“With age-old love I have loved you; so I have kept my mercy toward you. Again I will restore you, and you shall be rebuilt, O virgin Israel; Carrying your festive tambourines, you shall go forth dancing with the merrymakers.” (JER 31: 3-4)
This is the right perspective for all kinds of love—between spouses, between parents and children, between friends—“with age-old love.” Our love needs time to grow, to learn, and to mature. To grow—because this is always something we can improve; to learn—because it is a relationship and we can learn from each other how to love better (or more perfectly); and to mature—because love is first of all a gift of self and the more we give, the more we understand how amazing it is being loved with the age-old love of God.
“A great prophet has arisen in our midst and God has visited his people.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Jesus made the disciples get into a boat and precede him to the other side of the sea, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.” (MT 14: 22-23)
Jesus’ identity determined His actions, prayer and activities–as Son of God, who came to bring God’s love to us. His activity was not primarily to do something for someone (like feeding the hungry crowd or praying to God), but was to be with them (to listen to them and to answer to their needs). He was with people, and “his heart was moved with pity for them,” and He was with His Father “to pray.” What He does is based on who He is—“You are the Son of God”.
“Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.” (MT 14: 14)
Jesus was and is always a total and sincere gift of self, looking for anybody in need. He came to serve and bring the beauty of God’s love to us. “When he saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.” He also will take care of hunger and any other human need—all seven acts of mercy.
“One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.”
“For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.” (COL 3: 3-4)
Christ is “our life”—we are connected with Him totally, and “our life is hidden with Him in God.” Whenever we put Him in the first place in our lives, when we are concerned about how to make Him more visible through our actions and prayers, we also appear with Him, in a very safe way—in the presence of God, like the poor in spirit
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Now, therefore, reform your ways and your deeds; listen to the voice of the LORD your God, so that the LORD will repent of the evil with which he threatens you.” (JER 26: 13)
We always think of “reforming our ways and our deeds”—do you remember last New Year’s Eve? How often we failed after a few weeks or months? When we make our reform based on “listening to the voice of the Lord our God,” He will take care of us and our reform. Whatever is based on Him and His word can bring fruits, and nothing will stop us.
“Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.”
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” (LK 10: 41-42)
Martha and Mary became a symbol of work-live balance. Martha, “anxious and worried about many things,” and Mary, who “has chosen the better part.” We know how important is work for our families and how important are our relationships. It is not a competition which one is more important, it is about how to keep a balance. It is easier to do it when we start from “the better part.” We will not neglect work, but we will add a proper light (“I am the light of the world”) to understand its role.
“I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life.
“Rise up, be off to the potter’s house; there I will give you my message.” (JER 18: 2)
Another translations says—“there you will hear my word.” His word is his message, and there is no place where we can’t receive it. It could be at “the potter’s house” or it could be at John Smith’s house; it could be at my work or in any of our houses–not just in the Church. The only thing to do is—“rise up, be off.” Action and contemplation are needed to “open our hearts, to listen to the words” of the Lord.
“Open our hearts, O Lord, to listen to the words of your Son.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“When I found your words, I devoured them; they became my joy and the happiness of my heart, because I bore your name, O LORD, God of hosts.” (JER 15: 16)
Our Lord always talks to us. The Bible, the Liturgy, books and sermons are common tools He uses to communicate with us. Still this requires some activity from us: looking for His words and when we find His words—devouring them. One word found in our daily readings could bring “joy and the happiness to our hearts” and make our days.
“I call you my friends, says the Lord, for I have made known to you all that the Father has told me.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“We recognize, O LORD, our wickedness, the guilt of our fathers; that we have sinned against you. For your name’s sake spurn us not, disgrace not the throne of your glory; remember your covenant with us, and break it not.” (JER 14: 20-21)
When we come to Our Lord with excuses and blaming others, He comes to us with judgment; when we come to Him as sinners, bringing to Him all our weaknesses, He comes to us His with mercy and salvation. He is always faithful to His “covenant with us” when “we recognize our wickedness, that we have sinned against” Him.
“The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower; all who come to him will live forever.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“We hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.” (2 COR 4: 7)
The glory of God is revealed in human and fragile persons—“treasure in earthen vessels.” All the good we are able to do and all the beauty of His beloved children comes from Him—that “the surpassing power may be [recognized as] of God and not from us.” It is not a story about our limits and weaknesses; it is a story about how unbelievable God’s love is and how important we are for the spreading of the Good News and for “bearing fruits”—we, “earthen vessels.”
“I chose you from the world, to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.
