The desperation of not believing in God: a parallel between Kirillov and Saint Augustine's "late I loved you".

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THE DESPERATION OF NOT BELIEVING IN GOD: A PARALLEL BETWEEN KIRILLOV AND THE "LATE I LOVED YOU" OF SAINT AUGUSTINE

«I loved you late, O beauty so ancient and so new: there, you were inside me and I was outside; and outside I looked for you and threw myself, deformed, on the beautiful forms of your creatures. You were with me, but I wasn't with you... The things that wouldn't exist if they weren't in you kept me away from you."

- Pastoral reflections -

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The search for meaning and the purpose of life is a central question in the human experience. For many, belief in God plays a fundamental role in building a sense of identity and finding answers to existential dilemmas.

Fëdor Dostoevskij (1821-1881). Oil painting on canvas. Vassilij Perov (1833-1882)

However, there are those who face despair resulting from lack of faith in God; example of this is the character Kirillov, of the works of Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Demons (O The Possessed).

Kirillov is a complex character and tormented who struggles with the desperation of not believing in God. He recognizes the absence of a higher power and the lack of transcendent purpose in human existence. This awareness leads him to a state of desperation, because he is faced with the impossibility of finding absolute meaning in his life.

The denial of God places Kirillov at an existential crossroads. Without belief in a divine being who can offer universal moral purpose or order, he feels free to do what he wants, including taking his own life. For him, suicide becomes a logical choice in the face of the lack of meaning in existence. Kirillov believes that, becoming the author of his own death, he will become the absolute master of his own life.

Kirillov's Despair it can also be interpreted as a response to the loneliness and isolation that result from the lack of a shared faith in God. He feels alienated from society and misunderstood by the other characters, who still retain some form of faith or belief in a higher power. This alienation deepens his desperation and leads him to seek answers in extreme action. There is an interesting parallel between Kirillov and some aspects of contemporary libertinism and atheism.

The other part, in I loved you late (confessions), Saint Augustine describes his spiritual search for God. Augustine tells how, throughout his life, tried to satisfy his needs through creatures and the material world, only to then realize that these searches were empty. Its central idea

«I loved you late, O beauty so ancient and so new: there, you were inside me and I was outside; and outside I looked for you and threw myself, deformed, on the beautiful forms of your creatures. You were with me, but I wasn't with you... The things that wouldn't exist if they weren't in you kept me away from you."

reflects the recognition that God has always been present in his life, but that he only perceived it late. Augustine experiences a spiritual awakening in which he finds meaning and fulfillment in God, moving away from the void of hedonistic and materialist research.

The Saint mentions the impact of the truth divine on the mind and heart, where intellectual understanding is combined with a profound existential response, bringing true joy to the soul as a gradual process of awakening to transcendent reality, filling the emotional and spiritual voids he had previously experienced in the storm. The clarity gained through this understanding reveals a central aspect of human freedom taught by the Second Vatican Council, which summarizes the drama of these two characters (Kirillov-libertinism; Augustine-freedom):

«Only in freedom can man convert to good. The men of our time greatly appreciate and ardently seek this freedom; and rightly so. However, they often cultivate it in a perverse way, as if it consisted of the license to do anything, even evil, as long as you like it. True freedom is an eminent sign of the divine image in man." (The joy and hope, n. 17).

Like this, both Kirillov and Augustine faced an existential crisis, but their answers are noticeably different. Kirillov throws himself into the abyss of nihilism, seeing freedom as an unbearable burden. Augustine, instead, finds consolation and meaning in the discovery of the divine presence in one's existence. While Kirillov tries to become a “god” through death, Augustine seeks God to find life.

 

Jundiaí, 6 May 2026

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THE DESPAIR OF NOT BELIEVING IN GOD: A PARALLEL BETWEEN KIRILOV AND SAINT AUGUSTINE’S “LATE HAVE I LOVED YOU”

«Late have I loved You, Beauty ever ancient and ever new; behold, You were within me, and I outside; and there I sought You, rushing headlong upon the beautiful things You had made, deformed myself. You were with me, but I was not with You… Those things kept me far from You which would not exist unless they existed in You»

— pastoral reflections —

Author
Eneas de Camargo Beast

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The search for the meaning and purpose of life is a central question in the human experience. For many, belief in God plays a fundamental role in shaping a sense of identity and in the search for answers to existential dilemmas. Yet there are those who face the despair that results from not believing in God; an example of this is the character Kirilov in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel Demons (also translated as The Possessed).

Kirilov is a complex and tormented character who struggles with the despair of not believing in God. He recognizes the absence of a higher power and the lack of any transcendent purpose in human existence. This awareness leads him into a state of despair, because he finds himself confronted with the impossibility of discovering an absolute meaning for his life.

The denial of God places Kirilov at an existential crossroads. Without belief in a divine being capable of providing purpose or a universal moral order, he feels free to do whatever he wishes, including taking his own life. For him, suicide becomes a logical choice in the face of the meaninglessness of existence. Kirilov believes that, by becoming the author of his own death, he will become the absolute master of his own life.

Kirilov’s despair may also be interpreted as a response to the loneliness and isolation that arise from the absence of a shared belief in God. He feels alienated from society and misunderstood by the other characters, who still retain some form of faith or belief in a higher power. This alienation deepens his despair and drives him to seek answers through extreme actions. There is an intriguing parallel between Kirilov and certain aspects of contemporary libertinism and atheism.

On the other hand, in Late Have I Loved You (Confessions), Saint Augustine describes his spiritual search toward God. Augustine recounts how, throughout his life, he sought to satisfy his needs through creatures and the material world, only to realize that such pursuits were empty. His central insight

«Late have I loved You, Beauty ever ancient and ever new; behold, You were within me, and I outside; and there I sought You, rushing headlong upon the beautiful things You had made, deformed myself. You were with me, but I was not with You… Those things kept me far from You which would not exist unless they existed in You»

reflects his recognition that God had always been present in his life, though he came to perceive Him only late. Augustine undergoes a spiritual awakening in which he finds meaning and fullness in God, turning away from the emptiness of a hedonistic and materialistic search.

The Saint speaks of the impact of divine truth upon the mind and heart, where intellectual understanding is joined to a profound existential response, bringing true joy to the soul through a gradual awakening to transcendent reality, filling the emotional and spiritual voids that he had previously experienced within temporal things. The clarity attained through this understanding reveals a central aspect of human freedom taught by the Second Vatican Council, which summarizes the drama of these two figures (Kirilov-libertinism; Augustine-freedom):

«Only in freedom can man direct himself toward goodness. Our contemporaries highly esteem and eagerly pursue this freedom; and rightly so. Yet they often cultivate it in a wrong way, as though it consisted in the license to do anything whatsoever, even evil, so long as it pleases them. True freedom is an outstanding manifestation of the divine image in man» (The joy and hope, n. 17).

Thus, both Kirilov and Augustine faced an existential crisis, but their responses are remarkably different. Kirilov throws himself into the abyss of nihilism, seeing freedom as an unbearable burden. Augustine, on the other hand, finds consolation and meaning in discovering the divine presence within his own existence. While Kirilov seeks to become a “god” through death, Augustine seeks God in order to find life.

Jundiaí, 6 May 2026

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THE DESPERATION OF NOT BELIEVING IN GOD: A PARALLEL BETWEEN KIRILOV AND THE “LATE I LOVED YOU” BY SAINT AUGUSTINE

«Late I loved you, Beauty so old and so new; behold, You were inside me and I was outside, and outside I was looking for you; and I launched, deformed, about the beautiful things you created. you were with me, but I was not with you... Those things that would not exist if they did not exist in You kept me far from You.

—Pastoral reflections —

Author
Eneas de Camargo Beast

.

The search for meaning and the purpose of life is a central question of human experience. For many, Belief in God plays a fundamental role in building a sense of identity and finding answers to existential dilemmas. However, There are those who face the despair that results from not believing in God; An example of this is the character Kirilov in the work of Fyodor Dostoyevsky. The demons (O The possessed).

Kirilov is a complex and tormented character who struggles with the despair of not believing in God. Recognizes the absence of a higher power and the lack of a transcendent purpose in human existence. This awareness leads him to a state of despair, because he is faced with the impossibility of finding an absolute meaning for his life.

The denial of God places Kirilov at an existential crossroads. Without the belief in a divine being capable of offering a purpose or a universal moral order, you feel free to do what you want, even take your own life. For him, suicide becomes a logical choice in the face of the lack of meaning of existence. Kirilov believes that, by becoming the author of his own death, You will become the absolute lord of your own life.

Kirilov's despair It can also be interpreted as a response to the loneliness and isolation that results from the lack of a shared faith in God.. He feels alienated from society and misunderstood by the other characters., those who still retain some form of faith or belief in a higher power. This alienation deepens his despair and leads him to seek answers in extreme actions.. There is an interesting parallel between Kirilov and certain aspects of contemporary libertinism and atheism..

On the other hand, in Late I loved you (Confessions), Saint Augustine describes his spiritual search for God. Augustine tells how, throughout his life, He sought to satisfy his needs through creatures and the material world, only to realize that such searches were empty. Your central idea

«Late I loved you, Beauty so old and so new; behold, You were inside me and I was outside, and outside I was looking for you; and I launched, deformed, about the beautiful things you created. you were with me, but I was not with you... Those things that would not exist if they did not exist in You kept me far from You.

reflects the recognition that God was always present in his life, although he only realized it late. Augustine experiences a spiritual awakening in which he finds meaning and fulfillment in God, moving away from the emptiness of hedonistic and materialistic pursuit.

The saint mentions the impact of divine truth about the mind and the heart, where intellectual understanding meets a deep existential response, bringing true joy to the soul through a gradual process of awakening to transcendent reality, filling the emotional and spiritual voids I had previously experienced in temporal things. The clarity gained through this understanding reveals a central aspect of human freedom taught by the Second Vatican Council., that summarizes the drama of these two characters (Kirilov-libertinaje; Augustine-freedom):

«Only in freedom can man convert to good. The men of our time greatly appreciate and ardently seek this freedom.; and rightly so. However, they often encourage it in a reprehensible manner, as if it consisted of the license to do anything, even the evil, as long as it pleases. True freedom is an eminent sign of the divine image in man. (The joy and hope, n. 17).

So, both Kirilov and Agustín faced an existential crisis, But their answers are noticeably different.. Kirilov throws himself into the abyss of nihilism, seeing freedom as an unbearable burden. Augustine, instead, finds comfort and meaning in discovering the divine presence in his own existence. While Kirilov seeks to become a “god” through death, Augustine seeks God to find life.

Jundiaí, 6 May 2026

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THE DESPERATE OF NOT BELIEVE IN GOD: A PARALLEL BETWEEN KIRILOV AND SAINT AUGUSTINE’S “LATE I LOVED YOU”

«Afternoon I loved you, O Beauty so old and so new, behold, you were inside, and me, outside – and outside I sought you, and threw me, shapeless and not beautiful, before the beauty of everything and everyone you created. You were with me, and I was not with You… Things that would not exist except in You held me far from You.”

—Pastoral reflections —

Author
Eneas de Camargo Beast

.

The search for meaning and purpose of life is a central question in the human experience. For many, Belief in God plays a fundamental role in building a sense of identity and searching for answers to existential dilemmas. However, There are those who face despair resulting from a lack of belief in God, An example of this is the character Kirilov, from the work of Fyodor Dostoevsky, “The Demons” (or “The Possessed”).

Kirilov is a complex and tormented character who struggles with the despair of not believing in God. It recognizes the absence of a higher power and the lack of a transcendent purpose in human existence. This realization leads him to a state of despair, as he is faced with the impossibility of finding absolute meaning in his life.

Denial of God puts Kirilov at an existential crossroads. Without belief in a divine being who can provide a universal moral purpose or order, he feels free to do whatever he wants, including taking his own life. For him, suicide becomes a logical choice given the meaninglessness of existence. Kirilov acredita que, by becoming the author of his own death, he will become the absolute master of his own life.

O desespero de Kirilov can also be interpreted as a response to the loneliness and isolation that result from a lack of shared belief in God. He feels alienated from society and misunderstood by the other characters, who still have some form of faith or belief in a higher power. This alienation deepens his despair and leads him to seek answers in extreme actions.. There is an intriguing parallel between Kirilov and certain aspects of contemporary debauchery and atheism..

On the other hand, in «Tarde Vos Amei» (Confessions), Saint Augustine describes his spiritual quest toward God. Augustine relates how, throughout your life, he sought to satisfy his needs through creatures and the material world, only to realize that these searches were empty. Your central idea

«Afternoon I loved you, O Beauty so old and so new, behold, you were inside, and me, outside – and outside I sought you, and threw me, shapeless and not beautiful, before the beauty of everything and everyone you created. You were with me, and I was not with You… Things that would not exist except in You held me far from You.”

reflects your recognition that God has always been present in your life, but he only realized it late. Augustine experiences a spiritual awakening in which he finds meaning and fulfillment in God, moving away from the void of hedonistic and materialistic pursuit.

The saint mentions the impact of divine truth about the mind and heart, where intellectual understanding merges with a profound existential response, bringing true joy into your soul as a gradual process of awakening to transcendental reality, filling the emotional and spiritual voids he previously experienced with the temporal. The clarity obtained through this understanding reveals a central aspect of human freedom taught in Vatican II, which sums up the drama of these two characters (Kirilov-libertinagem; Augustine-freedom):

«only in freedom can man convert to good. Today's men greatly appreciate and ardently seek this freedom; and rightly so. Often, although, they encourage it in a reprehensible way, as if it consisted of the license to do whatever, even the bad, as long as you like it. True freedom is a privileged sign of the divine image in man.” (The joy and hope, n. 17).

Like this, both Kirilov and Augustine faced an existential crisis, but their answers are remarkably different. Kirilov plunges into the abyss of nihilism, seeing freedom as an unbearable burden. Augustine, on the other hand, finds solace and meaning in his discovery of the divinity present in his existence. As Kirilov seeks to become a “deus” by death, Augustine seeks God to find life.

Jundiaí, 6 de maji de 2026

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Estonia, a promised land, a different world … and a daily wickedness of those who cannot remain silent

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ESTONIA, A PROMISED LAND, A DIFFERENT WORLD... AND A DAILY BADNESS OF THOSE WHO CANNOT BE SILENT

In conclusion, every narrative needs its own elsewhere: a place where everything works better, where the press is free and there are contradictions, due to a mysterious law of climate, evaporano. It's just a shame, returning to more domestic latitudes, those same contradictions promptly reappear, like a conscience that never took flight.

Author
Editors of The Island of Patmos

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In 1984 the young Eros Ramazzotti, twenty-one years old, with a still uncertain diction that allowed a wonderful Roman cadence to emerge, he debuted and won the Sanremo Festival singing Promised land. It was the beginning of the launch of a future international star.

With other kinds of launches - for example in the ridiculous - there is who, suddenly, discovers the saving virtues of the Baltic latitudes, elevating them to a paradigm of freedom, transparency and independence, coming to support, in a contemptuous tone, that our Italy "does not want free journalists", collocandola, because of this, in last places, even after Gambia. It's not just about geography, but of a real applied theology: a new editorial "promised land" where everything is freer, fairer, purer — especially when viewed from a distance, while continuing to live in Italy.

Estonia thus becomes not so much a place, but a convenient metaphor: that of a freedom evoked in words and disregarded in deeds, especially when, within the home walls, we casually resort to precisely those tools that elsewhere are denounced as intimidating, for example «reckless complaints, known in international jargon as Slapp (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation), civil and criminal cases used by public and private entities not to obtain justice, but to intimidate those who investigate and drain their resources" (cf.. item, who).

But there is also another aspect, less discussed and perhaps more revealing than this claimed freedom: that of tone. The freedom to transform confrontation into personal delegitimization, to replace the argument with the label, criticism with insult. This is how reading happens, addressed to a well-known Italian academic theologian, expressions such as "unemployed boomer", liquidating judgments such as «little competence, so many evil things", up to openly denigrating qualifications — «violent, vindictive, arrogant" - which have nothing to do with theological confrontation and instead have a lot to do with a certain form of personal aggression disguised as debate (cf.. item, who).

A freedom, so, who claims for himself what he denies to others: the right to attack without measure e, at the same time, to denounce any attempt at a reaction as intimidating. A freedom that presents itself as a defense of the press and which ends up coinciding, in fact, with freedom to insult, only to then declare himself insulted when, as in this case, you receive a measured replica.

In conclusion, every narrative needs its own elsewhere: a place where everything works better, where the press is free and there are contradictions, due to a mysterious law of climate, evaporano. It's just a shame, returning to more domestic latitudes, those same contradictions promptly reappear, like a conscience that never took flight.

We are today's kids
We always think of America
Let's look far away, too far.

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From the island of Patmos, 5 May 2026

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The love, understood as a feeling, It does not have a sexual connotation, word of "homophobic priest"

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LOVE, UNDERSTOOD AS A FEELING, IT DOES NOT HAVE A SEXUAL CONNOTATION, WORDS OF «HOMOPHOBIC PRIEST»

There is a subject who has long delighted in calling me "homophobic" and "an unresolved person obsessed with homosexuality". Those who know him have defined him as "malignant homosexual at maximum power". In response I promptly corrected and replied: «Immediately eliminate the word “homosexual” and leave only the word evil, because he would be such even if he were the most heterosexual in the entire European Union. Homosexuality, with its evil nature, it has nothing to do with it".

- Church news -

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Dear Michelangelo,

The worst thing a priest could do when faced with a letter like yours is a "lesson" in Catholic doctrine and morals. They exist, of course, both one and the other: Catholic doctrine and morality, but above all there is the person, understood as a creature created in the image and likeness of God.

«Even homosexuals need to love endlessly» (Father Oreste Bandi, 1925-2007)

In the Gospel, precisely referring to the observance of the law on the Sabbath, therefore in a certain sense to Jewish doctrine and morality, the Evangelist Mark refers to Jesus warning: «The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath» (MC 2,27).

More or less we all know the teachings of the magisterium regarding sexual morality, inserted, however, in the mystery of God's grace and mercy, which requires the Church to deal first and foremost with the person, assisting her especially in moments of discouragement and weakness. For this reason we must keep Jesus' words clearly in mind: "Woe also to you, lawyers!, because you load people with burdens that are difficult to carry, and you do not touch those weights even with a finger" (LC 11,46). If you want the same concept - certainly in a different but still incisive form - we also find it in the famous ballad of the prostitute, by Fabrizio De André, where it says: «People are known to give good advice, feeling like Jesus in the temple; we know that people give good advice if they can no longer set a bad example" (Rose's Mouth, by Fabrizio De André and Gian Piero Reverberi, 1967).

The fact that you feel affection and attraction towards your friend It shouldn't upset you too much, nor let you fall into situations of discomfort and psychological suffering. Man remains largely a mystery and with him the feelings he contains within himself. At a stage of life like yours, everything is still growing, maturing, in definition: you are only a twenty year old and you are also trying to understand your emotional dimension. If to mature a dimension of emotional and sexual life it was enough to be born male or female, it would all be very simple. In reality, instead, emotional and sexual maturation requires a journey that can sometimes be long. This applies not only to people who will then experience their sexuality in concrete terms, but also for those who renounce the exercise of sexuality, such as me and my brothers, without losing the essence of virility that, before even being physical, it is psychological and remains a precious asset to be cherished for life, even when the body no longer responds to sexual impulses. On the contrary, precisely in the season of peace of mind the virility that structures the psychology of man and of the priest can be particularly enriched. In this world there are those who experience sexuality as an expression of love and those who renounce its exercise to achieve another form of love, founded not on a renunciation as an end in itself, worse on a mental castration, but on a principle of total donation. As you can see, sexuality really has many facets.

You ask me: «this affection-love that I feel for my friend, which is naturally messy...". I'll answer you clearly: an affection-love towards a friend is not disordered. Nor are you obligated to feel that affection for a girl. Affection and love, as such, you can try them for a boy, a girl, a child or an elderly person, a disabled person or a terminally ill person who is dying; you can try them for a parent or grandparent. The love, understood as a feeling, It does not have a sexual connotation. Christ does not command men to love women and women to love men: gives us a universal commandment, without distinction, saying: «My commandment is this: that you love one another as I have loved you" (GV 15,12).

What you are experiencing is first and foremost an affective experience. It is important to, so, distinguish with serenity between affection, link, need for closeness and what instead belongs to a specifically sexual dimension. Not everything intense is necessarily messy; he is often simply human and asks to be understood, polite and oriented. Don't rush to define yourself with such strict categories. You are not a label, you are not a definition: you are a person on the move. You don't have to be afraid of the good you feel, but only learn to live it in truth and freedom. And what about your friend, Don't be in a hurry to "say" or "don't say". Sometimes silence guards better than words; other times, however, a word said with simplicity and truth can clarify. However, this must be evaluated with caution, without being guided by anxiety or urgency. Meanwhile, continue your spiritual journey. The fact that you have a spiritual director is a very important thing: even if you don't get to see it often, always remains a point of reference. Inner life doesn't grow only in meetings, but also in daily faithfulness. Then, as you can see, today we have telematic tools that allow us direct and immediate contact, something unthinkable in anything but remote times, when you sent a letter that arrived after a couple of weeks and then received a response after the same amount of time.

To the question whether homosexuality is in and of itself a good thing, I have to answer no: for Catholic morality it is a sin, a disordered lifestyle. However, the tone changes completely if we move from sin to the person, or better said from sin to sinner. Sin is condemned, while the person welcomes and forgives. It is the Holy Gospel itself that clarifies it: «It is not the healthy who need a doctor, and in sickness» (Mt 9,12), says Jesus, which he specifies shortly after: «I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners ". Said this, something I invite you to do very simply: Don't fight yourself as if you were a problem to be solved. Instead, get to know yourself, to bring to light what you experience, to put him before God. The Lord is not scandalized by your effort, not even your falls. It accompanies you in your efforts, picks you up when you fall, He supports you even through the voice of a sinner like me. And I'll tell you more: the more I am aware of my being a sinner, the more I feel unworthy and, for this, a real instrument - albeit imperfect - of God's grace and mercy, who gave himself through the incarnate Word, made himself a lamb to wash, with the blood of the cross, the sins of the world.

I am a friend and confidant of many people who live their homosexuality in the sunlight, without posing any particular problems, towards whom I have always been careful not to make unsolicited moral judgments. At the same time, I am a confessor, spiritual director e, if you want, also doctor of the soul of people who do not experience certain impulses of their libido in a serene way, they keep them hidden and often suffer beyond measure. I have always told all of them that we will not be judged so much for what we have done "from the waist down", but on charity, on the love given. What the Evangelist Matthew reports is a clear warning of this, when Jesus teaches that the final judgment will be based on the concrete charity shown towards those most in need, whom we will have welcomed and treated as if they were Christ himself (cf.. Mt 25,31-46).

Dear son, I trust you that, while I was answering you, my thoughts were crossed in passing by the aggressive words of a person who has long delighted in calling me "homophobic" and "an unresolved person obsessed with homosexuality". Those who know him have defined him as "malignant homosexual at maximum power". In response I promptly corrected and replied: «Immediately eliminate the word “homosexual” and leave only the word evil, because he would be such even if he were the most heterosexual in the entire European Union. Homosexuality, with its evil nature, it has nothing to do with it".

I don't ask you for a prayer for me: I ask you for this poor unfortunate man. the, for my part, I will continue to welcome everyone, as I always have done, without asking anyone for theirs pedigree sexual, Why, if I didn't, I would betray the mission that Christ, through the Sacrament of Orders, he entrusted to me through the ministry of the Church, which implies the human and spiritual maturity to forgive the wicked, certainly not to forgive the saints.

I bless you from the bottom of my heart.

From the island of Patmos, 3 May 2026

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Outside of Christ there is no access to the Father – Outside Christ there is no access to the Father – Outside of Christ there is no access to the Father

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Homiletics of the Fathers of the Island of Patmos

Homiletics of the Fathers of The Island of Patmos

(Italian, English, Español)

 

OUTSIDE CHRIST WE TALK ABOUT GOD, YOU ENTER CHRIST

Enunciating one of those absolutes that today so frighten those who confuse the principles of absoluteness of faith with absolutism, Christ responds: «I am the way, the truth and the life ". It does not simply indicate a way, it does not add a truth, nor does it communicate a life as something separable from itself, but it offers itself and declares itself as them.

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Before this page of the Fourth Gospel we often tend to dwell on the phrase "Do not let your heart be troubled", without realizing that the point is not the disturbance, but its cause.

This happens because John is not an easy read: more than on the lines, it must be read beyond the lines. His Gospel does not proceed by simple narration, but by progressive revelation, in which the words always refer to a further depth. It is no coincidence that it is the same Evangelist who closes the Revelation with the Book of Revelation, showing what remains veiled in many of his stories: like when Jesus speaks of "living water" to the Samaritan woman and she understands material water, while in reality it is a life that cannot be seen and that does not end (cf.. GV 4, 10-14). But let's listen to the text:

During that time, Jesus told his disciples: “Your heart is not troubled. Have faith in God and have faith in me too. In the house of my Father there are many homes. if not, I would have ever told you: “I'm going to prepare a place for you”? When I am gone and I will have prepared you a place, I will come again and take you with me, Because where I am you too. And the place where I go, You know the way ". Tommaso told him: "Man, We don't know where you go; How can we know the way?». Jesus told him: «I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you have met me, you will also know my Father: from now on you know him and have seen him ". Philip told him: "Man, show us the Father and that is enough for us". Jesus answered him: «I have been with you for a long time and you have not known me, Filippo? Who saw me, he saw the Father. As you can tell: “Show us the Father”? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I tell you, I don't say them myself; but the Father, that remains in me, does his works. Believe me: I am in the Father and the Father is in me. If nothing else, believe it for the works themselves. In truth, verily I tell you: who believes in me, he too will do the works that I do and will do greater ones than these, because I go to the Father" (GV 14, 1-12).

It is not fear that disturbs the disciples, but something more radical: it is the disappearance of the reference. When the point of reference disappears, man no longer knows where to go and, when he doesn't know where to go, he doesn't even know how to live. Tommaso, indeed, he's not asking a naive question, but he makes a logical observation: «We don't know where you're going; How can we know the way?». If you don't know the end of the journey, we cannot even know the road that leads to that end. Tommaso does not ask for an explanation, exposes the problem: without knowing where Christ is going, it is not possible to know how to follow it.

By stating one of those absolutes which today so frighten those who confuse the principles of absoluteness of faith with absolutism, Christ responds: «I am the way, the truth and the life ". It does not simply indicate a way, it does not add a truth, nor does it communicate a life as something separable from itself, but it offers itself and declares itself as them. Not one street among others, but the way; not one truth among the possible ones, but the truth; not a life that can be received elsewhere, but life itself. Christ is the divine living negation of religious relativism: In fact, here it is not a question of choosing a path, but to recognize that outside of Him there is no access to the Father: "I am the door: Whoever enters through me, It shall be saved " (GV 10,9).

The statement: "Nobody comes to the Father except by means of me", it means that it is not enough to talk about God, nor look for it, but it is not even enough to believe in it in some way, because without passing through Christ we cannot reach the Father. At this point Filippo asks: "Man, show us the Father and that is enough for us". He is not making a theoretical claim, asks to see God, to have before your eyes what Jesus spoke about. Jesus answers him: «I have been with you for a long time and you have not known me?». Because the problem is not that the Father did not show himself, but that Philip did not recognize where he showed himself. The phrase: "Whoever has seen me has seen the father", it is not a simple reference, but an invitation to recognize that the Son is in the Father and the Father is in Him, generated by the Father and of the same substance as the Father, not something separate, but God from God, light from light, True God from true God, as we recite in the Profession of Faith. This is why looking for the Father outside of Christ is a misunderstanding: not because Christ replaces him, but because the Son is in the Father and the Father is in the Son; outside this unity there is no access to the Father: «The words that I say to you are not said by myself; but the Father, that remains in me, does his works".

Here we are not just faced with a teaching to understand, but to a reality that is fulfilled: the relationship between the Son and the Father in which man is made a participant. This does not mean that Christianity is not thought: on the contrary, it arises from the Logos and is structurally linked to reason, according to that unity between faith and reason that tradition has always preserved, from Sant'Anselmo d'Aosta to the teaching of John Paul II. Faith is not a set of feelings - to which it is increasingly often reduced today -, but a vision of reality, of man, of God. And precisely because it is Logos, Christianity does not remain an abstract thought: the Logos became flesh. And here's the point: what is true does not remain theory, but it becomes life. Faith is not born from an idea, but from the encounter with Christ; an encounter that involves intelligence and life together. Because of this, in Christianity, thought and life, that is, faith and reason, they don't oppose it: thought without life would become ideology, life without thought would be reduced to blind experience. In Christ, instead, the truth is given as life and life manifests itself in truth.

It is in this sense that Jesus is not simply teaching something, but he is doing what he says: in Him the Father works, because He is in the Father and the Father is in Him. And faith is not just adherence to a teaching, but participation in this action of God which takes place in history: “Whoever believes in me will do the works that I do and will do even greater ones”. This expression does not indicate a superiority of man over Christ, but the fact that, walking to the Father, He makes it possible for his work to continue beyond the time of his visible presence, involving those who believe in Him. Christ does not disappear, but it operates differently. It's not just about imitating gestures, but to enter into the sequela Christi, that comes from being involved in his work, and it is from here that true imitation also arises.

This is where the Church is born: where the work of Christ continues in history. This is why the disturbance of the heart does not disappear because everything becomes clear, but because we are no longer outside of what He does. Without Christ we can speak of God, but only for Christ, with Christ and in Christ we enter the work of God.

From the island of Patmos, 3 May 2026

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OUTSIDE CHRIST THERE IS NO ACCESS TO THE FATHER

By enunciating one of those absolutes that today so frighten those who confuse the principles of the absoluteness of faith with absolutism, Christ responds: «I am the way, the truth, and the life». He does not simply indicate a way, nor add a truth, nor communicate a life as something separable from Himself, but He offers Himself and declares Himself as them.

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Before this passage of the Fourth Gospel, one often tends to dwell on the phrase «Let not your heart be troubled», without grasping that the point is not the trouble, but its cause. This happens because John is not easy to read: more than on the lines, he must be read beyond the lines. His Gospel does not proceed by simple narration, but by progressive revelation, in which words always refer to a deeper reality. It is no coincidence that the same Evangelist, with the Book of Revelation, closes Revelation, unveiling what in many of his narratives remains veiled: as when Jesus speaks of «living water» to the Samaritan woman and she understands material water, while in reality it is a life that cannot be seen and does not run out (cf. Jn 4:10–14). Let us listen to the text:

«Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where [I] am going you know the way.» Thomas said to him, «Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?» Jesus said to him, «I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.» Philip said to him, «Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.» Jesus said to him, «Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father.» (John 14:1–12).

It is not fear that troubles the disciples, but something more radical: it is the loss of the point of reference. When the point of reference is lost, man no longer knows where to go and, when he does not know where to go, he no longer knows how to live. Thomas, in fact, does not ask a naïve question, but formulates a logical observation: «We do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?». If the destination of the journey is not known, the road that leads to it cannot be known either. Thomas does not ask for an explanation; he lays bare the problem: without knowing where Christ is going, it is not possible to know how to follow Him.

By enunciating one of those absolutes that today so frighten those who confuse the principles of the absoluteness of faith with absolutism, Christ responds: «I am the way, the truth, and the life». He does not simply indicate a way, nor add a truth, nor communicate a life as something separable from Himself, but He offers Himself and declares Himself as them. Not one way among others, but the way; not one truth among many, but the truth; not a life that can be received elsewhere, but life itself. Christ is the living divine negation of religious relativism: here it is not a matter of choosing a path, but of recognizing that outside Him there is no access to the Father: «I am the door; if anyone enters through me, he will be saved» (Jn 10:9).

The statement «No one comes to the Father except through me» means that it is not enough to speak about God, nor to seek Him, nor even to believe in Him in some way, because without passing through Christ one does not reach the Father. At this point Philip says: «Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us». He is not making a theoretical request: he asks to see God, to have before his eyes what Jesus has spoken about. Jesus answers him: «Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip?». The problem is not that the Father has not been shown, but that Philip has not recognized where He has been shown. The phrase «Whoever has seen me has seen the Father» is not a mere reference, but an invitation to recognize that the Son is in the Father and the Father is in Him, begotten of the Father and of the same substance as the Father, not something separate, but God from God, light from light, true God from true God, as we profess in the Creed. Therefore, seeking the Father outside Christ is a misunderstanding: not because Christ replaces Him, but because the Son is in the Father and the Father in the Son; outside this unity there is no access to the Father: «The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works».

Here we are not faced only with a teaching to be understood, but with a reality that takes place: the relationship between the Son and the Father in which man is made a participant. This does not mean that Christianity is not thought: on the contrary, it is born from the Logos and is structurally linked to reason, according to that unity between faith and reason which the tradition has always preserved, from Saint Anselm to the magisterium of John Paul II. Faith is not a set of feelings — to which it is increasingly reduced today —, but a vision of reality, of man, of God. And precisely because it is Logos, Christianity does not remain an abstract thought: the Logos became flesh. And here is the point: what is true does not remain theory, but becomes life. Faith is not born from an idea, but from the encounter with Christ; an encounter that involves both intelligence and life. For this reason, in Christianity, thought and life, that is, faith and reason, do not oppose each other: thought without life becomes ideology, life without thought becomes blind experience. In Christ, instead, truth is given as life and life is manifested in truth.

It is in this sense that Jesus is not simply teaching something, but accomplishing what He says: in Him the Father acts, because He is in the Father and the Father is in Him. And faith is not only adherence to a teaching, but participation in this action of God that takes place in history: «Whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do, and will do greater works than these». By this expression no superiority of man over Christ is meant, but the fact that, by going to the Father, He makes it possible for His work to continue beyond the time of His visible presence, involving those who believe in Him. Christ does not disappear, but acts in a different way. It is not only a matter of imitating gestures, but of entering into the Christi sequel, which is born from being involved in His work, and from which true imitation also springs.

From here the Church is born: where the work of Christ continues in history. For this reason the trouble of the heart does not disappear because everything becomes clear, but because one is no longer outside what He accomplishes. Without Christ one can speak about God, but only through Christ, with Christ and in Christ does one enter into the work of God.

From the Island of Patmos, May 3, 2026

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OUTSIDE OF CHRIST THERE IS NO ACCESS TO THE FATHER

Stating one of those absolutes that today so frighten those who confuse the principles of the absolute nature of faith with absolutism., Christ answers: «I am the way, "truth and life". It does not simply indicate a path, it does not add a truth nor communicate a life as something separable from itself, but it is offered and declared like them.

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Before this page of the Fourth Gospel, We often tend to stop at the phrase "Let not your heart be troubled.", without understanding that the point is not the confusion, but its cause. This happens because Juan is not easy to read.: more than in the lines, you have to read it beyond the lines. His Gospel does not proceed by simple narration, but by progressive revelation, in which words always refer to a further depth. It is no coincidence that the Evangelist himself, with the Book of Revelation, close the Revelation, showing what remains hidden in many of his stories: like when Jesus speaks of "living water" to the Samaritan woman and she understands material water, while in reality it is a life that is not seen and that does not end (cf. Jn 4, 10-14). Let's listen to the text:

«Your heart is not turned. You believe in God: believe in me too. In my Father's house there are many mansions; but, I would have told you; because I am going to prepare a place for you. And when I have gone and prepared a place for you, I will return and take you with me, so that where I am you may also be. and where I go, "you know the way". Thomas tells him: «Señor, We do not know where you go, how can we know the way?». Jesus tells him: «I am the way, truth and life. No one goes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will also know my Father; From now on you know him and you have seen him". Felipe tells her: «Señor, show us the Father and it is enough for us". Jesus tells him: "Have I been with you for so long and you don't know me?", Felipe? He who has seen me has seen the Father. How do you say: “Show us the Father”? Don't you believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me? The words that I tell you, I don't say them on my own; the Father who abides in me does his works. believe me: I am in the Father and the Father in me; and if not, believe by the works themselves. Actually, truly I tell you: the one who believes in me, He will also do the works that I do, and will become even greater, because I go to the Father". (Juan 14, 1–12).

It is not fear that disturbs the disciples, but something more radical: is the loss of the reference point. When the reference point disappears, The man no longer knows where to go and, when you don't know where to go, he no longer knows how to live. Tomás, in fact, does not ask a naive question, but presents a logical verification: "We don't know where you're going; how can we know the way?». If the end of the road is not known, nor can you know the path that leads to it. Tomás does not ask for an explanation, reveals the problem: without knowing where Christ is going, it is not possible to know how to follow it.

Stating one of those absolutes that today so frighten those who confuse the principles of the absolute nature of faith with absolutism, Christ answers: «I am the way, "truth and life". It does not simply indicate a path, it does not add a truth nor communicate a life as something separable from itself, but it is offered and declared like them. Not one path among others, but the path; not one truth among many, but the truth; not a life that can be received elsewhere, but life itself. Christ is the living divine negation of religious relativism: This is not about choosing a route, but to recognize that outside of Him there is no access to the Father: «I am the door; "Whoever enters through me will be saved." (Jn 10,9).

The statement "No one goes to the Father except through me" It means that it is not enough to talk about God, nor look for it, not even believe in Him somehow, because without passing through Christ one does not reach the Father. At this point Felipe says: «Señor, show us the Father and it is enough for us". It does not make a theoretical request: asks to see God, have before your eyes what Jesus has spoken about. Jesus answers him: «I have been with you for so long, and you don't know me, Felipe?». The problem is not that the Father has not shown himself, But Felipe has not recognized where he has shown himself. The phrase "He who has seen me has seen the Father" is not a simple reference, but an invitation to recognize that the Son is in the Father and the Father in Him, begotten of the Father and of the same substance as the Father, not something separate, but God of God, light light, true god of true god, as we profess in the Creed. That is why seeking the Father outside of Christ is a mistake.: not because Christ replaces him, but because the Son is in the Father and the Father in the Son; outside this unit there is no access to the Father: «The words that I say to you I do not say on my own; "The Father who abides in me performs his works.".

Here we are not only faced with a teaching that must be understood, but before a reality that is realized: the relationship between the Son and the Father in which man is made a participant. This does not mean that Christianity is not thought: on the contrary, It is born from the Logos and is structurally linked to reason, according to that unity between faith and reason that tradition has always guarded, from Saint Anselm to the teaching of Saint John Paul II. Faith is not a set of feelings — to which today it is increasingly reduced —, but a vision of reality, of man and God. And precisely because it is Logos, Christianity does not remain an abstract thought: the Logos became flesh. And here's the point: the truth does not remain a theory, but it becomes life. Faith is not born from an idea, but of the encounter with Christ; an encounter that involves both intelligence and life. That's why, in Christianity, thought and life, that is to say, Faith and reason, they do not oppose: Thought without life becomes ideology, life without thought is reduced to blind experience. in Christ, instead, the truth is given as life and life is manifested in the truth.

It is in this sense that Jesus is not simply teaching something, but doing what it says: in Him the Father works, because He is in the Father and the Father in Him. And faith is not only adherence to a teaching, but participation in this action of God that is carried out in history: «Whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do, and he will make others greater than these.". This expression does not indicate a superiority of man over Christ., but the fact that, when going to the Father, He makes it possible for his work to continue beyond the time of his visible presence, involving those who believe in Him. Christ does not disappear, but it acts in a different way. It's not just about imitating gestures, but to enter the sequela Christi, that comes from being involved in their work, and from which true imitation also springs.

From here the Church is born: where the work of Christ continues in history. That is why the confusion of the heart does not disappear because everything becomes clear., but because one is no longer outside of what He does. Without Christ we can talk about God, but only for Christ, with Christ and in Christ one enters into the work of God.

From the Island of Patmos, 3 May 2026

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