The LORD Will Guard Us, As A Shepherd Guards His Flock

"Hear the word of YAHWEH, O nations,

proclaim it on distant coast lands:

HE who scattered Israel will gather them

and guard them as a shepherd guards his flock.

For YAHWEH has ransomed Jacob'

and redeemed him from the hand of his conqueror.

They shall come shouting for joy, while ascending Zion;

they will come streaming to YAHWEH's blessings -

the grain, the new wine and the oil,

the young of the flocks and herds.

They will be like a well-watered garden;

no more will they be afflicted.

Maidens will make merry and dance,

young men and old as well."

- Jeremiah 31:10-13

(The worldwide effect of CHRIST's resurrection is to unite all of humanity in renewed creation - as JESUS HIMSELF put it, "when I'M lifted up from earth I shall draw all to MYSELF" [John 12:32]. That is to say, the cross and resurrection are the source of communion and fraternity.

The Church reunites believers of all races and cultures: we call it "Catholic," that is, universal.  The Church, however, is but a beginning and a sign of that which will be attained at the end of time, when the whole of humanity will be reunited in CHRIST [Revelation 7].)

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In My Distress I Called Upon The LORD, And HE Heard My Voice

"I love YOU, O YAHWEH, my strength.

YAHWEH is my rock, my fortress,

my deliverer and my GOD.

HE is the rock in WHOM I take refuge.

HE is my shield, my powerful savior, my stronghold.

I call on YAHWEH, who is worthy of praise: HE saves me from my enemies!

A deadly flood surrounded me,

devilish torrents rushed at me;

caught by the cords of the grave,

I was brought to the snares of death.

But I called upon YAHWEH in my distress,

I cried to my GOD for help; and from HIS temple

HE heard my voice,

my cry of grief reached HIS ears."

- Psalm 18:2-7

(Here, a picture of GOD, as the great master of creation, appears side by side with that of GOD, as the jealous guardian of HIS servant David, who was king enough to serve the King of kings.  For once we have no difficulties identifying the 'enemies.'  The stormy history of David is well known to us.  But the historical situation will not help.  Again we have to take the words to ourselves, and the 'enemies' we pray against have intangible arrows.  We need the shield of GOD and all the warlike but spiritual apparatuses that St. Paul asks for: 'the shield of faith, and the sword of the Spirit, that is, the Word of GOD' [Ephesians 6:16-17].

The opening words "I love YOU" sums up the psalmist's true inner feelings.)

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I Will Make Nations Of You

"Abram fell face down and GOD said to him, 'This is MY Covenant with you: you will be the father of a multitude of nations.  No longer will you be called Abram, but Abraham, because I will make you the father of a multitude of nations.  I will make you more and more famous; I will multiply your descendants; nations shall spring from you, kings shall be among your descendants.  And I will establish a covenant, an everlasting Covenant between MYSELF and you and your descendants after you; from now on I will be your GOD and the GOD of your descendants after you, for generations to come.  I will give to you and your descendants after you the land you are living in, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession and I will be the GOD of your race.'

GOD said to Abraham, 'For your part, you shall keep MY covenant, you and your descendants after you, generation after generation.'" - Genesis 17:3-9 

(Abram means venerated father, and Abraham: father of a multitude.  In changing the name of HIS servant, GOD enables him to begin a new life and to really become what his new name expresses.  JESUS will proceed in the same way with the first leader of HIS church [John 1:42].)

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Glory And Praise For Ever!

"Blessed are YOU, LORD, GOD of our fathers, be praised and exalted forever.

Blessed is YOUR holy and glorious name, celebrated and exalted forever.

Blessed are YOU in the temple of YOUR sacred glory; YOUR praises are sung for ever.

Blessed are YOU, on the throne of YOUR kingdom; honored and glorified for ever.

Blessed are YOU, who fathom the depths, who are enthroned on the cherubim; praised and exalted for ever.

Blessed are YOU, in the firmament of heaven; praised and glorified for ever."

- Daniel 3:52-56

(Daniel's prayer teaches the persecuted Jews what they must say to GOD: "LORD, remember your promises and forget our sins.  Have compassion on YOUR humiliated people and come to save us.")

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Realize That I AM

"Again, JESUS said to them, 'I AM going away, and though you look for ME, you will die in your sin.  Where I AM going you cannot come.'  The Jews wondered, 'Why does HE say that we can't come where HE is going?  Will HE kill HIMSELF?

But JESUS said, 'You are from below and I AM from above; you are of this world and I AM not of this world.  That is why I told you that you will die in your sins.  And you shall die in your sins, unless you believe that I AM HE.'

They asked HIM, 'Who are YOU?' and JESUS said, 'Just what I have told you from the beginning.  I have much to say about you and much to condemn; but the ONE who sent ME is truthful and everything I learned from HIM, I proclaim to the world.'

They didn't understand that JESUS was speaking to them about the FATHER.  So JESUS said, 'When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I AM HE and that I do nothing of MYSELF, but I say just what the FATHER taught ME.  HE who sent ME is with ME and has not left ME alone; because I always do what pleases HIM.'

As JESUS spoke like this, many believed in HIM. - John 8:21-30 

(You will die in your sin.  Sin is not just doing something bad.  Sin is, also, to enclose ourselves in our own petty problems and rely only on human wisdom, without opening ourselves to the horizons of GOD.  This eventually leads to death, for a life closed to GOD is no real life.  Scripture divides people into two groups: those from above, who seek GOD's ways, and those from below, who seek limited human goals.  Sin is to refuse to allow oneself to be born again from above, as JESUS told Nicodemus [3:3].  These Jews did not believe in JESUS, because HIS way of life and HIS message reflected a world of transcendent values - beyond this world - that did not attract them.  JESUS would have wasted HIS time with them; the wisdom of GOD would be better revealed in HIS death on the cross.)

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Even Though I Walk In The Dark Valley I Fear No Evil; For YOU Are At My Side

"The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.

HE makes me lie down in green pastures.

HE leads me beside the still waters,

HE restores my soul.

HE guides me through the right paths

for HIS name's sake.

Although I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I fear no evil,

for YOU are beside me:

YOU anoint my head with oil;

my cup is overflowing.

Goodness and kindness will follow me

all the days of my life,

I shall dwell in the house of the LORD

as long as I live."

- Psalm 23:1-6

(In the course of years of the Shepherd-LORD took flesh and died for HIS sheep - thus HE lead the way through a dark valley to pastures beyond.  We follow without fear.  And if we should falter, HE takes home in HIS arms [Luke 15:5-6].  To such a shepherd we sing our hymn.  But if, with the psalmist, we may change our picture, HE is our generous host, too.  The brimming cup HE offers was dearly bought: 'Drink!  This is MY blood that shall be shed.'

We will be on our way until we reach the Promised Land.  While we journey, this psalm will give us light and consolation.  It is not the repose of death that we await but the resurrection that brings us to the FATHER.  Do we need any more assurance than that to become a true Christian, i.e., CHRIST-like?

The original manuscript uses the word 'YAHWEH is my shepherd.'  Since this psalm is a common, everyday prayer we use, for pastoral purposes, we use the known expression 'The LORD is my shepherd.')   

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With The LORD There Is Mercy And Fullness Of Redemption

"Out of the depths I cry to YOU, O YAHWEH,

O YAHWEH, hear my voice!

Let YOUR ears pay attention

to the voice of my supplication.

If YOU should mark our evil,

O YAHWEH, who could stand?

But with YOU, is forgiveness,

and for that, YOU are revered.

I waited for YAHWEH, my soul waits;

and I put my hope in HIS word.

My soul expects YAHWEH

more than watchmen, the dawn.

O Israel, hope in YAHWEH,

for with HIM, is unfailing love

and with HIM full deliverance.

HE will deliver Israel

from all its sins.

- Psalm 130:1-8

(The psalmist, aware of his people's faithfulness, is equally sure of GOD's answer to repentance [cf. Nehemiah 1:7-9].  Israel was still waiting, when Simeon took the child in his arms and said: 'My eyes have seen your salvation [Luke 2:30].  He held the infant Son of Man, who came to give HIS life for the redemption of many [Mark 10:45] - with the LORD, fullness of redemption.'  But since this has come, how can we Christians still await it?  How can we sing the psalm?  Because, though called, we are not yet chosen, though heirs, we do not yet enjoy the inheritance.  Out of these depths, our call must be constant and, if it is constant, it may be confident also.  And there are some whose waiting is a purifying fire.  This, more than any other, is their psalm.)  

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Searcher Of Mind And Heart

"YAHWEH made it known to me and so I know!  And YOU let me see their scheming: 'Take care, even your kinsfolk and your own family are false with you, and behind your back they freely criticize you.  Do not trust them when they approach you in a friendly way.'

But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter.  I did not know it was against me that they were plotting, 'Let us feed him with trials and remove him from the land of the living and let his name never be mentioned again.'

YAHWEH, GOD of Hosts, YOU who judge with justice and know everyone's heart and intentions, let me see your vengeance on them, for to YOU I have entrusted my cause." - Jeremiah 11:18-20 

(This chapter is one of the few offering us the preaching of Jeremiah in the years following the "discovery of the law" and Josiah's reform [see 2 Kings 22].  For awhile, wishing to do his best to serve YAHWEH, king Josiah aroused a new fervor.  Yet, when we read what Jeremiah says here, we see that the conversion of the people was not, nor could be, in depth.)

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The LORD Is Close To The Brokenhearted

"But HIS face is set against the wicked,

to destroy their memory from the earth.

YAHWEH hears the cry of the righteous

and rescues them from all their troubles.

YAHWEH is close to the brokenhearted

and saves the distraught.

Many are the troubles of the just,

but YAHWEH delivers them from all.

HE keeps all their bones intact,

and none of them will be broken

Evil will slay the wicked;

the enemies of the just will be doomed.

But YAHWEH will redeem the life of HIS servants;

none of those who trust in HIM will be doomed."

- Psalm 34:17-23

('Look toward HIM and be radiant' was John Fisher's inspiration, at the hour of his martyrdom. When he saw that the sun shone behind the scaffold, Fisher looked toward HIM who would make him radiant in the beatific vision. This is a song for martyrs: the LORD sets them free from all their terrors. It is also a song for the small martyrdoms of every day, whether volunteered or simply accepted. One may be discouraged by one's failure in past trials, weakness in those of the present, and uncertainty of one's resistance in the future. Our own weapons are always rusting and loose in our hands. The bright and effective sword is in the hand of GOD alone. There will be no ultimate defeat, not a bone broken for those who are one with the Lamb of our Passover on the Cross.

Let our experience be that of the poor and the humble.  GOD is near to those who have no other support but HIM.  When there will be no assurance, GOD will be obliged, to take charge of those to whom HE owes fidelity.)

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Ingratitude Of Man: The Story Of Israel

"They made a calf at Horeb and worshiped the molten image.

They exchanged the glory of GOD for the image of a bull that eats grass.

They forgot their Savior GOD, who had done great things in Egypt, wonderful works in the land of Ham, and awesome deeds by the Sea of Reeds.

So HE spoke of destroying them, but Moses, HIS chosen one, stood in the breach before HIM to shield them from destruction."

- Psalm 106:19-23

(It is not only praise that the remembrance of our past calls forth: the story of the Old Testament is a story of people's sin and GOD's mercy, and 'we have sinned like our ancestors'.  We join with our ancestors in confessing it.  To have sinned is not fatal; but to fail to acknowledge it, is.  This cuts us from the people of GOD, the people redeemed, the people of GOD's mercy.  The words of the Psalmist are similar to the good thief recorded in Luke23:42, 'JESUS, remember me when YOU come into YOUR kingdom.'  This is very powerful acknowledgement which brought instant results.  It teaches us not to lose faith, even at the eleventh hour and in the very last minute.  JESUS always answers our prayers now, as HE did then in Luke 23:43, 'Truly, you will be with ME today in paradise.'

With this psalm, we recognize ourselves sinners before GOD, sinners as our parents, and we expect to be saved by grace.)   

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MY FATHER Is At Work Until Now

"JESUS replied, 'MY FATHER goes on working and so do I.'  And the Jews tried all the harder to kill HIM, for JESUS not only broke the Sabbath observance, but also made HIMSELF equal with GOD, calling GOD HIS own FATHER. 

JESUS said to them, 'Truly, I assure you, the SON cannot do anything by HIMSELF, but only what HE sees the FATHER do.  And whatever HE does, the SON also does.  The FATHER loves the SON and shows HIM everything HE does; and HE will show HIM even greater things than these, so that you will be amazed.

As the FATHER raises the dead and gives them life, so the SON gives life to whom HE wills.  In the same way, the FATHER judges no one, for HE has entrusted all judgment to the SON, and HE wants all to honor the SON, as they honor the FATHER.  Whoever ignores the SON, ignores as well the FATHER who sent HIM.

Truly, I say to you, anyone who hears MY word and believes HIM who sent ME, has eternal life; and there is no judgment for him, because he has passed from death to life.

Truly, the hour is coming and has indeed come, when the dead will hear the voice of the SON of GOD and, on hearing it, will live.  For the FATHER has life in HIMSELF, and HE has given to the SON also to have life in HIMSELF.  And HE has empowered HIM as well to carry out Judgment, for HE is SON of Man.

Do not be surprised at this: the hour is coming when all those lying in tombs will hear MY voice and come out; those who have done good shall rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.

I can not do nothing of MYSELF.  As I hear, so I judge, and MY judgment is just, because I seek not MY own will, but the will of HIM who sent ME.'" - John 5:17-30 

(JESUS opponents were surprised to see how HE violated the law of the sacred rest; this, however, was only the first intervention of JESUS.  JESUS intends to do much more than just reform religion:  HE has to come to renew the whole of creation.

The books of the Old Testament spoke of GOD as only one.  Now JESUS shows us a new face of GOD: HE is FATHER and has sent HIS SON to complete HIS work.  In all that HE does, GOD endeavors to give us life, and the greatest of HIS works is the Resurrection.

This rising from the dead does not mean "to return to life" but to begin a new and transformed life.  The dead will rise again, of course, but we can also speak of the resurrection in the lives of those who become believers.  A word of JESUS accepted in faith gives us life and later takes root in us and transforms us.  Together, the FATHER and the SON raise us to new life.  GOD's love, which engenders life, reaches us through the voice of CHRIST.

JESUS then is not only human like us.  Though human, HE is also divine and reveals to us another face of GOD.  JESUS wants to replace in our minds any image of GOD as a jealous or paternalistic GOD.  The Gospel shows the FATHER giving all HIS authority to a human, to CHRIST.  This resonates with modern psychology and teaches that a person is not fully adult until he liberates himself from parental authority.  Our contemporary would rightly rejects a paternalistic GOD.

On numerous occasions, JESUS called HIMSELF the Son of Man.  Here John says a Son of Man; that is a Jewish idiom which means a human being.  By being human, JESUS saves humanity from within.

When JESUS claims to be the Son, HE repeats these two affirmations in various ways:

- Everything that MY FATHER does, I do; all that the FATHER has, I have.

- and: I cannot do anything by MYSELF.

In this way, JESUS is a model for the sons and daughters of GOD.  We also should commune with the FATHER, so that HE may teach us HIS works: there is no Christian life without prayer, that is, without a personal relationship with GOD.) 

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Boundless Trust In GOD's Power

"GOD is our strength and protection,

an ever-present help in  affliction.

We will not fear, therefore;

though the earth be shaken

and the mountains quake and totter.

For YAHWEH of hosts is with us,

the GOD of Jacob, our stronghold.

There is a river whose streams bring joy to the City of GOD,

the holy place, where the Most High dwells.

GOD is within, the city cannot quake,

for GOD's help is upon it at the break of day.

Kingdoms tottered, nations were in turmoil;

at the sound of HIS voice the earth melts away.

For with us is YAHWEH of hosts,

the GOD of Jacob, our refuge.

Come, see the works of YAHWEH -

the marvelous things HE has done in the world."

- Psalm 46:2-9

(It always gives Israel a feeling of security, to remember that her GOD is LORD of all the armies of heaven and earth.  The same power controls the universe and subdues hostile nations.  That is why the psalmist speaks in terms of cosmic catastrophe and is still confident.  In a tottering world, there is one unshaken Rock, the GOD of Jacob.  And meanwhile a life-giving string keeps Jerusalem, the center of this disturbed world, safe and prosperous, because where GOD is, there is peace.  One may think of the baptismal water that washes round the city we call Church.

Our certainty does not rest on the Temple of GOD, but on the GOD of the Temple.  It is good to pray with this psalm, if we want to cultivate this certainty rather than a false security.)

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I Will Praise YOU, LORD, For YOU Have Rescued Me

"I extol YOU, O YAHWEH, for YOU have rescued me; my enemies will not gloat over me.

YAHWEH, my GOD, I called to YOU for help, and YOU healed me.

YAHWEH, YOU have brought me up from the grave, YOU gave me life when I was going to the pit.

Sing to YAHWEH, O you HIS saints, give thanks and praise to HIS holy name.

For HIS anger lasts but a little while, and HIS kindness all through life.

Weeping may tarry for the night, but rejoicing comes with the dawn.

Once in my prosperity I said, 'I shall not be troubled.'

Yet it was YOU, O YAHWEH, who made me stand on the rock; as soon as YOU hid YOUR face, I wavered!

To YOU, O YAHWEH, I called; to YOU I begged for mercy:O

'What good would there be in my destruction, in my going down to the pit?

Would my dust give YOU praise?

Would it prove YOUR faithfulness?

Hear, O YAHWEH, and have mercy on me; O YAHWEH, be my protector.'

But now, YOU have turned my mourning into rejoicing; YOU have taken off my sackcloth and wrapped me in the garments of gladness.

And so my soul, no longer silent, now sings praise without ceasing.   O YAHWEH my GOD, forever will I give YOU thanks."

- Psalm 30:2-13

('The devil was sick, the devil, a monk would be.  The devil was well, the devil, a monk was he.'  This is said of those persons who, in times of sickness or danger make pious resolutions, but forget them, when danger is past and health recovered.  There is some truth in this.  Good health has its own unconscious arrogance and is even accompanied sometimes, by a deceptive feeling of holiness.  Sickness opens our eyes.  We look back on our lives and are frightened by the selfishness of our motives.  When we recover, our conduct may not improve, but at least we may be grateful for our recovery in our prayers.  But the real sickness is of mind and soul, and if we ask GOD to cure us of this, the dawn will break.

Nothing is definitive in this life.  The LORD alternates joys and sorrows according to what we need, for the development of our faith.  We are, at times, surprised: the trials discourage us as if GOD no longer existed, and when GOD grants favors, we find it hard to believe them to be true.

Those who know they are besieged by sickness and are threatened by death can pray with this psalm.)

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Live As Children Of Light

"You were once darkness, but, now, you are light, in the LORD.  Behave as children of light; the fruits of light are kindness, justice and truth, in every form.

You, yourselves, search out what pleases the LORD, and take no part in works of darkness, that are of no benefit; expose them instead.  Indeed, it is a shame even to speak of what those people do in secret, but as soon as it is exposed to the light, everything becomes clear; and what is unmasked, becomes clear through light.  Therefore it is said:

'Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, that the light of CHRIST may shine on you.'" - Ephesians 5:8-14 

(To imitate GOD [Romans 5:6-11] who loves everyone, the good and the bad [Matthew 5:48].  In a more tangible way we have a model in CHRIST, the Son of GOD, who gave HIMSELF out of love for us, as the way, the light and life.

Reject all that is shameful and that can only be done in the dark.  It is true that much that was shameful has become normal today for many people: will it be so for a person who often seeks light and looks for it in the face of CHRIST?  The witness of one Christian who lives in light [and still more of a community] is enough to condemn what has been taken as normal.)

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Emmanuel, GOD-With-Us

"Once again YAHWEH addressed Ahaz, 'Ask for a sign from YAHWEH your GOD, let it come either from the deepest depths or from the heights of heaven.'

But Ahaz answered, 'I will not ask, I will not put YAHWEH to the test.'

Then Isaiah said, 'Now listen, descendants of David.  Have you not been satisfied trying the patience of people:, that you also try the patience of my GOD?  Therefore the LORD HIMSELF will give you a sign.

 The Virgin is with child and bears a son and calls HIS name Immanuel." - Isaiah 7:10-14 

(The prophecy about the Virgin giving birth is one of the most important in the Scriptures even though it leaves some questions unanswered.

To support his warnings already expressed in verses 4-9, Isaiah offers a miraculous sign to the king: Ask the LORD....  Ahaz piously refuses to hide his determination not to turn back.  Then, the prophet explodes in anger: these descendants of David whom GOD has always protected are useless: a descendant of David of another kind will be able to bring salvation to GOD's people.  YAHWEH is preparing to send HIM.  HIS mother [called here the Virgin: see what follows] gives HIM the name HE will deserve.  Before this future king may bring peace, HE will be raised humbly.  Before that Ahaz's and his followers' absurd politics would certainly bring total ruin to the country.)

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Return To The LORD!

"Return to your GOD, YAHWEH, O Israel!

Your sins have caused your downfall,

Return to YAHWEH with humble words.  Say to HIM,

'Oh, YOU who show compassion to the fatherless,

forgive our debt, be appeased.

Instead of bulls and sacrifices,

accept the praise from our lips.

Assyria will not save us:

no longer shall we look for horses,

nor ever again shall we say 'Our gods'

to the work of our hands.'

I will heal their disloyalty

and love them with all MY heart

for MY anger has turned from them.

I shall be like dew to Israel,

like the lily will HE blossom.

Like a cedar, HE will send down HIS roots;

HIS young shoots will grow and spread.

HIS splendor will be like an olive tree,

HIS fragrance, like a Lebanon cedar.

They will dwell in MY shade again,

they will flourish like the grain,

they will blossom like a vine,

and their fame will be like Lebanon wine.

What would Ephraim do with idols,

when it is I who hear and make him prosper?

I AM like an ever-green cypress tree;

all your fruitfulness comes from ME.

Who is wise enough to grasp all this?

Who is discerning and will understand?

Straight are the ways of YAHWEH:

the just walk in them, but the sinners stumble."

- Hosea 14:2-10

(The book of Hosea ends with these encouraging words.  After the trials, Israel will seek YAHWEH who will allow HIMSELF to be found.  Humanity's reconciliation with GOD will be an authentic marriage and it will be accompanied by a reconciliation of humanity with nature.  This was already said in 2:17-22 and will be developed in the Song of Songs which will use some images taken from Hosea.)   

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Listen To MY Voice

"One thing I did command them:  Listen to MY voice and I will be your GOD and you will be MY people.  Walk in the way I command you and all will be well with you.  But they did not listen and paid no attention.  They followed the bad habits of their stubborn heart and turned away from ME.

From the time I brought their ancestors out of Egypt until this day I have continually sent them MY servants, the prophets; but this stiff-necked people did not listen. You will call them but they will not answer.  This is a nation that did not obey YAHWEH and refused to be disciplined.  Truth has perished and is no longer heard from their lips." - Jeremiah 7:23-28

 

(Jeremiah repeats the warnings of Deuteronomy.  This book had just been discovered [2 Kings 22].  The chosen people will have peace if they listen to the word of their GOD.  In the same way we also must go beyond our religious practices and listen to the LORD.)

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I Have Come To Fulfill

"Do not think that I have come to annul the law and the prophets.  I have not come to annul them, but to fulfill them.  I tell you this: as long as heaven and earth last, not the smallest letter or dot in the law will change, until all is fulfilled.

So then, whoever breaks the least important of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be the least in the kingdom of heaven.  On the other hand, whoever obeys them, and teaches others to do the same, will be great in the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 5:17-19 

(Here begins the presentation of the new law.  It is far from what is often sought in a religion: practices to observe, fasts, prayers, good works with which one wins salvation.  JESUS says little about this because Scripture has dealt at length with this subject, and the study of Scripture itself shows that these laws and practices are always linked to a certain culture, and have to be adapted to the times.

Law.  At times this word indicates the whole religion of Israel.  The law and the prophets: was a way of indicating the whole Scriptures.

Not the smallest letter or dot in the law will change until all is fulfilled: JESUS does not refer to the commandments.  Rather HE affirms that the religion founded on the Old Testament's Scripture was a temporary, yet necessary step in the history of salvation.  The prophecies had to be fulfilled; the rites and sacrifices of that religion expressed in a veiled manner the mystery of sin and mercy that would be fulfilled in the person and the work of JESUS.  With HIM comes the perfect and definitive fellowship of GOD with humankind.

For us as well, observing the laws of the Scriptures is not an end in itself.  They are an expression of real love and are its guidelines.  In obeying them we become receptive to the Spirit who will lead us.  In this way we discover a "righteousness" or perfection far superior to the canonists of the time: the Lawyers and the Pharisees.)

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Remember Your Mercies, O LORD!

"Teach me YOUR ways, O YAHWEH; make me known to me YOUR paths.

Guide me in YOUR truth and instruct me, for YOU are my GOD, my savior; I hope in YOU all day long.

Remember YOUR compassion, O YAHWEH, YOUR unfailing love from of old.

Remember not the sins of my youth, but in YOUR love remember me.

Good and upright, YAHWEH teaches sinners HIS way.

HE teaches the humble of heart and guides them in what is right."

- Psalm 25:4-9

(This psalm is a model 'act of contrition.'  It does not try to stir up an emotional sorrow.  It simply states the case, admits the guilt, and asks for mercy.  Can anyone before GOD do more?

In praying this psalm, the psalmist has asked GOD for many favors.  Our prayers like his, have been answered several times by JESUS who in John 14:6 says, "I AM the way, the truth and the life."  And then again, in Matthew 11:28-30, "Come to ME, all of you who... carry heavy burdens... for MY yoke is good and MY burden is light."  In fact, ALL answers have been provided to us by JESUS in the Gospels.  If only we believe!) 

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He Believed

"If GOD promised Abraham, or rather his descendants, that the world would belong to him, this was not because of his obeying the law, but because he was just, and a friend of GOD, through faith.  If, now, the promise is kept for those who rely on the law, then faith has no power, and nothing is left of the promise.  For it is proper of the law, to bring punishment, and it is only when there is no law, that it is possible to live without breaking the law. 

For that reason, faith is the way, and all is given, by grace; and the promises of Abraham are fulfilled for all his descendants, not only for his children according to the law, but, also, for all the others, who have believed.

Abraham is the father of all of us, as it is written: I will make you the father of many nations.  He is our father, in the eyes of HIM, who gives life to the dead, and calls into existence, what does not yet exist, for this is the GOD in whom he believed. 

Abraham believed, and hoped against all expectation, thus, becoming the father of many nations, as he had been told: See how many will be your descendants.  He did not doubt, although his body could no longer give life - he was about a hundred years old - and, in spite of his wife, Sarah, being unable to have children.  He did not doubt, nor did he distrust the promise of GOD, and, by being strong in faith, he gave glory to GOD: he was convinced, that, HE who had given the promise, had power to fulfill it.

This was taken into account, for him to attain righteousness." - Romans 4:13-22 

(Faith has no power.  Here Paul points out something that many times we fail to see.  To believe in GOD who rewards good and obedience to HIS laws is already faith [Hebrew 11:6].  This faith, however, consisting in respect and awareness of justice remains very far from Abraham's confidence in GOD's promise.  Faith is found in every religion, but for Christians faith is everything.

He did not doubt although his body could no longer give life.  Abraham had a faith similar to the Christian who believes in the resurrection of CHRIST.  We also are asked to believe in a GOD who gives life and for whom nothing is impossible.)

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GOD Proves HIS Love For Us

"By faith, we have received true righteousness, and we are at peace with GOD, through JESUS CHRIST, our LORD.  Through HIM, we obtain this favor, in which we remain, and we even boast to expect the glory of GOD.

Not only that, we also boast even in trials, knowing that trials produce patience, from patience comes merit; merit is the source of hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because the Holy Spirit has been given to us, pouring into our hearts the love of GOD.

Consider, moreover, the time that CHRIST died for us: when we were still helpless and unable to do anything.  Few would accept to die for an upright person; although, for a very good person, perhaps someone would dare to die.  But see how GOD manifested HIS love for us: while we were still sinners, CHRIST died for us." - Romans 5:1-8

(In this paragraph, Paul shares his own experience to help us discover changes in our life from the moment we have gone beyond the law or, for us: beyond any religion.

To begin with there is a feeling of peace: we are at peace with GOD.  Perhaps we felt well before, with no sin and no debt.  The peace we now discover reveals our former emptiness: being alien to GOD, we were alien to a part of ourselves.  It is only now that we are conscious of it, and what do we believe?  We believe in the personal love of GOD for us and we see it in JESUS' death and resurrection.

Through HIM we obtain this favor in which we remain.  It is not necessary for us to "sense" it to be in this state and it would be a mistake to search for a group where we could be "sensitively" aware of GOD.  That is a form of self-satisfaction, and such is not the way of GOD's true friends.  It is not a matter of seeing or feeling but of believing what GOD does.  Yet there are thousands of instances when we are conscious of this presence of GOD in us.  Paul, who, battled so much for CHRIST, says that it is in trials that we can discover the power of CHRIST working in us and making us mature [2 Corinthians 12:9].

And we even boast to expect the glory of GOD.  The great Christian hope, unknown to those who have not met CHRIST is the certitude of a destiny surpassing all that could be imagined, hoped for, experienced by the greatest sages and mystics of all religions: total communion with GOD HIMSELF.

Hope does not disappoint us.  In contrast to the people of the Old Testament, who remained always in what was temporary or provisional while waiting for ultimate truth and justice, the Christian already experiences what we will one day fully enjoy.  Something of that flavor or fragrance of the divinity has been poured into our hearts and that is the peace that GOD grants us when HIS Spirit comes to us.

CHRIST died for us when we were still sinners.  We are accustomed to hear about CHRIST dying for our sins, and often enough we are not touched, for HIS sacrifice seems to be far away and quite unreal.  When by the grace of GOD we understand it, love suddenly pours from our hearts.  Return love for love: this is the beginning of true conversion.)

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