Distraction in the waiting room, or a crisis with an evolutionary sense

(Mt 25:1-13)

The theme is not one of moral vigilance, but timely: sooner or later all those baptised into Christ fall asleep (v.5).

And the environment doesn't look the best: the groom is delayed, the girls are sleepy, some without oil and the others... sour.

But sometimes we are like madmen who go out to build houses on the sand: at the first flood everything collapses.

Enthusiasm is there, attunement with the Lord and his desire to embrace and transmit fullness of being... perhaps not.

What is missing is a dimension of depth, or of living hope that animates motivation and lubricates energy, in the impulse to mission.

This is the outcome of those who seem to have accepted the Beatitudes in full, but do not make them their own....

Not because they do not fulfil the role well - a task - but because they do not relate listening to the non-distracted, exquisitely evangelical practice.

To feed the torch is to promote life!

But how can we focus on it and not obfuscate it, or rather unblock it, and not allow ourselves to be influenced by the trappings, pull it out of the drawer; orient it well - in local and universal favour, one's own, and that of all?

The Appeal, the opportune moment, comes suddenly. It is not set up through a general or formal choice that evolves without correlation, without personal tracks, without attention to events and the ability to correspond.

In short: the relationship of Faith is not oil that can be lent.

As in a Love relationship, each one needs moment by moment a new personal balance - enhanced in fusion.

There are anxious or perfectionist souls who rush to act, but lack perception. There are fearful and paralysed hearts: they must acquire flexibility.

Some stare at "no" moments and do not know how to transform them into opportunities for awakening; or they heal too late. Others depend on the season or live on adrenaline, and lack awareness.

Some must slow down and collect themselves, rediscover themselves and their instinctive vocational lightness, their infinite part - but avoiding puerile strategies.

Others, who have already embraced the divine, would need to awaken from their torpor, to set in motion the wise, innate light they possess in their deepest inclinations.

Some need to shed ballast, to become more subtle in their hearing and presentation, or less dirigiste; others, to prepare for the Encounter in a more relational and visible dimension.

There are some who cannot but complicate their lives, and then simplify [without dispersing], eventually becoming sharper; others, and perhaps more, learn to give. And so on.

So. to harmonise and invigorate the natural, passionate and vocational organism, better some with light than all in the dark - stuck in the waiting room, lost forever.

Jesus does not favour those slumbering in an empty spirituality without uniqueness - that is, those gripped by the instinct of self-protection. He does not seek first his own resources, what he already finds within himself; but what he obtains outside, or is given on demand, begged by others.

The unusual - perhaps undue - and personal listening, as well as the enterprising actions, the risk for wisdom, love, the stimulus to the completeness of being, build the Persona and its true dialogue.

Conformities do not produce breakthroughs; they persist in the torpid outline. 

The indistinct crowd without conviviality of differences - if mediocre, lacking in exploratory peaks, exceptions - pushes every unrepeatable Call to the bench.

Often one imagines one has made one's own practice with God by enrolling in parish registers, without fully elaborating the commitment. Perhaps for fear of risk or unforeseen hardship.

Then some zealous mannerists also assume prone attitudes of [formerly called] 'papist' appearance and [fake] orthodoxy - or vice versa, sophisticated, à la page.

Disembodied abstractions, which the Bridegroom is not interested in.

He who does not even work on himself, obviously according to the character of his own vocational inclinations, neither edifies nor communicates life.

He neither enriches nor cheers up even a cursory existence, of the weary times of waiting. Finally, it has nothing to do with God (v.12).

The paradigm of this high and strong call of the Gospel is the therapy that can regenerate the world subjugated by external homologations, so that it goes Elsewhere - and does not renounce the dimension of the Mystery that arouses it.

It is an appeal out of time for the Church itself, so that it does not settle for schemes, models, standard recipes, or to put things in place in a habitual way.

Nor does it get stuck in sick relationships, in nomenclatures of qualunquist support; resounding or museum-like. And thus find themselves outside the Feast, disoriented, overwhelmed; without even having activated themselves, humanising.

As the encyclical Fratelli Tutti recalls in no.33 [quoting a homily by Pope Francis in Skopje]:

"We fed ourselves with dreams of splendour and greatness and ended up eating distraction [losing] the taste and flavour of reality".

But even the crisis can have an evolutionary meaning: in accepting to be wrong, in becoming aware of imperfections.

In not feeling absolute; in the logic of options, in personalisation, in the unexpected and different encounter.

Threshold of every Exodus towards Freedom and Celebration.

To internalise and live the message:

Have you lost the meaning of the Wedding invitation? Or do you simply prefer to cross the Banquet threshold unscathed?

Is there an Encounter that you feel can awaken your life, or has the habit of waiting turned into a habit of not waiting any longer?

In order not to relapse

"The biblical readings of today's liturgy [...] invite us to prolong our reflection on eternal life [...]. On this point there is a clear difference between those who believe and those who do not believe, or, one might equally say, between those who hope and those who do not hope. In fact, St Paul writes to the Thessalonians: "We do not want to leave you in ignorance about those who have died, so that you may not be sad like the others who have no hope" ( 1 Thess 4:13). Faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ also marks a decisive watershed in this area. St Paul again reminds the Christians of Ephesus that, before accepting the Good News, they were "without hope and without God in the world" ( Eph 2:12). In fact, the religion of the Greeks, the pagan cults and myths, were unable to shed light on the mystery of death, so much so that an ancient inscription read: 'In nihil ab nihilo quam cito recidimus', which means: 'Into nothingness from nothingness how soon we fall back'. If we remove God, if we remove Christ, the world falls back into emptiness and darkness. And this is also reflected in the expressions of contemporary nihilism, an often unconscious nihilism that unfortunately infects so many young people.

Today's Gospel is a famous parable about ten girls invited to a wedding feast, a symbol of the Kingdom of Heaven, of eternal life (Mt 25:1-13). It is a happy image, with which, however, Jesus teaches a truth that challenges us; in fact, of those ten girls: five enter the feast, because, when the bridegroom arrives, they have the oil to light their lamps; while the other five remain outside, because, foolish, they did not bring the oil. What does this 'oil', indispensable to be admitted to the wedding feast, represent? St Augustine (cf. Sermons 93:4) and other ancient authors read in it a symbol of love, which cannot be bought, but is received as a gift, kept in one's heart and practised in one's works. True wisdom is to take advantage of mortal life to perform works of mercy, because, after death, this will no longer be possible. When we are awakened for the last judgement, this will be on the basis of the love practised in earthly life (cf. Mt 25:31-46). And this love is Christ's gift, poured into us by the Holy Spirit. Whoever believes in God-Love carries within him an invincible hope, like a lamp with which to cross the night beyond death, and reach the great feast of life".

[Pope Benedict, Angelus 6 November 2011]

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

The Biblical Readings of this Sunday’s Liturgy invite us to extend the reflection on eternal life that we began on the occasion of the commemoration of the faithful departed. On this point there is a clear difference between those who believe and those who do not believe or, one might likewise say, between those who hope and those who do not hope. 

Indeed St Paul wrote to the Thessalonians: “but we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thess 4:13). Faith in the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ in this sphere too is a crucial divide. St Paul always reminded the Christians of Ephesus that before accepting the Good News they had been “separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Eph 2:12). Indeed the religion of the Greeks, the pagan cults and myths, were unable to shed light on the mystery of death; thus an ancient inscription said: “In nihil ab nihilo quam cito recidmus” which means: “how quickly we fall back from nothing to nothing”. If we remove God, we remove Christ and the world falls back into emptiness and darkness. Moreover, this is also confirmed in the expressions of contemporary nihilism that is often unconscious and, unfortunately, infects a great many young people.

Today’s Gospel is a famous parable that speaks of ten maidens invited to a wedding feast, a symbol of the Kingdom of Heaven and of eternal life (Mt 25:1-13). It is a happy image with which, however, Jesus teaches a truth that calls us into question. In fact five of those 10 maidens were admitted to the feast because when the bridegroom arrived they had brought the oil to light their lamps, whereas the other five were left outside because they had been foolish enough not to bring any. What is represented by this “oil”, the indispensable prerequisite for being admitted to the nuptial banquet? 

St Augustine (cf. Discourses 93, 4), and other ancient authors interpreted it as a symbol of love that one cannot purchase but receives as a gift, preserves within one and uses in works. True wisdom is making the most of mortal life in order to do works of mercy, for after death this will no longer be possible. When we are reawoken for the Last Judgement, it will be made on the basis of the love we have shown in our earthly life (cf. Mt 25:31-46). And this love is a gift of Christ, poured out in us by the Holy Spirit. Those who believe in God-Love bear within them invincible hope, like a lamp to light them on their way through the night beyond death to arrive at the great feast of life.

Let us ask Mary, Sedes Sapientiae, to teach us true wisdom, the wisdom that became flesh in Jesus. He is the Way that leads from this life to God, to the Eternal One. He enabled us to know the Father’s face, and thus gave us hope full of love. This is why the Church addresses the Mother of the Lord with these words: “Vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra” [our life, our sweetness and our hope]. Let us learn from her to live and die in the hope that never disappoints.

[Pope Benedict, Angelus, November 6, 2011]

1. Christ taught in parables, which were understandable to his listeners. Their content could be easily grasped by the imagination. At the same time, their message opened the hearts of those who heard them to another reality: the Kingdom of Heaven. The divine, supernatural reality. Mankind is called to this reality. It is called to the Kingdom of God, which begins here on earth, but which will find its definitive fulfilment in the eternal City of God, in heaven. The Kingdom of God also constitutes mankind’s eschatological future. Christ is its eyewitness: he sits on the Father’s throne, as the consubstantial and eternal Son.
In the parable of the ten virgins, which we have just heard, Jesus focuses his attention above all on the person invited to the heavenly banquet, called to share in the divine future.
2. The parable of the ten virgins remains as relevant as ever. Certainly, today the traditions associated with the celebration of marriage have taken on different outward forms. Nevertheless, the parable is always relevant. It can be said that what is recounted in it also happens in our own day. It happens here in Naples; it happens in the city and in each of its neighbourhoods; it happens in every parish, in every family, in every person.
What wedding are we talking about? Who is the bridegroom whom we are called to go and meet? The parable allows us to draw closer to the mystery of God, expressed through the image of a wedding. It is the wedding of Christ: He is the Bridegroom. He is the Bridegroom first and foremost as the Incarnate Word: the Son of God married humanity, our human nature, by becoming man in the womb of the Virgin Mary through the power of the Holy Spirit.
By virtue of this first wedding, Christ, the God-Man, marries all people: for he became Man for everyone, to redeem and save all. Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. His Bride is the Church, which he established so that she might cooperate with him in the work of salvation. It is within her that the children of divine adoption are born and mature, called to share in the life of God in the likeness of the eternal and only-begotten Son.
6. Dearest brothers and sisters, today’s liturgy reminds us that our whole life is a watchful preparation for the encounter with the Bridegroom. ‘Watch and be ready’!
Here we must delve into the innermost being of every person. The Saviour shows us the way. What does this Gospel call to ‘watch’ consist of? What does the readiness of the wise virgins, of whom the parable speaks, consist of, if not precisely in what the Psalm proclaims? ‘O God, you are my God; at dawn I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh longs for you, like a parched and dry land without water’ (Ps 62:2).
Sensitivity to God; the awareness that he is present in the world, in this city, in each one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being’ (Acts 17:28). We came forth from him when we were born. And our life is a path that can lead nowhere else but to him.
Are we aware that this is the path of our lives? Have we perhaps strayed onto rugged terrain? Or are we perhaps now beginning to stray from this main road? Are we, perhaps, like those virgins in the parable who dozed off and fell asleep? They continue to sleep and do not sense the coming of the bridegroom. Is there not a risk that not even the powerful shock of his death and resurrection will be able to rouse them?
Yes. Let us certainly admire the works of human genius, but let our eyes be wide open to recognise the works of divine Wisdom. Let our ears be wide open to hear the voice of the Bridegroom. Let us not allow our lamps to be extinguished, dimmed by a deluge of information leading to nothingness. Such information does not open up divine perspectives for us; on the contrary, it prevents us from perceiving the voice of the Bridegroom and stops us from hearing the Church crying out: ‘Go out to meet him!’
7. We cannot remain in ignorance. Nor can we remain in ignorance regarding those who die (cf. 1 Thess 4:13) . . . regarding those who have died in your families, in your parishes, in your town. November is the month in which we remember the dead! We cannot remain in ignorance. Hopeless grief is not enough.
Humanity today seems to underestimate the significance of death. When the meaning of death is devalued, when the meaning of human life is also devalued from the very first moment of conception, man falls into a dangerous slumber. He tries to doze off so as not to face the responsibilities arising from the greatness of his vocation and the dignity bestowed upon him by God. He tries not to hear the voice of the Bridegroom! November is the month of the dead who live in God.
‘For we believe that Jesus died and rose again; so too, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died’ (1 Thess 4:14). Be watchful! Remember that we live immersed in the Communion of Saints. Let us therefore remain ready – like the wise virgins of the parable – to enter with Christ into the wedding feast of the Kingdom of God.
The voice of the Church repeats: ‘Behold, the Bridegroom! Go out to meet him!’ Watch, therefore, and be ready. Amen!
[Pope John Paul II, homily, Naples, 11 November 1990]

In Jesus’ time it was customary for weddings to be celebrated at night; so the procession of guests took place with lit lamps. Some of the bridesmaids are foolish: they take their lamps but do not take the oil with them; the wise ones instead take the oil with them together with their lamps. The bridegroom is late, late in coming, and they all fall asleep. When a voice alerts them that the bridegroom is about to arrive, in that moment, the foolish ones realize that they do not have oil for their lamps; they ask the wise ones for some, but the latter reply that they cannot give away any oil, because there would not be enough for them all. While the foolish maidens go to buy oil, the bridegroom arrives. The wise maidens enter the banquet hall with him, and the door is closed. The others arrive too late and are turned away.

It is clear that with this parable, Jesus wants to tell us that we must be prepared for the encounter with him. Not only for the final encounter, but also for the everyday great and small encounters, with a view to that encounter for which the lamp of faith is not enough; we also need the oil of charity and good works. As the Apostle Paul says, the faith that truly unites us to Jesus is, “faith working through love” (Gal 5:6). It is what is represented by the behaviour of the wise maidens. Being wise and prudent means not waiting until the last moment to correspond to God’s grace, but to do so actively and immediately, starting right now. “I… yes, I will convert soon…”. “Convert today! Change your life today!”. “Yes, yes, tomorrow”. And the same thing is said tomorrow, and so it never arrives. Today! If we want to be ready for the final encounter with the Lord, we must cooperate with him now and perform good deeds inspired by his love.

We know that unfortunately it happens that we forget the purpose of our life, that is, the definitive appointment with God, thus losing the sense of expectation and making the present absolute. When one makes the present absolute, one looks only to the present, losing the sense of expectation, which is so beautiful and so necessary, and also pulls us away from the contradictions of the moment. This attitude — when one loses the sense of expectation — precludes any view of the hereafter: we do everything as if we will never depart for the other life. 

And so we care only about possessing, about emerging, about establishing ourselves… And always more. If we allow ourselves to be led by what seems most attractive to us, by what we like, by seeking our interests, our life becomes sterile; we do not accumulate any reserve of oil for our lamp, and it will be extinguished before the encounter with the Lord. We must live today, but a today that goes towards tomorrow, towards that encounter, a present full of hope. If, on the other hand, we are vigilant and correspond to God’s grace by doing good, we can serenely await the bridegroom’s coming. The Lord will be able to come even while we are sleeping: this will not worry us, because we have the reserve of oil accumulated through our daily good works, accumulated with that expectation of the Lord, that he may come as soon as possible and that he may come to take us with him.

Let us invoke the intercession of Mary Most Holy, that she may help us to live an active faith, as she did: [faith] is the shining lamp with which we can pass through the night beyond death and reach the great feast of life.

[Pope Francis, Angelus, 8 November 2020]

Honest administrators - at various levels - and Common Home

(Lk 16:9-15)

The opportunist who was taking advantage of the goods of the community (vv.1-8) knew how to make great speeches - perhaps instrumental - on the necessary solidarity, but he did not live concrete fraternity.

Here, then, is a catechesis of Lk on fidelity in the small and in the great: very topical teaching.

«He who faithful in a minimal thing, is faithful even in a great thing, and he who unjust in a minimal thing, is unjust even in a great thing» (Lk 16:10).

To give concrete support and to risk one’s life - putting one hand on conscience and one in wallet - is unfortunately still tiring and rare.

Well, the fairest world is laborious, «craftsmanship» work (FT n.217).

In the evangelist’s intention, the particular story alluded to in the previous vv. was to serve to concretely form his small communities on the use of material goods.

Originally all the communities arose among the destitute. Little by little they began to appear even wealthy.

The entry of the rich - initially well seen - brought many problems over time, including internal management of collective resources.

The commons sometimes became the exclusive preserve of leaders who no longer seemed to have clear ideas about the social role of money.

Obviously, to introduce this model of sharing, the choice had to start from closely: one could not oppress sisters and brothers of faith, and preach justice to the world.

Emancipation begins in the small of one’s family, acquaintances and friends; in the change of internal and daily relationships.

The fact is that God and Mammon give opposite orders. One distorts the other.

Basically, sooner or later even those motivated by excellent intentions can come to despise the Father, Communion, the ideals lived even in day-to-day events - and get attached to trivial shortcuts.

The official religious leaders, all congregated in the defense of the lavish gains secured by the ancient world (world supported with drawn sword) were indeed honouring the Eternal in the signs, but... they yielded to temptation.

Now devoid of both basic and detailed choices, the directors laughed behind Jesus' back, scheming secretly and in concert. Still today, unfortunately, treating Him as a naive dreamer  (vv.14-15).

Yet the Master continues to educate us, so that we too may enter into his new «proactive» economy [as the bishops of South Africa, and the recent social encyclical, would perhaps define it].

Economy of gratuitousness that does not impoverish - rather, it is for a greatest «wealth as possible» that extinguishes the «desire to dominate», but makes stand «together as human beings» (FT n.229).

Here the small one becomes relevant. This challenge is open.

To internalize and live the message:

Are you generically supportive or? fraternal in conquibus?

Have you experienced the gift that does not impoverish but enriches?

[Saturday 31st wk. in O.T.  November 7, 2026]

Honest administrators – at various levels – and our everyone’s Home

(Lk 16:9-15)

'Ultimately,' says Jesus, 'you must decide: "You cannot serve both God and mammon" (Lk 16:13). Mammon is a term of Phoenician origin that evokes economic security and success in business; we could say that wealth is the idol to which everything is sacrificed in order to achieve material success, and thus this economic success becomes a person's true god. A fundamental decision is therefore necessary" [Pope Benedict, homily in Velletri, 23 September 2007].

"Whoever is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and whoever is unjust in a very little thing is unjust also in much" (Lk 16:10).

The church leader who was "caught" taking advantage of the community's assets (vv. 1-8) knew how to make grand speeches - perhaps instrumental ones - about the need for solidarity, but he did not live out concrete fraternity.

Here, then, is a catechesis from Luke on faithfulness in small and great things: a very timely teaching. Even today, in fact, there is no shortage of leaders who make grand proclamations... which are widely heard, but only to give themselves an air of importance.

Providing concrete help and risking one's life - putting one hand on one's conscience and the other in one's wallet - remains, unfortunately, a difficult and rare thing.

Many find nothing better than to turn their heads away and dodge the issue, delegating blame and responsibility to 'the system', to the current crisis, etc. - not without concrete reasons or grounds.

Instead, as Pope Francis' social encyclical emphasises, a more just world is a 'laborious, artisanal' work (FT n.217).

'And I say to you, make friends for yourselves with the unrighteous mammon, so that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal tents.

Whoever is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and whoever is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.

If then you have not been faithful with the unjust mammon, who will entrust you with the true [wealth]?

And if you have not been faithful with the [wealth] of others, who will give you your own?" (Lk 16:9-12).

In the evangelist's intention, the particular story alluded to in the preceding verses was intended to serve as a concrete example for his small communities on the use of material goods.

After a mistake that even leaders can make, even unrighteous wealth can be put to good use for the benefit of all - to create on earth that climate of serene vitality that is indestructible, which is a trait and attribute of the divine condition.

In the authentic Church, the poor—oppressed, degraded, impoverished and made destitute by a competitive society—find esteem, hope and a will to live, with the simple help of brothers and sisters who are equally needy.

In fact, all communities originally arose among the destitute. Little by little, the wealthy also began to appear.

It seemed like a great opening to God's future; instead, as time passed, there was a growing insensitivity and closed-heartedness among the new wealthy classes and in the churches.

The entry of the rich – initially well regarded – brought many problems over time, including the internal management of collective resources.

Common goods sometimes became the exclusive preserve of leaders who seemed to no longer have clear ideas about the social role of money.

The early Christians understood that faith in the resurrection is incompatible with attachment to the ephemeral. But it was a risky condition.

In this regard, the indirect testimony of Lucian of Samosata (125-192), author of satires against superstition and credulity, which also included Christianity, is significant.

In light-hearted language, he describes in 'The Death of Peregrine' [De morte Peregrini, 13] the impact that faith had on the lives of Christians of his time, and with unconventional firmness:

'Their first lawgiver persuades them that they are all brothers to one another, and as they convert, renouncing the Greek gods, they worship that wise crucified man and live according to his laws. For this reason, they despise all possessions equally and believe them to be common, and they do not care for them when they have them. Therefore, if a shrewd impostor arose among them who knew how to manipulate them, he would immediately become rich, mocking these gullible and foolish people."

The liberation from the idols of private property that Jesus proposed stimulated even the most agile and established souls to appreciate the transformation of property in relation to the lives and possibilities of others.

Obviously, in order to introduce this model of sharing and encounter the outside world, the choice had to start close to home: one could not oppress sisters and brothers of faith and preach justice to the world.

Emancipation begins in the small sphere of one's own family, acquaintances and friends; in the small change of internal and daily relationships.

The fact is that God and money give opposite orders. One distracts the other.

So sooner or later, even those motivated by good intentions can come to despise the Father, the Communion, the ideals lived even in summary - and become attached to trivial shortcuts.

The official religious leaders, all united in defending the lavish earnings secured by the ancient world - which they (greedily) upheld with drawn swords - honoured the Eternal One in signs, but... gave in to temptation.

Now deprived of both fundamental and detailed choices, the leaders laughed behind Jesus' back, plotting secretly and in concert. Even today, unfortunately, they treat him as a naive dreamer (vv. 14-15).

Yet the Master continues to shout himself hoarse, so that we too may enter into his new 'proactive' economy [as the bishops of South Africa and the recent social encyclical might define it].

An economy of gratuitousness that does not impoverish - for the 'greatest possible wealth' that extinguishes the 'desire to dominate' but makes us 'be together as human beings' (FT n.229).

Here the small becomes significant. The challenge is open.

To internalise and live the message:

Are you generically supportive or... fraternal in conquibus?

Have you experienced the gift that does not impoverish but enriches?

In the ecclesial sphere, have you felt deprived or, on the contrary, humanised?

The Evangelist follows the parable of the dishonest steward with a short series of sayings and recommendations on the relationship we must have with money and the goods of this earth. These short sentences are an invitation to a choice that presupposes a radical decision, a constant inner tension. Life is truly always a choice: between honesty and dishonesty, between fidelity and infidelity, between selfishness and altruism, between good and evil. The conclusion of this Gospel passage is incisive and peremptory: "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other". Ultimately, Jesus says, "You cannot serve God and mammon" (Lk 16: 13). Mammon is a term of Phoenician origin that calls to mind economic security and success in business; we might say that riches are shown as the idol to which everything is sacrificed in order to attain one's own material success; hence, this economic success becomes a person's true god. As a result, it is necessary to make a fundamental decision between God and mammon, it is necessary to choose between the logic of profit as the ultimate criterion for our action, and the logic of sharing and solidarity. If the logic of profit prevails, it widens the gap between the poor and the rich, as well as increasing the ruinous exploitation of the planet. On the other hand, when the logic of sharing and solidarity prevails, it is possible to correct the course and direct it to a fair development for the common good of all. Basically, it is a matter of choosing between selfishness and love, between justice and dishonesty and ultimately, between God and Satan. If loving Christ and one's brethren is not to be considered as something incidental and superficial but, rather, the true and ultimate purpose of our whole existence, it will be necessary to know how to make basic choices, to be prepared to make radical renouncements, if necessary even to the point of martyrdom. Today, as yesterday, Christian life demands the courage to go against the tide, to love like Jesus, who even went so far as to sacrifice himself on the Cross. 

We could then say, paraphrasing one of St Augustine's thoughts, that through earthly riches we must procure for ourselves those true and eternal riches: indeed, if people exist who are prepared to resort to every type of dishonesty to assure themselves an always unpredictable material well-being, how much more concerned we Christians must be to provide for our eternal happiness with the goods of this earth (cf. Discourses, 359, 10). Now, the only way of bringing our personal talents and abilities and the riches we possess to fruition for eternity is to share them with our brethren, thereby showing that we are good stewards of what God entrusts to us. Jesus said: "He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and he who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much" (Lk 16: 10).

[Pope Benedict, homily in Velletri, 23 September 2007]

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

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

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

This, Francis emphasised, is how 'real change is made in the Church, with people who know how to fight in small and large ways'. In this regard, the Pope addressed the 'tension' that is sometimes felt 'between small and large ways', whereby some say: ' No, I don't do these small things, I was born for great things." You are wrong," and, on the contrary, those who say: "Ah, I can't do great things, I do small things." You are a coward." The small and the great, on the other hand, "go together" and "a Christian must have this charism, of the small and the great." As we read, he recalled, "on the tomb of a great saint" where it is written: "Do not be afraid to do great things and at the same time take small things into account."

[Pope Francis, St. Martha's, 10 May 2019, in L'Osservatore Romano]

Christian shrewdness: sense of duty and of the fair 'Master'

(Lk 16:1-8)

In «The death of Peregrinus» [De morte Peregrini, 13] the irreverent Lucian of Samosata, polemist of second century - expresses himself as follows towards Christians:

«Their first Legislator persuades them that they are all brothers among themselves, and, as they convert, denying the Greek Gods, they adore that “wise” Crucifix, and live according to his laws. For wich they despise all goods equally and believe them as common and do not care when they have them. Therefore if among them arose a shrewd impostor who knew how to handle them well, immediately he would become rich, mocking these gullible and silly people».

Even more so than private individuals, ecclesial society manages goods for itself that are common, sacred and not exclusive.

But a responsible, community leader [cf. v.14], is accused of taking advantage of his position as administrator of the goods of God and the church.

The Torah, the specific regulations and all the official customs of the ancient East prohibited asking for interest on supplies (or loans) of foodstuffs.

However, under the counter the landowners relied on blackmail. Withholding undue and lavish compensation, on transactions.

Then the "opportunist" puts the right evaluation into play: he recalculates and aligns accountings - renouncing the illicit income he had hoped to enjoy firsthand.

Although used to going head-on in society, the old man finally chooses not to continue stubbornly in scaming of the percentages in addition, which were not due to him.

He seizes the opportunity that presents itself on his way. This is the point that Lk emphasizes. And he promptly decides not to continue to corrupt himself and others: valid option.

He is therefore praised (v.8) because he realizes another possibility. And he does it with fair ‘cunning’, this time not random.

Spiritual Way has a raw crossroads: to ask oneself whether to start again in the style of accumulation-and-withhold, or to focus on the quality of relationships.

Excellent work of the Faith in ecclesial experience - and threshold of joy - is to transform resources into Life and Relationship.

In short, a spiritualism of sentimental character is not enough. We must heal the budgets and avoid the internal business groups [cf. v.14].

Justice and the universal destination of goods are not mere additions, the meaning of which can be blurred.

Once the truth has been restored, here is a beautiful method to «purify» even the unfair wealth: to use it for the recipients.

Despite mistakes that can be made - we may always impose on ourself a decisive turn.

In short, the fullness of the God’s Kingdom is realized through Encounter, and goods make sense as a possibility of human development (vv.9-13).

Therefore, spiritual guides must be the first witnesses of this social, humanizing and divine function.

They are called upon to dispose of common resources in a way that is neither cheerful nor carefree, but with a strong sense of responsibility - without any shadow.

[Friday 31st wk. in O.T.  November 6, 2026]