Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

The Gospel today (cf. Lk 10: 1-12, 17-20) presents Jesus sending out 72 disciples to the villages he is about to visit in order to prepare the way. This is a particular feature of the Evangelist Luke, who stressed that the mission was not exclusive to the Twelve Apostles but extended also to the other disciples. Indeed, Jesus said: "The harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few" (Lk 10: 2). There is work for all in God's field. Christ, however, did not limit himself to sending out his missionaries: he also gave them clear and precise instructions on how to behave. He first sent them out "two by two" so that they might help each other and bear witness to brotherly love. He warned them that they would be like "lambs in the midst of wolves". They were to be peaceful in spite of everything, and were to bear a message of peace in every situation; they were not to take clothes or money with them in order to live on whatever Providence offered them; they were to heal the sick as a sign of God's mercy; wherever people rejected them, they were to depart, doing no more than to alert them to their responsibility for rejecting the Kingdom of God. St Luke highlighted the disciples' enthusiasm at the good results of their mission and recorded Jesus' beautiful expression: "Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven" (Lk 10: 20). May this Gospel reawaken in all the baptized the awareness that they are missionaries of Christ, called to prepare the way for him with words and with the witness of their lives.

[Papa Benedetto, Angelus 8 luglio 2007]

36. Nor are difficulties lacking within the People of God; indeed these difficulties are the most painful of all. As the first of these difficulties Pope Paul VI pointed to "the lack of fervor [which] is all the more serious because it comes from within. It is manifested in fatigue, disenchantment, compromise, lack of interest and above all lack of joy and hope." Other great obstacles to the Church's missionary work include past and present divisions among Christians, dechristianization within Christian countries, the decrease of vocations to the apostolate, and the counterwitness of believers and Christian communities failing to follow the model of Christ in their lives. But one of the most serious reasons for the lack of interest in the missionary task is a widespread indifferentism, which, sad to say, is found also among Christians. It is based on incorrect theological perspectives and is characterized by a religious relativism which leads to the belief that "one religion is as good as another." We can add, using the words of Pope Paul VI, that there are also certain "excuses which would impede evangelization. The most insidious of these excuses are certainly the ones which people claim to find support for in such and such a teaching of the Council."

In this regard, I earnestly ask theologians and professional Christian journalists to intensify the service they render to the Church's mission in order to discover the deep meaning of their work, along the sure path of "thinking with the Church" (sentire cum Ecclesia).

Internal and external difficulties must not make us pessimistic or inactive. What counts, here as in every area of Christian life, is the confidence that comes from faith, from the certainty that it is not we who are the principal agents of the Church's mission, but Jesus Christ and his Spirit. We are only co-workers, and when we have done all that we can, we must say: "We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty" (Lk 17:10).

[Pope John Paul II, Redemptoris Missio]

Today’s Gospel passage, taken from the tenth Chapter of the Gospel of Luke (vv. 1-12, 17-20), makes us consider how necessary it is to invoke God, “the Lord of harvest to send out laborers” (v. 2). The “laborers” whom Jesus speaks of are the missionaries of the Kingdom of God, whom he himself calls and sends on “ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to come” (v. 1). Their task is to proclaim a message of salvation addressed to everyone. Missionaries always proclaim a message of salvation to everyone; not only those missionaries who go afar, but we too, [are] Christian missionaries who express a good word of salvation. This is the gift that Jesus gives us with the Holy Spirit. This message is to say: “The kingdom of God has come near to you” (v. 9), because God has “come near” to us through Jesus; God became one of us; in Jesus, God reigns in our midst, his merciful love overcomes sin and human misery.

This is the Good News that the “laborers” must bring to everyone: a message of hope and comfort, of peace and charity. When Jesus sends the disciples ahead of him into the villages, he tells them: “first, say ‘Peace be to this house!’ [...]; heal the sick in it” (vv. 5, 9). All of this signifies that the Kingdom of God is built day by day and already offers on this earth its fruits of conversion, of purification, of love and of comfort among men. It is a beautiful thing! Building day by day this Kingdom of God that is to be made. Do not destroy, build!

With what spirit must disciples of Jesus carry out this mission? First of all they must be aware of the difficult and sometimes hostile reality that awaits them. Jesus minces no words about this! Jesus says: “I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves” (v. 3). This is very clear. Hostility is always at the beginning of persecutions of Christians; because Jesus knows that the mission is blocked by the work of evil. For this reason, the laborer of the Gospel will strive to be free from every kind of human conditioning, carrying neither purse nor bag nor sandals (cf. v. 4), as Jesus counseled, so as to place reliance solely in the power of the Cross of Jesus Christ. This means abandoning every motive of personal advantage, careerism or hunger for power, and humbly making ourselves instruments of the salvation carried out by Jesus’ sacrifice. 

A Christian’s mission in the world is splendid, it is a mission intended for everyone, it is a mission of service, excluding no one; it requires a great deal of generosity and above all setting one’s gaze and heart facing on High, to invoke the Lord’s help. There is a great need for Christians who joyfully witness to the Gospel in everyday life. The disciples, sent out by Jesus, “returned with joy” (v. 17). When we do this, our heart fills with joy. This expression makes me think of how much the Church rejoices, she revels when her children receive the Good News thanks to the dedication of so many men and women who daily proclaim the Gospel: priests — those brave parish priests whom we all know —, nuns, consecrated women, missionary men and women.... I ask myself — listen to the question —: how many of you young people who are now present today in the Square, hear the Lord’s call to follow him? Fear not! Be courageous and bring to others this guiding light of apostolic zeal that these exemplary disciples have given to us.

Let us pray to the Lord, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, that the Church may never lack generous hearts that work to bring everyone the love and kindness of our Heavenly Father.

[Pope Francis, Angelus 3 July 2016]

The Afterlife is not inaccurate

(Lk 12:1-7)

Mk’s Gospel identifies the «leaven of the Pharisees» with the ideology of power.

Instead, Lk speaks of it to denounce the emphasis and inner duplicity of the authorities.

Jesus’ call against the hypocrisy or «theatricality» of the official religion that abandons people to themselves, is «first to his disciples» (v.1).

At all times Christ opposes those who play a role, lose their nature and become artificial, using God to be feared and respected.

Women and men of Faith are already enabled in Christ and at the center of their essence; they must not bend to chase artifacted voices of the world outside: they do not bring Eternity.

Rather, sons yearn to be transparent, clear, sincere.

Non-negotiable principle is not to hide the truth. This, starting from one’s own innate inclination-character that comes before the role.

And leaders must encourage everyone to find their way, each foretasting the value, the fate of the unrepeatability in person - not being great insiders, with a completely different purpose.

For this reason, in the risen churches in Christ all the masks that grips people that have little energy, out of the loop, those arrived last, marginalized, misunderstood, "inadequate", lonely, must fall.

No one has the power to kill another’s soul.

Nor can he subjugate its own heart - without losing the truly pure vocational seed, full of a priceless name; though in tiny appearance.

Also the scene of the spontaneous examples that Jesus draws from nature - an echo of the conciliatory life dreamed for us by the Father - introduces to Happiness that makes us aware of existing in all personal reality.

In fact, the Gospel passage shows the value of genuine, silent, inconspicuous things, which however live in us - they are not "shadows". And we perceive them without effort or brain commitment.

In the time of epochal choices, of emergencies that seem to put all in check but intend to make anyone less artificial - such awareness can overturn the judgment on the ‘small’ and the ‘great’.

In fact, for the love adventure there is neither accounting nor clamor.

It’s in God and in the reality the ‘place’ for each of us without lacerations.

The afterlife is not inaccurate.

We mustn’t distort ourselves, in order to have consent... let alone for the ‘Heaven’ that overcomes death.

The destiny of uniqueness does not fall into ruin: it’s precious and dear, as it is in nature.

It’s necessary to see its Beauty, future and already current.

With immediate gain marginalised [any social guarantee not pertaining to the value of smallness], there will be no more need to identify with the skeletons of established or fashionable thinking and manners.

Nor will it count to be (each!) placed above and in front: rather in the background, already rich and perfect, in the intimate sense of the fullness of being.

So we won’t have to trample on, each other (v.1)... even to meet Jesus.

[Friday 28th wk. in O.T.  October 17, 2025]

Snubbing for consent? No, there is a great destiny of Oneness

(Lk 12:1-7))

"Meanwhile, as the crowd had gathered in myriads, to trample on one another"... the Lord's criticism of the religious authorities who were putting on unbearable external theatrics appears profound, ruthless.

But Jesus' call against the hypocrisy or "theatricality" of official religion is "first to his disciples" (v.1).

Paraphrasing the encyclical Brothers All, the Master's call aims at immediately dropping "the trick of those stereotypes" with which we disguise our "ego, always concerned with image [so that there may emerge] that blessed common belonging from which we cannot shirk: belonging as brothers" [no.3].

In every age, Christ is opposed to those who play a role, lose their nature, and become artificial, using God to be feared and respected - imagining that he is grabbing the masses, the irresistible approval he craves.

Instead, the heart of the Most High is "boundless, capable of going beyond distances" [3] and any manipulation.

All humanity is devoted to the freedom of being; it proceeds with passion towards what it desires - spontaneously and simply. It does not move to chronicle external 'cultural' situations that do not make us find the Way.

Even in one's relationship with God, it is important not to stifle one's own inclinations: there is no dialogue of friendship or love, nor wonder and joy, without respect for one's own natural, multifaceted exceptionality.

Thus He does not like anyone copying (even today, e.g. the great saints or certain models of the ecclesial paradigm), losing his own essence and personality - and in them the call to his global, unrepeatable mission.

Conformism to the socially narcissistic, or devout and circumstantial paradigm, does not allow the soul and the world to be given the turning points that unlock and activate.

This is far beyond the options of conformist nomenclature - and would make us fly, even for rebirth from crisis.

In the gospel passage, people seem abandoned to themselves (v.1). The very attempt [out of fear] to queue up and imitate, attenuates and distorts us.

After all, the official leaders showed no interest in the realisation, the full joy of the little people: for them only a necessity of the audience, and everything else a nuisance.

Thus, in order to keep the masses on a leash, they gladly inoculated them with unnecessary turmoil of conscience.

Sometimes, in order to strike one and educate a hundred... here were violent restrictions and personal or social blackmail (v.4).

The Gospel of Mk identifies the "leaven of the Pharisees" with the ideology of power.

Lk, on the other hand, speaks of it to denounce the emphasis and inner duplicity of the captains of religious, community office; a combination that overturns both principles and appearances.

The evangelist fears the insidious attitude of incoherence, hidden by catwalks [albeit of a pious character] that enchant the simple. By trickery, they can in fact take root in the life and style of the leaders of the first communities of believers.

Women and men of Faith are in Christ already empowered and at the centre of their own essence; they must not bend to chase after artificial voices from the world outside: they do not bring Eternity.

Rather, they yearn to be transparent, clear, sincere.

A non-negotiable principle is not to hide the truth. This from one's own innate inclination - a character that comes before the secondary task assigned by others.

And the 'leaders' must encourage so that each one can find his or her way, giving a foretaste of the value, the destiny of the unrepeatable as a person - not being a great insider, with an entirely different purpose.

That is why, in churches resurrected in Christ, all the masks that cling to people with little energy, out of the loop, last in line, marginalised, misunderstood, 'inadequate', lonely, must fall.

No one has the power to kill another's soul.

Nor can one subjugate one's own - without losing the truly pure vocational seed, imbued with a priceless name; albeit in a pitiful, tiny guise.

The recovery of dignity, and the concern for the spiritual human advancement of the least, of everyone, flows into the ideal of the Kingdom with its doors wide open: the 'open fraternity' and frankness of which the aforementioned social encyclical speaks at length.

Conversely, "the 'every man for himself' will quickly turn into 'all against all', and this will be worse than a pandemic" (n.36).

In short, it is necessary to remember that 'we are all in the same boat' [as Francis prayed in the deserted St. Peter's Square] including the distant, the weak and those considered inconvenient.

Even the scene of the spontaneous examples that Jesus draws from nature - an echo of the conciliatory life dreamt for us by the Father - introduces us to the Happiness that makes us aware of existing in all personal reality.Indeed, the Gospel passage shows the value of genuine, silent, unremarkable things, which nevertheless inhabit us - they are not 'shadows'. And we perceive them without effort or cerebral commitment.

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

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

It is in God and in reality the 'place' for each of us without lacerations.

The hereafter is not imprecise.

One does not have to distort oneself for consent... least of all for the 'Heaven' that conquers death.

The destiny of oneness does not go to ruin: it is precious and dear, as it is in nature.

One must glimpse its Beauty, future and already present.

Once immediate gain [any social guarantee not pertaining to the value of littleness] is marginalised, there will no longer be any need to identify with the skeletons of established or fashionable thinking and manners.

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

So we will not have to trample on each other (v.1)... even to meet Jesus.

All of us today are well aware that by the term "Heaven" we are not referring to somewhere in the universe, to a star or such like; no. We mean something far greater and far more difficult to define with our limited human conceptions. With this term "Heaven" we wish to say that God, the God who made himself close to us, does not abandon us in or after death but keeps a place for us and gives us eternity. We mean that in God there is room for us. To understand this reality a little better let us look at our own lives. We all experience that when people die they continue to exist, in a certain way, in the memory and heart of those who knew and loved them. We might say that a part of the person lives on in them but it resembles a "shadow" because this survival in the heart of their loved ones is destined to end. God, on the contrary, never passes away and we all exist by virtue of his love. We exist because he loves us, because he conceived of us and called us to life. We exist in God's thoughts and in God's love. We exist in the whole of our reality, not only in our "shadow". Our serenity, our hope and our peace are based precisely on this: in God, in his thoughts and in his love, it is not merely a "shadow" of ourselves that survives but rather we are preserved and ushered into eternity with the whole of our being in him, in his creator love. It is his Love that triumphs over death and gives us eternity and it is this love that we call "Heaven": God is so great that he also makes room for us. And Jesus the man, who at the same time is God, is the guarantee for us that the being-man and the being-God can exist and live, the one within the other, for eternity. 

This means that not only a part of each one of us will continue to exist, as it were pulled to safety, while other parts fall into ruin; on the contrary it means that God knows and loves the whole of the human being, what we are. And God welcomes into his eternity what is developing and becoming now, in our life made up of suffering and love, of hope, joy and sorrow. The whole of man, the whole of his life, is taken by God and, purified in him, receives eternity. Dear Friends! I think this is a truth that should fill us with deep joy. Christianity does not proclaim merely some salvation of the soul in a vague afterlife in which all that is precious and dear to us in this world would be eliminated, but promises eternal life, "the life of the world to come". Nothing that is precious and dear to us will fall into ruin; rather, it will find fullness in God. Every hair of our head is counted, Jesus said one day (cf. Mt 10: 30). The definitive world will also be the fulfilment of this earth, as St Paul says: "Creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God" (Rom 8: 21). Then we understand that Christianity imparts a strong hope in a bright future and paves the way to the realization of this future. We are called, precisely as Christians, to build this new world, to work so that, one day, it may become the "world of God", a world that will surpass all that we ourselves have been able to build.

[Pope Benedict, homily, 15 August 2010]

1. Man, created in the image of God, is both a physical and spiritual being, that is, a being who is connected to the external world in one respect and transcends it in another. As spirit as well as body, he is a person. This truth about man is the object of our faith, as is the biblical truth about his constitution in the 'image and likeness' of God; and it is a truth that has been constantly presented throughout the centuries by the Magisterium of the Church.
The truth about man has never ceased to be the subject of intellectual analysis throughout history, both in philosophy and in numerous other human sciences: in a word, the subject of anthropology.
2. That man is an incarnate spirit, if you will, a body informed by an immortal spirit, can already be gleaned in some way from the description of creation contained in the Book of Genesis and in particular from the "Yahwist" account, which makes use, so to speak, of "staging" and anthropomorphic images. We read that 'the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being' (Gen 2:7). The rest of the biblical text allows us to understand clearly that man, created in this way, is distinct from the entire visible world, and in particular from the world of animals. The 'breath of life' enabled man to know these beings, to name them and to recognise himself as different from them (cf. Gen 2:18-20). Although the 'Yahwist' description does not mention the 'soul', it is easy to deduce that the life given to man in the act of creation is of such a nature as to transcend the simple bodily dimension (that of animals). It draws, beyond materiality, on the dimension of the spirit, in which lies the essential foundation of that 'image of God' that Genesis 1:27 sees in man.
3. Man is a unity: he is someone who is one with himself. But this unity contains a duality. Sacred Scripture presents both unity (the person) and duality (the soul and the body). Consider, for example, the Book of Sirach, which says: "The Lord created man from the earth and returns him to it again" and further on: "He gave them (men) discernment, tongue, eyes, ears and heart to reason. He filled them with doctrine and intelligence and also showed them good and evil" (Sir 17:1, 5-6).
Particularly significant from this point of view is Psalm 8 (Ps 8:5-7), which exalts the human masterpiece, addressing God with the following words: "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him little less than the angels, you have crowned him with glory and honour; you have given him power over the works of your hands. You have put everything under his feet."
4. It is often emphasised that the biblical tradition highlights above all the personal unity of man, using the term "body" to designate the whole man (cf. Ps 145 (144):21; Jn 3:1; Is 66:23; Jn 1:14). This observation is correct. But this does not mean that the biblical tradition does not also present, sometimes very clearly, the duality of man. This tradition is reflected in the words of Christ: "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna" (Mt 10:28).
5. Biblical sources authorise us to see man as a personal unity and at the same time as a duality of soul and body: a concept that has found expression in the entire Tradition and teaching of the Church. This teaching has incorporated not only biblical sources, but also the theological interpretations that have been given to them, developing the analyses conducted by certain schools (Aristotle) of Greek philosophy.
It was a slow process of reflection, culminating mainly under the influence of St Thomas Aquinas - in the pronouncements of the Council of Vienne (1312), where the soul is called the 'form' of the body: 'forma corporis humani per se et essentialiter' (DS 902). The 'form', as the factor that determines the substance of being 'human', is spiritual in nature. And this spiritual 'form', the soul, is immortal. This is what the Fifth Lateran Council (1513) authoritatively recalled: the soul is immortal, unlike the body, which is subject to death (cf. DS 1440). At the same time, Thomistic theology emphasises that, by virtue of the substantial union of body and soul, the latter, even after death, does not cease to 'aspire' to be united with the body. This is confirmed by the revealed truth about the resurrection of the body.
6. Although the philosophical terminology used to express the unity and complexity (duality) of man is sometimes criticised, there is no doubt that the doctrine on the unity of the human person and, at the same time, on the spiritual-corporal duality of man is fully rooted in Sacred Scripture and Tradition. And although it is often expressed that man is 'the image of God' because of his soul, traditional doctrine does not exclude the belief that the body also participates, in its own way, in the dignity of the 'image of God', just as it participates in the dignity of the person.
7. In modern times, a particular difficulty against the revealed doctrine concerning the creation of man as a being composed of soul and body has been raised by the theory of evolution. Many scholars of the natural sciences who, using their own methods, study the problem of the beginning of human life on earth, maintain—against other colleagues—not only the existence of a link between man and the whole of nature, but also the derivation of the higher animal species. This problem, which has occupied scientists since the last century, involves broad sections of public opinion. The response of the Magisterium was offered in the encyclical Humani generis by Pius XII in 1950. In it we read: "The Magisterium of the Church has nothing against the doctrine of 'evolutionism', insofar as it investigates the origin of the human body from pre-existing and living matter - Catholic faith in fact obliges us to hold firmly that souls were created immediately by God - being the subject of investigation and discussion by experts . . ." (DS 3896).
It can therefore be said that, from the point of view of the doctrine of the faith, there is no difficulty in explaining the origin of man, as a body, through the hypothesis of evolutionism. However, it must be added that the hypothesis proposes only a probability, not a scientific certainty. The doctrine of the faith, on the other hand, invariably affirms that the spiritual soul of man is created directly by God. That is, according to the hypothesis mentioned above, it is possible that the human body, following the order imprinted by the Creator in the energies of life, was gradually prepared in the forms of earlier living beings. The human soul, however, on which the humanity of man ultimately depends, being spiritual, cannot have emerged from matter.
8. A beautiful synthesis of the above creation can be found in the Second Vatican Council: 'The unity of soul and body,' it says, 'man synthesises in himself, by his very bodily condition, the elements of the material world, so that through him they reach their summit' (Gaudium et Spes, 14). And further on: "Man, however, is not mistaken in recognising himself as superior to bodily things and considering himself more than just a particle of nature... In fact, in his interiority, he transcends the universe" (Gaudium et Spes, 14). Here, then, is how the same truth about the unity and duality (complexity) of human nature can be expressed in language closer to the contemporary mindset.
[Pope John Paul II, General Audience, 16 April 1986]

Jesus indicates as the third type of test that the Apostles will have to face, the sensation, which some may feel, that God himself has abandoned them, remaining distant and silent. Here too, Jesus exhorts them not to fear, because even while experiencing these and other pitfalls, the life of disciples lies firmly in the hands of God who loves us and looks after us. They are like three temptations: to sugar-coat the Gospel, to water it down; second: persecution; and third: the feeling that God has left us alone. Even Jesus suffered this trial in the Garden of Olives and on the Cross: “Father, why have you forsaken me?”, Jesus asks. At times one feels this spiritual barrenness; we must not fear it. The Father takes care of us, because our value is great in His eyes. What matters is frankness, the courage of our witness, our witness of faith: “recognizing Jesus before men” and going forth doing good.

May Mary Most Holy, model of trust and abandonment in God in the hour of adversity and danger, help us never to surrender to despair, but rather always to entrust ourselves to Him and to his grace, because God’s grace is ever more powerful than evil.

[Pope Francis, Angelus, 21 June 2020]

The true upper dimension

(Lk 11:47-54)

«I will send them prophets and apostles, and they will kill and persecute» (v.49).

Living word in every age, Jesus regrets the confusing professionals of judgment and impediment, who unfortunately also relived in his first communities (v.52).

The “learned” in ancient religion closed the doors of the “realm” in which God reigns, considering it property - all identified with their perspectives [and lust for prestige].

Out of habit of feeling revered, the "experts" and "pure" really believed they had exclusive possession of the codes of the Kingdom, old and new. As a result, they felt entitled to have univocal influence on souls.

Everything almost as ancient times. Despite the Lord, "ductees" continued to proclaim themselves leaders of the people.

They willingly persecuted those who tried to sift through their message - manipulative, exclusive, based on the subjection of the most motivated sensitive hearts.

Instead of offering a deep understanding, the (few) first of the class did not bring any significant light to the many in need who were waiting for help.

Yet the “directors” did nothing but reassure: everything goes smoothly and the problem is the "differents" - who had not yet "understood".

Victims were collateral damage: foreseeable sufferings.

Useless travails?

The Lord, the great enemy of the leaders of conventional theology, questioned not only doctrine, but the entire house of cards and system of mutual positions, titles, connections, and privileges.

Therefore: Jesus either becomes our hostage or he must not get away with it (vv.53-54).

Fathers kill the prophets, godsons sweeten crime - as if nothing had happened [below, approving the misdeed]. Also because the deceased no longer speaks, nor does anyone bother.

A marked fate, that of critical witnesses - because they don’t even know how to devise escape routes. They have no experience of it, they never did.

In this way, the list of martyrs «from the blood of Abel» remains open, unfortunately.

But - due to the perennial insipidity of power - their path leads sisters and brothers to life without limits, to the higher and exalting dimension of the Encounter that matters.

Our nature is to be ‘sons’, naive and innocent. We cannot bring ourselves to deny who we are, always calculating or adapting to the situation of the forces at play.

In every external condition, our task remains to make Christ the Lamb present, and to make people think.

The pyramids that supplant the authentic Messiah with that of unilateral banners feel threatened by the demands of the Gospel.

To such partnerships, closed in partial truths - defended with violence and subterfuge - will be asked account for the sacrifice of all the even minimal prophets and shaky who collected the Testament.

We won’t lose motivation. We will continue to touch the flesh of Christ.

[Thursday 28th wk. in O.T.  October 16, 2025]