Lk 17:7-10 (1-10)

Forgiveness and Faith: Living Encounter

Eccentric free-for-all: Sacrament of humanity as such

(Lk 17:1-6)

The knowledge of God is not a confiscated commodity or an acquired and already foreclosed science: it moves from one action to another, unceasingly; it is realised in an ever-living Encounter, which does not freeze or dissolve us.

Typical, the experience of the "little ones" [mikròi v.2]. From the earliest communities of faith, they were those who lacked security and energy; unstable and without support.

From time immemorial, "Little Ones" have been the incipients; the new ones, who have heard of Christian brotherhood, but who are sometimes forced to stand in line, aside, or give up the journey.

But the criterion of welcome, tolerance, communion even of material goods, was the first and main catalyst for the growth of the assemblies.

Moreover, the source and meaning of all the formulas and signs of the liturgy.

The existential and ideal centre in which to converge. For a proactive and in itself transformative Faith.

In the Spirit of the Master, even for us the conciliation of friction is not simply a work of magnanimity.

It is the beginning of the future world. The beginning of an unforeseeable and unspeakable adventure. And we with it suddenly reborn: coming into frank contact in Christ. He who does not extinguish us at all.

Hence the Christian forgiveness of children, which is not... "looking positive", and "turning a blind eye": rather, Newness of God that creates an environment of Grace, propulsive, with enormous possibilities.

Force that breaks through and paradoxically lets the dark poles meet, instead of shaking them off. Genuinely eliminating useless comparisons, words and ballasts, which block the transparent Exodus.

Dynamics that guide one to the indispensable and unavoidable: waves to shift one's gaze. Teaching to notice one's own hysterics, to know oneself, to face anxiety, its reason; to manage situations and moments of crisis.

Mouldable virtue that places one in intimate listening to the personal essence.

Hence, solid, wide-ranging empathy that introduces new energies; it brings together one's own deep states, even standard life arousing other knowledge, different perspectives, unexpected relationships.

Thus without too much struggle it renews us, and curbs the loss of veracity [typical, that in favour of circumstantial manners]. It accentuates the capacity and horizons of Peace - crumbling primates, swampy balances.

The discovery of new sides of the being that we are, conveys a sense of better wholeness, then spontaneously curbs external influences, dissolves prejudices, does not make one act on an emotional, impulsive basis.

Rather, it puts us in a position to reveal the hidden and astounding meaning of being. It unfolds the crucial horizon.

Activating 'Forgiveness' is gratuitously a surrender of one's character range, of all lost dignity, and far beyond.

By laying down feelings, the art of tolerance expands the [also intimate] gaze. It enhances and strengthens the dull sides; those we ourselves had detested.

In this eccentric way it transforms those considered distant or mediocre [mikroi] into outriders, and brilliant inventors. For what was unthought of yesterday will be clarifying and driving tomorrow.

Confusions will make sense - precisely because of the thinking of minds in crisis, and because of the action of the despised, intruders, outside of all spin and predictability.

Life of pure Faith in the Spirit: i.e., the imagination of the 'weak'... in power.

Because it is the paradoxical mechanism that makes the crossroads of history assess, activates passions, creates sharing, solves real problems.

And so it supplants difficult moments forwards (bringing us back to the true path) by orienting reality to the concrete good.

By making it fly towards itself.

The 'win-or-lose' alternative is false: we must get out of it. It is in such 'emptiness' and Silence that God makes His way.

Mystery of Presence, overflowing. New Covenant.

Increasing Faith: a dull, intimidated life, or the door of Hope

(Lk 17:5-10)

Perhaps we too have been inculcated with the idea that faith must be asked for, so God will increase it for us. Instead, we have a say, but not in the sense of a plea to Heaven.

Faith is a gift, but in the sense of a relational, face-to-face proposal and initiative; that asks for welcoming perception. Hence it does not grow by dropping a package - like a precipice, or by infusion from above. Even forcing it and convincing the Father.

Nor is it mere assent linked to good-naturedness. It is not a baggage of notions that some have and prove right; others less so, or not at all.

In falling in love one can be more or less involved!

Faith is not believing that God exists, but adhering to a springing suggestion that (without imposition) guides us to disregard reputation.

The person of Faith cares not for expense or risk, even for the lives of others. He holds particular mores in abeyance; he does not put circle affections first. He forgives without limit.

Often we agree only in part and accept a little bit - perhaps until love goes all the way, or calls us into question.

Thus the head, the quirks, the concatenation of values, and the small world to which we are attached.

Increasing Faith? The Gift is not a gift, but an Appeal.

That is why Jesus does not even respond to such a ridiculous request - nevertheless, it makes one wonder about the results of possible adherence.

All it would take is the slightest involvement and there would be extraordinary results in the world (v.6); in the community, in families and in personal lives.

We would achieve the impossible and important. Real problems would be solved. Even the simplest actions would be transformed.

Then there are great events planted in every man's heart, which we perhaps consider unrealisable: e.g. universal brotherhood, victory over fame, a dignified and beautiful life for all, a world and a Church without volatile, corrupt and vain characters.

Because we consider them impossible situations, we don't even begin to build them - we immediately drop our arms.

But maturation is the result of secret sides, not of impermeable mental armour.

As a Nobel Prize winner said: 'The innocent did not know that their project was impossible, so they realised it'.

And it is not that after a life spent in service - at the orders of the Principal - in the afterlife we will finally command, on the basis of the rank we have earned [although this too may have been passed on to us].

One of the wonders that Faith in Christ accomplishes in us - here and now - is to make us aware of the beauty and joy of having the freedom to come down from the pedestals we have already identified, in order to favour the full life (of all).

And at the 'end of the month' - at the 'reckoning' or the 'pay' - we will not finally become bosses - at least in heaven!

Because God is Communion, conviviality of differences; and He does not accept the servant-master scheme, even as a reward.

Very provocative words, those of Jesus, that neither condemn a priori nor demonise the Way contrary to his.

But he does warn us about how things work in a pyramid scheme (vv.7-9).

"When you have done all that you have been 'commanded'..." (v.10).

The Lord alludes to the obedience of the Torah and would like to free us from the obsessive, limiting, petty and anxiety-inducing yoke of the ancient religious Law. 

It produces artificial and fake hierarchies, social collapse, impoverishment of souls.

It is as if the Lord were saying:

"Try as you might to follow the predictable, pious, correct, plastered, jerkless model....

Try it and you will see for yourself what inconclusiveness, what lacerations and disasters it produces.

Experience it, and you will realise, and definitively!".

In a perspective of Faith and human growth in Christ, one must abandon the standard limiting "subject-subject" model imposed by Moses.

How boring! Person and Friendship do not bank!

And after the first discoveries, there is no going back to cultivating restraints - otherwise compulsory behaviour will get us into big trouble.

They will take away expressive richness from the proclamation and from life.

Perhaps we already know what it means to feel like numbers, to copy the (histrionic) emancipation of others and consequently seek external compensations; or to fill ourselves with ulterior motives, thus make-up and spoil.

"Try settling for official, conformist and normalised religiosity, instead of engaging in the search and discovery without compensation; in the Exodus and the adventure of adhering to a level-headed Love! You will see what an impediment to breakthroughs, what a degradation of relationships, what a life folded and filled with resentments all around, insulting and empty!".

Instead, the reception-faith will lead us to grow from useless slaves to Sons; co-workers and allies of the Father.

From crude submissive and slavishly obedient, to family, friends, and kinsmen-friends.

Otherwise we will remain in the puerile condition of children and servants "of no account" (v.10) who neither express themselves nor reinterpret, but remain submissive and do only "what they must".

The religion of merits and roles is deleterious; it produces malaise. It manages the real estate empire but moves forward by inertia and with a defensive attitude.

It does not reinvent the present, nor does it open up the future.

It does not listen to needs, rather it pushes us to shape relationships on the basis of selfishness, even spiritual selfishness.

Here, we no longer look at what spontaneously arises - forcing our faculties to evaluations that are all predictable, conformist.

Life therefore becomes impoverished, desertifying itself, because it is intimidated.

Becoming an absurd farce that Jesus does not want: a jumble of swampy attitudes, incapable of reactivating us - inattentive to the special actions that turn routine into adventure.Paraphrasing the encyclical Brothers All, in those conditions it would sound "like a delirium" even to elaborate "great objectives for the development of all humanity" (no.16).

We would lack a sense of the Mystery, never perceived in the furrows of history: we would drag ourselves into the remedies, protecting only the trance.

The relationship of Friendship and Gratuity would be replaced by an induced model (and in Italy we know it well, unfortunately).

A model that then does not allow one to meet oneself and others; indeed, it would even deform the relationship with God.

Salaried employees - less human and less unique - means less 'divine': everything is already known, guided and foreseen as in the plots of puppets on a stage.

No unexpected changes; no inexplicable transformations.

No exceptional recovery, no astonishing human and cultural prodigy (v.6).

No unpredictability that sees the 'sacred' in the thousands of situations that Providence invents, stimulating new responses.

The mystic Ibn Ata Allah - Master of the two sciences [wisdom of analysis and experience of mystical intoxication] - claimed:

"If you want the door of fear to be opened to you, look at what goes from you to Him. If you want the door of Hope to be opened to you, look at what comes to you from Him'.

To internalise and live the message:

What would you like to do for God? How do you live Hope?