Domestic side, not domestications

(Mk 6:1-6)

Where Faith is lacking, only small changes occur, not the astounding wonders of the alternative presence of the Kingdom of God:

"And he could do no mighty work there, except that having laid hands on a few sick ones, he healed" (v.5).

We do not realise that the Lord could come from humble, dishonourable beginnings, as ours might be - devoid of great dynastic ties, or violent class jumps.

Says the Tao Tê Ching (vi):

"The spirit of the valley does not die [...] it is used, but it does not tire". Master Wang Pi comments:

'The spirit of the valley is the non-valley at the centre of the valley. It has no form or shadow, nothing contrasts and nothing rejects, it remains at the bottom without moving, it keeps quiet without fading. The valley is completed by it, yet its form cannot be seen: this is the most perfect model'.

Like the Wisdom codes of nature, Faith in Christ bids farewell to the idea prevalent in institutional, representative and top-down cultures and religions.

All ill-disposed, in their great knowledge, to deal with the normality of flowing life.

Jesus avoids rigid or grandiose models. He gives himself with simplicity to his people and aims at the formation of authentic believers.

Their trust must be placed solely in the Kingdom of God - a dimension that truly breaks the balance, because it enters into day-to-day existence and ferments it from invisible roots.

As an envoy of the Father, he would like all the people to be builders and bishops of other dreams - but in his home village he feels as if blocked by those who are incapable of deciphering the dimension of the divine in the human.

He has to face the obtuse incomprehension of the centres of power, but also the very failures and hopes - quiet or divisive - of the popular reality that frequents the places of worship.

The villagers expected the usual blessings (by now addicted) or perhaps a charismatic leader to fight against the Romans - and here they would gladly use the flames of religious identity to inflame their spirits.

They would have accepted a warlike captain, reflecting archaic beliefs - instead they find themselves disappointed with the inapparent reality before their eyes.

They do not know how to discover God's plot in the history of the least.

Conversely, there are many divine signs inscribed in what is in a minor way manifested: warnings that can help us discover the not purely earthly dimension of things, relationships, presences, and so on.

Many misunderstand the spirit of strength that Faith transmits to us.

It breaks balances because it does not offer guarantees that have already been imagined - but it is at bottom domestic and all natural [each Seed has its own particular destiny and development].

How then is the boy they have known from birth so different?

Because there is no equation between what one thinks conformistically, and the Lord. Not even by emphasising intentions.

Both high expectations and proximity can be an obstacle to a daily knowledge of what is extraordinary behind the ordinary dimension of events and people.

Even many brothers or collaborators of Saints have failed to grasp the exceptionality of a common life lived in fidelity and dedication to their Calling by Name. All the more real as it is less conspicuous.

The incomprehension and village jealousy of those who live next door and chase after a god of their own - disfigured - is a source of bitterness; but it does not stop us.

The experience of rejection prompts a change of direction (v.6b).

The soul lives under the sign of Oneness that renounces preconception, the quiet life, simple approval, easy success.

And closed doors can be an added value! They open us up to the soul's journey in the Spirit, to the eccentric Announcement, to an astounding Mission.

Unfortunately, we register another kind of spirit of the 'valley' - of an entirely negative sign, which in the work of evangelisation and community animation is identified with the pastoral of consent [I will give you what you want].

The astute coordinator manages relations with the faithful, the masses and the institutions with extreme shrewdness, as well as expectations - concrete, immediate - of approval and individual or circle advantage.

At times, some leaders (even church leaders) appear to be nothing more than skilful storytellers: they do not fight the dehumanising structures, nor the powerful on the ground. On the contrary, they try to make allies of them, to win easily.

Even in the time of global crisis, the conviction persists that educational, cultural and 'religious' structures can only go on with the external support of power hierarchies, and the established order. Or with the search for more 'signs' and as many prodigies. 

Unfortunately, such a downward, outward-looking attitude - out of weariness, which is widespread - does not equate to the enhancement of the most varied and intimate Gifts of God in people, nor to the promotion of the Kingdom.

It is obvious then that those who frequent the palace do not like incendiaries: those who hold titles and a glorious role remain impervious to the work of the Spirit who makes all things new.

[Every opportunist unfortunately remains tied to the chains of command, to the old tactical balances that have guaranteed him career, position, lustre, visibility, easy security on the side].

Perhaps the worst aspect of this downward and normal common denominator game is the cheap identification between order guaranteed by the Gospel and current equilibrium.

An illusion of external harmony between the Beatitudes proclaimed by the Lord and opportunities for a quiet life, or gain, and social recognition.

Thus the principles experienced first-hand by the Master are subverted by some followers, in an opaque strategy that ends up distorting the Glad Tidings in favour of every lost one.

And each shaky yet unsatisfied person spontaneously tends to adapt to the small certainties they find, offered by the rhetoric of even great narratives.

Even today, on the other hand, the Word of God sparks off the easy appeal of such dynamics and structures of authentic 'sin': it threatens them in no uncertain terms.

Indeed, they seize souls, make them conformist, indifferent to injustice, fearful of freedom - and tend to take even the God of the Exodus hostage.

The Father, however, continues to raise up eccentric prophets: they make us all more capable of perceiving the genius of the age. As well as the personal talents deployed - even amidst the irritated threats of the 'countrymen' caught up in levelling marketing.

Advertisers who risk being left without protection or lineage, of course.

But who refuse to affix ready-made seals to the spirit of mediocrity that annoys no one.

To internalise and live the Word, let us ask ourselves:

What has changed in your journey since you began to live more intensely in adherence to Christ? How has your environment reacted?

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I would like to reflect briefly on this […] Gospel passage. It is taken from the text that has the famous saying “Nemo propheta in patria”. In other words no prophet is properly accepted among his own people who watched him grow up (cf. Mk 6:4). Indeed after Jesus, when he was about 30 years old, had left Nazareth and had already been travelling about preaching and working miracles of healing elsewhere, he once returned to his birthplace and started teaching in the synagogue. His fellow citizens “were astonished” by his wisdom, and knowing him as “the son of Mary”, as the carpenter who had lived in their midst, instead of welcoming him with faith were shocked and took offence (cf. Mk 6:2-3). This reaction is understandable because familiarity at the human level makes it difficult to go beyond this in order to be open to the divine dimension. That this son of a carpenter was the Son of God was hard for them to believe. Jesus actually takes as an example the experience of the prophets of Israel, who in their own homeland were an object of contempt, and identifies himself with them. Due to this spiritual closure Jesus “could do no mighty work there [Nazareth], except that he laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them” (Mk 6:5). In fact Christ’s miracles are not a display of power but signs of the love of God that is brought into being wherever it encounters reciprocated human faith. Origen writes: “as in the case of material things there exists in some things a natural attraction towards some other thing, as in the magnet for iron... so there is an attraction in such faith towards the divine power” (Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, 10, 19).

It would therefore seem that Jesus—as is said—is making sense of the negative welcome he received in Nazareth. Instead, at the end of the account, we find a remark that says precisely the opposite. The Evangelist writes that Jesus “marvelled because of their unbelief” (Mk 6:6). The astonishment of Jesus’ fellow townspeople is matched by his own surprise. In a certain sense he too is shocked! Although he knows that no prophet is well accepted in his homeland, the closed heart of his people was nevertheless obscure and impenetrable to him: how could they fail to recognize the light of the Truth? Why did they not open themselves to the goodness of God who deigned to share in our humanity? Effectively Jesus of Nazareth the man is the transparency of God, in him God dwells fully. And while we are constantly seeking other signs, other miracles, we do not realize that he is the true Sign, God made flesh, he is the greatest miracle in the world: the whole of God’s love contained in a human heart, in a man’s face.

The One who fully understood this reality was the Virgin Mary, who is blessed because she believed (cf. Lk 1:45). Mary was not shocked by her Son: her wonder for him was full of faith, full of love and joy, in seeing him so human and at the same time so divine. Let us therefore learn from her, our Mother in faith, to recognize in the humanity of Christ the perfect revelation of God.

[Pope Benedict, Angelus 8 July 2012]

1. Reconnecting to the previous catechesis, we can grasp among the biblical data already referred to the prophetic aspect of the action exercised by the spirit of God on the leaders of the people, on kings, and on the Messiah. This aspect requires further reflection, because prophethood is the thread along which the history of Israel runs, dominated by the pre-eminent figure of Moses, the most exalted "prophet", "with whom the Lord spoke face to face" (Deut 34:10). Down the centuries, the Israelites became increasingly familiar with the binomial 'the Law and the Prophets', as an expressive synthesis of the spiritual heritage entrusted by God to his people. And it is through his spirit that God speaks and acts in the fathers, and from generation to generation prepares the new times.

2. Undoubtedly the prophetic phenomenon, which is observed historically, is linked to the word. The prophet is a man who speaks on behalf of God, he delivers to those who hear or read him what God wants to make known about the present and the future. The spirit of God animates the word and makes it vital. It communicates to the prophet and his word a certain divine pathos, so that it becomes vibrant, sometimes passionate and suffering, always dynamic.

Not infrequently, the Bible describes significant episodes in which the spirit of God rests on someone, and he immediately utters a prophetic oracle. Such is the case with Balaam: "The spirit of God was upon him. Then "he uttered his poem and said: . An oracle of one who hears the words of God and knows the knowledge of the Most High, of one who sees the vision of the Almighty, and falls and the veil is removed from his eyes . . ." (Numbers 24: 2. 3-4). It is the famous "prophecy", which even though it refers, in the immediate instance, to Saul and David, in the fight against the Amalekites, evokes at the same time the future Messiah: "I see him, but not now, I contemplate him, but not from near: a star rises from Jacob, and a sceptre rises from Israel . . ." (1 Sam 15:8; 30:1 ff).

3. Another aspect of the prophetic spirit at the service of the word is that it can be communicated and almost 'subdivided' according to the needs of the people, as in the case of Moses who was concerned about the number of Israelites to be led and governed, who by now numbered '600,000 adults'. The Lord commanded him to choose and assemble "70 men from among the elders of Israel, known to you as elders of the people and as their scribes". Having done this, the Lord "took the spirit that was upon him and infused it upon the 70 elders: when the spirit had come upon them, they prophesied . . ." (cf. Nm 24:16-25).

In the succession of Elisha to Elijah, the former would even like to receive "two thirds of the spirit" of the great prophet, a kind of double portion of the inheritance that fell to the eldest son, in order to be thus recognised as his principal spiritual heir among the multitude of prophets and "sons of the prophets", grouped together in guilds. But the spirit is not transmitted from prophet to prophet as an earthly inheritance: it is God who grants it. In fact, this is how it happens, and the "sons of the prophets" note it: "The spirit of Elijah rested on Elisha" (2 Sam 2:15).

4. In Israel's contacts with the neighbouring peoples there was no lack of manifestations of false prophethood, which led to the formation of groups of exalted ones, who replaced the spirit coming from God with music and gesticulations and even adhered to the cult of Baal. Elijah led a determined battle against these prophets, remaining alone in his greatness. Elisha, for his part, had more relations with certain groups, who seemed to have come to their senses.

Genuine biblical tradition defends and vindicates the true idea of the prophet as a man of the word of God, instituted by God, on a par with and following Moses: "I will raise up to them a prophet like you from among their brethren, and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak what I command him" (Deut 18:18). This promise is accompanied by a warning against the abuse of prophethood: "The prophet who shall presume to speak in my name a thing that I have not commanded him to say, or who shall speak in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die. If you think: How shall we acknowledge the word that the Lord has not spoken? When the prophet will speak in the name of the Lord and it will not happen and it will not be fulfilled, that word has not been spoken by the Lord" (Deut 18:20-22).

Another aspect of this criterion of judgement is fidelity to the doctrine delivered to Israel by God, in resistance to the seductions of idolatry. This explains the hostility against false prophets. The task of the prophet, as a man of God's word, is to fight the 'spirit of lies' that is on the lips of false prophets, to protect the people from their influence. It is a mission received from God, as Ezekiel proclaims (Eze 13:2-3): "Again this word of the Lord was spoken to me: Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel, and say to those who prophesy according to their own desires: Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit without having had visions".

5. A man of the word, the prophet must also be a 'man of the spirit', as Hosea already calls him: he must have the spirit of God, and not just his own spirit, if he is to speak for God.

The concept is developed above all by Ezekiel, which gives a glimpse of the realisation that has now taken place concerning the profound reality of prophethood. Speaking in the name of God requires, in the prophet, the presence of God's spirit. This presence manifests itself in a contact that Ezekiel calls 'vision'. In those who benefit from it, the action of God's spirit guarantees the truth of the spoken word. We find here a new clue to the link between word and spirit, which linguistically and conceptually prepares for the link that at a higher level, in the New Testament, is placed between the Word and the Holy Spirit.

Ezekiel is aware of being personally animated by the spirit: "A spirit entered into me," he writes, "made me stand up and I listened to him who spoke to me. The spirit enters into the person of the prophet. It makes him stand up: thus it makes him a witness to the divine word. It lifts him up and sets him in motion: 'A spirit lifted me up . . . and carried me away'. Thus the dynamism of the spirit is manifested. Ezekiel, moreover, specifies that he is speaking of the "Spirit of the Lord" (Ez 2:2; 3:12-14; 11:5).

6. The dynamic aspect of the prophetic action of the divine Spirit stands out strongly in the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah, who, after their return from exile, vigorously urged the repatriated Jews to set to work to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. The result of Haggai's first prophecy was that "the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel . . . governor of Judea and Joshua . . . high priest and all the rest of the people and they moved and undertook the work for the cause of the Lord of hosts'. In a second oracle, the prophet Haggai again intervened and promised the powerful help of the Spirit of the Lord: "Courage, Zerubbabel . . . Courage, Joshua . . . Courage, all the people of the land, saith the Lord, and to work . . . my spirit will be with you, fear not" (Hag 2:4-5). And similarly the prophet Zechariah proclaimed: 'This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts' (Zech 4:6).

In the times most immediately preceding the birth of Jesus, there were no more prophets in Israel and it was not known how long this situation would last. One of the last prophets, Joel, had, however, announced a universal outpouring of the Spirit of God that was to occur "before the day of the Lord, great and terrible," and was to be manifested by an extraordinary spreading of the gift of prophecy. The Lord had proclaimed through him: "I will pour out my spirit upon every human being, and your sons and your daughters shall become prophets; your elders shall have revelatory dreams; your young men shall have visions" (Gl 3:4, 1).

Thus the wish expressed many centuries earlier by Moses was finally to be fulfilled: "Let them all be prophets among the Lord's people, and may the Lord give them his spirit" (Numbers 11:29). Prophetic inspiration would have reached even "the slaves and slave girls", overcoming any distinction of cultural levels or social conditions. Then salvation would be offered to all: "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Gl 3:5).

As we have seen in a previous catechesis, this prophecy of Joel found its fulfilment on the day of Pentecost, so that the Apostle Peter, addressing the astonished crowd, was able to declare: "It is coming to pass that which the prophet Joel foretold"; and he recited the prophet's oracle, explaining that Jesus "lifted up to the right hand of God had received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and had poured out" him abundantly. From that day on, the prophetic action of the Holy Spirit has continuously manifested itself in the Church to give her light and comfort.

[Pope John Paul II, General Audience 14 February 1990]

The Gospel we read in the liturgy [...] (Mk 6:1-6) tells us about the disbelief of Jesus’s fellow villagers. After preaching in other villages in Galilee, Jesus returned to Nazareth where he had grown up with Mary and Joseph; and, one sabbath, he began to teach in the synagogue. Many who were listening asked themselves: “Where does he get all this wisdom? But, isn’t he the son of the carpenter and Mary, that is, of our neighbours that we know so well?” (cf. vv. 1-3). Confronted with this reaction, Jesus confirms the truth that had even become a part of popular wisdom: “A prophet is not without honour, except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house” (v. 4). We say this many times…

Let us reflect on the attitude of Jesus’s fellow villagers. We could say they knew Jesus, but they did not recognise him. There is a difference between knowing and recognizing. In essence, this difference makes us understand that we can know various things about a person, form an idea, rely on what others say about that person, we might perhaps meet that person every now and then in the neighbourhood; but all that is not enough. This is a knowledge, I would say ordinary, superficial, that does not recognise the uniqueness of the person. We all run this risk: we think we know so much about a person, even worse, we use labels and close the person within our own prejudices. Jesus’s fellow villagers knew him for thirty years in the same way and they thought they knew everything! “But isn’t this the boy we saw growing up, the son of the carpenter and Mary? Where do these things come from?”. The distrust…in reality, they never realised who Jesus truly was. They remained at the exterior level and refused what was new about Jesus.

And here, we enter into the true crux of the problem: when we allow the convenience of habit and the dictatorship of prejudice to have the upper hand, it is difficult to open ourselves to what is new and allow ourselves to be amazed. We control: through attitudes, through prejudices… It often happens in life that we seek from our experiences and even from people only what conforms to our own ideas and ways of thinking so as never to have to make an effort to change. And this can even happen with God, and even to us believers, to us who think we know Jesus, that we already know so much about Him and that it is enough to repeat the same things as always. And this is not enough with God. But without openness to what is new and, above all – listen well – openness to God’s surprises, without amazement, faith becomes a tiring litany that slowly dies out and becomes a habit, a social habit.

I said a word: amazement. What is amazement? Amazement happens when we meet God: “I met the Lord”. But we read in the Gospel: many times the people who encountered Jesus and recognised him felt amazed. And we, by encountering God, must follow this path: to feel amazement. It is like the guarantee certificate that the encounter is true and not habitual.

In the end, why didn’t Jesus’s fellow villagers recognise and believe in Him? But why? What is the reason? In a few words, we can say that they did not accept the scandal of the Incarnation. They did not know this mystery of the Incarnation, but they did not accept the mystery: they did not know it. They did not know the reason and they thought it was scandalous that the immensity of God should be revealed in the smallness of our flesh, that the Son of God should be the son of a carpenter, that the divine should be hidden in the human, that God should inhabit a face, the words, the gestures of a simple man. This is the scandal: the incarnation of God, his concreteness, his ‘daily life’. And God became concrete in a man, Jesus of Nazareth, he became a companion on the way, he made himself one of us. “You are one of us”, we can say to Jesus. What a beautiful prayer! It is because one of us understands us, accompanies us, forgives us, loves us so much. In reality, an abstract, distant god is more comfortable, one that doesn’t get himself involved in situations and who accepts a faith that is far from life, from problems, from society. Or we would even like to believe in a ‘special effects’ god who does only exceptional things and always provokes strong emotions. Instead, brothers and sisters, God incarnated Himself: God is humble, God is tender, God is hidden, he draws near to us, living the normality of our daily life.

And then, the same thing happens to us like Jesus’s fellow villagers, we risk that when he passes by, we will not recognize him. I repeat that beautiful phrase from Saint Augustine: “I am afraid of God, of the Lord, when he passes by”. But, Augustine, why are you afraid? “I am afraid of not recognising him. I am afraid that when the Lord passes by: Timeo Dominum transeuntem. We do not recognize him, we are scandalised by Him, we think with our hearts about this reality.

Now, in prayer, let us ask the Madonna, who welcomed the mystery of God in her daily life in Nazareth, for eyes and hearts free of prejudices and to have eyes open to be amazed: “Lord that we might meet you!”, and when we encounter the Lord there is this amazement. We meet him in the normal: eyes open to God’s surprises, at His humble and hidden presence in daily life.

[Pope Francis, Angelus 4 July 2021]

Faith and Healing, or exclusion

(Mk 5:21-43)

In Rome, at Mk’s time, the situation of confusion generated by the civil war seemed likely to become lethal for the survival of the persecuted young communities, wich some mocked (v.40).

Under the obsessive diseducation of spiritual leaders, particularly on the sense of sin and unworthiness - in addition, the religious terror of demons - everything seemed to sow panic.

Fears absorbed much of the emotional resources - worsening people's situation (v.26).

For this reason the woman moves in taking the Master by surprise, «from behind» (v.27) - indeed, by stealth! But hers was not sacrilege at all.

The transgression of the “defiled” - who even follow their conscience [at that time, a double shame] is grasped by the Lord as an expression of living Faith (v.34)!

«Daughter»: Christ welcomes every "woman" into his Church, and in her He values ​​all those who are kept at a safe distance.

Nor does expect her to go to the Temple to offer the sacrifice prescribed by the Law.

He only says: «Your Faith has saved you. Go in Peace».

That is to say: Go ahead towards the joy of a full life, without the usual judgment of inadequacy on the back.

In fact, even the leader of ancient devotion can only generate sons [that is, a whole spiritual people] already dead from the start (v.35).

But from the moment he turns to the authentic Master, he begins to make transition from elementary religiosity to Faith (v.36).

In this way, the premature end regenerates life, youth, happiness.

The message is not only for the traditional synagogue, but also for the greatest exponents of the nascent Church: the proud Peter, James and John (v.37).

Precisely because they are authoritarian, hasty and stubborn - all other community worshippers are well advised to keep their distance from an ambit that cries out in despair, because it still imagines physical death as an impassable fence (v.38).

And here a new religious transgression arises: the book of Leviticus forbade touching a dead body (v.41).

With this incredible gesture, Christ reaffirms: whoever observes the law that doesn’t humanize, himself produces death and goes to meet death.

The concrete good of the real person is absolute value. God doesn’t look at merits, but at needs.

And personal Faith is the divine Gold that realizes the inner vision.

Indestructible Relationship Quality: such Action-compassion goes beyond ‘death’ that spoils everything.

Precisely, attracting and fulfilling what the same gesture believes (vv. 23.28.34.36.39).

The term «immortality» doesn’t exist in Hebrew Bible.

Israel's slowness in believing in life without end is illuminating: it makes us understand that before believing in the future world, it’s necessary to value and love existence in this world.

When we will be passionate about it in the same way as the Father, the silence of a space of our own, unrepeatable, fragrant, blooming from a genuine Harmony will arise.

Then the Lord will transform us, He will communicate Himself to us (v.43), He will make us similar to Him and able to withstand challenges.

Finally able to untie knots of death and help the suspensions of others.

[Tuesday 4th wk. in O.T.  February 3, 2026]

Faith and Healing, or exclusion

(Mk 5:21-43)

In Rome, at the time of Mk, the situation of confusion generated by the civil war seemed likely to become lethal for the survival of the persecuted young communities, which some mocked (v.40).

The twelve years of life and bleeding of the two women recall: in Semitic culture, the loss of blood indicated impurity [the beginning of death] and consequent social exclusion.

Blood and death were here and there factors of marginalisation even in the small fraternities, which in that period marked by a still Judaizing thought and customs prevented any participation, even in common appointments.

Under the obsessive diseducation of spiritual leaders, particularly on the sense of sin and unworthiness - in addition, the religious terror of demons - everything seemed to sow panic.

Fears absorbed most of the emotional resources. This made people's situation worse (v.26).

How to overcome the heap of obstacles, which seemed to have no way out? One had to do the exact opposite of what the religious authorities were inculcating!

Incidentally, the women, completely subjugated, did not in conscience agree with the leaders at all.

They even found in the type of male crowd attached to Christ an impediment to personal contact with the Lord....

So they knew they would have to invent something. And they were trying it on the sly.

The 'woman' moves by catching the Master 'from behind' (v.27) - indeed, by stealth! But hers is by no means a sacrilege.

Jesus notices the touch of the least, not just the usual misogynistic throng around.

So, the followers who already imagined they had seized him, fearful of his sensitivity to the least and the non-persons - they treat him as an imbecile and unwise (v.31).

The disciples [leaders and males] always stand by the Son of God, but they do not agree with Him at all. They just want to sequester Him for them.

Dear Rabbi, how dare you have a different reaction from what we tell you? And how does it occur to you to pay attention to those who should only be opposed and condemned - for the indecent initiative they have set themselves? Do you want to ruin us? There's us, that's enough; to others, death and hell; anticipated if possible.

For Jesus, on the other hand, the quality of life and of our expectations in this world is important: it is not enough to think about the afterlife [of the kind: Here sketches, and in the end you will deserve...].

Heaven alone does not count.

Therefore, the transgression of the (considered) defiled - who even follow their conscience [at that time a disgrace] - is grasped by the Lord as an expression of living Faith (v.34)!

"Daughter": Christ welcomes the woman into his Church, and in her he values all those whom the habitués keep at a safe distance.

Nor does He demand that she go to the Temple to offer the sacrifice prescribed by the Law to the priests!

He only says: "Your Faith has saved you. Go in Peace".

That is: go forth to the joy of a full life, without the judgement of inadequacy [and the usual deceitful tares] on your back.

Indeed, even the leader of ancient devotion cannot but beget "sons" [i.e., a whole spiritual people] already dead at the start (v.35).

But from the moment he turns to the authentic Master, he begins to make the transition from elementary piety to Faith (v.36).

In such an intimate spousal relationship, without the fear of punishment, the premature end regenerates life, youth, happiness.

The lesson is not only for the traditional synagogue, but also for the leaders of the nascent Church: the proud Peter, James and John (v.37).

Precisely because they are authoritarian, hasty and stubborn - all the other believers in the community are well advised to keep their distance from an environment that cries out in despair, because it still imagines physical death as an impassable fence (v.38).

And here arises a new religious transgression: the book of Leviticus forbade touching a corpse (v.41).

With such an incredible gesture, Christ reiterates: he who observes the law that does not humanise produces death himself and goes to his death.

The only non-negotiable value is the concrete good of the real person. God does not look at merits [supposedly, from invented observances] but needs.

And personal Faith is the divine Gold that realises the inner vision.

Indestructible quality of Relationship: such Action-compassion transcends death that spoils everything.

Exactly, attracting and fulfilling what the act itself believes (vv.23.28.34.36.39).

"Young girl, I say to you: get up!" (v.41).

St Jerome comments: "Maiden, arise for me: not by your merit, but by my grace. Arise therefore for me: the fact that you were healed did not depend on your virtues' [Homilies on the Gospel of Mark, 3].

In the Gospels the verbs Live, Save and Die are ambivalent and describe both physical health and life and spiritual salvation, of the heart (v.34). 

The narration of today's Word helps us to overcome the mechanistic view of life: in the Mystery of the founding Eros that animates and renews the wave of life, there is the way to beat problems.

In Christ, our total redemption is a divine response to a trust that is also a little primitive - perhaps incipient - but passionate, that leads to regeneration.

In the Hebrew Bible, the term 'immortality' does not exist.

Israel's slowness in believing in life without end is illuminating: it makes one realise that before believing in the future world, one must value and love existence in this world.

And to have passion for it in the same way as the Father.

Contact with the Son, his words, and the nods themselves, convey a power of healing and rebirth that renews both flesh and spirit; both light and shadow.

Not even death stands as a final and conclusive barrier.

Even today, the divine cure, its memory and consoling power are brought to life in the signs of the Church.

But let us not limit ourselves to being spectators crowding around, without true contact with the Risen One.

Let us open our ears and realise that we are not called to follow in the footsteps of bulky, extraneous presences of others.

Let us speak to Him personally, and ask in everything that He intervene in our infirmities, or momentary lapses.

And there arises the silence of a space that is ours, unrepeatable, fragrant, secret; that blossoms from a genuine Syntony.

Then He will transform us, communicate Himself to us (v.43), make us like Him and able to withstand challenges.

Finally able to untie knots of death and help the suspensions of others.

To internalise and live the message:

What is the call of Jesus' actions for you, your family and community?

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

[…] the Evangelist Mark presents to us the account of two miraculous cures which Jesus worked for two women: the daughter of one of the elders of the synagogue whose name was Jairus, and a woman who was suffering from a haemorrhage (cf. Mk 5:21-43). These two episodes can be interpreted at two levels; the purely physical — Jesus bends over human suffering and heals the body; and the spiritual level: Jesus came to heal human hearts, to give salvation, and asks for faith in him.

In the first episode, in fact, on hearing that Jairus’ little daughter was dead, Jesus tells the ruler of the Synagogue. “Do not fear, only believe” (v. 36). He takes the child’s father with him to the room where the child is lying and exclaims: “Little girl, I say to you, arise” (v. 41). And she rose and walked.

St Jerome commented on these words, underlining Jesus’ saving power: “Little girl, stand up for my sake, not for your own merit but for my grace. Therefore get up for me: being healed does not depend on your own virtues (Homily on the Gospel according to Mark, 3).

The second episode, that of the woman with the haemorrhage, highlights once again that Jesus came to save the human being in his totality. Indeed, the miracle takes place in two phases: first comes the physical healing, but this is closely linked with the deeper healing, the healing which God’s grace gives to those who open themselves to him with faith. Jesus says to the woman: “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease” (Mk 5:34).

These two stories of healing invite us to go beyond a purely horizontal and materialistic vision of life. We ask God to heal so many problems, our practical needs, and this is right, but what we must ask him for insistently is an ever firmer faith, so that the Lord may renew our life, as well as firm trust in his love, in his Providence that never abandons us.

Jesus who is attentive to human suffering also makes us think of all those who help the sick to carry their cross, particularly doctors, health-care workers and all the people who guarantee religious assistance in clinics and hospitals. They are “reserves of love”, who bring serenity and hope to the suffering.

In the Encyclical Deus Caritas Est I remarked: in this invaluable service professional competence is essential... training is a primary, fundamental requirement, but it is not sufficient on its own. We are dealing with human beings... who need humanity. They need heartfelt concern. “Consequently, in addition to their necessary professional training, these charity workers need a ‘formation of the heart’: they need to be led to that encounter with God in Christ which awakens their love and opens their spirits to others” (n. 31).

Let us ask the Virgin Mary to accompany our journey of faith and our commitment of real love, especially for the needy, as we invoke her motherly intercession for our brothers and sisters experiencing suffering in body or in spirit.

[Pope Benedict, Angelus 1 July 2012]

1. When speaking of the dignity and mission of woman according to the doctrine and spirit of the Church, it is necessary to have one's eyes on the Gospel, in the light of which the Christian sees, examines, and judges everything.

In the previous catechesis we projected the light of Revelation on the identity and destiny of woman, presenting the Virgin Mary as a signpost, according to the indications of the Gospel. But in that same divine source we find other signs of Christ's will concerning woman. He speaks of her with respect and kindness, showing in his attitude his willingness to welcome the woman and demand her commitment to the establishment of the Kingdom of God in the world.

2. We can recall first of all the numerous cases of healing of women (cf. John Paul II, Mulieris dignitatem, 13). And those others in which Jesus reveals his heart as Saviour, full of tenderness in his encounters with those who suffer, whether men or women. "Do not weep!" he says to the widow of Nain (Lk 7:13). And then he gives her back her son raised from the dead. This episode gives a glimpse of what Jesus' intimate feeling must have been towards his mother, Mary, in the dramatic perspective of her participation in his own Passion and Death. Even to the dead daughter of Jairus Jesus speaks tenderly: "Little girl, I say to you, get up!". And, having resurrected her, he orders "to give her something to eat" (Mk 5:41, 43). Again, he manifests his sympathy for the bent woman, whom he heals: and in this case, with the allusion to Satan, he also alludes to the spiritual salvation he brings to that woman (cf. Lk 13:10-17).

3. In other pages of the Gospel we find Jesus' admiration for the faith of certain women expressed. For example, in the case of the woman suffering from haemorrhaging: "Your faith has saved you" (Mk 5:34), he says to her. It is a praise that is all the more valuable because the woman had been the object of segregation imposed by the ancient law. Jesus also frees the woman from this social oppression. In turn, the Canaanite woman receives recognition from Jesus: "Woman, truly great is your faith" (Mt 15:28). It is a praise that has a very special meaning, when one considers that it was addressed to a stranger to the world of Israel. We can still recall Jesus' admiration for the widow who offers her offering in the temple treasury (cf. Lk 21:1-4); and his appreciation for the service he receives from Mary of Bethany (cf. Mt 26:6-13; Mk 14:3-9; Jn 12:1-8), whose gesture - he announces - will be made known to the whole world.

4. Even in his parables Jesus does not hesitate to bring similes and examples from the female world, unlike the midrash of the rabbis, where only male figures appear. Jesus refers to both women and men. Wanting to make a comparison, one could perhaps say that the advantage is on the side of women. This means, at the very least, that Jesus avoids even the appearance of an attribution of inferiority to women.

And again: Jesus opens the access of his kingdom to women as well as to men. By opening it to women, he wants to open it to children. When he says: "Let the children come to me" (Mk 10:14), he is reacting to the disciples' surveillance that wanted to prevent women from presenting their children to the Master. One might say that he gives reason to the women and their love for children!

In his ministry, Jesus is accompanied by many women, who follow him and serve him and the community of disciples (cf. Lk 8:1-3). This is a new fact, compared to the Jewish tradition. Jesus, who drew these women to follow him, also in this way manifests the overcoming of the prejudices widespread in his environment, as in much of the ancient world, on the inferiority of women. His fight against injustice and arrogance also includes this exclusion of discrimination between women and men in his Church (cf. John Paul II, Mulieris dignitatem, 13).

5. We cannot fail to add that the Gospel shows Jesus' benevolence even towards certain female sinners, whom he asks to repent, but without raging against them for their errors, all the more so since these involve a co-responsibility of man. Some episodes are very significant: the woman who goes to the house of the Pharisee Simon (cf. Lk 7:36-50) is not only forgiven for her sins, but also praised for her love; the Samaritan woman is transformed into a messenger of the new faith (cf. Jn 4:7-37); the adulterous woman receives, with forgiveness, a simple exhortation not to sin again (cf. Jn 8:3-11); (John Paul II, Mulieris dignitatem, 14). Undoubtedly, there is no acquiescence in Jesus in the face of evil, of sin, whoever it is committed by: but how much understanding of human frailty and what kindness towards those who already suffer from their own spiritual misery, and more or less consciously seek their Saviour in him!

6. Finally, the Gospel testifies that Jesus expressly calls women to cooperate in his saving work. He not only admits them to follow him to serve him and the community of disciples, but he asks them for other forms of personal commitment. Thus, he asks Martha for a commitment to faith (cf. Jn 11:26-27): and she, responding to the Master's invitation, makes her profession of faith before the resurrection of Lazarus. After the Resurrection, she entrusts the pious women who had gone to the tomb and Mary of Magdala with the task of passing on her message to the Apostles (cf. Mt 28:8-10; Jn 20:17-18): "The women were thus the first messengers of the Resurrection of Christ to the Apostles themselves" (Cathechismus Catholicae Ecclesiae, 641). These are quite eloquent signs of his willingness to also engage women in service to the Kingdom.

7. This behaviour of Jesus has its theological explanation in his intention to unify humanity. He, as St Paul says, wanted to reconcile all men, through his sacrifice, "into one body" and make all "one new man" (Eph 2:15, 16), so that now "there is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor free; there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal 3:28). And here is the conclusion of our catechesis: if Jesus Christ has reunited man and woman in the equality of the condition of children of God, He commits both to His mission, not suppressing diversity at all, but eliminating all unjust inequality, and all reconciling in the unity of the Church.

8. The history of the first Christian communities testifies to the great contribution that women brought to evangelisation: beginning with "Phoebe, our sister, - as St Paul describes her - deaconess of the Church of Cenchre: . . . she too,' he says, 'has protected many, and myself also' (Rom 16:1-2). It is dear to me to pay homage here to the memory of her and the many other co-workers of the Apostles in Cencre, in Rome and in all Christian communities. With them we also remember and extol all the other women - religious and lay - who over the centuries have borne witness to the Gospel and transmitted the faith, exerting a great influence on the flourishing of a Christian atmosphere in the family and society.

[Pope John Paul II, General Audience 6 July 1994]

Today’s Gospel presents the account of the resurrection of a young, 12-year-old girl, the daughter of a one of the leaders of the synagogue, who falls at Jesus’ feet and beseeches him: “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live” (Mk 5:23). In this prayer we hear the concern of every father for the life and well-being of his child. We also hear the great faith which that man has in Jesus. And when news arrives that the little girl is dead, Jesus tells him: “Do not fear, only believe” (v. 36). These words from Jesus give us courage! And He frequently also says them to us: “Do not fear, only believe”. Entering the house, the Lord sends away all those who are weeping and wailing and turns to the dead girl, saying: “Little girl, I say to you, arise” (v. 41). And immediately the little girl rose and began to walk. Here we see Jesus’ absolute power over death, which for Him is like a dream from which one can awaken.

The Evangelist inserts another episode in this account: the healing of a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years. Because of this ailment, which, according to the culture of the time, rendered her “impure”, she was forced to avoid all human contact. The poor woman was condemned to a civic death. In the midst of a the crowd following Jesus, this unknown woman says to herself: “If I touch even his garments, I shall be made well” (v. 28). And thus it happened. The need to be freed urges her to dare and her faith “snatches”, so to speak, healing from the Lord. She who believes “touches” Jesus and draws from Him a saving grace. This is faith: to touch Jesus is to draw from Him the grace that saves. It saves us, it saves our spiritual life, it saves us from so many problems. Jesus notices and, in the midst of the people, looks for the woman’s face. She steps forward trembling and He says to her: “Daughter, your faith has made you well” (v. 34). It is the voice of the heavenly Father who speaks in Jesus: “Daughter, you are not cursed, you are not excluded, you are my child!”. And every time Jesus approaches us, when we go forth from Him with faith, we feel this from the Father: “Child, you are my son, you are my daughter! You are healed. I forgive everyone for everything. I heal all people and all things.

These two episodes — a healing and a resurrection — share one core: faith. The message is clear, and it can be summed up in one question: do we believe that Jesus can heal us and can raise us from the dead? The entire Gospel is written in the light of this faith: Jesus is risen, He has conquered death, and by his victory we too will rise again. This faith, which for the first Christians was sure, can tarnish and become uncertain, to the point that some may confuse resurrection with reincarnation. The Word of God this Sunday invites us to live in the certainty of the Resurrection: Jesus is the Lord, Jesus has power over evil and over death, and He wants to lead us to house of the Father, where life reigns. And there we will all meet again, all of us here in this square today, we will meet again in the house of the Father, in the life that Jesus will give us.

The Resurrection of Christ acts in history as the principle of renewal and hope. Anyone who is desperate and tired to death, if he entrusts himself to Jesus and to his love, can begin to live again. And to begin a new life, to change life is a way of rising again, of resurrecting. Faith is a force of life, it gives fullness to our humanity; and those who believe in Christ must acknowledge this in order to promote life in every situation, in order to let everyone, especially the weakest, experience the love of God who frees and saves.

Let us ask the Lord, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, for the gift of a strong and courageous faith, that might urge us to be diffusers of hope and life among our brothers and sisters.

[Pope Francis, Angelus 28 June 2015]

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)  [25 January 2026]

May God bless us and may the Virgin Mary protect us! Today marks the end of the week of prayer for Christian unity. The word of God offers food for thought, especially  the second reading  (which recounts the situation of the community in Corinth with divisions due to the presence of various preachers).

The Gospel shows the beginning of Jesus' preaching with his disciples, who will accompany him all the way to Jerusalem.

*First Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (8:23b - 9:3)

At the time of Isaiah, the kingdom of Israel was divided into two: the North (Israel, capital Samaria) and the South (Judah, capital Jerusalem), the latter being legitimate as heir to the dynasty of David. Isaiah preaches in Jerusalem but speaks mainly of places in the North, such as Zebulun, Naphtali, Galilee and Transjordan, territories that were conquered by the Assyrian Empire between 732 and 721 BC. The prophet announces that God will transform the situation: the regions that were initially humiliated will be honoured, as a sign of liberation and rebirth. These promises also concern the south, because geographical proximity means that threats to one area weigh on the other, and because the south hopes for future reunification under its own leadership. Isaiah describes the birth of a king, associating his coming with royal coronation formulas: 'A child has been born to us, a son has been given to us' (Isaiah 9:5-6). This is the young Hezekiah, associated with the reign of his father, King Ahaz, and considered the 'prince of peace'. The prophet's certainty is based on God's faithfulness: even in trials and oppression, God will never abandon the dynasty of David. The promised victory recalls that of Gideon over the Midianites: even with few resources, faith in God leads to liberation. The final message is one of hope: do not be afraid, God does not abandon his plan of love for humanity, even in the darkest moments.

*Responsorial Psalm (26/(27)

"The Lord is my light and my salvation" is not just an individual expression: it reflects the invincible trust of the people of Israel in God, in every circumstance of life, from joys to difficulties. The psalm uses concrete images to tell the collective story of Israel, a frequent procedure in the Psalms called clothing: the people are compared to a sick person healed by God, to an innocent person unjustly condemned, to an abandoned child or to a besieged king. Behind these individual images, we recognise specific historical situations: external threats, sieges of cities and internal crises of the kingdom, such as the attack of the Amalekites in the desert, the kings of Samaria and Damascus against Ahaz, or the famous siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib. The people can react like David, a normal and sinful man, but steadfast in his faith, or like Ahaz, who gives in to panic and loses his trust in God. In any case, the psalm shows that collective faith is nourished by trust in God and the memory of his works. Another key image is that of the Levite, servant of the Temple: just as the Levites serve God daily, so the whole people of Israel is consecrated to the service of the Lord and belongs to him. Finally, the psalm ends with a promise of hope: 'I am sure that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living'; trust is rooted in the memory of God's actions and translates into courage and active hope: 'Hope in the Lord, be strong,  strengthen your heart and hope in the Lord'. This hope is like the "memory of the future," that is, the certainty that God will intervene even in the darkest circumstances. The psalm is therefore very suitable for funeral celebrations, because it reinvigorates the faith and hope of the faithful even in times of sorrow, reminding them that God never abandons His people and always supports those who trust in Him.

*Second Reading from the Letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians (1:10-13, 17)

The port of Corinth, due to its strategic position between two seas and its lively trade, was a true crossroads of cultures, ideas and peoples. This explains why newly converted Christians reacted in different ways to the teachings of preachers: each traveller brought testimonies of the Christian faith according to his own experience, and the Corinthians were very sensitive, perhaps too sensitive, to beautiful words and persuasive arguments. In this context, divisions arose in the community: some referred to Paul, others to Apollos, others to Peter, and finally a group called themselves 'of Christ'. Paul not only condemns wrong behaviour, but sees in this phenomenon the risk of compromising the very meaning of baptism. Apollos, a Jew from Alexandria, is an emblematic example: an intellectual, well-versed in the Scriptures, eloquent and fervent, he was baptised only by John and perfected by Priscilla and Aquila in Ephesus. When he arrived in Corinth, he was very successful, but he never sought to become a personal leader and, in order not to fuel divisions, he then moved to Ephesus. This episode shows how passion and skills should not become a source of division, but should be put at the service of the community. Paul reminds the Corinthians of the truth of baptism: to be baptised means to belong to Christ, not to a human preacher. Baptism is a real and definitive union with Christ, who acts through the sacrament: as the Second Vatican Council says, 'when the priest baptises, it is Christ who baptises'. Paul also emphasises that preaching should not be based on eloquence or persuasive arguments, because the cross of Christ and love are not imposed by the force of words, but are lived and witnessed. The image of grafting clarifies this point well: what is important is the result – union with Christ – not who administered the baptism. What matters is fidelity to the message and love of Christ, not rhetorical skill or personal prestige. Ultimately, Paul's message to the Corinthians is universal and relevant: the unity of the Christian community is based on a common faith in Christ, not on leaders or human eloquence, and the true greatness of the Church lies in its spiritual cohesion, founded on baptism and belonging to Christ.

*From the Gospel according to Matthew (4:12-23)

We are in chapter 4 of Matthew's Gospel. In the previous three chapters, Matthew has presented us with: first, a long genealogy that places Jesus in the history of his people, particularly in the lineage of David; then, the angel's announcement to Joseph: "Behold, the Virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel, which means God with us," a quotation from Isaiah, with the clarification that all this happened so that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, emphasising that the promises are finally fulfilled and the Messiah has arrived. The subsequent episodes reiterate this message of fulfilment: the visit of the Magi, the flight into Egypt, the massacre of the children of Bethlehem, the return from Egypt and the settlement in Nazareth, the preaching of John the Baptist, the baptism of Jesus and the Temptations. All these stories are full of biblical quotations and allusions. Now we are ready to listen to today's text, which is also rich in references: from the outset, Matthew quotes Isaiah to show the importance of Jesus' settlement in Capernaum. Capernaum is located in Galilee, on the shores of Lake Tiberias. Matthew specifies that it belongs to the territories of Zebulun and Naphtali: ancient names, no longer in common use, linked to Isaiah's promise that these once-humiliated lands would be illuminated by the glory of Galilee, 'the crossroads of the Gentiles' (Isaiah 8:23). The prophet continues: "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light," a formula reminiscent of the sacred ritual of the coronation of a king, symbolising a new era. Matthew applies these words to the arrival of Jesus: the true King of the world has come; light has dawned on Israel and on humanity. Galilee, the crossroads of nations, becomes an open door to the world, from which the Messiah will spread salvation. Furthermore, Matthew already foreshadows future events: Jesus heads for Galilee after the arrest of John the Baptist, showing that Christ's life will be marked by persecution, but also by the final victory over evil: from every obstacle, God will bring forth good. Upon arriving in Capernaum, Matthew uses the expression "From then on," which is unique in the Gospel along with another in chapter 16, signalling a major turning point. Here it indicates the beginning of public preaching: "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near." The other reference in chapter 16 will concern the passion and resurrection. This episode marks the transition from the time of promise to the time of fulfilment. The Kingdom is present, not only in words but in action: "Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom and healing every kind of disease and infirmity among the people." Isaiah's prophecy is fully realised: the Kingdom of God is among us. To spread this Good News, Jesus chooses witnesses, ordinary men, to join him in his mission of salvation. He calls them "fishers of men", that is, those who save from drowning, a symbol of their task of salvation. Thus the apostles become participants in the Saviour's mission.

+ Giovanni D'Ercole