By Grace You Have Been Saved!

"But GOD, who is rich in mercy, revealed HIS immense love.  As we were dead through our sins, HE gave us life with CHRIST.  By grace you have been saved!  And HE raised us to life with CHRIST, giving us a place with HIM in heaven.

In showing us such kindness in CHRIST JESUS, GOD willed to reveal and unfold in the coming ages the extraordinary riches of HIS grace.  By the grace of GOD, you have been saved through faith. This has not come from you: it is GOD's gift.  This was not the result of your works, so you are not to feel proud.  What we are is GOD's work.  HE has created us in CHRIST JESUS for the good works HE has prepared that we should devote ourselves to THEM." - Ephesians 2:4-10 

 

(The path of humans without CHRIST leads to death.

We obeyed the urges of our human nature and consented to its desires.  There is no need to seek a clearer affirmation of what we call original sin.  Paul does not speak of a fault committed before our personal sins, and in addition to the sins we are responsible for.  It is a flaw easily seen in human condition and in all our acts; it is the liabilities of our life insofar as GOD has not taken us in hand.

The account of Genesis [Chapters 2-3] has placed in the past this "original" sin, as well as creation.  It is a way of speaking proper to Hebrew culture.  In fact, both our creation by GOD and our revolt against HIM are a part of our daily reality.

HE raised us to life with CHRIST.  Actually, an authentic conversion is experienced as a resurrection.  Paul is saying more: nothing can stop GOD's merciful plan.  HE sees beyond time and has already raised us with CHRIST.  We are seated with HIM in heaven, that is to say, assured of victory.)  

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"O GOD, Be Merciful To Me, A Sinner."

"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 up.'" - Luke 18:9-14 

 

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

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

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

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

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

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The Greatest Commandment

"A teacher of the law had been listening to this discussion and admired how JESUS answered them.  So, he came up and asked HIM, 'Which commandment is the first of all?'

JESUS answered, 'The first is: Hear, Israel!  The LORD, our GOD, is One LORD; and you shall love the LORD, your GOD, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.  And after this comes a second commandment: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  There is no commandment greater than these two.'

The teacher of the law said to HIM, 'Well spoken, Master; YOU are right when YOU say that HE is one, and there is no other besides HIM.  To love HIM with all our heart, with all our understanding and with all our strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves is more important than any burnt offering or sacrifice.'

JESUS approved this answer and said, 'You are not far from the kingdom of GOD.'  And after that, no one dared to ask HIM any more questions. " - Mark 12:28-34 

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

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

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

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

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"Whoever Is Not With ME Is Against ME, And Whoever Does Not Gather With ME, Scatters."

"One day, JESUS was driving out a demon, which was mute.  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.'  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 sons drive out demons?  They will be your judges, then.

But if 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 a man, strong and well-armed, guards his house, his goods are safe.  But when a stronger man 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  

(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: Who is not against YOU is for 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.)

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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.)  

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The Pardon

"Then Peter asked HIM, 'LORD, how many times must I forgive the offenses of my brother or sister?  Seven?  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 in payment.

The official 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.

This official then 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 companion threw himself at his feet and asked him, 'Give me time, and I will pay everything.'  The other did not agree but sent him to prison until he had paid all his debt.

His companions saw what happened.  They were indignant and so they went and reported everything to their lord.  Then the lord summoned his official 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 his whole debt.'

JESUS added, 'So will MY heavenly FATHER do with you unless each of you sincerely forgive your brother or sister.'

When JESUS had finished this teaching, HE left Galilee and arrived at the border of Judea, on the other side of the Jordan River." - Matthew 18:21-19:1  

(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.)

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"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].)

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"When The Law Seems Constricts Us, Faith Must Carry Us Through."

       "The law of YAHWEH is perfect:

it gives life to the soul.

The word of YAHWEH is trustworthy:

it gives wisdom to the simple.

The precepts of YAHWEH are right:

they give joy to the heart.

The commandments of YAHWEH are clear:

they enlighten the eyes.

The fear of YAHWEH is pure,

it endures forever;

the judgments of YAHWEH are true,

all of them just and right.

They are more precious than gold--

pure gold of a jeweler;

they are much sweeter than honey

which drops from the honeycomb."

- Psalm 19:8. 9. 10. 11

(When the law seems constricts us, faith must carry us through.  When this is the case for others, charity must work in us, to help or sympathize.

We are aware of HIS presence, when we meditate on HIS commandments, which are light and joy for the soul.  This psalm is adequate to revise one's life in the presence of GOD in the Law.  JESUS in the Gospels has taught us how to pray.  If we add this psalm to our morning prayer, it will make us feel great and ready to start the day well.)

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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 gives fulfillment to your years and renews your youth like the eagle's.

YAHWEH restores justice and secures the rights of the oppressed.

HE has made known HIS ways to Moses, and HIS deeds, to the people of Israel.

YAHWEH is gracious and merciful, abounding in love and slow to anger; 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 103:1-12

(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.)

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The Parable Of The Tenants

"Listen to another example: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard.  He put a fence around it, dug a hole for the wine press, built a watchtower, leased the vineyard to tenants, and then, went to a distant country.  When harvest time came, the landowner sent his servants to the tenants to collect his share of the harvest.  But the tenants seized his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.

Again, the owner sent more servants; but they were treated in the same way.

Finally, he sent his son, thinking, 'They will respect my son.'  But when the tenants saw the son, they thought, 'This is the one who is to inherit the vineyard.  Let us kill him, and his inheritance will be ours.'  So, they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

Now, what will the owner of the vineyard do with the tenants when he comes?'  They said to him, 'He will bring those evil men to an evil end, and lease the vineyard to others, who will pay him in due time.'

And JESUS replied, 'Have you never read what the Scriptures say?  The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.  This was the LORD's doing, and we marvel at it.  Therefore, I say to you: the kingdom of heaven will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.

(Whoever falls on this stone, he will be broken to pieces; on whomsoever this stone falls, he will be grounded to dust.)'

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 21:33-46 

(In this comparison, the vine represents the kingdom of GOD.  The Jews were GOD's people, 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?)

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