Today, the Gospel invites us to reflect on the teacher-disciple relationship: "No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master" (Mt 10:24). In the human realm, it is not impossible for the student to surpass the person who taught him the basics of a discipline. There are examples in history such as Giotto, who surpassed his teacher Cimabue, or Manzoni, who surpassed Abbot Pieri. But the key to supreme wisdom lies only in the hands of the Man-God, and all others can share in it, coming to understand it at various levels: from the great theologian Saint Thomas Aquinas to the child preparing for First Communion. We can add embellishments of various styles, but they will never be anything essential that enriches the intrinsic value of the doctrine. On the contrary, we may border on heresy.

We must be cautious when attempting to make mixtures that can distort and in no way enrich the substance of the Good News. "We must abstain from delicacies, but more importantly we must we fast from errors," says Saint Augustine. I was once given a book about Guardian Angels in which elements of esoteric doctrines appear, such as metempsychosis, and an incomprehensible need for redemption that would affect these good spirits confirmed in goodness.

Today's Gospel opens our eyes to the unavoidable fact that disciples are sometimes misunderstood, encounter obstacles, or even be persecuted for declaring themselves followers of Christ. Jesus' life was an uninterrupted service in defense of the truth. If He was nicknamed "Beelzebul," it's no wonder that, in disputes, cultural confrontations, or the confrontations we see on television, we are labeled as backward. Faithfulness to Christ the Master is the greatest recognition of which we can boast: "Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father" (Mt 10:32).