Thursday, April 03, 2025
Praise And Fear Of GOD
The Testimony
"If I bore witness to MYSELF, MY testimony would be worthless. But Another One is bearing witness to ME and I know that HIS testimony is true when HE bears witness to ME. John also bore witness to the truth when YOU sent messengers to him, but I do not seek such human testimony; I recall this for you, so that you may be saved.
John was a burning and shining lamp, and for a while you were willing to enjoy his light. But I have greater evidence than that of John - the works which the FATHER entrusted to ME to carry out. The very works I do bear witness: the FATHER has sent ME. Thus HE who bears witness to ME is the FATHER who sent ME. You have never heard HIS voice and have never seen HIS likeness; then, as long as you do not believe HIS messenger, HIS word is not in you.
You search in the Scriptures thinking that in them you will find life; yet Scripture bears witness to ME. But you refuse to come to ME, that you may live. I AM not seeking human praise; but I have known that love of GOD is not within you, for I have come in MY FATHER's name and you do not accept ME. If another comes in his own name, you will accept him. As long as you seek praise from one another instead of seeking the glory coming from the only GOD, how can you believe?
Do not think that I shall accuse you to the FATHER. Moses himself in whom you placed your hope, accuses you. If you believed Moses, you would believe ME, for he wrote of ME. But if you do not believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?" - John 5:31-47
Tuesday, April 01, 2025
YAHWEH's Maternal Love For HIS People
On-Site
The River That Flows From The Temple
"The man brought me back to the entrance of the temple and I saw water coming out from the threshold of the temple and flowing eastward. The temple faced the east and the water flowed from the south side of the temple, from the south side of the altar. He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside, to the outer gate facing the east; and there I saw the stream coming from the south side.
The man had a measuring cord in his hand. As he went towards the east, he measured off a thousand cubits; and led me across the water which was up to my ankles. He measured off another thousand cubits and made me cross the water, which came to my knees. He measured off another thousand cubits and we crossed the water, which was up to my waist. When he had again measured a thousand cubits, I could not cross the torrent, for it had swollen to a depth which was impossible to cross without swimming.
The man then said to me, 'Son of man, did you see?' He led me on further and then brought me back to the bank of the river. There I saw a number of trees on both sides of the river. He said to me, 'This water goes to the east, down to the Arabah, and when it flows into the sea of foul-smelling water, the water will become wholesome. Wherever the river flows, swarms of creatures will live in it; fish will be plentiful; and the seawater will become fresh. Wherever it flows, life will abound.
Near the river on both banks, there will be all kinds of fruit trees, with foliage that will not wither; and fruit that will never fail; each month they will bear a fresh crop, because the water comes from the temple. The fruit will be good to eat, and the leaves will be used for healing." - Ezekiel 47:1-9. 12
(Note the vision of the river which makes the land fruitful and starts from the place where GOD is present. The invisible GOD manifests HIMSELF in the life which HE gives to people. The Holy Spirit, imaged in the stream of living water [see John 7:38], makes all the seeds of life blossom again in the world.
The stream flows to the Salt Sea or the Dead Sea. [Its waters are so salty that there are no fish. No plants can grow on the shores.] This serves as an image of the healing that GOD brings to a world, sterile because of its sins. The fruit will be good to eat, and the leaves will be used for healing.)
Sunday, March 30, 2025
A New Heaven And A New Earth
"I now create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind again.
Be glad forever and rejoice in what I create; for I create Jerusalem to be a joy and its people to be a delight. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in MY people.
The sound of distress and the voice of weeping will not be heard in it anymore.
You will no longer know of dead children or of adults who do not live out a lifetime. One who reaches a hundred years will have died a mere youth, but one who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed.
They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant crops and eat their fruit." - Isaiah 65:17-21
The Lost Sheep
"What do you think of this? If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them strays, won't he leave the ninety-nine on the hillside, and go to look for the stray one? And I tell you: when he finally finds it, he is more pleased about it than about the ninety-nine that did not get lost. It is the same with your FATHER in heaven: there they don't want even one of these little ones to be lost." - Matthew 18:12-14
Friday, March 28, 2025
It Is Love That I Desire, Not Sacrifice.
The Greatest Commandment
"A teacher of the law had been listening to this discussion and admired how JESUS answered them. So, he came up and asked HIM, 'Which commandment is the first of all?'
JESUS answered, 'The first is: Hear, Israel! The LORD, our GOD, is One LORD; and you shall love the LORD, your GOD, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. And after this comes a second commandment: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these two.'
The teacher of the law said to HIM, 'Well spoken, Master; YOU are right when YOU say that HE is one, and there is no other besides HIM. To loave HIM with all our heart, with all our understanding and with all our strength, and to loave our neighbor as ourselves is more important than any burnt offering or sacrifice.'
JESUS approved this answer and said, 'You are not far from the kingdom of GOD.' And after that, no one dared to ask HIM any more questions." - Mark 12:28-34
(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.)
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
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
More Perfect Law
"Do not think that I have come to remove the Law and the Prophets. I have not come to remove but to fulfill them. I tell you this: as long as heaven and earth last, not the smallest letter or stroke of the law will change until all is fulfilled.
So then, whoever breaks the least important of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be the least in the kingdom of heaven. On the other hand, whoever obeys them and teaches others to do the same will be great in the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 5:17-19
Monday, March 24, 2025
The Annunciation
"In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from GOD to a town of Galilee called Nazareth. He was sent to a young virgin who was betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the family of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
The angel came to her and said, 'Rejoice, full of grace, the LORD is with you.' Mary was troubled at these words, wondering what this greeting could mean.
But the angel said, 'Do not fear, Mary, for GOD has looked kindly on you. You shall conceive and bear a son, and you shall call him JESUS. HE will be great and shall rightly be called Son of the Most High. The LORD GOD will give HIM the kingdom of David, his ancestor; HE will rule over the people of Jacob forever and HIS reign shall have no end.'
Then Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be if I am a virgin?' And the angel said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the holy child to be born shall be called Son of GOD. Even your relative Elizabeth is expecting a son in her old age, although she was unable to have a child, and she is now in her sixth month. With GOD nothing is impossible.'
Then Mary said, 'I am the handmaid of the LORD, let it be done to me as you have said.' And the angel left her." - Luke 1:26-38
Healing Is A Gift
"So Naaman went down to the Jordan where he washed himself seven times as Elisha had ordered. His skin became soft like that of a child, and he was cleansed.
Then Naaman returned to the man of GOD with all his men. He entered and said to him, 'Now I know that there is no other GOD anywhere in the world but in Israel. I ask you to accept these gifts from your servant.'
But Elisha answered, 'I swear by YAHWEH whom I serve, I will accept nothing.' And however, much Naaman insisted, Elisha would not accept his gifts.
So Naaman told him, 'Since you refuse, let me get some sacks of soil from your land - the amount that two mules can carry. I shall use it to build an altar to YAHWEH, for I shall not offer sacrifices to any other god but HIM.'" - 2 Kings 5:14-17
Sunday, March 23, 2025
The Fig Tree Without Fruit
"One day some persons told JESUS what had occurred in the Temple: Pilate had Galileans killed and their blood mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. JESUS replied, 'Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this? I tell you: no. But unless you change your ways, you will all perish as they did.
And those eighteen persons in Siloah who were crushed when the tower fell, do you think they were more guilty than all the others in Jerusalem? I tell you: no. But unless you change your ways, you will all perish as they did.'
And JESUS continued with this story, 'A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard and he came looking for fruit on it but found none. Then he said to the gardener: 'Look here, for three years now I have been looking for figs on this tree and I have found none. Cut it down, why should it use up the ground?' The gardener replied: 'Leave it one more year, so that I may dig around it and add some fertilizer; and perhaps it will bear fruit from now on. But if it doesn't, you can cut it down'." - Luke 13:1-9
The misfortune, which to us here below appears as the "punishment of GOD," is no more than a sign, a pedagogical measure used by GOD to make us aware of our sin. And GOD often converts a sinner by granting him unexpected favors [see the case of Zaccheus, Luke 19:1].
Friday, March 21, 2025
The Lost Sheep
"Meanwhile tax collectors and sinners were seeking the company of JESUS, all of them eager to hear what HE had to say. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law frowned at this, muttering, 'This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.' So, JESUS told them this parable:
'Who among you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, will not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and seek the lost one till he finds it? And finding it, will he not joyfully carry it home on his shoulders? Then he will call his friends and neighbors together, and say, 'Celebrate with me, for I have found my lost sheep!' I tell you, in the same way, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner, than over ninety-nine decent people, who do not need to repent.
What woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one, will not light a lamp, and sweep the house in a thorough search, till she finds the lost coin? And finding it, she will call her friends and neighbors, and say, 'Celebrate with me, for I have found the silver coin I lost!' I tell you, in the same way, there is rejoicing among the angels of GOD over one repentant sinner.'" - Luke 15:1-10
The Parable Of The Tenants
"Listen to another example: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, dug a hole for the wine press, built a watchtower, leased the vineyard to tenants, and then, went to a distant country. When harvest time came, the landowner sent his servants to the tenants to collect his share of the harvest. But the tenants seized his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.
Again, the owner sent more servants; but they were treated in the same way.
Finally, he sent his son, thinking, 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they thought, 'This is the one who is to inherit the vineyard. Let us kill him, and his inheritance will be ours.' So, they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
Now, what will the owner of the vineyard do with the tenants when he comes?' They said to him, 'He will bring those evil men to an evil end, and lease the vineyard to others, who will pay him in due time.'
And JESUS replied, 'Have you never read what the Scriptures say? The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This was the LORD's doing, and we marvel at it. Therefore, I say to you: the kingdom of heaven will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.'
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard these parables, they realized that JESUS was referring to them. They would have arrested HIM, but they were afraid of the crowd, who regarded HIM as a prophet." - Matthew 21:33-43. 45-46
On-Site
Thursday, March 20, 2025
The Rich Man And Lazarus
"Once there was a rich man who dressed in purple and fine linen and feasted every day. At his gate lay Lazarus, a poor man covered with sores, who longed to eat just the scraps falling from the rich man's table. Even dogs used to come and lick his sores. It happened that the poor man died, and angels carried him to take his place with Abraham. The rich man also died, and was buried. From the netherworld where he was in torment, the rich man looked up and saw Abraham afar off, and with him Lazarus at rest.
He called out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me, and send Lazarus, with the tip of his finger dipped in water, to cool my tongue, for I suffer so much in this fire!'
Abraham replied, 'My son, remember that in your lifetime you were well-off, while the lot of Lazarus was misfortune. Now he is in comfort, and you are in agony. But that is not all. Between your place and ours a great chasm has been fixed, so that no one can cross over from here to you, or from your side to us.'
The rich man implored once more, 'Then I beg you, Father Abraham, send Lazarus to my father's house, where my five brothers live. Let him warn them, so that they may not end up in this place of torment.' Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.' But the rich man said, 'No, Father Abraham; but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
Abraham said, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced, even if someone rises from the dead.'" - Luke 16:19-31
(The parable deals with the worldwide gap between the rich and the inhumanly poor. There is a deadly law of money which makes the rich live separately: housing, transportation, recreation, medical care. The wall the rich man willingly built in this life becomes, after his death, an abyss that no one will be able to bridge. The one who accepts this separation will find himself on the other side forever.
The Lazarus of today are legion and are already at our door; they are known as third or fourth world. On a world scale it is the more advanced countries and the privileged minorities that have taken possession of the table to which all were invited: the real power, and the culture imposed by the media. The national industries and sources of employment have been destroyed by a free exchange unimpeded by any social or moral restraint. Hundreds of millions of "Lazarus" people are marginalized and rejected until they die in misery, or through violence arising from a dehumanized life.
The Gospel, in its desire to save the rich as well as the poor, asks us to work with a view to removing the abyss that separates them. The time for breaking down the barrier is in this life.)
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
The Prophecy Of Nathan
"But that very night, YAHWEH's word came to Nathan, 'Go and tell MY servant David, this is what YAHWEH says: Are you able to build a house for ME to live in?
When the time comes for you to rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your son after you, the one born of you; and I will make his reign secure. He shall build a house for MY name I will firmly establish his kingship forever. I will be a FATHER to him and he shall be MY son. If he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod, as men do. Your house and your reign shall last forever before ME, and your throne shall be forever firm.'" - 2 Samuel 7:4-5. 12-14. 16
Monday, March 17, 2025
Do Not Imitate The Teachers Of The Law
"Then JESUS said to the crowds and to HIS disciples,
The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees sat on the seat of Moses. So, you shall do and observe all they say, but do not do as they do, for they do not do what they say. They tie up heavy burdens and load them on the shoulders of the people, but they do not even raise a finger to move them. They do everything in order to be seen by people; so, they wear very wide bands of the Law around their foreheads, and robes with large tassels. They enjoy the first place at feasts and reserved seats in the synagogues and being greeted in the marketplace and being called 'Master' by the people.
But you, do not let yourselves be called Master because you have only one Master, and all of you are brothers and sisters. Neither should you call anyone on earth FATHER, HE who is in heaven. Nor should you be called leader, because CHRIST is the only leader for you. Let the greatest among you be the servant of all. For whoever makes himself great shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be made great." - Matthew 23:1-12
On-Site
Sunday, March 16, 2025
For The Measure You Give Will Be The Measure You Receive Back.
"Be merciful, just as your FATHER is merciful.
Don't be a judge of others and you will not be judged; do not condemn and you will not be condemned; forgive and you will be forgiven; give and it will be given to you, and you will receive in your sack good measure, pressed down, full and running over. For the measure you give will be the measure you receive back." - Luke 6:36-38
"This Is MY Son, MY Beloved, Listen To HIM."
"About eight days after JESUS had said all this, HE took Peter, John and James, and went up the mountain to pray. And while HE was praying, the aspect of HIS face was changed, and HIS clothing became dazzling white. Two men were talking with JESUS: Moses and Elijah. Appearing in the glory of heaven, Moses and Elijah spoke to JESUS about HIS departure from this life, which was to take place in Jerusalem.
Peter and his companions had fallen asleep; but they awoke suddenly, and they saw HIS glory and the two men standing with HIM. As Moses and Elijah were about to leave, Peter--not knowing what to say--said to JESUS, 'Master, how good it is for us to be here! Let us make three tents, one for YOU, one for Moses and one for Elijah.' And no sooner had he spoken, than a cloud appeared and covered them; and the disciples were afraid as they entered the cloud. Then these words came from the cloud, 'This is MY Son, MY Beloved, listen to HIM.' And after the voice had spoken, JESUS was there alone.
The disciples kept this to themselves at the time, telling no one of anything they had seen." - Luke 9:28-36
On-Site
Saturday, March 15, 2025
Love Of Enemies
You have heard that it was said: Love your neighbor and do not do good to your enemy. But this I tell you: Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your FATHER in Heaven. For HE makes HIS sun rise on both the wicked and the good, and HE gives rain to both the just and the unjust.
If you love those who love you, what is special about that? Do not even tax collectors do as much? And if you are friendly only to your friends, what is so exceptional about that? Do not even the pagans do as much? For your part you shall be righteous and perfect in the way YOUR heavenly FATHER is righteous and perfect." - Matthew 5:43-48
Thursday, March 13, 2025
Prayer Of Repentance And Trust
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
Ask, And It Will Be Given To You.
“Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives; whoever seeks, finds; and to HIM who knocks, the door will be opened. Would any of you give a stone to your son, when he asks for bread? Or give him a snake, when he asks for a fish? However bad you may be, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more, then, will your FATHER in heaven give good things to those who ask HIM!
So, do to others whatever you would that others do to you: there, you have the law and the prophets.” – Matthew 7:7-12
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Jonah And The Ninevites
"As the crowd increased, JESUS began to speak in this way, 'People of the present time are evil 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
Monday, March 10, 2025
The Value Of Prayer Does Not Lie In The Quantity Of Words And The Mere Repetition Of Formulas, As If Accomplishing A Task.
"When we pray, do not use a lot of words, as the pagans do; for they believe that, the more they say, the more chance they have of being heard. Do not be like them. Your FATHER knows what you need, even before you ask HIM,
as we forgive those who are in debt to us.
If you forgive others their wrongdoings, your FATHER in heaven will also forgive yours. If you do not forgive others, then your FATHER will not forgive you." - Matthew 6:7-15
Saturday, March 08, 2025
The Universal Judgment
"When the Son of Man comes in HIS glory with all HIS angels, HE will sit on the throne of HIS glory. All the nations will be brought before HIM; and, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, so will HE do with them, placing the sheep on HIS right hand and the goats on HIS left.
The KING will say to those on HIS right, 'Come, blessed of MY FATHER! Take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed ME. I was thirsty, and you gave ME something to drink. I was a stranger, and you welcomed ME into your home. I was naked, and you clothed ME. I was sick, and you visited ME. I was in prison, and you came to see ME.'
Then the righteous will ask HIM, 'LORD, when did we see YOU hungry, and give YOU food; thirsty, and give YOU something to drink; or a stranger, and welcome YOU; or naked, and clothe YOU? When did we see YOU sick, or in prison, and go to see YOU?' The king will answer, 'Truly I say to you: just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of MINE, you did it to ME.'
The HE will say to those on HIS left, 'Go, cursed people, out of MY sight, into the eternal fire, which has been prepared for the devil and his angels! For I was hungry, and you did not give ME anything to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave ME nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not welcome ME into your house; I was naked, and you did not clothe ME; I was sick, and in prison, and you did not visit ME.'
They, too, will ask, 'LORD, when did we see YOU hungry, thirsty, naked or a stranger, sick or in prison, and di not help YOU? The king will answer them, 'Truly I say to you: just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it for ME.'
And these will go into eternal punishment; but the just, to eternal life.' " - Matthew 25:31-46
(We know that Christians are a minority in the world. As we do now, the Jews wondered about the majority of nations in the world, who were not among the Chosen People and did not know about GOD or HIS promises. The Jews envisioned a huge multitude, ready to "devour them," a restless world where GOD should one day impose HIS law. They used to call them the nations.
JESUS goes beyond these narrow perspectives and shows us how HE will judge everyone, making no distinctions based on origins when HE comes as KING of all nations. All those who, without knowing CHRIST, have shared in the common destiny of humankind, will be judged by HIM. In fact, HE never abandoned them but placed at their side "those little ones who are HIS brothers and sisters," as HIS representatives.
See, CHRIST reveals the innumerable human deeds that have built what is best in our civilization, and people brought before HIM look with amazement at the GOD whom they loved or despised in the person of their neighbor. Although the majority of them never thought of the afterlife, the kingdom of GOD is presented to them with its only law: Love.
There is no neutral place. The fire means the torment of those who condemned themselves by closing and freezing their hearts so that they became incapable of love: now the splendor of GOD, who is love, burns and pains them.
Whenever you did this to one of these little ones, my brothers and sisters. JESUS speaks of looking after our neighbor, be he friend or foe, not of serving the community, or a class, or a nation in general, because using these words, we often exclude a group of our brothers and sisters, who do not belong to our nation or to our class. On the other hand, one who really loves, acknowledges his sisters and brothers without giving to much importance to any labels: it is the person who exists and lives for GOD.)