Clear and distinct

(Mt 5:33-37)

«Yes, when it is yes; No, when it is no». There is no need to reinforce trust.

Every oath – even a sacred one – is a loophole that does not heal an already dead reality.

The theatre of bombastic formulas only admits the conviction that the Other cannot be fully trusted.

Total transparency in relationships does not need a stool to support it. 

It is ridiculous to try to encourage reciprocity by inventing the crutch of oaths, which reinforce a person's word with something greater than themselves [capable of punishing them in the event of non-compliance; come what may].

Good relationships, the ideal of justice, credit, and our whole life come to perfection in a clear way.

There is no need to beat about the bush, to become artificial, to rely on other precautions that then go back on their word, even if they are well prepared and perfectly staged.

Let us come to the theological point: what matters to the Father is the Person, not his symbolic expressions or his 'merits' - false props in a face-to-face encounter, to be displayed in the window to divert attention.

The face-to-face encounter is worth the whole game: much more than what sounds good to the ear, far beyond the accounting of what women and men have accomplished.

Our strong loyalty before God is not there; indeed, we need it. It is useless to hide the dust under a carpet of slogans and high-sounding rhetoric.

Even the pile of 'perfectly' fulfilled legal works provides no support.

In fact, the scaffolding may seem lofty and phenomenal, but it is superficial (often unfortunately insincere: castles made of paper and papier-mâché) and serves a dual purpose.

The Father is impressed by his creative masterpiece, by the sincere heart of women and men, not by the smoke and mirrors of impersonal structures set up for the occasion.

Nor is he flattered by ritual expressions, acronyms, clichés, or even heroic deeds that risk damaging the core of one's personality and Calling by Name.

There is nothing higher than our 'face'; the rest is cunning and lies. These are dangerous shortcuts.

The puritanical laymen used to say, 'The greater the form, the less the truth'. Not: give credence.

Clear actions, behaviours, words. This is what counts. 

In short, we must not 'improve' ourselves according to external models and facsimiles - nor organise more events - except with His Free Gift, which is far more reliable, permanent and effective than our [conformist and sometimes vain] observances.

The power we have cannot even affect the natural colour of a hair; this is the reality behind the grand stage we set up to avoid admitting that... something is wrong.

The integrity that matters is calm, transparent, spontaneous, and sincere: it cannot be ours. It is useless to make and remake 'vows' to deceive even God.

To internalise and live the message:

Have you ever found yourself a merchant at the last fair? Have you ever expressed yourself like a forger?

The vain water of the sacred that holds back, and the true Source

(Jn 5:1-3, 5-16)

'But he did many things with him, first of all taking him aside from the crowd. On this occasion, as on others, Jesus always acts with discretion. He does not want to impress people; He is not seeking popularity or success, but only desires to do good to people. With this attitude, He teaches us that good must be done without fanfare, without ostentation, without 'blowing the trumpet'. It must be done in silence.

[…] Healing was for him an 'opening' to others and to the world.

This Gospel story emphasises the need for a twofold healing. First of all, healing from illness and physical suffering, to restore the health of the body, even if this goal is not completely achievable in the earthly horizon, despite the many efforts of science and medicine. But there is a second healing, perhaps more difficult, and that is healing from fear. Healing from the fear that drives us to marginalise the sick, the suffering, and the disabled. And there are many ways to marginalise, even with pseudo-pity or by removing the problem; we remain deaf and mute in the face of the pain of people marked by illness, anguish, and difficulties. Too often, the sick and suffering become a problem, when they should be an opportunity to show a society's concern and solidarity towards the weakest members of society.

[Pope Francis, Angelus, 9 September 2018]

Jesus prefers to break the law than to align himself with the ruthless world and the inviolable society that marginalises the unfortunate.

In the religion of competitive trophies, real abandonment and false or trivial hopes, someone wins the lottery and is healed, but everyone else does not. Only the quickest are healed, not the most needy.In any case, the vast majority remain watching, paralysed by loneliness - on the other hand, those affected ask for life, refreshment; the bubbling song of a truly sacred story.

At that time, in 'holy' places, the cult of sacrifice required a lot of water [to wash the animals before slaughtering and butchering them], especially during major festivals.

Large cisterns collected rainwater, and public baths (to the north) crowded the sick waiting for help or healing from the very isolation to which they were condemned - according to purity rules.

The pools outside were used to wash the lambs before their sacrifice at the Temple, and this method of use gave the water itself an aura of healing holiness.

Many sick people flocked to bathe in the 'motion of the water' (v.3).

It was said that an angel stirred the waters of the public baths [perhaps due to an intermittent spring] and that the first person to enter at the moment when they became restless would be healed.

A symbol of a religion that offers false hope to the infirm, which nevertheless appeals to the imagination of the excluded masses, oppressed by calamities - who do not know the man-God of their destiny.

'But the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, being in a crowd of people' (v. 13).

The Face of the Son is unrecognisable in the crowd, despite the plethora of impeccable guides and devotees - who only distract and are content with the habitual forms of the organisation, which are exaggeratedly solemn.

Abundant conduct purified the Temple and neglected the people.

An icon of a rich and miserable religiosity: vain, useless, harmful; abandoning to themselves those whom it is called to support.

The scribes taught the law to students in the sacred enclosure and the rabbis received their clients under Solomon's portico, on the Temple esplanade, towards the east.

Above, the Torah and its commerce; below and outside, nearby, the betrayal of the poor.

Water flowed in the Temple, but it did not cleanse anyone - on the contrary, it made the situation worse.

This had been going on for an entire era - a 'generation' (v. 5). This symbolises the 38 years (Deut. 2:14) that lacked a welcoming mentality.

The official religious institution kept the crowd at a safe distance, revealing only a ridiculous and brutal caricature of the friendly, hospitable and compassionate Face of the Father.

The crowd of needy people who received the miraculous water only by chance and surprise is a parable of humanity in need, dramatically deprived of everything, even authentic spiritual comfort.

Jesus, on the other hand, approaches the needy on his own initiative (vv. 6, 14) and involves himself - at the risk of his life - with those who are most alone, awkward and clumsy.

He is in us: welcoming faces and the active presence of the Father, instinctively drawn not to people who matter, but to the neglected, the sick—those who are unable even to receive miracles.

We are sent not to the deserving and self-sufficient, but precisely to those who are unable to use their own means to come forward.

Those who are faltering - and there is no need for an imprimatur on this: such a rule is divine law.

No joy on the part of the authorities... only inquiries.

It does not matter: no reverential fear. God is not eager to be obeyed; rather, he wants to fulfil us.

Christ himself does not work to be recognised and acclaimed ['he had withdrawn']. Nor does he care for us solely to bring about religious conversion.

He heals because he perceives the need, not so that the sick may believe in God.

The Tao Te Ching [x] says: 'Let creatures live and nourish them, let them live and do not keep them as your own'. 'Talking a lot and scrutinising rationally is worth less than keeping oneself empty' (v).

Let people be free to go through their seasons, not stereotypes.

Let us simply help to open doors that are more genuine and commensurate with the personal journey, even if unexpected or uncontrolled.

We are called upon and sent to accompany each person into the unheard of, the entirely original - guiding them not towards a pre-established sacredness, but towards the plasticity of healthy awareness.