Concilio e tradizione

“Cesare Baronio” ha molto cortesemente replicato giovedí scorso (qui) alla mia risposta (qui) alla sua “Lettera ad un sacerdote” (qui). Sono grato a Monsignore sia per il tono, molto cordiale, usato, sia, soprattutto, per il contenuto, che costituisce una testimonianza personale per me assai preziosa. Baronio ci porta a conoscenza dello stato d’animo e delle attese che molti avevano alla vigilia e durante lo svolgimento del Vaticano II. È interessante sapere come fu vissuto quel momento tanto importante nella storia della Chiesa:

Nessuno, a quell’epoca, che non fosse parte attiva della congiura, poteva realmente aver la percezione della minaccia che avrebbe potuto rappresentare la convocazione di un Concilio. Anzi: tutti nutrivamo la speranza piú che legittima — ovvia, direi — che esso avrebbe segnato un momento di slancio apostolico.

«Quidnam est hoc?»

Last Sunday, Mark told us what was the content of the preaching of Jesus during his public ministry: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel.” We pointed out that this announcement was made by Jesus not only once, at the beginning of his ministry, but it sums up the teaching of Jesus during all his ministry. OK. But we could ask: “What did Jesus actually do during his ministry?” Mark answers this question portraying, at the beginning of his gospel, a typical day of Jesus.

Un inganno durato cinquant’anni?

Nei giorni scorsi “Cesare Baronio” ha scritto sul suo sito Opportune importune una “Lettera ad un sacerdote. Considerazioni su un inganno durato cinquant’anni”. Io non so chi sia “Cesare Baronio”; da alcuni indizi mi par di capire che si tratti di un Monsignore (almeno, cosí tutti si rivolgono a lui) col quale potrei avere alcuni tratti in comune: bazzica Campo de’ Fiori (qui), in prossimità del quale sono nato e cresciuto (ho frequentato la scuola materna ed elementare in Via de’ Giubbonari); avendo scelto come pseudonimo il nome del celebre Cardinale oratoriano, potrebbe avere, come il sottoscritto, ascendenze sorane. Mi pare di poter cogliere dei riferimenti autobiografici nella descrizione del “vecchio monsignore brontolone” presente nella stessa lettera:

«Appropinquavit Regnum Dei»

On this Sunday, we resume the reading of Mark’s gospel we had started in Advent. Today’s passage is about the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, after his baptism at the Jordan and his temptation in the desert. John the Baptist, who had baptized Jesus, has been arrested, and Jesus, maybe for greater safety, goes back to Galilee. It is in this region that most of his ministry will take place.

Chi comanda in Vaticano?

I lettori che mi seguono con regolarità avranno notato che nei miei articoli raramente parlo dell’esortazione apostolica Amoris laetitia. Il motivo lo spiegai all’inizio del post del 14 aprile 2016. È lo stesso motivo per cui, quando nell’agosto scorso i promotori della Correctio filialis mi chiesero se volevo sottoscrivere il documento, declinai cortesemente l’invito, pensando: chi sono io per correggere il Santo Padre e come posso io giudicare dell’ortodossia del suo insegnamento? Ciò però non mi impedí allora e non mi impedisce oggi di nutrire seri dubbi su Amoris laetitia, né di rilevare l’ambiguità del linguaggio utilizzato, né di denunciare i vizi procedurali che hanno portato alla sua stesura, né di constatare le conseguenze che ha provocato, in particolare la confusione diffusa nella Chiesa e le divisioni tra cardinali, vescovi, sacerdoti e fedeli. Ora poi che una discutibilissima interpretazione dell’esortazione apostolica è stata dichiarata l’unica interpretazione possibile ed elevata al rango di “magistero autentico”, rimango a maggior ragione ammutolito, non perché i miei dubbi si siano dissipati, ma semplicemente perché non so piú che cosa pensare.

«Venite et videte»

The feast of the Lord’s Baptism, that we celebrated last Sunday, is, at the same time, the conclusion of Christmastide and the beginning of Ordinary Time. So, today is the second Sunday in Ordinary Time. During this liturgical season, the gospel presents to us the public ministry of Jesus, from his baptism to his passion. On this Sunday, it tells us what happened immediately after the baptism, resorting to some passages from the evangelist John. This gospel, like the first book of the Bible—Genesis—opens with the account of events occurred during a week. What we have heard in today’s gospel happens on the third day of this opening week. 

Un motivo ci deve pur essere

Don Filippo Di Giacomo, sull’ultimo numero del Venerdí di Repubblica (5 gennaio 2018), ci informa del flop del programma di TV2000 Padre nostro, che ha visto la partecipazione niente po’ po’ di meno che del Papa:

«Lux vera veniens in mundum»

Yesterday we left Jesus as a little child in Bethlehem; today we find him again thirty years later at the Jordan. After so many years of “hidden life,” with his baptism by John, Jesus begins his public ministry. It is an event full of meanings. We will try to grasp some of them by repeating the intercessions we addressed to Christ himself this morning at Lauds.

«Procidentes adoraverunt eum»

What strikes more in today’s gospel is the different attitude of its characters towards Jesus. On the one hand, we see some wise men from the East looking for the king of the Jews. They come from afar; they belong to another people; they profess another religion. Why should they be concerned with the king of an alien and minor people without any connection with them? And yet, after seeing a star, they leave their country towards Judea; they undergo the discomforts of a long journey to pay homage to the king of the Jews and offer him their gifts.

«Sancta Dei Genetrix»

ΜΡ ΘΥ = Μήτηρ Θεοῦ (Mother of God)

Today is the Octave of Christmas: eight days have passed since December 25, when we celebrated the birth of Jesus. The gospel informs us that, on this day, according to the custom of the Jews, the child was circumcised and, in conformity with the directions of the angel, he was named Jesus.

«Exspectans consolationem Israel»

The liturgy dedicates the Sunday within the Christmas octave to the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. A week ago, reflecting on the mystery of incarnation, we were saying that the Son of God did not become an abstract man, as it were disembodied, sexless, stateless, without a history; on the contrary, he joined a specific people with its own history and culture. But even before joining a people, the Son of God willed to be born and grow up within a human family. Even though the manner of his conception was out of the norm, Jesus had a mother and a father who nourished and brought him up.

«Vidimus gloriam eius»

On Christmas, four Masses can be celebrated: in the vigil, during the night, at dawn and during the day. The first three Masses are more “narrative”: the gospels we hear in them tell us what happened that day in Bethlehem. The Mass which is celebrated during the day, instead, has a more “reflective” character; its purpose is not to inform about the events, but to unveil the mystery hidden in those events. The liturgy of this Mass shows who is the Infant who is born today in Bethlehem. It does it especially through the second reading and the gospel, in which we have heard the beginning of the respective books.

«Apparuit gratia Dei»

We are celebrating the Vigil Mass of Christmas. Security reasons advised against celebrating the Mass during the Night; but, since the liturgical norms allow it, we have heard the readings of the Night Mass. I would like to highlight the contrasts present in these readings: it will help us to grasp the meaning of this celebration.

«Conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto»

On this Sunday we commemorate the events immediately prior to Christmas, especially the incarnation, which is not only an event, but the “mystery kept secret for long ages, but now manifested” to us, as Saint Paul says in the second reading.

«Ego vox»

On the last Sundays, we were saying that this year we will read the gospel of Mark, and today we have heard a selection from the gospel of John. The reason is that Mark is the shortest of the gospels, and so, on several occasions this year, the liturgy will supplement it with passages from John. Usually, scholars emphasize the differences between John and the synoptic gospels; but in this case we cannot but take note of the concordance between them.

Tradurre o interpretare?

Hanno fatto molto scalpore le dichiarazioni rilasciate da Papa Francesco durante il programma di TV2000 Padre nostro andato in onda mercoledí scorso 6 dicembre. «Non ci indurre in tentazione» non sarebbe, secondo il Pontefice, una buona traduzione:

Anche i francesi hanno cambiato il testo con una traduzione che dice “non lasciarmi cadere nella tentazione”, sono io a cadere, non è lui che mi butta nella tentazione per poi vedere come sono caduto, un padre non fa questo, un padre aiuta ad alzarsi subito.

Sembrerebbe che si tratti di una novità (l’unica vera novità è il fatto che dal 3 dicembre scorso, prima domenica di Avvento, in Francia è stata introdotta nella liturgia la nuova traduzione del Padre nostro: qui); in realtà, si tratta di una questione che si trascina da decenni.

«Rectas facite semitas eius»

As we were saying last Sunday, this year we will read the gospel of Mark, probably the first gospel to be written. Unlike Matthew and Luke, who start their gospels with an infancy narrative, Mark begins his account straight with the public ministry of Jesus, which opens with his baptism at the Jordan. But, before speaking of the baptism, Mark introduces the baptizer, namely John, the son of Zachariah and Elizabeth, the cousin of Jesus.

«Gratia plena»

I think the best way to understand the meaning of today’s celebration is to consider the preface of this Mass. At the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer, addressing God, the priest says: “You preserved the most Blessed Virgin Mary from all stain of original sin, so that in her, endowed with the rich fullness of grace, you might prepare a worthy Mother for your Son and signify the beginning of the Church, his beautiful Bride without spot or wrinkle. She, the most pure Virgin, was to bring forth a Son, the innocent Lamb who would wipe away our offences; you placed her above all others to be for your people an advocate of grace and a model of holiness.”

Una nuova narrazione?

Il Professor Massimo Introvigne ha rilasciato nei giorni scorsi una lunga intervista alla rivista Formiche. È uno di quei casi strani in cui vorresti tanto che ciò che stai leggendo fosse vero, ma ti accorgi, con dispiacere, che non lo è.

«Utinam dirumperes caelos et descenderes!»

Today we begin a new liturgical year. In the three-year cycle of readings, 2017-2018 will be the “Year B,” during which we shall read the second of the synoptic gospels, namely Mark. The liturgical year opens with the Advent Season, which is a time of preparation for the commemoration of the first coming of the Lord, two thousand years ago, and likewise a time of expectation of his second coming, at the end of time. Advent usually lasts four weeks; this year it will be shorter—only three weeks—as the fourth Sunday falls on Christmas Eve, December 24. The first two weeks should especially turn us to the second coming of the Lord; the third week instead should be an immediate preparation for the solemnity of Christmas. Today’s readings emphasize some points of the first part of Advent. Saint Paul, in the second reading, says that we are waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, that is his second coming, and assures us that “he will keep us firm to the end.” The gospel is a call for watchfulness: “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come.” We know for certain that the Lord will come; when, we do not know. That is why we have to watch.