Dear brothers and sisters

Today's Gospel (cf. Mk 1:29-39) [...] presents to us Jesus who, after preaching on the Sabbath in the synagogue of Capernaum, heals many sick people, beginning with Simon's mother-in-law. Upon entering Simon's house, he finds her lying in bed with a fever and, by taking her hand, immediately heals her and has her get up. After sunset, he heals a multitude of people afflicted with ailments of every kind. The experience of healing the sick occupied a large part of Christ's public mission and invites us once again to reflect on the meaning and value of illness, in every human situation. This opportunity is also offered to us by the World Day of the Sick which we shall be celebrating next Wednesday, 11 February, the liturgical Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes.

Despite the fact that illness is part of human experience, we do not succeed in becoming accustomed to it, not only because it is sometimes truly burdensome and grave, but also essentially because we are made for life, for a full life. Our "internal instinct" rightly makes us think of God as fullness of life indeed, as eternal and perfect Life. When we are tried by evil and our prayers seem to be in vain, then doubt besets us and we ask ourselves in anguish: what is God's will? We find the answer to this very question in the Gospel. For example, in today's passage we read that Jesus "healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons" (Mk 1: 34); in another passage from St Matthew it says that Jesus "went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people" (Mt 4: 23). Jesus leaves no room for doubt: God whose Face he himself revealed is the God of life, who frees us from every evil. The signs of his power of love are the healings he performed. He thus shows that the Kingdom of God is close at hand by restoring men and women to their full spiritual and physical integrity. I maintain that these cures are signs: they are not complete in themselves but guide us towards Christ's message, they guide us towards God and make us understand that man's truest and deepest illness is the absence of God, who is the source of truth and love. Only reconciliation with God can give us true healing, true life, because a life without love and without truth would not be life. The Kingdom of God is precisely the presence of truth and love and thus is healing in the depths of our being. One therefore understands why his preaching and the cures he works always go together: in fact, they form one message of hope and salvation.

Thanks to the action of the Holy Spirit, Jesus' work is extended in the Church's mission. Through the sacraments it is Christ who communicates his life to multitudes of brothers and sisters, while he heals and comforts innumerable sick people through the many activities of health-care assistance that Christian communities promote with fraternal charity. Thus they reveal the true Face of God, his love. It is true: very many Christians around the world priests, religious and lay people - have lent and continue to lend their hands, eyes and hearts to Christ, true physician of bodies and souls! Let us pray for all sick people, especially those who are most seriously ill, who can in no way provide for themselves but depend entirely on the care of others. May each one of them experience, in the solicitude of those who are beside them, the power and love of God and the richness of his saving grace. Mary, health of the sick, pray for us! 

[Pope Benedict, Angelus 8 February 2009]

1. "Woe to me if I did not preach the gospel" (1 Cor 9:16).

These words were written by Saint Paul the Apostle in his first letter to the Corinthians.

These words echo strongly in different epochs, among different generations of the Church.

In our times they were heard, particularly strongly, during the Synod of Bishops in 1974 on the topic of evangelisation. The theme arose from the vast substratum of the teaching of the Second Vatican Council and the rich soil of the Church's experience in the contemporary world. The fruit of the work of that Synod was passed on by the participating bishops to Pope Paul VI, and found its expression in the splendid apostolic exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi.

"Woe to me if I did not preach the Gospel," says Saint Paul. And he adds: 'For it is not a boast for me to preach the Gospel; it is a duty for me' (1 Cor 9:15)... I only fulfil the duties of a minister!

And so: not for boasting, but also not for reward!

Indeed, the reward is the very fact that I can preach the gospel without any reward.

And then he writes: "For although I was free from all, I made myself the servant of all" (1 Cor 9:19).

It would be difficult to find words, which could say more: to preach the Gospel is to become "a servant of all in order to gain the greatest number" (1Cor 9:19). And developing the same idea, he adds: "I have made myself weak with the weak in order to gain the weak; I have made myself all things to all men, in order to save someone at any cost. I do everything for the sake of the Gospel, to become a sharer with them" (1Cor 9:22-23).

The theme we are invited to meditate on at today's meeting is therefore evangelisation.

2. Paul VI's apostolic exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi reminds us that the first evangeliser is Christ himself.

Let us look in the light of today's liturgical pericope at what a day (and night) of Christ's evangelising activity looks like.

We find ourselves in Capernaum.

Christ leaves the synagogue and, together with James and John, goes to the house of Simon and Andrew. There he heals Simon's mother-in-law (Peter), so that she can immediately get up and serve them.

After the setting of the sun, "all the sick and the possessed are brought to Christ. The whole city was gathered before the gate" (Mk 1:32-33). Jesus does not speak, but performs the healing: "He healed many who were afflicted with various diseases and cast out many demons". At the same time, a significant remark: "he did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew him" (Mk 1:34).

Perhaps all this went on until late in the evening.

Early in the morning Jesus is already praying.

Simon comes with his companions, to tell him: "Everyone is looking for you" (Mk 1:37).

But Jesus replies: "Let us go elsewhere to the neighbouring villages so that I may preach there also; for this is why I have come" (Mk 1:38).

We read later: "And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons" (Mk 1:39).

3. In summary, based on that day, spent in Capernaum, it can be said that the evangelisation conducted by Christ himself consists of teaching about the kingdom of God and serving the suffering.

Jesus performed signs, and all of these formed the whole of a Sign. In this Sign, the sons and daughters of the people, who had come to know the image of the Messiah, described by the prophets and especially by Isaiah, can discover without difficulty that "the kingdom of God is at hand": he is the one who "has taken upon himself our sufferings, he has borne our sorrows" (Is 53:4).

Jesus does not only preach the Gospel as they all did after him, e.g. the wonderful Paul, whose words we meditated on just now. Jesus is the Gospel!

A great chapter in his messianic service is addressed to all categories of human suffering: spiritual and physical.

It is not without reason that we also read today a passage from the book of Job, which illustrates the dimension of human suffering: "If I lie down, I say: When shall I rise? / The shadows are lengthening, and I am weary to toss and turn until dawn" (Job 7:4).

We know that Job, passing through the abyss of suffering, has reached the hope of the Messiah.

The psalmist speaks of this Messiah in the words of today's liturgy: 'The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem, / gathers the lost of Israel, / he mends the brokenhearted / and binds up their wounds ... / The Lord upholds the humble / but he brings down to the ground the wicked" (Ps 147 [146]:2.3.6).

This is precisely the Christ.

And this is precisely the Gospel.

Paul of Tarsus, who was one of the greatest proclaimers of the Gospel and knows its history, is fully aware that he shares in it: "All things I do for the sake of the Gospel, that I may be partakers of it" (1 Cor 9:23).

[Pope John Paul II, homily 7 February 1982]

Today’s Gospel (cf. Mk 1:29-39) presents us Jesus who, after having preached in the Synagogue on the Sabbath, heals many sick people. Preaching and healing: this was Jesus’ principle activity in his public ministry. With his preaching he proclaims the Kingdom of God, and with his healing he shows that it is near, that the Kingdom of God is in our midst.

Entering the house of Simon Peter, Jesus sees that his mother-in-law is in bed with a fever; he immediately takes her by the hand, heals her, and raises her. After sunset, since the Sabbath is over the people can go out and bring the sick to Him; He heals a multitude of people afflicted with maladies of every kind: physical, psychological, and spiritual. Having come to earth to proclaim and to realize the salvation of the whole man and of all people, Jesus shows a particular predilection for those who are wounded in body and in spirit: the poor, the sinners, the possessed, the sick, the marginalized. Thus, He reveals Himself as a doctor both of souls and of bodies, the Good Samaritan of man. He is the true Saviour: Jesus saves, Jesus cures, Jesus heals.

The reality of Christ’s healing of the sick invites us to reflect on the meaning and virtue of illness. This also reminds us of the World Day of the Sick, which we shall celebrate on Wednesday, 11 February, the liturgical memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes. I bless the initiatives prepared for this Day, in particular the Vigil that will take place in Rome on the evening of 10 February. Let us also remember the President of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers (Health Pastoral  Care), Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski, who is very sick in Poland. A prayer for him, for his health, because it was he who organized this Day, and he accompanies us in his suffering on this Day. Let us pray for Archbishop Zimowski.

The salvific work of Christ is not exhausted with his Person and in the span of his earthly life; it continues through the Church, the sacrament of God’s love and tenderness for mankind. In sending his disciples on mission, Jesus confers a double mandate on them: to proclaim the Gospel of salvation and to heal the sick (cf. Mt 10:7-8). Faithful to this teaching, the Church has always considered caring for the sick an integral part of her mission.

“The poor and the suffering you will always have with you”, Jesus admonishes (cf. Mt 26:11), and the Church continually finds them along her path, considering those who are sick as a privileged way to encounter Christ, to welcome and serve him. To treat the sick, to welcome them, to serve them, is to serve Christ: the sick are the flesh of Christ.

This also occurs in our own time, when, notwithstanding the many scientific break-throughs, the interior and physical suffering of people raises serious questions about the meaning of illness and pain, and about the reason for death. They are existential questions, to which the pastoral action of the Church must respond with the light of faith, having before her eyes the Crucifixion, in which appears the whole of the salvific mystery of God the Father, who out of love for human beings did not spare his own Son (cf. Rm 8:32). Therefore, each one of us is called to bear the light of the Word of God and the power of grace to those who suffer, and to those who assist them — family, doctors, nurses — so that the service to the sick might always be better accomplished with more humanity, with generous dedication, with evangelical love, with tenderness. Mother Church, through our hands, caresses our suffering and treats our wounds, and does so with the tenderness of a mother.

Let us pray to Mary, Health of the Sick, that every person who is sick might experience, thanks to the care of those who are close to them, the power of God’s love and the comfort of her maternal tenderness.

[Pope Francis, Angelus 8 February 2015]

Epiphany of the Lord (year A)  [6 January 2026]

May God bless us and may the Virgin protect us! Happy Epiphany!

*First Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (60:1-6)

In these dark days, here is an announcement of light! This text from Isaiah is filled with insistent images of light: "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you... The Lord shines upon you... His glory appears upon you... Then you will see and be radiant." It is precisely this abundance of light that makes us understand that the real climate is anything but bright. The prophets do not cultivate paradox, but the art of hope: they speak of light because the people are immersed in the darkest night. The historical context is that of the post-exile period (525-520 BC). The return from Babylon did not bring the expected prosperity. Tensions are high: between those who remained in the country and those returning from exile; between different generations; between Jews and foreign populations settled in Jerusalem during the occupation. The most painful issue concerns the reconstruction of the Temple: the returnees refuse the help of groups considered religiously unfaithful; this gives rise to a conflict that blocks the work and dampens enthusiasm. As the years passed, discouragement set in. It was here that Isaiah, together with the prophet Haggai (cf. 1:2-8, 12-15; 2:3-9), provoked a spiritual awakening. Sadness is not worthy of the people of the promises. The prophet's one great argument is this: Jerusalem is the city chosen by God, the place where He has placed His Name. For this reason, Isaiah can dare to say: 'Arise, Jerusalem! Shine forth'. Even when everything seems dark, God's faithfulness remains the foundation of hope. The almost triumphal language does not describe a situation that has already been resolved, but anticipates the day that is coming. In the night, we look for the dawn: the prophet's task is to restore courage, to remember the promise. The message is clear: do not be discouraged; get to work, rebuild the Temple, because the light of the Lord will come. Three final points: Faith combines lucidity and hope: seeing reality does not extinguish trust. The promise is not a political triumph, but God's victory, his glory that illuminates humanity. Jerusalem already points to the people and, beyond the people, to all humanity called to communion: God's plan transcends every city and every border.

*Important elements: +Post-exilic context (525-520 BC) and climate of discouragement. +Internal conflicts and blockage of the reconstruction of the Temple. +Language of light as an announcement of hope in the night. +Vocation of Jerusalem: chosen city, place of Presence. +Prophetic call to action: rise up and rebuild. +Hope based on God's faithfulness, not on political successes. +Universal openness: the promise concerns all humanity

*Responsorial Psalm (71/72)

Men dream and God carries out his plan. Psalm 71 ideally brings us into the celebration of a king's coronation. The accompanying prayers express the deepest desires of the people: justice, peace, prosperity for all, to the ends of the earth. It is the great dream of humanity throughout the ages. Israel, however, has a unique certainty: this dream coincides with God's own plan. The last verse of the psalm, which blesses only the Lord and not the king, offers us the key to understanding. The psalm was composed after the exile, at a time when there was no longer a king in Israel. This means that the prayer is not addressed to an earthly sovereign, but to the king promised by God, the Messiah. And since it is a divine promise, it is certain. The whole Bible is permeated with this unshakeable hope: history has meaning and direction. The prophets call it 'the Day of the Lord', Matthew 'the Kingdom of Heaven', Paul 'the merciful plan'. It is always the same plan of love that God tirelessly proposes to humanity. The Messiah will be its fulfilment, and it is He whom Israel invokes in praying the psalms. This Psalm describes the ideal king, awaited for centuries, in continuity with the promise made to David through the prophet Nathan: a kingdom stable forever, a king called the son of God. Over the centuries, this promise has been deepened: if the king is the son of God, then his kingdom will be founded on justice and peace. Each new coronation rekindled this expectation. Yet the ideal kingdom has not yet been fully realised. It may seem like a utopia. But for the believer it is not: it is a promise from God, and therefore a certainty. Faith is the anchor of the soul: in the face of the failures of history, the believer does not give up hope, but waits patiently, certain of God's faithfulness. The psalm announces a decisive reversal: power and justice will finally coincide. In God, power is only love. For this reason, the messianic king will free the poor, defend the weak and bring endless peace. His kingdom will have no boundaries: it will extend to the whole earth and last forever. For Israel, this psalm remains a prayer of expectation for the Messiah. For Christians, it is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, and the episode of the Wise Men is already a sign of the universality of his kingdom: the nations come to him, bringing gifts and adoration.

*Important elements: +Psalm 71 as a prayer for the universal desires for justice and peace. +Coincidence between man's dream and God's plan. +Post-exilic composition: waiting for the king-Messiah. +Promise made to David (2 Sam 7) as the foundation of expectation. +History has meaning and direction in God's plan. +The ideal king: justice, peace, defence of the poor. +God's power as love and service. +Universal and endless kingdom. +Messianic Jewish reading and Christian fulfilment in Jesus Christ. + The Wise Men as the first sign of the fulfilment of the universal promise

*Second Reading from St Paul's Letter to the Ephesians (3:2...6)

This passage is taken from the Letter to the Ephesians (chapter 3) and takes up a central theme already announced in chapter 1: the 'merciful plan/mystery of God'. Paul recalls that God has made known the mystery of his will: to bring history to its fulfilment, recapitulating in Christ all that is in heaven and on earth (Eph 1:9-10). For St Paul, the mystery is not a closely guarded secret, but God's intimacy offered to man. It is a plan that God reveals progressively, with patient pedagogy, just as a parent accompanies a child in the discovery of life. Thus God has guided his people throughout history, step by step, until the decisive revelation in Jesus Christ. With Christ, a new era begins: before and after him. The heart of the mystery is this: Christ is the centre of the world and of history. The whole universe is called to be reunited in Him, like a body around its head. Paul emphasises that this unity concerns all nations: all are associated in sharing the same inheritance, in forming the same body, in participating in the same promise through the Gospel. In other words: the inheritance is Christ, the promise is Christ, the body is Christ. When we say "Thy will be done" in the Lord's Prayer, we are asking for the fulfilment of this plan. God's plan is therefore universal: it concerns not only Israel, but all humanity. This openness was already present in the promise made to Abraham: "All the families of the earth shall be blessed in you" (Gen 12:3), and proclaimed by prophets such as Isaiah. However, this truth was slowly understood and often forgotten. At the time of Paul, it was not at all obvious to accept that pagans were fully participants in salvation. The early Christians of Jewish origin struggled to recognise them as full members. Paul intervenes decisively: pagans too are called to be witnesses and apostles of the Gospel. It is the same message that Matthew expresses in the story of the Wise Men: the nations come to the light of Christ. The text ends with an appeal: God's plan requires the cooperation of man. If there was a star for the Wise Men, for many today the star will be the witnesses of the Gospel. God continues to fulfil his benevolent plan through the proclamation and life of believers.

*Important elements: +The 'mystery' as a revelation of God's benevolent plan and progressive revelation culminating in Christ. +Christ as the centre of history and the universe and all humanity united in Christ: heritage, body and promise. Universality of salvation: Jews and pagans together in continuity with the promise to Abraham and the prophets. +Historical difficulties in accepting pagans. +Epiphany and Wise Men as a sign of universalism and Call to witness: collaborating in the proclamation of the Gospel

*From the Gospel according to Matthew (2:1-12)

At the time of Jesus, the expectation of the Messiah was very intense. People spoke of him everywhere and prayed to God to hasten his coming. Most Jews imagined the Messiah as a king descended from David: he would reign from Jerusalem, drive out the Romans and finally establish peace, justice and brotherhood in Israel; some even hoped that this renewal would extend to the whole world. This expectation was based on various prophecies in the Old Testament. First of all, that of Balaam in the Book of Numbers: called to curse Israel, he instead announced a promise of glory, speaking of a star rising from Jacob and a sceptre rising from Israel (Num 24:17). Over the centuries, this prophecy was interpreted in a messianic sense, to the point of suggesting that the coming of the Messiah would be marked by a star. This is why Herod takes the news brought by the Wise Men very seriously. Another decisive prophecy is that of Micah, who announces the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem, the small village from which the ruler of Israel will come (Micah 5:1), in continuity with the promise made to David of a dynasty destined to last. The Wise Men, probably pagan astrologers, do not have a deep knowledge of the Scriptures: they set out simply because they have seen a new star. When they arrive in Jerusalem, they inquire with the authorities. Here a first great contrast emerges: on the one hand, the Wise Men, who seek without prejudice and ultimately find the Messiah; on the other, those who know the Scriptures perfectly but do not move, do not even make the short journey from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, and therefore do not encounter the Child. Herod's reaction is yet different. Jealous of his power and known for his violence, he sees the Messiah as a dangerous rival. Behind an apparent calm, he seeks precise information: the place of birth and the age of the child. His anguish and fear lead him to the cruel decision to kill all children under the age of two. In the story of the Wise Men, Matthew already offers us a summary of the entire life of Jesus: from the beginning, He encounters hostility and rejection from political and religious authorities. He will not be recognised as the Messiah, He will be accused and finally eliminated. Yet He is truly the promised Messiah: anyone who seeks Him with a sincere heart, like the Wise Men, can enter into God's salvation.

*St John Chrysostom on the episode of the Wise Men: "The Wise Men, though foreigners, rose, departed and came to the Child; so too must those who wish to encounter Christ move with a fervent heart, without waiting for comfort or security." (Homily VII on Matthew 2)

*Most important elements: +Strong messianic expectation at the time of Jesus and expectation of a Messiah-king, descendant of David. +Prophecy of the star (Balaam) and birth in Bethlehem (Micah). +The Wise Men: sincere seekers guided by the star. +Contrast between those who seek and those who know but do not move. +Herod's hostility, jealousy of power and violence. +Jesus rejected from the beginning of his life. + Universality of salvation: those who seek, find. + The Wise Men as a model of faith on the journey.

+ Giovanni D'Ercole

The immondous and quiet spirit, in synagogue

(Mk 1:21b-28)

After inviting the first disciples to the sequel (Mk 1:16-20) making them «fishers of men», Christ brings his intimates - precisely - to "fishing".

The surprise is paradoxical, and lies in the first of the environments it indicates. What today - not by chance - struggles more to hold up with everything, as it once was.

Before Jesus, in synagogue the situation was of "peace": a quiet and a mainstream mentality that suited everyone, even regulars.

But the two poles are bitter opponents: they can't stand each other, they immediately make sparks.

Where the authentic Master arrives, the ancient stagnant and compromissory balance cannot continue: his Presence is not conciliable with the forces of hibernation.

Christ is not limited to the noble exhortations: he does not repeat commonplaces of others, but fights and expels the power of evil that takes possession of creatures, aligns and alienates them.

The man who cries out against Jesus speaks in the plural (v.24; cf. Lk 4:34) precisely because the Gospel goes to promote personal wealth and undermine interests of lobby groups.

The "possessed" proclaims the Name of the young Rabbi (v.24a), hoping to show a superiority and take possession of Him.

But the Son of God does not allow himself to be seized by tricks.

Mark‘s catechesis invites us to compare everyone’s experience to the unresigned life of the Son.

False teachings had inculcated in people’s minds that the «saint of God» would present himself in an eloquent, peremptory way.

An eminent and celebrated figure: sovereign, leader, high priest... thus recalling the distinctive customs of the elected people.

Among "synagogue" goers this conviction brought with it a ‘spirit of awe’ that produced sedated personalities, habitual and reassuring observances.

But now someone feels threatened.

«And the [spirit] unclean, writhing him and shouting loudly, came out of him» (v.26). Why «contorting» him?

It’s really heartbreaking to discover that ideal lifestyles and conditioning can lead astray.

In this way, so many minutiae inculcated as sacred values are perhaps precisely those that distance us from a dialogue of love with God.

Only in Christ the «new teaching» is a «didachè kainè» (v.27), which in the Greek expression emphasizes a call of superior quality.

Appeal that replaces, completely carries away and substitutes everything else. And it won’t be overcome. Word that lays bare and sweeps out ballasts.

Women and men start living and breathing again; they no longer allow themselves to be plagued by ideas and limitations; beliefs that are extraneous, opportunistic, soporific, or dissociated, hysterical [filled with empty, not rooted projections].

In short, the Son - present - gives us back awareness of the Call to Freedom - previously without a construct.

It makes recover to us (who habitually frequent places of worship) a perfect ‘personal’ judgment, an unthinkable purity.

Even in depth, as in excess.

[Tuesday 1st wk. in O.T.  January 13, 2026]

The unclean and quiet spirit in the synagogue

(Mk 1:21b-28)

In the confusion of the bloody civil war in progress (68-69) the Roman communities ask for guidance.

Describing the beginning of the Lord's activity, Mk indicates how to proclaim: no longer relying on previous teachers.

The Gospel is meant to replace imperial proclamations of victory and prosperity (golden age), and is detached from the messages of other religions.

The episodes of Jesus' life challenge the heart, creating a critical consciousness - less contrived, more natural.

After inviting the first disciples to follow him (Mk 1:16-20) by making them "fishers of men", Christ takes his own - precisely - to "fishing".

The surprise is paradoxical, and lies in the first of the environments he indicates. The one that today - not by chance - finds it hardest to hold on to everything, as it once did.

In short, wanting to follow the Son of God, it seems that in order to lift people out of deadly situations, one must start not from a place of sin and malfeasance, but from homes of honest religion and pious living!

It is no coincidence that the young Rabbi is referred to as 'Nazarene' (v.24), which in the language of the time - alluding to the land of Nazareth - meant hot-headed, subversive, revolutionary.

As if to say: the ancient "synagogues" seem to want to celebrate and praise God, instead they humiliate him [and stifle his project of humanisation].

They do not rely on the Mystery, which unfolds in the inner world - in the personal outpouring of talents and passion.

The religious authorities only used the divine Name to defend their own social status, inculcating in the people a subordinate conduct, and a world of thoughts or doctrines in their own image.

At that time, in fact, the leaders imposed on all classes a kind of spirituality of immobility, reassuring and manipulative.

The Good News brought by the Master - on the other hand - creates harmony precisely with the desire for fullness of life that each man carries within himself.

Hence a great reformation and overthrow of all widespread beliefs in the empire.

The new Word rises above all the ancient narratives, and radically supplants them, even from the point of view of custom.

It is not rooted in any contrived cloak, or custom, nor alienation, much less reckoning of smuggling and crib.

Despite the contrived and typical cloaks, this essential Logos lurks spontaneously in the soul of each woman and man, and is immediately known, in their actual existence.

Consequently, it is authentic Word, without ancient or schematic projections, disembodied and fashionable; rather, unusual. Thus truly harassing the official institution.

And - even today - provoking reactions both among the tame of observance, and among the fake à la page phenomena of reformism without construct; abstract, sophisticated, cerebral, glossy.

They are varied 'places', these of the various doctrines... but in which there is someone who always remains in a calm and quiet corner, and does not cause the slightest disturbance.

But at a certain point he snaps (v.23).

It is not the prayers and songs that make him explode and swear, but the new teaching.

Where the Master arrives, the old stagnant and compromising balance cannot continue.

His Presence cannot be reconciled with the opposing forces - of lethargy, or the windy fantasies of self-styled prophets.

Before Jesus, the situation in the synagogue was one of 'peace': a quietness and a current mentality that suited everyone.

But the two poles are bitter adversaries: they cannot stand each other, they immediately spark off.

The catechesis of Mk invites us to compare each person's experience to the unresigned life of the Son.

He did not instruct simple people externally, putting on a good face - quoting commonly accepted authorities from memory.

He started from the personal experience of the Father, and from his own concrete life. So do we.

In Christ, immersed in his own Faith, believers scrutinise deep facts and feelings; they do not limit themselves to noble exhortations. This is the 'trouble'.

The Lord's brethren do not repeat commonplaces of others.

Rather, they resolutely fight and expel the power of evil that takes possession of creatures and aligns and alienates them.

The man who cries out against Jesus speaks in the plural (v.24; cf. Lk 4:34) precisely because the Gospel goes to promote personal wealth and undermine group interests.

It is about the entourage of false friends of God; not infrequently, the very ones who open their mouths in his name (v.24c).

The spirit of the habitual and habituated believers or those interested in order realise that in the man who is the true image of the Father comes the One who is able to bring down their house of cards, and they become frightened.

Obviously the clash. So much for harmless goodness and facade.

When these opposing energies meet, they confront each other with no holds barred.

They are hostile and end up attacking each other - there is no candyfloss or mannerism that holds. 

The "possessed" proclaims the name of the young Rabbi (v.24a), hoping to show himself superior and take possession of him.

But the Son of God does not allow himself to be seized by tricks.

The false teachings of normalised religion - of whatever stripe - had inculcated into people's minds that the 'saint of God' would present himself eloquently, peremptorily.

He could be none other than an eminent and celebrated personage: ruler, leader, high priest... thus recalling the distinctive customs of the chosen people.

But in the 'synagogue'-goers such conviction brought with it a spirit of awe and death that produced sedate, habit-forming personalities. Subjugated to bland, all-too-common observances; in the end, only reassuring.

Yet now that same habituated spirit feels threatened - instead of conformistically mirrored. Thus it claims to kennel in the Son even the very God it proclaims.

In the presence of the Word-event that does what it says, the king is naked. Not placid irenicism, but conflict is just around the corner.

The powers that harness us with repetitive festivals and feed on renunciatory illusions see the inertia and leashes that have made their fortunes crumble.

"And the unclean [spirit], writhing and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him" (v.26). Why "writhing him"?

It is indeed heartbreaking to discover that lifestyles and ideal conditioning can lead one astray.

And in this way, so many trifles inculcated as sacred values are perhaps the very ones that lead away from a dialogue of love with God.

Even today, a subtle deceptive and homologising propaganda tends to hijack and alienate the personal soul; to recommend inaction - or its excess - and tear us apart in performance [e.g. of power and money].

An oppressive atmosphere, the one we sometimes suffer, under the cloak of pyramid situations and addictions.

All enslaving the simple; with formalities, moralistic obsessions, and packaged ways of being (or rather, appearing).

Those who evangelise in earnest detach people from trivialising ideology, from the ways of the local single thought - whether traditionalist or avant-garde.

It may seem notably idealistic, or excruciatingly committed, but it then slumbers in practices and doctrines that betray the deep expectations of our authentic vocation.

In short, the cloak of artifices humiliates existence in its fullness; it weakens and extinguishes the step of our unrepeatable exceptionality, on which the Father intends to build his own Newness.

In Christ, the "new teaching" is a "didachè kainè" (v.27), which in the Greek expression emphasises precisely a call of a superior quality; capable of supplanting what remains swampy.

A call that replaces, completely supersedes everything else. And will not be superseded.

A word that lays bare and sweeps away the ballast, as well as all the conditioning scaffolding - along with the guilt inculcated by the usual cheap and self-interested guides.

Moral: women and men humanise; they begin to live and breathe again.

They no longer allow themselves to be plagued by ideas and limitations; beliefs that are extraneous, opportunistic, soporific, or dissociated, hysterical [filled with projections; empty, ungrounded].

"Didache kainè": it undermines forced identification, and a view of life that makes one stagnant, one-sided.

Now if we find ourselves possessed by one-sided, external, dehumanising powers, we are brought face to face with God - without first going through the long rigmarole that makes us monochromatic.

And here enabled to find ourselves, even in the opposites; as well as the discriminating commitment, the reason why we were born.

Enabled now to cross the idols that sequester dreams, and the enthusiasm that starts from within. With a desire to be reborn.

Exodus fruit of alliance with our multifaceted sides, all indispensable for personality completion and evolution.

In short, the Present Son restores our awareness of the Call to Freedom - previously without construct. Vocation already rooted; but without facilitation.

It restores (first and foremost to us, who habitually frequent places of worship) perfect personal judgement, an unthinkable purity.

The turning point comes immediately. Even in depth, as in excess.

To internalise and live the message:

Are you credible and free, i.e. full of passion and depth?

Do you rely on the inner world, or on the (somewhat too) outer world?

Having listened to and welcomed yourself and the reality to come, do you put yourself at risk or are you of the 'ne quid nimis' - nothing too much?

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

[Mk 1:21-28] presents to us Jesus, who was preaching on the Sabbath in the Synagogue of Capernaum, the little town on the Sea of Galilee where Peter and his brother Andrew lived. His teaching, which gave rise to wonder among the people, was followed by the deliverance of “a man with an unclean spirit” (v. 23), who recognized Jesus as “the Holy One of God”, that is, the Messiah. In a short time his fame spread across the region which he passed through proclaiming the Kingdom of God and healing the sick of every kind: words and action. St John Chrysostom pointed out that the Lord “varies the mode of profiting his hearers, after miracles entering on words, and again from the instruction by his words passing to miracles” (Hom. in Matthæum 25, 1: PG 57, 328).

The words Jesus addresses to the people immediately give access to the will of the Father and to the truth about themselves. This was not the case for the scribes who instead had to make an effort to interpret the Sacred Scriptures with countless reflections. Moreover Jesus united the efficacy of the word with the efficacy of the signs of deliverance from evil. St Athanasius notes that “for his charging evil spirits and their being driven forth, this deed is not of man, but of God”; indeed the Lord “drove away from men all diseases and infirmities”.... Those “who saw his power... will no longer doubt whether this be the Son and Wisdom and Power of God?” (Oratio de Incarnatione Verbi 18,19: PG 25, 128 BC. 129 B).

The divine authority is not a force of nature. It is the power of the love of God that creates the universe and, becoming incarnate in the Only-Begotten Son, descending into our humanity, heals the world corrupted by sin. Romano Guardini wrote: “Jesus’ entire existence is the translation of power into humility... here is the sovereignty which lowers itself into the form of a servant” (Il Potere, Brescia 1999, 141-142).

Authority, for human beings, often means possession, power, dominion and success. Instead for God authority means service, humility and love; it means entering into the logic of Jesus who stoops to wash his disciples’ feet (cf. Jn 13:5), who seeks man’s true good, who heals wounds, who is capable of a love so great that he gives his life, because he is Love. In one of her Letters St. Catherine of Siena wrote: “It is necessary for us to see and know, in truth, with the light of the faith, that God is supreme and eternal Love and cannot want anything but our good” (Ep. 13 in: Le Lettere, vol. 3, Bologna 1999, 206).

Dear friends, next Thursday, 2 February, we shall celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, the World Day of Consecrated Life. Let us invoke Mary Most Holy with trust so that she may guide our hearts to draw always from divine mercy, which frees and guarantees our humanity, filling it with every grace and benevolence and with the power of love.

[Pope Benedict, Angelus 29 January 2012]

1. In the Gospels we find another fact that attests to Jesus' consciousness of possessing divine authority, and the persuasion that the evangelists and the early Christian community had of this authority. In fact, the Synoptics agree in saying that Jesus' listeners "were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes" (Mk 1:22; Mt 7:29; Lk 4:32). This is valuable information that Mark gives us from the very beginning of his Gospel. It attests to the fact that the people had immediately grasped the difference between Christ's teaching and that of the Israelite scribes, and not only in the manner, but in the very substance: the scribes based their teaching on the text of the Mosaic Law, of which they were the interpreters and commentators; Jesus did not at all follow the method of a "teacher" or a "commentator" of the ancient Law, but behaved like a legislator and, ultimately, like one who had authority over the Law. Note: the listeners were well aware that this was the divine Law, given by Moses by virtue of power that God himself had granted him as his representative and mediator with the people of Israel.

The evangelists and the early Christian community who reflected on that observation of the listeners about Jesus' teaching, realised even better its full significance, because they could compare it with the whole of Christ's subsequent ministry. For the Synoptics and their readers, it was therefore logical to move from the affirmation of a power over the Mosaic Law and the entire Old Testament to that of the presence of a divine authority in Christ. And not only as in an Envoy or Legate of God as it had been in the case of Moses: Christ, by attributing to himself the power to authoritatively complete and interpret or even give in a new way the Law of God, showed his consciousness of being "equal to God" (cf. Phil 2:6).

2. That Christ's power over the Law involves divine authority is shown by the fact that he does not create another Law by abolishing the old one: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish but to fulfil" (Mt 5:17). It is clear that God could not "abolish" the Law that he himself gave. He can instead - as Jesus Christ does - clarify its full meaning, make its proper sense understood, correct the false interpretations and arbitrary applications, to which the people and their own teachers and leaders, yielding to the weaknesses and limitations of the human condition, have bent it.

This is why Jesus announces, proclaims and demands a "righteousness" superior to that of the scribes and Pharisees (cf. Mt 5:20), the "righteousness" that God Himself has proposed and demands with the faithful observance of the Law in order to the "kingdom of heaven". The Son of Man thus acts as a God who re-establishes what God has willed and placed once and for all.

3. For of the Law of God he first of all proclaims: "Verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass away, not one iota or one sign of the law shall pass away, and all things shall be fulfilled" (Matt 5:18). It is a drastic statement, with which Jesus wants to affirm both the substantial immutability of the Mosaic Law and the messianic fulfilment it receives in his word. It is about a "fullness" of the Old Law, which he, teaching "as one who has authority" over the Law, shows to be manifested above all in love of God and neighbour. "On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets" (Mt 22:40). It is a "fulfilment" corresponding to the "spirit" of the Law, which already transpires from the "letter" of the Old Testament, which Jesus grasps, synthesises, and proposes with the authority of one who is Lord also of the Law. The precepts of love, and also of the faith that generates hope in the messianic work, which he adds to the ancient Law, making its content explicit and developing its hidden virtues, are also a fulfilment.

His life is a model of this fulfilment, so that Jesus can say to his disciples not only and not so much: Follow my Law, but: Follow me, imitate me, walk in the light that comes from me.

4. The Sermon on the Mount, as recorded by Matthew, is the place in the New Testament where one sees Jesus clearly affirmed and decisively exercised the power over the Law that Israel received from God as the cornerstone of the covenant. It is there that, after having declared the perennial value of the Law and the duty to observe it (Mt 5:18-19), Jesus goes on to affirm the need for a "justice" superior to "that of the scribes and Pharisees", that is, an observance of the Law animated by the new evangelical spirit of charity and sincerity.

The concrete examples are well known. The first consists in the victory over wrath, resentment, and malice that easily lurk in the human heart, even when one can exhibit an outward observance of the Mosaic precepts, including the one not to kill: "You have heard that it was said to the ancients, 'You shall not kill; whoever kills shall be brought into judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother shall be brought into judgment" (Mt 5:21-22). The same thing applies to anyone who offends another with insulting words, with jokes and mockery. It is the condemnation of every yielding to the instinct of aversion, which potentially is already an act of injury and even of killing, at least spiritually, because it violates the economy of love in human relations and hurts others, and to this condemnation Jesus intends to counterpose the Law of charity that purifies and reorders man down to the innermost feelings and movements of his spirit. Jesus makes fidelity to this Law an indispensable condition of religious practice itself: "If therefore you present your offering at the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go first to be reconciled with your brother and then return to offer your gift" (Mt 5:23-24). Since it is a law of love, it is even irrelevant who it is that has something against the other in his heart: the love preached by Jesus equals and unifies all in wanting good, in establishing or restoring harmony in relations with one's neighbour, even in cases of disputes and legal proceedings (cf. Mt 5:25).

5. Another example of perfecting the Law is that of the sixth commandment of the Decalogue, in which Moses forbade adultery. In hyperbolic and even paradoxical language, designed to draw the attention and shake the mood of his listeners, Jesus announces. "You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery, but I say to you . . ." (Mt 5:27); and he also condemns impure looks and desires, while recommending the flight from opportunities, the courage of mortification, the subordination of all acts and behaviour to the demands of the salvation of the soul and of the whole man (cf. Mt 5:29-30).

This case is related in a certain way to another one that Jesus immediately addresses: "It was also said: Whoever repudiates his wife, let him give her the act of repudiation; but I say to you . . ." and declares forfeited the concession made by the ancient Law to the people of Israel "because of the hardness of their hearts" (cf. Mt 19:8), prohibiting also this form of violation of the law of love in harmony with the re-establishment of the indissolubility of marriage (cf. Mt 19:9).

6. With the same procedure, Jesus contrasts the ancient prohibition of perjury with that of not swearing at all (Mt 5, 33-38), and the reason that emerges quite clearly is still founded in love: one must not be incredulous or distrustful of one's neighbour, when he is habitually frank and loyal, and rather one must on the one hand and on the other follow this fundamental law of speech and action: "Let your language be yes, if it is yes; no, if it is no. The more is from the evil one" (Mt 5:37).

7. And again: "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth; but I say to you, do not oppose the evil one...'" (Mt 5:38-39), and in metaphorical language Jesus teaches to turn the other cheek, to surrender not only one's tunic but also one's cloak, not to respond violently to the anguish of others, and above all: "Give to those who ask you and to those who seek a loan from you do not turn your back" (Mt 5:42). Radical exclusion of the law of retribution in the personal life of the disciple of Jesus, whatever the duty of society to defend its members from wrongdoers and to punish those guilty of violating the rights of citizens and the state itself.

8. And here is the ultimate refinement, in which all the others find their dynamic centre: "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy; but I say to you, love your enemies and pray for your persecutors, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, who makes his sun rise on the wicked and on the good, and makes it rain on the just and on the unjust . . ." (Mt 5:43-45). To the vulgar interpretation of the ancient Law that identified the neighbour with the Israelite and indeed with the pious Israelite, Jesus opposes the authentic interpretation of God's commandment and adds to it the religious dimension of the reference to the clement and merciful heavenly Father, who benefits all and is therefore the supreme exemplar of universal love.

Indeed, Jesus concludes: "Be... perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Mt 5:48). He demands of his followers the perfection of love. The new law he brings has its synthesis in love. This love will make man overcome the classic friend-enemy opposition in his relations with others, and will tend from within hearts to translate into corresponding forms of social and political solidarity, even institutionalised. The irradiation of the 'new commandment' of Jesus will therefore be very broad in history.

9. At this point, we would particularly like to note that in the important passages of the "Sermon on the Mount", the contrast is repeated: "You have heard that it was said . . . But I say to you"; and this is not to "abolish" the divine Law of the old covenant, but to indicate its "perfect fulfilment", according to the meaning intended by God the Lawgiver, which Jesus illuminates with a new light and explains in all its fulfilling value of new life and generator of new history: and he does so by attributing to himself an authority that is that of God the Lawgiver. It can be said that in that expression repeated six times: I say to you, there resounds the echo of that self-definition of God, which Jesus also attributed to himself: "I am" (cf. Jn 8:58).

10. Finally, one must recall the answer that Jesus gave to the Pharisees, who reproached his disciples for plucking the ears of grain from the fields full of wheat in order to eat them on the Sabbath, thus violating the Mosaic law. Jesus first cites to them the example of David and his companions who did not hesitate to eat the "offering loaves" to feed themselves, and that of the priests who on the Sabbath day did not observe the law of rest because they performed their duties in the temple. Then he concludes with two peremptory statements, unheard of for the Pharisees: "Now I say to you that there is something greater here than the temple . . .", and: "The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath" (Mt 12:6.8; cf. Mk 2:27-28). These are statements that clearly reveal the consciousness Jesus had of his divine authority. Calling himself "one above the temple" was a quite clear allusion to his divine transcendence. Then proclaiming himself "lord of the Sabbath", i.e. of a Law given by God himself to Israel, was an open proclamation of his authority as the head of the messianic kingdom and promulgator of the new Law. It was therefore not a matter of mere derogations from the Mosaic Law, admitted even by the rabbis in very restricted cases, but of a reintegration, a completion and a renewal that Jesus enunciates as eternal: "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" (Mt 24:35). What comes from God is eternal, as God is eternal.

[Pope John Paul II, General Audience 14 October 1987]

The Gospel passage for this Sunday (cf. Mk 1:21-28) presents Jesus who, with his small community of disciples, enters Capernaum, the city where Peter lived and which at that time was the largest in Galilee. And Jesus enters that city.

The evangelist Mark relates that Jesus, being that day a Sabbath, immediately went into the synagogue and began to teach (cf. v. 21). This suggests the primacy of the Word of God, Word to be heard, Word to be received, Word to be proclaimed. Arriving in Capernaum, Jesus does not postpone the proclamation of the Gospel, he does not think first of the logistical arrangement, certainly necessary, of his small community, he does not delay in organising it. His main concern is to communicate the Word of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. And the people in the synagogue are impressed, because Jesus "taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes" (v. 22).

What does 'with authority' mean? It means that in the human words of Jesus one felt the full force of the Word of God, one felt the very authority of God, the inspirer of the Holy Scriptures. And one of the characteristics of the Word of God is that it realises what it says. For the Word of God corresponds to his will. Instead, we often utter empty, rootless words or superfluous words, words that do not correspond to the truth. Instead, the Word of God corresponds to the truth, it is unity with his will and realises what he says. In fact, Jesus, after preaching, immediately demonstrates his authority by freeing a man, present in the synagogue, who was possessed by the devil (cf. Mk 1:23-26). It was precisely Christ's divine authority that had aroused the reaction of Satan, who was hiding in that man; Jesus, in turn, immediately recognised the voice of the evil one and "sternly commanded: 'Be silent! Come out of him!'" (v. 25). By the power of his word alone, Jesus delivers the person from the evil one. And again those present are amazed: "He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him!" (v. 27). The Word of God creates astonishment in us. It possesses the power to make us amazed.

The Gospel is a word of life: it does not oppress people, on the contrary, it frees those who are enslaved to so many evil spirits of this world: the spirit of vanity, attachment to money, pride, sensuality... The Gospel changes hearts, it changes lives, it transforms evil inclinations into good intentions. The Gospel is capable of changing people! It is therefore the task of Christians to spread its redeeming power everywhere, becoming missionaries and heralds of the Word of God. This is also suggested to us by today's passage, which closes with a missionary opening and says: "His fame - the fame of Jesus - immediately spread everywhere, throughout the whole region of Galilee" (v. 28). The new doctrine taught with authority by Jesus is that which the Church brings to the world, together with the effective signs of his presence: the authoritative teaching and the liberating action of the Son of God become the words of salvation and the gestures of love of the missionary Church. Always remember that the Gospel has the power to change lives! Do not forget this. It is the Good News, which transforms us only when we allow ourselves to be transformed by it. That is why I always ask you to have daily contact with the Gospel, to read it every day, a passage, a passage, to meditate on it and also to carry it with you everywhere: in your pocket, in your bag... In other words, to nourish yourself every day from this inexhaustible source of salvation. Do not forget! Read a passage from the Gospel every day. It is the power that changes us, that transforms us: it changes lives, it changes hearts.

Let us invoke the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary, She who received the Word and generated it for the world, for all men. May she teach us to be assiduous listeners and authoritative proclaimers of the Gospel of Jesus.

[Pope Francis, Angelus 1 February 2015]

Fishermen: not backward, nor fashionable

(Mk 1:14-20)

The Kingdom is close if thanks to our involvement God comes to earth and Happiness knocks at the door, addressing us to something profoundly new.

It’s not the call of the boss, but the invitation of the Friend, who lives firsthand what he announces, exposing himself.

His «Good News» (v.15) reveals a divine face opposite to that preached by official guides: the Father does not absorb our energies, but gives them in fullness and free.

«Convert yourselves and believe in the Gospel» is in fact an hendiadys: the two coordinated terms «convert and believe» express the same meaning. But not in a separatist or doctrinal sense.

The Baptist purported to ‘prepare’ the Coming of the Messiah; Jesus proclaims the Kingdom already present, therefore simply to be ‘welcomed’, to live fully.

The invitation to convert themselves means precisely: «Turn the scale of values!».

There is a freedom to be regained, but the scene is rapid, because the young Master teaches with life.

To Abraham God says «Go towards the land that I will show you». Jesus does not say «Go», but «Come».

Abraham is just one sent; the disciple of Christ on his way proposes a Person, his whole story.

He’s interested in real life: he doesn’t advocate a return to worship that should have patch up the ancient practice.

«Fishers of men»: the meaning of the expression is clearer in Lk 5:10 [Greek text].

Our mission is ‘to lift to the life’ those who no longer breathe, suffocate, enveloped by impetuous waves [forces of negativity].

The real task is to get them out of the polluted environment where they live in a dehumanizing way. By placing in transparent water, with values that are no longer those of self-absorbed and corrupt society - habitat of obsessive blocks, useful only to strong and cunning ones.

It’s fundamental to abandon the «nets» (v.18): what encloses, prevents, arrests. Also the «boat» (v.20), that is, the way of managing work.

Even the «father» (v.20): the imposed tradition that clouds the new Light.

“Meshes” to be broken. In fact, the Christ must begin far from the observant region and the holy city [Judea, Jerusalem].

It means a new approach.

To give these unprecedented impulses, Jesus does not choose sacred environments, nor does he designate someone with the title that belongs to Him only: «Pastor».

He knows well that we need attention, not of leaders, teachers, directors of the "flock".

The theme is precisely in key of Exodus: the allusion to the «sea» [actually a lake] is clear.

‘Forward’ «Conversion» that Jesus proposes is not about a devout return to the Temple, but a change of mentality and orientation.

And «Kingdom of God» doesn’t allude to a world "in" Heaven: there is no mention about afterlife, but of areas in which the Beatitudes are lived.

No submission of consciences: Orientation without the punishments of the religion that mortifies.

'Route forward' without the backstory: every trajectory is personal. And fashion has nothing to do with it.

Guidance that draws every soul into unique exploration and action, towards a total ideal.

[Monday 1st wk. in O.T.  January 12, 2026]