Why Have The Jews Not Believed?

"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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Who Shall Separate Us From The Love Of GOD?

"What shall we say after this?  If GOD is with us, who shall be against us?  If HE did not spare HIS own Son, but gave HIM up for us all, how will HE not give us all things with HIM?  Who shall accuse those chosen by GOD: HE takes away their guilt.  Who will dare to condemn them?  CHRIST, who died, and better still, rose, and is seated at the right hand of GOD, interceding for us?

Who shall separate us from the love of CHRIST?  Will it be trials, or anguish, persecution or hunger, lack of clothing, or dangers or sword?  As the Scripture says: For your sake, we are being killed all day long; they treat us like sheep to be slaughtered.

No, in all of this, we are more than conquerors, thanks to HIM, who has loved us.  I am certain, that neither death nor life, neither angels nor spiritual powers, neither the present nor the future, nor cosmic powers, were they from heaven, or from the deep world below, nor any creature whatsoever, will separate us from the love of GOD, which we have, in JESUS CHRIST, our LORD." - Romans 8:31-39  

(Who shall be against us?  Paul is thinking of the evil surrounding us that frequently drags us down.  He is thinking of the Day of Judgment when the accuser, the Spirit of Evil, could face us with the faults we have committed.  He thinks of our troubled conscience that often brings us remorse.  None of these will be stronger than the love and forgiveness of CHRIST.  The believer should not be alarmed at his repeated faults or doubt the love of GOD but try to live according to the truth.)

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Alas For You, Jerusalem!

"At that time some Pharisees came to JESUS and gave HIM this warning, 'Leave this place and go on your way, for Herod wants to kill you.'  JESUS said to them, 'Go and give that fox my answer: 'I drive out demons and heal today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my course!'  Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and for a little longer, for it would not be fitting for a prophet to be killed outside Jerusalem. 

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you slay the prophets and stone your apostles!  How often have I tried to bring together your children, as a bird gathers her young under her wings, but you refused!  From now on you will be left with your temple and you will no longer see me until the time when you will say: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD." - Luke 13:31-35  

(For Luke, disciple of Paul, it is certitude:  the day will come when Israel recognizes CHRIST.  For JESUS has come to save Israel, which means to give sense to its history.  It will then, doubtless be the end of all other histories.)

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The Twelve

"At this time JESUS went out into the hills to pray, spending the whole night in prayer with GOD.  When day came, HE called HIS disciples to HIM and chose twelve of them whom HE called apostles: Simon, whom HE named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James, son of Alpheus, and Simon called the Zealot; Judas, son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who would be the traitor." - Luke 6:12-16  

(JESUS keeps those whom HE loves the most in HIS prayer.  The success of HIS mission will depend upon them; other people's faith will rest on them.  JESUS does not want their call to be HIS own will: before calling them, HE wants to be certain that HE is doing the FATHER's will.  For the simple reason that CHRIST chose them and entrusted HIS Church to them, they will be tested in a thousand ways.  Therefore, JESUS wants to safeguard them through the power of HIS prayer.  The day before HIS death HE will have the consolation that not one of those the FATHER gave HIM has been lost [John 17:12].)

 

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The Healing On A Sabbath

"JESUS was teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath and a crippled woman was there.  An evil spirit had kept her bent for eighteen years so that she could not straighten up at all.  On seeing her, JESUS called her and said, 'Woman you are freed from your infirmity.'  Then HE laid HIS hands upon her and immediately she was made straight and praised GOD. 

But the ruler of the synagogue was indignant because JESUS had performed this healing on the Sabbath day and he said to the people, 'There are six days in which to work; come on those days to be healed and not on the Sabbath.'

But the LORD replied, 'You hypocrites!  Every one of you unties his ox or his donkey on the Sabbath and leads it out of the barn to give it water.  And here you have a daughter of Abraham whom Satan had bound for eighteen years.  Should she not be freed from her bonds on the Sabbath?'

When JESUS said this, all HIS opponents felt ashamed.  But the people rejoiced at the many wonders that happened through HIM." - Luke 13:10-17 

(The word untie was used by the Jews to express that someone's sin or penalty was cancelled.  It also meant freeing an animal from its yoke.  JESUS frees the human person and invites us to follow HIS example.

 

We should not be surprised at the indignation of the chief of the synagogue. Since he had never been able to help his sick sister, he must have felt discredited by JESUS' move.  Would it not be the same with us?  It never occurred to JESUS to ask the authorities for permission to save people.)

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The Pharisee And The Tax Collector

"JESUS told another parable to some persons fully convinced of their own righteousness, who looked down on others, 'Two men went up to the Temple to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood by himself and said: 'I thank YOU, GOD, that I am not like other people, grasping, crooked, adulterous, or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week and give the tenth of all my income to the Temple.' 

In the meantime, the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast saying: 'O GOD, be merciful to me, a sinner.'

I tell you, when this man went down to his house, he had been set right with GOD, but not the other.  For whoever makes himself out to be great will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be raised.'" - Luke 18:9-14  

(The Pharisees were very determined to fulfill GOD's law; they fasted often and did many works of mercy.  Unfortunately, many of them took the credit for such a model life: they thought they no longer needed GOD's mercy because their good deeds would force HIM to reward them.

On the other hand, the publican recognizes he is a sinner towards GOD and people: all he can do is to ask pardon.  He is in the truth and in the grace of GOD when he goes home.

JESUS speaks for those who are fully convinced of their own righteousness.  The text says precisely: "their justice" which contrasts with "he was justified."  The Bible calls just those whose life is in order before GOD because they observe HIS law; so in Matthew 1:19 and Luke 1:6 Joseph and Zachary are called just.  In many places, however, great importance is given to the exterior acts of the just man, and for the Pharisees as for any religious group that is at the same time a party or a social group, the members of the group considered themselves as good people.

JESUS invites us to humility if we want to acquire the only righteousness which counts in GOD's eyes, for it is not a matter of acquiring it by means of merit and religious practices but receiving it rather as a gift from GOD destined for those who want HIS pardon and holiness.  It is not by chance that this parable is in the Gospel of Luke, disciple of Paul; for Paul, the converted Pharisee, constantly dwells on what is the true justice of a Christian. What GOD wants for us is so great that we could never buy it with religious practices or good works: but to those who trust HIM GOD gives all [see Romans 4].

Neither is it by chance that JESUS offers us a Pharisee who only knows how to compare himself with another person in order to find himself better than the other.  It is there that the devil waits for all, and for all Christian groups, who pride themselves on having discovered a way to conversion.  Wherever we see a divided Church, whether because of political or religious causes, it is a good guess that people favor such a situation because it allows comparison with others.  It is difficult to belong to a group of "the converted" without looking with charitable compassion on those Christian brethren who have not taken the same road.)

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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  

(In this passage JESUS questions the idea we have of GOD's punishment.  We cannot believe in GOD without believing in justice.  For the Greeks whose gods were capricious and not very honest, justice was a divine power superior to the gods.  We always tend to make ourselves the center of the world and believe we are better than others.  If misfortune falls on someone else, we think it is just, but when it is our turn, we ask:  "What have I done against GOD that this should happen to me?"

The Gospel deals with several aspects of the question.  First of all, let us try to free of a ghetto mentality [see Luke 6:32]:  the evil done by our enemies is not worse than the evil we do.

The justice of GOD goes far beyond our justice and is only really fulfilled in the next life [the case of Lazarus, Luke 16:19]. 

 

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].

 

Then why is there so much about GOD's punishment in the Old Testament?  GOD's people did not know yet an afterlife, so it was necessary to speak of GOD's punishment in this life, for these people to believe in HIS justice.  In fact, GOD continues to give such signs both for persons and for communities.  It is good to know how to recognize them, keeping in mind they are not the last word of GOD's justice.)

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When You Go With Your Accuser Before The Court, Try To Settle The Case On The Way

"'JESUS said to the crowds, 'When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, 'A shower is coming'; and so, it happens.  And when the wind blows from the south, you say, 'It will be hot'; and so it is.  You superficial people!  You understand the signs of the earth and the sky, but you don't understand the present times.  And why do you not judge for yourselves what is fit?  When you go with your accuser before the court, try to settle the case on the way, lest he drag you before the judge, and the judge deliver you to the jailer, and the jailer throw you into prison.  I tell you; you will not get out until you have paid the very last penny.'" - Luke 12:54-59  

(When you see a cloud.  The signs which are seen around JESUS are enough for everyone to understand that now is the time announced by the prophets, when people must be converted and Israel must acknowledge its Savior: tomorrow will be too late.

When you go with your accuser before the court.  In Matthew's Gospel this refers to reconciliation between brothers and sisters.  Luke, instead, uses this phrase in reference to our conversion.  We are on our way to GOD's judgment, and it is the same as going before the authorities; therefore, we must take advantage of the time given to us to straighten out our situation.  We must not waste this moment when we can be saved from Judgment by believing in CHRIST's message.)

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I Have Come To Bring Fire!

"'I have come to bring fire upon the earth and how I wish it were already kindled; but I have a baptism to undergo and what anguish I feel until it is over! 

Do you think that I have come to bring peace on earth?  No, I tell you, but rather division.  From now on, in one house five will be divided: three against two, and two against three.  They will be divided, father against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.'" - Luke 12:49-53 

(I have come to bring fire.  Must we think of fire as referring to something precise such as love, the Gospel or the gift of the Holy Spirit?  It is better to stay with the image of the fire that purifies, burns all that is old, gives warmth and fosters life; fire of the judgment of GOD destroying all that is not surrendered to its reforming action.

JESUS comes to remake the world and to bring the jewels that will remain for eternity out of the rubble.  Those who follow JESUS must participate in this work of salvation, directed at a situation combining work, violence, suffering as well as great dreams wise or mad.

I have a baptism to undergo...  JESUS is the leader and will be the first one to face death as a means of obtaining resurrection.  This step, as "agonizing" for JESUS as it is for us, is the baptism of fire that introduces us into a glorious and eternal life.  It is the true baptism of which the others, baptisms of water and Spirit, are only a preparation [Romans 6:3-5].

I came to bring division.  This is followed by words of JESUS that are so upsetting for those who expect of HIM a peaceful life.  JESUS is a source of division among nations and social groups.  Often people have tried to use religion as cement for national unity or family peace.  It is true that faith is a factor in peace and understanding; but it also separates those who are truly alive from those others, be they relatives or friends, who cannot have all that is now the most important to these true believers.  Many times, the wound and the scandal of this separation are so painful for them, that they turn into our persecutors.

The Gospel does not put this world on the road to an earthly paradise, but it challenges it to grow.  The death of JESUS brings into full light what was hidden in hearts; likewise, it reveals the lies and the violence underlying our societies, just as it revealed those which underlay the Jewish Society of HIS time.) 

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The Son Of Man Will Come At An Hour You Do Not Expect

"Pay attention to this: If the master of the house had known at what time the thief would come, he would not have let his house be broken into.  'You also must be ready, for the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.'

Peter said, 'LORD, did you tell this parable only for us, or for everyone?'  And the LORD replied, 'Imagine, then, the wise and faithful steward, whom the master sets over his other servants, to give them wheat at the proper time.  Fortunate is this servant if his master, on coming home, finds him doing his work.  Truly, I say to you, the master will put him in charge of all his property.

But it may be that the steward thinks, 'My Lord delays in coming,' and he begins to abuse the male servants and the servant girls, eating and drinking and getting drunk.  Then the master will come on a day he does not expect, and at an hour he doesn't know.  He will cut him off and send him to the same fate as the unfaithful.

The servant who knew his master's will but did not prepare and do what his master wanted, will be soundly beaten; but the one who does unconsciously what deserves punishment, shall receive fewer blows.  Much will be required of the one who has been given much and more will be asked of the one who has been entrusted with more.'" - Luke 12:39-48 

(The Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.  We should not think that this refers only to the day of death, nor should we be afraid of GOD's judgment if we live in HIS grace.  JESUS tells us about the master returning from the wedding, who is so happy that he reverses the usual order and begins to serve his servants.  If we have been serving GOD for years, how could we not reach another phase of spiritual life in which it would seem that GOD is concerned only in giving and feasting with us?

Peter said: This new paragraph is aimed at those who hold responsible positions in the Church.

My Lord delays in coming.  Those in responsible positions may betray their mission.  More often, they make the mistake of seeing only to the good functioning of the institution and they forget that CHRIST is coming.

GOD comes all the time through events that, unexpectedly, ruin our plans.  Therefore, the Church must not rely too much on planning its activity: who knows what GOD has in store for us tomorrow?  Instead, the Church should see to its prayers and its availability so that the LORD will let her be in the best situation when HE shakes up our little universe.

Be awake to admire, rejoice in and discover the presence of GOD and HIS blessings that enlighten our lives.)

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Be Ready!

"Be ready, dressed for service, and keep your lamps lit, like people waiting for their master to return from the wedding.  As soon as he comes and knocks, they will open the door to him.  Happy are those servants whom the master finds wide-awake when he comes.  Truly, I tell you, he will put on an apron, and have them sit at table, and he will wait on them.  Happy are those servants, if he finds them awake when he comes at midnight or daybreak!" - Luke 12:35-38 

(JESUS develops the parable of the servant expecting his master's return.  This servant is here contrasted with the rich of the preceding paragraph [12:13] who was only concerned about a long and comfortable life.  The servant works for GOD.

Happy are those servants whom the master finds wide-awake.  Wide-awake, that is, concerned about tomorrow's world.  Wide-awake also means being aware of the truth; we do not consent to call 'good' evil, and 'evil' good; we do not forgive ourselves for allowing evil and we are not intimidated before injustice.)

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Greed--Productivity

"Someone in the crowd spoke to JESUS, 'Master, tell my brother to share with me the family inheritance.'  HE replied, 'My friend, who has appointed ME as your judge or your attorney?'  Then JESUS said to the people, 'Be on your guard and avoid every kind of greed, for even though you have many possessions, it is not that which gives you life.' 

And JESUS continued with this story, 'There was a rich man, and his land had produced a good harvest.  He thought:  'What shall I do?  For I am short of room to store my harvest.'  So, this is what he planned:  'I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones to store all this grain, which is my wealth.  Then I may say to myself:  My friend, you have a lot of good things put by for many years.  Rest, eat, drink and enjoy yourself.'  But GOD said to him:  'You fool!  This very night your life will be taken from you; tell ME who shall get all you have put aside?  This is the lot of the one who stores up riches instead of amassing for GOD.'" - Luke 12:13-21  

(Who has appointed me as your judge?  JESUS does not resolve legal differences as do the teachers of the Law since it was the Law that decided civil and religious questions.  JESUS reserves HIS authority for what is essential:  suppressing the greed ingrained in our hearts is more important than looking at every person's right with a magnifying glass.

 

Avoid every kind of greed.   JESUS does not say people should be resigned to mediocrity or destitution, satisfied to have ten people sleep in the same room, and without any opportunity for education.  We know that all this prevents the growth of people in awareness of their dignity and their divine vocation.  JESUS does not criticize our efforts to achieve a more just society, since the whole Bible requires it.

 

It is one thing to seek justice, knowing that without justice there is neither peace nor communion; it is quite another to look at what others have with the desire to share their greed.  Today we clamor for justice, but tomorrow we may only seek more superfluous "necessities".  Such greed will never let us rest and, what is more, it will close the door of the Kingdom on us [Mark 10:23; 1 Timothy 6:8].

 

Possessions do not give life.  Make sure that your concern to have what you lack does not make you neglect what could give you life now.

 

In this regard, we should allow the poor to speak, all those brothers and sisters of ours who, though immersed in poverty, continue to be persons who live, in the strongest sense of this word.  Should we pity them, or should we count them among the few who already enjoy the Kingdom of GOD?  One of the greatest obstacles preventing the liberation of people is their own greed.  The day they agree to participate in powerful boycotts and not go their own way in the pursuit of advantages for one or other category, they shall begin to live as people.
 

 What shall I do?  The rich man in the parable planned for larger barns for his sole profit and JESUS condemned him.  We too must consider what we should do to bring about a better distribution of the riches of the world.

 

The person who amasses for GOD knows how to find happiness in the present moment.  Wherever she is, she tries to create a network of social relationships through which everyone gives to others and receives from them instead of wanting and getting things in a selfish way.)

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Pray And Never Lose Heart

"JESUS told them a parable to show them that they should pray continually and not lose heart.  HE said, 'In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared GOD nor people.  In the same town was a widow who kept coming to him, saying:  'Defend my rights against my opponent.  For a time he refused, but finally he thought:  'Even though I neither fear GOD nor care about people, this widow bothers me so much I will see that she gets justice; then she will stop coming and wearing me out.' 

And JESUS explained, 'Listen to what the evil judge says.  Will GOD not do justice for HIS chosen ones who cry to HIM day and night even if HE delays in answering them?  I tell you; HE will speedily do them justice.  Yet, when the Son of Man comes, will HE find faith on earth?'" - Luke 18:1-8 

(If there is a just GOD, why does HE not do justice?  JESUS answers:  Do you desire and ask for the justice of GOD with enough faith?  HE will undoubtedly do justice, but you will have to wait.

 

A judge who neither feared GOD nor people:  many people upon seeing what is unjust and absurd in life, view GOD this way.  If we pray with perseverance, we will gradually discover that things are not as absurd as they seem, and we will come to recognize the face of the GOD who loves us in what happens.

 

Who cry to HIM day and night.  JESUS, who so insists on our responsibility to the world, is the one who also urges us to call on GOD, day and night.  Why are people so readily divided [or why do we divide them] into prayers and doers?

 

Will HE find faith on earth?  JESUS confirms an opinion already found among the Jews of HIS days.  In the last days before Judgment, the power of evil will be so great that in many loves will grow cold.

 

In fact, with the first coming of JESUS, the Old Testament ended in seeming failure; few had believed in HIM and, later, most were influenced by the confusion, the false saviors and the violence which precipitated the fall of the nation forty years after the death of JESUS.)

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Preach The Word

"In the presence of GOD and CHRIST JESUS, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by the hope I have of HIS coming, and HIS kingdom, I urge you to preach the word, in season and out of season, reproving, rebuking, or advising, always with patience, and providing instruction.  For the time is coming, when people will no longer endure sound doctrine, but, following their passions, they will surround themselves with teachers to please their itching ears.  And they will abandon the truth to  hear fables.  So be prudent, do not mind your labor, give yourself to your work as an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." - 2 Timothy 4:1-5 

(Preach the Word: this is Paul's last advice.  It must be the first concern of the Church and of any church leader.

Paul knows that he will not be freed and that he will be condemned to death.  He embraces his own sacrifice just as JESUS did.)

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Open And Fearless Speech

"Meanwhile, such a numerous crowd had gathered that they crushed one another.  Then JESUS spoke to HIS disciples in this way,

'Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  Nothing is covered that will not be uncovered; or hidden, that will not be made known.  Whatever you have said in darkness will be heard in daylight, and what you have whispered in hidden places, will be proclaimed from housetops.

I tell you, MY friends, do not fear those who put to death the body and, after that, can do no more.  But I will tell you whom to fear: Fear the one who, after killing you, is able to throw you into hell.  This one you must fear.  Don't you buy five sparrows for two pennies?  Yet not one of them has been forgotten by GOD.  Even the hairs of your head have been numbered.  Don't be afraid!  Are you less worthy in the eyes of GOD than many sparrows?" - Luke 12:1-7  

(Nothing is hidden that will not be made known: this could be interpreted in different ways.  In these paragraphs, JESUS refers to the courageous testimony of faith.  We have to speak the truth without worrying about what people will think of us.  Here hypocrisy is attributed to those who are always trying to be diplomatic, and whose primary concern is not to lose friends.

Do not fear: We are cowards and JESUS is aware of this.  HE has already said, "Do not fear," when HE invited us not to look for security in money.  Now, dealing with the fear of repression, HE adds, "If you cannot free yourselves from cowardice, consider where the greater threat comes from, from GOD or people?"

This is the only time JESUS refers to "fear of GOD."  When the Old Testament mentioned fear of GOD, it generally meant giving due respect to GOD.  Respect is far from fear.  Respect is an attitude proper to a free person.  GOD does not threaten to throw us into hell; rather HE reminds us that to lose HIM is to lose ourselves also, and this is hell.)  

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Prayer Of Repentance And Trust

 "Out of the depths I cry to YOU, O YAHWEH,

O YAHWEH, hear my voice!

Let YOUR ears pay attention

to the voice of my supplication.

If YOU should mark our evil,

O YAHWEH, who could stand?

But with YOU, is forgiveness,

and for that, YOU are revered.

I waited for YAHWEH, my soul waits;

and I put my hope in HIS word.

My soul expects YAHWEH

more than watchmen, the dawn."

- Psalm 130:1-2. 3-4. 5-6

(The psalmist, aware of HIS people's faithfulness, is equally sure of GOD's answer to repentance [cf. Nehemiah 1:7-9].  Israel was still waiting, when Simeon took the child in his arms and said: 'My eyes have seen YOUR salvation' [Luke 2:30].  He held the Infant Son of Man, who came to give HIS life for the redemption of many [Mark 10:45] -- 'with the LORD, fullness of redemption.'  But since this has come, how can we Christians still await it?  How can we sing the psalm?  Because, though called, we are not yet chosen, though heirs, we do not yet enjoy the inheritance.  Out of these depths, our call must be constant and, if it is constant, it may be confident also.  And there is some whose waiting is a purifying fire.  This, more than any other, is their psalm.)

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GOD, The Rock Of Strength

 "My soul finds rest in GOD alone;

from HIM, comes my salvation.

HE alone, is my rock and salvation;

with HIM as my stronghold,

I shall not be overcome.

Find rest in GOD alone, O my soul;

from HIM, comes my hope.

HE alone, is my rock and my salvation;'

with HIM as my stronghold,

I shall not be overcome.

Trust in HIM at all times, my people;

pour out your hearts before HIM;'

GOD is our refuge."

- Psalm 62:2-3. 6-7. 9

(Only GOD can be the rock, stronghold and fortress where human existence can be supported.  Human beings have an alternative: leaning on their own power, or on divine power, trusting in riches, or in GOD.  It is impossible to serve both GOD and money [cf. Matthew 6:19, 24].  Either trust in GOD or in riches: see 1 Timothy 6:17; James 4:13-14; 5:1-6.  If we want to be messengers of trust, we must speak not only of ideas; we must first experience GOD as fortress and refuge.)  

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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?) 

 

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What Is Paul's Gospel?

"From Paul, a servant of JESUS CHRIST, an apostle called and set apart for GOD's Good News, the very promises HE foretold through HIS prophets in the sacred Scriptures, regarding HIS Son, who was born in the flesh a descendant of David, and has been recognized as the Son of GOD endowed with Power, upon rising from the dead through the Holy Spirit.

Through HIM, JESUS CHRIST, our LORD, and for the sake of HIS Name, we received grace and mission in all the nations, for them to accept the faith.  All of you, the elected of CHRIST, are part of them, you, the beloved of GOD in Rome, called to be holy: May GOD our FATHER, and the LORD JESUS CHRIST, give you grace and peace." - Romans 1:1-7  

(Paul, an apostle called and set apart for GOD's Good News.  Paul speaks of the Gospel three times in this paragraph.  In his time the word Gospel, which signifies Good News, conveyed the meaning of victory.  Paul presents himself as one announcing the liberating message given to all humankind.

What is Paul's Gospel?  He develops it briefly in the following lines.  The Son of GOD has come down to earth and after sharing our common condition, has through HIS Resurrection, taken possession of the Glory due to HIM.

An apostle called and set apart...  The twelve apostles were selected by JESUS and confirmed in their mission by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  Here Paul reminds us that he himself was made an apostle by JESUS, who met him on the road to Damascus.

Recognized as the Son of GOD.  Another possible translation: constituted or designated as Son of GOD.  That does not mean that JESUS was not the Son of GOD before HIS resurrection, but HE was so really one of us that nothing of HIS divinity showed.  On the day of the resurrection, the Spirit of GOD "invaded" HIS human nature: from now on HE is present and active in our history as the Son of GOD.

Paul usually reserves the term "GOD" for GOD the FATHER, fountain of the divine being, from WHOM all divine initiatives originate.  The FATHER communicates HIS life to the Son.  The Son, for HIS part, reflects this life back to the FATHER in such a way that they mutually generate the Holy Spirit.  The whole vocation of a Christian is rooted in this life of GOD, and that is why Paul constantly mentions the names of the three divine Persons.) 

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The Ten Lepers

"On the way to Jerusalem, JESUS was passing along the border between Samaria and Galilee, and as HE entered a village, ten lepers came to meet HIM.  Keeping their distance, they called to HIM, 'JESUS, Master, have pity on us!'  Then JESUS said to them, 'Go and show yourselves to the priests.'  Now, as they went their way, they found they were cured. One of them, as soon as he saw he was cleansed, turned back praising GOD in a loud voice, and throwing himself on his face before JESUS, he gave HIM thanks.  This man was a Samaritan.

Then JESUS said, 'Were not all ten healed?'  Where are the other nine?  Was no one found to return and give praise to GOD but this alien?  And JESUS said to him, 'Stand up and go your way, your faith has saved you'." - Luke 17:11-19  

 (The ten lepers were cured but only one of them was told:  "Your faith has saved you.  He was the one who responded straight from the heart.  While the others were concerned about fulfilling the legal requirements, he only thought about giving thanks to GOD right where the grace of GOD found him:  such is the faith which saves and transforms us.

 

Among the many people asking GOD for healing and favor, how many will really come to love GOD?)

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Blessed Is The One Who Gave YOU Birth!

"As JESUS was speaking, a woman spoke from the crowd and said to HIM, 'Blessed is the one who gave YOU birth and nursed YOU!'  JESUS replied, 'Truly blessed are those who hear the word of GOD, and keep it as well.'" - Luke 11:27-28  

(This woman envies the mother of JESUS and is full of admiration for HIS way of speaking.  She is mistaken if she thinks that JESUS relatives can be proud on HIS account, and she is wasting her time if she admires HIS words instead of making them her own.  So JESUS turns her towards the FATHER, whose word HE gives, and to herself, whom GOD invites to the family of HIS sons and daughters.

As for Mary, the mother of JESUS, the one who believed [1:45], she kept all the words and deeds of the LORD in her heart [Luke 2:51].)

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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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Knock And It Will Be Opened To You

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.)

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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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Why Do YOU Make Me See Injustice?

"YAHWEH, how long will I cry for help while YOU pay no attention to me?  I denounce the oppression, and YOU do not save.

Why do YOU make me see injustice?

Are YOU pleased to look on tyranny?  All I see is outrage, violence and quarrels.

Then YAHWEH answered me and said,

'Write down the vision, inscribe it on tables so it can be easily read, since this is a vision for an appointed time; it will not fail but will be fulfilled in due time.  If it delays, wait for it, for it will come, and will not be deferred.  Look:

I don't look with favor on the one who gives way; the upright, on the other hand, will live by his faithfulness.'" - Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4

 

(Two complaints from the prophet and two answers from GOD:

Verses 1-4.  First complaint: Why is there so much wickedness in Judah?

2:1-4.  YAHWEH's answer: One day it will be clear that the good and the evil ones are not treated the same.  Those who remain faithful will be saved.)

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JESUS Gives Thanks To The FATHER

"The seventy-two disciples returned full of joy.  They said, 'LORD, even the demons obeyed us when we called on YOUR name.'  Then JESUS replied, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  You see, I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the Enemy, so that nothing will harm you.  Nevertheless, don't rejoice because the evil spirits submit to you; rejoice, rather, that your names are written in heaven.'

At that time, JESUS was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, and said, 'I praise YOU, FAHER, LORD of heaven and earth, for YOU have hidden these things from the wise and learned and made them known to little ones.  Yes, FATHER, such has been YOUR gracious will.  I have been given all things by MY FATHER, so that no one knows the Son except the FATHER, and no one knows the FATHER except the Son, and HE to whom the Son chooses to reveal HIM.'

Then JESUS turned to HIS disciples and said to them privately, 'Fortunate are you to see what you see, for I tell you, that many prophets and kings would have liked to see what you see, but did not see it; and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.'" - Luke 10:17-24  

(At first, the person who preaches CHRIST and works for HIM is scared.  Then follows the joy of having surpassed oneself, and even more the joy of having believed and worked with the very power of JESUS.  JESUS gives thanks for the seventy [or seventy-two] and for all those who will follow HIM.

What are these things that GOD has revealed to the little ones but the mysterious power of the Gospel to transform people and show them the truth?  The apostles marvel at the power coming from the name of JESUS [Mark 16:17].  JESUS underlines the defeat of the Adversary, Satan.

The learned and the clever think they know, but do not know what is essential.  They speak of a GOD who is no more than a shadow of the true GOD as long as they do not recognize him in JESUS.  They do not know where the world is heading because they do not see how GOD's power is working wherever JESUS is being proclaimed. 

The little ones, on the other hand, have understood.  Before they saw themselves as a sacrificed generation.  For the little ones are used to sacrificing themselves for their children from generation to generation, or they are sacrificed by powers, under the pretext of bringing happiness to their descendants.  They did not live for themselves; rather they were preparing a place for others.  Now the little ones, namely, the humble believers, have everything if they have JESUS, the FATHER has given everything to HIM.

Little ones live their faith in simple ways, but they know that none of their sacrifices are lost.  It is JESUS who reveals the FATHER to us and, knowing HIM in truth, we also share in HIS control over events.  Our desires and our prayers are powerful because we have come to the center from which GOD directs the forces saving humankind: because we work for eternity, our names are already written in heaven.

To evangelize does not mean to try to sell the Gospel but rather to prove its power to heal people from their demons.  We need not become activists in order to accomplish that.  We must admit that we have no power in these things, and we must give thanks to GOD who enabled us to see, to hear and to communicate HIS salvation.

Fortunate are you to see... Stop being envious of famous people, kings and prophets of the past.  You who are alive now, and who are neither kings nor prophets, have been given the better part.)

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National Lament Over The Destruction Of Jerusalem

"O GOD, the pagans have invaded YOUR inheritance; they have defiled YOUR holy temple and reduced Jerusalem to rubble.

They have given YOUR servants' corpses to the birds, and the flesh of YOUR saints, to the beasts of the earth.

They have poured out the blood of YOUR faithful, like water around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them.

Mocked and reviled by those around us, we are scorned by our neighbors.

How long will this last, O YAHWEH?  Will YOU be angry forever?  Will YOUR wrath always burn to avenge YOUR rights?

Do not remember against us the sins of our fathers.

Let YOUR compassion hurry to us, for we have been brought very low.

Help us, GOD, our savior, for the glory of YOUR name; forgive us, for the sake of YOUR name."

- Psalm 79:1-2. 3-5. 8. 9

(This psalm almost certainly refers to the fall of Jerusalem in the year 586 B.C.  There is a confession of guilt--the guilt of an earlier generation.  It is interesting that this ingredient should enter the solution of the problem of suffering: Has this man sinned--or his parents?  And, indeed, we may blame our ancestors, for some of our condition, so long as we realize that we may, and do, contribute to the unhappiness of our children.  We are the context into which they will be born, for better or for worse.  But the psalmist evidently does not will to call GOD's attention to the sins of his own generation except in passing.)

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JESUS Sends Out The First Missionaries

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

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

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

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

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

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

Apostles mean "sent" and "mission" also means "being sent."  The FATHER has sent HIS Son to earth, and the Son, in turn, sends HIS apostles.  The FATHER sends messengers of HIS word, but HE also sends HIS Spirit to touch the hearts and minds of those who listen.  Through the Spirit they recognize the word of GOD in the poor preaching of these messengers who have received no great instruction.  The Spirit will give signs: healings and astounding graces supporting the witness of the missionaries.)

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Breakthroughs--Becoming Free

"As they went on their way, a man said to HIM, 'I will follow you wherever you go.'  JESUS said to him, 'Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay HIS head.'

To another JESUS said, 'Follow me.'  But he answered, 'Let me go back now, for first I want to bury my father.'  And JESUS said to him, 'Let the dead bury their dead; as for you, leave them and proclaim the kingdom of GOD.'

Another said to HIM, 'I will follow you, LORD, but first let me say goodbye to my family.'  And JESUS said to him, 'Whoever has put his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of GOD.'" - Luke 9:57-62   

(In contrast with JESUS customary understanding attitude about human nature, here we see JESUS very demanding with the disciple who wants to follow HIM:  JESUS cannot waste HIS time in forming those who are not ready to sacrifice everything for the sake of the Gospel.

 

The third of these would-be disciples, perhaps, was secretly hoping that at the time of saying good-bye, his family would beg him not to do such a foolish thing, and so he could remain with his good intentions:  I would like to, but...

 

The second case is different:  Let the dead bury their dead.  Faced with these abrupt words that we occasionally meet in the Gospel, there are two attitudes to be avoided.  The first would be to take these words as a general rule, a precept addressed to everyone without nuance, the second, more frequent, would be to say:  "That must not be taken literally, it's an oriental way of speaking."  One of the effects of the establishment of the reign of GOD is justice, solidarity, and fraternity; there will be people to take care of those parents.  One does not follow JESUS in order to "obtain" freedom; JESUS must be followed in freedom.

 

First, I want to bury my father.  This means perhaps that he should bury his father who has died.  Most probably it means that he wanted to look after his aging father up to the time of his burial. It is difficult to think one is truly free if he had not had the opportunity to prove it by acting differently from what is understood and accepted around him.  Think of Francis of Assisi begging for bread in his own town after having lived there as the son of a rich family.

Leave them and proclaim the kingdom of GOD.  When a call from JESUS reaches you, it is the complete will of GOD for you in this precise moment.  Leave there your excuses, your duties:  perhaps these would-be duties only in a world of the dead.  GOD has provided that others, perhaps HIS angels, will see to them.)

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