"Depart, preach, saying [that] the kingdom of heaven has come near" (v.7)

(Mt 10:7-15)

To the friends who proclaim it, Jesus recommends that they do not carry saddlebags and money to distinguish themselves from customs and contexts (and inoculate the poison of fears). 

The eloquent gesture of 'Peace' of the faithful in Christ is not to fill empty glasses, but to make them discover God already Present in those they address, without preclusion.

An understanding of woman and man in themselves, in the "limit" - divine seed in them - that becomes a drive to open up.

For a consideration of the human condition that does not start from 'ideals' but from reality; that does not move from disembodied 'values' (and elsewhere) but from the concrete summary.

Compared to other currents that sought a new way of living and living together - Pharisees, Essenes, Baptists - the believer must not be prejudiced.

By trusting both hospitality and the food of others (all ritually pure) the friend of the Lord expands the expression of the First Covenant.

Accepted indigence comes before obligations. It lets them become human. It drops weights. He does not make 'guilt' the measure of life.

The Kingdom is "Near". It communicates a sense of adequacy, not reproach. It starts from conscience, not from error.

The small fraternities of Galilee and Syria to which Mt launches his message are tiny realities - within the reach of ordinary people.

The "conversion" they can propose does not have a definitive measure.

It gives everyone (even those who proclaim) permission to err and fall, no longer ashamed of their state of destitution.

Thus the actions of women and men of Faith arouse a renewed gaze, because they bear witness to proximity and freedom - not to obsessive, artificial, unnatural compliance.

In the small assemblies of the early days and in their free action, God himself was made present. Without pyramids or heaps of recriminations.

For a new earth, animated by a new Heaven: that of the Beatitudes that recover torn relationships, and reintegrate into coexistence precisely the imperfect, previously excluded in the name of God.

The Kingdom - a germ of reality barely in its infancy - thanks to the spirit of Gift would transform the world, in the recovery of opposites.

Proposing the alternative of an unexpected face of the Eternal Lover, but also of the successful man, and of society.

What then is the engine of inclusion? How can Peace be transmitted, when many admit afflicted and disappointed: "I have no peace"? Impossible by effort.

Under the eyes of the first protagonists of evangelisation, the solution germinated from a spontaneous development.

Even today, boundless loveliness arises simply by recognising the great absolute privilege of being approved by the Creator Father, because we ourselves; unrepeatable.

["The trial of crimes is instructed, but what does the jury think? Who are the jurors? Who is the deputy attorney general of humanity?" (Djibril Tamsir Niane)].

Only by grasping the profound correspondence between the dignity of the Call, the desire for fullness of life and identity-personal character, will we proclaim the "Gratis" received, showing trust in people.

A sign of integration will also be not going from house to house: from an initial makeshift accommodation to the flat, to the cottage and finally to the palace (which will absorb all the energy).

The missionary and the authentic Church are critical signs with respect to the culture of accumulation - a shame still unspoken and widespread in the petty gerontocracy - that certainly does not reveal a model of coexistence and appreciation of deep goods.

Passion for another Kingdom before any interest will only be an inner fruit: recognition of predilections "by Name", bearing unique, not external, riches.

Faithfulness to a Heaven not to be conquered, but which already dwells.

To internalise and live the message:

In which delivery of Jesus do you recognise yourself? How do you rely on Providence?

What is your unselfish sign that reflects a great extra gear?

"When the weaver lifts one foot, the other lowers. When the movement ceases and one of the feet stops, the fabric is no longer made. His hands throw the spool that passes from one to the other; but no hand can hope to hold it. Like the weaver's gestures, it is the union of opposites that weaves our lives' (Peul African Oral Tradition).

"We are absolutely lost if we lack this particular individuality, the only thing we can truly call our own - and whose loss is also a loss for the whole world. It is also precious because it is not universal' (Rabindranath Tagore).

"Truth is not at all what I have. It is not what you have at all. It is what unites us in suffering, in joy. It is the child of our Union, in pain and pleasure born. Neither I nor You. And I and You. Our common work, permanent amazement. Its name is Wisdom' (Irénée Guilane Dioh).

"The loss of all certainty and shelter is both a kind of trial and a kind of healing" (Pema Chödrön).

"When we suffer a serious disappointment, we never know if it is the conclusion of the story we are living: it could also be the beginning of a great adventure" (Pema Chödrön).

"To grow means to go beyond what you are today. Do not imitate. Do not pretend to have achieved the goal and do not try to rush things. Seek only to grow' (Svami Prajnanapada).

"True morality consists not in following the beaten path, but in finding the true path for us and following it without fear" (Gandhi).

"Truth resides in every human heart, and here one must seek it; one must be guided by the truth as one sees it. But no one has the right to force others to act according to their own view of the truth' (Gandhi).

"You must stand up to the whole world even at the cost of being alone. You must look the world in the eye, even though it may happen that the world looks at you with bloodshot eyes. Fear not. Believe in that little thing within you that resides in your heart and says: abandon friends, wife, everything; but bear witness to that for which you have lived and for which you must die" (Gandhi).

"In Benin, if you see a jar of water lying under a tree in front of a house, know that it is for you, a stranger passing through; there is no need to knock on the door to ask for a drink, you just open the jar, take the gourd, drink the water and go on your way if no one is there" (Raymond Johnson).

"We must learn to abandon our defences and our need to control, and trust totally in the guidance of the spirit" (Sobonfu Somé).

"Observing and listening are a great art. From observation and listening we learn infinitely more than from books. Books are necessary, but observation and listening sharpen your senses' (Krishnamurti).

"Fire is related to Dreaming, to maintaining our connection to ourselves and ancestors, and to the art of keeping our visions alive" (Griot of Central Africa).

"As in life, contraries coexist everywhere: in social organisation and affective life, in exchanges between individuals. To live and realise the contradiction, that is the essential" (Alassane Ndaw).

"The trial of crimes is instructed, but what does the jury think? Who are the jurors? Who is mankind's deputy attorney general?" (Djibril Tamsir Niane).

"Man must take responsibility for the ties, both visible and invisible, which together give meaning to life" (Aminata Traoré).

"Introducing the spirit of other people into our lives gives us more eyes to see and allows us to overcome our limitations" (Sobonfu Somé).

"In the forest, when the branches quarrel, the roots embrace" (African proverb).

For even in a relationship of deep love and coexistence 'there is a need to free oneself from the obligation to be equal' (Amoris Laetitia, no. 139).

"The waves each rise to their own height, almost competing incessantly with each other, but they only reach a given point; thus they lead our minds to the great calm of the sea, of which they too are a part and to which they must return with a rhythm of marvellous beauty" (Rabindranath Tagore).

For Jesus we are not a "mass", a "multitude"! We are individual "persons" with an eternal value, both as creatures and as re-deemed persons! He knows us! He knows me, and loves me and gave himself for me! (Gal 2:20) [John Paul II]

11. "Each to his own way", says the Council. So, there is no need to be discouraged when contemplating models of holiness that appear unattainable. There are testimonies that are useful to stimulate and motivate us, but not because we try to copy them, as this might even lead us away from the unique and specific way the Lord has in store for us. What is important is that each believer discerns his own path and brings out the best in himself, what is so personal God has placed in him (cf. 1 Cor 12:7), and not that he exhausts himself trying to imitate something that was not meant for him. We are all called to be witnesses, but there are many existential forms of witnessing. In fact, when the great mystic Saint John of the Cross wrote his spiritual Canticle, he preferred to avoid fixed rules for everyone and explained that his verses were written so that each person could benefit "in his own way". For the divine life is communicated to some in one way and to others in another.

[Gaudete et Exsultate].

To internalise and live the message:

Which gospel do you feel you have to write with your life?

Prayer-presentment, unitive. To not lose the magic of the Mystery

Gratitude: the Kingdom at hand

(Mt 9,35-10,1.6-8)

Jesus differs from the Rabbis of his time because he does not wait for the exhausted and prostrate people (v.36) to come to him: he seeks them out.

And the group of his own must participate, both in works of healing and deliverance - fraternity motivated by luminous selflessness.He enters prayer assemblies with pastoral anxiety: to teach, not to disquisition. He does not give lessons in logical analysis, but lets it be known who dwells in it.

He proclaims a Kingdom totally different from the way it was inculcated by the manipulators of consciences (full of detailed convictions) - who certainly did not exercise gratuitousness.

The ancient doctrines and their protagonists dampened any dissonance and produced the worst: intimate coercion, anonymity, loneliness, passivity.

They inculcated that it was decisive to acquire their flat certainties, not to be open to the personal Mystery, to innate character - fruitfulness out of context.

In fact, they sought to disturb the journeys of the soul, which sometimes wanders to find itself, and which prefers new glimpses to the usual way of seeing - swampy, stagnant.

They did not admit that in each believer could dwell a fundamental option that did not conform to their ideology and manner.

Everything about other people's lives had to work perfectly according to their goals. So they preached not upheaval, but stillness.

Nothing new was to happen that would challenge the social equilibrium, their authoritarian influence... and their income.

Nothing different was to be explored and found.

Yet, yesterday as today, within each woman and man resides a volcano of potential energies - which according to the dominant ideology had only to be stifled and aligned.

For all this (which still drags on) we conversely seek a God to be experienced, who is lovable, not 'artfully' constructed... nor invisible or distant from our condition.

We want the One who gives breath, and understands us.

We can see it clearly: what we are hatching is not a miserable illusion, to be extinguished in favour of external balances.

In fact, the Gospel (v.35) proclaims Grace: the face of the Father - who wants nothing for himself, but gives everything to transmit his own Life to us (not to deaden our inner energy).

The Glad Tidings proclaims a Friend Who Comes, not forcing one to "ascend" (in the abstract) or imprisoning in guilt, exhausting the already subdued creatures - making them even more desolate than before.

Here is revealed a Heaven that makes one feel adequate, does not chastise or even impress, but promotes and puts everyone at ease; a Merciful One who is not only good: exclusively good.

The prodigal Father welcomes people as the Son does in the Gospels - as they are; not by enquiring. Rather dilating.

His Word-event also not only reactivates: it reintegrates the imbalances and enhances them in the perspective of paths as a real person - without judging or dispersing or breaking anything.

For such a work of wise recomposition of being, the Master invites to Prayer (v.38) - the disciples' first form of commitment.

Access to different attunements in the Spirit teaches us to stimulate the soul's gaze, to value and understand everything and everyone.

So - after making them less ignorant - Jesus invites his own to involve themselves in missionary work; not to be scholars or moral lecturers.

That would be careless posturing, which makes the unbalanced feel even more lost.

The Mission grows from a small but boundless dimension - that of intimate perception, which becomes aware of the needs and mystery of a favourable Presence.

New configurations in spirit: fully discovered only in deep prayer (v.38).  Incarnate.

It is not meant to distract us from inner fulfilment; on the contrary, it acts as a guide, and returns the soul (scattered in the many common practices to be performed) to its own centre.

It makes us feel the yearning and understanding of the perfect condition: the Father does not intend to absorb our aptitudes, but to strengthen them. For everyone has an intimate project, a Calling by Name, their own place in the world.

It seems paradoxical, but the outgoing Church - the one that does not speculate or engage in mass proselytising to impress the mainstream - is first and foremost a matter of formation and internal consciousness.

In short, one recognises oneself and becomes not unaware of things through Prayer-presentment, unitive.

In Christ, it is not performance or devout expression, but rather understanding and first and foremost listening to the God who reveals and calls in a thousand subtle forms.

The commitment to heal the world is not won without vocation awareness, nor by letting ourselves be plagiarised and going haphazardly.

Rather, sharpening our gaze, and reinvesting the virtue and character even of our own still-shadowed sides.

Nor does it remain essential to always cross every boundary (Mt 10:5-6) with a logic of escape.

Because not infrequently - unfortunately - only those who love strength start from the too remote and out of reach.

The 'sheep' who are lost and tired of trying and trying again - the excluded, the considered lost, the marginalised - are not lacking (they are close at hand) and there is no urgency to immediately turn away. Almost as if to exempt oneself from the nearest.

The horizon expands itself, if one is convinced and does not like masks or subterfuge.

The sense of closeness to oneself, to others, and to reality is an authentic bearer of the Kingdom that is revealed: the Near.

Understanding the nature of creatures and increasingly conforming to it, all are inspired to change and complete themselves, enriching (even cultural sclerosis) without alienating forcing.

Exercising a practice of goodness even with oneself.

Some of the most quoted aphorisms from the Tao culture read: "the way of doing is being"; "he who knows others is wise, he who knows himself is enlightened"; "a long journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"; "the master observes the world, but trusts his inner vision"; "if you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place"; "when you accept yourself, the whole world accepts you".

Thus in the battle against infirmity (Mt 9:35-10:1): we win by sharpening our gaze and reinvesting the energy and character even of our own sides still in shadow.

All the gratuitousness (Mt 10:8) that will be able to spring forth from it to build up life in favour of our brothers and sisters, will spring forth not as puerile hysterical reciprocation, or engagement.

It will be spontaneous, solid and cheering Love Dialogue, because it is devoid of those imbalances that smoulder under the ashes of facade conditioning.

The sense of closeness (v.7) to oneself, to others and to reality will be an authentic - not programmatic, nor alienated - port of the Kingdom that is revealed: Beside.

To internalise and live the message:

Does Prayer in Christ shake your conscience?

What consolation do you expect from the God Who Comes?

Perhaps a compensation?

Or a gratuitousness that triggers - here and now - true Love-understanding, attentive to the calls of every subtle Voice?

Even among the saints there are contrasts

Barnabas, Silvanus and Apollos

Dear brothers and sisters, as we continue our journey among the protagonists of the Christian origins, let us turn our attention today to some of St Paul's other collaborators. We must recognise that the Apostle is an eloquent example of a man open to collaboration: in the Church, he does not want to do everything alone, but makes use of numerous and diverse colleagues. We cannot dwell on all these precious helpers, for they are many. Suffice it to recall, among others, Epaphras (cf. Col 1:7; 4:12; Phm 23), Epaphroditus (cf. Phil 2:25; 4:18), Tychicus (cf. Acts 20:4; Eph 6:21; Col 4:7; 2 Tim 4:12; Tit 3:12), Urbanus (cf. Rom 16:9), Gaius and Aristarchus (cf. Acts 19:29; 20:4; 27:2; Col 4:10). And women such as Phoebe (cf. Rom 16:1), Triphena and Trifòsa (cf. Rom 16:12), Pèrside, the mother of Rufus - of whom St Paul says: "She is also my mother" (cf. Rom 16:12-13) - not to forget spouses such as Prisca and Aquila (cf. Rom 16:3; 1Cor 16:19; 2Tm 4:19). Today, among this great host of St Paul's co-workers, we turn our attention to three of them, who played a particularly significant role in the evangelisation of the origins: Barnabas, Silvanus and Apollos.

Barnabas means "son of exhortation" (Acts 4:36) or "son of consolation" and is the nickname of a Jewish-Levite native of Cyprus. Settled in Jerusalem, he was one of the first to embrace Christianity after the Lord's resurrection. With great generosity he sold a field he owned, handing over the proceeds to the Apostles for the needs of the Church (cf. Acts 4:37). It was he who guaranteed Saul's conversion to the Christian community in Jerusalem, which still distrusted the former persecutor (cf. Acts 9:27). Sent to Antioch of Syria, he went to take Paul back to Tarsus, where the latter had retired, and spent a whole year with him, devoting himself to the evangelisation of that important city, in whose Church Barnabas was known as a prophet and doctor (cf. Acts 13:1). So Barnabas, at the time of the first conversions of the pagans, realised that this was the time of Saul, who had withdrawn to Tarsus, his city. There he went to look for him. Thus, at that important moment, he almost gave Paul back to the Church; he gave her, in this sense, once again the Apostle of the Gentiles. From the Antiochian Church Barnabas was sent on mission together with Paul, making what is known as the Apostle's first missionary journey. In reality, it was a missionary journey of Barnabas, since he was the one in charge, with whom Paul joined as a co-worker, touching the regions of Cyprus and central-southern Anatolia, in present-day Turkey, with the cities of Attalya, Perge, Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe (cf. Acts 13-14). Together with Paul, he then went to the so-called Council of Jerusalem where, after a thorough examination of the matter, the Apostles with the Elders decided to separate the practice of circumcision from Christian identity (cf. Acts 15:1-35). Only thus, in the end, did they officially make the Church of the Gentiles possible, a Church without circumcision: we are children of Abraham simply through faith in Christ.

The two, Paul and Barnabas, then came into conflict, at the beginning of the second missionary journey, because Barnabas was of the opinion to take John Mark as his companion, while Paul did not want to, as the young man had separated from them during the previous journey (cf. Acts 13:13; 15:36-40). So even among saints there are contrasts, discords, controversies. And this seems very consoling to me, because we see that the saints did not 'fall from heaven'. They are men like us, with even complicated problems. Holiness does not consist in never having done wrong, sinned. Holiness grows in the capacity for conversion, repentance, readiness to begin again, and above all in the capacity for reconciliation and forgiveness. And so Paul, who had been rather bitter and bitter towards Mark, eventually finds himself with him. In the last Epistles of St Paul, to Philemon and in the second to Timothy, Mark himself appears as "my co-worker". It is therefore not never having done wrong, but the capacity for reconciliation and forgiveness that makes us holy. And we can all learn this path to holiness. In any case Barnabas, with John Mark, left for Cyprus (cf. Acts 15:39) around the year 49. From then on, his trail is lost. Tertullian attributes the Letter to the Hebrews to him, which is not without verisimilitude because, being from the tribe of Levi, Barnabas could have had an interest in the subject of the priesthood. And the Letter to the Hebrews interprets the priesthood of Jesus to us in an extraordinary way.

Another of Paul's companions was Silas, a Greekised form of a Hebrew name (perhaps sheal, "to ask, to invoke", which is the same root as the name "Saul"), of which the Latinised form Silvanus also appears. The name Silas is attested only in the Book of Acts, while the name Silvanus appears only in the Pauline Epistles. He was a Jew from Jerusalem, one of the first to become a Christian, and was held in high esteem in that Church (cf. Acts 15:22), being considered a prophet (cf. Acts 15:32). He was commissioned to convey "to the brethren of Antioch, Syria and Cilicia" (Acts 15:23) the decisions taken at the Council of Jerusalem and to explain them. Evidently he was considered capable of mediating between Jerusalem and Antioch, between Jewish-Christians and Christians of pagan origin, and thus serving the unity of the Church in the diversity of rites and origins. When Paul separated from Barnabas, he took Silas as his new travelling companion (cf. Acts 15:40). With Paul he reached Macedonia (with the cities of Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea), where he stopped, while Paul continued on to Athens and then Corinth. Silas joined him in Corinth, where he co-operated in the preaching of the Gospel; indeed, in Paul's second Letter to that Church, he speaks of "Jesus Christ, whom we preached among you, I, Silvanus and Timothy" (2 Cor 1:19). This explains why he appears as co-moderator, together with Paul and Timothy, of the two Letters to the Thessalonians. This also seems important to me. Paul does not act as a "soloist", as a pure individual, but together with these co-workers in the "we" of the Church. This 'I' of Paul is not an isolated 'I', but an 'I' in the 'we' of the Church, in the 'we' of the apostolic faith. And Silvanus is also mentioned at the end in the First Epistle of Peter, where we read: "I have written to you through Silvanus, my faithful brother" (5:12). Thus we also see the communion of the Apostles. Silvanus serves Paul, serves Peter, because the Church is one and the missionary proclamation is unique.

Paul's third companion, whom we wish to commemorate, is called Apollonius, probably short for Apollonius or Apollodorus. Although it is a pagan name, he was a fervent Jew from Alexandria in Egypt. Luke in the Book of Acts describes him as "a learned man, versed in the Scriptures... full of fervour" (18:24-25). Apollodorus' entry onto the scene of the first evangelisation took place in the city of Ephesus: there he had gone to preach and there he had the good fortune to meet the Christian spouses Priscilla and Aquila (cf. Acts 18:26), who introduced him to a more complete knowledge of the 'way of God' (cf.) From Ephesus he went on to Achaia and reached the city of Corinth: here he arrived with the support of a letter from the Christians of Ephesus, who recommended that the Corinthians welcome him (cf. Acts 18:27). In Corinth, as Luke writes, "he was very helpful to those who by grace had become believers; for he vigorously refuted the Jews, publicly demonstrating through the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ" (Acts 18:27-28), the Messiah. His success in that city had a problematic side, however, as there were some members of that Church who, fascinated by his way of speaking, opposed the others in his name (cf. 1 Cor 1:12; 3:4-6; 4:6). Paul in the First Letter to the Corinthians expresses appreciation for the work of Apollos, but reproaches the Corinthians for tearing the Body of Christ apart by dividing it into opposing factions. He draws an important lesson from the whole affair: 'Both I and Apollos,' he says, 'are but diakonoi, that is, mere ministers, through whom you have come to faith (cf. 1 Cor 3:5). Everyone has a differentiated task in the Lord's field: "I planted, Apollo watered, but it is God who made it grow... For we are God's co-workers, and you are God's camp, God's building" (1 Cor 3:6-9). Returning to Ephesus, Apollos resisted Paul's invitation to return to Corinth immediately, postponing the journey to a later date that we ignore (cf. 1 Cor 16:12). We have no other news of him, although some scholars think of him as the possible author of the Letter to the Hebrews, of which, according to Tertullian, Barnabas would be the author.

All three of these men shine in the firmament of the witnesses of the Gospel by a common note as well as by characteristics peculiar to each. What they have in common, apart from their Jewish origin, is their dedication to Jesus Christ and the Gospel, together with the fact that they were all three co-workers of the Apostle Paul. In this original evangelising mission they have found the meaning of their lives, and as such stand before us as shining models of selflessness and generosity. And let us think again, in the end, of this sentence of St Paul: both Apollos and I are all ministers of Jesus, each in his own way, because it is God who makes us grow. This word also applies to everyone today, to the Pope, to Cardinals, Bishops, priests and lay people. We are all humble ministers of Jesus. Let us serve the Gospel as much as we can, according to our gifts, and let us pray to God that he will make his Gospel, his Church, grow today.

[Pope Benedict, General Audience 31 January 2007].

For Christians, volunteer work is not merely an expression of good will. It is based on a personal experience of Christ. He was the first to serve humanity, he freely gave his life for the good of all. That gift was not based on our merits. From this we learn that God gives us himself. More than that: Deus Caritas est – God is love, to quote a phrase from the First Letter of Saint John (4:8) which I employed as the title of my first Encyclical Letter. The experience of God’s generous love challenges us and liberates us to adopt the same attitude towards our brothers and sisters: “You received without paying, give without pay” (Mt 10:8). We experience this especially in the Eucharist when the Son of God, in the breaking of bread, brings together the vertical dimension of his divine gift with the horizontal dimension of our service to our brothers and sisters.

Christ’s grace helps us to discover within ourselves a human desire for solidarity and a fundamental vocation to love. His grace perfects, strengthens and elevates that vocation and enables us to serve others without reward, satisfaction or any recompense. Here we see something of the grandeur of our human calling: to serve others with the same freedom and generosity which characterizes God himself. We also become visible instruments of his love in a world that still profoundly yearns for that love amid the poverty, loneliness, marginalization and ignorance that we see all around us.

Of course, Catholic volunteer work cannot respond to all these needs, but that does not discourage us. Nor should we let ourselves be seduced by ideologies that want to change the world according to a purely human vision. The little that we manage to do to relieve human needs can be seen as a good seed that will grow and bear much fruit; it is a sign of Christ’s presence and love which, like the tree in the Gospel, grows to give shelter, protection and strength to all who require it.

This is the nature of the witness which you, in all humility and conviction, offer to civil society. While it is the duty of public authority to acknowledge and to appreciate this contribution without distorting it, your role as Christians is to take an active part in the life of society, seeking to make it ever more humane, ever more marked by authentic freedom, justice and solidarity. 

Our meeting today takes place on the liturgical memorial of Saint Martin of Tours. Often portrayed sharing his mantle with a poor man, Martin became a model of charity throughout Europe and indeed the whole world. Nowadays, volunteer work as a service of charity has become a universally recognized element of our modern culture. Nonetheless, its origins can still be seen in the particularly Christian concern for safeguarding, without discrimination, the dignity of the human person created in the image and likeness of God. If these spiritual roots are denied or obscured and the criteria of our collaboration become purely utilitarian, what is most distinctive about the service you provide risks being lost, to the detriment of society as a whole. 

Dear friends, I would like to conclude by encouraging young people to discover in volunteer work a way to grow in the self-giving love which gives life its deepest meaning. Young people readily react to the call of love. Let us help them to hear Christ who makes his call felt in their hearts and draws them closer to himself. We must not be afraid to set before them a radical and life-changing challenge, helping them to learn that our hearts are made to love and be loved. It is in self-giving that we come to live life in all its fullness. 

With these sentiments, I renew my gratitude to all of you and to all those whom you represent. I ask God to watch over your many works of service and to make them ever more spiritually fruitful, for the good of the Church and of the whole world. To you and your associates I willingly impart my Apostolic Blessing.

[Pope Benedict, Meeting promoted by the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum", 11 November 2011]

Lent, the providential time for conversion, helps us to contemplate this stupendous mystery of love. It is a return to the roots of our faith, so that by pondering the measureless gift of grace which is Redemption, we cannot fail to realize that all has been given to us by God’s loving initiative. In order to meditate upon this aspect of the mystery of salvation, I have chosen as the theme for this year’s Lenten Message the Lord’s words: “You received without paying, give without pay” (Mt 10:8). 

Yes! We have received without pay. Is not our entire life marked by God’s kindness? The beginning of life and its marvellous development: this is a gift. And because it is gift, life can never be regarded as a possession or as private property, even if the capabilities we now have to improve the quality of life can lead us to think that man is the “master” of life. The achievements of medicine and biotechnology can sometimes lead man to think of himself as his own creator, and to succumb to the temptation of tampering with “the tree of life” (Gn 3:24).

It is also worth repeating here that not everything that is technically possible is morally acceptable. Scientific work aimed at securing a quality of life more in keeping with human dignity is admirable, but it must never be forgotten that human life is a gift, and that it remains precious even when marked by suffering and limitations. A gift to be accepted and to be loved at all times: received without pay and to be placed without pay at the service of others.

[Pope John Paul II, Message for Lent 2002]

"Service" and "gratuitousness" are the two key words around which Pope Francis built his meditation during Mass celebrated at Santa Marta on the morning of Tuesday, 11 June. These are the fundamental characteristics that must accompany Christians "along the way," said the Pontiff, along that path, that "journey" that always distinguishes life, "because a Christian cannot remain stationary."

The teaching comes directly from the Gospel: it is there that we find — as highlighted by the passage from Matthew proposed by the liturgy of the day (10:7-13) — Jesus' instructions to the apostles who are being sent out. A mission which, said the Pope, is also that of "the successors of the apostles" and of "every Christian, if sent". Therefore, first and foremost, "the Christian life is about moving forward, always. Not standing still." And in this journey, what does the Lord recommend to his followers? "Heal the sick, preach that the kingdom of heaven is near, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons." In other words, "a life of service."

This is the first fundamental point highlighted by the Pope: "Christian life is about serving." And it is very sad, he added, to see "Christians who, at the beginning of their conversion or their awareness of being Christians, serve, are open to serving, serve the people of God," and then, instead, "end up serving themselves. This hurts so much, so much to the people of God." The Christian vocation, therefore, is to 'serve' and never to 'use'.

Continuing his reflection, Francis then moved on to a concept that, he emphasised, "goes right to the heart of salvation: 'Freely you have received, freely give'. Christian life is a life of gratuitousness." From Jesus' recommendation to the apostles he sent out, it is clear that "salvation cannot be bought; salvation is given to us freely. God saved us, saves us freely. He does not make us pay'. This is, the Pope explained, a principle 'that God has used with us' and that we must use 'with others'. And it is 'one of the most beautiful things' to know 'that the Lord is full of gifts to give us' and that only one thing is asked of us: 'that our hearts be open'. As in the Lord's Prayer, where 'we pray, we open our hearts, so that this gratuitousness may come. There is no relationship with God outside of gratuitousness'.

Considering this cornerstone of Christian life, the Pontiff then highlighted some possible and dangerous misunderstandings. Thus, he said, "sometimes, when we need something spiritual or a grace, we say: 'Well, now I will fast, I will do penance, I will do a novena...'". All this is fine, but "let us be careful: this is not to 'pay' for grace, to 'buy' grace; this is to open your heart so that grace may come." Let us be clear, in fact: "Grace is free. All of God's gifts are free. The problem is that the heart shrinks, closes and is incapable of receiving so much love, so much free love." Therefore, "everything we do to obtain something, even a promise — 'If I have this, I will do that' — is to enlarge the heart, not to bargain with God... No. With God, there is no bargaining." With God, "only the language of love and of the Father and of gratuitousness" is valid.

And if this is true in our relationship with God, it is also true for Christians — 'Freely you have received, freely give' — and, Francis emphasised, especially for the 'pastors of the Church'. Grace "cannot be sold," he reiterated, adding: "It hurts so much when you find pastors who do business with God's grace: 'I will do this, but this costs so much, that costs so much...'. And God's grace remains there and salvation is a business." All this, he strongly reiterated, "is not the Lord. The Lord's grace is free and you must give it freely." Unfortunately, he explained, in the spiritual life there is "always the danger of slipping into payment, always, even when talking to the Lord, as if we wanted to give the Lord a bribe." But the relationship with the Lord cannot go down "that road."

Therefore, the Pope reiterated, no to dynamics such as, 'Lord, if you do this for me, I will give you that'; but, if necessary, yes to a promise that with it one's heart will be enlarged 'to receive' what 'is free for us'. And "this relationship of gratuitousness with God is what will then help us to have it with others, both in Christian witness and in Christian service and in the pastoral life of those who are shepherds of God's people."

'Along the way': this is how the Pope summed up his reasoning at the end of his homily. 'Christian life,' he said, 'is about going. Preach, serve, do not 'make use of'. Serve and give freely what you have received freely'. And he concluded: "May our life of holiness be this opening of the heart, so that God's gratuitousness, God's graces that are there, free, that He wants to give, may reach our hearts."

[Pope Francis, St. Martha, in L'Osservatore Romano, 11 June 2019]

Emergency large, through small Name

(Mt 10:1-7)

None of the apostles was worthy of the Call; yet he is called upon, and can receive his Mandate - as if he were already perfect!

Most of them have typical names of Judaism, even of the patriarchs’ time - which indicates a cultural and spiritual extraction rooted more in religion than in Faith... not easy to manage.

Peter was eager to step forward, but also often receding (backtracking) until he became for Jesus a «satàn» [in the culture of the ancient East, an official of the great sovereign, sent to be a controller and whistleblower - practically an accuser]. James of Zebedee and John were brothers, heated fundamentalists, and hysterically they wanted the Master only for them. Philip did not appear to be a very practical type, neither quick or trained to grasp the things of God. Andrew seems instead to be doing well: inclusive person. Bartholomew was probably open but perplexed, because the Messiah did not correspond much to him. Thomas was a little inside and a little outside. Matthew a collaborationist, avid accomplice of the oppressive system. Simon the Canaanite a hothead. Judas Iscariot one who destroys himself by trusting the old spiritual guides, imbued with a nationalist ideology, of private interest, opportunism and power. Two others (James son of Alpheus and Judas Thaddeus) perhaps simple disciples of no great importance or initiative.

But the Kingdom is «near» [v.7: «it has become close»]: God is in our history - it was already experienced in the early days, in first community of sons.

In ancient devotion, the idea of a distant God produced separations, pyramidal hierarchies, cultivation of inner circle interests.

The idea of an Eternal leader and avenger left prolific a priestly class that instead of reconciling and integrating people, neglected and abandoned the irrelevant persons.

The fact of believing in a divine Presence linked to material abundance dulled minds and the ability to read the Redemption.

[The idea of advantage and disadvantage, prosperity and scarcity, always originate in us or in the conventional mentality; from opinions].

Therefore, it’s crucial to mature first, wherever we live.

Not infrequently there are unnoble reasons to want to reach everyone, run everywhere, spread, increase and do it immediately.

We say so… not to distinguish the moment of the Call from that of Sending.

It is the ‘way of intimate’ that really penetrates the space of the suburbs. In fact, only those who love strength prefer to start from what is very far from themselves.

The only way to peer far is to stick to the reason of things, a principle that we can know if we are not misled by dispersion.

By understanding the nature of themselves and creatures, everyone is inspired to complete.

In short, the Road to Heaven is intertwined with the Way of the Person, not with the journey of excellence; not with the path on the models’ base - or we will be overfishers common and cheesy.

The Kingdom has become ‘close’ and by Name since the beginning (vv.2-4): there is no more incisive authentic and healing Mission.

[Wednesday 14th wk. in O.T.  July 9, 2025]

Big emergency, through little Name

(Mt 10:1-7)

"These twelve Jesus sent after he had commanded them, saying, 'Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter the cities of the Samaritans - but go rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.

The proclamation of the new Faith needed breathing space; yet it was to find a dense fire of interdiction, very tenacious, precisely from the frequenters of the ingrained and habitual religiosity - linked to the ideology of power.

The first restriction to Israel had become necessary, precisely in order to uncover the most dangerous devotion: the empty and closed devotion of the synagogue, which - accustomed to the expectation of the extraordinary outside - now waited for nothing authentic to arouse it.

But the meaning of vv.5-6 is also very profound from a personal point of view, and concerns not only the initial restriction to the Chosen People of the Messianic Revelation, of the explicit universalistic openness, or of the Mission.

None of the Apostles were in themselves worthy of the Call; yet they were called, and could accept their Mandate - as if it were already perfect!

Most of them have names typical of Judaism, even from the time of the patriarchs - which indicates a cultural and spiritual background rooted more in religion than in Faith not easy to deal with.

Peter was eager to come forward, but also often backtracked (backtracked) to the point of becoming a 'satan' for Jesus [in the culture of the ancient East, an official of the great ruler, sent to act as a controller and delator - practically an accuser]. James of Zebedee and John were brothers, ardent fundamentalists, and hysterically wanted the Master only for themselves. Philip did not seem a very practical fellow, nor quick-witted or trained to grasp the things of God. Andrew, on the other hand, seemed to do well: an inclusive person. Bartholomew was probably open but perplexed, because the Messiah did not correspond to him much. Thomas was a little in and a little out. Matthew a collaborator, greedy accomplice of the oppressive system. Simon the Canaanite a hothead. Judas Iscariot a self-destructor, trusting the old spiritual guides, imbued with a nationalist ideology, self-interest, opportunism and power. Two others (James son of Alphaeus and Judas Thaddeus) perhaps mere disciples of no great prominence or capacity for initiative.

But the Kingdom is "near" [v.7: "has come near"]: God is in our history - already experienced in the early days, in his first community of sons.

In ancient devotion, the idea of a distant God produced separations, pyramidal hierarchies, the cultivation of inner-circle interests (passed off as great sensitivity and altruism).

The idea of an Eternal leader and avenger allowed a priestly class to proliferate, which instead of conciliating and integrating, neglected and abandoned the irrelevant.

The belief in a divine Presence linked to material abundance dulled minds and the ability to read Redemption.

[The idea of advantage and disadvantage, prosperity and penury, always originate in us or in the conventional mindset, of opinions].

Therefore, it is essential to mature first, wherever we live.

For not infrequently there are less than noble motives for wanting to reach everywhere, to run everywhere (to proselytise), to spread, to increase, and to do so at once.

The man or club of many lusts projects them; and frequently procures in himself or elsewhere his own murky influences.

Concealed infidelities, which, by not proposing simplicity of life and values of the spirit, drive away, building other temples and shrines.

The charge of genuine universality is contained in the rootedness to values, as well as in the knowledge of one's own shortcomings.

Virtuous principles and hidden sides are complementary energetic aspects, and will bear fruit in their own time; in the round.

We must take this deeply, without fatuous projections, even in the unexpressed sides.

In short, it seems a paradox, but openness to the heathen is a purely internal problem.

It is from oneself and from the community that one looks at the world. Not from the too exotic - at least in the first instance.

It is the Way of the Intimate that seriously penetrates the way of the peripheries. Indeed, it is only by loving strength that one prefers to start from the too distant.

One must first heal and complete that which is near.

After all, one who is not free and aware cannot liberate, nor convince - or drag - reality.

The only way then to peer far is to stick to the reason of things, a principle that one knows if not misled by the dispersion of the (even sacred) society of the outside.

Understanding the nature of oneself and of creatures, and conforming to it increasingly, in one's own development, all are inspired to complete and transmute.

This also enriches any cultural sclerosis, without alienating forcing.Thus, exercising a practice of goodness first with oneself... to heal the hardships of others' souls - having known them from within.

For the Tao Tê Ching [XLVII] says:

"Without going out the door, you know the world; without looking out the window, you glimpse the Way to Heaven. The farther you go, the less you know. That is why the saint does not go around and yet knows, does not see and yet discerns, does not act and yet completes.

Only from the Source of being springs a saved life. (It would be harmful to put the cart before the horse).

Are we a sign of dedication and striving people? Without being a sect, after a good formation, inclusive of opposites: integrating faults, bad moments, and intelligence about one's moods.

Not to distinguish the moment of the Calling from that of the Sending.

The Way to Heaven is intertwined with the Way of the Person, not of excellence; not of models - or we will be "fishermen" by the wayside.

The Kingdom has come near and by Name, from the very beginning (vv.2-4): there is no authentic and healing Mission more incisive.

To internalise and live the message:

In your experience, what chain has united Heaven and earth?

The list and effort of transgressions to be neurotically corrected, or a personal Calling, inclusive of your many faces of the soul - a Vocation supported by a Church that became an echo and a free Source of all-round understanding?

To whom would the Apostles be sent? In the Gospel Jesus seemed to limit his mission to Israel alone:  "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel" (Mt 15: 24). In a similar way he seemed to restrict the mission entrusted to the Twelve:  "These Twelve Jesus sent out, charging them:  "Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel'" (Mt 10: 5ff.).

A certain rationally inspired modern criticism saw these words as showing a lack of universal awareness by the Nazarene. Actually, they should be understood in the light of his special relationship with Israel, the community of the Covenant, in continuity with the history of salvation.

According to the Messianic expectation, the divine promises directly addressed to Israel would reach fulfilment when God himself had gathered his people through his Chosen One as a shepherd gathers his flock:  "I will save my flock, they shall no longer be a prey.... I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them; he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, shall be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them" (Ez 34: 22-24).

Jesus is the eschatological shepherd who gathers the lost sheep of the house of Israel and goes in search of them because he knows and loves them (cf. Lk 15: 4-7, Mt 18: 12-14; cf. also the figure of the Good Shepherd in Jn 10: 11ff.). Through this "gathering together", the Kingdom of God is proclaimed to all peoples:  "I will set my glory among the nations; and all the nations shall see my judgment which I have executed, and my hand which I have laid on them" (Ez 39: 21). And Jesus followed precisely this prophetic indication. His first step was to "gather together" the people of Israel, so that all the people called to gather in communion with the Lord might see and believe.

Thus, the Twelve, taken on to share in the same mission as Jesus, cooperate with the Pastor of the last times, also seeking out the lost sheep of the house of Israel, that is, addressing the people of the promise whose reunion is the sign of salvation for all peoples, the beginning of the universalization of the Covenant.

Far from belying the universal openness of the Nazarene's Messianic action, the initial restriction to Israel of his mission and of the Twelve thus becomes an even more effective prophetic sign. After Christ's passion and Resurrection, this sign was to be made clear:  the universal character of the Apostles' mission was to become explicit. Christ would send the Apostles "to the whole creation" (Mk 16: 15), to "all nations", (Mt 28: 19, Lk 24: 47), "to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1: 8).

And this mission continues. The Lord's command to gather the peoples together in the unity of his love still continues. This is our hope and also our mandate:  to contribute to this universality, to this true unity in the riches of cultures, in communion with our true Lord Jesus Christ.

[Pope Benedict, General Audience 22 March 2006]

1. In this Great Jubilee year, the basic theme of our catecheses has been the glory of the Trinity as revealed to us in salvation history. We have reflected on the Eucharist, the greatest celebration of Christ under the humble signs of bread and wine. Now we want to devote several catecheses to what we must do to ensure that the glory of the Trinity shines forth more fully in the world.

Our reflection begins with Mark's Gospel, where we read:  "Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel'" (Mk 1: 14-15). These are the first words Jesus spoke to the crowd:  they contain the heart of his Gospel of hope and salvation, the proclamation of God's kingdom. From that moment on, as the Evangelists note, 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; cf. Lk 8: 1). The Apostles followed in his footsteps and with them Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, called to "preach the kingdom of God" among the nations even to the capital of the Roman Empire (cf. Acts 20: 25; 28: 23, 31).

2. The Gospel of the kingdom links Christ with the Sacred Scriptures that, using a royal image, celebrate God's lordship over the cosmos and history. Thus we read in the Psalter:  "Say among the nations, "The Lord reigns! Yea, the world is established, it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples'" (Ps 96: 10). The kingdom is thus God's effective but mysterious action in the universe and in the tangle of human events. He overcomes the resistance of evil with patience, not with arrogance and outcry.

For this reason Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds, but destined to become a leafy tree (cf. Mt 13: 31-32), or to the seed a man scatters on the ground:  "he sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows, he knows not how" (Mk 4: 27). The kingdom is grace, God's love for the world, the source of our serenity and trust:  "Fear not, little flock", Jesus says, "for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Lk 12: 32). Fears, worries and nightmares fade away, because in the person of Christ the kingdom of God is in our midst (cf. Lk 17: 21).

3. But man is not a passive witness to God's entrance into history. Jesus asks us "to seek" actively "the kingdom of God and his righteousness" and to make this search our primary concern (Mt 6& ;33). To those who "supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately" (Lk 19: 11), he prescribed an active attitude instead of passive waiting, telling them the parable of the 10 pounds to be used productively (cf. Lk 19: 12-27). For his part, the Apostle Paul states that "the kingdom of God does not mean food and drink but righteousness" (Rom 14: 17) above all, and urges the faithul to put their members at the service of righteousness for sanctification (cf. Rom 6: 13, 19).

The human person is thus called to work with his hands, mind and heart for the coming of God's kingdom into the world. This is especially true of those who are called to the apostolate and are, as St Paul says, "fellow workers for the kingdom of God" (Col 4: 11), but it is also true of every human person.

4. Those who have chosen the way of the Gospel Beatitudes and live as "the poor in spirit", detached from material goods, in order to raise up the lowly of the earth from the dust of their humiliation, will enter the kingdom of God. "Has not God chosen those who are poor in the world", James asks in his Letter, "to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he has promised to those who love him?" (Jas 2: 5). Those who lovingly bear the sufferings of life will enter the kingdom:  "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14: 22; cf. 2 Thes 1: 4-5), where God himself "will wipe away every tear ... and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore" (Rv 21: 4). The pure of heart who choose the way of righteousness, that is, conformity to the will of God, will enter the kingdom, as St Paul warns:  "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, ... nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Cor 6: 9-10; cf. 15: 50; Eph 5: 5).

5. All the just of the earth, including those who do not know Christ and his Church, who, under the influence of grace, seek God with a sincere heart (cf. Lumen gentium, n. 16), are thus called to build the kingdom of God by working with the Lord, who is its first and decisive builder. Therefore, we must entrust ourselves to his hands, to his Word, to his guidance, like inexperienced children who find security only in the Father:  "Whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child", Jesus said, "shall not enter it" (Lk 18: 17).

With this thought we must make our own the petition:  "Thy kingdom come!". A petition which has risen to heaven many times in human history like a great breath of hope:  "May the peace of your kingdom come to us", Dante exclaimed in his paraphrase of the Our Father (Purgatorio, XI, 7). A petition which turns our gaze to Christ's return and nourishes the desire for the final coming of God's kingdom. This desire however does not distract the Church from her mission in this world, but commits her to it more strongly (cf. CCC, n. 2818), in waiting to be able to cross the threshold of the kingdom, whose seed and beginning is the Church (cf. Lumen gentium, n. 5), when it comes to the world in its fullness. Then, Peter assures us in his Second Letter, "there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Pt 1: 11).

[Pope John Paul II, General Audience 6 December 2000]

“Jesus began to preach” (Mt 4:17). With these words, the evangelist Matthew introduces the ministry of Jesus. The One who is the Word of God has come to speak with us, in his own words and by his own life. On this first Sunday of the Word of God, let us go to the roots of his preaching, to the very source of the word of life. Today’s Gospel (Mt 4:12-23) helps us to know how, where and to whom Jesus began to preach.

1. How did he begin? With a very simple phrase: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (v. 17). This is the main message of all Jesus’ sermons: to tell us that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. What does this mean? The kingdom of heaven means the reign of God, that is, the way in which God reigns through his relationship with us. Jesus tells us that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, that God is near. Here is the novelty, the first message: God is not far from us. The One who dwells in heaven has come down to earth; he became man. He has torn down walls and shortened distances. We ourselves did not deserve this: he came down to meet us. Now this nearness of God to his people is one of the ways he has done things since the beginning, even of the Old Testament. He said to his people: “Imagine: what nation has its gods so near to it as I am near to you?” (cf. Dt 4:7). And this nearness became flesh in Jesus.

This is a joyful message: God came to visit us in person, by becoming man. He did not embrace our human condition out of duty, no, but out of love. For love, he took on our human nature, for one embraces what one loves. God took our human nature because he loves us and desires freely to give us the salvation that, alone and unaided, we cannot hope to attain. He wants to stay with us and give us the beauty of life, peace of heart, the joy of being forgiven and feeling loved.

[Pope Francis, homily 26 January 2020]

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (year C)  [6 July 2025]

May God bless us and the Virgin Mary protect us! Even though we are entering the holiday season, I will continue to provide you with comments on the Sunday Bible readings.

*First Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (66:10-14)

When a prophet speaks so much of consolation, it means that things are going very badly, so he feels the need to console and keep hope alive: this text was therefore written at a difficult time. The author, Third Isaiah, is one of the distant disciples of the great Isaiah and is preaching to the exiles who returned from Babylonian exile around 535 BC. Their long-awaited return proved disappointing in every respect because after 50 years everything had changed. Jerusalem bore the scars of the catastrophe of 587 when it was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar; the Temple was in ruins, as was much of the city, and the exiles had not received the triumphant welcome they had hoped for.  The prophet speaks of mourning and consolation, but in the face of the prevailing discouragement, he is not content with words of comfort, but even dares to make an almost triumphal speech: "Rejoice with Jerusalem, all you who love her. Rejoice with her, all you who mourn for her" (v. 10). Where does this optimism come from? The answer is simple: from faith, or rather from the experience of Israel, which continues to hope in every age because it is certain that God is always present and, even when all seems lost, knows that nothing is impossible for God. Even in times of great discouragement during the Exodus, it was proclaimed: "Has the Lord's arm been shortened?  (Num 11:23), an image that recurs several times in the book of Isaiah. During the exile, when hope was wavering, Second Isaiah communicated on behalf of God: "Is my hand too short to deliver?" (Isaiah 50:2) And after the return, in a period of great concern, the Third Isaiah, whom we read today, takes up the same image twice, both in chapter 59:1 and in the last verse of today's reading: "The hand of the Lord will be made known to his servants" (v. 14). God, who has delivered his people so many times in the past, will never abandon them. Even on its own, the term 'hand' is an allusion to the exodus from Egypt, when God intervened with a mighty hand and outstretched arm. Verse 11 of today's text: "You will be nursed and satisfied at the breast of his consolations" recalls the terrible trial of faith that the people experienced in the desert when they were hungry and thirsty, and even then God assured them of what was necessary.  This reference to the book of Exodus offers two lessons: on the one hand, God wants us to be free and supports all our efforts to establish justice and freedom; but on the other hand, our cooperation is important and necessary. The people left Egypt thanks to God's intervention, and Israel never forgets this, but it had to walk towards the promised land, sometimes with great difficulty. Then, in verse 13, when Isaiah promises on God's behalf, "I will make peace flow like a river," this does not mean that peace will be established magically. The Lord is always faithful to his promises: we must continue to believe that he remains and works at our side in every situation. At the same time, it is essential that we act because peace, justice and happiness need our convinced and generous contribution. 

*Responsorial Psalm (65/66, 1-3a, 4-5, 6-7a, 16.20)

 As is often the case, the last verse sums up the meaning of the entire psalm: 'Blessed be God who has not rejected my prayer, who has not denied me his mercy' (v. 20). The vocabulary used shows that this psalm is a song of thanksgiving: "Shout, sing, give him glory... let all the earth bow down before you... I will tell of all his deeds," probably composed to accompany the sacrifices in the Temple of Jerusalem. It is not an individual who speaks, but the entire people giving thanks to God. Israel gives thanks as always for its deliverance from Egypt with very clear references: "He turned the sea into dry land... they passed through the river on foot"; or: "Come and see the works of God, terrible in his deeds towards men". Even the expression "the works of God" in the Bible always refers to the liberation from Egypt. Moreover, the similarity between this psalm and the song of Moses after the crossing of the Red Sea (Ex 15) is striking, an event that illuminates the entire history of Israel: God's work for his people has no other purpose than to free them from all forms of slavery. This is the meaning of chapter 66 of Isaiah, which we read this Sunday in the first reading: in a very dark period of Jerusalem's history, after the Babylonian exile, the message is clear: God will comfort you. We do not know if this psalm was composed at the same time, but in any case the context is the same because it was written to be sung in the Temple of Jerusalem, and the faithful who flock there on pilgrimage foreshadow the whole of humanity that will go up to Jerusalem at the end of time. And if the text of Isaiah announces the new Jerusalem where all nations will flock, the psalm responds: 'Acclaim God, all you of the earth... let all the earth bow down before you... let them sing hymns to your name'. The promised joy is the central theme of these two texts: when times are hard, we must remember that God wants nothing but our happiness and that one day his joy will fill the whole earth, as Isaiah writes, to which the psalm echoes: "Come, listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he has done for me" (vv. 16, 20). The texts of the prophet Isaiah and the psalmist are immersed in the same atmosphere, but they are not on the same level: the prophet expresses God's revelation, while the psalm is man's prayer. When God speaks, he is concerned with the glory and happiness of Jerusalem. When the people, through the voice of the psalmist, speak, they give God the glory that belongs to him alone: "Shout for joy, all you people of the earth; sing to God, sing praises to his name; give him glory with praise" (vv. 1-3). Finally, the psalm becomes the voice of all Israel: "Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his mercy from me" (v. 20). A wonderful way of saying that love will have the last word.

*Second Reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Galatians (6:14-18)

"As for me, there is no other boast than the cross." Paul's insistence on the cross as his only boast suggests that there is a problem. In fact, the letter to the Galatians begins with a strong rebuke because the believers had very quickly turned from Christ to another gospel, and some were sowing confusion by wanting to overturn the gospel of Christ. Those sowing discord were Jews who had converted to Christianity (Jewish Christians) who wanted to force everyone to practise all the prescriptions of the Jewish religion, including circumcision. Paul then warns them because he fears that behind the discussion about whether or not to be circumcised there lies a real heresy, since only faith in Christ, made concrete by Baptism, saves us, and imposing circumcision would be tantamount to denying this, considering the cross of Christ insufficient. For this reason, he reminds the Galatians that their only boast is the cross of Christ. But to understand Paul, it must be clarified that for him the cross is an event and he does not focus only on the sufferings of Jesus: for him it is the central event in the history of the world. The cross—that is, Christ crucified and risen—has reconciled God and humanity, and has reconciled people among themselves. When he writes that through the cross of Christ, 'the world has been crucified to me', he means that since the event of the cross, the world has been definitively transformed and nothing will ever be the same again, as he also writes in his letter to the Colossians (Col 1:19-20). The proof that the cross is the decisive event in history is that death has been conquered: Christ is risen. For Paul, the cross and the resurrection are inseparable, since they are one and the same event. From the cross, a new creation was born, in contrast to the old world. Throughout this letter, Paul contrasts the regime of the Mosaic Law with the regime of faith; life according to the flesh and life according to the Spirit; the old slavery and the freedom we receive from Jesus Christ. By adhering to Christ through faith, we become free to live according to the Spirit. The old world is at war and humanity does not believe that God is merciful love and, as a result, by disobeying his commandments, creates rivalry and wars for power and money. The new creation, on the contrary, is the obedience of the Son, his total trust, his forgiveness of his executioners, his cheek turned to those who tear his beard, as Isaiah writes. The Passion of Christ was a culmination of hatred and injustice perpetrated in the name of God; but Christ made it a culmination of non-violence, gentleness and forgiveness. And we, in turn, grafted onto the Son, are made capable of the same obedience and the same love. This extraordinary conversion, which is the work of the Spirit of God, inspires Paul to write a particularly incisive formula: Through the cross, the world is crucified for me and I for the world, which means: The way of life according to the world is abolished; we now live according to the Spirit, and this becomes a source of pride for Christians. Proclaiming the cross of Christ is not easy, and when he says, 'I bear the marks of Jesus on my body', he is alluding to the persecutions he himself suffered for proclaiming the Gospel. A final note: this is the only Pauline writing that ends with the word 'brothers'. After arguing with the Galatians, Paul finally finds in his community the brotherhood that binds evangelisers to the evangelised, and the only source of this rediscovered love is 'in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ' (v. 18). 

*From the Gospel according to Luke (10:1-20)

 This page of the Gospel presents Jesus on his way to Jerusalem. After overcoming all temptations and defeating the prince of this world, he must pass on the baton to his disciples, who in turn must pass it on to their successors. The mission is too important and precious and must be shared. First, there is the invitation to pray to "the Lord of the harvest to send workers into his harvest" (v. 2). God knows everything, but he invites us to pray so that we may allow ourselves to be enlightened by him. Prayer is never intended to inform God: that would be presumptuous on our part, but it prepares us to allow ourselves to be transformed by him. He thus sends the large group of disciples on mission, providing them with all the necessary advice to face trials and obstacles that are well known to him. When they are rejected, as Jesus experienced in Samaria, they must not be discouraged but, setting out, they will proclaim to all: "The Kingdom of God is near you" (v. 9).  And they will add: "Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet, we shake off against you" (v. 11). Here are some specific instructions for the disciples. "I am sending you out as lambs among wolves" (v. 3), which indicates that we must always remain meek as lambs, since the mission of the disciple is to bring peace: "Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house. If there is a son of peace there, your peace will rest on him'" (vv. 5-6). In other words, we must believe at all costs in the contagious power of peace, because when we sincerely wish for peace, peace truly grows. And if someone does not accept you, do not let yourselves be weighed down by failure and rejection. Every disciple will have a difficult life because, if Jesus himself had nowhere to lay his head, this will also be the case for his disciples. For this reason, they must learn to live day by day without worrying about tomorrow, content with eating and drinking what is served, just as in the desert the people of God could gather manna only for that day. To evangelise, they will take with them only the essentials: "no purse, no bag, no sandals" (v. 4) and "do not go from house to house" (v. 7). There will often be painful choices to make because of the urgency of the mission, and it will be important to resist the temptation of the vanity of success: "Do not rejoice that the demons submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven" (v. 20). The desire for fame has always been a trap for disciples, but true apostles are not necessarily the most famous. We might think that the seventy-two disciples passed the test well because, on their return, Jesus was able to say, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from the sky" (v. 18).  As he began his final march to Jerusalem, Jesus felt great comfort because of this, so much so that Luke immediately tells us: "At that moment, he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, 'I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.

+Giovanni D'Ercole