Two Ways Of Living

"Blessed is the man 

who does not go where the wicked gather,

or stand in the way of sinners,

or sit where the scoffers sit!

Instead, he finds delight in the law of YAHWEH

and meditates day and night 

on HIS commandments.

He is like a tree beside a brook

producing its fruit in due season,

its leaves never withering.

Everything he does is a success.

But it is different with the wicked.

They are like chaff

driven away by the wind.

For YAHWEH knows the way of the righteous

but cuts off the way of the wicked."

- Psalm 1:1-2. 3. 4. 6

(The sharp contrast between the virtuous and the wicked is characteristic of the Hebrew thought and its uncompromising literary expression.  The psalmist was conscious of the mixture of good and bad in himself and in others around him.  As St. Paul said much later--and he spoke for everyone--'I can want to do what is right, but I am unable to do it' [Romans 7:18].  Aware of this tension in ourselves, we recite this psalm with a feeling of hypocrisy.  This is no proclamation of one's own virtue but a constant self-reminder that we all have a choice.  We may never reach the extremes either of virtue or of vice, but we are at every moment making for one or the other.  It is salutary to remind ourselves what the end of each road is.  It is better still to remember that we have a powerful companion along the virtuous road, but along the wicked one, we are alone.) 

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Woe To You, Pharisees!

"As JESUS was speaking, a Pharisee asked HIM to have a meal with him.  So HE went and sat at table.  The Pharisee then wondered why JESUS did not first wash HIS hands before dinner.  But the LORD said to him, 'So then, you Pharisees, you clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside yourselves you are full of greed and evil.  Fools!  HE who made the outside, also made the inside.  But according to you, by the mere giving of alms everything is made clean'." - Luke 11:37-41  

(The Bible does not demand these ritual purifications that Mark also mentions in 7:3, but the teachers of JESUS' time insisted they were necessary.  JESUS rebels against these new religious obligations.  Why do they not pay more attention to inner purification?

Entering the New Covenant is a free gift from GOD.  It is also a gift from GOD to possess a good knowledge of Christian doctrine, or exercise a special ministry in the Church, or belong to a Christian group committed for their faith.  Nevertheless, there is always the danger to behave as an elite group, thus losing the true humility that should lead us to occupy the last places, where we really should be.) 

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"People Of The Present Time Are Troubled People."

"As the crowd increased, JESUS spoke the following words: 'People of the present time are troubled people.  They ask for a sign, but no sign will be given to them except the sign of Jonah.  As Jonah became a sign for the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be a sign for this generation.  The Queen of the South will rise up on Judgment Day with the people of these times and accuse them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and here, there is greater than Solomon.  The people of Nineveh will rise up on Judgment Day with the people of these times and accuse them, for Jonah's preaching made them turn from their sins, and here, there is greater than Jonah." - Luke 11:29-32 

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

The people of Nineveh will rise up with these people and accuse them.  JESUS again uses the traditional image of collective judgment where each one excuses himself by pointing out that others have done worse.  This image retains a deep truth: all that GOD has given to each one of us should produce fruits for all humanity.)

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The Wedding Feast

"JESUS continued speaking to them in parables: 

'This story throws light on the kingdom of heaven.  A king celebrated the wedding of his son. He sent his servants to call the invited guests to the wedding feast, but the guests refused to come. 

Again, he sent other servants ordering them to say to the invited guests:  'I have prepared a banquet, slaughtered my fattened calves and other animals, and now everything is ready; come then to the wedding feast.'  But they paid no attention and went away... While the rest seized the servants of the king, insulted them and killed them.

The king became angry.   He sent his troops to destroy those murderers and burn their city.  Then he said to his servants:  'The wedding banquet is prepared, but the invited guests were not worthy.  Go, then, to the crossroads and invite everyone you find to the wedding feast.'

The servants went out at once into the streets and gathered everyone they found, good and bad alike, so that the hall was filled with guests.

The king came in to see those who were at table, and he noticed a man not wearing the festal garment.  So, he said to him:  'Friend, how did you get in without the wedding garment?'  But the man remained silent.  So, the king said to his servants:  'Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the dark where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

Know that many are called, but few are chosen.'" - Matthew 22:1-14   

 

(The parable contains two parts.

 

In the first part, GOD invites us to a banquet where there is a place for everyone.  All through history he has been sending his prophets to preach justice, the mercy of GOD and trust in HIM.  The Jewish nation, however, did not heed GOD's call through these prophets and now will pay even less heed to JESUS.  GOD's plan will not fail.  HE will send HIS apostles to preach the Gospel in foreign nations [go to the exits of the ways] so that non-Jews, too, may enter the Church.  Some Jews, however, the selected few among so many called, will be the first members of the Church.

 

The king celebrates the wedding of his son, CHRIST, who deserves to be called "the bride-groom" of humankind, because HE has become one body with it.  All throughout history the RISEN CHRIST gathers together mortal and divided human beings. The Spirit of GOD will transform and raise them from the dead, so that they may sit at the table of the living, according to the parable.

 

The only table of CHRIST that Christians usually know is the Eucharist.  While taking part in it, we must not forget what has been said above.  Our meeting in the Mass should remind us that GOD calls us to prepare, in our daily lives, for the banquet reserved by HIM for all humankind.  Ours is the task of uniting and reconciling all people.

 

What if we do not answer?  Then, little by little, the life of the holy and universal Church will be withdrawn from our assemblies of comfortable Christians, and others will be called to take charge of the work of GOD:  invite to the wedding.

 

The second part of the parable points this out:  You, Christians, who are already inside the Church, do you wear the new garment - a life of justice, honesty and trustworthiness?

 

Let us not believe that the surprised guest who was not properly dressed for the occasion was some kind of poor person.  No, for it was customary during those times to supply all guests with the robe they should wear at the banquet.  This one could have put on the robe but did not, so he had nothing to answer.

 

Many are called...  Some are disturbed upon reading this:  does it mean that only a few persons will be saved?

 

If we associate this sentence with the first part of the parable, it means that, of those first invited, few will enter the banquet.  These guests were the Jews and very few, indeed, entered the Church of JESUS.  Interpreted in connection with the second part of the parable, it would mean that few of those entering the Church have the necessary dispositions, so the majority would be condemned at the time of judgment.  This contradicts what was related in the parable, because only one of the guests was thrown out.

 

It is better not to associate this saying too much with the parable of the banquet, because we find it also in other places in the Gospel.  Here JESUS advises us that only a few discover through the Gospel true freedom and new life.  Then, are they saved?  Yes and no - because salvation, for JESUS, does not mean to escape from the punishment of hell, but to reach perfection.)

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Prayer Of A Person Saved From Death

"How can I repay YAHWEH

for all HIS goodness to me?

I will lift up the cup of salvation

and call on the name of YAHWEH.

I will offer YOU a thanksgiving sacrifice;

I will call on the name of YAHWEH.

I will carry out my vows to YAHWEH

in the presence of HIS people."

- Psalm 116:12-13. 17-18

(This psalm is a simple prayer of thanks to GOD, after an escape from death by sickness, accident or malice.

We can pray with this psalm, when we have overcome mortal dangers or solved personal conflicts.  It is good for everything to remain in the sphere of the love of GOD, in whom we believe.)

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JESUS And Beelzebul

"One day JESUS was driving out a dumb demon.  When the demon had been driven out, the mute person could speak, and the people were amazed.  Yet some of them said, 'HE drives out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the chief of the demons.  So, others wanted to put HIM to the test by asking HIM for a heavenly sign. 

But JESUS knew their thoughts and said to them, 'Every nation divided by civil war is on the road to ruin and will fall.  If Satan also is divided, his empire is coming to an end.  How can you say that I drive out demons by calling upon Beelzebul?  If I drive them out by Beelzebul, by whom do your fellow members drive out demons?  They will be your judge, then. 

But suppose I drive out demons by the finger of GOD; would not this mean that the kingdom of GOD has come upon you?  As long as the strong and armed man guards his house, his goods are safe.  But when a stronger one attacks and overcomes him, the challenger takes away all the weapons he relied on and disposes of his spoils.

Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me, scatters.

When the evil spirit goes out of a person, it wanders through dry lands looking for a resting place.  And finding none, it says, I will return to my house from which I came.  When it comes, it finds the house swept and everything in order.  Then it goes to fetch seven other spirits even worse than itself.  They move in and settle there, so that the last state of that person is worse than the first.'" - Luke 11:14-26  

(HE drives out demons by the power of Beelzebul.  More than the healings, the exorcisms unsettled the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law.  They, the religious authorities, traveled from Jerusalem to see this JESUS for themselves.  The Jews of JESUS' time were obsessed with the belief that illness was a form of possession.  JESUS does not concern HIMSELF with distinguishing between illness and possession.  Actually, the Devil is behind all human misery.  Beelzebul, the name of an ancient idol, was a Jewish term for the Devil.

  

By the finger of GOD.  In Exodus 8:15, the same expression is used to designate the power of GOD working miracles.

 

Whoever is not with ME...  This phrase seems to contradict Luke 9:50:  Whoever is not against you is with you. In fact, in Luke 9:50, JESUS admits that HIS spiritual family goes much beyond the visible group of HIS disciples:  those who, without belonging to the church, work for the same goals, must be considered as friends.

 

In Luke 11:23, on the other hand, JESUS speaks of people who refuse to stand with HIM and HIS message and who want to remain uncommitted:  they do not join HIM, and later they will criticize HIM.

 

The Jews believed that evil spirits preferred to live in the desert or, rather, that GOD had banished them there.  Here JESUS is speaking of people who only believe for a while because they do not repent enough of their past sins.  They enjoyed listening to the word, but they did not take the costly measures that would have allowed them to heal the root of evil.)

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"Ask, And It Will Be Given To You; Seek, And You Will Find; Knock, And It Will Be Opened To You."

"JESUS said to them, 'Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to his house in the middle of the night and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine who is traveling has just arrived, and I have nothing to offer him.'  Maybe your friend will answer from inside, 'Don't bother me now; the door is locked, and my children and I are in bed, so I can't get up and give you anything.'  But I tell you, even though he will not get up and attend to you because you are a friend, yet he will get up because you are a bother to him, and he will give you all you need.

And so, I say to you, 'Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For the one who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to him who knocks the door will be opened.'

If your child asks for a fish, will you give him a snake instead?  And if your child asks for an egg, will you give him a scorpion?  If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will YOUR heavenly FATHER give the Holy Spirit to those who ask HIM.'" - Luke 11:5-13 

 

(JESUS urges us to ask with perseverance without ever getting tired of asking but, rather, "tiring" GOD.  GOD will not always give us what we ask for, nor in the way we ask, since we do not know what is good for us.  HE will give us a Holy Spirit, or a clearer vision of HIS will and, at the same time, the courage to follow it.

Knock and it will be opened to you.  A page from Father Molinie is a commentary on this verse.  "If GOD does not open at once, it is not because HE enjoys making us wait.  If we must persevere in prayer, it is not because we need a set number of invocations, but rather because a certain quality, a certain way of prayer is required.  If we were able to have that at the beginning, our prayer would be heard immediately.

"Prayer is the groaning of the Holy Spirit in us as Saint Paul says.  Yet we need repetition for this groaning to open a path in our stony heart, just as the drop of water wastes away the hardest rocks.  When we have repeated the Our Father and the Hail Mary with perseverance, one day we can pray them in a way that is in perfect harmony with GOD's will.  HE HIMSELF was waiting for this groaning, the only one which can move HIM since, in fact, it comes from HIS own heart.

"As long as we have not played this note, or rather, drawn it from within, GOD cannot be conquered.  It is not that GOD defends HIMSELF since HE is pure tenderness and fluidity, but as long as there is nothing similar in us, the current cannot pass between HIM and us.  Man gets tired of praying, yet if he perseveres instead of losing heart, he will gradually let go of his pride until being exhausted and overcome, he obtains much more than he could have wished for.")

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LORD, Teach Us To Pray

"One day JESUS was praying in a certain place and when HE had finished, one of HIS disciples said to HIM, 'LORD, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.'  And JESUS said to them, 'When you pray, say this:

          FATHER, hallowed be YOUR name,

          may YOUR kingdom come,

          give us each day the kind of bread we need,

          and forgive us our sins, for we also forgive all who do us wrong,

          and do not bring us to the test'." - Luke 11:1-4 

(The apostles already knew how to pray, and they prayed in common, as all the Jews did, in the synagogue and at key times during the day.  Yet, in living close to JESUS they discovered a new way to live in close fellowship, and they felt a need to address the FATHER differently.  JESUS waited for them to ask HIM to teach them how to pray.  See Matthew 6:9.)

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Martha And Mary

"As JESUS and HIS disciples were on their way, HE entered a village, and a woman called Martha welcomed HIM to her house.  She had a sister named Mary, who sat down at the LORD's feet to listen to HIS words.  Martha, meanwhile, was busy with all the serving, and finally she said, 'LORD, don't YOU care that my sister has left me to do all the work?  Tell her to help me!'

But the LORD answered, 'Martha, Martha, you worry and are troubled about many things, whereas only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken away from her.'" - Luke 10:38-42   

(Many things seem to be necessary in a family: cleaning, preparing meals, looking after the children.  If there is no time to listen to others, what is life worth?  Perhaps we do many things in the service of GOD and our neighbor; only one thing nevertheless is necessary for us all: being available for JESUS when HE is present.

Mary has chosen the better part.  She followed only her instinct, but JESUS sees more: HE will not be there much longer, and in any case HIS presence among us is always brief.  Mary has been able to take hold of these brief moments when JESUS could be hers, and she is HIS while listening to HIM.)

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The Good Samaritan

"Then a teacher of the Law came and began putting JESUS to the test.  And he said, 'Master, what shall I do to receive eternal life?'  JESUS replied, 'What is written in the Scripture?  How do you understand it?'  The man answered, 'It is written:  You shall love the LORD your GOD with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind.  And you shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  JESUS replied, 'What a good answer!  Do this and you shall live.'  The man wanted to keep up appearances, so he replied, 'Who is my neighbor?'

JESUS then said, 'There was a man going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell into the hands of robbers.  They stripped him and went off leaving him half-dead.

It happened that a priest was going along that road and saw the man but passed by on the other side.  Likewise, a Levite saw the man and passed by on the other side.  But a Samaritan, too, was going that way, and when he came upon the man, he was moved with compassion.  He went over to him and treated his wounds with oil and wine and wrapped them with bandages.  Then he put him on his mount and brought him to an inn where he took care of him.

The next day he had to set off, but he gave two silver coins to the innkeeper and told him:  'Take care of him and whatever you spend on him, I will repay when I come back.' 

JESUS then asked, 'Which of these three, do you think, made himself neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?'  The teacher of the Law answered, 'The one who had mercy on him.'  And JESUS said, 'Go then and do the same.'" - Luke 10:25-37  

(Who is my neighbor?  The teacher of the Law expected to be given the precise limits of his obligation. Whom was he supposed to look after?  Members of his family?  People of his own race?  Or perhaps everybody?

 

It is significant that JESUS concludes HIS story with a different question:  Which of the three made himself neighbor?  It is as if HE said:  do not try to figure out who is your neighbor, listen instead to the call within you, and become a neighbor, be close to your brother or sister in need.  As long as we see the command to love as an obligation, we do not love as GOD wants.

 

Love does not consist simply in being moved by another person's distress.  Notice how the Samaritan stopped by in spite of it being a dangerous place, how he paid for the expenses and promised to take care of whatever else might be necessary.  Instead of just "being charitable" he took unconditional and uncalculated risks for a stranger.

 

On one occasion, Martin Luther King pointed out that love is not satisfied with comforting those who suffer:  "To begin with, we must be the good Samaritan to those who have fallen along the way.  This, however, is only the beginning.  Then, some day we will necessarily have to realize that the road to Jericho must be made in such a way that men and women are not constantly beaten and robbed while they are traveling along the paths of life."

 

With this example, JESUS also makes us see that, many times, those who seem to be religious officials, or who believe they fulfill the law, are incapable of loving.  It was a Samaritan, considered a heretic by the Jews, who took care of the wounded man.

 

For the Jews, neighbors were the members of Israel, their own people, dignified by sharing the same religion; in fact, this familial relationship came from "flesh and blood."  For JESUS, true love leads one to give up any discrimination.)

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