Be careful not to weigh yourselves down, watch and pray at all times

(Lk 21:34-36)

The new world descends upon us in an unexpected way, imposing itself from one moment to the next, without warning or excessive politeness. 

But this is precisely the work of the Spirit, who spurs on unilateralism and overturns categorical connections (even in pious life).

This impetuous wind seems to be crumbling everything, but instead it acts to gather us together.

As the Pontiff says, changes in the Church are not made 'as if it were a company, by majority or minority'.

Beyond discouragement, in the face of shocking flash events, there is the danger of losing the pluralistic critical consciousness that would truly bring us home, and of fleeing (even from ourselves).

Conversely, women and men of faith discover the coming of Christ among the people and the many 'relatives' of the soul, all authentic companions on the 'journey'.

He always challenges our freedom with a broad and inclusive hope that brings together inner movements - even the most disparate ones; a sort of new 'synodality'.

True disciples sense the new Kingdom that bursts in suddenly - not according to a 'party' procedure [continuing to quote Pope Francis in his General Audience: see below].

Women and men of faith exercise their perception, they notice the stirrings of new life; they do not lose heart.

They do not seek palliatives or trendy ideas, which disperse our energies and confuse us, or even more so, cause us to let our guard down.

On the other hand, there is the danger of settling into an institutional time - and the emergence of obscure compensations: fake solutions that make us insensitive; good only for distracting us, and even breathless (vv. 34-35).

Escapism and half-measures anaesthetise the soul.

Ultimately, compromises remain an expression of the sense of powerlessness and failure that sometimes grips life - even spiritual life - partisan [today with its small disembodied orientations; or of recovering lost ground, or of excessive sophistication].

And tragic debauchery is nothing more than a sign of an attempt to escape, or to return to the past – to irresolvable attachments.

Idols-traps [‘snares’ in v. 35] to be kept at a distance: they prevent us from noticing the Lord who is coming.

They limit the wealth that wants to come. Wealth that we already possess in truth: in the sides to which we have not yet given space. In them dwells an eminent, authentic and hidden Self.

There - in the Mystery - new life teems. Unexplored veins that await. Sides of the unconscious that want to express themselves. In contact with our Call by Name and deep essence.

Intimate resources to be valued and triggered for wise expansion; even with bitter fruit - from events that appear threatening, yet activate an excavation, a discovery, an Exodus.

So let us not hysterically divide the landscape into good and bad emotions: for the 'new' of where we are and will be, even dangers or bitterness, stops or detours will have made sense.

In short, let us not allow ourselves to be reduced or gripped by the lacerating struggle between black and white... but let us not renounce the virtue of throwing off ballast, overcoming fears, in order to broaden our gaze.

Prayer becomes therapy, Presence, Motive and Motor; source and culmination. Medicine and Bread for the journey of those who do not want to be put to sleep, but wish to remain awake, indeed to move forward and activate the future.

By assimilating the sacred point of view on the upheavals of the world, in prayer we will obtain a good disposition, we will shift our gaze towards horizons where not a single shape or colour appears.

We will understand that Providence is right, that the Spirit works well: it is bringing us closer to the Father's full plan.

Approaching in this way also the desire for life of our brothers and sisters, we will stand 'upright' (v. 36), that is, we will wait and welcome without fear the coming of the 'Son of Man'.

The authentic Presence of God - the true and full development of the divine plan for humanity.

Perhaps even today we find it difficult to believe that the Messiah can be identified with the One who creates abundance where there is none and where it did not seem possible for it to expand.

The 'Son of Man', on the other hand, is the One who, having reached the height of human perfection, reflects the divine condition and radiates it in a widespread manner.

It was expected that this profound aspect would be absolute, effective, and selective. In the foreground.

The Incarnation surprises us. It even re-evaluates our skeletal and deficient being.

It transforms it into a precious pearl, a "sense without citizenship":

"In the synodal journey, listening must take into account the sensus fidei, but it must not neglect all those 'premonitions' incarnated where we would not expect them: there may be a 'sense without citizenship', but it is no less effective. The Holy Spirit in his freedom knows no boundaries, and does not even allow himself to be limited by affiliations. If the parish is the home of everyone in the neighbourhood, not an exclusive club, I urge you: leave your doors and windows open, do not limit yourselves to considering only those who attend or think like you – who will be 3, 4 or 5%, no more. Allow everyone to enter... Allow yourselves to go out and let yourselves be questioned, let their questions be your questions, allow yourselves to walk together: the Spirit will lead you, trust in the Spirit. Do not be afraid to enter into dialogue and let yourselves be shaken by dialogue: it is the dialogue of salvation.

Its depth is rooted not in the most icy 'perfection', but in everything that is not static - and it goes beyond the categories of ancient, unilateral, respectable religiosity' [Pope Francis, Address to the Diocese of Rome, 18 September 2021].

Events - even those that are opposite (and inseparable) - speak within us; they develop through inner energy.

They are treasure chests of engaging realities; they contain a secret of wonder, a surprising destination.

Vigilance and Prayer prepare us for this unexpected Encounter, which is the growth and humanisation of the people: the quiet, true and full overflowing of the Eternal plan, transferred to wide meshes.

This without resignation... even in the summary of daily life - as well as for the vision and action of prophets who do not blame their own finitude. On the contrary, they consider it a turning point.

This makes the incarnate Son present and coming, animating 'everything' even in an age of uncertainty - sustained by prayer, 'the living fire of the Spirit, which gives strength to witness and mission'.

All this opens up a healthy and undivided ecclesiality:

Coordinates of Ecclesiality

The first steps of the Church in the world were marked by prayer. The apostolic writings and the great narrative of the Acts of the Apostles give us the image of a Church on the move, a hard-working Church, which, however, finds in prayer meetings the basis and impetus for missionary action. The image of the early community in Jerusalem is a point of reference for every other Christian experience. Luke writes in the Book of Acts: 'They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers' (2:42). The community perseveres in prayer.

Here we find four essential characteristics of ecclesial life: first, listening to the teaching of the apostles; second, the preservation of mutual communion; third, the breaking of bread; and fourth, prayer. These remind us that the Church's existence has meaning if it remains firmly united to Christ, that is, in community, in his Word, in the Eucharist and in prayer. This is how we unite ourselves to Christ. Preaching and catechesis bear witness to the words and deeds of the Master; the constant search for fraternal communion preserves us from selfishness and particularism; the breaking of bread realises the sacrament of Jesus' presence among us: He will never be absent; in the Eucharist, it is He Himself. He lives and walks with us. And finally, prayer, which is the space for dialogue with the Father, through Christ in the Holy Spirit.

Everything in the Church that grows outside these "coordinates" is without foundation. To discern a situation, we must ask ourselves how these four coordinates are present in it: preaching, the constant search for fraternal communion – charity –, the breaking of bread – that is, Eucharistic life – and prayer. Any situation must be evaluated in the light of these four coordinates. Anything that does not fit into these coordinates lacks ecclesiality; it is not ecclesial. It is God who makes the Church, not the clamour of works. The Church is not a market; the Church is not a group of entrepreneurs going ahead with this new venture. The Church is the work of the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus sent us to gather us together. The Church is precisely the work of the Spirit in the Christian community, in community life, in the Eucharist, in prayer, always. And everything that grows outside these coordinates is without foundation, it is like a house built on sand (cf. Mt 7:24-27). It is God who makes the Church, not the clamour of works. It is the word of Jesus that fills our efforts with meaning. It is in humility that the future of the world is built.

Sometimes, I feel great sadness when I see some communities that, with good will, go astray because they think they are building the Church in gatherings, as if it were a political party: the majority, the minority, what this one thinks, that one, the other... "This is like a Synod, a synodal path that we must follow." I ask myself: where is the Holy Spirit there? Where is prayer? Where is community love? Where is the Eucharist? Without these four coordinates, the Church becomes a human society, a political party — majority, minority — changes are made as if it were a company, by majority or minority... But there is no Holy Spirit. And the presence of the Holy Spirit is precisely guaranteed by these four coordinates. To assess a situation, whether it is ecclesial or not, let us ask ourselves if these four coordinates are present: community life, prayer, the Eucharist... [preaching], how life develops in these four coordinates. If this is missing, the Spirit is missing, and if the Spirit is missing, we will be a nice humanitarian association, a charity, fine, fine, even a party, so to speak, ecclesial, but there is no Church. And that is why the Church cannot grow through these things: it does not grow through proselytism, like any company, it grows through attraction. And who moves the attraction? The Holy Spirit. Let us never forget these words of Benedict XVI: "The Church does not grow through proselytism, it grows through attraction." If the Holy Spirit, who is the one who attracts us to Jesus, is missing, then there is no Church. There is a nice club of friends, fine, with good intentions, but there is no Church, there is no synodality.

Reading the Acts of the Apostles, we discover that the powerful engine of evangelisation is prayer meetings, where those who participate experience the presence of Jesus live and are touched by the Spirit. The members of the first community – but this is always true, even for us today – perceive that the story of their encounter with Jesus did not end at the moment of the Ascension, but continues in their lives. By recounting what the Lord said and did – listening to the Word – and praying to enter into communion with Him, everything comes alive. Prayer infuses light and warmth: the gift of the Spirit gives rise to fervour in them.

In this regard, the Catechism has a very profound expression. It says: “The Holy Spirit […] reminds Christ’s praying Church of him, leads her to the whole Truth, and inspires new expressions that will express the unfathomable Mystery of Christ, who works in the life, sacraments and mission of his Church” (n. 2625). This is the work of the Spirit in the Church: to remember Jesus. Jesus himself said it: He will teach you and remind you. The mission is to remember Jesus, but not as a mnemonic exercise. Christians, walking on the paths of mission, remember Jesus as they make him present again; and from him, from his Spirit, they receive the "push" to go, to proclaim, to serve. In prayer, Christians immerse themselves in the mystery of God, who loves every person, the God who desires that the Gospel be preached to all. God is God for all, and in Jesus every wall of separation has been definitively broken down: as St Paul says, He is our peace, that is, 'the one who has made the two into one' (Eph 2:14). Jesus has brought about unity.

Thus, the life of the early Church is marked by a continuous succession of celebrations, gatherings, and times of both communal and personal prayer. And it is the Spirit who gives strength to the preachers who set out on their journey and who, for the love of Jesus, cross seas, face dangers, and submit to humiliation.

God gives love, God asks for love. This is the mystical root of all the life of faith. The early Christians in prayer, but also we who come several centuries later, all live the same experience. The Spirit animates everything. And every Christian who is not afraid to devote time to prayer can make the words of the Apostle Paul their own: "The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal 2:20). Prayer makes you aware of this. Only in the silence of adoration can you experience the full truth of these words. We must rediscover the meaning of adoration. Adore, adore God, adore Jesus, adore the Spirit. The Father, the Son and the Spirit: worship. In silence. The prayer of adoration is the prayer that makes us recognise God as the beginning and end of all history. And this prayer is the living fire of the Spirit that gives strength to witness and mission.

[Pope Francis, General Audience, 25 November 2020]