Abram Becomes Abraham

"Abram fell face down and GOD said to him, 'This is my covenant with you: you will be the father of a multitude of nations.  No longer will you be called Abram, but Abraham, because I will make you the father of a multitude of nations.  I will make you more and more famous; I will multiply your descendants; nations shall spring from you, kings shall be among your descendants.  And I will establish a covenant, an everlasting covenant between MYSELF and you and your descendants after you; from now on I will be your GOD and the GOD of your descendants after you, for generations to come.  I will give to you and your descendants after you land you are living in, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession and I will be the GOD of your race.'

GOD said to Abraham, 'For your part, you shall keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you, generation after generation." - Genesis 17:3-9 

(Abram means venerated father, and Abraham: father of a multitude.  In changing the name of HIS servant, GOD enables him to begin a new life and to really become what his new name expresses.  JESUS will proceed in the same way with the first leader of HIS church [John 1:42].)

On-Site

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  

(Only Mary could make known the mystery of JESUS' conception to the primitive church.  How could she express such an inner experience and how would it be reported?  

Therefore, in writing, Luke had to use biblical words and forms that would allow us to understand the mysterious encounter of Mary with GOD.

 

I am the handmaid of the LORD... In saying this, Mary does not lower herself with false humility; instead she expresses her faith and her surrender.  From her will be born the one who will be both the servant announced by the prophets [Isaiah 42:1; 50:4; 52:13] and the only Son [Hebrews 1].

 

Many persons are mistaken about the word "servant" in that they view Almighty GOD as using HIS servants to HIS own ends without taking time to look at them and love them.  For them GOD would lose HIS greatness if HE were to give Mary authentic responsibility in the incarnation of her Son.

 

This is quite contrary to the spirit of the Bible.  GOD loves people, HE wishes, HE who is GOD, to experience human friendship.  GOD had no need of a woman to make a human body, but HE wanted to have a mother for HIS Son; and for Mary to really be that mother, it was necessary that GOD looked upon her with greater love than HE had for any other creature.  Thus, Mary is called full of grace.

 

Grace is what we call the power GOD has to heal our spirit, to instill in us the disposition to believe, and to make us resonate with the truth so that the expression of real love comes from us in a spontaneous way.  We call grace that which came from the living GOD to blossom on earth: Isaiah 45:8; Psalm 85:11.

 

Mary is full of grace because JESUS was born of her as HE is born of the FATHER.  This is why the Church believes that Mary has a unique role in the work of our salvation.  She is the marvel that GOD achieved at the outset of transforming humankind into HIS image.)

On-Site

The Bronze Serpent

"From Mount Hor they set out by the Red Sea Road to go around the land of Edom.  The people were discouraged by the journey and began to complain against GOD and Moses.  'Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?  There is neither bread nor water here and we are disgusted with this tasteless manna.'

YAHWEH then sent fiery serpents against them.  They bit the people and many of the Israelites died.  Then the people came to Moses and said, 'We have sinned, speaking against YAHWEH and against you.  Plead with YAHWEH to take the serpents away.'

Moses pleaded for the people and YAHWEH said to him, 'Make a fiery serpent and set it on a standard; whoever has been bitten and then looks at it shall live.'

So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a standard.  Whenever a man was bitten, he looked towards the bronze serpent and he lived." - Numbers 21:4-9  

(With regard to the bronze serpent, two quite different questions may be asked.  The first: what is the historical origin of this account?  An easy answer: near the Sinai mines a healing god was honored and little bronze serpents were offered in thanksgiving.  The stories of travelers must have inspired the narrative.  But the important question is the second: what does this page of the holy book intend to say?

The people complained.  The Israelites complain again: this is the inner rebellion of those who do not accept sacrifices and will not exert themselves in order to become better and who would rather blame others.

Make a bronze serpent.  A strange command to the Israelites, but the bronze serpent will be a prophetic sign: GOD intends to cure the sin with the very instrument of the sin.

Whoever looks at it shall live: another prophetic statement.  Sinners will not have to follow strict prescriptions: let them merely look with faith at the sign GOD sends for their healing.  JESUS will say: "Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up [on the cross] so that he who believes in HIM will have eternal life" [John 3:14].

The story of the serpent is one of those biblical images with a hidden meaning, and people had to wait for the day when CHRIST would give them meaning.  The same is true of the story of Melchizedek [Genesis 14] and the story of Joseph.

The same is true in our own lives; in our past there have been some incidents which we did not understand at that time.  Why did this happen to me?   Someday, the light of CHRIST will reveal the meaning.)

On-Site

The Adulteress

"As for JESUS, HE went to the Mount of Olives.

At daybreak JESUS appeared in the Temple again.  All the people came to HIM, and HE sat down and began to teach them.

Then the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees brought in a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery.  They made her stand in front of everyone.  'Master,' they said, 'this woman has been caught in the act of adultery.  Now the Law of Moses orders that such women be stoned to death; but YOU, what do YOU say?  They said this to test JESUS, in order to have some charge against HIM.

JESUS bent down and started writing on the ground with HIS finger.  And as they continued to ask HIM, HE straightened up and said to them, 'Let anyone among you who has no sin be the first to throw a stone at her.'  And HE bent down again, writing on the ground.

As a result of these words, they went away, one by one, starting with the elders, and JESUS was left alone with the woman standing before HIM.  Then JESUS stood up and said to her, 'Woman, where are they?  Has no one condemned you?  She replied, 'No one.'  And JESUS said, 'Neither do I condemn you; go away and don't sin again'." - John 8:1-11  

(The selection 8:1-11 is not found in most ancient manuscripts of John's Gospel.  Many think that this selection is from other sources.  Perhaps it did belong to the Gospel of Luke [compare 8:2 and Luke 21:38] and was later inserted in John's text.

If JESUS showed such respect to the sinner and refused to condemn her, as humans would, was it because HE did not consider her fault grave?  No, it was because GOD uses different ways than people do to bring sinners to repentance and to purify them through suffering.

There is a big difference between telling a person his ideas or deeds are wrong or sinful, and condemning him.  We usually condemn the person; we do not make room for change and mercy.  In this Gospel episode JESUS is both demanding and merciful towards the woman.)

On-Site

The Raising Of Lazarus

"...many Jews had come to Martha and Mary, after the death of their brother, to comfort them.

When Martha heard that JESUS was coming, she went to meet HIM, while Mary remained sitting in the house.  Martha said to JESUS, 'If YOU had been here, my brother would not have died.  But I know that whatever YOU ask from GOD, GOD will give YOU.'  JESUS said, 'Your brother will rise again.'

Martha replied, 'I know that he will rise in the resurrection, at the last day.'  But JESUS said to her, 'I AM the resurrection.  Whoever believes in ME, though he dies, shall live.  Whoever lives and believes in ME will never die.  Do you believe this?'

Martha then answered, 'Yes, LORD, I have come to believe that YOU are the CHRIST, the Son of GOD, HE who is coming into the world.'" - John 11:19-27  

(I have come to believe that YOU are the CHRIST.  What more extraordinary profession of faith is there than Martha's!  It is like Peter's [Matthew 16:16], and in a short while it will be Mary who will tell about the resurrection to the same apostles.  Truly the Gospel is not male chauvinist, nor does it enthrone ecclesiastical hierarchy.)      

On-Site

Jeremiah, The Weeping Prophet

"YAHWEH made it known to me and so I know!  And YOU let me see their scheming: 'Take care, even your kinsfolk and your own family are false with you, and behind your back they freely criticize you.  Do not trust them when they approach you in a friendly way.'

But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter.  I did not know it was against me that they were plotting, 'Let us feed him with trials and remove him from the land of the living and let his name never be mentioned again.'

YAHWEH, GOD of Hosts, YOU who judge with justice and know everyone's heart and intentions, let me see YOUR vengeance on them, for to YOU I have entrusted my cause." - Jeremiah 11:18-20  

 

(Jeremiah knew that in order to be faithful to GOD, one must be moved and transformed by HIM.)

On-Site

The Godless Say There Is No Other Life

"Led by mistaken reasons they think, 'Life is short and sad and there is no cure for death.  It was never heard that anyone came back from the netherworld.

Let us set a trap for the righteous, for he annoys us and opposes our way of life; he reproaches us for our breaches of the law and accuses us of being false to our upbringing.

He claims knowledge of GOD and calls himself son of the LORD.  He has become a reproach to our way of thinking; even to meet him is burdensome to us.  He does not live like others and behaves strangely.

According to him we have low standards, so he keeps aloof from us as if we were unclean.  He emphasizes the happy end of the righteous and boasts of having GOD as FATHER.

Let us see the truth of what he says and find out what his end will be.  If the righteous is a son of GOD, GOD will defend him and deliver him from his adversaries.

Let us humble and torture him to prove his self-control and test his patience.  When we have condemned him to a shameful death, we may test his words.'

This is the way they reason, but they are mistaken, blinded by their malice.  They do not know the mysteries of GOD, nor do they hope for the reward of a holy life; they do not believe that the blameless will be recompensed." - Wisdom 2:1. 12-22 

(Let us set a trap for the righteous for he opposes our way of life.  Secretly we all admire an upright person, but in any institution, her presence disturbs us--in the trade unions just as in the factories--because we cannot buy her conscience.

He does not live like others and behaves strangely.  When this was written the Jews were not well-thought-of by non-Jews because of all the things in their lives that were different from the pagan customs.  The same is true now, as well; even though believers try not to be distinct, their integrity and enthusiasm make them "strange."

Let us see the truth of what he says.  Because the godless are the friends of death, they necessarily come to persecute and even kill the good.  For them it is like a game to prove to what extent the righteous can remain firm, since they themselves believe in nothing.  They need to destroy others to convince themselves that they alone benefit from life.

If the righteous is a son of GOD, GOD will defend him.  The words in verses 16-20 reveal the situation of JESUS on the cross.  Matthew, in particular, will recall them in 27:43.

This is also verified in the lives of real believers, a scandal to a materialist who enjoys inflicting suffering on those who make sacrifices for others.  We have seen comfortable "Christians" rejoicing over the death of those who speak of justice and who, by their involvement, disturb the conscience of the satisfied.)

On-Site 

JESUS Born Of A Virgin Mother

"This is how JESUS CHRIST was born:  Mary HIS mother had been given to Joseph in marriage but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.

Then Joseph, her husband, made plans to divorce her in all secrecy.  He was an upright man, and in no way did he want to discredit her.

While he was pondering over this, an angel of the LORD appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife.  She has conceived by the Holy spirit, and now she will bear a son.  You shall call HIM 'JESUS' for HE will save HIS people from their sins.'

All this happened in order to fulfill what the LORD had said through the prophet.  The virgin will conceive and bear a son, and HE will be called EMMANUEL which means GOD-with-us.  When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the LORD had told him to do, and he took his wife to his home.  He did not have any marital relations with her.  When she gave birth to a son, Joseph gave HIM the name JESUS." - Matthew 1:18-25    

(JESUS is not the son of Joseph.  The beginning of the paragraph intends to remind us that JESUS is both a legitimate son of David through Joseph and the Son of GOD conceived through the Holy Spirit by a virgin-mother.

These short and almost bashful sentences do not dare to unveil the mystery of Mary, the virgin through whom life on earth touches GOD and offers itself as an oblation.  A messenger breaks through the night and speaks with silent words: the world is open to the active presence of GOD.

Mary was engaged.  Engagements gave to the Jewish people practically every right of marriage, especially conjugal rights.  The only difference was that women continued to live under the parents' tutelage and in their parental home.  The Jews were markedly a "macho" society. A woman necessarily belonged to a man, either to her father, her husband, or her son. Mary was already the wife of Joseph, but she could not be under his authority until he brought her to his home.

The virginity of Mary was not in keeping with the Jewish mentality that gave first place to fecundity.  It was not so unusual that Joseph would accept such a situation.  At this time certain Jews belonging to the party of the Essenes lived celibacy, as did the monks.

Joseph made plans to divorce her secretly.  The Gospel is not precise as to his reasons for so doing.  In any case it is unthinkable that people might have doubted Mary's fidelity.

The intervention of the angel in the Gospel is not to reassure Joseph but to inform him of his role in the plan of GOD.  You shall call HIM "JESUS', and you will receive HIM as your son.  Joseph was a "descendant of David" and JESUS adopted by Joseph would be a legitimate descendant of David. Most probably Mary did not even belong to the tribe of Judah, which was that of David, but like her cousin Elizabeth, she belonged to a family of priests of the tribe of Levi.) 

On-Site

"MY FATHER Goes On Working And So Do I."

"JESUS replied, 'MY FATHER goes on working and so do I.'  And the Jews tried all the harder to kill HIM, for JESUS not only broke the Sabbath observance, but also made HIMSELF equal with GOD, calling GOD HIS own FATHER. 

JESUS said to them, 'Truly, I assure you, the SON cannot do anything by HIMSELF, but only what HE sees the FATHER do.  And whatever HE does, the SON also does.  The FATHER loves the SON and shows HIM everything HE does; and HE will show HIM even greater things than these, so that you will be amazed.

As the FATHER raises the dead and gives them life, so the SON gives life to whom HE wills.  In the same way, the FATHER judges no one, for HE has entrusted all judgment to the SON, and HE wants all to honor the SON, as they honor the FATHER.  Whoever ignores the SON, ignores as well the FATHER who sent HIM.

Truly, I say to you, anyone who hears MY word and believes HIM who sent ME, has eternal life; and there is no judgment for him, because he has passed from death to life.

Truly, the hour is coming and has indeed come, when the dead will hear the voice of the SON of GOD and, on hearing it, will live.  For the FATHER has life in HIMSELF, and HE has given to the SON also to have life in HIMSELF.  And HE has empowered HIM as well to carry out Judgment, for HE is SON of Man.

Do not be surprised at this: the hour is coming when all those lying in tombs will hear MY voice and come out; those who have done good shall rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.

I can not do nothing of MYSELF.  As I hear, so I judge, and MY judgment is just, because I seek not MY own will, but the will of HIM who sent ME.'" - John 5:17-30  

(JESUS opponents were surprised to see how HE violated the law of the sacred rest; this, however, was only the first intervention of JESUS.  JESUS intends to do much more than just reform religion:  HE has to come to renew the whole of creation.

The books of the Old Testament spoke of GOD as only one.  Now JESUS shows us a new face of GOD: HE is FATHER and has sent HIS SON to complete HIS work.  In all that HE does, GOD endeavors to give us life, and the greatest of HIS works is the Resurrection.

This rising from the dead does not mean "to return to life" but to begin a new and transformed life.  The dead will rise again, of course, but we can also speak of the resurrection in the lives of those who become believers.  A word of JESUS accepted in faith gives us life and later takes root in us and transforms us.  Together, the FATHER and the SON raise us to new life.  GOD's love, which engenders life, reaches us through the voice of CHRIST.

JESUS then is not only human like us.  Though human, HE is also divine and reveals to us another face of GOD.  JESUS wants to replace in our minds any image of GOD as a jealous or paternalistic GOD.  The Gospel shows the FATHER giving all HIS authority to a human, to CHRIST.  This resonates with modern psychology and teaches that a person is not fully adult until he liberates himself from parental authority.  Our contemporary would rightly rejects a paternalistic GOD.

On numerous occasions, JESUS called HIMSELF the Son of Man.  Here John says a Son of Man; that is a Jewish idiom which means a human being.  By being human, JESUS saves humanity from within.

When JESUS claims to be the Son, HE repeats these two affirmations in various ways:

- Everything that MY FATHER does, I do; all that the FATHER has, I have.

- and: I cannot do anything by MYSELF.

In this way, JESUS is a model for the sons and daughters of GOD.  We also should commune with the FATHER, so that HE may teach us HIS works: there is no Christian life without prayer, that is, without a personal relationship with GOD.) 

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 altar.  He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside, to the other 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 across 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.)

On-Site 

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 any more.

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 

(No one could imagine the new heaven prepared for us by GOD [Mark 12:18].  Let us rejoice that the prophet has described it in such a concrete way.  For us the happiness of the "beyond" is part of our faith; but at this time it was not yet clear neither for the Jews nor the prophet.  GOD rewarded people while on earth and they preferred not to think about the lot of those already dead, or who would die before the time of happiness had come.  GOD did everything so that HIS people would not neglect their earthly duties on the pretext of waiting for a "beyond.")

On-Site

Imitate GOD

"You were once darkness, but now, you are light, in the LORD.  Behave as children of light; the fruits of light are kindness, justice and truth, in every form.

You, yourselves, search out what pleases the LORD, and take no part in works of darkness, that are of no benefit; expose them instead.  Indeed, it is a shame even to speak of what those people do in secret, but as soon as it is exposed to the light, everything becomes clear; and what is unmasked, becomes clear through light.  Therefore, it is said:

'Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, that the light of CHRIST may shine on you.'" - Ephesians 5:8-14  

(To imitate GOD [Romans 5:6-11] who loves everyone, the good and the bad [Matthew 5:48].  In a more tangible way, we have a model in CHRIST, the Son of GOD, who gave HIMSELF out of love for us, as the way, the light and life.

Reject all that is shameful and that can only be done in the dark.  It is true that much that was shameful has become normal today for many people: will it be so for a person who often seeks light and looks for it in the face of CHRIST?  The witness of one Christian who lives in light [and still more of a community] is enough to condemn what has been taken as normal.)

On-Site

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.)

On-Site 

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.'" - 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.) 

On-Site

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 judges, 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." - Luke 11:14-23  

(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.)

 

On-Site

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  

(Here begins the presentation of the new Law.  It is far from what is often sought in a religion: practices to observe, fasts, prayers, good works with which one wins salvation.  JESUS says little about this because the Bible has dealt at length with this subject, and the study of the Bible itself shows that these laws and practices are always linked to a certain culture and have to be adapted to the times.

Law.  At times this word indicates all the religion of Israel.  The Law and the Prophets: was a way of indicating the whole Bible.

Not the smallest letter or stroke of the Law will change until all is fulfilled.  JESUS does not refer to the commandments.  Rather HE affirms that the religion founded on the Old Testament's Scripture was a temporary, yet necessary, step in the history of salvation.  The prophecies had to be fulfilled; the rites and sacrifices of that religion expressed in a veiled manner the mystery of sin and mercy that would be fulfilled in the person and the work of JESUS.  With HIM comes the perfect and definitive fellowship of GOD with humankind.

For us as well, observing the laws of the Bible is not an end in itself.  They are an expression of real love and are its guidelines.  In obeying them we become receptive to the Spirit who will lead us.  In this way we discover a "righteousness" or perfection far superior to the canonists of the time: the teachers of the law and the Pharisees.

So then, whoever breaks the least important of these commandments ... Here JESUS is referring to the commandments.)  

On-Site

The Pardon

"Then Peter asked HIM, 'LORD, how many times must I forgive the offenses of my brother or sister?  Seven times?  JESUS answered, 'No, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.'

This story throws light on the kingdom of heaven.  A king decided to settle the accounts of his servants.  Among the first was one who owed him ten thousand gold ingots.  As the man could not repay the debt, the king commanded that he be sold as a slave with his wife, children and all his goods, as repayment.

The servant threw himself at the feet of the king and said, 'Give me time, and I will pay you back everything.'  The king took pity on him, and not only set him free, but even canceled his debt.

When this servant left the king's presence and he met one of his companions who owed him a hundred pieces of silver.  He grabbed him by the neck and almost strangled him, shouting, 'Pay me what you owe!'  His fellow servant threw himself at his feet and asked him, 'Give me time, and I will pay everything.'  But the other did not agree and sent him to prison until he had paid all his debt.

Now the servants of the king saw what had happened.  They were extremely upset, and so they went and reported everything to their lord.  Then the lord summoned his servant and said, 'Wicked servant, I forgave you all that you owed when you begged me to do so.  Weren't you bound to have pity on your companion as I had pity on you?  The lord was now angry, so he handed his servant over to be punished, until he had paid the whole debt.'

JESUS added, 'So will MY heavenly FATHER do with you, unless each of you sincerely forgive your brothers and sisters.'" - Matthew 18:21-35  

(The offenses we suffer from our companions are nothing compared with our offenses against GOD.  While GOD forgives all, we do not even give others enough breathing space.  GOD does not demand HIS rights, but we, in demanding them, behave like wicked servants [see Matthew 5:43].

This parable goes beyond personal problems.  The world needs, above everything else, the forgiveness of GOD, and those who want a more just society will not achieve it through accusations and hatred.

The parable helps us understand much better another verse in the Bible: Revenge is mine, says the LORD; I will pay each one according to his own conduct.  GOD will not demand an account regarding HIS own rights [what we owe HIM], but regarding the rights of the little ones who, unable to pay, were deprived of them.  HE will also demand an accounting regarding those who were sorry for their sins but were not forgiven by others.

The fourth Discourse of Matthew's Gospel ends with this parable on the duty to forgive.  The Church has not always been as holy as she should have been.  Yet nobody can deny that, at all times, in the Church the mercy of GOD has been preached and people have learned to forgive.)

On-Site

"No Prophet Is Honored In His Own Country."

"JESUS added, 'No prophet is honored in his own country.  Truly, I say to you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens withheld rain for three years and six months and a great famine came over the whole land.  Yet, Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow of Zarephath, in the country of Sidon.  There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha, the prophet; and no one was healed except Naaman, the Syrian.'

On hearing these words, the whole assembly became indignant.  They rose up and brought HIM out of the town, to the edge of the hill on which Nazareth is built, intending to throw HIM down the cliff.  But HE passed through their midst and went HIS way." - Luke 4:24-30  

(Luke explains why the people of Nazareth rejected JESUS:

- Firstly, because of their pride: a stranger easily dazzles us, but we fiercely deny that one of us could stand out or be our teacher: who is this but Joseph's Son?

- Secondly, because of their selfishness: they do not agree that GOD's benefits should be shared with others.  So, JESUS reminds them that the prophets of old did not limit their favors to their compatriots alone [see 1 Kings 17:7 and 2 Kings 5].)

On-Site

Water From The Rock

"But the people thirsted for water here and grumbled against Moses, 'Why did you make us leave Egypt to have us die of thirst with our children and our cattle?'

So, Moses cried to YAHWEH, 'What shall I do with the people?  They are almost ready to stone me!'  YAHWEH said to Moses, 'Go ahead of the people and take with you the elders of Israel.  Take with you the staff with which you struck the Nile and go.  I will stand there before you on the rock at Horeb.  You will strike the rock, and water will flow from it and the people will drink.'  Moses did this in the presence of the elders of Israel.

The place was called Massah and Meribah because of the complaints of the Israelites, who tested YAHWEH saying, 'Is YAHWEH with us or not?'" - Exodus 17:3-7  

(GOD puts Israel to the test in the desert.  For how long will these common people be willing to follow an uncommon destiny?  How far will their faith go?  Israel also tempts GOD, that is, they ask HIM for signs because they do not have total confidence in HIM.  They demand miracles: "If YOU are with us, show it, here and now."

Scripture recalls this confrontation in the event of the water coming out of the rock.  Moses, too, was put to the test in this place; see the same event related in Numbers 20.

In later times, the Jewish tradition saw in this rock a figure of GOD, the fountain of life, who was present among HIS people; the miraculous rock which accompanied them in their wanderings [see 1 Corinthians 10:4].  GOD is the impenetrable Rock that retains its secret until it allows itself to be wounded and from its own wound life pours forth.  Let us understand that humankind, being sinful, loses real knowledge of GOD and for this reason cannot find HIM.  But GOD becomes weak in the person of JESUS who, on dying, reveals the secret of GOD's love and compassion for us.  The Gospel emphasizes that from the heart of JESUS, wounded by the lance, flowed forth blood and water, an image of the Holy Spirit [John 7:37 and 19:34].)

On-Site

GOD Is A FATHER Full Of Mercy

 "Praise YAHWEH, my soul; all my being, praise HIS holy name!

Praise YAHWEH, my soul, and do not forget all HIS kindness; HE forgives all your sins and heals all your sickness; HE redeems your life from destruction and crowns you with love and compassion; 

HE will not always scold, nor will HE be angry forever.  HE does not treat us according to our sins, nor does HE punish us as we deserve.

As the heavens are high above the earth, so great is HIS love for those fearing HIM; as far as the east is from the west, so far does HE remove from us our sins.

- Psalm 103:1-2. 3-4. 9-10. 11-12

(The Christian lives joyfully in the paradox that our GOD is higher than the heavens, and yet, is close to us in love and mercy.  Our gratitude for HIS mercy merges naturally into a hymn of praise, for HIS greatness.  When we think how great HE is, it is not to think how far away HE is, but how much HE loves us to come down to us.

GOD is a FATHER full of mercy.  Is it necessary to quote a text from the New Testament?  A good one is that of the prodigal son [Luke 15:11-32] or the prayer of JESUS on the cross [Luke 23:34 or Romans 8:31-34].  They show us the depth of GOD's love, mercy and forgiveness.  Let us praise the LORD, together with everything created:  in moments of joy, as well as in hours of sadness, both when we have strength or when we live in fragility.)

On-Site  

"The Stone Which The Builders Rejected Has Become The Cornerstone."

"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 

(In this comparison, the vine represents the kingdom of GOD.  The Jews were GOD's people; Matthew and they came to consider that their own interests were those of GOD.  HE had to help them against others.  They had confidence that they would be saved and were not concerned about the fate of others who did not recognize GOD.

GOD entrusted HIS kingdom to them; in other words, HE guided them throughout the long span of their history, so that they would be an example to others.  They were to communicate their experience to others so that all would develop justice, a spirit of responsibility, a sense of community; these were the fruit GOD wanted to harvest.

GOD sent prophets to remind them of their debt: they were scarcely heard.  Finally, the only Son of GOD become human appears and the same thing will happen.  HE will be thrown out of the vineyard, in other words, rejected by HIS own people.  Which is why the kingdom of GOD will be given to others, to those believers converted from other nations and gathered in the Church of CHRIST.

Here ends the parable.  It could equally be applied to the Church today if it becomes a religion of one social class, or similar to the other religions, or if we do not find in the Church more obedience to GOD, more commitment to values that will save the world.  What would happen to Christian groups and their leaders if they began to feel they were the owners of the kingdom and its promises?)

On-Site

The Lazarus Of Today

"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.)

On-Site

Third Prophecy Of The Passion

"When JESUS was going to Jerusalem, HE took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, 'See, we are going to Jerusalem.  There, the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law; and they will condemn HIM to death.  They will hand HIM over to the foreigners, who will mock HIM, scourge HIM and crucify HIM.  But HE will be raised to life on the third day.'" - Matthew 20:17-19  

(JESUS feels full of courage and confidence, as HE HIMSELF walks ahead of them to Jerusalem, where HIS punishment awaits HIM.)

On-Site

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  

(The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees sat on the seat of Moses.  The Gospel says it with more precision: they have seated themselves in the chair of Moses.  This rather ironic formula suggests that the ambitious appropriate to themselves the authority over the people of GOD and that to a certain point GOD tolerates it.  Matthew, in recording these words of JESUS, wants to preserve in the Church fundamental equality.  It is the whole Church that enjoys the Holy Spirit, and the heads or doctors will have no authority unless they are deeply rooted in the community's life.

Paul will speak of CHRIST and the Church using the comparison of the head and the body [Ephesians 5:25].  Likewise in the Church the authority of the bishop goes hand in hand with fidelity to the Church as it is and does not seek to impose his own projects.

Do all they say.  The bad example of the authorities does not discredit the word of GOD.  Nor does it lessen the principle of authority.  Their bad attitude discredits only their pretense at being superior to others.  They cannot renounce their authority on the pretext of humble service and then carry out what the majority has decided.

JESUS speaks of the form of authority.  Do not be called master or father.  Do not be called "master," the one "who knows" and before whom one is silent; neither must you be called "father," the one who is venerated and imitated, forgetting to look directly at the One who alone is good.  No one in the Church should eclipse the only "FATHER."

Doubtless everyone will say that the word "FATHER" is simply the expression of respectful affection, but JESUS affirms that the word has perverse effects.

The purity of faith, which submits to GOD alone, always suffers because of the cult of personality.  The Church should be a community of free persons able to speak frankly.)

On-Site

Be Merciful, Just As Your FATHER Is Merciful.

“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  

(Perfection for us consists in imitating the FATHER.  HE is GOD by being compassionate; HIS compassion is HIS ability to be touched by the poverty and the anguish of HIS creatures, and to lavish upon them that HE can give.  The attitude of the person who judges his brothers and sisters is the very opposite of mercy.

JESUS speaks of the way in which GOD already leads us in the present life.  A rationalist culture has often convinced us that GOD lets the laws of nature and humankind go their own way while HE remains a passive spectator, but the kingdom of GOD is the presence of GOD HIMSELF who even today has liberty to reverse all situations, even if for that purpose HE has HIS own time.)  

On-Site

The Transfiguration Of JESUS

"Six days later, JESUS took with HIM Peter and James, and his brother John, and led them up a high mountain, where they were alone.  JESUS' appearance was changed before them: HIS face shone like the sun, and HIS clothes became white as snow.  Then suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with JESUS.

Peter spoke up and said to JESUS, 'Master, it is good for us to be here.  If YOU wish, I will make three tents: one for YOU, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.'

Peter was still speaking, when a bright cloud covered them with its shadow; and a voice from the cloud said, 'This is MY Son, the Beloved, MY Chosen One.  Listen to HIM.'

On hearing the voice, the disciples fell to the ground, full of fear.  But JESUS came, touched them, and said, 'Stand up, do not be afraid!'  When they raised their eyes, they no longer saw anyone except JESUS.  And as they came down the mountain, JESUS commanded them not to tell anyone what they had seen, until the Son of Man be raised from the dead." - Matthew 17:1-9  

(This manifestation of the transfiguration of JESUS is in fact one of the most important in the New Testament.  In the liturgy of oriental Churches, the feast of the Transfiguration holds a place of supreme importance.

Though not the summit, it is in fact the summary of all revelation.  Moses and Elijah, the spokesmen of the Law and the Prophets [in a word, of all the Old Testament] present the CHRIST of the Gospel to the apostles Peter, James and John, those who will be responsible for the preaching of the Gospel.

As Moses and Elijah were led by GOD to the Holy Mountain, to witness HIS glory [Exodus 33:18; 1 Kings 19:9], so the apostles are led apart by JESUS; they too climb the mountain and there JESUS manifests HIS glory to them.

JESUS had just announced HIS passion and HIS death: the day had come when the FATHER confirmed HIS end that was very near [Luke 9:31] and gave HIM a foretaste of HIS resurrection.  Moses and Elijah were the witnesses, they who, in a certain way, escaped the corruption of death [Deuteronomy 34:6; 2 Kings 2:11].

A cloud formed covering them in a shadow.  The cloud mentioned here is that which, in several episodes of the Scriptures, both indicates and hides the mysterious presence of GOD [Exodus 19 and 1 Kings 8:10].

Listen to HIM.  The apostles have been accompanying JESUS for more than a year, with misunderstanding increasing between HIM and the religious authorities of the people of GOD.  For them a question could arise: Is not JESUS mistaken?  Are not the certitudes of GOD's people on the side of the priests and scribes?

The FATHER HIMSELF intervenes, just as HE had done in the past for John the Baptist: Listen to HIM!  "Listen to HIM for HE is the Word made flesh" [John 1:14; Hebrews 1:1].  HE is the Prophet, and all the others speak only for HIM [Deuteronomy 18:17].

When JESUS worked miracles for the sick, and over the forces of nature, HE showed that the present order of the world is not permanent.  Now the curtains are partially opened: would that the apostles understood that the Son of Man, as JESUS calls HIMSELF, is close to HIS resurrection.  In a little while HIS fellow citizens will hang HIM on a cross.  In a little while, too, the FATHER will give HIM the glory that awaits HIM.  The shining cloud, the dazzling white clothes are external signs that indicate something of the mystery of JESUS: the day HE rises from among the dead, HIS human nature will be transformed and extended by divine Energies, so that HE may fill everything in everyone.)

On-Site