In the Gospel of Luke, the words of Jesus: “Judge not, and you shall not be judged,” are followed by an illustration of this commandment: “Judge no one, and you shall not be judged.” Therefore, it is not about removing judgment from our hearts, but about removing poison from our judgment! This is what the preacher of the Apostolic Palace, Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, said in his first meditation on Lent.
On Friday morning, Preacher of the Apostolic Palace Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa delivered his first meditation for Lent in the Paul VI Hall of the Vatican, under the title “Renewal of Modernity”. Cardinal Cantalamessa began his reflection by saying that the history of the Church in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries left us a bitter lesson that we must not forget in order not to repeat the mistake that caused it. I am talking about the delay (indeed, the refusal) to act on the changes that have taken place in society, and on the crisis of modernity that has been a consequence of this. Anyone who has studied that period, even superficially, knows the damage done to this side and the other, that is, to the Church and those who are known as “modernists”.
The preacher of the Apostolic Palace continued saying that the history and life of the Church did not stop at the Second Vatican Council. “Never think,” Origen wrote in the third century, “that it is sufficient to renew one time only, but to renew modernity as well.” Before him, the church filer St. Irenaeus wrote: The truth that has emerged is “like a precious drink contained in a precious vessel. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, it is constantly renewed and renews the vessel that contains it.” Therefore, not only did the community not stop at the Second Vatican Council, but rather it underwent a great acceleration. And this need for continuous renewal is nothing but the need for a continuous conversion, which extends from the believer to the Church Therefore, the real problem does not lie in modernity, but in the way of dealing with it. We now have an infallible means to walk every time on the path of life and light, which is the Holy Spirit. It is the certainty that Jesus gave to the apostles before leaving them: “And I I will ask the Father and he will give you another supporter who will be with you forever.” And also: “When the Spirit of truth comes, I will guide you to all the truth.” He will not do this only once, but little by little as situations arise. The Risen One raised his disciples about helping the Paraclete, saying: “But the Holy Spirit will descend upon you, and you will receive power, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the earth.”
Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa added that the purpose of the five Lenten sermons that we are beginning today is simply to encourage us to place the Holy Spirit at the center of the life of the whole Church, and especially, at this juncture, at the center of the work of the Synod. In other words, let us accept the insistent invitation that the Risen One addresses, in the Book of Revelation, to each of the seven churches in Asia Minor: “He who has ears, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” In this first reflection, I will confine myself to collecting the lesson that comes to us from the nascent Church. In other words, I would like to show how the Holy Spirit led the apostles and the Christian community to take their first steps in history. The Acts of the Apostles shows us a church “led by the Holy Spirit,” step by step. And one that exercises leadership not just in big decisions, but in the little things as well. Paul and Timothy wanted to proclaim the Gospel in the region of Asia, but “the Holy Spirit prevented them”; And when they tried to enter Pentecost, the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them to do so.” From what follows, we understand that the Holy Spirit prompted the nascent Church to leave Asia and confront a new continent, Europe, which made Paul describe himself, in his choices, as “a prisoner of the Spirit.”
The preacher of the Apostolic Palace continued, saying that the march of the emerging Church was not a straight and smooth one, and therefore the first major crisis was that related to the accession of the pagans to the Church. There is no need for us to be reminded of that event, but only to remember how the crisis was resolved. Did Peter go to Cornelius and the pagans? The spirit commanded him to do so. And how did the apostles convey and explain the decision they made in Jerusalem to admit pagans into the congregation, without forcing them to be circumcised and to comply with all the Mosaic laws? They resolved the matter with these unusual introductory words: “It has pleased the Holy Spirit and us…” We read in the Acts of the Apostles: “And Peter was still telling these things, when the Holy Spirit descended upon all who heard the word of God. رافَقوا بُطرُس، ذلك بأَنَّ مَوهِبَةَ الرُّوحِ القُدُسِ قَد أُفيضَت على الوَثَنِيِّينَ أَيضًا. فقد سَمِعوهم َيتكَلَّمونَ بِلُغاتٍ غَيرِ لُغِتِهم ويُعَظِّمونَ الله. فقالَ بُطرُس: “أيَستَطيعُ أَحَدٌ أَن يَمنَعَ هؤُلاءِ مِن ماءِ المَعمودِيَّة وقَد نالوا الرُّوحَ القُدُسَ مِثلَنا؟”. وإذ دُعي لكي يبرِّر سلوكه في أورشليم Peter recounted what happened in Cornelius’ house and concluded by saying: “I remembered the word of the Lord when he said: John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. If God granted them as He granted us, because we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, could I have withheld God?” If we look closely, this is the same motive that prompted the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council to redefine the role of the laity in the Church. , that is, the doctrine of the gifts: “The Holy Spirit does not cease to sanctify the people of God with the sacraments and servants, and to lead them and adorn them with virtues, but, moreover, distributes among the believers of every degree, “dividing His gifts, as He wills, to each one” (1 Cor 12:11). ), special graces that make him qualified and ready to bear the various consequences and useful services for the renewal and spread of the Church, according to what came, “Every one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the general benefit” (1 Cor 12, 7), and these gifts are from the most splendid to the most simple, even to the widest. widespread, you must receive thanks and bring consolation” (Lumen Nations 12).
But now we have to take another step forward, added Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa. The example of the Apostolic Church enlightens us not only on inspiring principles, that is, on dogma, but also on ecclesial practice. He tells us that not everything is resolved by decisions made in some synod, or by some decree. Rather, there is a need to translate these decisions into practical reality, what is known as “receiving” beliefs. This is why time, patience, dialogue, tolerance, and sometimes even compromise are needed. And when it is done by the Holy Spirit, even bargaining is not a concession or an opponent of the truth, but rather love and obedience to situations. How much patience and tolerance did God have after He gave the Ten Commandments to His people! And how long he had – and still has – to wait to accept her! In the series of events that we mentioned, Peter appears clearly as the mediator between James and Paul, that is, between the anxiety of continuity and the anxiety of modernity. In this mediation we witness an incident that can help us today as well, and that of Paul who in Antioch rebukes Peter for hypocrisy because he avoided sitting at table with apostate pagans. لنسمع ما حدث بصوته: “ولكِن، لَمَّا قَدِمَ صَخْرٌ إِلى أَنْطاكِية، قاوَمتُه وَجْهًا لِوَجْهٍ لأَنَّه كانَ يَستَوجِبُ اللَّوم: ذلِكَ أَنَّه، قَبْلَ أَن يَقدَمَ قَومٌ مِن عِندِ يَعْقوب، كان يُؤاكِلُ الوَثنِيِّين. فلَمَّا قَدِموا أَخَذَ يتَوارى ويتَنحَّى خوفًا مِن أَهْلِ الخِتان”. The mediating role played by Peter between the opposing tendencies of James and Paul continues in his successors. Certainly not uniformly in all of them (which is a good thing for the Church), but according to the particular charism of each of them which the Holy Spirit (and presumably the cardinals working under him) considered most necessary at a particular moment in the history of the Church.
The preacher of the Apostolic Palace continued, saying that in view of the political, social and ecclesiastical events and realities, we find ourselves faced with the choice of immediately siding with one side and rejecting the other side; We desire the victory of our choice over the choice of our opponents. I am not saying that preference is forbidden to us: in the political, social, theological, and so on, or that we may not have preference. But we should never expect God to take our side against an adversary. Peter’s behavior in Antioch – as well as Paul’s behavior in Lystra – was not hypocrisy, but an adaptation to situations, that is, a choice, in a given situation, that promotes the greater good of communion. On this point I would like to continue and conclude this first reflection. There is a privilege of God in the Bible that the fathers liked to highlight, and that is smoothness. And for Saint John Chrysostom it is a key to understanding the entire Bible. In the New Testament, this privilege of God is expressed in the term “kindness” (chrestotes), and the coming of God in the flesh is seen as the supreme manifestation of God’s kindness: “The kindness and love of God our Savior appeared to men” (Titus 3,4). And kindness is different from goodness, it is to be good to others, God is good in himself and he is kind to us. Kindness is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit; It is an essential component of love and is a sign of the noble and sublime soul. It occupies a central place in the apostolic advice. نقرأ، على سبيل المثال، في الرسالة إلى أهل كولوسي: “وأَنتُمُ الَّذينَ اختارَهمُ اللهُ فقَدَّسَهم وأَحبَّهم، اِلبَسوا عَواطِفَ الحَنانِ واللُّطْفِ والتَّواضُع والوَداعةِ والصَّبْر. اِحتَمِلوا بَعضُكم بَعضًا، واصفَحوا بَعضُكم عن بَعضٍ إِذا كانَت لأَحَدٍ شَكْوى مِنَ الآخَر. فكما صَفَحَ عَنكُمُ الرَّبّ، اِصفَحوا أَنتُم also”.
Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa added, “This year we celebrate the fourth centenary of the death of the saint who, at an age also marked by bitter controversies, was an excellent exemplar of this virtue: Saint Francis de Sales.” In this sense, we should all be like him: smooth and tolerant, less tenacious in our personal guarantees. Realizing how many times we had to admit to ourselves that we were wrong about a person or situation, and how often we had to adapt to situations as well. Fortunately, in our ecclesiastical relations there is not – and there should not be – that tendency to insult and denigrate the opponent, which we observe in some political discussions and which does great harm to peaceful civil coexistence. Jesus tells us: “Judge not, lest you be judged… Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye? And the log in your own eye, do you not pay attention to it?” Is it possible to live, we ask ourselves, without judging at all? Is not the ability to judge a part of our mental structure, a gift from God? In the Gospel of Luke, the words of Jesus: “Do not judge, and you will not be judged” are followed by an illustration of this commandment: “Do not judge anyone, and you will not be judged.” Therefore, it is not about removing judgment from our hearts, but about removing poison from our judgment! That is, hatred, condemnation and ostracism. Sometimes, judgment may be the kind of service that one should exercise in the community or in the church. But the strength of Christian love is that it is capable of changing the sign of judgment, and transforming it from an act of non-love into an act of love. Not by our strength, but by the love that “was poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us”.
And the preacher of the Apostolic Palace, Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, concluded his first meditation for the season of Lent by saying: Let us make at the end of this meditation our beautiful prayer attributed to St. Hope where despair is, light where darkness is, joy where gloom is, and let us add: kindness where evil is, and gentleness and tenderness where harshness is.
