6. The miraculous peaches are for the apostles and the church the "signs" of the fruitfulness of their mission if they remain deeply united to the saving power of Christ (cf. Lk 5:4-10; Jn 21:3-6). In fact, Luke includes in the narrative the fact of Simon Peter who throws himself at Jesus' knees exclaiming: "Lord, depart from me, for I am a sinner" (Lk 5:8), and Jesus' reply: "Fear not: from now on you shall be a fisher of men" (Lk 5:10). John in turn follows the narration of the fishing after the resurrection with Christ's command to Peter. "Shepherd my lambs, feed my sheep" (cf. Jn 21:15-17). It is a significant juxtaposition.

7. It can therefore be said that Christ's miracles, the manifestation of the divine omnipotence with regard to creation, which is revealed in his messianic power over men and things, are at the same time the "signs" through which the divine work of salvation is revealed, the salvific economy that with Christ is introduced and definitively implemented in human history and is thus inscribed in this visible world, which is also always a divine work. The people who - as well as the apostles on the lake - seeing the "miracles" of Christ ask themselves: "Who is . . . this one, to whom even the wind and the sea obey?" (Mk 4:41), through these "signs" are prepared to receive the salvation offered to man by God in his Son.

This is the essential purpose of all the miracles and signs performed by Christ in the eyes of his contemporaries, and of those miracles that throughout history will be performed by his apostles and disciples in reference to the saving power of his name: "In the name of Jesus Christ, the Nazarene, walk!" (Acts 3:6).

[Pope John Paul II, General Audience 2 December 1987]

This Sunday’s Gospel tells us — in St Luke’s narrative — of the call of Jesus’ first disciples (5:1-11). The event takes place in the context of everyday life: there are several fishermen on the shore of the lake of Galilee, who, after working all night and catching nothing, are washing and arranging their nets. Jesus gets into one of the boats, that of Simon, called Peter, whom he asks to put out a little from the shore, and he starts to preach the Word of God to the crowd of people who had gathered. When he is finished speaking, he tells them to put out into the deep and cast the nets. Simon had previously met Jesus and felt the prodigious power of his word. Therefore, he responds: “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets” (v. 5). And this faith of his did not disappoint: indeed, the nets filled with so many fish that they nearly broke (cf. v. 6). Facing this extraordinary event, the fishermen are greatly astonished. Simon Peter throws himself at Jesus’ feet, saying: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (v. 8). That prodigious sign convinces him that Jesus is not only a formidable master whose word is true and powerful, but he is the Lord, he is the manifestation of God. For Peter this close presence brings about a strong sense of his own pettiness and unworthiness. From a human point of view, he thinks that there should be distance between the sinner and the Holy One. In truth, his very condition as a sinner requires that the Lord not distance Himself from him, in the same way that a doctor cannot distance himself from those who are sick.

Jesus’ response to Simon Peter is reassuring and decisive: “Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men” (v. 10). Once again the fisherman of Galilee, placing his trust in this word, leaves everything and follows the one who has become his Lord and Master. Simon’s workmates, James and John, do the same. This is the logic that guides Jesus’ mission and the mission of the Church: go in search, “fish” for men and women, not to proselytize, but to restore full dignity and freedom to all, through the forgiveness of sins. This is the essential point of Christianity: to spread the free and regenerative love of God, with a welcoming and merciful attitude toward everyone, so that each person can encounter God’s tenderness and have the fullness of life. Here, in a particular way, I think of confessors: they are the first who must give the Father’s mercy, following Jesus’ example, as did the two holy Brothers, Fr Leopold and Padre Pio.

Today’s Gospel challenges us: do we know how to truly trust in the Word of the Lord? Or do we let ourselves become discouraged by our failures? In this Holy Year of Mercy we are called to comfort those who feel they are sinners, unworthy before the Lord, defeated by their mistakes, by speaking to them the very words of Jesus: “Do not be afraid. The Father’s mercy is greater than your sins! It is greater, do not be afraid!”. May the Virgin Mary help us to ever better understand that being disciples means placing our feet in the footsteps left by the Master: they are the footprints of divine grace that restore life for all.

[Pope Francis, Angelus 7 February 2016]

(Mk 6:30-34)

«Come yourselves aside, to a deserted place»: the explicit reference to the «desert» is that of Exodus - which recalls the time of first Love.

Experience of great Ideals that the path of Freedom could still infuse in a new People.

An offspring generated in silence, far from the hustle and bustle of idols: in guise of reflection and attention, sobriety of life, hospitality, real sharing.

Jesus is increasingly moving away from his environment, and does not want around him a horizon of elected, attracted by the suddenly exploded visibility - ending up considering themselves indispensable.

In fact, here they chase the many things to be done, but remain careless. They raise a great fuss, but stay in habit.

Then the Lord does not call «aside» for a "spiritual retreat". The apostles - who give themselves the air of ‘teachers’ (v.30) - receive the only task of «announcing», not of supervising, presiding over, coordinating others.

Even after failure in Nazareth (vv.1-6) - his heralds willingly confused the Servant who was educating them, for the victorious, hoped, respected, glorious Messiah.

That is why, faced with masses in need of everything, the Lord first «began to teach» (v.34).

In short, the young Rabbi must start all over again, in order to correct the illusory frivolities conveyed by the followers… maybe just to leave a trace, get recognized and succeed - with lost people!

Jesus’ closest collaborators had not yet understood that there is another World, evolutionary and upside down - but ignored.

For this reason they have a fortune of their own, but they produce a lousy evangelization; without creative energy.

The crowds thronging around the Lord still remained exactly such and as before: «like sheep that have no shepherd» (v.34). People steeped in dismay.

Despite the circle’s affirmation of the disciples who had focused on the model of subservience and prestige, humanity still cried out. 

Their ‘stability’ made others even more insecure.

It lacked all the friendship that nourishes more than food, a perception of adequacy that satisfies more than health; the adherence that conveys life.

And the sense of one’s own being born and seeking. The Encounter that makes one’s gaze shift; the intimately recognized union with the Truth.

Apostles or not apostles, without the very Person of Christ, those women and men who sought their roots would not have flourished - least of all starting from their own grey, fragile, lacklustre shades.

The deep demands of the troubled were absolutely intact, despite the leaders’ busy schedule - an intense occupation around... unfortunately artificial and inattentive, still ambiguous and immature, dirigiste and superficial.

This, on the other hand, is the real holiday, the authentic decisive Appointment: to remain with the right Person; the one that does not enervate with its external rhythms, nor does add confusion to confusion.

In short, in the [established or fashionable] reference, no person is cradled in his or her novelty, or balanced and regenerated.

Enough, then, of the many 'models' without soul or prophecy that reproach us - and the commonplaces that anaesthetise.

In fact, in each of us, every expedient or artifice triggers the opposite: a loss of capacity.

«Like sheep that have no shepherd» (v.34).

In preparing us for the metamorphosis that belongs to us, the Friend of the Journey does not always intend to analyse and control.

Thus he does not extinguish the small energies, the character, the unique projections, the silent actions, and the Enchantment.

Letting us breathe, only the authentic Shepherd collects our 'core' from dispersion, our Seed from fragmentation; our Flower, from life without intimate purpose.

[Saturday 4th wk. in O.T.  February 8, 2025]

Alone, and the true holiday that preserves the life force

(Mk 6:30-34)

Spy and interpretive key of the Gospel passage is the expression "in aloof" (v.31), which in the Gospels is everywhere used to indicate critical moments of misunderstanding or even open opposition between the Lord and the Apostles.

"Come ye apart, into a deserted place": the explicit reference to the "desert" is that of the Exodus - recalling the time of the first Love.

Experience the great Ideals that the path of Freedom could still instil in the New People.

Brought forth in silence, far from the hustle and bustle of idols: in the guise of reflection and attention, sobriety of life, acceptance, real sharing.

Jesus distances himself more and more decisively from his environment, and does not want around him a horizon of conceited chosen ones, attracted by the suddenly exploded visibility - they would end up considering themselves indispensable.

They would be overloaded with triumphalist and monopolistic platitudes - little attentive to the contents, their connection with the forms of implementation... and the social implications, such as bridging the gaps.

In fact, here they chase the many things to be done - also to make them positively more agile, of course - but they go haphazardly and regardless. Despite all the fuss and hosannas, they do not make sensible paths.

They are always there, even though they should go elsewhere; or vice versa.

All this perhaps precisely to consolidate ascents and positions from the earliest days, in the manner of certain life offices [still never questioned] or stages of careers that cannot be changed.

Conditions that make one artificial, and do not create intimate fulfilment, nor that of others. They raise a lot of fuss, but stay in the habit.

The problem they have in mind is wrong, and in spite of any sweats and little free time (or for themselves) they do not demonstrate a genuinely creative energy.

We see this.

So the Lord does not call 'aside' for a 'spiritual retreat' - to safeguard the stability of exhausted hierarchies, or for a moment of escapism that avoids the crush and its stress. But because something profoundly substantial does not add up.

One has to be self-critical.

In all four Gospels, only Jesus is the one who "teaches" [passim, Greek text].

The apostles - who give themselves the air of teachers (v.30) - are only given the task of "announcing", not of supervising, presiding over, coordinating others.

They have no title whatsoever to approach people thinking they have to convey a life tailored to their agenda, and a mind set on results [or banner membership].

After having called them to himself - because they are still far away - and sent them to proclaim their experience of freedom and the Good News on our behalf (vv.7-13), the Master does not seem very happy with what the apostles have preached.

So he imposes on them a test (so to speak) of basic catechism, just for his intimates.

Even after his failure even in Nazareth (vv.1-6) - his bannermen willingly mistook the Servant who was educating them for the victorious, hoped-for, respected, glorious Messiah.

For this reason, faced with the needy masses, the Lord first "began to teach" (v.34).

In short, the young Rabbi has to start again, in order to correct the illusory easiness conveyed by the followers. Maybe just to leave a trace, get recognised and succeed - with lost people!

The Tao Tê Ching writes (xxvii):

"He who travels well leaves neither furrows nor footprints [...] he who closes well uses neither bars nor stakes".

Master Ho-shang Kung comments:

'He who travels well in the Way seeks within himself, without going down the hall or out the door. Therefore he leaves no furrows or footprints'.

He adds:

"He who well closes his cravings through the Dao, preserves the life force".

Master Wang-Pi points out:

"He proceeds in accordance with spontaneity, without being cause or principle: therefore creatures reach their highest degree, without him leaving chariot furrows or footprints [...] he conforms to the spontaneity of creatures and neither institutes nor confers.

Jesus' closest collaborators had not yet realised that there is another World, evolutionary and inverted - but ignored.

That is why they have a fortune of their own, but produce very bad evangelisation.

The crowds thronging around the Lord were still exactly as they were before: "like sheep that have no shepherd" (v.34). Steeped in dismay.

In spite of the affirmation of the circle of disciples who had set their sights on the model of subservience and prestige, humanity was still crying out. 

Their stability made others even more insecure.

[We, too, want to discover personal wealth, not only that of the known 'pupils', the ever-neighbours, or the founders, the princes, the leaders].What was missing was the friendship that nourishes more than food, a perception of adequacy that satisfies more than health; the adherence that conveys life.

And the sense of being born and seeking. The encounter that shifts the gaze; the intimately recognised union with the Truth.

Apostles or no apostles, without the Person of Christ Himself, that people searching for their roots would not have flourished - least of all from their own grey, fragile, lacklustre hues.

The profound needs of the shaky ones were absolutely intact, despite the leaders' busy-ness around... unfortunately artificial and careless, still ambiguous and immature, dirigiste and superficial.

Extremities that even nowadays do not allow disoriented people to reach the highest degree of their being, because every pastoral expedient triggers the reverse: a loss of capacity.

The cunningly opiate and artefactual festivals advocated by guides or approximate agencies are an expression of the normal religious side of the civilisation of the outside world.

Being with the Lord again... puts the mind right.

He alone opens wide the doorways of understanding and creates other options that correspond to us, in quintessence and hope - generating new answers to new questions, overcoming forced compactness.

This is the real holiday, the real decisive appointment: to stay with the right Person; the one who does not enervate with his wrong rhythms or add confusion to confusion.

Christ gathers our kernel from dispersion, our seed from fragmentariness [which hides behind the masks of pretended expertise]; our flower, from life without intimate purpose.

To seek oneself one must gather oneself together with Him - and verify oneself in the creative power of His Word, interpreted far from the commonplaces that anaesthetise.

The throng and the noise of the crowd, however naive, confuse ideas; they inculcate the vulgar plots of the earthly realm: not the style of the divine life, which entrusts us to our own unexpressed resources.

No more models. We need a real Witness, who corresponds, and becomes a companion on the journey.

We feel an incessant desire to be balanced in the identity of the concrete good. It lies beyond the fatuous, variant but immediately succulent traits of recognition.

Here, no person regenerates.

Only around our inner Friend do we become Body in serious, amiable and profound conversation; even in the noisy and confusing everyday.

After a day of worries, instead of TV anaesthetics and before epidermal things, let us be refreshed by this Contact that introduces us into the Banquet of Life (vv.35-44).

We will be recovered rather than condemned to pious futility - and never alone. Inside we have a Friend.

In short, in the reference [established or fashionable] no person is cradled in his novelty, or balanced and regenerated.

Enough, then, of the many 'models' without soul or prophecy that reproach us - and the commonplaces that anaesthetise.

In fact, in each of us, every expedient or artifice triggers the opposite: a loss of capacity.

"Like sheep that have no shepherd" (v.34).

In preparing us for the metamorphosis that belongs to us, the Friend of the Journey does not always intend to analyse and control.

Thus he does not extinguish the small energies, the character, the unique projections, the silent actions, and the Enchantment.

Letting us breathe, only the authentic Shepherd gathers our 'core' from dispersion, our Seed from fragmentation; our Flower, from life without intimate purpose.

To internalise and live the message:

How do you evangelise? Does Jesus speak in you or do you speak alone?

Authentic Contact

Come and see

[cf. Jn 1:35-42].

"Tithing hour" (v.39): in the Semitic mentality, sunset of the old and beginning of the new Day. It is approached dialogically, heart to heart; not according to the prescribed ancient order.

The Vocation is the discovery of the reason why we were born, of what we were made for, and it corresponds immediately - in an unprecedented, not cloying way - to the reality of a road travelled as if on foot.

On it, the call of the hearth of the Word gradually helps to understand our person and to define our exceptional mission.

God is the One who calls, so that without too much commentary we see into it, sense the impulses, develop a new outlook on things, grasp them as an Encounter, and let ourselves go.

Says the Tao Tê Ching (LVII): "From what do I know that this is so? From the present' - and Master Ho-shang Kung comments: 'Lao-tzu says: How do I know that Heaven's intention is this? I know it from what I see today'.

Such a scenario triggers in the soul a passion that sinks into the mystery, an energy that develops on this meaningful encounter and encounter with reality and new yet extravagant relationships, without exaggeration.The way of scrutinising the world anchored to small certainties of custom or thought will always make us be and do ordinary things, dictated by habit, prejudice, conditioned hopes (which do not belong to us).

If so, we will never move our inner eye to unknown processes and territories. If undertaken, they will introduce the heart to a kind of hermeneutic island, face to face with the invisible Friend who makes us feel at home.

Such paths together will not give us a priori the certainty that we are 'in the right', but that we are involved in the same spirit of the Nazarene - rebelling against the constraints we may already be putting ourselves in.

They entangle with entanglements his superior Voice, or the innate icon to be admired intimately, the figure of our Vocation.

The restlessness of the Waiting, its fantastic frenzies, those murmurs that seem to be in the air, are perhaps the expression of an unseen fairy tale that we do not know what it is - but our fascinating brother does.

On the contrary, we will be on the path marked out by always or by others, until his alternative vision launches us onto a path that is still dark instead of well illustrated (where everything is under control).

With excessive mental feedback we would get no further than vicious circles, or already adopted characters and defined roles - armour humiliating the Spirit, who does not like sphinxes impermeable to the dew of the coming tide.

Over-filtering and over-managing will not lead us to appreciate the value of the inner world and its presences, nor will it help us to perceive the meaning of encounters, the openness of the horizon of the proposals that life brings us to dismantle the imprinting we drag along.

The only therapy for jumping beyond the usual way of seeing things will be to shift the perspective, so that it makes us dissymmetrical and allows us to enter the field richer and more varied, outside the perimeter traced by conventions.

With Jesus we will embark on a path full of pitfalls, yet magical, because it is not taken for granted. With Him we will realise ourselves, our vocation and our own codes - but in the fullness of the polyhedron that is personal essence.

No one is without modulations to be discovered and activated; calibrated, anonymous and poor before the Lord and others. Hence, no one is destined to be a labourer or a functionary of archaic bandwagons - devoid of living figures and fantastic, magical, awe-inspiring inventiveness.

Even the dreamy tone of this narrative says so.

In a relationship of assiduity with Christ, it is his and our ideals outside the guidelines that characterise existence, which becomes red-hot starting from the soul... without first normalising it according to others' rules.

Beware, therefore, of constructing a conformist destiny of the penultimate hand, one that shatters one's whole life because it is chosen from what is common, external, accustomed and quiet, or vice versa delusional: criteria destined to collapse.

Nor does the Calling become a projection of ambition, suggested by vanity. Nor a reward for previous loyalties or behind performance.

First of all, a reading of oneself, a living listening to events (more intimate than conformist and outlined) as well as a participatory interpretation of reality, of the Word - and elastic reworking of moments, advice and relationships.

"Come and see" (v.39 Semitic undertone): perception, the glance that notices, is essential to understand who we are.

Nothing intimate, but nothing external - not even for the happenings outside us: we are those who develop innate images and Dreams.

God did not create us to stay on the ground, but to take flight. In fact, the Baptist had stopped (v.35 Greek text): "again he stood (there)".

Jesus, on the other hand, proceeds, is always moving; He Himself begins a new journey.

The comparison is stark. The old expectations come to a standstill - they have no strength left in them. That is why the first disciples of Jesus came from the school of John - where they had met.

After being a pupil of the greatest leader of his time, the new, young Rabbi sets out on his own.

He does so not to stand out from the others, but to proclaim the authentic heart of the Father, in his own figure: Word-formed Son, but who has only gradually assimilated the secrets of the human and spiritual journey.

It is an astonishing identity, that of the Lamb of God: his Person, event and Blood depict the Action of the Creator Spirit, who takes away the capacity of the forces of evil to do harm - not through immediate and prodigious shortcuts.

Purposes that are too close do not unite man and the world to God. They do not confirm the rightness and conformity of the great End and Source: the continuous Presence that accompanies our particular activity.

Every soul has an original physiognomy: it is in a special way, it has its own place and meaning.

The personal Calling is constitutive of this unrepeatable essence - which opens up the task of uniqueness - grammar of our language (even with ourselves) and interaction in the world; in the soul, of listening to God.

The unrepeatable Vocation is the only path to follow to read and encounter the genius of time before problems, and a kind of impulse; will and factor of recognition that accompanies and orients in them.

There may be an unforgettable day and hour in life, but the relationship of custom is essential.

A furtive encounter with the unstoppably moving Christ is not enough to 'look inside' and understand every decisive weight. And to become - like Simon - building stone that composes and is composed.

Here, even in seemingly unimportant situations, we are ourselves: we are cosmic and divine intention; we are immeasurably important.

Commenting on the same passage from the Tao (LVII) quoted above, Master Wang Pi points out: 'He who rules the world with the Way, exalts the root to make the branches grow.

Like an artistic vein.

To internalise and live the message:

What do you wait for from Jesus? Or do you give in and let him lead you? What do you think he would call you?

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

On the Lord's Day, in the middle of my Visit to Brindisi, we are celebrating the mystery which is the source and summit of the Church's whole life. We are celebrating Christ in the Eucharist, the greatest gift that flowed from his divine and human Heart, the Bread of Life, broken and shared to enable us to become one with him and with one another. I greet with affection all of you who have gathered at the port, this deeply symbolic place which calls to mind the missionary journeys of Peter and Paul. I rejoice to see the many young people who enlivened last night's vigil in preparation for the Eucharistic celebration. And I also greet you, who are taking part in spirit by means of radio and television. I address a special greeting to Archbishop Rocco Talucci, the Pastor of this beloved Church, and thank him for his words at the beginning of Holy Mass. I also greet the other Bishops of Apulia who have desired to be here with us with sentiments of fraternal communion. The presence of Metropolitan Gennadios gives me special pleasure and I offer him my cordial greeting, which I extend to all the Orthodox brethren and those of the other Denominations, from this Church of Brindisi which, because of her ecumenical vocation, invites us to pray and to work for the full unity of all Christians. With gratitude I greet the Civil and Military Authorities who are taking part in this liturgy, and wish them every good for their service. My affectionate thoughts then go to the priests and deacons, to the women and men religious and to all the faithful. I address a special greeting to the sick in hospital and to the prisoners in jail, to whom I assure my remembrance in prayer. Grace and peace on the part of the Lord to everyone and to the entire city of Brindisi!

The biblical texts we have heard on this 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time help us to understand the reality of the Church: the First Reading (cf. Ex 19: 2-6a) recalled the Covenant made on Mount Sinai, during the Exodus from Egypt; the Gospel (cf. Mt 9: 36-10: 8) consisted of the account of the call and mission of the Twelve Apostles. We find the "constitution" of the Church presented here: how can we fail to perceive the implicit invitation addressed to every Community to renew its own vocation and missionary drive? In the First Reading the sacred author tells of God's Covenant with Moses and with Israel on Sinai. This is one of the great milestones in salvation history, one of those moments that transcend history itself in which the boundary between the Old and New Testaments disappears and the eternal plan of the God of the Covenant is manifest: the plan for the salvation of all men and women through the sanctification of a people to which God proposes to become "my own possession among all peoples" (Ex 19: 5). In this perspective, the people is called to become a "holy nation", not only in the moral sense, but first and above all in its own ontological reality, in its being as a people. Already in the Old Testament, how the identity of this people is to be understood is gradually made clear in the course of the salvific events; then it was fully revealed with the coming of Jesus Christ. Today's Gospel presents us with a decisive moment for this revelation. In fact, when Jesus called the Twelve he desired to refer symbolically to the 12 tribes of Israel, going back to the 12 sons of Jacob. Thus, by placing the Twelve at the centre of his new community, he makes it understood that he came to bring the heavenly Father's design to completion, even if the new face of the Church was to appear only at Pentecost when the Twelve, "filled with the Holy Spirit" proclaimed the Gospel, and spoke in all the languages (Acts 2: 3-4). It was then that the universal Church was to be made manifest, gathered in a single Body of which the Risen Christ is Head yet, at the same time, sent by him to all the nations, even to the very ends of the earth (cf. Mt 28: 19).

Jesus' style is unmistakeable: it is the characteristic style of God who likes to do great things in a poor and humble manner. The solemnity of the accounts of the Covenant in the Book of Exodus leaves room in the Gospels for humble and discreet gestures which nevertheless contain an enormous potential for renewal. It is the logic of the Kingdom of God, not by chance represented by the tiny seed that becomes a great tree (cf. Mt 13: 31-32). The Covenant of Sinai was accompanied by cosmic signs that terrified the Israelites; the beginnings of the Church in Galilee, on the contrary, were exempt from such manifestations and reflect the docility and compassion of Christ's Heart although they foretold another battle, another upheaval, inspired by the forces of evil. Christ gave to the Twelve, we heard, "authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every infirmity" (Mt 10: 1). The Twelve must cooperate with Jesus in establishing the Kingdom of God, that is, his beneficial, life-giving lordship, and life in abundance for the whole of humanity. The Church in essence, like Christ and together with him, is called and sent out to establish the Kingdom of life and to drive out the dominion of death so that the life of God may triumph in the world; so that God who is Love may triumph. Christ's work is always silent, it is not spectacular; the great tree of true life grows even in the humility of being Church, of living the Gospel every day. Precisely with these humble beginnings the Lord encourages us so that in the humility of the Church today too, in the poverty of our Christian lives, we may see his presence and thus have the courage to go to meet him and make his love, this force of peace and of true life, present on our earth. So this was God's plan: to spread over humanity and throughout the cosmos his love that generates life. It was not a spectacular process; it was a humble process, yet it brought with it the true power of the future and of history.

Thus it is a plan that the Lord desires to implement with respect for our freedom, for love, by its nature, cannot be imposed. The Church in Christ then is the place in which to accept and mediate God's love. In this perspective it is clear that the Church's holiness and missionary character are two sides of the same coin: only because she is holy, that is, filled with divine love, can the Church carry out her mission, and it is precisely in terms of this task that God chose her and sanctified her as his property. Our first duty, therefore, precisely in order to heal this world, is to be holy, configured to God; in this way we emanate a healing and transforming power that also acts on others, on history. Your Ecclesial Community, dear brothers and sisters, involved as it is in the Diocesan Synod in this period, is measuring itself at this moment against the double term, "holiness-mission" - holiness is always a force that transforms others. In this regard, it is useful to reflect that the Twelve Apostles were not perfect men, chosen for their moral and religious irreproachability. They were indeed believers, full of enthusiasm and zeal but at the same time marked by their human limitations, which were sometimes even serious. Therefore Jesus did not call them because they were already holy, complete, perfect, but so that they might become so, so that they might thereby also transform history, as it is for us, as it is for all Christians. In the Second Reading we heard the Apostle Paul's synthesis: "God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us" (Rm 5: 8). The Church is the community of sinners who believe in God's love, letting themselves be transformed by him and thus become holy, sanctifying the world.

In the light of God's providential words, today I have the joy of strengthening your Church on her way. It is a way of holiness and mission on which your Archbishop has invited you to reflect in his recent Pastoral Letter; it is a way he has thoroughly examined in the course of his Pastoral Visit and which he now intends to promote through the Diocesan Synod. Today's Gospel suggests to us the style of the mission, in other words the interior attitude that is expressed in life lived. It can only be Jesus' style: that of "compassion". The Evangelist highlights this by focusing attention on Christ looking at the crowd. He wrote: "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" (Mt 9: 36). And after the call of the Twelve, this attitude is once again apparent in the order he gives them to go "to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Mt 10: 6). Christ's love for his people, especially the lowly and the poor, can be felt in these words. Christian compassion has nothing to do with pietism or the culture of dependency. Rather, it is synonymous with solidarity and sharing and is enlivened by hope. Were not Jesus' words to the Apostles born from hope: "Preach as you go, saying, "the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand'" (Mt 10: 7)? This is hope founded on Christ's coming and ultimately coincides with his Person and his mystery of salvation - where Christ is, there is the Kingdom of God, there is the newness of the world - as the theme of the Fourth Ecclesial Convention of Italy celebrated in Verona clearly recalled: the Risen Christ is the "hope of the world".

Enlivened by the hope in which you have been saved, may you too, brothers and sisters of this ancient Church of Brindisi, be signs and instruments of the compassion and mercy of Christ. To the Archbishop and priests I fervently repeat the words of the divine Teacher: "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without pay, give without pay" (Mt 10: 8). This mandate is once again addressed in the first place to you today. The Spirit who acted in Christ and in the Twelve, is the same as the One who works in you and enables you to perform among your people, in this territory, signs of the Kingdom of love, justice and peace that is coming, indeed, that is already in the world. Yet, through the grace of Baptism and Confirmation, all the members of the People of God participate in Jesus' mission if in different ways. I am thinking of consecrated people who profess the vows of poverty, virginity and obedience; I am thinking of Christian married couples and of you, lay faithful committed to the Ecclesial Community and to society, both personally and as a group. Dear brothers and sisters, Jesus' desire to increase the number of workers in the Lord's harvest (cf. Mt 9: 38) is addressed to you all. This desire, which is asking to be made a prayer, reminds us in the first place of seminarians and of the new Seminary in this Archdiocese; it makes us realize that in a broad sense the Church is one great "seminary", beginning with the family and extending to the parish communities, the associations and movements of apostolic commitment. We are all, with the variety of our charisms and ministries, called to work in the Lord's vineyard.

Dear brothers and sisters of Brindisi, continue in this spirit on the way on which you have set out. May your Patrons, St Leucius and St Oronzo, both of whom arrived from the East in the second century to water this land with the living water of the Word of God, watch over you. May the relics of St Theodore of Amasea, venerated in the Cathedral of Brindisi, remind you that giving one's life for Christ is the most effective preaching. May St Lawrence, a son of this City who, in Francis of Assisi's footsteps, became an apostle of peace in a Europe torn apart by wars and disputes, obtain for you the gift of authentic brotherhood. I entrust you all to the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Hope and Star of Evangelization. May the Blessed Virgin help you to remain in the love of Christ, so that you may bear abundant fruit for the glory of God the Father and the salvation of the world. Amen.

[Pope Benedict, homily port of Brindisi 15 June 2008]

Dear sisters,

1. During my apostolic journeys, I experience a profound and ever new happiness when I meet women religious, whose consecrated existence through the three evangelical vows "belongs inseparably to the life and holiness of the Church" (Lumen Gentium, 44). Let us together bless the Lord who has made this meeting possible! Let us bless him for the fruits that will follow in your personal lives, in your congregations, in the People of God! Thank you for coming in such great numbers from all parts of Paris and the Paris region, and even from the provinces! I am happy to express to you who are here, as to all the religious of France, my esteem, my affection, my encouragement.

This gathering, almost rural, makes me think of those moments of pause and respite that Jesus Christ reserved for his first disciples on their return from certain apostolic journeys. You too, my dear sisters, come from your places and tasks of evangelisation: dispensaries or hospitals, schools or colleges, catechetical or youth care centres, parish services or insertion in poor environments. I am happy to repeat to you the words of the Lord: "Come away ... and rest a while" (cf. Mk 6:31). Together we shall meditate on the mystery and the Gospel treasure of your vocation.

2. Religious life is not your property, just as it is not the property of an institute. It is the "divine gift which the Church has received from her Lord and by his grace always faithfully preserves" (Lumen Gentium, 43). In short, religious life is an inheritance, a reality lived in the Church for centuries, by a multitude of men and women. And the profound experience that they have had of it transcends the socio-cultural differences that may exist from one country to another, transcends even the descriptions that they have left behind, and is beyond the diversity of the achievements and research of our time. It is important to respect and love this rich spiritual heritage. It is important to listen to and imitate those who have best embodied the ideal of evangelical perfection and who so numerous have sanctified and ennobled the land of France.

Until the end of your lives, remain in awe and gratitude for the mysterious call that resounded one day in the depths of your hearts: "Follow me" (cf. Mt 9:9; Jn 1:43), "Sell what you possess, give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come and follow me" (Mt 19:21). You first carried this appeal as a secret, then submitted it to the discernment of the Church. It is indeed a great risk to leave everything to follow Christ. But you already felt - and then you experienced - that he was able to fill your heart. Religious life is a friendship, an intimacy of a mystical order with Christ. Your personal journey must be almost a re-enactment of the famous poem of the Song of Songs. Dear sisters, in the "heart to heart" of prayer, which is absolutely vital for each of you, as well as on the occasion of your various apostolic appointments, listen to the Lord murmuring to you the same invitation: "Follow me". The ardour of your response will keep you in the freshness of your first oblation. You will thus walk from faithfulness to faithfulness!

3. To follow Christ is more than the mere admiration of a model, even if you have a good knowledge of holy scripture and theology. To follow Christ is something existential. It is wanting to imitate him to the point of allowing oneself to be configured to him, assimilated into him, to the point of being - in the words of Sister Elizabeth of the Trinity - 'an additional humanity'. And this in their own mystery of chastity, poverty and obedience. Such an ideal surpasses understanding, surpasses human strength!

It can only be realised through strong times of silent and ardent contemplation of the Lord Jesus. So-called 'active' religious must at certain times be 'contemplatives', following the example of the nuns I will address in Lisieux.

Religious chastity, my sisters, is truly a desire to be like Christ; all other reasons that can be advanced vanish before this essential reason: Jesus was chaste. This state of Christ was not only the overcoming of human sexuality, such as to prefigure the future world, but also a manifestation, an "epiphany" of the universality of his redemptive oblation. The Gospel never ceases to show how Jesus lived chastity. In his human relationships, singularly broad in relation to the traditions of his environment and age, he perfectly reaches the profound personality of the other. His simplicity, his respect, his goodness, his art of arousing the best in the hearts of the people he met, shocked the Samaritan woman, the adulterous woman and so many others. May your vow of consecrated virginity - deepened and lived out in the mystery of Christ's chastity - and which already transfigures your persons, drive you to truly reach out to your brothers and sisters in their humanity, in the concrete situations proper to each one! So many people in our world are as if led astray, crushed, in despair! In fidelity to the rules of prudence, make them feel that you love them in the manner of Christ, drawing from his heart the human and divine tenderness that he reserves for them.

You have also promised Christ to be poor with him and like him. Certainly the productive and consumerist society poses complex problems for the practice of evangelical poverty. This is not the place or the time to talk about it. It seems to me that every congregation must see in this economic phenomenon a providential invitation to give a response, at once traditional and entirely new, to the poor Christ. By contemplating him often and at length in his radically poor life, by assiduously frequenting the humble and the poor who are also his face, you will be able to give all that you are and all that you have. The Church needs to be as affected by your witness. Measure your responsibility.

As for the obedience of Jesus, it occupies a central place in his redemptive work. You have often meditated on the pages in which St Paul speaks of the initial disobedience, which was like the gateway to sin and death in the world, and speaks of the mystery of Christ's obedience that triggers humanity's ascent to God. Self-denial, humility, are more difficult for our generation tickled by autonomy and even fantasy. However, one cannot imagine a religious life without obedience to superiors who are guardians of fidelity to the ideal of the institute. St Paul emphasises the link of cause and effect between Christ's obedience to the death of the cross (cf. Phil 2:6-11) and his glory as risen Lord of the universe. In the same way, the obedience of every religious - which is always a sacrifice of the will made out of love - bears abundant fruits of salvation for the whole world.

4. You have therefore accepted to follow Christ and to imitate him closely, to manifest his true face to those who already know him as well as to those who do not. And this through all the apostolic activities to which I alluded at the beginning of this meeting. On the level of commitments to be undertaken, without prejudice to the particular spirituality of your institute, I strongly urge you to integrate yourselves into the immense network of pastoral tasks of the universal Church and dioceses (cf. Perfectae Caritatis, 20). I know that some congregations, for lack of subjects, cannot respond to all the appeals that come to them from Bishops and priests. However, do what you can to ensure the vital services of parishes and dioceses. How many duly trained women religious collaborate in the pastoral care of the new realities that are numerous! In a word, invest your natural and supernatural talents to the utmost in contemporary evangelisation. Be always and everywhere present to the world without being of the world (cf. Jn 17:15-16). Never be afraid to let your identity as women consecrated to the Lord be clearly recognised. Christians and those who are not have a right to know who you are. Christ, the master of us all, made his life a courageous manifestation of his identity (cf. Lk 9:26).

Courage and confidence my dear sisters! I know that for years you have been reflecting a great deal on religious life, on your constitutions. The time has come to live in fidelity to the Lord and to your apostolic tasks. I pray wholeheartedly that the witness of your consecrated life and the face of your religious congregations will awaken in the hearts of many young people the plan to follow Christ as you do. I bless you and all the women religious of France who work on the soil of your homeland or on other continents. And I also bless all those you carry in your hearts and in your prayers.

[Pope John Paul II, to the Religious, Rue de Bac 31 May 1980]

Jesus’s attitude that we observe in the Gospel of today’s liturgy (Mk 6:30-34) helps us to grasp two important aspects of life. The first is rest. To the Apostles returning from the labours of the mission who enthusiastically begin to relate everything they had done, Jesus tenderly directs this invitation to the Apostles: “Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while” (v. 31). An invitation to rest.

In so doing, Jesus gives us a valuable teaching. Even though he rejoices on seeing his disciples’ happiness due to the wonders of their preaching, he does not spend time giving them compliments or asking questions. Rather, he is concerned about their physical and interior tiredness. And why does he do this? Because he wants to make them aware of a danger that is always lurking there for us too: the danger to be caught up in the frenzy of doing things, to fall into the trap of activism where what is most important are the results that we obtain and the feeling of being absolute protagonists. How many times this happens in the Church: we are busy, we run around, we think that everything depends on us and, in the end, we risk neglecting Jesus and we always make ourselves the centre. This is why He invites His disciples to rest a bit with Him on their own. It is not only physical rest, but also rest for the heart. For it is not enough to “unplug” ourselves, we need to truly rest. And how do we do this? To do so, we must return to the heart of things: to stop, to remain in silence, to pray so as not to go from the frenzy of work to the frenzy of times of relaxation. Jesus did not neglect the needs of the crowd, but each day, before anything else, he would withdraw in prayer, in silence, in intimacy with the Father. His tender invitation – rest a while – should accompany us. Let us beware, brothers and sisters, of efficiency, let us put a halt to the frantic running around dictated by our agendas. Let us learn how to take a break, to turn off the mobile phone, to contemplate nature, to regenerate ourselves in dialogue with God.

Nonetheless, the Gospel tells us that Jesus and his disciples could not rest as they had wished. The people find them and flock to them from all sides. At which point, he is moved with compassion. This is the second aspect: compassion, which is God’s style. God’s style is to draw near, compassion and tenderness. How many times we find this phrase in the Gospel, in the Bible: “He had compassion on them”. Touched, Jesus dedicates himself to the people and begins to teach again (cf. vv. 33-34). This seems to be a contradiction, but in reality, it is not. In fact, only a heart that does not allow itself to be taken over by hastiness is capable of being moved; that is, of not allowing itself to be caught up in itself and by things to do, and is aware of others, of their wounds, their needs. Compassion is born from contemplation. If we learn to truly rest, we become capable of true compassion; if we cultivate a contemplative outlook, we will carry out our activities without that rapacious attitude of those who want to possess and consume everything; if we stay in touch with the Lord and do not anesthetise the deepest part of ourselves, the things to do will not have the power to cause us to get winded or devour us. We need – listen to this – we need an “ecology of the heart”, that is made up of rest, contemplation and compassion. Let us take advantage of the summer time for this! It will help us quite a bit.

And now, let us pray to the Madonna, who cultivated silence, prayer and contemplation and who is always moved with tender compassion for us, her children.

[Pope Francis, Angelus 18 July 2021]

(Mk 6:14-29)

The question "Who is Jesus?" grows throughout the Gospel of Mark, up to the answer of the centurion under the cross (Mk 15:39).

The account of people's opinions (vv.14-16) suggests that even around the first assemblies of believers some were trying to understand Christ from what was already known.

Not a few wished to understand his Person on the basis of criteria drawn from the Scriptures or from the even oral Tradition of the chosen people; from ancient beliefs and suggestions - even superstitious ones [as in the case of Herod].

But the Herald of God was not a purifier of the Temple, nor a mere patcher of dated religiosity, of domesticated cultural ideas. Not even one of the many 'reformers'... all in all conformists.

He overturns the hopes of the people, thus disturbing any school of thought; in particular, those who hold the exclusive.

When he senses danger, those shrouded in lustre and power become brazen and willing to any violence, even for a false point of honour.

Tyrants always mock the isolated, inconvenient and defenceless.

But leaders and the powerful are also cowards: they do not intend to lose face in front of the allies of their inordinate and unchecked environment, cloaked in exemptions.

During more than 40 years of his reign, Herod Antipas had created a class of officials and a system of privileged people who had the government, the treasury, the economy, justice, every aspect of civic and police life in their hands.

His command covered the territory extensively.

In every village, the ruler could count on the support of all the cliques and various local leaders, interested in controlling consciences - together with compromised scribes and Pharisees, linked to his politics.

Besides being a puppet of Rome - to which he guaranteed control of the territory and the flow of taxes - Herod was depraved and (indeed) superstitious. He thought that even a light oath to a dancer should be kept.

Josephus Flavius, on the other hand, reports that John was in prison for fear of the ruler of a popular uprising - and was considering that it was good for him to act in advance.

The assassination plot was probably casual.

The brave man who denounces abuse is crushed, but the Voice of his martyrdom is no longer silent.

This is why the episode does not induce Jesus to greater caution. Once an envoy is killed, another greater and more incisive one takes his place: the last of the Prophets, the Son of God.

The delinquents must not delude themselves that Providence does not know how to equip even the most spineless high places with the counterbalance of coherent and valid people.

Generic and confusing religiosity can adapt to any season and be embraced even by those who think others' lives are worthless - but a Prophet does not stop at the whim of the corrupt system.

Both John and the Lord never visited the new Herodian capital, Tiberias, the city of courtly palaces. Built - after Sefforis, where Jesus also worked - in diplomatic homage to the Roman emperor.

In the Palestinian villages, the life of the people was harassed with taxes and abuses by landowners, who did not even reside there; controlled by the perfect combination of interests between civil and religious power.

Complicity that the leaders slyly tried to impose, according to their way of life. Also by conveying many calibrated narratives to the crowds, and inculcating (useless) knowledge.

The leaders of the popular, orthodox and compliant faith - as is often the case - were on the leash of the authorities on the ground, who considered themselves definitive and found strength in the coalition.

It seemed absurd that anyone in that society would dare to break the wall of silence that ensured that troublemakers, 'spiritual' authorities and even low-level bullies could consider themselves untouchable.

Faced with the (unceremonious) blackmail of the privileged who were in control of every social and cultural stratum, it seemed impossible to start a new path, or to say and do anything unaligned.

John and Jesus challenge the status quo and attract the vengeance of those who seek to perpetuate the prerogatives of the ancient hierarchical cosmos, and the anger of those who are exposed in their hypocrisies.

This is the real difficulty that the proclamation of the new kingdom encounters in the world. Its contemptuous rejection and every attempt at murder will be a litmus test of our noble critical frankness, the revelation of which will run parallel to the Two.

The Baptiser was an intrepid denouncer of vice, superficiality, malpractice and the perversions of the powerful.Of these, Pope Francis would have spoken of good manners [in the pursuit of cordial alliances] and bad habits [in the irresponsible and insulting private life, and in the violence with which dominion over the little ones is perpetuated].

Jesus, too, put his foot down, instead of making an internal career. In spite of John's foreboding, he rejected the path of weighed-up malice, pretense, diplomacy, and pirouettes of circumstance.

The Master stood in defence of conscience and divine law itself, against opportunistic religious and political authorities, whom he challenged head-on.

Today too, the Lord asks for courage not to bow down in the face of corruption, evil, the current mentality; to be different in the way of thinking, of speaking [mellifluous].

He asks to choose and act.

Unheard, mocked, opposed by many lords, luminaries and courtiers, the children of God bear witness to the Truth, paying for it in person: perfect Lethitude.

Authentic Fullness.

To internalise and live the message:

Do you know victims of authoritarianism, corruption, domination of the powerful, excess and extravagance of power? Even in the Church?

How is it that this still happens - and everything is silenced sooner or later?

Who is Jesus according to you and others? And what would you say?

(Mk 6:14-29)

The question «Jesus, Who is he?» grows throughout the Mk’s Gospel, up to the answer of the centurion under the Cross (Mk 15:39).

The assessment of the opinions of the people (vv. 14-16) suggests that even around the first assemblies of believers someone tried to understand Christ starting from what was already known.

Not a few wished to understand his Person on the basis of criteria drawn from the Scriptures or from the Oral Tradition of the Chosen People; from ancient beliefs and suggestions - even superstitious (as in the case of Herod).

But the Herald of God was not a purifier of the Temple, nor was He a simple healer of dated religiosity, of domesticated cultural ideas. Not even one of the many "reformers"... all in all conformists.

He overturns the hopes of the people, thus disturbing any school of thought; in particular, those who hold the exclusivity.

When feel a danger, those who are shrouded in luster and power become brazen and willing to do any violence, even for a false point of honor.

Tyrants always scoff at the isolated, uncomfortable and defenseless.

But leaders and powerful are also cowards: they do not intend to lose face in front of the allies of their immoderate and uncontrolled environment, cloaked in exemptions.

Josephus Flavius reports that John was in prison for fear of a popular uprising - evaluating that it was good for him to act early.

The assassination plot was occasional.

The brave one who denounces abuses is cut off, but the Voice of his martyrdom is no longer silent.

For this reason the episode does not lead Jesus to greater prudence.  Once an Envoy is killed, another greater and more incisive takes over: the last of the Prophets, the Son of God.

It seemed absurd that someone in that society dared to break the conspiratorial wall that guaranteed the troublemakers to consider themselves untouchable.

Faced with the unceremonious blackmail of the privileged who had control of every social and cultural class, it seemed impossible to start a new path, or to say and do anything that was not aligned.

John and Jesus challenge the status quo and attract upon themselves the vengeance of those who try to perpetuate the prerogatives of the ancient hierarchical cosmos, and the anger of those who are exposed in their hypocrisy.

This is the real difficulty encountered in the proclamation of the new Kingdom in the world. His contemptuous refusal and every attempted murder will be a litmus test of our noble critical frankness, the ‘revelation’ of which will run parallel the Two.

The Master stood up in defense of conscience and of the divine law itself, against the opportunist authorities, which he challenged openly.

Even today he asks for courage not to surrender in the face of corruption, evil, the current mentality; to be different in the way of thinking, speaking, choosing and acting.

Not listened to, derided, opposed by many courtiers, the children of God bear witness to the Truth, paying in person: perfect Joy.

Authentic Fullness.

To internalize and live the message:

Who is Jesus according to you and the others?

[Friday 4th wk. in O.T.  February 7, 2025]

As an authentic prophet, John bore witness to the truth without compromise. He denounced transgressions of God's commandments, even when it was the powerful who were responsible for them. Thus, when he accused Herod and Herodias of adultery, he paid with his life, sealing with martyrdom his service to Christ who is Truth in person. 

Let us invoke his intercession, together with that of Mary Most Holy, so that also in our day the Church will remain ever faithful to Christ and courageously witness to his truth and his love for all.

[Pope Benedict, Angelus 24 June 2007]