The Gospel shows us Jesus in touch with a form of disease then considered the most serious, so serious as to make the person infected with it “unclean” and to exclude that person from social relations: we are speaking of leprosy. Special legislation (cf. Lev 13-14) allocated to priests the task of declaring a person to be “leprous”, that is, unclean; and it was likewise the priest’s task to note the person’s recovery and to readmit him or her, when restored to health, to normal life.

While Jesus was going about the villages of Galilee preaching, a leper came up and besought him: “If you will, you can make me clean”. Jesus did not shun contact with that man; on the contrary, impelled by deep participation in his condition, he stretched out his hand and touched the man — overcoming the legal prohibition — and said to him: “I will; be clean”.

That gesture and those words of Christ contain the whole history of salvation, they embody God’s will to heal us, to purify us from the illness that disfigures us and ruins our relationships. In that contact between Jesus’ hand and the leper, every barrier between God and human impurity, between the Sacred and its opposite, was pulled down. This was not of course in order to deny evil and its negative power, but to demonstrate that God’s love is stronger than all illness, even in its most contagious and horrible form. Jesus took upon himself our infirmities, he made himself “a leper” so that we might be cleansed.

A splendid existential comment on this Gospel is the well known experience of St Francis of Assisi, which he sums up at the beginning of his Testament: “This is how the Lord gave me, Brother Francis, the power to do penance. When I was in sin the sight of lepers was too bitter for me. And the Lord himself led me among them, and I pitied and helped them. And when I left them I discovered that what had seemed bitter to me was changed into sweetness in my soul and body. And shortly afterward I rose and left the world” (FF, 110).

In those lepers whom Francis met when he was still “in sin” — as he says — Jesus was present; and when Francis approached one of them, overcoming his own disgust, he embraced him, Jesus healed him from his “leprosy”, namely, from his pride, and converted him to love of God. This is Christ’s victory which is our profound healing and our resurrection to new life!

[Pope Benedict, Angelus of 12 February 2012]

My beloved brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,

Your presence arouses in me tenderness and compassion, some of the feelings that Jesus Christ felt when he received the sick. He bent over human suffering, over the wounds of the body, and caused serenity, confidence and courage to be reborn in people's hearts. I would like this visit to have the same spiritual effect; and I would like to have more time to talk to each one, because I love you very much, I suffer seeing you suffer and I want to comfort you all.

And why do I love you? Because you are human persons, loved by God, and by his son Jesus Christ, who suffered so much for you, because the Catholic Church, like Jesus Christ, loves you and will do all it can for you.

I am leaving; but I ask Monsignor Bishop - who is your great friend and to whom this work of Cumura is due - and the doctors, nurses and all those who assist you, that they do you all the good that the Pope would wish you if he could remain here with you. And I leave you, as a reminder, the message that, from here and now, I address to the whole Church, with an appeal on your behalf.

Do not let yourselves be defeated! Suffering always has value. It can teach the world what love like the love of Jesus means. And may this life of yours serve to help your neighbour, to receive and transmit moral strength; and, if you are Christian, may you transmit the power of renewal and the joy of Christ. He rose from the dead so that all might have access to eternal life. Your suffering can make the world a better place, if you are friends of God and friends of each other, if you combine serenity, confidence and courage with the progress of medicine and the goodwill of those who lovingly care for you.

I will never forget you and I trust in your friendly remembrance. I will pray for you and rely on your prayers. I impart to you with all my heart the Apostolic Blessing.

[Pope John Paul II, Leprosarium in Cumura, Guinea Bissau, 28 January 1990]

"Lord if thou wilt, thou canst". It is a simple prayer, "an act of trust" and at the same time "a real challenge", that which the leper addresses to Jesus to heal him. A plea that comes from the depths of his heart and that tells, at the same time, of the Lord's way of acting, under the banner of compassion, "of suffering with and for us", of "taking the suffering of the other person upon himself" to soothe and heal it in the name of the Father's love. Pope Francis, in his homily at the Mass at Casa Santa Marta [...] dwelt on the Gospel episode of the healing of the leper, and urged us to look to the compassion of Jesus, who came to give his life for us sinners.

The Pope emphasised the 'simple story' of the leper who asks Jesus for healing. In that 'if you want' there is the prayer that 'draws God's attention' and there is the solution. "It is a challenge," Francis said, "but it is also an act of trust. I know that He can and that is why I entrust myself to Him."

"But why," the Pontiff wondered, "did this man feel inside to make this prayer? Because he saw how Jesus acted. This man had seen the compassion of Jesus". "Compassion", not punishment, is a "refrain in the Gospel" that has the faces of the widow of Nain, the Good Samaritan, the father of the prodigal son: "Compassion involves, it comes from the heart and involves and leads you to do something. Compassion is to suffer with, to take the other's suffering upon yourself in order to resolve it, to heal it. And this was Jesus' mission. Jesus did not come to preach the law and then leave. Jesus came in compassion, that is, to suffer with and for us and to give his own life. So great is Jesus' love that compassion led him to the cross, to giving his life".

The Pope's invitation is to repeat "this little phrase": "He had compassion". Jesus,' Francis explained, 'is able to involve himself in the pain, in the problems of others because he came for this, not to wash his hands and give three, four sermons and leave', he is always with us. "Lord if you want you can heal me; if you want you can forgive me; if you want you can help me". Or if you want a bit longer: "Lord, I am a sinner, have mercy on me, have compassion on me". Simple prayer, which can be said many times a day. "Lord, I am a sinner, I ask you: have mercy on me". Many times a day, from the heart inwardly, without saying it out loud: "Lord if you want, you can. Have mercy on me'. Repeat this".

The leper, with his simple and miraculous prayer, was able to obtain healing through the compassion of Jesus, who loves us even in sin: "He is not ashamed of us. "O Father, I am a sinner, how shall I go about saying this...". Better! For He came precisely for us sinners, and the greater sinner you are, the closer the Lord is to you, for He came for you, the greatest sinner, for me, the greatest sinner, for all of us. We make a habit of repeating this prayer, always: 'Lord, if you will, you can. If you wish, you can', with the confidence that the Lord is close to us and his compassion will take upon himself our problems, our sins, our inner sicknesses, everything".

[Pope Francis, homily at St. Martha's; in L'Osservatore Romano, 17.01.20]

House on the Rock or practitioners of vain things

(Mt 7:21-29)

Pope Francis said: «In order to give Himself to us, God often chooses unthinkable paths, perhaps those of our limits, our tears, our defeats».

Hasty builders are content to build directly on the ground; paying attention only to what is seen and experienced (on the spot). They do not dig the house to the core - deep down, in the gold of themselves.

In the inner world everything is reversed: the primacy is of Grace, which displaces, because it takes into account only the essential, inexplicable reality - and our dignified autonomy.

«Too pure water has no fish» [Ts'ai Ken T'an]. Accepting ourselves will complete us: it will make us recover the co-present sides, opposite and shadowed. It is the leap of the deep Faith.

With the entire Sermon on the Mount - which is coming to an end - Jesus aims to arouse in people a critical conscience about banal and external solutions, something common among the leaders of ancient religiosity.

To build a new Kingdom, the public liturgies abounding in beautiful signs and resounding social greetings are not enough - not even the most striking gifts.

False security is what makes you feel quiet. There is no sick or inmate worse than the one who thinks he is healthy, arrived and not infected: only here there is no therapy, nor revival.

It will be seen in the moment of the storm, when it will be evident the need to translate the personal relationship with the Lord into life, starting from the ability to welcome gambling.

Merits not grounded in intimately firm beliefs will not hold the whirlwind of trial.

«Practitioner of vain things» that is inconsistent [it is the meaning of the Greek text that introduces the Gospel passage (v.23)].

They are the standard-bearers of an empty spirituality, who despite the paint - with even spectacular sides - have nothing to do with God.

Are there foundations behind a front of butterflies? You understand it in the storm, and if you become «rock» even for the invisible - not tourists of the "spirit" who praise praise and do not risk.

Security does not come from adapting to customs and obligations, nor from being admired (at least) like others, which makes the Common House unhealthy.

Our specific and hallmark of the Faith is not an identity drawn from protocols or the manners - it plays on appearances and not on the only strong point: the attitude of pilgrims in Christ.

We are only firm in the prophetic royal priestly dignity, which is given to us in an unrepeatable Gift and will never be the fruit of deriving from consent.

We live to follow a deep Vocation: Root, Spring and Engine of our most intimate fibers; related to the dreams and naturalness of each one.

Only relying on the soul is an authentic platform, true salvation and medicine.

The Mission will reach the existential peripheries, starting from the Core.

It seems senseless, paradoxical, incredible, but for every Called the Rock on which he can and must build his way of taking the field... is Freedom.

[Thursday 12th wk. in O.T.  June 25, 2026]

House on the Rock or practitioners of vain things

(Mt 7:21-29)

Pope Francis said: "In order to give himself to us, God often chooses unthinkable paths, perhaps those of our limitations, our tears, our defeats.

The Lord's call is not Manichean, but profound.

Our behaviour has fascinating roots. Lights and shadows of our being remain in dynamic relationship.

At times, however, our discomforts or distortions are the result of an excess of 'light' - detached from its opposite. 

Such excess is willingly associated with the claim to exorcise the dark aspect in us, which we would like to conceal for social reasons.

It seems to us that the business card should only reflect our bright, loose, serious, and performing appearance.

Perhaps, a moral style all of a piece - at least at first glance.

However, those who become attached to their bright side and even try to promote it for reasons of look (also ecclesiastical), established culture, habit (also religious), run the risk of enhancing the other side.

Beware: in every man there is always a side that misfires, that fails; and not one-sidedly.

Perhaps it is precisely in those who preach the good that there is the most pronounced danger of neglecting its co-present opposite - which sooner or later will break through, will find its place.

Blowing up the whole house of cards. But to achieve something alternative and absolutely not contrived.

For those who embark on a path of 'perfection', their own counterpart only seems a danger.

And conditioned by the models, we continue to play [our] already identified 'part'.

Yet in the dark side are hidden resources that the light-only side does not have.

In the dark side we read our character seed.

Here is the therapy and healing of the discomforts that we rush to conceal (in the family, with friends, in the community, at work).

The dark aspects [selfishness, coldness, closure, introversion, sadness] lurk within; no point in denying it.

It is rather worth considering them as a source of characterising primordial energies.

It is indeed concealment - sometimes depression itself - that makes us fish for unimaginable solutions.

As if we were a grain planted in the earth, which wants its existence. And it finally wants natural life, which develops its capacities.

It is precisely the emotions that we dislike and ourselves detest - like the muddy, dark earth - that reconnect us with our deepest essence.

In short, the unpleasant emotional states will be the well from which other ideas, other guiding 'images', new insights; different sap come to us. And change.

Light does not possess all possibilities, all dynamism. On the contrary, it not infrequently seems to be declined [by the traditions themselves] in a fictitious, reductive way.

In chiaroscuro, conversely, we no longer pretend. For it is the foundation of the house of the soul.

All this we consider, for a solid harmony, which arises from within.

Paradoxes of the Personal Vocation: if we did not follow it to the full, we would continue to follow misconceptions, or the styles of others.

And we would become sick. Evil will take over.

If structured on an abstract, local, or bogus identity, this is where the storm could destroy everything.

In our trial and error, we must keep all aspects - which we have come to know over time, and realised are part of us - beside us.

This will change the solidity of our relationship with ourselves, others, nature, history, and the world.

Conformity between conduct and intention of the heart overcomes hypocrisy, but conformity between Word and life is not set up by practising automatisms, nor by surrendering to others' convictions.

In the post-lockdown we are realising this sharply.

It used to be thought that training (especially of the young) also chiselled the soul, and everything flowed naturally into choices; into means, results, external works, and even dreams: "Tell me what you do and I will tell you who you are".

Instead, qualitative attunement with the Mystery and the Word of Christ is not achieved by setting it up, but is found within (each of us) enigmatically, and from the depths - as a pure secret Gift, for creative independence.

Haste, fear of failure, the culture of concatenation and stability, intentions (even 'spiritual' ones) or, conversely, flattery of tranquillity; ambitions, cravings to be recognised, lack of detachment, ambition, fear of being excluded, difficulty in shifting one's gaze... all lead to ignorance of the Mystery.

Deprived of depth, we will be condemned not to dig deep even within ourselves; perpetually at the mercy of particular roles, of spheres and their events; of occasional or local relationships.

Hasty builders are content to build directly on the ground; looking only at what they see and experience (on the spur of the moment). They do not dig the house down to the ground - into the depths, into the gold of self.In the inner world and its hidden power, everything is overturned: the primacy is of Grace, which displaces, because it only takes into account the essential, inexplicable reality - and our dignified autonomy.

The rest will unfortunately be destined to collapse ruinously, because it does not remain grounded in the Word, in character (albeit magmatic, but strongly potential)... nor in the vocational relationship with God and things, or in the most genuine communion (conviviality and shared richness of differences).

We experience a laceration, even in times of emergency: the inner world is stronger and more convincing, yet the outer world does not want to give way to the immediate goals. Indeed, we are still drawn to them.

But the latter we know well that they do not reactivate any stage of specific weight, as our young inner being does spontaneously - almost like a baby we carry in gestation.

Generally speaking, even on the 'spiritual' path we immediately fall into the coveted character we would like to be: here we do not grow, we are only turned on by futilities, nor do we realise that they are not our 'owners'.

Of course, the immediate external goal does not suffer the wait of the long necessary evolution of having to give birth to oneself (even in anguish and loneliness) stage after stage; which is activated and reactivated without comfort and security.

Yet we are born to take flight, not to tracing and becoming photocopies in the soul.

Thus all that is valuable will be in the oscillation, because a path of personal specific weight is configured according to the gift of our uniqueness.

And uniqueness will be achieved in the process of every side of us, of every side of the personality - even apparently petty or sketchy; even unflattering from the point of view of religious tranquillity (which will also have had its value).

Jesus does not intend to distinguish the good from the bad [cf. vv.15-20 and the parallel passage in Lk 6:43-45] in a trivial way: he wants us to live fully, in integral oneness, and perceive well.

The Lord does not propose an imprisoned destiny; rather, a reversal of meaning.

His is an admonition to sharpen our gaze, and set it within - not leave it outside, to observe ephemeral results, those of obviousness and hype; and then stop, don't experience too many jolts... as if we were in a relaxation zone.

The Unit of measurement in Christ is not the immediately perceptible to the eye, nor is it 'progress' per se, but rather: 'the value of every part'.

It is precisely the awareness of limitation that becomes a transformative principle in us. And every imperfection calls to Exodus.

To deny one's boundaries is to allow oneself to be hijacked by common views, devoid of Mystery - with horizons reduced to a single 'word'.

It is e.g. the severe crisis that stimulates the upheaval of an ostentatious but competitive and dehumanising system (also economic), with corrupt inner principles - although they once appeared to us as absolutes.

Why not be content, if we roughly manage? Because forced identification has taken away freedom, even the freedom to admit that we are made of light and shadow.

It is not disturbance that deprives women and men of eloquent vocational emancipation.

Even each one who beats his chest, does so in a particular way; and recognises himself in symbiosis with his own Name.

Then to each age of life - as to each era - touches its 'sin', which is not a monster but a symptom that speaks precisely of the personal, moral, cultural, social Calling.

Even if one does not like it, the oscillation must be understood, not criticised and accused.

I would even say welcomed and re-elaborated - not simplistically rejected, with attitudes of artificial distance or gestures of ambiguous virtue, which make one external and return to the starting point.

Today, the lack of complete life and beautiful relationships, the general upheaval, the restlessness of the soul - the nervousness, the dissatisfaction - force us to abandon both the ancient and fascinating devotional securities and the disembodied 'à la page' sophistications.

All in favour of concrete and personal situations, in the horizon of the unrepeatable vocation and the leap of Faith that opens up to coexistence.

"Too pure water has no fish" [Ts'ai Ken T'an].

Accepting ourselves without reserve will introduce us into a dizzying, awe-inspiring experience: with the amazement produced by the recovery of co-present, opposite and shadowed sides. As many as brothers and sisters.

Perhaps we will find that they are the most activating and fruitful.

Not the ethics of perfection and homologated distinctions, but the vituperated chaos and our inner demons will paradoxically become the best companions along the way, and the only true ones; coryphaeans of an astonishing Mission.

After all, works are the fruit of our thoughts and desires. The latter certainly also spring from a good, varied training, but not in a mechanical sense.

It is also crucial here not to be foiled. Bad discernment destroys the authentic Rock, which coincides with one's spontaneous Guidance to completeness.

The stable foundation of our itinerary is the Freedom to accept and the Freedom to correspond to the unrepeatable character - our own - of the instinct to fulfil ourselves.

In fact, Jesus detaches himself not only from ancient religion, but even from the - rather crude - messianic strands of early times (e.g. Jas 3:11-12).

This is not why the Master denies the profound spirit of the ancient Holy Scriptures, indeed he captures their heart: Qo 3:14; 7:13-18; Sir 37:13-15 [and many other passages (unbelievable for the mentality in which we have been educated)].

So it is not enough to say: 'Lord, Lord' (vv.21-22). It is not enough to formally recognise the Son of God.

One must sift through his call in being, make it one's own and understand it fully, so that it is not corrupted and disfigured into inessential forms of puerile external conformity.

In insecurity, many people demand expressions of power, seek overt strength; they settle for moral paradigms, look for forms of immediate assurance, or crave renowned guides (who perpetuate and comfort their defensive path).

Paralysing illusions... even in the path of Faith.

On this path one does not build expected happiness, nor any solidity at all, but day after day one's own sadness - as is evident from too many events, finally from the most occult forms of compensation (now unmasked).

There is no guru who can put things right at the root.

Our Seed is what it is: it is necessary to discover its virtues, even and especially the unexpected ones - which derive from the essence and magmatic and plastic forms of even opposing energies.

It is useless to 'cure' oneself according to a conformist homologation that does not belong to the personal Core.

The soul has an autonomous life, suspending contexts, distances; it exists within and also outside the passing of time - like Love. 

Everyone is a multiplicity of co-existing faces - to be given space for greater wholeness.

This matters, and allying oneself with one's limits: embracing what the surrounding environment or the conventionalist cultural paradigm - which defends its territory - deems perhaps inconclusive (so on).

We preside over other boundaries.

What we do not like is perhaps our best part.

In any case, giving voice to tensions means finally being able to name them, to accommodate them worthily - so that they have fuller joys.

And let them cross the threshold of the joy of living, hence of authentic reliability.

By sweeping away the anxiety of imperfection, we will find a more harmonious, energetic steadiness.

By embracing frailties along with rebellions, we will not live half-heartedly; on the contrary, we will experience fullness of being (vital and snappy).

By not feeling trapped all the time, we will be able to fly away.

But that certain tranquil situations are counterfeit narrowness and cut-offs of the soul, we can realise at once: in the radical discomforts that surface.

Many continue in vain to seek futile confirmations: in the search for extraordinary gifts or in the meticulousness of observances.

However, this is not the pedagogy that educates and launches life in the Spirit out of extrinsic mechanisms.

Nor is it enough to truly overcome the storms by 'doing God's will' (in a disciplined but) unfriendly self-consciousness.

No form of inculcated exteriority can convince us.

Let alone make us become a 'rock' - or small bulwark - to persuade, capacitate, strengthen others.

The difference between common religiosity and personal faith?

Life in the humanising and divine condition of preciousness opens up varied paths - of abysses even, but full of inner experiences; of unimaginable quests and discoveries, where we can be ourselves.

In the sphere of Faith, there are no longer sacred times, places, knowledge, models - all epidermal, if plastered - that are not also unprecedented and personal.

Union with the Lord, the Rock from which we have been as if cut and extracted, is not a track or a groove, but a fundamental option.

It leaves a free rein on the particular inclination and colour of each one.

With the entire Sermon on the Mount - here at the end of the day - Jesus aims at arousing in people a critical consciousness about trivial and external solutions. This is common among the leaders of ancient popular and official religiosity.

To build a new kingdom, public liturgies overflowing with beautiful signs with the right creed, and resounding social obsequies - not even the most conspicuous gifts - are not enough.

False security is that of those who profess ... but perform only conformist acts and reflect aligned ideas - so they feel OK.

There is no sick person or recluse worse than the one who considers himself healthy, arrived and uninfected: only here there is no therapy, no revival.This will be seen at the time of the storm, when the need to translate the personal relationship with the Lord into life, starting with oneself and the ability to accept the gamble of Love, will become evident.

Merits not rooted in intimately firm convictions - gestures produced by intrigue, calculation and contrived attitudes - will not withstand the whirlwind of the test.

"Practitioners of vain things", that is, inconsistent [this is the meaning of the Greek text that introduces the Gospel passage (v.23)] are the standard-bearers of an empty spirituality, which despite its varnish, with even spectacular sides, has nothing to do with God.

Conveniently, the 'masters' who stand in the way of the personal implications seem willing to go back on any adherence, plotting the reversal of their own proclamations - because they are prisoners in merit (instead of as they appear: leaders).

They do not yet reveal the divine Face, but rather a calculating, qualunquistic opposite.

They live to get by - along with the club to which they belong - and obtain only immediate recognition, obsequiousness, and alms of consensus around them.

And this despite the great disciplines of censorship that they advocate:

They do not correct the separation between teaching and personal commitment: they may preach the true God and (always) great things every day - but as if by trade.

The intriguers multiply formulas and symbolic gestures, like soporific drugs... but they are the first not to believe what they say and repeatedly impose on others.

Full of obtuse pretensions on people, they do not understand the Father, God of the desperate, exiled and mocked, who resurrects the non-elect - the deprived of a future; not the insured for life, commanded by self-interest and appearance.

Are there foundations behind a façade of butterflies? One understands this in the storm, and if one becomes a 'rock' even for the invisible - not tourists of the 'spirit' who praise praise and do not risk.

Therefore, security does not come from conforming to customs and fulfilments, nor from being admired (at least) as much as others. Fiction that makes the common house unhealthy.

Our specific and figure of Faith is not a 'cultural' identity drawn from protocols or manners - a plot that plays on appearances and not on the one strong point: the attitude of pilgrims in Christ.

We are steadfast only in the priestly prophetic royal dignity, which is given as an unrepeatable gift and will never be the result of deriving from consensus.

Nor of appearing, of saying and not saying, of building ourselves up; of adapting to the forces in the field, of struggling to float.

We live to follow a profound Vocation: Root, Spring and Motor of our intimate fibres; related to the dreams and naturalness of each one.

Only trusting the soul is an authentic platform, true salvation and medicine.

The Mission will reach the existential peripheries, starting from the Core.

It seems senseless, paradoxical, unbelievable, but for every Called One the Rock on which he can build his way is Freedom.

To internalise and live the message:

When the storm hits your house, do you imagine a great fall? What is the rock on which your community is built? Is it interested in your naturalness or does it want to conform to you?

Do you know people with strong prophetic, apostolic or thaumaturgical activity, who give the feeling of a familiarity with God that is only extraordinary or circumstantial, perhaps apparent?

What is the reason, in your opinion? Do you think they have ever really surrendered to themselves and the quintessence of their Calling by Name?

Dear Young Friends,

I offer all of you my warmest welcome! Your presence makes me happy. I thank the Lord for this cordial meeting. We know that “where two or three are gathered in the name of Jesus, he is in their midst” (cf. Mt 18:20). Today, you are much more numerous! Accordingly, Jesus is here with us. He is present among the young people of Poland, speaking to them of a house that will never collapse because it is built on the rock. This is the Gospel that we have just heard (cf. Mt 7:24-27).

My friends, in the heart of every man there is the desire for a house. Even more so in the young person’s heart there is a great longing for a proper house, a stable house, one to which he can not only return with joy, but where every guest who arrives can be joyfully welcomed. There is a yearning for a house where the daily bread is love, pardon and understanding. It is a place where the truth is the source out of which flows peace of heart. There is a longing for a house you can be proud of, where you need not be ashamed and where you never fear its loss. These longings are simply the desire for a full, happy and successful life. Do not be afraid of this desire! Do not run away from this desire! Do not be discouraged at the sight of crumbling houses, frustrated desires and faded longings. God the Creator, who inspires in young hearts an immense yearning for happiness, will not abandon you in the difficult construction of the house called life.

My friends, this brings about a question: “How do we build this house?” Without doubt, this is a question that you have already faced many times and that you will face many times more. Every day you must look into your heart and ask: “How do I build that house called life?” Jesus, whose words we just heard in the passage from the evangelist Matthew, encourages us to build on the rock. In fact, it is only in this way that the house will not crumble. But what does it mean to build a house on the rock? Building on the rock means, first of all, to build on Christ and with Christ. Jesus says: “Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock” (Mt 7:24). These are not just the empty words of some person or another; these are the words of Jesus. We are not listening to any person: we are listening to Jesus. We are not asked to commit to just anything; we are asked to commit ourselves to the words of Jesus.

To build on Christ and with Christ means to build on a foundation that is called “crucified love”. It means to build with Someone who, knowing us better than we know ourselves, says to us: “You are precious in my eyes and honoured, and I love you” (Is 43:4). It means to build with Someone, who is always faithful, even when we are lacking in faith, because he cannot deny himself (cf. 2 Tim 2:13). It means to build with Someone who constantly looks down on the wounded heart of man and says: “ I do not condemn you, go and do not sin again” (cf. Jn 8:11). It means to build with Someone who, from the Cross, extends his arms and repeats for all eternity: “O man, I give my life for you because I love you.” In short, building on Christ means basing all your desires, aspirations, dreams, ambitions and plans on his will. It means saying to yourself, to your family, to your friends, to the whole world and, above all to Christ: “Lord, in life I wish to do nothing against you, because you know what is best for me. Only you have the words of eternal life” (cf. Jn 6:68). My friends, do not be afraid to lean on Christ! Long for Christ, as the foundation of your life! Enkindle within you the desire to build your life on him and for him! Because no one who depends on the crucified love of the Incarnate Word can ever lose.

To build on the rock means to build on Christ and with Christ, who is the rock. In the First Letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul, speaking of the journey of the chosen people through the desert, explains that all “drank from the supernatural rock, which followed them, and the rock was Christ” (1 Cor 10:4). The fathers of the Chosen People certainly did not know that the rock was Christ. They were not aware of being accompanied by him who in the fulness of time would become incarnate and take on a human body. They did not need to understand that their thirst would be satiated by the very Source of life, capable of offering the living water which quenches every heart. Nonetheless, they drank from this spiritual rock that is Christ, because they yearned for this living water, and needed it. On the road of life we may sometimes not be aware of Jesus’ presence. However, it is really this presence, living and true, in the work of creation, in the Word of God and in the Eucharist, in the community of believers and in every man redeemed by the precious Blood of Christ, which is the inexhaustible source of human strength. Jesus of Nazareth, God made Man, is beside us during the good times and the bad times and he thirsts for this relationship, which is, in reality, the foundation of authentic humanity. We read in the book of Revelation these important words: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come to him and eat with him, and he with me” (Rev 3:20).

My friends, what does it mean to build on the rock? Building on the rock also means building on Someone who was rejected. Saint Peter speaks to the faithful of Christ as a “living stone rejected by men but in God’s sight chosen and precious” (1 Pet 2:4). The undeniable fact of the election of Jesus by God does not conceal the mystery of evil, whereby man is able to reject Him who has loved to the very end. This rejection of Jesus by man, which Saint Peter mentions, extends throughout human history, even to our own time. One does not need great mental acuity to be aware of the many ways of rejecting Christ, even on our own doorstep. Often, Jesus is ignored, he is mocked and he is declared a king of the past who is not for today and certainly not for tomorrow. He is relegated to a storeroom of questions and persons one dare not mention publicly in a loud voice. If in the process of building the house of your life you encounter those who scorn the foundation on which you are building, do not be discouraged! A strong faith must endure tests. A living faith must always grow. Our faith in Jesus Christ, to be such, must frequently face others’ lack of faith.

Dear friends, what does it mean to build on the rock? Building on the rock means being aware that there will be misfortunes. Christ says: “The rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon the house ... ” (Mt 7:25). These natural phenomena are not only an image of the many misfortunes of the human lot, but they also indicate that such misfortunes are normally to be expected. Christ does not promise that a downpour will never inundate a house under construction, he does not promise that a devastating wave will never sweep away that which is most dear to us, he does not promise that strong winds will never carry away what we have built, sometimes with enormous sacrifice. Christ not only understands man’s desire for a lasting house, but he is also fully aware of all that can wreck man’s happiness. Do not be surprised therefore by misfortunes, whatever they may be! Do not be discouraged by them! An edifice built on the rock is not the same as a building removed from the forces of nature, which are inscribed in the mystery of man. To have built on rock means being able to count on the knowledge that at difficult times there is a reliable force upon which you can trust.

My friends, allow me to ask again: what does it mean to build on the rock? It means to build wisely. It is not without reason that Jesus compares those who hear his words and put them into practice to a wise man who has built his house on the rock. It is foolish, in fact, to build on sand, when you can do so on rock and therefore have a house that is capable of withstanding every storm. It is foolish to build a house on ground that that does not offer the guarantee of support during the most difficult times. Maybe it is easier to base one’s life on the shifting sands of one’s own worldview, building a future far from the word of Jesus and sometimes even opposed to it. Be assured that he who builds in this way is not prudent, because he wants to convince himself and others that in his life no storm will rage and no wave will strike his house. To be wise means to know that the solidity of a house depends on the choice of foundation. Do not be afraid to be wise; that is to say, do not be afraid to build on the rock!

My friends, once again: what does it mean to build on the rock? Building on the rock also means to build on Peter and with Peter. In fact the Lord said to him: “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it” (Mt 16:18). If Christ, the Rock, the living and precious stone, calls his Apostle “rock”, it means that he wants Peter, and together with him the entire Church, to be a visible sign of the one Saviour and Lord. Here, in Kraków, the beloved city of my Predecessor John Paul II, no one is astonished by the words “to build with Peter and on Peter”. For this reason I say to you: do not be afraid to build your life on the Church and with the Church. You are all proud of the love you have for Peter and for the Church entrusted to him. Do not be fooled by those who want to play Christ against the Church. There is one foundation on which it is worthwhile to build a house. This foundation is Christ. There is only one rock on which it is worthwhile to place everything. This rock is the one to whom Christ said: “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church” (Mt 16:18). Young people, you know well the Rock of our times. Accordingly, do not forget that neither that Peter who is watching our gathering from the window of God the Father, nor this Peter who is now standing in front of you, nor any successive Peter will ever be opposed to you or the building of a lasting house on the rock. Indeed, he will offer his heart and his hands to help you construct a life on Christ and with Christ.

Dear friends, meditating on Christ’s words describing the rock as an adequate foundation for a house, we cannot help but notice that the last word is a hopeful one. Jesus says that, notwithstanding the harshness of the elements, the house is not destroyed, because it was built on the rock. In his word there is an extraordinary confidence in the strength of the foundation, a faith that does not fear contradictions because it is confirmed by the death and resurrection of Christ. This is the faith that years later was professed by Saint Peter in his letter: “ Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and he who believes in him will not be put to shame” (1 Pet 2:6). Certainly “he will not be put to shame.” Dear young friends, the fear of failure can at times frustrate even the most beautiful dreams. It can paralyze the will, making one incapable of believing that it is really possible to build a house on the rock. It can convince one that the yearning for such a house is only a childish aspiration and not a plan for life. Together with Jesus, say to this fear: “A house founded on the rock cannot collapse!” Together with Saint Peter say to the temptation to doubt: “He who believes in Christ will not be put to shame!” You are all witnesses to hope, to that hope which is not afraid to build the house of one’s own life because it is certain that it can count on the foundation that will never crumble: Jesus Christ our Lord.

[Pope Benedict, Address to young people Krakow 27 May 2006]

3. What does Christ say in this regard in the Gospel we have heard today? At the end of the Sermon on the Mount he said: “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded upon the rock” (Mt 7:24-25). The opposite of the man who built on the rock is the man who built upon sand. The house he built could not stand. Faced with trials and difficulties, it fell. This is what Christ teaches us.

A house built upon rock. The building that is one’s life. How should it be built so that it does not collapse under the pressure of this world’s events? How should this building be built so that from being an “earthly dwelling” it may become “a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Cor 5:1)? Today we hear the reply to these fundamental questions of faith: at the basis of the Christian building there is the hearing and keeping of the word of Christ. And in speaking of “the word of Christ” we have in mind not only his teaching, the parables and promises, but also his works, the signs, the miracles. And above all his Death, the Resurrection and the Descent of the Holy Spirit. Further still: we have in mind the Son of God himself, the eternal Word of the Father, in the mystery of the Incarnation: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn 1:14).

[Pope John Paul II, Biskupia Góra (Pelplin), 6 June 1999]

To base one's life "on the rock of God" and on the "concreteness" of acting and giving oneself, rather than "on appearances or vanity" or on the corrupt culture of "recommendations". This is the indication that Pope Francis suggested - during the Mass celebrated at Santa Marta on Thursday, 6 December - for living the Advent journey coherently.

Simple and challenging guidelines at the same time, which the Pontiff drew from the readings of the day, in which there are three significant groups of opposing words: "saying and doing", "sand and rock", "high and low".

Regarding the first group - "saying and doing" - the Pontiff immediately recalled the words of Matthew's Gospel (7:21): "Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of the Father". And he explained: 'One enters the kingdom of heaven, one matures spiritually, one goes forward in the Christian life by doing, not by saying'. In fact, 'saying is a way of believing, but sometimes very superficial, halfway': as when 'I say I am a Christian but I don't do the things of a Christian'. It is a sort of 'making up', because 'just saying, is a trick', it is 'saying without doing'.

Instead, "the proposal of Jesus is concreteness". And so, "when someone approached and asked for advice", he proposed "always concrete things". Moreover, the Pope added, "the works of mercy are concrete". And again: "Jesus did not say: 'But go to your home and think of the poor, think of the prisoners, think of the sick': no. Go: visit them'.

Here is the contrast between doing and saying. Necessary to highlight because 'many times we slip, not only personally but socially, into the culture of saying'. In this regard, Francis pointed to an unfortunately widespread practice, that of the 'culture of recommendations'. It happens, for example, that for a competition at university "one who has almost no merit" is chosen over many good professors; "and if you ask: 'But why this one? And these other good ones?" - 'Because this one was recommended by a cardinal, you know... the big fish...'". This is the Pope's comment: 'I don't want to think bad, but under the table of a recommendation there is always an envelope'. This is just one example of the prevalence of 'saying': 'it's not the merits, it's not the doing that gets you ahead, no: it's the saying. Making up your life'. And it is precisely 'one of the contradictions that today's liturgy teaches us: to do, not to say'. Even, the Pope explained in closing this first part of the reflection, "Jesus advises" to "do without saying: when you give alms, when you pray... secretly, without saying it. Do, not say".

The second comparison refers to an image used by Jesus in the Gospel: 'a wise man builds his house on rock, not on sand'. The parable has its own evidence: 'The sand is not solid. And a storm, winds, rivers, many things, rain bring down a house built on sand. Sand is a weak concreteness'. The Pontiff explained: "Sand is the consequence of saying: I make myself up, as a Christian, I build a life but without foundations. Vanity, vanity is saying many things, or making myself appear without foundation, on sand'. Instead, one must 'build on rock'. In this regard, the Pope invited us to grasp the beauty of the first reading of the day, taken from Isaiah (26:1-6), where we read: "Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord is an eternal rock".

It is a closely related juxtaposition between saying and doing, because 'many times, he who trusts in the Lord does not appear, is not successful, is hidden... but is steadfast. He does not have his hope in saying, in vanity, in pride, in the ephemeral powers of life", but he trusts in the Lord, "the rock". Francis explained: 'The concreteness of the Christian life makes us go forward and build on that rock which is God, which is Jesus; on the solidity of divinity. Not on appearances or vanity, pride, recommendations.... No. Truth."

Finally the "third group", where the concepts of "high and low" are confronted. It is again the passage from Isaiah that guides the meditation: "Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord is an everlasting rock, for he has brought down those who dwell on high, he has overthrown the lofty city, he has razed it to the ground. The feet trample it down: they are the feet of the oppressed, the footsteps of the poor'. It is a passage, the Pontiff noted, that recalls the 'song of Our Lady, of the Magnificat: the Lord raises up the humble, those who are in the concreteness of every day, and brings down the proud, those who have built their lives on vanity, pride... these do not last'. And the expression, Francis emphasised, "is very strong, even in the Magnificat we use 'has overthrown', and even stronger: that great beautiful city is trampled underfoot. By whom? By the feet of the oppressed and the steps of the poor". That is, the Lord 'exalts the poor, exalts the lowly'.

The category of 'high and low', the Pope added in comment, is also used by Jesus, for example, when he 'speaks of Satan: "I have seen Satan fall from heaven". And it is the expression of a "definitive judgement on the proud, on the vain, on those who boast of being something but are pure air".

Concluding his homily, Francis invited us to accompany the Advent season with reflection on "these three groups of words that contrast one with the other. Say or do? Am I a Christian of saying or doing? Sand and rock: do I build my life on the rock of God or on the sand of worldliness, of vanity? High and low: am I humble, do I always try to go from the bottom, without pride, and thus serve the Lord?". It will help to answer such questions; and, he added, also to take the Gospel of Luke and pray "with Our Lady's song, with the Magnificat, which is a summary of this message today".

[Pope Francis, S. Marta homily, in L'Osservatore Romano 06/12/2018]

Prophetic ardour, Salvation that does not repeat

(Lk 1:57-66.80)

Salvation - the cue for a full existence - runs through increasingly vast spaces and breaks into in a peremptory way, without ever repeating itself.

It does not ask for authoritative permits, nor does it wait for a beautiful swept and adorned dwelling.

It even enters the House (Israel) in which nothing was done but to commemorate, with no possibility of renewal and progress.

It transforms it, though scented with incense and pureness.

In that context, unfortunately, the Waiting had become a habit [to wait] that no longer expected anything.

The announcement of the new times, conversely, arouses contagious joys, a desire to make and affect the ancient habitual enclosure - in all aspects of mentality, suddenly no longer compliant.

Change ushers in an era of redemption: concretely, a life as people saved.

Trajectory now able to open loop holes on the great wall of conventions that bridle the freedom to be and to do.

Zechariah [«God makes memory»: the usual God and the usual memory] generates a Promise that is being fulfilled before the eyes.

Word-event that really visits the people - here and now, every dawn - imposing the «none of your kinship» (v.61) ie of the custom: here is Johanan [«God has made Grace»].

The Merciful Living One is no longer exactly that of the bloody and propitiatory cults at the Temple - but of the perspectives, of the deployed horizons. 

You find lightness. No conditioning blockage, no guilt sense for having diverted. In His proposals for dilated life, He is and remains «Favourable».

The Name to be imposed by ancient tradition conveyed a culture and a role (even) with sacred accents, reassuring.

By changing it, destiny is modified. Thus we does not fall into a garment, in a part to be recited; we grasp the essence of the expected Face.

The Eternal is not the One who invites to a series of identified roles to trace without respite: his unconditional initiatives offer every day a decisive field’s opening.

The Most High creates, and calls for development, for the better and further: the categories of possibilities are overflown!

The ancient barriers between Heaven and Earth, between Tradition and Manifestation, are about to fall in favor of a world prone to life.

Redemption begins to make sparks with textbook choices: they cannot stand each other anymore.

Even in our journey, accepting different horizons from the expected we allow the divine soul of salvation history to visit us.

This is so that the essence of our deep states detaches itself from the common judgment, and re-tunses on how much is still Unknown but we feel it belongs to us.

In each shift of gaze we will find another cosmos, a discreet, reserved Beauty - in which the Secret for each is nestled, a stage of complete realization for all.

Fulfilment is now «fortified in Spirit and in deserts» instead of according to manners and measure - in special places (v.80) from which one can push oneself out, even irregularly.

[Nativity of st. John the Baptist, 24 June]

Prophetic Ardour, Salvation that does not repeat

(Lk 1:57-66.80)

The new Creation announced in the periphery invests the territory that still hesitates over what is certified, proven and reassuring - because it is considered (around) pure and quoted.

Salvation - the cue for a full existence - travels ever wider spaces and breaks through in a peremptory manner, without ever repeating itself.

It does not ask for authoritative permission, nor does it wait for a beautifully swept and adorned dwelling.

It even enters the House (Israel) in which it did nothing but commemorate, with no possibility of renewal and progress.

He transforms it, albeit already perfumed with incense and purity.

In that sphere, unfortunately, the Waiting had turned into a habit [of waiting] that was no longer waiting for anything. One just held back, without much expectation.

On the contrary, the announcement of the new times arouses contagious joy, a desire to do and break the old habitual enclosure - in all aspects of mentality, suddenly no longer conforming.

The change ushers in an era of redemption: concretely, a life of the saved.

A trajectory now able to open up gaps in the great wall of conventions that bridle the freedom to be and to do.

Zechariah ["God makes memory": the usual God and memory] generates a Promise that is being fulfilled before our eyes.

Word-event that really visits the people - here and now, every dawn - imposing the "none of your kinship" (v.61) i.e. the custom - even priestly: here is Johanan ["God made Grace"].

The merciful Living One is no longer exactly that of the bloody and propitiatory cults in the Temple, but of perspectives, of unfolding horizons. 

One finds lightness. No conditioning blocks, no guilt for deviating. In His proposals of expanded life, He is and remains "Favourable".

The Name to be imposed by ancient custom conveyed a culture and a role (even) with sacred, reassuring veins.

Changing it changes destiny. One does not cast oneself in a robe, in a part to be played; one grasps the essence of the awaited Face.

The Eternal One is not the One who invites a series of pious and archaic identified ritual customs, to be followed relentlessly. His unconditional initiatives provide a decisive opening of the field every day.

The Most High creates and calls for development, for the best and the further super-eminent: the categories of possibility are surpassed!

The ancient barriers between Heaven and Earth, between Tradition and Manifestation, are about to fall, in favour of a world inclined to life.

Redemption begins to spark with textbook choices.

Writes the Tao Tê Ching (xix), which deems the most celebrated virtues external: 

"Teach that there is more to stick to: show yourself simple and keep yourself raw".

Master Wang Pi comments: 'Formal qualities are totally insufficient'.

And Master Ho-shang Kung adds: 'Forget the regular and the creation of saints, return to what was at the Beginning'.

Even on our path, by accepting horizons other than the expected, we allow the divine soul of salvation history to visit us.

This is so that the essence of our deepest states can detach itself from common judgement, and re-tune to what is still Unknown rather than useful - but we feel belongs to us.

In each shift of gaze we find another cosmos, a discreet, reserved Beauty.

It leads back to our natural Core, to the Calling by Name in which lurks the Secret for each one, and a stage of full realisation for all.

The Fulfillment is now "fortified in Spirit and in deserts" instead of according to custom, measured - in the deputed places of the priestly liturgy (v.80) from which one must push oneself out, even irregularly.

To internalise and live the message:

How many times have you heard that you are not doing well?

How do you realise the timing of God's change?

What astonishment have you experienced in your spiritual journey?

What difference have you measured against your expectations and intentions?

How do you plan to build your dignity as an outrider?

What principle of discernment is used in your community? Do you start from your unrepeatable Vocation or is there an addictive and homologising cliché, other names that you have to repeat and copy?

"What do you think he will become, this son of mine?" [by Teresa Girolami]

Today's Gospel presents us with the birth of John, the prophet of Christ, and the amazement of onlookers:

"What shall this child be? And indeed the hand of the Lord was with him" (Lk 1:66).

In the life of Francis, from his birth, a visible sign of God's predilection was manifested on him and his mother Mona Pica.

The Sources make this clear:

"In fact, she was made to share, as a privilege, a certain resemblance to the ancient Saint Elizabeth, both by the name imposed on her son and also by the prophetic spirit.When neighbours expressed their admiration for Francis' generosity of spirit and moral integrity she would repeat, almost divinely inspired:

"What do you think he will become, this son of mine? Know, that by his merits he will become a son of God'.

Indeed, this was also the opinion of others, who appreciated Francis as already grown up for some of his very good inclinations.

He shunned anything that might sound offensive to anyone and, growing up with a gentle spirit, he did not appear to be a son of those who were called his parents.

Therefore the name of John is appropriate to the mission he then carried out, that of Francis to his fame, which soon spread everywhere after his full conversion to God.

Above the feast of any other saint, he held that of John the Baptist to be most solemn, whose distinguished name had imprinted in his soul a sign of arcane power.

Among those born of women there arose none greater than this, and none more perfect than this among the founders of religious orders. It is a coincidence worthy of note' (FF 583).

[Teresa Girolami].

According to which image and likeness?

Our gaze goes to Giulio Romano's painting above the high altar of this church: it shows the Holy Family, with John the Baptist still a child, the Apostle James and the Evangelist Mark, the latter already adults.

The Baptist briskly points with his left hand to the Child Jesus, depicted in his infantile weakness. To the question of the relatives and neighbours of Elizabeth and Zechariah: "What is to become of this child?" the painting seems to give us this answer: John the Baptist points with all his attitude to Jesus to the visitor James who is close to him; he bows deeply in the awareness of his littleness: I am not worthy to untie the strap of the sandal to him who comes after me, but who is before me. This word has nothing to do with false humility. The Baptist is too upright, too sober for that. He certainly recognised human helplessness better than most men.

The preacher of penitence who questions men in their innermost being, who shakes them out of their certainties and transforms them, who snatches them from the superficiality of a purely earthly materialistic attitude, still belongs to the Old Covenant, he is just the one who points the way to the Kingdom of God; and this Kingdom of God is near, one hears the voice of the one who calls in the wilderness. The Baptist's humility is authentic. But God exalted the littleness of the Baptist with the greatness of the task entrusted to him; indeed, he had already exalted him in his mother's womb: before he was even born, he was in fact already 'reborn' by the Spirit of Christ. Human greatness is nothing compared to the smallness that is called to participate in the greatness and holiness of God.

For us priests, John is a model. He seeks nothing for himself, but everything for the one he now points to. The child already represents in a certain way the word transmitted to us in the fourth Gospel: "He must increase and I must decrease" (John 3: 30). John was to lead men to Jesus and bear witness [...].

John and the story of his life are like a slide on which a name and a truth are indicated. It remains dark until a source of light is lit behind it. Thus says the Gospel of John: 'He was not the light, but he was to bear witness to the light' (John 1: 8). The light of God is decisive in his life and mission. By its light we become seers, to recognise God's will. This is often contrary to our desires and our own will. When it came to naming the newborn John at his circumcision, tradition was decisive: he would receive his father's name. But Elisabeth decided otherwise. She knew God's will and gave the child the name 'John', which means 'God is merciful'.

Why should it have been so only then?

We can all experience the power and goodness of God in our lives when we trust in him and strive earnestly to do his will. But this requires from us humility and the realisation that man does not possess the measure of all things. We cannot see ourselves as the yardstick of every thought, every morality and every right. We too easily succumb to the belief that everything can be made, heaven as well as earth, indeed man himself, according to our own image and likeness.

[Pope John Paul II, S. Maria dell'Anima homily 24 June 1990].