Harvest Song

 "May GOD be gracious and bless us;

may HE let HIS face shine upon us;

that YOUR way be known on earth

and YOUR salvation, among the nations.

May the people praise YOU, O GOD;

may all the peoples praise YOU!

May the countries be glad and sing for joy,

for YOU rule the peoples with justice;

and guide the nations of the world.

May the peoples praise YOU, O GOD,

may all the peoples praise YOU!

The land has given its harvest;

GOD, our GOD, has blessed us.

May GOD bless us and be revered,

to the very ends of the earth."

- Psalm 67:2-8

(The occasion of this happy song is a successful harvest, but the psalmist can rise above selfish considerations.  The triumph of a good harvest--or industrial prosperity--should make one think of places, where the harvest fails.  GOD is the same GOD there, and man no less HIS image.  If GOD rules the whole world with justice, man must try to imitate HIM.  Ecumenism and economics are sometimes the same thing.  The blessing of the psalm takes us to the beginning of the letter to the Ephesians [Ephesians 1:3].  We can pray with this psalm, to give thanks to GOD for the goods of the earth.)

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Why The People Of Nazareth Rejected JESUS?

 "HE went to HIS hometown and taught the people in their synagogue.  They were amazed and said, 'Where did HE get this wisdom and these special powers?  Isn't HE the carpenter's son?  Isn't Mary HIS mother and aren't James, Joseph, Simon and Judas HIS brothers?  Aren't all HIS sisters living here?  Where did HE get all these things?'  And so they took offense at HIM.

JESUS said to them, 'The only place where prophets are not welcome is his hometown and in his own family.'  And HE did not perform many miracles there because of their lack of faith." - Matthew 13:54-58 

(Luke explains why the people of Nazareth rejected JESUS:

- First, 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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Love And Longing For GOD's Temple

 "My soul yearns; pines,

for the courts of YAHWEH.

My heart and my flesh

cry out for the living GOD.

Even the sparrow finds a home,

and the swallow a nest

where she may lay her young,

at YOUR altars, O YAHWEH of hosts,

my King and my GOD!

They go from strength to strength

till they appear before GOD in Zion.

One day in YOUR courts is better 

than a thousand elsewhere.

I would rather be left at the threshold

in the house of my GOD

than to dwell in the tents of the wicked."

- Psalm 84:3. 4. 5-6. 8. 11

(The home of GOD on earth!  What can this mean?  There can be no change in GOD.  HE cannot move into a new house.  No, the change is in human things!  GOD is everywhere already but consecrates certain places, where people can meet HIM and feel HIS presence more intimately.  There is a power there, without which, not a sparrow falls to the ground, but also a peace that encourages the sparrow to build its nest.  Such a home of GOD, stood on the hill of Zion.  It is a weary climb for the pilgrim at the end of his journey but strengthening him when he paused to raise his eyes.  The end of every pilgrimage lies further off, and it is a very weary climb for all.  Our city is heaven, but in a sense it is here too: 'you came near to Mount Zion, the city of the living GOD' [Hebrews 12:22], because the Word was made flesh and dwell among us: in a new sense the earth is the LORD's. 

There are people who visit the Temple; but do not enjoy the love of GOD, who dwells therein.  They do not experience a transformation of conduct because they placed their trust in the Temple of GOD, not in the GOD of the Temple.  This psalm can come with us, when we go on pilgrimages and religious festivals.

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The Power And Holiness Of GOD

 "Extol YAHWEH, our GOD; worship at HIS footstool.  Holy is HE!  And Mighty!

Among HIS priests were Moses and Aaron; and Samuel, among those who called on HIS name.  They called to YAHWEH, and HE answered them.

In the pillar of cloud HE spoke to them; and they kept HIS statutes and the decrees HE gave them.

Extol YAHWEH our GOD; worship at HIS holy mountain.  Holy is YAHWEH our GOD!"

- Psalm 99:5. 6. 7. 9

(Our GOD is Almighty, infinitely above our world--but not remote from it.  On HIS word, the world depends.  HIS law is the rule of life.  And the Church is the place of contact between the Holy GOD and people called to be holy.

Holiness does not mean evasion from the world, but commitment to it.  Those who pray this psalm, desire the Name of GOD to be sanctified and the world to be transformed by divine holiness.)

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GOD Is A FATHER Full Of Mercy

 "YAHWEH restores justice and secures the rights of the oppressed.

HE has made known HIS ways to Moses; and HIS deeds, to the people of Israel.

YAHWEH is gracious and merciful, abounding in love and slow to anger; HE will not always scold nor will HE be angry forever.  HE does not treat us according to our sins, nor does HE punish us as we deserve.

As the heavens are high above the earth, so great is HIS love for those fearing HIM; as far as the east is from the west, so far does HE remove from us our sins.

As a FATHER has compassion on HIS children, so YAHWEH pities those who fear HIM."

- Psalm 103:6-7. 8-9. 10-11. 12-13

(GOD is a FATHER full of mercy.  Is it necessary to quote a text from the New Testament?  A good one is that of the prodigal son [Luke 15:11-32] or the prayer of JESUS on the cross [Luke 23:34 or Romans 8:31-34].  They show us the depth of GOD's love, mercy and forgiveness.  Let us praise the LORD, together with everything created: in moments of joy, as well as in hours of sadness, both when we have strength or when we live in fragility.)

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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 106:19-20. 21-22. 23

(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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The Multiplication Of Loaves

 "A man came from Baal-shalishah bringing bread and wheat to the man of GOD.  These were from the first part of the harvest, twenty loaves of barley and wheat.  Elisha told him, 'Give the loaves to these men that they may eat.'

His servant said to him, 'How am I to divide these loaves among one hundred men?'  Elisha insisted, 'Give them to the men that they may eat, for YAHWEH says: 'They shall eat and have some left over.'  So the man set it before them; and they ate and had some left, as YAHWEH had said." - 2 Kings 4:42-44 

(We should compare this multiplication of loaves with the two multiplications at the hand of JEUS; they are related in very similar ways and, yet, each has a different meaning [see especially John 6].)

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The Parable Of The Weeds

 "JESUS told the people another parable, 'The kingdom of heaven can be compared to a man, who sowed good seed in his field.  While everyone was asleep, his enemy came, and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.

When the plants sprouted and produced grain, the weeds also appeared.  Then, the servants of the owner came, and said to him, 'Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field?  Where did the weeds come from?'

He answered them, 'This is the work of an enemy.'  They asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull up the weeds?'  He told them, 'No, when you pull up the weeds, you might uproot the wheat with hem.  Let them grow together, until harvest; and, at harvest time, I will say to the workers: Pull up the weeds first, tie them in bundles and burn them; then gather the wheat into my barn.'" - Matthew 13:24-30 

(With the parable of the weeds, JESUS answers those who are scandalized at seeing evil everywhere.  Good and bad will be mixed till the end of the world.  Good and evil will always be found together in persons and institutions.

GOD respects people.  HE knows that temptation is often stronger than their good intentions and they need time to find and to choose steadily what is good.

GOD is patient.  The reconciliation of so many contradictory groups, forces and cultural currents active in the world will be attained only at the end of time.  In the meantime we are not to label any of them as "the" good ones and "the" bad ones.)

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Who Will Welcome The Word Of GOD?

 "'Now listen to the parable of the sower.

When a person hears the message of the kingdom, but does not take it seriously, the devil comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is the seed that fell along the footpath.

The seed that fell on rocky ground stands for the one who hears the word, and accepts it at once with joy.  But such a person has no roots, and endures only for a while.  No sooner is he harassed or persecuted because of the word, then he gives up.

The seed that fell among the thistles is the one who hears the word; but then, the worries of this life and the love of money choke the word; and it does not bear fruit.

As for the seed that fell on good soil, it is the one who hears the word and understands it; this seed bears fruit and produces a hundred, or sixty, or thirty times more.'" - Matthew 13:18-23 

(Who will welcome the word of GOD?  This has nothing to do with intelligence or ability to reflect, or interest in religious things: those who are open to hope receive the word.

The seed that fell along the footpath are those not interested in the word they have received, perhaps because they cannot see further than their own interests [they are selfish], or perhaps they have taken another direction in life.

Next come those who do not dare to face contradiction and are easily discouraged and cowed: these are soon burnt.  Yet to hope means to be firm despite any obstacle.  If GOD puts us on a road in life, this road will lead somewhere.  Hope is courage and endurance.

Next are those that fell among the thistles.  They are believers, but the fruits to be harvested along the difficult path seem not to satisfy them.  They want to "save their lives," to serve GOD and Money at the same time.  They are dragged down by their aim of winning material success, and hope in the kingdom of GOD becomes but a flimsy desire for them.)

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"Do Not Hold On To ME."

 "On my bed at night

I looked for the one I love,

I sought him without finding him;

I called him and he did not answer.

I will rise and go about the city,

through the streets and the squares;

I will seek the love of my heart...

I sought him without finding him;

the watchmen came upon me,

those who patrol the city.

'Have you seen the love of my heart?'

As soon as I left them,

I found the love of my heart.

I held him and would not let him go

till I had brought him to my mother's house

to the room of her who conceived me."

- Song of Songs 3:1-4

(On my bed at night I looked for the one I love.  Love keeps us awake.  Mary Magdalene goes through the entire city looking for JESUS and, for the first time, passersby laugh at her.  She comes into the house without seeing the porter and he does not dare stop her; she knew that she would reach  JESUS.  I held HIM and would not let HIM go, but one day JESUS will say to her: "Do not hold on to ME" [John 20:17].) 

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The Parable Of The Sower

 "That same day, JESUS left the house and sat down by the lakeside.  Many people gathered around HIM.  So HE got into a boat, and sat down, while the crowds stood on the shore; and HE spoke to them in parables about many things.

JESUS said, 'The sower went out to sow; and, as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path; and the birds came and ate them up.  Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where there was little soil, and the seeds sprouted quickly, because the soil was not deep.  But as soon as the sun rose, the plants were scorched; and they withered, because they had no roots.  Again, other seeds fell among thistles; and the thistles grew and choked the plants.  Still, other seeds fell on good soil and produced a crop: some hundredfold, others sixty, and others thirty.  If you have ears, then hear!'" - Matthew 13:1-9 

(JESUS uses comparisons just as simple country folk and working people usually do.  Proverbs and parables have always been an effective way of teaching wisdom.  But we must observe that a parable is not just any comparison; its characteristic is to awaken in the listeners an awareness of their present situation and oblige them to make a decision.

For those listening to JESUS, the reign of GOD signified first of all a liberation of HIS oppressed people, and this called for clear explanation.  JESUS, for HIS part, could only give an answer to those who accompanied HIM; for the kingdom is one of those things that cannot be seen as long as one has no belief in it.  JESUS will only speak of it in images and we will understand according to the degree of our experience of that kingdom which is developing throughout the world.)

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JESUS' Mother And HIS Brothers

 "While JESUS was talking to the people, HIS mother and HIS brothers wanted to speak to HIM, and they waited outside.  So someone said to HIM, 'YOUR mother and YOUR brothers are standing outside; they want to speak with you.'

JESUS answered, 'Who is MY mother?  Who are MY brothers?'  Then HE pointed to HIS disciples and said, 'Look!  Here are MY mother and MY brothers.  Whoever does the will of MY FATHER in heaven is MY brother and sister and mother.'" - Matthew 12:46-50 

(HIS mother and HIS brothers.  If they were true brothers of JESUS, sons of Mary, the Gospel would say: "HIS mother and the sons of HIS mother," for this was the Jewish manner of speaking.)

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JESUS Criticizes HIS Own Generation

 "Then, some teachers of the law and some Pharisees spoke up, 'Teacher, we want to see a sign from YOU.'  JESUS answered them, 'An evil and unfaithful people want a sign; but no sign will be given them except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  In the same way, as Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of Man spend three days and three nights in the hearth of the earth.

At the judgment, the people of Nineveh will rise with this generation, and condemn it; because they reformed their lives at the preaching of Jonah, and here, there is greater than Jonah.  At the judgment, the Queen of the South will stand up and condemn you.  She came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and here, there is greater than Solomon.'" - Matthew 12:38-42 

(JESUS did not perform any miracle that day, because the experts in religion were demanding an account of HIM, instead of listening to HIM.

An evil and unfaithful people.  The text of the Gospel says in fact: "evil and adulterous".  This expression in Scripture means the unfaithful believer who, without denying GOD in words, keeps other gods to himself.

The story of the unclean spirit, meaning the devil, is directed towards the contemporaries of JESUS.  They accepted John's call to conversion and for a while changed their way of life.  Theirs was not a real experience of GOD, neither did they discover the inner power that would have enabled them to persevere, and so their blindness remained.

The Ninevites:  see Jonah 3:5

The Queen of the South: 1 Kings 10

The sign of Jonah is the resurrection of JESUS.  The similarity seen in the three days that Jonah was in the belly of the fish and the time JESUS spent in the tomb is somewhat forced.)

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The Good Shepherd

 "'Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the sheep of MY pasture!'

This is the message of YAHWEH, GOD of Israel, to the shepherds in charge of MY people, 'You have scattered MY sheep and driven them away instead of caring for them.  Now I will deal with you because of your evil deeds.

I will gather the remnant of MY sheep from every land to which I have driven them and I will bring them back to the grasslands.  They will be fruitful and increase in number.  I will appoint shepherds who will take care of them.  No longer will they fear or be terrified.  No one will be lost.'

YAHWEH further says, 'The day is coming when I will raise up a king who is David's righteous successor.  HE will rule wisely and govern with justice and righteousness.  That will be a grandiose era when Judah will enjoy peace and Israel will live in safety.  HE will be called YAHWEH-our-justice!'" - Jeremiah 23:1-6 

(Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter!  This new attack against evil leaders is the prelude to words of hope.

I will gather the remnant of MY sheep.  The destruction of the "physical" Israel prepares for the coming of the "spiritual" Israel.  People were used to seeing their leaders abuse power, and their rulers become richer.  But GOD is preparing for HIS people a shepherd who will look after the sheep.

They will call HIM YAHWEH-is-our-justice: this is a way of contrasting HIM with the king of the time, Zedekiah, which means YAHWEH-is-my-justice.

I will appoint shepherds who will take care of them.  As well as the just king, Jeremiah sees other shepherds: besides the only Shepherd, CHRIST, there is room for others determined to be responsible for their brothers and sisters.

No longer will they fear.  GOD promises lasting peace.  The new people of GOD will be more than a mere continuation of the old kingdom of Israel, and the new king will be more than the earthly kings [see how JESUS develops this point in John 10].

Humankind hopes for unity in peace, and the Church now must offer the witness of different people gathered in CHRIST.  The reality, however, will be achieved only in the heavenly Jerusalem [Revelation 21:22].

Jeremiah expresses the same hope elsewhere, especially in 33:15-18.  In Ezekiel 34 we find the same image of the Good Shepherd preparing for what JESUS will say in John 10, Luke 15:4 and Matthew 9:36.)

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Israel Departs

 "The Israelites left Rameses for Succoth, about six hundred thousand of them on the march, counting the men only, and not the children.

A great number of other people of all descriptions went with them, as well as sheep and cattle in droves.

With the dough they had brought with them from Egypt, they made cakes of unleavened bread.  It had not risen, for when they were driven from Egypt they could not delay and had not even provided themselves with food.

The Israelites had been in Egypt for four hundred and thirty years.  It was at the end of these four hundred and thirty years to the very day that the armies of YAHWEH left Egypt.

This is the watch for YAHWEH who brought Israel out of Egypt.  This night is for YAHWEH, and all the Israelites are also to keep vigil on this night, year after year, for all time." - Exodus 12:37-42 

(People of all descriptions.  The wandering Israelites did not look like a holy people.  There were those who, for diverse reasons, had decided to leave with Moses.  The Savior catches all in HIS net and only with time, through the trials of the desert, will the good and the bad be separated.

Six hundred thousand.  In reality, those who left with Moses could not have been more than some two hundred persons, including wives and children.  Let us not forget that these were shepherds who could not survive with less than ten animals per person.  A group of two hundred persons required some two thousand sheep and donkeys.  The wells of Sinai and their oases did not permit the transit of more numerous flocks.  Maybe these exaggerations originated from a popular version of the events, but otherwise they were intentional.  The priests who wrote that paragraph were conscious that the people of Moses initiated the long march of GOD's people all along the history, and this is the message they wanted to transmit to us: Moses' departure was the beginning of a great venture.)

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The Passover

 "YAHWEH spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt and said, 'This month is to be the beginning of all months, the first month of your year.  Speak to the community of Israel and say to them:

On the tenth day of this month let each family take a lamb, a lamb for each house.  If the family is too small for a lamb, they must join with a neighbor, the nearest to the house, according to the number of persons and to what each one can eat.

You will select a perfect lamb without blemish, a male born during the present year, taken from the sheep or goats.  Then you will keep it until the fourteenth day of the month.

On that evening all the people will slaughter their lambs and take some of the blood to put on the doorposts and on top of the doorframes of the houses where you eat.

That night you will eat the flesh roasted at the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

Do not eat the meat lightly cooked or boiled in water but roasted entirely over the fire--the head, the legs and the inner parts.  Do not leave any of it until the morning.  If any is left till morning, burn it in the fire.

And this is how you will eat: with a belt round your waist, sandals on your feet and a staff in your hand.  You shall eat hastily for it is a Passover in honor of YAHWEH.  On that night I shall go through Egypt and strike every firstborn in Egypt, men and animals; and I will even bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt, I, YAHWEH!  The blood on your houses will be the sign that you are there.  I will see the blood and pass over you; and you will escape the mortal plague when I strike Egypt.

This is the day you are to remember and celebrate in honor of YAHWEH.  It is to be kept as a festival day for all generations forever.'" - Exodus 12:1-14 

(Let each family take a lamb.  The ancestors of the Hebrews, when wandering with their flocks before they stayed in Egypt, celebrated each year the Pasch of the Lamb, the traditional feast of the shepherds.  They sacrificed a lamb on the first moon of spring, a critical period for the ewes which had just given birth.  The lamb set aside for the feast was kept for several days in the same place where the people were so that it could be better identified with the family and carry the sins of all its members.  Later, the camping tents were sprinkled with its blood to drive away the "deadly" spirits that threatened people and animals.

The sense of the ancient feast has changed.  It must be understood that GOD established the Passover at the time of the exodus from Egypt: it would always be there to remind Israel of its liberation.)

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MY Yoke Is Easy; And MY Burden Is Light

 "'Come to ME, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take MY yoke upon you and learn from ME, for I AM gentle and humble of heart; and you will find rest.  For MY yoke is easy; and MY burden is light.'" - Matthew 11:28-30 

(Come to ME: I will not relieve you of your load but by placing MY yoke on you, I give you the means of carrying the load.

JESUS plays with the two words yoke and load, for the Jews used to call "load" the divine teachings imparted to pupils, and "yoke" the balancing of the teacher's sentences, which should be learned by heart.

JESUS, the patient and humble teacher, enables us to see the mercy of GOD in our lives and in our own cross.  HE shows us the love of GOD even in the requirements of the law.  Only GOD is good; and good is the authority of CHRIST.)

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Everything Has Been Entrusted To ME

 "On that occasion, JESUS said, 'FATHER, LORD of heaven and earth, I praise YOU; because YOU have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to simple people.  Yes, FATHER, this was YOUR gracious will.

Everything has been entrusted to ME by MY FATHER.  No one knows the Son except the FATHER; and no one knows the FATHER except the Son, and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal HIM.'" - Matthew 11:25-27 

(JESUS' prayer impressed the disciples.  In this text it is a short prayer, prompted by the most recent events; events and daily life are also a source of prayer.

YOU have hidden these things.  Intelligent people are not excluded from the faith, of course, but it is the glory of GOD that faith should not seem to be the privilege of the wise and the intelligent; human wisdom never gives what is essential and often hides it.  There were in Palestine at the time some wise people and many others who pretended to be so, but they were rarely seen among the disciples of JESUS.

Everything has been entrusted to ME.  GOD does what is needed for people to have always and in all places thousands of ways of knowing HIM.  In this life is only through JESUS that we have the revelation of the FATHER.)

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Chorazin And Bethsaida

 "The JESUS began to  denounce the cities in which HE had performed most of HIS miracles, because the people there did not change their ways.  'Alas for you Chorazin and Bethsaida!  If the miracles worked in you had taken place in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.  But I assure you, for Tyre and Sidon; it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.  And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven?  You will be thrown down to the place of the dead!  For if the miracles which were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would still be there today!  But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.'" - Matthew 11:20-24 

(Chorazin and Bethsaida: these two cities were the seats of higher schools of religion but had not received the Gospel.  Tyre and Sidon: two pagan cities, cursed by the prophets.)

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Thanksgiving For Help In Crisis

 "Had not YAHWEH been on our side--

let Israel say--

had not YAHWEH been on our side,

when people rose up against us,

then, they would have swallowed us alive;

such was their anger against us.

A bit more, and the flood would have engulfed us;

the torrent would have swept over us;

the raging waters would have swept us away.

Blessed be YAHWEH,

who did not let us be devoured.

Like a bird, our soul escaped

from the snare of the fowler;

the snare was broken and we were freed.

Our help is in the name of YAHWEH,

who made heaven and earth."

- Psalm 124:1-3. 4-6. 7-8

(Our adversary, the devil, goes around like a roaring lion: like a man swept away by a flood, like a child in a trap.  How helpless we are, how lost--except for GOD!

'If GOD is for us, who can be against us?'  Paul asks [Romans 8:31].  When we live at the limit of our smallness, the liberator of our life arises: GOD as helper.  HE sustains us.  We give thanks to HIM.

With admiration and gratitude, the people of GOD remember how they overcame their trials because GOD was with them.  An invitation to give thanks!  If we have not the heart to thank GOD, it is because we do not know how to discover the wonders in our own lives and in the world.  It is strange that in the communities of the poor and the persecuted, the prayers of thanksgiving are interminable.)

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Conflict With The Priest Amaziah

 "Amaziah then said to Amos, 'Off with you, seer, go back to the land of Judah.  Earn your  bread there by prophesying.  But never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is a king's Sanctuary and a national shrine.'

Amos replied to Amaziah, 'I am not a prophet or one of the fellow-prophets.  I am a breeder of sheep and a dresser of sycamore trees.  But YAHWEH took me from shepherding the flock and said to me: Go, prophesy to my people Israel.'" - Amos 7:12-15 

(Notice the boldness of Amos' action.  He goes to preach in the national temple, or to put it another way, in the country's cathedral.  He does so though he has no title, nor the priest's permission, and begins to denounce the false order, which allows the accumulation of so much private wealth.  Naturally, Amaziah, the king's chaplain, is scandalized.  In our days, Amos would have been arrested, beaten and perhaps killed.

For Amaziah, his priesthood is a well-paid position; and he is convinced that Amos is preaching against his way of earning a living.  In those days, there were many prophets who made a living from giving advice, without having been called directly by GOD as the great prophets were, [and as Amos was, as well].

Amos is not a prophet in the ordinary sense.  He is a lay person, to whom GOD entrusted a mission when called personally.  Apparently, he loses out, in the meeting with the religious authorities.  It is not said that he used any other weapons than GOD's word; and GOD knows how to judge HIS envoys.  We do not know if Amaziah succeeded in expelling him out of the country or if he only forbade him to preach in well-attended places.)

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The Last Years Of Joseph

 "When Joseph's brothers realized that their father was dead they said, 'What if Joseph turns against us in hate because of the evil we did him?' So they sent word to Joseph saying, 'Before he died your father told us to say this to you: Please forgive the crime and the sin of your brothers in doing evil to you.  Forgive the crime of the servants of your father's GOD.'  When he was given the message, Joseph wept.  His brothers went and threw themselves down before him.  'We are your slaves,' they said.  But Joseph reassured them, 'Don't be afraid!  Am I in the place of GOD?  You intended to do me harm, but GOD intended to turn it to good in order to bring about what is happening today--the survival of many people.  So have no fear!  I will provide for you and your little ones.  In this way he touched their hearts and consoled them.

Joseph remained in Egypt together with all his father's family.  He lived for a hundred and ten years, long enough to see Ephraim's great-grandchildren, and also to have the children of Machir, the son of Manasseh, placed on his knees after their birth.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, 'I am going to die, but GOD will surely remember you and take you from this country to the land HE promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.'  Joseph then made the sons of Israel swear, saying, 'When GOD comes to bring you out from here, carry my bones with you.'  Joseph died at the age of one hundred and ten; they embalmed him and laid him in a coffin in Egypt." - Genesis 50:15-26 

(Note how Jacob and Joseph die: believers of ancient times were still ignorant of the resurrection of the dead.  They lived the lives GOD gave them on this earth to the fullest; they were guided by the conviction that in their faithfulness of their mission, they were laboring for a better world which their children would see.  The long and happy years that GOD had given them after their trials led them to understand that GOD was just and generous with all people.

Yet, while they did not hope for a life beyond, they were lacking a great deal to be fulfilled persons.  They thought that when a person died, part of the spirit went to live below the earth next to his fathers in a place from which GOD was absent as were the cares of the living.  They thought GOD their friend and faithful defender would allow them to be lost forever!  They must have had to repress their longing and silence their doubts to convince themselves that such a thing was just and good.

Their efforts to be resigned made them serious, conscientious people, subject to the mysterious will of GOD: but in exchange they were not given the happiness and spontaneity of children and a passionate love for their Savior.  In that, they were not very different from good atheists or people of good faith though poorly informed, who live without faith in the resurrection.)

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You Will Be Persecuted

 "Look, I send you out like sheep among wolves.  You must be as clever as snakes and as innocent as doves.  Be on your guard with people, for they will hand you over to their courts, and they will flog you in their synagogues.  You will be brought to trial before rulers and kings because of ME, so that you may witness to them and the pagans.

But when you are arrested, do not worry about what you are to say, or how you are to say it; when the hour comes, you will be given what you are to say.  For it will not be you who speak, but the Spirit of your FATHER, speaking through you.

Brother will hand over his brother to death, and a father his child; children will turn against their parents and have them put to death.  Everyone will hate you because of ME, but whoever stands firm to the end will be saved.

When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next.  I tell you the truth, you will not have passed through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes." - Matthew 10:16-23 

(Matthew here puts advice that JESUS gave to HIS witnesses on how to confront persecution.  JESUS HIMSELF spent long weeks hidden away and HIS first missionaries probably had to take similar persecutions.  In relating these instructions Matthew has perhaps adapted them a little to the situation of Christians of his time; he has not invented them.  

Maybe we must recognize that martyrdom is a grace and is not given to everyone.  Many would be ready to give their life for CHRIST, but confronted with situations of violence or corruption, they do not see the necessity to expose a scandal and so submit in order to avoid the worst.  Others, on the contrary, understand that GOD is asking them to witness to the Good News that is opposite to what is imposed.  In so doing they face the repression by which Society defends itself.  Revelation affirms that the murder of witnesses advances Salvation History.)

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"Go, And Proclaim This Message: The Kingdom Of Heaven Is Near."

 "Go, and proclaim this message: The kingdom of heaven is near.  Heal the sick, bring the dead back to life, cleanse the lepers, and drive out demons.  Freely have you received, freely give.  Do not carry any gold or silver or money in your purses.  Do not take a traveling bag, or an extra shirt, or sandals, or a walking stick: workers deserve to be compensated.

When you come to a town or a village, look for a worthy person, and stay there until you leave.

When you enter the house, wish it peace.  If the people are worthy people, your peace will rest on them; if they are not worthy people, your blessing will come back to you.

And if you are not welcomed, and your words are not listened to, leave that house or that town, and shake the dust off your feet.  I assure you, it will go easier for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment, than it will for the people of that town." - Matthew 10:7-15 

(To reject the messengers is to ignore the call of the FATHER and to lose the greatest opportunity of one's life.)

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JESUS Sends Out The First Missionaries

 "JESUS called HIS Twelve disciples to HIM, and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out, and to heal every disease and sickness.

These are the names of the Twelve apostles: first Simon, called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew, the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon, the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, the man who would betray HIM.

JESUS sent these Twelve on mission, with the instructions; 'Do not visit pagan territory and do not enter a Samaritan town.  Go, instead, to the lost sheep of the people of Israel.

Go, and proclaim this message: The kingdom of heaven is near.'" - Matthew 10:1-7 

(Till then, JESUS had spoken only in the synagogues around Capernaum.  Now HE attracts fame and followers and begins to draw multitudes.  In that moment HE establishes the group of the Twelve.  HE needs them to prepare meetings, to spread HIS doctrine, to multiply the miraculous signs effected among the sick.

At the same time, JESUS is planning HIS Church and wants to give it a head: this will be the group of the apostles.  They will be the witnesses of JESUS among people, so HE teaches them a way of living a common life that will serve as a pattern for the Church.)

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"The Harvest Is Abundant, But The Workers Are Only Few."

 "JESUS went around all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom; and HE cured every sickness and disease.  When HE saw the crowds, HE was moved with pity; for they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  Then HE said to HIS  disciples, 'The harvest is abundant, but the workers are only few.  Ask the master of the harvest to send workers to gather his harvest.'" - Matthew 9:35-38 

(With this paragraph that briefly summarizes the ministry of JESUS in Galilee, Matthew intends to show that indeed the kingdom of GOD is there: evil has been given a fatal blow.

HE was moved with pity, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.  See Numbers 27:17; Ezekiel 34:5; Zechariah 10:3; John 4:35; Mark 6:34; and Luke 10:2.

JESUS asks each of us to serve humankind with our own talents.  HE needs also workers for the harvest of the kingdom, that is, to gather into the Church those who receive a call from GOD.  "Pray," says JESUS, "and you will perhaps hear GOD's call."

Of course, each Christian community prays to GOD and the Spirit brings forth the charisms and ministers and pastors that are needed.  Here JESUS asks us to pray for workers in the mission field: they are and always will be too few, especially those who evangelize and build the Church among the poor.)

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Under The Wing Of GOD's Protection

 "You, who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,

who rest in the shadow of the Almighty,

say to YAHWEH, 'My stronghold,

my refuge, my GOD in whom I trust!'

HE will rescue you from the fowler's snare

and from the deadly pestilence.

HE will cover you with HIS pinions

and give you refuge under HIS wings.

'Because they cling to ME, I will rescue them,' says YAHWEH

'I will protect those who know MY name.

When they call to ME, I will answer;

in time of trouble, I will be with them;

I will deliver and honor them.'"

- Psalm 91:1-2. 3-4. 14-15

(The devil can quote Scripture [Matthew 4:6].  He was shrewd enough to recognize a quality and to try to play on its defects.  But this is not quite accurate, because presumption is not a flaw that corresponds to trust in GOD.  The child who leaves his mother's hand and tries his own two legs does not trust her but himself.  In any case, we must not let the devil spoil this psalm for us.  For many people it is the most consoling of the Psalter, and small wonder.  It assures us, in several strangely assorted pathos of a GOD waiting--and longing--to be asked!

This is a powerful psalm prayed daily for protection against the powers of the Evil One.  It is so powerful that even the devil tried to use it in his own devious way, to tempt JESUS in the desert [Matthew 4:6].  Of course, he was not successful and therefore, we have the assurance that he will not be successful in tempting us either.

It will be good to pray with this psalm, to ratify and purify our trust in GOD, precisely when dangers besiege us.)

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Ezekiel Receives His Mission

 "A spirit came upon me as HE spoke and kept me standing; and then I heard HIM speak,

'Son of man, I AM sending you to the Israelites, to a people who have rebelled against ME; they and their fathers have sinned against ME to this day.  Now I AM sending you to these defiant and stubborn people to tell them 'this is the LORD YAHWEH's word.'

So, whether they listen or not, this set of rebels will know there is a prophet among them." - Ezekiel 2:2-5 

(I AM sending you to the Israelites to a people who have rebelled against ME.  This is similar to what has been expressed by earlier prophets.  When the LORD sent Isaiah, HE told him only about the counter-productive effect of his mission: the people will become hardened.  In Ezekiel's case, there is more optimism: sent to rebels, he must be firmer and more persistent than they are to break through the shell of their hardened hearts.  In fact, Ezekiel will be constantly arguing and fighting.  Paul will say later that those who evangelize must teach whether the time is right or not [2 Timothy 4:2] without ever losing heart.)

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You Are Of The Household Of GOD

 "Now you are no longer strangers or guests, but fellow citizens of the holy people: you are of the household of GOD.  You are the house, whose foundations are the apostles and prophets, and whose cornerstone is CHRIST JESUS.  In HIM, the whole structure is joined together and rises to be a holy temple in the LORD.  In HIM, you too, are being built to become the spiritual Sanctuary of GOD." - Ephesians 2:19-22 

(You are of the household of GOD.  In biblical language this means: to belong to GOD's family.  From there, Paul moves on to another image: you are the household, namely, the true Temple of GOD.  The community of believers from the Temple, or better, is being transformed into the Temple of GOD.

This imposing vision of the Church and our unity in the Church will perhaps astonish many Christians of today who are usually more aware of their responsibilities towards the world than towards our antiquated Church.  Yet, of what Spirit shall we be bearers, and shall we do this work if we are not supported by a community?  Solidarity with those who share our options and our culture cannot replace participation in the Christian community.  There are probably many things in the Christian community we are not happy with.  However, it would be a bad sign if we were unable to recognize in it the truth that is missing in our non-Christian friends, and without which we would lose our reason for living.)

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JESUS Calls Matthew

 "As JESUS moved on from there, HE saw a man named Matthew, at his seat in the custom-house; and HE said to him, 'Follow ME!'  And Matthew got up and followed HIM.  Now it happened, while JESUS was at table in Matthew's house, many tax collectors and sinners joined JESUS and HIS disciples.  When the Pharisees saw this, they said to HIS disciples, 'Why is it, that your master eats with sinners and tax collectors?'

When JESUS heard this, HE said, 'Healthy people do not need a doctor, but sick people do.  Go, and find out what this means: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice.  I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.'" - Matthew 9:9-13 

(To enter the family of GOD, we must change some of our values.  This conversion is not as conspicuous as participation in devotional practices but is much more valuable.  First, we must liberate ourselves from prejudices by which we classify people.  Let us stop dividing people into good or bad; those we can greet and those we cannot; those we can love and help and those we cannot.  Let us learn that GOD does not hate the rich or the uneducated, those on the left or those on the right, for GOD's merciful plan sees to the salvation of all.)

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