The chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire

Soph 3,14-18a; C Is 12,2-6; Phil 4,4-7; Lk 3,10-18
16 DECEMBER

The morality that John the Baptist teaches to the people is only the way to reach Christ Jesus. It is the first foundation to begin the journey that must lead those who live it to the purity, beauty and sanctity of the Word of Lord Jesus. It would be a grave error to think that it is the perfect and exhaustive evangelical morality. It is that basic conversion that opens the heart to accept the true light that comes from the Messiah. Love begins by giving a tunic to those who do not have it or by offering food to those who are hungry. It manifests itself with not mistreating and not extorting anything from anyone. With the contentment of the personal wages and with no demanding more than what was fixed. For every category, every profession and every ministry there is a minimum that must never be omitted. In omission we do not walk towards Christ. There is stagnation in falsehood. One lives in an immorality that could have no limits.

When the minimum of justice among men is not observed, when basic love is neglected, the heart begins to harden. When it becomes stone, there is no longer any limit either to immorality or to idolatry. With a hard heart, man is capable of any abomination, wickedness and evil. The minimum of morality must always be requested. You must always start from the minimum. When one is inserted in the mystery of Christ, then it is right that he asks what Christ Jesus asks. Nor let it be said that asking what Christ asks is rigidity. Morality according to Jesus is rigid because it is not observed, because one is separated from his mystery and from the Holy Spirit. Who is the body of Christ lives as a true body of Christ, feeds on the Eucharist, dwells in the Holy Spirit and does not feel the weight of the morality of Jesus. It is a sweet, gentle and light morality. But one must live it by dwelling in the body of Christ and becoming the true body of Christ every day.

And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” He said to them in reply, “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He answered them, “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.” Soldiers also asked him, “And what is it that we should do?” He told them, “Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.” Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah. John answered them all, saying, “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Exhorting them in many other ways, he preached good news to the people.

The morality of John the Baptist is for a man that must be baptized with water. That of Jesus will be the morality for a man who will be baptized in the Holy Spirit and fire. Jesus will immerse in the Holy Spirit to transform our being into a spiritual being according to the flesh born of Adam. He will baptize us in the fire of divine love which will have to burn in every concupiscence, vice and sin, so as to be able to manifest the beauty of divine charity in words and deeds, in every place and in every time. John was sent by God to prepare hearts to welcome the Messiah. But it is not He the Christ that must come. But the Anointed of the Lord is not only a true man, even if he is holy, just and a friend of God, sent by him. He is God in his Person and divine nature. This is why he is bigger and stronger than Giovanni, so strong that he is not even worthy to untie the laces of his sandals. The Father constituted his Messiah universal judge. He will separate wheat and straw tomorrow. He will place wheat in his granaries and will burn the straw with unquenchable fire. We must confess that today all these truths about the Lord’s Messiah have been declared useless by the disciples of Jesus. There is no judgment. There is no baptism in the Holy Spirit and fire. There is not even the Christ of God. Everyone can access to God without need of Jesus. Having taken away Christ in his human, eternal, divine and universal truth, nothing remains anymore, either the Church or her religion. Everything is swallowed up by falsehood. There is no real salvation.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints ensure that Christ Jesus clothes us with all his truth.