Father Dinh Anh Nhue Nguyen, OFM Conv, is
the Secretary General of the Pontifical Missionary Union (PMU), as well as
Director of the International Center for Missionary Animation (CIAM) and
Director of Agenzia Fides.
FOURTH
SUNDAY OF ADVENT (YEAR A)
Saint Malachy, Prophet; Saint Winebald OSB, Abbot
Is 7:10-14;
Ps 24; Rom 1:1-7; Mt 1:18-24
Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory
COMMENTARY
St. Joseph’s mission,
waiting for Jesus - Emmanuel “God with us”
As the Homiletic Directory notes, “By the Fourth Sunday of Advent
Christmas is very near. The mood of the liturgy shifts from the intense calls
to conversion to a focus on the events immediately surrounding the birth of
Jesus” (HD 96). Thus, today’s Gospel proposes that we meditate on “Joseph’s
dream.” This episode, recounted only by the evangelist Matthew, is called by
many the “annunciation to Joseph,” in parallel to the annunciation to Mary in Luke’s
Gospel. What the angel told Joseph will also be important for us today, in the
last stage of our preparation to celebrate the nativity of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Important insights about the mystery of Jesus’ “generation” and mission
are revealed to us, and the Word of God suggests, accordingly, the right
attitudes to welcome the divine child, “the one who comes” to save the world.
Therefore, we must
necessarily re-enter the mystery divinely announced to Joseph and also to us in
the liturgy, for a worthy preparation for the celebration of His nativity! To
this end, the Gospel helps us due to some statements that are worth dwelling on
again.
1. “Thus was Jesus Christ begotten” - the mystery of Jesus’ “generation”
Firstly, the unfathomable nature of the mystery of Jesus’ conception is
emphasized, “When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they
lived together, she was found with child
through the Holy Spirit.” The divine origin of the unborn child, who as
such escapes all human law or verification, is thus accentuated. This peculiar,
indeed unique, origin is reaffirmed again, when the angel of the Lord, God’s
messenger and His envoy, communicates God’s own message to Joseph, but also to
every modern reader/listener: “For it is
through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.” Therefore,
this generation of Christ shows that He is above all the “Son of God” by nature
and requires “the obedience of faith […] among all the Gentiles,” recalling St.
Paul’s thought and expression at the beginning of the letter to the Romans
(second reading).
On the other hand,
spiritually speaking, such divine origin invites us, His disciples, to remember
our participation in the same “mysterious generation” from God in Him, in order
to be also “children of God.” St. John the Evangelist, in fact, states these
words referring to Christians: “But to those who did accept him, he [Jesus-God’s
Word] gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who
were born not by natural generation nor
by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God” (Jn 1:12-13). This
evangelical thought is developed in his sermons by Blessed Isaac of the Stella,
abbot:
The Son of God is
the first-born of many brothers. Although by nature he is the only-begotten, by grace he has joined many to himself and made them
one with him. For to
those who receive him he has given the power to become the sons of God. He
became the Son of man and made many men sons of God, uniting them to himself by
his love and power, so that they became as one. In themselves they are many by
reason of their human descent, but in him they are one by divine rebirth.
(Sermo 51: PL 194, 1862-1863, 1865). (Second Saturday in Advent - Office of Readings)
In the same vein, St. Paul explains: “As he chose us in him, before the
foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ”
(Eph 1:4-5). Therefore, it is emphasized in the Catechism: “The Word became
flesh to make us ‘partakers of the divine nature’ (2Pt 1:4)” (CCC 460). In short, let us remember that “we too are
his offspring” (cf. Acts 17:28). To remember in order to renew our life with
Him and in Him who comes.
2. The mystery of Jesus’
name and mission - Emmanuel “God with us”
Secondly, it is
appropriate to look further into the revelation of the child’s name and the
mention of the fulfillment of Scripture in this regard. As the angel announced
to Joseph, it will be the latter who will call him Jesus, because “he will save
his people from their sins.” The angel’s explanation is based on the etymology
of the word “Jesus” itself, which literally means “God saves” or “God is
salvation.” The very special mission of Jesus, which is God’s own mission, to “save”
the people from their sins, is thus precisely delineated. He embodies on
Himself and implements with His own life God’s salvation for His people. Jesus’
name already points to the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel in the Scriptures.
Regarding the birth
and naming of the divine child, the evangelist Matthew states, “All this took
place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the
virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel.” In
this statement of fulfillment, which is the first in a series of similar “formulas”
that St. Matthew writes in his gospel to show that the whole life and mission
of Jesus is a continuous and faithful fulfillment of the Word of God in the
Scriptures, one easily notices the fulfillment of the fact of the virgin
conceiving and bearing a son. However, a curious discordance is noted
concerning the name of the child. Indeed, from God’s reported words “through
the prophet” (i.e., Isaiah, as we know from the first reading), it is indicated
“they shall name him Emmanuel.”
But how? Just now in the passage, the angel spoke of another name for the
child, precisely Jesus, and now instead it is stated that His name shall be
Emmanuel because of the fulfillment of the Scriptures! What does this mean? The
unborn child will have a dual name Jesus-Emmanuel? But we know that He will be
given the name Jesus on the day of His circumcision (cf. Lk. 2:21), and He will
thereafter be called only that.
A meditation on this
detail leads us to a deeper understanding of Jesus’ mission, which is already
revealed in the name or rather in the names given. The two names, in fact,
complement each other and together hint at the full identity of “the one who
comes.” On the one hand, He is Jesus, which means “God saves,” as Joseph and
others would later call Him; on the other hand, He is also Emmanuel, which
means “God with us,” as St. Matthew himself makes explicit, for it is precisely
in His person that God’s presence is made visible in the midst of His people.
Moreover, it is understood from this that in the child Jesus-Emmanuel whom God
will give to His people, through the virgin-mother, God will save humanity
through being one with it, that is, not as one who stands above and outside
human reality (God could save humans even in this way in His omnipotence!). He
will save humanity as one who walks with the people to bring them to the
ultimate Promised Land, sharing their joys and sorrows, labors and worries,
those of every day of the journey. In this very perspective it will be stated “And
the Word became flesh and made his dwelling (literally: to pitch His tent) among
us” (Jn 1:14). And Jesus Himself, the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary, true
God and true man, will faithfully fulfill that mission of divine salvation for
humanity, even after His earthly life, entrusting it to His disciples precisely
with the reassuring statement about His divine accompaniment, “And behold, I am with you always,
until the end of the age” (Mt 28:20).
3. Joseph’s drama and mission
St. Joseph is called
to special cooperation with the divine plan for the mission of Jesus the
Savior. Just as it happened to the best, such as John the Baptist (whom we saw
last Sunday), Joseph, a righteous man, also had to go through some moments of
crisis because of his misunderstanding of God’s tidings concerning the matter
of Jesus, His Son. However, he lent the obedience of faith to the word of the
angel, even though, historically speaking, he may not have fully understood the
unprecedented mystery of the child’s origin in the womb of Mary, his “betrothed”,
“He [Joseph] did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife
into his home” (Mt 1:24).
In this regard, in addition to the importance of accepting Mary as a
bride despite what happened, emphasis should be placed on the act required of
Joseph of naming Jesus. This is an important gesture, that of recognizing the
child as one’s legitimate son in the Jewish tradition. By offering in this way
his legal paternity, Joseph, called “son of David” by the angel, will thus also
convey to Jesus this belonging in David’s royal lineage. He thus becomes
formally and effectively, in the patriarchal Jewish society of the time, a rock
for both the child and his mother to lean on in the midst of the various
vicissitudes of human life.
It must be remembered that the obedience of faith to the angel of God
and ready cooperation with the divine plan for Jesus’ life and mission will be
found in Joseph still in other difficult circumstances, as we know from the
Gospel accounts and also from what can be guessed outside what is written. Such
faith, based on the Word of God revealed through His messengers, and
unconditional faithful love for Jesus, Son of God, and for Mary His mother, will
always remain an example for all in our Christian life and mission (So much so
that the Venerable Vietnamese Cardinal Francis Xavier Van Thuan called St.
Joseph the patron saint of the hearers of the Word of God). May he intercede
for Christ’s disciples-missionaries today and help us renew our faith and
faithful love for Jesus and His mother, so that we may worthily celebrate the
Christmas of our Savior, “God with us,” again this year.
O Emmanuel, Rex et legifer noster,
expectatio gentium, et Salvator earum:
veni ad salvandum nos, Domine, Deus noster.
O Emmanuel, Our King and
Lawgiver,
the Expected of the nations and their Savior:
Come and save us, O Lord our God.
Useful points to consider:
Catechism of the Catholic Church
460 The Word
became flesh to make us “partakers of the divine nature”: “For this is why the
Word became man, and the Son of God became the Son of man: so that man, by
entering into communion with the Word and thus receiving divine sonship, might
become a son of God.” “For the Son of God became man so that we might become
God.” “The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his
divinity, assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods.”
Pope Francis, Apostolic Letter on the 150th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Saint
Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church, Patris Corde
1. A beloved father
The
greatness of Saint Joseph is that he was the spouse of Mary and the father of
Jesus. In this way, he placed himself, in the words of Saint John Chrysostom, “at
the service of the entire plan of salvation”.
Saint
Paul VI pointed out that Joseph concretely expressed his fatherhood “by making
his life a sacrificial service to the mystery of the incarnation and its
redemptive purpose. He employed his legal authority over the Holy Family to
devote himself completely to them in his life and work. He turned his human
vocation to domestic love into a superhuman oblation of himself, his heart and
all his abilities, a love placed at the service of the Messiah who was growing
to maturity in his home”.
[…]
3. An
obedient father
As
he had done with Mary, God revealed his saving plan to Joseph. He did so by
using dreams, which in the Bible and among all ancient peoples, were considered
a way for him to make his will known.
Joseph
was deeply troubled by Mary’s mysterious pregnancy. He did not want to “expose
her to public disgrace”, so
he decided to “dismiss her quietly” (Mt 1:19).
In
the first dream, an angel helps him resolve his grave dilemma: “Do not be
afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the
Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will
save his people from their sins” (Mt 1:20-21). Joseph’s response was
immediate: “When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord
commanded him” (Mt 1:24). Obedience made it possible for him to surmount
his difficulties and spare Mary.
[…]
All
this makes it clear that “Saint Joseph was called by God to serve the person
and mission of Jesus directly through the exercise of his fatherhood” and that
in this way, “he cooperated in the fullness of time in the great mystery of
salvation and is truly a minister of salvation.” (SAINT JOHN PAUL II, Apostolic
Exhortation Redemptoris Custos [15 August 1989], 8: AAS 82 [1990], 14)
THIRD
SUNDAY OF ADVENT (YEAR A)
Saint Damasus I Pope; Blessed Arthur Bell, Franciscan martyr
Is
35:1-6a,10; Ps 146; Jas 5:7-10; Mt 11:2-11
Lord, come and save us
COMMENTARY
“Be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of
the Lord” (Jas 5:7)
The third Sunday of
Advent is traditionally called Gaudete Sunday i.e. “Be ye joyful!” or “Be ye
glad!” from the first word of the Mass Entrance Antiphon. Therefore, we are
invited to rejoice because the feast of the Lord’s coming is now near,
spiritually and also literally (in fact, December 25 is on the horizon). In
this context of joyful anticipation, today’s Word of God urges us to meditate
on a fundamental aspect of faith in God and in Jesus, “the one who is to come”,
with our gaze still fixed on St. John the Baptist, the “forerunner”. It is
about constancy in faith in the midst of life’s trials and difficulties. This
is the Christian and missionary virtue so necessary for every disciple-missionary
of Christ in today’s world.
1. “Are you the one who is to come,
or should we look for another?”- The doubts of John the Baptist, God’s
messenger
The Gospel confronts us with an imprisoned John the Baptist, who sends
his disciples to ask Jesus for clarification, “Are you the one who is to come,
or should we look for another?” We can therefore wonder if John the Baptist,
the prophet sent by God, had actually had any doubts about the identity and
mission of Jesus of Nazareth as the one he himself had announced and later
referred to as God’s messiah, “the one who is to come” (as we heard in last
Sunday’s Gospel).
Church fathers such as St. Augustine, St. Hilary, or St. John Chrysostom
explained that with this question to Jesus, John the Baptist wanted to clarify
the matter only for his disciples and not for himself, who in fact had always
remained steadfast in the faith, despite his imprisoned situation. Instead, the
context of the Gospel seems to lead us to suppose that John also had some
fluctuations in his faith in Jesus, God’s messiah, the One who would come at
the end of time to execute God’s judgment on the world and also to liberate the
oppressed and imprisoned—like himself at that time. So much so that Jesus
wanted to end His response with a special beatitude which can be counted as an
indirect but cordial and very personal invitation to John: “Blessed is the one
who takes no offense at me”.
It should be pointed out that John’s doubts did not concern his faith in
the almighty God of Israel who will come to save His people. Rather, they
concerned the mission, activities, and, consequently, the messianic identity of
Jesus. In fact, as pointed out by St. Matthew the Evangelist, John sent his
disciples to Jesus with such a premise, “heard [...] of the works of the Christ”
i.e., “works of the messiah” i.e., “messianic works” performed by Jesus. The
prophets of Israel write this in fact, particularly in the book of Isaiah,
concerning the liberating activities of the Anointed One of God in the Spirit: “The
spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me (...) He has sent me to bring good news to
the afflicted, to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives,
release to the prisoners [...]” (Is 61:1). John could therefore have been
thinking, “If this is so, then why am I in prison for the cause of God and
Jesus, the messiah, does not seem very interested in my release”?
John’s doubts turn out
to be legitimate, indeed “grounded” in Scripture. They concern the mission of
Jesus of Nazareth, but also reflexively, most likely, lead John to doubt his
own mission as a prophet, forerunner, and herald of Christ. Such a moment of
darkness that God left to his prophet, his “special envoy”, would therefore be
very meaningful: an episode both revealing and educational for all of us
Christians, witnesses and heralds of Christ in today’s world. If some moments
of crisis happened to the best like John the Baptist, it will also happen to
us, at times: to fail to understand the ways of the Lord and the mission of
Christ, precisely because of our human limitations. Such an experience,
however, is permitted by God, because it is salutary for our growth in
understanding his mission and thus our mission as his co-workers, provided that
we resort directly to Jesus in the moment of crisis, just as John the Baptist
did.
2. “Blessed Is the One
Who Takes No Offense At Me!”
Interestingly, in responding to John the Baptist, Jesus invites them to
reflect again on His works, seen and heard by John’s disciples (“Go and tell
John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers
are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good
news proclaimed to them”). This will be their simple mission: to witness and
confirm Jesus’ messianic identity through the proclamation of the works
mentioned. These are precisely messianic works, foretold by prophets such as
Isaiah (first reading) and now fulfilled and proven by God in Jesus, summarized
in the emblematic fact that “the poor have the good news proclaimed to them”.
Jesus’ own particular invitation to the doubting Jews should be recalled
in this regard: “If I do not perform my Father’s works, do not believe me; but
if I perform them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that
you may realize [and understand] that the Father is in me and I am in the
Father” (Jn 10:37-38). Therefore, these are the authentic works of God that
Jesus performed in the Messianic time for the sake of the people, and they
demonstrate the meek and merciful face of God and His Christ, who acts without
vengeance for a nationalistic earthly justice, as some at that time believed
and hoped. The point of reference will always be the person of Christ and His way
of acting that gives the true and authentic fulfillment of the Scriptures
according to God’s thinking. Let us remember: God is always greater than any
human scheme, the result of the projection of what God should do according to
merely human thinking. We are all invited to purify our thinking in light of
the actions and teaching of Christ, Wisdom of God incarnate, who proclaims, “Blessed
is the one who takes no offense at me”.
Such purification is
always needed in the life of faith with Jesus, and even more so in the mission
of evangelization with Him. For a true disciple-missionary of Christ, it will
always be helpful and healthy to measure one’s mission with Christ’s, to avoid
carrying it out according to human thoughts and criteria. And if anyone by
chance now experiences some moment of crisis or trial, when the “mission” does
not go as he or she expected, one only needs to thank the Lord for this and
welcome it as an opportune time to enter into the deeper understanding of
Christ’s mission, the mission of God that Christ accomplished and later
entrusted to His disciples.
3. Joyful constancy or
constant joy in faith and mission in waiting for His coming
We therefore joyfully continue our preparation for the coming of the
Lord, and this on both the existential (preparation for the final coming of
Christ) and temporal (preparation for Christmas) levels. I repeat what St.
James the Apostle exhorts in his letter (second reading), “Be patient, brothers
and sisters, until the coming of the Lord”. This precious attitude, constancy,
proves to be essential not only for living faith in expectation of the Lord,
but also for carrying out with patience and determination every mission of God
in the midst of difficulties and trials. It is no coincidence that a national
director of the Pontifical Mission Societies, a former missionary himself in
Kenya, often speaks, with an English neologism, of “stickability” as a fundamental
characteristic of missionaries (who thus remain “adherent”, faithful, to the
mission despite everything).
In this regard, in St.
James the inspired image of the farmer who “waits for the precious fruit of the
earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains” is
shown to be more than appropriate. May it be in the minds of all disciple-missionaries
of Christ, especially those experiencing a difficult time, to find serenity and
peace in the greater understanding of the divine plan. Let us hold dear to
heart God’s exhortation for all of us through St. James the Apostle: “Take as
an example of hardship and patience, brothers and sisters, the prophets who
spoke in the name of the Lord”, including the example of John the Baptist, the
greatest “among those born of women”, a prophet-messenger of Christ.
O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti,
attingens a fine usque ad finem fortiter suaviterque disponens omnia:
veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.
O Wisdom from the mouth of the
Most High,
you fill the whole world. With strength and gentleness you order all things:
come to teach us the way of prudence
Useful points to consider:
Pope Francis, General Audience, Saint Peter’s Square, Wednesday, 7 September 2016
We
have listened to a passage from the Gospel of Matthew (11:2-6). The evangelist’s
intention is that of making us enter more deeply into the mystery of Jesus, in
order to grasp his goodness and his mercy. The scene is as follows: while John
the Baptist was in prison, he sent his disciples to Jesus to ask him a very
clear question: “Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?” (v.
3). […]
And
at first Jesus’ answer does not seem to correspond to John’s question. In fact,
Jesus says: “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their
sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead
are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is he
who takes no offence at me” (vv. 4-6). Here Jesus’ intent becomes clear: He
responds by saying that he is the real instrument of the Father’s mercy, who
goes to encounter everyone, bringing consolation and salvation, and, in doing
so, he manifests God’s justice. The blind, the lame, the lepers, the deaf,
regain their dignity and are no longer excluded because of their disease, the
dead return to life, while the Good News is proclaimed to the poor. And this
becomes the summary of Jesus’ action, who in this way makes God’s own actions
visible and tangible.
The
message that the Church receives from this account of Christ’s life is very
clear. God did not send his Son into the world to punish sinners, nor to
destroy the wicked. Rather, they were invited to convert, so that, seeing the
signs of divine goodness, they might rediscover their way back. As the Psalm
says: “If thou, O Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, / Lord, who could stand? /
But there is forgiveness with thee, / that thou mayest be feared” (130
[129]:3-4).
Catechism of the Catholic Church
163 Faith makes us taste in advance the light of the beatific vision, the goal of our journey here below. Then we shall see God “face to face”, “as he is”. So faith is already the beginning of eternal life: When we contemplate the blessings of faith even now, as if gazing at a reflection in a mirror, it is as if we already possessed the wonderful things which our faith assures us we shall one day enjoy.
547 Jesus accompanies his words with many “mighty
works and wonders and signs”, which manifest that the kingdom is present in him
and attest that he was the promised Messiah.
548 The signs worked by Jesus attest that the
Father has sent him. They invite belief in him. To those who turn to him in
faith, he grants what they ask. So miracles strengthen faith in the One who
does his Father’s works; they bear witness that he is the Son of God. But his
miracles can also be occasions for “offence” they are not intended to satisfy
people’s curiosity or desire for magic Despite his evident miracles some people
reject Jesus; he is even accused of acting by the power of demons.
SECOND
SUNDAY OF ADVENT (YEAR A)
St. John Damascene, priest, doctor of the Church; St.
Barbara, virgin and martyr
Is 11:1-10;
Ps 72; Rom 15:4-9; Mt 3:1-12
Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever
COMMENTARY
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven
is at hand!”
The words of the title
of the commentary above accompany us to the “heart” of the Advent season, which
began a week ago. They are proclaimed in today’s Gospel, according to Matthew,
by John the Baptist, who thus exhorted everyone to conversion to prepare “the
way of the Lord”. We, too, are called to listen attentively to the living Word
of God who still speaks today through the voice of John.
1. “A voice of one
crying out in the desert”
John is presented as the prophet who takes on in himself, in his words
and by his actions, the characteristics of the prophets of Israel’s tradition.
His voice in the wilderness recalls the words of the prophet Isaiah who proclaimed
in God’s name the beginning of a new exodus, a new exit from the exile of
Babylon, as indicated by the evangelist himself. In addition, such detailed
mention of John the Baptist’s clothing echoes the prophet Elijah’s way of
dressing (cf. 2Kgs 1:8), and the food on which he fed himself daily recall an
austere and penitential manner of life, distinctive of the prophets.
Portrayed as a prophet, John, however, has something special: the
essence of his preaching is described with the exhortation to conversion for
the kingdom of heaven, that is, the kingdom of God (according to the Jewish way
of expressing himself, which out of reverence for the divine name even avoids
the use of the word God). The identical exhortation will be on Jesus’ lips at
the beginning of his public activities, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is
at hand!” (Mt 4:17). In this way, we glimpse, on the one hand, Jesus’
confirmation of the validity of John the Baptist’s message, and on the other,
the figure of John the Baptist as a preacher of the Gospel—that is, of the good
news of God, proclaimed by Jesus, the Messiah and Son of God, in the fullness
of time—emerges clearly. In other words, John the Baptist is the voice of God,
in which we hear the same message that Jesus, the Word (Verbum) of God
incarnate, will proclaim (just as St. Augustine noted “John is the voice. Of
the Lord, on the other hand, it is said, ‘In the beginning was the Word’ [Jn
1:1]. John is the voice that passes; Christ is the eternal Word who was in the
beginning). John therefore is a special prophet, the messianic prophet who has
the great honor of heralding the coming of the messianic kingdom, inaugurated
by Christ.
In this regard, I
emphasize again that every prophet of God is His special one sent to the people
to always speak in his name concerning his things, God asks him to speak! He is
the missionary of God. So it was with John the Baptist. He is solemnly
presented as the prophet chosen in the fulfillment of history. Later, he will
be praised by Jesus himself: “among those born of women, no one is greater than
John”, one who was “more than a prophet,” and a “messenger” of God (cf. Lk
7:27-28; Mt 11:9-11). The particular mention of the “desert” as a place of
vocation and the beginning of the Baptist’s activity is not just to signal the
fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophetic announcement (cf. Lk 3:4; Is 40:3) or to
recall the experience of exodus. It makes us imagine a general spiritual
picture of the time and to perceive a connection between the Baptist’s entry
into the scene and the eschatological renewal of the people. God’s
prophet-missionary almost always acts in the desert, even when he does so in an
overcrowded city such as Shanghai, New Delhi, Lagos, or Sao Paulo! He is not
particularly intimidated or deterred by this fact, because he knows that he is
there not of his own will but for a mission entrusted to him by the Word of
God!
2. “You brood of vipers! (…) Produce good fruit as
evidence of your repentance.”
John’s voice becomes extremely harsh toward the Pharisees and Sadducees,
members of the two most important religious groups of the time, who came to his
baptism anyway: “You brood of vipers!”. There must be some reason for such an
epithet! Perhaps he saw the hypocrisy behind their apparent act of receiving
his baptism. The outward, visible sign will necessarily have to correspond to
the intention and commitment of the spirit to a factual change of life in order
to enter and remain in the kingdom of heaven. This is why John the Baptist
insists, “Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance”. What would this
fruit be? What act would be “worthy of conversion”? From this context we can
glimpse that the desirable fruit will be an opening to the coming Messianic
kingdom.
On a spiritual level,
the call of John the Baptist remains valid for every “baptized person” today,
in the present time of waiting for the coming of the Lord. The Lord Jesus
himself warned us in no uncertain terms against all hypocrisy and spiritual
laziness: “Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown
into the fire” (Mt 7:19), and again, "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord,
Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of
my Father in heaven” (Mt 7:21). All the baptized then as now are called to the
serious commitment to conversion that leads to mature faith “working through
love”, as St. Paul the apostle points out in Gal 5:6 precisely along the same
lines as St. James the apostle (Jas 2:14-26). Such genuine and mature faith
naturally leads to the joyful sharing of life in the kingdom of heaven with
others, that is, to “missionary” commitment in the “messianic preaching” of the
kingdom of God to all and at all times, as John the Baptist did.
3. In view of “the one
who is coming”, the “sprout” of Jesse, who will “baptize in Holy Spirit and
fire”
Despite the harshness of the language characteristic of the style of the
prophets who wanted to shake the spiritually drowsy conscience of many, the
messianic preaching of John the Baptist opens the horizon to a future of hope,
pointing to the figure of “the one who is coming”, the messiah of God who “will
baptize with the holy Spirit and fire”. Beyond the fire that is an image of
divine judgment and purification, the reference of baptism in the Holy Spirit,
that is, to immersion in the divine Spirit with the coming of Christ,
underscores the fulfillment of the dream of the prophets in Israel for the end
times, when God will pour out his spirit on every creature, according to the
announcement of the prophet Joel (cf. Jl 3:1-5), later accentuated by St. Peter
the apostle in his first missionary preaching on the day of Pentecost (cf. Acts
2:17-18). What is more, as the prophet Isaiah indicated in the first reading,
this Spirit of God will first rest on the “shoot” of Jesse, the image of the
coming messiah, and then expand on all. Thus, as a result, “the earth shall be
filled with knowledge of the LORD, as water covers the sea”. In this way,
humanity will return to peace and harmony with God, with creation, and with one
another, as described with the scene of paradise found that we have heard (Is
11:6-9).
Therefore, all
baptized Christians are reminded of, and called again today to the life in the
Spirit they have received as a gift from Christ, in order to live deeply the
Advent season, in which we are all called to conversion in view of the coming
of the Lord. To this point, we want to quote an important passage by Pope
Francis in his recent message for World Mission Sunday 2022: “All Christ’s
missionary disciples are called to recognize the essential importance of the
Spirit’s work, to dwell in his presence daily and to receive his unfailing
strength and guidance. Indeed, it is precisely when we feel tired, unmotivated
or confused that we should remember to have recourse to the Holy Spirit in
prayer. Let me emphasize once again that prayer plays a fundamental role in the
missionary life, for it allows us to be refreshed and strengthened by the
Spirit as the inexhaustible divine source of renewed energy and joy in sharing
Christ’s life with others.”
We therefore conclude our reflection with the prayer (provided as an
alternative Collect [Opening Prayer] for this Sunday in the Italian Missal):
O Father, who made to
sprout on earth the Savior
and upon him you have
placed your Spirit,
stir up in us the same
sentiments of Christ,
that we may bear
fruits of justice and peace.
Through Christ, our
Lord. Amen.
Useful points to consider:
Benedict XVI, Angelus, St Peter's Square, Second
Sunday of Advent, 9 December 2007
While the Advent
journey continues, while we prepare to celebrate the Birth of Christ, John the
Baptist's appeal for conversion rings out in our communities. It is a pressing
invitation to open our hearts to receive the Son of God, who comes among us to
make manifest the divine judgement. The Father, writes John the Evangelist,
judges no one but has given all judgement to the Son because he is the Son of
Man (cf. Jn 5: 22, 27). And it is today, in the present, that our future
destiny is being played out. It is our actual conduct in this life that decides
our eternal fate. At the end of our days on earth, at the moment of death, we
will be evaluated on the basis of our likeness - or lack of it - to the Child
who is about to be born in the poor grotto of Bethlehem, because he is the
criterion of the measure that God has given to humanity. The Heavenly Father,
who expressed his merciful love to us through the birth of his Only-Begotten
Son, calls us to follow in his footsteps, making our existence, as he did, a
gift of love. And the fruit of love is that fruit which "befits
repentance", to which John the Baptist refers while he addresses cutting
words to the Pharisees and Sadduccees among the crowds who had come for
Baptism.
Through the Gospel,
John the Baptist continues to speak down the centuries to every generation. His
clear, harsh words are particularly salutary for us, men and women of our time,
in which the way of living and perceiving Christmas unfortunately all too often
suffers the effects of a materialistic mindset. The "voice" of the
great prophet asks us to prepare the way of the Lord, who comes in the external
and internal wildernesses of today, thirsting for the living water that is
Christ. May the Virgin Mary guide us to true conversion of heart, so that we
may make the necessary choices to harmonize our mentalities with the Gospel.
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Homiletic Directory
88. That
master theologian of the third century, Origen, observed a pattern that
contains a great mystery: whenever the Lord Jesus came, he was preceded in that
coming by John the Baptist (cf. Homilies on Luke IV, 6). Thus it was
that even in the womb John leapt to announce the presence of the Lord. In the
deserts of the Jordan, John’s preaching heralded the one who was to come after
him. When he baptized Jesus in the Jordan, the heavens were opened, the Holy
Spirit came down upon Jesus in visible form and a voice from heaven declared
him to be the Father’s beloved Son. John’s death was the signal to Jesus to set
his face on going up to Jerusalem, where he knew his own death awaited him.
John is the last and greatest of the prophets; for after he speaks, the one
whom all the prophets foretold comes and acts for our salvation.
92. Various
classic Messianic prophecies of Isaiah are read on these Sundays. "On that
day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud
shall blossom" (Is 11:1, Second Sunday, A). The text is fulfilled
in the birth of Jesus. […]
93. […] The
baptism with the Holy Spirit that Jesus brings is the direct link between all
the texts discussed here and the center to which this Directory has
continually pointed; that is, the Paschal Mystery, ultimately fulfilled in
Pentecost with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all who believe in Christ.
The Paschal Mystery is prepared for by the coming of the Only Begotten Son in
the flesh, and its infinite riches will be even further displayed on the last
day. Isaiah says of the child born in the stable and of the one who will come
on the clouds, "The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him" (Is 11:2,
Second Sunday A) […]
Catechism of the Catholic Church
1427 Jesus calls
to conversion. This call is an essential part of the proclamation of the
kingdom: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and
believe in the gospel.” In the Church's preaching this call is addressed first
to those who do not yet know Christ and his Gospel. Also, Baptism is the
principal place for the first and fundamental conversion. It is by faith in the
Gospel and by Baptism that one renounces evil and gains salvation, that is, the
forgiveness of all sins and the gift of new life.
1428 Christ's
call to conversion continues to resound in the lives of Christians. This second
conversion is an uninterrupted task for the whole Church who, “clasping sinners
to her bosom, [is] at once holy and always in need of purification, [and]
follows constantly the path of penance and renewal.” This endeavor of
conversion is not just a human work. It is the movement of a "contrite
heart," drawn and moved by grace to respond to the merciful love of God
who loved us first.
715 The
prophetic texts that directly concern the sending of the Holy Spirit are
oracles by which God speaks to the heart of his people in the language of the
promise, with the accents of “love and fidelity.” St. Peter will proclaim their
fulfillment on the morning of Pentecost. According to these promises, at the
“end time” the Lord's Spirit will renew the hearts of men, engraving a new law
in them. He will gather and reconcile the scattered and divided peoples; he
will transform the first creation, and God will dwell there with men in peace.
716 The People
of the “poor” - those who, humble and meek, rely solely on their God's
mysterious plans, who await the justice, not of men but of the Messiah - are in
the end the great achievement of the Holy Spirit's hidden mission during the
time of the promises that prepare for Christ's coming. It is this quality of
heart, purified and enlightened by the Spirit, which is expressed in the
Psalms. In these poor, the Spirit is making ready “a people prepared for the
Lord.” (Luke 1,17).
720 Finally, with
John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit begins the restoration to man of “the divine
likeness,” prefiguring what he would achieve with and in Christ. John's baptism
was for repentance; baptism in water and the Spirit will be a new birth.
FIRST
SUNDAY OF ADVENT (YEAR A)
Blessed Bartholomew Sheki, martyr of Japan; St. Virgilius of Salzburg,
bishop
Is 2:1-5;
Ps 122; Rom 13:11-14; Mt 24:37-44
Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord
COMMENTARY
Wisdom in Expectation of the
Son of Man
At the beginning of the Advent season and the beginning of a new liturgical
year, we recall once again the missionary character of every Mass and, as we
wait for the coming of the Lord, we ponder the two most important aspects presented
in this Sunday’s Gospel.
1. The Missionary and Advent
Character of Every Mass
It will be appropriate to take up what we emphasized already last year,
from the very beginning of our adventure with the Word of God:
The missionary nature is intrinsic in every mass, because it is the active
community witness of the Christian faith of the participants. The link between
the mass celebrated and the mission of the Church it is clear from the
dismissal that sounds in the original Latin “Ite missa est” (hence the
name mass for the Eucharistic
celebration). As Pope Benedict XVI teaches us, “[The dismissal ‘Ite, missa
est’,] helps us to grasp the relationship between the Mass just celebrated
and the mission of Christians in the world. In antiquity, missa simply meant ‘dismissal.’ However, in Christian usage it
gradually took on a deeper meaning. The word ‘dismissal’ has come to imply a ‘mission.’
These few words succinctly express the missionary nature of the Church. The
People of God might be helped to understand more clearly this essential
dimension of the Church’s life, taking the dismissal as a starting-point.”
(Post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum caritatis, 22 February
2007, n. 51).
The missionary nature of the mass emerges even more clearly and reaches its
culmination in the acclamation after the consecration of the bread and the wine
into Christ’s body and blood. The priest proclaims Mysterium fidei “The
mystery of faith”, and people answer: Mortem tuam annuntiamus, Domine, et
tuam resurrectionem confitemur, donec venias “We proclaim your Death, O
Lord, and profess your Resurrection, until You come again.”
This liturgical action highlights the vocation of every Christian in today’s
world to be herald/witness of the paschal mysteries of Christ’s passion, death,
and resurrection, until His second coming.
Indeed, in front of the Eucharistic Jesus, every participant is called to
solemnly confirm the mission He Himself has entrusted to the Church, the
community of the faithful: “Go and…tell”, “Go… and proclaim the good news”, “you
will be my witnesses”. This mission must be carried out until the return of
Christ, as recalled by the Second Vatican Council: “And so the time for
missionary activity extends between the first coming of the Lord and the
second, in which latter the Church will be gathered from the four winds like a
harvest into the kingdom of God. For the Gospel must be preached to all nations
before the Lord shall come” (AG 9). This means that our present time is always
a time of mission, donec venias “until [You] come again”.
This general liturgical-missionary context should be experienced
particularly in the Eucharistic celebration of the days and Sundays of Advent,
when, through the prayers and readings provided for each Mass, the aspect of
waiting for the Lord’s coming is emphasized.
2. A Call to Wisdom in the
Expectation of the Son of Man
Today’s Gospel teaching is taken from the Gospel of Matthew and is found
within Jesus’ discourse on the end times (Mt 24-25). The first part focuses on
the coming of the Son of Man, while the second part provides the recommendation
to stay awake.
Jesus compares his coming with “the days of Noah”. The comparison is very
appropriate to emphasize the two characteristics of the time of the “coming”: “universal
flood” and “salvation of individuals.” It should be mentioned that the
reference to Noah is found again in 1Pt 3:20-21; 2Pt 2:5; Heb 11:7 (to be read
for meditation), again in this flood-salvation perspective. This hints at the
popularity of Jesus’ original thought among early Christians.
Moreover, as a master-rabbi in the Jewish tradition, Jesus makes the
comparison explicit in a “haggadic” manner, that is, by illustrating the matter
through stories. He, in his explanation, mentions two pairs of typical human
actions (each pair represents the stylistic figure of “merism,” that is, the
indication of two complementary aspects to describe the totality). The first
pair is “eating-drinking” to express all human activities in the present
moment, while “marrying and giving in marriage” (or rather “taking wife-husband”)
somehow hints at concern for the future. Moreover, this series of verbs most
likely alludes to a life among pleasures and celebrations, without paying
attention to the other more important things going on around. Indeed, St. Paul
also denounced this kind of life in Rom 13:13: “Let us conduct ourselves
properly as in the day, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and
lust, not in rivalry and jealousy” (Reading 2). Not surprisingly, in fact,
living in this way “They did not know
until the flood came and carried them all away” (lit. ἔγνωσαν “they knew/seeked to understand” as in v.43!).
Apparently, we have here the key phrase of Jesus’ teaching: ignorance does
not save you from death, indeed in the face of it there is no so-called “innocent
ignorance” or “good faith.” It is an attitude similar to “letting go” and a
certain resignation. Here ignorance is foolishness, because man “ignores,” that
is, rejects, the signs of the times, and closes himself in his usual “normal”
thoughts and practices, in his own “spiritual superficiality,” as one exegete
has well commented: “The generation of the flood is not condemned for its
immorality, but for its spiritual superficiality” (R. Fabris, Matthew, Borla, Rome 1996). In the
biblical authors, in fact, here is the typical phrase on the lips of “this
generation.” “Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” (Is 22:13; cf. 1Cor 15:31). From
Jesus’ critical observation emerges an implicit message with a strong
sapiential slant: “Oh man, open your eyes! Awaken For your life! For there is an end, indeed, the
end of everything, for there is God. The fool, instead, continues to think: “There
is no God” (cf. Ps 14; Ps 53), and feels secure in his “ignorance” (cf. Prv 14:16;
15:14).
It is accentuated, therefore, at the end of this first part of Jesus’
teaching. We hear of the final situation on that day of coming, again with the
use of the complementary pairs of images (“merism”) to express, on the one
hand, the totality, the universality of judgment (“man-woman,” “in the
field-home [at the mill]”), and on the other hand, the real possibility of being saved or lost (be taken - be left).
Everything is possible; nothing is taken for granted or certain, except that
there will be “parousia,” that is, the coming of the Lord.
3. “Therefore, Stay Awake! For You Do Not Know...”
This is the central
recommendation that Jesus leaves with his disciples not only for today or for
this Advent season, but also for their entire lives. The phrase is repeated in
Mt 25:13, at the end of the parable of the ten virgins! This gives a glimpse of
the importance of this teaching, which incidentally is also evident here in
today’s gospel, because Jesus reinforces and develops his own recommendation
with a series of exhortations from the same perspective.
The first deepening
exhortation is an invitation to the wisdom of the mind to live and survive: “Be sure of this...” (lit. “[re]know/know”
– verb as in v.38). The mention of the time of the thief’s coming turns out to
be interesting. This is the almost proverbial image, repeated in the NT but
unsympatheticly because it is strongly negative (cf. 1Thes 5:2; 2Pt 3:10; Rv 3:3;
16:15). However, it is not about the parallel between the persons (Jesus and
the thief), but between the unpredictability of the two moments. We must
therefore learn to prepare ourselves to defend the house of the soul against
all unpredictability; we must learn to foresee the unexpected! The only
certainty in life: the Son of Man will come (v.37,39,44).
And here is Jesus’ final advice: “you also must be prepared,” or, literally,
“be/become ready/prepared” (v.44). The sapiential invitation from earlier (“Be sure of this...”) becomes a kind of
heartfelt existential recommendation! The recommended preparedness clearly
connects with the seriousness of life: not in spending the time from feast to
feast, between eating and drinking, but in constant spiritual preparation with
wisdom and awe, like an athlete training to face an important race, according
to the divine advice in Prv 23:17-21 e Rom
13:11-14 (to be read for meditation). All this is because “at an hour you do not expect [lit. “think/presume”],
the Son of Man will come.” he insists again on openness of mind and thought: It will not
be as you see it! Therefore, be vigilant! Be awake! Always pay attention (to
the coming of the Son of Man, his words and deeds)! Become wise! So much so
that in the Eastern tradition, before proclaiming the Gospel, the deacon “cries
out”: Sofia “wisdom” to call
attention.
We
have begun a new liturgical year, a new Advent Season. May it also be the
beginning of a new stage of wise and vigilant living as we await the coming of
the Lord. Let us perhaps pay more attention to the sure realities of the end,
to the spiritual and supernatural things of life, and especially to the voice
of the Lord who calls and accompanies each/all of us in every moment and daily
situation, in particular, during every Eucharistic celebration. We train
ourselves even more in listening to the Lord through assiduous reading of His
Word in the Holy Scriptures, in being in communion with Him in constant prayer,
and in frequent vigil. This is in order to keep His Holy Spirit, the Wisdom
that comes from above, in us more and more in the midst of the chaos,
confusions, and bewilderments of the world. Such acts, I would like to
emphasize even now, will help us to be vigilant, indeed, fervent in
waiting, to strengthen hearts; they will remind us of the duty to walk in
holiness towards “that day” of final salvation with the Lord; and they will
kindle the enthusiasm of witnessing the dead and risen Christ to all, donec veniat “until He comes.” Amen. Maranathà!
Useful
points to consider:
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Homiletic Directory, n. 86
“The Eucharist itself which is about to be celebrated is, of course, the most intense preparation the community has for the Lord’s coming, for it is itself his coming. In the preface that begins the Eucharistic Prayer on this Sunday, the community presents itself before God as ‘we who watch.’ We who watch ask that already today we may sing the hymn of all the angels: ‘Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts.’ In proclaiming the Mystery of Faith we express the same spirit of watching: ‘When we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim your death, O Lord, until you come again.’ In the Eucharistic Prayer the heavens are rent open and God comes down. In holy Communion the heavens are rent open and God comes down. The one whose body and Blood we receive today is the Son of Man who will come in a cloud with power and great glory. With his grace delivered in holy Communion it may be hoped that each one of us can exclaim, ‘I will stand erect and raise my head, because my redemption is at hand.’”
Catechism of the Catholic Church
672 Before his
Ascension Christ affirmed that the hour had not yet come for the glorious
establishment of the messianic kingdom awaited by Israel which, according to
the prophets, was to bring all men the definitive order of justice, love and
peace. According to the Lord, the present time is the time of the Spirit and of
witness, but also a time still marked by “distress” and the trial of evil which
does not spare the Church and ushers in the struggles of the last days. It is a
time of waiting and watching.
673 Since the
Ascension Christ’s coming in glory has been imminent, even though “it is not
for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own
authority.” This eschatological coming could be accomplished at any moment,
even if both it and the final trial that will precede it are “delayed”.
1130 The Church
celebrates the mystery of her Lord “until he comes,” when God will be “everything
to everyone.” Since the apostolic age the liturgy has been drawn toward its
goal by the Spirit’s groaning in the Church: Marana tha! The liturgy thus
shares in Jesus’ desire: “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with
you . . . until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” In the sacraments of
Christ the Church already receives the guarantee of her inheritance and even
now shares in everlasting life, while “awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing
of the glory of our great God and Savior Christ Jesus.” The “Spirit and the Bride
say, ‘Come… Come, Lord Jesus!’”
2730 In positive
terms, the battle against the possessive and dominating self requires
vigilance, sobriety of heart. When Jesus insists on vigilance, he always
relates it to himself, to his coming on the last day and every day: today. The
bridegroom comes in the middle of the night; the light that must not be
extinguished is that of faith: “‘Come,’ my heart says, ‘seek his face!’”
THIRTY-FOURTH
SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C)
The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the
Universe
2Sm 5:1-3;
Ps 122; Col 1:12-20; Lk 23:35-43
Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord
COMMENTARY
The Mission of the Crucified King
At the end of the liturgical year, we joyfully celebrate the Solemnity
of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. It was introduced into the
liturgy of the Church by Pope Pius XI in the holy year 1925 (with the
Encyclical Quas Primas of 11 December), and later confirmed by Pope Paul
VI in the new Roman Missal (approved by the apostolic constitution Missale romanum on 3 April 1969) and
placed precisely on the last Sunday of the liturgical year. As Pope Pius XI
pointed out in the aforementioned encyclical “That these blessings may be
abundant and lasting in Christian society, it is necessary that the kingship of
our Savior should be as widely as possible recognized and understood.” And the
Preface to the Eucharistic Prayer of today’s solemnity is meant to accentuate especially
the divine-spiritual character of Christ’s reign for humanity: “an eternal and
universal kingdom; a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and
grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace.” This solemnity has gained even
more importance since 2021, when Pope Francis wanted to move the celebration of
World Youth Day from Palm Sunday to this day of Christ the King in all dioceses
around the world.
In such a festive atmosphere, the gospel invites us to meditate again on
some important particular features of Christ the King and his mission. Following
these aspects will be essential for us, his disciples, who are called to
continue the same mission of bringing the kingdom of God to all.
1. The Crucified King
Who Did Not Want To Save Himself
With this short but
dense passage from today’s gospel, the liturgy wishes to recall Jesus’ last
moment on the cross. It thus sends us back to “Good Friday,” the end of his
earthly life and at the same time the culmination of his mission.
The blasphemous mockery
of the leaders of the Jews, the Roman soldiers, and even one of the evildoers,
still highlights the humiliation and tragic nature of the moment. We have the
impression of hearing from all sides the refrain with the terrible pounding
rhythm: “Save! Save! Save yourself!”
However, from Jesus’
non-reaction in the face of provocation, there emerges precisely all the
patience, meekness, “royal” determination of one who has only one thing on his
mind, as He declared from the age of twelve, the age of an adult of the People
of God according to Jewish tradition: “Did you not know that I must be in my
Father’s house?” (Lk 2:49). He also was the one who wanted, ardently and
resolutely, to make the journey to Jerusalem, to fulfill “everything written by
the prophets about the Son of Man” (Lk 18:31). Therefore, one could “hear” from
Christ’s silence on the cross, as a response to that blasphemous refrain of the
mockers, the song of unceasing praise, a sign of faith and total loyalty to
God: “Holy, holy, holy the Lord God Almighty.”
Jesus’ mission is always to fulfill the Father’s plan for the salvation of all, including those who do not understand Him, mock Him, crucify Him, and even at the cost of the consummation of their own lives. Therein lies the greatness of the divine king, the Christ of God, the chosen one. This will also be the path of each of his disciples-missionaries, called to have, like Christ the King, the same patience, meekness and “royal” determination.
2. The Merciful King
Who Gives Paradise
From the crucifixion
scene, St. Luke gives us the exclusive close-up (unique among the gospels) of
the conversation between Jesus and the “good thief.” Emerging here, again as in
many of the episodes in Luke's gospel that we have heard on the Sundays of this
liturgical year, is a Jesus full of mercy. He is the face of God, merciful
toward the least, the excluded, the repentant, the needy. The mission of Christ
the King is that of mercy. It is no accident that even before the episode of
the good thief, Jesus prayed for the forgiveness of all his executioners: “Father,
forgive them, they know not what they do” (Lk 23:34), and that includes those
who thought or boasted that they knew what they were doing!
His kingdom has always and forever been that “of life [...], love and
peace,” to repeat again the words of the preface of today’s Mass, and it will
always be greater than all human frailty. And the moving request of the
repentant thief after sincerely acknowledging the consequence of his sin, then publicly
defending Jesus’ innocence, becomes the model of prayer for all disciples,
indeed, for all people in need of salvation at the moment of trial and death: “Jesus,
remember me when you come into your kingdom.” It refers, in effect, to the
invocation to divine mercy by members of God’s people: “Remember your
compassion and your mercy, O LORD, for they are ages old” (Ps 25:6).
3. The Eternal “Today”
of Salvation Offered by Christ the King
Faced with the touching plea of the thief in which the voice of every
man and woman seeking salvation can be heard, Jesus’ response is not long in
coming, and it too is both beautiful and dense with theological-spiritual
meaning: “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” As we see
from the initial wording (“Amen, I say to you”), this is a deliberately solemn
statement, as if He wanted to announce to all what He was saying only to one.
Jesus promises, nay, assures the thief of salvation, that is, of being in
heaven with Him, and this will be accomplished “today,” on that same “Good
Friday”! (He did not say, “Wait, dear thief, three days, hanging on the cross,
and when I rise again on the third day, then you will be with me!”).
This “today,” therefore, does not refer to material time, but concerns
the eternal today of salvation offered by Christ the King crucified. It was
already for Zacchaeus when he welcomed Jesus into his home, who declared: “Today
salvation has come to this house […]. For the Son of Man has come to seek and
to save what was lost” (Lk 19:9-10). Even more, this “today” had already been
proclaimed by God through his angels at the time of Jesus’ birth: “For today in
the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord” (Lk 2:11).
It is then found again on the lips of Jesus Himself in the synagogue in
Nazareth at the beginning of his public activities: “Today this scripture
passage is fulfilled in your hearing” (Lk 4:21). It is the “today” of Jesus’
mission to bring the divine gospel to all in need and to gather all God’s
scattered children into the kingdom of peace and salvation.
Such “today” of God and Jesus continues even now, and all of Christ’s disciples are called to proclaim to all that “day” of the Lord, which ultimately will not be a nefarious day of condemnation and fire, but one of forgiveness and salvation. Regardless of how bad, how evil, how sinful the past that each person carries on his or her shoulders may be, it will be enough to turn to Jesus, the crucified King, sincerely calling on him, like the good thief. He waits for every man and woman always with patience, understanding and mercy. By giving the paradise to the “good thief”, Christ the King on the cross mystically continues to wait for the return of the other thief, the “bad” one, in order to give him, too, the “today” of his salvation in his kingdom.
It is therefore necessary to bring to everyone this great mystery, at
opportune and inopportune times, that mystery of God’s love in Christ for every
person in the world. Thus is expanded by attraction the sweet reign of Christ
the crucified King, who also promised, prophesying: “And when I am lifted up
from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself” (Jn12:32). May these sacred
words therefore always be in our hearts and on our lips to share with all the
truth of the eternal “today” of our salvation in Christ, Son of God and our
Lord: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone
who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the
world, but that the world might be saved through him. (Jn 3:16-17).
Useful
points to consider:
Catechism of the Catholic Church
786 Finally,
the People of God shares in the royal office of Christ. He exercises his
kingship by drawing all men to himself through his death and Resurrection.
Christ, King and Lord of the universe, made himself the servant of all, for he
came “not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
For the Christian, “to reign is to serve him,” particularly when serving “the
poor and the suffering, in whom the Church recognizes the image of her poor and
suffering founder.” The People of God fulfills its royal dignity by
a life in keeping with its vocation to serve with Christ.
The sign of the cross makes kings of all those reborn in Christ and the anointing of the Holy Spirit consecrates them as priests, so that, apart from the particular service of our ministry, all spiritual and rational Christians are recognized as members of this royal race and sharers in Christ’s priestly office. What, indeed, is as royal for a soul as to govern the body in obedience to God? and what is as priestly as to dedicate a pure conscience to the Lord and to offer the spotless offerings of devotion on the altar of the heart?
Benedict XVI, Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, The King of the Universe, Angelus, Saint Peter’s Square, Sunday, 22 November 2009
But in what does this “power” of Jesus Christ the King consist? It is not the power of the kings or the great people of this world; it is the divine power to give eternal life, to liberate from evil, to defeat the dominion of death. It is the power of Love that can draw good from evil, that can melt a hardened heart, bring peace amid the harshest conflict and kindle hope in the thickest darkness. This Kingdom of Grace is never imposed and always respects our freedom. Christ came “to bear witness to the truth” (Jn 18: 37), as he declared to Pilate: whoever accepts his witness serves beneath his “banner”, according to the image dear to St Ignatius of Loyola. Every conscience, therefore, must make a choice. Who do I want to follow? God or the Evil One? The truth or falsehood? Choosing Christ does not guarantee success according to the world’s criteria but assures the peace and joy that he alone can give us. This is demonstrated, in every epoch, by the experience of numerous men and women who, in Christ’s name, in the name of truth and justice, were able to oppose the enticements of earthly powers with their different masks, to the point that they sealed their fidelity with martyrdom.
Pope Francis, General Audience, Saint Peter’s Square, Wednesday, 28 September 2016
The words that Jesus
pronounces during his Passion find their peak in forgiveness. Jesus forgives:
“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Lk 23:34). These are
not only words, they become a concrete act of forgiveness offered to the “good
thief” who was beside Him. Saint Luke writes of the two criminals who
were crucified with Jesus, who turn to Him with contradictory attitudes.
The first criminal
insults Him, […]
The other is the one known as
the “good thief”. His words are a wonderful example of repentance,
a catechesis centred on learning to ask Jesus for forgiveness. First, he turns
to his companion: “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence
of condemnation?” (Lk 23:40). In this way he highlights the starting point of
repentance: the fear of God. Not the dread of God, no: the filial fear of God. [...]
Then the good thief declares
Jesus’ innocence and openly confesses his own guilt: “And we indeed justly; for
we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing
wrong” (Lk 23:41).
Therefore, Jesus is there on
the cross to be with those who are guilty: through this closeness, He offers
them salvation. That which was a scandal to the leaders and the first thief, to
those who were there and those who mocked Jesus, is, on the other hand, the
foundation of the good thief’s faith. Thus he becomes a witness of Grace; the
unthinkable happened: God loved me so much that he died on the Cross for me.
This man’s very faith is a fruit of Christ’s grace: his eyes contemplate, on
the Crucifix, the love God has for him, a poor sinner. It is true, he was a
thief, he was a crook, he had stolen things throughout his life. But in the
end, he regretted what he had done, and, seeing Jesus, so good and merciful, he
managed to steal Heaven: he is a great thief, this man!
The good thief finally
addresses Jesus directly, invoking his help: “Jesus, remember me when you come
in your kingly power” (Lk 23:42). He calls him by name, “Jesus”, with confidence,
and thus confesses what that name means: “the Lord saves”: this is what the
name “Jesus” means. That man asks Jesus to remember him. There is so much
tenderness in this expression, so much humanity! It is the need of the human
being not to be forsaken; that God may be always near. […]
While the good thief speaks of
the future, saying: “when you come in your kingly power”, Jesus’ answer
does not leave him waiting; he speaks of the present: he says “today you
will be with me in Paradise” (v. 43). In the hour of the cross, the salvation
of Christ reaches its height; and his promise to the good thief reveals
the fulfillment of his mission: that is, to save sinners. [...]
On the Cross, his last act confirms the fulfillment of this plan of salvation. From beginning to end, He revealed Himself as Mercy, He revealed Himself as the definitive and unrepeatable Incarnation of the Father’s love. Jesus is truly the face of the Father’s mercy. And the good thief called him by name: “Jesus”. It is a short invocation, and we can all make it several times during the day: “Jesus”. Simply, “Jesus”. Let us do so throughout the day.
THIRTY-THIRD
SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C)
Saint
Agostina Pietrantoni, Virgin; Blessed Karl Lampert, Priest and Martyr
Mal
3:19-20a; Ps 98; 2 Thes 3:7-12; Lk 21:5-19
The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice
COMMENTARY
“For I Myself Shall Give You a Wisdom in
Speaking” – Christian Faith and
Mission in the Time of "the End"
As the end of the
liturgical year approaches, the Word of God in this Sunday’s readings again
invites us to turn our gaze to the “ultimate things” of history. In such a
context, three key phrases emerge from the Gospel that we need to dwell on in
order to deeply embrace Christ’s message to all his missionary disciples in the
world, yesterday as well as today.
1. “The Days Will
Come” – Certainty of the End
What Jesus said about
the Jerusalem temple, “adorned with costly stones and votive offerings,” sounded
like both a prophecy and a warning: “The days will come when there will not be
left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down”. This is, in
fact, a prediction of the total destruction of the temple, which occurred later
in A.D. 70 due to Roman soldiers. However, more than a mere prophecy, Jesus'
words actually served as a wake-up call to reflect on the days of the end that
would occur in history, as if He wanted to call everyone, especially his
disciples to reflection: “Beware! There is an end to everything in the world,
indeed, there is an end to all things in the world.” Everything passes away, or
as St. Paul states: “For the world in its present form is passing away” (1Cor 7:31).
Every appearance, no matter how splendid or even seemingly enduring, will pass
away at the end of time.
Moreover, with the expression “the days will come,” Jesus’ tone, as in
the teaching that follows, is precisely that of the Old Testament prophets
about the day of the Lord's final judgment, as we heard from the book of the
prophet Malachi: “Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven.” The tragic end
of the Jerusalem temple becomes the emblematic image of the end time of human
history. It should be emphasized, however, that Jesus' statement in this regard
is not an isolated prophecy but a continuation of various pronouncements about
the fate of Jerusalem. In particular, almost immediately before this episode,
Jesus had wept at the sight of this city of God, uttering the following
significant words: “If this day you only knew what makes for peace — but now it
is hidden from your eyes. For the days are coming upon you
when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and
hem you in on all sides. They will smash you to the ground
and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another
within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation” (Lk 19:42-44).
Behind the destruction lies the rejection of “what makes for peace” and the
inability to recognize and thus welcome “the time” of the Lord’s visitation.
With this in mind, the truth about Jerusalem will also be a warning that the
Word of God calls every believer to the wisdom of discernment, to welcome God
at an opportune time, especially when the end is approaching.
2. “See That You
Not Be Deceived” – The Importance of
Discernment in Times of War and Conflict
To the curiosity of
many as to “when” the destruction of Jerusalem will take place and “what sign”
will anticipate it, the Master of Nazareth does not go into concrete details,
but offers only general indications with an invitation to particularly careful
discernment: “See that you not be deceived”. In describing the phenomena and
misfortunes before the end of the temple and symbolically of the world, the
language and imagery echo those of the Old Testament prophets. Nonetheless, we
seem to be listening to the chronicles of our times with the news of “wars and
insurrections”, “nation […] against nation, and kingdom against kingdom”, “earthquakes,
famines, and plagues!” Therefore, we are always at the time of the end and at
the end of time. Therefore, Jesus’ concrete advice to his disciples for good
discernment and action is always valid: “Do not follow them!” False
self-proclaimed messiah-saviors and “do not be terrified.” Here, we quote
Christ’s own moving exhortation to the disciples in the Upper Room before his
departure: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have
faith also in me” (Jn 14:1). The disciples' wise strength and calmness in the
times of wars and conflicts will always be steadfast because of faith, also
understood as trust, in God and Christ. Indeed, as Jesus points out at the end
of the discourse: “By your perseverance you will secure your lives.” It is
perseverance in faith that saves.
3. “For I Myself Shall Give You a Wisdom in Speaking”
– The Courage of Witness for and With Christ the Lord
Finally, speaking in prophetic language of turbulent situations, Jesus
emphasizes the reality of the persecution of his disciples by the world of the
powerful and again recalls their vocation/mission to bear witness in all
circumstances. The context of the teaching here is to indicate that the
witnessing of Christians means responding to “kings and governors” in court,
explaining and defending their faith in Christ. It is precisely a matter of
giving reason for the hope we have as Jesus asked, and this finds resonance in
St. Peter’s exhortation: “But even if you should suffer because of
righteousness, blessed are you. Do not be afraid or terrified with fear of
them, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to
anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope” (1Pt 3:14-15). And St.
Peter continues with an important practical recommendation for all times: “but
do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that,
when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may
themselves be put to shame” (1Pt 3:16).
Finally, regarding
this testimony of the disciples to their Master and Lord, we find the “strange”
recommendation “you are not to prepare your defense beforehand” echoing Jesus’
earlier words in Luke, when He, urging His disciples to have the courage to
“acknowledge” Him before others, suggested: “When they take you before
synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what
your defense will be or about what you are to say.” (Lk 12:11). He also
explained the reason for such advice: “For the holy Spirit will teach you at
that moment what you should say” (Lk 12:12). Such teaching is also found in
Matthew’s Gospel, when Christ sent his disciples on a mission to proclaim the
Kingdom of God (cf. Mt 10:19-20).
Comparing these
parallel texts brings out two important points. The first is that all
Christians are called to witness to Christ before people, especially in times
of turbulence and persecution. The vocation to proclaim Christ and his Gospel
is not a commitment for a few, but a privilege for all. Every Christian, as
Pope Francis insists, is both a disciple and a missionary. Second, in bearing
witness to Jesus, disciple-missionaries will be accompanied by Himself with the
Holy Spirit, who is “Spirit of the Father” and also “Spirit of Jesus.”
Therefore, Jesus’ direct support of the disciples (“for I myself [Jesus] shall
give you a wisdom in speaking”), is emphasized on the one hand, and on the
other, the Spirit’s action in them “at that moment.” Therefore, in order to
bear witness to Christ, the necessary preparation required of every disciple is
especially on the “divine-spiritual” level: it is to be always in constant
communion with Jesus and thus with his Spirit. This is why Jesus himself
insists on the disciples he sends into the world, reiterating: “Remain in me,
as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it
remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. […] It was not
you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit
that will remain” (Jn 15:4,16).
We end then with the
so-called Simple Prayer for Peace, attributed to St. Francis of Assisi because
it expresses his disciple-missionary spirit in bearing witness to Christ and
his Gospel of love and peace in the time of wars, divisions, and hatred:
Lord, make me an
instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred,
let me sow love;
where there is injury,
pardon;
where there is doubt,
faith;
where there is
despair, hope;
where there is
darkness, light;
where there is
sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant
that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to
console,
to be understood as to
understand,
to be loved as to
love.
For it is in giving
that we receive,
it is in pardoning
that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying
that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
Useful
points to consider:
Pope Francis, Prayer Meeting and Angelus with Bishops, Priests, Consecrated Persons, Seminarians and Pastoral Workers, Sacred Heart Church in Manama (Bahrain), Sunday, 6 November 2022
[…] the Spirit
is a wellspring of prophecy. Salvation history, as we know, is full of
prophets whom God calls, consecrates and sends into the midst of the people in
order to speak in his name. The prophets receive an interior light from the
Holy Spirit, which makes them attentive interpreters of reality, capable of
perceiving God’s presence amid the frequently obscure course of history and
making it known to the people. The words of the prophets are often scathing:
they call by name the evil designs lurking in the hearts of the people; they
call into question false human and religious certainties, and they invite
everyone to conversion.
We too have this prophetic vocation. All who are baptized have received the Spirit and so all become prophets. As such, we cannot pretend not to see the works of evil, so as to live a “quiet life” and not get our hands dirty. Sooner or later, Christians must get their hands dirty in order to live the Christian life and bear witness. On the contrary, we received a Spirit of prophecy to proclaim the Gospel by our living witness. In this regard, Saint Paul tells us: “Desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy” (1 Cor 14:1). Prophecy makes us capable of putting the Beatitudes into practice in everyday situations, building meekly, yet resolutely God’s kingdom, in which love, justice and peace are opposed to every form of selfishness, violence and degradation.
Pope Francis, Message for World Mission Sunday 2022, “You shall be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8)
Just as “no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’, except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor 12:3), so no Christian is able to bear full and genuine witness to Christ the Lord without the Spirit’s inspiration and assistance. All Christ’s missionary disciples are called to recognize the essential importance of the Spirit’s work, to dwell in his presence daily and to receive his unfailing strength and guidance. Indeed, it is precisely when we feel tired, unmotivated or confused that we should remember to have recourse to the Holy Spirit in prayer. Let me emphasize once again that prayer plays a fundamental role in the missionary life, for it allows us to be refreshed and strengthened by the Spirit as the inexhaustible divine source of renewed energy and joy in sharing Christ’s life with others. “Receiving the joy of the Spirit is a grace. Moreover, it is the only force that enables us to preach the Gospel and to confess our faith in the Lord” (Message to the Pontifical Mission Societies, 21 May 2020). The Spirit, then, is the true protagonist of mission. It is he who gives us the right word, at the right time, and in the right way.
Pope Francis, Angelus, Saint Peter’s Square, Sunday, 17 November 2019
[…] Think of the many wars
today, so many catastrophes today. […]
And what is the attitude of
the Christian? It is the attitude of hope in God, which allows us not to be
overwhelmed by tragic events. Indeed, they are “a time to bear witness”
(v. 13). Christ’s disciples cannot remain slaves to fear and anxiety; instead
they are called to live history, to stem the destructive force of evil, with
the certainty that the Lord’s action of goodness is always accompanied by His
providential and reassuring tenderness. This is the eloquent sign that the
Kingdom of God is approaching us, that is, the realization of the world as God
wants it. It is He, the Lord, Who guides our existence and knows the ultimate
purpose of things and events.
The Lord calls us to cooperate in the construction of history, becoming, together with Him, peacemakers and witnesses of hope in a future of salvation and resurrection. Faith makes us walk with Jesus on the very often tortuous roads of this world, in the certainty that the power of His Spirit will bend the forces of evil, subjecting them to the power of God’s love. Love is superior, love is more powerful, because it is God: God is love. The Christian martyrs are an example to us — our martyrs, of our times too, who are more numerous than those at the beginning — who, despite persecution, are men and women of peace. They hand on an inheritance for us to preserve and imitate: the Gospel of love and mercy. This is the most precious treasure that has been given to us and the most effective witness that we can give to our contemporaries, responding to hatred with love, to offence with forgiveness. Even in our daily lives: when we receive an offence, we feel hurt; but we must forgive from the heart. […]
Pope Francis, Angelus, Saint Peter’s Square, Sunday, 17 November 2013
This Sunday’s Gospel passage
(Lk 21:5-19) is the first part of Jesus’ discourse on the end times. […]
Jesus’ words are perennially
relevant, even for us today living in the 21st century too. He repeats to us:
“Take heed that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name” (v. 8).
This Christian virtue of understanding is a call to discern where the Lord is,
and where the evil spirit is present. Today, too, in fact there are false
“saviours” who attempt to replace Jesus: worldly leaders, religious gurus, even
sorcerers, people who wish to attract hearts and minds to themselves,
especially those of young people. Jesus warns us: “Do not follow them, do not
follow them!”.
The Lord also helps us not to
be afraid in the face of war, revolution, natural disasters and epidemics.
Jesus frees us from fatalism and false apocalyptic visions.
The second aspect challenges us as Christians and as a Church: Jesus predicts that his disciples will have to suffer painful trials and persecution for his sake. He reassures them, however, saying: “Not a hair of your head will perish” (v. 18). This reminds us that we are completely in God’s hands! The trials we encounter for our faith and our commitment to the Gospel are occasions to give witness; we must not distance ourselves from the Lord, but instead abandon ourselves even more to him, to the power of his Spirit and his grace.
THIRTY-SECOND
SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C)
Saint
Leonard, Hermit, Patron of prisoners; Blessed Christina of Stommeln, Mystic
2Mc 7:1-2,9-14;
Ps 17; 2Thes 2:16-3:5; Lk 20:27-38
Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full
COMMENTARY
Believing and living
as children of the resurrection
We enter the third
last Sunday of the liturgical year. Our gaze then is towards the end of time,
towards the last things in life. The liturgy therefore offers us a passage from
the Gospel concerning Jesus’ authoritative teaching on one of the fundamental
truths of the faith we profess every Sunday: the resurrection of the body. All
of us present already believe in this (I hope all!); and so, there is nothing
to add here. However, we are invited to discover the beauty of today’s Gospel
account and to live in depth the spirituality of the resurrection in the risen
Christ. For this, it is necessary to make a thorough lectio divina on the passage, paying attention to every important
exegetical detail.
1. The scene
We need to clarify immediately the context of the passage, in order to
enter into a deeper meditation of the Gospel episode. Here, we see Jesus’
teaching activity in the Temple during his last days in Jerusalem. The form of
the story echoes a classic “school” dialogue on how to interpret correctly the
Torah (Pay attention to Jesus’ answer which is based on the quotation from the
Pentateuch!).
As for the time (described in the Italian lectionary and in other
languages with a generic “At that time”),
our episode is after the solemn entry of Jesus into Jerusalem with his first
action, which was driving out the traders from the Temple (Lk 19:45-46); later:
“And he taught every day in the
temple” (19:47a). There is a series of disputes with his opponents who were “the
chief priests and the doctors of the law... even the chiefs of the people” (19:47b):
the first dispute is with all the opponents on the authority to teach (20:1-8);
the second - on the question of paying taxes to Caesar; the third is ours -
with the Sadducees on the resurrection. Then follows the “counterattack” of
Jesus who on the basis of Scripture explains the true identity of the Messiah
who is greater than David (20:39ff).
An awareness of the
context of the passage leads every modern listener to a simple invitation: you
who gird yourself to meditate on this teaching of Jesus, please enter the
Temple of your heart where He teaches every day: first drive from the Temple of
the your heart all traders, that is, all worldly material thoughts, and then
listen to His wise voice!
2. The Sadducees and their question
For those unfamiliar with the religious context at the time of Jesus,
the Sadducees were a Jewish group, which included the members and supporters of
the aristocratic priestly families from the line of the high priest Zadok (cf.
Ez 40:46; 43:19). (They are mentioned in the dispute with Jesus in Lk only
here). Even if they recognized both the Pentateuch and some prophetic tradition
later (not to be confused with the Samaritans who recognized only the
Pentateuch), these persons did not believe either in the resurrection (cf. Acts
4:1-2; 23:6-10) or the existence of angels (cf. Acts 23:8). These issues
remained debatable in the scriptural tradition of Israel, and were affirmed
only in the its apocryphal and oral tradition that the Pharisees and most of
the people followed. In particular, the idea of the resurrection is mentioned
in the books of Isaiah and Daniel (cf. Is 25:8; 26:19,21; Dan 12:2-3), but refering
rather to the collective resurrection (of the nation), while some hope on the
individual salvation of the afterlife is found in a few other passages (cf. Job
19:25-27; Ps 16:9-11; 49:6; 73:24). The clear affirmation on the resurrection
of an individual is attested only in the Jewish apocryphals, especially in 2 Mac
7 (first reading this Sunday), which is a Greek text outside the Hebrew Bible.
However, at the time of Jesus not everyone shared the vision of the resurrection
of the dead (cf. Mt 22:23-33), and there was some confusion. Therefore, the
Sadducees wanted to ridicule this “popular” belief in front of Jesus and thus
mocked Jesus who, according to their perception, kept this “faith”.
Thus, presenting the “difficult
case” to Jesus, the Sadducees called him “Master” (perhaps not without some
irony), then made reference to the law of Moses (“Moses prescribed us”). Here
the antithesis between Moses and Jesus the Master is subtle. It should be
remembered that in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus was presented as Master in the
Temple as from the age of twelve! (cf. Lk 2:41ff; 19:47; 20:1). The Sadducees
relied on the Mosaic law, precisely on the practice of levirate (cf. Dt 25:5-10;
cf. Gen 38:8-10; Ruth 3:9–4:10), to construct a hypothetical case (number 7 -
symbol of totality), which is however mentioned in the Jewish tradition as, for
example, the situation of Sarah with her seven husbands in the book of Tobias
(cf. Tob 3:8; 6:14). By the way, that happens also in other peoples (see the
figure of “sát phu”, that means the “husband-killer” woman, in Vietnamese
Chinese traditions!). The case is therefore rather classic which also has a
well-known solution in Judaism for the final question: the woman will be the wife of the first brother (because the others
have acted only in his sostitution).
3. Jesus and his
teaching
As a “skilled” teacher, Jesus took the opportunity to teach about the
resurrection. And he did it with the authority of his person and of the same
Law of God that his interlocutors have used. The answer is logically
constructed and has two parts: the first (vv. 34-36) corrects the error on the
vision of life after resurrection, while the second (vv. 37-38) emphasizes the
truth of the very fact of the
resurrection.
In the first part, Jesus puts in antithesis “The children of this world”
and “those who are judged worthy of the other world”. Here, we have the
only place in the New Testament which mentions “the other world” for the
reality after death. The language is apocalyptic and Jewish, because the
expression “children of...” denotes belonging to some reality. The persons, “judged
worthy of the other world”, are then those, “risen” for eternal life; that is,
they are of the “resurrection from the dead” or of life (cf.
Acts 4:2; 1Pet 1:3). It therefore implies that there is also the other category
of those who will have to experience the “resurrection for condemnation” on the
day of the “resurrection of the dead” (cf. Dan 12:1-3; Jn 5:29).
The affirmation that those resurrected for eternal life will be “equal
to the angels” denotes an equality in dignity, in the glory of immortality (no
longer dying), and not so much in asexuality. St. Paul will make it clear that
after the resurrection, our “carnal” or “natural” body is transformed into the “spiritual”
pneumatikos, that is, “glorious” (cf.
1 Cor 15:44; please read and meditate on all 1 Cor 15!). The persons of the
resurrection “will not marry nor be given in marriage”, because then all live
in the love of God (with Him, in Him and for Him) with such intensity and
happiness that even the earthly matrimonial reality in mutual love and
procreation is totally transformed into another level, the celestial and divine
one. Thus, “being children of the resurrection, they are children of God”. Here
again we have a Jewish language to designate those who participate in life in
God.
The second part of Jesus’ answer affirms the truth of the resurrection
based on the scriptural text of Exodus (3:6,15,16), which includes the
revelation of God’s name to Moses. It is therefore the most important event in
the Bible, because God for the first time in the history of salvation reveals the
name YHWH, and thus reveals his identity (because the name in the Jewish
mentality is intrinsically connected with the person who bears it). Precisely
in this solemn context, God presents himself as “God of Abraham, God of Isaac
and God of Jacob” (cf. Ex 3:6,15,16) and therefore, as Saint Luke points
out, he is called so by Moses.
Contrary to the Sadducees who emphasize the fact of dying (thrice in
their speech), Jesus affirms the living of human beings. The exegesis of Jesus
of the mentioned biblical text is very original: If God is called God of the
three great patriarchs, who, although already dead in history, are considered
by the Jews to be living in God (see the parable of the rich man and Lazarus,
where Abraham is seen “living”), certainly “He is not God of the dead, but of
the living.” And if so, then certainly the dead will have their life back, that
is, they will rise to live in God. Therefore, the resurrection is not just an
anthropological or anthropocentric fact that concerns exclusively the future of
(dead) man. It is also and above all the theological or theocentric reality
that concerns God’s fidelity to the covenant with his people and with his
individual “faithful”. Then faith in the resurrection is, in the final
analysis, faith in God’s fidelity to every human being. And here Jesus himself
could ask every one of his listeners, both then and today: Do you believe this
too?
It should be added
that Jesus’ ultimate reason for the resurrection is “for to Him [God] all are
alive”, or literally “because all live for Him”. This reflects the passage from
the apocryphal book of 4 Macc 16:25: “Those who die for God live for Him, like
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and all the patriarchs”. In the light of the sure
resurrection, “all live for him” both in life and in death. So here’s the final
question to every listener: How about you? Do you always live for Him?
Useful points to
consider:
Catechism Of The Catholic Church
992 God revealed the resurrection of the dead to his people progressively.
Hope in the bodily resurrection of the dead established itself as a consequence
intrinsic to faith in God as creator of the whole man, soul and body. The
creator of heaven and earth is also the one who faithfully maintains his
covenant with Abraham and his posterity. It was in this double perspective that
faith in the resurrection came to be expressed. In their trials, the Maccabean
martyrs confessed:
The King of the
universe will raise us up to an everlasting renewal of life, because we have
died for his laws. One cannot but choose to die at the hands of men and to
cherish the hope that God gives of being raised again by him.
993 The Pharisees and many of the Lord’s contemporaries hoped for the
resurrection. Jesus teaches it firmly. To the Sadducees who deny it he answers,
“Is not this why you are wrong, that you know neither the scriptures nor the
power of God?” Faith in the resurrection rests on faith
in God who “is not God of the dead, but of the living.”
994 But there is more. Jesus links faith in the resurrection to his own
person: “I am the Resurrection and the life.” It is Jesus himself who on
the last day will raise up those who have believed in him, who have eaten his
body and drunk his blood. Already now in this present life he gives a sign
and pledge of this by restoring some of the dead to life, announcing
thereby his own Resurrection, though it was to be of another order. He speaks
of this unique event as the “sign of Jonah,” The sign of the temple: he
announces that he will be put to death but rise thereafter on the third day.
995 To be a witness to Christ is to be a “witness to his Resurrection,” to “[have
eaten and drunk] with him after he rose from the dead.” Encounters with the risen Christ
characterize the Christian hope of resurrection. We shall rise like Christ,
with him, and through him.
THIRTY-FIRST
SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C)
Saint
Marcian, Bishop of Syracuse and martyr; Blessed Benvenuta Bojani OP, Virgin
Wis 11:22-12:2;
Ps 145; 2 Thes 1:11-2:2; Lk 19:1-10
I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God
COMMENTARY (Meditations by Pierre Diarra[1])
Who should be listened to and what should be heard? Those who recriminate
and who seem to watch what others do? Those who try to convert, like Zacchaeus,
whatever their situation? Is Jesus addressing everyone when he invites them to
conversion? What do those who recriminate say, many of them according to the
evangelist? It is “all of them”, or at least most of them: “He went to stay
with a man who is a sinner. What is meant and implied? The “well-behaved” or
“good people” do not go to just anyone. If a person appears to be well behaved,
he should not associate with people of questionable behaviour. They should not,
it is thought, allow themselves to be influenced to act badly. But should we
separate the good from the bad? How can Christian mission be lived out if the
people who carry the Gospel distance themselves from those who need the Lord’s
forgiveness? Moreover, people who are well regarded by those around them, who
try to act well, to love God and their neighbours, can make mistakes, lack
love, and therefore need the Lord’s forgiveness.
Let us listen to what Zacchaeus said to the Lord: “Behold, Lord, I give
half of my goods to the poor, and if I have wronged anyone, I will repay him
four times as much. Zacchaeus, whose name means “the righteous”, is a beautiful
example of liberating and joyful repentance. By confessing his faults and
showing a firm desire to make reparation, he confesses the love of God. He wants
to acknowledge before the Lord and before the people who are with him that he
is a sinner and that he needs salvation. He seems to affirm that forgiveness is
given to us by the Lord Jesus before whom he acknowledges that he has wronged
people. He wants to give back four times as much, as if he wanted to share the
benefits of his unjustly acquired gains. One might say: with all that he has
stolen, he can do that; but it is not so simple; it takes courage to be just
and even to go beyond that. By doing this, Zacchaeus wants to show not only
that we must opt for justice, but also try to go further, that is, to follow
the paths of a love that has no limits. We are oriented towards the love of
God, which is the strongest and which pushes us to go ever further in the acts
of love that we perform.
To confess the love of God is to proclaim aloud, with a certain exultation,
that God has reached me, poor sinner that I am. The name of my God is Jesus,
which means God saves. This God did not come for the righteous but for sinners.
To confess the love of a God who is at work in my life is to confess the future
that God is opening for me, with my brothers and sisters. It is a God whose
mercy reaches me, but also all human beings, all those who acknowledge their
faults and sincerely ask for forgiveness. I confess that I am a sinner, but
above all I confess that God is Love, Mercy; I acknowledge that forgiveness has
reached me, and that God is concerned about my salvation, my future. I don’t
just say “I did this, I did that and it’s bad...”, especially when I go before
the priest for the sacrament of reconciliation; I also say: God loves me, he
calls me to live this, that and here is where I am and how I want to move
forward.
I am aware of God’s love, aware of a God who forgives. I meet a God who
loves me; I have not yet arrived in my walk towards holiness, towards this
thrice holy God. But I can move forward; I have not said my last word and
neither has God. I know that his love and forgiveness are with me on my journey
as a man or woman. Jesus is with us every day until the end of time (Mt 28:20),
even though he may be rejected or welcomed, in agony or “re-crucified” (Heb
6:6), without ever ceasing to be risen and to be-with-us in various ways (see
Michel Fédou, Jésus Christ au fil des siècles, Paris, Cerf, 2019, p.
491).
Recognising my sin and asking God for forgiveness is an expression of
taking responsibility for my history in relation to salvation in Jesus Christ.
Asking for forgiveness is not about settling accounts. It is a matter of saying
in confidence: Oh Lord, you love me; forgive me for what I have done and open a
future that will allow me to walk with you in hope and love. The confession of
my sin is also a confession of my faith which can take the form of a creed, a
song, a thanksgiving... The confession of my sin helps me to feel loved,
forgiven, encouraged to continue my efforts to love better, to believe better
and to hope with confidence. Because God loves us, each of us uniquely, each of
us must therefore feel at ease with ourselves, our limitations, our faults and
even our failings. We must not be discouraged in the search for the true
thirsts for truth and love. Forgiveness roots us in this search and encourages
us to forgive in turn: forgive us our trespasses and lead us not into
temptation but deliver us from evil.
Listen to what Jesus says about Zacchaeus: “Today salvation has come to
this house, for he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek
and to save what was lost. Let us pray, following the apostle Paul, that our
God will find us worthy of the call he has made to each of us. Let us pray that
by his power he will enable everyone to accomplish all the good that each of us
desires, so that faith may be made active.
With the psalmist, let us become aware of the goodness and mercy of our God. For the Lord sustains all those who fall and lifts all those who are afflicted. With our eyes on him, we are all invited to hope. He gives us life, the world, intelligence, food always. He graciously satisfies all that lives. The Lord is just in all his ways, faithful in all he does. He is close to those who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth. He answers the desire of those who fear him; he hears their cry: he saves them. Lord, let your love be upon us, as our hope is in you. Let us dare to bless the name of the Lord, always and forever! Let us dare to praise his name always and forever. He alone deserves praise, for his greatness and his love know no bounds. Let us dare to praise his works, his mercy and proclaim his exploits. May this keep us on the right path, the path of holiness, even if it requires a lot of effort. Let us repeat the story of his wonders, his forgiveness, and let our whole being know how to give thanks to him.
Useful points to
consider:
Pope Francis, Angelus, St Peter’s Square, Sunday, 3 November 2019
Today’s Gospel
(cf. Lk 19: 1-10) places us in the footsteps of Jesus Who, on His way to
Jerusalem, stopped in Jericho. There was a great crowd to welcome Him,
including a man named Zacchaeus, the head of the “publicans”, that is, of those
Jews who collected taxes on behalf of the Roman Empire. […]. When Jesus comes close, he looks up
and sees Him (cf. v. 5).
And this is
important: the first glance is not from Zacchaeus, but from Jesus, who among
the many faces that surrounded Him – the crowd – seeks precisely that one. The
merciful gaze of the Lord reaches us before we ourselves realize that we need
it in order to be saved. And with this gaze of the divine Master there begins
the miracle of the conversion of the sinner. Indeed, Jesus calls to him, and He
calls him by his name […].He does not reproach him, He does not deliver a
“sermon” to him; He tells him that he must go to Him: “he must”, because it is
the will of the Father. […]
Jesus’ acceptance and attention to him lead him to a clear change of mentality: in just a moment he realized how petty life is when it revolves around money, at the cost of stealing from others and receiving their contempt. Having the Lord there, in his house, makes him see everything with different eyes, even with a little of the tenderness with which Jesus looked at him. And his way of seeing and using money also changes: the gesture of grabbing is replaced by that of giving. […] Zacchaeus discovers from Jesus that it is possible to love gratuitously: until this moment he was mean, but now he becomes generous; he had a taste for amassing wealth, now he rejoices in distributing. By encountering Love, by discovering that he is loved despite his sins, he becomes capable of loving others, making money a sign of solidarity and communion.
Pope Francis, Angelus, St Peter’s Square, Sunday, 30 October 2016
Guided by mercy,
Jesus looks for him precisely. And when he enters Zacchaeus’ house he says:
“Today, salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (vv. 9-10). Jesus’ gaze
goes beyond sins and prejudices. And this is important! We must learn this. Jesus’ gaze […] sees the person through the eyes of God, who does not stop
at past faults, but sees the future good; Jesus is not resigned to closing, but
always opens, always opens new spaces of life; he does not stop at appearances,
but looks at the heart. And here he sees this man’s wounded heart: wounded by
the sin of greed, by the many terrible things that Zacchaeus had done. […]
Sometimes we try to correct or convert a sinner by scolding him, by pointing out his mistakes and wrongful behaviour. Jesus’ attitude toward Zacchaeus shows us another way: that of showing those who err their value, the value that God continues to see in spite of everything, despite all their mistakes. This may bring about a positive surprise, which softens the heart and spurs the person to bring out the good that he has within himself. It gives people the confidence which makes them grow and change. This is how God acts with all of us: he is not blocked by our sin, but overcomes it with love and makes us feel nostalgia for the good. We have all felt this nostalgia for the good after a mistake. And this is what God Our Father does, this is what Jesus does. There is not one person who does not have some good quality. And God looks at this in order to draw that person away from evil.
Benedict XVI, Angelus, St Peter’s Square, Sunday, 31 October 2010
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
The Evangelist
St Luke pays special attention to the theme of Jesus' mercy. In fact, in his
narration we find some episodes that highlight the merciful love of God and of
Christ, who said that he had come to call, not the just, but sinners (cf. Lk
5:32). Among Luke's typical accounts there is that of the conversion of
Zacchaeus, which is read in this Sunday's Liturgy. […]
God excludes no
one, neither the poor nor the rich. God does not let himself be conditioned by
our human prejudices, but sees in everyone a soul to save and is especially
attracted to those who are judged as lost and who think themselves so. Jesus
Christ, the Incarnation of God, has demonstrated this immense mercy, which
takes nothing away from the gravity of sin, but aims always at saving the
sinner, at offering him the possibility of redemption, of starting again from
the beginning, of converting. In another passage of the Gospel Jesus states
that it is very difficult for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven (cf. Mt
19:23). In the case of Zacchaeus we see that precisely what seems impossible
actually happens: “He”, St Jerome comments, “gave away his wealth and
immediately replaced it with the wealth of the Kingdom of Heaven” (Homily on
Psalm 83:3). And St Maximus of Turin adds: “Riches, for the foolish, feed
dishonesty, but for the wise they are a help to virtue; for the latter they
offer a chance of salvation, for the former they procure a stumbling block and
perdition” (Sermons, 95).
Dear Friends,
Zacchaeus welcomed Jesus and he converted because Jesus first welcomed him! He
did not condemn him but he met his desire for salvation. Let us pray to the
Virgin Mary, perfect model of communion with Jesus, to be renewed by his love,
so that we too may experience the joy of being visited by the Son of God, of
being renewed by his love and of transmitting his mercy to others.
[1] We offer
for this Sunday the meditation of Prof. Pierre Diarra of PMU France, taking the
opportunity to thank him again sincerely for this text. He wrote, at our
request, the liturgical commentaries for all the days of the missionary month
of October 2022, sent by email to the PMS national directors at the beginning
of this year for their use in missionary animation.
THIRTIETH
SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C)
World Mission (Sun)day 2022
Sir
35:12-14,16-18; Ps 34; 2Tm 4:6-8,16-18; Lk 18:9-14
The Lord hears the cry of the poor
From the MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS
POPE FRANCIS FOR WORLD MISSION (SUN)DAY 2022
“You shall be my witnesses” (Acts
1:8)
Dear brothers and sisters!
These
words were spoken by the Risen Jesus to his disciples just before his Ascension
into heaven, as we learn from the Acts of the Apostles: “You shall receive
power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in
Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth” (1:8). […]
1. “You shall be my witnesses” – The call of
every Christian to bear witness to Christ
[…] They [the disciples] are sent by
Jesus to the world not only to carry out, but also and above all to
live the mission entrusted to them; not only to bear witness, but
also and above all to be witnesses of Christ. […] Missionaries of Christ
[…] [have] the supreme honour of presenting Christ in words and deeds,
proclaiming to everyone the Good News of his salvation, as the first apostles
did, with joy and boldness. […]
In evangelization, then, the example
of a Christian life and the proclamation of Christ are inseparable. One is at
the service of the other. They are the two lungs with which any community must
breathe, if it is to be missionary. […]
2. “To the ends of the earth” – The
perennial relevance of a mission of universal evangelization
[…] Here we clearly see the
universal character of the disciples’ mission. […]
The words “to the ends of the earth”
should challenge the disciples of Jesus in every age and impel them to press
beyond familiar places in bearing witness to him. For all the benefits of
modern travel, there are still geographical areas in which missionary witnesses
of Christ have not arrived to bring the Good News of his love. Then too no
human reality is foreign to the concern of the disciples of Jesus in their mission.
Christ’s Church will continue to “go forth” towards new geographical, social
and existential horizons, towards “borderline” places and human situations, in
order to bear witness to Christ and his love to men and women of every people,
culture and social status. […]
3. “You will receive power” from the
Holy Spirit – Let us always be strengthened and guided by the Spirit
When the risen Christ commissioned
the disciples to be his witnesses, he also promised them the grace needed for
this great responsibility: “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has
come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8). […] the Holy
Spirit gave them the strength, courage and wisdom to bear witness to Christ
before all. […]
All Christ’s missionary disciples
are called to recognize the essential importance of the Spirit’s work, to dwell
in his presence daily and to receive his unfailing strength and guidance.
Indeed, it is precisely when we feel tired, unmotivated or confused that we
should remember to have recourse to the Holy Spirit in prayer. Let me emphasize
once again that prayer plays a fundamental role in the missionary life, for it
allows us to be refreshed and strengthened by the Spirit as the inexhaustible
divine source of renewed energy and joy in sharing Christ’s life with others. […]
The Spirit, then, is the true protagonist of mission. It is he who gives us the
right word, at the right time, and in the right way.
In light of this action of the Holy
Spirit, we also want to consider the missionary anniversaries to be celebrated
in 2022. The establishment of the Sacred Congregation De Propaganda Fide
in 1622 was motivated by the desire to promote the missionary mandate in new
territories. […]
The same Spirit who guides the
universal Church also inspires ordinary men and women for extraordinary
missions. Thus it was that a young French woman, Pauline Jaricot, founded the
Society for the Propagation of the Faith exactly two hundred years ago. Her
beatification will be celebrated in this jubilee year. Albeit in poor health,
she accepted God’s inspiration to establish a network of prayer and collection
for missionaries, so that the faithful could actively participate in the
mission “to the ends of the earth”. […]
In this regard, I think too of the French
Bishop Charles de Forbin-Janson, who established the Association of the Holy
Childhood to promote the mission among children, with the motto “Children
evangelize children, children pray for children, children help children the
world over”. I also think of Jeanne Bigard, who inaugurated the Society of
Saint Peter the Apostle for the support of seminarians and priests in mission
lands. Those three Mission Societies were recognized as “Pontifical” exactly a
hundred years ago. It was also under the inspiration and guidance of the Holy
Spirit that Blessed Paolo Manna, born 150 years ago, founded the present-day
Pontifical Missionary Union, to raise awareness and encourage missionary spirit
among priests, men and women religious and the whole people of God. Saint Paul
VI himself was part of this latter Society, and confirmed its papal
recognition. I mention these four Pontifical Mission Societies for their great
historical merits, but also to encourage you to rejoice with them, in this
special year, for the activities they carry out in support of the mission of
evangelization in the Church, both universal and local. It is my hope that the
local Churches will find in these Societies a sure means for fostering the
missionary spirit among the People of God. […]
COMMENTARY (Meditations by Pierre Diarra[1])
In our meditation, which is a little longer than
usual, we cannot forget the theme of the World Missionary Week, namely: you
will be my witnesses (Acts 1:8). To what is the Christian called, if not to be
a credible witness of Jesus Christ? We are referred to the Acts of the Apostles
and the missionary life of the early Christians. Jesus said to his apostles:
“You do not have to know the times and seasons that the Father has set by his
own authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you;
then you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to
the ends of the earth”. (Acts 1:7-8). Before clarifying what is meant by being
witnesses, let us recall that Pope Francis has written that the Acts of the
Apostles is the book that missionary disciples always keep close at hand. It is
the book that tells how the fragrance of the Gospel is to be poured out on the
disciple-missionary’s passage and arouse a joy that only the Spirit can give.
What does it mean to be a witness? Witness to what, to
whom, to whom and how? To bear witness to what we have seen and heard, namely
Jesus, crucified and risen. We must immediately make the connection between
witnesses and martyrs. The witness, like the martyr, for these two words have
the same root, is the one who, having been present at an event, can say what he
or she has seen and heard, during a trial for example. Let us simply mention
that it can be an object that serves as a witness, a sign, such as a stele
considered as the historical witness of a treaty of alliance. When we say to
bear witness or to testify on behalf of someone, it speaks very loudly. We can
consider the two Tables of the Law as a strong sign of the covenant between Israel
and its God. But we could also talk about witnessing among family and friends,
about a charter and of course about God calling men and women to witness to
him. For us Christians, we are invited to testify to what we have seen and
heard, namely Christ, but more precisely the life of Jesus, his miracles, his
teaching, his attention to sinners, the poor and the little ones, but above all
his death and resurrection, expression of the Love of the Trinity. It is true
that we were not there when Jesus rose from the tomb, victorious over death,
but the witnesses who saw him after his resurrection are credible and their
testimony has reached us. Many died as martyrs, bearing witness to him: it was
impossible for them to remain silent; they preferred to suffer martyrdom than
not to bear witness to him.
Each of us has experienced a faith encounter with the
risen Lord. The Holy Scriptures bear witness to this; the lives and martyrdoms
of the first Christians bear witness to this; the history of the Church bears
witnesses to this; and today Jesus can be presented by each of us as the
faithful witness, the one who bore witness to the love of his Father, revealed
as our Father. The first leaders of the Church, the Pope, the bishops, the
priests, the men, and women religious, can bear witness to Christ and even
dedicate their entire lives to announcing him and certifying that he is the
only Saviour of the world and that he must be announced everywhere in the world
as the only Saviour. He, the faithful witness, has revealed himself to each one
of us and he sends us to bear witness to his love, his peace, and his justice.
He sends us to work, with him and in the Spirit, so that the Kingdom may come.
Following the Twelve and the many missionaries, he
sends us as baptised people, whatever our ecclesial responsibility, to bear
witness to the love of God manifested in the whole life of Jesus, his death on
the cross, his resurrection, the sending of the Holy Spirit, the life of the
first Christian communities, the life of the Church over the centuries, etc.,
not forgetting the many missionaries and martyrs.
First, we are invited to better perceive that the Holy
Spirit is the true initiator of the apostolic mission, as he was of Jesus’ own
mission (Lk 4:1). He is led by the Spirit he received at baptism. Communicated
to Jesus and poured out by him (Acts 2:33), the Holy Spirit is received in
connection with the baptism in Jesus’ name (Acts 1:5). It is given primarily
for preaching and witnessing (Acts 4:8,31; 5:32; 6:10). He intervenes by acting
on the conduct of the apostles as we can read in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts
8:15, 17; 10:19, 44-47; 11:12, 15; 15:8). We are then invited to perceive that
the witness given to Christ is above all a witness to the Resurrection (Acts
1:22). In the Acts of the Apostles, the witnesses are above all the Twelve
(Acts 1:22; 10:41), but others are also called witnesses, in somewhat different
and diverse senses (13:31; 22:20). Today, we are all witnesses of the Risen
Christ. Finally, we are asked to widen the space of apostolic witness. It is no
longer only a witness from Jerusalem to Rome, from the Jews to the Gentiles, as
the plan of the Acts of the Apostles shows, but everywhere and in all sectors
of the life of men and women today. God, powerfully, intervenes again today to
advance this story by sending the Holy Spirit (2,1-13; 10,44; 19,6) and by
raising up witnesses of the Resurrection, ready to die to witness to Christ.
Luke, the author of the Acts of the Apostles,
advocates the integration of Christianity into Roman society. Christians are
encouraged to live their faith in the socio-cultural environment where the
future of their religion, the Roman Empire, is now at stake. Luke is convinced
that access to the universal God will be facilitated by the universality of the
empire. For Luke, the Word became flesh in a human destiny that he had to
describe. As a theologian, he specifies that history is the place where God is
revealed. History, under his pen, becomes kerygma, and kerygma is expressed in history.
Luke wanted to be God’s historian and he tells a story in which the reader
perceives tensions and shifts, paths of conversion and witness. He invites us
to bear witness to the dead and risen Christ, to live to better proclaim him
and to make us want to believe in him and to be part of the Church. God, the
God revealed in Jesus Christ, is the God of each and every one. The extension
of salvation to humans is both a divine work, to which the Holy Spirit
powerfully contributes, and the result of the labour and suffering of those
sent. Divine actions and human efforts combined to bring about the birth of a
Church that brings together men and women from all walks of life (Acts 14:27).
The missionary programme built by the Risen One, starting from Jerusalem and
going all the way to Rome, remains perhaps unfinished. It must therefore be
pursued, not in the world of the story, but in the world of the reader: it is
the horizon, never reached, of the Church, a promise of universality that
overhangs Christianity.
The Spirit is power; it empowers the disciples to be
witnesses of the Risen One, from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth and in
every context. The Spirit is a power of witness; it empowers each baptised
person to bear witness to the salvation he or she has received, as Peter makes
clear: “Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness
of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38;
1Cor 12:1-3:9). The Spirit allows the same Gospel to be understood in the
plurality of languages and peoples. Every human being is invited to open to a
common relationship with the Gospel in the irreducible diversity of cultures.
God calls us all, those who are near and those who are far away (Acts 2:39),
for there is no salvation except in Jesus, the Christ (Acts 4:12). We are
invited to share the Word and the holy meal, the source of life and communion,
which cannot be an occasion for death (Acts 12:6; 16:25).
It is important to be aware of the urgency of
witnessing to our contemporaries. How can we convince all the baptized in 2022
to be witnesses of Christ and to support the Pontifical Mission Societies, to
give the universal Church, the means for its mission? How can we help them to
follow in the footsteps of Pauline, with their eyes fixed on Mary and her son,
the Lord Jesus? How can we arouse the generosity of Christians so that our
local churches have the means to continue to witness to Christ? The
triumphalist finale of the Acts of the Apostles is not the triumph of a man,
since Paul is a prisoner, but the triumph of the Word whose expansion nothing
can hinder. The victory of the Word of God refers to Paul who remains a
missionary in Rome until the end. We are invited to live a fraternal communion
beyond all borders and to remain open to all.
Prayer is at the heart of the texts proposed to us
today, World Mission Day; it is at the heart of Christian mission. If you could
reread these texts over the next few days, it is well worth it, even if this
meditation is already long. The Lord does not despise our prayers, nor those of
the orphan, nor those of the widow; the Lord listens to everyone. We are
advised to give to the Most High according to our resources and according to
what he gives, without being fussy. In other words: since the Lord is generous
to us, let us give generously and joyfully. God loves a cheerful giver (2Cor
9:7; Prv 22:8). Biblical wisdom tells us that the Lord is the one who pays
back; he will give us back seven times what we have given. This shows that the
Lord is not in the logic of give and take, he gives much more, hence this
precision that we are given and that we must take seriously. We are invited to
truly love, by opting for a filial dialogue with God our Father, for a
fraternal gratuity at the heart of the dialogue of salvation (Pierre Diarra,
Gratuité fraternelle au cœur du dialogue, Paris, Karthala, 2021) Let us read:
“Do not try to influence him with gifts, he will not accept them. The Lord is
good; there is therefore no need to try to influence him or to bribe him. He
does not discriminate against the poor; he listens to the prayer of the
oppressed. In fact, he does not disadvantage anyone.
What the Lord asks of us is to trust in him; prayer is
the expression of this trust. We know it and we may have experienced it: as
soon as a poor person cries out, the Lord hears; he saves him from all his
anguish. The Lord is there to free those who fear him. But this does not mean
that he is not interested in the salvation of others, less pious, less believing
or even unbelieving. With the psalmist, we can invite our contemporaries by
saying: Taste and see: the Lord is good! Blessed is he who takes refuge in him!
Whoever you are, worship the Lord; those who fear him lack nothing. Whoever
seeks the Lord will not lack any good thing. With the Lord Jesus we have
everything. Yes, we must all give thanks to the Lord, for he is good and does
not forget any of his children.
We are invited to go as far as possible in our
generosity, in our love for God and our love for our neighbour. We must not
enter or remain in a logic where we are always measuring what we give and what
we receive in return or in exchange. Indeed, as Pope Francis explains in
Fratelli tutti (All brothers, no. 140), God, on the other hand, gives freely to
the point of helping even those who are not faithful, and “he makes his sun
rise on the wicked and on the good” (Mt 5:45).
It is therefore important to reflect on the strength
of our witness, but also on the attitude of the Pharisee and that of the publican,
a page of the Gospel that we know well. Let us listen to what the Pharisee said
as he stood and prayed within himself: “My God, I thank you because I am not
like other men - they are thieves, unjust, adulterers - or like this publican.
We sometimes forget that the Pharisees were believers who tried to do
everything the Law of Moses prescribed. They often succeeded and sometimes
boasted about it, even to the point of justifying themselves before God,
saying: “I do this and this and this. I am not this, nor this; I am not like
that tax collector. As for the publican, he humbly acknowledges that he is a
sinner. For he beat his breast, saying, ‘God, show favour to the sinner who is
me’. And Jesus says: “When the latter came down to his house, he was the one
who had become a righteous man, rather than the other. He who exalts himself
will be humbled; he who humbles himself will be exalted.
Useful points to
consider:
Pope Francis, Angelus, St Peter’s Square, Sunday, 23 October 2016
Today is a time
of mission and a time of courage! Courage to strengthen faltering steps, to
recapture the enthusiasm of devoting oneself to the Gospel, of recovering
confidence in the strength that the mission brings to bear. It is a time of
courage, even if having courage does not mean having a guarantee of success.
Courage is required of us in order to fight, not necessarily to win; in order
to proclaim, not necessarily to convert. Courage is required of us in order to
open ourselves to everyone, never diminishing the absoluteness and uniqueness
of Christ, the one saviour of all. Courage is required of us in order to
withstand incredulity, without becoming arrogant. Required of us too is the
courage of the tax collector in today’s Gospel, who humbly did not dare even to
raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast saying: “God, be merciful to me a
sinner!”. Today is a time for courage! Today courage is needed!
May the Virgin Mary, model of the Church “that goes forth” and of docility to the Holy Spirit, help us all to be, in the strength of our Baptism, missionary disciples in order to bring the message of salvation to the entire human family.
Pope Francis, Homily “With a ‘naked heart’”, St Peter’s Square, Saturday, 21 March 2020
In the Gospel
(cf. Lk 18:9.14) […] the Lord teaches us how to pray, how to
approach, how we must approach the Lord: with humility. There is a beautiful
image in the liturgical hymn of the feast of Saint John the Baptist. It says
that the people came to the Jordan to receive baptism, “naked in soul and
foot”: to pray with the naked soul, unembellished, without dressing up in one’s
own virtues. He […] forgives all sins but needs us to show Him our sins, with
our nakedness. To pray in this way, exposed, with a naked soul, without covering
up, […], face to face, with a naked soul. […]. Instead, when we go to the Lord,
a bit too sure of ourselves, we fall into the presumptuousness of this man [the
Pharisee], or of the elder son, or of that rich man who lacked nothing. We will
have the same sureness from the other side. “I will go to the Lord… I want to
go, to be educated… and I will speak to Him face to face, practically…”. This
is not the way. The way is by lowering oneself. Lowering oneself. The way is
reality. And the only man who, in this parable, had understood reality, was the
tax collector: “You are God and I am a sinner”. This is reality. But I say that
I am a sinner not with the mouth: with the heart.
[1] We offer
for this Sunday the meditation of Prof. Pierre Diarra of PMU France, taking the
opportunity to thank him again sincerely for this text. He wrote, at our
request, the liturgical commentaries for all the days of the missionary month
of October 2022, sent by email to the PMS national directors at the beginning
of this year for their use in missionary animation.
TWENTY-NINTH
SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C)
St. Edwige, nun; St. Margaret Mary Alacoque,
virgin (optional memory)
Start of World Mission Week 2022
Ex 17:8-13; Ps 121; 2Tm 3:14-4:2; Lk 18:1-8
Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth
COMMENTARY (Meditations by Pierre Diarra[1])
All Scripture is inspired by God. It reveals to us the true face of God and of the human being. Let us first look at this beautiful word and its meaning for us today. We will then see how this word refers us to the saviour Jesus and to our missionary commitment.
All Scripture is inspired by God; it is useful for teaching, denouncing
evil, correcting, educating in justice. Then as now, it is useful for knowing
God and for improving our relationship with him. It can lead us back to
theological disputes of the past and to explanations that are not always
simple. The questions that are asked are: How is Scripture inspired? How does
God go about inspiring the writers throughout the history of the chosen people,
but also after the death and resurrection of Jesus? How does God do it? How did
he influence the Prophets, and how does a religious writing become sacred and
normative? Even if it is a different register, let us think of artistic
inspiration, with its unexpected, spontaneous, occasional character. Let us also
think of inspiration in the vast domain of religions and sacred texts. Let us
simply note that the Holy Spirit confers on sacred writers a supernatural force
that pushes them and determines them to write. The Spirit influences them,
inspires them, assists them, so that they write without error. It is not easy
to know exactly how God proceeds, but it is understandable that there is a
divine author and a human author, and it is the action of the latter that
explains the historical and individual originality of each of the sacred works,
the differences and even the various theological conceptions, with their
evolution and articulation.
To explain that the same book can have several authors, one appeals to the
doctrine of the relationship between principal and instrumental causes,
as explained by Pius XII in the encyclical Divino afflante Spiritu. God
is the primary author of Scripture, i.e., the principal cause, while man
plays the role of an instrumental cause. But the human “instrument” is more
than a scribe, for he must be recognised as an intelligent and free subject.
God expresses himself through him, but he remains the human author. Has the
Spirit not been given in abundance, especially for us Christians (Rom 5:5)? Hope does not
deceive, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy
Spirit who has been given to us! Of course, it is not a question of dictation,
in the modern sense of the word, but God is the author of the whole sacred text.
For Catholics, the faith of the original Church is committed as the basis and
permanent rules of faith throughout the centuries, hence the conclusion of
‘Revelation’ with the death of the Apostles or the end of the apostolic age, or
the original Church. Through the Magisterium and the faith of the Church, the
people of God can discern and understand more and more the meaning of the
Scriptures, knowing that the Church is bound to this Word as well as to the
first and constitutive period of her history, shaped by God himself in Christ.
Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture are closely related and communicate
with each other. For both, springing from the same divine source, form, so to
speak, a single whole and tend to the same end, as the Second Vatican Council
explained in Dei Verbum (no. 9). Tradition, Scripture, the people of God
and the Magisterium should be linked, especially in the interpretation of
Scripture, theology, and the life of the Church in different contexts. In this
way we understand better how the Word of God travels to the ends of the earth.
We understand better how the Word is welcomed and glorified and how it fills
the hearts of human beings more and more, in connection with the Eucharist, the
sacraments and the veneration of the Word of God. It is the Holy Spirit who
prepares hearts and cultures to welcome the Word, Jesus, the Christ.
Then as now, Scripture is useful for teaching, denouncing evil, correcting,
educating in justice, but above all for knowing who God is and who Man is. We
can only really understand them by linking them together. From Adam to Jesus,
what does the Bible tell us about the human person? How can we characterise
humanity properly, if not by linking it to the Creator? Does not the inspired
text testify above all to an irremissible hope in the greatness of the human
being, which makes the totality of God’s children’s brothers and sisters bound
by a thirst for love, justice, and authentic communion, rooted in God, our
Father? The word of God is a divine force for the salvation of every believer,
of every human being. The Word of God “became flesh and dwelt among us, and we
have seen his glory, which, as the only Son, full of grace and truth, he has
from the Father” (Jn 1:14). (Jn 1:14) Christ established the reign
of God on earth; by his actions and words, he revealed his Father and himself.
He also revealed the Man, for he is the God-Man. By his death, his
resurrection, his glorious ascension and by the sending of the Spirit, he has
completed his work. From now on, he draws all men to himself (Jn 12:32), for he alone has the words
of eternal life (Jn 6:68). We
are invited, following the apostles and the many witnesses of the Risen One, to
preach the Gospel, to propose to our contemporaries the faith in Jesus, the
Christ, and the Lord, so that they may join the Church and form with the other
disciples the body of Christ.
Let us pray without respite so that the Word of God may be welcomed, that it may be useful in denouncing evil, in correcting, in educating in justice and in forming communities rooted in love. Let us pray without ceasing, like the widow who, by her insistence and constancy, began to annoy the judge who did not fear God and did not respect men. God, Our Father, listens to us and hears us. But the question remains: will the Son of Man, when he comes, find faith on earth? It depends on our witness and our missionary commitment. It also depends on people and their freedom when Jesus Christ is announced to them. It also depends on their docility to the Spirit. May the Spirit give us the strength to continue the mission, against all odds. The Lord is our help. He will keep us from all evil. He stands by each of us. He gives us life and strength; let us pray that he will increase our strength of witness. He will guard us, both when we leave for the mission and when we return. He watches over us now and forever. Let us pray that the Lord will send labourers into his harvest and that our missionary commitment in the Church will bear fruit. May love and justice, peace, and hope advance in the world.
Useful points to
consider:
Pope Francis, Angelus, St Peter’s Square, Sunday, 20 October 2013
“Crying day and
night” to God! This image of prayer is striking, but let us ask ourselves: Why
does God want this? Doesn’t he already know what we need? What does it mean to
“insist” with God?
This is a good question that makes us examine an important aspect of the faith: God invites us to pray insistently not because he is unaware of our needs or because he is not listening to us. On the contrary, he is always listening and he knows everything about us lovingly. On our daily journey, especially in times of difficulty, in the battle against the evil that is outside and within us, the Lord is not far away, he is by our side. We battle with him beside us, and our weapon is prayer which makes us feel his presence beside us, his mercy and also his help. But the battle against evil is a long and hard one; it requires patience and endurance, like Moses who had to keep his arms outstretched for the people to prevail (cf Ex 17:8-13). This is how it is: there is a battle to be waged each day, but God is our ally, faith in him is our strength and prayer is the expression of this faith. Therefore Jesus assures us of the victory, but at the end he asks: “when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Lk 18:8). If faith is snuffed out, prayer is snuffed out, and we walk in the dark. We become lost on the path of life.
Pope Francis, Angelus, St Peter’s Square, Sunday, 20 October 2019
To live mission in full there is an indispensable condition: prayer, fervent and unceasing prayer, according to Jesus’ teaching, also proclaimed in today’s Gospel, in which he recounted a parable on the need “always to pray and not lose heart” (Lk 18:1). Prayer is the first support of the People of God for missionaries, rich in affection and gratitude for their difficult task of proclaiming and offering the light and grace of the Gospel to those who have not yet received it. It is also a fine occasion to ask ourselves today: do I pray for missionaries? Do I pray for those who go afar to bear the Word of God through witness? Let us think about this.
Benedict XVI, Eucharistic Celebration, Homily, Piazza del Plebiscito (Naples), Sunday, 21 October 2007
The power that changes the world and transforms it into the Kingdom of God, in silence and without fanfare, is faith - and prayer is the expression of faith. When faith is filled with love for God, recognized as a good and just Father, prayer becomes persevering, insistent, it becomes a groan of the spirit, a cry of the soul that penetrates God's Heart. Thus, prayer becomes the greatest transforming power in the world. In the face of a difficult and complex social reality, […], it is essential to strengthen hope which is based on faith and expressed in unflagging prayer. It is prayer that keeps the torch of faith alight. Jesus asks, as we heard at the end of the Gospel: "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" (Lk 18: 8). It is a question that makes us think. What will be our answer to this disturbing question? Today, let us repeat together with humble courage: Lord, in coming among us at this Sunday celebration you find us gathered together with the lamp of faith lit. We believe and trust in you! Increase our faith!
[1] We offer
for this Sunday the meditation of Prof. Pierre Diarra of PMU France, taking the
opportunity to thank him again sincerely for this text. He wrote, at our
request, the liturgical commentaries for all the days of the missionary month
of October 2022, sent by email to the PMS national directors at the beginning
of this year for their use in missionary animation.
TWENTY-EIGHTH
SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C)
St. Dionysius and Companion Martyrs; St. John Leonardi, Priest
2Kgs 5:14-17;
Ps 98; 2Tm 2:8-13; Lk 17:11-19
The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power
COMMENTARY (Meditations by Pierre Diarra[1])
“Have not all ten been cleansed? The other nine, where are they? There was
no one among them but this foreigner to retrace his steps and give glory to
God! These words of Jesus may seem provocative. The foreigner is given as
an example. He does indeed retrace his steps to thank Jesus and give glory to
God. Jesus goes further by saying to him, “Get up and go: your faith has
saved you.” The foreigner believed that he was indeed healed and that it
was the work of Jesus but also the work of God. For him, there is no doubt,
Jesus has some privileged links with God, since he can heal. And the others who
are not foreigners, why did they not retrace their steps? Do they think they
have the right to this healing, because they are Jews? God, their saviour, owes
it to them, right? Is it because they doubt that their healing is not complete?
Is it because they want to continue their journey to show themselves to the
priests, as Jesus asked them? As soon as they have found Jesus, is it still
necessary to go to the priests of the covenant? All these questions lead us to
reflect, to question ourselves in a fundamental way about the links we must
have with the Lord Jesus. If we consider the gifts, blessings and graces that
God bestows upon us as something due to us, we will find it difficult to thank
the Lord. We will find it difficult to recognize his gratuitous love, the
salvation offered without any merit on our part. We will not be in a hurry to
give thanks.
We are invited to give thanks unceasingly. Is this not the first meaning of
the Eucharist? We are invited to sing with the psalmist this hymn to the
Saviour, king of the universe and history. It is a “new song” meaning, in
biblical language, a perfect, complete, solemn song that will have to be
accompanied by festive musical pageantry: the harp, the trumpet and the horn,
but perhaps also by clapping hands and even a cosmic applause. The sea, the
mountains, the earth and the whole world, especially the inhabitants of the
earth are invited to sing the wonders of God, to dance with joy before the
Lord. Our gratitude must lead us to give thanks with all our heart, with all
our being, by singing, by clapping hands, by playing musical instruments as if
we associate all creation with our thanksgiving.
“Our God” is at the centre of the scene of acclamation and festive singing.
He, the Creator, activates salvation in history and is expected to “judge”,
that is, to govern the world and peoples, to bring them, as a good sovereign,
peace and justice. The history of Israel is evoked, with images of its “right “
and “ most holy arm “ that refer to the Exodus, the liberation from slavery in
Egypt, but also to the desert where God did not let his people starve to death.
God also gave His people His Law, rules for conducting themselves. The covenant
with the chosen people is recalled, with the two great divine perfections: love
and faithfulness. These signs of salvation are there for all, all nations and
the whole earth. Thus, all humankind and even the whole of creation are drawn
to the Saviour God, the God-Love announced in the First Testament. All human
beings are invited to open themselves to the word of the Lord and to His saving
work. All are invited to welcome the Word and beyond that the Lord Himself.
The great dance of thanksgiving becomes the expression of hope and even an
invocation: “Thy kingdom come!” What a joy it is to participate in the
establishment of the Kingdom of God here on earth: a reign of peace, justice
and serenity that pervades all creation! This psalm undoubtedly unveils
undoubtedly a prophecy of the work of God in the mystery of Christ. In the
Gospel, in fact, God’s righteousness has been revealed (Rom 1:17), manifested
(Rom 3:21), as the apostle Paul pointed out to the Romans. God saves His
people, and all the nations of the earth are in awe of this. From the Christian
perspective, God brings about salvation in Christ and all peoples are invited
to enjoy this salvation. It is no longer reserved for the people of the
Covenant; the new Covenant opens salvation to all. The Gospel is the power of
God for the salvation of every human being who has become a believer, the Jew
as well as the Gentile (Rom 1:16). Not only have all nations seen the salvation
of “our God” (Ps 97:3), but they have received it or, in various ways,
salvation is offered to all.
The “new song” of the psalm may appear as an invitation to celebrate in
anticipation the Christian newness of the crucified Redeemer. What joy for
believers to acclaim the Risen One, on Easter Day but also every time our
salvation is celebrated in the Eucharist, especially on Sunday, the Mystery of
our salvation. Christ suffered the Passion as man, but he saved us as God. He
performed miracles among the Jews, cleansed lepers, gave food to countless
people and, like other prophets, raised the dead to life. But why does he merit
a new song? Because God died so that we might live. Because the Son of God was
crucified to make us adopted children and to draw us into the Kingdom, into
Heaven, with the Father.
If we have died with Christ, with Him we will live. If we endure trials, with him we will reign. If we reject him, he too will reject us, but his tenderness and forgiveness remain forever offered to us. If we lack faith, he remains faithful to his word, for he cannot disown his own self. It is the strongest, most significant expression of love; there is no greater love than to give one’s life for those one loves. You are my friends, if you do what I command you. Love one another as I have loved you (Jn 15:12-15). The Salvation offered remains available to all. The Holy Spirit remains offered to us, hence the importance of holding deep in our hearts this word of Paul: Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the descendant of David! In times of trials and persecutions, may faith in the Risen Crucified One give us the joy to sing, without weakening, a new song in honour of God-Love! He invites us, in all the circumstances of life, to offer all our contemporaries salvation in Jesus Christ. We are “missionary disciples”!
Useful points to
consider:
Pope Francis, Extraordinary
Jubilee of Mercy, Marian Jubilee, Homily, St Peter’s Square, Sunday, 9
October 2016
This Sunday’s
Gospel (cf. Lk 17:11-19) invites us to acknowledge God’s gifts with
wonder and gratitude. […]To be able to offer thanks, to be able to praise the
Lord for what he has done for us: this is important! So we can ask
ourselves: Are we capable of saying “Thank you”? How many times do we say
“Thank you” in our family, our community, and in the Church? How many
times do we say “Thank you” to those who help us, to those close to us, to
those who accompany us through life? Often we take everything for
granted! This also happens with God. It is easy to approach the
Lord to ask for something, but to return and give thanks... That is why
Jesus so emphasizes the failure of the nine ungrateful lepers: “Were not ten
made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was no one found to
return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” (Lk 17:17-18).
Pope Francis, Holy Mass and
Canonization of the Blesseds: John Henry Newman, Giuseppina Vannini, Mariam
Thresia Chiramel Mankidiyan, Dulce Lopes Pontes, Marguerite Bays, Homily,
St Peter’s Square, Sunday, 13 October 2019
“Your faith has
saved you” (Lk 17:19). This is the climax of today’s Gospel, which
reflects the journey of faith. There are three steps in this journey of
faith. We see them in the actions of the lepers whom Jesus heals. They cry
out, they walk and they give thanks.
First, they cry
out. The lepers […] did not let themselves be paralyzed because they were
shunned by society; they cried out to God, who excludes no one. We see how
distances are shortened, how loneliness is overcome: by not closing in on
ourselves and our own problems, by not thinking about how others judge us, but
rather by crying out to the Lord, for the Lord hears the cry of those who find
themselves alone. […] That is how faith grows, through
confident, trusting prayer. Prayer in which we bring to Jesus who we really
are, with open hearts, without attempting to mask our sufferings. Each day, let
us invoke with confidence the name of Jesus: “God saves”. Let us repeat it:
that is prayer, to say “Jesus” is to pray. And prayer is essential! Indeed, prayer is the door of faith; prayer is medicine
for the heart.
The second word
is to walk. […] They were healed by going up to Jerusalem, that is,
while walking uphill. On the journey of life, purification takes place along
the way, a way that is often uphill since it leads to the heights. Faith calls
for journey, a “going out” from ourselves, and it can work wonders if we
abandon our comforting certainties, if we leave our safe harbours and our cosy
nests. Faith increases by giving, and grows by taking risks. Faith advances
when we make our way equipped with trust in God. […]
There is a
further interesting aspect to the journey of the lepers: they move together.
The Gospel tells us that, “as they went, they were made clean” (v. 14). The
verbs are in the plural. Faith means also walking together, never alone. Once
healed, however, nine of them go off on their own way, and only one turns back
to offer thanks. Jesus then expresses his astonishment: “The others, where are
they?” (v. 17). It is as if he asks the only one who returned to account for the
other nine. It is the task of us, who celebrate the Eucharist as an act
of thanksgiving, to take care of those who have stopped walking, those
who have lost their way. We are called to be guardians of our distant brothers
and sisters, all of us! We are to intercede for them; we are responsible for
them, to account for them, to keep them close to heart. Do you want to grow in
faith? You, who are here today, do you want to grow in faith? Then take care of
a distant brother, a faraway sister.
To cry out. To walk. And to give thanks. This is the final step. Only to the one who thanked him did Jesus say: “Your faith has saved you” (v. 19). It made you both safe, and sound. We see from this that the ultimate goal is not health or wellness, but the encounter with Jesus. […] He alone frees us from evil and heals our hearts. Only an encounter with him can save, can make life full and beautiful. Whenever we meet Jesus, the word “thanks” comes immediately to our lips, because we have discovered the most important thing in life, which is not to receive a grace or resolve a problem, but to embrace the Lord of life. And this is the most important thing in life: to embrace the Lord of life.
[1] We offer
for this Sunday the meditation of Prof. Pierre Diarra of PMU France, taking the
opportunity to thank him again sincerely for this text. He wrote, at our
request, the liturgical commentaries for all the days of the missionary month
of October 2022, sent by email to the PMS national directors at the beginning
of this year for their use in missionary animation.
TWENTY-SEVENTH
SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C)
Holy Guardian Angels; Blessed Antoine Chevrier, priest
Hab
1:2-3;2:2-4; Ps 95; 2Tm 1:6-8,13-14; Lk 17:5-10
If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts
COMMENTARY
Three Lessons for Increasing Faith
Today, Jesus’ words
seem like a set of teachings on unrelated topics. However, if we reflect more
carefully as we read the Gospel together with the biblical readings that
precede it, these words of the Lord actually show themselves to be valuable
directions for the life of faith of each of his disciples. At least three basic
practical suggestions can be drawn from them as a response to the legitimate
request of the apostles, whose voice expresses the deep desire of any believer
aware of his own weakness and inability, “[Lord] increase our faith.” This
theme of faith turns out to be significant and relevant at the very beginning
of this missionary October during which we pray and remember in a special way
the vocation of every baptized in his or her mission to share the Christian
faith with others.
1. First Lesson: Recognize the Imperfect State of One’s
Faith
The apostles’ above-mentioned request in the Gospel is both
understandable and praiseworthy. It shows, on the one hand, the consciousness
of a still weak faith, and on the other hand, the humility and good will of the
requestors in begging the Lord for help. Recognizing the imperfect state of one’s
faith and praying to God to make it grow steadily is already the beginning of
growth in faith. In this regard, it should be remembered that, as the Catechism
of the Catholic Church teaches us, “Faith
is a personal adherence of the whole man to God who reveals himself. It
involves an assent of the intellect and will to the self-revelation God has
made through his deeds and words” (nr. 176). This faith that is “a human
act, conscious and free,” is also and above all “a supernatural gift from God”;
hence, “in order to believe, man needs the interior helps of the Holy Spirit”
(nr.179-180). Thus, a fortiori, divine help will be needed for faith growth.
However, Jesus’ response in the Gospel seems strange, totally out of
place, or at least unsatisfactory. He does not answer yes or no to the request;
He does not explain what he will do and how he will increase the disciples’
faith. He simply illustrates what a faith the size of a mustard seed, that is
very small among all the grains, could do! This is actually an indirect message
to the apostles’ request. Such an effect of “large” faith then becomes the
measure of any faith we have. Genuine faith works miracles, as expressed in the
parable and also hyperbolically by Jesus, “If you have faith the size of a
mustard seed, you would say to [this] mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted
in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” To use a play on words, the faith, by
which mankind adheres to God in obedience to His revelation and call, possesses
the power to make other realities like “this mulberry tree” obey and perform
extraordinary deeds. So much so that the sacred author of the Letter to the
Hebrews remarked on the extraordinary deeds of the men/women of God in the
history of Israel, “Who by faith conquered kingdoms, did what was righteous,
obtained the promises; they closed the mouths of lions,
put out raging fires, escaped the devouring sword; out of weakness they were
made powerful, became strong in battle, and turned back foreign invaders” (Heb
11:33-34). In a word, as the prophet Habakkuk reminds us in the first reading, “the
just one who is righteous because of faith shall live” (Hb 2:4), even in the
midst of a death situation.
Jesus’ hyperbolic
example is obviously not to be interpreted literally. It serves to emphasize an
unattainable ideal, in order to put every believer in crisis (“salutary”): if
you do not yet have such faith as to remove the tree or the mountain, then
acknowledge your weak faith and always humbly ask for its growth. In this
regard, the prayer of the father of an epileptic boy to Jesus will be a perfect
model for every believer, “I do believe [Lord], help my unbelief!» (Mk 9:24).
2. Second Lesson: Humble Faithfulness in Fulfilling
Duties
After a brief teaching on faith, Jesus offers a parable that apparently
changes the theme. It speaks of the humble attitude each disciple is to have
after fulfilling assigned duties, “We are unprofitable servants; we have done
what we were obliged to do” (Lk 17:10). One can glimpse here another suggestion
for the growth of faith, which, in the original Hebrew and Greek sense of the
term, also implies faithfulness. Faithfully and humbly fulfilling the duties
that God entrusts to each person plays an important role in the journey of
faith. It helps one to persevere in faith and to face the various crises in one’s
vocation and Christian life.
On the other hand, the promise of the prize that the Lord announced for
servants, who know how to be vigilant in waiting for their master’s return, is
recalled here, “Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on
his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at
table, and proceed to wait on them” (Lk 12:37). Such vigilance and readiness are
done precisely by living one’s faith and by faithfulness in performing the
duties entrusted. And the Lord, unlike other earthly lords, will surely
appreciate and reward his faithful ones generously.
3. Lesson Three: Witnessing and Sharing Faith - the Mission
of Faith
The Second Mass reading completes the lessons on faith on this Sunday.
St. Paul exhorts Timothy, his disciple, to have the courage to bear witness to
faith in Christ by virtue of the received spirit not of timidity but “of
strength and charity and prudence”, “so do not be ashamed of your testimony to
our Lord” (2Tm 1:8). This bearing witness to the Lord is precisely a joyful and
forthright sharing of the Christian faith, and this surely helps to increase
the faith of those who share it with others.
Indeed, St. John Paul II points out at the beginning of the Encyclical Redemptoris Missio: “Faith is strengthened when it is given to
others!” (no. 2). The Catechism of the Church, on the other hand,
explains in detail the “missionary” character of the Christian faith:
“Faith is a personal
act - the free response of the human person to the initiative of God who
reveals himself. But faith is not an isolated act. No one can believe alone,
just as no one can live alone.
You have not given yourself faith as you have not given yourself life. the
believer has received faith from others and should hand it on to others. Our love for Jesus and for our neighbour
impels us to speak to others about our faith. Each believer is thus a link
in the great chain of believers. I cannot believe without being carried by the
faith of others, and by my faith I help support others in the faith” (no. 166).
We conclude our
reflection with a prayer of St. Francis of Assisi at the beginning of his
conversion, also to celebrate his feast on October 4. Let us pray together with
the patron saint of Italy for the gift of “right faith” that gives God, who
enlightens hearts and makes us always grow in his service:
Most High, glorious God,
Enlighten the darkness of my
heart
Give me right faith,
Sure hope and perfect
charity.
Fill me with understanding
and knowledge,
That I may fulfill your holy
and true command.
Useful points to
consider:
John Paul II, Encyclical Letter on the Permanent Validity of the Church’s Missionary Mandate, Redemptoris Missio
2.
Twenty-five years after the conclusion of the Council and the publication of
the Decree on Missionary Activity Ad Gentes, fifteen years after the
Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi issued by Pope Paul VI, and in
continuity with the magisterial teaching of my predecessors, I wish to invite
the Church to renew her missionary commitment. The present document has
as its goal an interior renewal of faith and Christian life. For missionary
activity renews the Church, revitalizes faith and Christian identity, and
offers fresh enthusiasm and new incentive. Faith is strengthened when it is
given to others! It is in commitment to the Church’s universal mission that
the new evangelization of Christian peoples will find inspiration and support.
But what moves me even more strongly to proclaim the urgency of missionary evangelization is the fact that it is the primary service which the Church can render to every individual and to all humanity in the modern world, a world which has experienced marvelous achievements but which seems to have lost its sense of ultimate realities and of existence itself. “Christ the Redeemer,” I wrote in my first encyclical, “fully reveals man to himself.... The person who wishes to understand himself thoroughly...must...draw near to Christ.... [The] Redemption that took place through the cross has definitively restored to man his dignity and given back meaning to his life in the world.”
Catechism of the Catholic Church
To believe in God alone
150 Faith is first of
all a personal adherence of man to God. At the same time, and inseparably, it
is a free assent to the whole truth that God has revealed. As personal
adherence to God and assent to his truth, Christian faith differs from our
faith in any human person. It is right and just to entrust oneself wholly to
God and to believe absolutely what he says. It would be futile and false to
place such faith in a creature.
To believe in Jesus Christ, the Son
of God
151 For a Christian,
believing in God cannot be separated from believing in the One he sent, his
“beloved Son”, in whom the Father is “well pleased”; God tells us to listen to
him. The Lord himself said to his disciples: “Believe in God, believe also in
me.” We can believe in Jesus Christ because he is himself God, the Word made
flesh: “No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the
Father, he has made him known.” Because he “has seen the Father”, Jesus Christ
is the only one who knows him and can reveal him.
To believe in the Holy Spirit
152 One cannot believe in
Jesus Christ without sharing in his Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who reveals
to men who Jesus is. For “no one can say “Jesus is Lord”, except by the Holy
Spirit”, who “searches everything, even the depths of God. . No one comprehends
the thoughts of God, except the Spirit of God.” Only God knows God completely:
we believe in the Holy Spirit because he is God.
176 Faith is a personal
adherence of the whole man to God who reveals himself. It involves an assent of
the intellect and will to the self-revelation God has made through his deeds
and words.
177 “To believe” has
thus a twofold reference: to the person, and to the truth: to the truth, by
trust in the person who bears witness to it.
178 We must believe in
no one but God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
179 Faith is a
supernatural gift from God. In order to believe, man needs the interior helps
of the Holy Spirit.
TWENTY-SIXTH
SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C)
Saint
Firminus of Amiens, Bishop; Saint Principius of Soissons, Bishop
Am
6:1a,4-7; Ps 146; 1Tm 6:11-16; Lk 16:19-31
Praise the Lord, my soul!
COMMENTARY
Blessed are the poor
This
Sunday’s Gospel is the one that, par excellence, gives good news to the poor.
With this folk-tinged parable more than in others, Jesus conveys a clear
message about the reversal of the fortunes of the poor and the rich in the
afterlife and, through this, a strong warning to those who selfishly lock
themselves in their wealth without noticing the needy around them. It is a kind
of narrative illustration of the blessed-woe
antithesis that Jesus had proclaimed at the beginning of his activities: “Blessed are
you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. (…) But woe to you who
are rich, for you have received your consolation” (Lk 6:20,24). While the
Gospel message is clear, - it is nevertheless worthwhile to dissect some
interesting details of this parable, unique in the Gospels, for a more
appropriate and even deeper understanding of what Jesus wants to teach us in
our journey of faith and mission today.
1. The poor man and
his sufferings in silence
The plight of the poor man in the parable is more than tragic, as can be
perceived from the few but effective brush strokes that highlight his misery, “covered
with sores, who would gladly have eaten his
fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Dogs even used to come
and lick his sores.” Such description, indeed dramatization, of the physical
aspects also hints at a certain suffering in the spirit of this poor man,
abandoned by men because of the plagues and then “approached” only by dogs,
animals considered unclean in Jewish tradition.
In the midst of such immense personal tragedy, what is striking is the
poor man’s silence throughout the narrative. He, in fact, never spoke while
alive and, remains without a word even after death, when “he was carried away
by angels to the bosom of Abraham,” that is, to heavenly bliss with the
patriarchs of Israel. This is in sharp contrast to the behavior of the rich man
who, as we shall see below, was always making “noise” both before and after
death!
The silence of the poor man in the parable gives pause for thought. Every
disciple of Jesus will have to wonder and worry. There are still lots and lots
of poor, needy, suffering people around us who do not raise their voices. They
remain silent most of the time for one reason or another. We need perhaps to be
even more attentive, more alert to these “silent voices” next door, who come
from borderline, boundary situations. And this is especially true for Jesus’
disciples-missionaries, remembering what Pope Francis states in his Message for
this year’s World Mission Sunday: “Christ’s Church will continue to ‘go forth’
towards new geographical, social and existential horizons, towards ‘borderline’
places and human situations, in order to bear witness to Christ and his love to
men and women of every people, culture and social status.” Following Christ her
head, the Church of Christ never forgets the poor.
2. The rich man and his “hubbub”
As mentioned, the rich
man in the parable is very “rowdy.” During his lifetime, he “dined sumptuously
each day,” as described in the narrative. And we can imagine how noisy his
funeral was, even though the Gospel text is sober about it and says only “and [he]
was buried” (perhaps to emphasize the brevity of everything in life!). But the
hubbub of this rich man is heard especially in the afterlife, when he was to be
in “the netherworld, where he was in torment.” As indicated by the text, the
rich man “cried out” to Abraham, and in this way, as we may well surmise, the
whole dialogue between the rich man and the patriarch takes place.
It should be
emphasized that the description of the rich man’s suffering in the underworld
echoes the folkloric view of the Jewish tradition of the place of torments
after death for the wicked (cf. e.g., Is 66:24; Sir 21:9-10). The central point
is the great suffering the ungodly suffer because of perpetual separation from
God and his blessed Kingdom, a consequence of his own existential choice (to
live selfishly with himself and according to his own will, and not with God and
according to divine teaching). The desperate cry then of the parable’s rich man
from his place of eternal suffering sounds like a warning to all the rich of
the world and of all times, who think only of themselves and their own “lavish
banquets,” living in total indifference to the most needy, the most
unfortunate. And this also applies to those who boast of being “sons of
Abraham,” like the rich man in the parable. It is therefore a strong call to
conversion and change of life, an admonition given already by John the Baptist
at the beginning of Luke’s gospel: “Produce good fruits as evidence of your
repentance; and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our
father,’ for I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these
stones” (Lk 3:8; cf. Jn 8:39).
3. Where is God?
Finally, a legitimate question may come to some attentive
reader/listener: in this whole parable about life and death, where is God?
Indeed, someone else may feel puzzled or intrigued by the fact that God seems
absent in the narrative. He appears neither in earthly affairs nor in heaven,
leaving the patriarch Abraham speaking, teaching, passing judgment. The core of
the parable’s teaching, with all divine authority, is left to the patriarch
Abraham who speaks, teaches, passes judgment: “My child, remember that you
received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received
what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.”
The last remark already suggests an answer to the question about God's apparent
absence. In fact, God is present in this story, but in a subtle way. He acts
behind the scenes. This is, first of all, subtly mentioned in the name of the
poor man: Lazarus. This is the abbreviated form of Eleazar, which in Hebrew
means "God helps," "God succors." We have here the only
character "named" in Jesus' parables in the gospels. This again
emphasizes the symbolic power of the name and the person. It is the poor man
who has only God as his help, succor, consolation in life. And it will be the
same God who welcomes him into the bosom of Abraham into the Kingdom of the
blessed. He, the good God, is always present in every poor, miserable,
forsaken, marginalized person, like Christ Himself in the hungry, imprisoned,
undressed, sick, His least brethren.
It is necessary to note a special presence of God that is emphasized in
the final part of the parable. When the suffering rich man asks Abraham to send
Lazarus to warn his five brothers “severely,” the patriarch replies, “They have
Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.” And the importance of “Moses
and the prophets” to be listened to is again reconfirmed, “If they will not
listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone
should rise from the dead.” Here is the God who continues to speak through “Moses
and the Prophets,” that is, through his Word in Holy Scripture. He continues to
indicate the ways of salvation. Indeed, already in Sacred Scripture we are
admonished in this regard, “Those who shut their ears to the cry of the poor
will themselves call out and not be answered” (Pr 21:13); and those who care
for the poor are exalted: “Blessed the one concerned for the poor; on a day of
misfortune, the LORD delivers him” (Ps 41:2). And Jesus with authority confirms
the divine teaching. Indeed, he strongly exhorts and admonishes those who
“sleep” in their riches, without thinking wisely about the future.
Let us pray then with the meaningful words of the alternative collect
prayer in the Italian Missal : O God, who knows the needs of the poor and does
not abandon the weak in loneliness, deliver from the bondage of selfishness
those who are deaf to the voice of those who cry out for help, and give us all
steadfast faith in the risen Christ. He is God, and lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.
Useful points to
consider:
John Paul II, Encyclical Letter on the Permanent Validity of the Church’s Missionary Mandate, Redemptoris Missio
Characteristics of the Kingdom and Its Demands
14. Jesus gradually reveals the characteristics and
demands of the kingdom through his words, his actions and his own person.
The kingdom of God is meant for all mankind, and all people are called to become members of it. To emphasize this fact, Jesus drew especially near to those on the margins of society, and showed them special favor in announcing the Good News. At the beginning of his ministry he proclaimed that he was “anointed...to preach good news to the poor” (Lk 4:18). To all who are victims of rejection and contempt Jesus declares: “Blessed are you poor” (Lk 6:20). What is more, he enables such individuals to experience liberation even now, by being close to them, going to eat in their homes (cf. Lk 5:30; 15:2), treating them as equals and friends (cf. Lk 7:34), and making them feel loved by God, thus revealing his tender care for the needy and for sinners (cf. Lk 15:1-32).
The First Form of Evangelization Is Witness
42. People today put more trust in witnesses than in
teachers, in experience than in teaching, and in life and action than in
theories. The witness of a Christian life is the first and irreplaceable form
of mission: Christ, whose mission we continue, is the “witness” par
excellence (Rv 1:5; 3:14) and the model of all Christian witness. The Holy
Spirit accompanies the Church along her way and associates her with the witness
he gives to Christ (cf. Jn 15:26-27).
The first form of witness is the very life of the missionary, of the
Christian family, and of the ecclesial community, which reveal a new
way of living. The missionary who, despite all his or her human limitations and
defects, lives a simple life, taking Christ as the model, is a sign of God and
of transcendent realities. But everyone in the Church, striving to imitate the
Divine Master, can and must bear this kind of witness; in many cases it is the only
possible way of being a missionary.
The evangelical witness which the world finds most appealing is that of concern for people, and of charity toward the poor, the weak and those who suffer. The complete generosity underlying this attitude and these actions stands in marked contrast to human selfishness. It raises precise questions which lead to God and to the Gospel. A commitment to peace, justice, human rights and human promotion is also a witness to the Gospel when it is a sign of concern for persons and is directed toward integral human development.
Charity: Source and Criterion of Mission
60. As I said during my pastoral visit to Brazil: “The
Church all over the world wishes to be the Church of the poor...she wishes to
draw out all the truth contained in the Beatitudes of Christ, and especially in
the first one: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit.’ ...She wishes to teach this
truth and she wishes to put it into practice, just as Jesus came to do and to
teach.”
The young churches, which for the most part are to be found among peoples
suffering from widespread poverty, often give voice to this concern as an
integral part of their mission. The Conference of Latin American Bishops at
Puebla, after recalling the example of Jesus, wrote that “the poor deserve
preferential attention, whatever their moral or personal situation. They have
been made in the image and likeness of God to be his children, but this image
has been obscured and even violated. For this reason, God has become their
defender and loves them. It follows that the poor are those to whom the mission
is first addressed, and their evangelization is par excellence the sign
and proof of the mission of Jesus.”
In fidelity to the spirit of the Beatitudes, the Church is called to be on
the side of those who are poor and oppressed in any way. I therefore exhort the
disciples of Christ and all Christian communities - from families to dioceses,
from parishes to religious institutes - to carry out a sincere review of their
lives regarding their solidarity with the poor. At the same time, I express
gratitude to the missionaries who, by their loving presence and humble service
to people, are working for the integral development of individuals and of
society through schools, health-care centers, leprosaria, homes for the
handicapped and the elderly, projects for the promotion of women and other
similar apostolates. I thank the priests, religious brothers and sisters, and
members of the laity for their dedication, and I also encourage the volunteers
from non-governmental organizations who in ever increasing numbers are devoting
themselves to works of charity and human promotion.
It is in fact these “works of charity” that reveal the soul of all
missionary activity: love, which has been and remains the driving force of
mission, and is also “the sole criterion for judging what is to be done or not
done, changed or not changed. It is the principle which must direct every
action, and end to which that action must be directed. When we act with a view
to charity, or are inspired by charity, nothing is unseemly and everything is
good.”
TWENTY-FIFTH
SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C) - 18/9/2022
St. Joseph
of Cupertino, Priest; Blessed Daudi Okelo and Jildo Irwa, Martyr Catechists
Am 8:4-7;
Ps 113; 1Tm 2:1-8; Lk 16:1-13
Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor
COMMENTARY
Wisdom-prudence for the future
The account of the parable in today’s Gospel is found only in Luke and is the most controversial of Jesus’ parables. Indeed, a flood of ink has been spilled to resolve its alleged contradiction: how come the morally unacceptable action of the steward is put on the lampstand to enlighten all those in God’s house! A deeper reflection therefore needs to be made, starting precisely with a necessary clarification: the main perspective of the parable in question is more sapiential than moralistic.
1. A Lesson for Life: Clarification on the
Judeo-Sapiential Perspective of the Parable
The centerpiece of the
narrative, on which all narrative elements revolve, is the concluding
assessment of the master that “commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently” (Lk 16:8a). Thus is
highlighted the key Greek word fronimos
which literally means “wisely,” translated here as “prudently” or “shrewdly” in some other
English versions (The same term is used to characterize the wise/prudent
virgins in Jesus’ parable of the same name!). Even before any moral judgment,
one point is clear: the parable in question is meant to convey a teaching on
the use of wisdom in life. This sapiential slant is even stronger in the
understanding assessment of Lk 16:8b, which repeats the key “wise” concept: “the
children of this world are more prudent (lit. “wiser”) in dealing with their
own generation than are the children of light.”
Then, in what does
this “wisdom” of the parable consist, which, for moral reasons, is often
translated as prudence or shrewdness or cunning? First of all, it should be
emphasized that there is nothing wrong with translating the original Greek
adverb as “prudently/shrewdly/cunningly,” just as it is not misleading to use
the term that expresses its underlying meaning: “wisely.” Biblical and Jewish
wisdom, in fact, also includes the aspects of prudence and cunning or even
better, resourcefulness in life. This is the nuance in the concept of the
(wisdom-style) exhortation to be wise/prudent like the serpent, which Jesus
left to the apostles when he sent them on their mission (cf. Mt 10:16). It is
then noteworthy to see the similar use of the serpent and dove images in the
rabbinic tradition, in a saying of Jehuda ben Simon: “God says to the
Israelites, ‘toward me they are as innocent as doves, but toward the peoples of
the world they are as cunning as serpents’” (Songs.Rab. 2:12).
So, the acting wisely
of the administrator is an acting cunningly or shrewdly. One, in the biblical-Jewish
mindset, does not exclude the other, and when one is recommended, the other is
meant and vice versa. In other words, the wisdom of the parable is that of the Jewish
mindset, and Jesus, the one who emphasizes it, belongs to this multi-secular
tradition. Far from any moralism, the primary intent of Jesus’ account is a
sapiential one. It is provided as a lesson in wisdom, in the art of savoir-vivre, certainly not a treatise
on the commandment not to steal from the Decalogue!
2. Knowing How to Act to Ensure Life in the Future
Once we delve into the central perspective of the parable, it is not
difficult to see that the steward’s wisdom consists in the cunning of procuring
a future with what he has available to him in the present, even though this
“what” is not his own but his master’s. He accumulates capital with other
people’s money. It should be noted in this regard that, in Jesus’ parable, the
steward is clearly denounced as a “dishonest.” So he is called, even when he is
“praised” by his “master.” Such “qualification,” or rather moral
disqualification, is never in doubt. The
spotlight, however, is turned exclusively on the administrator’s “wise” or
“shrewd” action to save his own “skin.”
In light of what has just been discussed, such shrewdness on the part of
the protagonist is entirely acceptable and even justifiable in a tradition that
has positively conveyed such actions as the actions (read circumventing!) of
the children of Israel toward the Egyptians, their oppressors during the
exodus, “And so [borrowing the wealth of their Egyptian neighbors before they went
out of Egypt] they despoiled the
Egyptian” (Ex 12:35-36; cf. Ex 3:21-22; 11:2-3; also Gn 15:14). Indeed, as is
evident in the reflection of later Jewish tradition, it was God’s own Wisdom
that guided all operations, including that of giving the Israelites the
treasures of Egypt, “The holy people and their blameless descendants—it was she
who rescued them (…) She gave the holy ones the reward of their labors (…) She
took them across the Red Sea (…) Therefore the righteous despoiled the wicked” (Wis 10:15,17,18,20).
3. Following Jesus, Incarnate Wisdom of God, to serve
only God
The Jesus of the
parable of the shrewd steward appears more than ever to be a sage of his Jewish
people. His concept of wisdom does not exclude the elements of cunning and
shrewdness. It is the art of living in the present to ensure a secure future,
and to do so one must sometimes, especially at critical times, use all the
intelligence one can muster to engage every resource at one’s disposal. And the
bitter comment of the story’s author at the end about the wise actions of the
children of light compared to those of the world resonates like an invitation
on the lips of Wisdom herself, addressed to her own children (cf. Lk 7:35) to
direct them even more to Her way.
It is known that the children of this world often do everything to
secure a better future. So the question is: “The children of light, the
disciples of Jesus, what do they do for their future with God? Do they know how
to wisely commit to their life with God with ‘all their heart,’ with ‘all their
mind,’ with ‘all their strength’? Or do they rather remain inert, lazy,
resigned in the face of every difficulty in life?”
It is therefore necessary to take seriously once again today Jesus'
direct advice at the end of the Gospel passage heard, as if it were a kind of
application of the parable told. He is the incarnate Wisdom of God, pointing
out the ways of true wisdom: “make friends for yourselves with dishonest
wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings” (Lk
16:9). That is, one must know how to make use of wealth (which is always
potentially “dishonest” in the theological vision of St. Luke the Evangelist)
for the future with God. And if one does not do this, there is a risk of ending
up serving wealth as if it were the “master,” according to what Pope Francis
taught recently: “That wealth be at our service, yes; to serve wealth, no —
that is idolatry, that is an offence to God.” (ANGELUS, Saint Peter’s Square, Sunday, 31 July 2022). Therefore, Jesus’
final warning is more than appropriate: “No servant can serve two masters. (…) You
cannot serve both God and mammon” (Lk 16:13).
Let us then thank the
Lord Jesus for today’s Gospel teaching and humbly ask for the grace of the Holy
Spirit, the Spirit of wisdom and intelligence, of counsel and fortitude, that
we may always know how to act wisely in life, following the teaching and
example of Jesus, God’s incarnate Wisdom!
Useful
points to consider:
Pope Francis, Angelus, Saint Peter’s Square, Sunday, 31 July 2022
Jesus warns us with strong words. He says, you cannot serve two masters, and — let’s be careful — he does not say God and the devil, no, or even the good and the bad, but, God and wealth (cf. Lk 16:13). One would expect that he would have said that you cannot serve two masters, God and the devil. Instead he says God and wealth. That wealth be at our service, yes; to serve wealth, no — that is idolatry, that is an offence to God.
Pope Francis, Angelus, Saint Peter’s Square, Sunday, 22 September 2019
Jesus presents this example [ of the the dishonest
steward] certainly not to encourage dishonesty, but prudence. […]The key to reading this
narrative lies in Jesus’ invitation at the end of the parable: “make friends
for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when it fails they
may receive you into the eternal habitations” (v. 9).
This seems somewhat confusing, but it is not so: the
“unrighteous mammon” is money — also called “devil’s dung” — and in general
material goods.
Wealth can propel one to build walls, create division
and discrimination. Jesus, on the contrary, encourages his disciples to reverse
course: “Make friends for yourselves by means of mammon”. It is an invitation
to know how to change goods and wealth into relationships, because people are
worth more than things, and count more than the wealth they possess. Indeed, in
life, it is not those who have many riches who bear fruit, but those who create
and keep alive many bonds, many relationships, many friendships through a
variety of “mammon”, that is, the different gifts that God has given them. But
Jesus also points to the ultimate aim of his exhortation: “Make friends for
yourselves by means of mammon so that they may receive you into the eternal
habitations”. If we are able to transform wealth into tools of fraternity and
solidarity, not only will God be there to welcome us into heaven, but also
those with whom we have shared, properly stewarded what the Lord has placed in
our hands.
TWENTY-FOURTH
SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C) - 11/9/2022
Saints
Protus and Hyacinth, Martyrs; St. John Gabriel Perboyre, priest, martyr
Ex 32:7-11,13-14;
Ps 51; 1Tm 1:12-17; Lk 15:1-32
I will rise and go to my father
COMMENTARY
The Invitation to Conversion
Divine
Providence makes us read (in today’s longer version of the Gospel of the Mass)
the famous parable, known variously as the parable of the prodigal son or that
of the merciful father. As underlined in the commentary written in the past,
this parable is truly a gem of the Gospel narrative that, as a preacher once
told me, alone has provoked more conversions than all other rhetoric on the
topic of forgiveness. I now propose to reflect some more on what are perhaps
important but less considered aspects of the parable. The risk, however, is
this: we are so accustomed to the story line, to the point that as soon as we
hear the first phrase “A man had two sons,” we can quickly jump to the well-known
ending, turning off our attention, waiting impatiently for the end of the
Gospel’s proclamation!
However,
every word of God proclaimed is never lifeless, because it is the living God
who speaks to the hearts of the faithful. It contains ever new messages to
every hearer who listens to God’s word with faith, humility, and a pinch of
healthy curiosity to understand more about some aspects never before
considered. Concretely, we can always learn something new from this parable, if
we examine its rich content in more detail. With a small measure of curiosity,
I ask, if “a man had two sons, (…) and the father divided the property between
them,” how much would the younger son have received? You could think that each
of them would have received half of their father’s estate, but perhaps this was
not the case. According to Jewish law, in such a situation, the eldest son
received two thirds for his primogeniture (cf. Dt 21:17), while the younger son
received only one third! Such a detail, now unearthed, may surprise us and so
encourage us to reflect more deeply and thoroughly upon this very popular
parable in order to discover some new perspectives on the three main characters
of the story. This is surely relevant for our Lenten conversion journey this
year.
1. The Younger Son’s Repentance
It
is very beautiful and moving the return of the younger son to his father after
he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation, far from his father’s
house. (The distance is underlined with the mention of “swine” in the place
where the destitute prodigal son lived. He was distant both geographically and
spiritually from the land of Israel because swine, considered unclean animals,
were absent in the Jewish territories, emphasizing the humiliation the younger
son had to suffer, even to the point of denying the tradition of his fathers
for being forced to live with swine). It is therefore edifying and encouraging
to those who listen to the parable, for no matter how far away we find ourselves
from God, we can always return to the Father first spiritually and then
physically. The parable invites to “come (back) to our senses” first and then
to come back physically to God with a humble confession of the sins we have
committed: “I have sinned”.
However,
the account subtly indicates that such repentance of the prodigal son was not
the result of his love for the father, but simply because he was hungry, as he
himself admitted: “here am I, dying from hunger.” Yes, it is too banal, not
very poetic, but cruelly true. The coming of the younger son to his senses is
due not to his heart full of love and longing for the father, but to an empty
stomach! Of course, that is fine too, and far be it from us to make any hasty
judgements about it. Indeed, sometimes in life, Heaven, that is to say, the
merciful God, has led many prodigal sons and daughters to learn from their
encounter with physical hunger. When they reach rock bottom in their lives and
their misery caused by themselves, this can be the only way to start thinking
about the essential things in life. Actually, someone did share with me, “If I
had not encountered such a critical situation of total failure, I might never
have made my conversion to God to live happily now with Him and in His peace.”
Therefore, we must always thank Heaven even for every “hunger” we experience
(like that of the parable). It will never be a tragedy to be endured, but
always an opportunity to be taken to our advantage. Help us, Lord and Holy
Father, to hear your call to return to You, especially when we have nothing in
our stomach!
Oddly,
the younger son’s confession of sins appears to be a rehearsed statement, even
calculated, without too much emotion. He seemingly memorized the “formula” and
repeated it at the moment of the meeting with his father, word for word:
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to
be called your son.” Interestingly, however, at the encounter with the father,
the younger son was unable to finish the speech he had prepared with the final
request: “Treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.” The father,
in fact, immediately welcomed him, or rather absolved him, and restored his
filial dignity with the (finest) robe, a ring, and sandals, without his asking
for anything. The son’s repentance, though minimal (perhaps very close to zero
or, at any rate, far from perfection), found nevertheless an unexpectedly
generous response from his father who, just catching sight of him from afar,
“was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.”
What
an emotional and touching scene! I seem to see the image of the mystical
encounter between the penitent and the merciful heavenly Father in the
sacrament of confession. This is how the love-filled heart of God welcomes the
return of his children, even when the repentance of some penitents is just a
repetition of a “formula” of contrition or act of sorrow, like that of the
prodigal son. It may be an imperfect act of repentance which is done not out of
love for God, but out of habit, or out of secondary causes such as hunger or
fear of punishment, but it is God’s great mercy that always overwhelms our poor
and imperfect sorrow. The younger son’s repentance is certainly not at the
center of the parable, but the generosity of the father who wants only to “see”
the presence of his son to embrace him with a heart full of love, without
judging whether he has returned with a sincere heart, or whether he has truly
repented!
2.
The Father’s Merciful Love
The
father’s generous and unconditional love for his prodigal son emerges not only
at the moment of their meeting, but even before. The biblical text emphasizes,
“While he [the younger son] was still a long way off, his father caught
sight of him, and was filled with compassion…” How is it that the father was
able to see his son on the horizon on that exact day and at that hour? Was it
pure chance? Was the father tired that day or that afternoon and went out to
the front garden to rest, and saw his son return by chance? Or maybe it was
because since the son left him, every day the father went outside the house
and, constantly fixing his eyes in the direction in which his son had
travelled, waiting patiently for his return. Therefore, when the son returned,
the father was able to see him immediately, because he waited for that instant
every day. It seems to me, therefore, that the father’s merciful love is
expressed not only in the gestures of compassion and welcome when he meets his
son, but also, and above all, in his patient waiting for his return. And with
this I am thinking of God’s waiting in the person of the priest who sometimes
waits for hours and hours in the confessional without any penitent, but
precisely in that patient waiting for some “prodigal son or daughter,” the
confessor is demonstrating the heavenly Father’s patience. This is the mission
of Christ’s missionaries who are precisely missionaries of mercy. If not today,
perhaps someone will come [back] tomorrow; or, perhaps the day after tomorrow.
One day he/she will surely return!
Returning
to the parable, the father’s mercy was shown not only to the younger son, but
also to the older son. Even the latter, ironically, “return” home from the
fields, but “on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of
music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what this might
mean.” A strange detail should be noted: the eldest son did not want to go back
into his house when he heard “the music and dancing,” but called out a servant
to find out what was happening. In all likelihood, knowing his father, he had
already guessed this was something to do with his brother’s return. Indeed,
after being informed, “He became angry, and (…) he refused to enter the house.” And it was here that the father
showed all his patient love for this eldest son who now became, in fact, the
rebel: “His father came out and pleaded with him.” This is a very
unusual action in Jewish and generally Asian patriarchal culture (as in my own
Vietnamese culture), where the father only commands, and never pleads with his
children. Moreover, after the outburst of the eldest son calling his brother
derogatorily “your son,” the father did not get angry and remonstrate with him
for his lack of respect. Not only that, the father continues to call this
rebellious son of his “son” and patiently explains to him the reason for the
party. Indeed, to the eldest son who received two-thirds of his estate, the
father reiterates his generosity in giving him everything: “My son, you are
here with me always; everything I have is yours.” This is the mercy of the
Father, slow to anger and great in love; He does not take into account the
offenses caused to Him and always keeps His heart open even to those who,
although close to Him, sometimes make Him suffer more than those who are far
away! This is the drama of the Father, the heavenly One, who never loses
patience while waiting for the return of His children, far and near. Let us
remember the beautiful observation of Pope Francis: “God never ever tires of
forgiving us, (…) but at times we get tired of asking for forgiveness,” and
returning to Him. (Angelus, Saint Peter’s Square, Sunday, 17
March 2013).
3. The Eldest Son and a Possible “Re-Entry” into the Father’s Home
Like
the parable of the barren fig tree we heard last Sunday, today’s also has an
open ending. After the father’s response with the invitation to rejoice over
his brother’s return, we do not know what the eldest son’s reaction was. Did
he, or did he not, re-enter the house? This is now the question! Each listener
to the story, by his or her own actions, will decide the outcome. This is the
subtle but urgent invitation that Jesus made through this ending of the parable
to all his direct interlocutors, who were “the Pharisees
and scribes [who] began to complain, saying: ‘This man welcomes sinners and
eats with them,’” because, as Saint Luke the Evangelist points out, “So to them
Jesus addressed this parable.” And right here, to return to the father’s house
as the younger son did, we need a change of mentality, a going beyond the usual
patterns of thought towards an evangelical conversion!
Among
the Pharisees and scribes who were listening to Jesus at that time, we do not
know how many actually welcomed his invitation to re-enter. Nevertheless, each
one of us who listens to this parable today is called to do so now, always
mindful of a loving and compassionate Father who is patiently awaiting the
return of each of his children, far and
near.
Useful points to
consider:
Pope Francis, Apostolic Exhortation on the Proclamation of the
Gospel in Today’s World, Evangelii Gaudium
15. John Paul II asked us to
recognize that “there must be no lessening of the impetus to preach the Gospel”
to those who are far from Christ, “because this is the first task of the
Church”. Indeed, “today missionary activity still represents the greatest
challenge for the Church” and “the missionary task must
remain foremost”. What would happen if we were to take these words seriously?
We would realize that missionary outreach is paradigmatic for all the
Church’s activity. Along these lines the Latin American bishops stated that
we “cannot passively and calmly wait in our church buildings”; we need to move “from a pastoral
ministry of mere conservation to a decidedly missionary pastoral ministry”.
This task continues to be a source of immense joy for the Church: “Just so, I
tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than
ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance” (Lk 15:7).
John Paul II, Encyclical Letter on the Permanent Validity of the Church’s Missionary Mandate, Redemptoris Missio
The Initial Proclamation of Christ the Savior
44. Proclamation is the permanent priority of mission. The Church cannot
elude Christ's explicit mandate, nor deprive men and women of the "Good
News" about their being loved and saved by God. "Evangelization will
always contain-as the foundation, center and at the same time the summit of its
dynamism-a clear proclamation that, in Jesus Christ...salvation is offered to
all people, as a gift of God's grace and mercy."72 All forms of missionary activity are directed to this
proclamation, which reveals and gives access to the mystery hidden for ages and
made known in Christ (cf. Eph 3:3-9; Col 1:25-29), the mystery which lies at
the heart of the Church's mission and life, as the hinge on which all
evangelization turns.
In the complex reality of mission, initial proclamation has a central and irreplaceable role, since it introduces man "into the mystery of the love of God, who invites him to enter into a personal relationship with himself in Christ"73 and opens the way to conversion.
Conversion and Baptism
46. The proclamation of the Word of God has Christian conversion as
its aim: a complete and sincere adherence to Christ and his Gospel through
faith. Conversion is a gift of God, a work of the Blessed Trinity. It is the
Spirit who opens people's hearts so that they can believe in Christ and
"confess him'' (cf. 1 Cor 12:3); of those who draw near to him through
faith Jesus says: "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me
draws him" (Jn 6:44).
From the outset, conversion is expressed in faith which is total and
radical, and which neither limits nor hinders God's gift. At the same time, it
gives rise to a dynamic and lifelong process which demands a continual turning
away from "life according to the flesh" to "life according to
the Spirit" (cf. Rom 8:3-13). Conversion means accepting, by a personal
decision, the saving sovereignty of Christ and becoming his disciple.
The Church calls all people to this conversion, following the example of
John the Baptist, who prepared the way for Christ by "preaching a baptism
of repentance for the forgiveness of sins" (Mk 1:4), as well as the
example of Christ himself, who "after John was arrested,...came into
Galilee preaching the Gospel of God and saying: 'The time is fulfilled, and the
kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel'" (Mk
1:14-15).
Nowadays the call to conversion which missionaries address to
non-Christians is put into question or passed over in silence. It is seen as an
act of "proselytizing"; it is claimed that it is enough to help
people to become more human or more faithful to their own religion, that it is
enough to build communities capable of working for justice, freedom, peace and
solidarity. What is overlooked is that every person has the right to hear the
"Good News" of the God who reveals and gives himself in Christ, so
that each one can live out in its fullness his or her proper calling. This
lofty reality is expressed in the words of Jesus to the Samaritan woman:
"If you knew the gift of God," and in the unconscious but ardent
desire of the woman: "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst"
(Jn 4:10, 15).
TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C)
Saint
Boniface I, Pope; Saint Rosalia of Palermo, Virgin Hermit
Wis
9:13-18b; Ps 90; Phmn 9-10,12-17; Lk 14:25-33
In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge
COMMENTARY
The Highest Point of
Wisdom
The wisdom instructions of Jesus, which we have heard in recent Sundays,
reach the highest and most controversial point with today’s teaching. The
Master of Nazareth, addressing “great crowds” who followed him in the now final
stage of his journey to Jerusalem, posed the radical demands for his potential
followers. These are very strong recommendations that undermine every human “sound
mind”, starting with the request to “hate” one’s parents: “If anyone comes to
me without hating his father and mother (...), he cannot be my disciple.” The
phrase in the original Greek sounds exactly like that with the verb miseo “to hate” which various modern
translations avoid precisely because of its emotional charge, preferring a
“softer” version: “If someone comes to me and does not love me more than he
loves his father and mother (...), he cannot be my disciple.” Such strong words
of Jesus do not seem to be said “at random” or lightly (as shared to me by a
Vietnamese Buddhist who, while noting the instructions of Jesus in question too
difficult to understand, underlined simply: “If Jesus said so, there must be
some sense!”). These words therefore ask all of us to seriously reflect on
their meaning and, consequently, on our call to follow Jesus.
1. The Radical
Renunciation of All “Possessions”
To understand
Jesus’ teaching in today’s Gospel, we should note its specific structure
(technically called inclusio), where
the concluding sentence recalls the initial one to accentuate the central point
of the whole discourse: “Anyone of you who does not renounce all his
possessions cannot be my disciple.” In light of this conclusion, the initial
request to every potential disciple to “hate” “his father and mother, wife and
children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life” actually concerns the
renunciation of all possessions that one has and cultivates.
We have heard in the past the recommendation of Jesus to abandon
material possessions to enter the Kingdom of God. Now, Jesus recommends the would-be
disciple to make a radical and heroic renunciation of love for family members
and even of his/her life itself. In other words, the disciple is asked to love
Jesus above his/her dearest persons and above himself/herself, as is made
explicit in the parallel text of Matthew’s Gospel: “Whoever loves father or
mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more
than me is not worthy of me.” (Mt 10:37)
The renunciation that Jesus asks of each of his disciples here is what He
already practiced for God, for the Kingdom and to fulfill the mission of God.
He, in fact, left everything and everyone to dedicate himself totally and
freely to the cause of the Kingdom, as well as to form the new family of God
according to the divine plan of salvation. Therefore, in the recommendation to “hate”
parents, in the sense of “loving less” or “abandoning”, the commandment of the
Decalogue to honor the father and mother is not questioned; the focus is rather
on the concrete practice of the first command of all the divine law: to love
God above everything/everyone and with all the heart, the mind, the being.
Jesus therefore asks his potential disciples to follow his own path, placing
God and Himself in the first place and joining Him on the emblematic journey to
Jerusalem.
2. Embracing
the “Cross”
From the perspective of Jerusalem, it is understandable why Jesus
continues his teaching with the recommendation to carry one’s “own cross”. Understandably,
the model image here remains the way of the Cross that Jesus supported. The “cross”,
therefore, indicates all the difficulties, adversities, persecutions in the
journey of life and mission for the Kingdom of God to be lived with Jesus and
like Jesus. So much so that Jesus spoke of the “everyday cross” in the life of
those who follow Him: “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself
and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Lk 9:23)
The perspective of the “cross” starts from and is inserted into the
mystery of the Cross of Christ for the salvation of the world. In reality, it
is the wisdom of God which appears to be madness, a great folly for the world,
as Saint Paul well explained (cf. 1Cor 1:18-31). Thus, the discourse of the
cross that Jesus now offers to his potential followers certainly does not come
from earthly reasoning, but from heavenly reasoning. In other words, it comes
from God in Christ for a true wisdom with which, in the expressions of the book
of Wisdom, “people learned what pleases you [to God]”, and “were saved by
Wisdom.” (Wis 9:18b) Thus, every time a disciple carries his “cross” with and
in Christ, he/she also carries out his/her mission for the salvation of the
whole world.
3. God’s Wisdom versus
Human Wisdom: The Divine Wisdom Perspective
The
instructions of Jesus today therefore reveal a divine wisdom that has shown
itself to be particularly different from human wisdom and in contrast with it.
They therefore also require a wise calculation, as Jesus also recommended with
the two parables, that of the construction of the tower and that of the king
who goes to war. We must always reason, always reflect on the forces available
to face the “task” of being a disciple of Jesus in the so arduous and noble
mission of bringing the Gospel of God to the whole world and to every place
where we live. However, these are calculations that must obviously be made not
according to human reasonings, but divine (because effectively “the
deliberations of mortals are timid, and uncertain our plans,” due to “a
corruptible body” and “a mind full of worries”; cf. Wis 9:14-15). One must
therefore keep in mind the “divine paradoxes” that Jesus affirmed: “Whoever
wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake
and that of the gospel will save it” (Mk 8:35), as well as “everyone who has
given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands
for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit
eternal life.” (Mt 19:29)
Wisdom therefore in the disciple’s journey always consists in making
oneself humble before God, as we learned last week, and in placing faith, trust
and strength not so much in one’s own limited human wisdom, but in Jesus and His
words, because He alone “has the words of eternal life” (Jn 6:68), as Saint
Peter professed, and because, as Saint Paul affirmed from his experience as a
missionary disciple: “I can do everything in Him who gives me strength” (Phil
4:13). And so be it. Amen!
Useful points to consider:
POPE FRANCIS, GENERAL AUDIENCE, St. Peter’s Square, Wednesday, 9 April 2014
1. The first gift of the Holy Spirit (…) is therefore wisdom. But it
is not simply human wisdom, which is the fruit of knowledge and experience. In
the Bible we are told that Solomon, at the time of his coronation as King of
Israel, had asked for the gift of wisdom (cf. 1 Kings 3:9). And wisdom is
precisely this: it is the grace of being able to see everything with
the eyes of God. It is simply this: it is to see the world, to see
situations, circumstances, problems, everything through God’s eyes. This is
wisdom. Sometimes we see things according to our liking or according to the
condition of our heart, with love or with hate, with envy.... No, this is not
God’s perspective. Wisdom is what the Holy Spirit works in us so as to enable
us to see things with the eyes of God. This is the gift of wisdom.
2. And obviously this comes from intimacy with God, from the
intimate relationship we have with God, from the relationship children have
with their Father. And when we have this relationship, the Holy Spirit endows
us with the gift of wisdom. When we are in communion with the Lord, the Holy
Spirit transfigures our heart and enables it to perceive all of his warmth and
predilection.
3. The Holy Spirit thus makes the Christian “wise”. Not in the sense that
he has an answer for everything, that he knows everything, but in the sense that
he “knows” about God, he knows how God acts, he knows when
something is of God and when it is not of God; he has this wisdom which God
places in our hearts.
The heart of the wise man in this sense has a taste and savour for
God. And how important it is that there be Christians like this in our
communities! Everything in them speaks of God and becomes a beautiful and
living sign of his presence and of his love. And this is something that we
cannot invent, that we cannot obtain by ourselves: it is a gift that God gives
to those who make themselves docile to the Holy Spirit. We have the Holy Spirit
within us, in our heart; we can listen to him, we can listen to him. If we
listen to the Holy Spirit, he teaches us this way of wisdom, he endows us with
wisdom, which is seeing with God’s eyes, hearing with God’s ears, loving with
God’s heart, directing things with God’s judgement. This is the wisdom the Holy
Spirit endows us with, and we can all have it. We only have to ask it of the
Holy Spirit.
(…)Therefore, we must ask the Lord to grant us the Holy Spirit and to grant
us the gift of wisdom, that wisdom of God that
teaches us to see with God’s eyes, to feel with God’s heart, to speak with
God’s words. And so, with this wisdom, let us go forward, let us build our
family, let us build the Church, and we will all be sanctified. Today let us
ask for this grace of wisdom. And let us ask Our Lady, who is the Seat of
Wisdom, for this gift: may she give us this grace.
TWENTY-SECOND
SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C)
St.
Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church; Blessed Juan Bautista Faubel Cano
and Arturo Ros Montalt, Martyrs
Sir 3:17-18,20,28-29;
Ps 68; Heb 12:18-19.22-24a; Lk 14:1,7-14
God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor
COMMENTARY
The Invitations of
Wisdom for Life (Instructions for a Life with Wisdom)
We have heard today a very particular Gospel episode. Once again along
his final journey to Jerusalem, Jesus is teaching wise attitudes. This happens
in a very peculiar circumstance: at the dinner “at the home of one of the
leading Pharisees”. These are therefore the advices “at the table” with which
the Master of Nazareth proposes a kind of divine “etiquette” on behavior at
banquets. This etiquette, in the final analysis, reflects the two attitudes of
humility and generosity / gratuitousness. These are fundamental, indeed
indispensable, to enter the Kingdom in the messianic time, and in general, fundamental
in life before God and men. Therefore, a careful and more in-depth reflection
is needed in this regard, starting with a closer look at the occasion on which
Jesus taught.
1. The Teaching Context
Some curious and at the same time important details of the circumstance
in Jesus’ teaching should be emphasized. It occurred during a dinner on a
Saturday. So, it was a “festive”, solemn meal, “at the home of one of the
leading Pharisees”. The title of the master of the house (“one of the leading
Pharisees”) suggests the even more solemn character of the banquet. Most likely
among those invited were many Pharisees and Doctors of the Law (cf. Lk 14:3)
(they actually could “choose” the various places available!) This was not the
only time that Jesus stayed at the home of the Pharisees. Nonetheless, what is
singular here is precisely the solemnity of the case and the transversal “public”.
Thus the teaching of Jesus later acquires a particular and universal value.
A curious, probably ironic note from the Evangelist Luke should also be
noted: Jesus, who was initially “observed” by the guests (“the people there
were observing him carefully”), actually becomes the one who observed them, “noticing
how they were choosing the places of honor at the table”! Jesus’ eyes are like
those of God who, in his wisdom, peer from above and see all the movements of
men with the intentions of their heart (cf., for example, Ps 139[138],1-3).
Thus, Jesus, the “divine observer”, teaches the wise ways of God on the basis
of the concrete situations of human life, precisely in the manner of the wise
men of Israel under the action of the divine Spirit down the centuries.
2. For a wise humility
(wisdom in humility)
In fact, the first teaching of Jesus on this occasion, in style and
content, follows an exquisitely “Jewish” wisdom reasoning with its vivacity and
concreteness. By the way, we note that Jesus’ advice here did have a great
success among his followers who literally put it into practice over the
centuries. Even today, many Christians still come to the Eucharistic banquet in
church and willingly put themselves back in the last places and sometimes even
standing, always leaving the first pews empty!
Seriously, what Jesus recommended does not represent a simple advice for
humility as a virtue in itself, but rather a humble behavior to wisely avoid a
possible loss of face and to ensure a possible honor. It concretely and
curiously reflects the recommendation of the Old Testament wisdom tradition in
the book of Proverbs 25:6-7: Claim no
honor in the king’s presence, nor occupy the place of superiors; For it is
better to be told, “Come up closer!” than to be humbled before the prince.
Similarly, it is emphasized in the same book: The fear of the Lord is training for wisdom, and humility goes before
honors (Prov 15:33). The Israelite sage Sirach, which we heard in the first
reading, developed the same wisdom thought, insisting on the need to always be
humble, especially when “the greater you are”, so that “you will find favor
with God.”
The last two quotations offer a clear theological and theo-centric
orientation of “making oneself humble”: in the final analysis, it will be God
who exalts, who glorifies the humble. This is also the perspective of Jesus’
proverbial saying which concludes his teaching on the subject: “Every one who
exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be
exalted.” We find here, in effect, the grammatical construction of the so-called
theological or divine passive with God as the implied agent: the one who
humbles himself/herself will be exalted by God, in conformity with the whole
Judeo-Christian tradition in the Bible (cf., e.g., Ezek 21:26; especially Lk 1:52:
“[God] He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones, but lifted up the
lowly.”)
3. For a wise and
messianic generosity
After the advice to the guests, Jesus offered another one “to the host
who invited him”, as if to complete his teaching “at the table”. This second
and last instruction of the block shows itself even more explicitly “theological”
both in language and in content, because it is oriented towards the reward at the
end of time, “at the resurrection of the righteous”, that is, with and in God. This
perspective of God’s final reward is similar to that deriving from Jesus’
recommendation on how to pray, fast, and give alms for a new righteousness (cf.
Mt 6:1-6, 16-18). Here, the generous but wise act of inviting to the banquet
those who have nothing to repay is advised, and so God will bless and reward
you. In some ways it reflects the conviction already expressed by the Psalmist
who proclaims: “Blessed the one concerned for the poor; on a day of misfortune,
the Lord delivers him.” (Ps 41:2)
However, in Jesus’ words there is something deeper than a simple
recommendation of human generosity. In fact, “the poor, the crippled, the lame,
the blind” to be invited to the banquet are actually the four categories of
people who are the privileged recipients of the Good News of divine salvation
in the messianic time. They, the last of society, will be the guests to the
messianic banquet God will offer at the end time. For this purpose, Jesus
carries out his activities mostly among them. His mission, and subsequently
that of his disciples, is reserved particularly and in the first place for the
least considered, the marginalized, the most needy but forgotten and even
despised by many. Those who invite them to lunch or dinner share the wisdom
vision of Christ, their “friend”, and symbolically participate in the
realization of God’s mission in Jesus Christ. Therefore, the generosity for “the
poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind” will also be “messianic”, because it
reflects that of Christ, the Messiah of God. And in order to have such
generosity, perhaps it takes so much humility and wisdom that comes from above.
We pray that God will also give us today the wisdom that comes from
above which is Jesus Christ, His Son, so that we may know how to treasure today’s
evangelical teaching. May we make ourselves humble in every situation of life
and generous like Him in front of “the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind”
of our time who are still numerous among us, in order to continue His mission
to invite all to the banquet in the Kingdom of God. Amen.
Useful points to consider:
POPE FRANCIS, ANGELUS, Saint Peter’s Square, Sunday, 1
September 2019
In the second parable, Jesus addresses the one who invites and,
referring to the method of selecting guests, says to him: “when you give a
feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and you will be
blessed, because they cannot repay you” (vv. 13-14). Here too, Jesus goes
completely against the tide, manifesting as always, the logic of God the
Father. And he also adds the key by which to interpret this discourse of his.
And what is the key? A promise: if you do this, you “will be repaid at the
resurrection of the just” (v. 14). This means that those who behave in this way
will receive divine compensation, far superior to human repayment: I do this
favour for you expecting you to do one for me. No, this is not Christian.
Humble generosity is Christian. Indeed, human repayment usually distorts
relationships, making them “commercial” by bringing personal interest into a
relationship that should be generous and free. Instead, Jesus encourages selfless
generosity, to pave our way toward a much greater joy, the joy of partaking
in the very love of God who awaits us, all of us, at the heavenly banquet.
May the Virgin Mary, “humble beyond all creatures and more exalted”
(Dante, Paradiso, xxxiii, 2), help us to recognize ourselves as we
are, that is, small; and to give joyfully, without repayment.
TWENTY-FIRST
SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C)
St. Pius X (Giuseppe Sarto), Pope;
Blessed Ramón Peiró Victorí, priest and martyr
Is
66:18-21; Ps 117; Heb 12:5-7,11-13; Lk 13:22-30
Go out to all the world and tell the Good News
COMMENTARY
The Narrow Gate, but Open to All Peoples
Today’s
Gospel teaching continues with a tone of deliberate paradox, just as we “enjoyed”
it last Sunday, to clarify some fundamental aspects of Jesus’ mission. The
focus now is on the question of whether “will only a few
people be saved?” raised by an unnamed “someone” who seems to represent every
man and woman with his/her legitimate and commendable restlessness to have
eternal happiness. Significantly, this question arose while Jesus was “on his
way to Jerusalem,” precisely to sustain the passion, death, and resurrection,
fulfilling God’s plan for the salvation of the world. Once again, Jesus took
the opportunity to expound, starting from the image of the gate, the truths
about humanity’s possibility of being saved.
1. “The Narrow Gate”: A Heartfelt Exhortation
Firstly, on the
question of salvation, Jesus did not want to get into “statistics” about the
few or many who are saved or will be saved. It is quite clear that God puts no
limit on this, because He “wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge
of the truth” (1Tm 2:4). It is therefore about God’s will that Jesus now
accomplishes and fulfills. However, Jesus bluntly and without being populist
affirms the need for humanity’s commitment to accept God-given salvation, “Strive
to enter through the narrow gate.” Implied here is an entering the kingdom of
God, and the narrow gate implies the possible difficulties and obstacles in the
way because of the newness of the gospel. This exhortation actually echoes
Jesus’ fundamental announcement at the beginning of His public ministry to
enter the Kingdom, “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the
gospel” (Mk 1:15).
Jesus shows himself to be not a demagogue who offers everyone the false
hope of cheap salvation, but the true Teacher of God who reveals all truths
about humanity’s path to salvation. Men and women are invited, indeed called,
to make their own choice, in their freedom and taking responsibility for their
actions. It takes an effort, a determination, indeed, a radical abandonment of
all secondary non-necessary things, including material wealth, for the sake of
the Kingdom, as we heard a few Sundays ago. And Jesus’ disciples, who continue His
mission, will only proclaim God’s gift of salvation to all, without hiding the
need for a strong commitment on the part of those willing to accept it.
In this regard, it should be remembered that Jesus himself will warn, “Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God” (Mt 19:23-24). This is an acclamation that caused the disciples great astonishment and perplexity, “Who then can be saved?” And Jesus’ response at that moment is also important for our reflection today: “For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible” (Mt 19:25-26). The prevalence (or relevance) of God’s support and grace is a reminder , for men and women who find themselves in difficulty or even in the impossibility of entering the Kingdom. It is enough for one to make an effort, to strive to enter, without being too frightened by the narrowness of the “gate.”
2. The Gate That Can
Also Close: A Stern Warning
Again bluntly,
Jesus warns everyone about the very real possibility of being left outside the
gate of salvation, “after the master of the house has arisen and locked the
door.” The tone here becomes very stern, and the “master” of the succinct
account of the parable even shows himself to be “merciless” without yielding to
the pleas of the petitioners: “Lord, open the door for us,” “I do not know
where you are from,” “I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you
evildoers!” Such dramatization (for indeed it is only dramatization) serves not
to frighten the listeners, but to emphasize the seriousness of the situation.
It is a matter of life and death! Better then to make an effort now to get
through the door, albeit a bit narrow, before it closes!
Who are these “you” left out and how is this happening? Although St. Luke does not specify it here (and he might have meant the Israelites who refused to accept the Gospel of Jesus), we can glimpse from the parallel text in Matthew’s Gospel that it is the “lot” of all those who do not do the Father’s will, not accepting with faith and not putting Jesus’ teaching into practice, including even those (probably even among Jesus’ followers) who had performed miraculous deeds in His name (cf. Mt 7:21-23). The warning here is universal, for all.
3. The Table in the Kingdom of God for All Peoples: A Consoling Affirmation
Again, with a universal perspective, Jesus closes His discourse on salvation with the image of the table in the kingdom to which people “will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south.” This is the vision of universal salvation, already announced by Israel’s prophets, particularly Isaiah (whom we heard in the first reading). This will be the ultimate goal of the mission of God, Jesus and His missionary disciples of all times. And it will always be the mission of proclaiming God’s free salvation for humanity in Christ, without hiding the truth that such a divine gift nevertheless requires a necessary effort to accept it in conversion and faith in Christ.
Useful points to consider:
John Paul II, Encyclical Letter on the Permanent Validity of the Church’s Missionary Mandate, Redemptoris Missio
5. If we go back to the beginnings of the Church, we find a clear affirmation that Christ is the one Savior of all, the only one able to reveal God and lead to God. In reply to the Jewish religious authorities who question the apostles about the healing of the lame man, Peter says: “By the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by him this man is standing before you well.... And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:10, 12). This statement, which was made to the Sanhedrin, has a universal value, since for all people-Jews and Gentiles alike - salvation can only come from Jesus Christ.
The universality of this salvation in Christ is asserted throughout the New Testament. St. Paul acknowledges the risen Christ as the Lord. He writes: “Although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth - as indeed there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords’ - yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist” (1 Cor 8:5-6). One God and one Lord are asserted by way of contrast to the multitude of “gods” and “lords” commonly accepted. Paul reacts against the polytheism of the religious environment of his time and emphasizes what is characteristic of the Christian faith: belief in one God and in one Lord sent by God.
Christ is the one mediator between God and mankind: “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, the testimony to which was borne at the proper time. For this I was appointed a preacher and apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth” (1 Tm 2:5-7; cf. Heb 4:14-16). No one, therefore, can enter into communion with God except through Christ, by the working of the Holy Spirit. Christ’s one, universal mediation, far from being an obstacle on the journey toward God, is the way established by God himself, a fact of which Christ is fully aware. Although participated forms of mediation of different kinds and degrees are not excluded, they acquire meaning and value only from Christ’s own mediation, and they cannot be understood as parallel or complementary to his.
TWENTIETH
SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C)
Saint
Maximilian Mary Kolbe, Priest and Martyr; Blessed Michael Joseph
McGivney
Jer 38:4-6,
8-10; Ps 40; Heb 12:1-4; Lk 12:49-53
Lord, come to my aid!
COMMENTARY
Fire, Baptism, and Christ’s Peace
The words of today’s
gospel arouse more than a little perplexity. We may find it difficult to
understand, in particular, Jesus’ assertion to bring not peace but division. It
is necessary, therefore, carefully to meditate on this under the guidance of
God’s own Spirit. So let us pray to be enlightened by this divine light: may
the Lord open our hearts, now as at the beginning of evangelism, so that we may
understand His proclaimed words for our lives (cf. Acts 16:14).
There are three basic
statements of Jesus, and all of them aim to clarify the true mission He
fulfills.
1. “I have come to set the earth on fire.” Christ’s
“Fire” Mission
First of all, Jesus’
is a mission of “fire.” The expression “I have come to…”, used here as on many
other occasions, shows the clear consciousness of His task. Indeed, His heart
burns all for it, as He Himself makes explicit in the following, “And how I
wish it were already blazing!” But what fire is this?
Firstly, we get a glimpse from Jesus’ statement that the fire brought by
Him “to earth” is logically the heavenly fire, coming “from heaven.” It is,
therefore, the divine fire, that is, God’s fire for the world. Jesus’ language
traces that of the prophets of Israel, and in accordance with their teaching,
the divine fire of which He speaks symbolizes purification, judgment and thus
final salvation for the world. With this in mind, John the Baptist, the
“greatest of the prophets” and forerunner of Christ, warns everyone of God’s
impending judgment by fire, as St. Luke the evangelist himself reports, “Even
now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not
produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire” (Lk 3:9). Moreover,
it will be God’s Messiah who will carry out the final judgment, “His winnowing
fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into
his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire” (Lk 3:17).
On the other hand, however, such an image of fire spontaneously refers
to God’s revelation to Moses in the burning thorn bush, just like the fire
burning in the bush, in which and from which God declared his mission for the
People: “I have witnessed the affliction of my people in Egypt and have heard
their cry against their taskmasters, so I know well what they are suffering. Therefore I have come down to rescue them from the
power of the Egyptians and lead them up from that land into a good and spacious
land, a land flowing with milk and honey” (Ex 3:7-8). Thus, it is the fire of
merciful love that God always has for each of His creatures.
Finally, the fire here
could also allude to the Holy Spirit who will descend on the apostles, “tongues
as of fire” precisely (cf. Acts 2:1-3). The Spirit of God, is the gift of the
risen Christ that God sends into the hearts of the faithful. The Spirit will be
as fire that purifies the heart, enlightens the mind, and kindles in the whole
being a burning love for God.
Therefore, it will be the fire of love for God that Jesus now wanted so
much that it was already kindled in every person. Therefore, Christ’s mission
in addition to being “of fire” is also shown to be a mission “of fire,” that
is, “fiery” (something that sets on fire) or even inflaming, blazing. The fire
that Jesus brings to earth is already burning in Him! We catch a glimpse here
of Jesus’ soul, all bent on the fulfillment of the mission entrusted to Him by
the Father. He desires what the Father wants: to fulfill the world’s plan of
salvation according to God’s will. And this ardent desire of Christ, which one
hopes will also be experienced by His disciples today, is made even more
explicit with the mysterious declaration about the baptism He is to receive after
the one in the Jordan River.
2. “There is a baptism with which I must be baptized.”
The Mission’s Fulfillment and Christ’s Zeal
To what event is Jesus referring with this
phrase? In this regard, it should be remembered that, as we explained earlier on
the occasion of the Baptism of the Lord, “The original Greek word for ‘baptism’
is ‘baptisma/baptismos’ and comes from the verb ‘bapto’ (with the
intensive form ‘baptizo’), which means primarily ‘to immerse’ or ‘to
submerge’. The
noun in question then indicates primarily an act/bath of
‘immersion/submergence.’” […]
Keeping
the meaning of the term in mind, we can understand the Gospel’s reference to
yet another baptism for Jesus after the one in the Jordan. Declaring: “There is a baptism with which I must be
baptized,” (Lk 12:50°), Jesus refers to his passion
and death on the cross, because Jesus will speak about this baptism again,
connecting it to the action of drinking the Father’s cup (cf. Mk 10:50; 14:36;
Jn 18:11). It is a total immersion, a baptism in fact, with and in “blood and
water” to take away the sins of the world (cf. Jn 19:34). This will be Christ’s
supreme baptism, which encompasses all of other baptisms, including his baptism
in the River Jordan. Thus, we can also understand Saint John’s mysterious
insistence in one of his letters to the faithful: “This is the one who came through water and blood, Jesus
Christ, not by water alone, but by water
and blood” (1Jn 5:6a).
In this perspective,
we also understand the Baptist’s announcement concerning the baptism that
Christ will offer to the people: “He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and
fire.” (Lk 3:16). This alludes to a very special immersion: in the Holy Spirit and in the
fires of purification and divine judgment. The special connection between
Christ’s “baptism” and the “fire” brought by Him to earth then emerges even
more clearly. And Jesus reiterates His strong, indeed “anguished” desire for
the fulfillment of all things according to the Father’s will, “How great is my
anguish until it is accomplished!”
3. “Do you think that I have come to establish peace
on the earth?” A Necessary Clarification on the Mission of True Peace
The third and last
statement of Jesus is the most difficult to understand, because it is shown to
contradict the other teachings on His mission of peace. Already the Fathers of
the Church, such as St. John Chrysostom, wondered in this regard how and in
what sense Jesus had said those words, when He Himself had recommended to His
disciples to greet, upon entering every home: “Peace to this household” (Lk 10:5).
At Jesus’ birth, moreover, as St. Luke points out, the angels joyfully
announced “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his
favor rests” (Lk 2:14). Jesus himself, at the Last Supper, said, “Peace I leave
with you; my peace I give to you” (Jn 14:27). How is it then that in today’s
gospel He claimed not to bring peace but division?
Precisely in the light of all of Jesus’ teaching, particularly because of
this last quotation (from Jn 14:27), we can understand the statement about His
mission of “not-peace”. Here, He wants to clarify the true character of His
mission. For true peace in life in communion with God, not the false peace of
humanity in a “quiet” life without God (“Even among thieves there is concord
and peace,” noted some ancient author). There are then those who welcome with
faith this true peace, announced by Jesus and given in his mission culminating
in his “baptism” in blood and water, and others who reject it. This is how
division is created in society and families in the face of God’s message of
salvation, because of humanity’s closure in its freedom and despite God’s will
“that everyone be saved” (cf. 1 Tim. 2:4). This is unfortunately the sad
situation, denounced already by the prophet Micah in the Old Testament: “The
son belittles his father, the daughter rises up against her mother, The
daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and your enemies are members of your
household” (Mi 7:6).
Jesus’ words, then, still trace those of Israel’s prophets, as already
seen in the previous saying about “fire.” They sound as a strong warning to his
disciples in the face of the predictable situation of division that was
happening de facto (and still
happens) in the face of the figure of Jesus, the sign of contradiction. All
then are invited, indeed required, to make right discernment to follow the good
that God offers in Jesus. This is precisely why, after the saying about
division, Jesus denounces the inability of many “hypocrites” to discern and
judge what is right on the divine spiritual plane (cf. Lk 12:54-56).
Let us pray,
therefore, that the Lord will give us, his missionary disciples today, His holy
desire, zeal, and anguish for the fulfillment of God’s mission in the world. May we
have the grace of discernment and perseverance in adversity, “while keeping our
eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith” (Heb 12,2), being
taught and inspired by His words and deeds. And may we continue to convey the
fire of God brought by Jesus to everyone and everywhere, to the ends of the
earth and to the end of the world.
Useful points to consider:
Pope Francis, Angelus, St Peter’s Square, Sunday, 14 August 2016
The fire that Jesus speaks
of [in Lk 12:49-53] is the fire of the Holy Spirit, the presence living and
working in us from the day of our Baptism […] Jesus wants the Holy Spirit to
blaze like fire in our heart, for it is only from the heart that the fire of
divine love can spread and advance the Kingdom of God. […] If we open ourselves
completely to the action of this fire which is the Holy Spirit, He will give us
the boldness and the fervor to proclaim to everyone Jesus and his consoling
message of mercy and salvation, navigating on the open sea, without fear. […]
With this fire of the Holy Spirit
we are called to become, more and more, communities of people who are guided
and transformed, full of understanding; people with expanded hearts and joyful
faces. Now more than ever there is need for priests, consecrated people and lay
faithful, with the attentive gaze of an apostle, to be moved by and to pause
before hardship and material and spiritual poverty, thus characterizing the
journey of evangelization and of the mission with the healing cadence of
closeness. It is precisely the fire of the Holy Spirit that leads us to be
neighbours to others, to the needy, to so much human misery, to so many
problems, to refugees, to displaced people, to those who are suffering.
At this moment I am thinking with
admiration especially of the many priests, men and women religious and lay
faithful who, throughout the world, are dedicated to proclaiming the Gospel
with great love and faithfulness, often even at the cost of their lives. Their
exemplary testimony reminds us that the Church does not need bureaucrats and
diligent officials, but passionate missionaries, consumed by ardour to bring to
everyone the consoling word of Jesus and his grace. This is the fire of the
Holy Spirit.
Pope Francis, Angelus, St Peter’s Square, Sunday, 18 August 2019
Jesus warns the disciples that
the time for decision has arrived. In fact, his coming into the world coincides
with the time for decisive choices: the option for the Gospel cannot be
delayed. And in order to make this call clearer, he alludes to the fire that he
himself came to bring to earth. He says: “I came to cast fire upon the earth;
and would that it were already kindled” (v. 49). These words aim to persuade
the disciples to abandon their attitude of laziness, apathy, indifference and
closure, so as to welcome the fire of God’s love; that love which, as Saint
Paul reminds us, “has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” (Rm
5:5). Because it is the Holy Spirit that makes us love God and love our
neighbour. It is the Holy Spirit whom we all have within us. […] And so, with
the adoration of God and service to others — practised together, adoring God
and serving others — the Gospel truly manifests itself as a fire that saves,
that changes the world beginning with a change in the heart of each one.
NINETEENTH
SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C)
Saint
Sixtus II, Pope, and Companions, Martyrs; Blessed Edmund Bojanowski,
layman founder
Wis 18:6-9;
Ps 33; Heb 11:1-2,8-19; Lk 12:32-48
Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own
COMMENTARY
For the disciple’s life wisdom in waiting for Christ
The teaching of the today’s
Gospel continues the instruction in recent Sundays, that is, the sapiential
perspective of the Christian life such wisdom means knowing how to become “rich
in what matters to God” rather than for oneself or before others. It is about constantly
orienting oneself to God in life. Jesus now highlights some concrete
fundamental attitudes for his disciples, who are called to become wiser and
wiser in life in order to transmit divine wisdom to others.
1. “Do not be afraid” and “sell”: the courage of the
disciples of the kingdom
In the first place,
Jesus addresses his disciples directly to exhort them to radically abandon all
possessions in view of a greater good: the kingdom of God: “Sell your
belongings and give alms.” It is a question of insisting on the absolute
priority of the kingdom and of its coming, which Jesus had taught his disciples
to pray for in the Our Father. Immediately before this passage in the
Gospel of Luke, Jesus recommended, “Seek his kingdom, and these other things
[of daily life] will be given you besides.” (Lk 12:31).
The reason of this
radical action (giving everything in alms) is exquisitely sapiential, as Jesus
explains later in today's Gospel. It is a question of obtaining (thanks to
almsgiving) “money bags that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in
heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy,” along the lines of the
instructions of the biblical-Jewish sages (cf., e.g., Tb 4:8-11). It is
actually a “sacred trade”, to use the “profane” expression of the market! The
thought follows the logic of the twin parables that Jesus told about the
reality of the kingdom like a treasure buried and like pearl of great price
(cf. Mt 13:44-45): whoever found it, “goes and sells all that he has and buys
it. “ (Mt 13:46). Therefore, to the rich young man who asked how to inherit
eternal life, Jesus recommended keeping the commandments of God and added a
particular “thing”: “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have,
and give to [the] poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come,
follow me” (Mk 10:21; Lk 18:22).
However, despite the
logic of the argument, not everyone was capable of making such a radical change
of mentality for the Kingdom: making oneself poor, making oneself little to enter
the Kingdom. Therefore, for those who do (and will do) it, there is reserved a
particular exhortation of Jesus. For the first generations of Christians, this represented
a sweet and moving blessing (as well as for every new Christian community born
in the mission territories at any time). “Do not be afraid any longer, little
flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.” Yes, it needs an “inspired”
and “enlightened” courage to abandon everything for the Kingdom of God; this
involves a courageous step out of oneself and of every visible earthly material
bond in order to abandon oneself totally to God with faith and filial trust,
following the example of the illustrious fathers and mothers of the faith of
the Chosen People (exalted in the second reading). Indeed, Jesus concludes with
wise words, “where your treasure is, there also will your heart be,” which
sound today as a warning to all his disciples. Ultimately, it is a wisdom
coming from above that the world does not understand. Indeed, this radical
abandonment of earthly goods for the kingdom by the disciples of Christ will be
seen as foolishness on the part of the world, just like Christ with the mystery
of his cross: foolishness for the world but it is the wisdom of God.
2. “Gird your loins”: being prepared for a new
Passover, the Lord's return
Always from a wisdom
perspective, the second attitude required of the disciples is that of being
ready for the return of Christ, their teacher and Lord. This request seems
almost “inappropriate” to make during the holidays and therefore a time for
rest and relax for many. However, it is always the word of salvation which God
gives to each of us, in order to remind us of the truth and wisdom of life: we
must always be vigilant in every moment of life to be always ready for the
encounter with the glorious Lord, because we do not know “nor neither the day
nor the hour “(Mt 25:13). It is not a question of living constantly in anxiety,
in fear of the unknown, but wisely according to the word of God that
enlightens.
In this regard, the
wise readiness recommended by Jesus is illustrated with the image of “loins girded”
and “lamps lighted”, which refers to the experience of the night of the exodus
from Egypt in the history of Israel, when the people were asked to eat the
Passover “with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand”,
ready for departure (Ex 12:11). This is the experience of the “night of
liberation”, “awaiting the salvation of the righteous”, as we read in the
subsequent reflection in the book of Wisdom (in the first reading). In this
way, the wise expectation of Jesus’ disciples for his return will always have a
joyful paschal character, in view of the definitive liberation from all evil,
due to which they still succumb, and above all in view of the perfect and happy
communion with their Master and Lord who will offer them everything. This is
the point that Jesus wanted to underline with a hyperbolic, surreal image, that
is to say, which never happens down here, but only up there: “he [the master]
will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.” (Lk
12:37).
3. “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward?”
The special call to wisdom for “responsible” disciples
Finally, provoked by
Peter's question (“Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?”), Jesus
wanted to underline the special vocation to wisdom for the disciples who are “responsible”
or “in charge” of the communities. Here, the evangelist Luke uses the title “Lord”
for Jesus precisely to exalt his divine authority and to accentuate the importance
of his teaching. However, it is curious that Jesus answered Peter's question
not with a yes or no, but with a counter-question that makes the interlocutors
reflect: “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will
put in charge of his servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper
time?” This “question for question” manner brings us back into the atmosphere
of the school with Jesus the teacher, with the usual style of biblical-Jewish
sages.
Furthermore, the language of Jesus’ counter-question and of his
subsequent teaching reveals itself to be exquisitely sapiential, and the whole
(words and expressions) recalls the biblical reflection on the story of Joseph
the Patriarch (cf. Ps 105; Gen 39-41): “He [God] had sent a man ahead of them,
Joseph, sold as a slave. (…) He [the
Pharaoh] made him lord over his household, ruler over all his possessions, / To
instruct his princes as he desired, to teach his elders wisdom.” (Ps
105:17,21-22). From this biblical-literary context, it is clear that the steward
of Jesus' parable must be not only faithful [trustworthy], but also wise
[prudent], because it alludes to the figure of the patriarch whose task was not
so much to manage material goods as transmitting wisdom to his subjects (cf. Ps
105,22). This ideal vision of a good steward-administrator is also reflected in
the description of typical actions of the “efficient wife” in Pr 31:10-31: “She
rises while it is still night, / and distributes food to her household, / a
portion to her maidservants. (...) She opens her mouth in wisdom; / kindly
instruction is on her tongue.” (vv.15, 26).
In
this perspective, the action “to distribute (the) food allowance at the proper
time” that Jesus recommends to the steward, mentioned in the parable, refers to
a “complete” care not only for material but also spiritual food. Thus, the
watchfulness of that servant, at the head of the others in the house of the
Lord, takes concrete form in diligently procuring “food” for the servants,
which means also and above all the teaching of wisdom. It is a question of the
particular vocation for the disciples that the Lord has placed “in charge of
his servants” in the communities. They are called to be wise in keeping watch,
faithfully fulfilling the commitment entrusted to them by the Lord. On the
other hand, they are required to always grow in divine wisdom in order to be
able to provide others with all the teaching they have received from the divine
Master, because, as Jesus himself pointed out, “Much will be required of the
person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person
entrusted with more.” This will be their special mission, mindful of what the
risen Lord has recommended to all his disciples: “Go, therefore, and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have
commanded you.” (Mt 28:19-20).
Therefore
we pray that the Lord will grant us constant growth in wisdom, so that we may
be always courageous to abandon earthly things to embrace God’s kingdom, so
that we may be always vigilant and ready for the joyful encounter with the Lord
on his return, and so that we may, in the meantime, collaborate ever more faithfully
with the Lord, each according to his/her own vocation, in giving everyone the
necessary food that leads to eternal life. Amen.
Useful points to consider:
John Paul II, Address to the Bishops of
Scandinavia on Their «Ad Limina
Apostolorum Visit», Saturday, 19 April 1997
6. I believe the
catholic Church. With regard to the number of members of your particular
Churches, small in comparison to the overall population, you may sometimes feel
tempted to ask yourselves the troubling question: “Are we an insignificant
worm?” (cf. Is 41:14). Above all, are we “Catholics” in the full sense of the
term? I can share these sentiments and thoughts, and, dear Brothers, I say to
you what Jesus said to those of his young followers who were discouraged: “Fear
not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the
kingdom” (Lk 12:32). With these words, he did not want them merely to wait for
the world to come, but also to focus on the present: “Behold, the kingdom of
God is in the midst of you” (Lk 17:21). God’s kingdom is already in your midst
in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Even if your particular
Churches are widely scattered and few in number, Jesus Christ is present in
them through your service as Bishops. “Where Christ Jesus is, there is the
Catholic Church” (Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Smyrn., 8, 2). She possesses
“in herself the totality and fullness of the means of salvation” (Ad gentes,
n. 6): the correct and complete profession of faith, the full expression of
sacramental life and ordained ministry in the apostolic succession. In this
basic sense, the Church was already catholic on the day of Pentecost and will
remain so until the day when Christ, as Head of the Body of the Church, will
come to all fullness (cf. Eph 1:22-23).
John Paul II, Message for the World Mission Sunday 1995
2. Courage, do not be afraid,
proclaim that Jesus is the Lord: "And there is salvation in no one
else!" (Acts 4:12). […]
Dear missionaries, with deep affection
and gratitude I address you first of all, and in particular, those who
are suffering for the name of Jesus.
Tell everyone that "true
liberation consists in opening oneself to the love of Christ. In him, and only
in him, are we set free from all alienation and doubt, from slavery to the
power of sin and death" (Redemptoris missio, n. 11). […]
Your special vocation ad
gentes and ad vitam retains all its validity: it represents the
paradigm of the whole Church's missionary commitment, which is always in need
of a radical and total gift of self, of new and ardent impulses. You have
dedicated your life to God in order to witness among the nations to the risen
Lord: do not let yourselves be discouraged by doubt, difficulty, rejection,
persecution; revive the grace of your special vocation and continue without
faltering along the path you have taken with so much faith and generosity (cf. Redemptoris
missio, n. 66).
3. I address this same
exhortation to the Churches of ancient and of recent foundation, to their
Bishops "consecrated not for one Diocese alone, but for the salvation
of the whole world" (Ad gentes n. 38), often tried by a lack of
vocations and means. In a singular way I address those Christian communities
in minority situations.
Listening again to the words of
the Master: "Fear not little flock, for it is the Father's good pleasure
to give you the kingdom" (Lk 12:32), let faith in the one Redeemer shine
forth, give a reason for the hope that is in you and bear witness to the love
with which, in Jesus Christ, you have been inwardly renewed. […]
4. The courageous proclamation of
the Gospel is especially entrusted to you, young people. In Manila I
reminded you that the Lord "will make many demands on you. He will require
the fullest commitment of your whole being to the spreading of the Gospel and
to the service of his People. But do not be afraid! His demands are also the
measure of his love for each of you personally" (Homily during Mass with
International Youth Forum 13 January 1995; L'Osservatore Romano English
edition, 18 January 1995, p. 3). Do not let yourselves be saddened or
impoverished by turning in on yourselves; open your minds and hearts to the
boundless horizons of missionary activity. Do not be afraid! If the Lord calls
you to leave your own country and go to other peoples, other cultures, other
ecclesial communities, respond generously to his invitation. I wish to repeat
once again: "Come with me into the third millennium to save the
world!" (cf. ibid).
SEVENTEENTH
SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C)
Saint
Charbel Makhlouf, priest; Blessed
Cándido Castán San José, martyr
Gn 18:20-32;
Ps 138; Col 2:12-14; Lk 11:1-13
Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me
COMMENTARY
Praying in Christ’s School of Mission
Just
as in the last two Sundays, today’s Gospel puts us in Christ’s school to learn
from him another fundamental aspect in the life of discipleship: the action of
praying. I use here intentionally the verb and not the noun (prayer), because
Jesus’ teaching in this regard in today’s Gospel passage seems to want not so
much to clarify the concept in the minds of the disciples as to help them form
in themselves a habit of praying, as their teacher practiced. From among the
Evangelists, it is no coincidence that St. Luke alone emphasizes that it all
begins with a particular time context, “Jesus was praying in a certain place,
and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to
pray.’” This proved to be a favorable time for the Master of Nazareth to impart
to his disciples, by example and in words, the three essential points to follow
in their praying.
1. “Father, Your Kingdom come.” The Priority of Praying for the Coming
of the Kingdom of God.
Firstly, Jesus teaches his disciples
to pray to God with a short text, later called in the Christian tradition the Lord’s Prayer. Unlike the version in
Matthew’s Gospel, which is used in the Church’s liturgy, Luke’s version is
shorter and contains only five invocations, instead of seven as found in
Matthew’s version. Two invocations deal with divine reality and three with
human reality. Each phrase of this precious and unique prayer text, which Jesus
taught his disciples, contains an immense richness to be discovered and
deepened. (I invite you to read the part dedicated to the Lord’s Prayer in the Catechism of the Catholic Church [nos. 2803 et
seq.]). Let us recall here the most important aspect, concerning the “missionary”
character.
Indeed, in both versions, after
addressing God as “Father,” which puts the one who prays in a special filial
relationship with God, the prayer begins with two parallel requests: that of
the sanctification of his name and that of the coming of his kingdom. They are
in some ways complementary, for there where God reigns, His “name,” meaning He
Himself, is “hallowed” and “glorified,” that is, recognized and adored as holy.
(cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church
no. 2807). In these initial invocations, we glimpse the great desire for God’s saving
plan for us that Jesus constantly carried in his heart and now wants to convey
to his disciples. He himself proclaimed from the very beginning of his public
activities that “the Kingdom of God is at hand” or, even better, “has come
nearer” in a dynamic way.
It should be clarified that the
coming of the kingdom of God does not mean the establishment of a territory
with visible boundaries under God’s direct control. Rather, such coming implies
that God reigns over his people and, generally, in the hearts of men and women,
precisely in accordance with the Old Testament tradition, which uses the verbal
expression “God rules” much more frequently than “Kingdom of God”. The same Old
Testament texts also express the expectation of the day when God will come to
reign over everything and everyone. In this way, the invocation of the coming
of the kingdom of God actually calls for God to carry out his plan of salvation
in the world.
The Lord’s Prayer, therefore, shows
itself to be above all a “missionary” prayer. Those who pray it share the same
desire of God, which is then also that of Christ, for the fulfillment of the missio Dei, that mission of God for the
happiness of humanity, which has now come in the fullness of time with the
coming of Jesus. Those who pray it also wish for themselves and for all
humankind the sweet “yoke of the kingdom,” that God may reign in their lives as
well as in the lives of every man and woman in the world. Such prayer is, par
excellence, the first action of mission.
2. Praying with Insistence and Filial Trust
Secondly, Jesus teaches how to pray
to God with insistence (“intrusiveness”) and filial trust. He does this through
a short parable, which reflects various aspects of the culture of his people:
the arrival of the friend without any notice “at midnight” from a trip (there
was certainly no mobile phones at that time), staying in bed with or near the
children (according to the structure of the house at the time), hence the fear
of waking them up by getting up, and especially the strange fact that the
master of the house did not think of the possibility of punishing his intrusive
friend by calling the “police”.
In any case, as is clear from the
literary context, the attitude of insistence in praying seems to be recommended
not so much for every need of the person praying, sometimes only according to
his human needs, but precisely in view of the request for essential things that
Jesus had taught in the Lord’s Prayer, particularly that invocation for coming
of the kingdom. Such a perspective will also apply to Jesus’ statement later on,
which has been repeatedly misunderstood and abused: “ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone
who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks,
the door will be opened” (Lk 11:9-10). What should we ask for? What are we
seeking? Upon whose door do we knock? Jesus’ response is clear: “But seek first
the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be given
you besides” (Mt 6:33).
3. “Praying” All Oriented to the Gift of the Holy Spirit
Finally, Jesus concludes his “catechesis”
on praying by pointing to the Holy Spirit as the supreme good to ask for and
receive from God: “If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to
your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to
those who ask him?” (Lk 11:13). This is already glimpsed from the parallelism
between “good things” that an earthly father knows how to give to his children
and “the Holy Spirit” that the heavenly Father will give to those who ask for
it. The thought emerges even more clearly when comparing this version of Jesus’
saying with the one in Matthew’s gospel, which makes the saying more
straightforward and more logical, “If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how
much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him”
(Mt 7:11).
In this way, Jesus’ teaching in the
Lucan version is even richer because it orientates everything toward the
greatest gift God can bestow on humanity: the Holy Spirit who purifies,
sanctifies, and guides every man and woman into life with God, and in God.
Where the Spirit is, there God is present and reigning, and there the kingdom
of God is present. Therefore, praying to God for the gift of the Holy Spirit
actually amounts to praying for the coming of the kingdom of God in ourselves.
It will also be the Spirit who will help us enter more and more into the filial
relationship with God whom we now call “Abba, Father” (cf. Rom 8:15-16), just
as Jesus taught us.
So let us ask to be given always and
even today this supreme gift of God that is the Holy Spirit, with the assurance
that God our Father in heaven will give it to us. And “led by the Spirit of
Jesus,” may we daily raise to the Father the essential invocations of the
Lord’s Prayer with insistence and filial confidence, pleading with all our
strength that God’s kingdom will come among us. Amen.
Useful points to consider:
CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
2781 When we pray to the Father, we are in communion with him and with his Son, Jesus Christ. Then we know and recognize him with an ever-new sense of wonder. The first phrase of the Our Father is a blessing of adoration before it is a supplication. For it is the glory of God that we should recognize him as “Father,” the true God. We give him thanks for having revealed his name to us, for the gift of believing in it, and for the indwelling of his Presence in us.
2804 The first series of petitions carries us toward him, for his own sake: thy name, thy kingdom, thy will! It is characteristic of love to think first of the one whom we love. In none of the three petitions do we mention ourselves; the burning desire, even anguish, of the beloved Son for his Father’s glory seizes us: “hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done....” These three supplications were already answered in the saving sacrifice of Christ, but they are henceforth directed in hope toward their final fulfillment, for God is not yet all in all.
2807 The term “to hallow” is to be understood here not primarily in its causative sense (only God hallows, makes holy), but above all in an evaluative sense: to recognize as holy, to treat in a holy way. and so, in adoration, this invocation is sometimes understood as praise and thanksgiving. But this petition is here taught to us by Jesus as an optative: a petition, a desire, and an expectation in which God and man are involved. Beginning with this first petition to our Father, we are immersed in the innermost mystery of his Godhead and the drama of the salvation of our humanity. Asking the Father that his name be made holy draws us into his plan of loving kindness for the fullness of time, “according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ,” that we might “be holy and blameless before him in love.”
2809 The holiness of God is the inaccessible center of his eternal mystery. What is revealed of it in creation and history, Scripture calls “glory,” the radiance of his majesty. In making man in his image and likeness, God “crowned him with glory and honor,” but by sinning, man fell “short of the glory of God.” From that time on, God was to manifest his holiness by revealing and giving his name, in order to restore man to the image of his Creator.
Pope Francis, General Audience, St Peter’s Square, Wednesday, 22 May 2019
We can say that Christian prayer arises from the courage to address God
with the name ‘Father’. This to say ‘Father’ to God. But it takes courage! It
is not so much a matter of a formula, as much as a filial intimacy into which
we are introduced by grace: Jesus is the revealer of the Father and he gives us
intimacy with him. He “does not give us a formula to repeat mechanically. As in
every vocal prayer, it is through the Word of God that the Holy Spirit teaches
the children of God to pray to their Father” (ccc, n. 2766). Jesus himself used
different expressions to pray to the Father. If we read the Gospels carefully,
we discover that these expressions of prayer that come from Jesus’ lips recall
the text of the “Our Father”. […]
When considering the New Testament as a whole, one can clearly see that the first protagonist of every Christian prayer is the Holy Spirit. But let us not forget this: the protagonist of every Christian prayer is the Holy Spirit. We could never pray without the power of the Holy Spirit. It is he who prays within us and moves us to pray well. We can ask the Holy Spirit to teach us to pray because he is the protagonist, the one who makes the true prayer within us. He breathes into the heart of each of us who are Jesus’ disciples. The Holy Spirit makes us able to pray as children of God, as we truly are by our Baptism. The Holy Spirit helps us pray in the ‘furrow’ that Jesus ploughed for us. This is the mystery of Christian prayer: by grace we are attracted to that dialogue of love of the most Holy Trinity. […] In order to pray, we have to make ourselves little so that the Holy Spirit may come within us and may be the One to lead us in prayer.
SIXTEENTH
SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C) - 17 July 2022
Blessed
Pavel Peter Gojdic, Bishop and martyr; Saint
Marcellina, sister of St. Ambrose and St. Satyrus
Gn 18:1-10;
Ps 15; Col 1:24-28; Lk 10:38-42
He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord
COMMENTARY
The True Missionary Disciple of
Christ
This Sunday’s Gospel is a
continuation of last week’s and again puts us in the school of Jesus on his
final journey to Jerusalem. If last time, however, the occasion was a
conversation with a scholar of the Law, today’s is Jesus’ stop at the home of
“a woman whose name was Martha” and his dialogue with her (or rather their
repartee) about her sister Mary’s attitude. This continuity and complementarity
between today’s Gospel passage and the previous one helps us to understand in a
new and perhaps even more correct light the fundamental teaching that Jesus
left not only to Martha on that occasion but also to every one of his disciples
for all time.
1. From the Twofold Commandment of Love
to the Two Attitudes Toward Jesus: A Necessary Clarification
As already pointed out, the episode
of hospitality in Martha’s house occurred immediately after Jesus’ confirmation
to a scholar of the Mosaic law of the validity of the twofold commandment of
love for God and neighbor through which one can inherit eternal life. Through
the original parable of the Good Samaritan, he had taught a new way of loving
the other, which consisted in becoming a neighbor to every needy person beyond
all limits, transcending differences of nationality, race, religious group, or
enmity.
Now, in the home of the two sisters
Martha and Mary, Jesus was faced with two attitudes that seem to reflect, in
practice, these two aspects of love recommended by the Law and confirmed by
Jesus himself. In fact, Martha hosted Jesus when he “entered a village,” just
on the model of the patriarch Abraham who joyfully and generously welcomed
guests who passed through his tent, as the first reading reminds us. With such
a gesture, Martha not only put into practice the time-honored tradition of
hospitality of her people, but also demonstrated, nay, fulfilled an important
aspect of love of neighbor by caring for the needs of Jesus and his disciples
who were guests in her home. On the other hand, Mary, her sister (most likely
the youngest, because the house belonged to Martha), had a different attitude:
“[she] sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.” The verb
“listen” in this brief description spontaneously refers back to the exhortation
to love God: “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone! Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with your whole
heart, and with your whole being, and with your whole strength (Dt 6:4-5). Mary
thus seemed to be a practical example of the commandment of love for God, as
she listened with her heart to the divine teaching at the mouth of the Master
Jesus.
From this perspective, the different
behaviors of the two sisters toward Jesus are not opposed to each other, but
complementary and equally necessary, reflecting the practice of the two aspects
of love recommended in God’s Law.
2. “You Are Anxious and Worried About Many Things”: Jesus’ Gentle
Correction of Martha’s Love
In this context, what Martha is
doing to welcome Jesus is more than commendable and necessary. The only
problem, as is clear from the text, is that according to her she is “burdened
with much serving” for Jesus. This has put her in crisis, to the point of criticizing
her sister’s and even Jesus’ indifference: “[she] came to him and said, ‘Lord,
do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell
her to help me.’” This exchange has an amusing side to it. It demonstrates the
strong character of Martha, the mistress of the house, who speaks her mind,
even in front of Jesus, the distinguished guest. So, if in front of the guest
Martha was able to say this, we can imagine what and how she will address her
sister after all the guests have left!
In any case, the Master Jesus,
precisely because of what happened, had the opportunity to correct that
attitude of loving one’s neighbor according to the human view that then ends up
with nagging criticism of those who “do not do as I do!” He called Martha twice:
“Martha Martha”, not because she was deaf or distracted, but to call her
attention to a very important message, as God did in the OT with His servants
Abraham, Moses, and Samuel. That message is precisely the one that from now on
every one of his disciples must learn by heart: “you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of
only one thing.”
The
emphasis here falls entirely on the “only one thing” that is needed. The rebuke
of worrying “about many things” serves precisely to leave room for the one thing
that Jesus insists is necessary. In the same vein, Jesus even advised his disciples
on other occasions “not to worry” about what to eat, and what to wear (cf. Lk
12:22,25,26; Mt 6:25,27,28,31,34). Such an attitude of detachment in the lives
of Jesus’ disciples, therefore, amounts precisely to a total orientation towards
God and his Kingdom, the “only one thing” necessary for them. This priority in
discipleship is the key to the practice of loving our neighbor according to
God’s thinking and not according to human thinking! Serving Jesus and our
neighbor must be constantly examined and purified according to the primacy of “only
one thing” so as not to fall into the frequently paradoxical situation, that
is, in the commitment to serve others in the name of love, I come to lose both peace
within me and peace with the very people I am serving!
3. “There is Need of Only One Thing”: The Lesson for True Discipleship
What
then is the necessary “one thing” to which Jesus refers? It is certainly the
attitude of listening to Jesus’ words, as many have rightly noted in the text: “Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.” However, it is
also worth noting a detail in the text that often escapes the attention of
readers: Mary is “sat beside” Jesus. Such a position is the usual one of
disciples in the school of a Master, according to Judeo-Rabbinic tradition.
Mary’s listening is the specific listening of a disciple before Jesus, whom St.
Luke the Evangelist mentions here precisely by the solemn title “Lord” in order
to accentuate the figure of the divine teacher. Her listening is, therefore, the
attentive and obedient listening to God’s teaching, imparted and explained with
authority by Jesus. And this is precisely the one necessary thing that Jesus
called the “better part,” for He Himself will proclaim: “Blessed are those who
hear the word of God and observe it.” (Lk 11:28).
According to rabbinic tradition, the study of Torah (God’s Law) is the best of all activities (m.Aboth 2:8; 3:2). Jesus’ recommendation regarding Mary’s attitude is similar, but with an emphasis on listening to Jesus’ words. This attitude turns out to be fundamental and necessary for his missionary disciples. In fact, he chose the twelve apostles, “that they might be with him” before sending them out on mission to proclaim and heal (cf. Mk 3:14). Here is true missionary discipleship: to be with Jesus, listening to his words with all of one’s heart and all of one’s mind, and then faithfully passing on his divine message to others on the journey of life. So be it. Amen!
Useful points to consider:
John
Paul II, Encyclical
Letter on the Permanent Validity of the Church’s Missionary Mandate, Redemptoris Missio, no. 91
For their part, missionaries should reflect on
the duty of holiness required of them by the gift of their vocation, renew
themselves in spirit day by day, and strive to update their doctrinal and
pastoral formation. The missionary must be a "contemplative in
action." He finds answers to problems in the light of God's word and in
personal and community prayer. […] Unless the missionary is a contemplative he
cannot proclaim Christ in a credible way. He is a witness to the experience of
God, and must be able to say with the apostles: "that which we have looked
upon...concerning the word of life,…we proclaim also to you" (1 Jn 1:1-3).
Pope
Francis, Angelus,
Saint Peter’s Square, Sunday, 21 July 2019
In this scene of Mary of Bethany at Jesus’
feet, Saint Luke shows the prayerful attitude of the believer, who is able to
be in the Teacher’s presence to listen to him and be in harmony with him. It
means pausing a few minutes during the day to gather yourself in silence, to
make room for the Lord who ‘is passing’ and to find the courage to stay
somewhat ‘on the sidelines’ with him, in order to return later with serenity
and strength, to everyday matters. Commending the conduct of Mary, who “has
chosen the good portion” (v. 42), Jesus seems to repeat to each of us: “Do not
allow yourselves to be overwhelmed by things to do, but first and foremost
listen to the Lord’s voice, in order to properly carry out the tasks that life
assigns to you”. […]
Thus, today’s Gospel passage reminds us that
the wisdom of the heart lies precisely in knowing how to combine these
two elements: contemplation and action. Martha and Mary indicate the
path to us. If we want to savour life with joy, we must associate these two
approaches: on the one hand, ‘being at the feet’ of Jesus, in order to listen
to him as he reveals to us the secret of every thing; on the other, being
attentive and ready in hospitality, when he passes and knocks at our door, with
the face of a friend who needs a moment of rest and fraternity. This
hospitality is needed.
Pope
Francis, Angelus,
Saint Peter’s Square, Sunday, 17 July 2016
In bustling about and busying herself, Martha
risks forgetting — and this is the problem — the most important thing, which is
the presence of the guest, Jesus in this case. She forgets about the presence
of the guest. A guest is not merely to be served, fed, looked after in every
way. Most importantly he ought to be listened to. Remember this word: Listen! A
guest should be welcomed as a person, with a story, his heart rich with
feelings and thoughts, so that he may truly feel like he is among family. If
you welcome a guest into your home but continue doing other things, letting him
just sit there, both of you in silence, it is as if he were of stone: a guest of
stone. No. A guest is to be listened to. Of course, Jesus’ response to Martha —
when he tells her that there is only one thing that needs to be done — finds
its full significance in reference to listening to the very word of Jesus, that
word which illuminates and supports all that we are and what we do. […] Do not
forget! And we must not forget that in the house of Martha and Mary, Jesus,
before being Lord and Master, is a pilgrim and guest. […] Not much is necessary
to welcome him; indeed, only one thing is needed: listen to him.
P. Manna, Apostolic Virtues, translated from Italian by Fr. Steve Baumbusch,
PIME, New York 2009, p. 206
Generally, we say that Martha represents the
active life and Mary the contemplative life. Jesus responds to the complaint of
Marta: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious
and upset about many things, one thing only is required. Mary has chosen the
better portion and she shall not be deprived of it” (Lk 10:41-42). This one thing required is contemplation,
which is also called the better portion.
If contemplation is necessary, and the
better portion, how could the missionary be dispensed from it? But someone
will say, we have embraced the active life…! I tell you: no! We have embraced
the apostolic life, which is the complete and truly perfect life, because it is
the life followed on earth by the Son of God. A purely active life does not
exist. Mary chose the better portion: we have chosen the whole, which contains,
principally and necessarily, the better portion, which is prayer. The missionary
is Mary in contemplation, Martha in exterior action. The missionary who wants
to do only the part of Martha is reprimanded by our Lord, is not blessed, and
accomplishes nothing.
FIFTEENTH
SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C) 10 July 2022
Blessed Emmanuel
Ruiz and companions, martyrs of Damascus; Saint Victoria, martyr
Dt
30:10-14; Ps 19; Col 1:15-20; Lk 10:25-37
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
COMMENTARY
“Go and Do Likewise.” In the School of Jesus, on our missionary journey,
learn to become a compassionate neighbor to all
The
Gospel with today’s two biblical readings again offers us the opportunity to be
in the school of Jesus the Divine Teacher. The Gospel episode actually relate a
dialogue in the “scholastic” manner customary in the Judeo-Rabbinic tradition,
between a rabbi-leader of the group (who is Jesus in this case) and one of his questioners
(who is ironically “a scholar of the [Jewish] Law”). It turns out to be a very
interesting conversation to be followed carefully in order to (re)discover the
depth of the parable of the Good Samaritan told on the occasion, and especially
to refresh some fundamental points for our lives as missionary disciples of
Jesus.
1. Human Restlessness for Eternal Life and the Gift of God’s Saving Word
The “scholastic” dialogue starts
with a fundamental question with which “a scholar of the law” wanted to “test
Jesus”: “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Despite the possible
provocative intention, the question nevertheless expresses a deep and
legitimate restlessness that circulated not only in the debates among the
rabbis and generally among Jews in Jesus’ time, but also in the hearts of men
and women of all times.
Therefore, with regard to this
legitimate “inquiry,” Jesus, in his usual magnanimity, seen before in the face
of the rejection of some Samaritans, did not mind the intention of the questioner
(to avoid falling into an unnecessary controversy), but entered into the
dialogue in order to let God’s authoritative and genuine teaching shine through
in everyone, once and for all. Precisely in the style of rabbinical schools, He
did not immediately respond with a “prepackaged” answer, but with two counter-questions:
“What is written in the law? How
do you read it?” These
are two complementary questions: the first concerns the content of God’s
teaching (the ‘what’), while the second, even more importantly, concerns the
personal interpretation and practice derived from it (the ‘how’).
Jesus’ behavior actually underlines
the fundamental theological/spiritual point, as He himself declared, “Do not
think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to
abolish but to fulfill” (Mt 5:17).
Therefore, any inquiry about eternal
life with God will find its proper and precise answer in the Law, in Hebrew Torah, that is, the Teaching (as a
whole), which God gave to Israel on Mount Sinai. It is precisely his revealed
Word for salvation, which in its richness, immediacy, and accessibility, is
extolled and recommended by God himself through Moses: “For this command which
I am giving you today is not too wondrous or remote for you. No, it is
something very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to do it” (Dt 30:11,14).
The Law/Torah is the concrete
expression of God’s mercy for His People on the way, His Word that came close
to every man and woman pointing out the ways of salvation.
2. Loving God and Neighbor: the Key to Eternal Life
With this in mind, when the scribe
recalled the twofold love for God and neighbor, which is recommended in the Law
as a necessary condition as well as a foundation for eternal life, Jesus
himself said with authority, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will
live.” The Word of God in the Law found in Jesus, the incarnate Word of God,
confirmation, authoritative interpretation, and its complete fulfillment. Thus,
in Jesus’ person and his mission on earth, the Word of God came even closer, more
concrete, and more accessible for eternal life. It is indeed neither in heaven
nor beyond the sea, but it is “is something very near to you, in your mouth and
in your heart.”
Henceforth,
we know with certainty that those who practice love for God with their all
being, heart, soul, strength, mind, and love of neighbor will have eternal life
because, using the inspired words of St. John the Apostle, “God is love, and
whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him” (1Jn 4:16). On the other
hand, following the teaching of Jesus, St. Paul the Apostle clearly states, “Love
is the fulfillment of the law” (Rm 13:10; cf. Gal 5:14 “For the whole law is
fulfilled in one statement, namely, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”)
You can continue the sentence by stating that fullness of love is precisely
Jesus, because, as we heard in the second reading, “He is the image of the
invisible God” (Col 1:15) and “for in him all the fullness was pleased to
dwell” (Col 1:19). Those who love, live like Him, with Him and in Him.
3. “Go and do likewise.” A parable for a Mission that Exceeds All Limits
In the face of Jesus’ clear answer,
the reaction of the scribe who wanted to “justify” himself is surprising. Why?
(Perhaps for complicating something so simple!). Everything is clear in the
twofold commandment of love, but the knot lies in the understanding of the
concept of “neighbor,” which in the Law itself means rather “the compatriot (Jew),”
one of the same Jewish people or religion. The clarification requested by the
scholar of the Law “And who is my neighbor?” has reason to be and, in fact it
was also a propitious occasion to receive a revolutionary teaching from Jesus,
through the beautiful parable of “the Good Samaritan.”
The man left half-dead described in
the parable was most likely a Jew or at any rate certainly not a Samaritan
(because he “went down from Jerusalem”). However, that did not stop the
Samaritan passerby from having compassion for him and caring for the needy man
he met on the road, thus going beyond any existing ethnic or religious
separation. Note Jesus’ concluding question: “Which of these three, in your
opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’
victim?” Jesus does not try to solve the problem, to define "who is my
neighbor," as the scribe asked, but rather points the way to become a
neighbor for others in need, without being conditioned by anything!
In fact, it is curious to see that
the scholar of the Law in his reply simply noted, “The one who treated him with
mercy,” almost as if he wanted to avoid mentioning the Samaritan. Nevertheless,
this was enough for Jesus to command him to “Go and do likewise,” to fulfill the commandment of love of
neighbor in a genuinely godly way. This perspective then becomes totally
universal and then “active,” just like that of the golden rule Jesus himself
taught the disciples as a summary of the whole Law and Prophets, “Do to others
whatever you would have them do to you” (Mt 7:12)
Reflecting on Christ's
recommendation to the disciples to be his witnesses “to the ends of the earth,”
Pope Francis states in his Message for World Mission Sunday of this year 2022:
No human reality is foreign to the concern of the disciples of Jesus in
their mission. Christ’s Church will continue to “go forth” towards new
geographical, social and existential horizons, towards “borderline” places and
human situations, in order to bear witness to Christ and his love to men and
women of every people, culture and social status.
He adds in this regard:
In this sense, the mission will always be missio ad gentes, as the Second Vatican Council taught.
The Church must constantly keep pressing forward, beyond her own confines, in
order to testify to all the love of Christ. Here I would like to remember and
express my gratitude for all those many missionaries who gave their lives in
order to “press on” in incarnating Christ’s love towards all the brothers and
sisters whom they met.
“Doing
likewise,” like the Good Samaritan in the parable, is an authentic following of
Jesus, who is the incarnate Word and Compassion of God on mission. It is no
coincidence that in Luke’s Gospel, the specific verb “to fill with compassion”
(splangchnizomai), in addition to
recurring in the parable of the prodigal son to underscore the father’s
reaction to seeing his son return (cf. Lk 15:20), is still only used to
describe Christ’s own feeling when confronted with the weeping of the widow of
Nain at the loss of her only son (cf. Lk 7:13). Therefore, the Tradition of the
Church rightly sees in the Good Samaritan the figure of Christ who approached
every man and woman to care for them and to give himself for the salvation of
all.
Let
us therefore pray that all disciples of Christ may continue the mission of
their divine Master, especially in these turbulent times when, as Pope Francis says,
the Church has now become a “field hospital” in the world. Mary, Mother of
Christ, Mother of Mercy and Compassion, pray for us. Amen.
Useful points to consider:
Pope
Francis, Encyclical
Letter on Fraternity and Social Friendship, Fratelli Tutti
67. The parable eloquently presents the basic
decision we need to make in order to rebuild our wounded world. In the face of
so much pain and suffering, our only course is to imitate the Good Samaritan.
Any other decision would make us either one of the robbers or one of those who
walked by without showing compassion for the sufferings of the man on the
roadside. The parable shows us how a community can be rebuilt by men and women
who identify with the vulnerability of others, who reject the creation of a
society of exclusion, and act instead as neighbours, lifting up and
rehabilitating the fallen for the sake of the common good. […]
85. For Christians, the words of Jesus have an
even deeper meaning. They compel us to recognize Christ himself in each of our
abandoned or excluded brothers and sisters (cf. Mt 25:40.45). Faith has
untold power to inspire and sustain our respect for others, for believers come
to know that God loves every man and woman with infinite love and “thereby
confers infinite dignity” upon all humanity. We likewise believe that Christ
shed his blood for each of us and that no one is beyond the scope of his
universal love. If we go to the ultimate source of that love which is the very
life of the triune God, we encounter in the community of the three divine
Persons the origin and perfect model of all life in society. Theology continues
to be enriched by its reflection on this great truth.
Pope
Francis, Address
to Participants in the Youth Missionary Conference, promoted by the
"Missio" Foundation of the Italian Episcopal Conference, Clementine
Hall, Saturday, 23 April 2022
A doctor of the Law asks Jesus: “Who is my
neighbour?”, and Jesus responds with the parable of the Good Samaritan: a man
goes down from Jerusalem towards Jericho and along the way is robbed and beaten
by brigands, and is left half dead at the roadside.
Unlike two ministers of worship, who see him
but walk on by, a Samaritan, that is, a stranger to the Jews of the time, who
did not have much friendship with them, stops and takes care of him. And he
does so intelligently: he gives him first aid to the extent that he can, then
he takes him to an inn and pays the owner so that he can be looked after for
the next few days. A few brushstrokes to describe another aspect of the
mission, namely the second verb: to care. That is, to live charity
in a dynamic and intelligent way. […] How many “Good Samaritan” missionaries
have lived the mission by caring for their wounded brothers and sisters along
the way! Following in their footsteps, with a style and manner suited to our
times, it is now your turn to carry out a discreet and effective charity, an imaginative
and intelligent charity, not episodic but continuous over time, capable of
accompanying people on their journey of healing and growth.
Pope Francis, General Audience, Wednesday,
27 April 2016
“Compassion” is an essential characteristic of
God’s mercy. God has compassion on us. What does this mean? He suffers with us,
he feels our suffering. Compassion means “suffer with”. The verb indicates that
the physique is moved and trembles at the sight of the evil of man. In the
gestures and deeds of the Good Samaritan we recognize the merciful acts of God
in all of salvation history. It is the same compassion with which the Lord
comes to meet each one of us: He does not ignore us, he knows our pain, he
knows how much we need help and comfort. He comes close and never abandons us. […]
This parable is a splendid gift for us all, and
also a task! To each of us Jesus repeats what he said to the doctor of the Law:
“Go and do likewise” (v. 37). We are all called to follow the same path of the
Good Samaritan, who is the figure of Christ: Jesus bent down to us, he became
our servant, and thus he has saved us, so that we too might love as he loved
us, in the same way.
FOURTEENTH
SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C) - 3 July 2022
Blessed
Barbara Jeong Sun-mae, Virgin and martyr; St Heliodorus of Altinum, Bishop
Is 66:10-14;
Ps 66; Gal 6:14-18; Lk 10:1-12, 17-20
Let all the earth cry out to God with joy
COMMENTARY
A Valuable Vademecum for Christ’s Missionaries
Today’s Gospel represents one of the fundamental biblical texts for mission. It contains the valuable teachings of Jesus to his disciples when “he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit.” The rich missionary content of the Gospel passage we heard will be analyzed, in detail, in the Pontifical Missionary Union’s next book, “The Biblical Texts of Mission. An Annotated Anthology. Volume 1: The Gospels.” For now, let us reflect briefly on some of the most relevant aspects.
1. Why “Seventy-Two Others” and Why “in Pairs”? The Universalism of Mission and Salvation
Among the
evangelists, only St. Luke recounts this sending of “seventy-two others” by
Jesus. The word “others” here is significant because of its double function. On
the one hand, it connects with Jesus’ usual practice, along his final journey
to Jerusalem, of sending “messengers ahead of him […] to prepare for his reception”
(Lk 9:52), as mentioned in the previous episode in Luke’s gospel (which we
heard last Sunday).
On the
other hand, “others” also seems to refer to the earlier act of Jesus who first
“summoned the Twelve […] and he sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to
heal [the sick]” (Lk 9:1-2). Thus, this is the second sending, after the first
one involving the Twelve. Such a sequence makes it clear that these
“seventy-two others” designated and sent by Jesus were actually continuing and
sharing the same mission begun by the Twelve on Jesus’ “commission.” Moreover, although
the sendings addressed to different people (and perhaps even persons of diverse
dignity), both came from Jesus himself and all cooperated in the one mission He
was accomplishing for the Kingdom.
In this
context, the number 72 of the envoys seems to have a highly symbolic value, as did
the Twelve for the previous mission. If the latter corresponds to the number of
the tribes of Israel, the figure 72 seems to allude to the total number of
families of Noah’s sons who survived after the universal flood, from which “the
nations of the earth branched out,” as mentioned in Genesis chapter 10 in the
Bible’s Greek version, used by early Christians (in the corresponding Hebrew
text we have 70) (cf. Gn 10:32). If the Twelve apostles were sent to the twelve
tribes of Israel, these “seventy-two others” are now designated and sent to
prepare for Jesus’ coming as a symbol of a mission to all nations on earth.
Thus, we
can glimpse in this the desire of Jesus to bring the Good News of the Kingdom
to all humankind and to ensure that “all flesh shall see the salvation of God”
(Lk 3:6; cf. Is 40:5 [Greek version LXX]). This is a highly symbolic
significant act (for we do not know if Jesus will actually physically make it
through all the villages that the 72 visited!). The mission of Jesus, and
consequently that of his disciples, was and always is to the whole world, to
the ends of the earth, as He himself will state in his missionary command to them,
before His Ascension (cf. Acts 1:8). This mission will never be confined only
within Israel or to one people, but will always go forth to proclaim God’s
salvation to all those in need.
Even more,
the universality of the mission desired by Christ also concerns the persons
called to that task at all times, who are actually represented by these
designated “seventy-two others” (symbolically from all nations on earth). They
will be “from every nation, race, people, and tongue,” just like the host of
the redeemed described in Revelation (Rev 7:9; cf. Rev 5:9). This is the
universalism of the missionary vocation of Christ’s disciples. In Him, there is
no longer a distinction between Jews and non-Jews, as St. Paul reminds us, and
he emphasizes again in the second reading: “For neither does circumcision mean
anything, nor does uncircumcision, but only a new creation. Peace and mercy be
to all who follow this rule and to the Israel of God.”
Why are the disciples sent “in pairs”? Some might answer that so they could have prayed the psalms in two choirs along the way! Some Church fathers (such as St. Gregory the Great), on an even more spiritual and symbolic level, saw here an analogy with the twofold love, for God and for neighbor, that the disciples are to represent and pass on to the people. Both of these explanations are possible, but the main reason for sending “in pairs” is more about the legal aspect. Just as it is established in the Jewish Law, “a charge shall stand only on the testimony of two or three witnesses” (cf. Deut 19:15; Mt 18:16), so the disciples are sent on mission in pairs, to give validity to their announcement of the coming of the Kingdom of God. Based on this, Pope Francis points out in his Message for World Missionary Sunday 2022: “the witness of Christians to Christ is primarily communitarian in nature. Hence, in carrying out the mission, the presence of a community, regardless of its size, is of fundamental importance.”
2. Pray-Go-Proclaim: The Basic Missionary Actions
It
is very curious, and at the same time significant, that the first action
recommended by Jesus after the designation of the 72 was: “ask [pray] the
master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest,” since “the harvest
is abundant but the laborers are few.” Obviously, the general tone of the sentence
suggests that it is a recommendation addressed to all those present at the time
(we can imagine the circumstance of a sending “ceremony”). However, the
literary context seems to indicate that the first recipients of this
exhortation were the disciples themselves appointed for the mission. From this
perspective, more than all others, Christ’s missionaries are asked to pray to
God that the various sendings of laborers for the Kingdom will be more and more
abundant, including even their own sending! In other words, envoys have the
primary task of praying for their own calling and for the calling of other
envoys. In this regard, it is worth recalling Pope Francis’ constant
affirmation that prayer “plays a fundamental role in the missionary life” (Message
for World Mission Sunday 2022). Moreover, such prayer of missionaries for
vocation helps those who pray to cultivate within themselves the heart of
Christ that throbs for God’s “abundant harvest” in the world.
Exhorting
to prayer, Jesus kicks off the mission with the terse command “Go on your way” and
with very detailed instructions on what to do and what not to do in the mission.
Prominent among the things to be done is the recommendation of the announcement
of the coming of the Kingdom (“say to them, ‘The kingdom of God is at hand for
you.’”), just as explicated for the first sending of the Twelve (Lk 9:2: “he
sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God”; cf. Lk 9:6). The phrase announced
about the Kingdom is the same that Jesus had proclaimed from the very beginning
of his public activities. It, literally, expresses not so much a static
closeness (“it is at hand” and stands by), but as a dynamic reality that “it has
been approaching” and still continues its movement toward every man and woman
who welcomes it.
In this way, the going out to the nations of Christ’s 72 envoys seems to mark that concrete and palpable approach of the Kingdom that then finds full fulfillment with the coming of Christ himself. So much so that with the proclamation of the Kingdom, they are asked to proclaim, indeed to transmit, “whatever house you enter” God’s peace, fruit and sign of the presence of the Kingdom. In this, we see the fulfillment of what God promised through the prophet Isaiah that we heard in the first reading: “Lo, I will spread prosperity [literally peace] over Jerusalem like a river,” that shalom “peace” that indicates prosperity, well-being, communion with God in his Kingdom. Moreover, even for those who do not welcome Christ’s envoys for now, it is recommended to reiterate the objective fact of the approaching Kingdom as a gift to all: “Yet know this: the kingdom of God is at hand.” Thus, going and proclaiming constitute the two basic actions in mission, which form with praying the fundamental triad to be accomplished in missionary activities as recommended by Christ.
3. What Not to Do in the Mission and Why “Like Lambs Among Wolves”?
In
Christ’s instructions to the 72 missionaries, several particular
recommendations require some brief explanation.
Firstly, the instruction to “greet no one along the
way” does not mean authorizing them to be rude on the way or to prevent them
from saying good morning or good evening to the people they meet. Such a
recommendation seems to simply emphasize the urgency of bringing the
announcement of the Kingdom to the recipients, which cannot wait for any delay (for
a similar case, see 2Kgs 4:29). So much so that the greeting of peace is then
recommended at the very entrance to houses and towns, that is, when the goal of
the journey is already reached.
Secondly, the recommended action of “shaking off
the dust from their feet” is for towns that will not receive Christ’s envoys.
This is an intentionally “spectacular” act, like those of God’s prophets in the
Old Testament, to leave the recipients with some precisely “prophetic” message.
It serves to show clearly that the envoys have nothing in common (and therefore
no responsibility) with the rejection of the Kingdom by the inhabitants of the
town. Such radical action also seems to be intended to shake the conscience of
these citizens who, in their freedom, have self-isolated themselves from the
peace of the Kingdom. Therefore, it was stressed, that even for these the door
of the Kingdom remained open: “Yet
know this: the kingdom of God is at hand.”
Finally, Jesus’ clear warning of the dangers in
mission: “behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.” This is a
“strange” promise of Jesus for his envoys, for He seems to have wanted to throw
them helpless into the prey of rapacious predators! Nevertheless, such a
statement actually reflects the same fate that He, the “Lamb of God,” faces in
his mission. Such full sharing, between Jesus and his envoys, even of the
labors and “sorrows,” implies a de facto mystical union between them
and, consequently, suggests the missionary disciples hold tightly to the
Master, to fix their gaze always on him, to draw from him strength, wisdom,
tenacity in adversity along the missionary journey.
In this regard, Pope Francis’ explanation in the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, 3 July 2016, is illuminating:
With what spirit must disciples of Jesus carry out this mission? First of all they must be aware of the difficult and sometimes hostile reality that awaits them. Jesus minces no words about this! Jesus says: “I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves” (v. 3). This is very clear. Hostility is always at the beginning of persecutions of Christians; because Jesus knows that the mission is blocked by the work of evil. For this reason, the laborer of the Gospel will strive to be free from every kind of human conditioning, carrying neither purse nor bag nor sandals (cf. v. 4), as Jesus counseled, so as to place reliance solely in the power of the Cross of Jesus Christ. This means abandoning every motive of personal advantage, careerism or hunger for power, and humbly making ourselves instruments of the salvation carried out by Jesus’ sacrifice.
4. Bonus: The Joy of Mission
In
constant union with the One who sent them, Christ’s missionaries will experience
the joy of mission even “among wolves” who always want to swallow them, because
in their weakness and poverty God’s multifaceted power against the power of
evil is manifested. Such a feeling indeed accompanied these 72 envoys, who
“returned rejoicing” for seeing that “the demons are subject” to them. However,
as specified by Jesus himself, the true joy of the envoys will have to be
rather about the salvation that God has in store for them and for all, thanks
to their mission: “rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” It will
be precisely this universal salvation, the ultimate reason for all the
missionary commitments of the disciples of Christ, Son of God who “for us and
for our salvation” was incarnate, suffered, died, and rose.
Let us therefore pray:
O
God, who in our baptismal vocation calls us to be fully available for the
proclamation of your kingdom, give us apostolic courage and evangelical
freedom, so that we may make your word of love and peace present in every walk
of life. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Useful points to consider:
Pope Francis, Message for World Mission Sunday 2014
1. The Evangelist tells us that the Lord sent the seventy-two disciples
two by two into cities and villages to proclaim that the Kingdom of God was
near, and to prepare people to meet Jesus. After carrying out this mission of
preaching, the disciples returned full of joy: joy is a dominant theme of this
first and unforgettable missionary experience. […]
2. The disciples were filled with joy, excited about their power
to set people free from demons. But Jesus cautioned them to rejoice not so much
for the power they had received, but for the love they had received, “because
your names are written in heaven” (Lk 10:20). The disciples were given
an experience of God’s love, but also the possibility of sharing that love. And
this experience is a cause for gratitude and joy in the heart of Jesus. Luke
saw this jubilation in a perspective of the trinitarian communion: “Jesus
rejoiced in the Holy Spirit”, turning to the Father and praising him. This
moment of deep joy springs from Jesus’ immense filial love for his Father, Lord
of heaven and earth, who hid these things from the wise and learned, and
revealed them to the childlike (cf. Lk 10:21).
Pope Francis, Message for the 52nd World Day of
Prayer for Vocations
“The Lord of the harvest may send out labourers into his harvest” (Lk
10:2). Jesus command came in the context of his sending out missionaries. He
called not only the twelve Apostles, but another seventy-two disciples whom he
then sent out, two by two, for the mission (cf. Lk 10:1-6). Since the
Church “is by her very nature missionary” (Ad Gentes, 2), the Christian
vocation is necessarily born of the experience of mission. Hearing and
following the voice of Christ the Good Shepherd, means letting ourselves be
attracted and guided by him, in consecration to him; it means allowing the Holy
Spirit to draw us into this missionary dynamism, awakening within us the
desire, the joy and the courage to offer our own lives in the service of the
Kingdom of God.
To offer one’s life in mission is possible only if we are able to leave
ourselves behind.
Pope Francis, Angelus, Saint Peter’s Square, Sunday,
7 July 2019
The 72 “returned with joy” (cf. v. 17). It is not an ephemeral joy,
which flows from the success of the mission; on the contrary, it is a joy
rooted in the promise that — as Jesus says: “your names are written in heaven”
(v. 20). With this expression he means inner joy, and the indestructible joy
that is born out of the awareness of being called by God to follow his Son. That is, the joy of being his disciples.
Pope Francis, Angelus, Saint Peter’s Square, Sunday,
3 July 2016
Missionaries always proclaim a message of salvation to everyone; not
only those missionaries who go afar, but we too, [are] Christian missionaries
who express a good word of salvation. This is the gift that Jesus gives us with
the Holy Spirit. This message is to say: “The kingdom of God has come near to
you” (v. 9), because God has “come near” to us through Jesus; God became one of
us; in Jesus, God reigns in our midst, his merciful love overcomes sin and
human misery.
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C) - 26 June 2022
Blessed Jacques Ghazir Haddad, Capuchin priest; Saint
Anthelm of Belley, Carthusian monk and bishop
1Kgs 19:16b,
19-21; Ps 16; Gal 5:1, 13-18; Lk 9:51-62
You are my inheritance, O Lord
COMMENTARY
Patience and Determination in
Mission
This
Sunday’s Gospel places before us the image of Christ the Master who with
concrete actions and precise words imparts to his followers two valuable
lessons on the way of mission for the Kingdom of God. These are patience in the
face of people’s misunderstanding and determination to carry out the divine
plan entrusted to them. All this happens in a peculiar setting of the beginning
of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem, where he will carry out his mission for the
salvation of the world.
1. Jesus’ resoluteness
The first
sentence we have heard in today’s Gospel actually opens the entire long section
describing Jesus’ final journey from Galilee to Jerusalem to bear his passion
and death. Therefore, it should be noted the very solemn tone that St. Luke the
evangelist wanted to give to this initial sentence, which actually sounds like
a proclamation with several expressions of great spiritual theological weight
to analyze.
Firstly,
the temporal context. It is about the journey taken by Jesus, “When the days
for Jesus’ being taken up were fulfilled.” Thus, Jesus’ entry into the final
phase of His life, all oriented toward the fulfillment of God’s will, is
recalled. It should be remembered that the time of mankind’s salvation history
has already been fulfilled with the coming of Christ, as He Himself declared at
the beginning of His public activities. However, it is now reaching its
maturation, his very last days, his very last hour, in which [Jesus] would be
taken up, where the Gospel expression indicates both Jesus’ elevation on the
cross (the passion) and his ascension into heaven (the resurrection) (cf. Lk 24:51;
Acts 1:9).
In that
circumstance of final fulfillment, St. Luke emphasizes that “he [Jesus]
resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem,” precisely to face the end and
thus the culmination of his entire mission. The expression “resolutely
determined” is a translation of the original Greek expression “putting his
face,” used in the Old Testament to denote the action of an envoy with a
message of divine judgment (cf. Ez 21:2-3; Nm 22:4-25). Jesus also “puts His
face on it” on His way to Jerusalem to bring a message of judgment that also
turns out to be a message of salvation for the people. And this always with resoluteness
and firmness.
Just along
this final journey, Jesus reveals at one point his heart full of zeal for the
fulfillment of his mission: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I
wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with
which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!
(Lk 12:49-50) (the baptism to which he alludes will be precisely the immersion
in blood, in death on the cross).
And in
fulfilling such a divine plan, Jesus will fear nothing and no one on the way.
Emblematic in this regard is the episode in which Jesus was warned “Herod wants
to kill you,” to which he replies: “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out
demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I
accomplish my purpose. Yet I must
continue on my way today, tomorrow,
and the following day, for it is impossible that a prophet should die
outside of Jerusalem’” (Lk 13:32-33).
Does such resoluteness of Jesus still say something to us, his missionary disciples today?
2. A “Masterful” Lesson of “Missionary” Patience and Magnanimity
It
is curious and significant that just when Jesus full of fervor began the
journey “and he sent messengers ahead of him” (to the villages along the way), as
he usually did, “to prepare for his reception,” he met with rejection: “But
they [the Samaritans] would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.” Such action on the
part of the inhabitants of a village of Samaritans is entirely understandable,
for there was bad blood between them and the Jews because of the enmity created
over the centuries. Surprising, however, is the overly fiery and violent
reaction of James and John, who propose to the Master with all “calmness”: “Lord,
do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” Perhaps not
coincidentally, these two sons of Zebedee were nicknamed by Jesus himself “sons
of Boanerges,” that is to say “sons of thunder” (Mk 3:17). This is the
exemplary case of the regular confusion, already found in the Old Testament (as
with Elijah [cf. 2Kgs 1:9-16]), between human and divine zeal, between fervor
according to human thought and fervor according to the mind of God. (So much so
that in some ancient manuscripts of the gospel, the content of Jesus’ rebuke is
added: “You do not know what kind of spirit you have, for the Son of Man came
not to destroy humanity’s life but to save men and women!”)
Poor Jesus who had to follow these “desperate” cases of his disciples! Not only at that time, but also today! And the lesson He imparted to them on that occasion has remained valid through time: “Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village.” A “masterful” lesson of “missionary” patience and magnanimity! As a true man of God, missionary and face of divine mercy, Jesus behaved with meekness, understanding, and with all respect for these inhabitants’ journey toward faith in Him. I would really like to see, indeed contemplate for a long time, the divine face of Jesus at that moment (and the face of the two disciples “sons of thunder” in which I find myself, sometimes impatient and even vengeful in the face of rejection by others in the mission!). O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make our hearts like yours, all burning for the divine mission but always kind and full of understanding for those who reject us and are not ready or willing to accept the good news of God’s love in Christ.
3. True Determination Unavoidable for Following Jesus in Mission
After
the contrast between Jesus’ meek zeal and the disciples’ all-too-human zeal,
the explicit explanation follows on the true determination in mission for those
who want to follow Jesus on the journey in this final time. In a triptych of
conversations along the way, Jesus highlights three characteristics of true
determination for the journey of divine mission.
Firstly,
for those who offer to follow him wherever he goes, Jesus immediately specifies
in a folksy sapiential style their precarious situation: “Foxes have dens and
birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” It
is the implicit invitation to take the journey with him who has nothing, no
support or material security.
Secondly,
it was Jesus Himself who called one of his potential followers who, surprised
by that invitation, asked to “let me go first and bury my father.” In all
likelihood, the man did not receive the news of his father’s disappearance at
the same time as the call. The request made to Jesus rather implies some time
to fully carry out the task of honoring the mother and father according to the
commandment of the Decalogue, taking care of them until death and burial. And
Jesus’ negative answer must have surprised all the listeners: “Let the
dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Metaphorically
and with a play on words, the Master of Nazareth emphasizes the urgency of the
journey of proclaiming the kingdom of God, which He does and now invites his
potential followers to do, leaving “the [spiritual] dead [of the world]” to
bury “their [physical] dead.”
This
urgency is accentuated even more in the third and final teaching on
determination to follow Jesus in mission. In the moment of call, there is not
even space and time to return home for a moment of leave-taking, otherwise
legitimate, with parents and relatives: “No one who sets a hand to the plow and
looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.” Still emerging is
the prospect of the kingdom of God, which must now occupy the first place in
the life of every called and consecrated person of God, as it did in the life
of Jesus, for now as never before, “the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of
God has come near!”
May
the teaching and example of Jesus today particularly enlighten us and sustain
us in our journey as missionary disciples! May his Spirit kindle and rekindle
in us the desire and true and holy determination to also begin the journey with
Jesus on the path of joyful proclamation of the kingdom of God despite
rejection and misunderstanding! And may Mary, Mother of Christ and Mother of
his disciples, intercede for us in the mission! Amen.
Useful points to consider:
Pope Francis, Angelus, Saint Peter’s Square, Sunday, 30 June 2013
Jerusalem is the final destination where Jesus,
at his last Passover, must die and rise again and thus bring his mission of
salvation to fulfilment.
From that moment, after that “firm decision”
Jesus aimed straight for his goal and in addition said clearly to the people he
met and who asked to follow him what the conditions were: to have no permanent
dwelling place; to know how to be detached from human affections and not to
give in to nostalgia for the past.
Jesus, however, also told his disciples to
precede him on the way to Jerusalem and to announce his arrival, but not to
impose anything: if the disciples did not find a readiness to welcome him, they
should go ahead, they should move on. Jesus never imposes, Jesus is humble,
Jesus invites. If you want to, come. The humility of Jesus is like this: he is
always inviting but never imposing.
[…]
The Son of God made man, and at a certain point
he made the firm decision to go up to Jerusalem for the last time; it was a
decision taken in his conscience, but not alone: together with the Father, in
full union with him! He decided out of obedience to the Father and in profound
and intimate listening to his will. For this reason, moreover, his decision was
firm, because it was made together with the Father. In the Father Jesus found
the strength and light for his journey.
Pope Francis, Angelus, Saint Peter’s Square, Sunday, 30 June 2019
Evangelist presents us three characters — three
cases of vocation, we could say — that shed light on what is required of those
who wish to follow Jesus to the end, completely. […]
In order to follow Jesus, the Church is
itinerant, acts promptly, quickly and decisively. The value of these conditions
set by Jesus — itinerancy, promptness and decision — does not lie in a
series of saying ‘no’ to the good and important things in life. Rather, the
emphasis is placed on the main objective: to become a disciple of Christ! A
free and conscious choice, made out of love, to reciprocate the invaluable
grace of God, and not made as a way to promote oneself. This is sad! Woe to
those who think about following Jesus for their own advantage, that is, to
further their career, to feel important or to acquire a position of prestige.
Jesus wants us to be passionate about him and about the Gospel. A heartfelt
passion which translates into concrete gestures of proximity, of closeness to
the brothers and sisters most in need of welcome and care. Precisely as he
himself lived.
THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF
CHRIST (YEAR C) - 19 June 2022
Gn 14:18-20; Ps 110; 1 Cor 11:23-26; Lk 9:11b-17
You are a priest for ever,
in the line of Melchizedek
COMMENTARY
Eucharist - “Source and Summit of the Church’s
Life and Mission”
“The feast of Corpus Christi invites us to renew each year the wonder and joy of this wondrous gift of the Lord which is the Eucharist,” so Pope Francis reminded us during the Angelus, in Saint Peter’s Square, Saturday, 23 June 2019. Therefore, we celebrate with joy this Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, which is fixed after the Sunday of the Holy Trinity (Thursday according to ancient tradition, in some countries such as the Vatican or Poland, Sunday in other countries such as Italy or Vietnam). From this succession of feasts the Eucharist emerges as “a free gift of the Blessed Trinity,” just as Pope Benedict XVI called it in his Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis precisely “on the Eucharist as the Source and Summit of the Church’s Life and Mission,” as stated in the title. I would like to invite all to reread this beautiful document for a proper review and deepening of the Eucharistic mystery (perhaps also consulting the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the subject). Here, we focus on three interesting aspects from a missionary perspective, following the logical thread of some peculiar details of the Gospel of the Mass.
1. The “Missionary” Context of the Multiplication of Bread
Today’s
Gospel recounts the story of the multiplication of bread according to St Luke.
This miracle, found in all four Gospels (a sign of a common ancient tradition),
represents a kind of “anticipation” of the institution of the Eucharist by
Jesus during the Last Supper, as suggested by the evangelists themselves.
However, St. Luke, more than the others, placed the whole event in a missionary
context. In fact, the passage begins, as we have heard, with a generic “Jesus
spoke” (without any time indication). This actually corresponds to the precise
moment of the return of the apostles after being sent by Jesus “to proclaim the
kingdom of God and to heal [the sick]” (Lk 9:2). Thus, the multiplication of
bread has a very significant setting, which states fully, “When the apostles
returned, they explained to him what they had done. He took them and withdrew
in private to a town called Bethsaida. The crowds, meanwhile, learned of this
and followed him. He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom
of God, and he healed those who needed to be cured” (Lk 9:10-11).
In the light of such a precise description of St. Luke, the completely missionary perspective of the event emerges very clearly. The Twelve “apostles”, that is to say the “sent” ones, had just returned from their mission. Jesus then foresaw a time together with them “in private”, but for the crowds who “followed him”, he rested no more. Indeed, He “received them” and “and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and he healed…”, carrying out exactly the two activities entrusted to the Twelve in their mission, as seen above (cf. Lk 9:2). This reminds us of the words of the prophet of God, full of zeal for the salvation of the people: “For Zion’s sake I will not be silent, / for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep still, / Until her vindication shines forth like the dawn / and her salvation like a burning torch” (Is 62:1). These are words which now find their complete fulfillment in Jesus.
2. The “complete” bread offered by Jesus
Therefore,
Jesus’ mission of proclaiming the Gospel even in “inopportune time” (to use St.
Paul’s expression) continues, despite physical fatigue. The multiplication of
bread is then inserted in this context of Jesus’ tireless mission for the
Kingdom of God. And it all begins with the beautiful welcoming action, a sign
of limitless love, to the point of forgetting oneself to serve others. In fact,
the parallel passage in the Gospel of Mark made it clear that at that moment, “[Jesus]
saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they
were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things”(Mk
6:34).
Furthermore,
as underlined by the Lucan account, before feeding the people with bread, Jesus
had taught them the things of God until the waning of the day! In this way, on
that memorable day, the bread He shared with the crowd was not only the
material one made of barley or wheat, but also and above all, that of the Word
of God. Jesus offers a “complete” care for the people, giving all of himself in
the mission.
This is
also the case with the “Eucharistic bread” that Jesus offers with the
institution of the Eucharist, when his “hour” has come. It will be the bread of
his body and the blood of his flesh “for the life of the world” (Jn 6:51), but
at the same time it will also be the bread of the teaching of Him, the Word of
God, who has “the words of eternal life,” as seen in the extended Eucharistic
discourse of Jesus following the multiplication of bread in the Gospel of John
(cf. Jn 6:26-58,68). This is the “complete” bread that Jesus offers with love
for the salvation of the world.
In this regard, the reflection of Pope Benedict XVI is quite indicative:
In the Eucharist Jesus does not give us a “thing,” but himself; he offers his own body and pours out his own blood. He thus gives us the totality of his life and reveals the ultimate origin of this love [of God]. He is the eternal Son, given to us by the Father. In the Gospel we hear how Jesus, after feeding the crowds by multiplying the loaves and fishes, says to those who had followed him to the synagogue of Capernaum: “My Father gives you the true bread from heaven; for the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world” (Jn 6:32-33), and even identifies himself, his own flesh and blood, with that bread: “I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh” (Jn 6:51). Jesus thus shows that he is the bread of life which the eternal Father gives to mankind. (Sacramentum Caritatis 7)
3. The Bread of Jesus and the Mission of the Community of the Faithful
Returning
to the Gospel account of the multiplication of bread, we note that Jesus’
mission was shared with the apostles. The latter, who were already
collaborators of Jesus in the proclamation of the Kingdom and in the care of
the sick, will also be called to cooperate in the miracle of bread at the end
of that memorable day. In fact, when they wanted to send the crowd away to “find
provisions”, “he said to them, ‘Give them some food yourselves.’” Furthermore,
the apostles will be asked to make the people sit “in groups of about fifty”,
organizing them just as in the time of the journey of God’s People in the
desert (cf. Ex 18:21,25). And even more importantly, it will be the disciples
who will receive the loaves and fishes from Jesus to distribute to the crowd: “Then
taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the
blessing over them [lit. “he blessed them”], he broke them, and gave them to
the disciples to set before the crowd”(Lk 9:16). Finally, in the mention
that “the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets,”
it can be understood that it was these disciples who collected them (as stated
in the Gospel of John [cf. Jn 6:12-13]).
As in the
multiplication of bread, Jesus also involved his disciples in the Eucharistic
Mystery with the explicit command to them: “Do this in memory of me.” Indeed,
this recommendation is repeated twice in the account of St. Paul in the second
reading, both after the words on bread and after those on wine. With this in
mind, St. Paul concluded his concise account with a precious observation on the
action of proclaiming Christ that goes together with participation in the
Eucharist: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim
the death of the Lord until he comes” (1Cor 11:26).
And here is
a beautiful reflection by Benedict XVI regarding the Eucharist and the mission
of the community of the faithful:
The love that we celebrate in the sacrament [of Eucharist] is not something we can keep to ourselves. By its very nature it demands to be shared with all. What the world needs is God’s love; it needs to encounter Christ and to believe in him. The Eucharist is thus the source and summit not only of the Church’s life, but also of her mission: “an authentically eucharistic Church is a missionary Church.” (234) We too must be able to tell our brothers and sisters with conviction: “That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us” (1 Jn 1:3). Truly, nothing is more beautiful than to know Christ and to make him known to others. The institution of the Eucharist, for that matter, anticipates the very heart of Jesus’ mission: he is the one sent by the Father for the redemption of the world (cf. Jn 3:16-17; Rom 8:32). At the Last Supper, Jesus entrusts to his disciples the sacrament which makes present his self-sacrifice for the salvation of us all, in obedience to the Father’s will. We cannot approach the eucharistic table without being drawn into the mission which, beginning in the very heart of God, is meant to reach all people. Missionary outreach is thus an essential part of the eucharistic form of the Christian life. (Sacramentum Caritatis 84).
In view of the aforementioned phrase of St. Paul to the Corinthians in the second reading, we recall the important clarification of the Pope on the nature of the Christian proclamation that starts from participation in the Eucharistic mystery:
Emphasis on the intrinsic relationship between the Eucharist and mission also leads to a rediscovery of the ultimate content of our proclamation. The more ardent the love for the Eucharist in the hearts of the Christian people, the more clearly will they recognize the goal of all mission: to bring Christ to others. Not just a theory or a way of life inspired by Christ, but the gift of his very person. Anyone who has not shared the truth of love with his brothers and sisters has not yet given enough. The Eucharist, as the sacrament of our salvation, inevitably reminds us of the unicity of Christ and the salvation that he won for us by his blood. The mystery of the Eucharist, believed in and celebrated, demands a constant catechesis on the need for all to engage in a missionary effort centred on the proclamation of Jesus as the one Saviour. This will help to avoid a reductive and purely sociological understanding of the vital work of human promotion present in every authentic process of evangelization. (Sacramentum Caritatis 86).
Finally,
another reflection of the Pontiff in the same document on the farewell greeting
at the end of the Eucharistic celebration will also be useful for us:
After the blessing, the deacon or the priest dismisses the people with the words: Ite, missa est. These words help us to grasp the relationship between the Mass just celebrated and the mission of Christians in the world. In antiquity, missa simply meant “dismissal.” However in Christian usage it gradually took on a deeper meaning. The word “dismissal” has come to imply a “mission.” These few words succinctly express the missionary nature of the Church. (Sacramentum Caritatis 51)
Let us then
pray in conclusion that, as Pope Benedict XVI expressed, “through the
intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, may the Holy Spirit kindle within us
the same ardor experienced by the disciples on the way to Emmaus (cf. Lk
24:13-35) and renew our ‘eucharistic wonder’ through the splendor and beauty
radiating from the liturgical rite, the efficacious sign of the infinite beauty
of the holy mystery of God”(Sacramentum Caritatis 97). We pray that all
of us may always welcome with joy and gratitude the gift of the “complete”
Bread that Jesus offers us in every Eucharistic celebration, the Bread of his
Word and of his Body and Blood, to share it with others in our life, announcing
the death and resurrection of the Lord, “until he comes.”
THE
SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY (YEAR C) - 12/6/2022
Prv 8:22-31; Ps 8; Rom 5:1-5; Jn 16:12-15
O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in
all the earth!
COMMENTARY
Trinity’s
Mission
The
Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity is celebrated on the Sunday after Pentecost,
that is, after the celebration of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This succession
is because, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us, “The sending of
the person of the Spirit after Jesus’ glorification reveals in its fullness the
mystery of the Holy Trinity” (Catechism of the Catholic Church
244). It is the “central mystery of Christian faith and life,” as the Catechism
points out and continues in this regard: “It is the mystery of God in himself.
It is therefore the source of all the other mysteries of faith, the light that
enlightens them. It is the most fundamental and essential teaching in the
‘hierarchy of the truths of faith.’ The whole history of salvation is identical
with the history of the way and the means by which the one true God, Father,
Son and Holy Spirit, reveals himself to men ‘and reconciles and unites with
himself those who turn away from sin’ (GCD 47)” (Catechism of the Catholic
Church 234).
Thus,
the Holy Trinity is the mystery of mysteries and, as the mystery of God, always
remains unfathomable despite human efforts. Today’s solemnity therefore, with
the special Mass prayers and readings, offers an opportunity not so much to
explain everything about the mystery of the Trinity, but to invite us
Christians to contemplate even more deeply the life of the triune God in whom
our lives are immersed.
1. A
Divinely Revealed but Humanly Inaccessible Mystery
Above all, when we speak of the Trinity, it must be
strongly emphasized that it is a mystery inaccessible to the human mind and
revealed only at the end of time by the mission of Jesus and the Spirit. In short,
we believe in the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, not because of some
human reasoning that convinces us and makes us “understand” such a complex
reality, but solely and exclusively on the basis of the revelation of Jesus
Christ, conveyed by the apostles under the action of the Holy Spirit, called by
Jesus in today’s gospel also as “the Spirit of truth,” that “will guide [his
disciples] to all truth.”
This
is what is noted in the teaching of the Catechism:
The Trinity is a mystery of faith
in the strict sense, one of the “mysteries that are hidden in God, which can
never be known unless they are revealed by God” (Dei Filius 4: DS 3015). To be
sure, God has left traces of his Trinitarian being in his work of creation and
in his Revelation throughout the Old Testament. But his inmost Being as Holy Trinity is a mystery that is inaccessible
to reason alone or even to Israel’s faith before the Incarnation of God’s Son
and the sending of the Holy Spirit. (Catechism of the Catholic Church
237). (Italics added).
Thus, to explain the mystery of the Trinity, any human
reasoning, image or metaphor (such as the three states of water, the three
actions of the ray of light...) will never be satisfactory, even if it can help
us “understand” something. (Indeed, with this kind of human explanation there
is a risk of having more questions and perplexity than before, as well as of
having a not entirely accurate view of divine reality!) The only sure
foundation remains the set of authoritative words and actions of Jesus Christ
in the Gospels, transmitted in the Church under the guidance of the Holy
Spirit. We believe in the Trinity because we believe in Jesus Christ who calls
God the Father; who calls Himself the Son; and who reveals the Holy Spirit.
This is why Pope Francis confirmed with authority and simplicity in one of his
teachings: “It is a mystery that Jesus Christ revealed to us: the Holy Trinity”
(Pope Francis, Angelus, Saint Peter’s Square, Trinity Sunday, 30 May 2021).
In this regard, it is always useful to recall the
(legendary) story of St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church, who at the time
attempted to understand the mystery of the Trinity (He later left for posterity
a great 15-volume treatise De Trinitate
on the Trinity!). While he was meditating on the Trinity along the seashore, he
suddenly saw a child playing on the beach. The little boy was intent on taking
water from the sea with a shell and pouring it into a hole he had dug in the
sand. The curious saint asked him, “What are you doing?” And the answer was, “I’m trying to pour that great big ocean into
this tiny hole,” and St. Augustine said, laughing, “My dear child, you
could never pour this great, magnificent ocean into that tiny hole!” At this
point, the little boy became an angel and said to Augustine, “And you will never be able to grasp all the
great mystery of the Holy Trinity in your tiny head!”
2. The Trinity’s mission for humanity
The mystery of the Trinity is to be experienced and
lived more and more in order to grow steadily in its understanding. In reality,
the inner life of the triune God is revealed through God’s action, and mission,
in human history, as the Collect prayer expresses: “God our Father, who by
sending into the world the Word of truth and the Spirit of sanctification made
known to the human race your wondrous mystery.” We see clearly the process of
Trinitarian revelation precisely in the act of sending, that is, the “mission,”
of the Son and the Spirit, and this serves not only to make known something of
the divine life, but also and foremost to give the fullness of such a life to
all who open their hearts to receive it. In other words, God is revealed
himself in the mission for humanity’s salvation and happiness from creation
until the end of the world.
In this perspective, in the fullness of time, the
mission of God the Father is realized concretely by Jesus Christ, the Son of
God himself, and that mission of the Father and the Son is then carried on
through time by the Holy Spirit. Thus emerges the chain of divine mission in
history, missio Dei - missio Christi/Filii - missio Spiritus Sancti. Such a chain,
however, serves only to mark the various historical periods before and after
the earthly life of Christ, the Son and Incarnate Word of the Father, because
the divine mission for the salvation of humanity was, is, and always will be
carried out jointly by all the persons of the Trinity: Father, Son, Holy
Spirit, in a perfect divine unity. Therefore, to use a wordplay in Italian, the
mystery of the Trinity is the mystery of the triune God who “makes himself in
four” to bring humanity to divine salvation and happiness! (In Italian, “to make
oneself in four” means “to engage/commit oneself fully.”) This could already be
seen, in a mysterious way, in the Old Testament accounts of creation with the
presence of divine Wisdom alongside God the Creator (first reading) as well as
with reference to the action of God’s Spirit (cf. Gn 1:2; Ps 104:30). Jesus
himself affirmed that the Father always acts and so does He (cf. Jn 5:17), and
the emblematic biblical icon of “Trinitarian cooperation” in the divine mission
for humanity remains the scene of Jesus’ baptism at the Jordan River. Even more,
the interaction and “collaboration” between the divine Persons in proclaiming
the things of God is also glimpsed in today’s gospel, from Jesus’ explanation
to his disciples: “Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I
told you that he [the Spirit] will take from what is mine and declare it to you.”
The
constant mission of the triune God for humankind is fulfilled by and in love,
as revealed with and in Jesus, Son of God, who declares: “For God so loved the
world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not
perish but might have eternal life” (Jn 3,16). It cannot be otherwise, because “God
is love” (1 Jn 4,8.16), and
that means, as Pope Francis explained to us recently, “The Father is love; the
Son is love; the Holy Spirit is love. And inasmuch as he is love, God, while
being one alone, is not solitude but communion, among the Father, the Son and
the Holy Spirit. Because love is essentially a gift of self, and in its original
and infinite reality it is the Father who gives himself by generating his Son,
who in turn gives himself to the Father, and their mutual love is the Holy
Spirit, the bond of their unity” (Pope
Francis, Angelus, Saint Peter's Square, Trinity Sunday,
30 May 2021).
3. Our mission in the Trinity
As it
is revealed to us in Scripture, we are created in the image and likeness of God
(cf. Gn 1:26-27), of that God revealed to be triune, the “perfect Trinity and
simple Unity” (expression of St. Francis of Assisi) of communion and divine
love. “In him we live and move and have our being,” as St Paul recalled in his
missionary address in Athens (Acts 17:28). Furthermore, as Christians, we are
all already immersed in the Trinity in baptism, and thus we remain immersed in
the divine life, that eternal life of the triune God. In this way, we are
called to live the life given to the full, experiencing God’s presence in us and
thus knowing more and more the abundant love of all three divine Persons,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for us. As Jesus points out in his prayer to the
Father before the passion: “Now this is eternal life, that they should know
you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ” (Jn 17:3).
This will be our mission in the Trinity, the mission we should live first for
ourselves, so that we can witness and share with others the grace of divine
life in communion with the triune God. The one God in three Persons who has loved
us so much and continues to “make himself in four”, that is, committed totally,
to save even only one person.
Useful
points to consider:
Pope Francis, Angelus, Saint Peter's Square, Trinity
Sunday, 30 May 2021
God is the Father
and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Three persons, but God is one! The Father is
God; the Son is God; the Spirit is God. But they are not three gods: it is one
God in three Persons. […]They are Persons. There is the Father to whom I pray
with the Our Father; there is the Son, who gave me redemption, justification;
there is the Holy Spirit who abides in us and inhabits the Church. And this
speaks to our heart because we find it encompassed in that expression of Saint
John which summarizes all of Revelation: “God is love” (1 Jn 4:8-16).
The Father is love; the Son is love; the Holy Spirit is love. And inasmuch as
he is love, God, while being one alone, is not solitude but communion, among the
Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Because love is essentially a gift of
self, and in its original and infinite reality it is the Father who gives
himself by generating his Son, who in turn gives himself to the Father, and
their mutual love is the Holy Spirit, the bond of their unity.
Catechism of the Catholic Church
244 The eternal origin of the Holy Spirit is revealed in
his mission in time. The Spirit is sent to the apostles and to the Church both
by the Father in the name of the Son, and by the Son in person, once he had
returned to the Father. The sending of the person of the Spirit after Jesus'
glorification reveals in its fullness the mystery of the Holy Trinity.
253 The Trinity is One. We do not confess three Gods, but
one God in three persons, the “consubstantial Trinity.” The divine persons do
not share the one divinity among themselves but each of them is God whole and
entire: “The Father is that which the Son is, the Son that which the Father is,
the Father and the Son that which the Holy Spirit is, i.e. by nature one God.”
In the words of the Fourth Lateran Council (1215), “Each of the persons is that
supreme reality, viz., the divine substance, essence or nature.”
255 The divine persons are relative to one another.
Because it does not divide the divine unity, the real distinction of the
persons from one another resides solely in the relationships which relate them
to one another: “In the relational names of the persons the Father is related
to the Son, the Son to the Father, and the Holy Spirit to both. While they are
called three persons in view of their relations, we believe in one nature or
substance.” Indeed “everything (in them) is one where there is no
opposition of relationship.” “Because of that unity the Father is wholly in the
Son and wholly in the Holy Spirit; the Son is wholly in the Father and wholly
in the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit is wholly in the Father and wholly in the
Son.”
PENTECOST
SUNDAY (YEAR C)
AT THE VIGIL MASS
Reading 1: Gn 11:1-9;
or Ex 19:3-8a, 16-20b; or Ez 37:1-14; or Jl 3:1-5;
Ps 104; Rom 8:22-27;
Jn 7:37-39
MASS DURING THE DAY
Acts 2:1-11; Ps
104; Rom 8:8-17; Jn 14:15-16, 23b-26
Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
COMMENTARY
The God’s Mission continues
The liturgical celebration of Pentecost is not merely
a remembrance of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Mary and the apostles in
the Cenacle in the past, but the actual realization of the Event, in which God
the Father, “in his Word who became incarnate, died, and rose for us, he fills
us with his blessings. Through his Word, he pours into our hearts the Gift that
contains all gifts, the Holy Spirit” (Catechism
of the Catholic Church 1082). It is about the mystery that is also
fulfilled now in those who celebrate it in faith. In this context, the readings
and the Gospel of today’s Mass help us to understand and open ourselves even
more to the gift of the Spirit that we receive in our lives as disciples, sent
by Jesus to be his witnesses “to the ends of the earth.”
1. A Strong Driving
Wind – A Mysterious Event and Eventful
Mystery
What really happened with
Jesus’ disciples on the day of Pentecost?
Firstly, as the reading from
the Acts of the Apostles tells us, while “they were all in one place together,”
that is, in the Cenacle, the “Upper Room”, “suddenly there came from the sky a
noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they
were.” The emphasis on the words “noise,” and “strong driving wind,” seems to
go beyond the physical description of a weather phenomenon. Such a strong wind
was mentioned at key moments in biblical history: in the night of creation, with
“a mighty wind sweeping over the waters” of chaos, where the Hebrew expression
can also mean “the Spirit of God” (cf. Gn 1:2); on the night of the Red Sea
crossing, there was a “strong east wind all night long,” which separated the
waters of the sea into two walls to leave a dry ground for God’s people (cf. Ex
14:21-23); in the vision prophet Ezekiel’s vision, the four winds come, which
are the Spirit of God, the dead bones of the people come to life again (cf. Ez
37:9-14). Thus, as seen in the past, on this day of Pentecost came a strong
driving wind that heralds a pivotal event in the salvation history of humankind,
an event that brings a new creation, liberation, resurrection of humanity.
Secondly, on the other hand,
as the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains, “The term ‘Spirit’ translates
the Hebrew word ruah, which, in its
primary sense, means breath, air, wind. Jesus indeed uses the sensory image of
the wind to suggest to Nicodemus the transcendent newness of him who is
personally God’s breath, the divine Spirit” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 691). Thus, in the wind we can
glimpse the Spirit in action, or rather, His “descent” from heaven. We must
feel all this, in heart and mind, to enter with fear and trembling into the
solemn and grandiose atmosphere of the moment and to relive the mystery of
Pentecost in all its fullness.
2. Tongues
as of Fire – The Mystery of the Outpouring of the Spirit
After the noise, “appeared
to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them.”
Here is the moment of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, as it is explained
immediately afterwards, “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.” However, an interesting detail should be pointed
out: what did the apostles see at that moment? Flames of fire over their heads,
as we usually see in various paintings in churches? No, the sacred author was
subtle in his description of what happened: not “tongues of fire,” but “tongues
as of fire”, where the meaning of the
word “as” is precisely “as, like,” and
not instead “equal, exactly the same!” Again, one must keep this in mind to
understand that we are dealing with an unspeakable, inscrutable mystery, and
any description will always be approximate. (After all, if there had really
been fire on their heads, their hair would have all burned off!). On the other
hand, one wants to associate the visible image of fire with the invisible
reality of the Spirit with which “they were all filled.” As the Catechism said
again, “While water signifies birth and the fruitfulness of life given in the
Holy Spirit, fire symbolizes the transforming energy of the Holy Spirit’s
actions. […] John the Baptist […] proclaims Christ as the one who ‘will baptize
you with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Lk 1:17; 3:16).’ Jesus will say of the Spirit:
‘I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled!
(Lk 12:49)’ In the form of tongues ‘as of fire,’ the Holy Spirit rests on the
disciples on the morning of Pentecost and fills them with himself (Acts 2:3-4).
The spiritual tradition has retained this symbolism of fire as one of the most
expressive images of the Holy Spirit’s actions. ‘Do not quench the Spirit’ (1 Thess
5:19).” (Catechism of the Catholic Church
696). The Spirit is the fire that transforms life, enlightens the mind, and
makes love for God burn in the heart.
3. The Holy
Spirit “Will Teach You Everything”
Descending on the apostles, the Holy Spirit
immediately enabled them to “speak in
different tongues” to everybody “of the mighty acts of God.” It is almost a
fulfillment of what Jesus had told his disciples at the Last Supper, as today’s
Gospel reminds us, “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will
send in my name, will teach you everything.” From the Catechism we know that,
“When he proclaims and promises the coming of the Holy Spirit, Jesus calls him
the ‘Paraclete,’ literally, ‘he who is called to one’s side,’ advocatus (Jn 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7). ‘Paraclete’
is commonly translated by ‘consoler,’ and Jesus is the first consoler. The Lord
also called the Holy Spirit ‘the Spirit of truth’ (Jn 16:13).” (Catechism
of the Catholic Church 692). Moreover, “everything” that the Spirit will
teach certainly does not refer to all the possible knowledge in the world, but
to the knowledge of God and Christ and the ability to proclaim to others the
divine truths, revealed in Christ, for their salvation. So much so that, after “[the
Holy Spirit] will teach you everything” it follows at the conclusion of the
thought “and remind you of all that I told you.”
To better understand the Jesus’ words about the role
of the Spirit it is worth recalling the authoritative teaching of St. John Paul
II in his Encyclical Dominum et
vivificantem:
The Holy Spirit
will be the Counselor of the Apostles and the Church, always present in their
midst-even though invisible-as the teacher of the same Good News that Christ
proclaimed. The words “he will teach” and “bring to remembrance” mean not only
that he, in his own particular way, will continue to inspire the spreading of
the Gospel of salvation but also that he will help people to understand the
correct meaning of the content of Christ’s message; they mean that he will
ensure continuity and identity of understanding in the midst of changing
conditions and circumstances. The Holy Spirit, then, will ensure that in the
Church there will always continue the same truth which the Apostles heard from
their Master.
Thus, the Holy Spirit continues in the Church and in
Christ’s disciples the mission of God. As Pope Francis also mentioned, “it was
precisely following the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples that the
first act of witnessing to the crucified and risen Christ took place. That
kerygmatic proclamation – Saint Peter’s “missionary” address to the inhabitants
of Jerusalem – inaugurated an era in which the disciples of Jesus evangelized
the world. Whereas they had previously been weak, fearful and closed in on
themselves, the Holy Spirit gave them the strength, courage and wisdom to bear
witness to Christ before all.” Moreover, the Pope further explains, “Just as
“no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor 12:3),
so no Christian is able to bear full and genuine witness to Christ the Lord
without the Spirit’s inspiration and assistance. All Christ’s missionary
disciples are called to recognize the essential importance of the Spirit’s
work, to dwell in his presence daily and to receive his unfailing strength and
guidance. Indeed, it is precisely when we feel tired, unmotivated or confused
that we should remember to have recourse to the Holy Spirit in prayer. Let me
emphasize once again that prayer plays a fundamental role in the missionary
life, for it allows us to be refreshed and strengthened by the Spirit as the
inexhaustible divine source of renewed energy and joy in sharing Christ’s life
with others” (Message for World Mission
Sunday 2022)
Let us pray that all of us, missionary disciples of
Christ, may experience Pentecost well, indeed fully, today, and that it will
give us new impetus to continue Christ’s mission in the power of the Spirit.
This is especially true for those who directly engage in mission and missionary
animation as in the Pontifical Mission Societies. Blessed Paolo Manna, when
planning to found the Missionary Union of Clergy, which later became the
present Pontifical Missionary Union, had a clear vision, “an authentic, genuine, missionary movement must be
above all spiritual, since it is the work of the Holy Spirit; it must be a
Pentecost: then, and only then, will it convince, penetrate, sanctify, inspire
and leave lasting fruits of prayer, works, sacrifices; only then will true
missionary vocations flourish” (Le Missioni
Cattoliche LX [1931], 24 may, p. 323ff.) Mary, Mother of the Church and Queen
of Missions, pray for us all and for the whole Church!
Useful points to consider:
John Paul II, Encyclical on
the Holy Spirit in the Life of the Church and the World, Dominum et
Vivificantem
25. “Having
accomplished the work that the Father had entrusted to the Son on earth (cf. Jn
17:4), on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit was sent to sanctify the Church
forever, so that believers might have access to the Father through Christ in
one Spirit (cf. Eph 2:18). He is the Spirit of life, the fountain of water
springing up to eternal life (cf. Jn 4:14; 7:38ff.), the One through whom the
Father restores life to those who are dead through sin, until one day he will
raise in Christ their mortal bodies” (cf. Rom 8:10f.). In this way the Second
Vatican Council speaks of the Church’s birth on the day of Pentecost. This
event constitutes the definitive manifestation of what had already been
accomplished in the same Upper Room on Easter Sunday. The Risen Christ came and
“brought” to the Apostles the Holy Spirit. He gave him to them, saying “Receive
the Holy Spirit.” What had then taken place inside the Upper Room, "the
doors being shut," later, on the day of Pentecost is manifested also
outside, in public.
Catechism of the Catholic Church
737 The
mission of Christ and the Holy Spirit is brought to completion in the Church,
which is the Body of Christ and the Temple of the Holy Spirit. This joint
mission henceforth brings Christ’s faithful to share in his communion with the
Father in the Holy Spirit; the Spirit prepares men and goes out to them with
his grace, in order to draw them to Christ; the Spirit manifests the risen Lord
to them, recalls his word to them and opens their minds to the understanding of
his Death and Resurrection. He makes present the mystery of Christ, supremely
in the Eucharist, in order to reconcile them, to bring them into communion with
God, that they may “bear much fruit.”
738 Thus the Church’s mission is not an addition to that of Christ and the Holy Spirit, but is its sacrament: in her whole being and in all her members, the Church is sent to announce, bear witness, make present, and spread the mystery of the communion of the Holy Trinity: All of us who have received one and the same Spirit, that is, the Holy Spirit, are in a sense blended together with one another and with God. For if Christ, together with the Father’s and his own Spirit, comes to dwell in each of us, though we are many, still the Spirit is one and undivided. He binds together the spirits of each and every one of us,… and makes all appear as one in him. For just as the power of Christ’s sacred flesh unites those in whom it dwells into one body, I think that in the same way the one and undivided Spirit of God, who dwells in all, leads all into spiritual unity.
Pope Francis, Homily “The Spirit teaches us everything, introduces
us to mystery, makes us remember and discern”, Monday, 11 May 2020
In Greek,
Paraclete is the one who supports, who accompanies you so you do not fall, who
keeps you steadfast, who is near you to sustain you. And the Lord promised us
this support, Who is God like Him: He is the Holy Spirit. What does the Holy
Spirit do in us? The Lord tells us: “He will teach you everything and remind
you of all that I told you”. Teaching and remembering. This is
the task of the Holy Spirit.
He teaches us: He teaches us the mystery of faith, He teaches us
to enter into the mystery, to understand the mystery a bit more. He teaches us
Jesus’s doctrine and He teaches us how to develop our faith without making
mistakes, so that the doctrine grows, but always in the same direction: it
grows in comprehension. And the Spirit helps us to grow in the understanding of
faith, to understand it more, to understand what faith says. […]
He will teach us the things that Jesus taught us, He will develop our
comprehension of what Jesus taught us, He will make the doctrine of the Lord
grow in us until it reaches maturity.. […]The Spirit is the Gift of God. The
Spirit is indeed the gift. He will not leave you alone, He will send you a
Paraclete who will sustain you and help you to progress, to remember, discern
and grow. The Gift of God is the Holy Spirit. May the Lord help us to keep this
Gift that He has given us in Baptism, and which we all have within.
THE
ASCENSION OF THE LORD (YEAR C) - 26/5/2022
Acts 1:1-11; Ps
47; Heb 9:24-28;10:19-23; Lk 24,46-53
God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the
Lord.
COMMENTARY
“You shall be my witnesses”
The solemnity of
the Lord’s Ascension invites us to reflect again on this mysterious event and,
in its context, on the very last words that the risen Christ left for the
disciples before ascending to heaven, as the evangelists narrated. By divine
providence, this year Pope Francis’ message for World Mission Sunday offers us
a thorough and authoritative meditation precisely on Christ’s last phrase
before his ascension according to St. Luke’s account in the Acts of the
Apostles that we heard in the first reading: “You will receive power when the
Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8). Since ubi maior minor cessat (where there is
the greater, the lesser ceases [to speak]), we will do nothing more here than
repropose some of the Pope’s passages in this regard, with an invitation to
everyone to read the full text of the Message, which is available in various
languages on the Vatican official website
1. “You shall be my witnesses” – The call of every Christian to bear witness to Christ
This is the
central point, the heart of Jesus’ teaching to the disciples, in view of their
being sent forth into the world. The disciples are to be witnesses of Jesus,
thanks to the grace of the Holy Spirit that they will receive. Wherever they go
and in whatever place they find themselves. Christ was the first to be sent, as
a “missionary” of the Father (cf. Jn 20:21), and as such, he
is the Father’s “faithful witness” (cf. Rev 1:5). In a similar
way, every Christian is called to be a missionary and witness to Christ.
And the Church, the community of Christ’s disciples, has no other mission
than that of bringing the Gospel to the entire world by bearing witness to
Christ. To evangelize is the very identity of the Church.
A deeper look at
the words, “You shall be my witnesses”, can clarify a few ever timely aspects
of the mission Christ entrusted to the disciples. The plural form of the verb
emphasizes the communitarian and ecclesial nature of the disciples’ missionary
vocation. Each baptized person is called to mission, in the Church and by the
mandate of the Church: consequently, mission is carried out together, not
individually, in communion with the ecclesial community, and not on one’s own
initiative. Even in cases where an individual in some very particular situation
carries out the evangelizing mission alone, he must always do so in communion
with the Church which commissioned him. […]
In addition, the
disciples are urged to live their personal lives in a missionary key:
they are sent by Jesus to the world not only to carry out, but also
and above all to live the mission entrusted to them; not only
to bear witness, but also and above all to be witnesses
of Christ. In the moving words of the Apostle Paul, “[we are] always
carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be
manifested in our bodies” (2 Cor 4:10). The essence of the mission
is to bear witness to Christ, that is, to his life, passion, death and
resurrection for the love of the Father and of humanity. […]
Missionaries of
Christ are not sent to communicate themselves, to exhibit their persuasive
qualities and abilities or their managerial skills. Instead, theirs is the supreme
honour of presenting Christ in words and deeds, proclaiming to everyone the
Good News of his salvation, as the first apostles did, with joy and boldness.
In the final
analysis, then, the true witness is the “martyr”, the one who gives his or her
life for Christ, reciprocating the gift that he has made to us of himself. “The
primary reason for evangelizing is the love of Jesus which we have received,
the experience of salvation which urges us to ever greater love of him” (Evangelii
gaudium, 264).
Finally, […] the testimony of an authentic Christian life is fundamental for the transmission of the faith. On the other hand, the task of proclaiming Christ’s person and the message is equally necessary. […] In evangelization, then, the example of a Christian life and the proclamation of Christ are inseparable. One is at the service of the other. They are the two lungs with which any community must breathe, if it is to be missionary. This kind of complete, consistent and joyful witness to Christ will surely be a force of attraction also for the growth of the Church in the third millennium. I exhort everyone to take up once again the courage, frankness and parrhesía of the first Christians, in order to bear witness to Christ in word and deed in every area of life.
2. “To the ends of the earth” – The perennial relevance of a mission of universal evangelization
In telling the
disciples to be his witnesses, the risen Lord also tells them where they are
being sent: “…in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the
earth” (Acts 1:8). Here we clearly see the universal character of
the disciples’ mission. We also see the “centrifugal” geographical expansion,
as if in concentric circles, of the mission, beginning with Jerusalem, which
Jewish tradition considered the centre of the world, to Judea and Samaria and
to “the ends of the earth”. The disciples are sent not to proselytize, but to
proclaim; the Christian does not proselytize. The Acts of the Apostles speak of
this missionary expansion and provide a striking image of the Church “going
forth” in fidelity to her call to bear witness to Christ the Lord and guided by
divine providence in the concrete conditions of her life. Persecuted in
Jerusalem and then spread throughout Judea and Samaria, the first Christians
bore witness to Jesus everywhere (cf. Acts 8:1, 4).
[…]
For all the benefits of modern travel, there are still geographical areas in which missionary witnesses of Christ have not arrived to bring the Good News of his love. Then too no human reality is foreign to the concern of the disciples of Jesus in their mission. Christ’s Church will continue to “go forth” towards new geographical, social and existential horizons, towards “borderline” places and human situations, in order to bear witness to Christ and his love to men and women of every people, culture and social status. In this sense, the mission will always be a missio ad gentes, as the Second Vatican Council taught. The Church must constantly keep pressing forward, beyond her own confines, in order to testify to all the love of Christ. Here I would like to remember and express my gratitude for all those many missionaries who gave their lives in order to “press on” in incarnating Christ’s love towards all the brothers and sisters whom they met.
3. “You will receive power” from the Holy Spirit – Let us always be strengthened and guided by the Spirit.
When the risen
Christ commissioned the disciples to be his witnesses, he also promised them
the grace needed for this great responsibility: “You shall receive power when
the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8).
According to the account in Acts, it was precisely following the descent of the
Holy Spirit on the disciples that the first act of witnessing to the crucified
and risen Christ took place. That kerygmatic proclamation – Saint Peter’s
“missionary” address to the inhabitants of Jerusalem – inaugurated an era in
which the disciples of Jesus evangelized the world. Whereas they had previously
been weak, fearful and closed in on themselves, the Holy Spirit gave them the
strength, courage and wisdom to bear witness to Christ before all. […] The
Spirit, then, is the true protagonist of mission. It is he who gives us the
right word, at the right time, and in the right way. […]
The same Spirit
who guides the universal Church also inspires ordinary men and women for
extraordinary missions. Thus it was that a young French woman, Pauline Jaricot,
founded the Society for the Propagation of the Faith exactly two hundred years
ago.[1]
[…]
In this regard,
I think too of the French Bishop Charles de Forbin-Janson, who established the
Association of the Holy Childhood to promote the mission among children […]. I
also think of Jeanne Bigard, who inaugurated the Society of Saint Peter the
Apostle for the support of seminarians and priests in mission lands. […] It was
also under the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit that Blessed Paolo
Manna, born 150 years ago, founded the present-day Pontifical Missionary Union,
to raise awareness and encourage missionary spirit among priests, men and women
religious and the whole people of God. […]
Dear brothers and sisters, I continue to dream of a completely missionary Church, and a new era of missionary activity among Christian communities. I repeat Moses’ great desire for the people of God on their journey: “Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets!” (Num 11:29). Indeed, would that all of us in the Church were what we already are by virtue of baptism: prophets, witnesses, missionaries of the Lord, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to the ends of the earth! Mary, Queen of the Missions, pray for us!
Useful points to consider:
Catechism of the Catholic Church
662 “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw
all men to myself.” The lifting up of Jesus on the cross signifies and
announces his lifting up by his Ascension into heaven, and indeed begins it.
Jesus Christ, the one priest of the new and eternal Covenant, “entered, not
into a sanctuary made by human hands. . . but into heaven itself, now to appear
in the presence of God on our behalf.” There Christ permanently exercises his
priesthood, for he “always lives to make intercession” for “those who draw near
to God through him”. As “high priest of the good things to come” he is the
centre and the principal actor of the liturgy that honours the Father in
heaven.
665 Christ’s
Ascension marks the definitive entrance of Jesus’ humanity into God’s heavenly
domain, whence he will come again (cf Acts 1:11); this humanity in the meantime
hides him from the eyes of men (cf Col 3:3).
666 Jesus Christ,
the head of the Church, precedes us into the Father’s glorious kingdom so that
we, the members of his Body, may live in the hope of one day being with him for
ever.
667 Jesus Christ, having entered the sanctuary of heaven once and for all, intercedes constantly for us as the mediator who assures us of the permanent outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
SIXTH
SUNDAY OF EASTER (YEAR C) – 22/05/2022
Saint Rita of
Cascia, widow and nun; Blessed Joseph Quintas Duran, layman and martyr
Beatification of Pauline-Marie
Jaricot, Foundress of the Society of the Propagation of the Faith and The
Living Rosary
Acts 15:1-2, 22-29; Ps 67; Rev 21:10-14,
22-23; Jn 14:23-29
O God, let all the nations praise you!
COMMENTARY
The
sixth Sunday of Easter this year falls on a very special day for the Pontifical
Mission Societies and the missionary world in general. It is the day of the
beatification of Pauline Jaricot, founder of the Pontifical Society for the
Propagation of the Faith (PSPF), the first of the four Mission Societies,
founded exactly 200 years ago in Lyon, France. On this unique occasion, we
offer a special meditation by Fr. Tadeusz Nowak, PSPF secretary general, whom
we sincerely thank:
In these days of
Easter joy, the Church proclaims the victory of God; victory of sin and death;
victory over the eternal enemy of the human race; victory in the Paschal
Mystery accomplished in the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Soon
after the first proclamation of the Gospel, the Church experienced inexplicable
growth among the children of Israel, the first to hear and receive the Good
News. In fact, all of the disciples and all of the Apostles were faithful
members of the Jewish community of the 1st century throughout the Mediterranean
basin and throughout the Roman Empire. Indeed, Jesus Risen from the dead was
being proclaimed as the Messiah; the one foretold by all of the prophets and
confirmed by the Sacred Scriptures. Therefore, it was only natural that the
first disciples believed that to be a
faithful follower of the Risen Messiah (Christ-in Greek), one should fervently
practice one’s faith handed down by Moses and the Prophets.
It is
not surprising, therefore, that the fist major crisis that the Church was faced
with was not persecution, but what to do with those who were not Jews, but upon
hearing the proclamation of the Gospel, accepted Jesus as the true Messiah and
wanted to be Baptised into the Paschal Mystery. One traditional faction
insisted that these “God fearers” should first be catechised into the Law of
God left by Moses and, after accepting all of the precepts, including
circumcision, could be legitimately Baptised into the Faith.
The
other minority faction saw the great works of the Holy Spirit present in the
hearts, minds and actions of the pagans who professed faith in Christ. This
faction was convinced that all that was needed is adherence to the teachings of
Jesus, faith in his Paschal Mystery and the practice of self-giving love –
modelled on the love of Christ – in those who would be Baptised.
This
resulted in a major crisis that had to be resolved by a council of the Apostles
in Jerusalem. This is what we hear in the first reading. In the end, those who
were not Jews, but had faith in God and in Christ, Risen from the death, were
only asked to abstain from Idol worship, consuming blood and pagan sexual
practices. They were obliged to follow the teachings of Christ and, above all,
the practice of authentic and active self-giving love (charity) among themselves
and in their extended community. In other words, they were called to love, not
only their brothers and sisters in the faith, but even their enemies, as
preached by Jesus, who forgave his persecutors from the Cross.
As
Jesus tells his disciples during the last Supper recounted by St. John in
today’s Gospel passage: “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will
love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him”. The Law of
Moses was crucial for the preparation of the coming of the Messiah. He has now
arrived and fulfilled the Law and the Prophets and has left us with His life
giving word and the gift of the Holy Spirit, which transforms us into members
of His very body and expression of His love present in the world in the lives
of his disciples.
This
is why St. John, on the island of Patmos, saw the New Jerusalem in a vision –
the new city of God. In that city there was no temple, because the Risen Lord
is the eternal temple of God. “I saw no temple in the city for its temple is
the Lord God almighty and the Lamb. The city had no need of sun or moon to
shine on it, for the glory of God gave it light, and its lamp was the Lamb.”
This
was revolutionary. It provided the occasion for releasing the mission of the
Church from a localized ethnic religious community, to all peoples – ad gentes
– even to the far corners of the earth. Indeed, this was the final exhortation
of Jesus before he Ascended to the right hand of the Father: “go and make
disciples of all of the nations baptising them in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. It is now wonder that Pope Frances frequently
reminds us that the Church exists for mission – to evangelize!
Today
the Church will beatify Pauline Marie Jaricot, in her home town of Lyon,
France. Lyon is an ancient Christian city that rejoices in countless martyrs in
the early days, including its second bishop, St. Irenaeus, Father and Doctor of
the Church. It is a city that has suffered much violence, especially after the
Reformation and during the French Revolution. Today it stands as a testimony to
the providential love of God that triumphs over hatred, jealousy and ignorance
by the eternal love of Christ made manifest in the Church, especially in her
saints!
Pauline
Jaricot is being beatified, proclaimed blessed and sharing in the fullness of
life in the Kingdom of God. She is now officially proclaimed worthy of
imitating and as someone close to God to whom she can intercede for us by her
prayers. Pauline is a saint for our time. Her story is one of profound
inspiration especially for us with 21st century sensibilities.
She
was born into a family that was well off, but very faithful in the practice of
the Faith. Her father owned a silk factory in Lyon and the family did not suffer
want for food or shelter.
In
her childhood and early youth, Pauline had not inclination for the more
profound practice of the Faith. In fact, she herself recalled how attracted she
was to the latest fashions, social gatherings and very worldly interests. But
when she turned 16 she suffered a serious accident while doing household
chores. She broke her leg, which became infected and was not healing very well.
She was sent to the country to rest and recover and at that very time her
mother died! She suffered both physical, emotional and spiritual distress. In
fact, she could have fallen into despair. But, one Sunday she went to Mass and
listened to a sermon the passing and fleeting things of this world and their
vanity.
A
profound change took place in her heart, which transformed her life completely.
She re-started her practice of sharing in the sacraments and soon developed a
deep desire for union with Christ in prayer and concern for Him in the poor of
Lyon. She put away her fine cloths and took on the apparel of the poor She
would go out to meet the poor on the streets; the poor ravaged by the
Industrial Revolution; the sick and abandoned. She went out to care for them.
Soon she heard from her brother who was studying to be a missionary priest. He pleaded
with her to do something for the missions, where the Church is experiencing a
severe lack of support, both spiritual and material, faced with the task of
proclaiming the Gospel to those who had never heard it before and with
establishing the Church in the far corners of the world.
Pauline
came up with a simple plan – a true inspiration – to form circles of ten for
prayer and donating 1 penny a week for the missions. This was a simple plan
that blossomed into a world-wide network of prayer and charity. The Society of
the Propagation of the Faith was found by Pauline 200 years ago (1822). One
hundred years ago it was proclaimed “Pontifical” by Pope Pius XI (1922),
extending its reach to the whole universal Church. Pauline later founded the
Living Rosary and spent her fortune to establish a factory where there would be
living wages, a human work schedule with free days every week for the workers
to attend to their families and to Christian worship. Sadly, she was exploited
by unscrupulous administrator and lost everything. In the end she had to enrol
in the poor list of Lyon and died penniless and almost forgotten. But her life
was one of total dedication to Christ and His Church. She made a private vow of
virginity when she was 17th (on Christmas Day!) and led a life of
deep prayer (adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Rosary…). She gathered like
minded women and even formed a kind of community in her family home for mutual
support in Christian living. Her sensibility to the poor and the exploited and
to those who had not yet heard the Gospel makes someone with thoroughly
contemporary sensibilities, even though she lived over 200 years ago!
Today
we give thanks to God for raising up a great witness to the selfless love of
Christ, Risen from the death. May Blessed Pauline Marie Jaricot intercede for
all of us engaged in the service of the mission of the Church. May her example
inspire us to go the “extra mile” and think more of the needs of the missions
than the needs of our immediate surrounding, home parish, city, diocese and
country. May she be bright light to guide to the One she loved with all of her
heart, mind and soul – Jesus Christ, the one and only Saviour of the world!
5th SUNDAY OF EASTER (YEAR C) - 15/5/2022
Acts 14:21b-27;
Ps 144; Rev 21:1-5a; Jn 13:31-33a, 34-35
COMMENTARY
The Newness of Love
After
the Good Shepherd speech last week, the Gospel of this fifth Sunday of Easter
brings us back to the Upper Room to listen to Jesus’ last words to his
disciples before his Passion. It is the beginning of the so-called Farewell
discourse of Jesus during the Last Supper in the Gospel of John. The
context, therefore, makes the teaching He left to his own even more
significant, almost like a spiritual testament. This is particularly true with
the brief instruction we have just heard, which Jesus wanted to impart before
all other things. It is therefore necessary to return to the mystical
atmosphere of that evening, to listen carefully to His every word, so that we
may understand the full significance of the recommendation on love Jesus left
to his disciples, who are called to continue his mission in the world.
1. “I give you a new commandment” – The Two Aspects
of Newness
Why does Jesus define his commandment of love as new (“I
give you a new commandment: love one another”)? It will never be superfluous to
clarify and deepen what this newness consists of. We know that in the Old
Testament it is already recommended to love God with all one’s heart and to
love one’s neighbor as oneself (cf. Dt 6:4-5; Lev 19:18). Jesus himself put
these two recommendations together into a single reality, when answering the
question of his interlocutors concerning the first commandment, that is, the
most important one of the Law. It is therefore a precept already asked by God
of his people. Nevertheless, Jesus now emphasizes that his word is a new
commandment. From the context of his words, at least two aspects seemingly
indicate the newness.
Firstly, the newness consists of the measure of love, which
will be Jesus himself. In fact, he explains it immediately further: “As I have
loved you, so you also should love one another.” As we have seen from our
previous comments for the Sacred Triduum and also for the last Sunday of the
Good Shepherd, this love of Jesus is beyond measure, even until the Cross,
offering his own life for the love of his “sheep”, and enduring adversity,
misunderstanding, death. This love, as he himself affirms in the Last Supper,
is the greatest one: “No one has greater love than this: to lay down one’s life
for one’s friends” (Jn 15:13) (“friends”, here in the sense “loved ones”). And
his disciples are now asked to love one another, following their divine Master.
If the above-mentioned thought is often underlined in
various comments, the second aspect, that of newness, seems little
contemplated. Namely, Jesus declares his commandment new, because it is the
foundation of the new covenant founded on his sacrifice. As the ancient law was
connected with the covenant on Sinai between God and his people, now the new
law, which is inaugurated with the new covenant in the blood of Christ on
Calvary, will have this new commandment at its heart. Humanity enters the era,
in which, as we heard in the second reading, “The One who sat on the throne
said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’” (Rev 21:5a). In other words, the
commandment is new, because the covenant is new, as the authoritative exegete Raymond
Brown explains. It is no coincidence that Jesus’ teaching is given precisely in
the Last Supper in which he institutes the Eucharist, the bloodless rite of the
new covenant in his death. And it will not be accidental that Jesus gave the
commandment of love to his own after proclaiming openly the hour of his “glorification”
and departure. It is therefore necessary to enter into the reality of the new
covenant of Jesus; indeed, it is necessary to immerse oneself totally in his death
and in his blood, as in baptism, to understand correctly and live intensely the
new commandment that he gave to his intimate disciples, the most faithful ones.
(We recall that Jesus began this Farewell Discourse after Judas Iscariot
had went out).
From
this point of view, the love recommended here is not just a moral imperative.
It is, above all, a gift flowing from the source of divine grace of the new
covenant. Every disciple is called to live always in Jesus and in his love for us,
in order to be able to love others, not according to human logic, but as he
loved us. Here, we now understand the touching insistence of Jesus during
that Supper: “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love.”
(Jn 15:9).
2. «Love one another» - The Three Dimensions
and a Particular Accentuation of Christian love
The love Jesus recommended to his own in that intimate
moment of the Last Supper reflects all of his teaching on the subject.
Moreover, it reflects his whole life which was a great fulfillment and realization
of divine love. Overall, we can see the three dimensions of the love taught and
practiced by Jesus, who revolutionized the world.
There is, firstly, the universal dimension of
Christian love: loving everyone, making oneself close to all the needy, like
the Good Samaritan in the parable of the same name, without closing oneself in
one’s own social or ethnic group. Secondly, the love Jesus taught also includes
the extreme action of loving even the enemies, those who harm us, who “complicate
our life”. Finally, as we have in today’s Gospel passage, Jesus recommends
mutual love among his disciples. And it is precisely on this last dimension
that Jesus placed particular emphasis at the beginning of his Farewell Discourse.
The emphasis on mutual love between Jesus’ disciples
must be grasped in all its strength, for a correct understanding and the right
implementation of his teaching. In fact, in just two sentences, Jesus repeats
three times: “Love one another”. As if that were not enough, he will return to
the theme later in the Farewell Discourse (cf. Jn 15:12), after having
invited the disciples to remain in his love for them. So, we can glimpse here
the heart of Jesus, all worried about whether his disciples continue to love
one another, after he departs “from this world to the Father” (Jn 13:1). This
is now the only focus on love that the disciples will have to practice. The
teaching here is not about the universal boundless love, nor about the heroic
love for enemies, but only about the mutual love between the disciples of the
one Master.
Obviously, it is not a recommendation of an exclusive
or, worse still, closed love (between the members of the same group). The love
Jesus teaches is always inclusive. However, just such inclusive love now asks:
how is your love for your brothers and sisters in Christ? O Christian, disciple
of Christ, if you are ready to love all humanity, indeed all your enemies, as
the Master recommends, why don’t you also love those who are Christians like
you, disciples of Christ like you? Why don’t you love your brother or sister,
as Christ loves them, going beyond the law of antipathy / sympathy, differences
of opinion, difficulties of character, offenses against you? (Why don’t you
have love for those with whom you may attend the same church, with whom you
approach the same Holy Communion?). Kyrie eleison!
Therefore,
the insistence on mutual love between Christians is very relevant even today,
as it was so already yesterday and the day before yesterday, so much so as to
cause such great concern for Jesus. Perhaps it is necessary to pray ever more
strongly to Christ, the source of Love, for the grace of brotherly love, of
unity in love between us, Christ’s disciples. This will be the hallmark of the
new life in the new covenant. It will also be fundamental to genuine Christian
witness in the world, as Christ has revealed to us.
3. «This is how all will know that
you are my disciples»
The revelation of Christ on brotherly love between the
disciples in reference to its “missionary” impact is very interesting. In the
light of what has been meditated above, the disciples’ mutual love actually
reflects that of Jesus for them, which, for its part, reflects the love of God
the Father for and in Jesus. The disciples therefore do nothing but communicate
to all the primary love of God, now revealed in Christ. With this in mind, the
apostle John wrote to the members of his community: “No one has ever seen God.
Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to
perfection in us” (1 Jn 4:12).
It is therefore precisely the divine “communional”
love, which must now shine forth in the community of believers, precisely to
make the presence of God and Christ “tangible”. Not the miracles performed, nor
the greatness of charitable actions, nor the powerful preaching, but the simple
communion of love that one must have for the other in Christ, will be the
distinctive sign of Christians in the world and at the same time the strength
of attraction to Faith. For this, Jesus himself prayed to the Father
insistently for the unity and love of his disciples of all times before the
Passion according to John’s Gospel.
Let us not tire, therefore, of listening again to this
touching prayer of Christ, the same one already mentioned at the end of last
Sunday’s meditation. Let us listen to it now in the perspective of the new
commandment of love, to ask God the Father together with Christ for the grace
to love one another, as he has loved us:
“[Father]
I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through
their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in
you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.
And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are
one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one,
that the world may know that you sent me , and that you loved them even as you
loved me. (...) Righteous Father, the world also does not know you, but I know
you, and they know that you sent me. I made known to them your name and I will
make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in
them.” (Jn 17:20-23, 25-26).
Useful points to consider:
JOHN PAUL II, Apostolic Letter On the Permanent Validity of the
Church’s Missionary Mandate, Redemptoris Missio
15. The kingdom
aims at transforming human relationships; it grows gradually as people slowly
learn to love, forgive and serve one another. Jesus sums up the whole Law,
focusing it on the commandment of love (cf. Mt 22:34-40; Lk 10:25-28). Before
leaving his disciples, he gives them a “new commandment”: “Love one another;
even as I have loved you” (Jn 13:34; cf. 15:12). Jesus’ love for the world
finds its highest expression in the gift of his life for mankind (cf. Jn
15:13), which manifests the love which the Father has for the world (cf. Jn
3:16). The kingdom’s nature, therefore, is one of communion among all human
beings-with one another and with God.
The kingdom is
the concern of everyone: individuals, society, and the world. Working for the
kingdom means acknowledging and promoting God’s activity, which is present in
human history and transforms it. Building the kingdom means working for
liberation from evil in all its forms. In a word, the kingdom of God is the
manifestation and the realization of God’s plan of salvation in all its
fullness.
23. (…)John is
the only Evangelist to speak explicitly of a “mandate,” a word equivalent to “mission.”
He directly links the mission which Jesus entrusts to his disciples with the
mission which he himself has received from the Father: “As the Father has sent
me, even so I send you” (Jn 20:21). Addressing the Father, Jesus says: “As you
sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world” (Jn 17:18). The
entire missionary sense of John’s Gospel is expressed in the “priestly prayer”:
“This is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ
whom you have sent” (Jn 17:3). The ultimate purpose of mission is to enable
people to share in the communion which exists between the Father and the Son. The
disciples are to live in unity with one another, remaining in the Father and
the Son, so that the world may know and believe (cf. Jn 17:21-23). This is a
very important missionary text. It makes us understand that we are missionaries
above all because of what we are as a Church whose innermost
life is unity in love, even before we become missionaries in word or
deed.
FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER (YEAR C) - 8/5/2022
Our Lady of the Holy
Rosary, Pompeii; Saint Otger of Utrecht, missionary deacon; Saint Wiro of
Utrecht, missionary bishop
Acts 13:14, 43-52;
Ps 100; Rev 7:9, 14b-17; Jn 10:27-30
We are his people, the sheep of his flock
COMMENTARY
The Good Shepherd-Lamb in mission
The
fourth Sunday of Easter is also called “of the Good Shepherd”, and the readings
and prayers of the liturgy are focused precisely on this beautiful image of
Jesus. For this reason, since 1964 following a decision by Pope Saint Paul VI,
this Sunday is the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, for those who have
received the call to follow Jesus, the High Priest and Good Shepherd. In this
perspective, today many parishes and dioceses around the world organizes the
collection for the universal solidarity fund of the Pontifical Society of St.
Peter the Apostle (PSSPA) for the formation of priests and consecrated persons,
through the support of seminaries and novitiates in the mission territories
with their candidates and formators. Thus, every faithful participates
actively, with prayer and concrete contribution, in the evangelization mission
of the Church, concretely in caring for vocations and formation of new good
priests - shepherds with the “odor of the sheep” in the footsteps of Christ the
Good Shepherd (Pope Francis, Chrism Mass,
Homily, Saint Peter’s Basilica,
Holy Thursday, 28 March 2013).
In such
a context, today’s Mass readings help us to reaffirm and deepen at least three
important aspects of the mission of Christ the Shepherd, a model, according to God’s
will and example, of all the shepherds of God’s people.
1. The
particular relationship between Jesus and his sheep
The Gospel passage today is very concise, but full of implications.
It represents a kind of summary of Jesus’ earlier discourse in the Fourth
Gospel around his self-declaration “I am the good shepherd” (Jn 10:11, 14).
Responding now to the Jews who ask for a definitive manifestation of his
messianic identity, Jesus simply reaffirms a fundamental characteristic of the
relationship between him and his sheep: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them,
and they follow me” (Jn 10:27). The words here echo what Jesus said earlier in
his self-declaration of being a good shepherd, as in the acclamation before the
Gospel: “I am the good shepherd, [says the Lord,] and I know mine and mine know
me” (Jn 10:14).
Here, the verb “to know” in the Biblical-Jewish
language denotes a knowledge that is not so much intellectual (to have
information about something) as existential, as is the relationship between
husband and wife. It is about intimate and integral mutual knowledge, a knowing
that implies loving and belonging to one another. Precisely for this reason,
when Jesus declared that he was a good shepherd, he explained further that “A
good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (Jn 10:11b, 15b). He does this,
because he knows his sheep, that is, he loves them deeply, more than his
own life.
Furthermore, the knowledge between Jesus and his sheep
is paralleled with that between Jesus and God the Father. He affirms, in fact, “I
know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father”
(Jn 10:14b-15). The relationship between Jesus the Good Shepherd and his
disciples is therefore placed in comparison with the mystical reality of
intimate knowledge between the two divine Persons. So, on the one hand, here we
can glimpse the depth of the knowledge-love Jesus has for his sheep, like that
which Jesus has for the Father! Jesus actually states elsewhere, “As the Father
loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love “(Jn 15: 9). On the other hand,
when Jesus affirms that his sheep know him, we can ask ourselves whether our
knowledge for Jesus is actually comparable to that between the Father and
Jesus. The statement, therefore, can also be seen as an implicit invitation to
Jesus’ “sheep” for a serious self-examination of whether and how much they know
their Shepherd and recognize his voice in the midst of the noises all around.
Since one never runs out of all the riches of the mystery of Christ, the
commitment to grow more and more in the knowledge of the Shepherd, who knows
and loves them to the point of giving his life for them, remains always relevant
for the sheep of all times. (Significant in this regard is Jesus’ reproach to
Philip, one of his close disciples: “Have I been with you for so long a time
and you still do not know me, Philip?” (Jn 14: 9). These words are also valid
for every disciple who follows him).
With regard to the relationship between Jesus and his
sheep, we should finally recall the mysterious affirmation of Jesus himself alluding
to his universal mission: “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.
These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one
flock, one shepherd.” (Jn 10:16). Thus, Jesus the good shepherd always goes
beyond any usual “fence” to gather and guide the other scattered sheep who await
his voice. He always goes on a mission, following God’s plan revealed through
the prophet Isaiah on the vocation of the Servant of God: “I will make you a
light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth”
(Is 49:6). These are the words that the apostles of Jesus like Paul and
Barnabas recalled to begin proclaiming the Gospel to the pagans (cf. Acts
13:47), as we heard in the first reading. They were missionaries who continued
the mission of Jesus the good shepherd!
2. I
Give Them Eternal Life
Reaffirming the particular relationship with his
sheep, Jesus states further his special care which comes from such knowledge
and love: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can
take them out of my hand” (Jn 10:28). The eternal life mentioned here does not
designate a future reality only after death. It indicates life in
communion with Jesus and with God, which begins already in the present and will
continue into eternity. So much so that Jesus underlines, “Amen, amen, I say to
you, whoever believes has eternal life.” (Jn 6:47). Similarly, “Amen,
amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has
eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to
life” (Jn 5:24). Moreover, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has
eternal life” (Jn 6:54).
From these quotations, especially the last one, we see
another fundamental aspect of the eternal life Jesus gives to his sheep. That
“eternal life” is exactly Jesus’ own life He offers, as made explicit in the
declaration of the good shepherd mentioned above (“A good shepherd lays down
his life for the sheep” [Jn 10:11b, 15b]). Therefore, Jesus also made himself a
sacrificial lamb to give his life to his sheep and lead them “to springs of
life-giving water” (Rev 7:17), as the second reading reminds us.
Jesus is the shepherd who not only knows the odor of
the sheep, but has also made himself one of them, to share everything of life
with them, everything including death! This is what is stated for the figure of
Christ the high priest: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to
sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every
way, yet without sin” (Heb 4:15).
This
strong bond between Jesus the good shepherd and his sheep will be the reason
why “no one can take them out” (Jn 10:28) of his hand and of Father’s hand.
Just as Saint Paul the Apostle expresses the same concept with moving inspired
words starting from a rhetorical question: “What will separate us from the love
of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness,
or peril, or the sword? No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly
through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor
angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers,
nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from
the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:35, 37-39).
3. The
Father and I Are One
After reiterating the two fundamental aspects of the special
bond between Jesus the Shepherd and his sheep, Jesus finally reveals his
particular union with God the Father: “The Father and I are one” (Jn 10:30).
The quoted statement seems to have little relevance to
the good shepherd theme discussed so far. However, it actually turns out to be
the apex of Jesus’ self-revelation regarding his identity in general, and his “mission”
as a shepherd in particular.
He is the good shepherd, just as God is the good
shepherd of his people (cf., for example, Ez 34; Ps 23). Their unity and
communion of operation, intention, love is emphasized. And this unity and
communion Jesus now desires also for all his disciples-sheep, especially for
those called, like Peter and others, to the mission of shepherding his sheep.
Indeed, he implored the Father, “so that [his disciples] may be one, as we are
one” (Jn 17:22).
Let
us therefore listen again, in conclusion, to this moving voice of Christ, who
prays to the Father for us, his sheep, so that we may feel and know more and
more his heart, the heart of the good shepherd, all zealous for the mission of
the Father: “[Father!] I pray not only for them, but also for those who will
believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father,
are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe
that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may
be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to
perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me , and that you loved
them even as you loved me”(Jn 17:20-23).
Useful points to consider:
JOHN PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation on the Formation of
Priests in the Circumstances of the Present Day, Pastores Dabo Vobis
18. As the
Council points out, “the spiritual gift which priests have received in
ordination does not prepare them merely for a limited and circumscribed
mission, but for the fullest, in fact the universal, mission of salvation to
the end of the earth. The reason is that every priestly ministry shares in the
fullness of the mission entrusted by Christ to the apostles.” By the very
nature of their ministry they should therefore be penetrated and animated by a
profound missionary spirit and “with that truly Catholic spirit which
habitually looks beyond the boundaries of diocese, country or rite to meet the
needs of the whole Church, being prepared in spirit to preach the Gospel
everywhere.”
23. (…) The gift
of self, which is the source and synthesis of pastoral charity, is directed
toward the Church. This was true of Christ who “loved the Church and gave himself
up for her” (Eph. 5:25), and the same must be true for the priest. With
pastoral charity, which distinguishes the exercise of the priestly ministry as
an amoris officium, “the priest, who welcomes the call to ministry, is in a
position to make this a loving choice, as a result of which the Church and
souls become his first interest, and with this concrete spirituality he becomes
capable of loving the universal Church and that part of it entrusted to him
with the deep love of a husband for his wife.” The gift of self has no limits,
marked as it is by the same apostolic and missionary zeal of Christ, the good
shepherd, who said: “And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must
bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one
shepherd” (Jn. 10:16).
32. Membership
in and dedication to a particular church does not limit the activity and life
of the presbyterate to that church: A restriction of this sort is not possible,
given the very nature both of the particular church and of the priestly
ministry. In this regard the Council teaches that “the spiritual gift which
priests received at their ordination prepares them not for any limited or
narrow mission but for the widest scope of the universal mission of salvation ‘to
the end of the earth’ (Acts 1:8). For every priestly ministry shares in the
universality of the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles.”
It thus follows
that the spiritual life of the priest should be profoundly marked by a
missionary zeal and dynamism. In the exercise of their ministry and the witness
of their lives, priests have the duty to form the community entrusted to them
as a truly missionary community. As I wrote in the encyclical Redemptoris Missio, “all priests must
have the mind and heart of missionaries open to the needs of the Church and the
world, with concern for those farthest away and especially for the non -
Christian groups in their own area. They should have at heart, in their prayers
and particularly at the eucharistic sacrifice, the concern of the whole Church
for all of humanity.”
If the lives of
priests are generously inspired by this missionary spirit, it will be easier to
respond to that increasingly serious demand of the Church today which arises
from the unequal distribution of the clergy. In this regard, the Council was
both quite clear and forceful: “Let priests remember then that they must have
at heart the care of all the churches. Hence priests belonging to dioceses
which are rich in vocations should show themselves willing and ready, with the
permission or at the urging of their own bishop, to exercise their ministry in
other regions, missions or activities which suffer from a shortage of clergy.”
JOHN PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation on the Bishop,
Servant of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the Hope of the World, Pastores
Gregis
22. (…)
Communion, in its Trinitarian source and model, is always expressed in mission.
Mission is the fruit and the logical consequence of communion. The dynamic
process of communion is favoured by openness to the horizons and demands of
mission, always ensuring the witness of unity so that the world may believe and
making ever greater room for love, so that all people may attain to the
Trinitarian unity from which they have come forth and to which they are
destined. The more intense communion is, the more mission is fostered,
especially when it is lived out in the poverty of love, which is the ability to
go forth to meet any person or group or culture with the power of the Cross,
our spes unica and the supreme witness to the love of God, which is also
manifested as a universal love of our brothers and sisters.
66. In sacred
Scripture the Church is compared to a flock ‘‘which God himself foretold that
he would shepherd, and whose sheep, even though governed by human shepherds,
are continuously led and nourished by Christ himself, the Good Shepherd and the
Prince of Shepherds’’. Does not Jesus himself call his disciples a pusillus
grex and exhort them not to fear but to have hope (cf. Lk 12:32)?
Jesus often repeated this exhortation to his disciples: “In the world you will
have fear; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world!” (Jn 16:33).
As he was about to return to the Father, he washed the feet of the Apostles and
said to them: “Let not your hearts be troubled,” and added: “I am the way... No
one comes to the Father, but by me” (cf. Jn 14:1-6). On this “way” which
is Christ, the little flock, the Church, has set out, and is led by him, the
Good Shepherd, who, “when he has brought out all his own, goes before them, and
the sheep follow him, for they know his voice” (Jn 10:4).
In the image of
Jesus Christ, and following in his footsteps, the Bishop also goes forth to
proclaim him before the world as the Saviour of mankind, the Saviour of every
man and woman. As a missionary of the Gospel, he acts in the name of the
Church, which is an expert in humanity and close to the men and women of our
time. Consequently, the Bishop, with the strength which comes from the
radicalism of the Gospel, also has the duty to unmask false conceptions of man,
to defend values being threatened by ideological movements and to discern the
truth. With the Apostle he can repeat: “We toil and strive, because we have our
hope set on the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, especially of those
who believe” (1 Tim 4:10).
The Bishop’s
activity should thus be marked by that parrhesía which is the fruit of
the working of the Spirit (cf. Acts 4:31). Leaving behind his very self
in order to proclaim Jesus Christ, the Bishop takes up his mission with
confidence and courage, factus pontifex, becoming in truth a ‘‘bridge’’
which leads to every man and women. With the burning love of a shepherd he goes
out in search of the sheep, following in the footsteps of Jesus who says: “I
have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also and they
will hear my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd” (Jn
10:16).
PAUL VI, Radio Message
for the 1st World Day of Prayer for Vocations, April 11, 1964
“Pray the Lord of the harvest to send
laborers” for his Church (cf. Mt 9:38).
Casting an
anxious gaze over the endless expanse of green spiritual fields, which all over
the world await priestly hands, the heartfelt invocation to the Lord springs
from our soul, according to Christ's invitation. Yes, today as then, “the
harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few” (ibid. 9:37): few, compared to
the increased needs of pastoral care; few, in the face of the needs of the
modern world, in the face of its quivers of restlessness, its needs for clarity
and light, which require teachers and fathers who are understanding, open,
updated; few, yet, in the face of those who, although distant, indifferent, or hostile,
still want in the priest a living irreproachable model of the doctrine, which
he professes. And above all these priestly hands are scarce in the mission
fields, wherever there are people to catechize, to help, to console.
Therefore, may
this Sunday, which in the Roman Liturgy takes the name of the Good Shepherd
from the Gospel, see united in a single heartbeat of prayer the generous hosts
of Catholics from all over the world, to invoke from the Lord the workers
necessary for his harvest.
THIRD
SUNDAY OF EASTER (YEAR C) - 1/5/2022
Acts 5:27b-32, 40b-41;
Ps 30; Rev 5:11-14; Jn 21:1-19
COMMENTARY
Restarting
from the Essential
It is
significant that on the third Sunday of Easter we hear the story of the third
apparition of the risen Christ in the Gospel of John, as the evangelist himself
points out: “This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples
after being raised from the dead.” It will also be the last episode of Jesus
with his followers in the fourth Gospel, which, however, states at the end: “There
are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described
individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would
be written” (Jn 21:25). This statement implicitly includes, on the one hand,
other Jesus’ actions / apparitions not mentioned in the book, and on the other,
it highlights the exemplary importance of everything that the evangelist has
chosen to pass on to posterity. This is particularly true for this third and
last “manifestation” of the Risen One according to the Johannine chronology.
Through the subtle details of Jesus’ encounter and dialogue with Peter, the story
transmits some fundamental messages on Peter’s apostolic vocation, through
which one can also glimpse the essence of the missionary life of the disciples
of the Risen One in every age.
1. By “a Charcoal Fire”
The circumstances of this third apparition, which the
evangelist calls a “manifestation” of Christ, are very curious. Every detail is
unique, sui generis, with a strong spiritual symbolism to meditate,
scrutinize, taste. The disciple, author of the story, seemed to constantly
carry in his heart that unforgettable encounter with the risen Master, so that
he recounted it with such precision in detail and at the same time with
incredible spiritual richness. I would very much like to share with you all the
literary-theological subtleties of this Gospel narrative, because they are very
beautiful and allow you to experience more the encounter of the Risen One with
his disciples. However, to save you time, I will focus only on one point: the
presence of “a charcoal fire” in the setting of the episode. This apparently
casual and insignificant mention is very interesting in two respects.
First of all, the evangelist reports that after the
miraculous catch of fish, “when they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal
fire with fish on it and bread.” It is therefore the fire with which Jesus
prepared for his disciples a breakfast of roasted fish with bread. Indeed, He,
as narrated in the Gospel, explicitly invited them “Come, have breakfast” and,
probably to the most fearful ones, “Jesus came over and took the bread and gave
it to them, and in like manner the fish.” By the way, we see here for the only
time in the Gospels a Jesus the cook, a Jesus who cooked for his own disciples.
Furthermore, the fact that they ate fish in the morning should not surprise or
shock anyone, especially those accustomed to a light breakfast with coffee and
biscuits, because this is still the case in many Asian cultures (and
elsewhere). Indeed, roasted fish (with bread or rice) will even be a sign of a
festive solemn breakfast.
Can we
see in the story some allusion to the “Eucharistic” supper, where the gesture
of Jesus (“[He] took the bread and gave it to them”) is the same as during the
Last Supper? Maybe yes, but maybe not (because the similarities are rather too
vague). In any case, the third apparition / manifestation of the Risen One thus
has at its center a convivial meal, that of sharing and communion between him
and his closest disciples. In this perspective of “communion”, it seems
significant that for the meal, even if Jesus had already prepared everything
necessary, fire, fish, bread, he still invited the disciples to contribute with
what they had taken, following his indication: “Bring some of the fish you just
caught!” Moreover, before Jesus had even asked them cordially, “Children, have
you caught anything to eat?”, as if He totally depended on the result of their
work. This was in order to push them to start again with a new fishing
(otherwise, everyone would have remained with an empty stomach). The fishermen
of Galilee are invited to participate again in the communion of intentions, of
action, of life with the risen Master, to continue the mission of miraculous catches
under his guidance (from a distance) and to then share with him the
extraordinary fruit of their effort: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever
believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than
these, because I am going to the Father.” (Jn 14:12). The sharing of food
indicates the sharing of life and mission.
The
mention of “a charcoal fire” seems to have another even more important function
for what follows in the story, namely for the famous conversation between Jesus
and Simon Peter, “when they had finished breakfast”. This expression,
curiously, occurs only once more in the Gospel of John, in the episode of Peter’s
triple denial during the passion of Jesus: “Now the slaves and the guards were
standing around a charcoal fire that they had made, because it was cold,
and were warming themselves. Peter was also standing there keeping warm.” (Jn
18:18). The two scenes therefore recall each other through this common and
exclusive image, a dejà vu not only for attentive readers of the Gospel
but also and above all for the protagonists of the story, Simon Peter first. On
the literary level, to connect the two episodes, the “charcoal fire” will be a
stronger sign than Jesus’ triple question to Peter to obtain a triple
confession of love, because the number three is simply a conventional symbol of
completeness. In other words, we should not say that, since Peter had denied
Jesus three times, he was asked three times about love. The intimate
conversation between Jesus and Peter after the meal is not a kind of acquitting
the due debt (as if Jesus were doing it according to logic: since you have denied
me three times, I must then make you confess as many times to settle the
score). Instead, it is the occasion that Jesus wants to create, so that Peter
can once again profess his love for Jesus, that love “damaged” by his denial by
a similar charcoal fire. This profession, which serves to reach a full
awareness of the true love Jesus asked for, will be fundamental for the
particular mission the Risen One will entrust to Peter.
2. “Do you love me more than these?”
Jesus’ three questions and Peter’s answers have been
the subject of many comments and in-depth studies since Christian antiquity.
Here too, for our brief reflection, I do not intend to give all the possible
explanations on the nuances of the two different words for the notion of love
used in the conversation between Jesus and Peter. I only focus on Jesus’ first
question, which in reality lies implied in the other two, as well as Peter’s
last answer which seems to mark the very culmination of his profession of love.
Opening the conversation, Jesus asked Peter, “Simon,
son of John, do you love me more than these?”. Peter is solemnly called by name
and “surname”, that is to say the mention of his father’s name. This way
recalls the solemn moment when Jesus praised Peter after his profession of faith
at Caesarea of Philippi (cf. Mt 16:17). Actually, the parallelism between the
two situations makes us understand the importance of the moment and of Jesus’ very
words to Peter: “Do you love me more than these?” As a matter of fact, this is
something that Jesus already required from all his followers during his public
ministry, when He declared, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not
worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of
me” (Mt 10:37). The “requirement” sounds even stronger in the Lucan version: “If
any one comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children,
brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” (Lk
14:26). Such exclusive love for Jesus is now required directly from Peter and,
in the context of the narrative, one is asked to love Jesus not only more than
all the other people around, but also all the things that Peter loved up until now, including his profession (“I am going
fishing”- said Peter at the beginning of the episode) and his own life.
It is no coincidence therefore, at the conclusion of Peter’s profession, that
Jesus revealed the future, “what kind of death he [Peter] would glorify God,”
where the expression thus formulated seems to imply martyrdom, that is
witness with life. It will be an exclusive love for Jesus that will lead him to
this end, to this “glorification to God,” which Peter failed to do in the past.
Peter understood his failure in love only after Jesus
had insisted for the third time. If, as Jesus declared, “no one has greater
love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn 15:13), and if
Peter had promised Jesus to give his life for him, Peter has failed not only in
keeping the promise but also failed in love. Therefore, we see a “distressed”
Peter in the end who responded with more humility, with a different formulation
from the previous ones, more “Christ-oriented” and not with so much self-confidence
“Yes, Lord”: “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
Only Jesus knows how much love a disciple has for him and how exclusive it is. And every disciple is called to recognize this truth, as Peter in this episode, in order to constantly renew his love for Jesus, who first loved his own disciples “to the end”, that on the cross. This is even more true for Peter to whom Jesus now wants to entrust the mission of taking care of all his sheep, literally to feed and to protect them from dangers. Apparently, Peter understood the Master’s intention well, because he will write later to the other “pastors” of the Church the moving exhortation regarding the true care of the flock entrusted according to the thought of Jesus, the “Supreme Shepherd” (cf. 1Pt 5:1-4). Furthermore, only such humble love, which lays on Jesus and His greatest Love, will give strength, wisdom, and courage to the disciple to bear witness to Christ, to speak of that Love to everyone, not with arrogance, but with humble firmness to “obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29), as Peter did in the passage heard today from the Acts of the Apostles.
3. “Follow me.” - the Last Call of the Risen One
It is significant that Jesus’ invitation to Peter to
follow Him only resounds at the end, after the renewal of love and the
revelation of Peter’s death. Moreover, if in the synoptic Gospels this explicit
imperative for Peter was made at the beginning of the public activities of
Jesus, in the Gospel of John it is found only here, during the last
manifestation of the Risen Christ. What does it mean?
From
the spiritual point of view, the vocation that Peter received in the past is
renewed even after Jesus’ resurrection, and this always in the sign of love. In
other words, in the communion with the Risen Christ Peter’s vocation was also
reborn and now entered the new dimension. It has been reconfirmed,
strengthened, rectified, and all this in view of the continuation of the
mission accomplished by Christ. This will also be the invitation of the Risen
Christ to all his missionary disciples of today to renew, indeed to found again
the exclusive love for Him. On this Sunday as every day of this Easter
season, it is necessary to truly re-enter a closer personal communion with the
risen Jesus in order to hear his voice in the heart which calls every disciple of
his by name and asks: “Do you love me more than these? Follow me.”
Useful points to consider:
POPE
FRANCIS, Christus vivit, Post-synodal
Apostolic Exhortation to Young People and to the Entire People of God:
1. Christ is alive! He is our hope, and in a
wonderful way he brings youth to our world, and everything he touches becomes
young, new, full of life. The very first words, then, that I would like to say
to every young Christian are these: Christ is alive and he wants you to be
alive!
Courageous missionaries
175. Filled with the love of Christ, young
people are called to be witnesses of the Gospel wherever they find themselves,
by the way they live. (…)
176. The importance of witness does not mean
that we should be silent about the word. Why should we not speak of Jesus, why
should we not tell others that he gives us strength in life, that we enjoy
talking with him, that we benefit from meditating on his words? Young people,
do not let the world draw you only into things that are wrong and superficial.
Learn to swim against the tide, learn how to share Jesus and the faith he has
given you. May you be moved by that same irresistible impulse that led Saint Paul
to say: “Woe to me if I do not proclaim the Gospel” (1 Cor 9:16)!
177. “Where does Jesus send us? There are no borders, no limits: he sends us everywhere. The Gospel is for everyone, not just for some. It is not only for those who seem closer to us, more receptive, more welcoming. It is for everyone. Do not be afraid to go and bring Christ into every area of life, to the fringes of society, even to those who seem farthest away and most indifferent. The Lord seeks all; he wants everyone to feel the warmth of his mercy and his love”. He invites us to be fearless missionaries wherever we are and in whatever company we find ourselves: in our neighbourhoods, in school or sports or social life, in volunteer service or in the workplace. Wherever we are, we always have an opportunity to share the joy of the Gospel. That is how the Lord goes out to meet everyone. He loves you, dear young people, for you are the means by which he can spread his light and hope. He is counting on your courage, your boldness and your enthusiasm.
Acts 5:12-16; Rev 1:9-11, 12-13, 17, 19; Jn 20:19-31
COMMENTARY
Resurrecting for the Mission: The Mission of the Sent
One of God and His Disciples
“Peace be with you.” These are the first words of
Jesus “on the evening of that first day of the week.” He appeared to his
disciples for the first time on the same day of resurrection, as the Gospel of
John tells us today. Again, according to the Gospel passage heard, the Risen
One greeted his disciples “a week later” with the same words, when he appeared
to them the second time in the same place. This “Peace be with you” thus
becomes the characteristic sign which, as seen also by the other Gospels,
unites the apparitions of the Risen One in a single great Paschal Event-Mystery
that the apostles experienced in the period from that memorable “first day” to
Jesus’ definitive return to the Father. An apparition is repeated, connected
and completed with the other. All happened in these intense days in which the
risen Christ communicated / gave his disciples the “first fruits” of the
resurrection, guiding them in the final preparation for their mission. And He
did this patiently as always, especially with the doubting disciples and the “hard
of heart” like the two of Emmaus or Thomas Didymus!
It was, therefore, a time of intense “missionary
formation” for the first disciples, and so it will be for us, his disciples of
today, who are called to live the Paschal Mystery ever more intensely and
deeply every day of this period, particularly every Sunday, that is to say
every “eighth day”, “day of the Lord”. The Easter Season is even spiritually a stronger
period than that of Lent. It must be experienced by the believers in daily life and in the liturgy
of this very special time, when the celebrations have an enormous richness of
prayers and biblical readings. Through them the risen and therefore living
Christ still wants to speak to the heart of all his disciples to prepare them
again for the mission.
In such
a missionary formation context, every phrase and action of the Risen One is of
fundamental importance. Leaving to attentive readers / listeners the pleasure
of deepening all the interesting aspects of today’s readings and Gospel, I will
focus only on three points starting from Jesus’ words and gestures in his first
appearance to the disciples.
1. “Peace
be with you”
It is the first gift, indeed the supreme one, of the
Risen One who communicates / transmits it to the disciples with his presence.
While resembling an ordinary greeting of that culture, this actually announces
the fulfillment of the mission, acclaimed during Jesus’ solemn entry into
Jerusalem before the Passion (which we celebrated and meditated on during Palm
Sunday). Where the Risen One is, there reigns his peace, that shalom gift of the Messiah which
indicates life with and in God, the source of all happiness, well-being and
joy. Now everything is truly accomplished with and in the presence of the Risen
Christ, who had confided to his disciples as a testament during the Last Supper
before his Passion and death: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled
or afraid.” (Jn 14:27). Thus, now, to his disciples gathered in the place
behind closed doors “for fear of the Jews”, as underlined in the Gospel
passage, Jesus reaffirms his gift: “Peace be with you,” so “Do not let your
hearts be troubled or afraid.” The Messianic peace begins with the inner peace
of the heart that the Risen One now gives to his disciples, so that they can
pass it on to others.
In this fulfillment perspective, not by chance but
precisely after the gift of peace, the Risen One shows the disciples the signs
of his Passion: “When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side
of him.” This seems to suggest that these wounds of Jesus are not only proofs
to recognize his identity, but also an indication or demonstration of the “means”,
indeed of the “price” with which he “purchased” the peace to be given now to
his disciples. “By his wounds we were healed” (Is 53,5), and by them we find
peace in God. They are signs of the messianic mission, accomplished in love and
fidelity, and will remain so for eternity in Jesus’ glorious body, according to
God’s wisdom. They are forever signs of divine love and mercy on a mission!
The gift of peace of the Risen One is fundamental for
the mission. It comes from the fact that Christ repeated the statement before
announcing the sending of his disciples: “Peace be with you. As the Father has
sent me, so I send you.” Precisely here, we see the phrase of peace is not a
simple initial greeting: the missionary mandate comes after the gift of peace.
For every disciple, therefore, it will always be useful, indeed necessary, to receive
the peace of the Risen One as a gift of communion with him, and to live with
and in it, in order to carry out that mission entrusted by him. This peace of
the Risen One will be the strength for the missionary disciples amidst human
weaknesses and adversities. Indeed, the relaunching of the mission starts with
a return to peace and intimate communion with the Lord. What has been said seems
banal and obvious, but it is very important not to neglect or underestimate it,
especially in the face of the frenetic pace of modern life and persecutions
against Christian mission. It is then especially true in this Easter Season, in
which the Risen One wants to communicate once again to all his disciples his peace, together with the other gifts
of his resurrection.
2. “…As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
After giving his peace, the Risen One solemnly
declares the missionary mandate to his disciples with a theologically profound
affirmation: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” On the one hand, the
beautiful chain of mission clearly emerges here: Father - Son - disciples. The
mission of the disciples therefore continues that of the Son and reflects it.
So much so that, as we heard in the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles,
Peter’s activities with the people’s reaction are described just like those of
Jesus in the Gospels: “Thus they even carried the sick out into the streets and
laid them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow
might fall on one or another of them. A large number of people from the towns
in the vicinity of Jerusalem also gathered, bringing the sick and those
disturbed by unclean spirits, and they were all cured.” (Acts 5:15-16)
On the other hand, with the words “as ..., so (also)…”
a dizzying comparison is highlighted: the divine mission Christ fulfilled now
passes to the disciples who will be the plenipotentiary envoys of the Son, as
the Son was the exclusive one sent, on whom the Father had “set his seal” (cf.
Jn 6:27; 1:18). The sending of the apostles by the risen Christ finds its model
and its raison d’être in the sending
of the Son by the Father: this is an original thought of John’s Gospel, as the
exegete Raymond Brown noted. As the Son is the face and image of the Father, so
his missionary disciples now represent the Son who sends them. For this reason,
Jesus himself had solemnly declared to his disciples in his farewell speech at
the Last Supper: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send
receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent myself.” (Jn
13:20).
This is a fundamental point of the Jewish shaliah (sending) institution, according
to which the one sent has all the “power” of the one who sends him, because the
one sent and the sender are a single juridical reality, which in the case of
Jesus is also true on an existential level: “The Father and I are one.” (Jn
10:30). Therefore, in fulfilling the mission entrusted to him by the Father,
Jesus announces: “Whoever sees me sees the one who sent me. (...) I did not
speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and speak.”
(Jn 12:45, 49).
Thus, now, what has been said about Christ’s faithful
union with the Father who sent him will be the ultimate measure for every
missionary disciple. In other words, the disciples sent now by Jesus will have
to ensure that everyone can see Jesus in them, as pointed out by the mentioned scholar
Raymond Brown. They will have to faithfully convey to others all the words of
the Master, so that all can feel and experience Jesus himself in them. This is
the lofty essence of the vocation of every missionary disciple of Christ,
called to be a faithful reflection of Christ in the world, indeed a revived
Christ, an alter Christus (another
Christ), according to the mystical and inspired expression of St. Paul the
apostle: “I have been crucified with Christ; yet I live, no longer I, but
Christ lives in me.” (Gal 2:19b-20a). And what St. Paul describes as a way of
life for the apostles-missionaries of his generation will be the primary task
of every missionary disciple of all times: “[We] always carrying about in the
body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in
our body (2Cor 4:10). It is the highest honor the disciples sent by Jesus have:
to make Him manifest through them and in them, just as he, sent by the Father,
made the Father known.
3. When he had
said this, he breathed on them and said to them,“Receive the holy Spirit.”
As suggested by the context and the conjunction phrase
(“When he had said this”), the proclamation of the sending of the disciples is
intrinsically connected with Jesus’ action to breath on them, giving them the
Holy Spirit, which is thus the Spirit of the Risen One, the Spirit of Jesus
himself. Here we witness the scene, called by some scholars the “Johannine
Pentecost”, which precisely marks the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the
disciples. This “Pentecost” in John’s Gospel recalls and is linked to that
described in the Acts of the Apostles, which however happens fifty days after
Easter. Here too, as with the resurrection and the apparitions of the Risen
One, we are dealing with the various manifestations of a single “divine
Mystery, which as such always remains elusive to the human mind,” as underlined
in my previous comment. Without going too far into the exegetical-theological
considerations on the subject, we will dwell only on some important points from
the spiritual perspective.
Despite the temporal difference due to the different
settings of the individual sacred authors, the two events actually underline a
single fundamental theological truth: the Holy Spirit is the gift of the Risen
One to his disciples sent by him into the world. What is described here in St.
John’s “Pentecost” actually reflects the content of Christ’s announcement to
the disciples before ascending to the Father in the Acts of the Apostles: “you
will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my
witnesses (...) to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8). And this announcement took
place on Pentecost day. (On the margin, I would strongly recommend all to read
Pope Francis’ Message for World Mission Day of this year 2022, which offers
reflections on the quoted Acts 1:8).
In his theological-spiritual sensitivity, St. John the
Evangelist puts the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the same first day of the
resurrection to exalt the importance of the event and of the gift. As well it emphasizes
more strongly the intrinsic connection between the resurrection of Christ and
the gift of the Spirit, between the risen Christ and the Spirit given to the
disciples sent by Christ to the mission. Furthermore, Jesus’ action of blowing
or emitting his breath on the disciples recalls that of God in the creation of the
first man, molded from the earth (cf. Gen 2:7: the LORD God formed the man out
of the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and
the man became a living being.) We therefore have here, with the Risen One, the
scene of the new creation of man or the creation of the new man. The disciples became
new human beings who carry within themselves the Spirit of the Risen One to
share it with others, thus making these recipients new in the Spirit who
purifies from sins. This is why here, in the Johannine “Pentecost”, the Risen
One connects the gift of the Spirit with the power to forgive sins: “Receive
the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you
retain are retained.” The positive and
negative formulation expresses the exclusive character of the remission of sins
in the Spirit, now entrusted to the disciples, called to carry out the mission,
that of Divine Mercy, just like Christ. All of this alludes to the reality of
baptism in water and in the Spirit for the remission of sins. This Gospel
message, therefore, appears quite fitting to celebrate both Divine Mercy Sunday
and, more traditionally, that of Dominica in albis “Sunday in white
[clothes]” for the newly baptized at Easter to mark the culmination of one-week
thanksgiving for the received grace of Baptism.
Finally, the fulfillment of Christ’s promises to the
disciples before the Passion regarding the Holy Spirit and the mission of the
disciples is emphasized. The Spirit is given to the disciples to enable them to
continue the same mission as Jesus and like Jesus. This is exactly what Jesus
said during the Last Supper: “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed [lit. constitute] you to go and bear fruit
that will remain.” (Jn 15:16). This apostolic-missionary “constitution” is
realized with and in the Spirit that Jesus communicates to the disciples after
the resurrection. It will therefore be important for us, today’s missionary
disciples, to let the Risen One mystically breathe his Spirit on us in this
Easter Season, in which the Mystery of Christ’s resurrection is still being fulfilled
for us. Let us listen to Pope Francis’ fundamental words in the aforementioned
Message for World Mission Day 2022:
Just as “no one
can say ‘Jesus is Lord’, except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor 12:3),
so no Christian is able to bear full and genuine witness to Christ the Lord
without the Spirit’s inspiration and assistance. All Christ’s missionary
disciples are called to recognize the essential importance of the Spirit’s
work, to dwell in his presence daily and to receive his unfailing strength and
guidance. Indeed, it is precisely when we
feel tired, unmotivated or confused that we should remember to have recourse to
the Holy Spirit in prayer. Let me emphasize once again that prayer plays a
fundamental role in the missionary life, for it allows us to be refreshed and
strengthened by the Spirit as the inexhaustible divine source of renewed energy
and joy in sharing Christ’s life with others.
EVENING MASS OF THE LORD’S SUPPER
Ex 12:1-8,11-14; Ps 116; 1Cor 11:23-26; Jn 13:1-15
Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ
Is 52:13-53:12; Ps 31; Heb 4:14-16; 5:7-9; Jn 18:1-19:42
Father, into your hands I commend my spirit
EASTER SUNDAY THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD
I: Gn 1:1-2:2; Ps 104; II: Gn 22:1-18; Ps 16; III: Ex 14:15-15:1; Ex 15:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 17-18; IV: Is 54:5-14; Ps 30; V: Is 55:1-11; Is 12:2-6; VI: Bar 3:9-15,32-4:4; Ps 19; VII: Ez 36:16-17a,18-28; Ps 42; Epistle: Rom 6:3-11; Ps 118; Lk 24:1-12
COMMENTARY
As we enter the Easter Triduum, I would like to remind what has been underlined
in the commentary for Palm Sunday: “[The liturgical celebration of the Holy
Week and Triduum] is not simply a remembrance of what happened in the past, but
a realization of the mystery of Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection for us
in the present. We are called to relive these events, to participate in them,
moreover, to die to ourselves for a new life in Christ and in God. It will
therefore be fundamental to listen attentively and humbly to the Word of God
that speaks abundantly to us (…) in the readings as well as in various liturgical prayers. It is also necessary to
have an attitude of personal reflection and meditation on what has been heard,
to enter into the depths of the mystery being celebrated.”
“The spiritual richness of Jesus’ Passion is immense
for Christian life and mission. What I share with you for these special days of
Holy Week is just some introductory notes, which hopefully may invite all to
deeper personal reflection and meditation upon its meaning for us.” Therefore,
my intention will simply be to let Jesus speak with His words and actions that
should be dear to every disciple of His.
That being said, I humbly lay out a few thoughts on Jesus’ last desire, last word, and last action which particularly struck me.
1. The Last Desire of Jesus (Holy Thursday)
On this holy
day, we enter into the mystery of the Eucharist’s institution with fresh memory
of what we have heard from the reading of Jesus’ Passion on Palm Sunday. From
the account of Saint Luke which was proclaimed in this liturgical year (C), a
detail gives us a glimpse of Jesus’ particular sentiment at the beginning of
the Last Supper. He said to his disciples: “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you
before I suffer, for, I tell you, I shall not eat it [again] until there is
fulfillment in the kingdom of God” (Lk 22:15-16). Here is his last desire
before His passion and death. It is expressed in a peculiar grammatical
structure of redundancy in the Greek original: epithymia epethymêsa (lit. “I desired the desire”). Such a
construction actually reflects the Hebrew/Aramaic way of speaking (that of
Jesus), used to emphasize a very strong desire of the heart – I desired fervently.
This phrase of Jesus, in its style, echoes the statement He made during
His public ministry: “There is a baptism with which I must be baptized,
and how great is my anguish until it
is accomplished!” (Lk 12:50). Here, too, we see Jesus’ mind and heart all
geared toward His passion and death as the culmination of His mission, that “hour”
when He will be baptized/immersed in blood, and drink the cup of the Father.
This ardent desire of Jesus to “eat” the Passover with his disciples comes from
his great zeal to faithfully fulfill the mission entrusted to Him by the Father.
On the other hand, contained in this desire is all the importance of the Last
Supper event, which is intrinsically linked with the moment of the Cross,
because at this meal Jesus will establish once and for all the Eucharist, the
rite of the New Covenant in His blood (cf. 1 Cor 11:25). It is, therefore, His
great desire that His “apostles” participate in His mission and Passion.
Everything is immersed in the perspective of the realization of the Kingdom of God. In fact, Jesus solemnly declares: “[Because] I shall not eat it [again] until there is fulfillment in the kingdom of God” (Lk 22:16) and, then, “from this time on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes” (Lk 22:18). These statements are mysterious in some ways, but they sound actually like a solemn oath of a consecrated person of God in making a vow to perform some sacred action (cf. Nm 6:2-4). Jesus, the anointed and consecrated one of God, will do everything, or rather, he will do the supreme act of all things, sacrificing Himself, for the coming of the Kingdom of God.
Will the disciples of that time have understood or sensed such a strong feeling of their Master and His zeal? And do we, His modern disciples, today as every time we are at the Eucharist (at Mass), feel such a burning desire of Jesus to eat this Passover with us? He still wants, mystically but always ardently, to have this Passover supper with His disciples in order to share again with each of them all of Himself, body, blood, life, passion, mission. To feel this desire of Jesus will surely be fundamental for each of His disciples to continue Jesus’ own mission with the same zeal to accomplish the will of the Father despite everything. “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes” (1Cor 11: 26).
2. The Last Word of Jesus (Good Friday) (and His Priestly Prayer)
“It is finished.”
(Jn 19:30). This is the last sentence of Jesus before he died according to the
passion account in the Gospel of John that we hear every Good Friday. In the
original Greek, it is a verb in the perfect, tetelestai, which literally means, “it has reached the end.” This
word is wonderfully connected (and perhaps intentionally by the evangelist)
with what was stated at the beginning of the account of the passion that we
heard in the Gospel of Holy Thursday: “Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew
that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father. He loved his own in
the world and he loved them to the end” (Jn 13:1).
The fulfillment of the whole mission of Jesus came under the sign of love. This is true both quantitatively (up to the last moment of life) and qualitatively (up to the supreme act of dying for his friends / loved ones). In Jesus on the cross, love has reached the height of its measure which is precisely love without measure (to repeat an aphorism of St. Augustine). From this perspective, we understand what Jesus himself had declared: “And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself” (Jn 12:32). His is the mission in love. Indeed, it is love in mission!
As the second reading of Good Friday reminds us, “[Christ, in fact,] in the days when he was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one [God] who was able to save him from death” (Heb 5:7). Of all these prayers, there is one particularly to meditate and repeat especially during the Holy Triduum. This is the so-called priestly prayer of Jesus in Jn 17 (which unfortunately is not read in the liturgy). It expresses the whole profound meaning of the passion and death of Jesus and, at the same time, reveals the whole missionary dimension of Jesus’ existence as well as the loving heart for his disciples of all times: that they may be united in love like him with the Father, so that the world may believe in him as the One sent by the Father. It will therefore be important for every missionary disciple of Jesus to put these words of the Master to heart, to learn them by heart, in order to pray with them often, particularly in these holy days.
3. The Last Act of Jesus (Waiting for the Resurrection)
Also in the Passion account according to St. John, after uttering the mentioned last word, “bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.” Here we have another theological subtlety to emphasize, even if some modern translations of the gospel do not highlight it. The phrase may simply indicate Jesus’ act of dying, exhaling His last breath (a simple “he expired”). Nevertheless, such a construction of the sentence also implies an action of giving/donating the spirit that is in Jesus. In the evangelist’s profound theological vision, Jesus’ last breath is His final action of handing over/giving/donating to the world, indeed to the universe, His own spirit for a new creation: “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev 21:5). As in the creation of the world, the Spirit of God swept over primordial and permeated the earth without form or shape (cf. Gen 1:1-2), so now from the height of the Cross on Calvary, the Spirit fills the universe once again, the one deformed now because of sins, to signal already the dawn of a new history, even if everything was still in darkness waiting for the Light that shines (just like at the beginning of the first creation).
(to be continued)
The Commemoration of the Lord’s Entrance into Jerusalem
Lk 19:28-40
At the Mass
Is 50:4-7; Ps 22; Phil 2:6-11; Lk 22:14-23:56
My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
COMMENTARY
The Heart of
Divine Mission
Palm
Sunday is also called Passion Sunday because “two ancient traditions shape this
unique liturgical celebration: the custom of a procession in Jerusalem, and the
reading of the Passion in Rome” (Homiletic
Directory 77). Therefore, the Church document continues, “The exuberance
surrounding Christ’s regal entry immediately gives way to the reading of one of
the Songs of the Suffering Servant and the solemn proclamation of the Lord’s
Passion.” Thus, we immediately enter into the atmosphere of Holy Week - the
events of Jesus’ last week in Jerusalem - which is the culmination of his
earthly life and the very core of his divine mission.
In this regard, as the above directory emphasizes, “In
the liturgical celebrations of the coming week we do not simply commemorate
what Jesus did; we are plunged into the Paschal Mystery itself, dying and
rising with Christ.” In other words, it is not simply a remembrance of what
happened in the past, but a realization of the mystery of Jesus’ passion, death
and resurrection for us in the present. We are called to relive these events,
to participate in them, moreover, to die to ourselves for a new life in Christ
and in God. It will therefore be fundamental to listen attentively and humbly
to the Word of God that speaks abundantly to us today, and in the coming days,
in the readings as well as in various liturgical prayers. It is also necessary
to have an attitude of personal reflection and meditation on what has been
heard, to enter into the depths of the mystery being celebrated.
The Passion of Jesus, his suffering, death and
resurrection was the center of the first Christians’ proclamation, because it
is the heart of his divine mission, so much so that the Gospel has been
elegantly called “the Passion narrative with a long introduction.” In the
Passion, the mission God entrusted to his Son, by sending him into the world,
is ultimately fulfilled. It is also the starting point for the mission that
Jesus now entrusts to his disciples, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you,”
(Jn 20:21) said the risen Christ to his disciples.
Therefore, the spiritual richness of Jesus’ Passion is immense for Christian life and mission. What I share with you for these special days of Holy Week is just some introductory notes, which hopefully may invite all to deeper personal reflection and meditation upon its meaning for us. For this Palm Sunday, three aspects are particularly significant to keep in mind, starting with an evocative image: Jesus on a colt.
1. The Colt of Jesus
For the triumphal entry into Jerusalem as the Messiah-king, Jesus chose to ride a colt. Some might ask why not a horse to emphasize the royal, victorious and powerful character. The answer is found in Sacred Scripture. As Matthew’s gospel points out, “This happened so that what had been spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled: ‘Say to daughter Zion, ‘Behold, your king comes to you, meek and riding on an ass, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden’” (Mt 21:4-5, quoting Zec 9:9). Jesus’ choice, therefore, wants to emphasize the fulfillment of the messianic era already foretold and, at the same time, to emphasize meekness, and not power, as his distinctive character in realizing the divine plan. His victory will never be that of violent domination that annihilates enemies, but that of meek and merciful love that raises all to the new life in God.
Accordingly, if the horse is an animal associated with wartime, the donkey/colt is an animal of everyday life in times of peace. Thus, Jesus’ image on the colt signals another fundamental characteristic of the new messianic era that He now establishes. It is peace, that Shalom in Hebrew, which means not only the absence of war, but also, and above all, life in full harmony with God, from whom all happiness, well-being, and prosperity come. As the evangelist Luke notes, the crowd accompanying Jesus proclaimed, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest."
2. The Fulfillment of His Mission of Peace
Jesus is the
King of Peace, or “Prince of Peace”, to use the title given by the prophet
Isaiah to the child born for the salvation of the people (cf. Is 9:5ff.; also Zec
9:10). In this regard, here are the truly profound words of Saint Paul the
Apostle, inspired by his meditation on the passion and death of Christ: “But
now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have become near by the blood of
Christ. For he is our peace, he who made both one and broke down
the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh, abolishing
the law with its commandments and legal claims, that he might create in himself
one new person in place of the two, thus establishing peace,
and might reconcile both with God, in one body, through the cross, putting that
enmity to death by it. He came and preached peace to you
who were far off and peace to those who were near, for
through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father” (Eph 2:13-18).
Jesus’ mission, therefore, is the one that God declared through the prophet Jeremiah, “For I know well the plans I have in mind for you – oracle of the LORD – plans for your welfare [shalom] and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope” (Jer 29:11). That is why, when Jesus sent his disciples, he instructed them to say as a greeting, “Peace to this household” (Lk 10:5). And the risen Christ himself greeted his disciples in the same way, “Peace be with you.”
3. The Mission Continues
Jesus, the true peacemaker, blesses his disciples who work for peace, the genuine divine peace that starts with a heart reconciled to God (cf. Mt 5:9). And for peace, Jesus, the Messiah-king, sacrificed himself to make everyone choose life in God over death. In a world still torn asunder by violent conflicts and senseless wars to assert power and dominance, the time has come for us, Jesus’ disciples, to proclaim him as “our peace” even more loudly and convincingly than we already may do. Indeed, he always remains our one and only genuine peace to be shared with all. The fruit of Christ’s mission is lasting peace, now entrusted to his missionary disciples, and, in mystery, made real and present in this Holy Week of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus.
Useful points to consider:
CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
559 How will Jerusalem welcome her Messiah? Although
Jesus had always refused popular attempts to make him king, he chooses the time
and prepares the details for his messianic entry into the city of “his father
David” (Lk 1:32; cf. Mt 21:1-11; Jn 6:15.). Acclaimed as son of David, as the
one who brings salvation (Hosanna means “Save!” or “Give salvation!”), the “King
of glory” enters his City “riding on an ass” (Ps 24:7-10; Zech 9:9). Jesus
conquers the Daughter of Zion, a figure of his Church, neither by ruse nor by
violence, but by the humility that bears witness to the truth (Cf. Jn 18:37) and so the subjects of his kingdom
on that day are children and God’s poor, who acclaim him as had the angels when
they announced him to the shepherds (Cf. Mt 21:15-16; cf. Ps 8:3; Lk 19:38; 2:14).
Their acclamation, “Blessed be he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Cf. Ps 118:26), is taken up by the Church in the
Sanctus of the Eucharistic liturgy that introduces the memorial of the Lord’s
Passover.
560 Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem manifested the coming of
the kingdom that the King-Messiah was going to accomplish by the Passover of
his Death and Resurrection. It is with the celebration of that entry on Palm
Sunday that the Church’s liturgy solemnly opens Holy Week.
1085 In the liturgy of the Church, it is principally his own Paschal mystery that Christ signifies and makes present. During his earthly life Jesus announced his Paschal mystery by his teaching and anticipated it by his actions. When his Hour comes, he lives out the unique event of history which does not pass away: Jesus dies, is buried, rises from the dead, and is seated at the right hand of the Father “once for all” (Rom 6:10; Heb 7:27; 9:12; cf. Jn 13:1; 17:1). His Paschal mystery is a real event that occurred in our history, but it is unique: all other historical events happen once, and then they pass away, swallowed up in the past. The Paschal mystery of Christ, by contrast, cannot remain only in the past, because by his death he destroyed death, and all that Christ is - all that he did and suffered for all men - participates in the divine eternity, and so transcends all times while being made present in them all. The event of the Cross and Resurrection abides and draws everything toward life.
St. Richard of Chichester, Bishop; Blessed Luciano Ezequiel and José Salvador Huerta-Gutiérrez, Laymen and martyrs
Is 43:16-21; Ps 126; Phil 3:8-14; Jn 8:1-11
The Lord has done great things for us
COMMENTARY
Misera et
Misericordia “The Misery and Mercy”
With this fifth Sunday of Lent, we are approaching the final phase of the Lenten Journey. It is actually the last “ordinary” Sunday of Lent, because the next one will be Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week, which culminates with the Easter Triduum. Therefore, we can already see on the horizon Easter, which celebrates Christ’s passage from death to life, from the world to the Father, with his triumph over death and sins. In this liturgical context, after having “tasted” the parable of the prodigal sons (yes, “sons” not “son,” because it also and above all concerns the eldest son, the one who is “near” to the Father), today we have another jewel of the Gospel narrative: the episode of the adulteress with Jesus. Here we have a “daughter” who returns to the Father’s presence, albeit in peculiar circumstances. The story is short, but with curious details, full of hidden theological and spiritual meanings. Let us rediscover these details to better understand Jesus and his mission, so that we may be fascinated and attracted even more by the Word of God, merciful and pitiful, slow to anger and great in love and forgiveness.
1. The Scene with the Woman “in the Middle” in the Context of Jesus’ Mission
To understand
the message of today’s Gospel episode, we need to clarify its literary context.
Although it occurs only in the Gospel of John, our passage with its concise and
lively style does not seem to belong to the fourth evangelist, but to the
Synoptics, particularly Saint Luke (cf. 7:36ff; 19:47-48; 21:37-38).
Nevertheless, the story fits well with what is before and after it in John’s
gospel. The overall literary context is the Feast of Tabernacles, which is a
grateful reminder of the time when the Israelites walked in the desert, living
in tents (tabernacles). They were accompanied then by the presence of God who
guided them with the pillar of cloud/fire day and night and granted them grace
upon grace, in particular water from the rock and manna from heaven. Jesus was,
at that time of the Feast, in Jerusalem celebrating with the people.
Immediately before the passage, we find the heated discussion between the Jews
and Jesus about His origin and that of the Messiah. On the last day of the Feast,
Jesus invites those who are thirsty to come to Him to drink, reiterating a
fundamental aspect of His mission, “Let anyone who thirsts come to me and
drink. Whoever believes in me” (Jn 7:37). Immediately
after our passage, Jesus declares He is the light of the world and confirms the
truthfulness of His testimony of Himself and of His divine origin. Such a
literary context with a clear messianic and missionary perspective should be
kept in mind, because it helps to better understand the meaning of Jesus’
action in our passage.
The description
of the initial scene of the story is very detailed and of great importance for
the unfolding of the episode, “Early in the morning he [Jesus] arrived again in
the temple area, and all the people started coming to him, and he sat down and
taught them.” Thus, Jesus is presented as a Teacher/Master in the Temple (as he
had been such since he was twelve years old; cf. Lk 2:41ff; 19:47; 20:1) and so
he will be called even by his “adversaries” in the story (“Teacher… So
what do you say?”). The moment is solemn, almost like that of a nowadays lectio magistralis: “in the temple… sat down… taught them”.
It is precisely while carrying out his mission to teach God’s words to the
people that “[the scribes and the Pharisees] brought a woman who had been
caught in adultery.” The case then is no longer just a case, to use a wordplay.
It becomes representative of the whole of Jesus’ teaching, a central
illustration of the essence of the message conveyed by God through Jesus, the
one God sent to the world.
In such a setting, the position of the woman is also significant: “[they] made her stand in the middle,” (of them). It looks like the indication of the place for the accused in court! The atmosphere then is that of a solemn judicial process or interrogation (cf. Acts 4:7). Perhaps this is an intentional emphasis, because it is repeated at the end of the episode (cf. v.9) where, curiously enough, the woman still stayed “in the middle,” even though those who had brought her and placed her there have already left. The woman therefore was and remained the accused, the guilty one, waiting for judgment.
2. The Scribes and the Pharisees’ Questioning and Jesus’ Mysterious Actions
The scribes and
the Pharisees asked Jesus for a judgment on this defendant “in the middle,” not
because they did not know what to do. On the contrary, they confirmed before
Him their judgment according to the Mosaic Law, “Teacher (…) in the law,
Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” The antithesis
between Moses and Jesus the Master is more than clear. The Law of Moses, that
is, the Law of God Himself, transmitted to Moses on Mount Sinai, prescribes
stoning without ifs or buts for such cases (cf. Lv 20:10; Dt 22:22-24; Ez
16:38-40). However, they wanted to hear Jesus’ own verdict, “what would be Your word of judgment?”
These scribes
and Pharisees knew God’s Law well,
and the intention was only to challenge Jesus, since He claims to be from God
and to know Him (cf. Jn 7:29; 8:55)! Far be it from us to make any hasty
judgment against them. On the contrary! They are not evil or ruthless persons, but
simply zealous for God and for His Law (like a certain Jew called Saul from
Tarsus). The clash here was not so much between these Jews and Jesus, but
between their knowledge of God
through the Law and that witnessed by the living Jesus. Attention then for each
of us: Learn zeal for God and His
Word, like the scribes and the Pharisees, but avoid their mistake of not
listening to Jesus, for He is now the only “interpreter” of the invisible God
and the full fulfillment of the divine Law (cf. Jn 1:18; Mt 5:17-18). So, you
too seek to know Jesus more and more through living in the spirit of constant
prayer (i.e., constant listening) in order to have true knowledge of God and
His law (acquired also through study). In this regard, perhaps we need to
meditate on the case of the Pharisee Saul who became Paul and re-read his
moving confession of Phil 3:8-14 in the second reading of this Sunday, “I
consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ
Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I
consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not
having any righteousness of my own based on the law but that which comes
through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God, depending on faith to know
him and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by
being conformed to his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the
dead.”
Returning to the
Gospel story, we note a curious action of Jesus in response to the scribes and
the Pharisees: he said nothing, just “bent down and began to write on the
ground with his finger.” It is the only New Testament passage that mentions
Jesus’ act of writing. However, one should avoid the speculation many have made
and continue to make, “What did he write?” Maybe the sins of each of the present
Pharisees and scribes? (This is hypothesis from the early centuries, evidenced
in some ancient manuscripts.) Their names? (as noted in Jer 17:13: “all who
forsake you [the Lord] will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will
be written in the dust because they have forsaken the LORD, the spring of
living water.” [New International Version])
In fact, it
seems that the Gospel text wants to emphasize the act and not what he
wrote. Therefore, only the action of
Jesus, described twice (vv.6.8) is important and must be contemplated together
with his word, in order to understand the meaning of the story and the reaction
of the Pharisees and scribes. As noted by some careful exegetes, Jesus’ action
of “writing with his finger” seems to reflect that of God himself on Mount
Sinai who wrote with his finger the Law for Israel. From this perspective,
Jesus’ bending down echoes that of God, who bent down to the earth from heaven.
Moreover, the repetition of the writing act seems to refer to God’s rewriting
of the tables of commandments, because they were shattered by Moses in the face
of the people’s sin of idolatry, in the episode of the golden calf! All these
details lead to grasp the main message of Jesus’ actions: He reminds all that
the true Lawgiver is God Himself who alone
has the competence to judge men and women. Indeed, Jesus acted now as and in
the place of God the Judge. He, therefore, launched a challenge to those who had
tested him, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a
stone at her” (because actually all have sinned, as seen in the
mentioned story of the golden calf). Everyone who feels like God, the only just
judge because he is without sin, let him do justice! In the words of Jesus, we
hear all the force of what Saint James would later say to some Christians,
admonishing them because they too loved to judge others (as if it were their
favorite sport!): “There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save or to
destroy. Who then are you to judge your neighbor?” (Jas 4:12). (Obviously, this
warning also applies to our examination of conscience in this last phase of
Lent for possible repentance!).
The scribes and the Pharisees, “in response, went away one by one”, because perhaps they had understood Jesus’ message well, expressed in unusual but eloquent words and gestures, “beginning with the elders” (not so much because they were more sinful, but perhaps because they were the first to understand, the wisest and most expert of Scripture).
3. The Misery Adulteress and Living Mercy
In this way, we
arrive at the end with a very evocative image. “So he was left alone with the
woman before him”, literally “in the middle.” As mentioned at the beginning,
the woman still remains “in the middle,” an accused person in court awaiting
judgment; but now there is only Jesus, the only divine judge. Thus, from a
spiritual point of view, St. Anthony of Padua, Doctor of the Church, “sees” the
woman standing “in the middle” between the mercy [of Jesus] and the justice [of
the Pharisees]. The Gospel scene is so beautiful that it inspired St. Augustine
to leave a wonderful laconic commentary, which has become famous: Relicti sunt duo, misera et misericordia! “The two of them alone remained: mercy
with misery” (also mentioned by Pope Francis in his Apostolic Letter Misericordia et misera).
Thus, in an
encounter perhaps never thought of and somehow “forced” by divine Providence,
the adulterous woman remained alone with Jesus the Master. She waited for a
word of judgment from the one whom she now calls Kyrios “Lord” (rather
than just a polite “Sir” in some modern English translations), with all respect
and perhaps already with some expression of faith and hope in Him. And Jesus’
answer was probably unexpected for her, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from
now on do not sin any more.”
The judgment is
pronounced within a cordial dialogue with the woman, in the manner of the
teachers of that time (“Where are they? […] No one!). Jesus’ judgment confirms
the announcement of his mission in Jn 3:16-17: the Son is sent by God not to
condemn but to save. The “I do not condemn” goes, however, with the command to
sin no more. The judge reveals Himself to be merciful in the face of human
misery, but at the same time uncompromising against sin, for He knows that sin
makes those who do it pay the consequences. Jesus’ recommendation should
therefore be understood as that to the lame man after his healing, “Do not sin
any more, so that nothing worse may happen to you” (Jn 5:14).
The Gospel of John does not tell us more about this nameless woman. She appears and disappears from the scene in the same way, suddenly and mysteriously. We know nothing about her future after she experienced the great “justice” of God in Jesus, a divine justice that reveals itself in reality as “love, mercy and fidelity” for the salvation of humanity. On the other hand, other gospels inform that among those who followed Jesus in his mission of evangelization there were also “some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities” (Lk 8:2). It would not be totally unreasonable to imagine the today’s adulteress among those faithful followers of the Messiah. (Some thought it was Mary of Magdala, who would later be called to become the first “apostle” [missionary] of the risen Christ). In any case, after “having been granted mercy” by Jesus, (or “[being] mercied”, to imitate a fine Italian neologism “misericordiata” of Pope Francis (cf. Regina Caeli, Church of Santo Spirito in Sassia, Sunday, 11 April 2021), she has certainly become a living witness and announcer of divine mercy among her people, just like the Samaritan woman after her “accidental” encounter with Jesus near the Jacob’s well (cf. Jn 4:5-30). It will also be an invitation for all of us as well as for every man and woman to take the same path, no matter how complicated the situation in which we find ourselves: to go to Jesus to experience divine mercy and then to witness to the world the Lord’s grace.
Useful points to consider:
Pope Francis, Penitential Celebration, Homily, (Vatican Basilica, Friday 29 March 2019):
Those
who came to cast stones at the woman or to accuse Jesus with regard to the Law
have gone away, having lost interest. Jesus, however, remains. He remains
because what is of value in his eyes has remained: that woman, that person. For
him, the sinner comes before the sin. I, you, each one of us come first in the
heart of God: before mistakes, rules, judgements and our failures. Let us ask
for the grace of a gaze like that of Jesus, let us ask to have the Christian
perspective on life. Let us look with love upon the sinner before his or her
sin; upon the one going astray before his or her error; upon the person before
his or her history. (…)
Without
God, we cannot overcome evil. Only his love raises us up from within, only his
tender love poured out into our hearts makes us free. If we want to be free
from evil, we have to make room for the Lord who forgives and heals. (…)
Confession is the passage from misery to mercy; it is God’s writing upon the
heart. There – in our hearts – we constantly read that we are precious in the
eyes of God, that he is our Father and that he loves us even more than we love
ourselves. (…)
It is
important to perceive God’s forgiveness. It would be beautiful, after
Confession, to remain like that woman, our eyes fixed on Jesus who has just set
us free: no longer looking at our miseries, but rather at his mercy. To look at
the Crucified One and say with amazement: “That’s where my sins ended up. You
took them upon yourself. You didn’t point your finger at me; instead, you
opened your arms and forgave me once again”. It is important to be mindful of
God’s forgiveness, to remember his tender love, and taste again and again the
peace and freedom we have experienced. For this is the heart of Confession: not
the sins we declare, but the divine love we receive, of which we are ever in
need. (…)Let us start over, then, from Confession, let us restore to this
sacrament the place it deserves in life and pastoral ministry!
Pope Francis, Angelus, (Saint Peter's Square, Fifth Sunday of Lent, 13
March 2016):
Only
the woman and Jesus remained: misery and mercy. How often does this
happen to us when we stop before the confessional, with shame, to show our
misery and ask for forgiveness! “Woman, where are they?” (v. 10), Jesus said to
her. This question is enough, and his merciful gaze, full of love, in order to
let that person feel — perhaps for the first time — that she has dignity, that
she is not her sin, she has personal dignity; that she can change her life, she
can emerge from her slavery and walk on a new path.
Dear
brothers and sisters, that woman represents all of us. We are sinners, meaning
adulterers before God, betrayers of his fidelity. Her experience represents
God’s will for each of us: not our condemnation but our salvation through
Jesus. He is the grace which saves from sin and from death. On the ground, in
the dust of which every human being is made (Gen 2:7), he wrote God’s sentence:
“I want not that you die but that you live”. God does not nail us to our sin,
he does not identify us by the evil we have committed. We have a name, and God
does not identify this name with the sin we have committed. He wants to free
us, and wants that we too want it together with him.
Saint Rupert, Bishop; Blessed Marie-Eugene of the Child Jesus, Carmelite priest and founder
Jos 5:9a,10-12; Ps 34; 2Cor 5:17-21; Lk 15:1-3,11-32
Taste and see the goodness of the Lord
COMMENTARY
The Return to the Joy of the Father
“The Fourth Sunday of Lent is suffused with light, a
light reflected on this ‘Laetare Sunday’ [‘Rejoice!’] by vestments of a lighter
hue and the flowers that adorn the church” (Homiletic Directory no.73). In
this context of joy for “the approaching Easter,” we rejoice as we listen again
to the famous parable, known as the parable of the prodigal son or that of the merciful
father. It is truly a gem of the Gospel narrative that, as a preacher once told
me, alone has provoked more conversions than all other rhetoric on the topic of
forgiveness. The risk, however, is this: we are so accustomed to the story line,
to the point that as soon as we hear the first phrase “A man had two sons,” we can
quickly jump to the well-known ending, turning off our attention, waiting
impatiently for the end of the Gospel’s proclamation!
However, every word of God proclaimed is never lifeless,
because it is the living God who speaks to the hearts of the faithful. It
contains ever new messages to every hearer who listens to God’s word with
faith, humility, and a pinch of healthy curiosity to understand more about some
aspects never before considered. Concretely, we can always learn something new
from this parable, if we examine its rich content in more detail. With a small
measure of curiosity, I ask, if “a man had two sons, (…) and the father divided
the property between them,” how much would the younger son have received? You could
think that each of them would have received half of their father’s estate, but
perhaps this was not the case. According to Jewish law, in such a situation,
the eldest son received two thirds for his primogeniture (cf. Deut 21,17), while the
younger son received only one third! Such a detail, now unearthed, may surprise
us and so encourage us to reflect more deeply and thoroughly upon this very
popular parable in order to discover some new perspectives on the three main
characters of the story. This is surely relevant for our Lenten conversion
journey this year.
1. The Younger Son’s Repentance
It is very beautiful and moving the return of the
younger son to his father after he squandered his inheritance on a life of
dissipation, far from his father’s house. (The distance is underlined with the
mention of “swine” in the place where the destitute prodigal son lived. He was
distant both geographically and spiritually from the land of Israel because
swine, considered unclean animals, were absent in the Jewish territories, emphasizing
the humiliation the younger son had to suffer, even to the point of denying the
tradition of his fathers for being forced to live with swine). It is therefore
edifying and encouraging to those who listen to the parable, for no matter how
far away we find ourselves from God, we can always return to the Father first
spiritually and then physically. The parable invites to “come (back) to our
senses” first and then to come back physically to God with a humble confession
of the sins we have committed: “I have sinned”.
However, the account subtly indicates that such
repentance of the prodigal son was not the result of his love for the father,
but simply because he was hungry, as he himself admitted: “here am I, dying
from hunger.” Yes, it is too banal, not very poetic, but cruelly true. The coming
of the younger son to his senses is due not to his heart full of love and
longing for the father, but to an empty stomach! Of course, that is fine too,
and far be it from us to make any hasty judgements about it. Indeed, sometimes
in life, Heaven, that is to say, the merciful God, has led many prodigal sons
and daughters to learn from their encounter with physical hunger. When they
reach rock bottom in their lives and their misery caused by themselves, this can
be the only way to start thinking about the essential things in life. Actually,
someone did share with me, “If I had not encountered such a critical situation
of total failure, I might never have made my conversion to God to live happily now
with Him and in His peace.” Therefore, we must always thank Heaven even for
every “hunger” we experience (like that of the parable). It will never be a
tragedy to be endured, but always an opportunity to be taken to our advantage. Help
us, Lord and Holy Father, to hear your call to return to You, especially when
we have nothing in our stomach!
Oddly, the younger son’s confession of sins appears to
be a rehearsed statement, even calculated, without too much emotion. He seemingly
memorized the “formula” and repeated it at the moment of the meeting with his
father, word for word: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I
no longer deserve to be called your son.” Interestingly, however, at the encounter
with the father, the younger son was unable to finish the speech he had
prepared with the final request: “Treat me as you would treat one of your hired
workers.” The father, in fact, immediately welcomed him, or rather absolved
him, and restored his filial dignity with the (finest) robe, a ring, and
sandals, without his asking for anything. The son’s repentance, though minimal
(perhaps very close to zero or, at any rate, far from perfection), found nevertheless
an unexpectedly generous response from his father who, just catching sight of
him from afar, “was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and
kissed him.”
What an emotional and touching scene! I seem to see
the image of the mystical encounter between the penitent and the merciful
heavenly Father in the sacrament of confession. This is how the love-filled
heart of God welcomes the return of his children, even when the repentance of
some penitents is just a repetition of a “formula” of contrition or act of
sorrow, like that of the prodigal son. It may be an imperfect act of repentance
which is done not out of love for God, but out of habit, or out of secondary
causes such as hunger or fear of punishment, but it is God’s great mercy that
always overwhelms our poor and imperfect sorrow. The younger son’s repentance is
certainly not at the center of the parable, but the generosity of the father
who wants only to “see” the presence of his son to embrace him with a heart
full of love, without judging whether he has returned with a sincere heart, or
whether he has truly repented!
2. The Father’s Merciful Love
The father’s generous and unconditional love for his
prodigal son emerges not only at the moment of their meeting, but even before.
The biblical text emphasizes, “While he [the younger son] was still a long
way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion…” How
is it that the father was able to see his son on the horizon on that exact day
and at that hour? Was it pure chance? Was the father tired that day or that
afternoon and went out to the front garden to rest, and saw his son return by
chance? Or maybe it was because since the son left him, every day the father went
outside the house and, constantly fixing his eyes in the direction in which his
son had travelled, waiting patiently for his return. Therefore, when the son
returned, the father was able to see him immediately, because he waited for
that instant every day. It seems to me, therefore, that the father’s merciful
love is expressed not only in the gestures of compassion and welcome when he
meets his son, but also, and above all, in his patient waiting for his return.
And with this I am thinking of God’s waiting in the person of the priest who
sometimes waits for hours and hours in the confessional without any penitent,
but precisely in that patient waiting for some “prodigal son or daughter,” the
confessor is demonstrating the heavenly Father’s patience. This is the mission
of Christ’s missionaries who are precisely missionaries of mercy. If not today,
perhaps someone will come [back] tomorrow; or, perhaps the day after tomorrow.
One day he/she will surely return!
Returning to the parable, the father’s mercy was shown
not only to the younger son, but also to the older son. Even the latter,
ironically, “return” home from the fields, but “on his way back, as he neared
the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the
servants and asked what this might mean.” A strange detail should be noted: the
eldest son did not want to go back into his house when he heard “the music and
dancing,” but called out a servant to find out what was happening. In all
likelihood, knowing his father, he had already guessed this was something to do
with his brother’s return. Indeed, after being informed, “He became angry, and
(…) he refused to enter the house.” And
it was here that the father showed all his patient love for this eldest son who
now became, in fact, the rebel: “His father came out and pleaded with him.”
This is a very unusual action in Jewish and generally Asian patriarchal culture
(as in my own Vietnamese culture), where the father only commands, and never
pleads with his children. Moreover, after the outburst of the eldest son
calling his brother derogatorily “your son,” the father did not get angry and
remonstrate with him for his lack of respect. Not only that, the father
continues to call this rebellious son of his “son” and patiently explains to
him the reason for the party. Indeed, to the eldest son who received two-thirds
of his estate, the father reiterates his generosity in giving him everything: “My
son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours.” This is the
mercy of the Father, slow to anger and great in love; He does not take into
account the offenses caused to Him and always keeps His heart open even to
those who, although close to Him, sometimes make Him suffer more than those who
are far away! This is the drama of the Father, the heavenly One, who never
loses patience while waiting for the return of His children, far and near. Let
us remember the beautiful observation of Pope Francis: “God never ever tires of
forgiving us, (…) but at times we get tired of asking for forgiveness,” and returning
to Him. (Angelus, Saint Peter’s Square, Sunday, 17 March
2013).
3. The Eldest Son and a Possible “Re-Entry” into the
Father’s Home
Like the parable of the barren fig tree we heard last
Sunday, today’s also has an open ending. After the father’s response with the
invitation to rejoice over his brother’s return, we do not know what the eldest
son’s reaction was. Did he, or did he not, re-enter the house? This is now the
question! Each listener to the story, by his or her own actions, will decide the
outcome. This is the subtle but urgent invitation that Jesus made through this
ending of the parable to all his direct interlocutors, who were “the Pharisees
and scribes [who] began to complain, saying: ‘This man welcomes sinners and
eats with them,’” because, as Saint Luke the Evangelist points out, “So to them
Jesus addressed this parable.” And right here, to return to the father’s house
as the younger son did, we need a change of mentality, a going beyond the usual
patterns of thought towards an evangelical conversion!
Among the Pharisees and scribes who were listening to
Jesus at that time, we do not know how many actually welcomed his invitation to
re-enter. Nevertheless, each one of us who listens to this parable today is
called to do so now, always mindful of a loving and compassionate Father who is
patiently awaiting the return of each of his children, far and near.
Useful points to consider:
POPE
FRANCIS, Angelus, (Saint
Peter’s Square, 4th Sunday of Lent, 6 March 2016):
During the Lenten itinerary, the Gospel presents
to us this very parable of the merciful Father, featuring a father with his two
sons. The story highlights some features of this father who is a man always
ready to forgive and to hope against hope. Especially striking is the father’s
tolerance before the younger son’s decision to leave home: he could have
opposed it, knowing that he was still immature, a youth, or sought a lawyer not
to give him his inheritance, as the father was still living. Instead, he allows
the son to leave, although foreseeing the possible risks. God works with us
like this: He allows us to be free, even to making mistakes, because in
creating us, He has given us the great gift of freedom. It is for us to put it
to good use. This gift of freedom that God gives us always amazes me!
But the separation from his son is only
physical; for the father always carries him in his heart; trustingly, he awaits
his return; the father watches the road in the hope of seeing him. And one day
he sees him appear in the distance (cf. v. 20). But this means that this
father, every day, would climb up to the terrace to see if his son was coming
back! Thus the father is moved to see him, he runs toward him, embraces him,
kisses him. So much tenderness! And this son got into trouble! But the father
still welcomes him so.
POPE
FRANCIS, General Audience, (Saint
Peter’s Square, Wednesday, 11 May 2016)
The elder son needs mercy too. The righteous,
those who believe they are righteous, are also in need of mercy. This son
represents us when we wonder whether it is worth all the trouble if we get
nothing in return. Jesus reminds us that one does not stay in the house of the
Father for a reward but because one has the dignity of being children who share
responsibility. There is no “bargaining” with God, but rather following in the
footsteps of Jesus who gave himself on the Cross without measure.
“Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to make merry and be glad” (vv. 31-32). The father speaks like this to the older son. His logic is that of mercy! The younger son thought he deserved punishment for his sins, the elder son was waiting for a recompense for his service. The two brothers don’t speak to one another, they live in different ways, but they both reason according to a logic that is foreign to Jesus: if you do good, you get a prize; if you do evil you are punished. This is not Jesus’ logic, it’s not! This logic is reversed by the words of the father: “It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found” (v. 32). The father recovered a lost son, and now he can also give him back to his brother! Without the younger, the elder son ceases to be a “brother”. The greatest joy for the father is to see his children recognize one another as brothers.
St. Claudia and her companions, Martyrs; St John Nepomucene, priest and martyr
Ex 3:1-8a,13-15; Ps 103; 1Cor 10:1-6,10-12; Lk 13:1-9
The Lord is kind and merciful
COMMENTARY
Called to Conversion
On
this Sunday we are approaching the middle of Lent and therefore also the center
of the whole Lenten journey. In this context, the Church’s Liturgy echoes in
today’s Gospel Jesus’ urgent call to conversion: “If you do not repent, you
will all perish” (Lk 13:3, 5). This phrase is repeated in the Communion
Antiphon of the Mass, to underline the importance of the theme on which every
Christian is called to reflect seriously, especially now, surrounded as we are
with the continuous tragic news of pandemics, wars, and innocent deaths.
In
today’s difficult circumstances, the merciful God gives us his Word to reflect
upon, in order to reach a true and effective conversion in our lives. In this
regard, we are given three urgent messages to consider.
1.
The Fig Tree in His Orchard: A Parable
for Reflection
The
parable of the barren fig tree is found only in St. Luke’s Gospel. It is quite
catchy, and every listener immediately understands its call for change in the
face of imminent danger. However, there are a few things to clarify for a proper
understanding and appreciation of this message.
First
of all, the account has an open ending, that is, we do not know what the fig
tree’s future will be. To bear or not to bear fruit, this is now the question, which
resonates with the existential doubt of Shakespeare’s Hamlet in the famous
quote “to be or not to be”. This open ending serves to invite each listener to
think, rethink, and decide on the fig tree’s future. In other words, the fig
tree represents you and me who are listening to the Word of God, proclaimed
today to each of us individually. Let us put aside, for a moment, our concern
for the salvation of others. Such care for others is holy, praiseworthy, and
indeed, very Christian, but completely out of place here, because the Word of
God is addressed to each of us personally – and not to our neighbors. Let us
rather ponder now upon our own personal conversion, and not on what the others
must do, in our opinion! At stake is our future.
Secondly,
the parable emphasizes the very special care for the fig tree by both
protagonists of the harvest, both the vineyard owner and the gardener. Here, we
must not be led into thinking of this as a conflict between the impatient “bad
guy” who just wants to cut down the “poor” fig tree, and the “good guy” who
intercedes for its survival. In this regard, the presence of the fig tree in
the vineyard should catch our attention. This remains a somewhat unusual image (even
though there were some rare cases of growing other trees in the vineyards in
ancient Israel). Such a fact underlines the special attention the vineyard
owner had for the fig tree, which normally would have to settle for a less
privileged place such as along a road or river. It is he, the vineyard owner, who
wanted the fig tree to be in the good soil of “his vineyard”, and he must
have let the tree “exhaust the soil” given over to his vines, because now it is
his fig tree, the one he loves.
With
this in mind, the expectation of the owner/planter who comes in search of fruit
on the fig tree is understandable, as a positive response to the special care
he has always had for it. His generous patience of waiting “three years” is admirable,
just as comprehensible the end of his patience when he tells the gardener, his
collaborator, to “cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?” Here, in the
dialogue between these two persons, we can paradoxically glimpse even more of the
attention reserved to the fig tree. The planter and the gardener are not
against each other. They are in close communion and collaboration from the very
beginning, during all three years, and even now, when a further special care is
proposed for another year: “I shall cultivate the ground around it and
fertilize it.” This is a truly extraordinary decision since usually a fig tree will
normally bear fruit in poor soil along the road even without fertilizer, but
here it is, in the good soil of the vineyard.
If the fig tree is you or
me who are listening to the Word, let us see and notice the special care and
concern God has for each of us throughout the years of our lives. We remember
all this now, so that we may feel the urgent need to return to the good God.
Everything else is just poetry.
2. YHWH “I-AM”: A Name to Remember
It is not by chance that the Church’s liturgy for
this Sunday of conversion invites us to listen again in the first reading to
the revelation of the Name of God. Here we have one of the most important
passages of Hebrew Scripture, if not the most important one, because for the
first time in history, God revealed his name: “I am who am,” or just “I-AM” which corresponds to the famous
Tetragrammaton YHWH (which is unpronounceable out of deep respect for God). In the
biblical-Jewish tradition a ‘name’ indicates nature, identity, and mission. In the context of the passage, God revealed
himself as the “Eternal-I-AM” who shows Himself full of attention and concrete care
for His people: “I have witnessed the affliction (…) and have heard their cry (…)
I know well what they are suffering. Therefore I have come down to rescue them (…)
and lead them out of that land into a good and spacious land.” In fact, this
revelation to Moses of the divine name, at the foot of Mount Horeb, that is
Sinai, is made complete by another revelation later. This happened after the exodus
from Egypt, on the top of the same mountain, when God, the Eternal-I-AM, at the
request of the same Moses, makes explicit his perennial essence in showing his
glory and proclaiming: “The LORD (YHWH), the LORD (YHWH), a God gracious and
merciful, slow to anger and abounding in love and fidelity” (Ex 34:6).
These words are
particularly meditated upon and memorized in the Jewish tradition. For example,
they are echoed in today’s Psalm: “Merciful and gracious is the LORD, / slow to anger and abounding in
kindness.” And what the Psalmist sings with love and gratitude will also be
true in the life of each one of us, his faithful: “He pardons all your iniquities, / heals
all your ills, / He redeems your life from destruction, / crowns you with
kindness and compassion.” Then, we all, too, can say to our souls in these
inspired words, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” Let us never
forget these words as we strive to return to the One who is Eternal-Love-Mercy.
3.
“Repent,
and Believe in the Gospel”: An Urgency to Be Accepted and Relaunched
The call to return to God becomes more urgent than
ever with the coming of Jesus and in his proclamation. Why? It is because his very
first words at the beginning of his public activities are, “This is the time of
fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand” (Mk 1:15a), or literally, [God’s
kingdom] has dynamically “drawn near” (rather a static “being at hand and passive”).
From that moment on, all humanity entered the so-called eschatological time,
that of the end-times, the time of final salvation. Therefore, completing the
sentence, Jesus exhorted, “Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mk 1:15b). Jesus’
teaching this Sunday must be received precisely in this context of the end-times,
which Saint Paul the Apostle understood and reiterated to the first Christians,
as we hear in the second reading, “These things [what happened with the People
who died in the desert] happened as examples for us, so that we might not
desire evil things, as they did. (…) and they have been written down as a
warning to us, upon whom
the end of the ages has come.”
Jesus’ heartfelt appeal for conversion at the end
of time actually echoes the constant desire of the merciful and compassionate
God who never wants the death of the wicked, but rather that they repent and
live (cf. Ez 18:23; 33:11). However, it should be clarified that, as we see
from the aforementioned first proclamation of Jesus, conversion is
intrinsically linked to faith in the Gospel, that is, a total adherence to the
good news of salvation offered by God in Jesus. It is not now a matter of the usual
human effort to turn away from a morally sinful life, but rather of a courageous
going beyond habitual patterns of thought (just as the etymology of the Greek
word for conversion “metanoia” indicates) to embrace the new life of
grace with and in Jesus. Such conversion is now a return, indeed a going
beyond, pleasing to God. This was at the heart of Jesus’ mission and of his
first disciples, and thus will remain at the center of the mission of his
faithful followers who are called to work always for the conversion of all to
God, starting from themselves. (Therefore, Blessed Paolo Manna, tireless
missionary and founder of the present Pontifical Missionary Union, proclaimed in
his days: “All the Churches for the conversion of the whole world” [the
sentence quoted also in the Encyclical Redemptoris Missio of St. John
Paul II]. In the spirit of that motto, we proclaim even now for a reawakening
of missionary zeal: “All our strength for the conversion of the whole world”).
“If you do not repent, you will all perish as they
did!” What Jesus said
to everyone is particularly addressed today to us, his disciples, committed to
carrying out his mission of evangelization. As a matter of fact, not just for
the fig tree, but for any barren tree, there will be a tragic end: “Every tree that does not bear good fruit
will be cut down and thrown into the fire” (Mt 7:19), as Jesus stated on
another occasion. He then continued with a terrible warning, which I recall
here with fear and trembling, a warning not just addressed his own disciples but
to us who try to do “great things” in his name. “Not everyone who says to me,
‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the
will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did
we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we
not do mighty deeds in your name?’ Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I
never knew you. Depart from me, you
evildoers’” (Mt 7:21-23). The good fruit that God expects above all is not so
much accomplished and wonderful actions, but our humble constant conversion to
believe and grow more and more in the knowledge of God the Father and Jesus,
the One He sent to us.
Finally, today’s exhortation of Jesus to conversion
in St. Luke’s Gospel is made immediately after his very harsh rebuke to those
who, though capable of foreseeing earthly phenomena, are incapable of spiritual
discernment of the signs of the times leading to right actions. “You
hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky;
why do you not know how to interpret the present time? “Why do you not judge
for yourselves what is right?” (Lk 12:56-57). Rooted in wisdom, this
exhortation to timely conversion is also a heartfelt call to interpret the
signs of the times with this same wisdom. Whoever has ears, let them hear! Let them
recognize God’s generosity in life and produce the fruit of conversion!
Useful points to
consider:
POPE FRANCIS, Angelus, (Saint Peter’s Square, 3rd Sunday of Lent, 24 March 2019):
And this vinedresser’s
likeness manifests the mercy of God who leaves us time for conversion. We all
need to convert ourselves, to take a step forward; and God’s patience and mercy
accompanies us in this. Despite the barrenness that marks our lives at times,
God is patient and offers us the possibility to change and make progress on the
path towards good. However, the deferment requested and received in expectation
of the tree bearing fruit also indicates the urgency of conversion. The
vinedresser tells the master: “Let it alone, sir, this year also” (v. 8). The
possibility of conversion is not unlimited; thus, it is necessary to seize it
immediately; otherwise, it might be lost forever. This Lent, we can consider:
what do I have to do to draw nearer to the Lord, to convert myself, to “cut
out” those things that are not good? “No, no, I will wait for next Lent”. But
will I be alive next Lent? Today, let us each think: what must I do before this
mercy of God who awaits me and who always forgives? What must I do? We can have
great trust in God’s mercy but without abusing it. We must not justify
spiritual laziness, but increase our commitment to respond promptly to this
mercy with heartfelt sincerity.
John Paul II, Encyclical,
Redemptoris Missio
20. The Church is effectively
and concretely at the service of the kingdom. This is seen especially in her
preaching, which is a call to conversion. Preaching constitutes the Church’s
first and fundamental way of serving the coming of the kingdom in individuals
and in human society. Eschatological salvation begins even now in newness of
life in Christ: “To all who believed in him, who believed in his name, he gave
power to become children of God” (Jn 1:12).
46. The proclamation of the
Word of God has Christian conversion as its aim: a complete and sincere
adherence to Christ and his Gospel through faith. Conversion is a gift of God,
a work of the Blessed Trinity. It is the Spirit who opens people’s hearts so
that they can believe in Christ and “confess him’” (cf. 1 Cor 12:3); of those
who draw near to him through faith Jesus says: “No one can come to me unless
the Father who sent me draws him” (Jn 6:44).
From the outset, conversion is
expressed in faith which is total and radical, and which neither limits nor
hinders God’s gift. At the same time, it gives rise to a dynamic and lifelong
process which demands a continual turning away from “life according to the
flesh” to “life according to the Spirit” (cf. Rom 8:3-13). Conversion means
accepting, by a personal decision, the saving sovereignty of Christ and
becoming his disciple.
The Church calls all people to
this conversion, following the example of John the Baptist, who prepared the
way for Christ by “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of
sins” (Mk 1:4), as well as the example of Christ himself, who “after John was
arrested,...came into Galilee preaching the Gospel of God and saying: ‘The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in
the Gospel’” (Mk 1:14-15).
Nowadays the call to
conversion which missionaries address to non-Christians is put into question or
passed over in silence. It is seen as an act of “proselytizing”; it is claimed
that it is enough to help people to become more human or more faithful to their
own religion, that it is enough to build communities capable of working for
justice, freedom, peace and solidarity. What is overlooked is that every person
has the right to hear the “Good News” of the God who reveals and gives himself
in Christ, so that each one can live out in its fullness his or her proper
calling. This lofty reality is expressed in the words of Jesus to the Samaritan
woman: “If you knew the gift of God,” and in the unconscious but ardent desire
of the woman: “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst” (Jn 4:10, 15).
47. The apostles, prompted by
the Spirit, invited all to change their lives, to be converted and to be
baptized. (…) Conversion to Christ is joined to Baptism not only because of the
Church’s practice, but also by the will of Christ himself, who sent the
apostles to make disciples of all nations and to baptize them (cf. Mt 28:19).
Conversion is also joined to Baptism because of the intrinsic need to receive
the fullness of new life in Christ. As Jesus says to Nicodemus: “Truly, truly,
I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the
kingdom of God” (Jn 3:5). In Baptism, in fact, we are born anew to the life of
God’s children, united to Jesus Christ and anointed in the Holy Spirit. Baptism
is not simply a seal of conversion, and a kind of external sign indicating
conversion and attesting to it. Rather, it is the sacrament which signifies and
effects rebirth from the Spirit, establishes real and unbreakable bonds with
the Blessed Trinity, and makes us members of the Body of Christ, which is the
Church.
All this needs to be said,
since not a few people, precisely in those areas involved in the mission ad
gentes, tend to separate conversion to Christ from Baptism, regarding
Baptism as unnecessary. It is true that in some places sociological
considerations associated with Baptism obscure its genuine meaning as an act of
faith. This is due to a variety of historical and cultural factors which must
be removed where they still exist, so that the sacrament of spiritual rebirth
can be seen for what it truly is. Local ecclesial communities must devote
themselves to this task. It is also true that many profess an interior
commitment to Christ and his message yet do not wish to be committed
sacramentally, since, owing to prejudice or because of the failings of
Christians, they find it difficult to grasp the true nature of the Church as a
mystery of faith and love. I wish to encourage such people to be fully open to
Christ, and to remind them that, if they feel drawn to Christ, it was he
himself who desired that the Church should be the “place” where they would in
fact find him. At the same time, I invite the Christian faithful, both
individually and as communities, to bear authentic witness to Christ through
the new life they have received.
Certainly, every convert is a
gift to the Church and represents a serious responsibility for her, not only
because converts have to be prepared for Baptism through the catechumenate and
then be guided by religious instruction, but also because - especially in the
case of adults-such converts bring with them a kind of new energy, an
enthusiasm for the faith, and a desire to see the Gospel lived out in the
Church. They would be greatly disappointed if, having entered the ecclesial
community, they were to find a life lacking fervor and without signs of
renewal! We cannot preach conversion unless we ourselves are converted anew
every day.
Saint Leander of Seville, Bishop; Blessed Agnellus of Pisa, Franciscan
The Lord is my light and my salvation
COMMENTARY
Transfigured on the Way
1. “At that time” – The
Transfiguration on the Way of Mission
The first important aspect to be
clarified is the temporal context of the event (which is expressed in the
Lectionaries in various languages with a generic note “at that time”). The
transfiguration of Christ took place after Peter’s confession about Jesus (“You
are the Messiah of God”), immediately followed by the first prediction of the
Passion to the disciples, with which Christ reveals his true messianic mission (“He
said, ‘The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the
chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised’”;
Lk 9:22). Moreover, with this revelation, He invites all to follow Him on the way of the cross and self-denial to “enter
into glory,” (Lk 9:23-24: “Then he said to all, ‘If anyone wishes to
come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For
whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my
sake will save it’”; cf. Lk 24:26). Thus, the transfiguration of Christ is not
an isolated episode to show a “divine spectacle” on the mountain, but it is
entirely part of the mission’s journey that He makes with his disciples with a
clear pedagogical-parenetic purpose for them.
In this regard, the original
temporal annotation of the Evangelist Luke “about eight days after” (Lk 9:28a) for
the transfiguration (in comparison to “after six days” in Mk 9:2 e in Mt 17:1) seems
to indicate even more the close bond between the event and the resurrection of
Jesus on the eighth day (the first day after Saturday, seventh day of the week),
which will be the ultimate goal of the mission. Furthermore, Saint Luke will be
the only one to highlight the content of the conversation between Jesus with
the two representatives of all Scripture, Moses (Law) and Elijah (Prophets): “[they]
spoke of his exodus that he was going
to accomplish in Jerusalem.” It clearly alludes to the Passion of Jesus, to His
“passage/departure” that is Paschal Mystery of the Lord’s death and
resurrection, which is fulfilled according to the Word of God foretold to the
Chosen People in Sacred Scripture. Jesus’ mission is therefore a “new exodus,”
long-dreamt of by the prophet Isaiah (cf., e.g., Is 43:16-21). It will be the
definitive exodus that brings the people out of the oppression of sin and death,
to pass to the fullness of life in God. However, it will also pass through the desert
with temptations, struggles, sufferings, but it will always end with the entry
into the Promised Land. If Jesus’ mission is like this, will that of his
disciples be different?
In this perspective, in the prayer
of the Preface this Sunday, “As the Eucharistic prayer begins, the priest,
speaking for the whole people, wants to give thanks to God through Christ our
Lord for this mystery of transfiguration: ‘For after he had told the disciples
of his coming Death, on the holy mountain he manifested to them his glory, to
show, even by the testimony of the law and the prophets, that the Passion leads
to the glory of the Resurrection’” (Homiletic
Directory no. 65). In the same vein, the Catechism of the Catholic Church
emphasizes, “The Transfiguration gives us a foretaste of Christ’s glorious
coming (…). But it also recalls that ‘it is through many persecutions that
we must enter the kingdom of God’ (Acts 14:22)” (no. 556). This “must…through many persecutions” for
glory, of course, does not mean that Christ’s disciples will have to look for
troubles or even create it at will for pleasure (like masochists!). It simply
affirms the truth that the disciples’ mission will reflect that of their Master.
This mission will have to face difficulties, sufferings, everyday crosses, for
the Gospel and for the Kingdom of God. The Mount of the Transfiguration is
linked with Mount Calvary. We should not be surprised, then, if there are
obstacles (including temptations) in the missionary Christian journey, but we
must always remember the reassuring words of the Master: “In the world you will
have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world” (Jn 16:33).
2. “While he was praying”
Luke the Evangelist originally mentions
prayer as the moment in which “his face [of Jesus] changed in appearance and
his clothing became dazzling white.” As in Jesus’ baptism, here too we see the
fundamental role of prayer, understood as immersion in communion with God, in
Jesus’ life and mission and therefore also in that of his disciples. Furthermore,
as the transfiguration of Jesus happened “while he was praying,” one could even
imagine that every disciple of Christ, who immerses himself/herself in authentic
prayer with God, might be seen to be taken to a mountain and is in some way “transfigured.”
This moment of intense spiritual experience with God opens Heaven, as happened in
Jesus’ baptism, and makes the person praying “change in appearance,” as in the
Transfiguration. In this way, those who live constantly in prayer, like St.
Francis of Assisi (to the point of becoming “the walking prayer”), will be constantly
“transfigured” with and in Christ.
If this is the case with prayer, it
will be particularly true for every Holy Mass, in which we are immersed in
prayer, in listening to the Word, in Eucharistic communion with Christ who is
sacramentally united with his disciples. They are the precious moments Christ
gives to his faithful on the mission journey, as a kind of weekly / daily
sacramental transfiguration of Christ for us, so that we can also taste a pinch
of our transfiguration with Him and in Him. In this regard, here is the
inspired invitation from the sacred author, “Look to him and be radiant, and
your faces may not blush for shame,” indeed, “Taste and see that the LORD is
good” (Ps 34:6,9). In fact, “what the chosen three disciples heard and beheld
at the Transfiguration exactly converges now with the event of this liturgy in
which the faithful receive the Body and Blood of the Lord. (…) While still on
earth, the disciples saw the divine glory shining in the body of Jesus. While
still on earth, the faithful receive his Body and Blood and hear the Father’s
voice speaking to them in the depths of their hearts: ‘This is my beloved Son,
with whom I am well pleased; listen to him!’” (Homiletic Directory no.68).
In such a perspective, this Lent
will perhaps also be an opportunity to renew our way of living every Mass, so
that it may be more and more a moment of deep experience of the glorious Christ,
like that on the high mountain in Galilee.
3. The Disciples of
Transfiguration
At the moment of Christ’s
transfiguration, the disciples’ behavior is somewhat curious and a little
confused. First of all, as St. Luke says, they were “overcome by sleep.” (This “sleepy”
attitude occurred again during Jesus’ agony at Gethsemane, while Jesus was praying
[cf. Lk 22:45]). By the way, two thousand years have passed, but nothing seemingly
has changed with Jesus’ disciples, who often fall asleep during moments of
prayer and even with Christ’s presence mystically in their midst (especially
during mass and particularly during the homily!). Nonetheless, on the Mount of
Transfiguration, when the three disciples awoke, they could experience the
beauty of the transfigured Christ’s glory to the point of exclaiming, “Master,
it is good that we are here” and of wanting to stay longer by suggesting to
make “three tents.” Peter’s proposal was rather motivated by strong emotion (so
much so that “[Peter] did not know what he was saying.”). All this (including
confusion) shows indirectly the intensity of experience a disciple could have
at the vision of Christ on the mountain.
God’s plan for the event is not what
Peter thought and desired. The transfiguration continued and culminated with a
divine manifestation like what had already occurred during the theophany on Mount
Sinai: the cloud over all disciples and the voice (from the cloud) confirming
Jesus’ identity as the “chosen Son [of God]”, as happened during Jesus’ baptism.
These are the exclusive words for Jesus, because “after the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone,” as subtly
indicated by the evangelist. In this perspective, the recommendation “listen to
Him” of the divine voice, which resounds from the cloud on the mountain as on
Sinai, has a fundamental meaning for the disciples: now in Jesus is manifested the
fullness of the Word of God, given to Moses (Law) and Elijah (Prophets). Indeed,
“in times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through
the prophets; in these last days, he spoke to us through a son, whom he made
heir of all things” (Heb 1:1-2).
Like Peter, James, John, we all are
called to become more and more disciples of transfiguration, that is, disciples
of the transfigured Christ. We are called concretely to often climb the
mountain with Him, to be more awake there, to “enter the cloud” of the Spirit
without fear, and above all to listen to and follow Him as the only Way to the
Father, to be all of us transformed too, indeed, transfigured with Him and in
Him on our missionary Christian journey. And it is now time to start, from this
Transfiguration Sunday.
Useful points to consider:
Homiletic Directory (no. 66):
The Father’s voice
identifies Jesus as his beloved Son and commands, “Listen to Him.” In the midst
of this scene of transcendent glory, the Father’s command draws attention to
the path to glory. It is as if He says, “Listen to Him, in whom there is the
fullness of my love, which will appear on the Cross.” This teaching is a new
Torah, the new Law of the Gospel, given on the holy mountain in the center of
which there is the grace of the Holy Spirit, given to those who place their
faith in Jesus and in the merits of His Cross. It is because he teaches this
way that glory bursts forth from Jesus’ body and he is revealed as the Father’s
beloved Son. Are we not here deep inside the very heart of the trinitarian
mystery? It is the Father’s glory we see in the glory of the Son, and that
glory is inextricably joined to the cross. The Son revealed in the
Transfiguration is “Light from Light,” as the Creed states it; and surely this
moment in the Sacred Scriptures is one of the strongest warrants for the
Creed’s formulation.
POPE FRANCIS, Angelus, (Saint Peter’s Square, 17 March 2019):
(…) Thus this Lent,
let us also go up the mountain with Jesus! But in what way? With prayer. Let us
climb the mountain with prayer: silent prayer, heartfelt prayer, prayer that
always seeks the Lord. Let us pause for some time in reflection, a little each
day, let us fix our inner gaze on his countenance and let us allow his light to
permeate us and shine in our life.
Indeed, Luke the
Evangelist emphasizes the fact that Jesus was transfigured, “as he was praying”
(v. 29). He was immersed in an intimate dialogue with the Father in which the
Law and the Prophets — Moses and Elijah — also echoed; and as he adhered with
his entire being to the Father’s will of salvation, including the Cross, the
glory of God flooded him, even shining on the outside. This is how it is,
brothers and sisters: prayer in Christ and in the Holy Spirit transforms the
person from the inside and can illuminate others and the surrounding world. How
often have we found people who illuminate, who exude light from their eyes, who
have that luminous gaze! They pray, and prayer does this: it makes us
luminous with the light of the Holy Spirit.
Dt 26:4-10; Ps 91; Rom 10:8-13; Lk 4:1-13
Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble
COMMENTARY
Toward a Missionary Christian Conversion
Time
flies and we arrive at a new Lent of our life. It is always the “venerable and
sacred time,” as the Church reminds us in today’s liturgy (Prayer over the
Offerings). Moreover, as Pope Francis recalled in his Lenten message for 2022, “Lent
is a favorable time of personal and community renewal, as it leads us to the paschal
mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Therefore, we all are
called to live this Lenten season again, indeed, to “celebrate” it as a “sacramental
sign of our conversion” (Collect Prayer in Italy). This leads to a true and
sincere renewal of our Christian faith and life, whose missionary dimension is
constitutive and, therefore, to be (re)discovered and (re)lived. It is not by
chance that we asked God in the Collect Prayer to help us his faithful to “grow
in understanding of the riches hidden in Christ and by worthy conduct pursue
their effects.” Actually, the Word of God of this first Sunday of Lent offers
us some important hints to know better Christ and his true mission, and
consequently to better live our vocation as Christians, that is, as “followers
of Christ.”
1.
The Way of Christ “Led by the Spirit”
I
would like to call today’s Gospel passage not as “The temptations of Jesus”,
but as “The way of Christ with the Spirit in the desert.” This is what the
evangelist Luke wanted to emphasize at the beginning of the episode, as well as
throughout his gospel. The Holy Spirit was intimately connected with Jesus from
the moment of conception and accompanied him in every stage of his earthly
mission. After all, the classic Latin liturgical introduction of the passage “In
illo tempore” “at that time” (the phrase occurs in many non-English
Lectionaries) refers to the very moment after Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan
River, when the Holy Spirit again descended on him. (The English version of today’s
Gospel starts meaningfully with “Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus left the
Jordan and was led by the Spirit…”)
Such
an emphasis on the guidance of the Holy Spirit is also important for the
journey of every Christian, i.e. Christ’s disciple, particularly in this Lenten
season. May Lent never be just a period of pious practices of penance and good
ethical and/or social works, but it should also and above all be a time of life
renewal in the Spirit. In other words, please do not start this Holy Season,
thinking about some good intentions and works (and then get lost in them in the
end) as the ultimate purpose to live fruitfully the forty days to come. Rather,
please care primarily about how to renew your personal relationship with the
Spirit of God, that Holy Spirit each of us has received at the moment of
baptism, of confirmation, and, in the case of some, at the moment of diaconal,
priestly, or even episcopal ordination. It is time to allow ourselves to be “led
by the Spirit,” again and even more intensely and more intimately, just like
Christ in his life and mission, especially in his forty days in the desert. It
will therefore be a joyful time with Christ in the Spirit, even if one will
have to face everything that happens along the way, including fatigue, hunger
and thirst, and temptations. It will therefore be a time of grace, of
purification, of reorganizing Christian life and mission according to the
dictates and inspirations of the Spirit, following the exemplary words and deeds
of Christ.
In
this regard, the heartfelt exhortations of St. Paul the Apostle to the first
Christians will always be relevant, “Do not quench the Spirit” (1Thes 5:19), and
“Do not grieve the holy Spirit of God, with which you were sealed for the day
of redemption” (Eph 4:30). Likewise, we should keep in mind this Lent Pope
Francis’ recent recall in his message for World Mission Sunday 2022: “All
Christ’s missionary disciples are called to recognize the essential importance
of the Spirit’s work, to dwell in his presence daily and to receive his
unfailing strength and guidance. Indeed, it is precisely when we feel tired,
unmotivated or confused that we should remember to have recourse to the Holy
Spirit in prayer. Let me emphasize once again that prayer plays a fundamental
role in the missionary life, for it allows us to be refreshed and strengthened
by the Spirit as the inexhaustible divine source of renewed energy and joy in sharing
Christ’s life with others.” The prayer mentioned here must be understood in a
global sense that embraces the actions of invoking the Spirit, of listening to
the Word of God in the Spirit, of meditating and discerning everything with the
Spirit. Always and everywhere, especially in the moment of trial and
temptation.
2.
The Temptations in Jesus’ Mission
Even
if the evangelists Luke and Matthew only tell us about three temptations of
Jesus in the desert, which then only occur at the end of the forty days, it is
clear that the number and the moment are rather representative. So much so that
the Gospel of Mark emphasizes the essential: “[Jesus] remained in the desert
for forty days, tempted by Satan” (Mk 1:13). This is taken up and emphasized
even more in Luke with the initial statement (“[Jesus] was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil”) and in the final
one (“When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him
for a time”). Thus, following the inauguration of his public activities
with the baptism in the Jordan, Jesus will have to face the reality of the
trials-temptations along the entire journey of his mission, whose emblematic
image is that period in the desert. This is the common experience of those who
want to serve God, fulfilling the divine mission, as can already be seen in
Abraham, father of faith, and also in Adam, the first man. It is no coincidence
that the sage Sirach teaches (not without the Spirit’s inspiration): “My child,
when you come to serve the Lord, / prepare yourself for trials. / Be
sincere of heart and steadfast, / and do not be impetuous in time of adversity”
(Sir 2:1-2). Willingly or not, in the life and mission of every disciple
of God there are trials and temptations that come from the “flesh” (human
nature), from the “world” (environment adverse to God), and from the Evil One (cf.
1Jn 2:16-17; 5:19). All this diverts human beings from the path traced by God
for them and, ultimately, divides humanity from their God.
In
this perspective, Jesus has also suffered various temptations in carrying out
the entrusted divine mission, not only to be in solidarity with every disciple
of God, but also to clarify to everyone the true nature of his mission as the
Son of God. In this regard, the Homiletic Directory rightly and authoritatively
states, “The temptations that Jesus undergoes are a struggle against a distortion of his messianic task. The devil is
tempting him to be a Messiah who displays divine powers. ‘If you are the Son of
God…’ the tempter begins. This foreshadows the ultimate struggle that Jesus
will undergo on the cross, where he hears the mocking words: ‘Save yourself if
you are the Son of God and come down from the cross.’ Jesus does not yield to
the temptations of Satan, nor does he come down from the cross. Precisely in
this way, Jesus proves that He truly enters the desert of human existence and
does not use His divine power for His own benefit. He really accompanies our
life’s pilgrimage and reveals in it the true power of God, which is love ‘to
the very end’ (Jn 13:1)” (no. 61).
Thus,
going into the details of the three temptations but without getting lost in the
various possible interpretations, by refusing to transform the stone in bread after
the devil’s suggestion, Jesus emphasizes the primary purpose of his
evangelizing mission is to take care of the hunger for the Word of God among
the people. He will certainly perform the miracle of the multiplication of the
bread to feed the people in the desert place, but it will only be the sign of
the gift of the true Bread from heaven, which is He himself, the incarnate Word
of God. “One does not live by bread
alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God” (Mt 4:4).
By
refusing to bow down before the devil to receive the (political) power and
glory of earthly kingdoms, Jesus reaffirms the one true God as the center of his
life, worship and adoration, and therefore, of his mission. In fact, at the
hour of the Passion, he will reiterate, “My kingdom is not of this world” (Jn
18:36).
Finally,
Jesus refused to act as the devil suggested in base of the very words of God in
a psalm, and to throw himself down from the pinnacle of the Jerusalem Temple,
in order to spectacularly prove his messianic nature in front of the people and
the Jewish religious leaders. Thus, Jesus said no to the frequent attempt (indeed,
I would say, perennial attempt) to abuse the Word of God for one’s own gain, to
bend God’s will to his/her own, to apply His Words according to the human
vision. In this, Jesus stands in contrast to the arrogant and unfaithful
attitude of the People of God at Massa and Meriba in the desert, “there your
ancestors tested me / they tried me though they had seen my works” (Ps 95:9). In
the same spirit, Jesus will later refuse to perform a “special sign” at the
request of the religious authorities to prove his messianic mission. Instead,
he will place everything in the hands of God who will reveal and prove His
Messiah when and how, exclusively according to His divine plan.
3. The Victory of Faith and
Faithfulness (Fidelity) to God
In
this way, Jesus has suffered and overcome temptations, “leaving you an example
that you should follow in his footsteps” (1Pt 2:21) in the journey of faith of
his followers, called to continue his divine mission of proclaiming the Gospel
of God in the world. Here, the teaching of the Catechism emphasizes the
fundamental spiritual meaning of the event: “The evangelists indicate the
salvific meaning of this mysterious event [of Jesus’ temptations]: Jesus is the
new Adam who remained faithful just where the first Adam had given in to
temptation. Jesus fulfils Israel’s vocation perfectly: in contrast to those who
had once provoked God during forty years in the desert, Christ reveals himself
as God’s Servant, totally obedient to the divine will. In this, Jesus is the
devil’s conqueror: he “binds the strong man” to take back his plunder. Jesus’
victory over the tempter in the desert anticipates victory at the Passion, the
supreme act of obedience of his filial love for the Father” (no. 539).
The
forty days of Lent are then a propitious time for a renewal of faith and
faithfulness (fidelity) in God and in his Son, which is the “winning weapon” of
the “children of God” against the temptations of evil, just as Jesus did. This
attitude of absolute faith / faithfulness comes above all from gratitude for the
many benefits God has bestowed in the life of every believer, as seen in the
profession of faith of every member of the people of Israel in the First
Reading. Above all, it comes from gratitude for God’s greatest gift for us:
Jesus Christ his Son, who died in love and has risen for the salvation of the
world. With Him and in Him, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we embark on
the Lenten journey of this year to live with a renewed spirit our Christian
life and the mission God has given us in Christ.
Useful
points to consider:
HOMILY
OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS, HOLY MASS, BLESSING AND IMPOSITION OF THE ASHES (Saint
Peter’s Basilica, 17 February 2021):
Lent is not just about the
little sacrifices we make, but about discerning where our hearts are directed.
This is the core of Lent: asking where our hearts are directed. Let us ask: Where
is my life’s navigation system taking me – towards God or towards myself? (…)
The word of God
asks us to return to the Father, to return to Jesus. It also calls us to return
to the Holy Spirit. The ashes on our head remind us that we are dust and to
dust we will return. Yet upon this dust of ours, God blew his Spirit of life.
So we should no longer live our lives chasing dust, chasing things that are
here today and gone tomorrow. Let us return to the Spirit, the Giver of Life;
let us return to the Fire that resurrects our ashes, to the Fire who teaches us
to love. We will always be dust, but as a liturgical hymn says, “dust in love”.
Let us pray once more to the Holy Spirit and rediscover the fire of
praise, which consumes the ashes of lamentation and resignation.
Brothers and sisters,
our return journey to God is possible only because he
first journeyed to us. Otherwise, it would be impossible. (…)The
Father who bids us come home is the same who left home to come looking for us;
the Lord who heals us is the same who let himself suffer on the cross; the
Spirit who enables us to change our lives is the same who breathes softly yet
powerfully on our dust.
Catechism
of the Catholic Church (no. 540):
Jesus’ temptation reveals the
way in which the Son of God is Messiah, contrary to the way Satan proposes to
him and the way men wish to attribute to him. This is why Christ vanquished the
Tempter for us: “For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with
our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet
without sinning.” (Heb 4:15). By the solemn forty days of Lent the Church
unites herself each year to the mystery of Jesus in the desert.
From the Liturgy of the Hours (Ash Wednesday, Morning Prayer, Intercessions):
Today, God our Father brings
us to the beginning of Lent. We pray that in this time of salvation he will
fill us with the Holy Spirit, purify our hearts, and strengthen us in love. Let
us humbly ask him: Lord, give us your Holy Spirit.
– May we be filled and
satisfied by the word that you give us. Lord, give us your Holy Spirit.
– May we bear the wounds of
your Son for through his body he gave us life. Lord, give us your Holy
Spirit.
EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C) - 27/2/2022
Sir 27:4-7; Ps 92; 1Cor 15:54-58; Lk 6:39-45
Lord, it is good to give thanks to you
COMMENTARY
The Wisdom
of Heart
Jesus’
teaching in today’s Gospel follows that of last Sunday, and we are always
within his “Discourse on the Plain”. What we have said about the wisdom and
non-legalistic nature of Jesus’ message now comes to light even more. Like
Sirach, the wise of the Jewish tradition, which we heard in the first reading,
the master Jesus also leaves his disciples various instructions/sentences based
on daily observations, to guide them on the path of wisdom with God.
These
picturesque concrete wisdom instructions in the Biblical-Jewish tradition are
called meshalim, a term translated into Greek more usually as
“parables” (parabolē). This is precisely the word with which the
Evangelist Luke introduces the teaching of Jesus we heard today. Thus, the
listeners-disciples are invited to a constant reflection on the highlighted truths
for a wise application in everyday life. These are the universal principles
which, if we reflect more deeply, also prove to be useful in a missionary
perspective, that is, for Christian wisdom in the mission of proclaiming
Christ.
1.
The Importance of the Teacher
The image of the blind man who wants to lead another
blind man is beautiful and at the same time immediate. No further explanation
is needed to convince the listener of the importance of having a non-blind
guide in life. A question arises spontaneously: who now is the teacher to whom
I entrust myself on the journey of life? Who am I following now? This question
is more than appropriate in the context of Jesus’ previous teaching on the
seemingly impossible love for enemies and on mercy. Will I follow Jesus, the
divine master, or an earthly teacher who offers perhaps the “easier,” more
“approachable” things to “recruit” more followers?
In this context of following the divine master, we
understand the observation on the relationship between the disciple and the
teacher: “No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every
disciple will be like his teacher.” Furthermore, the principle reflects that of the
Jewish tradition on the relationship between the one who sends somebody to
convey a message and the sent one. So much so that the same expression of
Jesus, but in a longer form, occurs among the recommendations to his disciples
when he sent them on a mission in the midst of persecutions, in the so-called Missionary
Discourse in the Gospel of Matthew: “No disciple is above his teacher, no slave
above his master” (Mt 10:24). Thus, it is also found in Jn 15:20, still in the
context of the persecution the disciples face in the world: “No slave is
greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.
If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.” In light of all this, Jesus’
teaching on the “insuperability” of the master does not intend to set limits on
the cognitive-intellectual learning process (here surely a disciple will be
able to surpass the teacher). It concerns the existential situation of the “sequela”
(to follow Jesus) and mission of the disciple who is thus called to measure
himself always with the example and words of the Master who sends him.
2. The Splinter and the Wooden Beam
Here we have another “parable” with the same
immediacy. Indeed, the proposed image is even more effective with the exaggerated
(hyperbolic) image of the wooden beam in the eye. The message for those who are
always ready to “correct” others or, worse still, to gossip about the other’s faults
/ shortcomings, is immediately grasped. It is a kind of illustrative commentary
on the recommendation not to judge and not to condemn, previously delivered in
the Discourse on the Plain and taken up later by St. James in his letter to the
first Christians with even sharper words (Jas 4:11-12: “Do not speak evil of one
another, brothers. Whoever speaks evil of a brother or judges his brother
speaks evil of the law and judges the law. If you judge the law, you are not a
doer of the law but a judge. There is one lawgiver and
judge who is able to save or to destroy. Who then are you to judge your
neighbor?”).
Back to Jesus’ words, beyond its ethical dimension, the
teaching proves to be fundamental for every community of disciples in giving
witness to their Master. Not without reason here it insists on the figure of
the “brother” (the word recurs four times in two verses), to emphasize the
“fraternal” relationship between the disciples of the same teacher. Here comes to mind
spontaneously the touching recommendation Jesus left to his intimate disciples
before the Passion: “I give you a new commandment: love one another.
As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.
This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one
another.” (Jn 13:34-35). Yes, “[love for one another] this is how all will know
that you are my disciples,” and nothing else.
3. From the Fullness of the Heart the Mouth
Speaks
Sirach says, “The fruit of a tree shows the care it
has had; / so too does one’s speech disclose the bent of one’s mind” (First
Reading). In the same vein, Jesus the Sage teaches his disciples the wisdom of discernment between the good and the bad tree: “For every
tree is known by its own fruit.” It is the same for the man whose heart is
recognized by the words that come out of his mouth. A similar saying in the
Vietnamese folk tradition should be noted: “Chim khôn thử tiếng, người ngoan
thử lời” (The wise bird is tested by its voice; the just man is tested by his
word). Surely, similar proverbs can be found in the traditions of many other
peoples. It is a universal truth, fruit of human intelligence illuminated by
the Spirit of God in the human heart. However, in his teaching, Jesus applies
this truth not to reaffirm a fatal predestination of the evil who will always
remain the same (and therefore condemned), but in the perspective of a wise
discernment. It is an invitation to a self-verification of a disciple’s life:
“You, who follow the Lord and his teaching, what are your fruits?”
In this perspective, the final proverbial
observation “from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks” or “out of the
heart’s abundance the mouth speaks” applies equally well to bearing witness to
Jesus. The difficulty of speaking about Jesus can come from a heart “occupied”
with many other things than Jesus and his Gospel. In this regard, it is worth
listening to the observation of Saint Teresa of Avila: “Let us consider the glorious
Saint Paul, from whose lips the name of Jesus seems never to have been absent,
because He was firmly enshrined in his heart.” And continues: “Since realizing
this, I have looked carefully at the lives of a number of saints who were great
contemplatives and I find that they followed exactly the same road. Saint
Francis, with his stigmata, illustrates this, as does Saint Anthony of Padua
with the Divine Infant. Saint Bernard, too, delighted in Christ’s Humanity, and
so did Saint Catherine of Siena and many others.” (The Life of Teresa of Jesus, chapter 22/7).
So, let us start a new journey toward an ever-deeper
friendship with Jesus, our Master and Lord, in order to be able to communicate
and share Him joyfully and spontaneously with those we meet every day. This could
be also a good and timely decision for each of us toward a missionary
conversion during the Lenten season which begins next Wednesday.
Useful
points to consider:
A. Pope Francis,
Message for World Mission Sunday 2022:
The essence of the
mission is to bear witness to Christ, that is, to his life, passion, death and
resurrection for the love of the Father and of humanity. Not by chance did the
apostles look for Judas’ replacement among those who, like themselves, had been
witnesses of the Lord’s resurrection (cf. Acts 1:21). Christ,
indeed Christ risen from the dead, is the One to whom we must testify and whose
life we must share. Missionaries of Christ are not sent to communicate
themselves, to exhibit their persuasive qualities and abilities or their
managerial skills. Instead, theirs is the supreme honour of presenting Christ
in words and deeds, proclaiming to everyone the Good News of his salvation, as
the first apostles did, with joy and boldness.
B. Pope
Francis,
Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, n. 7-9:
7. (…) I never tire
of repeating those words of Benedict XVI which take us to the very heart of the
Gospel: “Being a Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty
idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon
and a decisive direction.”
8. Thanks solely to this
encounter – or renewed encounter – with God’s love, which blossoms into an
enriching friendship, we are liberated from our narrowness and self-absorption.
We become fully human when we become more than human, when we let God bring us
beyond ourselves in order to attain the fullest truth of our being. Here we
find the source and inspiration of all our efforts at evangelization. For if we
have received the love which restores meaning to our lives, how can we fail to
share that love with others?
9. Goodness always tends to
spread. Every authentic experience of truth and goodness seeks by its very
nature to grow within us, and any person who has experienced a profound
liberation becomes more sensitive to the needs of others. As it expands,
goodness takes root and develops. If we wish to lead a dignified and fulfilling
life, we have to reach out to others and seek their good. In this regard, several
sayings of Saint Paul will not surprise us: “The love of Christ urges us on” (2
Cor 5:14); “Woe to me if I do not proclaim the Gospel” (1 Cor 9:16).
SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C) - 20/2/2022
Saint Eleutherius of Tournai, Bishop; Saint Jacinta Marto; Blessed Julia
Rodzinska, Dominican Sister, martyr
1Sm 26:2,7-9,12-13,22-23; Ps 103; 1Cor 15:45-49; Lk 6:27-38
The Lord is kind and merciful
COMMENTARY
Concrete love and mercy
This
Sunday’s Gospel is the continuation of Jesus’ “Discourse on the Plain” which
began with the Beatitudes we heard last week. Thus, we come to the very heart
of Jesus’ fundamental teaching to his disciples. It recommends particularly love
for enemies and being merciful like God the Father. These two aspects are part
of the unique Christian message of Love that has left a characteristic
revolutionary mark in the history of humanity throughout the world. (So much so
that when the missionaries began the work of evangelization in Vietnam,
Christianity was called by the local population Dao Yeu Thuong as “the religion of Love”). However, dealing with
such a well-known message, there is always the risk of remaining on the surface
of the content, at the level of a “slogan,” and consequently of not truly
understanding Jesus’ concrete recommendations to put them into practice. We
must then (re)listen to the Word of God given to us today with more attention
and, above all, with humility, simplicity and docility of heart, in order to
(re)discover some fresh points for our life of faith.
1.
“Love your enemies”
Jesus’
exhortation is clear and reaches the highest level of love. However, it
represents a great challenge for those who want to practice it. In fact,
someone might say, “Father, as Jesus taught us, I try to love my enemies, but I
cannot feel in me that pinch of love for those who have always hated and
mistreated me”. Yes, it is certainly very difficult, if not almost impossible,
and I confess that I too have not yet reached that level. However, the very
words of Jesus show us concrete explanations of what is meant by this recommended
love, and therefore what concrete aspects are to be practiced in order to walk in
the path of love. In fact, Jesus recommends three concrete actions: “do good to those who hate you,” “bless those
who curse you,” “pray for those who mistreat you.”
“Doing
good,” “blessing,” and “praying” are therefore the three pillars of love
towards enemies, towards those who hate, curse, mistreat the disciples of Jesus.
The point here is not to have
some abstract or superhuman feeling, impossible to experience. These are simply
concrete, “verifiable” and in some ways “feasible” actions, following the
example of Jesus Himself who actually did good, blessed, and prayed on the
cross for those who hated, cursed, and mistreated him.
This
is a perennially relevant issue, especially for Jesus’ disciples, sent to proclaim the Gospel of God in the
world, because they will always have to face those who hate, curse and
persecute them, just as had happened with Jesus. The Lord made it quite clear, “No disciple is above his teacher […].
If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of
his household!” (Mt 10:24-25), and “if they persecuted me, they will also
persecute you” (Jn 15:20). Then He assures, “In the world you will have
trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world (Jn 16:33). With Him and
in Him his faithful will also win through their faith, hope and Christian love.
“And the victory that conquers the world is our faith” (1Jn 5:4).
2. Merciful as the
Father
From
concrete love for enemies, Jesus goes on to recommend to his disciples to be
merciful to all, “just as your Father is merciful.” The mercy recommended here is revealed entirely
“theological,” that is to say, it finds its ultimate reason (logic)
in God. As already stated in the Jewish tradition, “Merciful and gracious is the LORD, slow to anger and abounding in
kindness” (Responsorial Psalm), so Jesus now exhorted his disciples to truly become “children of the Most
High,” that is, merciful like Him.
On the
other hand, once again, the recommended mercy does not mean a vague feeling, but
implies four concrete actions, as Jesus indicated: two in negative form (“stop
judging [literally Do Not judge]” and “stop condemning” [literally Do Not
condemn]) and two in positive (“forgive” and “give”). They are extremely
“simple,” “verifiable,” “feasible” indications, not because they are easy to
carry out, but in the sense that they always help to begin (and start over) a
path towards the perfection of divine mercy. In other words, if you want to be
merciful, please do not judge others, and conversely, when you judge another
person, you are not merciful. It should be emphasized that even in each of the
concrete actions listed, God is always present (without being mentioned) as a
point of reference in the grammatical construction of the so-called theological
(or divine) passive, in which the implied agent is precisely God: “Stop judging and you will not be
judged [by God],” “forgive and you will be forgiven [by God],” etc.
It
would take many hours to deepen each of the aforementioned aspects of mercy and
love, which develop the existing thoughts of the biblical-Jewish tradition, in
particular the Wisdom tradition. Due to the limited time, let us focus only on
the exhortation of forgiveness which Jesus Himself repeats several times in his
teaching, to the point of binding God’s forgiveness to us with the forgiveness we
give to others. In fact, this topic is present in the Our Father prayer, the only
and fundamental prayer Jesus left to his followers: “and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our
debtors” (Mt 6:12). And it is made explicit with a strong and provocative
statement: “But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive
your transgressions” (Mt 6:15). If there is one thing that paralyzes God’s mercy
and infinite love for you, it is your non-mercy to your neighbor, because in
this way you close yourself in your little space to never open yourself to
divine mercy.
At
this point, someone might exclaim with sincerity and frustration, “Father, I
try to forgive, but I can’t do it completely. What can I do?” For this, I leave
to St. Francis of Assisi to answer with his beautiful commentary on the Our
Father: “As we forgive those who trespass against
us: and what we do not
completely forgive, make us, Lord,
forgive completely that we
may truly love our enemies because of You, and we may fervently intercede for
them before You, returning no one evil
for evil and we may strive to help everyone in You.” This is a very fine
thought. On the one hand, it recognizes human limits in forgiveness as a fact,
and on the other, it indicates the way out: “make us, Lord, forgive completely,”
as if it meant “help me, Lord!” or even in extreme cases: “You, O Lord, do it for
me, in my place, because you
are more capable and because actually you did it very well!” So, dear brother,
dear sister in Christ, if you want to forgive and you still have difficulties,
why don’t you start appealing to God of love and mercy, to Christ the face of
the Father, to ask for this grace in sincere and incessant prayer? In your walking
with Christ toward forgiveness, you are already forgiving in God.
3.
Like Christ, “heavenly man” and “wisdom from above”
In the
end, it should be strongly emphasized that today’s evangelical teaching on love
and mercy in its detail must be interpreted not as a juridical instruction to
be observed point by point, but as the Word of life, of spirit, of wisdom as a
whole for constant meditation and intelligent application in various situations
of Christian life. The mirror to look at will always be the person of Christ.
The ideal will always be Jesus Christ, “the heavenly man,” to whom we, earthly
men, are called to imitate (as the Second Reading reminds us). This is not to
be a blind, mechanical, literal practice of each instruction with its sometimes
Semitic exaggerated figurative language and formulations. Just reflect on the
recommendation that “to the person who strikes you on
one cheek, offer the other one as well,” in the light of Christ’s response to
the guard who struck Him during the trial before the high priest. In that
moment, Christ answered with clarity and courage: “If I have spoken wrongly,
testify to the wrong; but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?” (Jn
18:23). (Even for love for
enemies, it is always a question of love in truth, never something passive or
any submission).
Let
us then fix our gaze on Christ who is “wisdom from God” (cf. 1Cor 1:24-30), the
wisdom from above which is “pure, peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy
and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity” (Jas 3:17). In Him we
learn day by day, Sunday after Sunday, the wisdom of mercy and generous love,
which is capable of breaking the chain of hatred, violence and evil. This will
also be the humble mission of every Christian, missionary disciple of Christ,
who thus boldly announces, in word and deed, the light of God’s Gospel
throughout the world.
Useful
points to consider:
Pope Francis, Misericordiae
Vultus: Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, Rome, Saint
Peter’s, 11 April 2015:
1. Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s mercy. These
words might well sum up the mystery of the Christian faith. Mercy has become
living and visible in Jesus of Nazareth, reaching its culmination in him. The
Father, “rich in mercy” (Eph 2:4), after having revealed his name
to Moses as “a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in
steadfast love and faithfulness” (Ex 34:6), has never ceased to
show, in various ways throughout history, his divine nature. In the “fullness
of time” (Gal 4:4), when everything had been arranged according to
his plan of salvation, he sent his only Son into the world, born of the Virgin
Mary, to reveal his love for us in a definitive way. Whoever sees Jesus sees
the Father (cf. Jn 14:9). Jesus of Nazareth, by his words, his
actions, and his entire person reveals the mercy of God.
2. We need constantly to contemplate the mystery of mercy. It is a wellspring of joy, serenity, and peace. Our salvation depends on it. Mercy: the word reveals the very mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. Mercy: the ultimate and supreme act by which God comes to meet us. Mercy: the fundamental law that dwells in the heart of every person who looks sincerely into the eyes of his brothers and sisters on the path of life. Mercy: the bridge that connects God and man, opening our hearts to the hope of being loved forever despite our sinfulness.
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