Predicazioni/1Corinzi/Il filo dell’Evangelo per uscire dal labirinto della confusione/English version
The Gospel thread to escape from the labyrinth of confusion
In a time marked by many voices and conflicting interpretations, this reflection leads to the heart of the apostolic Gospel. Through the image of "Ariadne's thread," we are invited to rediscover the guiding principle that prevents us from going astray: the saving work of Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose on the third day. Beginning with 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, the message warns against spurious "gospels" and clearly recalls the essential content of the saving Gospel, founded in Scripture, attested in history, and powerful in transforming lives. A fitting word for the Easter season, it invites us to remain steadfast in the one Gospel.
Ariadne's Thread
Are you familiar with the ancient Greek myth of the labyrinth and "Ariadne's thread"? In this myth, the young hero Theseus offers to enter the terrible labyrinth built by Daedalus to slay the monstrous Minotaur, a labyrinth from which no one has ever emerged alive. Before entering, however, he receives crucial help from Ariadne, the king's daughter: she gives him a ball of thread, which Theseus ties at the entrance to the labyrinth and unwinds as he advances through its dark depths. After confronting and slaying the Minotaur, he can thus find his way back by following the thread, avoiding getting lost forever. Since then, "Ariadne's thread" has become a symbol of the need, when navigating the complexities of life or a problem to be solved, to have a guiding principle, discreet yet essential, that serves as a way to untangle oneself, to return to the starting point of the most important things without getting lost.
Today, we may find it necessary to engage in a discussion with someone who would challenge our Christian faith. The adversary can be very skilled in his rhetorical art and manage to confuse us. How can we get out of this? By returning to the basic biblical principles, the non-negotiable ones that characterize faith, "the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3). What is the immutable substance of the Gospel, the one authoritatively expounded by the apostles and first witnesses of Christ?
In the ancient Christian community of Corinth, many moral and spiritual problems had arisen, as well as worrying doctrinal subversive tendencies. The apostle Paul addresses all these issues methodically, but at the end of his long letter, he feels it necessary to remind them, to reiterate, the "core" of the Gospel, the crucial thing, the thing that must never be lost sight of. It has to do with the sacrificial death and resurrection of the Savior Jesus Christ: the irreplaceable guiding principle of our faith—one with far-reaching implications.
The biblical text
Let us listen to what the first 11 verses of chapter 15 of the apostle Paul's first letter to the Christians of Corinth say.
"Brothers, I remind you of the gospel which I preached to you, which you also received and in which you stand, by which you are being saved, if indeed you hold fast to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance, just as I also received it: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures; that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, of whom the greater part remain, but some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all he appeared to me, as to one born abnormally; for I am the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than all. them; yet not I, but the grace of God which is with me. Whether therefore it be I or they, so we preach, and so you believed" (1 Corinthians 15:1-11)
1. An important clarification
The first verse of this text therefore says: "Brothers, I remind you of the gospel which I preached to you, which you also received, in which you also stand, by which you are saved; the gospel which I preached to you, which you also received, in which you also stand, by which you are saved."
In the first verse, the Apostle recalls, reiterates, and unequivocally and non-negotiably declares the substance and content of the message he (in harmony with Christ's other apostles) has announced and continues to announce, the message that they, the people he is addressing in the city of Corinth, had received and welcomed. It is the trusting acceptance of this message that unites them as brothers and sisters in Christ. This message is called the Gospel. As he will specify later, the Gospel or gospel is the joyful news of God's grace offered in the person, work, sacrificial death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ . It is on this work, the work of the Savior Jesus Christ, that the Christian faith rests, as on a solid foundation. This qualifies it, determines it, and distinguishes it from other conceptions of the Gospel. The trusting acceptance of this message (and not others—however such it may be considered) is what determines a person's salvation.
2. Spurious Gospels
This principle is reiterated in the second verse. The Apostle, in fact, adds: "...if indeed you hold fast to the gospel I preached to you, unless you believed in vain." This continues to be important, because today, as then, different, spurious, and false conceptions of the gospel were being spread as the gospel of Christ. The apostle reaffirms this principle in his letter to the Galatians: "I marvel that you are so quickly deserting him who called you by the grace of Christ and turning to a different gospel. This gospel is not another gospel; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone preaches to you any other gospel than the one you received, let him be accursed" (Galatians 1:6-9). The Apostle does not hesitate here to say that whoever announces a different Gospel is subjected to anathema , that is, to a curse, because these are deceptions that lead to “believing in vain,” that is, they will not be able to save before God those who accept them.
Throughout the history of the Church, alongside the apostolic confession of the Gospel, interpretations have always emerged that alter or reduce its content. Even today, spurious conceptions can be identified that must be clearly recognized. I will mention a few.
1. The "moral gospel" : reduces the Gospel to a set of ethical teachings of Jesus Christ: love one's neighbor, do good, live righteously. It is true that the Gospel produces new life, but it is not primarily a moral code: it is the proclamation of what God has done in Christ to save sinners incapable of saving themselves.
2. The "prosperity gospel" : identifies God's blessing with material well-being, health, and success. From this perspective, faith becomes almost a tool for obtaining earthly benefits. Thus, the heart of the Gospel, which passes through the cross and also calls for suffering and self-denial, is lost.
3. The "psychological gospel" : interprets the Christian message as a path to inner well-being, self-esteem, and emotional balance. While addressing real needs, it ends up replacing the problem of sin with that of distress, and grace with a form of spiritual therapy.
4. The "political or social gospel" : reduces the Gospel to a program of social or ideological transformation (of a progressive or, at times, even conservative nature). Justice is certainly a consequence of faith, but when it becomes the center, Christ is obscured and the work of redemption takes a back seat.
5. The “syncretistic gospel” : mixes the Christian message with other religions or spiritualities, maintaining that all paths lead to God. In this way, the uniqueness of the person and work of Christ, the irreplaceable heart of the Gospel, is denied.
6. The “legalistic gospel” : the opposite of grace, it transforms the Gospel into a system of rules to be observed in order to be accepted by God. It does not explicitly deny Christ, but empties him, because it shifts trust from the work accomplished to human performance.
7. The "Islamic Gospel" . The Islamic Quran also mentions the Gospel, but it understands it in a profoundly different way than the Christian one: for Islam it (the Injīl) is a divine revelation given to Jesus (ʿĪsā), later partially altered over the course of history and not identifiable with that spoken of in the New Testament. Consequently, while in Christianity the Gospel is the saving message centered on the person and redemptive work of Christ—his death and resurrection for the salvation of sinners—in Islam it is conceived as a prophetic revelation that calls for monotheism and obedience to God, but lacks the central content of redemption and the divine sonship of Christ.
In all these forms, the common element is a shift in focus: from God's objective work in Christ to human beings—to their efforts, needs, or plans. The authentic Gospel, however, remains the proclamation of what God accomplished once and for all in Christ, and which is received by grace through faith.
3. The salient features of the apostolic Gospel
Let us finally consider the second part of our biblical text, which says. “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures; that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve; and then to more than five hundred brothers at once, of whom most remain, but some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one born abnormally; because I am the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I labored more abundantly than they all—yet not I, but the grace of God which is with me. Therefore, whether it be I or they, so we preach, and so you believed” (1 Corinthians 15:3-11).
Beginning in verse 3, the apostolic Gospel presents itself first and foremost as a message received and transmitted , not invented. The apostle Paul insists: "I have delivered to you, just as I also received it." The Gospel does not arise from individual religious experience, but from a historical revelation faithfully preserved and handed down. Even today, in an age that exalts subjective originality, this reminds us of the need to remain anchored to the apostolic testimony, without arbitrarily adapting it to the sensibilities of the moment.
Second, the Gospel has an objective and definite content : Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day. It is not a vague set of spiritual values, but a precise announcement of salvific events that reconcile us with God by saving us from the fatal consequences of our sins. Christ's death, in fact, is "for our sins," that is, substitutive and redemptive; His resurrection is the divine seal on that work. In every age, and especially on Easter Day, Christian communities are called to proclaim this core without reductions or additions.
A third essential trait is its rootedness in the Scriptures : "according to the Scriptures." The Gospel is not an isolated event, but the coherent fulfillment of God's plan revealed in the Old Testament. This gives unity and authority to the Christian message. Today, when the Bible is often fragmented or relativized, it is crucial to recover this organic vision: what happened in Christ was already promised, prepared, and announced.
Fourth, the Gospel is historically attested and publicly verifiable . Paul invokes a series of witnesses: Cephas, the Twelve, more than five hundred brothers, James, all the apostles, and finally himself. This is not a myth or a private vision, but events that occurred in history and have been confirmed by many. In a contemporary context marked by skepticism, this element invites us to seriously consider the historical claim of the resurrection.
Finally, the Gospel is the power of grace that transforms and unifies . Paul, from a persecutor, becomes an apostle: "By the grace of God I am what I am." The authentic Gospel, in fact, welcomed with faith, produces a substantial moral and spiritual transformation. As the Apostle says in his letter to the Christians of Rome: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16). He concludes, in fact, by emphasizing the unity of preaching: "So we preach, and so you believed." The Gospel not only saves, but transforms lives and creates communion in truth. Even today, it remains the only message capable of truly changing people and establishing an authentic faith, rooted not in human beings, but in the sovereign grace of God in Christ.
Conclusion
Having reached the end of this reflection, we can return to the initial image: the labyrinth. Even today, many voices, many ideas, many proposals intertwine and overlap, sometimes with great skill, to the point of bewildering the listener. But, as for Theseus, for us too, there is a sure thread: not an idea of our own, not a feeling, but the apostolic Gospel, received and transmitted, founded on the historical and saving work of Jesus Christ. It is this thread that keeps us from getting lost and always brings us back to the center, to what truly matters.
We have seen how it is possible to "believe in vain" when this Gospel is replaced with distorted versions, more convenient or more appealing to the sensibilities of the moment. But every time the focus shifts from the work of Christ to the human being, the thread breaks and the labyrinth becomes a dead end. This is why the Apostle insists: we must hold the Gospel as it was proclaimed. This is not sterile rigidity, but vital fidelity, because our salvation depends on it.
At the same time, this Gospel is not an abstract principle, but a living reality: Christ died for our sins and rose again. This means that the deepest human problem—sin and separation from God—has truly been faced and overcome. And it also means that today, here and now, this message retains all its power: it is not a memory of the past, but an effective word that saves, transforms, and gives hope.
Therefore, on the day when we especially remember the resurrection, the question is not only whether we know this Gospel, but whether we have truly accepted it and remain steadfast in it. It is not enough to have heard it, it is not enough to appreciate it: it must become the foundation on which our faith, our hope, and our life rest. It is this Gospel—and no other—that saves.
And so the appeal is simple and solemn: hold fast to this thread. If you are lost, return to it; if you are confused, let it guide you; if you already believe, remain steadfast in it. Do not seek elsewhere what God has already fully accomplished in Christ. For only this Gospel leads out of the labyrinth, and only this Gospel opens the way to life.
Let us pray: O Lord our God, holy and merciful Father, we thank you for not leaving us lost in the labyrinth of our own ways, but for granting us the light of your Gospel in the person of your Son, Jesus Christ. We praise you because he died for our sins and rose again for our justification, opening for us the path of life. We confess before you that we too easily allow ourselves to be distracted, confused, and seduced by different voices, by gospels that are not your Gospel. Forgive our carelessness, our instability, our tendency to seek elsewhere what only you can give us. Bring us back with firmness and gentleness to the sure foundation of your truth. We pray: grant each of us a living and persevering faith, that clings with trust to the finished work of Christ. Grant that we may not believe in vain, but remain firm in the Gospel as it was handed down to us, finding in it forgiveness, peace, and new life. Work in us, by your grace, that transformation that only your Gospel can accomplish. Renew our minds, purify our hearts, guide our steps, so that our lives may bear witness to the power of the resurrection and the reality of your saving work. Finally, grant us to carry this precious "thread" with us, so that we may not lose our way, so that we may walk in your truth and also show others the path that leads to life. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
Paolo Castellina, March 26, 2026