“The king told Ashpenaz, his chief chamberlain, to bring in some of the children of Israel of royal blood and of the nobility, young men without any defect, handsome, intelligent and wise, quick to learn, and prudent in judgment, such as could take their place in the king’s palace; they were to be taught the language and literature of the Chaldeans; after three years’ training they were to enter the king’s service.” (DN 1: 3-5)
They were carefully selected, “some of the children of Israel of royal blood and of the nobility, young men without any defect, handsome, intelligent and wise, quick to learn, and prudent in judgment,” and still they needed a “three years’ training to enter the king’s service.” Priests need six years, any BA and MA needs a minimum of three or four years plus an additional two or three years just to be ready to start his/her profession. And marriages? Our Programs give them an opportunity for “three years’ training”—I+You=We, We+Family and We+Society “to enter the king’s service,” Our Lord, who is the King of the Universe and expects that every marriage will be a sign and example for others about how He loves His Church—with gentleness, respect, as a sincere gift of self, always free, creative and joyful–just as He unconditionally loves us.
“Stay awake! For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father, to him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.” (RV 1: 5-6)
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, who “loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood, who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father.” Every part of our lives is loved; every moment is protected by His power, and we are secure in His kingdom. Even our death does not separate us from His love but, on the contrary, brings us closer to Him because He became “the firstborn of the dead” to assure us that He is always with us. We pray for this every day: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Today we say “goodbye” to Fr. Darek, member of my Community and my superior, and first of all – a brother and a friend, “priest for his God and Father,” confident, he goes to the One, who is Love and “to him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come!” (Gospel Acclamation)
“That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called ‘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.” (LK 20: 37-38)
Our God “is not God of the dead, but of the living” says the Gospel today, which brings consolation to our hearts when we suffer the loss of somebody who was so close to us. It could be a spouse, parent, child, sibling or a friend, someone who was part of our lives and now their place is empty; they are physically missing. God’s word assures us—“for to Him all are alive,” and so for us they should be also. Our separation is temporary. In Him we “will rise.”
“Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life to light through the Gospel.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.” (LK 19: 46)
Prayer time is time to know each other better, to “hear His voice” and “to follow Him.” Prayer time also helps us to understand ourselves better, to meet our limits and weaknesses,to bring us under God’s love, and to trust Him, not ourselves. Our houses could be and “shall be houses of prayer” because marriage and family is a natural environment for prayer, when we meet God’s vocation and our response, always based on “hear” and “follow.”
“My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“‘Let everyone who is zealous for the law and who stands by the covenant follow after me!’ Thereupon he fled to the mountains with his sons, leaving behind in the city all their possessions.” (1 MC 2: 27-28)
Being “zealous for the law” has its consequences—“leaving behind in the city all their possessions.” That shows the radicalism in love and respect for God’s law. When we accept the truth about God, who gave us His beloved Son to die for us, nothing compares with this.
“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Well done, good servant! You have been faithful in this very small matter; take charge of ten cities.” (LK 19: 17)
“Well done” because the good servant “has been faithful in this very small matter.” How important are “small matters” for Our Lord, who came to fulfill the most important mission from His Father—our salvation. Our mission “to go and bear fruit that will last” is not based on “matter” but on our relationship with Him.
“I chose you from the world, to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“‘Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.’ And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying, ‘He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.’” (LK 19: 5-7)
“I must stay at your house” was said directly to Zacchaeus, but we can expect that this is the general reason for Our Lord’s coming—to stay with us, who are sinners, “as expiation for our sins.” We can imagine that Jesus calls you and me: “come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” “Quickly” and “today” are measures of His love for us.
“God loved us, and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Any scrolls of the law which they found they tore up and burnt. Whoever was found with a scroll of the covenant, and whoever observed the law, was condemned to death by royal decree.” (1 MC 1: 56-57)
“A scroll of the covenant” means one or more of the first five books of the Old Testament, the traditional law of Israel. God’s law is under persecution. And believers, “whoever observed the law,” are “condemned to death by royal decree” for only one reason—they respect the covenant with God. When we love God’s word and when we “observe the law,” we can be persecuted. The world can close its eyes and pretend not to see God’s presence, but Our Lord is with us, and “whoever follows Him will have the light of life.”
“I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (MK 13: 30-31)
Every word of Our Lord comes from God’s heart and brings His love and will to accept us as close to His heart as possible. His words carrying love “will not pass away” because all things “will pass away” except love. When we share words with love, carrying love, we bring joy to Our Lord’s heart as His imitators.
“Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to stand before the Son of Man.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (LK 18: 6-8)
On one hand, we have God, who listens, “secures our rights” and is fast “to answer.” On the other hand, there is us, “His chosen ones,” “who call out to him day and night.” Our God never changes; He always comes and always answers. The problematic part is on our side: “when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
“God has called us through the Gospel, to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Gospel Acclamation)
