Exaltation of the Holy Cross [Sunday, 14 September 2025]

May God bless us and may the Virgin protect us!  Contemplating the Mystery of the Cross, we discover the sweetness of a love that is born where life seems to die. As he dies crucified, Jesus reveals forever the definitive victory of Love and Mercy.

*First Reading from the Book of Numbers (21:4–9)

The Book of Exodus and the Book of Numbers recount similar episodes: when the people, freed from slavery in Egypt, walk towards the Promised Land, they must face daily life in the desert, a totally inhospitable place. As slaves in Egypt, they were sedentary, certainly not accustomed to long marches on foot, but they had a master who fed them, so they did not die of hunger as they did in the desert, where they began to regret the famous onions of Egypt.  They were tempted by discouragement due to hunger, thirst and fear of all the inconveniences of the desert, and, disheartened, they began to murmur against God and Moses for leading them to die in the desert. The Lord then sent poisonous snakes against the people, and many Israelites died. At this point, the people repented, acknowledged their sin, and prayed to the Lord to remove the snakes. God commanded Moses to make a snake (tradition says of bronze) so that, when fixed on a pole, it could heal anyone who looked at it. It is interesting to consider how Moses reacted: he did not question whether or not the snakes came from God, but his aim was to lead this distrustful people to an attitude of trust, whatever the difficulties, because it was not so much the snakes as their lack of trust in God that was slowing down their journey to freedom. To educate them in the faith, he uses a familiar practice: the worship of a healing god represented by a bronze serpent on a pole (probably the ancestor of the caduceus, today's symbol of medicine). It was enough to look at the fetish to be healed. Moses does not destroy the tradition, but transforms it: Do as you always have done, but know that it is not the serpent that heals you but the Lord, and do not be confused because one God has freed you from Egypt, and by looking at the serpent, you are actually worshipping the God of the Covenant. Centuries later, the Book of Wisdom would comment: 'Those who turned to look at it were saved, not by the object they looked at, but by you, Saviour of all' (Wis 16:7). The struggle against idolatry, magic and divination runs through the entire biblical history and perhaps continues to this day. That bronze serpent, a sign to lead people to faith, came to be considered a magical object again, and for this reason King Hezekiah destroyed it definitively, as we read in the Book of Kings (2 Kings 18:4).

*Responsorial Psalm (77/78:3-4, 34-39)

In the responsorial psalm, taken from Psalm 77/78, we have a summary of the history of Israel, which unfolds in the relationship between God, who is always faithful, and that fickle people, who are forgetful but still aware of the importance of memory, so they repeat: 'We have heard what our fathers told us, we will repeat it to the next generation'. Faith is transmitted when those who have experienced salvation can say, 'God has saved me,' and in turn share their experience with others. It will then be up to their community to remember and preserve this testimony because faith is an experience of salvation shared over time. The Jewish people have always known that faith is not intellectual baggage, but the common experience of God's ever-renewed gift and forgiveness. This psalm expresses all this: in seventy-two verses, it recalls the experience of salvation that founded the faith of Israel, namely, liberation from Egypt, and for this reason, the psalm contains many allusions to the Exodus and Sinai. Listening in the biblical sense means adhering wholeheartedly to the Word of God, and if a generation neglects to continue to bear witness to its faithfulness to God, the chain of transmission of faith is broken. Often over the centuries, fathers have confessed to their children that they have murmured against God despite his acts of salvation. This is what the psalm speaks of and accuses the people of unfaithfulness and inconstancy: "They flattered him with their mouths, but murmured with their tongues; their hearts were not steadfast towards him, and they were not faithful to his covenant" (vv. 36-37). This is idolatry, the target of all prophets because it is the cause of humanity's misfortune. Every idol sets us back on the path to freedom, and the definition of an idol is precisely what prevents us from being free. Marx said that religion is the opium of the people, revealing in a crude way the power and manipulation that any religion, whatever it may be, can exert over humanity. Superstition, fetishism and witchcraft prevent us from being free and learning to freely assume our responsibilities, because they make us live in a regime of fear. Every idolatrous cult distances us from the living and true God: only the truth can make us free men. Even the excessive worship of a person or an ideology makes us slaves: just think of all the fundamentalisms and fanaticisms that disfigure us, and money too can very well become an idol. In other verses that are not part of this Sunday's liturgy, the psalm offers a very eloquent image, that of a deformed bow: the heart of Israel should be like a bow stretched towards its God, but it is crooked. And it is precisely within this ingratitude that Israel had its most beautiful experience: that of God's forgiveness, as the psalm clearly states: "Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant. But he, being merciful, forgave  their iniquity instead of destroying them" (v. 38). This description of  God's tender mercy shows that the psalm was written at a time when the revelation of the God of love had already deeply penetrated the faith of Israel. 

NOTE The great assembly at Shechem organised by Joshua had precisely this purpose: to revive the memory of this people who were the object of so much concern, but so often inclined to forget (Joshua 24: see the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time B): after reminding the assembled tribes of all God's works since Abraham, he said to them: "Choose today whom you will serve: either the Lord or an idol." And the tribes made the right choice that day, even if they would soon forget it. The transmission of faith is therefore like a relay race: "I have passed on to you what I myself have received," Paul says to the Corinthians (1 Cor 11:23), and the liturgy is the privileged place for this witness and for this reviving of memory in the sense of gratitude that comes from experience.

*Second Reading from the Letter of St Paul to the Philippians (2:6-1)

This passage from Paul is read every year on Palm Sunday and now on the Feast of the Glorious Cross: this means that the two celebrations have something in common, which is the close link between Christ's suffering and his glory, between the lowering of the cross and the exaltation of the resurrection. Paul says it clearly: 'Christ humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross... Therefore God exalted him above all else' (vv. 8-9). The expression 'therefore' indicates a strong link and contrast between humiliation and exaltation, but we must not read these sentences in terms of reward, as if Jesus, having behaved admirably, received an admirable reward. This could be the 'tendency' or rather the 'temptation', but God is love and knows no calculations, exchanges, or quid pro quo, because love is free. The wonder of God's love is that it does not wait for our merits to fill us, and in the Bible, men discovered this little by little because grace, as its name indicates, is free. So, if, as Paul says, Jesus suffered and was then glorified, it is not because his suffering had accumulated enough merit to earn him the right to be rewarded. Therefore, to be faithful to the text, we must read it in terms of gratuitousness. For Paul, it is clear that God's gift is free, and this is evident in all his letters, having experienced it himself. When we read, 'Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited' (v. 6), it is clear that Paul is alluding to Adam and Eve, and here Paul probably offers us a commentary on the story of the Garden of Eden: the tempter had said, 'You will be like God', and to become like God, all they had to do was disobey God. Eve reached out her hand towards the forbidden fruit and took it (the Greek labousa in theological reading is 'claimed to be like God' as if it were her right). Paul contrasts the attitude of Adam/Eve (grabbing/avenging) with that of Christ (welcoming freely, obeying). Jesus Christ was only acceptance (what Paul calls 'obedience'), and precisely because he was pure acceptance of God's gift and not vindication, he was able to let himself be filled by the Father, completely available to his gift. Jesus' choice is 'kenosis', the total emptying of himself marked by five verbs of humiliation: emptying himself, taking on the condition of a servant, becoming like men, humbling himself, becoming obedient. The cross is the abyss of annihilation (vv. 6-8), but also the climax of the second sentence of the hymn (vv. 9-11). 'God exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name' (v. 9). Jesus receives the Name that is above every name: the name 'Lord' is the name of God! To say that Jesus is Lord is to say that he is God: in the Old Testament, the title of Lord was reserved for God, as was genuflection. When Paul says, "For at the name of Jesus every knee should bend," he is alluding to a phrase from the prophet Isaiah: "Before me every knee shall bend, and every tongue shall swear allegiance" (Isaiah 45:23). The hymn concludes with 'every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father' (v. 11): seeing Christ bring love to its culmination, accepting to die to reveal the extent of God's love, we can say like the centurion: 'Truly this man was the Son of God'... because God is love.

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

The first surprise in this text is that Jesus speaks of the cross in positive, even 'glorious' terms: on the one hand, he uses the term 'lifted up' – 'the Son of Man must be lifted up' (v. 14) – and then this cross, which in our eyes is an instrument of torture and pain, is presented as proof of God's love: 'God so loved the world' (v. 17). How can the instrument of torture of an innocent person be glorious? And here lies the second surprise: the reference to the bronze serpent. Jesus uses this image because it was well known at the time. The first reading speaks at length about this event in the Sinai desert during the Exodus, following Moses. The Jews were attacked by poisonous snakes and, having a guilty conscience because they had murmured, they were convinced that this was a punishment from the God of Moses. They begged Moses to intercede, and Moses was commanded to fix a fiery (i.e., poisonous) serpent on a pole: whoever had been bitten and looked at it would live (Num 21:7-9). At first glance, it seems like pure magic, but in reality, it is exactly the opposite. Moses transforms what was until then a magical act into an act of faith. Jesus refers to this episode when speaking of himself: 'Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life' (vv. 14-15). If in the desert it was enough to look with faith towards the God of the Covenant to be physically healed, now it is necessary to look with faith at Christ on the cross to obtain inner healing. As is often the case in John's Gospel, the theme of faith returns: "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life" (v. 17).  When Jesus draws a parallel between the bronze serpent raised up in the desert and his own elevation on the cross, he also reveals the extraordinary leap that exists between the Old and New Testaments. Jesus brings everything to fulfilment, but in him everything takes on a new dimension. In the desert, only the people of the Covenant were involved; now, in him, the whole of humanity is invited to believe in order to have life: twice Jesus repeats that "whoever believes in him will have eternal life". Moreover, it is no longer just a matter of external healing, but of the profound transformation of man. At the moment of the crucifixion, John writes: 'They will look upon him whom they have pierced' (Jn 19:37), quoting the prophet Zechariah who had written: "On that day I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication; they will look upon me, the one they have pierced" (Zechariah 12:10). This "spirit of grace and supplication" is the opposite of the murmuring in the desert: man is now finally convinced of God's love for him.  There are therefore two ways of looking at the cross of Christ: as a sign of human hatred and cruelty, but above all as the emblem of the meekness and forgiveness of Christ, who accepts the cross to show us the extent of God's love for humanity. The cross is the very place where God's love is revealed: "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father" (Jn 14:9), Jesus said to Philip. Christ crucified shows God's tenderness, despite the hatred of men. That is why we can say that the cross is glorious: because it is the place where perfect love is manifested, that is, God himself, a God great enough to make himself small in order to share the life of men despite misunderstanding and hatred: he does not flee from his executioners and forgives from the height of the Cross. Those who accept to fall to their knees before such greatness are transformed forever: "But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to become children of God, to those who believe in his name" (Jn 1:12).

+ Giovanni D'Ercole

House on the Rock or practitioners of vain things

(Lk 6:43-49)

Pope Francis said: «In order to give Himself to us, God often chooses unthinkable paths, perhaps those of our limits, our tears, our defeats».

Hasty builders are content to build directly on the ground; paying attention only to what is seen and experienced (on the spot). They do not dig the house to the core - deep down, in the gold of themselves.

In the inner world everything is reversed: the primacy is of Grace, which displaces, because it takes into account only the essential, inexplicable reality - and our dignified autonomy.

«Too pure water has no fish» [Ts'ai Ken T'an]. Accepting ourselves will complete us: it will make us recover the co-present sides, opposite and shadowed. It’s the leap of the deep Faith.

Jesus aims to arouse in people a critical conscience about banal and external solutions, something common among the leaders of ancient religiosity.

To build a new Kingdom, the public liturgies abounding in beautiful signs and resounding social greetings are not enough - not even the most striking gifts.

False security is what makes you feel quiet. There is no sick or inmate worse than the one who thinks he’s healthy, arrived and not infected: only here there is no therapy, nor revival.

It will be seen in the moment of the storm, when it will be evident the need to translate the personal relationship with the Lord into life, starting from the ability to welcome gambling.

Merits not grounded in intimately firm beliefs will not hold the whirlwind of trial.

Are there foundations behind a front of butterflies? You understand it in the storm, and if you become «rock» even for the invisible - not tourists of the "spirit" who praise praise and do not risk.

Security doesn’t come from adapting to customs and obligations, nor from being admired (at least) like others, which makes the Common House unhealthy.

Our specific and hallmark of the Faith is not an identity drawn from protocols or the manners - it plays on appearances and not on the only strong point: the attitude of pilgrims in Christ.

We are only firm in the prophetic royal priestly dignity, which is given to us in an unrepeatable Gift and will never be the fruit of deriving from consent.

We live to follow a deep Vocation: Root, Spring and Engine of our most intimate fibers; related to the dreams and naturalness of each one.

Only relying on the soul is an authentic platform, true salvation and medicine.

The Mission will reach the existential peripheries, starting from the Core.

It seems senseless, paradoxical, incredible, but for every Called the Rock on which he can and must build his way of taking the field... is Freedom.

[Saturday 23rd wk.  in O.T.  September 13, 2025]

The strength of the inner world, even in its depths

(Lk 6:43-49)

Pope Francis said: "God often chooses unimaginable ways to give himself to us, perhaps those of our limitations, our tears, our defeats."

The Lord's call is not Manichean, but profound.

Our behaviour has fascinating roots. The light and shadows of our being remain in dynamic relation.

Sometimes, however, our discomforts or distortions are the result of an excess of 'light' - detached from its opposite. 

This excess is readily associated with the pretence of exorcising the dark side within us, which we would like to hide for social reasons.

We feel that our calling card should only reflect our bright, relaxed, serious and high-performing side.

Perhaps a moral style that is completely upright - at least at first glance.

However, those who become attached to their bright side and even try to promote it for reasons of appearance (even ecclesiastical), established culture, habit (even religious), risk strengthening the opposite side.

Be careful: in every person there is always a side that fails, that does not succeed; and it is not one-sided.

Perhaps it is precisely in those who preach goodness that there is the greatest danger of neglecting its coexisting opposite - which sooner or later will burst forth and find its space.

Blowing up the whole house of cards. But to achieve something alternative and absolutely not artificial.

For those who embark on a path of 'perfection', their counterpart seems only a danger.

And conditioned by models, we continue to play [our already identified 'part'].

Yet the dark side hides resources that the light side does not have.

In the dark side, we read our character seed.

Here lies the therapy and healing from the discomforts we rush to hide (in our family, with friends, in the community, at work).

The dark aspects [selfishness, coldness, closed-mindedness, introversion, sadness] lurk within; there is no point in denying it.

It is worth considering them instead as a source of characterising primordial energies.

It is in fact concealment - sometimes depression itself - that makes us find unimaginable solutions.

As if we were a grain planted in the ground, wanting to exist. And ultimately wanting a natural life, to develop its abilities.

It is precisely the emotions we dislike and detest – like muddy, dark earth – that reconnect us with our deepest essence.

In short, unpleasant emotional states are the well from which other ideas, other guiding 'images', new insights and different lifeblood come to us. And changes.

Light does not possess all possibilities, all dynamism. Indeed, it often seems to be presented [by traditions themselves] in a fictitious, reductive way.

In chiaroscuro, on the other hand, we no longer pretend. Because it is the foundation of the house of the soul.

We consider all this for a solid harmony that comes from within.

Paradoxes of personal vocation: if we did not follow it in its entirety, we would continue to follow wrong ideas or the styles of others.

And we would become ill. Evil will take over.

If we are structured around an abstract, local or false identity, then the storm could destroy everything.

In our trials and errors, we must keep all aspects close at hand - those we have learned to know over time and realised are part of us.

This will change the solidity of our relationship with ourselves, others, nature, history, and the world.

The harmony between conduct and intention of the heart overcomes hypocrisy, but conformity between word and life is not achieved by practising automatisms or surrendering to the convictions of others.

In the post-lockdown period, we are becoming acutely aware of this.

It was once thought that education (especially of young people) also shaped the soul, and that everything naturally flowed into choices: into means, results, external works, and even dreams: 'Tell me what you do and I will tell you who you are'.

Instead, qualitative harmony with the Mystery and the Word of Christ is not achieved by setting things up, but is found within (each of us) enigmatically, and starting from the depths - as a pure secret Gift, for creative independence.

Haste, fear of failure, a culture of concatenation and stability, resolutions (even 'spiritual' ones) or, conversely, the lure of tranquillity; aims, the desire to be recognised, lack of detachment, ambition, fear of being excluded, difficulty in shifting one's gaze... all lead to ignorance of the Mystery.

Devoid of depth, we will be condemned to never dig deep, not even within ourselves; perpetually at the mercy of particular roles, spheres and events; of occasional or local relationships.

Hasty builders are content to build directly on the ground, paying attention only to what they see and experience (on the spot). They do not dig the house down to its core - deep down, into the gold of themselves.In the inner world and its hidden power, everything is turned upside down: primacy belongs to Grace, which is unsettling because it takes into account only the essential, inexplicable reality - and our dignified autonomy.

The rest will unfortunately be destined to collapse disastrously, because it is not based on the Word, on character [albeit magmatic, but strongly potential]... nor on the vocational relationship with God and things, or on the most genuine communion [conviviality and shared richness of differences].

We are experiencing a laceration, even in times of emergency: the inner world is stronger and more convincing, yet the exterior does not want to give way to immediate goals. In fact, we are still attracted to them.

But we know full well that the latter do not reactivate any stage of specific weight, as our young inner being spontaneously does - almost like a child we are carrying in gestation.

In general, even on the spiritual path, we immediately fall into the coveted persona we would like to be: here we do not grow, we are only excited by futilities, nor do we realise that they are not our 'owners'.

Of course, the immediate external goal does not suffer from the wait for the long and necessary evolution of having to give birth to oneself (even in anguish and loneliness), stage after stage, which is activated and reactivated without comfort and security.

Yet we were born to fly, not to follow in others' footsteps and become photocopies in our souls.

So everything that matters will be in the oscillation, because a path of personal specific weight is configured according to the gift of our exceptionality.

And uniqueness can be achieved in the process of every side of ourselves, every aspect of our personality - even those that are apparently petty or superficial. Even those that are unflattering from the point of view of religious tranquillity; which will also have had its value.

Jesus does not intend to distinguish the good from the bad [cf. vv.15-20 and parallel passage in Lk 6:43-45] in a trivial way: he wants us to live fully, in integral uniqueness, and to perceive well.

The Lord does not propose an imprisoned destiny; rather, a reversal of meaning.

His is a warning to sharpen our gaze and focus it inward—not to leave it outside, observing ephemeral results, those that are obvious and sensational; and then that's it, don't live too many shocks... as if we were in a relaxation zone.

The unit of measurement in Christ is not what is immediately perceptible to the eye, nor is it 'progress' in itself, but rather 'the value of each part'.

It is precisely the awareness of limits that becomes a transformative principle within us. And every imperfection calls for Exodus.

To deny one's own boundaries means to allow oneself to be hijacked by common opinions, devoid of Mystery - with horizons reduced to a single 'word'.

It is, for example, the severe crisis that stimulates the upheaval of a system that is ostentatious but competitive and dehumanising, with corrupt inner principles - even though they once appeared to us as absolutes.

Why not be satisfied, if we are generally doing well? Because forced identification has taken away Freedom, even the freedom to admit that we are made of light and shadow.

It is not the disorder that deprives women and men of eloquent vocational emancipation.

Everyone who beats their chest does so in a particular way; and recognises themselves in symbiosis with their own Name.

Then, at every age of life - as in every era - there is a 'sin', which is not a monster but a symptom that speaks precisely of the personal, moral, cultural and social calling.

Even if we do not like it, this oscillation must be understood, not criticised and accused.

I would even say welcomed and reworked - not simplistically rejected, with attitudes of artificial distance or gestures of ambiguous virtue, which make them external and bring us back to square one.

Today, the lack of a full life and beautiful relationships, the general upheaval, the restlessness of the soul - nervousness, dissatisfaction - force us to abandon both the ancient and fascinating devout certainties and the disembodied sophistications 'à la page'.

All in favour of concrete and personal situations, within the horizon of a unique vocation and the leap of faith that opens up to coexistence.

'Water that is too pure has no fish' [Ts'ai Ken T'an].

Accepting ourselves without reservation will introduce us to a dizzying, astonishing experience: with the amazement produced by the recovery of coexisting, opposing and shadowed sides. As many as our brothers and sisters.

Perhaps we will find that they are the most activating and fruitful.

Not the ethics of perfection and approved distinctions, but rather the reviled chaos and our inner demons will paradoxically become the best companions on our journey, and the only true ones; leaders of an amazing Mission.

After all, our works are the fruit of our thoughts and desires. The latter certainly spring from a good, varied education, but not in a mechanical sense.

Here too, it is essential not to be thwarted. Poor discernment destroys the authentic Rock, which coincides with one's own spontaneous Guide to completeness.

The stable foundation of our journey is the Freedom to welcome and the Freedom to correspond to the unique character - our own - of the instinct to fulfil ourselves.

In fact, Jesus distances himself not only from ancient religion, but even from the rather crude messianic strands of early times (e.g. James 3:11-12).

This does not mean that the Master rejects the profound spirit of the ancient Holy Scriptures; on the contrary, he grasps their heart: Qo 3:14; 7:13-18; Sir 37:13-15 [and many other passages (incredible for the mentality in which we have been educated)].

Therefore, it is not enough to say, 'Lord, Lord' (v. 46). It is not enough to formally recognise the Son of God.

We must examine his Call in our being, make it our own and understand it fully, so that it is not corrupted and distorted into inessential forms of childish external conformity.

In insecurity, many people demand expressions of power, seek overt strength; they are content with moral paradigms, look for forms of immediate assurance, or crave renowned guides [who perpetuate and comfort their defensive path].

Paralysing illusions... even on the path of Faith.

On this path, one does not build the expected happiness, nor any solidity, but rather, day after day, one's own sadness - as is evident from too many events, and ultimately from the most hidden forms of compensation (now unmasked).

There is no guru who can put things right at the root.

Our Seed is what it is: we must discover its virtues, especially the unexpected ones - those that derive from the essence and from magmatic and plastic forms of energies that are even opposed.

It is useless to 'heal' oneself according to a conformist standard that does not belong to one's personal Core.

The soul has an autonomous life, suspended from contexts and distances; it exists both inside and outside the passing of time - like Love. 

Each person is a multiplicity of coexisting faces - to which space must be given for greater completeness.

This is what matters, and allying oneself with one's own limitations: embracing what the surrounding environment or the conventionalist cultural paradigm - which defends its territory - may consider inconclusive (and so on).

We guard other boundaries.

What we dislike is perhaps our best part.

In any case, giving voice to tensions means finally being able to name them, to welcome them with dignity - so that they may enjoy more complete joys.

And let them cross the threshold of the joy of living, and therefore of authentic reliability.

By sweeping away the anxiety of imperfection, we will find a more harmonious, energetic steadfastness.

By welcoming fragility along with rebellion, we will not live half-heartedly; on the contrary, we will experience the fullness of being (vital and lively).

Not always feeling trapped, we will be able to fly away.

But we can immediately realise that certain peaceful situations are counterfeit constraints and traps for the soul: in the radical discomforts that arise.

Many continue in vain to seek futile confirmation: in the search for extraordinary gifts or in meticulous observance, or in fashions of thought. All external realities.

However, this is not the pedagogy that educates and launches life in the Spirit outside of extrinsic mechanisms.

Nor is it enough to 'do God's will' in a disciplined manner but without friendly awareness of ourselves in order to truly overcome the storms.

No form of inculcated exteriority can convince us.

Nor can it make us become a 'rock' - or a small bulwark - to persuade, empower and strengthen others.

The difference between common religiosity and personal faith?

Life in its humanising and divine state of preciousness opens up varied paths - even abysmal ones, but full of inner experiences; of unimaginable searches and discoveries, where we can be ourselves.

In the sphere of Faith, there are no longer sacred times, places, knowledge, or models—all superficial if rigid—that are not also new and personal.

Union with the Lord, the Rock from which we were cut and extracted, is neither binary nor a groove, but a fundamental option.

It leaves the reins loose on each person's particular inclinations and colours.

With the entire Discourse on the Plain (vv. 17ff.) - now coming to an end - Jesus aims to awaken in people a critical awareness of trivial and external solutions. This is common among the leaders of popular and official ancient religiosity.

To build a new Kingdom, it is not enough to have public liturgies overflowing with beautiful signs and the right creed, and sensational social obeisance - not even the most ostentatious gifts.

False security is that of those who profess... but only perform conformist acts and reflect aligned ideas - and therefore feel they are okay.

There is no one more sick or reclusive than those who consider themselves healthy, accomplished and uninfected: only here is there no therapy, no revival.This will be seen in times of turmoil, when the need to translate one's personal relationship with the Lord into life will become evident, starting with oneself and one's ability to embrace the risk of Love.

Merits that are not rooted in deeply held convictions - gestures produced by intrigue, calculation and artificial attitudes - will not withstand the whirlwind of trial.

'Practisers of vain things', that is, insubstantial things (this is the meaning of the Greek text that introduces the parallel passage in Matthew 7:23): they are the standard-bearers of an empty spirituality which, despite its veneer, even spectacular aspects, has nothing to do with God.

According to convenience, the 'masters' who stand in the way of personal developments seem willing to renounce any commitment, plotting the reversal of their own proclamations - because they are prisoners in this regard [rather than how they appear: leaders].

They do not yet reveal the divine Face, but rather a populist and calculating opposite.

They live to get by - together with the club they belong to - and obtain only immediate recognition, obeisance, and handouts of consensus around them.

And this despite the great disciplines of censorship they advocate:

They do not correct the separation between teaching and personal commitment: they may preach the true God and (always) great things every day – but as if it were their job.

The schemers multiply high-sounding or symbolic formulas and gestures, like soporific or exciting drugs... but they are the first not to believe what they say and repeatedly impose on others.

Full of obtuse demands on people, they do not understand the Father, God of the desperate, exiled and mocked, who resurrects the unchosen - those deprived of a future; not those assured of life, commanded by self-interest and appearances.

Are there foundations behind a facade of butterflies? This can be understood in the test, and if one becomes a 'rock' even for the invisible - not spiritual tourists who praise (v.46) and take no risks.

Therefore, security does not come from conforming to customs and obligations, nor from being admired (at least) as much as others. Fiction that makes the common home unhealthy.

Our specific and defining feature of Faith is not a 'cultural' identity drawn from protocols or mainstream manners - a plot that plays on appearances and not on the only strong point: the attitude of pilgrims in Christ.

We are steadfast only in the prophetic, regal priestly dignity that is given as an unrepeatable gift and will never be the result of consensus.

Nor is it the result of appearances, of saying and not saying, of building oneself up, of adapting to the forces at play, of struggling to stay afloat.

We live to follow a profound vocation: the root, spring and motor of our innermost fibres; related to the dreams and naturalness of each one of us.

Only trusting in the soul is an authentic platform, true salvation and medicine.

The Mission will reach the existential peripheries, starting from the Core.

It seems senseless, paradoxical, incredible, but for every Called one, the Rock on which he can and must build his way of taking the field... is Freedom.

To internalise and live the message:

When the storm hits your house, do you imagine a great fall? What is the rock on which your community is built? Is it interested in your naturalness or does it want to standardise you?

Do you know people with strong prophetic, apostolic or thaumaturgical activity, who give the impression of an extraordinary or circumstantial familiarity with God, perhaps only apparent?

What do you think is the reason for this? Do you think they have ever truly surrendered to themselves and to the quintessence of their Calling by Name?

1. At the source of your deepest aspirations

In every period of history, including our own, many young people experience a deep desire for personal relationships marked by truth and solidarity. Many of them yearn to build authentic friendships, to know true love, to start a family that will remain united, to achieve personal fulfilment and real security, all of which are the guarantee of a serene and happy future. In thinking of my own youth, I realize that stability and security are not the questions that most occupy the minds of young people. True enough, it is important to have a job and thus to have firm ground beneath our feet, yet the years of our youth are also a time when we are seeking to get the most out of life. When I think back on that time, I remember above all that we were not willing to settle for a conventional middle-class life. We wanted something great, something new. We wanted to discover life itself, in all its grandeur and beauty. Naturally, part of that was due to the times we lived in. During the Nazi dictatorship and the war, we were, so to speak, “hemmed in” by the dominant power structure. So we wanted to break out into the open, to experience the whole range of human possibilities. I think that, to some extent, this urge to break out of the ordinary is present in every generation. Part of being young is desiring something beyond everyday life and a secure job, a yearning for something really truly greater. Is this simply an empty dream that fades away as we become older? No! Men and women were created for something great, for infinity. Nothing else will ever be enough. Saint Augustine was right when he said “our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you”. The desire for a more meaningful life is a sign that God created us and that we bear his “imprint”. God is life, and that is why every creature reaches out towards life. Because human beings are made in the image of God, we do this in a unique and special way. We reach out for love, joy and peace. So we can see how absurd it is to think that we can truly live by removing God from the picture! God is the source of life. To set God aside is to separate ourselves from that source and, inevitably, to deprive ourselves of fulfilment and joy: “without the Creator, the creature fades into nothingness” (Second Vatican Council, Gaudium et Spes, 36). In some parts of the world, particularly in the West, today’s culture tends to exclude God, and to consider faith a purely private issue with no relevance for the life of society. Even though the set of values underpinning society comes from the Gospel – values like the sense of the dignity of the person, of solidarity, of work and of the family –, we see a certain “eclipse of God” taking place, a kind of amnesia which, albeit not an outright rejection of Christianity, is nonetheless a denial of the treasure of our faith, a denial that could lead to the loss of our deepest identity.

For this reason, dear friends, I encourage you to strengthen your faith in God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. You are the future of society and of the Church! As the Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians of Colossae, it is vital to have roots, a solid foundation! This is particularly true today. Many people have no stable points of reference on which to build their lives, and so they end up deeply insecure. There is a growing mentality of relativism, which holds that everything is equally valid, that truth and absolute points of reference do not exist. But this way of thinking does not lead to true freedom, but rather to instability, confusion and blind conformity to the fads of the moment. As young people, you are entitled to receive from previous generations solid points of reference to help you to make choices and on which to build your lives: like a young plant which needs solid support until it can sink deep roots and become a sturdy tree capable of bearing fruit.

2. Planted and built up in Jesus Christ

In order to highlight the importance of faith in the lives of believers, I would like to reflect with you on each of the three terms used by Saint Paul in the expression: “Planted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in the faith” (cf. Col 2:7). We can distinguish three images: “planted” calls to mind a tree and the roots that feed it; “built up” refers to the construction of a house; “firm” indicates growth in physical or moral strength. These images are very eloquent. Before commenting on them, I would like to point out that grammatically all three terms in the original text are in the passive voice. This means that it is Christ himself who takes the initiative to plant, build up and confirm the faithful.

The first image is that of a tree which is firmly planted thanks to its roots, which keep it upright and give it nourishment. Without those roots, it would be blown away by the wind and would die. What are our roots? Naturally our parents, our families and the culture of our country are very important elements of our personal identity. But the Bible reveals a further element. The prophet Jeremiah wrote: “Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit” (Jer 17:7-8). For the prophet, to send out roots means to put one’s trust in God. From him we draw our life. Without him, we cannot truly live. “God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” (1 Jn 5:11). Jesus himself tells us that he is our life (cf. Jn 14:6). Consequently, Christian faith is not only a matter of believing that certain things are true, but above all a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is an encounter with the Son of God that gives new energy to the whole of our existence. When we enter into a personal relationship with him, Christ reveals our true identity and, in friendship with him, our life grows towards complete fulfilment. There is a moment, when we are young, when each of us wonders: what meaning does my life have? What purpose and direction should I give to it? This is a very important moment, and it can worry us, perhaps for some time. We start wondering about the kind of work we should take up, the kind of relationships we should establish, the friendships we should cultivate... Here, once more, I think of my own youth. I was somehow aware quite early on that the Lord wanted me to be a priest. Then later, after the war, when I was in the seminary and at university on the way towards that goal, I had to recapture that certainty. I had to ask myself: is this really the path I was meant to take? Is this really God’s will for me? Will I be able to remain faithful to him and completely at his service? A decision like this demands a certain struggle. It cannot be otherwise. But then came the certainty: this is the right thing! Yes, the Lord wants me, and he will give me strength. If I listen to him and walk with him, I become truly myself. What counts is not the fulfilment of my desires, but of his will. In this way life becomes authentic.

Just as the roots of a tree keep it firmly planted in the soil, so the foundations of a house give it long-lasting stability. Through faith, we have been built up in Jesus Christ (cfr Col 2:7), even as a house is built on its foundations. Sacred history provides many examples of saints who built their lives on the word of God. The first is Abraham, our father in faith, who obeyed God when he was asked to leave his ancestral home and to set out for an unknown land. “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness, and he was called the friend of God” (Jas 2:23). Being built up in Jesus Christ means responding positively to God’s call, trusting in him and putting his word into practice. Jesus himself reprimanded his disciples: “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’, and do not do what I tell you?” (Lk 6:46). He went on to use the image of building a house: “I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, listens to my words, and acts on them. That one is like a person building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when the flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it because it had been well built” (Lk 6:47-48).

Dear friends, build your own house on rock, just like the person who “dug deeply”. Try each day to follow Christ’s word. Listen to him as a true friend with whom you can share your path in life. With him at your side, you will find courage and hope to face difficulties and problems, and even to overcome disappointments and set-backs. You are constantly being offered easier choices, but you yourselves know that these are ultimately deceptive and cannot bring you serenity and joy. Only the word of God can show us the authentic way, and only the faith we have received is the light which shines on our path. Gratefully accept this spiritual gift which you have received from your families; strive to respond responsibly to God’s call, and to grow in your faith. Do not believe those who tell you that you don’t need others to build up your life! Find support in the faith of those who are dear to you, in the faith of the Church, and thank the Lord that you have received it and have made it your own!

3. Firm in the faith 

You are “planted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in the faith” (cf. Col 2:7). The Letter from which these words are taken was written by Saint Paul in order to respond to a specific need of the Christians in the city of Colossae. That community was threatened by the influence of certain cultural trends that were turning the faithful away from the Gospel. Our own cultural context, dear young people, is not unlike that of the ancient Colossians. Indeed, there is a strong current of secularist thought that aims to make God marginal in the lives of people and society by proposing and attempting to create a “paradise” without him. Yet experience tells us that a world without God becomes a “hell”: filled with selfishness, broken families, hatred between individuals and nations, and a great deficit of love, joy and hope. On the other hand, wherever individuals and nations accept God’s presence, worship him in truth and listen to his voice, then the civilization of love is being built, a civilization in which the dignity of all is respected, and communion increases, with all its benefits. Yet some Christians allow themselves to be seduced by secularism or attracted by religious currents that draw them away from faith in Jesus Christ. There are others who, while not yielding to these enticements, have simply allowed their faith to grow cold, with inevitable negative effects on their moral lives.

To those Christians influenced by ideas alien to the Gospel the Apostle Paul spoke of the power of Christ’s death and resurrection. This mystery is the foundation of our lives and the centre of Christian faith. All philosophies that disregard it and consider it “foolishness” (1 Cor 1:23) reveal their limitations with respect to the great questions deep in the hearts of human beings. As the Successor of the Apostle Peter, I too want to confirm you in the faith (cf. Lk 22:32). We firmly believe that Jesus Christ offered himself on the Cross in order to give us his love. In his passion, he bore our sufferings, took upon himself our sins, obtained forgiveness for us and reconciled us with God the Father, opening for us the way to eternal life. Thus we were freed from the thing that most encumbers our lives: the slavery of sin. We can love everyone, even our enemies, and we can share this love with the poorest of our brothers and sisters and all those in difficulty.

Dear friends, the Cross often frightens us because it seems to be a denial of life. In fact, the opposite is true! It is God’s “yes” to mankind, the supreme expression of his love and the source from which eternal life flows. Indeed, it is from Jesus’ heart, pierced on the Cross, that this divine life streamed forth, ever accessible to those who raise their eyes towards the Crucified One. I can only urge you, then, to embrace the Cross of Jesus, the sign of God’s love, as the source of new life. Apart from Jesus Christ risen from the dead, there can be no salvation! He alone can free the world from evil and bring about the growth of the Kingdom of justice, peace and love to which we all aspire.

4. Believing in Jesus Christ without having seen him

In the Gospel we find a description of the Apostle Thomas’s experience of faith when he accepted the mystery of the Cross and resurrection of Christ. Thomas was one of the twelve Apostles. He followed Jesus and was an eyewitness of his healings and miracles. He listened to his words, and he experienced dismay at Jesus’ death. That Easter evening when the Lord appeared to the disciples, Thomas was not present. When he was told that Jesus was alive and had shown himself, Thomas stated: “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe” (Jn 20:25).

We too want to be able to see Jesus, to speak with him and to feel his presence even more powerfully. For many people today, it has become difficult to approach Jesus. There are so many images of Jesus in circulation which, while claiming to be scientific, detract from his greatness and the uniqueness of his person. That is why, after many years of study and reflection, I thought of sharing something of my own personal encounter with Jesus by writing a book. It was a way to help others see, hear and touch the Lord in whom God came to us in order to make himself known. Jesus himself, when he appeared again to his disciples a week later, said to Thomas: “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe” (Jn 20:27). We too can have tangible contact with Jesus and put our hand, so to speak, upon the signs of his Passion, the signs of his love. It is in the sacraments that he draws particularly near to us and gives himself to us. Dear young people, learn to “see” and to “meet” Jesus in the Eucharist, where he is present and close to us, and even becomes food for our journey. In the sacrament of Penance the Lord reveals his mercy and always grants us his forgiveness. Recognize and serve Jesus in the poor, the sick, and in our brothers and sisters who are in difficulty and in need of help.

Enter into a personal dialogue with Jesus Christ and cultivate it in faith. Get to know him better by reading the Gospels and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Converse with him in prayer, and place your trust in him. He will never betray that trust! “Faith is first of all a personal adherence of man to God. At the same time, and inseparably, it is a free assent to the whole truth that God has revealed” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 150). Thus you will acquire a mature and solid faith, one which will not be based simply on religious sentiment or on a vague memory of the catechism you studied as a child. You will come to know God and to live authentically in union with him, like the Apostle Thomas who showed his firm faith in Jesus in the words: “My Lord and my God!”.

5. Sustained by the faith of the Church, in order to be witnesses

Jesus said to Thomas: “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe” (Jn 20:29). He was thinking of the path the Church was to follow, based on the faith of eyewitnesses: the Apostles. Thus we come to see that our personal faith in Christ, which comes into being through dialogue with him, is bound to the faith of the Church. We do not believe as isolated individuals, but rather, through Baptism, we are members of this great family; it is the faith professed by the Church which reinforces our personal faith. The Creed that we proclaim at Sunday Mass protects us from the danger of believing in a God other than the one revealed by Christ: “Each believer is thus a link in the great chain of believers. I cannot believe without being carried by the faith of others, and by my faith I help support others in the faith” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 166). Let us always thank the Lord for the gift of the Church, for the Church helps us to advance securely in the faith that gives us true life (cf. Jn 20:31).

In the history of the Church, the saints and the martyrs have always drawn from the glorious Cross of Christ the strength to be faithful to God even to the point of offering their own lives. In faith they found the strength to overcome their weaknesses and to prevail over every adversity. Indeed, as the Apostle John says, “Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 Jn 5:5). The victory born of faith is that of love. There have been, and still are, many Christians who are living witnesses of the power of faith that is expressed in charity. They have been peacemakers, promoters of justice and workers for a more humane world, a world in accordance with God’s plan. With competence and professionalism, they have been committed in different sectors of the life of society, contributing effectively to the welfare of all. The charity that comes from faith led them to offer concrete witness by their actions and words. Christ is not a treasure meant for us alone; he is the most precious treasure we have, one that is meant to be shared with others. In our age of globalization, be witnesses of Christian hope all over the world. How many people long to receive this hope! Standing before the tomb of his friend Lazarus, who had died four days earlier, as he was about to call the dead man back to life, Jesus said to Lazarus’ sister Martha: “If you believe, you will see the glory of God” (cf. Jn 11:40). In the same way, if you believe, and if you are able to live out your faith and bear witness to it every day, you will become a means of helping other young people like yourselves to find the meaning and joy of life, which is born of an encounter with Christ!

[Pope Benedict, Message for the 26th World Youth Day, 2011]

3. What does Christ say in this regard in the Gospel we have heard today? At the end of the Sermon on the Mount he said: “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded upon the rock” (Mt 7:24-25). The opposite of the man who built on the rock is the man who built upon sand. The house he built could not stand. Faced with trials and difficulties, it fell. This is what Christ teaches us.

A house built upon rock. The building that is one’s life. How should it be built so that it does not collapse under the pressure of this world’s events? How should this building be built so that from being an “earthly dwelling” it may become “a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Cor 5:1)? Today we hear the reply to these fundamental questions of faith: at the basis of the Christian building there is the hearing and keeping of the word of Christ. And in speaking of “the word of Christ” we have in mind not only his teaching, the parables and promises, but also his works, the signs, the miracles. And above all his Death, the Resurrection and the Descent of the Holy Spirit. Further still: we have in mind the Son of God himself, the eternal Word of the Father, in the mystery of the Incarnation: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn 1:14).

[Pope John Paul II, Biskupia Góra (Pelplin), 6 June 1999]

Base your life 'on the rock of God' and on the 'concreteness' of action and self-giving, rather than 'on appearances or vanity' or on the corrupt culture of 'recommendations'. This is the advice that Pope Francis suggested — during Mass celebrated at Santa Marta on Thursday 6 December — in order to live the Advent season consistently.

These are simple yet demanding guidelines that the Pontiff drew from the readings of the day, in which three significant groups of contrasting words are found: 'saying and doing', 'sand and rock', 'high and low'.

Regarding the first group — 'saying and doing' — the Pontiff immediately recalled the words of the Gospel of Matthew (7:21): "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father." And he explained: "One enters the kingdom of heaven, matures spiritually, and advances in the Christian life by doing, not by saying." In fact, "saying is a way of believing, but sometimes very superficial, halfway there": as when "I say I am a Christian but I do not do the things of a Christian." It is a kind of "pretence," because "just saying is a trick," it is "saying without doing."

Instead, "Jesus' proposal is concreteness." And so, "when someone approached him and asked for advice," he always proposed "concrete things." After all, the Pope added, "works of mercy are concrete." And again: "Jesus did not say, 'Go home and think about the poor, think about prisoners, think about the sick': no. Go: visit them."

This is the contrast between doing and saying. It is necessary to highlight this because "so often we slip, not only personally but socially, into the culture of saying". In this regard, Francis pointed to a practice that is unfortunately widespread, that linked to the "culture of recommendations". It happens, for example, that for a university competition, "someone who has almost no merits" is chosen over many talented professors; "and if you ask, 'But why this one? What about the others who are talented...?' - 'Because this one was recommended by a cardinal, you know... the big fish...'". The Pope commented: 'I don't want to think badly, but under the table of a recommendation there is always an envelope'. This is just one example of the prevalence of 'saying': 'it's not merit, it's not doing what gets you ahead, no: it's saying. Faking your life." And this is precisely "one of the contradictions that today's liturgy teaches us: do, don't say." In fact, the Pope explained, concluding this first part of his reflection, "Jesus advises" us to "do without saying: when you give alms, when you pray... in secret, without saying so. Do, don't say."

The second comparison refers to an image used by Jesus in the Gospel: 'a wise man builds his house on rock, not on sand'. The parable has its own evidence: 'Sand is not solid. A storm, winds, rivers, many things, rain cause a house built on sand to fall. Sand is a weak foundation." The Pontiff explained: "Sand is the consequence of saying: I put on a facade, as a Christian, I build a life for myself but without foundations. Vanity, vanity is saying many things, or showing myself without foundation, on sand." Instead, we must 'build on rock'. In this regard, the Pope invited us to grasp the beauty of the first reading of the day, taken from Isaiah (26:1-6), where we read: 'Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord is an eternal rock'.

This is a contrast closely linked to that between saying and doing, because "so often, those who trust in the Lord do not appear, are not successful, are hidden... but they are steadfast. They do not place their hope in words, in vanity, in pride, in the ephemeral powers of life," but entrust themselves to the Lord, "the rock." Francis explained: "The concreteness of Christian life makes us move forward and build on that rock that is God, that is Jesus; on the solidity of divinity. Not on appearances or vanity, pride, recommendations... No. The truth."

Finally, the "third group," where the concepts of "high and low" are confronted. Once again, the passage from Isaiah guides our meditation: "Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord is an eternal rock, for he has brought down those who dwelt on high, he has overturned the lofty city, he has overturned it to the ground, he has levelled it to the ground. Feet trample it down: the feet of the oppressed, the steps of the poor." It is a passage, the Pontiff pointed out, that recalls the "song of Our Lady, the Magnificat: the Lord lifts up the humble, those who are in the reality of everyday life, and brings down the proud, those who have built their lives on vanity, pride... these do not last." And the expression, Francis emphasised, "is very strong, even in the Magnificat the word 'overthrown' is used, and even stronger: that great beautiful city is trampled underfoot. By whom? By the feet of the oppressed and the steps of the poor." That is, the Lord "exalts the poor, exalts the humble."

The category of 'high and low', the Pope added in his commentary, is also used by Jesus, for example, when he 'speaks of Satan: "I saw Satan fall from heaven." And it is the expression of a 'definitive judgement on the proud, on the vain, on those who boast of being something but are pure air'.

Concluding his homily, Francis invited us to accompany the season of Advent with reflection on "these three groups of words that contrast with each other. Say or do? Am I a Christian of saying or doing? Sand and rock: do I build my life on the rock of God or on the sand of worldliness, of vanity? High and low: am I humble, do I always try to start from the bottom, without pride, and thus serve the Lord?" It will be helpful to answer these questions; and, he added, also to take up the Gospel of Luke and pray "with the song of Our Lady, with the Magnificat, which is a summary of today's message."

[Pope Francis, St. Martha's House, in L'Osservatore Romano, 6 December 2018]

(Lk 6:39-42)

«How much our human family needs to learn to live together in harmony and peace, without all of us having to be the same!» (Pope Francis FT n.100).

In the assemblies of the first centuries the baptized were called «enlightened», people capable of orienting themselves, choosing and making autonomous.

The Lord did not allow his followers to take on the role of "guides" in the life of others (v.39).

The apostles of all times must only announce and remain disciples, that is, pupils of the Spirit - not experts.

God's Way is Christ himself. Person that can’t be communicated by teachers.

Global Truth: it is not an “information” that fills empty heads and useless events redundant with exteriority.

The context of today's passage abolishes judgment, in the ideal of a ‘personal’ existence transformed into wealth and gift - which ridicules any tendency of domination.

No one is master of the fate and personality of those who do not orient themselves, otherwise everyone goes astray (v. 39) - even with the best of intentions.

Jesus himself neither commanded nor directed, but educated and helped.

The rabbis got paid: He offered everything, living with his disciples [for mutual identification, but with a wide mesh].

Transparent and creative attitude: this is the true and only norm of conduct for the apostles of all times, often unable to grasp their own blindness - because they are still one-sided.

Again, of a plant it’s not the size and appearance that count, but the Fruit (vv. 43-45).

All the more reason to re-emphasize that church animators are not superior to others, nor are they the repositories of absolute truths.

In fact, Jesus is incomparable: Master sui generis (v.40).

He does not have a classroom furnished with a Chair and desks. And he still teaches along the way: there introduces us to meet ourselves, our brothers and the surrounding reality; in a process, on a journey.

He doesn’t hold quiet glossary, compilation or moralistic lessons: He amazes.

He does not reinterpret the quagmire of archaic knowledge, customs and dispositions - or fashions - authentic «beams» (vv.41-42) poked into the free eye of the soul, which deform its gaze.

He proposes his Person and his Life. As well as his reproaches - but precisely those and not other [obvious] volatile as «motes» (vv.41-42).

This while the false teachers considered themselves friends of God and recipients of obvious recognition.

From how they behaved, they seemed to feel distinctly superior not only to the people, but to the Master himself (v.40).

So He dubbed them for what they are: «hypocrites» (v.42). In the Greek language it means actors, people who act.

Jesus warns his followers [who in words gladly call him Lord: v.46] against presuming to be captains of the troop.

There is only one Master who directs and knows where to go; and each person is ‘unique’ - perhaps inexperienced and believed to be blind, but who ‘sees’ better than the big names.

These, from their bad treasure, will bring out - just around the corner - the «ugly and corrupt» for others too (vv. 43-45; Greek text).

Instead, the man of Faith still experiences a new Beauty inside, which wants to express itself and remain at first hand - not be satisfied with tearing a "mediocre draw".

Worst of ditches (v.39) in which we fall together.

«We are absolutely lost if we lack this particular Individuality, the only thing we can truly say ours and whose loss also constitutes a loss for the whole world. It’s very precious, precisely because it is not universal» (Tagore).

[Friday 23th wk. in O.T.  September 12, 2025]

Jesus and the mania for ruling

Lk 6:39-42 (39-45)

"How much our human family needs to learn to live together in harmony and peace without all being equal!" (Pope Francis FT no.100).

To live fraternally and wisely, it is not enough to be together in twos, threes, tens or more: we could be like so many blind people who do not know how to dwell with themselves.

In such a case, relationship life becomes outward and can become empty - just full of judgement: taxing, obstinate and pedestrian.

Then resentment arises within, at being forced into a manic space that does not correspond to us.

The inevitable malaise begins to decline if and when the very person who co-ordinates the group or the company lives its being close with extreme modesty, with a sense of its own boundaries.

The Way of the Spirit is in fact a vocational initiative-response to the need for authentic guidance.

Authentic pastors only help when they question themselves before others, when they do not remain entangled in an exercise of vacuous indoctrination and moralism that exacerbates souls and irritates.

Thus, the inner Friend who infallibly leads souls is indeed meant to be reflected in the 'teachers' - but to the extent that they introduce us to encounter ourselves and the wisdom of Scripture (more willingly than to indulge in our own megalomaniac pursuits).

Commenting on the Tao xxix, Master Ho-shang Kung points out (of those who want to be rulers of the world):

"He wants to rule creatures by action. In my opinion he will not succeed, for the Way of Heaven and the hearts of men are clear.

The Way of Heaven [Perfection of Harmony] detests confusion [concerning one's own nature, spontaneously expressed] and impurity [artifice], the human heart detests too many lusts.

The ancient chosen people found themselves hard of heart, lost and without a horizon, because they were misguided by fiscal and earthy religious leaders.

Their obtrusive and contrived blindness was the concrete downfall of the destiny and quality of life of the entire nation.

Jesus appeals to the apostles so that his assemblies of the naive, humble and bewildered would not come to the same end - because of a lack of righteousness on the part of community leaders.

The latter - if inebriated with self-satisfaction - sometimes instead of humanising, promoting and cheering up the existence of the common people, willingly suffocate it with minutiae and deviate towards nothingness.

The Lord absolutely does not want the animators of his fraternities to allow themselves the luxury of making themselves superior to others and masters of the truth. Gospel truth is not something one has, but something one does.

The Master is not one who gives lessons: he accompanies his students and lives with them; he does not limit himself to manners.

He does not teach various subjects, etiquette, mannerisms, good manners: rather, he transmits the living and global Person of Christ - even that without etiquette - not depersonalising the disciple.

In short, the Risen One is not just an example to be imitated, a model that makes one take on commitments and minutiae, a founder of an institute, of a targeted ideology, or of religion (grammar, doctrine, style and discipline).

In Jesus we are called to identify ourselves - not 'by ear', nor by copying. Faith itself is a multifaceted relationship.

It impels us to reinterpret Christ in a new way; each of us in correlation with the history of life, new situations, events, cultural emergencies, sensitivities, the genius of the time.

It is the direct and personal experience of the Father as advocated by the Son. Conquest that upsets puerile, worldly or customary measures.

Scarcity and appropriation that allows us to recklessly grasp ourselves already redeemed, to pass from darkness to light without conditions or hammering.

That of the Lord is Light, fruit of the unprecedented and strong Action of the Spirit.

Intuition of the signs and Virtue that overcomes the disorientation of every misguided, if captive of opinions, petty things, solitary selfishness and otherwise.

Unexpected energy that nevertheless comes into play even through the swampy situations it feels to react to; and becomes regenerating power, unexpected life (of the saved already here and now).

Christ also calls for an inventive attitude in presenting oneself to one's brother - without preconceived, asphyxiating, morbid or cerebral schemes and codicils; without perhaps, just to welcome. 

An openness that is almost impossible if community ministers remain distracted or are already calibrated - thus unnecessarily rigid towards others.

They would then remain punctilious, more impatient than the pagan God they still have in their bodies and heads.

All of us, freely restored, have indeed been called by Name: in a special way - and to guide our brothers and sisters on fundamental options. As expert guides of the soul and intensity of relationship.

Not commanders and rulers without the possibility of reciprocation: but bread, support, nourishment, a shining sign of the Lord, a prod in favour of the lives of others.Church leaders must be very special points of reference and hinges of whimsical, regenerating communion - from which the persistence and tolerance of a superior power of reciprocity shines through.

The eye of the believer in Christ remains limpid and luminous because he finds ingenious Friends who introduce him to confront and reflect himself not with external and induced models (by opinions or intentions), but with the Word.

Conditioned by the bombardment of the 'external society' or by trivial vested interests, the same spiritual guide can on the contrary lose creative discernment.

Thus the old man reattaches himself, bound by short-lived hopes; so many petty and negligible trifles - finally he becomes "blind" again.

The kingdom of darkness unfortunately includes not only myopic, farsighted or astigmatic people, but above all those who see 'far' (as they say) but not the people before their eyes.

More quick-witted and organised than others, they take matters into their own hands.

For a long time, things in their company seem pleasant, but as they have no deep roots, they ultimately ruin the fate of the unwell.

They organise events or festivals, instead of upgrading from within, and sing the authentic song of a full, happy life for all.

Beyond the faults of sight, beware also of the 'measure': we are not called upon to become good-natured and impeccable gentlemen, nor are we called upon to become slightly more circumspect and 'concrete' renunciates.

All these are already old failures, which do not look the present in the face and do not open up the future.

We have received as a Gift the Mission to build the world in the Risen One, who unleashes power and divine sparkle: radically new heavens and a radically new earth, even in our searches.

Let alone dwell on the "straws".

In short, by grace, guidance, propulsive orientation and action, the genuine Action of vital Providence moves us away from the lordship of ancient superstructures ["beams" in the eye].

With such personal baggage, one can also become a companion to a humanity that is no longer alienated, but enabled to breathe beyond the usual fervoursome... that incite trifles.

Despite our shortcomings, guided and blessed by the great Master and his Word in the Spirit, it will be our desire for the fullness of life, broad and complete, that will not make us lose sight of our sacred Oneness in the world.

Beams and Straw, Mole and Fruit

The encyclical Fratelli Tutti invites us to a prospective gaze, which provokes decision and action: a new eye, filled with Hope.

It "speaks to us of a reality that is rooted in the depths of the human being, regardless of the concrete circumstances and historical conditioning in which he lives. It speaks to us of a thirst, of an aspiration, of a yearning for fullness, for a fulfilled life, of a measuring oneself against what is great, against what fills the heart and lifts the spirit towards great things, such as truth, goodness and beauty, justice and love. [...] Hope is bold, it knows how to look beyond personal comfort, the small securities and compensations that narrow the horizon, to open up to great ideals that make life more beautiful and dignified" (n.55; from a greeting to young people in Havana, September 2015).

In the assemblies of the first centuries, the baptised were said to be enlightened, people able to orient themselves, choose and become autonomous.

The Lord did not allow his own to boast of their role as guides in the lives of others, which they could easily undermine (v.39).

He therefore did not empower anyone to teach (cf. Greek text of the Gospels, passim) in or outside the community.

Apostles of all times are only to proclaim and remain disciples, i.e. pupils of the Spirit - not to be dictators and experts.

The way of God is Christ himself. It cannot be communicated by teachers: it is not something to be filled with empty heads and useless events, to be filled with plateful externals.

The context of today's passage abolishes judgement, in the ideal of a personal existence transformed into wealth and gift - which ridicules every tendency towards domination.

No one is master of the fate and personality of those who do not direct themselves, otherwise - even with the best of intentions - they all go astray (v.39).

Jesus himself did not command or direct, but educated and helped. The rabbis charged: He offered everything, living with His own (for a reciprocal identification, but with a wide net).

A transparent and creative attitude: this was the true and only rule of conduct for the apostles of all times - often unable to grasp their own great blindness (because they were still one-sided).

Then, of a plant it is not the size and appearance that counts, but the fruit (vv.43-45). All the more reason to re-emphasise that church leaders are not superior to others, nor are they repositories of absolute truths.

In fact, Jesus is incomparable: Master sui generis (v.40).

He does not have a classroom furnished with a desk and pews. And he still teaches along the way: there he introduces us to meet ourselves, our brothers and sisters, and the surrounding reality (in a process, on a journey).

He does not give quiet, compilatory or moralistic lectures: he amazes.

He does not reinterpret the quagmire of knowledge, customs and archaic dispositions - authentic beams (vv.41-42) poked into the free eye of the soul, which distort its gaze.

He proposes his Person and his Life. As well as his reproaches - but precisely those and not others (discounted) volatile as straws (vv.41-42).

For the Lord, good character is not a matter of character (submissive, as it has been understood for centuries): it is only in openness to the mission, which gradually expands everyone's life, and prospects.

In this way, Jesus did not give saccharine or pill-box lessons, nor did he propose models to follow; however, some have claimed to do so in his name. The result today is a fine mess.

The Lord's authentic teaching makes room, upsets the cathedrats, overturns normal expectations.

So it is precisely his 'experts' who risk acting as stragglers and blind guides. Unfortunately, they risk ruining the lives of others.

We see in these times how dangerous it is to lose the light of the Gospel.

After a first choice, it is precisely those who consider themselves elected who degrade the ecclesial atmosphere.

The sense of supremacy and haughtiness, as well as the "dollar and bullion" entourage, bring with them every vice.

This is while false teachers consider themselves friends of God and recipients of obvious recognition.

From the way they posture, they still seem to feel clearly superior not only to the people, but to the Master himself (v.40).

In order not to question themselves, they project their own unexpressed imbalances and condemn others - all those who do not want to silence the great questions of meaning - as 'enemies'.

They try by any means, even illicit ones, to impose their own convictions: ideas and ways of living that they first contest and do not even believe. A right that not even Jesus ever claimed.

Let us imagine the slavish "little monsters" (as Pope Francis says) who derive from these vain ones, evidently dreaming of inheriting their popularity, their wellbeing; comforts, servitude, trinkets, gold and palaces.

Even today, the Risen One brands them for what they are: "hypocrites" (v.42). In the Greek language it means thespians, people who act - of fine manners and bad habits.

Comedians deeply offended at having to fit in with others - and even feeling that 'they' are sent to call everyone to the wedding (Mt 22:8-9).

The constant demanding of the pretentious, fictional exclusivists has serious spiritual and pastoral implications.

Presumption, arrogance, and a sense of superiority shut out the perception of the inclinations and resources of believers and families - the engine of life's enthusiasm and the principle of incisiveness, exuberance, and pastoral turnover.

Jesus warns his own (who in words gladly call him 'Lord': v.46) against the boastfulness of acting as captains of the troop.

With the danger that while God puts forth gifts, his leaders will crush them one by one.

There is only one Master who guides and knows where to go; and only one person - perhaps inexperienced and thought to be blind, but who sees better than the super-achievers and the big names (super-Apostles with all the tail).

The calculating man calibrated by religion [doctrine-discipline customs] can easily sit still in his seats, with the fine screens behind which he imagines he is protecting himself, feeding himself and making judgments.

But from his recycled bad treasure he will pull out - just around the corner - the 'ugly and corrupt' for others too (vv.43-45; Greek text).

Instead, the man of Faith still feels a new Beauty within, who wants to express himself and remain first-hand - so he will never be an actor of others' parts, nor a director or protagonist of every turn.

Neither is he someone who - without self-respect or the Calling by Name - is content to submit his soul to fashionable or plagiarising agency actors, to whom he can snatch handouts or a 'mediocre draw'.

Worse than the ditches (v.39) into which one falls together.

Parallel to Mt:

Beams and straws: eliminating preconceptions

For a transparent coexistence

(Mt 7:1-5)

The Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5-7) lists catechesis on salient issues of life in the communities of Galilee and Syria - composed of Jews converted to Christ.

There was no shortage of episodes of contempt (even mutual) turned on especially by veterans accustomed to put newcomers on the threshold of the churches - for their model of life far from the recognised norm, or even for trifles.

But we are not judges, we are family men. And of course, in the final analysis it is precisely malice that sharpens the eye for the slightest faults of others: generally, external straws and shortcomings.This is while the same cunningness glosses over our own enormities - the very heavy plank that separates us not only from God and everyone, but even from ourselves, approaching the selfish and arrogant self.

"Theatrics" (v.5) are those who think big of themselves and always have the mania to look around in order to convince themselves that they can excel - without taking an attitude of regard towards the enigma of life, where instead burdens can turn into progress.

Looking objectively at ourselves and our personal growth - often triggered precisely by deviations from stereotypes or nomenclature - can make us benevolent. It can convince us of respect and even due deference to the more that surrounds us and calls to us.

Indeed, the legalism of plastered details leads to the neglect of the essential, in mutual love (cf. vv.3-5).

We know how hard it is to question ourselves, or to educate the very religious perfectionists to successive detachments from their accidental convictions, which have become as sclerotic as totems out of habit.

In short, by the 1870s, the awareness of the different family and serene relationship with God - and the new way of living his Law - was questioning believers and affecting their relationships with their brothers and sisters in the community.

After introducing both the new criteria of Greater Justice and the recovery of the principles of Creation, the evangelist suggests some essential hints for the internal quality of life of the fraternities.

The cultural background of the senior church members was fiercely legalistic. This background was not conducive to the freedom of mutual evaluations: living together needed to be more transparent.

Devout preconceptions seemed an insuperable boulder for the personalising life and mutual sharing according to the new logic of the Beatitudes [Mt 5:1-12: Self-portrait of Christ as an "open book" (with a spear)].

The cultural baggage linked to fulfilments, sense of duty and hierarchy, addictive lifestyle and old beliefs (which were struggling to be laid to rest) multiplied harsh judgements between generations and between varied cultural approaches.

To encourage communion, Mt wants to present a free and quiet Jesus - not a superman, nor an idol or model: on the contrary, a genuine Person; a Master not one-sided.

Indeed, he knew how to recover and wanted to enhance all individual sensitivities, to allow the expression of friendship and enrichment in every human reality.

Only his strong root in the relationship with the Father was to be a sacred example for each one, and an inviolable paragon for all, always.

This for a rich and global transparency, to be proposed to the disciples as well.

In this way, there was to be no adherence to particular beliefs, nor the repetition of the usual disciplines of perfection.

Nor were pious mass observances to be preferred, sometimes the first impediment to dialogue and the Exodus - in its various opulences.

Then life itself would providentially guide each one towards a specific testimony, which could itself create another opening (relevant to one's own character and vocation of soul).

In Palestine, the Lord had not shown Himself obsessive and one-sided, nor reduced to normal, verisimilar patterns - based on cultural codes, evaluative prudences, or moral and religious paradigms.

Trust in the Father and in the life to come gave the Master Jesus the certainty of being able to be totally open to situations and to each person - in whatever reality they found themselves disentangled.

A convivial openness to differences, so as not to block the gaps and the outcome of the Newness in the Spirit of the Beatitudes.

The unconditionality of Love always applies first and foremost to the disciple, the members of the same community, and the neighbour.

This is because we have been called to make our and everyone's existence exponential, not to dull it with preconceived notions and relative convictions.

We were created to love the exceptional truth of woman and man, not to extinguish uniqueness and make judgments about nonentities.

Let us accept Providence, ourselves and the other as we are: aware that there is a precious secret, a destiny of newness and a Mystery that surpasses us... behind every event, in each of our own intimate faces (sustained by the Father), or in the eccentric brother.

The ways of following that resonate deep in the heart are as varied as the people, the events, the rhythms commensurate with the soul, the ages.

They embrace the same Proposal - without losing the enduring Mystery or any connection in such multifacetedness.

Only here... Real World, Person, Nature and Eternity are allied.

"When the weaver raises one foot, the other lowers. When the movement ceases and one of the feet stops, the weaving stops. His hands throw the bobbin that passes from one to the other; but no hand can hope to hold it. Like the weaver's gestures, it is the union of opposites that weaves our lives' (Peul African Oral Tradition).

"We are absolutely lost if we lack this particular Individuality, the only thing we can truly call our own and whose loss is also a loss for the whole world. It is most precious, precisely because it is not universal' (Tagore).

"We must learn to abandon our defences and our need to control, and trust totally in the guidance of the spirit" (Sobonfu Somé).

"True morality consists not in following the beaten path, but in finding the true path for ourselves and following it without fear" (Gandhi).

Beams and straws: a paradoxical situation, where sometimes there is an excess of 'belief' - yet Faith is missing.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The Lenten season offers us once again an opportunity to reflect upon the very heart of Christian life: charity. This is a favourable time to renew our journey of faith, both as individuals and as a community, with the help of the word of God and the sacraments. This journey is one marked by prayer and sharing, silence and fasting, in anticipation of the joy of Easter.

This year I would like to propose a few thoughts in the light of a brief biblical passage drawn from the Letter to the Hebrews:“ Let us be concerned for each other, to stir a response in love and good works”. These words are part of a passage in which the sacred author exhorts us to trust in Jesus Christ as the High Priest who has won us forgiveness and opened up a pathway to God. Embracing Christ bears fruit in a life structured by the three theological virtues: it means approaching the Lord “sincere in heart and filled with faith” (v. 22), keeping firm “in the hope we profess” (v. 23) and ever mindful of living a life of “love and good works” (v. 24) together with our brothers and sisters. The author states that to sustain this life shaped by the Gospel it is important to participate in the liturgy and community prayer, mindful of the eschatological goal of full communion in God (v. 25). Here I would like to reflect on verse 24, which offers a succinct, valuable and ever timely teaching on the three aspects of Christian life: concern for others, reciprocity and personal holiness.

1. “Let us be concerned for each other”: responsibility towards our brothers and sisters.

This first aspect is an invitation to be “concerned”: the Greek verb used here is katanoein, which means to scrutinize, to be attentive, to observe carefully and take stock of something. We come across this word in the Gospel when Jesus invites the disciples to “think of” the ravens that, without striving, are at the centre of the solicitous and caring Divine Providence (cf. Lk 12:24), and to “observe” the plank in our own eye before looking at the splinter in that of our brother (cf. Lk 6:41). In another verse of the Letter to the Hebrews, we find the encouragement to “turn your minds to Jesus” (3:1), the Apostle and High Priest of our faith. So the verb which introduces our exhortation tells us to look at others, first of all at Jesus, to be concerned for one another, and not to remain isolated and indifferent to the fate of our brothers and sisters. All too often, however, our attitude is just the opposite: an indifference and disinterest born of selfishness and masked as a respect for “privacy”. Today too, the Lord’s voice summons all of us to be concerned for one another. Even today God asks us to be “guardians” of our brothers and sisters (Gen 4:9), to establish relationships based on mutual consideration and attentiveness to the well-being, the integral well-being of others. The great commandment of love for one another demands that we acknowledge our responsibility towards those who, like ourselves, are creatures and children of God. Being brothers and sisters in humanity and, in many cases, also in the faith, should help us to recognize in others a true alter ego, infinitely loved by the Lord. If we cultivate this way of seeing others as our brothers and sisters, solidarity, justice, mercy and compassion will naturally well up in our hearts. The Servant of God Pope Paul VI stated that the world today is suffering above all from a lack of brotherhood: “Human society is sorely ill. The cause is not so much the depletion of natural resources, nor their monopolistic control by a privileged few; it is rather the weakening of brotherly ties between individuals and nations” (Populorum Progressio, 66).

Concern for others entails desiring what is good for them from every point of view: physical, moral and spiritual. Contemporary culture seems to have lost the sense of good and evil, yet there is a real need to reaffirm that good does exist and will prevail, because God is “generous and acts generously” (Ps 119:68). The good is whatever gives, protects and promotes life, brotherhood and communion. Responsibility towards others thus means desiring and working for the good of others, in the hope that they too will become receptive to goodness and its demands. Concern for others means being aware of their needs. Sacred Scripture warns us of the danger that our hearts can become hardened by a sort of “spiritual anesthesia” which numbs us to the suffering of others. The Evangelist Luke relates two of Jesus’ parables by way of example. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, the priest and the Levite “pass by”, indifferent to the presence of the man stripped and beaten by the robbers (cf. Lk 10:30-32). In that of Dives and Lazarus, the rich man is heedless of the poverty of Lazarus, who is starving to death at his very door (cf. Lk 16:19). Both parables show examples of the opposite of “being concerned”, of looking upon others with love and compassion. What hinders this humane and loving gaze towards our brothers and sisters? Often it is the possession of material riches and a sense of sufficiency, but it can also be the tendency to put our own interests and problems above all else. We should never be incapable of “showing mercy” towards those who suffer. Our hearts should never be so wrapped up in our affairs and problems that they fail to hear the cry of the poor. Humbleness of heart and the personal experience of suffering can awaken within us a sense of compassion and empathy. “The upright understands the cause of the weak, the wicked has not the wit to understand it” (Prov 29:7). We can then understand the beatitude of “those who mourn” (Mt 5:5), those who in effect are capable of looking beyond themselves and feeling compassion for the suffering of others. Reaching out to others and opening our hearts to their needs can become an opportunity for salvation and blessedness.

“Being concerned for each other” also entails being concerned for their spiritual well-being. Here I would like to mention an aspect of the Christian life, which I believe has been quite forgotten: fraternal correction in view of eternal salvation. Today, in general, we are very sensitive to the idea of charity and caring about the physical and material well-being of others, but almost completely silent about our spiritual responsibility towards our brothers and sisters. This was not the case in the early Church or in those communities that are truly mature in faith, those which are concerned not only for the physical health of their brothers and sisters, but also for their spiritual health and ultimate destiny. The Scriptures tell us: “Rebuke the wise and he will love you for it. Be open with the wise, he grows wiser still, teach the upright, he will gain yet more” (Prov 9:8ff). Christ himself commands us to admonish a brother who is committing a sin (cf. Mt 18:15). The verb used to express fraternal correction - elenchein – is the same used to indicate the prophetic mission of Christians to speak out against a generation indulging in evil (cf. Eph 5:11). The Church’s tradition has included “admonishing sinners” among the spiritual works of mercy. It is important to recover this dimension of Christian charity. We must not remain silent before evil. I am thinking of all those Christians who, out of human regard or purely personal convenience, adapt to the prevailing mentality, rather than warning their brothers and sisters against ways of thinking and acting that are contrary to the truth and that do not follow the path of goodness. Christian admonishment, for its part, is never motivated by a spirit of accusation or recrimination. It is always moved by love and mercy, and springs from genuine concern for the good of the other. As the Apostle Paul says: “If one of you is caught doing something wrong, those of you who are spiritual should set that person right in a spirit of gentleness; and watch yourselves that you are not put to the test in the same way” (Gal 6:1). In a world pervaded by individualism, it is essential to rediscover the importance of fraternal correction, so that together we may journey towards holiness. Scripture tells us that even “the upright falls seven times” (Prov 24:16); all of us are weak and imperfect (cf. 1 Jn 1:8). It is a great service, then, to help others and allow them to help us, so that we can be open to the whole truth about ourselves, improve our lives and walk more uprightly in the Lord’s ways. There will always be a need for a gaze which loves and admonishes, which knows and understands, which discerns and forgives (cf. Lk 22:61), as God has done and continues to do with each of us.

2. “Being concerned for each other”: the gift of reciprocity.

This “custody” of others is in contrast to a mentality that, by reducing life exclusively to its earthly dimension, fails to see it in an eschatological perspective and accepts any moral choice in the name of personal freedom. A society like ours can become blind to physical sufferings and to the spiritual and moral demands of life. This must not be the case in the Christian community! The Apostle Paul encourages us to seek “the ways which lead to peace and the ways in which we can support one another” (Rom 14:19) for our neighbour’s good, “so that we support one another” (15:2), seeking not personal gain but rather “the advantage of everybody else, so that they may be saved” (1 Cor 10:33). This mutual correction and encouragement in a spirit of humility and charity must be part of the life of the Christian community.

The Lord’s disciples, united with him through the Eucharist, live in a fellowship that binds them one to another as members of a single body. This means that the other is part of me, and that his or her life, his or her salvation, concern my own life and salvation. Here we touch upon a profound aspect of communion: our existence is related to that of others, for better or for worse. Both our sins and our acts of love have a social dimension. This reciprocity is seen in the Church, the mystical body of Christ: the community constantly does penance and asks for the forgiveness of the sins of its members, but also unfailingly rejoices in the examples of virtue and charity present in her midst. As Saint Paul says: “Each part should be equally concerned for all the others” (1 Cor 12:25), for we all form one body. Acts of charity towards our brothers and sisters – as expressed by almsgiving, a practice which, together with prayer and fasting, is typical of Lent – is rooted in this common belonging. Christians can also express their membership in the one body which is the Church through concrete concern for the poorest of the poor. Concern for one another likewise means acknowledging the good that the Lord is doing in others and giving thanks for the wonders of grace that Almighty God in his goodness continuously accomplishes in his children. When Christians perceive the Holy Spirit at work in others, they cannot but rejoice and give glory to the heavenly Father (cf. Mt 5:16).

3. “To stir a response in love and good works”: walking together in holiness.

These words of the Letter to the Hebrews (10:24) urge us to reflect on the universal call to holiness, the continuing journey of the spiritual life as we aspire to the greater spiritual gifts and to an ever more sublime and fruitful charity (cf. 1 Cor 12:31-13:13). Being concerned for one another should spur us to an increasingly effective love which, “like the light of dawn, its brightness growing to the fullness of day” (Prov 4:18), makes us live each day as an anticipation of the eternal day awaiting us in God. The time granted us in this life is precious for discerning and performing good works in the love of God. In this way the Church herself continuously grows towards the full maturity of Christ (cf. Eph 4:13). Our exhortation to encourage one another to attain the fullness of love and good works is situated in this dynamic prospect of growth.

Sadly, there is always the temptation to become lukewarm, to quench the Spirit, to refuse to invest the talents we have received, for our own good and for the good of others (cf. Mt 25:25ff.). All of us have received spiritual or material riches meant to be used for the fulfilment of God’s plan, for the good of the Church and for our personal salvation (cf. Lk 12:21b; 1 Tim 6:18). The spiritual masters remind us that in the life of faith those who do not advance inevitably regress. Dear brothers and sisters, let us accept the invitation, today as timely as ever, to aim for the “high standard of ordinary Christian living” (Novo Millennio Ineunte, 31). The wisdom of the Church in recognizing and proclaiming certain outstanding Christians as Blessed and as Saints is also meant to inspire others to imitate their virtues. Saint Paul exhorts us to “anticipate one another in showing honour” (Rom 12:10).

In a world which demands of Christians a renewed witness of love and fidelity to the Lord, may all of us feel the urgent need to anticipate one another in charity, service and good works (cf. Heb 6:10). This appeal is particularly pressing in this holy season of preparation for Easter. As I offer my prayerful good wishes for a blessed and fruitful Lenten period, I entrust all of you to the intercession of Mary Ever Virgin and cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing.

From the Vatican, 3 November 2011

BENEDICTUS PP. XVI

[Pope Benedict, Message for Lent 2012]