JESUS Born Of A Virgin Mother

"Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and from her came JESUS, who is called the CHRIST - the Messiah.

There were then fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, and fourteen generations from David to the deportation to Babylon, and fourteen generations from the deportation to Babylon to the birth of CHRIST.

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." - Matthew 1:16-24 

(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.) 

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"Why Do You Ask ME To Do Something Forbidden On The Sabbath?"

"On another Sabbath, JESUS entered the synagogue and began teaching.  There was a man with a paralyzed right hand, and the teachers of the law and the Pharisees watched HIM: Would JESUS heal the man on the Sabbath?  If HE did, they could accuse HIM.

But JESUS knew their thoughts, and said to the man, 'Get up, and stand in the middle.'  Then HE spoke to them, 'I want to ask you: what is allowed by the law on the Sabbath?  To do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?'  And JESUS looked around at them all.

Then HE said to the man, "Stretch out your hand.'  He stretched it out, and his hand was restored, becoming as healthy as the other.  But they were furious and began to discuss with one another how they could deal with JESUS.) - Luke 6:6-11  

(JESUS could have said to the man: "Why do you ask me to do something forbidden on the Sabbath?  Come back tomorrow to be healed."  JESUS does not avoid the confrontation because Gospel means liberation and we become free when we admit that there is nothing sacred in a society that attempts to impose its own standards.  The law of rest [Sabbath] is one of the fundamental laws of the Scripture but that does not prevent the possibility of this law causing oppression and for that reason it must at times be dispensed with.

It is the same for the most sacred laws of the Church: at a given moment they might be an obstacle to the Gospel and, if that be the case, Christian conscience, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, must find a solution for the time being.  As long as people are subject to an order, to laws and authorities which are considered sacred and which no one thinks of criticizing, those people are neither free nor true sons and daughters of GOD.  [See 1 Corinthians 3:21-23; 8:4-5; Colossians 2:20-23.]

A respect for GOD that would destroy our critical sense would not be in keeping with the Gospel; a religion preventing us from seeking the truth and from questioning every area of human restlessness would not be the true one.  To study the Scriptures without daring to know and take into account the contributions of modern science for fear that our very naïve vision of sacred history would fall apart, would be to sin against the Spirit.)

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Living Together In The Church

"If your brother has sinned against you, go and point out the fault to him, when the two of you are alone; and if he listens to you, you have won back your brother.  If he doesn't listen to you, take with you one or two others, so that the case may be decided by the evidence of two or three witnesses.  And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembled Church.  But if he does not listen to the Church, then regard him as a pagan, or a tax collector.

I say to you: whatever you bind on earth, heaven will keep bound; and whatever you unbind on earth, heaven will keep unbound.

In like manner, I say to you, if, on earth, two of you agree in asking for anything, it will be granted to you by MY heavenly FATHER; for where two or three are gathered in MY name, I AM there, among them." - Matthew 18:15-20  

(If your brother has sinned...  JESUS had told Peter before: Whatever you tie on earth will be tied in Heaven.  HE declares it now for the whole Church.  The believers must attempt to settle their suits among themselves, knowing that CHRIST is among them, as signified in HIS name Emmanuel: GOD-with-us.

The text of 18:15 is doubtful.  Perhaps it was written if your brother or sister has sinned, go... in which case it would refer to the effort of the Christian community to correct one who has gone astray.)  

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JESUS, LORD Of The Sabbath

"It happened that JESUS was walking through the wheat fields on a Sabbath.  HIS disciples were hungry; and they began to pick some heads of wheat, to crush and to eat the grain.  When the Pharisees noticed this, they said to JESUS, 'Look at YOUR disciples!  They are doing what is prohibited on the Sabbath!'

JESUS answered, 'Have you not read what David did, when he and his men were hungry?  He went into the House of GOD, and they ate the bread offered to GOD, though neither he nor his men had the right to eat it, but only the priests.  And have you not read in the law, how, on the Sabbath, the priests in the temple desecrate the Sabbath, yet they are not guilty?

I tell you, there is greater than the temple here.  If you really knew the meaning of the words: It is mercy I want, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the innocent.

Besides, the Son of Man is LORD of the Sabbath.'" - Matthew 12:1-8 

(This chapter records the conflicts of JESUS with the Pharisees regarding the Sabbath.  Why does the Gospel make so much of these conflicts?  Perhaps because at the time of JESUS the heavy load of religious obligations was a formidable obstacle for those searching for GOD.  It may have been also because the Christians lost no time making new laws to which they gave an exaggerated importance.  If JESUS deliberately violated the most sacred of the laws given by GOD to Moses, what about our ecclesiastical laws not guaranteed by the word of GOD?  In the name of man-made laws, adapted to a context that is not ours, Christian communities have at times been paralyzed and we let millions of people look for churches where they have the communities and pastors they have been deprived of.)

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Call Of Levi

"After this, JESUS went out, and noticing a tax collector named Levi, sitting in the tax-office, HE said to him, 'Follow ME!'  So, Levi, leaving everything, got up and followed JESUS.

Levi gave a great feast for JESUS, and many tax collectors came to his house, and took places at the table with the other people.  Then the Pharisees and their followers complained to JESUS' disciples, 'How is it, that you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?'  But JESUS spoke up, 'Healthy people don't need a doctor, but sick people do.  I have not come to call the just, but sinners, to a change of heart.'" - Luke 5:27-32  

(The events related to this chapter show how JESUS situates HIMSELF in society and with what people HE relates: with a small group of fishermen who will be in charge of HIS new movement, with lepers and sick people who seek HIM.  HE calls people who, like Levi, belong to a despised group.)

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You Will Catch People

"One day, as JESUS stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, with a crowd gathered around HIM listening to the word of GOD, HE caught sight of two boats, left at the water's edge by fishermen, now washing their nets.  HE got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked HIM to pull out a little from the shore.  There HE sat, and continued to teach the crowd.

When HE had finished speaking, HE said to Simon, 'Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.'  Simon replied, 'Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing.  But if you say so, I will lower the nets.'  This they did and caught such large number of fish that their nets began to break.  They signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them.  They came, and they filled both boats almost to the point of sinking.

Upon seeing this, Simon Peter fell at JESUS' knees, saying, 'Leave me, LORD, for I am a sinful man!'  For he and his companions amazed at the catch they had made, and so were Simon's partners, James and John, Zebedee's sons.

JESUS said to Simon, 'Do not be afraid.  You will catch people from now on.'  So, they brought their boats to land and followed HIM, leaving everything." - Luke 5:1-11  

(JESUS invites HIMSELF aboard Peter's boat, and Peter is willing to render HIM this service.  JESUS looks for more: even though many are ready to assist HIM, HE seeks those who are willing to totally surrender to HIS work.  The listeners are many, but HE needs apostles.

Miracles are another way in which JESUS teaches.  The miracle reported here is GOD's word for future apostles.  Lower your nets; the nets were at the breaking point; you will catch people...

Leave me, LORD, for I am a sinful man.  Such is the fear of the one who discovers that GOD has entered into his inner life: this is a first act of faith in the divinity of JESUS.  Yet JESUS calls on sinners to save sinners.

Leaving everything, they followed HIM.  It is not that they had much, but it was their whole life: work, family and their whole past as fishermen.

Apostle means sent.  CHRIST is the one who chooses HIS apostles and sends them in HIS name.  Where will HE find someone to send except among those who are willing to cooperate with HIM?  One begins to be an apostle or at least to cooperate with CHRIST, when one looks for something more than performing good works for the benefit of the parish, when one feels responsible for people: fisher of people.

Here Luke may have combined two different events: the call of the disciples briefly presented in Mark 1:16 and the miraculous catch.  John also relates a miraculous catch [John 21] but he places it after the resurrection.  We have good reason to think we are dealing with the same miracle, but it suited John to combine it with the appearance of the risen JESUS to the apostles, which occurred later in the same place.)

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JESUS Is A Model Missionary

"Leaving the synagogue, JESUS went to the house of Simon.  His mother-in-law was suffering from high fever, and they asked HIM to do something for her.  Bending over her, HE rebuked the fever, and it left her.  Immediately, she got up and waited on them.

At sunset, people suffering from many kinds of sickness were brought to JESUS.  Laying HIS hands on each one, HE healed them.  Demons were driven out, howling as they departed from their victims, 'YOU are the Son of GOD!'  HE rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, for they knew HE was the Messiah.

JESUS left at daybreak and looked for a solitary place.  People went out in search of HIM, and finding HIM, they tried to dissuade HIM from leaving.  But HE said, 'I have to go to other towns, to announce the good news of the kingdom of GOD.  That is what I was sent to do.'  And JESUS continued to preach in the synagogues of Galilee." - Luke 4:38-44   

(JESUS is a model missionary.  HE no sooner gathers a few believers together than they want to keep HIM for themselves, either because they see in HIM a true prophet, or want to form a true community under HIS guidance.

JESUS, however, leaves the task of shepherding [in the sense of guiding a specific community] to others, because HE has many more people in mind still awaiting the Gospel.)

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"In Truth, I Tell You."

"JESUS went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee, and began teaching the people at the Sabbath meetings.  They were astonished at the way HE taught them, for HIS word was spoken with authority.

In the synagogue, there was a man possessed by an evil spirit, who shouted in a loud voice, 'What do YOU want with us, JESUS of Nazareth?  Have YOU come to destroy us?  I recognize YOU: YOU are the Holy One of GOD.'  Then JESUS said to him sharply, 'Be silent and leave this man!'  The evil spirit then threw the man down in front of them, and came out of him without doing him harm.

Amazement seized all these people, and they said to one another, 'What does this mean?  HE commands the evil spirits with authority and power.  HE orders, and you see how they come out!'  And news about JESUS spread throughout the surrounding area." - Luke 4:31-37  

(Mark has shown us how JESUS began HIS public life: HE became part of a movement of conversion that had shaken everyone at the call of John the Baptist.  It was then that JESUS began preaching and met HIS first disciples.

Mark will now give us a "day" in the life of JESUS.  Through HIS words and actions a power that impresses every witness becomes manifest.  At the beginning of HIS ministry, JESUS preaches in the synagogues.  The synagogue is the Jewish house of prayer.  People gather each Saturday for the chanting of the Psalms and the reading of the Scriptures.  The one in charge preaches and invites others to join.  This is where JESUS reveals HIMSELF.  HE is not like the teachers of the law who repeat, interpret, and give others' opinions.  JESUS speaks on HIS own and HE speaks with authority, "In truth, I tell you."

With the same authority JESUS drives out demons.  This act also contains a message: JESUS delivers us from the influence of the Devil, who strives to destroy those created in the likeness of GOD.

This "Master of the world" [John 14:30] is present in all human business and culture to deceive human purposes and converts any progress into new slavery.)

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JESUS Proclaims HIS Mission At Nazareth

"JESUS acted with the power of the Spirit; and on HIS return to Galilee, the news about HIM spread throughout all that territory.  HE began teaching in the synagogues of the Jews and everyone praised HIM.

When JESUS came to Nazareth, where HE had been brought up, HE entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, as HE usually did.  HE stood up to read, and they handed HIM the book of the prophet Isaiah.

JESUS then unrolled the scroll and found the place where it is written: 'The Spirit of the LORD is upon ME.  HE has anointed ME, to bring good news to the poor; to proclaim liberty to captives; and new sight to the blind; to free the oppressed; and to announce the LORD's year of mercy.'

JESUS then rolled up the scroll, gave it to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on HIM.  The HE said to them, 'Today, these prophetic words come true, even as you listen.'

All agreed with HIM, and were lost in wonder, while HE spoke of the grace of GOD.  Nevertheless, they asked, 'Who is this but Joseph's Son?' " - Luke 4:14-22  

(JESUS brings real liberation to everyone since HIS deeds urge each one of us to live in truth: "the Son makes you free... the truth will make you free..." [John 8:32].  The Jews, obviously, were looking first and foremost for political freedom, which is part of total human liberation.  Why did JESUS not bring it?  Was HE only interested in "souls"?

Actually, the Old Testament never promised "the salvation of souls" which is sometimes emphasized these days in various groups.  Such believers think they are saving their souls and yet remain silent, or blind accomplices of the daily sins permeating all economic and social life.

In the same way a year of mercy from the LORD is beginning.  Thus, the time of promises and prophecies is over.  GOD begins to show HIMSELF to humankind as HE is: JESUS reveals the FATHER, and the FATHER reveals HIS Son through the signs and miracles that HE performs.)

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JESUS Predicts HIS Death

"From that day, JESUS began to make it clear to HIS disciples that HE must go to Jerusalem; that HE would suffer many things from the Jewish authorities, the chief priests and the teachers of the law; and that HE would be killed and be raised on the third day.

Then Peter took HIM aside and began to reproach HIM, 'Never, LORD!  No, this must never happen to YOU!'  But HE turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind ME, Satan!  You are an obstacle in MY path.  You are thinking not as GOD does, but as people do.'

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

Know, that the Son of Man will come, in the glory of HIS FATHER with the holy angels, and HE will reward each one according to his deeds." - Matthew 16:21-27 

(JESUS had to suffer, because this is the fate of sinners.  HE had to suffer and be rejected by the authorities, because this is the destiny of those who proclaim the truth.  HE had to freely go to HIS death because self-sacrifice is the only means for the salvation of the world.

Get behind ME, Satan... When Peter stands in front of JESUS to block the way to the cross, JESUS recognizes in HIS words the same spirit that tempted HIM in the desert.  JESUS calls him Satan, meaning tempter.  Let Peter get behind JESUS and follow HIM as is proper for a disciple.

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

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

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John The Baptist Beheaded

"For this is what had happened.  Herod had ordered John to be arrested and had him bound and put in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. Herod had married her and John had told him, 'It is not right for you to live with your brother's wife.'  So, Herodias held a grudge against John and wanted to kill him, but she could not because Herod respected John.  He knew John to be an upright and holy man and kept him safe.  And he liked listening to him, although he became very disturbed whenever he heard him.

Herodias had her chance on Herod's birthday, when he gave a dinner for all the senior government officials, military chiefs and the leaders of Galilee.  On that occasion the daughter of Herodias came in and danced; and she delighted Herod and his guests.  The king said to the girl, 'Ask me of anything you want, and I will give it to you.  And he went so far as to say with many oaths, 'I will give you anything you ask, even half my kingdom.'  She went out to consult her mother, 'What shall I ask for?'  The mother replied, 'The head of John the Baptist.'  The girl hurried to the king and made her request:  'I want you to give me the head of John the Baptist, here and now, on a dish.'

The king was very displeased, but he would not refuse in front of his guests because of his oaths.  So, he sent one of the bodyguards with orders to bring John's head.  He went and beheaded John in prison; then he brought the head on a dish and gave it to the girl.  And the girl gave it to her mother.  When John's disciples heard of this, they came and took his body and buried it." - Mark 6:17-29  

(King Herod.  This refers to Herod Antipas, son of the other Herod who reigned when JESUS was born.

 

King Herod respected John, but he was prisoner of his milieu and of his vices.  As king of Galilee, his misconduct constituted a public counter-witness.

 

All through the Bible we see prophets stressing the particular responsibility of those who wield power.  If they have to lead the people, they must be, by the rectitude of their life, an example; John the Baptist could not speak of justice without reproaching Herod for his infidelity.

 

People said that John the Baptist has been raised from the dead.  They considered John a martyr and believed he would rise from the dead to punish Herod.  Some associated JESUS with John - JESUS performed miracles that John had not done.  Others, less informed, thought JESUS was an apparition of John.)

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The Ten Bridesmaids

"This story throws light on what will happen in the kingdom of heaven.  Ten bridesmaids went out with their lamps to meet the bridegroom.  Five of them were careless while the others were sensible. 

The careless bridesmaids took their lamps as they were and did not bring extra oil.  But those who were sensible, brought with their lamps flasks of oil.  As the bridegroom delayed, they all grew drowsy and fell asleep.

But at midnight, a cry rang out: 'The bridegroom is here, come out and meet him!'  All the maidens woke up at once and trimmed their lamps.  Then the careless ones said to the sensible ones:  'Give us some oil, for our lamps are going out.'  The sensible ones answered:  'There may not be enough for both you and us.  You had better go to those who sell and buy for yourselves.'

When the bridegroom came, the foolish maidens were out buying oil, but those who were ready went with him into the wedding feast, and the doors were shut.

Later the rest of the bridesmaids arrived and called out:  'Lord, Lord, open to us.'  But he answered, 'Truly, I do not know you.' 

So, stay awake, for you do not know the day nor the hour." - Matthew 25:1-13 

(The parable tells us how to await the return of CHRIST, being alert and active.  "The Ten Bridesmaids" is the most beautiful parable on fidelity.  The ten girls followed the custom of waiting through the night for the bridegroom who will be accompanied to his house.  The bridegroom is late, something that should astonish no one.  The bride is not mentioned:  perhaps they will discover at the end that there was no other than themselves.

 

They all grew drowsy and fell asleep.  Once the sun has set, all is dark and nothing more can be done [John 9:4].  No further work except fidelity of heart:  oil will be needed to keep the flame alive.

 

Here as in other places, the Gospel shows us that more than conversion and enthusiasm is needed:  it is necessary to last.  Being sure of having a reserve of oil is to take the means that enable us to persevere in our vocation.

 

Some will say that Matthew has placed this parable here for the benefit of the first Christians, for after having awaited the return of CHRIST, they saw that nothing happened.  Error!  JESUS speaks to the believers of all times.  For them one day or another fidelity becomes burdensome:  "I did not know to what I was committing myself."  There lies the grandeur of fidelity.  It cannot be known in advance; giving one's hand to GOD is a jump into the unknown.  Only through this perseverance can we be saved [Matthew 24:13], in other words, find ourselves.

 

The LORD demands faithfulness and perseverance from those HE has chosen:  this is how we save a world that seeks truth everywhere and does not know to which LORD to surrender.) 

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Be On The Alert

"You do not need anyone to write to you about the delay, and the appointed time for these events.  You know that the day of the LORD will come like a thief in the night.  When people feel secure, and at peace, the disaster will suddenly come upon them, as the birth pangs of a woman in labor, and they will not escape.

But you, beloved, are not in darkness; so that day will not surprise you like a thief.  All of you are citizens of the light and the day; we do not belong to night and darkness.  Let us not, therefore, sleep as others do, but remain alert and sober.

For GOD has not willed us to be condemned, but to win salvation, through CHRIST JESUS, our LORD.  HE died for us, so that, we might enter into life, with HIM, whether we are still awake or already asleep.  Therefore, encourage one another and build up one another, as you are doing now." - 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6. 9-11 

(The Day of the LORD will come like a thief in the night: but believers are people of the light.  These words are rich in meaning.  Those who follow their evil desires are people of darkness, hiding to do evil.  While children of the light are beyond reproach, transparent before GOD and with nothing to hide from HIM.  The unbeliever sleeps and is off-guard while the believer keeps watch and stays awake: he likes to pray all night long until dawn as if waiting for the day to welcome CHRIST.  As for those who have died, they are not dead: they are only "asleep," ready to rise when the LORD comes.

Encourage one another and build up one another.  In this the Church is seen as the true community needed by believers so they can grow in faith and overcome trials.  In every difficulty, the help of the community will be the proof that we are surrounded by the love of GOD and of CHRIST, as was said in the first line of the letter.)

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The Prophets

"Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!  You are like whitewashed tombs beautiful in appearance, but inside there are only dead bones and uncleanness.  In the same way you appear as religious to others, but you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness within.

Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!  You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous.  You say:  Had we lived in the time of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in the blood of prophets.  So, you yourselves confess to be kins of those who murdered the prophets.  And now, finish off what your ancestors began!" - Matthew 23:27-32 

(We have on one side "the prophets" and on the other those who "kill the prophets".  The Bible shows us that the prophets meet with much opposition among the people of GOD and especially among its leaders.

There is a people of GOD and this people had necessarily its institutions which help it to be faithful to its mission.  In fact, this people follow their reflexes and social prejudices, and the whole institution, even if born of the Spirit, becomes heavy and hardens with time.  Prophets are readily condemned when they challenge peace and unity in mediocrity or even unfaithfulness to the word of GOD.

The defenders of the Jewish community were not ready to listen to their prophet.  It was one thing to honor the prophets of the past and keep the sacred books, another to accept the criticism addressed to them by GOD, not in the sacred books, but from the lips of JESUS, the carpenter.

Thus, it was that the prominent Jews let the moment when GOD visited them slip by - following the path that would lead their nation to ruin.

The example of the Jewish nation must serve as a warning to us.  Are our Christian communities, confronted today by a major crisis, able to build a poorer and more demanding Church?  Will they be less pre-occupied with their personal survival rather than giving the Gospel to the world?)

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The Defenders Of The Faith

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!  You do not forget the mint, anise and cumin seeds when you demand the tenth of everything; but then, you forget what is most fundamental in the law: justice, mercy and faith!  You should have done these things without neglecting the others.  Blind guides!  You strain out a mosquito but swallow a camel.

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!  You fill the plate and the cup, with theft and violence, and then pronounce a blessing over them.  Blind Pharisee!  Purify the inside first, then the outside, too, will be purified." - Matthew 23:23-26  

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

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

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

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The New Jerusalem

"Then, one of the seven angels came to me, one of those with the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues.  And he said, 'Come, I am going to show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.'  He took me up, in a spiritual vision, to a very high mountain, and he showed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven, from GOD.  It shines with the glory of GOD, like a precious jewel, with the color of crystal-clear jasper.

Its wall, large and high, has twelve gates; stationed at them are twelve angels.  Over the gates are written the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel.  Three gates face the east; three gates face the north; three gates face the south and three face the west.  The city wall stands on twelve foundation stones, on which are written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb." - Revelation 21:9-14  

(Second vision of the heavenly Jerusalem: GOD's temple.  There are two images at the heart of the Scriptures: the wedding banquet and the temple.  After Jerusalem, the new bride, it is now the holy city, GOD's temple.  People no longer need a temple when GOD is permanently present among them: reality replaces shadows.)

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Peter's Faith; JESUS' Promises

"After that, JESUS came to Caesarea Philippi.  HE asked HIS disciples, 'Who do people say the Son of Man is?'  They said, 'For some of them, YOU are John the Baptist; for others Elijah, or Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.'

JESUS asked them, 'But you, who do you say I AM?'  Peter answered, 'YOU are the Messiah, the Son of the living GOD.'  JESUS replied, 'It is well for you, Simon Barjona, for it is not flesh or blood that has revealed this to you, but MY FATHER in heaven.

And now I say to you: You are Peter; and on this Rock I will build MY Church; and never will the powers of death overcome it.

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you unbind on earth shall be unbound in heaven.'

Then HE ordered HIS disciples not to tell anyone that HE was the CHRIST." - Matthew 16:13-20 

 

(One parable of the kingdom of GOD already foretold the Church [Matthew 13:31-33].  This present text openly refers to the Church:

- it tells us what its foundation is: faith in JESUS, the CHRIST and Son of GOD;

- it focuses on the primacy of Peter among all the apostles;

- it suggests that the Church will always need a visible head.  This is the successor of Peter, the pope.

Faith in the Son of GOD, which Peter, among the apostles is the first to proclaim, really comes from GOD.  This faith is not a human opinion, or a sentimental attachment.  It does not come from flesh and blood, an expression that for the Jews meant what is purely human, what a human being does and understands by his own capacity.  The words with which JESUS greets Peter, it is well for you Simon Barjona, are true for all the believers.  For it is the FATHER who has chosen us and has brought us to CHRIST: see John 6:37; 6:44.

Next, the primacy of Peter is emphasized.  His name was Simon, but JESUS gave him this surname of Rock, foreseeing that he would be for HIS Church a foundation rock [John 1:40].  This change of his name attests that a mission is given to him as happened to Abraham and Jacob [Genesis 17:5 and 32:19].  Other texts attest to the leadership and faith of Peter: Matthew 10:2; 14:28; 17:25; Luke 5:8-10; 22:32; John 6:68; 21:15-19.

For the Jews, to bind and to unbind meant to state what is forbidden and what is allowed.  So, Peter and his successors will have the last word about what is, or is not, the faith of the Church.

The text does not contradict other statements of the Gospel that are equally important, where the basis of the Church is a "college" of apostles, where nothing is done without dialogue.  Peter is the "door keeper" [Mark 13:34] but he is neither "Master" nor "Father" [Matthew 23:9].

His authority is only genuine is a Church where all have the right to express themselves, where the leaders are not only imposed, but also accepted.)

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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.)

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A Scholar Of Law Tested JESUS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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The Wedding Feast

"JESUS continued speaking to them in parables:

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

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

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

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

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

For many are called, but few are chosen." - Matthew 22:1-14  

 

(The parable contains two parts.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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