Not even greet him

March 6, 2015 8:39 am

“Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons, for he was the child of his old age; and he had made him a long tunic. When his brothers saw that their father loved him best of all his sons, they hated him so much that they would not even greet him.” (GN 37: 3-4)

Jealousy and hate go together. The beginning is so simple; it becomes hard to say a kind word or “even greet him,” and this attitude grows. But also respect and love go together, and their beginning is very simple too: be gentle and be respectful, and it also can grow. The destination for the first position is hell, and the destination for the second is heaven.

“God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son; so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.” (Gospel Acclamation)

Moved with pity for the crowd

February 14, 2015 8:00 am

“My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance.” (Mk 8: 2-3)

Our Lord takes care of so many things in our lives: not only when we are sick, or alone, or abandoned, but also when we are “on the way” or when “some of us have come a great distance.” At that time it was bread and fish, but now it is He Himself with His word. His word is an answer for all our needs. Let Him come to our hearts and make miracles.

“One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” (Gospel Acclamation)

Bitter root

February 4, 2015 10:24 am

“Strive for peace with everyone, and for that holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one be deprived of the grace of God, that no bitter root spring up and cause trouble, through which many may become defiled.” (Heb 12: 14-15)

“Bitter root” can “spring up and cause trouble, through which many may become defiled.” It sounds like we are responsible for “bitter root.” We should check everyday our “planet,” like the famous Little Prince, and look for any trace of bitterness in our lives because bitterness can cause trouble not only in our lives but also in the lives of our loved ones. “Strive for peace with everyone” looks like a good solution and a good strategy against bitterness. If we add a pinch of humor, this also helps.

“My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me.” (Gospel Acclamation)

To do the will of God

January 30, 2015 2:02 pm

“You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised.” (Heb 10: 36)

Between “what He has promised” and “the will of God” is our “to do.” He promised to love us unconditionally forever and to be our Father forever, and His will for us is to love one another. As a spouse or friend, my “to do” is very simple: to be gentle, respectful, and creative as a giver, protecting time for us (daily…), open to sharing with my spouse or friend my dreams… Even if we simply need endurance, we should start every day again. And again. And again. 🙂

“Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.” (Gospel Acclamation)

To rouse one another

January 29, 2015 10:37 am

“We must consider how to rouse one another to love and good works.” (Heb 10: 24)

We can motivate or demotivate one another; we can “consider how to rouse one another” or discourage one another. We can do both, but God remind us: “we MUST consider how to rouse” because of the goal—“to love and good works.” Every day God’s word does the same for us: inspires us to love and good works. We can do it for our brothers and sisters—“to rouse one another.”

“A lamp to my feet is your word, a light to my path.” (Gospel Acclamation)

A spirit of power and love and self-control

January 26, 2015 11:50 am

“I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God.” (2 Tm 1: 6-8)

Our Lord asks us “to bear our share of hardship for the Gospel” and not to “be ashamed of our testimony to Him,” but, at the same moment, He knows that we need help; we need “the strength that comes from God.” He is always ahead of us: He is always pouring out His grace upon us, and we can trust His grace and His presence with us more than our abilities. He is with us always, especially when we serve Him in our brothers and sisters, with “a spirit of power and love and self-control.”

“Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life to light through the Gospel.” (Gospel Acclamation)

To touch Him

January 22, 2015 7:13 am

“He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases were pressing upon him to touch him.” (Mk 3: 10)

We can see ourselves among “those who had diseases pressing upon him to touch him.” But we can’t touch Him–at least not in person. He has been coming to us everyday in the Liturgy, in daily readings and in our brothers and sisters. And we can give others the healing touch that we have received from Him to “cure many.”

“Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life to light through the Gospel.” (Gospel Acclamation)

To protect us

December 4, 2014 8:12 am

“A strong city have we; he sets up walls and ramparts to protect us. Open up the gates to let in a nation that is just, one that keeps faith.” (Is 26: 1-2)

Old Romans used to say: “good fences make good neighbors.” When we respect our borders (fences), we respect our differences and individualities and we can, on the basis of this respect, build a good neighborhood. Our Lord “sets up walls and ramparts” with sacraments and sacramentals, not only “to protect us,” but also to “open up the gates to let in a nation … that keeps faith.” We need to be protected, and at the same moment, we need to be open for relationships.

“You, o Lord, are close, and all your ways are truth. From of old I have known your decrees, for you are eternal.” (Entrance Antiphon)

Worthy are you, Lord our God

November 19, 2014 8:22 am

“Worthy are you, Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things; because of your will they came to be and were created.” (Rev 4: 11)
With the Book of Revelation, we have the access to the Liturgy in Heaven. All the celestial liturgy is based on adoration of God, who is a Communion of Persons. Our God exists in Three Persons and invited us to be together with Him.

One of my favourite ways in which this is expressed is in the Vatican II Constitution Dei Verbum (No. 2) on the 18th of November 1965: “the invisible God out of the abundance of His love speaks to men as friends and lives among them, so that He may invite and take them into fellowship with Himself.” We were created by God’s love to be with Him Who is Creator and our Father; Who is the Son and our Redeemer, and Who is the Holy Spirit – the Giver of life.

“The Lord said: I think thoughts of peace and not of affliction. You will call upon me, and I will answer you, and I will lead back your captives from every place.” (Entrance Antiphon)

 

Let us love one another

November 14, 2014 9:12 am

“Let us love one another. For this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, as you heard from the beginning, in which you should walk.”

Sometimes we forget that the commandments are not to forbid us or to take something from us, but are for love. “Love one another” is the shortest summary of The Old and New Testament.

St. John Paul II reminds us that in Jesus Christ, God the Father loves us humanly. We prayed in the Collect: “clothe us, Lord God, with the virtues of the Heart of your Son and set us aflame with his love.” This is the only reason Our Lord was sent to us, to assure us that we are loved. Whoever experiences rejection, violence, lack of tenderness and loneliness should come to His Heart. And whoever has done anything wrong, has hurt anybody or has done something that they still feel ashamed of should come to His Heart. Bl. Pope Paul VI again reminds us: “for when He came, not to judge, but to save the world, was He not bitterly severe toward sin, but patient and abounding in mercy toward sinners? Husbands and wives, therefore, when deeply distressed by reason of the difficulties of their life, must find stamped in the heart and voice of their priest the likeness of the voice and the love of our Redeemer.” (HV, 29) Our Lord will never leave us alone in our need: He will send us consolation; maybe we will receive a phone call from a friend, or the daily reading will bring us comfort.

“Thus says the Lord: Let whoever is thirsty come to me and drink. Streams of living water will flow from within the one who believes in me.” (Communion Antiphon)