MY SOUL IS LONGING FOR THE LORD

V SUNDAY OF LENT - John 11:1-45

This Sunday, we are presented with the third of the three great themes of Lent taken from the Gospel of John. With the Samaritan woman, we were invited to accept Jesus as the fountain of living water. With the blind man, we were taken to Jesus as our Light and the Light of the world. On this last Sunday of Lent, with Martha and in the company of Mary of Bethany, we proclaim that Jesus is the Son of God and that in Him we find true life because He is the resurrection and the life. Step by step, in the company of Jesus and of all his disciples, we are taken up until we reach the summit, proclaiming our faith – that is, the faith of the Church: Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, who came into this world.

Through the prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 37:12-14), God promised to take us out of our graves, putting his spirit in us so that we may live. Most of us are walking dead, dwelling in tombs richly adorned, covered with flowers that deceive us with their soothing odour. In reality, we are rotten, soul and body, and the perfume exhaling from the flowers can’t hide the stinking rottenness of our lives. The society we live in is rotten to the core. Like Lazarus, we must hear the Lord’s word calling us: “Come out.” Come to the Light and live. By the power of Jesus, the Lord of Life, may the promise made through Ezekiel be fulfilled so that we receive his Spirit, who will lead us to Christ to be his true disciples. Indeed, as Paul told the Romans, we must possess the Spirit of Christ to belong to him. And his Spirit will guide us to put our interests in spiritual things. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus Christ, has the power to recreate us anew so that we live for God as his beloved children.

My soul is waiting for the Lord.

  I count on his word.

My soul is longing for the Lord

  more than watchman for daybreak.

(Let the watchman count on daybreak

  and Israel on the Lord.)

Psalm 130

LORD, I BELIEVE

IV SUNDAY OF LENT - John 9:1-41

In the year A of the liturgical cycle, the last three Sundays of Lent present three themes profoundly linked to the catechumens who prepare themselves to be baptised: Jesus is the fountain of the living water; he is the light that overcomes our darkness, and in him we find resurrection and life. Each theme is centred on a person and the journey of faith of that person: the Samaritan woman, the blind man and Martha of Bethany.

This Sunday, we are invited to look at the blind man’s journey from darkness to light and from unbelief to belief. As in the case of the Samaritan woman, Jesus takes the initiative; he was the one who saw the blind man and decided to heal him. At first sight, the encounter seems to have happened by chance, but all encounters with Jesus are purposeful. Jesus wanted to reveal himself as the light of the world. In this case, the physical handicap was a sign of a much deeper handicap that affects the soul. In order to be healed and become whole, one must recognise one's blindness and be ready to accept the gift of light. The fortuitous encounter led to a gift so great that it changed the blind man’s life forever. He allowed his heart to be touched, and that led him to a journey of faith that ended in an act of worship. 

Once healed of his blindness, the man was able to recognise and be thankful for the great gift received. He did not know Jesus, but he was going to be questioned and confronted because of Jesus. And those who hated Jesus turned against him, being ready to punish him, even though he had done nothing wrong. The unbelievers who rejected Jesus rejected him as well, refusing to accept his truthful statements. This rejection led him to a deeper understanding of the true Jesus. Immediately after his healing, he answered those who asked him about the healer: “The man called Jesus” did this to me. When asked his opinion about Jesus, he said, "He is a prophet.” Afraid of being expelled from the synagogue, his parents avoided any kind of involvement. Subjected to further questioning, the man unmasked those who confronted him, denying that Jesus could be a sinner and affirming him to come from God: if “this man were not from God, he couldn’t do a thing.” Seeing his determination to give witness to Jesus Christ, they expelled him from the synagogue. This expulsion led Jesus to make a full revelation to the healed man. 

“Jesus heard they had driven him away, and when he found him, he said to him, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘tell me who he is so that I may believe in him.’ Jesus said, ‘You are looking at him; he is speaking to you.’ The man said, ‘Lord, I believe’, and worshipped him.”

JESUS IS THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD

III SUNDAY OF LENT - John 4:5-42

Today, we are invited to reflect upon human thirst and the water of life that quenches it. The physical thirst is just a symbol of the thirst of the heart: thirst for justice, peace and love. That is thirst for God, and our hearts do not rest until they find the spring of life.

In the first reading, by the order of God, Moses gets water for the people from a rock, and that rock stands for Christ (Exodus 17:3-7). He is the one who gives us the living water. He is the fountain of life. And, in the gospel, Jesus reveals himself to the Samaritan woman as the giver of life and salvation.

In the dialogue of Jesus with the Samaritan woman, the Gospel of John presents the journey of faith of that woman as a model for all those who search for meaning and accept Jesus’ invitation for a dialogue in which He guides us to the full truth.

Thirsty and tired, Jesus was resting by the well. It was about midday when a Samaritan woman came to draw water. It was as if Jesus waited for her. And he requested from her something very common and very easy to give – a cup of water. Jesus took the initiative and started the conversation. She was surprised and puzzled, feeling uncomfortable. She simply saw a man, a Jewish man in that case. And she made it clear, as if telling him that he was not welcome. However, the conversation had begun, and Jesus surprised the woman even more by offering her living water. How could he? Was he greater than Jacob, who had dug that well? Realising that Jesus was much more than a Jewish man, she dared to ask, "Give me some of that water.” Like the Samaritan, we must ask for the living water, even if we don’t understand its meaning well and what it implies.

Then, without any kind of accusation, Jesus leads her to have a good look at her life. Her life was a mess. With six men in her life, she could not be at peace with herself. She had been searching for love and dignity, but nothing could quench her thirst. Then, she takes one step more towards Christ, recognising him as a prophet. Being the case, she asks for clarification: What is the true worship? And Jesus shows her the truth. Those who worship God “must worship in spirit and truth.” Then, the woman goes one step further, putting herself among those who are waiting for the coming of the Messiah. And Jesus reveals himself to the woman as the Messiah, declaring, "I am he.” Hearing this, she forgot about the water and rushed to the village, telling everybody about the good news of the Messiah.

To the disciples, surprised to see him talking to a woman, Jesus says that his food is to do the will of the Father. Meanwhile, with her witness, the woman led many people to faith in Jesus Christ. They decided to invite Jesus to their village. They had a deep desire to have the same experience of encounter with Christ. 

The passage ends with the profession of faith of those Samaritans: “Now we no longer believe because of what you told us; we have heard him ourselves, and we know that he really is the saviour of the world.”

May the journey of our life lead us to encounter Jesus and be guided by him to the recognition and the proclamation that He is the Saviour of the world.

CALLED TO BE HOLY

II SUNDAY OF LENT - Genesis 12:1-4

On this second Sunday of Lent, we are presented with the calling of Abraham, who is a role model of faith to all of us. In matters of faith, that is, of establishing a relationship with God – He is the one who always takes the first step. He calls, thus entering into a relationship with us. His calling is an invitation that also implies an order: “Leave your country, your family and your father’s house, for the land I will show you.” Answering God’s call demands leaving behind a lot of things that play an important role in our lives. Everything that may stand in the way of accepting and following God’s call must be put aside. We leave behind what we are acquainted with and step into the unknown. Abraham was ordered to go to a land that he did not know. Thus, full of uncertainties, he initiated the adventure of his life. He had to put his trust in the one who called him and move forward with hope, expecting a brighter future, even if he risked endangering everything that he had. With his calling, Abraham received a promise: he would be blessed and become a source of blessing to all nations of the earth, that is, to all those who engage in the same journey to the Promised Land. Certainly, in his heart, Abraham asked a question to which he did not know the answer: What land is God going to show me? To which land are we journeying? Like Abraham, we travel into the unknown guided only by our trust in the Lord.

In the second reading, Paul gives the purpose of God’s calling: God “called us to be holy”. Holiness is the promised land in which we will share the glory of Jesus’ victory over death, proclaiming life and immortality (2 Tim 1:8-10).

In the gospel, Jesus’ transfiguration before the three chosen disciples reveals the Promised Land that is the object of our journey, that is, heaven. There we will be at home and find rest, having all our deepest desires for life and happiness fulfilled. As we climb the mountain, we feel the hardships of the journey. That’s why we need moments like those of Peter, James and John, in which God fills our hearts with joy and hope. Strengthened by God’s grace and love, we may be ready to listen to Jesus’ word and follow him, carrying the cross to Calvary. To reach the victory of resurrection, we must pass through suffering and death with Christ.

“This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favour. Listen to him.” (Mt 17:1-9)

A PURE HEART CREATE FOR ME, O GOD

I SUNDAY OF LENT - Matthew 4:1-11

We begin Lent being challenged to have a good look at ourselves, our world and humanity in general. In his Lenten message, Pope Leo invites us “to place the mystery of God back in the centre of our lives”. To do that, we must realise that we have ousted Him from our hearts, our lives and our society. Then, we must repent and convert, turning back to God.

The first reading, taken from Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7, presents humanity as enslaved by sin. And sin is presented as a deliberate choice of disobedience and revolt against God in an attempt to take his place. We may read the narrative of Adam and Eve's sin as a historical fact or as a picture of our actual attitude towards God. Adam and Eve represent us, the whole of humanity. We have torn apart our communion with God, breaking our ties with him and considering him an obstacle to our freedom, well-being and happiness. We want to decide our own future, since we know what better fits us and our needs. Eating from the tree of knowledge, we will establish what is good, that is, what benefits us and gives us life to the full. We become the Creator, and, doing that, we sit on God’s throne. While doing that, we forget that we are knitting the ropes that enslave us. We end up being controlled by the instruments that we devised to master the world.

In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus is presented with three great proposals that, throughout the centuries, have guided humanity in their search for life and salvation. The satisfaction of our needs is paramount, and it comes before anything else, putting everything at our service. We live for that, and our desires must be satisfied to find relief and feel at peace with ourselves. For that, we are ready to manipulate God, forcing him to do what serves us and enhances our self-satisfaction. In the end, we struggle for the throne, holding power and grabbing wealth to achieve whatever we wish. I don’t need God; I am god.

Jesus rejected all proposals, putting himself wholly at the service of God. He came to do His will, and that is the only way for humanity to achieve life and salvation.

Let us pray with Psalm 51:

A pure heart create for me, O God,

  put a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me away from your presence,

  nor deprive me of your holy spirit.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Give me again the joy of your help;

  with a spirit of fervour sustain me,

O Lord, open my lips

  and my mouth shall declare your praise.

 HE HAS GIVEN NO ONE PERMISSION TO SIN

VI SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Matthew 5:17-37

Nowadays, it is common to hear some people say, “God made me like this.” So, there is nothing wrong with me, and people must accept me as I am. Thus, my flaws become virtues, and I feel proud of them. We justify ourselves and blame God for our failures. The first reading, taken from the book of Sirach, gives a clear answer to that claim: 

“He never commanded anyone to be godless,

  he has given no one permission to sin.” 

Indeed, “If you wish, you can keep the commandments, to behave faithfully is within your power.” There are two ways set before us: one leads to life and the other to death. “Man has life and death before him; whichever a man likes better will be given him.” (Sir 15:16-21).

We must accept responsibility for our actions. Nobody else is answerable for what we do but us. Whenever we deviate from the right path, we must recognise it and ask for forgiveness, entrusting ourselves to God’s grace and mercy.

In this regard, let us pray with Psalm 119:

They are happy whose life is blameless,

  who follow God’s law!

They are happy who do his will,

  seeking him with all their hearts.

They are happy who follow God’s law!

You have laid down your precepts

  to be obeyed with care.

May my footsteps be firm

  to obey your statutes.

In the Gospel, Jesus advises us to stay away from the scribes and Pharisees. They are very demanding and rigorous in their teachings about the Law, but they ignore the spirit of the same Law. They do everything to be recognised as just and holy, easily finding excuses for themselves. Jesus is concerned with the spirit of the Law, and he makes it clear that the sinful actions begin in our hearts.

And Jesus addressed four areas of human life where people easily find excuses to discard their sense of guilt and the need for repentance and conversion. Relationships among people must be based on respect for life and dignity, and whenever one breaks the bond of communion, they must ask for forgiveness and reconcile. A serious and committed relationship with God implies a serious and committed relationship with others.

Then, Jesus addresses the relationship between men and women, a relationship that must be lived in love sealed in marriage. Adultery destroys marriage, and it is sinful. And everything that leads to adultery falls into the same category. About marriage, Jesus makes it clear that divorce is not in God’s plans. The couple is called to be a sign in the family and in society of God’s committed and faithful love.

Finally, according to Jesus, we must not swear. Oaths are proof that we are neither sincere nor truthful. Thus, we are not trustworthy before God and before society. “All you need say is “Yes” if you mean yes, “No” if you mean no; anything more than this comes from the evil one.”

WE ARE DISCIPLES OF JESUS, THE CRUCIFIED CHRIST

 V SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

In the Church and in all the communities that claim to be Christian, the cross is present everywhere. Indeed, Jesus’ discipleship is unthinkable without the cross. Over the centuries, we have lost the sense of horror and the tremor of fear before the cross. We have forgotten that the cross was an instrument of punishment and death, transforming it into an object of ornament or into an expensive piece of jewellery. We are blessed and saved by the cross of Jesus Christ, that is, by his passion and death on the cross. On the cross, Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins, thus reconciling us with God. The cross is the proof of Jesus’ love for the Father and for us. He remained faithful to the end, choosing to obey the Father with all his heart and soul, even if that would endanger his life. Lifted on the cross with stretched arms opened to the world and ready to embrace humanity, Jesus became the model for all those who search for life and salvation. We must be ready to lose our lives for the sake of truth and justice, being assured that dying with Christ is the way to eternal life.

In Athens, Paul made use of his knowledge of Greek culture and philosophy to announce the gospel of Jesus. He suffered a big disappointment since the result was very poor. In Corinth, he used a different approach: instead of using human philosophy, he spoke of Christ in simple, clear and straightforward language: “During my stay with you, the only knowledge I claimed to have was about Jesus, and only about him as the crucified Christ.”

And we should never forget that to become a true disciple of Jesus, we must carry our cross (Mt 10:38). Indeed, throughout the centuries, the Church has suffered persecution, and many Christians have paid with their lives for being disciples of Jesus. The same is happening nowadays. In many regions of the world, Christians are being persecuted. Being taught by Jesus, we relate to others with respect and dialogue, while they use violence against us. We pray for our enemies and ask God’s blessings over them, while they insult and kill us. For some religions, the cross is anathema and idolatry, and they are ready to destroy it and destroy with it those who accept it as proof of faithfulness to Christ and of fellowship with all those who are overwhelmed by suffering. By doing that, we truly become the salt and the light of the world (Mt 5:13-16).

HAPPY ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT

 IV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Matthew 5:1-12a

In the Scriptures, we may find texts that put forward  fundamental truths and establish paradigms of behaviour. On mount Sinai, Moses received from God the Law that points out the way to life, happiness and salvation. Jesus came to establish a New Covenant and with it He proposes the new commandment that will guide the new people of God: Love one another as I have loved you. This kind of love is only possible if we approach life with new attitudes. Like Moses, Jesus went up the mountain, but, unlike Moses who stood alone before God, Jesus sits down surrounded by his disciples. It is to them that He presents his charter of values, the values of the Kingdom of God. This charter is presented at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, giving meaning to everything else. The values of the Kingdom run against the values of this world that strives to acquire power, wealth and fame. According to Jesus, the road to happiness passes through humility, simplicity, sincerity and truth. The powerful and the wealthy are mistaken and they cannot find the happiness of true life in the pleasures of this world. 

The first beatitude sets the path to all the others: “happy (blessed) are the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” These words sound like nonsense: how can the poor be happy? Jesus does not proclaim blessed the miserable. He made an effort to alleviate their suffering. But, in order to find happiness, we must have the spirit and the attitude of the poor. Poor is the one who depends on others to survive. He cannot live alone. He recognises and accepts his shortcomings and weaknesses and asks for help. Before God and before the others we are poor and must recognise our dependence on them. The self-sufficient cannot enter the Kingdom of God. We cannot save ourselves; we must be saved by God and our salvation depends on the salvation of others. 

The prophet Zephaniah presents the humble who seek the Lord and finds integrity and justice:

Seek the Lord,

all you, the humble of the earth,

who obey his commands.

Seek integrity,

seek humility:

you may perhaps find shelter

on the day of the anger of the Lord.

(Zephaniah 2:3,3:12-13)

THE LORD IS MY LIGHT

III SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17

This Sunday, we complete the week of prayer for Christian Unity, which was celebrated under the theme “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling” (Ephesians 4:4). The second reading of this Sunday's liturgy, taken from 1 Corinthians, deals with the same issue and presents Paul’s worries about the divisions wrecking the community. We should be united in “belief and practice”. And, looking at ourselves, we find all kinds of divisions. There is a great divide between Catholic and Orthodox. Then we have such a variety of groups, practices and beliefs in Western Christianity that it becomes difficult to recognise Jesus Christ’s face in many of them. Looking around, we find confusion, envy and jealousy instead of unity of purpose guided by faith and love. And nowadays, the Catholic Church is falling into the same trap. We find all kinds of groups with self-appointed prophets and evil shepherds that lead people astray.

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul points the way out of this problem: Christ is the centre and reason of everything. We can never forget the crucified Christ. We must put aside the cleverness of our philosophy and the cunningness of our ideologies, since everything must be measured and counted according to the cross of Jesus Christ: Paul was sent “to preach the Good News, and not to preach that in the terms of philosophy in which the crucifixion of Christ cannot be expressed.”

This Sunday, in the Catholic Church, is dedicated to the Word of God. And we are reminded that the word of Christ should dwell among us (Col 3:16). Jesus Christ is the Word, and, being the Word, he is the Light of the world, a light that dispels the darkness that blinds and enslaves us. Jesus is the word and the light that show the way and bring understanding and purpose; they fill us with hope.

Let us sing with the Psalmist: 

The Lord is my light and my help;

  whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life;

  before whom shall I shrink?

Psalm 27

THE SERVANT OF THE LORD

II SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - John 1:29-34

This Sunday’s readings are still connected to the celebration of the Lord’s baptism, making even more explicit the identity of the Messiah as the Servant of the Lord. The book of Isaiah presents four poetic passages about the Servant of the Lord: Isaiah 42:1–9, 49:1–7, 50:4–9, and 52:13–53:12. Last Sunday, during the Feast of the Baptism, we read the first passage; today, we read the second. He was formed in the womb and called to be a servant. He is entrusted with the mission of gathering the people of Israel and bringing them back to God. This servant is destined to be more than a servant. He will have a universal mission: “I will make you the light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth” (Is 49:6). Jesus is the one who assumed the role of a servant. He is the Light of the world (Jn 8:12), and in Him we find life and salvation.

This Sunday’s gospel develops the idea of the servant, stressing his identity and his mission. John the Baptist gives public testimony to Jesus, proclaiming him as the Lamb of God and the Son of God. He came to be the true Lamb of God, offering himself as the sacrifice of the new covenant and accepting to give his life “for the forgiveness of sins” (Mt 26:28). In him and through him, we are reconciled to the Father. And all this is possible because he is the Chosen One, the Son of God.

In the second reading, taken from 1 Corinthians 1:1-3, Paul presents himself as an apostle appointed by God to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. He addresses the Corinthians as “the holy people of Jesus Christ”, who pray to Jesus Christ because he is their Lord and our Lord as well. It is from him that we receive “grace and peace”.

The responsorial psalm gives voice to the attitude of the servant who comes to do the will of his master:

You do not ask for sacrifice and offerings,

  but an open ear.

You do not ask for holocaust and victim.

  Instead, here am I. (Psalm 40)

Jesus Christ is our Lord, the Lord of lords and the King of kings. Let us live this year under his lordship.

THIS IS MY SON, THE BELOVED

THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD - Matthew 3:13-17

The feast of the baptism of the Lord is part of the great solemnity of Epiphany. In this feast, we are invited to reflect on Jesus’ baptism and our own baptism. Jesus’ baptism reveals the mystery of the Messiah and sets forth the profound significance of our own baptism. 

Speaking of baptism, we must realise that we were not baptised with John’s baptism. He came to baptise in water as a sign of repentance (Mt 3:11; Jn 1:26). We were baptised in Jesus Christ with the baptism of the Spirit. Jesus explained to Nicodemus that to enter the Kingdom of God, we must be “born of water and the Spirit” (Jn 3:5).

According to the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), the baptism of Jesus was followed by a great theophany that revealed Jesus as the Son of God, being anointed by the Holy Spirit to carry out the Father’s plan of salvation. Jesus is the beloved Son who came into this world, taking on our human nature to reconcile us with the Father, making it possible for us to be children of God.

The second reading presents Jesus as the anointed one, that is, the Messiah or the Christ. All Jews were waiting for the coming of the Messiah. Their expectations were high: they thought of the Messiah as a king and a liberator who would overpower and defeat all those who had oppressed the people of Israel. The Messiah should have a political role, establishing a kingdom of justice and peace. They ignored or put aside the prophecies that announced a suffering servant who would carry our sins and be overburdened by our pains. In his baptism, Jesus accepts his mission and is invested in his ministry. And he will do it as the servant of the Lord announced by the prophet Isaiah.

Following Jesus’ path, in our baptism, we were anointed with the Holy Spirit, and the Father spoke over us, saying, “This is my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on him.” In baptism, we were born from above as children of God. 

Today, let us give thanks for our baptism, renewing our commitment to be faithful to Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth and the life.

THE NATIONS COME TO YOUR LIGHT

 THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD - Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6

The Epiphany, being older than Christmas, is among the oldest feasts in the Christian calendar. On this feast, we celebrate the manifestation of Jesus as Son of God and Saviour of the world. In the Western Churches, the feast focuses on the Magi who came to Jesus and recognised him as divine. Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan and his first miracle at Cana are celebrated as an integral part of Epiphany, that is, Jesus’ manifestation to the world. In the Eastern Churches, the Epiphany focuses mainly on the baptism, in which Jesus is anointed by the Holy Spirit and recognised as the Son by the Father.

Tradition has considered the Magi to be kings, giving them names: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. Speaking of the Magi, Matthew tells us only that they came from the East. Were they kings? Probably not. For sure, we know that they were foreigners, that is, Gentiles. And those Gentiles were ready to go through great difficulties to find the Messiah and pay homage to him. And Matthew stresses the contrast between those Gentiles and the people of Jerusalem who felt threatened by a humble child. Herod was ready to deceive, hiding his murderous plan to get rid of the Child.

The Magi stand for the Gentiles – that is, for all of us who are not Jews. In this feast, Jesus is affirmed as the light of the world, who disperses the darkness of this world and overcomes the slavery of sin. Jesus came to be the Saviour of the World. And we celebrate that with a joyful heart full of thanksgiving. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul summarises the mystery celebrated in the feast of Epiphany:

“It means that pagans now share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body, and that the same promise has been made to them, in Jesus Christ, through the gospel.” (Ep 3:6)

With the psalmist, let us sing the praises of the Lord:

“All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.”