Solemnity of Pentecost, living Tradition

In the Sacred Hymns, Manzoni compares the spiritual fall of humanity to the plummeting of a great stone down a "splintered" slope; a boulder that finally "beats on the bottom and stands".

By nature, we do not have the ability to push back our boulder, rolled downhill and "abandoned to the rush of noisy landslide" [nor indeed to provide for its splintering].

But the Lord knows man in his need, and knows that not infrequently - in the time of our distress - by expressing ourselves even hastily, we make situations worse.

It is a condition rather than a fault.

Heaven comes to help us internalise; to set us on the path to indestructible Happiness, preventing tears from destroying even the soul.

To this end, the Spirit disposes to experience an eminent Attinence, of Abode and Reciprocity, of Interpretation and Root.

Its powerful wind - Ruah - is called 'Holy' both for its supreme quality and for its activity: to 'sanctify', that is, to separate people from the chasm of self-destruction.

And a profound discernment on the subject of life and death is not within our grasp.

That is why no less than four of the traditional seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit have a character of profound knowledge.

The global understanding of things is what characterises the Gift of Wisdom [from the Latin sāpere, to have taste] that transmits to concrete existence the taste of God Himself.

Wisdom infuses the believer with a subtle understanding, from the divine point of view, of the panorama and the individual sections of our journey: doubtful, uncertain, conditioned by outline situations.

God's eye catches the person in his or her radical destitution, which seeks completion (just as the rush of attempts or external opinions and influences plays tricks).

This is why, in traditional ascetics, Wisdom - the standard of God - was considered to bring the theological virtue of Charity to perfection. 

In short, man in himself is not autonomous: he needs to be filled and saved.

Wisdom is the source of insight into our limitations: the principle of tolerance of others. 

It conveys a balanced connaturality, and a different 'scent' in relationships; a pillar of a life dedicated to the good.

The Gift of Intellect [intus-lēgere, to read within things] uncovers God's weave in history and helps one evaluate oneself.

Deciphering the signs of the times with insight, we discover the not purely earthly dimension of events. Thus, divine grains deposited in creation and happenings.

We see deeply: that is why it was considered a Gift that brings to perfection the theological virtue of Faith: it guides us to the heart of things and does not let us judge trivially.

The Council leads to the evaluative exercise of the cardinal virtue of Prudence.

Once upon a time, the spiritual fathers associated it with the explanation of the passage of the adulteress: she saved from the hypocrites and the old rotters made immediately and finally conscious.

A gift that makes us understand the Plan of Salvation and helps us decide for the best in situations of unforeseen urgency or immediate danger.

It is capacity for discernment against precipitation.

The Council emphasises dialogue and synergy with regard to practice and prospects for personal fulfilment.

E.g.: how many times have we listened to the advice of parents and grandparents - to understand the world and treasure their experience and expertise!

For us who struggle to discover the things at hand, such a Gift opens wide God's direction: what is expedient in order to our maturity and ultimate Purpose.

The Gift of Science also brings the virtue of Faith to perfection, as it makes us understand the (extraordinary) value and the (so ordinary) limit of creatures.

Science from above does not allow one to fall into materialism, nor contempt for worldly things - which ultimately is denial of the ineffable and supreme work of the Creator.

From the indescribably small of Quantum Physics, to the infinitely large of Relativity [and their strange universe of missing correlations] we marvel at God.

Everything speaks of Him and can lead us to the Eternal. However, nothing captures it absolutely.

Knowing reality on a broad spectrum - as well as the vital contribution of different viewpoints and cultures - can also make one understand one's neighbour.

And it induces one to behave competently among things: of thought, of psyche, of soul.

Love unsupported by a capacity for versed discernment not infrequently drifts.

In the age of the fake connoisseur and dirigiste, there is perhaps nothing more devastating than an unprepared person unleashed into action.

My carpenter father knew that the best in his field is not the craftsman who makes the most chips.

The ancient spiritual fathers gladly reiterated: 'per Scientiam homo cognoscit defecus suos et rerum mundanarum'.We see this in the approximate teachings and even in the paroxysms of theologies devoured by vanity: intimate and closed, or practical but external; disembodied, fable-like, or baleful.

Thanks to the Gift of Fortitude, by recognising ourselves as weak we make room for God's vigour, not only in great trials.

A pinprick action can crumble our life more than a sabre rattling.

And he who has no inner strength is sick, conformist in his difficulties; he staggers and washes his hands of it.

Minimalism attenuates, it enervates, it makes men become bonsai men, who vegetate for a long time - remaining shrunken.

Constancy, courage and tenacity are an aid to weakness; only with grit do we give our best, even in our relationship with God - perfecting the same cardinal virtue of fortitude.

The Gift of Pietas - a family virtue - infuses religion with the heart; the character of intimacy and tenderness.

It is a childlike feeling that integrates and thins out the slave's fear of the master.

At one time it was considered a Gift that brought to the summit the cardinal virtue of Justice [towards God] not as a duty of worship, but as an expression of friendship.

Recognition of Gratuity received without merit: creaturely and redemptive.

The Fear of God finally drove to perfection the theological virtue of Hope, the character of the living being that awaits everything from the Father.

Pentecost was a Jewish festival celebrating the gift of the Law. The change of pace of the Faith has transformed it into the birthday of the people who unfold the Lord's loving Face in history.

Not because of a different doctrine, but because of the Action of a Motive and Engine that brings us, and renews the world in a way you do not expect.

Perhaps with passive rather than active virtues. Thanks to an infused or innate Knowledge, spontaneous and natural, rather than artificial.

Dwelling in the Person led back to the Source and in the web of the We, the Father does not pronounce Himself by issuing laws like the God-master of ancient religions.

Rather, it is expressed in the polyphonic creativity of life and in the unheard of love - the only convincing language capable of edifying. 

Understandable to all.

In short, in the conviviality of differences each one is himself, in a relationship of enriching exchange.

Transparency in the flesh of the celestial condition.

Thus the Incarnation continues: reflection in the human of the unity, truth and intensity of Father-Son understanding.

Here even dust can become Splendour, because the complex of individual cardinal and theological virtues is sublimated and perfected in Relation: the We of the Spirit.

Such founding Eros is something else: even capable of transmuting our incoherence into an energetic state for New Horizons.

(Jn 14:15-16, 23-26)

Those who fall in love unleash a new energy: never again will they be orphans

(Jn 14:15-21)

Jesus replaces the commandments of legalistic religion with His own commandments (His own Person and His own values). One cannot love someone who is accustomed to keeping score.

The different expressions of love are infinitely more important than a code of laws - that of Moses - and the proliferation of rules typical of tradition, if it makes us nervous and dissatisfied (even if well-established).

The complacent person tends to drag himself along according to interpretations and ways of behaving that deviate from his own deepest being.

Attached to worn-out and obsolete rules, we continue to give old answers to new problems, refusing to accept emancipation and the joy of discovery. The same is true of innovations that bring us closer, of new ways of thinking that allow us to grasp God as alive, always present, and therefore capable, through his incessant action, of giving us a face that humanises us.

When they become excessively entrenched, deviant customs close us off to the impulses of the Spirit of Truth, and precisely in the name of God. In this way, they corrupt and supplant the purity of the Source and, in a cascade effect, the innate fragrance of our particular essences.

Instead, the Paraclete within us defends us from external hostilities and also from the inner powers that do evil: e.g., fears of responding to the authentic Call, cravings for power and appearance, which drag us away from life.

Attempts to enrich ourselves, yes, but seeking the most varied reciprocity of qualities and accentuating the same resources in our neighbour.

God reveals himself in a personal face, therefore the Spirit is the Defender who allows us to make mistakes.

He extinguishes the panic of unexpected beginnings, gives us a glimpse of the magic that protects us, and helps us to overcome the ambush of perfectionism, which always risks striking even the beginnings of our vocational endeavours.

The innate Friend frees us from our persona, our armour, our anxiety to perform, our desire not to disappoint the opinions and expectations of those around us. 

He brings us back down to earth and forces us to look inside ourselves. By losing ourselves and wandering, we will find our centre in him.

Our Ally helps us understand the meaning of bad moments—those that seem like a pile of misfortunes—the embarrassing moments, the failures, the times when (e.g., due to a series of bereavements and persecutions) it seems that we are attracting negativity like a magnet.

In critical situations, we are guided to detach ourselves from the exterior, which ends up drying us up and causing us to lose sight of our own Core, our hidden Spirit.

When the reality around us becomes precarious, our inner core is forced to find the right distance from external things.

If reality forces us to sweep everything away, we are put in a position where we have to seek and open up new paths: unexpected ideas, energies and initiatives will emerge.

Sometimes it will be chaos itself that solves the real problems, generated more by our habitual lifestyle (or point of view) than by reality.

Confusion perhaps arises too often, but it allows us to finally question our real interests, what we are not giving space to. For example, what aspects, inclinations, activities and relationships would deeply correspond to us and make us all feel good?

So instead of living distracted and carried along by dynamics that do not belong to us, we would learn to live intensely in the present. We would learn to welcome and read what the tide of life brings in terms of novelty, every day and from time to time.

By loosening our controls, judgements, project-driven anxieties, dirigisme and voluntarism, we would let the Gift become the Deposit, the real fact suggest the path, and take the lead in our experiences.

By giving in, step by step, we would learn to let ourselves be flooded: and it would be what invades us that would make us flourish again, through processes that elaborate the unthinkable.

If, by chance, we have muted our passions so as not to appear weak, or made artificial choices to favour consensus around us - and self-control... If we have not yet learned to be direct, the Paraclete will help bring out the free part, the part where our mission lies - instead of a showcase career (even an ecclesiastical one).

The more we are human in the harmony of the Love we have received, which is transformed into friendship communicated to ourselves and others, the more we will allow the divine Gold to emerge in us and in the harmonies that bring us back to the home that is truly ours.

By living our emotions with less interventionism, we would work with passion, expressing ourselves in our vocation and not as others expect us to; perhaps we would do things in a way that is completely contrary to expectations and intentions... 

But by breaking the monotony, we would allow opposing polarities to coexist, and the Heart would become increasingly friendly to our destiny.

In biblical terms, Spirit (Ruah) does not designate an ineffable entity, but a real one: it is a powerful breath, capable of blowing away everything that wants to remain fixed and installed.

God is Spirit not because he is invisible and unreachable, but because his action expresses an overwhelming, uncontainable, impetuous force. It is our dream to participate in this Wind with its unpredictable effects.

The Spirit moves and gives the impetus to set things in motion: the source of life, the instrument of God's work in history.

Religious law can also point in the right direction, but it does not give conviction, it does not make us understand the absurdity of love and its incredible fruitfulness, nor does it transmit to us the energy that leads us to our destination.

For this reason, Jesus is not a model, but a motive and a driving force: he did not just teach us a way, but he still communicates to us his impetus to achieve the goal of life.

His Spirit is called Paraclete ("called alongside", a term borrowed from legal language): a sort of lawyer who stood beside the defendant in court to exonerate him - in perfect silence.

It is the Spirit of Christ that renders evil powerless and accusations against us futile. In the face of difficulties, we can move forward without letting our arms fall.

The Spirit of the Lord is also at the service of Truth (theological): the Faithfulness of divine Love.

In short: while the Church offers new answers to new questions, it is the Spirit of Truth that ensures that the Gospel is not corrupted, but rather introduces disciples to the fullness of life and the unexpected richness and radicality of its own Call.

We will never say anything new, nor the opposite: by remaining open to its impulses, we will grasp to the full the Mystery that envelops the meaning of our life in Christ.

Dwelling and reciprocity, interpretation and roots

Generating from below

(Jn 14:21-26)

The Father's love unites us to Christ through a call that manifests itself wave upon wave. And on this path, the Son himself reveals himself, thanks also to authentic community life.

The Gospel passage reflects the question-and-answer catechesis typical of the Johannine communities in Asia Minor, committed to questioning themselves: this time the theme of misunderstanding is introduced by Judas, not Iscariot.

The Jews too had been waiting for an eloquent public statement in order to believe in the divine nature of Jesus of Nazareth. Perhaps such a humble manifestation could only generate scepticism.

Why does He remain hidden, and why do even His closest friends not react more strongly? Wouldn't an open and sensational twist be more appropriate?

And why live through difficulties from within? Then, why were relationships considered 'important' viewed with growing aversion, as alien and irritating?

Well, the vulnerable messianism of Christ—apparently defensive, evasive—is not the kind that dispels doubts.

He remained unadorned. In this way, he did not lose his naturalness, as if he had perceived the danger of high-sounding aberrations, all external.

The authentic Messiah protected his identity, his human, spiritual and missionary character. In this way, he avoided all the excessive glorious titles expected in the theological culture of ancient Israel.

The life of faith in us also continues invisibly: not surrounded by external miracles and strong sensations... rather, innervated by convictions (recognised in ourselves).

In this time of a new relationship with God and our brothers and sisters, the ancient concept of the Anointed One of the Lord who observes and imposes the Law of the chosen people (with force) on all nations has no relevance.

In any condition and latitude, God is always present and at work, starting from the core, to help us rediscover the breath of being.

The Father, the Son and believers form, in mutual knowledge, a wide circle of love, reciprocity and obedience, through free responses that are neither stereotypical nor paralysing.

Do not get bogged down in details and case studies, but focus on fundamental choices.

"My commandments" [v. 21: subjective genitive] is a theological expression that designates the very Person of the Risen One in action.

"Person" unfolded in human history thanks to his mystical Body: the diverse People of God, whose multifaceted nature is an added value (not a limitation or contamination of purity).

Of course, Love is the only reality that cannot be 'commanded'.

But Jesus designates and advocates it as such to emphasise the detachment from the Sinai Covenant, which it summarises but replaces.

The plural form 'commandments' recognises the range of various forms of exchangeability and personalisation of love.

No orientation, doctrine or code can ever surpass it, or vice versa, render it muddled.In the Gospels, love is not spoken of in terms of feeling [of emotion subject to fluctuations, or regulated on the basis of the perfections of the beloved] but as real action, a gesture that makes the other feel free and adequate.

The People of God reflect Christ to the extent that they develop their destiny by living totally of gift, response, exchange and superabundance in Gratuitousness.

All this in a way that is increasingly new for each person, for every micro or macro-relational situation; age, characteristics, type of defects, or prevailing cultural paradigm.

In short, the Lord does not want us to exalt ourselves by detaching ourselves from the earth and from our brothers and sisters: the honour due to the Father is that which we give to his children.

Therefore, there is no need to lift ourselves up through ascetic observance ['ascending' as in going up to the next floor: the lift only goes down].

It is He who reveals Himself, offering Himself to us: this is His joy.

He comes down from 'heaven'.

He manifests himself in us and in the folds of history, revealing his desire to merge with our lives (v. 21) in order to increase them, complete them and enhance their capacities (in qualitative terms).

The Apostles, conditioned by conventional religious thinking - all about appearances - wonder about Jesus' attitude, which is modest and not inclined to spectacle (v. 22).

They do not accept a Messiah who does not impose himself on everyone, who does not amaze the world, who does not shout proclamations like a madman.

The Master prefers that we recognise in his Word an active correspondence with the desire for integral life that we carry within us (vv. 23-24).

This Logos-event must be taken up into our being as a Call distinct from the commonplaces of widespread, conformist, and alien thinking.

In fact, this Appeal contains a sympathy, an understanding, an arrow, an efficient and creative vigour, which becomes Fire and the solidity of a personal Presence, starting from within - at once faint and resounding.

In ancient forensic culture, 'Paraclitus' (v. 26) was the name given to the eminent figure in the assembly - today we would call him a sort of lawyer - who stood silently beside the defendant to justify him.

[The latter may have been guilty, but deserving of forgiveness; however, he needed a sort of public guarantor to vouch for him. Or he may have been innocent, but unable or incapable of finding witnesses in his favour to exonerate him...]

This attribute of the Spirit alludes to an intensity, an intimate foundation and reciprocity of silent Relationship that becomes Person, and knows where to go; that leads the heart, the character, life itself, not to the pillory, but to the full flowering of ourselves.

Thanks to His support, we are not enchanted by high-sounding roles, strong words, formulas, impressions, or tumultuous feelings: we enter into the demanding, fulfilled depth of Love.

We broaden our field. We welcome a different guiding image, one that presses and takes us by surprise, but subtly; it does not reproach or scold us.

It is an experience that takes place without earthquakes, thunder and lightning - partial - but through the action of the Spirit who internalises, accompanies, nourishes, and makes the interpretation of the Word up-to-date and alive (v. 26).

The message of the Gospels has a generative root that cannot be reduced to a unilateral and cumbersome experience, all codified and moralistic but empty as in sectarian situations, always in struggle with themselves and the world. 

Venturing into their own Exodus, each person discovers hidden resources and a broadening of perspectives that expand and complete their being, broadening the experience of the vocational character that corresponds to them.

Between life on the move and the Word of God - the golden rule that gives self-esteem - an unpredictable, versatile, eclectic, non-one-sided understanding is ignited, which transcends identity chains.

In its scope, the Call remains the same, but over time it expands awareness of its facets, integrating them.

Rich and not yet ratified forms of expression, Creator and creature do not express themselves authentically in a fixed, sanctioned way, with reference to a code of doctrine and discipline, but in the excessive freedom of life.

Even today, with new needs and questions overwhelming us, there is an appropriate abundance of new answers - finally also from the Magisterium.

Plausible in the adventure of Faith, but which would drive any religion mad.

To internalise and live the message:

Do you recognise the work of the Spirit or do you reject it as a nuisance? What strikes you about the new Magisterium?

Do you find this approach in the Proclamation, in Catechesis, in Animation, in Pastoral Care and in your own journey?

Unable to sin

(Acts 2:1-11)

Pentecost is the feast of the Gift, quite simply. The language of Acts of the Apostles is quite striking and colourful: it infuses the event with symbolic prodigies that are good to decipher.

Thunder, lightning, wind and fire were the images that accompanied the revelation of the ancient law. With them Lk wants to emphasise the power of the world to come.

The rabbis claimed that at Sinai the Words of God took the form of seventy tongues of fire - saying that the entire Torah was intended for the multitudes, even the pagans.

According to traditional interpretation, the divine Words had made themselves visible ["the people saw the voices"; Hebrew text] in the form of flames that had carved the stone tablets prepared by Moses (Ex 20:18).

Against this backdrop, Lk intends to present the gift of the new Law - that of the Spirit - and employs the same biblical icons to make itself understood, not to chronicle details.

The vigorous figures suggest a powerful explosion, which throws all life into the air - that is the point.

This is to say: for a radical liberation from the old structures that masked sin and (too many) duplicities, obsessions or quietisms, the divine Spirit must come.

Only its unexpected and shattering power can change the face of the earth and bring about radical transformations.

It is impossible to achieve this authentically, generating any upheaval from the limit of our genius and muscles.

It is beyond our capabilities to bring down conditioning, atavistic barriers, and activate the multifaceted Newness of God that humanises us.

Only a founding relationship can convince us that courageous initiatives and the triumph of life pass through a form of death. Death of common thinking, of the old world, of conditionings and fashions - and of the emptiness of selfhood.

An essential work - to encounter the multiplicity of faces; our own and others'.

The "many tongues spoken" are precisely to indicate the now biting universalism of the message of Christ and his Church.

The Gift comes from a Presence 'within' us and events. But it is destined precisely for the multitudes, with no more barriers.

The disaster of Babel is redeemed both from above and from below, because here and now dissimilarities become valuable resources.

He who allows himself to be guided by the Spirit recovers the many facets, also of the [personal and non]shadow sides.

In this way it is expressed in the language that everyone understands: Communion, conviviality of differences.

It is the love that treasures everything and brings everyone together (vv.7-11), doing away with the idolatrous fixations of selective religion - that of purities with individualist or ethnic overtones; idolatries linked to cultural extraction.

All New Testament authors start from the reality of the Spirit's presence; Lk dares to 'describe' it.

The descent of the Spirit is thus placed on the day of Pentecost, fifty days after Easter.

But in Jn (20:22) Jesus communicates the Spirit that animates believers and the Church... on the very day of the Resurrection.

As the liturgy itself proposes in its signs and symbolic expressions, the Easter Mystery is One.

To put it bluntly: the Crucified One "delivered the Spirit" already from the Cross (Jn 19:30).

Lk describes the dense meaning of the one Paschal Mystery-reality in three successive 'moments'-aspects of the disciples' maturation.

They become 'apostles' [Resurrection, Ascension, Pentecost] not to convey to us a chronicle of particular events, but to help us understand their significance and manifold aspects.

Jn instead places the delivery of the Spirit from the Cross and on Easter evening, to highlight it as the global Gift of the Risen Crucified.

The author of Acts emblematically places this delivery on the day of Pentecost, to emphasise the relationship and detachment from the Jewish feast.

This feast, however, provided a perfect setting: it was a pilgrimage feast that drew both Palestinian and Diaspora Jews to Jerusalem.

The "official" origins of the Community made aware of its task as "Outgoing Sender" was nourished - in addition - by a subtle reference to the Spirit of Creation.

The breath of the Ruah - divine Spirit [in Hebrew of the feminine gender] becomes the vital breath and impetuous wind that invests the "House" (v.2) regenerating and forcing the fearful followers, still seated in the Temple (Lk 24:53).

The ancient Pentecost celebrated the arrival of the people at Mount Sinai and the gift of the Law [which theologised the agricultural feast of thanksgiving for the wheat harvest, which in turn concluded the cycle of reborn nature that had begun at Passover and preceded the Feast of Tents later held at the great autumn harvest; In the tradition of the shepherds, Passover was a theologisation of the apotropaic rite of the sacrifice of a lamb to propitiate the outcome of the spring transhumance, while Pentecost was its concluding feast on the heights and preceded the return to the folds the following autumn].

Lk wants to teach that the Spirit has replaced the Torah: it has become the new norm of behaviour and the only non-external criterion of communion with God.

The author evokes the traditional Jewish feast, almost by comparison - to mark its fulfilment-fullness. But like Easter, Pentecost is also stretched towards the future.

The evangelist wants to demonstrate the breadth of the Spirit's destination over "twelve" different regions, conveyed by the fire of the Word (v.3), which empowered the Proclamation to all nations on earth.

But first of all, Lk intends to make us understand its real incisiveness.

The author of the third Gospel and of Acts realises that in order to obtain works of righteousness and love, it is not enough for men to show the right way.

It is the Eternal Himself who must become the reliable subject of history, the sole propeller of life.

Therefore, God had to change our hearts: precepts and counsels are not enough to change the deep instincts of people and peoples.

External regulation only makes us epidermic: it does not grasp the intimate, it does not convince the heart.

Every genuine action is the expression of a profound adhesion, of a desire of the soul, of a compelling intimate impulse.

The law of the Spirit is a kind of fantasy in power, but it does not stand outside, nor does it require in itself any effort against its own character - at root.

The 'new heart' is the very Life of God that enters into us to transform us, not in moralistic or model terms - but by expanding existence in a genuine way, starting from the seed, from our core.

When the Life of the Eternal pulsates in anyone's soul, it spontaneously manifests God in human history.

And it produces its vital works - with an unthinkable action, transmuting us from brambles into fruitful trees.

With no more artifice and duplicity, our uncertain desert becomes a garden.

We even begin to love with God's own quality of love - sometimes without even the purpose or discipline, or the very knowledge that we want to do so.

Since the Spirit takes up residence in any woman or man, they no longer need to be taught by the opinion of others: they can finally be themselves.

"And this is the Promise that He has made to us: the Life of the Eternal. This I have written to you concerning those who seek to deceive you. And as for you, the anointing you have received from Him remains in you and you do not need anyone to instruct you. But just as His anointing teaches you all things and is true and does not lie, so now abide in Him as He has instructed you" (1 John 2:25-27).

All that remains external or distant vanishes, and effortlessly loses consistency.

This is because there is no longer any law or cerebral thought that holds, nor any obligation of any kind.

We become 'incapable of sin': we have passed from the religious sense that intimidated and made us prone, to the full dignity of Faith.

"Whoever is born of God does not commit sin, because a divine seed dwells in him, and he cannot sin, because he is born of God" (1Jn 3:9).

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

In the solemn celebration of Pentecost we are invited to profess our faith in the presence and in the action of the Holy Spirit and to invoke his outpouring upon us, upon the Church and upon the whole world. With special intensity, let us make our own the Church's invocation: Veni, Sancte Spiritus! It is such a simple and spontaneous invocation, yet also extraordinarily profound, which came first of all from the heart of Christ. The Spirit is indeed the gift that Jesus asked and continues to ask of his Father for his friends; the first and principal gift that he obtained for us through his Resurrection and Ascension into heaven. 

Today's Gospel passage, which has the Last Supper as its context, speaks to us of this prayer of Christ. The Lord Jesus said to his disciples: "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor, to be with you for ever" (Jn 14: 15-16). Here the praying heart of Jesus is revealed to us, his filial and fraternal heart. This prayer reaches its apex and its fulfilment on the Cross, where Christ's invocation is one with the total gift that he makes of himself, and thus his prayer becomes, so to speak, the very seal of his self-gift out of love of the Father and humanity. Invocation and donation of the Holy Spirit meet, they permeate each other, they become one reality. "And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor, to be with you for ever". In reality, Jesus' prayers that of the Last Supper and that on the Cross form a single prayer that continues even in heaven, where Christ sits at the right hand of the Father. Jesus, in fact, always lives his intercessional priesthood on behalf of the people of God and humanity and so prays for all of us, asking the Father for the gift of the Holy Spirit. 

The account of Pentecost in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles we listened to it in the First Reading (cf. Acts 2: 1-11) presents the "new course" of the work that God began with Christ's Resurrection, a work that involves mankind, history and the cosmos. The Son of God, dead and Risen and returned to the Father, now breathes with untold energy the divine breath upon humanity, the Holy Spirit. And what does this new and powerful self-communication of God produce? Where there are divisions and estrangement the Paraclete creates unity and understanding. The Spirit triggers a process of reunification of the divided and dispersed parts of the human family. People, often reduced to individuals in competition or in conflict with each other, when touched by the Spirit of Christ open themselves to the experience of communion, which can involve them to such an extent as to make of them a new body, a new subject: the Church. This is the effect of God's work: unity; thus unity is the sign of recognition, the "business card" of the Church throughout her universal history. From the very beginning, from the Day of Pentecost, she speaks all languages. The universal Church precedes the particular Churches, and the latter must always conform to the former according to a criterion of unity and universality. The Church never remains a prisoner within political, racial and cultural confines; she cannot be confused with States nor with Federations of States, because her unity is of a different type and aspires to transcend every human frontier. 

From this, dear brothers, derives a practical criterion for discerning Christian life: when a person or a community limits itself to its own way of thinking and acting, it is a sign that it has distanced itself from the Holy Spirit. The path of Christians and of the particular Churches must always coincide with the path of the one, catholic Church, and harmonize with it. This does not mean that the unity created by the Holy Spirit is a kind of egalitarianism. On the contrary, that is rather the model of Babel, or in other words, the imposition of a culture characterized by what we could define as "technical" unity. In fact, the Bible tells us (cf. Gen 11: 1-9) that in Babel everyone spoke the same language. At Pentecost, however, the Apostles speak different languages in such a way that everyone understands the message in his own tongue. The unity of the Spirit is manifest in the plurality of understanding. The Church is one and multiple by her nature, destined as she is to live among all nations, all peoples, and in the most diverse social contexts. She responds to her vocation to be a sign and instrument of unity of the human race (cf. Lumen gentium, n. 1) only if she remains autonomous from every State and every specific culture. Always and everywhere the Church must truly be catholic and universal, the house of all in which each one can find a place. 

The account of the Acts of the Apostles offers us another very concrete indication. The universality of the Church is expressed by the list of peoples according to the ancient tradition: We are "Parthians, Medes, Elamites", etc. Here one may observe that St Luke goes beyond the number 12, which itself always expresses a universality. He looks beyond the horizons of Asia and northwest Africa, and adds three other elements: the "Romans", that is, the Western world; the "Jews and proselytes", encompassing in a new way the unity between Israel and the world; and finally "Cretans and Arabians", who represent the West and the East, islands and land. This opening of horizons subsequently confirms the newness of Christ in the dimension of human space, in the history of the nations. The Holy Spirit involves individuals and peoples and, through them, overcomes walls and barriers. 

At Pentecost the Holy Spirit is manifest as fire. The Spirit's flame descended upon the assembled disciples, it was kindled in them and gave them the new ardour of God. Thus what Jesus had previously said was fulfilled: "I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled!" (Lk 12: 49). The Apostles, together with diverse communities of the faithful, carried this divine flame to the far corners of the earth. In this way they opened a path for humanity, a luminous path, and they collaborated with God, who wants to renew the face of the earth with his fire. How different is this fire from that of war and bombing! How different is the fire of Christ, spread by the Church, compared with those lit by the dictators of every epoch of the last century too who leave scorched earth behind them. The fire of God, the fire of the Holy Spirit, is that of the bush that burned but was not consumed (cf. Ex 3: 2). It is a flame that blazes but does not destroy, on the contrary, that, in burning, brings out the better and truer part of man, as in a fusion it elicits his interior form, his vocation to truth and to love. 

A Father of the Church, Origen, in one of his Homilies on Jeremiah, cites a saying attributed to Jesus, not contained in the sacred Scriptures but perhaps authentic, which reads: "Whoever is near to me, is near to the fire" (Homily on Jeremiah, L. I [III]). In Christ, in fact, there is the fullness of God, who in the Bible is compared to fire. We just observed that the flame of the Holy Spirit blazes but does not burn. And nevertheless it enacts a transformation, and thus must also consume something in man, the waste that corrupts him and hinders his relations with God and neighbour. This effect of the divine fire, however, frightens us; we are afraid of being "scorched" and prefer to stay just as we are. This is because our life is often based on the logic of having, of possessing and not the logic of self-gift. Many people believe in God and admire the person of Jesus Christ, but when they are asked to lose something of themselves, then they retreat; they are afraid of the demands of faith. There is the fear of giving up something pleasant to which we are attached; the fear that following Christ deprives us of freedom, of certain experiences, of a part of ourselves. On the one hand, we want to be with Jesus, follow him closely, and, on the other, we are afraid of the consequences entailed. 

Dear brothers and sisters, we are always in need of hearing the Lord Jesus tell us what he often repeated to his friends: "Be not afraid". Like Simon Peter and the others we must allow his presence and his grace to transform our heart, which is always subject to human weakness. We must know how to recognize that losing something indeed, losing ourselves for the true God, the God of love and of life is actually gaining ourselves, finding ourselves more fully. Whoever entrusts himself to Jesus already experiences in this life the peace and joy of heart that the world cannot give, and that it cannot even take away once God has given it to us. So it is worthwhile to let ourselves be touched by the fire of the Holy Spirit! The suffering that it causes us is necessary for our transformation. It is the reality of the Cross. It is not without reason that in the language of Jesus "fire" is above all a representation of the mystery of the Cross, without which Christianity does not exist. Thus enlightened and comforted by these words of life, let us lift up our invocation: Come, Holy Spirit! Enkindle in us the fire of your love! We know that this is a bold prayer, with which we ask to be touched by God's flame; but above all we know that this flame and it alone has the power to save us. We do not want, in defending our life, to lose eternal life that God wants to give us. We need the fire of the Holy Spirit, because only Love redeems. Amen.

[Pope Benedict, homily 23 May 2010]

The Spirit and the "seeds of truth" in human thought

1. Repeating a statement in the book of Wisdom (1:7), the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council teaches us that “the Spirit of the Lord”, who bestows his gifts upon the People of God on pilgrimage through history, “replet orbem terrarum”, fills the whole universe (cf. Gaudium et spes, n. 11). He ceaselessly guides people to the fullness of truth and love which God the Father revealed in Jesus Christ.

This profound awareness of the Holy Spirit’s presence and action has always illumined the Church’s consciousness, guaranteeing that whatever is genuinely human finds an echo in the hearts of Christ's disciples (cf. ibid., n. 1).

Already in the first half of the second century, the philosopher St Justin could write: “Everything that has always been affirmed in an excellent way and has been discovered by those who study philosophy or make laws has been accomplished by seeking or contemplating a part of the Word” (Apologia II, 10, 1-3).

2. The opening of the human spirit to truth and goodness always takes place in the perspective of the “true light that enlightens every man” (Jn 1:9). This light is Christ the Lord himself, who has enlightened man’s steps from the very beginning and has entered his “heart”. With the Incarnation, in the fullness of time, the Light appeared in this world in its full brilliance, shining in the sight of man as the splendour of the truth (cf. Jn 14:6).

Already foretold in the Old Testament, the gradual manifestation of the fullness of truth which is Jesus Christ takes place down the centuries by the work of the Holy Spirit. This particular action of the “Spirit of truth” (cf. Jn 14:17; 15:26; 16:13) concerns not only believers, but in a mysterious way all men and women who, though not knowing the Gospel through no fault of their own, sincerely seek the truth and try to live an upright life (cf. Lumen gentium, n. 16).

In the footsteps of the Fathers of the Church, St Thomas Aquinas can maintain that no spirit can be “so darkened as not to participate in some way in the divine light. In fact, every known truth from any source is totally due to this 'light which shines in the darkness', since every truth, no matter who utters it, comes from the Holy Spirit” (Super Ioannem, 1, 5 lect. 3, n. 103).

3. For this reason, the Church supports every authentic quest of the human mind and sincerely esteems the patrimony of wisdom built up and transmitted by the various cultures. It expresses the inexhaustible creativity of the human spirit, directed towards the fullness of truth by the Spirit of God.

The encounter between the word of truth preached by the Church and the wisdom expressed in cultures and elaborated by philosophies calls on the latter to be open to and to find their own fulfilment in the revelation which comes from God. As the Second Vatican Council stresses, this encounter enriches the Church, enabling her to penetrate the truth ever more deeply, to express it in the languages of the different cultural traditions and to present it — unchanged in its substance — in the form most suited to the changing times (cf. Gaudium et spes, n. 44).

Trust in the presence and action of the Holy Spirit, even in the travail of the culture of our time, can serve as a starting point, at the dawn of the third millennium, for a new encounter between the truth of Christ and human thought.

4. In view of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, it is necessary to look more closely at the Council’s teaching on this ever fresh and fruitful encounter between revealed truth, preserved and transmitted by the Church, and the many different forms of human thought and culture. Unfortunately, Paul VI’s observation in the Encyclical Letter Evangelii nuntiandi that “the division between the Gospel and culture is without a doubt the tragedy of our time” (n. 20) is still valid.

To prevent this division which has serious consequences for consciences and behaviour, it is necessary to reawaken in Christ’s disciples that vision of faith which can discover the “seeds of truth” scattered by the Holy Spirit among our contemporaries. This can also contribute to their purification and maturation through the patient art of dialogue, whose particular goal is to present Christ’s face in all its splendour.

It is particularly necessary to keep well in mind the great principle formulated by the last Council, which I wanted to recall in the Encyclical Dives in misericordia: “While the various currents of human thought both in the past and at the present have tended and still tend to separate theocentrism and anthropocentrism, and even to set them in opposition to each other, the Church, following Christ, seeks to link them up in human history, in a deep and organic way” (n. 1).

5. This principle proves fruitful not only for philosophy and humanistic culture but also for the areas of scientific research and art. In fact, the “humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made them what they are” (Gaudium et spes, n. 36b).

On the other hand, the true artist has the gift of perceiving and expressing the luminous and infinite horizon in which the existence of man and the world is immersed. If he is faithful to the inspiration that dwells within him and transcends him, he acquires a hidden connaturality with the beauty with which the Holy Spirit clothes Creation.

May the Holy Spirit, the Light that enlightens minds and the divine “artist of the world” (S. Bulgakov, Il Paraclito, Bologna 1971, p. 311), guide the Church and contemporary humanity on the paths of a new and surprising encounter with the splendour of the Truth!

[Pope John Paul II, General Audience 16 September 1998]

Pentecost arrived, for the disciples, after fifty days of uncertainty.  True, Jesus had risen.  Overjoyed, they had seen him, listened to his words and even shared a meal with him.  Yet they had not overcome their doubts and fears: they met behind closed doors (cf. Jn 20:19.26), uncertain about the future and not ready to proclaim the risen Lord.  Then the Holy Spirit comes and their worries disappear.  Now the apostles show themselves fearless, even before those sent to arrest them.  Previously, they had been worried about saving their lives; now they are unafraid of dying.  Earlier, they had huddled in the Upper Room; now they go forth to preach to every nation.  Before the ascension of Jesus, they waited for God’s kingdom to come to them (cf. Acts 1:6); now they are filled with zeal to travel to unknown lands.  Before, they had almost never spoken in public, and when they did, they had often blundered, as when Peter denied Jesus; now they speak with parrhesia to everyone.  The disciples’ journey seemed to have reached the end of the line, when suddenly they were rejuvenated by the Spirit.  Overwhelmed with uncertainty, when they thought everything was over, they were transformed by a joy that gave them a new birth.  The Holy Spirit did this.  The Spirit is far from being an abstract reality: he is the Person who is most concrete and close, the one who changes our lives.  How does he do this?  Let us consider the Apostles.  The Holy Spirit did not make things easier for them, he didn’t work spectacular miracles, he didn’t take away their difficulties and their opponents.  Rather, the Spirit brought into the lives of the disciples a harmony that had been lacking, his own harmony, for he is harmony.

Harmony within human beings.  Deep down, in their hearts, the disciples needed to be changed. Their story teaches us that even seeing the Risen Lord is not enough, unless we welcome him into our hearts.  It is no use knowing that the Risen One is alive, unless we too live as risen ones.  It is the Spirit who makes Jesus live within us; he raises us up from within. That is why when Jesus appears to his disciples, he repeats the words, “Peace be with you!” (Jn 20:19.21), and bestows the Spirit.  That is what peace really is, the peace bestowed on the Apostles.  That peace does not have to do with resolving outward problems – God does not spare his disciples from tribulation and persecution.  Rather, it has to do with receiving the Holy Spirit.  The peace bestowed on the apostles, the peace that does not bring freedom from problems but in problems, is offered to each of us.  Filled with his peace, our hearts are like a deep sea, which remains peaceful, even when its surface is swept by waves.  It is a harmony so profound that it can even turn persecutions into blessings.  Yet how often we choose to remain on the surface!  Rather than seeking the Spirit, we try to keep afloat, thinking that everything will improve once this or that problem is over, once I no longer see that person, once things get better.  But to do so is to stay on the surface: when one problem goes away, another arrives, and once more we grow anxious and ill at ease.  Avoiding those who do not think as we do will not bring serenity.  Resolving momentary problems will not bring peace.  What makes a difference is the peace of Jesus, the harmony of the Spirit.

At today’s frenzied pace of life, harmony seems swept aside.  Pulled in a thousand directions, we run the risk of nervous exhaustion and so we react badly to everything.  Then we look for the quick fix, popping one pill after another to keep going, one thrill after another to feel alive.  But more than anything else, we need the Spirit: he brings order to our frenzy.  The Spirit is peace in the midst of restlessness, confidence in the midst of discouragement, joy in sadness, youth in aging, courage in the hour of trial.  Amid the stormy currents of life, he lowers the anchor of hope.  As Saint Paul tells us today, the Spirit keeps us from falling back into fear, for he makes us realize that we are beloved children (cf. Rom 8:15).  He is the Consoler, who brings us the tender love of God.  Without the Spirit, our Christian life unravels, lacking the love that brings everything together.  Without the Spirit, Jesus remains a personage from the past; with the Spirit, he is a person alive in our own time.  Without the Spirit, Scripture is a dead letter; with the Spirit it is a word of life.  A Christianity without the Spirit is joyless moralism; with the Spirit, it is life.

The Holy Spirit does not bring only harmony within us but also among us.  He makes us Church, building different parts into one harmonious edifice.  Saint Paul explains this well when, speaking of the Church, he often repeats a single word, “variety”: varieties of gifts, varieties of services, varieties of activities” (1 Cor 12:4-6).  We differ in the variety of our qualities and gifts.  The Holy Spirit distributes them creatively, so that they are not all identical.   On the basis of this variety, he builds unity.  From the beginning of creation, he has done this.  Because he is a specialist in changing chaos into cosmos, in creating harmony.  He is a specialist in creating diversity, enrichment, individuality.  He is the creator of this diversity and, at the same time, the one who brings harmony and gives unity to diversity.  He alone can do these two things.

In today’s world, lack of harmony has led to stark divisions.  There are those who have too much and those who have nothing, those who want to live to a hundred and those who cannot even be born.  In the age of the computer, distances are increasing: the more we use the social media, the less social we are becoming.  We need the Spirit of unity to regenerate us as Church, as God’s People and as a human family.  May he regenerate us!  There is always a temptation to build “nests”, to cling to our little group, to the things and people we like, to resist all contamination.  It is only a small step from a nest to a sect, even within the Church.  How many times do we define our identity in opposition to someone or something!  The Holy Spirit, on the other hand, brings together those who were distant, unites those far off, brings home those who were scattered.  He blends different tonalities in a single harmony, because before all else he sees goodness.  He looks at individuals before looking at their mistakes, at persons before their actions.  The Spirit shapes the Church and the world as a place of sons and daughters, brothers and sisters.   These nouns come before any adjectives.  Nowadays it is fashionable to hurl adjectives and, sadly, even insults.  It could be said that we are living in a culture of adjectives that forgets about the nouns that name the reality of things.  But also a culture of the insult as the first reaction to any opinion that I do not share.  Later we come to realize that this is harmful, to those insulted but also to those who insult.  Repaying evil for evil, passing from victims to aggressors, is no way to go through life.  Those who live by the Spirit, however, bring peace where there is discord, concord where there is conflict.  Those who are spiritual repay evil with good.  They respond to arrogance with meekness, to malice with goodness, to shouting with silence, to gossip with prayer, to defeatism with encouragement.

To be spiritual, to savour the harmony of the Spirit, we need to adopt his way of seeing things.  Then everything changes: with the Spirit, the Church is the holy People of God, mission is not proselytism but the spread of joy, as others become our brothers and sisters, all loved by the same Father.  Without the Spirit, though, the Church becomes an organization, her mission becomes propaganda, her communion an exertion.  Many Churches spend time making pastoral plans, discussing any number of things.  That seems to be the road to unity, but it is not the way of the Spirit; it is the road to division.  The Spirit is the first and last need of the Church (cf. Saint Paul VI, General Audience, 29 November 1972).  He “comes where he is loved, where he is invited, where he is expected” (Saint Bonaventure, Sermon for the Fourth Sunday after Easter).  

Brothers and sisters, let us daily implore the gift of the Spirit.  Holy Spirit, harmony of God, you who turn fear into trust and self-centredness into self-gift, come to us.  Grant us the joy of the resurrection and perennially young hearts.  Holy Spirit, our harmony, you who make of us one body, pour forth your peace upon the Church and our world.  Holy Spirit, make us builders of concord, sowers of goodness, apostles of hope.

[Pope Francis, homily, 9 June 2019]

Comparisons no, Exceptionality yes

(Jn 21:20-25)

Once again in the fourth Gospel, the [uncertain] Petrine step and character are contrasted with that of the disciple loved by the Lord.

But the fullness of God shines through the whole Church, if genuine. Vocations are different. None in itself is sufficient.

Each one feels the Appeal to pursue their Call by Name in a direct, confidential, personal manner, and step by step, without stalling in confrontation.

No one is a superior model, or vice versa destined to be a facsimile: love erupts in a personal, always free, unprecedented way.

The opinion, affair or curiosity of others is a poison, both for realisation and for the missionary dimension.

Beware, therefore, of hearsay, conjecture, and image, even spread throughout the territory.

Especially in monopoly situations, they would lead to standardization, to “average life”, to collapse.

Beware of comparisons:

«Follow Me» [not others] (v.22) means to adhere to a Heaven that dwells in each son - and in Communion, not in a herd.

To each unique energy, history, and sensitivity, corresponds a reserved, unrepeatable way of being a disciple.

Differences and ties are recomposed in the Spirit, which knows where to go - calling each singular personality to dimensions of collected or extrovert existence - in its own Root.

He who is driven more to action [or reflection] must not linger, nor turn back; rather, immerse himself.

Each one is in the right place. He must not stray from the unique path.

In short, genuine love does not have a generic foundation, but rather an unpredictable, singular, unusual one; relevant though “incorrect”.

We must not be distracted from our natural and spiritual, innate purpose.

The mystery surrounding Christ unfolded in his People is inexhaustible, and we too are called in the first person to fearlessly ‘write’ a characteristic Gospel (v.25) [cf. Jn 20:29-30].

The difference between ancient religiosity and life of Faith? We are not photocopies of persistent conduct, but inventors and outriders.

Christ wants to be reinterpreted in the first person and in the conviviality of differences.

To each one the Master recognises his own way of acting. Consensus has nothing to do with the Vocation.

Instead, we often sit in external armour, and perhaps even measure the life project, the sign of the times, the gift, the stimulus, the Secret of the Brethren, with the same short-sightedness of commensurate programmes.

God reserves the right to point it out to each one. Beyond any 'map' and organisation chart.

Then, even “stability” is partial, awaiting fulfilment.

Whoever bets on the Way of Faith knows that they must depart from the spirit of unilaterality.

The same vigour of the path calls for a quiet pause and convergence.

Even “staying” finally throws its own balanced energy at initiatives... so on.

The ways of following Christ that resonate deep in the heart are as varied as the people, the events, the rhythms commensurate with the soul, the ages.

They embrace the same Proposal - without losing the enduring Mystery or any bond, in such many-sidedness.

Only here... real World, Person, Nature and Eternity team up.

[Saturday 7th wk. in Easter, June 7, 2025]

Comparisons no, Exceptionality yes

(Jn 21:20-25)

Once again in the Fourth Gospel, the Petrine step and character (uncertain) are confronted with that of the disciple loved by the Lord.

In him too we are called to a loose and liberal personality [more typical of the Johannine communities of Asia Minor] that reflects a less rigid and prophetically superior spirit than the official apostolic church - still Judaizing.

The early Christians looked forward to the so-called Second Coming of the Lord.

Some churches, faced with the death of followers, began to imagine that at least some of them would survive until the Parousia of Christ.

With the passage of time and the death of not only the apostles, but also the second and third generation disciples, disagreements arose over the precedence and interpretation of the Scriptures.

All this, despite John's insistence on the ever-present Presence of the Risen One, and the historicity of the Life of the Eternal [so-called 'eternal life'].

In addition to this, the Fourth Gospel reaffirms the relevance of the ultimate realities and the Judgment.

Conversely, the idea of their futurity remained widespread.

But the death of the evangelist himself shook the communities to no small degree, disconcerting many believers who imagined that disciple should - at least he - be present at the so-called 'Return' [a term that in the Gospels - in the original language - does not exist].

This is the reason for the addition of a "second conclusion" to Joh 20:30-31.

This is what we designate 'Chapter 21' - a work of the Johannine school, which attempts to clarify the Lord's Nearness, the meaning of the 'Manifestations' of the Risen One, the service of authority, the testimony of the 'beloved disciple'.

The fullness of God shines through the entire Church, if genuine. Vocations are different. None in itself is sufficient.

Each one hears the Call to carry out his own Call by Name according to a direct, confidential, personal character, and step by step, without getting bogged down in comparisons.

The opinion, the affair or curiosity of others, is a poison, both for realisation and for the missionary dimension.

Beware, therefore, of hearsay, conjecture, and image, even spread across the land.

Above all in situations of cultural, spiritual, or simply denominational monopoly [as still in Italy] such normalised convictions would lead to homologation, to 'average life', to collapse.

Beware of comparisons:

"Me, follow" (v.22 Greek text) means to adhere to a Heaven that inhabits each child - and in Communion, not in a herd.

To each energy, story, and exclusive sensitivity, corresponds a reserved, unrepeatable way of being a disciple.

No one is a superior model, or vice versa destined to be a facsimile: love erupts in a personal, always free, unprecedented way.

The path of following pointed out, remaining or remaining undetermined, are correlative and malleable characteristics or polarities: it is from them that unexpected answers to true questions arise, and the Newness of God.

Differences and bonds are recomposed in the Spirit, who knows where to go - calling each singular personality to dimensions of collected or extroverted existence - into its own Root.

Those who are driven more to action [or reflection] must not linger, nor turn back; rather, immerse themselves.

Each one is in the right place. It must not lose its unique way.

In my garden I have some big pines that provide shade, but one of them suddenly withered irreparably. It seemed like who knows what; in an instant it fell. Not to be believed. It also happens in religious life.

Among my field grass, I notice several small plants blooming - without ever having tended them - which drive away insects, offering the ground a variegated texture and a delicate colour spectacle.

If I forced the undergrowth to grow up to give shade, it would get sick. The whole thing wouldn't even become a bramble; rather, an unnatural interweaving of discomforts (imposed of my own accord) that would never fade.

Each seed corresponds to its own development and uniqueness, also in relation to the different situation around it - in the light or not.

In short, authentic love does not have a generic foundation, but rather an unpredictable, singular, unusual one; of relevance, however 'incorrect'.

It is said that St Anthony Abbot pondered the Last Judgement [who is saved and who is not?] The answer came to him peremptorily: "Antonio, look after yourself!" - To say that interest in the inclinations and preferences of others is ambiguous. Not always good; sometimes useless. Often fatal and deadly.

If someone is offered as a gift a special vocation of charity - even of blood - to others a different kind of unrepeatable witness is reserved; e.g. sapiential or critical martyrdom [of the opposed and pioneers].Rather than losing the pondus and character of one's Calling by Name, allowing oneself to be overwhelmed by the overbearing forces in the field - even in ecclesial life it is spontaneous to proclaim another kingdom than that of the single thought, of consensus, of the clever men of the quarter. 

They have nothing to do with the Vocation.

We must not be distracted from our natural and innate spiritual purpose.

The mystery surrounding Christ unfolded in his People is inexhaustible. And we too are called in the first person to fearlessly write a characteristic Gospel (v.25) [cf. Jn 20:29-30].

The difference between ancient religiosity and the life of faith? We are not photocopies of persistent conduct, but inventors and outriders.

Christ wants to be reinterpreted in the first person and in the conviviality of differences.

To each one the Master acknowledges his action.

Instead, we often sit in external armour, and perhaps even measure the life project, the sign of the times, the gift, the stimulus, the Secret of the brethren, with the same short-sightedness of commensurate programmes.

God reserves the right to point it out to each one. Beyond any 'map' and organisation chart.

Then, even the 'stabilities' are partial, they await fulfilment.

He who bets on the Way of Faith knows that he must depart from the spirit of one-sidedness.

The same vigour of the journey calls for quiet pause and convergence. 

Even 'remaining' finally throws its own quiet energy at initiatives... and so on.

The ways of following that resonate deep in the heart are as varied as the people, the events, the rhythms commensurate with the soul, the ages.

They embrace the same Proposal - without losing the enduring Mystery or any connection in such multifacetedness.

Only here, Real World, Person, Nature and Eternity come together.

"When the weaver raises 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 life' (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).

To internalise and live the message:

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

Uniqueness

11. "Each to his own way", says the Council. Therefore, it is not the case 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 could even lead us away from the unique and specific way that the Lord has in store for us. What matters is that each believer discerns his own way 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 St 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.

[Pope Francis, Gaudete et Exsultate]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Let us dedicate our meeting today to remembering another very important member of the Apostolic College: John, son of Zebedee and brother of James. His typically Jewish name means: "the Lord has worked grace". He was mending his nets on the shore of Lake Tiberias when Jesus called him and his brother (cf. Mt 4: 21; Mk 1: 19).

John was always among the small group that Jesus took with him on specific occasions. He was with Peter and James when Jesus entered Peter's house in Capernaum to cure his mother-in-law (cf. Mk 1: 29); with the other two, he followed the Teacher into the house of Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue whose daughter he was to bring back to life (cf. Mk 5: 37); he followed him when he climbed the mountain for his Transfiguration (cf. Mk 9: 2).

He was beside the Lord on the Mount of Olives when, before the impressive sight of the Temple of Jerusalem, he spoke of the end of the city and of the world (cf. Mk 13: 3); and, lastly, he was close to him in the Garden of Gethsemane when he withdrew to pray to the Father before the Passion (cf. Mk 14: 33).

Shortly before the Passover, when Jesus chose two disciples to send them to prepare the room for the Supper, it was to him and to Peter that he entrusted this task (cf. Lk 22: 8).

His prominent position in the group of the Twelve makes it somewhat easier to understand the initiative taken one day by his mother: she approached Jesus to ask him if her two sons - John and James - could sit next to him in the Kingdom, one on his right and one on his left (cf. Mt 20: 20-21).

As we know, Jesus answered by asking a question in turn: he asked whether they were prepared to drink the cup that he was about to drink (cf. Mt 20: 22). The intention behind those words was to open the two disciples' eyes, to introduce them to knowledge of the mystery of his person and to suggest their future calling to be his witnesses, even to the supreme trial of blood.

A little later, in fact, Jesus explained that he had not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many (cf. Mt 20: 28).

In the days after the Resurrection, we find "the sons of Zebedee" busy with Peter and some of the other disciples on a night when they caught nothing, but that was followed, after the intervention of the Risen One, by the miraculous catch: it was to be "the disciple Jesus loved" who first recognized "the Lord" and pointed him out to Peter (cf. Jn 21: 1-13).

In the Church of Jerusalem, John occupied an important position in supervising the first group of Christians. Indeed, Paul lists him among those whom he calls the "pillars" of that community (cf. Gal 2: 9). In fact, Luke in the Acts presents him together with Peter while they are going to pray in the temple (cf. Acts 3: 1-4, 11) or appear before the Sanhedrin to witness to their faith in Jesus Christ (cf. Acts 4: 13, 19).

Together with Peter, he is sent to the Church of Jerusalem to strengthen the people in Samaria who had accepted the Gospel, praying for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 8: 14-15). In particular, we should remember what he affirmed with Peter to the Sanhedrin members who were accusing them: "We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4: 20).

It is precisely this frankness in confessing his faith that lives on as an example and a warning for all of us always to be ready to declare firmly our steadfast attachment to Christ, putting faith before any human calculation or concern.

According to tradition, John is the "disciple whom Jesus loved", who in the Fourth Gospel laid his head against the Teacher's breast at the Last Supper (cf. Jn 13: 23), stood at the foot of the Cross together with the Mother of Jesus (cf. Jn 19: 25) and lastly, witnessed both the empty tomb and the presence of the Risen One himself (cf. Jn 20: 2; 21: 7).

We know that this identification is disputed by scholars today, some of whom view him merely as the prototype of a disciple of Jesus. Leaving the exegetes to settle the matter, let us be content here with learning an important lesson for our lives: the Lord wishes to make each one of us a disciple who lives in personal friendship with him.

To achieve this, it is not enough to follow him and to listen to him outwardly: it is also necessary to live with him and like him. This is only possible in the context of a relationship of deep familiarity, imbued with the warmth of total trust. This is what happens between friends; for this reason Jesus said one day: "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.... No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you" (Jn 15: 13, 15).

In the apocryphal Acts of John, the Apostle is not presented as the founder of Churches nor as the guide of already established communities, but as a perpetual wayfarer, a communicator of the faith in the encounter with "souls capable of hoping and of being saved" (18: 10; 23: 8).

All is motivated by the paradoxical intention to make visible the invisible. And indeed, the Oriental Church calls him quite simply "the Theologian", that is, the one who can speak in accessible terms of the divine, revealing an arcane access to God through attachment to Jesus.

Devotion to the Apostle John spread from the city of Ephesus where, according to an ancient tradition, he worked for many years and died in the end at an extraordinarily advanced age, during the reign of the Emperor Trajan.

In Ephesus in the sixth century, the Emperor Justinian had a great basilica built in his honour, whose impressive ruins are still standing today. Precisely in the East, he enjoyed and still enjoys great veneration.

In Byzantine iconography he is often shown as very elderly - according to tradition, he died under the Emperor Trajan - in the process of intense contemplation, in the attitude, as it were, of those asking for silence.

Indeed, without sufficient recollection it is impossible to approach the supreme mystery of God and of his revelation. This explains why, years ago, Athenagoras, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, the man whom Pope Paul VI embraced at a memorable encounter, said: "John is the origin of our loftiest spirituality. Like him, "the silent ones' experience that mysterious exchange of hearts, pray for John's presence, and their hearts are set on fire" (O. Clément, Dialoghi con Atenagora, Turin 1972, p. 159).

May the Lord help us to study at John's school and learn the great lesson of love, so as to feel we are loved by Christ "to the end" (Jn 13: 1), and spend our lives for him.

[Pope Benedict, General Audience 5 July 2006]

PENTECOST VIGIL

1. "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I also send you... Receive the Holy Spirit"! (Jn 20, 21-22).

On this eve of Pentecost, the Church in Rome is gathered like the Apostles in the Upper Room, after the events of the Easter triduum. They knew that the Lord had risen and had appeared to Simon. But Jesus himself came among them and offered the greeting of peace. He then showed His pierced hands and side, with the visible signs of the passion. Yes! It is indeed Him. It is the same Jesus, first crucified and now resurrected. "The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord" ( Jn 20:20 ).

As early as the evening of Easter Day, however, Jesus anticipated the event of Pentecost: "As the Father has sent me, I also send you.... Receive the Holy Spirit".

2.

Dear Brothers and Sisters of the Diocese of Rome! Through a prayer vigil, reminiscent of the Easter vigil, we have gathered here to prepare ourselves for the solemnity of the descent of the Holy Spirit.

The reading from the Acts of the Apostles, which we have just heard, recalls what happened in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost: the sudden rushing wind, the appearance of tongues of fire, the Apostles who, filled with the Holy Spirit, began to proclaim the Gospel in languages unknown to them.

People belonging to various nations, and using different languages, hear the Apostles, who were Galileans, speaking in their own languages (cf. Acts 1:11 ): "We hear them proclaiming in our tongues the great works of God" ( Acts 2:11 ).

It is the solemn beginning of the mission of the Apostles, a mission received fifty days earlier from the Risen One, who had ordered them: "I send you. Receive the Holy Spirit" ( Jn 20, 21 . 22 ).

3.

"Emitte Spiritum tuum et creabuntur": "send forth thy Spirit and they shall be created" (cf. Ps 103:30 ).

By saying: "Receive the Holy Spirit", Christ reveals the creative power of the Spirit of God that, poured out upon every man (cf. Gl 3:1 ), restores that unity of the human race that was broken, due to sin, at the tower of Babel.

Babel became the symbol of disintegration and dispersion (cf. Gen 11:1-9 ). Pentecost, on the other hand, constitutes the full fulfilment of the unity that, through the power of the Spirit of truth, is reconstructed precisely from the multiplicity of human existence and experience.

Christ is placed at the head of the people of the New Covenant: He is the awaited great Prophet. Around Him must gather "the sons and daughters" of the new Israel (cf. Lumen Gentium, n. 9), who, animated by the life-giving Spirit (cf. Ez 37:14), take part personally in the salvific mission of Christ, Priest, Prophet and King, following in His footsteps, throughout the centuries and millennia.

4.

The second Christian millennium is now drawing to a close.

Aware of the "Tertio Millennio adveniente", of the Third Millennium that is approaching, we are gathered in this particular Upper Room of the Church, constituted this evening at the tomb of St Peter. We are looked upon by the almost two millennia that have passed, uniquely witnessed by this place, marked by the tombs of Martyrs and Confessors of the faith. Here we are at the relics of the Apostles, pillars of the Church that is in Rome.

And what happened on Easter evening is being repeated in our midst now. Christ, through the Eucharist, transcends space and time and makes himself present among us, as he did then with the Apostles gathered in the Upper Room. He addresses the same words to us: "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I also send you. Receive the Holy Spirit".

5.

Receive the Holy Spirit!

We are gathered to invoke together the gift of the Holy Spirit for the entire ecclesial community of Rome, called to fulfil a demanding mission. With this apostolic initiative, the Church that is in Rome intends to open its arms wide to every person and family in the City and to penetrate like yeast into every social sphere, work, suffering, art and culture, proclaiming and bearing witness to the Risen Lord to those near and far.

Dear Brothers and Sisters, living in this metropolis, which unfortunately does not escape the temptations of secularism, one is as if subtly threatened by fatigue, indifference, spiritual torpor and that relativism in which everything is watered down and confused. That is why the great city mission, which we solemnly inaugurate with this Vigil, is first and foremost addressed to believers. It is first and foremost an entreaty to the Holy Spirit to strengthen our faith, renew our fervour, enkindle our charity.

Let not our hearts be troubled by fears and perplexity. On the contrary, counting not on human strength but on the grace that comes from God, let us bring, as witnesses of the truth and love of Christ, the Gospel of hope to every inhabitant of Rome. In this way, we will also be able to influence the culture, the ways of life, the expectations and plans of the entire city community.

6.

Church that you are in Rome, the Lord has loved you with unconditional love. That is why you are rich in spiritual and missionary energies, and many more the Spirit, precisely through mission, will arouse in you.

I address myself first of all to you, dear brothers in the priesthood, consecrated to be the first witnesses of the Gospel and the apostles of truth and unity: be the first tireless workers of the mission, be holy in order to be docile instruments through which God works the sanctification of his people. It is from the parishes that this mission must start, and you of the parish communities are the responsible and qualified animators.

And you, dear men and women religious, called to be the prophetic sign of God's presence, give yourselves with enthusiasm, through prayer and apostolic activities, to this Church in mission. You will find in this very giving the taste of your vocation.

I think of you, dear brothers and sisters, who work patiently in parishes and form the solid fabric of daily pastoral activity, catechesis and the service of charity. Through mission you will be able to find renewed spiritual vigour to transmit the Gospel of Christ in your families and in the environments in which you work. You, dear members of the numerous movements, organisms and ecclesial associations, ensure full and faithful collaboration in the mission of the city, in close agreement with the Pastors, the parishes and the entire diocesan reality.

You, dear young people, put your fresh energies at the service of this great spiritual enterprise, overcoming any possible fear or human respect. Proclaim with boldness and courage your faith in Christ among your peers and friends. From you too, dear sick and suffering people, and from you who feel marginalised, the city's mission expects a contribution that is in a sense decisive for its success. By accepting your condition and offering it to the heavenly Father together with Christ, you can become a providential and mysterious way of salvation for Rome.

The mission belongs to you, dear members of the Roman Curia and my collaborators in the service of the universal Church, called to make your qualified contribution to the life of the Christian Community, which is in Rome, and to the preparation of the Great Jubilee of the Year Two Thousand. Your contribution will also be more important than ever for the success of this vast evangelising action.

The mission is also made for you, dear brothers and sisters who have come to Rome from the most diverse parts of the world. You are now an integral part of our diocesan community. Thank you for being here with us this evening to pray.

May the city mission, after the Diocesan Synod, mark a further step forward in the journey of spiritual growth and communion among all Christians living in our City.

7.

Our gaze, this evening, cannot fail to widen to the expectations of the universal Church, on its way towards the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000. The Church seeks to become more aware of the Spirit's presence in her, for the sake of her communion and mission, through sacramental, hierarchical and charismatic gifts.

One of the gifts of the Spirit to our time is certainly the blossoming of the ecclesial movements, which since the beginning of my Pontificate I have continued to point to as a reason for hope for the Church and for mankind. They "are a sign of the freedom of forms, in which the one Church is realised, and represent a sure novelty, which still awaits to be properly understood in all its positive efficacy for the Kingdom of God at work in the present day of history" (Insegnamenti, VII 2[1984], p. 696). Within the framework of the celebrations of the Great Jubilee, especially those of the year 1998, dedicated in a special way to the Holy Spirit and his sanctifying presence within the Community of Christ's disciples (cf. Tertio millennio adveniente, n. 44), I count on the common witness and collaboration of the movements. I trust that they, in communion with the Pastors and in connection with diocesan initiatives, will want to bring to the heart of the Church their spiritual, educational and missionary richness, as a precious experience and proposal of Christian life.

8.

"Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I also send you.... Receive the Holy Spirit".

Christ, also in the sign of the Gospel Book that this evening I entrust to the Cardinal Vicar so that it may be solemnly displayed in the Basilica of St John Lateran, is present and sustains the path of the great mission that will lead the Ecclesial Community of Rome to the threshold of the third millennium.

"I also send you... ".Lord, as you did at the beginning of the Church's mission, at the dawn of the first millennium, you send us today on a new evangelising mission.

You entrust us with the task of bringing the Good News to the streets and squares of this City; you want your Church to be a pilgrim of hope and peace in the ways of the world.

Sustain our journey with the strength of your Spirit; make us courageous apostles of the Gospel and builders of a new humanity.

Mary, Salus Populi Romani, who accompany with your venerable icon the pilgrimage of this night, guide our steps; obtain for us the fullness of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

"Emitte Spiritum tuum et creabuntur". Amen!

[Pope John Paul II, Homily for the Inauguration of the City Mission, in preparation for the Great Jubilee, 25 May 1996]