital' involved in our hopes, even wounded - not absent, not detached.

In the apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (49): 'I prefer a Church that is bumpy, wounded and dirty from being out on the streets, rather than a Church that is sick from closure and the comfort of clinging to its own security'.

In short, in the words of the Gospel of Matthew, one must not get carried away by the obvious dismissive judgments about legal impurity. According to Jesus, a useless, artificial burden; one that clips one's wings and makes one unhappy.

On the contrary, it is always good to acquire a different perception of the things of God in man. And it is not necessary to be well trained in customary practices.

What was happening in the small churches of Galilee and Syria in the early 1980s? Many pagans were beginning to show up at the doorsteps of the (Judaizing) communities and were becoming a majority.

The members of the chain of command prevented the distant and incipient from the immediacy of a face-to-face relationship with the Lord - evaluating them as unqualified from the point of view of observing the provisions of the 'fathers'.

Some haughty veterans regarded the newcomers who asked to be received as still turbid servants ["paidìa": age 9-11], defiled and mixed.

At that time, in the conditions in which they lived, young boys certainly did not fulfil the laws of religious purity; but they served others, both at home and at work.

In short, Jesus proposes a paradigm shift to the Apostles.

Stooping? An unbearable model of life for the ambitious veterans who frequently surrounded the Master - but struggled to follow his vital teaching.

The freedom to get off the board - vice versa - was a human figure to be chiselled as the 'model' of the authentic disciple, who reflects Christ and 'conquers' the Kingdom.

Making peace with the world of judgements.

The proposal seemed an absurdity for religions (all pyramidal), not for the person of Faith who proceeds on the Way, in the Spirit.

God does not at all believe that His holiness is endangered by contact with the normal realities of this world.

On the contrary, the Lord and Master identifies Himself precisely with the garzoncini of shop and home, with the 'polluted', socially null and misjudged beings [by any legalistic clique, however devout].

This is to say: the disciple of the Kingdom cannot afford to disregard the life needs of others.

Forget clichés, nomenclature, duplicity and recognised procedures.

What counts is the concrete good of the real person, just as he or she is.

The acceptance of children - i.e. those who are at the beginning - in their condition of creative and affective integrity, still considered ambiguous and transgressive, is an icon of an inverted social, religious and class logic; radically unequal.

So woe to those who prevent the insignificant from going to the Lord!

The laying on of hands on them (vv.13.15) is a sign of redemption, valorisation, emancipation, and promotion of the condition of the last, the excluded, the mocked, the destitute, and the 'mestizos' [not of squares all clarity and whiteness].

Those who welcome a privileged, an observant purist, one who has made his way but does not accept change (a dummy often of good manners and bad habits) hardly welcome Jesus.

In fact, and today's chronicle itself is full of bitter surprises, the directors - so mediocre - who select (v.13) and make adultids are selfish and dangerous big babies, not 'children'.

Only the misunderstood and uncertain are to be placed at the centre of the new Church we are to build.

To internalise and live the message:

Are there any vital aspects of you that you had to tarnish in order to be welcomed into the community?

The Fickleness without Citizenship

In the synodal journey, listening must take into account the sensus fidei, but it must not neglect all those "presentiments" embodied where we would not expect it: there may be a "sniff without citizenship", but it is no less effective. The Holy Spirit in his freedom knows no boundaries, nor does he allow himself to be limited by affiliations. If the parish is the home of everyone in the neighbourhood, not an exclusive club, I recommend: leave doors and windows open, do not limit yourself to considering only those who attend or think like you - that will be 3, 4 or 5%, no more. Allow everyone to come in... Allow yourself to go out and let yourself be questioned, let their questions be your questions, allow yourself to walk together: the Spirit will lead you, trust the Spirit. Do not be afraid to enter into dialogue and allow yourselves to be moved by the dialogue: it is the dialogue of salvation.Do not be disenchanted, be prepared for surprises. There is an episode in the book of Numbers (ch. 22) that tells of a donkey who will become a prophetess of God. The Jews are concluding the long journey that will lead them to the promised land. Their passage frightens King Balak of Moab, who relies on the powers of the magician Balaam to stop the people, hoping to avoid a war. The magician, in his believing way, asks God what to do. God tells him not to humour the king, but he insists, so he relents and mounts a donkey to fulfil the command he has received. But the donkey changes course because it sees an angel with an unsheathed sword standing there to represent God's opposition. Balaam pulls her, beating her, without succeeding in getting her back on the path. Until the donkey starts talking, initiating a dialogue that will open the magician's eyes, transforming his mission of curse and death into a mission of blessing and life.

This story teaches us to trust that the Spirit will always make its voice heard. Even a donkey can become the voice of God, opening our eyes and converting our wrong directions. If a donkey can do it, how much more so can a baptised person, a priest, a bishop, a pope. It is enough to entrust ourselves to the Holy Spirit who uses all creatures to speak to us: he only asks us to clean our ears to hear properly.

(Pope Francis, Speech 18 September 2021)

68. Christ Jesus always manifested his preferential love for the little ones (cf. Mk 10:13-16). The Gospel itself is deeply permeated by the truth about children. What, indeed, is meant by these words: “unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 18:3)? Does not Jesus make the child a model, even for adults? The child has something which must never be lacking in those who would enter the kingdom of heaven. Heaven is promised to all who are simple, like children, to all who, like them, are filled with a spirit of trusting abandonment, pure and rich in goodness. They alone can find in God a Father and become, through Jesus, children of God. Sons and daughters of our parents, God wants us all to become his adopted children by grace!

[Pope Benedict, Africae munus]