Lectio Divina (466)
"Lectio divina is an authentic source of Christian spirituality recommended by our Rule. We therefore practice it every day, so that we may develop a deep and genuine love for it, and so that we may grow in the surpassing knowledge of Christ. In this way we shall put into practice the Apostle Paul’s commandment, which is mentioned in our Rule: “Let the sword of the spirit, the Word of God, live abundantly in your mouth and in your hearts; and whatever you must do, do it in the name of the Lord.”
Carmelite Constitutions (No. 82)
Children categories
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Father,
You show Your almighty power
in Your mercy and forgiveness.
Continue to fill us with Your gifts of love.
Help us to hurry towards the eternal life You promise
and come to share in the joys of Your kingdom.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Luke 9:51-56
When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, and he sent messengers ahead of him. On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village.
3) Reflection
• The Gospel today narrates and tells us how Jesus decides to go to Jerusalem. It also describes the first difficulties which He finds along this road. He presents us the beginning of the long and hard way along the periphery toward the capital city. Jesus leaves Galilee and goes toward Jerusalem. Not all can understand Him. Many abandon Him because the demands are enormous. Today, the same thing happens. Along the way in our community there are misunderstandings and abandonment.
• “Jesus decides to go to Jerusalem”. This decision marks the hard and long way of Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem, from the periphery to the capital city. This journey occupies more than one third part of the Gospel of Luke (Lk 9:51 to 19:28). This is a sign that the journey to Jerusalem was of great importance in the life of Jesus. The long walk is also the symbol of the journey that the community is making. They seek to go through a difficult passage from the Jewish world toward the world of the Greek culture. This also symbolizes the tension between the new and the ancient which was closing more and more in on itself. It also symbolizes the conversion which each one of us has to undergo in trying to follow Jesus. During the journey, the disciples try to follow Jesus, without returning back; but they do not always succeed. Jesus dedicates much time to instructing those who follow Him closely. We have a concrete example of this instruction in today’s Gospel. At the beginning of the journey, Jesus leaves Galilee and takes the disciples with Him to the territory of the Samaritans. He tries to form them so that they will be ready to understand the openness to the new, toward the other, toward what is different.
• Luke 9:51: Jesus decides to go to Jerusalem. The Greek text literally says “Now it happened that as the time drew near for Him to be taken up, He resolutely turned His face towards Jerusalem”. The expression “assumption” or “being snatched” recalls the prophet Elijah snatched to heaven (2 Kings 2:9-11). The expression “turned His face” recalls the Servant of Yahweh, who said, “I have set my face like flint and I know I shall not be put to shame” (Isa 50:7). It also recalls an order which the prophet Ezekiel received from God: “Turn your face toward Jerusalem!” (Ezek 21:7). To face something is to address it. One can meet someone face-to-face, which implies a gravity to the meeting. It is an expression that means there is seriousness, and not just a casual stroll. In using these expressions Luke suggests that while they were walking toward Jerusalem, the most open opposition to Jesus began with the official expectations and ideology of the Temple of Jerusalem. Those expectations wanted a glorious and nationalistic Messiah. Jesus wants to be a Servant Messiah. During the long journey, this opposition will increase and will finally end in the arrest of Jesus. The snatching of Jesus is His death on the cross, followed by His resurrection.
• Luke 9:52-53: The mission in Samaria failed. During the journey, the horizon of the mission is extended. After the beginning, Jesus goes beyond the frontiers of the territory and of race. He sends His disciples to go and prepare for His arrival in a town of Samaria, but the mission, together with the Samaritans, fails. Luke says that the Samaritans did not receive Jesus because He was going to Jerusalem. But if the disciples had said to the Samaritans, “Jesus is going to Jerusalem to criticize the project of the Temple and to demand a greater openness”, Jesus would have been accepted, because the Samaritans were of the same opinion. The failure of the mission is probably due to the disciples. They did not understand why Jesus “turned His face toward Jerusalem”. The official propaganda of the glorious and nationalistic Messiah prevented them from seeing this. The disciples did not understand the openness of Jesus and therefore the mission failed!
• Luke 9:54-55: Jesus does not accept the request of vengeance. James and John do not want to take home this defeat. They do not accept that someone is not in agreement with their ideas. They want to imitate Elijah and use fire for revenge (2 Kings 1:10). Jesus rejects the proposal. He does not want the fire. Some bibles add, “You do not know what spirit is moving you!” This means that the reaction of the disciples was not according to the Spirit of Jesus. When Peter suggests to Jesus not to follow the path of the Servant Messiah, Jesus turns to Peter calling him Satan (Mk 8: 33). Satan is the evil spirit who wants to change the course of Jesus’ mission. The message of Luke for the communities: those who want to hinder the mission among the pagans are moved by an evil spirit!
• In the ten chapters which describe the journey up to Jerusalem (Lk 9:51 to 19:28), Luke constantly reminds us that Jesus is on the way toward Jerusalem (Lk 9:51,53,57; 10:1,38; 11:1; 13:22,33; 14:25; 17:11; 18:31; 18:37; 19:1,11,28). He rarely says where Jesus passed. Only at the beginning of the journey (Lk 9:51), in the middle (Lk 17: 11), and at the end (Lk 18:35; 19:1), is something known about the place where Jesus was passing. This refers to the communities of Luke and for all of us. The only thing that is sure is that we have to continue to walk. We cannot stop. The place where we have to pass by is not always clear and definite. What is sure is the objective: Jerusalem.
4) Personal questions
• What are the problems which you have to face in your life because of the decision which you have made to follow Jesus?
• What can we learn from the pedagogy of Jesus with His disciples who wanted to take revenge on the Samaritans?
• How often do we ask for revenge or “getting even” in prayer - in not so many words, but in intent, in an Old Testament way of viewing God, rather than always in a humble and forgiving way in response to challenge or adversity? We see this lack of understanding today from those that preach “pray and you will get your way (and your opponents will lose).”
5) Concluding Prayer
All the kings of the earth give thanks to You, Yahweh,
when they hear the promises You make;
they sing of Yahweh’s ways,
‘Great is the glory of Yahweh!’ (Ps 138:4-5)
Ordinary Time
John 1,47-51
1) Opening prayer
Father,
You show Your almighty power
in Your mercy and forgiveness.
Continue to fill us with Your gifts of love.
Help us to hurry towards the eternal life Your promise
and come to share in the joys of Your kingdom.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - John 1:47-51
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, "Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity in him." Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree." Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this." And he said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."
3) Reflection
• Today’s Gospel presents the dialogue between Jesus and Nathanael in which the following phrase appears: “In all truth I tell you, you will see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending over the Son of Man“. This phrase helps to clarify something concerning the archangels.
• John 1:47-49: The conversation between Jesus and Nathanael. Philip took Nathanael to Jesus (Jn 1:45-46). Nathanael had exclaimed: “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael was from Cana, which was close to Nazareth. Seeing Nathanael, Jesus said: “There, truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deception!” And He affirms that He knew him already when he was under the fig tree. How could Nathanael be an “authentic Israelite”, if he did not accept Jesus as Messiah? Nathanael “was under the fig tree”. The fig tree was the symbol of Israel (cf. Mq 4:4; Zc 3:10; 1K:5,5). “To be under the fig tree” was the same as being faithful to the project of the God of Israel. The authentic Israelite is the one who knows how to detach himself from his own ideas when he perceives that these are not in agreement with God’s project. The Israelite who is not ready to converse is neither authentic nor honest. Nathanael is authentic. He expected the Messiah according to the official teaching of that time, according to which the Messiah came from Bethlehem in Judea. The Messiah could not come from Nazareth in Galilee (Jn 7:41-42.52). This is why Nathanael resists accepting Jesus as Messiah. But the encounter with Jesus helps him to become aware that God’s project is not always as one imagines it or desires that it be. Nathanael recognizes his own deception, he changes his idea, accepts Jesus as Messiah and confesses: “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel!”
• The diversity of the call. The Gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke present the call of the first disciples in quite a brief way: Jesus walks along the seashore, and He calls Peter and Andrew. Then He calls John and James (Mk 1:16-20). The Gospel of John has a different way of describing the beginning of the first community which was formed around Jesus. John does it by narrating very concrete stories. One is struck by the variety of the calls and of the encounters of persons among themselves and with Jesus. Thus John teaches what is necessary to do to begin a community. It is by means of contacts and personal invitations, and it is like that even today! Jesus calls some directly (Jn 1:43). Others indirectly (Jn 1:41-42). One day He called two disciples of John the Baptist (Jn 1:39). The following day He called Philip who, in turn, called Nathanael (Jn 1:45). No call is repeated because every person is diverse. People will never forget the important calls which have marked their life. One even remembers the hour and the day (Jn 1:39).
• John 1:50-51: The angels of God who descend and ascend on the Son of Man. The confession of Nathanael is only at the beginning. Anyone who is faithful, will see heaven open and the angels who go up and descend on the Son of Man. They will experience that Jesus is the new bond of union between God and us, human beings. It is the realization of the dream of Jacob (Gn 28:10-22).
• The angels who go up and descend the ladder. The three Archangels: Gabriel, Raphael, and Michael. Gabriel explained to prophet Daniel the meaning of the vision (Dn 8:16; 9:21). The angel Gabriel also took God’s message to Elizabeth (Lk 1:19) and to Mary, the Mother of Jesus (Lk 1:26). His name means “God is strong”. Raphael appears in the Book of Tobit. He accompanies Tobias, the son of Tobit and of Anna, throughout the trip and protects him from all danger. He helps Tobias to liberate Sara from the evil spirit and to cure Tobit, his father, from his blindness. His name means “God heals”. Michael helped the prophet Daniel in his struggles and difficulties (Dn 10:13.21; 12:1). The letter of Jude says that Michael disputed with the devil over the body of Moses (Jude 1:9). It was Michael who obtained victory over Satan, throwing him out of Heaven and throwing him into hell (RV 12:7). His name means: “Who is like God!” The word ‘angel’ means messenger. He takes a message from God. In the bible, the entire nature could be the messenger of God Himself, when it turns its face on us and reveals God’s love for us (Ps 104:4). The angel can be God Himself, when He turns His face on us and reveals His loving presence to us.
4) Personal questions
• Have you already had some encounter which has marked your whole life? How have you discovered the call of God there?
• Have you been interested, some times, like Philip, to call another person to participate in the community?
5) Concluding Prayer
I thank You, Yahweh, with all my heart,
for You have listened to the cry I uttered.
In the presence of angels I sing to You,
I bow down before Your holy Temple. (Ps 138:1-2)
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Father,
guide us, as You guide creation
according to Your law of love.
May we love one another
and come to perfection
in the eternal life prepared for us.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Luke 9:18-22
Once when Jesus was praying in solitude, and the disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" They said in reply, "John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, 'One of the ancient prophets has arisen.'" Then he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter said in reply, "The Christ of God." He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone. 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."
3) Reflection
• The Gospel today follows the same theme as that of yesterday: the opinion of the people on Jesus. Yesterday, beginning with Herod, today it is Jesus who asks what do people think, and the Apostles respond giving the same opinion which was given yesterday. Immediately follows the first announcement of the Passion, death and Resurrection of Jesus.
• Luke 9:18: The question of Jesus after His prayer. “One day, while Jesus was praying alone, His disciples came to Him and He put this question to them: “Who do the crowds say I am?” In Luke’s Gospel, on several important and decisive occasions, Jesus is presented in prayer: in His Baptism when He assumes His mission (Lk 3:21); in the 40 days in the desert, when He overcame the temptations presented by the devil Lk 4:1-13); the night before choosing the twelve apostles (Lk 6:12); in the Transfiguration, when with Moses and Elijah, He spoke about His passion in Jerusalem (Lk 9:29); in the Garden when He suffers His agony (Lk 22:39-46); on the Cross, when He asks pardon for the soldiers (Lk 23:34) and when He commits His spirit to God (Lk 23:46).
• Luke 9:19: The people’s opinion of Jesus. “They answered, “For some, John the Baptist; others Elijah, but others think that You are one of the ancient prophets who has risen from the dead”. Like Herod, many thought that John the Baptist had risen in Jesus. It was a common belief that the prophet Elijah had to return (Mt 17:10-13; Mk 9:11-12; Mal 3:23-24; Sir 48:10-12). All nourished the hope of the coming of the prophet promised by Moses (Deut 18:15). This was an insufficient response.
• Luke 9:20: Jesus’ question to the disciples. After having heard the opinion of others, Jesus asks, “And you, who do you say I am?” Peter answers, “The Messiah of God!” Peter recognizes that Jesus is the one whom the people are waiting for and that He comes to fulfill the promise. Luke omits the reaction of Peter, who tries to dissuade Jesus to follow the way of the cross and omits also the harsh criticism of Jesus to Peter (Mk 8:32-33; Mt 16:22-23).
• Luke 9:21: The prohibition to reveal that Jesus is the Messiah of God. “Then Jesus gave them strict orders and charged them not to say this to anyone”. It was forbidden to them to reveal to the people that Jesus is the Messiah of God. Why does Jesus prohibit this? At that time, as we have already seen, everybody was expecting the coming of the Messiah, but, each one in his own way: some expected a king, others a priest, others a doctor, a warrior, a judge or a prophet! Nobody seemed to expect the Messiah Servant, announced by Isaiah (Isa 42:1-9). Anyone who insists in maintaining Peter’s idea, that is, of a glorious Messiah, without the cross, understands nothing and will never be able to assume the attitude of a true disciple. He will continue to be blind, exchanging people for trees (cf. Mk 8:24). Because without the cross it is impossible to understand who Jesus is and what it means to follow Jesus. Because of this, Jesus insists again on the Cross and makes the second announcement of His passion, death and resurrection.
• Luke 9:22: The second announcement of the Passion. Jesus adds, “The Son of Man is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and to be put to death, and to be raised up on the third day”. The full understanding of the following of Jesus is not obtained through theoretical instruction, but through practical commitment, walking together with Him along the road of service, from Galilee up to Jerusalem. The road of the following is the road of the gift of self, of abandonment, of service, of availability, of acceptance of conflict, knowing that there will be a resurrection. The cross is not an accident on the way; it forms part of our way. This because, in the organized world starting from egoism, love and service can exist only if they are crucified! Anyone who makes of his life a service to others disturbs those who live attached to privileges, and suffers.
4) Personal questions
• We all believe in Jesus. But there are some who understand Him in one way and others in another way. Today, what is the more common Jesus in the way people think?
• How does propaganda interfere in my way of seeing Jesus? What do I do so as not to allow myself to be drawn into the propaganda? What prevents us today from recognizing and assuming the plan of Jesus?
5) Concluding Prayer
Blessed be Yahweh, my rock,
who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle,
my faithful love, my bastion, my citadel, my Savior;
I shelter behind Him. (Ps 144:1-2)
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Father,
guide us, as You guide creation
according to Your law of love.
May we love one another
and come to perfection
in the eternal life prepared for us.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Luke 9:7-9
Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying, "John has been raised from the dead"; others were saying, "Elijah has appeared"; still others, "One of the ancient prophets has arisen." But Herod said, "John I beheaded. Who then is this about whom I hear such things?" And he kept trying to see him.
3) Reflection
• Today’s Gospel presents a reaction from Herod listening to the preaching of Jesus. Herod does not know how to place himself before Jesus. He had killed John the Baptist and now he wants to see Jesus close to him. It is always threatening.
• Luke 9:7-8: Who is Jesus? The text begins with the exposition of the opinion of the people and of Herod on Jesus. Some associated Jesus to John the Baptist and to Elijah. Others identified Him with a Prophet, that is, with a person who speaks in the name of God, who has the courage to denounce injustices of those in power and who knows how to give hope to the little ones. He is the Prophet announced in the Old Testament like a new Moses (Dt 18:15). These are the same opinions that Jesus received from the disciples when He asked them: “Who do people say I am?” (Lk 9:18). People tried to understand Jesus starting from things that they knew, thought and expected. They tried to set Him against the background of the familiar criteria of the Old Testament with its prophecies and hopes, and of the tradition of the ancients with their laws. But these were insufficient criteria; Jesus could not enter into them, He was much bigger!
• Luke 9:9: Herod wants to see Jesus. But Herod said: “John, I beheaded him; so who is this of whom I hear such things?” “And he was anxious to see him”. Herod, a superstitious man without scruples, recognizes that he was the murderer of John the Baptist. Now, he wants to see Jesus. Luke suggests thus that the threats begin to appear on the horizon of the preaching of Jesus. Herod had no fear to kill John. He will not be afraid to kill Jesus. On the other hand, Jesus does not fear Herod. When they tell Him that Herod wanted to take Him to kill Him, He sent someone to tell him: “You may go and give that fox this message: Look, today and tomorrow I drive out devils and heal, and on the third day I attain My end.” (Lk 13:32). Herod has no power over Jesus. When at the hour of the passion, Pilate sends Jesus to be judged by Herod, Jesus does not respond anything (Lk 23:9). Herod does not deserve a response.
• From father to son. Sometimes the three Herods, who lived during that time, are confused, then the three appear in the New Testament with the same name: a) Herod, called the Great, governed over the whole of Palestine from 37 before Christ. He appears at the birth of Jesus (Mt 2:1). He kills the new-born babies of Bethlehem (Mt 2:16). b) Herod, called Antipas, governed in Galilee from the year 4 to 39 after Christ. He appears at the death of Jesus (Lk 23:7). He killed John the Baptist (Mk 6:14-29). c) Herod, called Agrippa, governed all over Palestine from the year 41 to 44 after Christ. He appears in the Acts of the Apostles (Ac 12:1.20). He killed the Apostle James (Ac 12:2).
When Jesus was about four years old, King Herod, the one who killed the new-born babies of Bethlehem died (Mt 2:16). His territory was divided among his sons. Archelaus would govern Judea. He was less intelligent than his father, but more violent. When he assumed the power, approximately 3000 persons were massacred on the square of the Temple! The Gospel of Matthew says that Mary and Joseph, when they learned that Archelaus had taken over the government of Galilee, were afraid and returned on the road and went to Nazareth, in Galilee, which was governed by another son of Herod, called Herod Antipas (Lk 3:1). This Antipas governed over 40 years. During the thirty-three years of Jesus there was no change of government in Galilee.
Herod, the Great, the father of Herod Antipas, had constructed the city of Caesarea Maritime, inaugurated in the year 15 before Christ. It was the new port to get out the products of the region. They had to compete with the large port of Tyron in the North and, thus, help to develop trade and business in Samaria and in Galilee. Because of this, from the time of Herod the Great, the agricultural production in Galilee began to orientate itself no longer according to the needs of the families, as before, but according to the demands of the market. This process of change in the economy continued during all the time of the government of Herod Antipas, another forty years, and found in him an efficient organizer. All these governors were ‘servants of power’. In fact, the one who commanded in Palestine, from the year 63 before Christ, was Rome, the Empire.
4) Personal questions
• It is well always to ask ourselves: Who is Jesus for me?
• Herod wants to see Jesus. His was a superstitious and morbid curiosity. Others want to see Jesus because they seek a sense for their life. Others seek Him out of earthly wants. What motivation do I have which moves me to see and encounter Jesus?
5) Concluding Prayer
Each morning fill us with Your faithful love,
we shall sing and be happy all our days;
let our joy be as long as the time that You afflicted us,
the years when we experienced disaster. (Ps 90: 14-15)
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Father,
guide us, as You guide creation
according to Your law of love.
May we love one another
and come to perfection
in the eternal life prepared for us.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Luke 9:1-6
Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there. And as for those who do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them." Then they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the Good News and curing diseases everywhere.
3) Reflection
• Today’s Gospel describes the mission which the twelve received from Jesus. Later, Luke speaks about the mission of the seventy-two disciples (Lk 10:1-12). The two Gospels complete one another and reveal the mission of the Church.
• Luke 9:1-2: The sending out of the twelve on mission. “Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases. And He sent them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal”. In calling the Twelve, Jesus intensifies the announcement of the Good News. The objective of the mission is simple and clear: they received the power and authority to cast out devils, to cure the sick and to announce the Kingdom of God. Just as people were admired, astonished seeing Jesus’ authority over the unclean spirits, and seeing His way of announcing the Good News (Lk 4:32.36), the same thing should happen with the preaching of the twelve apostles.
• Luke 9:3-5. The instructions for the mission. Jesus sends them out with the following recommendations: “Take nothing for the journey, neither staff, nor haversack, nor bread, nor money and do not have a spare tunic”. Do not go from one house to another, but “Whatever house you enter stay there; and when you leave let your departure be from there”. “As for those who do not welcome you, when you leave their town shake the dust from your feet as evidence against them”. As you will see these recommendations, which seem strange to us, have a very important significance.
• Luke 9:6. The execution of the mission. They go. It is the beginning of a new stage. Now, not only Jesus, but the whole group goes to announce the Good News to the people. If the preaching of Jesus caused conflict, now, with the preaching of the whole group, there will be a greater conflict.
• The four fundamental points of the mission. At the time of Jesus, there were diverse movements of renewal: the Essenes, the Pharisees, and the Zealots. They also were seeking a new way to live in community and they had their own missionaries (cf. Mt 23:15). But when they went on mission, they were advised: to carry a staff, and a haversack to put in it their food. They did not trust the food which was literally not “pure”. Contrary to the other missionaries, the disciples of Jesus received diverse recommendations which help us to understand the fundamental points of the mission, to announce the Good News:
a) They should take nothing (Lk 9:3; 10:4). That means that Jesus obliges them to trust in the hospitality; because one who goes with nothing, goes because He trusts in the people and thinks that He will be welcomed, received. With this attitude they criticize the laws of exclusion taught by the official religion and they show, by means of a new practice, that they had other criteria in the community.
b) They should remain in the first house where they enter, until they leave the place (Lk 9:4; 10:7). That is, they should live together in a stable way and not go from one house to another. They should work with all and live from what they receive in exchange “because the laborer deserves his wages” (Lk 10:7). In other words, they should participate in the life and work of the people, and the people will receive them in their community and will share with them house and food. That means that they have to trust in sharing. This explains the severity of the criticism against those who reject the message: shake off the dust from the feet, as a protest against them (Lk 10:10-12), because they are not rejecting anything new but rather their past.
c) They should cure the sick and drive out the devils (Lk 9:1; 10:9; Mt 10:8). That is, they should carry out the function of “defenders” (goêl) and accept in the clan, in the community, the excluded. With this attitude they criticize the situation of disintegration of community life of the clan and they indicate concrete openings. The expulsion of the devils is a sign of the coming of the Kingdom of God (Lk 11:20).
d) They should eat what the people give them (Lk 10:8). They could not live separated having their own food, but they should accept the communion with others, eat with others. That means that in the contact with the people, they should not be afraid of losing the purity as it had been taught to them. With this attitude they criticize the laws of purity which were in force and indicate, by means of the new practice, that they possess another access to purity, that is, intimacy with God.
These were the four fundamental points of community living which should characterize the attitude of the missionaries who announce the Good News in the name of Jesus: hospitality, sharing, communion and acceptance of the excluded (defender, goêl). If there is a response to these four requirements, then it is possible to cry out all over to the four corners of the world: “The Kingdom has arrived!” (cf. Lk 10:1-12; 9:1-6; Mk 6:7-13; Mt 10:6-16). And the Kingdom of God which Jesus has revealed to us is not a doctrine, nor a catechism, nor a law. The Kingdom of God comes and becomes present when persons, motivated by their faith in Jesus, decide to live together in community to give witness and to reveal, in this way, to all, that God is Father and Mother and that we, the human beings, are brothers and sisters. Jesus wanted the local community to be a new expression of the Covenant of the Kingdom, of the love of God the Father, who makes us all brothers and sisters.
4) Personal questions
• Has participation in the community helped you to accept and to trust persons, especially the simpler and poorer?
• Which is the point of the mission of the Apostles which for us today has greater importance? Why?
5) Concluding Prayer
Lord, set me free from taunts and contempt
since I observe Your instructions.
Though princes sit plotting against me,
Your servant keeps pondering Your will. (Ps 119:22-23)
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Father,
guide us, as You guide creation
according to Your law of love.
May we love one another
and come to perfection
in the eternal life prepared for us.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Luke 8:16-18
Jesus said to the crowd: "No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light. Take care, then, how you hear. To anyone who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away."
3) Reflection
• Today’s Gospel presents three brief phrases pronounced by Jesus. They are phrases scattered in different places which Luke collected here after the parable of the seed (Lk 8:4-8) and of His explanation to the disciples (Lk 8:9-15). This literary context, in which Luke places the three phrases, helps us to understand how he wants people to understand these phrases of Jesus.
• Luke 8:16: The lamp which gives light. “No one lights a lamp to cover it with a bowl or to put it under a bed; no, it is put on a lamp-stand so that people may see the light when they come in. This phrase of Jesus is a brief parable. Jesus does not explain, because all know what He is speaking about. This belonged to everyday life. At that time, there was no electric light. Just imagine this! The family meets at home. The sun begins to set. A person gets up, lights the lamp, covers it with a vase or places it under the bed. What will the others say? All will scream out: “Are you crazy... place the lamp on the table!” In a biblical meeting somebody made the following comment: The Word of God is a lamp which is necessary to light in the darkness of the night. If it remains closed up in the book of the bible, it will be like the lamp under a vase. But when it is placed on the table it gives light to the whole house, when it is read in community and is connected to life.
• In the context in which Luke places this phrase, he is referring to the explanation which Jesus gave about the parable of the seeds (Lk 8:9-15). It is as if he would say: the things which you have just heard you should not keep them only for yourselves, but you should share them with others. A Christian should not be afraid to give witness and spread the Good News. Humility is important, but the humility which hides the gifts of God given to edify the community is false (1Cor 12:4-26; Rom 12: 3-8).
• Luke 8:17: That which is hidden will be manifested. “There is nothing hidden which will not be manifested, nothing secret which will not be known and brought to light”. In the context in which Luke places this second phrase of Jesus, it also refers to the teachings given by Jesus particularly to the disciples (Lk 8:9-10). The disciples cannot keep these only for themselves, but they should share them, because they form part of the Good News which Jesus has brought.
• Luke 8:18: Attention to preconceptions. “So take care how you listen, anyone who has will be given more, anyone who has not, will be deprived even of what he thinks he has”. At that time, there were many preconceptions on the Messiah which prevented people from understanding, in a correct way, the Good News of the Kingdom which Jesus announced. “For this reason, this warning of Jesus concerning preconceptions is quite actual. Jesus asks the disciples to be aware of the preconceptions with which they listen to the teaching that He presents. With this phrase of Jesus, Luke is saying to the communities and to all of us: “Be attentive to the ideas with which you look at Jesus!” Because if the color of the eyes is green, everything will seem to be green. If it were blue, everything would be blue! If the idea that I have when I look at Jesus is mistaken, erroneous, everything which I receive and teach about Jesus will be threatened by error! If I think that the Messiah has to be a glorious King, I will not want to hear anything which Jesus teaches about the Cross, about suffering, persecution and about commitment, and to lose even what I thought I possessed. Joining this third phrase to the first one, I can conclude what follows: anyone who keeps for himself what he receives and does not distribute it to others, loses what he has, because it becomes corrupt.
4) Personal questions
• Have you had any experience of preconceptions which have prevented you from perceiving and appreciating in their just value, the good things that persons have?
• Have you perceived the preconceptions which are behind certain stories, accounts and parables which certain persons tell us?
5) Concluding Prayer
How blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the Law of Yahweh!
Blessed are those who observe His instructions,
who seek Him with all their hearts. (Ps 119:1-2)
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Almighty God,
our creator and guide,
may we serve You with all our hearts
and know Your forgiveness in our lives.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Luke 8:4-15
When a large crowd gathered, with people from one town after another journeying to Jesus, he spoke in a parable. "A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path and was trampled, and the birds of the sky ate it up. Some seed fell on rocky ground, and when it grew, it withered for lack of moisture. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. And some seed fell on good soil, and when it grew, it produced fruit a hundredfold." After saying this, he called out, "Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear." Then his disciples asked him what the meaning of this parable might be. He answered, "Knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God has been granted to you; but to the rest, they are made known through parables so that they may look but not see, and hear but not understand. "This is the meaning of the parable. The seed is the word of God. Those on the path are the ones who have heard, but the Devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts that they may not believe and be saved. Those on rocky ground are the ones who, when they hear, receive the word with joy, but they have no root; they believe only for a time and fall away in time of temptation. As for the seed that fell among thorns, they are the ones who have heard, but as they go along, they are choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life, and they fail to produce mature fruit. But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance."
3) Reflection
• In today’s Gospel, we will meditate on the parable of the seed. Jesus had a very popular word to teach by means of parables. A parable is a comparison which uses the visible things of life that are known to explain the invisible and unknown things of the Kingdom of God. Jesus had an enormous capacity to find very simple images to compare the things of God with the things of life which people knew and experienced in their daily struggle to survive. This presupposes two things: to be within the things of life, and to be within the things of God, of the Kingdom of God. For example, the people of Galilee understood all about seeds, of land, of rain, of the sun, of salt of flowers, of the harvest, of fishing, etc. Now, there are exactly these known things that Jesus uses in the parables to explain the mystery of the Kingdom. The farmer who listens says: “The seed in the ground, I know what this means. Jesus says that this has something to do with the Kingdom of God. What could this ever be?” It is possible to imagine the long conversations with the people! The parable enters into the heart of the people and urges them to listen to nature and to think about life.
• When He finishes telling the parable, Jesus does not explain it, but He usually says: “Who has ears to hear, let him hear” This means: “This is: you have heard and so now try to understand!” From time to time He would explain to the disciples: People like this way of teaching, because Jesus believed in the personal capacity to discover the sense of the parables. The experience which people had of life was for Him a means to discover the presence of the mystery of God in their life and to have courage not to be discouraged along the way.
• Luke 8:4: The crowds follow Jesus. Luke says: a large crowd got around Him and people from all the towns ran to Him from all the towns. So then He tells them this parable. Mark describes how Jesus told the parable. There were so many people that He, in order not to fall, went into a boat and sitting down He taught the people who were on the seashore (Mk 4:1).
• Luke 8:5-8: The parable of the seed is a mirror of the life of the farmers. At that time, it was not easy to live from agriculture. The ground was full of rocks; there was little rain, and much sun. Besides, many times, people, to shorten the way, passed through the fields and stepped on the plants (Mk 2:23). But in spite of that, every year the farmer sowed and planted, trusting in the force of the seed, in the generosity of nature.
• Luke 8:8b: Anyone who has ears to hear let him hear! At the end, Jesus says: “Anyone who has ears to hear, let him hear!” The way to be able to understand the parable is to search: “Try to understand!” The parable does not say everything immediately, but moves the person to think. It does it in such a way that the person discovers the message beginning from the experience which the person has of the seed. It urges the person to be creative and to participate. It is not a doctrine which is presented ready to be taught and decorated. The parable is not water in a bottle, it is the source.
• Luke 8:9-10: Jesus explains the parable to the disciples. At home, alone with Jesus, the disciples want to know the meaning of the parable. Jesus responds by means of a difficult and mysterious phrase. He says to the Disciples: “To you is granted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of God, for the rest it remains in parables so that “they may look but not perceive, listen but not understand”. This phrase gives rise to a question in the heart of the people: What is the purpose of a parable? Is it to clarify or to hide things? Did Jesus uses the parables in order that people continue in their ignorance and would not convert themselves? Certainly not! In another place it is said that Jesus used the parables “according to what they could understand” (Mk 4:33). The parable reveals and hides at the same time” It reveals for those who are “inside, within” who accept Jesus Messiah Servant. It hides for those who insist in seeing in Him the Messiah the glorious King. These understand the images of the parable, but do not understand its meaning.
• Luke 8:11-15: The explanation of the parable, in its diverse parts. One by one, Jesus explains the parts of the parable, the seed, and the earth up to the harvest time. Some scholars think that this explanation was added afterwards; that it would not be from Jesus, but from one of the communities. This is possible! It does not matter! Because in the bud of the parable there is the flower of the explanation. Buds and flowers, both of them have the same origin, that is, Jesus. This is why we also can continue to reflect and to discover other beautiful things in the parable. Once, a person in a community asked: “Jesus says that we have to be salt. For what does salt serve?” The people gave their opinion starting from the experience which each one had regarding salt! And they applied all this to the life of the community and discovered that to be salt is difficult and demanding. The parable functioned well! The same thing can be applied to the seeds. All have a certain experience.
4) Personal questions
• The seed falls in four different places: on the road side, among the rocks, among the thorns and in the good earth. What does each one of these four places mean? What type of earth am I? Sometimes, people are rock; other times thistles; other roadside, other times good ground. Normally, what are we in our community?
• What are the fruits which the Word of God is producing in our life and in our community?
5) Concluding Prayer
Your kingship is a kingship for ever,
Your reign lasts from age to age.
Yahweh is trustworthy in all His words,
and upright in all His deeds. (Ps 145:12-13)
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Almighty God,
our creator and guide,
may we serve You with all our hearts
and know Your forgiveness in our lives.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Luke 8:1-3
Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God. Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources.
3) Reflection
• In today’s Gospel we have the continuation of yesterday’s episode which spoke of the surprising attitude of Jesus with regard to women, when He defends the woman who was known in the town as a sinner, against the criticism of the Pharisee. Now at the beginning of chapter 8, Luke describes Jesus who goes through the villages and towns of Galilee, and the novelty is that He was not only accompanied by the disciples, but also by the women disciples.
• Luke 8:1: The Twelve who follow Jesus. In one phrase alone, Luke describes the situation: Jesus goes through towns and villages preaching and proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom of God and the Twelve are with Him. The expression “to follow Jesus” (cf. Mk 1:18; 15:41) indicates the condition of the disciple who follows the Master, twenty-four hours a day, trying to imitate His example and to participate in His destiny.
• Luke 8:2-3: The women follow Jesus. What surprises is that along with the men there are also women “together with Jesus”. Luke places both the men and the women disciples at the same level because all of them follow Jesus. Luke has also kept some of the names of some of these women disciples: Mary Magdalene, born in the town of Magdala. She had been cured and delivered from seven demons; Joanna, the wife of Chuza, steward of Herod Antipas, who was Governor of Galilee; Suzanne and several others. It is said that they “served Jesus with their own goods” Jesus allows a group of women “to follow” Him (Lk 8:2-3; 23:49; Mk 15:41). The Gospel of Mark when speaking about the women at the moment of Jesus’ death says, “There were some women who were observing at a distance and among them Mary of Magdala, Mary, the mother of James the younger and Joses, and Salome, who followed Him and served Him when he was still in Galilee, and many others who had gone up with Him to Jerusalem (Mk 15:40-41). Mark defines their attitude with three words: to follow, to serve, to go up to Jerusalem. The first Christians did not draw up a list of these women disciples who followed Jesus as they had done with the twelve disciples. But, in the pages of the Gospel of Luke the name of seven of these women disciples are mentioned: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, wife of Chuza, Suzanne (Lk 8:3), Martha and Mary (Lk 10:38), Mary, the mother of James (Lk 24:10) and Anna, the prophetess (Lk 2:36), who was eighty-four years old. Number eighty-four is seven times twelve: the perfect age! The later Ecclesiastical tradition does not value this fact about the discipleship of women with the same importance with which it values the following of Jesus on the part of men. It is also important to remember that women held a particular discipleship apart from the men chosen by Jesus for the Twelve.
The Gospel of Luke has always been considered as the Gospel of women. In fact, Luke is the Evangelist who presents the largest number of episodes in which he underlines the relationship of Jesus with the women, and the novelty is not only in the presence of the women around Jesus, but also and, above all, in the attitude of Jesus in relation to them. Jesus touches them and allows them to touch Him without fear of being contaminated (Lk 7:39; 8:44-45,54). This was different from the teachers of that time, Jesus accepts women who follow Him and who are His disciples (Lk 8:2-3; 10: 39). The liberating force of God, which acts in Jesus, allows women to rise and to assume their dignity (Lk 13:13). Jesus is sensitive to the suffering of the widow and is in solidarity with her sorrow (Lk 7:13). The work of the woman who prepares the meal is considered by Jesus like a sign of the Kingdom (Lk 13:20-21). The insistent widow who struggles for her rights is considered the model of prayer (Lk 18:1-8), and the poor widow who shares the little that she has with others is the model of dedication and donation (Lk 21:1-4). At a time when the witness of women is not accepted as something valid, Jesus accepts women and considers them witnesses of His death (Lk 23:49), of His burial (Lk 22:55-56) and of His resurrection (Lk 24:1-11, 22-24).
4) Personal questions
• How are women considered in your community, in your country, in your Church?
• Does this consider the unique gifts each gender is given, or does it treat each as just a "plug-in-replacement" for the other?
• Compare the attitude of our Church with the attitude of Jesus, but not in a superficial or politically motivated way.
5) Concluding Prayer
God, examine me and know my heart,
test me and know my concerns.
Make sure that I am not on my way to ruin,
and guide me on the road of eternity. (Ps 139:23-24)
Ordinary Time
John 19:25-27
1) Opening prayer
Almighty God,
our creator and guide,
may we serve You with all our hearts
and know Your forgiveness in our lives.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - John 19:25-27
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son." Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
3) Reflection
• Today, feast of Our Sorrowful Mother, the Gospel of the day presents the passage in which Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Beloved Disciple, meet at Calvary before the Cross. The Mother of Jesus appears two times in the Gospel of John: at the beginning at the wedding feast in Cana (Jn 2:1-5), and at the end, at the foot of the Cross (Jn 19: 25-27). These two episodes, only present in John’s Gospel, have a very profound value. The Gospel of John, compared to the synoptics, is like an x-ray of the other three, while the other three are only a photograph of what has taken place. The x-rays of faith help us to discover in the events dimensions which the human eye does not perceive. The Gospel of John, besides describing the facts, reveals the symbolical dimension which exists in them. Thus, in both cases, at Cana and at the foot of the Cross, the Mother of Jesus represents symbolically the Old Testament waiting for the New Testament to arrive, and in the two cases, she contributes to the arrival of the New Testament. Mary appears like the step between what existed before and what will arrive afterwards. At Cana she symbolizes the Old Testament; she perceives the limits of the Old Testament and takes the initiative so that the New one may arrive. She tells her Son, “They have no wine!” (Jn 2:3). And on Calvary? Let us see:
• John 19:25: The women and the Beloved Disciple, together at the foot of the Cross. This is what the Gospel says: “Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala.” The “photograph” shows the mother together with the Son, standing up, a strong woman, who does not allow herself to be discouraged. “Stabat mater dolorosa!” Hers is a silent presence which supports the Son in His gift of self unto death, death on a cross (Phil 2:8). But the “x-ray” of faith shows how the passage from the Old Testament to the New Testament takes place. As happened in Cana, the Mother of Jesus represents the Old Testament, the new humanity which is formed beginning from the lived experience of the Gospel of the Kingdom. At the end of the first century, some Christians thought that the Old Testament was no longer necessary. In fact, at the beginning of the second century, Marcionites rejected the Old Testament and remained with only a part of the New Testament. This is why many wanted to know what was Jesus’ will regarding this.
• John 19:26-28: The Testament or the Will of Jesus. The words of Jesus are significant. Seeing His Mother, and at her side the beloved disciple, Jesus says, “Woman, this is your son.” Then He says to the disciple, “This is your mother.” The Old and the New Testament must walk together. At the request of Jesus, the beloved disciple, the son, the New Testament, receives the mother in his house. In the house of the Beloved Disciple, in the Christian community, the full sense of the Old Testament is discovered. The New Testament cannot be understood without the Old one, nor is the Old one complete without the New one. Saint Augustine said, “Novum in vetere latet, Vetus in Novo patet.” (The New one is hidden in the Old one. The Old one blooms in the New one). The New one without the Old one would be a building without a foundation. And the Old one without the New one would be like a fruit tree which could not bear fruit.
• Mary in the New Testament. The New Testament speaks very little about Mary, and she says even less. Mary is the mother of silence. The bible only contains seven utterances of Mary. Each one of those is like a window which allows one to see inside Mary’s house and to discover how her relationship with God was. The key to understanding all this is given by Luke: “Blessed are those who receive the word of God and put it into practice” (Lk 11: 27-28).
1st: “How can this come about, since I have no knowledge of man?” (Lk 1:34).
2nd: “You see before you the Lord’s servant; let it happen to me as you have said.” (Lk 1:38).
3rd: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior (Lk 1: 46-55).”
4th: “My child, why have You done this to us? Your father and I were worried looking for you” (Lk 2: 48).
5th: “They have no wine!” (Jn 2: 3.)
6th: “Do whatever He tells you!” (Jn 2:5).
7th: The silence at the foot of the Cross, more eloquent than a thousand words! (Jn 19: 25-27).
4) Personal questions
• Mary at the foot of the Cross. A strong and silent woman. What is my devotion to Mary, the Mother of Jesus, like?
• In the Pieta of Michelangelo, Mary seems to be very young, younger than the crucified Son, yet she must have been about fifty years old. Asked why he had sculptured the face of Mary as a young girl, Michelangelo replied, “People who are passionate for God never age!” Passionate for God! Is that passion for God in me?
5) Concluding Prayer
Yahweh, how abundant is the goodness You have in store
for those who fear You,
and bestow on those who make You their refuge,
for all humanity to see!
Safe in Your presence You hide them,
far from human plotting. (Ps 31:19-20)
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
God of wisdom and love,
source of all good,
send Your Spirit to teach us Your truth
and guide our actions
in Your way of peace.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 5:33-37
Jesus said to his disciples: "You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow. But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the Evil One."
3) Reflection
• In today’s Gospel, Jesus rereads the commandment: “Do not commit perjury.” And here also He surpasses the letter, concerning the spirit of the law, and seeks to indicate the ultimate goal of this commandment: to attain total transparency in relationships among people. Here we can apply what we said concerning the two commandments “Do not kill” and “Do not commit adultery.” It is a question of a new way of interpreting and setting into practice the law of Moses, starting from the new experience of God the Father which Jesus has brought to us. He rereads the law beginning with the intention that God had in proclaiming it centuries ago on Mount Sinai.
• Matthew 5:33: It was said to our ancestors: you must not swear. The Law of the Old Testament said, “Do not commit perjury” and it added that the person should swear for the Lord. In the Psalms it is said that “one can go up to the Mountain of Yahweh and reach the holy place, if he has innocent hands and a pure heart, and does not confide in idols, nor swear in order to deceive”(Ps 24:4). The same thing is said in other parts of the Old Testament (Eccl 5:3-4), because one must be able to trust the words of others. In order to promote this reciprocal trust, tradition had invented the help of the oath. In order to strengthen one’s own word, the person would swear on someone or on something which was greater than he and who could punish him if he did not do what he had promised. Things continue to be like this up to the present time. Whether in the Church or in society, there are some moments and occasions which demand a solemn oath from people. In the final analysis, the oath is the expression of the conviction that nobody can completely trust the word of another.
• Matthew 5:34-36: But I say to you: do not swear. Jesus wants to heal this defect. It is not enough “not to swear.” He goes beyond and affirms: “But I say to you: do not swear at all: either by heaven, since that is God’s throne; or by earth, since that is His footstool, or by Jerusalem, since that is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your own head either, since you cannot turn a single hair white or black. All you need to say is ‘Yes’ if you mean yes, and ‘No’ if you mean no. Anything more than this comes from the Evil One.”
They would swear on heaven and on earth, on the city of Jerusalem, on their own head. Jesus shows that all that does not cure the pain and suffering from the lack of transparency and trust among people. What is the solution which He proposes?
• Matthew 5:37: Let your speech be yes, yes; no, no. The solution which God proposes is the following: Let your speech be yes, yes; no, no; anything more than this comes from the Evil One. He proposes a radical and total honesty. Nothing more. Anything more that you say comes from the Evil One. Here again, we are confronted with an objective which will always remain in our mind and which we will never succeed in fulfilling completely. It is another expression of the new ideal of justice which Jesus proposes: “to be perfect like the Heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48). Jesus uproots any attempt to create the conviction that I am saved because I observe the law. Nobody can merit God’s grace, because otherwise it would not be a grace. We observe the Law, not in order to merit salvation, but in order to thank with all our heart for the immense gratuitous goodness of God, who accepts us and saves us without any merit on our part.
4) Personal questions
• How honest is my speech? How honest am I with myself as I answer that?
• Is Jesus addressing intent in this instruction, to be trustworthy without external aids?
• Or is He addressing the hypocrisy of having one truth when speaking and another when under oath?
• Or is He giving instructions to not do a physical act, as one might be asked to do in a modern courtroom?
5) Concluding Prayer
I bless Yahweh who is my counselor,
even at night my heart instructs me.
I keep Yahweh before me always,
for with Him at my right hand, nothing can shake me.
(Ps 16:7-8)
More...
Jesus the King of the Jews
A King different from the kings of the earth
Luke 23:35-43
Opening prayer
Holy One, God of the mountain,
You who make of our fragile life
the rock of Your dwelling place,
lead our mind
to strike the rock of the desert,
so that water may gush to quench our thirst.
May the poverty of our feelings
cover us as with a mantle in the darkness of the night
and may it open our heart to hear the echo of silence
until the dawn,
wrapping us with the light of the new morning,
may bring us,
with the spent embers of the fire of the shepherds of the Absolute
who have kept vigil for us close to the divine Master,
the flavor of the holy memory.
1. LECTIO
a) The text :
The rulers sneered at Jesus and said, "He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God." Even the soldiers jeered at him. As they approached to offer him wine they called out, "If you are King of the Jews, save yourself." Above him there was an inscription that read, "This is the King of the Jews." Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us." The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, "Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He replied to him, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
b) A moment of silence:
Let us allow the voice of the Word to resonate within us.
2) MEDITATIO
a) Questions:
- The people stayed there watching. Why do you never take a stand concerning the events? Everything that you have lived, listened to, seen… you cannot just throw it away only because an obstacle seems to make it difficult! Move, do something!
“If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself”. How many attempts and threats do we make with God in prayer? If You are God why do You not intervene? There are so many innocent people who suffer. If You love me, do what I tell You and I will believe You… When will you ever stop dealing with the Lord as if you knew more than He what is good and what is not?
Jesus, remember me. When will you see in Christ the only TODAY who gives you life?
b) Key for the reading:
Solemnity of Christ, King of the Universe. We would expect a passage of the Gospel of those which are more luminous, and instead we find ourselves before one of the darkest passages… The amazement of the unexpected is the most suitable sentiment to enter into the heart of today’s feast, the amazement of the one who knows that he cannot understand the infinite mystery of the Son of God.
v. 35. The people stayed there watching, as for the leaders, they jeered at Him with these words: “He saved others, let Him save Himself if He is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.” Around the Cross are gathered together many of those who have met Jesus during the three years of His public life. And, here, before a Word nailed on the wood, are revealed the secrets of the heart. The people who had listened to and followed the Rabbi of Galilee, who had seen miracles and wonders, are there watching: the perplexity on the faces, thousands of questions in the heart, the disillusionment and the perception that everything ends like this! The leaders go through all that has happened while they say the truth concerning the person of Jesus: the Christ of God, the Chosen One. They ignore God’s logic even if they are faithful observers of the Hebrew law. That very despicable invitation: Let Him save Himself… indicates the hidden purpose of their actions: salvation is won by oneself by the observance of the commandments of God.
vv. 36-37. The soldiers mocked Him too, coming up to Him, offering Him vinegar, and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself”. The soldiers, who have nothing to lose in the religious field, get fierce against Him. What do they have in common with that man? What have they received from Him? Nothing. The possibility to exercise, even if for a short time, power over someone cannot be allowed to fall! The power of possession is intertwined with evil and they claim the right of derision. The other one, defenseless, becomes the object of their enjoyment.
v. 38. Above Him was an inscription: This is the King of the Jews. Truly, a mockery of their own guilt: Jesus is guilty for being the King of the Jews, a guilt which in reality is no guilt. In spite of what the leaders had intended, in all their ways, to crush the royalty of Christ, the truth is written by itself: This is the King of the Jews! This one, not any other! It is a royalty which goes across the centuries and asks those going by to stop and fix their thought on the novelty of the Gospel. Man needs someone to govern him, and this someone can be only a man crucified out of love, capable to stand on the wood of condemnation so as to be found alive at the dawn of the eighth day: A King without a scepter, a King capable of being considered by all a criminal but without rejecting His love for man.
v. 39. One of the criminals hanging there abused Him: Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us as well!” One can be on the cross for various reasons just as one can be with Christ for various reasons. Being near to the cross divides or unites. One of the two who were near Christ insults, provokes, ridicules or derides. The objective is always the same: Save yourself and us as well! Salvation is invoked as a flight from the cross. A sterile salvation, deprived of life, already dead in itself. Jesus is nailed to the cross, this criminal is hung on the cross. Jesus has become one same thing with the wood, because the cross is for Him the scroll of the book which unfolds to narrate the wonders of the divine life which is surrendered, given without any conditions. The other one is hung as a fruit, rotten by evil and ready to be thrown away.
v. 40. But the other spoke up and rebuked him: “Have you no fear of God at all? You got the same sentence as He did.” The other one, being close to Jesus, acquires again the holy fear and makes a judgment. Can the one who lives next to Jesus reproach one who is there, two steps away from life and does not see it, and continues to waste it to the end? Everything has a limit, and in this case the limit is not fixed by Christ who is there, but by His companion. Christ does not respond; the other one responds in His place, recognizing his responsibility and helping the other one to read the present moment as an opportunity for salvation.
v. 41. “In our case, we deserve it. We are paying for what we did. But this man has done nothing wrong”. Evil leads to the cross, the serpent had guided to the forbidden fruit hanging on the tree. But which cross: the cross of one’s own “reward” or the cross of the good fruit? Christ is the fruit which every man or woman can get from the tree of life, which is in the middle of the garden of the world, the just one who has never done any evil except love until ad finem.
v. 42. And then he said: “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom”. It is a life which is fulfilled and is enclosed in an invocation incredibly dense in significance. A man, a sinner, conscious of his own sin and of the just condemnation, accepts the mystery of the cross. At the feet of that throne of glory he asks to be remembered in the Kingdom of Christ. He sees an innocent who is crucified and he recognizes and sees beyond what appears exteriorly, the life of the eternal Kingdom. What an acknowledgement! The eyes of the one who has known, in one instant, to get the life which was passing by and which was proclaiming a message of salvation even if in a shocking way. That culprit, criminal deserving death, insulted and ridiculed by all those who had had the possibility of knowing Him closely and for a long time, receives His first subject, the first one He wins over. The scripture says, damned is the one hanging on the wood. The damned innocent becomes blessing for the one who deserved condemnation. A political and earthly tribunal, that of Pilate, a divine tribunal, that of the cross, where the one condemned is saved in virtue of the consuming love of the innocent Lamb.
v. 43. He answered him: “In truth I tell you, today you will be with Me in paradise”. Today: the only word which bursts into the new life of the Gospel. Salvation has been accomplished; it is no longer necessary to wait for any Messiah to save the people from their sins. Today, salvation is here, on the cross. Christ does not enter into His Kingdom alone. He takes with Him the first one who has been saved: the same humanity, the same judgment, the same luck, the same victory. Jesus is not jealous of His filial prerogatives, immediately He has pulled away from the distance separating Him from the Father and from the death which could not escape nor had a way out. Wonderful the kingdom which was inaugurated on Golgotha. Someone has said that the good thief committed the last robbery of his life; he robbed salvation. And so it is, for those who move with the things of God! How much truth, instead, in contemplating the gift which Christ gives to His companion of the cross. No robbery, no theft! All is a gift: the presence of God is not bargained or traded! Faith is what opens the door of the Kingdom to the good thief. Good because he knew how to name justly what his existence had been and saw the Savior in Christ. Was the other one evil? Neither more nor less than the other one perhaps, but he remained beyond faith: he was looking for the strong and powerful God, the powerful God in battle, a God who places things in their place and he did not know how to recognize him in the eyes of Christ, he stopped at his powerlessness.
c) Reflection
Christ dies on the Cross. He is not alone. He is surrounded by the people, by the strangest persons, the hostile ones who throw on Him their responsibility of lack of understanding, the indifferent ones who do not get involved except for personal interest, those who do not understand as yet but who, perhaps, are better disposed to allow themselves to be questioned, since they think they have nothing to lose, like one of the two criminals. If death is to fall into nothingness, then human time becomes anguish. If, instead, it is to wait for the light, then human time becomes hope, and the space of the finite opens a passage to tomorrow, to the new dawn of the Resurrection. I am the way, the truth and the life. How true are these words, the words of Jesus, words which enlighten the darkness of death. The way does not stop, the truth is not turned off. Life does not die. In those words “I AM” is enclosed the royalty of Christ. We journey toward a goal, and to attain it cannot mean to lose it… I am the way… We live from truth, and truth is not an object, but something which exists: “Truth is the splendor of reality – says Simon Weil – and to desire truth is to desire a direct contact with reality in order to love it”. “I am the truth… Nobody wants to die, we feel deprived of something which belongs to us: life, and then, if life does not form part of us, it can not hold us to itself… I am the life… Jesus has said it: “He who wants to save his life, will lose it, but the one who loses his life for Me, will find it”. Is there some contradiction in the terms or rather secrets hidden to be revealed? Do we remove the veil from what we see in order to enjoy what we do not see? Christ on the cross is the object of everybody’s attention. Many think of Him or are even at His side. But this is not sufficient. The closeness which saves is not that of those who are there to deride or to mock. The closeness which saves is that of the one who humbly asks to be remembered not in the fleeing time but in the eternal Kingdom.
3. ORATIO
Psalm 145
I shall praise You to the heights, God my King,
I shall bless Your name for ever and ever.
Day after day I shall bless You,
I shall praise Your name for ever and ever.
Great is Yahweh and worthy of all praise,
his greatness beyond all reckoning.
Each age will praise Your deeds to the next,
proclaiming Your mighty works.
Your renown is the splendor of Your glory,
I will ponder the story of Your wonders.
They will speak of Your awesome power,
and I shall recount Your greatness.
They will bring out the memory of Your great generosity,
and joyfully acclaim Your saving justice.
Yahweh is tenderness and pity,
slow to anger, full of faithful love.
Yahweh is generous to all.
His tenderness embraces all His creatures.
All Your creatures shall thank You, Yahweh,
and Your faithful shall bless You.
They shall speak of the glory of Your kingship
and tell of Your might,
making known Your mighty deeds to the children of Adam,
the glory and majesty of Your kingship.
Your kingship is a kingship forever,
Your reign lasts from age to age.
Yahweh is trustworthy in all His words,
and upright in all His deeds.
Yahweh supports all who stumble,
lifts up those who are bowed down.
All look to You in hope
and You feed them with the food of the season.
And, with generous hand,
You satisfy the desires of every living creature.
Upright in all that He does,
Yahweh acts only in faithful love.
He is close to all who call upon Him,
all who call on Him from the heart.
He fulfills the desires of all who fear Him,
He hears their cry and He saves them.
Yahweh guards all who love Him,
but all the wicked He destroys.
My mouth shall always praise Yahweh,
let every creature bless His holy name for ever and ever.
4. CONTEMPLATIO
Lord, it sounds strange to call You King. One does not get close to a King easily. And, instead, today I find You sitting beside me, in the ditch of sin, here, where I would never have thought to find You. Kings are in palaces, far from the difficulties of the poor people. You, instead, live Your Lordship wearing the worn out clothes of our poverty. What a great feast for me to see You here where I went to hide myself so as not to feel the indiscreet looks of human judgment. On the edge of my failures, whom have I found if not You? The only one who could reproach me for my incoherence comes to look for me to sustain me in my anguish and in my humiliation! What great illusion when we think that we should come to You only when we have attained perfection… I would want to think that You do not like what I am, but perhaps, it is not exactly like that: I do not like what I am, but for You, I am all right, because Your love is something special which respects everything in me and makes of every instant of my life a space of encounter and of gift. Lord, teach me not to get down from the cross with the absurd pretension of saving myself! Grant that I may know how to wait, at Your side, the TODAY of Your Kingdom in my life.
The discourse of Jesus on the end of time
Luke 21:5-19
1. Opening prayer
Lord, You who have made sky and earth and sea, and everything in them; it is You who said through the Holy Spirit and speaking through our ancestor David, Your servant:
Why this uproar among the nations,
this impotent muttering of the peoples?
Kings of earth take up position,
princes plot together
against the Lord and His Anointed”.
... Stretch out your hand to heal and to work miracles and marvels through the name of Your holy servant Jesus (Acts 4:24-25,30)”. Fill us with Your Spirit as You gave it to the Apostles after this prayer, in the time of trial, so that we can also proclaim the Word openly and give witness as prophets of hope.
2. Lectio
a) The context :
The passage concerns the beginning of Jesus’ discourse on the end of the world. The passage Luke 21:5-36 is a whole literary unit. Jesus is in Jerusalem, at the entrance to the temple, the Passion is near. The Synoptic Gospels (also see Mt 24; Mk 13) have the so called “eschatological” discourse precede the account of the Passion, Death and Resurrection. These are events to be read in the light of the Passover. The language is the “apocalyptic” one. Attention is not placed on each word, but on the announcement of the total overturn. The community of Luke already knew about the events concerning the destruction of Jerusalem. The Evangelist universalizes the message and makes evident the intermediate time of the Church waiting for the coming of the Lord in glory. Luke refers to the end of time also in other parts (12:35-48;17: 20;18:18).
b) A possible division of the text:
Luke 21:5-7: introduction.
Luke 21:8-9: initial warning.
Luke 21:10-11: the signs.
Luke 21:12-17: the disciples put to the test.
Luke 21:18-19: protection and trust.
c) The text:
While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, "All that you see here-- the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down." Then they asked him, "Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?" He answered, "See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and 'The time has come.' Do not follow them! When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end." Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky. "Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives."
3. A moment of prayerful silence
so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.
4. A few questions
- Which sentiments prevail in me: anguish, fear, trust, hope, doubt...?
- Where is the Good News in this discourse?
- Do we love what we expect and do we conform ourselves to its demands?
- How do I react to trials in my life of faith?
- Can I make a connection with the present historical events?
- What place does Jesus have in history today?
5. Meditatio
a) A key for reading:
Let us not allow ourselves to be attracted by the exterior upheavals, typical of the apocalyptic language, but by the interior ones, which are necessary, which pre-announce and prepare the encounter with the Lord. Even being aware that today also, in different parts of the world, “apocalyptic” situations are being lived, it is possible to make a personalized reading, not an evasive one, which shifts the attention to personal responsibility. Luke, regarding the other Evangelists, underlines that the end has not come, that it is necessary to live the waiting with commitment. Let us open our eyes to the tragedies of our time, not to be prophets of misfortune, but courageous prophets of a new order based on justice and peace.
b) Comment:
[5] “When some were talking about the temple remarking how it was adorned with fine stonework and votive offerings”, He said: Jesus was probably at the entrance to the temple, considering the reference to the votive offerings. Luke does not specify who the listeners are. It is directed to all. He universalizes the eschatological discourse. This discourse can refer to the end of time, but also to our personal end, the proper time of life. In common there is the definitive encounter with the Risen Lord.
[6] “All these things you are staring at now, the time will come when not a single stone will be left on another; everything will be destroyed”. Jesus introduces a language of misfortune (17:22; 19:43) and repeats the admonitions of the prophets concerning the temple (Micah 3:12; Jer 7:1-15; 26:1-19). It is also a consideration on the fragility of every human achievement, no matter how marvelous. The community of Luke already knew about the destruction of Jerusalem (year 70). Let us consider our attitude towards the things that end with time.
[7] They asked Him: “Master, when will this happen, then, and what sign will there be that it is about to take place?” The listeners are interested in the external upheavals which characterize this event. Jesus does not respond to this specific question. The “when” is not placed by Luke in relation to the destruction of Jerusalem. He underlines that the end “will not be immediately” (v. 9) and “that before all this...” (v. 12) others things will happen. He questions us on the relation between the historical events and the fulfillment of the history of salvation: the time of man and the time of God.
[8] He answered, “Take care not to be deceived, because many will come using My name and saying: ‘I am the one’ and ‘the time is near at hand’. Refuse to join them”. In regard to the other Evangelists, Luke adds the reference to time. The community of the first Christians is overcoming the phase of an immediate coming of the Lord and prepares itself for the intermediate time of the Church. Jesus recommends that they not allow themselves to be deceived, or better, to be seduced by impostors. There are two types of false prophets: those who pretend to come in the name of Jesus saying “I am the one” and those who affirm that the time is near at hand, that the day is already known (10:11; 19:11).
[9] “When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be terrified, for this is something that must happen first, but the end will not come at once”. Even the war events, and today we would say, the terrorist acts, are not the beginning of the end. All this happens but it is not a sign of the end. Luke wants to warn them about the illusion of the imminent end of time with the consequent disillusionment and abandonment of faith.
[10] “Then He said to them, ‘Nation will fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
[11] There will be great earthquakes and plagues and famines in various places; there will be terrifying events and great signs from heaven‘”. The words “and then He said” is a repetition of the discourse after the initial warnings. This is fully apocalyptic language, which means revelation (Isa 19:2; 2Cor 15:6) and at the same time concealment. Traditional images are used to describe the rapid changes of history (Isa 24:19-20; Zech 14:4-5; Ezek 6:11-12, etc.). The imaginary catastrophe is like a curtain which hides the beauty of the scene which is behind: the coming of the Lord in glory (v. 27).
[12] “But before all this happens, you will be seized and persecuted; you will be handed over to the synagogues and to imprisonment, and brought before kings and governors for the sake of My name.”
[13] “and that will be your opportunity to bear witness”. The Christian is called to conform himself to Christ. They have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. Luke recalls the scene of Paul before King Agrippa and Governor Festo (Acts 25:23-26, 32). Behold the time of trial. Not necessarily under the form of persecution. Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus suffered the absence of God for eighteen months, when she discovered her illness. A time of purification which prepares for the encounter. It is the normal condition of the Christian, that of living in a healthy tension which is not frustration. Christians are called to give witness to the hope which animates them.
[14] “Make up your minds not to prepare your defense;
[15] because I Myself shall give you an eloquence and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or contradict”. The time has come to place our trust completely in God, God alone suffices. It is that same wisdom with which Stephen confused his enemies (Acts 6:10). The capacity to resist to persecution is guaranteed for the believer.
[16] “You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends, and some of you will be put to death”.
[17] “You will be hated universally on account of my name. The radical following of Christ implies also the overcoming of blood relations, those which we affectionately believe to be more secure. There is the risk of remaining alone, like Jesus in His Passion.
[18] “But not a hair of your head will be lost”. Luke repeats the preceding verse (12:7) to remind us of the divine protection which is assured at the moment of trial. The believer is also guaranteed the care of his physical integrity.
[19] “Your perseverance will win you your lives.” Perseverance (cf. Acts 11:23; 13: 43; 14:22) is indispensable in order to bear fruit (8:15), in the daily trials and in persecutions. It means the same as the “remain in Christ” of John. The final victory is certain: the Kingdom of God will be established by the Son of Man. Therefore, it is necessary to be persevering, vigilant and in prayer (v. 36 and 12:35-38). The life-style of the Christian has to be a sign of the future which will come.
6. Oratio: Psalm 98
Sing a new song to the Lord
Acclaim Yahweh, all the earth,
burst into shouts of joy!
Play to Yahweh on the harp,
to the sound of instruments;
to the sound of trumpet and horn,
acclaim the presence of the King.
Let the sea thunder, and all that it holds,
the world and all who live in it.
Let the rivers clap their hands,
and the mountains shout for joy together,
at Yahweh's approach,
for He is coming to judge the earth;
He will judge the world with saving justice
and the nations with fairness.
7. Contemplatio
Good God, whose Kingdom is all love and peace, You Yourself create in our soul that silence that You need to communicate Yourself to it.
Peaceful acting, desiring without passion, zeal without agitation: all that can only come from You, Eternal Wisdom, Infinite activity, unalterable repose, principle and model of true peace.
You have promised us by Your prophets this peace. You have given it by Jesus Christ. You have given us the guarantee with the effusion of Your Spirit.
Do not permit that the envy of the enemy, the anxiety of passion, the scruples of conscience make us lose this heavenly gift, which is the pledge of Your love, the object of Your promises, the reward of the blood of Your Son. Amen. (Teresa of Avila, 38:9-10).
Jesus answers to the Sadducees
who ridicule faith in the Resurrection
Luke 20:27-40
Initial prayer
Oh infinite Mystery of Life,
We are nothing,
And still we can praise You
With the voice itself of Your Word
Who became the voice of our whole humanity.
Oh, my Trinity, I am nothing in You,
But You are all in me
And then my nothingness is life… it is eternal life.
Maria Evangelista of the Holy Trinity, O.Carm.
1. Lectio
Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward and put this question to Jesus, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us, If someone's brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married a woman but died childless. Then the second and the third married her, and likewise all the seven died childless. Finally the woman also died. Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be? For all seven had been married to her." Jesus said to them, "The children of this age marry and remarry; but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise. That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called out 'Lord, ' the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive." Some of the scribes said in reply, "Teacher, you have answered well." And they no longer dared to ask him anything.
2. Meditatio
a) Key for the Reading:
• Context
We can say that the passage proposed to us for our reflection forms a central part of the text which goes from Luke 20:20 to 22:4, and deals with the discussions with the chief priests of the people. Already in the beginning of chapter 20, Luke presents us with some conflicts which arose between Jesus, the priests, and the scribes (vv. 1-19). Here Jesus finds Himself facing some conflict with the philosophical school of the Sadducees, who have taken their name from Zadok, the priest of David (2 Sam 8: 17). They accepted as revelation only the writings of Moses (v. 28), denying the gradual development of biblical revelation. In this sense one can better understand the expression “Moses prescribed for us” repeated by the Sadducees in this malicious debate which they use it as a trap to get Jesus and “to catch Him in a fault” (see: 20:2; 20:20). This philosophical school disappeared with the destruction of the temple.
• The law of the levirate
The Sadducees precisely deny the resurrection from the dead because, according to them, this object of faith did not form part of the revelation handed down to them from Moses. The same thing can be said concerning faith in the existence of angels. In Israel, faith in the resurrection of the dead appears in the book of Daniel written in the year 605 – 530 B.C. (Dan 12:2-3). We also find it in 2 Macc 7:9,11,14,23. In order to ridicule the faith in the resurrection of the dead, the Sadducees quote the legal prescription of Moses on the levirate (Deut 25:5) concerning the ancient traditions of the Semitic peoples (including the Hebrews), according to which, the brother or a close relative of a married man who died without sons, had to marry the widow, in order: a) to assure to the deceased descendants (the sons would have been legally considered sons of the deceased man), and b) a husband to the woman, because women depended on the man for their livelihood. Cases of this type are recalled in the Old Testament in the Books of Genesis and Ruth.
In the Book of Genesis (38:6-26) it is said how “Judah took a wife, whose name was Tamar, for his first born son Er. But, Er, the first born of Judah, offended the Lord and the Lord killed him. Then Judah tells Onan, “Take your brother’s wife, and do your duty as her brother-in-law to maintain your brother’s line” (Gen 38:6-8). But Onan was also punished by God and he died (Gen 38:10), because Onan, knowing that the line would not count as his, spilt his seed on the ground every time he slept with his brother’s wife, to avoid providing offspring for his brother” (Gen 38:9). Judah, seeing this, sent Tamar to her father’s house so as not to give her his third son, Shelah, as a husband (Gen 38:10-11). Tamar then, disguising herself as a prostitute or a harlot, slept with Judah himself and conceived twins. Judah, on discovering the truth, defended Tamar, recognizing “She was right and I was wrong” (Gen 38:26).
In the book of Ruth the same story is told about Ruth herself, Ruth the Moabitess, who remained a widow after having married one of the sons of Elimelech. Together with her mother-in-law Naomi, Ruth was obliged to beg for survival and to gather in the fields the ears of corn which fell from the sheaves behind the reapers, up to the time when she married Boaz, a relative of her deceased husband.
The case proposed to Jesus by the Sadducees reminds us the story of Tobias the son of Tobit who married Sarah the daughter of Raguel, the widow of seven husbands, all killed by Asmodeus, the demon of lust, at the moment that they slept together. Tobias has the right to marry her because she belonged to his tribe. (Tobit 7:9).
Jesus makes the Sadducees notice that the purpose of marriage is procreation, and therefore it is necessary for the future of the human species, since none of the “sons of this world” (v. 34) is eternal. But “those who are judged worthy of a place in the other world” (v. 35) neither take husband nor wife in so far as they can no longer die” (v. 35-36). They live in God: “they are the same as the angels and, being children of the resurrection, are sons of God” (v. 36). Both in the Old and in the New Testament, the angels are called sons of God (see for example, Gen 6:2; Ps 29:1; Lk 10:6; 16:8). These words of Jesus remind us also of St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, where it is written that Jesus is the Son because of His Resurrection, He is the first risen from the dead and, par excellence, is Son of the Resurrection (Rom 1:4). Here we can also quote the texts of St. Paul on the resurrection of the dead as an event of salvation of a spiritual nature (1 Cor 15:35-50).
• I am: The God of the Living
Jesus goes on to confirm the reality of the resurrection by quoting another passage taken from Exodus, this time from the account of the revelation of God to Moses in the burning bush. The Sadducees make evident their point of view by quoting Moses. Jesus, at the same time, refutes their argument by quoting Moses as well: “That the dead resurrect has also been shown by Moses regarding the bush, when he calls the Lord: the God of Abraham, God of Isaac and God of Jacob” (v. 37). In Exodus we find that the Lord reveals Himself to Moses with these words: “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Ex 3:6). The Lord then continues to reveal to Moses the divine name: “I AM” (Ex 3:14). The Hebrew word ehjej (also transliterated as ehyeh), from the root Hei-Yod-Hei, used for the divine name in Exodus 3:14, means I am he who is; I am the existing One. The root may also mean life, existence. And this is why Jesus can conclude, “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (v. 38). In the same verse Jesus specifies that “all live for Him [God]”. This can also mean “all live in Him”. Reflecting on Jesus’ death, in the letter to the Romans, Paul writes, “For by dying, He is dead to sin once and for all, and now the life that He lives is life with God. In the same way, you must see yourselves as being dead to sin but alive for God in Jesus Christ” (Rom 6:10).
We can say that Jesus, once more, makes the Sadducees see that God’s fidelity, whether for His people, or for the individual, is not based on the existence of a political kingdom (in the case of God’s fidelity to His people), nor on having prosperity and descendants in this life. The hope of the true believer does not reside in the things of this world, but in the Living God. This is why the disciples of Jesus are called to live as children of the resurrection, that is, sons of life in God, as their Master and Lord, “having been regenerated not from any perishable seed but from imperishable seed, that is, of the living and enduring Word of God” (1 Pet 1:23).
b) Questions to help in the reflection
* What has struck you most in this Gospel? Some word? Which particular attitude?
* Try to reread the Gospel text in the context of the other biblical texts quoted in the key to the reading.
* How do you interpret the conflict which arose between the chief priests of the people and the Sadducees with Jesus?
* Stop and think on how Jesus confronted the conflict. What do you learn from His behavior?
* What do you think is the central point in the discussion?
* What does the resurrection from the dead mean for you?
* Do you feel like a son or daughter of the resurrection?
* What does it mean for you to live the resurrection beginning now at the present moment?
3. Oratio
Inspired by Psalm 17
We will be filled, Lord, by contemplating Your Face
Listen, Yahweh, to an upright cause,
pay attention to my cry,
lend an ear to my prayer,
my lips free from deceit.
My steps never stray from the paths You lay down,
from Your tracks; so my feet never stumble.
I call upon You, God, for You answer me;
turn Your ear to me, hear what I say.
Shelter me in the shadow of Your wings.
That I in my uprightness will see Your face,
and when I awake I shall be filled with the vision of You.
4. Contemplatio
From the mystical diary of
Sister Maria Evangelista of the Most Holy Trinity, O.Carm.
This earthly life is also filled with love, with gifts of “truth”, hidden gifts and at the same time, revealed by the sign… I feel an immense gratitude for every human value. To live in communion with creation, in friendship with the brothers, in openness toward the work of God and the work of mankind, in a continuous experience of the gifts of life, even if in the midst of suffering, even is simply only human, it is a continuous grace, a continuous gift.
The conversion of Zacchaeus
Luke 19:1-10
1. LECTIO
a) Opening prayer:
O God, creator and Father of all the children of Abraham, grant us the light of Your Spirit that we may serve You well and worthily, grant that we may follow in the footsteps of Your Word and that our actions may reflect that we are disciples of the one Master who became man for love of us and for our salvation.
b) A reading of the Gospel:
At that time, Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, "Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house." And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying, "He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner." But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost."
c) A moment of silence:
so that the Word of God may penetrate us and enlighten our life.
2. MEDITATIO
a) A key to the reading:
In the Gospel story, Luke likes to show the mercy of the Master towards sinners, and Lk 19:1-10 is one example. The story of the conversion of Zacchaeus tells us that no human condition is incompatible with salvation: “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham”, (Lk 19:9) says Jesus. The opening text of chapter 19 comes after the teachings and attitudes that Jesus presents to us in chapter 18. In that chapter we find the parable of the Pharisee who judges and the publican who humbles himself before God and begs for pardon (Lk 18:9-14). Then there is the scene where Jesus welcomes the children, warning the disciples that it is to anyone who is a child such as these that the kingdom of God belongs… anyone who does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it (Lk 18:16-17). Immediately after this, Jesus tells the rich aristocrat who wishes to obtain eternal life (Lk 18:18) of the need to sell everything and distribute the money to the poor in order to follow Jesus and obtain treasure in heaven (Lk 18:22). Then comes the teaching of Jesus on riches that are an obstacle to salvation and the promise of a reward for those who renounce all for the sake of the Kingdom of God (Lk 18:24-30). These parts of chapter 18 seem to lead us to the story of the conversion of Zacchaeus. Before the story of Zacchaeus we have two texts which contain important details:
1. The third prophecy of the passion where Jesus reminds us that now we are going up to Jerusalem (Lk 18:31). It would seem that Luke wishes to place everything within the context of following Christ;
2. The healing of the blind man of Jericho, who called Jesus, even though the crowd stopped him from going to the Master (Lk 18:35-39). Once more, Jesus gives light to darkened eyes and says that faith has saved this blind man (Lk 18:42). After regaining his sight, the blind man was able to follow Jesus whilst praising God (Lk 18:43).
These two texts together with the previous ones shed light on the story of the conversion of Zacchaeus. In this story we find surprising details that are already present in the aforementioned texts:
1. Zacchaeus is a rich man and chief of the Publicans – Lk 19:2.
2. He sought to see Jesus, but was not able because of the crowd – Lk 19:3.
3. He was short – Lk 19:3.
4. The crowd’s judgment that stamps Zacchaeus: a sinner - Lk 19:7.
5. The distribution of goods to the poor – Lk 19:8.
6. Jesus’ proclamation that salvation has come to the house of Zacchaeus – Lk 19:9.
Zacchaeus, a short man, one who is rich and chief of the tax collectors, welcomes the Kingdom of God like a child. He humbles himself and repents of his past and thus finds the salvation that comes from God in Jesus Christ, who comes to us to seek out and save what was lost (Lk 19:10). This is a theme that is dear to Luke and we find it in other parts of his Gospel as well (e.g., Lk 15:11-31).
b) A time for personal reflection:
Place yourself silently before the word of God and reflect on the texts presented in this key to the reading. Ask yourself:
1. What is the connection between these texts?
2. What does salvation mean to you?
3. Zacchaeus, a short man, shows his availability to welcome the Lord by climbing a sycamore tree. His curiosity was rewarded with Jesus’ visit. What do you do to show your availability to welcome the salvation of God?
4. Zacchaeus’ action reminds us of the curiosity of Moses that urges him towards the burning bush. There, too, Moses found salvation. Do you approach the Lord? Do you feel attracted to Him?
5. Jesus goes to Zacchaeus in his sinfulness and in the house He brings him salvation. How attached are you to sin? Do you allow the Master to come to you, in that dark house?
3. ORATIO
a) The prayer of the community:
O God, who in Your Son have come to seek and save the lost, make us worthy of Your call. Bring to fulfillment our every wish for good, so that we may know how to welcome You joyfully into our house to share the goods of the earth and of heaven. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
b) A moment of silence:
for personal prayer.
4. CONTEMPLATIO
You will reveal the path of life to me,
and at Your right hand everlasting pleasures.
(Psalm 16:11)
