Gospel Commentary – September 5, 2025

The Kingdom is a feast. This is something that all Christians, all of us who believe in Jesus, should carry engraved in our hearts. It is a feast made of fraternity, of encounter, of justice, of forgiveness, of mercy. It is a feast where we commit ourselves to building, starting now, a new world. It is true that what we see and experience today is not yet that new world. But we are already building it. We already taste it here. Every time we celebrate the Eucharist, listen to the Word, and share the bread, we are already living this new reality.

It is important not to forget this aspect of our faith, because for many centuries the Christian faith was presented in a negative way. It often seemed as if God were more of a threat than a Father of mercy and forgiveness. Yes, there was talk of forgiveness. The sacrament of confession is there as proof. But even that sacrament was veiled in purple. The impression was that what mattered most were our sins—that we had to feel guilty, very guilty, and maybe then we might obtain forgiveness. We had to acknowledge our guilt. But also fulfill the penance, which was understood as the necessary punishment. Without completing the penance, God’s forgiveness was not obtained—a forgiveness seen as conditional.

And along the way we forgot to speak of the joy of the Resurrection, of the gift of life, of a Father of infinite love and infinite mercy, who welcomes and forgives without conditions and without measure. And this is far more true than the former way of thinking.

This helps us understand why Jesus told the Pharisees and scribes that His disciples had no reason to fast or to live downcast, always burdened by past guilt (as if, no matter how much God forgives us, we could never shake it off). The Kingdom is new wine, and it invites us to live a new life. There is no reason to fast, because the Bridegroom is with us. Yes, there may come days when fasting is needed—but it will be because we are called, with joy and gladness, to share our bread with a hungry brother or sister.