Night And Day We Pray

"What a consolation for us, brothers and sisters, in the midst of our troubles and trials, this faith of yours!  It is a breath of life for us, when you stand firm in the LORD.  How can we thank GOD enough, for all the joy  that we feel before GOD, because of you?  Day and night, we beg of HIM, to let us see you again, that we may complete the instruction of the believers.

May GOD, our FATHER, and JESUS, our LORD, prepare the way for us to visit you.  May the LORD increase, more and more, your love for each other and for all people, as HE increases our love for you.  May HE strengthen you, internally, to be holy and blameless before GOD, our FATHER, on the day that JESUS, our LORD, will come with all HIS saints." - 1 Thessalonians 3:7-13 

(May the LORD increase more and more your love for each other and for all people.  Love manifests itself first within the community and then it must be expanded to all people.

Note also Paul's constant preoccupation: his apostolic mission does not allow him to remain in any community.  He is always moving, leaving his work unfinished, but he entrusts his converts to the grace of GOD that does not suppress the freedom of the recent converts nor the work of the Tempter in the world.)

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YOU Have Searched Me And YOU Know Me, LORD

"Where else could I go from YOUR Spirit?

Where could I flee from YOUR presence?

YOU are there, if I ascend the heavens;

YOU are there, if I descend to the depths.

If I ride on the wings of the dawn,

and settle on the far side of the sea,

even there, YOUR hand shall guide me,

and YOUR right hand shall hold me safely.

Shall I say, 'Let darkness hide me,

I prefer the night as my light?'

But darkness, for YOU, is not dark;

and night, for YOU, shines as the day."

-Psalm 139:7-12

(Our thoughts may sweep and soar over the world, over the bewildering profusion of the galaxies, and know that GOD is there, wherever our mind's eye looks--and that HE is also in the depths of our own soul.

Isn't it irrational for anyone to hate the LORD, since, all good things come from HIM?  The ways of GOD are unsearchable, HIS wisdom is an abyss [cf. Romans 11:33].  GOD gets close to us and embraces us, not to condemn us, but to guide our feet toward HIS love.  If we want to taste divine love and appreciate the dignity of man, it will do us good, to pray with this magnificent psalm.)

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I AM With You To Deliver You

"But you, get ready for action; stand up and say to them all that I command you.  Be not scared of them or I will scare you in their presence!

See, I will make you a fortified city, a pillar of iron with walls of bronze, against all the nations, against the kings and princes of Judah, against the priests and the people of the land.  They will fight against you but shall not overcome you, for I AM with you to rescue you--it is YAHWEH who speaks." - Jeremiah 1:17-19

 

(I AM with you to rescue you.  YAHWEH repeats what HE said to Moses when HE called him [Exodus 3:12] and what HE will also say to Paul [Acts 26:17].  Moreover, Jeremiah is assured that the LORD destined him for this mission, of which he had never thought, and which frighten him.  Later, the same will be said of John the Baptist [Luke 1:15], of CHRIST [see Isaiah 49] and of Paul [Galatian 1:15].

These words spoken to Jeremiah are, somehow, also meant for us: we are not the product of chance.  In Ephesians 1, Paul praises this foreknowledge of GOD who called us from eternity to know CHRIST and to have a share in the divine riches.  But what is said to Jeremiah urges us to reflect that GOD, in HIS eternal designs, clearly sees--next to CHRIST--those who are given a more transcendental mission.  It would be difficult for them to escape GOD's irresistible call.

GOD seems to force Jeremiah's freedom, but that is but an impression of ours because we have not experienced the real freedom, and words rarely fully express reality.)

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Woe To You

"But woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!  You shut the door to the kingdom of heaven in people's faces.  You, yourselves, do not enter it, nor do you allow others to do so.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites!  You devour widows' property; and as a show, you pray long prayers!  Therefore, you shall receive greater condemnation.  Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!  You travel by sea and land to make a single convert; yet, once he is converted, you make him twice as fit for hell as yourselves!

Woe to you, blind guides!  You say: To swear by the temple is not binding; but, to swear by the gold of the temple is binding.  Foolish men!  Blind men!  Which is of more worth: the gold in the temple, or the temple which makes the gold a sacred treasure?  You say: To swear by the altar is not binding, but to swear by the offering on the altar is binding.  How blind you are!  Which is of more value:  the offering on the altar, or the altar which makes the offering sacred?

Whoever swears by the altar, is swearing by the altar and by everything on it.  Whoever swears by the temple, is swearing by the temple, and by GOD, who dwells in the temple.  Whoever swears by heaven, is swearing by the throne of GOD, and by HIM, who is seated on it." - Matthew 23:13-22 

(You shut the door to the kingdom of heaven.  Do not forget that "the kingdom of Heaven" means the kingdom of GOD.  Many teachers of the people of GOD are an obstacle on the path leading to the true knowledge of GOD the FATHER.  Even in the smallest village, the Jews had teachers of the law but in fact, crowds came to JESUS to ask for what those priests and teachers did not give them.  How can we forget that even in the Church religious education is often limited to moral compartment and keeping within religious norms?  Hearing and constantly meditating on the word of GOD would have favored the awakening of great ambitions: the search for GOD and apostolic creativity.

You say: To swear by the treasure of the temple.  JESUS refers to the common practices in HIS time.  Some teachers found ways to get around certain oaths.  In that manner, clever people could swear falsely and deceive their opponents by swearing firmly without promising much.

How could JESUS call such men hypocrites when they were so versed in the knowledge of the Scriptures?

In the language of JESUS, the word "hypocrite" equally denotes what is superficial as well as the one who makes light of what is of GOD.  Obviously not all the Pharisees were hypocrites; but JESUS denounces a frequent deformation in the religious elite.  HE calls us to be wary of those institutions born of possessors of wealth and culture who aspire to direct others--and the Church--without having learned from the poor or practiced true humility.

The mystery of GOD is so deep that no one can present himself as HIS lieutenant.  The Pharisees trained, taught and gained many followers in the faith but their fasts and alms were already rewarded.  Pride and love of money were given their place.)

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To HIM Be The Glory For Ever!

"How deep are the riches, the wisdom and knowledge of GOD!  HIS decisions cannot be explained, nor HIS ways understood!  Who has ever known GOD's thoughts?  Who has ever been HIS adviser?  Who has given HIM something first, so that GOD had to repay him?  For everything comes from HIM, has been made by HIM and has to return to HIM.  To HIM be the glory for ever!  Amen. - Romans 11:33-36

(The great GOD, LORD of the world and of angels, cares for us, constantly surpassing what we could expect from HIM.  GOD cannot forsake the work of HIS hands.  Thanksgiving has a future.)

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See How The LORD Blesses Those Who Fear HIM

"Blessed are you who fear YAHWEH

and walk in HIS ways

You will eat the fruit of your toil;

you will be blessed and favored.

Your wife, like a vine,

will bear fruits in your home;

your children, like olive shoots,

will stand around your table.

Such are the blessings bestowed

upon the man who fears YAHWEH.

May YAHWEH praise you from Zion.

May you see Jerusalem prosperous

all the days of your life.

- Psalm 128:1-5

(With sound instinct, it asks GOD, for a Jerusalem of God-fearing, happy homes.  Men and women have their own part in building it--our psalm complements its predecessor's emphasis upon GOD's prevailing work.  But what is Jerusalem to us?  The new Jerusalem for which we pray is 'the Church of the firstborn' [Hebrew 12:23].  In her, the promises of the Old Testament are fulfilled and its prayers made sublime: it is around 'the table of the LORD' that the Spouse of CHRIST seats her ever-growing family [1 Corinthians 10:21; Ephesians 5:32].  Pray GOD for the happiness and peace of HIS family.)

    

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A Scholar Of Law Tested JESUS

"When the Pharisees heard how JESUS had silenced the Sadducees, they assembled together.  One of them, a lawyer, questioned HIM to test HIM, 'Teacher, which commandment of the law is the greatest?'

JESUS answered, 'You shall love the LORD your GOD with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the first and the most important of the commandments.  The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  The whole law and the prophets are founded on these two commandments.'" - Matthew 22:34-40

 

(You shall love the LORD with all your heart.  You shall love HIM more than you love your loved ones.  You shall long for HIM, you shall forget yourself so that, in everything, you search for what HE wants most from you.

You shall love the LORD, with all your mind.  You shall devote the best of your intelligence to knowing HIM.  Looking into your own life, you shall understand how much HE has guided you.  You shall try to understand how the kingdom of GOD is coming through world and daily events.  Praying and reading the Scriptures regularly, you shall ask GOD to give you HIS own Spirit so that you may understand HIM better.

You shall love the LORD, with all your strength.  Since you are very weak in this, you shall ask for HIS help and strive to unite with the true servants of GOD, using the means that the Church makes available to you.

The commandment to love your neighbor as you love yourself comes second, because it cannot be understood or fulfilled without love of GOD.  For GOD asks for more than solidarity with one's neighbor, or concern for those who are suffering.  We should make an effort to look at our brothers and sisters in the same way that the FATHER does.  We should give them what the FATHER wants for them.  Among so many good things we could do for our neighbor, we should select those that the Holy Spirit inspires us to do.  All this requires that we first know and love GOD.

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A True Child Of Israel

"Philip found Nathanael and said to him, 'We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law, and the prophets: HE is JESUS, son of Joseph, from Nazareth.'

Nathanael replied, 'Can anything good come from Nazareth?'  Philip said to him, "Come and see.'  When JESUS saw Nathanael coming, HE said to him, 'Here comes an Israelite, a true one; there is nothing false in him.'  Nathanael asked HIM, 'How do YOU know me?'  And JESUS said to him, 'Before Philip called you, you were under the fig tree, and I saw you.'

Nathanael answered, 'Master, YOU are the Son of GOD!  YOU are the king of Israel!'  But JESUS replied, 'You believe because I said, 'I saw you under the fig tree.'  But you will see greater things than that.

Truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened, and the angels of GOD ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." - John 1:45-51 

(These two disciples recognized JESUS.  It would be more exact to say that JESUS recognized those whom the FATHER had entrusted to HIM.  Thus HE recognized Nathanael when he was under the fig tree.  Among the Jews, this expression referred to a teacher of the law engaged in teaching religion, since ordinarily they taught under the shade of a tree.  In the same way, JESUS recognized Simon whom the FATHER chose to be the first Rock of the Church [Matthew 16:13].

You will see the heavens opened.  See Genesis 28:12.)

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Hear Me, That GOD May Hear You!

"Then all the lords of Shechem and the whole council assembled together by the oak at the pillar in Shechem, and proclaimed Abimelech king.

When Jotham was told about this, he went to the top of Mount Gerizim.  There he cried out to them, 'Listen to me, lords of Shechem, that GOD may listen to you!

The trees once set out to find and anoint a king.  They said to the olive tree, 'Be our king.'  The olive tree answered, 'Am I going to renounce the oil by which--thanks to me--gods and people are honored, to hold sway over the trees?'

The trees said to the fig tree: 'Come and reign over us.'  The fig tree answered them, 'Am I going to renounce my sweetness and my delicious fruit, to hold sway over the trees?'

The trees said to the vine: 'Come and reign over us.'  The vine answered, 'Am I going to renounce my juice which cheers gods and people to hold sway over the trees?'

Then the trees said to the bramble bush: 'Come, reign over us.'  The bramble bush answered the trees, 'If you come in sincerity to anoint me as your king, then come near and take shelter in my shade; but if not, let fire break out of the bramble bush to devour even the cedars of Lebanon.'" - Judges 9:6-15 

(An ancient fable was inserted and placed in the mouth of Jotham whereby the authority of the kings was vehemently criticized: the most useless persons, it claims, are those who are willing to reign.

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Blessed Be The Name Of The LORD Forever

"Alleluia!

Praise, O servants of YAHWEH,

praise the name of YAHWEH!

Blessed be the name of YAHWEH

now and forever!

From eastern lands to the western islands,

may the name of YAHWEH be praised!

- Psalm 113:1-3

The Annunciation

(The psalmist urges the people to offer praise to the Almighty LORD of heaven and earth.  GOD calls them HIS friends, raising them up to HIS own height.

What distinguishes GOD from humans is not the infinity of HIS creation, but HIS way of being with us, HIS preference for what many despise.  GOD likes to choose poor instruments, to achieve HIS great deeds of grace.

Our GOD does not remain isolated in heaven.  HE has come down to earth.  HE has become one of us, identified with those who are helpless.  With the present psalm, let us exalt the Name of the LORD, great and sublime.)

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He Went Away Sad

"It was then, that a young man approached HIM and asked, 'Master, what good work must I do to receive eternal life?'  JESUS answered, 'Why do you ask ME about what is good?  One, only, is good.  If you want to enter eternal life, keep the commandments.'  The young man said, 'Which commandments?'  JESUS replied, 'Do not kill; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother.  And love your neighbor as yourself.'

The young said to HIM, 'I have kept all these commandments.  What do I still lack?'  JESUS answered, 'If you wish to be perfect, go, sell all that you possess, and give the money to the poor; and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come back and follow ME.'

On hearing this, the young man went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth." - Matthew 19:16-22

(JESUS faces a question.  HE discloses three aspects and gives three answers:

One only is good.  This man has been captivated by the personality of JESUS, and JESUS, as always, directs him to the FATHER.  There is, in fact, a distortion to Christian faith, dangerous as it is subtle: to speak only of JESUS: "JESUS sees you..."  "JESUS loves you..."  "JESUS is love..." as if we were not living for GOD.  Love of the FATHER means wanting to be perfect as the FATHER is and working for HIS kingdom.  First of all it needs to be free, and the rich man can only be free through voluntary poverty.

This man also wanted to know how to receive eternal life [the text says in Hebrew style "to have in heritage"] and JESUS will clearly state at the end, that even if we obey the commandments, we do not "merit" eternal life: salvation is always a gift of GOD.

Finally there is the question that bothers us most for all that touches money affects us deeply, and it is there that the Gospel shocks us: it is easier for a camel... [v. 24].

The call of the rich young man has always been considered the model of the religious, apostolic vocation.  Without effective, voluntary poverty a person will never attain union with GOD that is the goal of the true religious.  Besides, as long as the apostles share the life of comfortable people, they will be able to be their friends but they will never have deep conversions nor will they during this time reach the immense world of the poor.

The problem of poverty is also at the heart of the family in today's world: for the greater number, believers or non-believers, the joys and blessings that GOD showers on a large family will only be given to those who have ceased to evaluate everything according to the criteria of money and security.) 

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A House Of Prayer For All

"This is what YAHWEH says:

Maintain what is right and do what is just, for salvation is close at hand, MY justice is soon to come.

Blessed is the mortal who does these things, and perseveres in them, who does not defile the Sabbath and who refrains from evil.

Let no foreigner say, 'Surely YAHWEH will exclude me from HIS people,'  Neither let the castrated man say, 'I have become a mere dry tree.'

For this is what YAHWEH says: To the castrated men who keep my Sabbaths, who choose to do what pleases ME and remain faithful to MY Covenant:

I will give them in MY house and within its walls, a memorial and a name that are worth more than sons and daughters; I will give them a name that will never die away or be forgotten.

YAHWEH says to the foreigners who join HIM, serving HIM and loving HIS name, keeping HIS Sabbath unprofaned and remaining faithful to HIS Covenant:

I will bring them to MY holy mountain and give them joy in MY house of prayer.  I will accept on MY altar their burnt offerings and sacrifices, for MY house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations." - Isaiah 56:1-7 

(The Jewish law--reflecting the thinking of the times--excluded foreigners in certain circumstances, as well as eunuchs, [castrated men] from their religious assemblies. 

The prophet reveals that such exclusion is not endorsed by GOD.)

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Children Were Brought To JESUS

"Then little children were brought to JESUS, that HE might lay HIS hands on them and pray for them.  But the disciples scolded those who brought them.  JESUS then said, 'Let the children be!  Don't hinder them from coming to ME; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to those who are humble, like these children.'  JESUS laid HIS hands on them and went away." - Matthew 19:13-15   

(JESUS despite having no children of HIS own, opens to everyone the richness of HIS heart.  HE marvels at the mystery of life that begins full of hope, and discovers the likeness of the FATHER in every unknown child.  How could JESUS, who asks us to have hope, forget that the children are also our hope?

We must be like children in order to enter the kingdom of GOD.  We must forget our wisdom and self-sufficiency, and the bitterness of past experience in order to receive GOD's gifts and words in wonder and simplicity.)

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Some Are Incapable Of Marriage

"Some Pharisees approached HIM.  They wanted to test HIM and asked, 'Is a man allowed to divorce his wife for any reason he wants?'

JESUS replied. 'Have you not read, that, in the beginning, the Creator made them male and female?  And the Creator said: Therefore, a man shall leave father and mother, and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one body.  So, they are no longer two, but one body.  Let no one separate what GOD has joined.'

They asked HIM, 'Then why did Moses command us to write a bill of dismissal in order to divorce?'  JESUS replied, 'Moses knew the hardness of your hearts, so he allowed you to divorce your wives; but it was not so in the beginning.  Therefore, I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, unless it be for immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.'

The disciples said, 'If that is the condition of a married man, it is better not to marry.'  JESUS said to them, 'Not everybody can accept what you have just said, but only those who have received this gift.  There are eunuchs born so, from their mother's womb.  Some have been made that way by others.  But there are some who have given up the possibility of marriage, for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.  Let the one who can accept it, accept it.'" - Matthew 19:3-12

 

(Every human society has had its laws on marriage, and it was the same for Israel.  There was then a law on divorce, in harmony with the difference of status accorded by society to man and woman; it was in Scripture [Deuteronomy 24:1].  JESUS does not want to be involved in the discussions of teachers and interpreters of the law: HE opposes this law with another word of Scripture which presents GOD's point of view regarding human attitudes which HE tolerates.

In doing this JESUS shows how HE brings the law to "perfection" [5:17], but clearly this "Law of GOD" can only be heard by those who have received the Spirit from JESUS, a fact that is emphasized in the reaction of the disciples.

Better not to marry.  JESUS does not apologize for these demanding words.  HE only proposes something more difficult to understand.  HE praises those to whom have been given to choose celibacy as a way of life for love of the kingdom.)

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Alleluia!

"Alleluia!

When Israel came out of Egypt,

the family of Jacob,

from a people of foreign language,

Judah became HIS Sanctuary;

Israel, HIS possession.

At HIS sight, the sea fled

and the Jordan retreated;

the mountains skipped like rams,

the hills frolicked like lambs.

Why is it, sea, that you flee?

Jordan, that you turn back?

Mountains, that you skip like rams?

Hills, that you frolic like lambs?"

- Psalm 114:1-6

The Wedding At Cana

(Our GOD is not a helpless idol.  HE is the living GOD--alive and in constant activity.  That we are alive is the result of HIS action.  As if the river were to run backwards, as if the solid mountains were to jump up and down--so astonishing it is that GOD should come to people, to make them share HIS life. 

The exit from Egypt and the entrance into the Promised Land is the basic creed of Israel.  With this hymn, we can celebrate the core of our faith: the passing, the Passover of the LORD.  The wonders of GOD are also seen in JESUS, at the wedding feast in Cana where water was changed into wine in John 2:9 and in Mark 14:24, JESUS changed wine into HIS Blood.  And to date the miracle continues to take place in the Eucharist.)

The Eucharist

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No Prophet Like Moses

"From the barren plain of Moab, Moses went up to mount Nebo, to the summit of Pisgah, opposite Jericho.  And YAHWEH showed him all the Land: from Gilead to Dan, the whole of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim, and of Manasseh, the whole land of Judah, as far as the Western Sea, the Negeb, the Plains, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar.  And YAHWEHG said to him: 'This is the land about which I swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, promising it to their descendants.  I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you shall not enter it.'

Moses, the servant of GOD, died there in the land of Moab, according to the will of YAHWEH.  They buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor; but to this very day, no one knows where his tomb is.

Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died.  He did not lose his vigor and his eyes still saw clearly.  The children of Israel mourned for him in the plains of Moab for thirty days.  But Joshua, son of Nun, was full of the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands upon him.  The children of Israel obeyed him and did as YAHWEH had commanded Moses.

No prophet like Moses has appeared again.  YAHWEH conversed with him face to face.  What signs and wonders he worked in Egypt against Pharaoh, against his people and all his land!  He displayed great power and awesome might in view of all Israel!" - Deuteronomy 34:1-12 

(The book concludes with the death of Moses.  There is something grandiose in this solitary end of the leader and founder of Israel.  GOD had separated him from HIS people, when HE shared HIS secrets with him and gave him HIS own authority.  Moses alone had to bear the responsibility and the burden of Israel before GOD, to the point of becoming identified with Israel.

No prophet like  Moses has appeared again.  All our faith is affirmed in the revelation of the only GOD to Moses and in the election of Israel under his leadership.  However, this does not mean that revelation ceased.  Israel knows that no prophet has appeared though they continue to expect a prophet like him [18:15].  This means that faith is not locked in the faithfulness to a book, even if such a book is the Old Testament.  GOD's people continued to discover the ways of GOD and the contemporaries of JESUS had to see in HIM the expected "Prophet."  As for us, our faith is also rooted in the faith the Church and, with the Church, we discover everyday the teaching of the Spirit.)

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HE Must Reign

"But no, CHRIST has been raised from the dead, and HE comes before all those who have fallen asleep.  A human being brought death; a human being also brings resurrection of the dead.  For, as in Adam all die, so, in CHRIST, all will be made alive.  However, each one in his own time: first CHRIST, then CHRIST's people, when HE comes.

Then, the end will come, when CHRIST delivers the kingdom to GOD the FATHER, after having destroyed every rule, authority and power.  For HE must reign and put all enemies under HIS feet.  The last enemy to be destroyed will be death.  As Scripture says: GOD has subjected everything under HIS feet." - 1 Corinthians 15:20-27 

(Whoever shares the faith of the apostles has accepted Resurrection as a fact.  Paul immediately goes to the consequences for us: shall we also enter another life?

For as in Adam all die.  The myths of various religions in the past projected onto some mysterious personage our own condition, but were unable to do more than give a meaning to life.  They could not change it.  Faith instead tells us that the Son-of-GOD-made-human has lived among us and lived for all of us.  Let us leave aside our individualistic vision in which each one sees no more than his own destiny: for GOD the entire venture of creation and salvation is that of Adam, one and multiple at the same time.  JESUS who is HIMSELF Man has lived it fully for all of us.

Then the end will come, when CHRIST delivers the kingdom to GOD the FATHER.  Here again, let us leave aside simplistic images.  Let us remember that there is only one GOD.  Here, the Son is the word of GOD made flesh who has taken on HIS shoulders the whole history of humankind.  HE who is eternally returning to the FATHER from whom HE is born brings to the eternity of GOD all creation.  There will not be a re-beginning of history.  GOD will be all in all, we will receive GOD from GOD and we will have all, finally becoming ourselves.  That, surely, surpasses all we could have imagined, but Paul adds: The last enemy to be destroyed will be death.  John will say the same in Revelation [21:4].)

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The Son Of Man Will Be Delivered Into The Hands Of Men

"While JESUS was in Galilee with the Twelve, HE said to them, 'The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill HIM.  But HE will rise on the third day.'  The Twelve were deeply grieved." - Matthew 17:22-23 

(Several times JESUS announced HIS death: see 16:21; 20:17.  Never did HE present it as a misfortune that might counteract HIS mission.  John will say that JESUS looked for it as the means for giving glory to HIS FATHER and reconciling humankind [John 17].  JESUS speaks of HIMSELF in the third person: the Son of Man, because HE looks at HIS destiny as an outsider.  This is the will of HIS FATHER, and HE is not concerned about HIMSELF.)

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I Speak The Truth In CHRIST

"I tell you, sincerely, in CHRIST, and my conscience assures me in the Holy Spirit, that I am not lying: I have great sadness and constant anguish for the Jews.  I would even desire, that, I myself, suffer the curse of being cut off from CHRIST, instead of my brethren: I mean, my own people, my kin.  They are Israelites, whom GOD adopted, and on them, rests HIS glory.  Theirs, are the Covenants, the law, the worship and the promises of GOD.  They are descendants of the patriarchs, and from their race, CHRIST was born, HE, who, as GOD, is above all distinctions.  Blessed be HE forever and ever: Amen!" - Romans 9:1-5 

(Paul, being a Jew, shares the worries of the few Jews who have believed in CHRIST.  Why did the chosen people not recognize their Savior?  If they were a chosen nation, why were so few selected?

It is the same worry of Catholic families when their children do not go to church or when teenagers declare they have lost their faith.  It is the same uneasiness we feel in the course of a mission: those who habitually go to church are perhaps the hardest to lead to conversion and are the ones that most obstruct the evangelization of outsiders.

Faith is not transmitted in heritage from father to son, mother to daughter.  There have certainly been times and cultural systems where a whole nation followed the same religion and apparently shared the same faith.  The Book of Acts shows how on several occasions the conversion of the head of the family brought about the baptism of the whole household [Acts 11:14; 16:33].  Faith however will always be a grace of GOD.  In our days people have acquired complete autonomy and live in a world where all beliefs meet: faith can no longer be a family possession.)

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LORD, Have Pity On My Son

"When they came to the crowd, a man approached JESUS, knelt before HIM and said, 'Sir, have pity on my son, who is an epileptic and suffers terribly.  He has often fallen into the fire, and at other times into the water.  I brought him to YOUR disciples but they could not heal him.'

JESUS replied, 'O you people, faithless and misled!  How long must I be with you?  How long must I put up with you?  Bring him here to ME.'  And JESUS commanded the evil spirit to leave the boy, and the boy was immediately healed.

Later, the disciples approached JESUS and asked HIM privately, 'Why couldn't we drive out the spirit?'  JESUS said to them, 'Because you have little faith.  I say to you: if only you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could tell that mountain to move from here to there, and the mountain would obey.  Nothing would be impossible for you.'" - Matthew 17:14-20

(All things are possible for one who believes.  JESUS has gone back to the crowd and again HE meets with human unbelief.  The prayer of the child's father would be a model for all Christian prayer.  If we turn to GOD in prayer, it is because we have faith; and yet in doing this we discover the poverty and the fragility of our faith.

Why couldn't we drive out the evil spirit?  The apostles wonder: did JESUS not give them power over the demons?  They are not aware of their lack of faith and easily forget how far they are from their Master.  To them are directed the sharp words of JESUS: You, faithless people!  How many people think they are great believers when, in fact their faith has still not moved anything!)  

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HE Will Repay Each According To His Conduct

"Then JESUS said to HIS disciples. 'If you want to follow ME, deny yourself.  Take up your cross and follow ME.  For whoever chooses to save his life will lose it, but the one who loses his life, for MY sake, will find it.  What will one gain by winning the whole world, if he destroys his soul?  Or what can a person give, in exchange for his life?

Know, that the Son of Man will come, in the glory of HIS FATHER with the holy angels, and HE will reward each one according to his deeds.  Truly, I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death, before they see the Son of Man coming in HIS kingdom.'" - Matthew 16:24-28 

(Whoever chooses to save his life will lose it.  JESUS draws attention to the great option of every human life: we cannot discover GOD; we cannot make a success of life without sacrificing it.  All the rest is idle talk.  The option terrifies us in the same measure that life for us seems promising.  It is also the reason why marriage and family frighten many.

Christian freedom and happiness are found only in the joyous acceptance of the will of GOD which invites us to listen to HIS Son and follow HIM down the road and paths that HE traveled.)

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Whoever Serves ME Must Follow ME

"Truly, I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.

Those who love their life destroy it, and those who despise their life in this world save it even to everlasting life.

Whoever wants to serve ME, let him follow ME; and wherever I AM, there shall MY servant be also.  If anyone serves ME, the FATHER will honor him." - John 12:24-26

JESUS, The Grain Of Wheat

(Unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies.  JESUS will die and the universal Church will be born.  JESUS allows HIS lifeless body to be laid in the earth; on rising from the tomb, HIS same body, now glorified, will also embrace the believers united to HIM.  The life that is now HIS will be communicated to all the children of GOD.

Unless the grain dies.  This is the law for all life that will be fruitful [Mark 8:34].  The first believers were already saying: "The blood of the martyrs is a seed.")

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The Whole Community Broke Out With Loud Cries

"YAHWEH then spoke to Moses, saying, 'Send men to explore the land of Canaan that I AM giving to the Israelites; send one man from each of the ancestral tribes, all of them leaders.'

After forty days of exploration, they returned.  They went and met Moses, Aaron and the whole community of Israelites in the wilderness of Paran at Kadesh.  They gave an account to them and the whole community and showed them the fruit of this land.  And they said,

'We entered the land where you sent us, truly a land flowing with milk and honey and here is the fruit.  But how strong are the people who inhabit the land!  The cities are fortified with walls and bars, and we even saw there descendants of the Anakites.  Amalekites live in the region of the Negeb; Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; the Canaanites are by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.'

Caleb then quieted the people who rose up against Moses and said, 'We should go up and take over the land, for we shall surely overcome it.'  But the men who had gone up with him said, 'We cannot advance against these people for they are stronger than we are.'

And they spread an unfavorable report about the land that they had explored, saying to the Israelites, 'The land we went through to explore is a land that devours its inhabitants and all the people we saw there are men of great size.  We even saw giants [these giants were the Anakites].  We felt like grasshoppers before them, and to them we must have seemed the same.'

Then all the community broke out in loud cries and wept during the night.

Then YAHWEH spoke to Moses and Aaron saying, 'How long will this wicked community grumble against ME?'  I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel against ME.  Say to them: As truly as I live, it is YAHWEH who speaks, I will do to you what you have said in MY hearing.  All of you of twenty years or more, numbered in the census, who grumbled against ME, your corpses will fall in the desert.

According to the number of days spent in exploring the land--forty days, for every day a year--for forty years you shall bear the guilt of your sins and you shall know what it is to oppose ME.  I, YAHWEH, have spoken.  Surely this is what I will do to this wicked community that has conspired against ME.  In this wilderness they shall be destroyed and this is where they shall die.'" - Numbers 13:1-2, 25-14:1, 26-29, 34-35 

(Here, Scripture describes one of the great sins of Israel, as in Exodus 32.  It would not have been difficult for Israel to believe in YAHWEH if HE had not required that they conquer the land, a challenge which frightened them.  In the same way today, many Christians filled with spiritual favor get scared when the church asks them to commit themselves to the task of justice and reconciliation in every area of the world.

We can recall experiences very similar to this rebellion.

Fear is a bad adviser; it turns cowards into violent people.

Mediocre people kill the prophets either to preserve their peace, or to return "to the slavery of Egypt."

Yet, GOD comes to the rescue of the person who confronts the crowds for the sake of GOD. 

How long will this people spurn ME.  The fear of acting is an insult to GOD.  These words are also addressed to all those who today, faced with the wounds of our society, say: nothing can be done.

GOD forgives, but this does not exempt people from having to pay the price of their errors.  The rebellion of Kadesh and the following defeat are given as the reason for the long time spent by the Hebrews in the desert.  They did, in fact, spend a fairly long time, forty years, not far from Kadesh as if prevented from entering the land of Canaan.  The word is harsh: all who have refused to take part in the conquest will die at the gate of the Promised Land.)

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"Truly, YOU Are The Son Of GOD!"

"Immediately, JESUS obliged HIS disciples to get into the boat and go ahead of HIM to the other side, while HE sent the crowd away.

And having sent the people away, HE went up the mountain by HIMSELF, to pray.  At nightfall, HE was there alone.  Meanwhile, the boat was very far from land, dangerously rocked by the waves, for the wind was against it.

At daybreak, JESUS came to them, walking on the sea.  When they saw HIM walking on the sea, they were terrified, thinking that it was a ghost.  And they cried out in fear.  But at once, JESUS said to them, 'Courage!  Don't be afraid.  It's ME!'  Peter answered, 'LORD, if it is YOU, command me to come to YOU on the water.'

JESUS said to him, 'Come!'  And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water to go to JESUS.  But seeing the strong wind, he was afraid, and began to sink; and he cried out, 'LORD save me!'  JESUS immediately stretched out HIS hand and took hold of him, saying, 'Man of little faith, why did you doubt?'

As they got into the boat, the wind dropped.  Then those in the boat bowed down before JESUS, saying, 'Truly, YOU are the Son of GOD!'

They came ashore at Gennesaret.  The local people recognized JESUS and spread the news throughout the region.  So they brought to HIM all the sick people, begging HIM to let them touch just the hem of HIS cloak.  All who touched it became perfectly well." - Matthew 14:22-36 

(JESUS obliged them to get into the boat.  Why?  John's Gospel explains this [John 6:15].  Because of the people, enthused by the miracle, wanted to make HIM a king and liberator sent by GOD.  Even the apostles were eager for this to happen.

They were terrified: thinking that it was a ghost.  The apostles shared the same fears and superstitions that their kinsfolk had.  Only in time would they reach mature faith which drives away these paralyzing beliefs.

Command me to come to YOU.  Matthew is not interested in emphasizing Peter's doubt, but his faith.  Peter alone dared to attempt something that seemed to be reserved for JESUS, and after joining his companions again in the boat he was, though soaked, the happiest of them all.

Man of little faith.  Once more JESUS' reproaches are addressed to HIS best disciples [as in 6:30; 8:26; 16:8; 17:20]--in order to convince future disciples, like us, that much is still lacking in our faith.)

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They All Ate And Were Satisfied

"When JESUS hear of it, HE set out by boat for a secluded place, to be alone.  But the people heard of it, and they followed HIM on foot from their towns.  When JESUS went ashore, HE saw the crowd gathered there, and HE had compassion on them.  And HE healed their sick.

Late in the afternoon, HIS disciples came to HIM and said, 'We are in a lonely place and it is now late.  YOU should send these people away, so that they can go to the villages and buy something for themselves to eat.'

But JESUS replied, 'They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat.'  They answered, 'We have nothing here but five loaves and two fishes.'  JESUS said to them, 'Bring them here to ME.'

Then HE made everyone sit down on the grass.  HE took the five loaves and the two fishes, raised HIS eyes to heaven, pronounced the blessing, broke the loaves, and handed them to the disciples to distribute to the people.  And they all ate, and everyone had enough; then the disciples gathered up the leftovers, filling twelve baskets.  About five thousand men had eaten there, besides women and children." - Matthew 14:13-21 

(JESUS is the bread needed by humanity [John 6].  GOD has set on this earth all that humanity needs for food and development, but if we do not know how to listen to the word, we will not know how to solve the world's most urgent problem, the distribution of the riches of the earth.  Faith in GOD's promises is the only force with which to fight against egoism and unequal privileges, and it will eventually obtain food, peace, and freedom for all.

Because of this, JESUS had compassion for this crowd whose leaders had little concern for them.  Without bothering about food, this crowd sat listening to HIM while HE conveyed to them the word of GOD that liberates people from blindness and emptiness.  Then, being the Shepherd and the True Bread of Life, HE gave them food and distributed it.)

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We Ourselves Heard This Voice

"Indeed, what we taught you about the power, and the return of CHRIST JESUS our LORD, was not drawn from myths or formulated theories.  We, ourselves, were eyewitnesses of HIS majesty, when HE received glory and honor from GOD, the FATHER, when, from the magnificent glory, this most extraordinary word came upon HIM: 'This is MY beloved SON, this is MY Chosen One.'  We, ourselves, heard this voice from heaven, when we were with HIM on the holy mountain.

Therefore, we believe most firmly in the message of the prophets, which you should consider rightly, as a lamp shining in a dark place, until the break of day, when the Morning Star shines in your hearts." - 2 Peter 1:16-19

(What we taught you... was not drawn from myths or formulated theories.  Faith is not based on reasons and theories.  We believe in what the apostles saw and in the prophets' words.  It is true that through the centuries the understanding of the consequences of faith has developed, situating it within the realities of life; there has also been a constant effort to express what faith is in the language of our day.  Nevertheless we continue holding and believing the mystery of CHRIST in the way the apostles believed and understood it.)

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Stand In Fear Of YOUR GOD

"YAHWEH spoke to Moses on Mt. Sinai:

When seven Sabbaths of years have passed, that is, seven times seven years, there shall be the time of the seven weeks of years, that is forty-nine years.  Then on the tenth day of the seventh month sound the trumpet loudly.  On this Day of Atonement sound the trumpet all through the land.  Keep holy the fiftieth year and proclaim freedom for all the inhabitants of the land.  It shall be a jubilation year for you when each one shall recover his property and go back to his family.  In this fiftieth year, your year of Jubilee, you shall neither sow nor reap the aftergrowth, nor gather the grapes from the uncultivated vines.  This Jubilee year shall be holy for you, and you shall eat what the field yields of itself without cultivation.

In this year of Jubilee each of you shall recover his own property.  When you sell something to your neighbor or buy something from him, do not wrong one another.  According to the number of years after the Jubilee, you shall buy it from your neighbor and according to the number of years left for harvesting crops he shall sell to you.  When the years are many the price shall be greater and when the years are few the price shall be less, for it is the number of crops that he is selling to you.  So you shall not wrong one another but you shall fear YOUR GOD, for I AM YAHWEH, YOUR GOD." - Leviticus 25:1, 8-17 

(Every fifty years a Jubilee year is to be celebrated: its value is even more sacred.  The word jubilee does not come from jubilation, but both words come from the Hebrew yobel or ram's horn which was used to proclaim this holy year.  That year, all slaves had to be liberated; all mortgaged fields and houses would return to their owners without payment involved.

The year of the jubilee is, therefore, very holy because it intends to establish a perfect reconciliation, not only among Israelite brothers, but also with GOD.  HE is also invited to cancel the debts.  The holy year celebrated by all the people maintains the hope of a holy year whose cost will be shouldered by GOD HIMSELF, on the way to salvation: see Isaiah 61:1, a text which JESUS applies to HIMSELF [Luke 4:19].

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Lack Of Faith

"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 

(Faith is the assurance of what we hope for, being certain of what we cannot see [Hebrews 11:1].)

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Like A Net Thrown Into The Sea

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a big fishing net, let down into the sea, in which every kind of fish has been caught. When the net is full, it is dragged ashore. Then they sit down and gather the good fish into buckets, but throw the bad away. That is how it will be at the end of time; the angels will go out to separate the wicked from the just, and to throw the wicked into the blazing furnace, where they will weep and gnash their teeth.

JESUS asked, ‘Have you understood all these things?’ ‘Yes,’ they answered. So HE said to them , ‘Therefore, every teacher of the law, who becomes a disciple of the kingdom of heaven, is like a householder, who can produce from his store things both new and old.’

When JESUS had finished these parables, HE left the place.” – Matthew 13:47-53 

(The Church has given the kingdom to those who entered, but some of them belong to the visible family of the chosen ones, without having the spirit of the kingdom.

By speaking of the net, JESUS reminds us that the first activity of the Church must be mission: “to catch people.” Many of them surely will not persevere, but a Church that closes itself would die.

How we would like to have a perfect Church made of upright persons, in which each one would discover the gifts of GOD! CHRIST, however, did not want a Church like that, nor is that the way for the Church to save the world.)

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