YAHWEH Has Opened My Ear!

"The LORD YAHWEH has taught me

so I speak as HIS disciple

and I know how to sustain the weary.

Morning after morning HE wakes me up

to hear, to listen like a disciple.

The LORD YAHWEH has opened my ear.

I have not rebelled,

nor have I withdrawn.

I offered my back to those who strike me,

my cheeks to those who pulled my beard;

neither did I shield my face

from blows, spittle and disgrace.

I have not despaired,

for the LORD YAHWEH comes to my help.

So, like a flint I set my face,

knowing that I will not be disgraced."

- Isaiah 50:4-7

("Who is the prophet talking about, himself or another?" [Acts 8:34].  Actually the servant could be as in 49:1 the faithful minority, but it could also be, perhaps, the prophet himself, or who knows, a "Prophet" who is to come?  The author refuses to choose between servant and servants.

Former prophets met with the same opposition.  Moses had to endure rebellious people; Jeremiah had been persecuted and imprisoned [see Jeremiah 20:7 and 37].  On the basis of these examples, we see a profile and mission of the perfect servant of YAHWEH.  This will be JESUS, but every one of HIS prophets can apply all these words to himself or herself.

Note the beginning of the poem.  The Servant will be able to transmit the word and to encourage on behalf of GOD because he himself listens every morning and keeps his ears open.  To sustain those who are tired, we must be taught by GOD: the true prophet is a person of prayer, open to the spirit of GOD.  "No one but the spirit of GOD knows the secrets of GOD... and through HIM we understand what GOD in HIS goodness has given us" [1 Corinthians 2:11-12].

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HE Who Scattered Israel Now Gathers Them!

"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 young of the flocks and herds.

They will be like a well-watered garden;

no more they will be afflicted.

Maidens will make merry and dance,

young men and old as well.

I will turn their mourning into gladness,

I will give them comfort and joy for sorrow."

- Jeremiah 31:10-13

Faith Comes By Hearing - King Josiah

(This brings us back to the happy years of king Josiah.  Besides promoting the renewal of faith and the worship of YAHWEH, he managed to conquer part of what had been the kingdom of Israel before it became an Assyrian province after the fall of Samaria.)

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David's Gratitude For Victory

"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

(The opening words "I love YOU" sums up the psalmist's true inner feelings.  Those who love passionately, do not cease to coin new adjectives, to proclaim their love.  The GOD thus loved, "comes down" to be with us, as the sure rock of our existence.

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].)

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Father Of A Multitude

"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 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.'" - 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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The Truth Will Set You Free

"JESUS went on to say to the Jews who believed in HIM, 'You will be MY true disciples, if you keep MY word.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'  They answered HIM, 'We are the descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves of anyone.  What do you mean by saying: You will be free?'

JESUS answered them, 'Truly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave.  But the slave doesn't stay in the house forever; the son stays forever.  So, if the Son makes you free, you will really be free.

I know that you are the descendants of Abraham; yet you want to kill ME because MY word finds no place in you.  For MY part, I speak of what I have seen in MY FATHER's presence, but you do what you have learned from your father.'

They answered HIM, 'Our father is Abraham.'  Then JESUS said, 'If you were Abraham's children, you would do as Abraham did.  But now you want to kill ME, the one who tells you the truth--the truth that I have learned from GOD.  That is not what Abraham did; what you are doing are the works of your father.'

The Jews said to HIM, 'We are not illegitimate children; we have one FATHER, GOD.'  JESUS replied, If GOD were your FATHER you would love ME, for I came forth from GOD, and I AM here.  And I didn't come by MY own decision, but it was HE HIMSELF who sent ME." - John 8:31-42 

(JESUS comes to them as a witness to the truth;  and HIS presence alone obliges all to examine themselves.  The truth JESUS speaks of is not a doctrine that HIS followers should impose by force.  Propagandists with arguments and biblical quotations are not needed, but witnesses who speak from their experience.  JESUS says: The truth will set you free, and: the Son makes you free.  Our truth consists in living in accordance with our vocation as children of GOD.

The believer who knows he is loved by GOD and consequently endeavors to be authentic is already in the truth, even if he retains some prejudices common to his milieu, or is unconsciously guided by some lies or illusions in his way of living.

JESUS also speaks of freedom.  Truth and freedom go together.  Many individuals and people have not spared themselves in an effort to break their chains.  Once liberated they quickly fall into other forms of subjugation, because the root of all slavery lies within everyone.)

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"Make A Fiery Serpent And Set It On A Standard; Whoever Has Been Bitten And Then Looks At It Shall Live."

"From Mount Hor they set out by the Red Sea road to go around the land of Edom.  The people were discouraged by the journey and began to complain against GOD and Moses, 'Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?  There is neither bread nor water here and we are disgusted with this tasteless manna.'

YAHWEH then sent fiery serpents against them.  They bit the people and many of the Israelites died.  Then the people came to Moses and said, 'We have sinned, speaking against YAHWEH and against you.  Plead with YAHWEH to take the serpents away.'

Moses pleaded for the people and YAHWEH said to him, 'Make a fiery serpent and set it on a standard; whoever has been bitten and then looks at it shall live.'

So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a standard.  Whenever a man was bitten, he looked towards the bronze serpent and he lived." - Numbers 21:4-9 

(With regard to this bronze serpent, two quite different questions may be asked.  The first: what is the historical origin of this account?  An easy answer: near the Sinai mines a healing god was honored and little bronze serpents were offered in thanksgiving.  The stories of travelers must have inspired the narrative.  But the important question is the second:  what does this page of the holy book intend to say?

The people complained.  The Israelites complain again: this is the inner rebellion of those who do not accept sacrifices and will not exert themselves in order to become better and who would rather blame others.

Make a fiery serpent.  A strange command to the Israelites, but the bronze serpent will be a prophetic sign: GOD intends to cure the sin with the very instrument of the sin.

Whoever looks at it shall live: another prophetic statement.  Sinners will not have to follow strict prescriptions: let them merely look with faith at the sign GOD sends for their healing.  JESUS will say: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up [on the cross] so that whoever believes in HIM may have eternal life" [John 3:14].

The story of the serpent is one of those biblical images with a hidden meaning, and people had to wait for the day when CHRIST would give them meaning.  The same is true of the story of Melchizedek [Genesis 14] and the story of Joseph.

The same is true in our own lives; in our past there have been some incidents which we did not understand at that time.  Why did this happen to me?  Some day, the light of CHRIST will reveal the meaning.)

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Faith Has No Power!

"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.  This was taken into account: these words of Scripture are not only for him, but for us, too, because we believe in HIM, who raised JESUS, our LORD, from among the dead,..." - Romans 4:13-24

(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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HE Offered HIS Sacrifice With Tears And Cries

"CHRIST, in the days of HIS mortal life, offered HIS sacrifice with tears and cries.  HE prayed to HIM, who could save HIM from death, and HE was heard, because of HIS humble submission.  Although HE was Son, HE learned, through suffering, what obedience was, and, once made perfect, HE became the source of eternal salvation, for those who obey HIM." - Hebrews 5:7-9 

(HE offered HIS sacrifice with tears and cries.  In Scripture, these words are used to express the insistent prayer of the oppressed children of GOD: they cry to GOD in such a loud voice that HE listens to them.  Thus, the night before HIS death, JESUS identified with men and women who suffer and do not want to die.)

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Plot Against Jeremiah

"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 

(Jeremiah knew that in order to be faithful to GOD, one must be moved and transformed by HIM.)

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Let Our Experience Be That Of The Poor And The Humble

"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

The Martyrs

(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

"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

"The good thief says: 'JESUS, remember me when YOU come into YOUR kingdom.'"

(To have sinned is not fatal; but to fail to acknowledge it, is.)


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YAHWEH's Maternal Love For HIS People

"This is what YAHWEH says:

'At a favorable time I have answered you, on the day of salvation I have been your help; I have formed you and made you to be MY Covenant with the people.

You will restore the land,  and allot its abandoned farms.  You will say to the captives: Come out; and to those in darkness: Show yourselves.

They will feed along the road; they will find pasture on barren hills.  They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the scorching wind or the sun beat upon them; for HE who has mercy on them will guide them and lead them to springs of water.

I will turn all MY mountains into roads and raise up MY highways.

See, they come from afar, some from the north and west, others from the land of Sinim.'

Sing, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth;

break forth into song, O mountains:

for YAHWEH has comforted HIS people

and taken pity on those who are afflicted.

But Zion said: 'YAHWEH has forsaken me,

my LORD has forgotten me.'

Can a woman forget the baby at her breast

and have no compassion on the child of her womb?

Yet though she forgot, I will never forget you." - Isaiah 49:8-15

(HE saves them from despair and from being despised, rebuilding Jerusalem and gathering those who were dispersed.  HE invites all the nations to come and recognize the true city.

Here GOD again addresses the more conscious minorities of Israel, those who held onto their hope at a time they seemed to be lost amidst the pagan inhabitants of the materialistic Babylon.  They would lift up their nation and become the light of the world.

These promises started to be fulfilled when, having returned to their land, the Jews became missionaries of the One GOD to all the countries of the Greek and Syrian world.  Later, these promises would take on a new meaning for the Church which CHRIST established as the New Jerusalem.  At times, the new Jerusalem seems downhearted and lifeless, and even disappears in some parts of the world.  Yet, GOD brings it new children from other continents.  HE invites us to look beyond our communities to those who have not yet received the Kingdom.)

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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 plunge into the seas:

though its waters foam and roar;

though 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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A New Heaven And A New Earth

"I now create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind again.

Be glad forever and rejoice in what I create; for I create Jerusalem to be a joy and its people to be a delight.  I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in MY people.

The sound of distress and the voice of weeping will not be heard in it any more.

You will no longer know of dead children or of adults who do not live out a lifetime.  One who reaches a hundred years will have died a mere youth, but one who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed.

They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant crops and eat their fruit." - Isaiah 65:17-21 

(No one could imagine the new heaven prepared for us by GOD [Mark 12:18].  Let us rejoice that the prophet has described it in such a concrete way.  For us the happiness of the "beyond" is part of our faith; but at this time it was not yet clear neither for the Jews nor the prophet.  GOD rewarded people while on earth and they preferred not to think about the lot of those already dead, or who would die before everything so that HIS people would not neglect their earthly duties on the pretext of waiting for a "beyond.")

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By Grace You Have Been Saved!

"But GOD, who is rich in mercy, revealed HIS immense love.  As we were dead through our sins, HE gave us life, with CHRIST.  By grace, you have been saved!  And HE raised us to life, with CHRIST, giving us a place with HIM in heaven.

In showing us such kindness, in CHRIST JESUS, GOD willed to reveal, and unfold in the coming ages, the extraordinary riches of HIS grace.  By the grace of GOD, you have been saved, through faith.  This has not come from you: it is GOD's gift.  This was not the result of your works, so you are not to feel proud.  What we are, is GOD's work.  HE has created us, in CHRIST JESUS, for the good works HE has prepared, that we should devote ourselves to them." - Ephesians 2:4-10 

(The path of humans without CHRIST leads to death.

There is no need to seek as clearer affirmation of what we call original sin.  Paul does not speak of a fault committed before our personal sins, and in addition to the sins we are responsible for.  It is a flaw easily seen in the human condition and in all our acts; it is the liabilities of our life insofar as GOD has not taken us in hand.

The account of Genesis [Chapters 2-3] has placed in the past this "original" sin, as well as creation.  It is a way of speaking proper to Hebrew culture.  In fact both our creation by GOD and our revolt against HIM are a part of our daily reality.

HE raised us to life with CHRIST.  Actually an authentic conversion is experienced as a resurrection.  Paul is saying more: nothing can stop GOD's merciful plan.  HE sees beyond time and has already raised us with CHRIST.  We are sealed with HIM in heaven, that is to say, assured of victory.)

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It Is Love That I Desire, Not Sacrifice

"Come, let us return to YAHWEH.

HE who shattered us to pieces, will heal us as well;

HE has struck us down, but HE will bind up our wounds.

Two days later HE will bring us back to life;

on the third day, HE will raise us up,

and we shall live in HIS presence.

Let us strive to know YAHWEH .

HIS coming is as certain as the dawn;

HIS judgment will burst forth like the light;

HE will come to us as showers come,

like spring rain that waters the earth.

O Ephraim, what shall I do with you?

O Judah, how shall I deal with you?

This love of yours is like morning mist,

like morning dew that quickly disappears.

This is why I smote you through the prophets,

and have slain you by the words of MY mouth.

For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice;

it is knowledge of GOD, not burnt offerings."

- Hosea 6:1-6

(People regret their errors, but they are not so sincere as to abandon their sins.  They think they will please GOD by offering a few sacrifices but are far from real love which manifests itself in obedience; they prefer to offer the costly sacrifices which they choose rather than to do what GOD asks of them.

It is love that I desire, not sacrifice.  On several occasions JESUS refuted the Pharisees by quoting this saying [see Matthew 9:13].)

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Humanity's Reconciliation With GOD

"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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True Religion

"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.  They paid no attention and were worse than their ancestors.

You may say all these things to them but they will 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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More Perfect Law

"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.

In verse 19, JESUS is referring to the commandments.)

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Scripture Does Not Know Despair

"Teach me YOUR ways, O YAHWEH; make 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

(The sad admission of guilt is for us, more encouraging.  GOD is the teacher.  The Loving GOD goes in front of us and we watch HIM.  At times, HE turns round to see if we are following.  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?

Scripture does not know despair.  We can be broken by sorrow, anxiety, the weight of sin, but there is always an escape.  All our paths, even the worst, can finally lead to a love stronger than all the powers of this world.

Our prayers 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 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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No Prophet Is Honored In His Own Country

"JESUS added, 'No prophet is honored in his own country.  Truly, I say to you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens withheld rain for three years and six months and a great famine came over the whole land.  Yet, Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow of Zarephath, in the country of Sidon.  There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha, the prophet; and no one was healed except Naaman, the Syrian.'

On hearing these words, the whole assembly became indignant.  They rose up and brought HIM out of the town, to the edge of the hill on which Nazareth is built, intending to throw HIM down the cliff.  But HE passed through their midst and went HIS way." - Luke 4:24-30 

(Luke explains why the people of Nazareth rejected JESUS:

- Firstly, because of their pride: a stranger easily dazzles us, but we fiercely deny that one of us could stand out or be our teacher: who is this but Joseph's Son?

- Secondly, because of their selfishness: they do not agree that GOD's benefits should be shared with others.  So JESUS reminds them that the prophets of old did not limit their favors to their compatriots alone [see 1 Kings 17:7 and 2 Kings 5].)

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In Reality, The "Foolishness" Of GOD Is Wiser Than Humans, ...!

"The Jews ask for miracles and the Greeks for a higher knowledge, while we proclaim a crucified Messiah.  For the Jews, what a great scandal!  And for the Greeks, what non-sense!  But HE is CHRIST, the power of GOD, and the wisdom of GOD, for those called by GOD among both Jews and Greeks.

In reality, the "foolishness" of GOD is wiser than humans, and the "weakness" of GOD is stronger than humans." - 1 Corinthians 1:22-25

(In evangelization it will always cost us to work with poor resources in a world subject to media.  We need to count on the grace of GOD because we are weak and without titles of prestige.  It will cost us to remind our communities of the poverty of JESUS and to be criticized by those who are well off in the world.)

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Poem Of Exile

"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.

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 

(The psalm of hope which concludes the book was inserted here later, in the time of Exile.

The end is similar to Habakkuk 3:17: the just knows that while evil reigns, he must continue hoping for GOD's justice.)

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If We Are Unfaithful, GOD Is Still Faithful

"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 YAHWEH'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 

(The psalmist summarizes in this one psalm the goodness and the greatness of GOD, as he knew it from the Old Testament.  He connects with his past to seek GOD's presence and praise HIM.  We do not live in isolation from our material environment, nor do we from our historical past, and the historical books of the Scriptures, like the Creation, provide material for praise.

When praying with this psalm, we can unite our history to the history of salvation and remember that, while the covenant is a mandate, it is also the Word of GOD and therefore it is an eternal and holy covenant.  If we are unfaithful, GOD is still faithful.)

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Most Deceitful Is The Heart

"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 is 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 

(Words of wisdom.)

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