JESUS, THE WITNESS

Let us focus our attention on the oracle of Isaiah that Jesus reads in the synagogue of Nazareth: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor” (Lk 4,18). Jesus applies Taking this word to himself, he recognizes how in the baptism in the Jordan the Holy Spirit consecrated him and then sent him to bring the Gospel of God. Let us note the dynamic: the Spirit came down (from God) and rested (epi) on him. This “taking possession” or consecration enabled him for the mission. An important fact must not escape us: the consecration, in this process, is at the center: it is a gift from above and precedes the mission. What does it mean? That the consecration is not exhausted in the mission. They are two realities that call upon each other, that fertilize each other, but at the same time are independent. What does the consecration express? Belonging to God and not, first and foremost, the task, the mission to be carried out. The consecration is inherent in the person. Be careful then: Jesus was not consecrated to do (for this there is no need for a consecration), but to bear witness to the One who sent him, the Father. Only in this horizon does the mission become good news to the poor (vv. 18-19) in an openness without preclusions or boundaries (vv. 23-27).
But who is the witness?
Each of us lives and acts in front of others. This is an incontrovertible fact. This living and acting in relation to others is on the one hand a fact and on the other a task. Why a fact? But because no one can escape from others. As much as we sometimes flee like Jonah, our being always presents itself in front of others. Why is it a task? Because each of us has a responsibility towards our neighbor; a responsibility that therefore implies a task. Emmanuele Levinas clarifies for us, who said, in this regard, that «the proximity of the other is my responsibility for him» and that «becoming a neighbor means being the guardian of one’s brother» that I see. The last underlining is beautiful: that I see… why? Because it makes us understand that ethics is a perspective. In this way my life does not only unfold in front of others but is revealed to others. Well, in this revelation we have the root of testimony. Last but not least, testimony is an event that involves the whole person. Limited to words alone, it is not credible. This is because testimony is a way of being and acting even before speaking. We could also say this: testimony is the person who becomes a word in the presence of others. Therefore, whoever is in front of us:

more than listening, he welcomes;
more than knowing, he recognizes;
more than assent, he tunes in.

This is how Jesus, the witness of God, walked and therefore how we too are called to walk in the company of men.

Commentary by b. Sandro Carotta, osb
Abbazia di Praglia (Italy)

Translation by f. Mark Hargreaves,
Prinknash Abbey