The word of God proclaimed just now helps us to meditate exactly on this most fundamental aspect. The Gospel passage (Mk 10:32-45) sets before our eyes the icon of Jesus as the Messiah — foretold by Isaiah (cf. Isaiah 53) — who came not to be served but to serve. His lifestyle becomes the basis of new relationships within the Christian community and of a new way of exercising authority.

Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem and for the third time, pointing it out to the disciples, predicts the way on which he intends to bring to fulfillment the work entrusted to him by the Father: the way of giving himself humbly, to the point of sacrificing his life, the way of the Passion, the way of the Cross.

Yet, even after this announcement, as had happened for the previous ones, the disciples revealed their great difficulty in understanding, in bringing about the necessary “exodus” from a worldly mind set to the mentality of God.

Such was the case of James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, who ask Jesus to grant them to sit in the places of honour, beside him in “glory”, thus expressing worldly expectations and projects of grandeur, authority and honour.

Jesus, who knows the human heart, is not upset by this request but immediately turns the limelight on its profound implications: “you do not know what you are asking”. He then guides the two brothers to an understanding of what following him means.

So what is the way that any one who wishes to be a disciple must take? It is the way of the Teacher, it is the way of total obedience to God. For this reason Jesus asks James and John: are you prepared to share my decision to carry out the Father's will to the very end? Are you prepared to take this way that passes through humiliation, suffering and death for love? The two disciples, with their confident answer, “we can”, show that once again they have not understood the real meaning of what the Teacher is outlining for them.

And again Jesus patiently helps them take a further step: not even experiencing the cup of suffering and the baptism of death entitles a person to the first place, because the first place is “for those for whom it has been prepared”, it is in the hands of the Heavenly Father. Human beings must not calculate; they must simply abandon themselves to God without making any claims, conforming themselves to his will.

The indignation of the other disciples became an opportunity to extend the teaching to the entire community. Jesus first “called them to him”: this was the act of the original vocation to which he invited them to return.

His reference to the constitutive moment of the calling of the Twelve, to “being with Jesus” in order to be sent out is very significant, because it clearly recalls that every ministry in the Church is always a response to a call of God, never the result of one's own project or personal ambition but, rather, means conforming one's will to the will of the Father who is in Heaven, as Christ did in Gethsemane (cf. Lk 22:42).

No one is master in the Church but all are called, all are sent out, all are reached and guided by divine grace. And this is also our security! Only by listening anew to the word of Jesus who asks, “come, follow me”, only by returning to our original vocation, is it possible to understand our own presence and mission in the Church as authentic disciples.

The request of James and John and the indignation of the other “ten” Apostles raised a central question to which Jesus chose to answer: who is great, who is “first” for God? First of all Jesus looks at behaviour which “those who are supposed to rule over the Gentiles” risk assuming: to “lord it over them”.

Jesus points out to the disciples a completely different conduct. “But it shall not be so among you”. His community follows another rule, another logic, another model: “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all”.

The criterion of greatness and primacy according to God is not domination but service; diaconia is the fundamental law of the disciple and of the Christian community, and lets us glimpse something about “the lordship of God”.

And Jesus also indicates the reference point: the Son of man who came to serve. In other words he sums up his mission in the category of service, not meant in a generic sense but in the concrete sense of the Cross, of the total gift of life as a “ransom”, as redemption for many, and he points it out as a condition of the “sequela”.

It is a message that applies for the Apostles, for the whole Church, and especially for those who have leadership roles in the People of God. It is not the logic of domination, of power according to human criteria but rather the logic of bending down to wash feet, the logic of service, the logic of the Cross that is the root of all exercise of authority.

The Church in every period is committed to conforming to this logic and to testifying to it to make the true “lordship of God” shine out, that of love.

Venerable Brothers appointed to the cardinalitial dignity, the mission to which God calls you today and which qualifies you for an even more responsible ecclesial service, requires an ever greater willingness to adopt the style of the Son of God who came among us as one who serves (cf. Lk 22:25-27).

It is a question of following him in his humble and total gift of himself to the Church, his Bride, on the Cross. It is on this wood that the the grain of wheat — which the Father let fall into the earth of the world — dies, in order to become a ripe fruit.

This is why it is necessary to be even more deeply and firmly rooted in Christ. The intimate relationship with him that transforms life increasingly in such a way that it is possible to say with St Paul, “it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal 2:20), constitutes the primary requirement if our service is to be serene and joyful and to bear the fruit that the Lord expects of us.

Dear Brothers and Sisters who are gathered round the new Cardinals today: pray for them! Tomorrow, in this Basilica, during the concelebration on the Solemnity of Christ the King, I shall present the ring to them. It will be a further opportunity to “praise the Lord... who keeps faith for ever” (Ps 145[144]), as we said in the Responsorial Psalm.

May his Spirit support the new Cardinals in their commitment of service to the Church, following Christ on the Cross and also, if necessary, usque ad effusionem sanguinis, ever ready to respond to whoever may ask us to account for the hope that is in us, as St Peter said in the Reading (cf. 1 Pt 3:15).

I entrust the new Cardinals and their ecclesial service to Mary, Mother of the Church, so that they may proclaim to all the peoples, with apostolic zeal, the merciful love of God. Amen.

[Pope Benedict, homily at the Consistory 20 November 2010]

1. To the "beginning" of Jesus' messianic mission belongs another fact - so interesting and suggestive for us - narrated by the evangelists, who make it depend on the action of the Holy Spirit: it is the "desert experience". We read in the Gospel according to Mark: "Immediately after (the baptism) the Spirit drove him into the desert" (Mk 1:12). Furthermore, Matthew (Mt 4:1) and Luke (Lk 4:1) say that Jesus "was led by the Spirit into the desert". These texts offer us various insights that stimulate us to further investigate the mystery of the intimate union of Jesus the Messiah with the Holy Spirit, right from the beginning of the work of redemption.

First of all, an observation of a linguistic order: the verbs used by the evangelists ("he was led" for Matthew and Luke, "he moved him" for Mark) express a particularly energetic initiative on the part of the Holy Spirit. It is fully grafted into the logic of the spiritual life and Jesus' own psychology: he has received a 'baptism of penance' from John, and therefore feels the need for a period of reflection and austerity (even though he personally has no need of penance, being 'full of grace' and 'holy' from the moment of his conception, in preparation for his messianic ministry.

His mission also demands that he live among sinful men, whom he is sent to evangelise and save, struggling with the power of the devil. Hence the appropriateness of this stop in the desert "to be tempted by the devil". Jesus therefore indulges the inner urge and goes where the Holy Spirit wills.

2. The desert, besides being the place of encounter with God, is also the place of temptation and spiritual struggle. During their wandering through the desert, which lasted for forty years, the people of Israel had experienced many temptations and had also succumbed to them. Jesus goes into the wilderness almost reconnecting with the historical experience of his people. But, unlike the behaviour of Israel, he is above all docile to the action of the Holy Spirit, who asks him from within that definitive preparation for the fulfilment of his mission. It is a period of solitude and spiritual trial, which he overcomes with the help of God's word and prayer.

In the spirit of the biblical tradition, and in line with Israelite psychology, that number of "forty days" could easily be linked with other ancient events, full of meaning for the history of salvation: the forty days of the Flood (Gen 7:4. 17); the forty days of Moses' stay on the mountain (Ex 24:18); the forty days of Elijah's journey, refreshed by the prodigious bread that had given him new strength (1 Kings 19:8). According to the evangelists, Jesus, under the motion of the Holy Spirit, adapts himself, as far as his stay in the desert is concerned, to this traditional and almost sacred number. He will do the same for the period in which he will appear to the apostles between the resurrection and the ascension into heaven (cf. Acts 1:3).

3. Jesus is therefore led into the desert, so that he may face the temptations of Satan and have a freer and more intimate contact with the Father. Here we must also bear in mind that in the Gospels the desert is presented several times as the place where Satan dwells: suffice it to recall Luke's passage about the "unclean spirit", who "when he comes out of man, wanders about in barren places seeking rest . . ."; and the other about the possessed Gerasen, who "was driven by the devil into deserted places" (Lk 11:24; 8:29).

In the case of Jesus' temptations, the drive into the wilderness comes from the Holy Spirit and first of all signifies the beginning of a demonstration - one can even say a new awareness - of the struggle that he will have to conduct to the end against Satan, the author of sin. By defeating his temptations, he thus manifests his own saving power over sin and the coming of the kingdom of God, as he will one day say: "If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come among you" (Mt 12:28).

Also in this power of Christ over evil and Satan, also in this "coming of the kingdom of God" through the work of Christ, there is the revelation of the Holy Spirit.

4. If we look closely, in the temptations suffered and overcome by Jesus during the "desert experience", we can see Satan's opposition to the coming of the kingdom of God in the human world, directly or indirectly expressed in the texts of the evangelists. The answers given by Jesus to the tempter unmask the essential intentions of the "father of lies" (Jn 8:44), who perversely attempts to use the words of Scripture to achieve his ends. But Jesus refutes him on the basis of God's own word, correctly applied. 

The evangelists' narrative perhaps includes some reminiscences and establishes a parallelism both with the similar temptations of the people of Israel during their forty years of wandering in the desert (the search for nourishment; the claim of divine protection to satisfy oneself; idolatry), and with various moments in the life of Moses. But the episode is specifically part of the story of Jesus, one might say, because of its biographical and theological logic. Although he was free from sin, Jesus was able to know the external seductions of evil: and it was good that he was tempted in order to become the new Adam, our leader, our merciful redeemer.

At the bottom of all temptations was the prospect of a political and glorious messianism, such as had spread and penetrated the soul of the people of Israel. The devil tries to induce Jesus to accept this false prospect, because he is the adversary of God's plan, of his law, of his economy of salvation, and therefore of Christ, as is evident from the Gospel and the other New Testament writings. If even Christ were to fall, the empire of Satan, who boasts of being the master of the world (cf. Lk 4:5-6), would have the final victory in history. That moment of the struggle in the wilderness is therefore decisive.

5. Jesus knows that he has been sent by the Father to introduce the kingdom of God into the world of men. For this purpose he, on the one hand, accepts to be tempted, to take his place among sinners, as he had already done on the Jordan, so as to be an example to all. But, on the other hand, by virtue of the "anointing" of the Holy Spirit, he reaches the very roots of sin and defeats the one who is the "father of lies" (Jn 8:44). Therefore, he voluntarily encounters temptation from the very beginning of his ministry, going along with the prompting of the Holy Spirit (cf. St. Augustine, De Trinitate, 4, 13; 13, 13).

One day, with the completion of his work, he will be able to proclaim: 'Now is the judgment of this world; now the prince of this world shall be cast out'. And on the eve of his passion he will repeat once more: "The prince of the world comes; he has no power over me"; indeed, "The prince of this world has (already) been judged"; "Have confidence: I have overcome the world". The struggle against the "father of lies", who is the "prince of this world" (Jn 12, 31; 14, 30; 16, 11. 33), begun in the desert, will reach its climax on Golgotha: the victory will come through the cross of the Redeemer.

6. We are thus reminded of the integral value of the desert as the place of a particular experience of God, such as it had been for Moses and Elijah, and such as it is above all for Jesus, who, "led" by the Holy Spirit, accepts to have the same experience: contact with God the Father in contrast to the powers opposed to God. His experience is exemplary, and can also serve us as a lesson on the need for penance, not for Jesus who was without sin, but for us all. Jesus himself will one day admonish his disciples on the necessity of prayer and fasting to drive out "unclean spirits" (cf. Mk 9:29), and in the tension of solitary prayer in Gethsemane he will recommend to the apostles present: "Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation; the spirit is ready but the flesh is weak" (Mk 14:38). Conforming ourselves to the victorious Christ in the desert experience, we know that we too will have a divine comforter: the Holy Spirit the Paraclete, for Jesus promised that he will "take of his own" and give it to us (cf. Jn 16:14): he will take of Christ's victory over sin and Satan, his first maker, to give it to anyone who is tempted, he who led the Messiah into the desert not only "to be tempted", but also so that he might give the first proof of his victorious power over the devil and his kingdom.

[Pope John Paul II, General Audience 21 July 1990]

"Ask Jesus for the grace to follow him closely", so as not to leave him alone, thus overcoming the temptations of looking to ourselves to "share the cake" of personal interests: this is the spiritual advice suggested by Francis in the Mass celebrated on Tuesday 3 October at Santa Marta.

"This passage from the Gospel," the Pontiff immediately pointed out, referring to the liturgical passage from Luke (9:51-56), "tells us of the moment when the Lord's passion draws near: 'While the days were being fulfilled when he would be lifted up on high'". And so, he explained, 'Jesus goes on, the moment of the cross, the moment of passion, is approaching, and in the face of this Jesus does two things'.

First, the Lord 'made the firm decision to set out - "I accept the will of the Father" - and he goes forward'. Then, "he announces this to his disciples: Jesus is determined to do the Father's will to the end". And to the Father he says this clearly: 'It is your will, I am here to obey; you do not want sacrifice, but you want obedience and I obey and go forward'.

Moreover, said the Pope, Jesus "only once allowed himself to ask the Father to move this cross away a little": when in the Garden of Olives he asked the Father: "If possible, remove this cup from me, but not my will, but your will be done". Jesus is "obedient to what the Father wants: firm and obedient and nothing more, and so to the end".

"The Lord enters into patience," the Pontiff continued, because "it is an example of not just dying suffering on the cross, but walking in patience". Thus Jesus, "in the face of this firm decision he made, communicates to his disciples that the time is drawing near". For their part, 'the disciples - so many passages in the Gospels recount their attitude before this journey towards Jerusalem - sometimes they did not understand what it meant or did not want to understand, because they were afraid, they were frightened'. So much so that, the Pope pointed out, 'when Jesus told them to go to Martha and Mary because Lazarus was dead, they tried to convince him not to go there in Judea because it was dangerous for their lives: they were afraid, they were frightened'.

For this reason, therefore, the disciples "did not ask, they did not understand", perhaps telling themselves that it was "better not to ask about this: 'let time go on, perhaps it will change, and no we will not speak of this subject'". In short, it is the attitude of 'hiding the truth under the table, there, so that it cannot be seen'. What's more, 'others, at other times, spoke of things of their own, things totally detached from what Jesus was saying'.

In fact, when the Lord exhorted: "Let us go to Jerusalem, the son of man will be crucified", they did not understand what he was talking about. And "they were ashamed because they had talked about who among them was the greatest: 'No, you will get this when the kingdom comes; me on the right, you on the left'. And they shared the cake, a piece to each one". While Jesus remained "alone, alone". Instead "at other times, as in this case, they would try to do something: "Lord there is one who casts out demons, but he is not of us, what shall we do?". Or they did "like the two sons of Zebedee who wanted to be at the right and left of Jesus at the time of the coming of the kingdom". Luke, in his gospel, relates that the Samaritans did not want to receive Jesus in a village. And the reaction of James and John is strong: "Shall a fire come down from heaven and consume them?" In short, the Pope explained, 'they try to do alienating things' but, the evangelist continued, 'Jesus turned around and rebuked them'.

In essence, said the Pontiff, the disciples "were looking for an alibi so as not to think about what they were waiting for". And instead "Jesus" was "alone, he was not accompanied in this decision, because no one understood the mystery of Jesus, the loneliness of Jesus on his way to Jerusalem: alone!". All "this until the end": suffice it to think, the Pope relaunched, "of the disciples' abandonment, of Peter's betrayal". Jesus is therefore "alone: the Gospel tells us that only an angel appeared to him from heaven to comfort him in the Garden of Olives. Only that company. Alone!".

"But he, alone, took the decision to go ahead and do the Father's will," Francis noted. And the disciples "did not understand: they were doing other things, arguing among themselves or looking for alternatives so as not to think about it". This "loneliness of Jesus sometimes manifested itself: we remember the time he realised that he was not understood: 'O unbelieving and perverse generation, how long should I stay among you and put up with you?'". The Lord, therefore, "felt this loneliness".

Precisely in this perspective, the Pope suggested "that today we all take some time to think: Jesus loved us so much and was not understood by his own". Even 'the relatives, the Gospel says, when they went to see him said: "He is out of his mind, he is out of his mind. He was not understood'. And so, Francis insisted, it is important 'to think of Jesus alone, towards the cross, decisive, in the midst of his own incomprehension: to think this and to see Jesus walking decisively towards the cross and to thank him'. To say, in short: 'Thank you Lord because you were obedient, you were courageous; you loved so much, you loved me so much'.

In this way one can 'have a conversation with him today: how often do I try to do so many things and not look at you, who did this for me? You who entered into patience - the patient man, patient God - and who so patiently tolerates my sins, my failures?" And then, Francis said again, one can 'talk to Jesus like this - he is always determined to go ahead, to put on his face - and thank him'.

So, the Pontiff concluded, "let us take some time today, a few minutes - five, ten, fifteen - in front of the crucifix perhaps, or with our imagination see Jesus walking decisively towards Jerusalem and ask for the grace to have the courage to follow him closely."

[Pope Francis, St Marta, in L'Osservatore Romano 04/10/2017]

Second Lent Sunday (year A)  [1st March 2026]

*First Reading from the Book of Genesis (12:1-4)

The few lines we have just read constitute the first act of the entire adventure of our faith: the faith of the Jews, then, in chronological order, of Christians and Muslims. We are in the second millennium BC. Abram* lived in Chaldea, that is, in Iraq, and more precisely in the extreme south-east of Iraq, in the city of UR, in the Euphrates valley, near the Persian Gulf. He lived with his wife Sarai, his father Terah, his brothers (Nahor and Aran) and his nephew Lot. Abram was seventy-five years old, his wife Sarai sixty-five; they had no children and, given their age, would never have any. One day, his old father, Terah, set out on the road with Abram, Sarai and his nephew Lot. The caravan travelled up the Euphrates valley from the south-east to the north-west with the intention of then descending towards the land of Canaan. There was a shorter route, of course, connecting the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean, but it crossed a huge desert. Terah and Abram preferred to travel along the 'Fertile Crescent', which lives up to its name. The last stop in the north-west is called Harran. It is there that old Terah dies. And it is above all there that, for the first time, about 4000 years ago, around 1850 BC, God spoke to Abram. 

"Leave your land," says our liturgical translation, but it omits the first two words, probably to avoid excessive interpretations, which have not always been avoided. In fact, in Hebrew, the first two words are "You, go!" Grammatically, they mean nothing else. It is a personal appeal, a setting aside: it is a true story of vocation. And it is to this simple invitation that Abram responded. It is often translated as "Go for yourself," but this is already an over-interpretation of faith. "Go for yourself": we must be aware that we are moving away from the literal meaning of the text and entering into an interpretation, a spiritual commentary. It is Rashi, the great 11th-century Jewish commentator (in Troyes in Champagne), who translates "Go for yourself, for your own good and for your happiness". In fact, this is what Abram will experience in the course of the days. If God calls man, it is for man's own good, not for anything else! God's merciful plan for humanity is contained in these two little words: 'for you'. God already reveals himself as the one who desires the good of man, of all men**; if there is one thing to remember, it is this! 'Go for yourself': a believer is someone who knows that, whatever happens, God is leading him towards his fulfilment, towards his happiness. So here are God's first words to Abram, the words that set off his whole adventure... and ours! Go, leave your country, your family and your father's house, and go to the land that I will show you. And what follows are only promises: I will make you a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing... All the families of the earth shall be blessed in you. Abram is torn from his natural destiny, chosen, elected by God, invested with a universal vocation. Abram, for the moment, is a nomad, perhaps rich, but unknown, and he has no children; his wife Sarai is well past childbearing age. Yet it is he whom God chooses to become the father of a great people. This is what that 'for you' meant earlier: God promises him everything that, at that time, constitutes a man's happiness: numerous descendants and God's blessing. But this happiness promised to Abram is not only for him: in the Bible, no vocation, no calling is ever for the selfish interest of the one who is called. This is one of the criteria of an authentic vocation: every vocation is always for a mission in the service of others. Here is this phrase: 'In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed'. It means at least two things: first, your success will be such that you will be taken as an example: when people want to wish someone happiness, they will say, 'May you be as happy as Abram'. Second, this 'in you' can mean through you; and then it means 'through you, I, God, will bless all the families of the earth'. God's plan for happiness passes through Abram, but it surpasses him, it overflows him; it concerns all humanity: 'In you, through you, all the families of the earth will be blessed'. Throughout the history of Israel, the Bible will remain faithful to this first discovery: Abraham and his descendants are the chosen people, chosen by God but for the benefit of all humanity, from the first day, from the first word to Abraham. The fact remains that other nations are free not to enter into this blessing; this is the meaning of the seemingly curious phrase: "I will bless those who bless you, and those who curse you I will curse" (12:3). It is a way of expressing our freedom: anyone who wishes to do so can share in the blessing promised to Abram, but no one is obliged to accept it! The time for the great departure has come; the text is extraordinary in its sobriety: it simply says, "Abram departed as the Lord had commanded him" (12:4), and Lot went with him. One cannot be more laconic! This departure, at the simple call of God, is the most beautiful proof of faith; four thousand years later, we can say that our faith finds its source in that of Abraham; and if our whole lives are illuminated by faith, it is thanks to him! And all human history becomes the place of the fulfilment of God's promises to Abraham: a slow, progressive fulfilment, but certain and sure.

Notes: *At the beginning of this great adventure, the man we call Abraham was still called only Abram; later, after years of pilgrimage, he would receive from God the new name by which we know him: Abraham, which means 'father of multitudes'. 

**This 'for you' should not be understood as exclusive, even if it was not immediately understood at first. Only after a long discovery of God's Covenant were believers able to access the full truth: God's plan concerns not only Abraham and his descendants, but all of humanity. This is what we call the universality of God's plan. This discovery dates back to the Exile in Babylon in the 6th century BC.

Addition: At another point in Abraham's life, when he offers Isaac as a sacrifice, God uses the same expression, "Go," to give him the strength to face the trial, reminding him of the journey he has already made. The Letter to the Hebrews takes Abraham's departure to explain what faith is (cf. Heb 11:8-12). 

*Responsorial Psalm (32/33)

The word 'love' appears three times in these few verses, and this insistence responds very well to the first reading: Abraham is the first in all human history to discover that God is love and that he has plans for the happiness of humanity. However, it was necessary to believe in this extraordinary revelation. And Abraham believed, he agreed to trust in the words of the future that God announced to him. An old man without children, yet he would have had every reason to doubt this incredible promise from God. God says to him: Leave your country... I will make you a great nation. And the text of Genesis concludes that Abram left as the Lord had told him.

This is a beautiful example for us at the beginning of Lent: we should believe in all circumstances that God has plans for our happiness. This was precisely the meaning of the phrase pronounced over us on Ash Wednesday: "Repent and believe in the Gospel." To convert means to believe once and for all that the Newness is that God is Love. Jeremiah said on behalf of God: 'I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope' (Jer 29:11). Thus, the first two Sundays of Lent invite us to make a choice: on the first Sunday, we read in the book of Genesis the story of Adam: the man who suspects God in the face of a prohibition (not to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil), imagining that God might even be jealous! These are the insinuations of the serpent, which means poison. For this second Sunday of Lent, however, we read the story of Abraham, the believer. A little further on, the book of Genesis says of him: Abram believed in the Lord, who counted him as righteous. And, to help us follow the same path as Abraham, this psalm suggests words of trust: 'The eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his love to deliver them from death'. At the beginning, we read: 'The earth is full of love...' and then the expression 'those who fear him' is explained in the next line: 'those who hope in his love', so far from fear, quite the opposite! The temptation is to want to be free and do whatever we want... to obey only ourselves. All this comes from experience, and that is why the chosen people can say: 'the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his love' because God has watched over them like a father over his children. When it says that he frees them from death, it is not talking about biological death. We must remember that at the time this psalm was composed, individual death was not considered a tragedy; what mattered was the survival of the people in the certainty that God would keep his people alive. At all times, and especially in times of trial, God accompanies his people and delivers them from death. The reference to times of famine is certainly an allusion to the manna that God sent during the Exodus, when hunger became threatening. All the people can bear witness to this care of God in every age; and when we sing "The word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness," we are simply repeating the name of the merciful and faithful God who revealed himself to Moses (Ex 34:6). The conclusion is a prayer of trust: "May your love be upon us, Lord, as we hope in you" is an invitation to believers to offer themselves to this love.

*Second reading from the second letter of St Paul the Apostle to Timothy (1:8b-10) 

Paul is in prison in Rome, he knows that he will soon be executed, and here he gives his last recommendations to Timothy: "My dear son, with the strength of God, suffer with me for the Gospel." This suffering is the persecution that is inevitable for a true disciple of Christ, as Jesus had said (cf. Mk 8:34-35). Both at the beginning and at the end of the passage, there is a reference to the Gospel, which is presented as an inclusion. In the middle, framed by these two identical references, Paul explains what this Gospel is. He uses the word Gospel in its etymological sense of good news, just as Jesus himself said at the beginning of his preaching in Galilee: "Repent and believe in the Gospel, the Good News" means that Christian preaching is the proclamation that the kingdom of God has finally been inaugurated. For Paul, it is in the central sentence of our text that we discover what the Gospel consists of: ultimately, it can be summed up in a few words: God has saved us through Jesus Christ.  *"God saved us": it is a past tense, something that has been accomplished; but at the same time, in order for people to enter into this salvation, it is necessary that the Gospel be proclaimed to them. It is therefore truly a holy vocation that has been entrusted to us: "God saved us and called us to a holy vocation" (1:9). It is a holy vocation because it is entrusted to us by God who is holy; it is a holy vocation because it involves proclaiming God's plan; it is a holy vocation because God's plan needs our collaboration: each of us must play our part, as Paul says. But the expression "holy vocation" also means something else: God's plan for us, for humanity, is so great that it fully deserves this name. The particular vocation of the apostles is part of this universal vocation of humanity.

*"God has saved us": in the Bible, the verb "to save" always means "to liberate". It took a long and gradual discovery of this reality on the part of the people of the Covenant: God wants man to be free and intervenes incessantly to free us from every form of slavery. There are many types of slavery: political slavery, such as servitude in Egypt or exile in Babylon; and each time Israel recognised God's work in its liberation; social slavery, and the Law of Moses, as the prophets never cease to call for the conversion of hearts so that every person may live in dignity and freedom; religious slavery, which is even more insidious. The prophets never ceased to transmit this will of God to see humanity finally freed from all its chains. Paul says that Jesus has freed us even from death: Jesus "has conquered death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (1:10). Paul affirms this 

as he prepares to be executed. Jesus himself died, and we too will all die. Jesus, therefore, is not speaking of biological death. What victory is he referring to then? Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, gives us his own life, which we can share spiritually, and which nothing can destroy, not even biological death. His Resurrection is proof that biological death cannot destroy it, so for us biological death will be nothing more than a passage towards the light that never sets: in the funeral liturgy we say: "Life is not taken away, but transformed". If biological death is part of our physical constitution, made of dust – as the book of Genesis says – it cannot separate us from Jesus Christ (cf. Rom 8:39). In us there is a relationship with God that nothing, not even biological death, can destroy: this is what St John calls 'eternal life'.

*From the Gospel according to Matthew (17:1-9)

"Jesus took Peter, James and John with him": once again we are faced with the mystery of God's choices. It was to Peter that Jesus had said shortly before, in Caesarea: "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the powers of death will not prevail against it" (Mt 16:18). But Peter is accompanied by two brothers, James and John, the two sons of Zebedee. "And Jesus led them up a high mountain, apart": on a high mountain Moses had received the Revelation of the God of the Covenant and the tablets of the Law; that Law which was to progressively educate the people of the Covenant to live in the love of God and of their brothers and sisters. On the same mountain, Elijah had received the revelation of the God of tenderness in the gentle breeze... Moses and Elijah, the two pillars of the Old Testament... On the high mountain of the Transfiguration, Peter, James and John, the pillars of the Church, receive the revelation of the God of tenderness incarnate in Jesus: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased". And this revelation is granted to them to strengthen their faith before the storm of the Passion. Peter will write about it later (cf. 2 Pt 1:16-18).

The expression "my beloved Son: listen to him" designates Jesus as the Messiah: to Jewish ears, this simple phrase is a triple allusion to the Old Testament, because it recalls three very different texts, but ones that are well present in everyone's memory; all the more so because the expectation was intense at the time of Jesus' coming and hypotheses were multiplying: we have proof of this in the numerous questions addressed to Jesus in the Gospels. "Son" was the title usually given to kings, and the Messiah was expected to have the characteristics of a king descended from David, who would finally reign on the throne of Jerusalem, which had been without a king for a long time. The beloved, in whom I am well pleased, evoked a completely different context: it refers to the "Songs of the Servant" in the book of Isaiah; it meant that Jesus is the Messiah, no longer in the manner of a king, but of a Servant, in the sense of Isaiah (Is 42:1). 'Listen to him' meant something else: that Jesus is the Messiah-Prophet in the sense that Moses, in the Book of Deuteronomy, had announced to the people: 'The Lord your God will raise up for you, from among your own brothers, a prophet like me; you shall listen to him' (Dt 18:15). ' "Let us make three tents": this phrase of Peter suggests that the episode of the Transfiguration may have taken place during the Feast of Tabernacles, or at least in a climate linked to it, a feast celebrated in memory of the crossing of the desert during the Exodus and the Covenant made with God, in the fervent experience that the prophets would later call the betrothal of the people to the God of tenderness and fidelity. During this feast, people lived in huts for eight days, waiting and imploring a new manifestation of God that would be fulfilled with the coming of the Messiah. On the Mount of Transfiguration, the three apostles suddenly find themselves faced with this revelation of the mystery of Jesus: it is not surprising that they are seized with the fear that grips every man before the manifestation of the holy God. nor is it surprising that Jesus raises them up and reassures them: the Old Testament had already revealed to the people of the Covenant that the most holy God is the God who is close to man and that fear is not appropriate. But the revelation of the mystery of the Messiah, in all its dimensions, is not yet within everyone's reach; Jesus orders them not to tell anyone for the time being, before the Son of Man has risen from the dead. By saying this last sentence, Jesus confirms the revelation that the three disciples have just received: he is truly the Messiah whom the prophet Daniel saw in the form of a man, coming on the clouds of heaven (cf. Dan 7:13-14). Daniel himself presents the Son of Man not as a solitary individual, but as a people, whom he calls "the people of the Most High". The fulfilment is even more beautiful than the promise: in Jesus, Man-God, it is the whole of humanity that will receive this eternal kingship and be eternally transfigured. But Jesus said clearly: Tell no one anything before the Resurrection. Only after Jesus' Resurrection will the apostles be able to bear witness to it.

+Giovanni D'Ercole

Being present to oneself: do not replace love with flakes and bows

(Mt 23:1-12)

New Relationship between God and man could not be contained within the detailed rules of the First Covenant and its heavy customs.

At the time of Jesus, such sick obsessions of snooty verticism dominated, therefore only epidermal; incapable of providing breath, freedom, propulsive motivation.

The pyramidal conception of the world and the exterior idea of ​​the plot of the spiritual life do not correspond to Revelation.

Our reality is interwoven with opposing states, which innervate and complete; even making move forward. Sometime turning into a torrent in flood.

Rejection, abandonment, failure, limitations, illness, and the contempt of others – even a crisis – can bring us back to the dormant energies of life and give birth to a new Person.

How to contact our new ways of being? What precautions should be taken to enter a regeneration dynamism that helps to develop a lively climate - and where to start?

Jesus proposes Faith: a founding Relationship, that is, a new way of placing oneself before the Father and the world... with a trusting, spousal and creative attitude; in the initiative of another point of view.

Multifaceted love, Eros coming to us in a palpable dialogue - not without inner struggles.

This in the time of a path (singular, not at all traced or external). Even on the spur of the moment, annoying, because it goes against the tide.

The religious authorities, on the other hand, sought their security in the rigorous and conspicuous observance of the written and oral Law. 

Without risk or mind-boggling customizations.

Faced with such an accommodating mentality, free from vertigo, the young Master insists on the practice of Friendship [much stronger than willpower] which relativizes the obligations.

He thus gives its true sense to the profound Tradition, rediscovering the authentic meaning of the Torah and the rules of behavior.

After all, it was precisely the spiritual leaders of the official religion who were the first to disbelieve what they preached to others... or felt exempt from it, because they were used to thinking of themselves as elective, recognised, selected, chosen models - almost cast from above.

Exaggerated spirit of control is a false attitude in itself – it causes excessive strain and is deaf to the inner core.

But it is also detrimental to the building of a family atmosphere, or a culture of encounter; to the synodal journey, even... and so on.

On the other hand, by insisting on the attitude [which is indeed infallible] of mutual service, there will be no time left to be caught up in vanity, disputes over precedence, superficial discussions, friction, or even the gap between saying and doing.

Where can the theatre of indifference, which depresses rather than invigorates God's people, start again?

From the everlasting scribes and pharisees (v.2). Self-proclaimed superiors, with limited and reductive criteria of judgement.

Well, according to the Gospels, those who take on ecclesiastical leadership roles are not entitled to any “ribbon”: they are simply «deacons» (v. 11) of their sisters and brothers.

They have no positions, but tasks. They have no titles, but duties. They have no rank; rather, they have a mission and many obligations.

To internalize and live the message:

Do you like ribbons? What does your soul say about peacocks?

[Tuesday 2nd wk. in Lent, March 3, 2026]

Being present to oneself: do not replace Love with flaws, observance, deference

(Mt 23:1-12)

The New Relationship between God and man could not be contained within the meticulous regulations of the First Covenant and its burdensome customs.

At the time of Jesus, such sick obsessions of snooty verticism dominated, therefore only epidermal; incapable of giving breath, freedom, propulsive motivations.

The pyramidal conception of the world and the external idea of the web of spiritual life never correspond to Revelation, nor to the simple criteria of natural wisdom.

Indeed, the Tao Tê Ching (iv) says: "The Tao mitigates its splendour, makes itself similar to its dust. What profundity! It seems to have always existed'.

Master Wang Pi comments: "[That which has no origin] by smoothing its points, does not injure creatures; by untangling its knots, it does not fatigue them; by mitigating its light, it does not debase their bodies; by making itself like its dust, it does not disturb their genuineness".

Adds Master Ho-shang Kung: 'While having extraordinary splendour, one must know how to keep oneself in darkness and gloom [...], make oneself similar to dirt and dust, along with the crowds: one must not differentiate oneself from them'.

Our reality is interwoven with opposing states, which innervate it and complete it; even moving it forward. Even turning it into a raging torrent.

A rejection, an abandonment, an experience of failure, limitation, illness or dislike of others - even a reversal - can bring us back to the dormant energies of life and give birth to the new Person.

In this way:

How do we contact our new ways of being? What steps to take to enter into a dynamism of regeneration that helps to develop a living climate - and where to start?

Jesus proposes Faith: a founding Relationship, that is, a new way of standing before the Father and the world... with a trusting, spousal and creative attitude; in the initiative of an Other point of view.

Multifaceted love, Eros coming to us in a palpable dialogue - not without inner struggles.

This in the time of a path (singular, not at all traced or external). Even on the spur of the moment annoying, because it goes against the tide.

Religious authorities, on the other hand, sought their security in the strict and conspicuous observance of the written and oral Law.

Without risk or mind-boggling personalisation.

In the face of such an accommodating mentality, devoid of vertigo, the young Master insists on the practice of Friendship [much stronger than voluntarism] which relativises fulfilment.

He thus gives the profound Tradition its true meaning, rediscovering the authentic meaning of the Torah and the rules of conduct.

After all, it was precisely the spiritual leaders of the official religion who were the first not to believe what they preached to others... or rather, they felt exempt, because they were accustomed to thinking of themselves as elective, recognised, selected, chosen models - almost cast from above.

A vice of return that the Risen One seems to discern in the spiritual leaders of his own new people, where those in charge - while proclaiming Christ himself - began to become lovers even of obsequiousness.

Just like the ancient professionals of religion, who pushed conformity, legalism, and moralism; accustomed to show off, dictate judgment, and condition the very course of the Law.

Then as skilful specialists they always found any excuse to say and not do - and pass as 'impeccable worshippers':

"They bind together burdens that are heavy and hard to carry, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they not even with their finger want to move them" (v.4).

Even today, true communication experts always act in public, to be acclaimed.

But in their conduct they have no decisive and deep-rooted inner principle, falling prey to situations; as light as butterflies.

Driven by ambition, here they are all showiness and vanity - even self-love aroused by the social influence they willingly desire and exercise.

A spirit of verticality and vacuous self-importance that Mt notes also snaking among his veteran communities in Galilee and Syria.

Small assemblies then besieged by the influx of pagans, from whom the Judaizing elders demanded hierarchical respect above all.

Hypocritically ousting Christ and the Father, such veterans of ancient religiosity also aspired to be called rabbis, fathers, preceptors (vv.7-10).

Self-appointed superiors, with a limited and reductive yardstick of judgement.

With regard to the experience of Faith, the Lord instead orders us all to be brothers - that is, on an equal footing - in the certainty of a single Father.

This also applies to us, especially in the time of rebirth from the global crisis.

In Deus Caritas est (no.35):

"This right way of serving makes the worker humble. He does not assume a position of superiority before the other, however miserable his situation may be at the time. Christ took the last place in the world - the cross - and precisely with this radical humility He redeemed us and constantly helps us. He who is in a position to help recognises that in this very way he too is being helped; it is not his merit or title to boast that he can help. This task is grace. The more one does for others, the more he will understand and make his own the word of Christ: "We are useless servants" (Lk 17:10). Indeed, he recognises that he acts not on the basis of a superiority or greater personal efficiency, but because the Lord gives him the gift of it. At times, the excess of need and the limits of his own work may expose him to the temptation of discouragement. But it is precisely then that it will help him to know that, in the final analysis, he is but an instrument in the hands of the Lord; he will thus free himself from the presumption of having to bring about, personally and alone, the necessary improvement in the world. In humility he will do what he can do, and in humility he will entrust the rest to the Lord. It is God who rules the world, not us. We serve Him only as much as we can and as long as He gives us the strength. To do, however, what we can with the strength we have, this is the task that keeps the good servant of Jesus Christ always on the move: 'The love of Christ impels us' (2 Cor 5:14)".

How much we need a bath of humility, in the soul of each one who wishes to be present in his actions!

We can start, for example, by avoiding using devotion and the Church as means of promotion, to appear important and emphasise some 'spiritual' rank higher than others.

A false attitude in itself - it causes excessive forcing, deaf to the inner core. But also detrimental to the building of a family atmosphere, or culture of the encounter, synodal path; and so on.

By insisting, on the other hand, on the attitude [this is infallible] of mutual service, there will be no more time left to get caught up in vanity, disputes over precedence, arguments, the gap between saying and doing.

Where, on the other hand, can the theatre of unlove, which does not vitalise but depresses God's people, start from?

From the imperishable scribes and Pharisees (v.2) always exaggerated in their spirit of control.

Well, according to the Gospels, those who take on ecclesiastical leadership tasks have no right to any 'bow': they are simply 'deacons' (v.11) of the brothers.

To internalise and live the message:

Do you like bows? What does your soul say about peacocks?

In this […] Liturgy, the Apostle Paul invites us to draw near to the Gospel “not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God” (1 Thess 2:13). Thus we can accept with faith the warning that Jesus offers to our conscience, in order to conform our way of living to it. In today’s passage he rebukes the scribes and the Pharisees, who were the teachers of the community, because their own conduct was openly in conflict with the teaching they rigorously taught others. Jesus underlines that they “preach, but do not practise” (Mt 23:3); rather “they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger” (Mt 23:4). Good teaching must be received but it risks being contradicted by inconsistent behaviour. Thus Jesus says: “practise and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do” (Mt 23:3). Jesus’ attitude is exactly the opposite: he is the first to practise the commandment of love, which he teaches to everyone, and he can say the burden is light and easy because he helps us carry it (cf. Mt 11:29-30).

Thinking of teachers who oppress the freedom of others in the name of authority, St Bonaventure points out who the authentic teacher is, affirming that, “No one can teach or practise, or reach knowable truths unless the Son of God is present” (Sermo I de Tempore, Dom. XXII post Pentecosten, Opera omnia, IX, Quaracchi, 1901, 442). “Jesus sits on the cathedra of Moses... as the greater Moses, who broadens the Covenant to include all nations” (cf. Jesus of Nazareth, Doubleday, New York, 2007, p. 66). He is our true and only Teacher! We are, therefore, called to follow the Son of God, the Word Incarnate, who expresses the truth of his teaching through his faithfulness to the will of the Father, through the gift of himself. Bl. Antonio Rosmini writes: “The first teacher trains all the other teachers, as he also trains the same disciples themselves, because they exist only in virtue of that first tacit, but very powerful Magisterium” (Idea della Sapienza, 82, in: Introduzione alla filosofia, vol. II, Rome, 1934, 143). Jesus also firmly condemns vanity and observes that “deeds to be seen by men” (Mt 23:5), places them at the mercy of human approval, undermining the values that found the authenticity of the person.

Dear friends, the Lord Jesus presented himself to the world as a servant, completely stripping himself and lowering himself to give on the Cross the most eloquent lesson of humility and love. His example gives rise to a proposal of life: “He who is greatest among you shall be your servant” (Mt 23:11). We invoke the intercession of Mary Most Holy and we ask especially for those in Christian communities, who are called to the ministry of teaching, that they may always witness by their works to the truths that they communicate by their words.

[Pope Benedict, Angelus 30 October 2011]

1. With my gaze turned to the Shroud, I would like to extend a cordial greeting to you all, the faithful of the Church of Turin. I greet the pilgrims who have come from every part of the world at the time of this public exposition to look at one of the most unsettling signs of the Redeemer's suffering love.

As I entered the cathedral, which still shows the scars of last year's terrible fire, I paused in adoration before the Eucharist, the sacrament which is the focus of the Church's attention and, under humble appearances, contains the true, real and substantial presence of Christ. In the light of Christ's presence in our midst, I then stopped before the Shroud, the precious Linen that can help us better to understand the mystery of the love of God's Son for us. Before the Shroud, the intense and agonizing image of an unspeakable torment, I wish to thank the Lord for this unique gift, which asks for the believer's loving attention and complete willingness to follow the Lord.

3. For the believer, what counts above all is that the Shroud is a mirror of the Gospel. In fact, if we reflect on the sacred Linen, we cannot escape the idea that the image it presents has such a profound relationship with what the Gospels tell of Jesus' passion and death, that every sensitive person feels inwardly touched and moved at beholding it. Whoever approaches it is also aware that the Shroud does not hold people's hearts to itself, but turns them to him, at whose service the Father's loving providence has put it. Therefore, it is right to foster an awareness of the precious value of this image, which everyone sees and no one at present can explain. For every thoughtful person it is a reason for deep reflection, which can even involve one's life. The Shroud is thus a truly unique sign that points to Jesus, the true Word of the Father, and invites us to pattern our lives on the life of the One who gave himself for us.

7. The Shroud is an image of silence. There is a tragic silence of incommunicability, which finds its greatest expression in death, and there is the silence of fruitfulness, which belongs to whoever refrains from being heard outwardly in order to delve to the roots of truth and life. The Shroud expresses not only the silence of death but also the courageous and fruitful silence of triumph over the transitory, through total immersion in God's eternal present. It thus offers a moving confirmation of the fact that the merciful omnipotence of our God is not restrained by any power of evil, but knows instead how to make the very power of evil contribute to good. Our age needs to rediscover the fruitfulness of silence, in order to overcome the dissipation of sounds, images and chatter that too often prevent the voice of God from being heard.

[Pope John Paul II, Veneration of the Shroud, Turin 24 May 1998]

Today’s Gospel passage (cf. Mt 23:1-12) is set in the final days of Jesus’ life, in Jerusalem; days filled with expectations and also tension. On the one hand, Jesus directs harsh criticism at the scribes and Pharisees, and on the other, he entrusts important mandates to Christians of all times, thus also to us.

He says to the crowd: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; so practice and observe whatever they tell you”. Meaning that they have the authority to teach what is in conformity with the Law of God. However, immediately after, Jesus adds: “but do not do ‘what they do; for they preach, but do not practice’” (vv. 2-3). Brothers and sisters, a frequent flaw of those in authority, whether civil or ecclesiastic authority, is that of demanding of others things — even righteous things — that they do not, however, put into practise in the first person. They live a double life. Jesus says: “They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger (v. 4). This attitude sets a bad example of authority, which should instead derive its primary strength precisely from setting a good example. Authority arises from a good example, so as to help others to practise what is right and proper, sustaining them in the trials that they meet on the right path. Authority is a help, but if it is wrongly exercised, it becomes oppressive; it does not allow people to grow, and creates a climate of distrust and hostility, and also leads to corruption.

Jesus openly denounces some of the negative conduct of the scribes and of some Pharisees: “they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues, and salutations in the market places” (vv. 6-7). This is a temptation that corresponds to human pride and that is not always easy to overcome. It is the attitude of living only for appearances.

Then Jesus entrusts the mandates to his disciples: “you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brethren. [...] Neither be called masters, for you have one master, the Christ. He who is greatest among you shall be your servant” (vv. 8-11).

We disciples of Jesus must not seek titles of honour, of authority or supremacy. I tell you, it pains me personally to see people who, psychologically, live in pursuit of vain accolades. We disciples of Jesus must not do this, because among ourselves there must be a simple and fraternal attitude. We are all brothers and sisters and in no way must we abuse others or look down on them. No. We are all brothers and sisters. If we have received talents from the heavenly Father, we must place them at the service of our brothers and sisters, and not exploit them for our own satisfaction and personal interests. We must not consider ourselves superior to others; modesty is essential for an existence that seeks to conform to the teaching of Jesus, who is meek and humble of heart and came not to be served but to serve.

May the Virgin Mary, “humble and exalted more than any creature” (Dante,  Paradiso, xxxiii:2), help us, with her motherly intercession, to spurn pride and vanity, and to be meek and docile to the love that comes from God, for the service of our brothers and sisters and for their joy, which will also be our own.

[Pope Francis, Angelus 5 November 2017]

Exemplary Encounter and Life at the Unknown Climax

(Lk 6:36-38)

Is it possible to put the Gospel under exemplary «Measure» - eg. of Law (retributive) or of the First Testament and Tradition?

No, a Family would not be built. And the culmination of this kind of experience would be ethnic or elitist prerogative.

Configuration and proposal that would give birth everywhere to a gray, slavish, fragile world; incapable of dialogue, and unknown discoveries.

After feeling separated by a humanizing and divine quality of life, only the awareness of reconciliation can transform environments and persons.

Such is the living and actualized Jesus, in community.

He introduces his intimates into a new experience of fluid understanding, devoid of pride.

Without actually assuming affected or photocopied attitudes.

It’s then that Humility effortlessly floods us, bringing Charity to the summit - in the celestial setting of the Gratis that moves the gaze.

By suppressing and suppressing, the artifices inexorably close the joy of living.

They harness Happiness in "ways", in the endless accentuation of efforts - against themselves, and opposing the world of others.

Conventions, standard duties and reactions, never contain the benevolent, incisive energies of growth.

In the lives of Saints we see it: listening to oneself thoroughly, letting it be... and forgiveness, they increase love a hundredfold.

It becomes a source of incredible gestures in favor of one's neighbor; in the noticing accentuated, in the care, in the free hospitality, in the total and unrestricted gift.

There has always been a need for the contribution of new virtues and situations - even intimate ones - of their surprises.

Not discarding the nonsense of others… means having learned to welcome our own frailties and oppositions.

The world begins to change when we accept ourselves, in the experience of the God-with-us’ esteem.

Thus we learn to perceive Beauty, instead of aridity and detachment: what makes life more intense and at the same time sliding.

Even the knowledge of God is not an asset of confiscation or an acquired science, already internally and externally foreclosed.

It moves from one action to another, incessantly; takes place in an encounter that is always alive, which neither blocks nor dissolves us.

It’s the future world’s beginning; principle of an unpredictable adventure.

God's Newness that creates an environment of Grace - with enormous possibilities, bursting forth from diverse energies.

It bursts in to break up primates and stagnant balances.

It does so through an impossible opening of credit - with a lordship of qualities and perspectives - which regenerate and reactivate people, families, fraternities; the whole world.

Principle of Catholicity, understood as a wide field.

Pearls of the new Pastoral, helping not to mark borders.

Yeast dough. Not self-referential.

[Monday 2nd wk. in Lent, March 2, 2026]