Meditation (Don Andrea Bezzini)

If there is one aspect of the personality of the Lord Jesus that has always struck me, it is His ability to defy His interlocutors’ expectations. The question they ask Him could have been answered with a simple monosyllable: “yes” or “no.” For them, everything seems straightforward, but not for Jesus. He is not only unpredictable, but never banal, and He knows well that the complexity of reality goes far beyond simple affirmations or denials, opening up a whole range of other possibilities.

We would like, and probably even prefer, life to be simpler: to confront us with fewer choices, to be entirely black or white, without endless shades of grey. But that is not how life works! Existence thus remains a reality that constantly calls for an intelligent and questioning gaze, one that never takes anything for granted.

This is also why the Lord Jesus does not answer the question He is asked with a simple monosyllable. Instead, He responds with a question of His own, inviting His interlocutors to reflect and placing them in a position where they must seek and arrive at an answer themselves.

In other words, Jesus does not offer a ready-made answer, but gives those who question Him all the elements they need to find one. He stimulates thought, introspection, and the ability to delve deeply into reality in search of answers that are not simply handed down by someone else, but that each person can gradually build within themselves.

Perhaps it is precisely this contemplative and meditative gaze, one that questions reality and grasps its deeper meaning, that constitutes the first dimension of what we are called to “give to God.”