When I Shall Go To Contemplate The Face Of The LORD?

Hi! and happy good first day of the week and the 29th day of February to all of us, GUYS.  Today's "food for the soul":

THE GOOD NEWS (29 February 2016)

"As a deer longs for flowing streams,

so my soul longs for YOU, O GOD.

Then will I go to the altar of GOD,

to GOD, my gladness and delight.

I will praise YOU with the lyre and harp,

O GOD, my GOD."

- Psalm 42:2, 43:4

(An exiled Levite, a priest remembers with what joy he went in the past on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.  We, too, are exiles here below, as long as we do not see the face of GOD.  It is well that we are not too quickly satisfied with a few beautiful ceremonies.

Here we have the fervent prayer that the believer - immersed in adversity - addressed to GOD in order not to waver in his faith.

A fervent call to GOD and cries of hope are features of this psalm, like a refrain repeated three times.

Who among us would not be able to personalize this psalm?  Human progress, be it ever so great and salutary, brings new problems and stirs up in us new desires.  We are at times mindful that we have been created for something greater: nothing of that fully gratifies us, and death is always at the end.  How can we revive those moments when we knew true joy?) 

The Rock Was CHRIST

Hello! and happy holy and family day to all of us, GUYS.  For our first-thing-first this Sunday:

THE GOOD NEWS (28 February 2016)

"Let me remind you, brothers and sisters, about our ancestors.  All of them were under the cloud and all crossed the sea.  All underwent the baptism of  the land and of the sea to join Moses and all of them ate from the same spiritual manna and all of them drank from the same spiritual drink.  For you know that they drank from a spiritual rock following them, and the rock was CHRIST.  However, most of them did not please GOD, and the desert was strewn with their bodies.

All of this happened as an example for us, so that we might not become people of evil desires, as they did. 

It was early morning of 08 November 2013 when my wife, our only daughter, and I experienced the wrath of this natural phenomenon (Philippine Codename: Super Typhoon Yolanda) in our home in Tacloban City, Philippines, which I thought will be the last day already that we will be seeing each other.  I really did consider this as GOD's warning already for all of us! - (Milo R. Arbo)

Do not follow idols, as some of them did, and Scripture says: 'The people sat down to eat and drink and stood up for orgy.  Let us not fall into sexual immortality as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand of them fell dead.  And let us not tempt the LORD as some of them did, and were killed by serpents; nor grumble as some of them did and were cut down by the destroying angel.

These things happened to them as an example, and they were written as a warning for us, as the last times come upon us.  Therefore, if you think you stand, beware, lest you fall." - 1 Corinthians 10:1-12

(The rock was CHRIST.  The Jewish legends said that the rock mentioned in Exodus 17:5 followed the Israelites in their journey.  Paul does not affirm that legend as true.  He only recalls it as an image of CHRIST, present in HIS Church.)

Poem Of Exile - Jerusalem Will Rise!

Hi! and happy weekend to all of us, GUYS.  For our "food for the soul" this Saturday:

THE GOOD NEWS (27 February 2016)

"Shepherd YOUR people with your staff, shepherd the flock of YOUR inheritance that dwells alone in the scrub, in the midst of a fertile land.  Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old, in the days when YOU went out of Egypt. 

Jerusalem, Then And Now

Show us YOUR wonders.  On seeing this the nations will be put to shame in the midst of all their might.  People will lay their hands upon their mouths and they will not believe the news.

They shall lick the dust like snakes, like creatures that crawl upon the ground.  They will come trembling out of their strongholds; they will be in fear of YOU. 

Who is a GOD like YOU, who takes away guilt and pardons crime for the remnant of his inheritance?

Who is like YOU whose anger does not last?  For YOU delight in merciful forgiveness.

Once again YOU will show us YOUR loving kindness and trample on our wrongs, casting all our sins into the depths of the sea.

Show faithfulness to Jacob, mercy to Abraham, as YOU have sworn to our ancestors from the days of old." - Micah 7:14-20 

(This looks on GOD, humans, and GOD's mercy toward humankind: from these three, praise is born.)

    

Joseph Sold By His Brothers

Hello! and happy TGIF to all of us, GUYS.  Our "daily bread" this Friday:

THE GOOD NEWS (26 February 2016)

"Then HE sent a famine and ruined the crop that sustained the land;  HE sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave;

his feet in shackles, his neck in irons till what HE foretold came to pass, and the LORD's word proved HIM true.

The king sent for him, set him free, the ruler of the peoples released him.  He put him in charge of his household and made him ruler of all his possessions, ..." - Psalm 105:16-21 

(Envy in brothers reaches madness and crime.  GOD lets the brothers follow opposite paths, some good, others evil but that does not mean that those who are "good" abandon and forget those following "evil" ways.  Joseph will save his brothers.

This story invites us to recognize that trials bring us to a more spiritual life, which, in turn makes our family life and our life in society more fruitful.)

Words Of Wisdom

Hi! and happy good Thursday to all of us, GUYS.  For our "food for the soul" today:

THE GOOD NEWS (25 February 2016)

"This is what YAHWEH says,

'Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings and depends on a mortal for his life, while his heart is drawn away from YAHWEH!

He is like a bunch of thistles in dry land, in parched desert places, in a salt land where no one lives and who never finds happiness.

Blessed is the man who puts his trust in YAHWEH and whose confidence is in HIM!  He is like a tree planted by the water, sending out its roots towards the stream.

He has no fear when the heat comes, his leaves are always green; the year of drought is no problem and he can always bear fruit.

Most deceitful is the heart.  What is there within man, who can understand him?  I, YAHWEH, search the heart and penetrate the mind.  I reward each one according to his ways and the fruit of his deeds'." - Jeremiah 17:5-10

(We have parts of discourses that Jeremiah made on very different occasions.  You will notice here that similar content is found in several Psalms, and especially in Psalm 1.) 

Is Evil The Reward For Good?

Hi! and happy good mid-week to all of us, GUYS.  For our "daily bread" this Wednesday:

THE GOOD NEWS (24 February 2016)

"Then, they said, 'Come, let us plot against Jeremiah, for even without him, there will be priests to interpret the Teachings of the Law; there will always be wisemen to impart counsel and prophets to proclaim the word.  Come, let us accuse him and strike him down instead of listening to what he says.'

Jeremiah Lamenting

Hear me, O YAHWEH!

Listen to what my accusers say.

Is evil the reward for good?

Why do they dig a grave for me?

Remember how I stood before YOU

to speak well on their behalf

so that YOUR anger might subside."

- Jeremiah 18:18-20

(This brings us to the third prophecy of the passion of JESUS CHRIST.)

Against An Unthinking People!

Hello! and happy Tuesday to all of us, GUYS.  For today's "food for the soul":

THE GOOD NEWS (23 February 2016)

"Hear the warning of YAHWEH,

rulers of Sodom.

Listen to the word of GOD,

people of Gomorrah.

Evidence of GOD: Was Sodom And Gomorrah

'What do I care,' says YAHWEH

'for your endless sacrifices?

I am fed up with your burnt offerings,

and the fat of your bulls. 

The blood of fatlings, and lambs and he-goats

I abhor,

When you come before ME and trample on my courts

who asked you to visit ME?

I am fed up with your oblations.

I grow sick with your incense.

Your New Moons, Sabbaths and meetings,

evil with holy assemblies,

I can no longer bear.

I hate your New Moons and appointed feasts

they burden ME.

When you stretch out your hands

I will close MY eyes;

the more you pray,

the more I refuse to listen,

for your hands are bloody.

Wash and make yourselves clean.

Remove from MY sight

the evil of your deeds.

Put an end to your wickedness

and learn to do good.

Seek justice and keep in line the abusers;

give the fatherless their rights

and defend the widow.'

'Come,' says the LORD,

'let us reason together.

Though your sins be like scarlet,

they will be white as snow;

though they be as crimson red,

they will be white as wool.

If you will obey ME,

you will eat the goods of the earth;

but if you resist and rebel,

the sword will eat you instead.'

Truly the LORD has spoken."

- Isaiah 1:10-20

(What do I care for your endless sacrifices?  It is characteristic of the prophets to condemn external worship that does not express a true surrender to GOD.  The sacrifices and the festivals in question here were required by the law of GOD; yet GOD says that HE detests them, because when done without proper dispositions, they are a lie [see Psalm 40:7 and 50:16, also, Matthew 5:23].

Give the fatherless their rights.  The Mosaic commandments condemned thief [Exodus 20:14].  The prophets denounce a social system which crushes the lowly.

Some people are fond of great ceremonies, others of their own devotions and prayers and still others, of doing generous and philanthropic works.  When doing this, we may be covering up the injustice we do every day.) 

Further Admonitions

Hi! and happy good first day of the week, GUYS.  For our first-thing-first this Monday:

THE GOOD NEWS (22 February 2016)

"I now address myself to those elders among you; I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of CHRIST, hoping to share the Glory that is to be revealed.  Shepherd the flock which GOD has entrusted to you, guarding it not out of obligation but willingly for GOD's sake; not as one looking for a reward but with a generous heart; do not lord it over those in your care, rather be an example to your flock.  Then, when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will be given a crown of unfading Glory. - 1 Peter 5:1-4  

Shepherding The Flock

(In the varied counsels that follow, note what concerns the elders, leaders and pastors of the community.

In persecution Peter also sees a work of the devil, who does his best to discourage those who hope in CHRIST.

It is a proven fact that when we get ready to make an important decision or to make some commitment in the service of CHRIST, many unexpected obstacles arise.  The person who becomes intimidated loses everything.  When he tries again to take some step, the devil will increase his attacks.  These trials are common and to face them we need to be alert in our faith.)

Agree With One Another And Be Happy

Hi! and happy holy and family day to all of us, GUYS.  Our first-thing-first this Sunday:

THE GOOD NEWS (21 February 2016)

"Finally, brothers and sisters, fill your minds with whatever is truthful, holy, just, pure, lovely and noble.  Be mindful of whatever deserves praise and admiration.  Put into practice what you have learned from me, what I passed on to you, what you heard from me or saw me doing, and the GOD of peace will be with you." - Philippians 4:8-9 

(Fill your minds with whatever is truthful, holy, just, pure, lovely and noble.  Paul continuously repeats that it is not enough to avoid what is forbidden.  Let us discover this free and open attitude of a believer who knows that GOD speaks to him in a thousand ways through others.  How many examples before our eyes each day!  What great, noble and true things there are in this world about which we speak negatively!  Let us accept what is good, wherever we find it, even among unbelievers.)

Love Of Enemies

Hello! and happy good weekend to all of us, GUYS.  For this Saturday's "daily bread":

THE GOOD NEWS (20 February 2016)

"You have heard that it was said: Love your neighbor and do not do good to your enemy.  But this I tell you: Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your FATHER in Heaven.  For HE makes HIS sun rise on both the wicked and the good, and HE gives rain to both the just and the unjust.

If you love those who love you, what is special about that?  Do not even tax collectors do as much?  And if you are friendly only to your friends, what is so exceptional about that?  Do not even the pagans do as much?  For your part you shall be righteous and perfect in the way YOUR heavenly FATHER is righteous and perfect." - Matthew 5:43-48 

(Love your neighbor.  Here we come to the last of the opposites between the Old Law and the New.  The Old Testament spoke of loving a neighbor and this was a matter of solidarity among the members of the people of GOD.  With the Gospel the word "love" is not only given a wider dimension: it introduces us into a world totally different.  Solidarity within the group is supported by an instinct inscribed in nature.  This love however does not cross the frontiers that separate social groups: these only exist and find their identity in opposing others.

Do not do good to your enemy.  The text is not found in the Bible as it stands but its equivalent is in several places [Deuteronomy 7:2].  Referring to enemies of the nation rather than to personal enemies, we are asked to be wary of them, rather than share their errors.  If in many countries today it is understood that there is no frontier for love, it must be recognized that this ideal is a fruit of the Gospel: JESUS has enlightened our minds by asking us to model the love of our neighbor on the universal love of GOD the FATHER.  We have only to open a newspaper to see that this love of neighbor, whatever he be, and even if he comes from a social, national or religious group, in enmity with ours, remains incomprehensible to the majority, even in Christian countries.  When we realize that there is a place for everyone in the present world and that GOD directs everything for the benefit of all, we see things as GOD does and are perfect as the FATHER is perfect.

Love your enemies:  Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14; Romans 12:20; Luke 23:34; Acts 7:60; Romans 12:14; Ephesians 5:1.)

If A Sinner Turns Away From Sin, He Will Live!

Hi! and happy TGIF to all of us, GUYS.  For our "food for the soul" this Friday:

THE GOOD NEWS (19 February 2016)

"If the sinner turns from his sin, observes MY decrees and practices what is right and just, he will live, he will not die.  None of the sins he committed will be charged against him; he will live as a consequence of his righteous deeds.  Do I want the death of the sinner? - word of YAHWEH.  Do I not rather want him to turn from his ways and live?

But if the righteous man turns away from what is good and commits sins as the wicked do, will he live?  His righteous deeds will no longer be credited to him, but he will die because of his infidelity and his sins.

But you say: YAHWEH's way is not just!  Why, Israel!  Is MY position wrong?  If the righteous man dies after turning from his righteous deeds and sinning, he dies because of his sins.  And if the wicked man does what is good and right, after turning from the sins he committed, he will save his life.  He will live and not die, because he has opened his eyes and turned from the sins he had committed." - Ezekiel 18:21-28 

JESUS CHRIST With The Penitent Thief, Dismas, On The Cross

(If the sinner turns from his sin, he will live:  everyone will have time to decide freely.  If people are evil and then decide to do good, GOD will wait for their conversion and will take their last orientation into account.

In later times, wise men will note that oftentimes evil people do not receive their punishment, nor good people their reward in this life [see Job 21]; it will become obvious to them that GOD's justice will be achieved in the next life.)

Statue of St. Dismas in Březnice, Czech Republic, dated 1750.

"And he said, 'JESUS, remember me when YOU come into YOUR kingdom.'  JESUS replied, 'Truly, you will be with ME today in paradise'." - Luke 23:42:43

YOUR Hands Lead All For My Good

Hello! and happy good Thursday to all of us, GUYS.  For our today's "food for the soul":

THE GOOD NEWS (18 February 2016)

"I thank you, O LORD, with all my heart

for YOU have heard the word of my lips.

I sing YOUR praise in the presence of the gods.

I bow down towards YOUR holy temple

and give thanks to YOUR name,

for YOUR love and faithfulness,

for YOUR word which exceeds everything.

YOU answered me when I called;

YOU restored my soul and made me strong.

O LORD, all kings on earth will give YOU praise,

when they have heard YOUR words.

They will celebrate the ways of the LORD,

'great is the glory of the LORD!'

From above, the LORD watches over the lowly;

from afar, HE marks down the haughty.

If I walk in the midst of trouble,

YOU give me life.

With outstretched arm,

YOU save me from the wrath of my foes,

with YOUR right hand YOU deliver me.

How the LORD cares for me!

YOUR kindness, O LORD, endures forever.

Forsake not the work of YOUR hands."

- Psalm 138:1-8

(A prayer for the times when we are pleased with GOD and we would like heaven and earth to share our joy and thanksgiving.) 

The Conversion Of Nineveh

Hi! and happy good mid-week to all of us, GUYS.  For our "daily bread" this Wednesday:

THE GOOD NEWS (17 February 2016)

"The word of YAHWEH  came to Jonah a second time.  'Go to Nineveh, the great city, and announce to them the message I give you.'

In obedience to the word of YAHWEH, Jonah went to Nineveh. It was a very large city, and it took three days just to cross it.  So Jonah walked a single day's journey and began proclaiming, 'Forty days more and Nineveh will be destroyed.' 

Jonah And Nineveh

The people of the city believed GOD.  They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.

Upon hearing the news, the king of Nineveh got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, put on sackcloth and sat down in ashes.  He issued a proclamation throughout Nineveh:

'By the decree of the king and his nobles, no people or beasts, herd or flock, will taste anything; neither will they eat nor drink.  But let people and beasts be covered with sackcloth.  Let everyone call aloud to GOD, turn from his evil ways and violence.  Who knows?  GOD may yet relent, turn from HIS fierce anger and spare us.'

When GOD saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, HE had compassion and did not carry out the destruction HE had threatened upon them." - Jonah 3:1-10 

(The Ninevites, being sinners, received no other divine sign than the coming of Jonah, who invited them to repent.  JESUS contemporaries believe they are "good" because they belong to the people of GOD, and they do not realize that the hour has come for them to repent as well.)

The Ancient City Of Nineveh

Come To The Water!

Hi! and happy good Tuesday to all of us, GUYS.  Our "daily bread" for today:

THE GOOD NEWS (16 February 2016)

"Come here, all you who are thirsty, come to the water!...

As the rain and the snow come down

from the heavens and do not return

till they have watered the earth,

making it yield seed for the sower

and food for others to eat,

so is MY word that goes forth out of MY mouth:

it will not return to ME idle,

but it shall accomplish MY will,

the purpose for which it has been sent."

- Isaiah 55:1, 10-11 

(Come here, all you who are thirsty, come to the water!  A call to hope.

Here the word of GOD appears personified.  It is already much more than the words spoken by the prophets.  This Word which comes from the FATHER and returns to HIM will be presented by the apostle John in the first page of his Gospel: it is CHRIST.) 

Our Greatest Hope, JESUS CHRIST

Love Your Neighbor As Yourself

Hello! and happy good first day of the week, GUYS.  For our "food for the soul" this Monday:

THE GOOD NEWS (15 February 2016)

"When you reap the harvest of your land do not reap to the extreme limits of your field or gather the gleanings after your harvest.  Do not strip your vineyard bare and do not gather the grapes that have fallen; leave them for the needy and the stranger.  I AM YAHWEH, your GOD.

Do not steal or lie or deceive one another.  Do not swear falsely by MY name so as to profane the name of your GOD; I AM YAHWEH.

Do not oppress your neighbor or rob him.  The wages of a hired man are not to remain with you all night until morning.  You shall not curse a deaf man nor put a stumbling block in the way of the blind; but you shall fear your GOD; I AM YAHWEH.

Do not prevent justice; do not show partiality to the poor nor bow to the great; you are to judge your neighbor fairly so as not to share in his guilt.  Do not go about as a slanderer of your people and do not seek the death of your neighbor; I AM YAHWEH.

Do not hate your brother in your heart; rebuke your neighbor frankly so as not to share in his guilt.  Do not seek revenge or nurture a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself; I AM YAHWEH." - Leviticus 19:9-18 

(Among so many laws which show  the still primitive level of GOD's people, we marvel to find some prescriptions that teach deeply human attitudes often lacking in us.

These prescriptions, addressed to a race of small farmers, must be interpreted in order to adapt them to the circumstances of our present lives.

They teach us that the "right of ownership" is not absolute and that it never justifies oppression of the poor, nor does it excuse us from helping them.  We are ordered to care for our brothers and sisters to assure everyone what is necessary to live.

Do not seek revenge... but love your neighbor as yourself.  Here, neighbor means the brother of the same race.  They must be loved and there must be solidarity with them because GOD embraces with the same love all those who belong to HIS people.

Such a solidarity with those of one's own nation exists in all religions but there is as well the aggression or hostility towards the foreigner.  When JESUS speaks to us of love which does not cease at the frontiers of a people [Luke 10:25; Matthew 5:43], it will not be a simple extension of the term "neighbor": it will be the discovery of another relation beyond the solidarity practiced naturally by humans as in the case with certain animals.)  

The Israelite Proclaims His Faith

Hi! and happy holy and family day to all of us, GUYS.  Our first-thing-first this Sunday:

THE GOOD NEWS (14 February 2016)

"Then the priest shall take the large basket from your hands and place it before the altar of YAHWEH, your GOD, and you shall say these words before YAHWEH, 'My father was a wandering Aramean.  He went down to Egypt to find refuge there, while still few in number; but in that country, he became a great and powerful nation.

The Egyptians maltreated us, oppressed us and subjected us to harsh slavery.  So we called to YAHWEH,  the GOD of our fathers, and YAHWEH listened to us.  HE saw our humiliation, our hard labor and the oppression to which we were subjected.  HE brought us out of Egypt with a firm hand, manifesting HIS power with signs and awesome wonders.  And HE brought us here to give us this land flowing with milk and honey.  So now I bring and offer the firstfruits of the land which YOU, YAHWEH, have given me." - Deuteronomy 26:4-10 

The Promised Land

(My father was a wandering Aramean.  This paragraph is like a profession of faith for the Israelites. They know they were chosen from among pagan Arameans and that GOD, after liberating them, had given them the prosperity they were enjoying.  Likewise, the various formulations of the "creed" which the Church now uses, place at the very center the liberating work that GOD, FATHER, SON and HOLY SPIRIT, realizes for our benefit.)  

I AM Here!

Hello! and happy good weekend to all of us, GUYS.  Our "daily bread" this Saturday:

THE GOOD NEWS (13 February 2016)

"If you remove from your midst the yoke,

the clenched fist and the wicked word,

if you share your food with the hungry

and give relief to the oppressed,

then your light will rise in the dark,

your night will be like noon.

YAHWEH will guide you always

and give you relief in desert places.

HE will strengthen your bones;

HE will make you as a watered garden,

like a spring of water

whose waters never fail.

Your ancient ruins will be rebuilt,

the age-old foundations will be raised.

You will be called the Breach-mender,

and the Restorer of ruined houses.

Are You Following GOD's Path?

If you stop profaning the Sabbath

and doing as you please on the holy day,

if you call the Sabbath a day of delight

and keep sacred YAHWEH's holy day,

if you honor it by not going your own way,

not doing as you please

and not speaking with malice,

then you will find happiness in YAHWEH,

over the heights you will  ride triumphantly,

on the inheritance of your father Jacob you

will feast joyfully.

The mouth YAHWEH has spoken."

- Isaiah 58:10-14

(Those who love GOD for HIS own sake and not because of a particular interest, bless HIM in time of trial and anguish of heart, just as in their time a great joy.)

P.S.  I just came to realize that, for me, the true meaning of joy is:

J - ESUS, first;

O - thers, next; and,

Y - ourself, last.

The Kind Of Fast That Pleases ME

Hello! and happy TGIF to all of us, GUYS.  For this Friday's "food for the soul:

THE GOOD NEWS (12 February 2016)

"Cry out aloud for all you are worth;

raise your voice like a trumpet blast;

tell MY people of their offenses,

Jacob's family of their sins.

Is it true that they seek ME

day after day, longing to know MY ways,

as a people that does what is right

and has not forsaken the word of its GOD?

They want to know the just laws

and not to drift away from their GOD.

'Why are we fasting,' they complain,

'and YOU do not even see it?

We are doing penance and YOU never notice it.'

Look, on your fast days you push your trade

and you oppress your laborers.

Yes, you fast but end up quarreling,

striking each other with wicked blows.

Fasting as you do

will not make your voice heard on high.

Is that the kind of fast that pleases ME,

just a day for a man to humble himself?

Is fasting merely bowing down one's head,

and making use of sackcloth and ashes?

Would you call that fasting

a day acceptable to YAHWEH?

The Jews In Sackcloth And Ashes

See the fast that pleases ME:

breaking the fetters of injustice

and unfastening the thongs of the yoke,

setting the oppressed free

and breaking every yoke.

Fast by sharing your food with the hungry,

bring to your house the homeless,

clothe the man you see naked

and do not turn away from your own kin.

Then will your light break forth as the dawn

and your healing come in a flash.

Your righteousness will be your vanguard,

the Glory of YAHWEH your rearguard.

Then you will call and YAHWEH will answer,

you will cry and HE will say, I am here."
- Isaiah 58:1-9

(Why are we fasting and YOU do not even see it.  The people of Judah fast so that GOD will hear their petitions.  These could be public prayers to ask for rain.

Is it true that they seek ME... as a people that does what is right?  In spite of having a clear conscience, they are concerned because of GOD's silence.  They may have committed some sin without knowing it?  Perhaps GOD likes to see humiliated people ask for favors?  So, they lie in sackcloth and ashes.  They resemble many Christians who are satisfied with being "practicing" Christians without understanding that the kind of practice that GOD seeks is to give peace to all HIS people.

Is it perhaps only a matter of bowing the head?  GOD neither wants the death of the sinner nor the humiliation of HIS creature.  GOD loves people, but HE loves them all and not only the little landowners of Judah fearful for their crops; HE also loves the laborers and the slaves  of these little landholders.  GOD's demands are clear: do away with unjust chains and share with the rest.

Unfastening the thongs of the yoke.  Here we have a glimpse of the tremendous effort demanded of all in order to do away with every form of slavery: from the small privileges that working companions compete for, to the laws that keep entire groups marginated.  It includes breaking the yoke of husbands' domination over their wives and the disputes between neighbors when no one dares to take the first step.

It is not enough to be converted to GOD "from the heart," for conversion comes about by changing both persons and structures.  These make us share in the injustices and sins of the society in which we live.  An incredible number of sins - corruption, prostitution, violence - are linked to colonialism and the economic and cultural dependence that go with it.

Sharing your food with the hungry: and that on a world scale for humankind is one, the only Adam of whom CHRIST is the head.

Mother Teresa

Your light will break forth as the dawn.  We see the leaders of the nations come together, discuss and study in order to solve the urgent problems of humanity.  No light breaks forth.  It is a known fact that the research of a scientist does not bring him directly to great discoveries.  Rather, he often finds the solution suddenly where he did not expect it.  In the same way, human problems resist theoretical solutions, but unexpected ways will be found when every nation and every segment of society willingly shares and no longer oppresses others.)