“To whom will I compare this generation?” (Matthew 11:16-19)
Biblical reflections by Mauro Leonardi*, priest and writer
Jesus underlines, despite the apparent difference in style, the parallelism between the life of John the Baptist and his: a wedding invitation addressed to humanity, but which was often not accepted except with indifference and hatred: yet it would have been enough to judge them by their works - works full of love - to recognize in them the witnesses of the mercy of the heavenly Father.
From the Gospel according to Matthew 11:16-19
At that time, Jesus said to the crowd: «To whom will I compare this generation? It is similar to those children sitting in the squares who turn to their other companions and say: We played the flute for you and you didn't dance, we sang a lament and you didn't cry. John came, who neither eats nor drinks, and they said: He has a demon. The Son of man came, eating and drinking, and they say: Behold a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners. But wisdom has been done justice by her works."
* Mauro Leonardi (Como 1959) has been a priest since 29 May 1988 and has lived in Rome since then. He spends many hours of his day as a priest and prefers building bridges rather than raising walls. For years he has been writing stories, articles, essays and books that revolve around the relationship between man and God. Author of the blog Like Jesus. Abelis (Lindau) is his latest novel. The volunteers of the Gionata project thank him for sharing these reflections on the word with us.
