“Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry My name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel, and I will show him what he will have to suffer for My name.” (Acts 9:15)
Could you believe: almighty God needs us. We know the history of Paul, his persecution of the Church, his dedication to destroy any kind of relationship with Jesus and the evil things he had done to the holy ones in Jerusalem. “And here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison all who call upon Your name.” This man was chosen by God to be the instrument to carry His name.
God can see in us the good which is hidden even from us. Fortunately – because if it was only our decision, how many apostles would have never received a chance to proclaim the Gospel: not enough saint, too many mistakes made in their lives, and so on. God’s grace can change persecutors into Apostles, sinners into saints, ordinary men into heroes.
“Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood, remains in me and I in him, says the Lord.” (Alleluia versus)
“And now, Lord, … enable your servants to speak your word with all boldness, as you stretch forth your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:29 – 30)
“Enable your servants to speak your word with all boldness.” The greatest desire of every priest. We have received very unique gift: the ability to proclaim the Gospel – the Good News about His love to mankind. Every word in it was spoken out of love to us. His gift needs our cooperation, faithful listening and great concern to proclaim only His “signs and wonders.”
“If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” (Alleluia versus)
“It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:20)
“Impossible … not to speak about what we have seen and heard.” But the beginning was so different. “When they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.” “They returned and told the others; but they did not believe them either.” “But later, as the Eleven were at table, he appeared to them and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they had not believed those who saw him after he had been raised. He said to them, ‘Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature’” (Mk 16:11. 13. 14-15).
Without the earlier unbelief, without the “hardness of heart,” without doubts and questioning – “proclaiming the Gospel to every creature” would be impossible.
In 1975 our beloved pope Paul VI made the powerful comment: “Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.” We are invited to be in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. When we know Him only from books or we heard about him from others – we can’t speak about Him.
“All of you who have been baptized in Christ have put on Christ, alleluia” (Communion Antiphon).
“I give you a new commandment, says the Lord: love one another as I have loved you” (Verse before the Gospel)
“Love one another” is not a new commandment. “Love one another as I have loved you” – it is the new commandment. He and His love is always the point of reference. He and His love is what we focus on.
Today we celebrate the new commandment and the place where we can always find it – the Eucharist. The central point of every Mass is the very celebration of love as “I have loved you”. This gift comes to us through the priests. They could be old or young, with a nice voice or almost deaf, fantastic preachers or boring speakers, great team-builders or horrible leaders, almost perfect or far, far away from perfection, but for sure they are always His priests with the most beautiful gift – the ability to bring us closer to Him and Him – closer to us.
“This is the Body that will be given up to for you; this is the Chalice of the new covenant in my Blood, says the Lord; do this, whenever you receive it, in memory of me.” (1 Cor 11:24-25) – Communion Antiphon.
“As a body without a spirit is dead, so is faith without deeds”. (James 2:26)
It is like telling somebody “I love you” and ignoring this person totally. Faith needs deeds. Like love needs honesty, respect, gentleness, gifts, time to be together, dialogue and chastity.
My actions show His presence in my life.
When I am in my collar or my cassock, when my marriage ring is on my finger, the picture of my beloved in my wallet or on the wallpaper of my desktop, I am telling everybody, to whom I belong. My faith brings fruit.
“It was not you who chose me, says the Lord, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last” (Communion Antiphon, cf. Jn 15:16)
“… your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify you heavenly Father” (Mt 5:16)
See your good deeds – and glorify your Father.
Being transparent. Thruogh my good deeds the others can see and glorify heavenly Father. In every context of life.
A dream of every preacher: “my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of Spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God” (1 Cor 2:5). Transparent.
The image of God the Father is much clearer for a child if its parents love each other, respect each other, honor each other and pray together.
“Keep your family safe, O Lord, with unfailing care, that, relying solely on the hope of heavenly grace, they may be defended always by your protection.” (Collect)
“…all who were afflicted in any way were crowding forward to touch Him.” (Mk 3:10)
To touch Him.
God has become a man. For nine month He was hidden in His Mother’s womb to appear later as a child. He discovered the beauty of the touch. Parental touch, full of love. His innocent Mother and the best father in the world, chosen by God to represent Him.
Today He is curing people with His touch. “All who were afflicted in any way.”
When we take the Bible into our hands, we can also touch Him. It is not only a book, it is He Himself. And in the Sacraments, too. And especially when we receive the Holy Communion. To touch Him. If you go a little bit deeper into the Liturgy of the Mass, you will be surprised how many beautiful gestures we use to celebrate the Mystery of His love. All kneeling down, kisses of the altar, inclinations… And everything is connected with “to touch Him”. He is exactly the same: “Jesus Christ is the same today as he was yesterday and as he will be for ever.” (Hbr 13:8).
“Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life to light through the Gospel” (Alleluia verse).
“God has come into the camp.” (1 Sam 4:7)
“For nothing like this has ever happened before.” (1 Sam 4:7).
The reason? “Let us fetch the ark of our God from Shiloh so that, when it goes with us, it may save us from the clutches of our enemies” (1 Sam 4:3).
God, who is the most holy Person, used as a weapon. A tool for victory.
Unfortunately, it is also our problem. To use God for our purpose. Not to listen to Him, but to use Him.
Because… we know better. “Mind you tell no one anything…The man went away, but then started freely proclaiming and telling the story everywhere” (Mk 1:44-45). God – used for our own satisfaction. And even worse: “so that Jesus could no longer go openly into any town, but stayed outside in deserted places” (Mk 1:45). It could be me. Instead bringing Him closer to people, I could keep Him “outside in deserted places”.
God came to us in the Holy Family. And stayed with Mary and Joseph for thirty years. Giving us the lesson about God’s presence in the family. He is there not to change the husband according to his wife’s vision, and not to change the wife according to her husband’s vision, but to stay with them as God who is love. To show them that the people who love always do good things, even if the other person is not totally honest. Like the lepper from today’s Gospel. God always does good, not because we deserve it or buy it, or should receive it, but because He is love. And love – loves to share: Bonum est deffusivum sui (Latin).
“Goodness always tends to spread. Every authentic experience of truth and goodness seeks by its very nature to grow within us, and any person who has experienced a profound liberation becomes more sensitive to the needs of others. As it expands, goodness takes root and develops. If we wish to lead a dignified and fulfilling life, we have to reach out to others and seek their good. In this sense, several sayings of Saint Paul will not surprise us: “The love of Christ urges us on” (2 Cor 5:14); “Woe to me if I do not proclaim the Gospel” (1 Cor 9:16).” (Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium 9)
“Samuel…did not let a single word fall to the ground of all that He had told him”. (1 Sam 3:19)
One of my favorite sentences in the Bible. The dream of my whole priestly life. Unfortunately, many today’s translations have made this sentence more practical than poetical, loosing the beauty of the original version.
Protecting His “single word” from falling to the ground. What an important mission. Especially for us, believers. Especially today, when the modern world prefers to choose only some of His words.
I found that the best place to protect His words is my memory united with my heart. When I put His word into my heart with care and love, it stays there forever.
It is so important at the beginning of our prayer to prepare our heart to receive His words. “Speak, for your servant is listening” (1 Sam 3:10).
God never tires of calling us. He had called Samuel three times until he was ready to answer properly. So He called again – for the fourth time. Without any reproach. With the same love as for the first time.
“Samuel grew up. Yahweh was with him and did not let a single word fall to the ground of all that he had told him”. (1 Sam 3:19)
“And His teaching made a deep impression on them because, unlike the scribes, He taught them with authority.” (Mk 1:22)
With authority. The true authority is based on love not on position, profession or bank account. “His teaching made a deep impression”. Mark didn’t write any detail about His teaching, only how much His listeners were impressed. Later, they saw how an unclean spirit went out of a man. And their comment was exactly the same: “Here is a teaching that is new, and with authority behind it” (Mk 1:27).
Every parent knows this. Their authority over children comes not from age, position or anything like that. The true authority comes from their love to children. And every child will follow this authority automatically.
I found it to be true so many times. When I put all my love into my words, my gestures – everything bacame simpler. Everyone prefers to answer to love and not to force. When your child is crying and you say: “stop crying!”, this is teaching by force; when you say: “please come and tell me what happened”, this is teaching by love.
“Receive the word of God, not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God” (Alleluia versus)
