In this Sunday’s Gospel Jesus takes the initiative of sending the Twelve Apostles out on mission (cf. Mk 6:7-13). In fact the term “apostles” means, precisely, “messengers” or “envoys”. Their vocation was to be fully achieved only after Christ’s Resurrection with the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Yet it is very significant that Jesus wants to involve the Twelve in his action from the outset: it is a sort of “apprenticeship” with a view to the great responsibility that awaited them. The fact that Jesus calls certain disciples to collaborate directly in his mission demonstrates one aspect of his love, namely, he does not spurn the help that other people can contribute to his work; he knows their limitations, their weaknesses, but bears no contempt for them. On the contrary Jesus confers on them the dignity of being his envoys. He sends them out two by two and gives them instructions which the Evangelist sums up in a few sentences. The first concerns the spirit of detachment: the Apostles must not be attached to money or to other comforts. Then Jesus warns the disciples that they will not always receive a favourable welcome. Sometimes they will be rejected; they might even be persecuted. However this must not frighten them: they must speak in Jesus’ name and preach the Kingdom of God without being worried about whether or not they will succeed. Succeed — its success must be left to God.

The First Reading presents us with the same perspective, showing us that all too often God’s messengers are not well received. This is the case of the Prophet Amos whom God sent to prophesy in the Sanctuary at Bethel, a sanctuary of the Kingdom of Israel (cf. Amos 7:12-15). Amos preached very energetically against injustices, denouncing in particular the abuses of kings and notables, abuses of power that offend the Lord and nullify acts of worship. Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, therefore ordered Amos to leave. Amos answered that it was not he who chose this mission but that the Lord had made him a prophet and sent him to this very place in the Kingdom of Israel. Therefore, whether he was accepted or rejected, he would continue to prophesy, preaching whatever God told him and not what men wished to hear. And this has continued to be the Church’s mandate: she does not preach what the powerful wish to hear. Her criterion is truth and justice even if it is unpopular and against human power.

Likewise in the Gospel Jesus warns the Twelve that in some places they may be rejected. Should this be the case, they are to go elsewhere, having shaken the dust from their feet in public. This sign expresses detachment in two senses: moral detachment — as if to say it is you who have refused the proclamation offered to you — and material detachment. We did not seek and do not want anything for ourselves (cf. Mk 6:11).

The other very important instruction in the Gospel passage is that the Twelve must not be content with preaching conversion. They must accompany their preaching, in accordance with Jesus’ instructions and example, with care for the sick, with caring for those who are sick in body and in spirit. It speaks of the healing of illnesses and also of driving out demons, that is, of purifying the human mind, cleansing, cleansing the eyes of the soul that are clouded by ideologies and hence cannot see God, cannot see truth and justice. This twofold corporal and spiritual healing is always the mandate of Christ’s disciples. Hence the apostolic mission must always include the two aspects of preaching God’s word and of showing his goodness in gestures of charity, service and dedication.

[Pope Benedict, Frascati 15 July 2012]

No one can fail to see a sign of the new missionary age which the Church is expecting and preparing. The local Churches, old and new, are vivified and shaken by a new anxiety, that of finding specifically missionary forms of action with the sending of their own members to the nations, either on their own account or cooperating with the missionary Institutes. The mission of evangelization "which falls (precisely) on the whole Church" is increasingly felt as the direct commitment of the local Churches, which therefore give their priests, men and women religious and laity to the mission fields. Pope Paul VI clearly saw and described it: "An evangelizer, the Church begins by evangelizing herself... That means, in a word, that she always needs to be evangelized if she wishes to keep freshness, élan and strength to proclaim the Gospel."

[Pope John Paul II, General Audience 23 May 1979]

Today’s Gospel passage (cf. Mk 6:7-13) narrates the moment Jesus sends the Twelve [Apostles] on mission. After calling each of them by name “to be with him” (Mk 3:14), listening to his words and observing his gestures of healing, he now calls them again to “send them out two by two” (6:7) to the villages he was going to visit. It is a sort of “internship” of what they would be called to do following the Resurrection of the Lord, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Gospel passage pauses on the style of the missionary which we can sum up in two points: the mission has a centre; the mission has a face.

First of all, the missionary disciple has his centre of reference who is Jesus himself. The narrative indicates this by using a series of verbs which have him as the subject — “He called to him”; he “began to send them”; he “gave them authority”; “he charged them”, “he said to them” (vv. 7, 8, 10) —, so that the going out and working of the Twelve appears to be radiating from a centre, reaffirming the presence and work of Jesus in their missionary actions. This demonstrates that the Apostles have nothing of their own to proclaim, nor any abilities to manifest, but rather that they speak and act as “emissaries”, as messengers of Jesus.

This episode of the Gospel also applies to us and not only to priests but to all baptized people called to witness to the Gospel of Christ in the various spheres of life. And for us too, this mission is authentic only in so far as its unchanging centre who is Jesus. It is not an initiative of faithful individuals nor of groups and not even of large gatherings. It is the mission of the Church, inseparably united to her Lord. No Christian proclaims the Gospel “on his/her own”, but is only sent by the Church who received the mandate from Jesus himself. Indeed it is Baptism that makes us missionaries. A baptized person who does not feel the need to proclaim the Gospel, to proclaim Jesus, is not a good Christian.

The second characteristic of the missionary’s style is, so to speak, a face, which consists in the poverty of means. His accoutrement responds to a criteria of modesty. Indeed the Twelve have the order to “take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts” (6:8). The Teacher wants them to be free and unhampered, without reserves and without favours, certain only of the love of the One who sends them, strengthened only by his Word which they go to proclaim. The staff and the sandals are the gear of pilgrims because that is what the messengers of the Kingdom of God are, not omnipotent managers, not irreplaceable officials, not celebrities on tour. Let us think for example of this Diocese of which I am Bishop. Let us think about some saints from this Diocese of Rome: Saint Philip Neri, Saint Benedict Joseph Labre, Saint Alessio, Blessed Ludovica Albertoni, Saint Frances of Rome, Saint Gaspare del Bufalo and many others. They were not officials or business people, but rather humble workers of the Kingdom. This was the face they had. And to this “face” also belongs the way the message is received: it can happen that one is not welcomed or listened to (cf. v. 11). This too is poverty: the experience of failure. The experience of Jesus who was rejected and crucified anticipates the destiny of his messenger. And only if we are united to Him, who died and Rose, can we find the courage to evangelize.

May the Virgin Mary, the first disciple and missionary of the Word of God, help us to convey to the world the message of the Gospel in a humble and radiant exultation, beyond any rejection, misunderstanding or tribulation.

[Pope Francis, Angelus 15 July 2018]

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time - year B (14.07.2024)

1. "Jesus called the Twelve to himself and began to send them out two by two". Each evangelist recounts the choice and mission of the apostles: this Sunday it is St Mark who narrates the beginning of the missionary mandate of the Twelve chosen from among the disciples (Luke lists 72) and formed by Jesus keeping them close to him. Now however is the time to go on mission, but to be an apostle one must learn to remain a disciple and the disciple is the one who does not tire of learning from the master Jesus the art of evangelising. One does not learn it in a short time and the first condition that will then become permanent is precisely that of never detaching oneself from Jesus, the only true Master. Indeed, it is only by remaining a disciple of Jesus that the apostle can carry out the mission of proclaiming and witnessing to the gospel. Missionaries are not only the apostles, but every baptised person according to their specific vocation and charisma, and the richness of Christianity is the multiplicity of vocations at the service of the one cause: the Kingdom of God. The risk is that of wanting to be apostles without remaining disciples. The early Church spread like wildfire thanks to the fact that the twelve apostles did not forget that Jesus had chosen them to be with him and to go and proclaim the gospel with the power to cast out demons: "he gave them power over unclean spirits". Only three were the tasks he entrusted to them: to go together two by two, to keep the bare minimum for themselves and not to be frightened by inevitable persecutions. He sends them two by two because in the Jewish culture and mentality of the time for a testimony to be acceptable it had to be of at least two persons (cf. Deut 19:15) and since evangelising is bearing witness to what Jesus said and did, it cannot be the task of a single individual. After Pentecost the apostles will continue in this style: Peter and John will preach together in the temple in Jerusalem (Acts 1); Paul and Barnabas will be together in Syria and Asia Minor (Acts 13-15) and even after their separation Paul will continue his mission with Sulla (Acts 16-17) while Barnabas will take Mark with him. Secondly he asks them to make do with the bare essentials: just a stick, no food, no sack, no money, a pair of sandals and no spare tunic. Thus began the long journey of the Church and to continue it faithfully requires agility of movement, absolute readiness to serve the gospel and detachment from everything: these are valid, indeed indispensable, conditions for every evangeliser to neither give in to compromises with the world, nor allow themselves to be impressed by the persecutions they will encounter. The apostles had witnessed the failure of Jesus in Nazareth (Mk.6:1-6) and they will be reminded of this when they will have to face the same fate because of the obstinate opposition of the scribes and Pharisees and then in the persecutions that will follow.

2. It is indeed true: opposition and even persecution are the fate of Christ's disciples as it was of the prophets in the Old Testament. In today's first reading we meet the prophet Amos who was rejected by Amasias, priest of Bethel, after a few months of preaching: "Go away, seer" (7:12) and although hindered, he continued tirelessly in his opposing mission.  Like him, all prophets suffered the same fate and Jesus experienced it as the evangelist Mark recounted last Sunday: 'A prophet is not despised except in his own country, among his relatives, and in his own house. Anyone who decides to convert to Christ and intends to be his apostle must be prepared to experience the same opposition and even outright rejection. A question then arises: "Why is it that the preaching of God's love and forgiveness open to all, which sums up the proclamation of the gospel, always meets with incomprehension and opposition?" Let us not forget that Jesus "gave the apostles power over unclean spirits": when God's gratuitous love is proclaimed, Satan's hatred is unleashed, which in different ways confuses the human soul. He clouds the mind and pollutes it with the most diverse ideas about God, as we read for example in the book of Exodus: "The Lord said to Moses: 'I have looked upon this people: behold, they are a hard-necked people'" (Ex.32:7-14), but above all he hardens the heart. In order not to give in to discouragement, it is useful to always have before one's eyes the image of Jesus crucified and to think of the many martyrs who have followed in his footsteps, while the Lord continues to remind all of them: "Whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me" (Mt 10:37-42).

3. Alongside many who open their hearts to the gospel there are others who reject it, and Jesus in this regard does not invite us to react with violence and contempt, but to respect freedom by not forcing anyone. He says in fact: "If in any place they do not welcome you and do not listen to you, go away and shake the dust from under your feet as a testimony to them". Shake the dust from your feet: how should this gesture be interpreted as a testimony for people?  Benedict XVI explains: "Jesus warns the Twelve that it may happen that in some places they will be rejected. In that case, they will have to go elsewhere, after having made the gesture of shaking the dust under their feet in front of the people, a sign that expresses detachment in two senses: moral detachment - as if to say: the proclamation has been given to you, it is you who reject it - and material detachment - we did not want and do not want anything for ourselves (cf. Mk 6:11)" (Holy Mass Frascati 15 July 2012).  In short, Jesus invites us not to give in to discouragement in the face of defeat, but to start again, always walking with feet freed even from the dust. While it is true that hardened and hostile hearts are encountered, the spiritual satisfactions are many more, and the growth of Christian communities is proof of the power of the risen Christ. Right from the beginning, in the Acts of the Apostles, there are accounts of people everywhere who opened their homes and hearts to the preachers of the gospel, and the flow of evangelisation has continued unstoppable over the centuries. Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini writes: 'Lean on the Gospel, trust the Gospel. The word 'faith', in its long history - in the Old Testament, in the Bible, in the Hebrew version of Scripture - represents the situation of one who trusts, of one who leans on a rock, of one who feels firm because he is leaning on someone much stronger than he is." (6th meeting of the School of the Word, 6.11.1980)

+ Giovanni D'Ercole

P.S. Faced with those who predict the death of the Church at all times, St John Henry Newman, an English cardinal converted to Catholicism and canonised by Pope Francis, writes: "The Church possesses this special privilege, which no other religion has: that of knowing that, having been founded at the first coming of Christ, it will not disappear before his return. In every generation, however, it seems to succumb and its enemies triumph. The struggle between the Church and the world has this peculiarity: the world always seems to win, but in fact it is she who wins. Her enemies constantly triumph, claiming victory; her members often lose hope. But the Church remains!" (Cf. Sermons on the Themes of the Day, No. 6, Faith and Experience, 2.4)

Important Uniqueness does not let us “resume”: but it makes us Rebirth

(Mt 10:24-33)

Christ’s proposal subverts quietism and the sense of personal and social life, so his friends find themselves counter-hand.

The disciple of Truth is exposed to attacks.

There is no set orientation. But in states of discomfort, in defeat, in humiliation, a malleable energy world acts, which brings innate capacities to the surface; it activates the person to fly with its own wings.

It is a point of origin, which wherever we go we do not shake off. Because here we are ourselves; in the centre of our Mission, not homologated under conventions and accommodations.

As such, belonging to the Church is not a safe haven and shelter from every storm.

The faithful should not be astounded by the trials, sufferings, isolation, blackmail - ploys of those who use power [or established religiosity itself] for their own gain and as a weapon.

The fear of being marginalized cannot push us to hide the truth, which is a factor of recognition for us: to lose the connection and neglect to be one with it would be worse than torture.

To be honest, what makes us cowards, unfaithful, diplomatic and weak - therefore useless and irrelevant - is often much much less than a danger to life, to goods, or to our smallest freedoms.

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: continuous Presence that accompanies our particular activity.

There are many «falling hairs», but each of them has an original appearance: it “is” in a special way, it has its own place and meaning.

The personal Call remains constitutive of the unrepeatable essence that opens the door to the commitment of Uniqueness.

It opens up the task of 'rebirth', in the exceptional awe of the new genesis of each person, and of the earth.

It is unprecedented essence. Grammar of our language, character of interacting in the world, and of listening to God.

The genuine Vocation - unrepeatable to the end, whatever the cost - is the only path to take to read and meet the 'genius of the age' before the problems.

Personal Atypicality fertilised by Mystery is a kind of impulse that turns crises into opportunities. Willingness-factor of recognition that accompanies and orients us in them; with the help of simplicity, for a new blossoming.

Here, even in seemingly insignificant or downright critical situations, we can perceive the energy of inner resources - left free to act and nurture all opposing situations.

By walking the paths of the unusual, we will become flexible; we will ride the waves of unexpected change.

But right there we will be totally ourselves: cosmic and divine intention, immeasurably important ones.

To internalize and live the message:

Did a persecution happen to you that - while you would have preferred other near goals - brought out the very originality of your vocational physiognomy?

[Saturday 14th wk. in O.T.  July 15, 2023]

Uniqueness

11. “Each in his or her own way” the Council says. We should not grow discouraged before examples of holiness that appear unattainable. There are some testimonies that may prove helpful and inspiring, but that we are not meant to copy, for that could even lead us astray from the one specific path that the Lord has in mind for us. The important thing is that each believer discern his or her own path, that they bring out the very best of themselves, the most personal gifts that God has placed in their hearts (cf. 1 Cor 12:7), rather than hopelessly trying to imitate something not meant for them. We are all called to be witnesses, but there are many actual ways of bearing witness. Indeed, when the great mystic, Saint John of the Cross, wrote his Spiritual Canticle, he preferred to avoid hard and fast rules for all. He explained that his verses were composed so that everyone could benefit from them “in his or her own way”. For God’s life is communicated “to some in one way and to others in another”.

[Gaudete et Exsultate]

The Mystery of Oneness: the all-important Uniqueness does not let us "resume": but it makes us be Reborn.

(Mt 10:24-33)

Christ's proposal subverts the quietism and meaning of personal and social life.

The disciple of the Truth is exposed to attack.

There is no set orientation. But in states of discomfort, in defeat, in humiliation, a malleable energy world acts, which brings out innate capacities; it activates the person to fly with his own wings.

It is a source of origin, which wherever we go, we do not shake off. Because here we are ourselves; in the centre of our Mission, not homologated under conventions and accommodations.

In this way, belonging to the Church is not a safe haven and shelter from every storm.

The faithful must not be astounded by the trials, sufferings, isolation, blackmail - ploys of those who use power [or established religiosity itself] for their own gain and as a weapon.

The fear of being marginalised cannot drive us to hide the truth, which is a factor of recognition for us: to lose the connection and neglect to be one with it would be worse than torture.

To be honest, what makes us cowardly, unfaithful, diplomatic and weak - therefore useless and irrelevant - is often much less of a danger to life, property, or our smallest freedoms.

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

Many are the "falling hairs", but each of them has an original physiognomy: it "is" in a special way, it has its own place and meaning.

The personal Calling remains constitutive of the unrepeatable essence that opens to the commitment of Oneness.

It opens to the task of 'rebirth': in the time of the global crisis, not of 'recovery as before' - but of exceptional astonishment in the new genesis of each person, and of the earth.

It is unprecedented character, even with ourselves. Cipher of the grammar of our daily language, of interacting in the world.

And in the soul, of listening to God who reveals himself by triggering vital energies [complete because discordant]. With its unthinking healing processes, without formula.

The genuine Vocation - unrepeatable to the end, whatever the cost - is the only path to take to read and encounter the 'genius of time' before problems.

Personal Atypicality fertilised by Mystery is a kind of impulse that turns crises into opportunities.

Willingness-factor of recognition that accompanies and orients us in them; with the help of simplicity, for a new blossoming.

Here, even in seemingly insignificant or downright critical situations, we can perceive the energy of inner resources - left free to act and nurture all opposing situations.

By treading the paths of the unusual, we will become flexible; we will ride the waves of unexpected change.

But there we will be totally ourselves: cosmic and divine intention, immeasurably important.

The encyclical Fratelli Tutti rails against "a model of globalisation that consciously aims at one-dimensional uniformity and seeks to eliminate all differences and traditions in a superficial quest for unity. If globalisation claims to make everyone equal, as if it were a sphere, this globalisation destroys the distinctiveness of each person and each people. This false universalist dream ends up depriving the world of the variety of its colours, its beauty and ultimately its humanity. Because the future is not monochromatic, but, if we have the courage, it is possible to look at it in the variety and diversity of the contributions that each person can make. How much our human family needs to learn to live together in harmony and peace without us all being equal!" (n.100)

It is good to rejoice in the dissimilarities that inhabit us, in the variety of contributions and points of view that each one can communicate - important: also in the view of difficulties and ways of solving them.

The mature, integral man, in the diversification and variety of knowledge, in the dissimilarity of approaches and processes, in the versatility of channels of expression, is more complete.

Today, even in a culture strongly marked by communitarian anthropology, such as that of Africa, one realises perfectly well the value of what is personal and unprecedented - even in favour of ties:

"A day will come when you too will have to share your knowledge of things and men. You will bear singular witness to a unique event revealed to you alone, in a language as yet unseen. And you will tell your brothers the unspeakable wisdom of your heart' [Irénée Guilane Dioh].A similarly African oral tradition - ceremonial and personalistic - indeed reads:

"The outward initiation is the opening of the eyes, all the teaching that is given during the traditional ceremonies or periods of retreat that follow. But this teaching one must then live it, assimilate it, make it bear fruit, adding to it one's own personal observations, one's own understanding, one's own experience'.

The scene of the spontaneous examples that Jesus draws from nature is also an echo of the conciliatory life dreamt for us by the Father.

It introduces us to the Happiness that makes one aware of existing, in all personal reality.

In fact, the Gospel passage shows the value of genuine, silent, unremarkable things, which nevertheless inhabit us - they are not 'shadows'. And we perceive them without effort or cerebral commitment.

In the time of epochal choices, of the emergency that seems to checkmate us - but wants to make us less artificial - such awareness can overturn our judgement of substance, of 'the small' and 'the great'.

Indeed, for the adventure of love there is no accounting.

'Heaven' that conquers death is in God and in reality the 'place' for each of us without lacerations.

The afterlife is not imprecise.

One does not have to distort oneself for consensus... much less for a constellated firmament.

The destiny of exceptional Uniqueness does not go to ruin: it is precious and dear, as every singularity is in nature.

Its Beauty, future and already present, must be discerned.

With immediate gain marginalised, or any social guarantee that does not concern the value of littleness - there will be no more need to identify oneself with the skeletons of established [or fashionable] thought and manners.

Nor will it matter to place oneself above and in front: rather, in the background; already rich and perfect, in the intimate sense of fullness of being.

Thus we will not have to trample on each other (cf. Lk 12:1)... even to meet Jesus.

In short:

"We are absolutely lost if we lack this particular individuality, the only thing we can truly say is ours - and whose loss is also a loss for the whole world. It is also precious because it is not universal' [Rabindranath Tagore].

Indeed, even in a relationship of deep love and coexistence "there is a need to free oneself from the obligation to be equal" (Amoris Laetitia, no.139).

To internalise and live the message:

Did a persecution happen to you that - while you would have preferred other near goals - brought out precisely the uniqueness of your vocational physiognomy?

Uniqueness

11. “Each in his or her own way” the Council says. We should not grow discouraged before examples of holiness that appear unattainable. There are some testimonies that may prove helpful and inspiring, but that we are not meant to copy, for that could even lead us astray from the one specific path that the Lord has in mind for us. The important thing is that each believer discern his or her own path, that they bring out the very best of themselves, the most personal gifts that God has placed in their hearts (cf. 1 Cor 12:7), rather than hopelessly trying to imitate something not meant for them. We are all called to be witnesses, but there are many actual ways of bearing witness. Indeed, when the great mystic, Saint John of the Cross, wrote his Spiritual Canticle, he preferred to avoid hard and fast rules for all. He explained that his verses were composed so that everyone could benefit from them “in his or her own way”. For God’s life is communicated “to some in one way and to others in another”.

[Gaudete et Exsultate]

Tertullian's apologetic writings are above all the most famous. They manifest two key intentions: to refute the grave accusations that pagans directed against the new religion; and, more proactive and missionary, to proclaim the Gospel message in dialogue with the culture of the time.

His most famous work, Apologeticus, denounces the unjust behaviour of political authorities toward the Church; explains and defends the teachings and customs of Christians; spells out differences between the new religion and the main philosophical currents of the time; and manifests the triumph of the Spirit that counters its persecutors with the blood, suffering and patience of the martyrs: "Refined as it is", the African writes, "your cruelty serves no purpose. On the contrary, for our community, it is an invitation. We multiply every time one of us is mowed down. The blood of Christians is effective seed" (semen est sanguis christianorum!, Apologeticus, 50: 13).

Martyrdom, suffering for the truth, is in the end victorious and more efficient than the cruelty and violence of totalitarian regimes.

But Tertullian, as every good apologist, at the same time sensed the need to communicate the essence of Christianity positively. This is why he adopted the speculative method to illustrate the rational foundations of Christian dogma. He developed it in a systematic way, beginning with the description of "the God of the Christians": "He whom we adore", the Apologist wrote, "is the one, only God". And he continued, using antitheses and paradoxes characteristic of his language: "He is invisible, even if you see him, difficult to grasp, even if he is present through grace; inconceivable even if the human senses can perceive him, therefore, he is true and great!" (cf. ibid., 17: 1-2).

Furthermore, Tertullian takes an enormous step in the development of Trinitarian dogma. He has given us an appropriate way to express this great mystery in Latin by introducing the terms "one substance" and "three Persons". In a similar way, he also greatly developed the correct language to express the mystery of Christ, Son of God and true Man.

The Holy Spirit is also considered in the African's writings, demonstrating his personal and divine character.

[Pope Benedict, General Audience, 30 May 2007]

1. Man created in the image of God is both a bodily and a spiritual being, that is to say, a being that, in one respect, is bound to the external world and in the other transcends it. As a spirit, as well as a body, he is a person. This truth about man is the object of our faith, as is the biblical truth about his constitution in the 'image and likeness' of God; and it is a truth that has been constantly presented by the Magisterium of the Church down the centuries.

The truth about man has never ceased to be the object of intellectual analysis throughout history, both in philosophy and in numerous other human sciences: in a word, the object of anthropology.

2. That man is spirit incarnate, if you like, a body informed by an immortal spirit, can already be deduced to some extent from the description of creation contained in the Book of Genesis and in particular from the "Jahvist" account, which makes use, as it were, of a "staging" and anthropomorphic imagery. We read that "the Lord God moulded man with dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils a breath of life, and man became a living being" (Gen 2:7). The continuation of the biblical text allows us to clearly understand that man, created in this way, is distinguished from the entire visible world, and in particular from the animal world. The "breath of life" made man able to know these beings, to name them and recognise himself as different from them (cf. Gen 2:18-20). Although there is no mention of the "soul" in the "Jahvist" description, it is nevertheless easy to deduce that the life given to man in the act of creation is of such a nature that it transcends the mere bodily dimension (that proper to animals). It draws on, beyond materiality, the dimension of the spirit, in which lies the essential foundation of that "image of God" that Genesis 1:27 sees in man.

3. Man is a unity: he is someone who is one with himself. But in this unity is contained a duality. Holy Scripture presents both unity (the person) and duality (soul and body). One thinks of the Book of Sirach, which says, for example: "The Lord created man from the earth and made him return to it again" and further on: "Discernment, tongue, eyes, ears and heart he gave them (men) to reason. He filled them with doctrine and understanding and also pointed out to them good and evil" (Sir 17: 1. 5-6).

Particularly significant from this point of view is Psalm 8 (Ps 8:5-7), which extols the human masterpiece, addressing God with the following words: "What is man that thou shouldst remember him, the son of man that thou shouldst care for him? Yet you made him little less than the angels, with glory and honour you crowned him: you gave him power over the works of your hands. You have placed everything under his feet.

4. It is often pointed out that the biblical tradition emphasises above all the personal unity of man, using the term "body" to designate the whole man (cf. Ps 145 (144):21; Jn 3:1; Is 66:23; Jn 1:14). The observation is correct. But this does not detract from the fact that the duality of man is also present in the biblical tradition, sometimes very clearly. This tradition is reflected in Christ's words: "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but have no power to kill the soul; rather fear him who has the power to cause both soul and body to perish in hell" (Matt 10:28).

5. The biblical sources authorise us to see man as a personal unity and at the same time as a duality of soul and body: a concept that has found expression in the whole of Tradition and in the teaching of the Church. This teaching has incorporated not only the biblical sources, but also the theological interpretations that have been given of them by developing the analyses conducted by certain schools (Aristotle) of Greek philosophy.

It was a slow work of reflection, culminating mainly under the influence of St Thomas Aquinas - in the pronouncements of the Council of Vienne (1312), where the soul is called the 'form' of the body: 'forma corporis humani per se et essentialiter' (DS 902). The 'form', as the factor that determines the substance of being 'man', is spiritual in nature. And this spiritual 'form', the soul, is immortal. This was later authoritatively recalled by the Lateran Council V (1513): the soul is immortal, unlike the body, which is subject to death (cf. DS 1440). The Thomist school emphasises at the same time that, by virtue of the substantial union of body and soul, the latter, even after death, does not cease to 'aspire' to unite with the body. This is confirmed by the revealed truth about the resurrection of the body.

6. Although the philosophical terminology used to express unity and the complexity (duality) of man is sometimes the subject of criticism, there is no doubt that the doctrine on the unity of the human person and at the same time on the spiritual-corporeal duality of man is fully rooted in Sacred Scripture and Tradition. And although the conviction is often expressed that man is the 'image of God' through the soul, the conviction that the body also participates, in its own way, in the dignity of the 'image of God', just as it participates in the dignity of the person, is not absent from traditional doctrine.

7. In modern times a particular difficulty against the revealed doctrine concerning the creation of man as a being composed of body and soul has been raised by the theory of evolution. Many scholars of the natural sciences who, with their own methods, study the problem of the beginning of human life on earth, argue - against their colleagues - for the existence not only of a link between man and the whole of nature, but also the derivation of the higher animal species. This problem, which has occupied scientists since the last century, involves vast strata of public opinion. The magisterium's response was offered by Pius XII's encyclical Humani generis in 1950. In it we read: 'The Magisterium of the Church has nothing against the doctrine of "evolutionism", insofar as it investigates the origin of the human body from a pre-existing and living Matter - the Catholic faith in fact obliges us to hold firm that souls were created immediately by God - being the subject of investigation and discussion by experts . . ." (DS 3896).

It can therefore be said that, from the point of view of the doctrine of faith, we see no difficulty in explaining the origin of man, as a body, through the hypothesis of evolutionism. However, it must be added that the hypothesis only proposes a probability, not a scientific certainty. The doctrine of faith, on the other hand, invariably affirms that man's spiritual soul is created directly by God. That is to say, it is possible according to the aforementioned hypothesis, that the human body, following the order imprinted by the Creator in the energies of life, was gradually prepared in the forms of earlier living beings. The human soul, however, on which man's humanity ultimately depends, being spiritual, cannot have emerged from matter.

8. A beautiful synthesis of the above creation is found in the Second Vatican Council: "Unity of soul and body," it says there, "man synthesises in himself, by his very bodily condition, the elements of the material world, so that through him these reach their summit" (Gaudium et Spes, 14). And further on: "Man, however, is not wrong in recognising himself as superior to bodily things and in considering himself more than just a particle of nature . . . For in his interiority he transcends the universe' (Gaudium et Spes, 14). Here, then, is how the same truth about the unity and duality (complexity) of human nature can be expressed in language closer to contemporary thinking.

[Pope John Paul II, General Audience 16 April 1986]

In today’s Gospel (cf. Mt 10:26-33) the Lord Jesus, after having called and sent the disciples on mission, teaches them and prepares them to face the trials and persecutions they will have to endure. Going on mission is not like tourism, and Jesus cautions them: “you will find persecutions”. So he exhorts them: “have no fear of them; for nothing is covered that will not be revealed.... What I tell you in the dark, utter in the light.... And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul” (vv. 26-28). They can only kill the body; they do not have the power to kill souls: do not fear this. Jesus’ dispatch [of the disciples] on mission does not guarantee their success, just as it does not protect them from failure and suffering. They have to take into account both the possibility of rejection and that of persecution. This is somewhat frightening but it is the truth.

The disciple is called to conform his life to Christ who was persecuted by men, knew rejection, abandonment and death on the cross. There is no Christian mission marked by tranquility! Difficulties and tribulations are part of the work of evangelization and we are called to find in them the opportunity to test the authenticity of our faith and of our relationship with Jesus. We must consider these difficulties as the opportunity to be even more missionary and to grow in that trust toward God, our Father who does not abandon his children during the storm. Amid the difficulties of Christian witness in the world, we are not forgotten but always assisted by the attentive concern of the Father. For this reason, in today’s Gospel, a good three times Jesus reassures the disciples, saying: “Do not fear!”.

Even in our day, brothers and sisters, persecution against Christians is present. We pray for our brothers and sisters who are persecuted and we praise God because, in spite of this, they continue to bear witness to their faith with courage and faithfulness. Their example helps us to not hesitate in taking the position in favour of Christ, bearing witness bravely in everyday situations, even in apparently peaceful contexts. In effect, a form of trial can also be the absence of hostility and tribulation. Besides [sending us out] as “sheep in the midst of wolves”, the Lord even in our times sends us out as sentinels in the midst of people who do not want to be woken from their worldly lethargy which ignores the Gospel’s words of Truth, building for themselves their own ephemeral truths. And if we go to or live in these contexts, and we proclaim the Words of the Gospel, this is bothersome and they will look at us unkindly.

But in all this, the Lord continues to tell us, as he did to the disciples of his time: “Do not fear!”. Let us not forget these words: always, when we experience any tribulation, any persecution, anything that causes us to suffer, let us listen to the voice of Jesus in our hearts: “Do not fear! Do not fear! Go Forth! I am with you!”. Do not fear those who mock you and mistreat you and do not fear those who ignore you or respect you “to your face”, but fight the Gospel “behind your back”. There are so many who smile to our face, but fight the Gospel behind our backs. We all know them. Jesus does not leave us all alone, because we are precious to him. That is why he does not leave us all alone. Each one of us is precious to Jesus and he accompanies us.

May the Virgin Mary, example of humility and courageous adherence to the Word of God, help us to understand that success does not count in the witness of faith, but rather faithfulness, faithfulness to Christ, recognizing in any circumstance even the most problematic, the inestimable gift of being his missionary disciples.

[Pope Francis, Angelus 25 June 2017]

Placing in the events of persecution

(Mt 10:16-23)

The course of history is a time when God composes the confluence of our freedom and circumstances.

In such folds there is often a vector of life, an essential aspect, a definitive destiny, that escapes us.

But to the non-mediocre eye of the person of Faith, abuses and even martyrdom are also a gift.

To learn the important lessons of life, every day the believer ventures into what he is afraid to do, overcoming fears.

The spousal and gratuitous love received places us in a condition of reciprocity, of active desire to unite life to Christ - albeit in the meagre nature of our responses.

Continuing instead to complain about failures, dangers, calamities, everyone will see in us women like the others and ordinary men - and everything will end at this level.

We won’t be on the other side. At most we will try to escape the harshness, or we will end up looking for circumstance’s allies (vv.19).

Mt intends to help his communities to clash with worldly logic and to place themselves fervently in the events of persecution.

Social harassments are not fatalities, but opportunities for mission; places of high eucharistic witness (v.18).

The persecuted do not need external crutches, nor do they have to live in the anguish of collapse.

They have the task of being signs of the God’s Kingdom, which gradually leads the distant and the usurpers themselves to a different awareness.

No one is the arbiter of reality and all are twigs subject to reverses, but in the humanizing condition of the apostles overflows an emotional independence.

This happens through the intimate, living sense of a Presence, and the reading of external events as an exceptional action of the Father who reveals himself.

In this mouldable energy magma, unique paths emerge, unprecedented opportunities for growth... even in adversity.

Attitude without alibi or granite certainties: with the sole conviction that everything will be put back on the line.

Sacred and profane times come to coincide in a fervent Covenant, which nests and bears fruit even in moments of travail and paradox.

Here the only necessary resource is the spiritual strength to go all the way... yes, in paradoxes of other side.

It’s in the Lord and in the insidious or day-to-day reality the "place" for each of us. Not without lacerations.

Yet we draw spiritual energy from the knowledge of Christ, from the sense of deep bond with Him and even minute and varied reality, or fearsome - always personal (v.22b).

Our story will not be like an easy and happy ending novel.

But we’ll have the opportunity to witness in the present the most genuine ancient roots: at every moment God calls, manifests himself - and what seems to be failure becomes Food and source of Life.

To internalize and live the message:

What kind of reading do you do, and how do you place yourself in events of persecution? 

Are you aware that setbacks do not come for despair, but to free you from closure in stagnant cultural patterns (and not yours)?

[Friday 14th wk. in O.T.  July 12, 2024]