Re-enter to regenerate: opposite banners

(Mt 19:27-29)

According to St. Ignatius [Meditation of the two flags], the greed for things gives rise in us the vain honor of the world, and from it an immense pride is generated, which severs any possibility of internalizing.

But detachment from certain banners is impossible about men. The Apostles themselves seem to hang on to the mindset of return: «what will we have?» [v.27].

The idea of retribution was typical of archaic religious culture. Unfortunately, the lust for advantage was crushing Love, annihilating the gratuitousness of gestures, denying the meaning of the Covenant.

In this way, in his free proposal Jesus wants to introduce the support of an intimate and apparently unreasonable conviction, but that sharply flows from the sources of being.

Here emerges the founding Eros of the Call. Not so much the character (placid and resigned) of the believer, but a superior personal Gift: that of a unique discernment for each one, linked to the profound nature.

To regenerate [«palingenesis» v.28] we must re-enter ours’ motivations with greater conviction.

«Monk» is a term that derives from the Greek «mònos», "unique" (in the sense of «simple» and «united»); perhaps from «mènein», "to remain". It also seems similar to the Latin «mìnus», "less".

That of contemplatives is a type of knowledge that meets the Wisdom of every culture. They believe that the ineffable Instrument of their hundredfold growth is the “absurdity” of being evaluated insignificant.

The Imitation of Christ emphasizes: «Ama nesciri et pro nihilo reputari».

Monastic Hiding guards what belongs to us; the lack of fame establishes us in the quintessence - instead of on the exterior.

Even the natural philosophical research of all time and latitude admits the detachment from opinions, which cut the sense of Mystery and personal Discovery.

Lao-tzū for eg. distinguishes individual achievement and destiny from both expectations and intentions, which enclose the meaning of life in what is already represented:

«The Way that can be said, is not the eternal Way» [Tao Tê Ching, i].

«The saint postpones his person, and his person is premised; he sets aside his person, and his person persists. Is not it for he stripped himself of interests? That is why he can realize his interest» [vii].

When God wants to realize a project, always flies over outside situations. It is a problem of sense, of the roots of our choice, of vitality from below and «renewal of all things» [v.28].

A life of obligations or attachments blocks creativity, multiplies idols and artificial worries; it creates a dark room, where we do not grasp what belongs to us. Away the scenes.

The meaning of monastic uniqueness is therefore inclined to the change and Awakening hoped for, qualitative: that of Hundred for one, strength of the weak. 

Paradoxical broadening of perspective.

[July 11,  st. Benedict abbot, patron saint of Europe]

Are we not perhaps all afraid in some way? If we let Christ enter fully into our lives, if we open ourselves totally to him, are we not afraid that He might take something away from us? Are we not perhaps afraid to give up something significant, something unique, something that makes life so beautiful? Do we not then risk ending up diminished and deprived of our freedom? And once again the Pope said: No! If we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful and great. No! Only in this friendship are the doors of life opened wide. Only in this friendship is the great potential of human existence truly revealed. Only in this friendship do we experience beauty and liberation. And so, today, with great strength and great conviction, on the basis of long personal experience of life, I say to you, dear young people: Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and he gives you everything. When we give ourselves to him, we receive a hundredfold in return. Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ – and you will find true life. Amen.

(Pope Benedict, homily at the beginning of the Petrine ministry, 24 April 2005)

O Saint Benedict Abbot!

Thou who hast not taught 

otherwise than as thou hast lived, 

make us all feel 

the perennial relevance of thy teaching, 

that it may continue to inspire good 

for contemporary mankind.

O Saint Scholastica, 

to you we entrust our girls, our young women, 

our Religious, our Mothers, 

that they may know how to live 

their dignity as women today, 

according to God's plan.

Amen.

(John Paul II)

God of our Fathers, great and merciful, 

you have plans for peace 

and not for affliction, 

you condemn wars 

and abate the pride of the violent.

Thou hast sent thy Son Jesus 

to proclaim peace to near and far, 

to gather men 

of every race and kindred 

into one family.

Hear the unanimous cry of your sons, 

the heartfelt plea of all humanity: 

never again war, 

adventure without return, 

never again war, 

spiral of mourning and violence!

Speak to the hearts 

of those responsible for the fate of peoples, 

stop the logic of retaliation 

and revenge, 

grant our time 

days of peace!

Amen.

(John Paul II)

We also gather something from the long monastic tradition. In the beginning, it favoured in a certain way an escape from the world, trying to get away from urban decadence. This is why monks sought the desert, convinced that it was the right place to recognise the presence of God. Later, St Benedict of Norcia wanted his monks to live in community, combining prayer and study with manual labour (Ora et labora).This introduction of manual labour imbued with spiritual meaning proved revolutionary. People learned to seek maturity and sanctification in the interweaving of recollection and work. Such a way of experiencing work makes us more capable of care and respect for the environment, and imbues our relationship with the world with a healthy sobriety. (LS 126)

REFLECTION How do I live the tasks entrusted to me by my superiors?In what way does the Lord ask me to carry them out in a "revolutionary" way, which goes beyond "it has always been done this way", for a magis?

PRAYER Give us Father the ability to be attentive to the environment and our brothers and sisters in carrying out the tasks entrusted to us. Give us Lord the Grace to have the awareness of "being a mission on this earth, and for this reason I am in this world" (EG 273).

(https://www.assisiofm.it/news-papa-francesco-e-san-benedetto-da-norcia.html)

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 is 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 will 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 10, 2026]

Values and emotional independence

(Mt 10:16-23)

The course of history is a time in which 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 unmediated eye of the person of Faith, even abuse and even martyrdom are a gift.

In order to learn the important lessons of life, the believer ventures into what he is afraid to do, overcoming his fears.

The spousal and gratuitous love received places one in a condition of reciprocity, of an active desire to unite one's life with Christ - albeit in the meagreness of our responses.

By 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 will not be on the other side.

At best we will try to escape the harshness, or we will end up seeking allies of circumstance (vv.19-20).

Mt intends to help his communities to bump up against worldly logic and place themselves in the events of persecution in a fervent manner.

Social anguish is not a fatality, but an opportunity for mission; a place of high Eucharistic witness (vv.16-18).

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 Kingdom of God, which gradually brings the distant and the usurpers themselves to a different awareness.

No one is the arbiter of reality and all are twigs subject to toppling, but in the humanising condition of the apostles an emotional independence shines through.

This happens because of 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 magma of energy, unique paths emerge, unprecedented opportunities for growth... even in adversity.

An attitude without alibis or granitic certainties: with the sole conviction that everything will be put back into play (not by effort: by shifting our gaze, simply).

Sacred and profane time come to coincide in a fervent pact, which nestles and broods fruit even in moments of travail and paradox.

Here, the only resource needed is the spiritual strength to go all the way... into the paradoxes on the other side.

Thus even the family or 'clan' to which one belongs must be led to a different world of convictions; not without lacerating contrasts (v.21).

The Torah itself obliged the denunciation of infidels to the religion of the fathers - even close relatives - to the point of putting them to death (Deut 13:7-12).

The Announcement could only cause extreme divisions, and on basic issues such as success, or progress in this life - the vision of a new world, of the utopia of other and other people's needs.

Everything will seem to conspire and mock our ideal (v.22).

The reference to the Name alludes to the historical event of Jesus of Nazareth, with its load not only of ideal and explicit goodness, but also of denunciatory activity against the official institution and the false leaders who had put the God of the Exodus under hijacking.

Despite the interference, being misunderstood, slandered, ridiculed, blackmailed and hated... anchored in Christ we will experience that the stages of history and life proceed towards Hope.

God's 'protection' does not preserve from gloomy hues, nor from being harmed, but ensures that nothing is lost (v.22b). It introduces one to the Happiness that makes one aware of existing in all personal reality.

In the time of momentous choices, of the emergency that seems to put everything in check - 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 or clamour.

It is in the Lord and in the insidious or summary reality the 'place' for each of us. Not without tears.

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

'Heaven' conquers death. The destiny of oneness does not go to ruin: it is precious and dear. 

One must glimpse its Beauty, future and already present.

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

Jesus warns us: we will not be able to count on unassailable friendships, nor on human powers lined up to defend the earthly plot.

Even he whom we thought was close will scrutinise us with suspicion: the price of truth is always in the choice against the world of lies (even sacred or ephemeral ones) all lined up against.

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

But we will have a chance to witness in the present the most genuine ancient roots: that in every moment God calls, manifests Himself - and what appears to be failure becomes Food and the source of Life.Obstinate only in the change of proportions, between stripping and elevation. In the contraposition of the very criteria and foundations of thinking.

Pursue and Confine, or Sincerity and Transparency

This is Mt 10:16-23, the same Gospel passage from the Feast of St Stephen the Protomartyr - where we celebrate the disarming power of the martyrdom of sons. Perfect choice.

The day after Christmas we remove the white curtains of the Tabernacle and replace them with red ones.

Paradoxical awareness: the simplicity of the Crib and the events of royalty-persecution intertwine, out of intimate fidelity to the Good News (sometimes considered a real nuisance, precisely by those who have grown accustomed to it).

The passage is abrupt, but the sense is visceral and acute, also for historical and - shall we say - theological, Christological, ecclesial reasons.

In fact, biblical friends still argue about the real perpetrators of the denunciation and murder of the leader of the non-Judaizing church: a bold-faced and impertinent, but sincere and genuine - like a 'dove'. 

Of course, martyrdom to the point of bloodshed is not required of everyone: often a slow and anonymous consummation can resemble the first Witness to the authentic Faith.

Indeed, Stephen dared to criticise customs, the monopoly of the Temple [to which the Church of the Apostles was still bound] and the fundamentalist interpretation of the Law.

The critical witnesses impugn all the powers of the earth, even the closest (v.21). We are exactly the unbalanced Word of God, dismantling the quiet barriers.

They make us crawl; but it seems madness.

If unable to evolve and eager to confine ourselves, even family power will turn against us, when we try to replace the tribal calculus of 'wolves' with the innocence that bestows and renews relationships.

The clan to which one belongs must also be led to a different world of convictions; not without lacerating contrasts.

The Torah itself obliged believers in God to denounce those unfaithful to their fathers' religion - even close relatives - to the point of putting them to death (Deut 13:7-12).

To stay in the saddle and defend the ancient world in which they are placed, the worldly powers of the synagogue and the palace will not hesitate to use exclusion, lies and intimidation: they have nothing else.

People like Stephen wanted not only the pyramid of cults, but also the 'ecclesial' situation dominated by official customs to be turned upside down.

Those who are called to be nourished must rely not on the power of influence and fear of the hierarchy, but on the credible gift of self. The only lovable and convincing reality.

The Witness who reflects Jesus cannot imagine compromising, then allying himself with people who matter and resorting to subterfuge, deception, bribes or shameful support (cf. vv.19-20).

Allies of circumstance, to escape the harshness and maintain reputation.

Mt intends to help his communities - and us today - to resist worldly logic or the war of opinions, and to stand in the events of persecution in a fervent manner.

Persecution is not a fatality, but an opportunity for transparent mission, without gimmicks; a place of high Eucharistic witness.

The persecuted must not live in the anguish of collapse, because they have the task of being signs of the Kingdom of God.

They gradually bring the distant ones and the internal usurpers themselves to a different awareness.

Says the Tao Tê Ching (xvii):

"Of great rulers the people knew they existed; then came those whom they loved and exalted, and then those whom they feared, and then those whom they mocked: when sincerity failed, insincerity set in".

The Church's attraction lies in not turning into a power like any other, attached to hegemony and riches.

Hypocritical power, harassing and exploiting the naivety of the simple, the weak - quickly made subjects and treated as doormats.

More than in pusillanimous little things [that do not compromise] or more than in strife and a new dirigisme, the Elsewhere is only in the clement and benevolent transparency of the Spirit (v.20).

For a higher Loyalty and Justice: those willing even to lose friends, be mocked and rejected. Protecting only being oneself, in naturalness and simplicity.

But allowing new energies to enter, to open the door to the ineffable Mystery.

Here sacred and profane come together in a fervent Covenant.

A covenant that nestles and broods fruit, precisely in moments of labour and paradox.

The only necessary resource is the spiritual strength to go all the way.

The Announcement could only cause extreme divisions, and on basic issues such as success, or progress in this life - in place of the vision of a new world; of the utopia of other and other people's needs.

And sooner or later perhaps everything will seem to conspire and make a mockery of our ideal.

The reference to the 'Name' (v.22) alludes to the historical event of Jesus of Nazareth, with all its load not only of ideal and explicit goodness, but also of denunciatory activity against the official institution - and the false leaders who had put the God of the Exodus under hijacking.

Despite the interferences - being misunderstood, slandered, mocked, blackmailed and hated... anchored in Christ we will personally experience that the stages of history and life proceed towards an indispensable Hope, which breaks through the blockages.

[God's so-called 'protection' does not preserve us from gloomy hues, nor from being harmed, but ensures that nothing is lost].

Certainly, Jesus warns us: we will not be able to count on unassailable friendships, nor on human powers arrayed in defence. A story of authentic Incarnation.

Even he whom we thought was close will scrutinise critical witnesses with suspicion.

The price of truth is always in the choice against the world of lies - even sacred homologising ones - all coalesced against.

Our story will not be like an easy novel with a happy ending. But we will have the opportunity to manifest that at every moment God reveals Himself, and what appears to be failure becomes Food and the source of Life.

Only this is beyond the provisional and has the power of incisive, regenerating maturity.

To internalise and live the message:

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

Are you aware that hindrances do not come out of desperation, but rather to free you from closure in stagnant cultural patterns (and not your own)?

On the other side of the world

Christians must therefore always be found on the 'other side' of the world, the side chosen by God: not persecutors, but persecuted; not arrogant, but meek; not sellers of smoke, but submissive to the truth; not impostors, but honest.

This fidelity to the style of Jesus - which is a style of hope - even unto death, would be called by the first Christians by a beautiful name: 'martyrdom', which means 'testimony'. There were many other possibilities, offered by the vocabulary: one could call it heroism, self-denial, self-sacrifice. Instead, the Christians of the first hour called it by a name that smells of discipleship. Martyrs do not live for themselves, they do not fight to affirm their ideas, and they accept that they must die only out of fidelity to the Gospel. Nor is martyrdom the supreme ideal of Christian life, because above it there is charity, that is, love of God and neighbour. The Apostle Paul says it very well in his hymn to charity, understood as love of God and neighbour. The Apostle Paul says it very well in the hymn to charity: "Though I give all my goods for food and deliver up my body to boast, yet have not charity, it profiteth me nothing" (1 Cor 13:3). The idea that suicide bombers can be called 'martyrs' is repugnant to Christians: there is nothing in their end that can be approximated to the attitude of God's children.

Sometimes, reading the stories of so many martyrs of yesterday and today - who are more numerous than the martyrs of earlier times - we are amazed at the fortitude with which they faced their trials. This fortitude is a sign of the great hope that animated them: the certain hope that nothing and no one could separate them from the love of God given to us in Jesus Christ (cf. Rom 8:38-39).

May God always give us the strength to be his witnesses. May he grant us to live Christian hope above all in the hidden martyrdom of doing our daily duties well and with love. Thank you.

(Pope Francis, General Audience 28 June 2017)

It is always necessary to notice this distinctive feature of Christian martyrdom:  it is exclusively an act of love for God and for man, including persecutors. At holy Mass today, we therefore pray to the Lord that he who "died praying for those who killed him, [may] help us to imitate his goodness and to love our enemies" (cf. Opening Prayer). How many sons and daughters of the Church down the centuries have followed his example, from the first persecution in Jerusalem to the persecutions of the Roman emperors, to the multitudes of martyrs in our day! Indeed, even today we receive news from various parts of the world of missionaries, priests, Bishops, men and women religious and lay faithful who are persecuted, imprisoned, tortured, deprived of freedom or prevented from exercising it because they are disciples of Christ and apostles of the Gospel; at times, they even suffer and die for being in communion with the universal Church or for their fidelity to the Pope. Recalling the experience of the Vietnamese Martyr, Paul Le-Bao-Tinh (d. 1857) in my Encyclical Letter Spe Salvi (cf. n. 37), I noted that suffering is transformed into joy through the power of hope that comes from faith. The Christian martyr, like Christ and through union with him, "accepts it in his heart, and he transforms it into an action of love. What on the outside is simply brutal violence - the Crucifixion - from within becomes an act of total self-giving love.... Violence is transformed into love, and death into life" (World Youth Day 2005, Homily, Mass on Marienfeld Esplanade, Cologne, 21 August 2005; L'Osservatore Romano English edition, 24 August, p. 11). The Christian martyr brings about the victory of love over hatred and death.

Let us pray for those who suffer for being faithful to Christ and to his Church. May Mary Most Holy, Queen of Martyrs, help us to be credible Gospel witnesses, responding to our enemies with the disarming power of truth and charity.

[Pope Benedict, Angelus 26 December 2007]

We are called to fortitude before men and, at the same time, to fear before God himself; and this fear must be the fear of love, filial fear. And only when this fear penetrates into our hearts can we be truly strong with the fortitude of the Apostles, martyrs, and confessors. Strong with the fortitude of pastors. The invitation to fortitude is linked in an especially deep way with the tradition of the Cardinalate, which even through the colour of the cassock recalls the blood of martyrs.

4. Christ asks us above all to have this fortitude to confess before men, his truth and his cause, without counting whether these people will be favourable or not to this cause, whether they will open their ears and hearts to this truth, or whether they will close them so as not to be able to hear. We cannot be discouraged before any programme in which the ears and the intellect are closed. We must make our confession and proclamation in deepest obedience to the Spirit of Truth. He himself will find the ways to reach the depths of consciences and of hearts. We must rather make our confession and render witness with such strength and ability that responsibility does not fall on us for the fact that our generation has denied Christ before men. We must also be "wary as serpents, innocent as doves" (Mt 10:16).

And finally we must be humble, with that humility of interior truth that permits man to live with magnanimity. Because "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6). This magnanimity, evolving from humility, evolving from cooperation with the grace of God, is a particular sign of our service in the Church.

[Pope John Paul II, Consistory 30 June 1979]

In a society contaminated by the "smog of corruption", the Christian must be "clever" and have "flair": in fact, "he cannot afford to be naive" because he guards a "treasure that is the Holy Spirit". The reflection proposed by Pope Francis during the Mass celebrated at Santa Marta on the morning of Friday, 10 November, touched on one of the open wounds of contemporary man. And, in addressing the conscience of each person, he particularly questioned those in society who have collective responsibilities of government and administration.

The starting point of the homily was the Gospel passage of the day, in which Luke (16:1-8) moves from the "three parables of mercy" to a "totally different" subject through the parable of the dishonest steward. While the previous ones described "the story of God, the story of love, the story of mercy", here we come to "a story of corruption".

The Pontiff summarised the story of a rich man who 'had heard how his company was being administered' and noticed 'something suspicious about the administrator'. A dishonest character who, evidently, 'had a long hand' and, knowing well how to juggle, 'went on for a long time, until the rich man noticed'. And how did the administrator react? It is the same Gospel story, reported by the Pope, that plumbs his thoughts: "But now with this habit I have of easy gain, must I go back to work? To earn my bread by sweat? To get up every day at six in the morning? No, no, no'.

From this awareness, the Pontiff explained, comes the contrivance of the administrator who begins to 'rope in others who are corrupt'. And even if 'some of these were not corrupt', he nevertheless 'liked the proposal and entered into corruption'. Francis commented: 'These are powerful people! When they engage in corruption they are powerful; they even go as far as mafia-like attitudes'. And he emphasised that what is described in this parable 'is not a fable', it is not 'a story that we have to look for in ancient history books: we find it in the newspapers, every day'. In fact, he added, 'this happens even today, especially with those who have the responsibility of administering the people's goods'. After all, 'with one's goods no one is corrupt, he defends them'.

The conclusion of the Gospel passage opened the way for the Pontiff's considerations. First of all, we read 'that the master praised that dishonest steward because he had acted shrewdly'. In fact, the Pope explained, the corrupt generally 'are cunning', they know how to carry out their dishonest conduct well: "Even with courtesy, with silken gloves, but they do it well". And, above all, in the story there is Jesus' final comment: 'For the children of this world, towards their peers, with their peers, are shrewder than the children of light'. Here then is "the consequence that Jesus takes from this story, which is an everyday story. The shrewdness of these'.

It was precisely from here that Francis began to deepen his reflection, asking himself: "But if these are more cunning than Christians - but I will not say Christians, because many corrupt people also call themselves Christians - if these are more cunning than those faithful to Jesus, I ask myself: but is there a Christian cunning?".

The parable then offered the Pope the cue to consider the concrete life of the Christian, who is confronted daily with the scourge of corruption. Francis started with a question: "Is there an attitude for those who want to follow Jesus" so that "they do not end up badly, that they do not end up being eaten alive - as my mother used to say: 'Eaten raw' - by others"? What, in short, is 'Christian shrewdness', a shrewdness, that is, "that is not sinful, but serves to bring me forward in the service of the Lord and also in the help of others?" Is there such a thing as 'Christian shrewdness'?

The answer, said the Pope, comes directly from the Gospel, where we find "some words, some sayings that help us understand if there is - I will say - Christian cunning in order to go forward without falling into the ranks of corruption". Jesus, in fact, uses "contrasts" for this purpose, such as the one between "lambs" and "wolves" ("I send you out as lambs among wolves") by which it is understood that "the Christian is a lamb who has to get by with wolves". And therefore, through "another paradox", he is given advice: "Be therefore prudent as the serpents and simple as the dove".

But, Francis continued, "how does one arrive at this attitude of prudence like serpents and simplicity like doves?" Again the suggestion comes from Jesus, who "repeats many times in the Gospel: 'Be careful, be careful. Look, look at the signs of the times: when the fig tree begins to make leaves, it is because spring is near; when the almond tree blossoms, spring is near'. It is necessary, that is, to be 'attentive to what is happening', to look well, to keep 'your eyes open'.It is precisely this, the Pontiff explained, the first attitude that leads us to 'Christian shrewdness': attention to what is happening. Cultivating, that is, that 'sense of healthy distrust', which leads us, for example, to say: 'I don't trust this one, he talks too much, promises too much...'. As happens when someone proposes: 'Make the investment in my bank I will give you double the interest that others give' - 'Oh, how nice!'". And instead the shrewd person realises that 'this is too much'. The Christian, therefore, 'be careful, watch the signs of the times'.

Then there is a second suggestion: 'reflect'. One must, Francis suggested, 'not be quick to accept certain proposals, because the devil always does this with us; he comes with a feigned humility'. The same thing happened to Eve: "But look at this apple, it's beautiful, eh!" - "No, but I cannot eat it" - "But look, if you eat it you will become..."'. A story that everyone knows about the devil's 'seduction'. We must therefore 'be careful and reflect', bearing in mind that 'the devil knows by which door to enter our heart, because he knows our weaknesses. Everyone has his own. And he knocks on that door, he enters through that door'.

Finally, a third element: 'pray'. If you have these three attitudes, said the Pope, "be sure that you will arrive at this Christian shrewdness that does not allow itself to be deceived, does not allow itself to be sold a piece of glass believing it to be precious stones. And so we will be, as Jesus says: 'Careful as serpents and simple as doves'". And 'we will have the Christian nose for the things that happen'.

In conclusion, as usual, the Pontiff suggested a prayer intention linked to the meditation he had just completed: "Let us pray today to the Lord to give us this grace to be shrewd, shrewd Christians, to have this Christian shrewdness", because "if there is one thing a Christian cannot afford, it is to be naive". In fact "as Christians we have a treasure inside: the treasure that is the Holy Spirit. We must guard it'. He who "allows himself to be robbed of the Spirit" is naive. And a Christian "cannot afford to be naive".

Asking the Lord for "this grace of Christian shrewdness and Christian flair", the Pope concluded, is also "a good opportunity to pray for the corrupt". After all, Francis said, "we speak of the smog that causes pollution", but there is also "a smog of corruption in society". Therefore, "let us pray for the corrupt: poor things, may they find their way out of that prison into which they wanted to enter."

[Pope Francis, St. Martha, in L'Osservatore Romano 11.11.2017]

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (year A)  [12 July 2026]

First Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (55:10–11)

The central theme of this passage is the image of rain: the Word of God is life-giving rain; it does not return until it has fulfilled its mission of forgiveness and reconciliation. This oracle concludes the Second Isaiah (Isaiah 40–55) As prophets often do, Isaiah uses an image: rain and snow are daydreams for an Eastern farmer accustomed to often arid soil. In Babylon, where he is in exile with his people in the 6th century BC, the benefits of rain are experienced. A sun-drenched land, such as Israel or Babylon, flourishes anew at the first rain. The prophet applies this effectiveness to the Word of God: ‘So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth: it shall not return to me empty.’ Isaiah emphasises this effectiveness for two reasons. 1) He announces the end of the Exile and the return to Jerusalem. For 50 years, the inhabitants of Jerusalem have been in exile in Babylon. Isaiah promises, on God’s behalf, their liberation and their departure from Babylon. To believe in a promise long awaited requires trust in the Word of God. This is why Isaiah is so firm: ‘my word… shall not return to me empty…’. Statements about the effectiveness of the Word (‘Davar’ means both ‘word’ and ‘event’) are always made during difficult times in Israel’s history, when it is necessary to cling to faith.  Examples: ‘All flesh is like grass… dry grass; the flower withers, but the word of our God stands for ever’ (Isa 40:6–8); ‘I am watching over my word to bring it to pass’ (Jer 1:12). These words were spoken to combat idolatry, for during the exile the temptation was strong amongst the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who, in the face of defeat, thought it better to turn to the gods of the victorious Babylonians, since they were effective. There is a sarcastic passage by the prophet Isaiah: poor people who use the same wood to make a fire and to carve idols; then they expect help from those lifeless idols they have made themselves (cf. Isa 44).  2) The other reason for emphasising the power of the word is that the ‘mission’ of the Word is forgiveness and reconciliation. Immediately before this text, he notes: ‘Seek the Lord whilst he may be found; call upon him whilst he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, who will have mercy on him, and to our God, who abundantly forgives. For my thoughts are not your thoughts…’ (Isaiah 55:6–8).  The ‘mission’ referred to here is therefore a mission to proclaim God’s free forgiveness and the reconciliation of humanity with Him: God will ultimately reconcile humanity to Himself. Later, Paul will say the same: ‘God our Saviour desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth’ (1 Tim 2:4). This plan of God is fulfilled through the Incarnation of the Word and the sending of the disciples as ambassadors of reconciliation: “God has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has entrusted to us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Cor 5:18). 

Responsorial Psalm (64/65)

Psalm 64 is a votive offering from a people written upon their return from exile to thank God for their deliverance: on the surface, it is a song of renewed creation, but it is not merely a song about nature. The liturgy presents us only with the final verses (10–14), which appear to be a contemplation of nature, but the preceding verses are fundamental, and without them the true meaning of the psalm is lost. This is a vow of thanksgiving for the return from exile, made in Babylon in the 6th century BC: if God frees us and brings us back to Israel, we shall celebrate in his temple. Deliverance is experienced as forgiveness because the exile was regarded as a punishment for the sins of the people and their leaders, and the return is a ‘return to favour’: God wipes the sinful past clean.  ‘Our sins have overwhelmed us; you forgive them’. It is clear that Israel’s election becomes a mission, and the people celebrate God’s faithfulness: “Blessed are those whom you have chosen and brought near: they shall dwell in your courts.” Just as the Levites had a special place to serve God in the temple, so Israel has a special place amongst the nations: when the other nations see Israel’s salvation, they will recognise that the God of Israel is the only Saviour. With the return to the homeland, a new life begins; it is a true re-creation. For this reason, the final bucolic section should not be separated from the central theme, which is thanksgiving. Lush nature is an image of new life and of God’s greatest gift: forgiveness

Second Reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans (8:18–23)

Creation is not complete; it is a work in progress and eagerly awaits the revelation of the children of God. This means that creation is not an event of the past: it is an ongoing project, comparable to a work of art.  Let us imagine the creation of an immense bronze sculpture. From the very first day, the artist knows that it will require patience and time: the process involves many successive stages.  There are hardships, struggles and risks to face; one must have a clear understanding of where this sometimes thankless work is leading and assess every possible difficulty. Only the artist can already visualise the finished work in his mind, but the challenge lies in how to describe the glimpsed beauty to his collaborators, and to share it with them with the same passion. God’s project is comparable to the birth of a work of art: Paul speaks specifically of ‘childbirth’. Only God, for now, can describe the finished work. And who has the mission to complete it? We do, each in our own small way, but above all the Spirit who breathes upon the world to direct it towards God. ‘We have received the firstfruits of the Spirit, but we await adoption as children, the redemption of our body’. In the biblical sense, ‘body’ refers to our whole being. Redemption of the body: our whole being, still in chains today, bound by sin, will finally be set free and free to live as children of God. We speak of the ‘firstfruits’, which biblically refer to the first handful of ears of corn or the firstborn lamb of the flock in spring. They were both the beginning and the promise of the entire harvest. A beautiful image to convey that we already possess the down payment of our ultimate salvation: “the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom 5:5). And it is because we already possess the firstfruits, because we are already animated by the Spirit, that we groan as we await our final transformation. Yet it is always the Spirit who continues the work in the world.  In the Fourth Eucharistic Prayer we say: “ He – your Son – has sent from you, Father, as a first gift to believers, the Holy Spirit who continues his work in the world and brings every sanctification to fulfilment”. “Every sanctification” – that is, every transformation.  For now, creation is still “subject to futility”, but in the new heavens and new earth that we await, towards which we strive, this energy will become a passion for unity: ‘According to his promise, we await new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells’ (2 Pet 3:13). Then creation will be ‘set free from the bondage of corruption to enter into the freedom of the glory of the children of God’.  Paul speaks of the whole of creation and the cosmos, not just of us. He takes up a theme familiar to the Bible: the disharmony caused by Adam’s wrong choice plunges the entire garden—that is, the whole of creation—into chaos: “The ground shall be cursed because of you” (Gen 3:17).  Conversely, when righteousness dwells on the earth, not only humans but also animals will know peace. Humanity is part of the cosmos and cannot be conceived of without it. This is one of the meanings of Isaiah’s magnificent ‘parable’ of the animals: ‘The wolf shall dwell with the lamb… the lion shall feed on straw like the ox… They shall do no harm or destroy any more on all my holy mountain, for the knowledge of the Lord shall fill the earth as the waters cover the sea’ (Isaiah 11:6–9). As Paul says in Ephesians: it is ‘the whole universe, the things in heaven and on earth’ that will one day be brought together under one Head, Christ (Ephesians 1:9–10). It is our privilege to be able to catch a glimpse of the completed work even now. Returning to the analogy of the work of art: we who are engaged in God’s plan have an immense privilege compared to an artist’s collaborators: we can already glimpse the completed work: “The Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us; and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn 1:14).  Meanwhile, this great labour of bringing forth the new humanity continues amidst pain and groaning. All the more reason for believers to find the courage to proclaim, even now, the glory promised to all creation.

From the Gospel according to Matthew (13:1–23)

Jesus speaks in parables because the ‘parable’ is a literary genre of the Jewish tradition, similar to a narrative with a pedagogical purpose, designed to lead the listener to change their perspective. A parable is not an allegory: not every detail has a precise meaning; the lesson comes from the overall context.  

  The disciples ask why Jesus speaks in parables, and Jesus gives three reasons: firstly, to distinguish between the disciples and the crowd: ‘To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it has not been given.’ Secondly, to console them, because their opponents ‘look without seeing, listen without hearing or understanding’. Jesus quotes a passage from Isaiah to them: “This people’s heart has grown callous; their ears are hard of hearing, and they have closed their eyes…” (Isaiah 6:9–10). Thirdly, to recall the Old Testament theme of the two paths: “To those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have not, even what they have will be taken away.” In Matthew and Mark, this teaching in parables immediately follows the disputes with the Pharisees and with those who refuse to recognise Jesus as the Messiah, revealing their hardened hearts and their imperviousness to the Word. Indeed, the more the listeners shut themselves away in their certainties, the more impervious they become to the Word. The parables are a pedagogical means of touching those hardened hearts. However, the disposition of the heart is decisive in understanding Jesus. I shall now return to these words: ‘To those who have, more will be given’ – which is the theme of the two paths already present in the Old Testament and which always presents human existence as a crossroads. If you take the right path, every step brings you closer to your goal: ‘Give to the wise, and he will become wiser still; instruct the righteous, and he will increase his knowledge’ (Prov 9:9). If, on the other hand, you choose the wrong path, every step takes you further away. A clear choice is therefore required: either to listen, to open your ears to be taught and transformed by the Word; or to refuse to listen and become increasingly hard of hearing. In the parable of the sower, Jesus shows what the obstacles to preaching are.  Jesus is the Word of God made flesh (Jn 1:14); and he communicates only the Father’s Word: “The word that you hear is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me” (Jn 14:24). Yet he finds it difficult to find fertile ground.  What are the difficulties involved in listening to the Word? First of all, the cares of the world which choke out the demands of the Kingdom (Mt 6:25–34). A deeper difficulty is not trusting Jesus and recognising him as the Messiah. The disciples themselves stumbled: after the discourse on the bread of life, many said, ‘This teaching is hard! Who can accept it?’ From that moment on, many of the disciples turned back, and Jesus said to the Twelve, ‘Do you also wish to go away?’ Peter replied, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life’ (John 6:60–68). Despite the difficulties, Jesus proclaims that the harvest—‘a hundredfold, sixtyfold or thirtyfold’—is certain, though it comes at a high price. The Kingdom of God will be established through many failures. To enter into the understanding of the Kingdom is solely a gift from God: ‘It has been granted to you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven… Blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear…’ Those who have received the seed in good soil are those who hear the Word and understand it with a receptive heart, capable of receiving from God the light that comes only from Him. This openness, too, is a gift. The Pharisees and the crowd were not yet ready. Jesus had Ezekiel in mind when he said, ‘Those who received the seed among the thorns are those who hear the Word, but the cares of the world and the allure of wealth choke the Word.’ Ezekiel writes: “They come to you as a people gather; they listen to your words, but do not put them into practice; their mouths are full of lusts, their hearts are set on gain. To them you are like a love song, with a sweet voice, well played” (Ezek 33:30–32).  

+ Giovanni D’Ercole