Dear brothers and sisters,
a few days ago, with the Ashes rite, we began the Lenten journey. Lent is an intense liturgical time, which offers us the opportunity to rediscover the richness of our Baptism, to live as fully renewed creatures thanks to the incarnation, death and resurrection of Jesus.
The first Reading and the Gospel that we have heard, in dialogue with each other, help us to rediscover the gift of Baptism as a grace that meets our freedom. The story of Genesis takes us back to our condition as creatures, tested not so much by a prohibition, as is often believed, but by a possibility: the possibility of a relationship. That is, the human being is free to recognize and welcome the otherness of the Creator, who recognizes and welcomes the otherness of creatures. To prevent this possibility, the serpent insinuates the presumption of being able to eliminate every difference between creatures and the Creator, seducing man and woman with the illusion of becoming like God. Satan pushes them to take possession of something that – so he says – God would like to deny them to always keep them in a state of inferiority. This fresco from Genesis is an unsurpassed masterpiece that represents the drama of freedom.
The Gospel seems to answer the ancient dilemma: can I realize my life to the full by saying “yes” to God? Or, to be free and happy, do I have to get rid of Him?
The scene of the temptations of Christ, ultimately, addresses this dramatic question. It leads us to discover the true humanity of Jesus which, as the Conciliar Constitution teaches Gaudium et spesreveals man to himself: «In the mystery of the incarnate Word the mystery of man finds true light» (GS, 22). In fact we see the Son of God who, opposing the snares of the ancient Adversary, shows us the new man, the free man, the epiphany of freedom which is achieved by saying “yes” to God.
This new humanity is born from the baptismal font. And then – especially in this season of Lent – we are called to rediscover the grace of Baptism, as a source of life that lives within us and which, in a dynamic way, accompanies us in the most absolute respect for our freedom.
First of all, it is the Sacrament itself that is dynamic, because what it offers is not limited to the space and time of the rite, but is a grace that constantly accompanies our entire life, supporting our following of Christ. But Baptism is also dynamic because it always puts us on the path again, since grace is an interior voice that urges us to conform to Jesus, freeing our freedom so that it finds fulfillment in the love of God and others.
We thus understand the relational nature of Baptism, which calls us to experience friendship with Jesus and, thus, to enter into his communion with the Father. This relationship full of grace also makes us capable of experiencing authentic closeness with others, a freedom which – unlike what the devil proposes to Jesus – is not a search for one’s own power, but a love that is given and which makes us all brothers and sisters. In fact, Saint Paul states: «There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor free; there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28).
Brothers and sisters, Pope Leo XIII asked San Giovanni Bosco to build the church where we find ourselves today. He had understood the centrality of this place, next to Termini Station and in a unique crossroads of the city, destined to become even more important over time.
For this reason, dear ones, meeting you today I see in you a special presence of proximity, of closeness within the challenges of this territory. In fact, there are numerous young university students, commuters who come and go for work reasons, immigrants looking for work, young refugees who have found in the office next door, on the initiative of the Salesians, the possibility of meeting Italian peers and carrying out integration projects; and then there are our brothers who do not have a home and who find hospitality in the Caritas spaces in via Marsala. In a few meters you can touch the contradictions of this time: the carefreeness of those who leave and arrive with all the comforts and those who have no roof; the many potentials for good and rampant violence; the desire to work honestly and the illicit trade in drugs and prostitution.
Your parish is called to take charge of these realities, to be the leaven of the Gospel in the dough of the territory, to be a sign of closeness and charity. I thank the Salesians for the tireless work they carry out every dayand I encourage everyone to continue to be a little flame of light and hope right here.
May Mary Help of Christians always support our journey, make us strong in times of temptation and trial, to fully experience the freedom and brotherhood of the children of God.
