Being in Relationship

Consequently this Name clearly expresses that the God of the Bible is not some kind of monad closed in on itself and satisfied with his own self-sufficiency but he is life that wants to communicate itself, openness, relationship. Words like "merciful", "compassionate", "rich in grace" all speak to us of a relationship, in particular, of a vital Being who offers himself, who wants to fill every gap, every shortage, who wants to give and to forgive, who desires to establish a solid and lasting bond. Sacred Scripture knows no other God than the God of the Covenant who created the world in order to pour out his love upon all creatures (cf. Roman Missal, Eucharistic Prayer IV) and chose a people with which to make a nuptial pact, to make it become a blessing for all the nations and so to form a great family of the whole of humanity (cf. Gn 12: 1-3; Ex 19: 3-6). This revelation of God is fully delineated in the New Testament though the word of Christ. Jesus showed us the Face of God, one in Essence and Triune in Persons: God is Love, Father Love - Son Love - Holy Spirit Love. And it is precisely in this God's Name that the Apostle Paul greets the Community of Corinth: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God [the Father] and the fellowship of the Holy Sprit be with you all" (II Cor 13: 14).

There is contained, therefore, in these Readings, a principal that regards God and in effect today's Feast invites us to contemplate him, the Lord. It invites us in a certain sense to scale "the mountain" as Moses did. This seems at first sight to take us far from the world and its problems but in fact one discovers that it is precisely by coming to know God more intimately that one receives fundamental instructions for this our life: something like what happened to Moses who, climbing Sinai and remaining in God's presence, received the law engraved on stone tablets from which the people drew the guidance to continue, to find freedom and to form themselves as a people in liberty and justice. Our history depends on God's Name and our journey on the light of his Face. From this reality of God which he himself made known to us by revealing his "Name" to us comes a certain image of man, that is, the exact concept of the person. If God is a dialogical unity, a being in relation, the human creature made in his image and likeness reflects this constitution: thus he is called to fulfil himself in dialogue, in conversation, in encounter.

In particular, Jesus has revealed to us that man is essentially a "son", a creature who lives in the relationship with God the Father, and in this way in relationship with all his brothers and sisters. Man is not fulfilled in an absolute autonomy, deceiving himself that he is God but, on the contrary, by recognizing himself as a child, an open creature, reaching out to God and to his brethren in whose faces he discovers the image of their common Father. One can easily see that this concept of God and man is at the base of a corresponding model of the human community, and therefore of society. It is a model that comes before any normative, juridical or institutional regulations but I would say even before cultural specifications. It is a model of the human family transversal to all civilizations, which we Christians express confirming that human beings are all children of God and therefore all brothers and sisters. This is a truth that has been behind us from the outset and at the same time is always before us, like a project to strive for in every social construction.

[Pope Benedict, homily, Genoa, 18 May 2008]

86 Last modified on Saturday, 23 May 2026 05:16

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don Giuseppe Nespeca

Giuseppe Nespeca è architetto e sacerdote. Cultore della Sacra scrittura è autore della raccolta "Due Fuochi due Vie - Religione e Fede, Vangeli e Tao"; coautore del libro "Dialogo e Solstizio".

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It is as though you were given a parcel with a gift inside and, rather than going to open the gift, you look only at the paper it is wrapped in: only appearances, the form, and not the core of the grace, of the gift that is given! (Pope Francis)

È come se a te regalassero un pacchetto con dentro un dono e tu, invece di andare a cercare il dono, guardi soltanto la carta nel quale è incartato: soltanto le apparenze, la forma, e non il nocciolo della grazia, del dono che viene dato! (Papa Francesco)

The Lord has our good at heart, that is, that every person should have life, and that especially the "least" of his children may have access to the banquet he has prepared for all (Pope Benedict)

Al Signore sta a cuore il nostro bene, cioè che ogni uomo abbia la vita, e che specialmente i suoi figli più "piccoli" possano accedere al banchetto che lui ha preparato per tutti (Papa Benedetto)

This Parable of the Sower is somewhat the ‘mother’ of all parables […] Such is the heart of God! Each one of us is ground on which the seed of the Word falls; no one is excluded! [Pope Francis]

Questa del seminatore è un po’ la “madre” di tutte le parabole […] Così è il cuore di Dio! Ognuno di noi è un terreno su cui cade il seme della Parola, nessuno è escluso [Papa Francesco]

Are we not perhaps all afraid in some way? If we let Christ enter fully into our lives, if we open ourselves totally to him, are we not afraid that He might take something away from us? Are we not perhaps afraid to give up something significant, something unique, something that makes life so beautiful? Do we not then risk ending up diminished and deprived of our freedom? (Pope Benedict)

Non abbiamo forse tutti in qualche modo paura - se lasciamo entrare Cristo totalmente dentro di noi, se ci apriamo totalmente a lui – paura che Egli possa portar via qualcosa della nostra vita? Non abbiamo forse paura di rinunciare a qualcosa di grande, di unico, che rende la vita così bella? Non rischiamo di trovarci poi nell’angustia e privati della libertà? (Papa Benedetto)

«Is there an attitude for those who want to follow Jesus» so that «they do not end badly, that they do not end up eaten alive - as my mother used to say: "Eat raw" - by others»? (Pope Francis)

«Esiste un atteggiamento per quelli che vogliono seguire Gesù» in modo che «non finiscano male, che non finiscano mangiati vivi — come diceva mia mamma: “Mangiati crudi” — dagli altri»? (Papa Francesco)

For Christians, volunteer work is not merely an expression of good will. It is based on a personal experience of Christ (Pope Benedict)

Per i cristiani, il volontariato non è soltanto espressione di buona volontà. È basato sull’esperienza personale di Cristo (Papa Benedetto)

Christ reveals his identity of Messiah, Israel's bridegroom, who came for the betrothal with his people. Those who recognize and welcome him are celebrating. However, he will have to be rejected and killed precisely by his own; at that moment, during his Passion and death, the hour of mourning and fasting will come (Pope Benedict)

Cristo rivela la sua identità di Messia, Sposo d'Israele, venuto per le nozze con il suo popolo. Quelli che lo riconoscono e lo accolgono con fede sono in festa. Egli però dovrà essere rifiutato e ucciso proprio dai suoi: in quel momento, durante la sua passione e la sua morte, verrà l'ora del lutto e del digiuno (Papa Benedetto)

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