Prayer Of JESUS For The New Holy People

 "I AM no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I come to YOU.  Holy FATHER, keep those YOU have given ME in YOUR name, so that they may be one, as we also are.

When I was with them, I kept them safe in YOUR name; and not one was lost, except the one who was already lost, and in this, the Scripture was fulfilled.   And now I come to you; in the world I speak these things, so that those whom YOU gave ME, might have joy--all MY joy within themselves.

I have given them YOUR word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, just as I AM not of the world, I do not ask YOU to remove them from the world, but to keep them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, just as I AM not of the world.  Consecrate them in the truth.  YOUR word is truth.

I have sent them into the world as YOU sent ME into the world; and for their sake, I go to the sacrifice by which I AM consecrated, so that they too may be consecrated in truth." - John 17:11-19 

(Keep those YOU have given ME in YOUR name.  In other words: keep them in the radiance of YOUR own sanctity, with which YOU embrace YOUR Son.  At that moment JESUS prayed for HIS Church, to whom HE entrusted HIS own mission.  The principal duty of the Church is to know GOD.  Whatever the situation of the Church might be, its proper and indispensable mission will be to keep and proclaim the true knowledge of GOD  and the commandment of HIS Son.

JESUS prays for HIS own so that they may become the new people [Psalm 102:19], consecrated to GOD, this time according to the truth.  HE will pour over them the Spirit of Truth, who has been promised to Israel and will instruct us interiorly.

Priestly Prayer is the name many give to that prayer in which CHRIST, before HE died, offered to sacrifice HIS own life, as both priest and victim.  The word to consecrate applied to two things: the priest was consecrated, that is, was made worthy to offer the sacrifice, and HE also consecrated [made holy] the victim on sacrificing it.)

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GOD In The Midst Of The Meek

 "Cry out with joy, O daughter of Zion; rejoice, O people of Israel!  Sing joyfully with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem!

YAHWEH has lifted your sentence and has driven your enemies away.  YAHWEH, the King of Israel is with you; do not fear any misfortune.

On that day, they will say to Jerusalem: Do not be afraid nor let your hands tremble, for YAHWEH your GOD is within you, YAHWEH, saving warrior.  HE will jump for joy on seeing you, for HE has revived HIS love.  For you HE will cry out with joy, as you do in the days of the feast.

I will drive away the evil I warned you about, and you will no longer be shamed." - Zephaniah 3:14-18 

(Cry out with joy, O daughter of Zion; YAHWEH, the King of Israel, is with you; do not fear any misfortune.  In the Gospel of Luke, the same words are addressed to Mary at the Annunciation: "Rejoice, the LORD is with you.  Do not fear, Mary, you will bear the Savior" [Luke 1:28].)

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The Journey Of GOD's People

 "Arise, O GOD, scatter YOUR enemies; let YOUR foes flee before YOU.

As smoke is blown by the wind, so blow them away; as wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked perish before YOU.

But let the righteous be glad and exult before GOD;

let them sing to GOD and shout for joy.

Sing to GOD, sing praises to HIS name; open the way, to HIM who rides upon the clouds; YAHWEH is HIS name.  Rejoice in HIS presence.

FATHER of orphans and protector of widows--such is our GOD in HIS holy dwelling.

HE gives shelter to the homeless, sets the prisoners free; but keeps the rebels in their jail."

- Psalm 68:2-3. 4-5. 6-7

(This is the most picturesque--and obscure--of all the psalms.  In the liturgy, it particularly celebrates the Ascension of CHRIST.  And no wonder: it is a hymn fit for the climax victory of GOD, fighting for HIS people and there is a wild joy, running through it.  GOD rides on the clouds but marches across the desert too.  HE feeds HIS starving people.  HE takes willing captives with HIM to HIS holy place on the hill; HIS might is in the skies.  In the same way, the Son of Man whose chariot was a cloud [Daniel 7:13, cf. Matthew 26:64] went on foot through the wilderness and fed HIS people there [John 6].  When HE ascended, HE took a host of 'captives' with HIM [Ephesians 4:8], and HIS power is felt from heaven, where HE is seated at the FATHER's right hand.

This psalm is adequate to celebrate our liberation, as we journey toward the Promised Land.)

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Repentance And Forgiveness

 "'So it was written: the Messiah had to suffer, and on the third day rise from the dead.  Then repentance and forgiveness in HIS name would be proclaimed to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.  And you are witnesses of these things.  And that is why I will send you what MY FATHER promised.  So remain in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.'

JESUS led them almost as far as Bethany; then HE lifted up HIS hands and blessed them.  And as HE blessed them, HE withdrew, and was taken to heaven.  They worshiped HIM, and returned to Jerusalem full of joy; and they were continually in the temple, praising GOD." - Luke 24:46-53 

(Repentance and forgiveness.  Christian conversion is not passing from one party to another, from one religious group to another: it is a recasting of the person.  Persons are part of a society, a world, a history.  Therefore the preaching to the nations means also the education of the nations and even international society.  This is something that takes longer than ten or a hundred years.)

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Whatever You Ask The FATHER In MY Name, HE Will Give You

 "'When that day comes you will not ask ME anything.  Truly, I say to you, whatever you ask the FATHER in MY name, HE will give you.  So far you have not asked for anything in MY name; ask, and receive, that your joy may be full.

I have taught you all these things in veiled language, but the time is coming when I shall no longer speak in veiled language, but will speak to you plainly about the FATHER.

When that day comes, you will ask in MY name; and it will not be necessary for ME to ask the FATHER for you, for the FATHER HIMSELF loves you, because you have loved ME, and you believed that I came from the FATHER.  As I came from the FATHER, and have come into the world, so I AM leaving the world, and going to the FATHER.'" - John 16:23-28  

(After JESUS rose from the dead, a real companionship would be established between HIM and HIS disciples: HE would speak to them clearly of the FATHER; they would ask in HIS name.

I will speak to you plainly...  The naïve response of the apostles in verse 29 underlines by contrast what JESUS expressed in verse 25.  JESUS did not mean that HE would return in visible form to teach, not in parables, but more clearly; JESUS referred rather to the spiritual knowledge of HIMSELF and HIS words that the disciples were to receive from the Spirit.

You ask in MY name.  Through a spiritual knowledge of JESUS, the believers will know what they should ask of HIM and HE will give it to them.  In the same manner, they will know the things that GOD does not want to give, and because of that they will neither desire nor ask for them.)

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Paul In A Vision

 "One night, in a vision, the LORD said to Paul, 'Do not be afraid, but continue speaking and do not be silent, for many people in this city are MINE.  I AM with you, so no one will harm you.'  So Paul stayed a year and a half in that place, teaching the word of GOD among them.

When Gallio was governor of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the court.  And they accused him, 'This man tries to persuade us to worship GOD in ways that are against the law.'

Paul was about to speak in his own defense when Gallio said to the Jews, 'If it were a matter of a misdeed or vicious crime, I would have to consider your complaint.  But since this is a quarrel about teachings and divine names that are proper to your own law, see to it yourselves: I refuse to judge such matters.'  And he sent them out of the court.

Then the people seized Sosthenes, a leading man of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal; but Gallio paid no attention to it.

Paul stayed on with the disciples in Corinth for many days; he then left them and sailed off with Priscilla and Aquila for Syria.  And as he was no longer under a vow he had taken, he shaved his head before sailing from Cenchreae." - Acts 18:9-18 

(A vision: there are not many in this book.  Perhaps Paul was wondering whether it would not be better for him to retire for a time as he had already done and as JESUS had advised in case of persecution [Matthew 10:23].  The devil increases the opposition when someone sets foot on his field: in this center of corruption, grace would triumph.

The Jews brought him before the court.  Here we have a new example of the problems of Paul met in the great Roman centers.  Different people co-exist and many conflicts are settled within communities according to their proper laws and customs.  Gallio, the Roman governor, has no wish to be dragged into the jungle of traditions and disputes, especially with the Jews who enjoyed religious privileges within the Roman Empire.

The Jews are furious in seeing the success of Paul that relies on the word of GOD, that is, on their own sacred books.  They fear that the boldness of the Christians might stir a reaction from the pagans, in which case they, too, would be victims.

They seized Sosthenes--and beat him.  A sure bet would be that this Sosthenes, a Jew, is the one mentioned in 1 Corinthians  1:1.  Even if he already acted as a prominent member of the Christian group, it is doubtful whether the Jews would have attacked him before the authorities: most probably it was a group of bystanders falling on a well-known Jew.

Paul had made a vow.  He shaved his head as it was said in Numbers 6:5.  All that Paul had written to turn converted pagans away from the Jewish Law did not prevent him, a Jew, from feeling at ease with the traditional forms of Jewish piety.  He knew that faith alone saves, but it was his wish to mark with a vow some secret agreement he had made with the LORD.)

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JESUS In Our Midst

 "'A little while, and you will see ME no more; and then a little while, and you will see ME.'

Some of the disciples wondered, 'What does HE mean by, 'A little while, and you will not see ME; and then a little while, and you will see ME'?  And why did HE say, 'I go to the FATHER'?'  And they said to one another, 'What does HE mean by 'a little while'?  We don't understand.'

JESUS knew that they wanted to question HIM; so HE said to them, 'You are puzzled because I told you that in a little while you will see ME no more, and then a little while later you will see ME.

Truly, I say to you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices.  You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy.'" - John 16:16-20 

(JESUS is in our midst, but to be aware of HIS presence requires faith.  HE HIMSELF said: "You will see ME because you live and I also live [14:19]."  It is not important that we feel HIS presence, what matters is to persevere in HIS ways.  In order to attain mature faith, it is necessary that we be deprived of the consolation of HIS presence for more or less prolonged periods: a little while, and you will see ME no more.

For HIS disciples this happened for the first time at the moment of HIS death; later they saw HIM risen from the dead.  This will come true for us at the end of time, when we discover the glorious CHRIST whom we have awaited in faith.  No one should feel overconfident about feeling HIS presence, for example, after a conversion.  When everything seems easy, we should not look down on those who find it hard to believe or who have never felt the presence of GOD.  In a little while, perhaps, the LORD will leave us in darkness.

After JESUS rose from the dead, a real companionship would be established between HIM and the disciples: HE would speak to them clearly of the FATHER, they would ask in HIS name.)

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A New Force

 "I still have many things to tell you, but you cannot bear them now.  When HE, the Spirit of truth comes, HE will guide you into the whole truth.

For HE will not speak of HIS own authority, but will speak what HE hears, and HE will tell you about the things which are to come.  HE will take what is MINE and make it known to you; in doing this, HE will glorify ME.  All that the FATHER has is MINE; for this reason, I told you that the Spirit will take what is MINE, and make it known to you." - John 16:12-15 

(The evil spirit, great director of the worldly show, is displaced and his influence limited.  A new force, which is the SPIRIT, orients history and guides us towards the total truth.)

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Thanksgiving To A Faithful GOD

 "I thank YOU, O YAHWEH, with all my heart,

for YOU have heard the word of my lips.

I sing YOUR praise in the presence of the gods.

I bow down toward YOUR holy temple

and give thanks to YOUR name,

for YOUR love and faithfulness,

for YOUR word, which exceeds everything.

YOU answered me when I called;

YOU restored my soul and made me strong.

If I walk in the midst of trouble,

YOU give me life.

With outstretched arm,

YOU save me from the wrath of my foes,

with YOUR right hand, YOU deliver me.

How YAHWEH cares for me!

YOUR kindness, O YAHWEH, endures forever.

Forsake not the work of YOUR hands."

- Psalm 138:1-2. 2-3. 7-8

(The great GOD, LORD of the world and of angels, cares for us, constantly surpassing what we could expect from HIM.

The one who prays does not know how his own future will be.  He is certain, however, that if the dangers are great, the hand of GOD is saving and HIS love is eternal.  GOD cannot forsake the work of HIS hands.  Thanksgiving has a future.

The psalmist thanks GOD repeatedly for answering his prayers.  Indeed, our prayers will be answered because JESUS told us so.  JESUS even taught us how to pray [Matthew 6:9], and told us to ask and we will receive [Matthew 7:7] and whatever we ask in prayer full of faith, you will receive [Matthew 21:22].) 

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The Spirit Will Come

 "From the FATHER, I will send you the Spirit of truth.  When this Helper has come from the FATHER, HE will be MY witness, and you, too, will be MY witnesses, for you have been with ME from the beginning.

I tell you all this to keep you from stumbling  and falling away.  They will put you out of the synagogue.  Still more, the hour is coming, when anyone who kills you will claim to be serving GOD; they will do this, because they have not known the FATHER or ME.  I tell you all these things now so that, when the time comes, you may remember that I told you about them.

I did not tell you about this in the beginning, because I was with you." - John 15:26--16:4 

(In making us children of HIS FATHER, JESUS enables us to discover the intimate mystery of GOD.  In GOD there is communion among the three persons: the FATHER, the SON and THEIR common SPIRIT.

We speak of THEIR common Spirit, because JESUS said both: The FATHER will give you another Helper [14:16] and: The Helper which I will send you [15:26].  Now HE says: HE will take what is MINE and tell it to you: everything that the FATHER has is also MINE [16:15].

"The Spirit" is not a poetic figure: it is Someone.  This has already been commented on [John 7:37; 14:1].

Starting from the day of Pentecost, the Spirit began to act in the Church, thus showing that HE was the Spirit of CHRIST.  The unbelieving Jews thought that GOD was with them, but in reality HIS Spirit did not act among them.  So it was clear that they had sinned [16:9] for not believing in CHRIST.)   

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The Council At Jerusalem

 "Some persons, who had come from Judea to Antioch, were teaching the brothers in this way, 'Unless you are circumcised, according to the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.'  

Because of this, there was trouble; and Paul and Barnabas had fierce arguments with them.  For Paul told the people to remain as they were, when they became believers.  Finally, those who had come from Jerusalem suggested that Paul and Barnabas and some others go up to Jerusalem, to discuss the matter with the apostles and elders.

Then the apostles and elders, together with the whole Church, decided to choose representatives from among them, to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.  These were Judas, known as Barsabbas, and Silas, both leading men among the brothers.  They took with them the following letter:

'Greetings from the apostles and elders, your brothers, to the believers of non-Jewish birth in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia.  We have heard, that some persons from among us have worried you with their discussions, and troubled your peace of mind.  They were not appointed by us.  But now, it has seemed right to us, in an assembly, to choose representatives, and to send them to you, along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, who have dedicated their lives to the service of our LORD JESUS CHRIST.  We send you, then, Judas and Silas, who, themselves, will give you these instructions by word of mouth.

We, with the Holy Spirit, have decided not to put any other burden on you except what is necessary: You are to abstain from blood; from the meat of strangled animals; and from prohibited marriages.  If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.  Farewell.'" - Acts 15:1-2. 22-29 

(The final decision of the "Council" of Jerusalem, as it is presented here, is doubtless the best the apostles and the Holy Spirit could do at the time.  Let us frankly say that the settlement could only be provisional and lacked doctrinal justification.  To impose Jewish laws was to penalize non-Jews; it was also a way of saying that the Church was unable to live according to the "newness" of the Gospel, free of the past, free of religious discipline.  In fact, a few years later, there was no question of these laws since the Church had freed itself of the Jewish community, just as it had been rejected by the Jews.)

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The Hostile World

 "If the world hates you, remember that the world hated ME before you.  This would not be so if you belonged to the world, because the world loves its own.  But you are not of the world, since I have chosen you from the world; because of this the world hates you.

Remember what I told you: the servant is not greater than his master; if they persecuted ME, they will also persecute you.  If they kept MY word, they will keep yours as well.  All this they will do to you on account of MY name, because they do not know the One who sent ME." - John 15:18-21 

(In spite of JESUS' having returned to HIS FATHER to initiate a more effective and universal presence among humankind, Satan continues to act with the power he has usurped.  The hatred of those who belong to Satan is directed against the believers and the Church.  Such helpers of Satan are called in John's Gospel: the world.

Believers are destined to be hated by the world.  It often happens that when a person begins to live in a more Christian and responsible way, she meets with opposition and hatred from her own family.  No one knows what has aroused the hatred, but the devil does, who moves everything to discourage us.

Even in the Church we find those who are of the world and believe that they are serving GOD [16:2] when they persecute the true disciples of CHRIST.  Some who identify themselves with what they consider "the interests of the Church" can even persecute, and at times with malice, those who are Gospel-minded.  In reality they know neither JESUS nor HIS FATHER.

When our hope does not come from GOD, trials discourage us; but when our hope is rooted in  GOD, we are strengthened and remain steadfast.  In the parable of the vine, JESUS said: "MY FATHER prunes every branch that bears fruit so that it will bear more fruit.")

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In Time Of Danger: A National Lament

 "My heart is steadfast, O GOD; my heart is steadfast.  I will sing and make music.

Awake, my soul; awake, O harp and lyre!  I will wake the dawn.

I will give thanks to YOU, O YAHWEH, among the peoples; I will sing praise to YOU among the nations.

For YOUR love reaches to the heavens, and YOUR faithfulness, to the clouds.  Be exalted, O GOD, above the heavens!  Let YOUR glory be over all the earth!"

- Psalm 57:8-9. 10-12

(The 'morning ' in the psalm often stands for the dawning of new hope.  The psalmist is awake, shouting so loud, that the personified Dawn, that is relief, will have to come. 

This psalm could be the prayer of the one who waits, with total trust, for calamities to end.  The glory of the Most High fills the earth.)

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The Universal Reign Of The True GOD

 "Sing to YAHWEH a new song,

sing to YAHWEH, all the earth!

Sing to YAHWEH, praise HIS name;

proclaim HIS salvation, day after day.

Recall HIS glory among the nations,

tell all the peoples HIS wonderful deeds

Say among the nations, 'YAHWEH reigns!'

HE will judge the peoples with justice."

- Psalm 96:1-2. 2-3. 10

(More than on the splendor of the universe, human society is founded on justice that glorifies GOD: there is joy in creation when GOD establishes HIS kingdom among us.  Yes, joy of the universe, until then devastated by our exaggerated ambitions.  Joy of nations that have discovered why they exist!

As we continue to express our desire for the reign of GOD to come to the world, we can pray with this psalm.)

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The Vine And The Branches

 "I AM the true vine and MY FATHER is the vine grower.  If any of MY  branches doesn't bear fruit, HE breaks it off; and HE prunes every branch that does bear fruit, that it may bear even more fruit.

You are already made clean by the word I have spoken to you.  Live in ME as I live in you.  The branch cannot bear fruit by itself, but has to remain part of the vine; so neither can you, if you don't remain in ME.

I AM the vine and you are the branches.  As long as you remain in ME and I in you, you bear much fruit; but apart from ME you can do nothing.  Whoever does not remain in ME is thrown away, as they do with branches, and they wither.  Then they are gathered and thrown into the fire and burned.

If you remain in ME and MY words remain in you, you may ask whatever you want, and it will be given to you.  MY FATHER is glorified when you bear much fruit: it is then that you become MY disciple." - John 15:1-8 

(JESUS uses an image from the Scripture, but HE changes the original meaning, as HE did before when speaking of the Good Shepherd [John 10:1].  The vine represents the people of Israel.  Planted from selected stock, cared for by the LORD, it should have produced fruits of justice [Mark 12:1].

Now the true Vine has taken root.  CHRIST is the trunk from which the branches sprout, that is to say, all of us who live by HIM.  HE is also the entire plant, trunk and branches together: Christians are really the body of CHRIST.

The vine was the people of Israel, and what mattered more to them was the collective conduct of the community as one body.  What mattered was not the individuals but Israel.  Now  JESUS does not say: The Christian community is the vine, but: I AM the vine.  So each of us has to consider how he is joined with JESUS through faith, prayer, and keeping HIS word.  Each one has to bear fruit.  JESUS does not specify what these fruits should be: whether service, understanding, action for social justice, or a life silently offered to GOD.  Rather HE insists that these fruits should come from the Spirit and bear HIS proper seal.  The success of the Church is not measured by its achievements, but by the progress of those who interiorize CHRIST's mystery and share in HIS cross and resurrection.)

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The FATHER Is Greater Than I

 "Peace be with you!  MY peace I give to you; not as the world gives peace do I give it to you.  Do not be troubled!  Do not be afraid!  You heard ME say, 'I AM going away, but I AM coming to you.'  If you loved ME, you would be glad that I go to the FATHER, for the FATHER is greater than I.

I have told you this now before it takes place, so that when it does happen you may believe.  There is very little left for ME to tell you, for the prince of this world is at hand, although there is nothing in ME that he can claim.  But see, the world must know that I love the FATHER, and that I do what the FATHER has taught ME to do.  Come now, let us go." - John 14:27-31 

(For the FATHER is greater than I.  This does not contradict what John teaches throughout the whole Gospel about JESUS' divinity.  This is to be read together with 5:18; 10:30; 16:15, if we want to know something of the mystery of CHRIST, "true GOD," as spoken of in Romans 9:5; Titus 2:13; and 1 John 5:20.

As early as the fourth century Saint Hilary, the great bishop and defender of the faith, wrote: "The FATHER is greater because of being the one who gives.  As HE gives the Son all that HE HIMSELF is, yet the Son is not inferior to the FATHER."

Moreover, it is characteristic of the Son to deny HIMSELF so that HE may give glory to the FATHER, until the FATHER gives HIM back "the glory HE had before" as said in 17:5 and 6:62.  Because of this the apostles, who have seen HIM as a man among humans in the time of HIS humiliation, should now rejoice.)

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"LORD, How Can It Be That YOU Will Show YOURSELF Clearly To Us And Not To The World?"

 "'Whoever keeps MY commandments is the one who loves ME.  If he loves ME, he will also be loved by MY FATHER; I too shall love him and show MYSELF clearly to him.'

Judas--not Judas Iscariot--asked JESUS, 'LORD, how can it be that YOU will show YOURSELF clearly to us and not to the world?'  JESUS answered him, 'If anyone loves ME, he will keep MY word and MY FATHER will love him; and WE will come to him and live with him.  But if anyone does not love ME, he will not keep MY words; and these words that you hear are not MINE, but the FATHER's who sent ME.

I told you all this while I AM still with you.  From now on the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the FATHER will send in MY name, will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I have told you." - John 14:21-26 

(LORD, how can it be that YOU will show YOURSELF clearly to us and not to the world?  Judas thought that JESUS meant HE would summon them for secret meetings, but JESUS really meant HE would make HIMSELF known to them through interior teaching and by letting them experience peace.

The Helper [or Interpreter] will teach you.  The Spirit enables us to understand and interpret JESUS' words throughout all time.

The Holy Spirit whom the FATHER will send in MY name.  Compare with 15:26.  The Holy Spirit proceeds as much from the FATHER as from the Son being, with THEM, only one GOD.)

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HE Will Wipe Every Tear From Their Eyes

 "Then, I saw a new heaven and a new earth.  The first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and no longer was there any sea.  I saw the new Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from GOD, out of heaven, adorned as a bride prepared for her husband.  A loud voice came from the throne, 'Here is the dwelling of GOD among mortals: HE will pitch HIS tent among them, and they will be HIS people, HE will be GOD-with-them.

HE will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There shall be no more death or mourning, crying out or pain, for the world that was, has passed away.'  The One seated on the throne said, 'See, I make all things new.'

And, then, HE said to me, 'Write these words, because they are sure and true.'" - Revelation 21:1-5 

(First vision of the heavenly Jerusalem.  "Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it dawned on the mind what GOD has prepared for those who love HIM" [1 Corinthians 2:9].

Scripture began with a vision of the first creation in which GOD was conversing with Adam, HIS friend, in the garden of Eden.  The Apocalypse ends with a more beautiful vision in which there is overflowing delight in GOD.  See, I make all things new.  The holy and permanent city of people has been built.

A new heaven and a new earth.  The risen body of CHRIST was the principle of the new spiritual and material universe we were hoping for.  Now, the power of HIS resurrection has transformed the whole world.  It will not be a paradise for isolated "souls," nor for pure angels, but a city of human beings: humans have fully become GOD's children: he will be MY son [verse 7].

HE will wipe every tear.  GOD dwells among people and HE pours HIS own happiness into them.  The sufferings that filled so many lives, the martyrs' tortures, the inner pain of repentant sinners, all this is over.  Such joy and peace, as cannot be found in any place on earth, are finally found in the heart of GOD.)

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This Is MY Commandment: Love One Another As I Have Loved You!

 "As the FATHER has loved ME, so I have loved you.  Remain in MY love!  You will remain in MY love if you keep MY commandments, just as I have kept MY FATHER's commandments and remain in HIS love.

I have told you all this, that MY own joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete.  This is MY commandment: Love one another as I have loved you!  There is no greater love than this, to give one's life for one's friends; and you are MY friends, if you do what I command you.

I shall not call you servants anymore, because servants do not know what their master is about.  Instead, I have called you friends, since I have made known to you everything I learned from MY FATHER.

You did not choose ME; it was I who chose you and sent you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last.  And everything you ask the FATHER in MY name, HE will give you.

This is MY command, that you love one another." - John 15:9-17 

(After making it clear that we depend totally on HIM, JESUS repeats HIS commandment of love.  There is a necessary order in building the Christian life.

If from the start we say: We should love our neighbor because this is the only commandment, we will achieve nothing; because each one understands love in his own way, while not having as yet interiorized the thinking of CHRIST.  Moreover, we need to receive from the source of all love the ability to love selflessly.  CHRIST asks us to first share HIS thinking: that is what the expression, keep MY commandments means.  Thus we become HIS friends, knowing HIM as a person who loves us and acts in us.  Later we will produce the authentic fruit of love, whose source is CHRIST.)

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"I AM The Way, The Truth And The Life;..."

 "'Do not be troubled!  Trust in GOD and trust in ME!  In MY FATHER's house there are many rooms; otherwise, I would not have told you that I go to prepare a place for you.  After I have gone and prepared a place for you, I shall come again and take you to ME, so that where I AM, you also may  be.  Yet you know the way where I AM going.'

Thomas said to HIM, 'LORD, we don't know where YOU are going; how can we know the way?'  JESUS said, 'I AM the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the FATHER but through ME.'" - John 14:1-6 

(JESUS ascension to the FATHER was not just an individual achievement, but opened for all of us a way to our house, not situated high above us, but in GOD.  There are many mansions, that means that there is also a place for us: not just one mansion for everybody, but a place for each one, because Heaven is not like a performance which is the same for everyone in the audience.  GOD's radiance will draw from each one the resonance only HE can bring forth.  Each one will be in his own mansion, being in communion with all.

Now, knowing what is the goal, we should walk towards this definitive communion.  "I AM the way," says JESUS.  HE became human precisely so that we might see the FATHER in HIM.  HE followed HIS way, so disconcerting for us, so that, meditating on HIS actions, we would progress towards the truth.  Although in the beginning we may not understand HIM well, with time, we will discover the LORD and understand that HIS way is ours.  Passing through the cross and death, we will achieve our own truth and arrive at life.)

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The Magnificent Promises Of GOD

 "I will sing forever, O YAHWEH, of YOUR love, and proclaim YOUR faithfulness from age to age.

I will declare how steadfast is YOUR love, how firm YOUR faithfulness.

I have found David MY servant, and, with MY holy oil, I have anointed him.

MY hand will be ever with him; and MY arm will sustain him; 

MY faithfulness and love will be with him; and, by MY help, he will be strong.

He will call on ME, 'YOU are my FATHER, my GOD, my Rock, my Savior.'"

- Psalm 89:1-2. 21-22. 25. 27

(Those very powerful words "love" and "faithfulness" occur at least 4 times each in this psalm, and not without a purpose.  JESUS has explained to us in no uncertain terms throughout the Gospels the power of these words.  If only these could become part of our daily agenda, then we can assure ourselves of happiness here on earth and eternity.

Here is a good psalm to pray in times of national or international conflict.  If a human being is injured, GOD is injured.  The love of GOD is faithful.  Despite everything, the love of GOD cannot turn back.)

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An Irreparable Choice

 "Yet JESUS had said, and even cried out, 'Whoever believes in ME, believes not in ME, but in HIM who sent ME.  And whoever sees ME, sees HIM who sent ME.  I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in ME may not remain in darkness.

If anyone hears MY words and does not keep them, I AM not the one to condemn him; for I have come, not to condemn the world, but to save the world.  The one who rejects ME, and does not receive MY words, already has a judge: the very words I have spoken will condemn him on the last day.

For I have not spoken on MY own authority; the FATHER, who sent ME, has instructed ME what to say and how to speak.  I know that HIS commandment is eternal life, and that is why the message I give, I give as the FATHER instructed ME.'" - John 12:44-50 

For us, too, to believe in the Gospel is to take a stand; we cannot pass by the Church JESUS founded even though it may not be totally transparent.  HIS word comes to us amidst numerous preoccupations, and most often we feel inclined to respond: "I'll see later!"  When we neglect HIS word, we often think it is not grave.  Actually it is GOD and HIS truth that we reject and we may not have another occasion to receive it.  All eternity is decided today.

There is absolutely nothing in the Scriptures that support the belief that we will have other lives in order to repair our errors of today.  If so many people of our time have grasped this belief in a succession of lives, it is above all because it encourages them to delay making real decisions; the devil takes charge of spreading this belief.)

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The Foundation Of The Church At Antioch

 "Those who had been scattered, because of the persecution over Stephen, traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, proclaiming the message, but only to the Jews.  But there were some natives of Cyprus and Cyrene among them who, on coming into Antioch, spoke also to the Greeks, giving them the good news of the LORD JESUS.  The hand of the LORD was with them so that a great number believed and turned to the LORD.

News of this reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem, so they sent Barnabas to Antioch.  When he arrived and saw the manifest signs of GOD's favor, he rejoiced and urged them all to remain firmly faithful to the LORD; for he, himself, was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith.  Thus large crowds came to know the LORD.

Then Barnabas went off to Tarsus, to look for Saul; and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch.  For a whole year, they had meetings with the Church and instructed many people.  It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians." - Acts 11:19-26 

(Antioch, 500 kilometers north of Jerusalem, was the principal town of the Roman province of Syria, a pagan country, where Greek Christian faith to the pagans for the first time, nor how that happened.  The Christians of Jewish origin that did it would deserve a statue, or better still a feast in our liturgy.  So there is at Antioch for the first time a community where Jews and non-Jews are assembled: the future of the Church was there.  The Jerusalem community is the Rome of the primitive Church.  It is conscious of its authority and immediately asks to examine more closely this extraordinary new happening: a Church where Jews accept to rub shoulders with the uncircumcised.

The Jerusalem community behaved as having authority over the new churches; the case of Antioch would touch everyone since, for the Palestinian Jews, accepting pagans was something of a scandal.  Did not the law of  Moses forbid living with "uncircumcised" people?)

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The Good Shepherd

 "I AM the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives HIS life for the sheep.  Not so the hired hand, or any other person who is not the shepherd, and to whom the sheep do not belong.  They abandon the sheep as soon as they see the wolf coming; then the wolf snatches and scatters the sheep.  This is because the hired hand works for pay and cares nothing for the sheep.

I AM the good shepherd.  I know MY own and MY own know ME, as the FATHER knows ME and I know the FATHER.  Because of this, I give MY life for MY sheep.

I have other sheep which are not of this fold.   These I have to lead as well, and they shall listen to MY voice.  Then there will be one flock, since there is one shepherd." - John 10:11-16 

(Scripture foretold the day in which GOD would come to gather together the dispersed sheep of HIS people, so that they would live in their land.  JESUS is the Shepherd and HE has come to accomplish what was announced, but HE will not do it in the expected way.  The Jews thought that the Shepherd would revive their former prosperity: they would again be a privileged nation among other nations.

JESUS says clearly that HIS people are not to be thought of as identical to the Jewish nation.  Those who believe, and only they, are HIS.  HE will take from among the Jews those who are HIS; likewise, HE will take sheep which are not of this fold as well, that is, from among the nations other than the Jewish nation.  Therefore, HE will lead them all and will guide this flock--which is not a nation with land boundaries--to where HE knows.  The only flock [not the only "fold", as people say], that is, the only Church, moves freely through history, not confined to any one nation or era of civilization.)

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"How Long Will YOU Keep Us In Doubt? If YOU Are The Messiah, Tell Us Plainly."

 "The time came for the feast of the Dedication.  It was winter, and JESUS walked back and forth in the portico of Solomon.  The Jews then gathered around HIM and said to HIM, 'How long will YOU keep us in doubt?  If YOU are the Messiah, tell us plainly.'  JESUS answered. 'I have already told you, but you do not believe.  The works I do in MY FATHER's name proclaim who I AM, but you don't believe because, as I said, you are not MY sheep.

MY sheep hear MY voice and I know them; they follow ME and I give them eternal life.  They shall never perish, and no one will ever steal them from ME.  What MY FATHER has given ME, is greater than all things else.  To snatch it out of the FATHER's hand, no one is able!  I and the FATHER are One.'" - John 10:22-30 

(When Scripture speaks of the Shepherd, it usually refers to GOD HIMSELF, the only king of Israel, but sometimes means the King-Messiah sent by GOD.  JESUS spoke of only one shepherd.  Though distinct from the FATHER, HE is one with HIM.)

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It Is The Spirit That Gives Life, Not The Flesh

 "After hearing this, many of JESUS' followers said, 'This language is very hard!  Who can accept it?'

JESUS was aware that HIS disciples were murmuring about this, and so HE said to them, 'Does this offend you?  Then how will you react when you see the Son of Man ascending to where HE was before?  It is the spirit that gives life, not the flesh.  The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.  But among you there are some who do not believe.'

From the beginning, JESUS knew who would betray HIM.  So he added, 'As I have told you, no one can come to ME unless it is granted by the FATHER.'

After this many disciples withdrew and no longer followed HIM.  JESUS asked the Twelve, 'Will you also go away?'  Peter answered HIM. 'LORD, to whom shall we go?  YOU have the words of eternal life.  We now believe and know that YOU are the Holy One of GOD.'" - John 6:60-69 

(This language is very hard.  How could JESUS' listeners believe that HE, the "Son of Joseph," had come from GOD?  And today how can we  believe that we need the Eucharist?  JESUS tells us why HE came: The Son of GOD came down to us, so that later HE would ascend to where HE was before.  HE came from GOD to communicate to us the very life of GOD and then to bring us to the bosom of GOD [John 14:12].

It is the very spirit that gives life, not the flesh.  JESUS spoke of giving us HIS flesh, but this should not be understood as a continuation of the Jewish religion, in which the meat of sacrificed animals was eaten.  In Hebrew culture, flesh and blood denote "the world below," where humankind moves and where one has no access to communication with GOD.  The Eucharist is different.  This is the body, or flesh, of the risen CHRIST transformed by the Spirit, which acts in us spiritually and brings us into communion with GOD.

LORD, to whom shall we go?  Many of JESUS' followers left but, in the name of those who remained, Peter pledged his fidelity [see also Matthew 16:13].)

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World-Wide Call To Praise GOD

 "Alleluia!

Praise YAHWEH, all you nations;

all you peoples, praise HIM.

How great is HIS love for us!

HIS faithfulness lasts forever."

- Psalm 117:1. 2

(Less than a quarter of a psalm, but all is there: goodness [grace, favor] and fidelity [truth] that is the truth of GOD.  We can pray with this psalm, keeping in our heart the ecumenical cause.)

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Philip Baptizes The Ethiopian

 "An angel of the LORD said to Philip, 'Go south, toward the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert road.'  So he set out and, it happened that, an Ethiopian was passing along the way.  He was an official in charge of the treasury of the queen of the Ethiopians.  He had come on pilgrimage to Jerusalem and was on his way home.  He was sitting in his carriage and reading the prophet Isaiah.

The Spirit said to Philip, 'Go and catch up with that carriage.'  So Philip ran up and heard the man reading the prophet Isaiah; and he asked, 'Do you really understand what you are reading?'  The Ethiopian replied, 'How can I, unless someone explains it to me?'  He then invited Philip to get in and sit beside him.  This was the passage of Scripture he was reading:

He was led like a sheep to be slaughtered; like a lamb that is dumb before the shearer, he did not open his mouth.  He was humbled and deprived of his rights.  Who can speak of his descendants?  For he was uprooted from the earth.

The official asked Philip, 'Tell me, please, does the prophet speak of himself or of someone else?'

Then Philip began to tell him the Good News of JESUS, using this text of Scripture as his starting point.  As they traveled down the road, they came to a place where there was some water.  Then the Ethiopian official said, 'Look, here is water; what is to keep me from being baptized?'  And Philip said, 'If you believe with all your heart, you may.'  And he answered and said, 'I believe that JESUS CHRIST is the Son of GOD.'

Then he ordered the carriage to stop.  Both Philip and the Ethiopian went down into the water and Philip baptized him.  When they came out of the water, the Spirit of the LORD took Philip away.  The Ethiopian saw him no more, but he continued on his way full of joy.

Philip found himself at Azotus; and he went about, announcing the Good News in all the towns, until he reached Caesarea." - Acts 8:26-40 

(Note how the Holy Spirit leads Philip towards a man who was neither a Jew nor a Samaritan, the first person of another race to receive the Gospel.

The Ethiopian who is baptized is simply a man who 'fears the LORD.'  This is the way they referred to people of other races who were attracted to the religion of the Jews and to faith in the one GOD.  Without following all the Jewish customs, they read the Scripture and liked to take part in the Jewish ceremonies.

The conversation with Philip begins on the basis of a text from Isaiah 53:7.  This poem, called Servant of the LORD, speaks of a just man unjustly condemned who, through his sufferings, atones for the sins of all humankind.  In this text the apostles saw one of the passages which best prefigured CHRIST: see Mark 14:24 and 1 Peter 2:24-25.  Isaiah's poem concludes with a veiled reference to the resurrection of the "Servant of the LORD."  It is marvelous to see how Philip can give a testimony of the Resurrection with such conviction that the Ethiopian believes in him.)  

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The Bread That Comes Down From Heaven Is Not Something, But Someone, And That Is CHRIST

 "JESUS said to them, 'I AM the bread of life; whoever comes to ME shall never be hungry, and whoever believes in ME shall never be thirsty.  Nevertheless, as I said, you refuse to believe, even when you have seen.  Yet all those whom the FATHER gives ME will come to ME, and whoever comes to ME, I shall not turn away.  For I have come from heaven, not to do MY own will, but the will of the One who sent ME.

And the will of HIM who sent ME is that I lose nothing of what HE has given ME, but instead that I raise it up on the last day.  This is the will of the FATHER, that whoever sees the Son and believes in HIM shall live eternal life; and I will raise him up on the last day.'" - John 6:35-40 

(For this reason, GOD now proposes something new.  The bread that comes down from heaven is not something, but someone, and that is CHRIST.  That true bread communicates eternal life to us, but to receive it, it is necessary to take a step, that is, to believe in CHRIST and to make a personal commitment to HIM.

All those whom the FATHER gives ME will come to ME.  Not all those who take pride in belonging to the true religion come to CHRIST, but only those whom the FATHER knows.  Though the church embraces many people of all descriptions, only those to whom the FATHER has given this grace will find their way to the controversial and humble CHRIST.  While acknowledging the value of the sacraments and good works, we should not forget what JESUS taught: none of our own efforts can substitute for the grace of being chosen by the FATHER who calls us to know HIS Son in truth.)

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JESUS said, "I AM The Way, The Truth And The Life; No One Comes To The FATHER But Through ME."

 "JESUS said, 'I AM the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the FATHER but through ME.  If you know ME, you will know the FATHER also; indeed you know HIM, and you have seen HIM.'

Philip asked HIM, 'LORD, show us the FATHER, and that is enough.'  JESUS said to him, 'What!  I have been with you so long and you still do not know ME, Philip?  Whoever sees ME sees the FATHER; how can you say, 'Show us the FATHER'?  Do you not believe that I AM in the FATHER and the FATHER is in ME?

All that I say to you, I do not say of MYSELF.  The FATHER who dwells in ME is doing HIS own work.  Believe ME when I say that I AM in the FATHER and the FATHER is in ME; at least believe it on the evidence of these works that I do.

Truly, I say to you, the one who believes in ME will do the same works that I do; and he will even do greater than these, for I AM going to the FATHER.  Everything you ask in MY name, I will do, so that the FATHER may be glorified in the Son.  Indeed, anything you ask, calling upon MY name, I will do it.'" - John 14:6-14 

(Now, knowing what is the goal, we should walk towards this definitive communion.  "I AM the way," says JESUS.  HE became human precisely so that we might see the FATHER in HIM.  HE followed HIS way, so disconcerting for us, so that, meditating on HIS actions, we would progress towards the truth.  Although in the beginning we may not understand HIM well, with time, we will discover the LORD and understand that HIS way is ours.  Passing through the cross and death, we will achieve our own truth and arrive at life.)

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What Are The Works That GOD Wants Us To Do?

 "Next day, the people, who had stayed on the other side, realized that only one boat had been there, and that JESUS had not entered it with HIS disciples; but rather, the disciples had gone away alone.  Other boats from Tiberias landed near the place where all these people had eaten the bread.  When they saw that neither JESUS nor HIS disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for JESUS.

When they found HIM on the other side of the lake, they asked HIM, 'Master, when did YOU come here?'

JESUS answered, 'Truly, I say to you, you look for ME, not because of the signs which you have seen, but because you ate bread and were satisfied.  Work then, not for perishable food, but for the lasting food which gives eternal life.  The Son of Man will give it to you, for HE is the one on whom the FATHER has put HIS mark.'

Then the Jews asked HIM, 'What shall we do?  What are the works that GOD wants us to do?'  And JESUS answered them, 'The work GOD wants is this: that you believe in the One whom GOD has sent.'" - John 6:22-29 

(People struggle for adequate food, and their first preoccupation is to survive, because if they do not eat they will cease to live.  We do not have life in ourselves and have to constantly depend on others for what is necessary to maintain life.  In spite of everything, some day life escapes us because we have not encountered the lasting food.

In fact, we need much more than bread: beyond eating and drinking, we seek something that permits us to no longer experience hunger or thirst.  We will find this on the day of the resurrection, in the assembly of all the Saints in Heaven, where there will be total and perfect peace and unity.  That is precisely what the Work of the Son of Man [the Human One] is.

The discourse begins with a question from the Jews: Which are the works that GOD wants us to do?  JESUS replies: The Work that GOD wants is that you believe.  The FATHER does not demand "works," that is, the practices of a religious law, but rather faith.  In the previous chapter, JESUS declared that HIS work is to raise people up.  Here HE indicates our work: to believe in the Messenger of the FATHER.)

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Thanksgiving For Recovery From Sickness

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

'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. 4. 5-6. 11-12. 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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