THE SON OF MAN MUST BE LIFTED UP

XXIV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - The Exaltation of the Holy Cross - John 3:13-17

On the 14th of September, the Church, both Catholic and Orthodox, celebrates the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The feast has its origins in the dedication of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, 335. Emperor Constantine built the church on the site where his mother, Helena, found the Holy Cross. Then, in 628, the emperor Heraclius defeated the Persians and recovered the Holy Cross, which they had taken from Jerusalem.

Celebrating the cross, we celebrate Jesus’ crucifixion. On the cross, Jesus shed his blood for us, offering himself in sacrifice for our redemption. That’s why the cross occupies so important a place in the life of the Church. We may not feel ashamed of the cross of Christ. On the contrary, we must make ours Paul’s words: “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal 6:14). Indeed, we cannot live “as enemies of the cross of Christ.” (Phi 3:18). We should never forget Jesus’ words: “And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” (Mt 10:38).

The cross is an embodiment of human depravity. Despite being innocent and sinless, Jesus was treated like a criminal and suffered a most cruel death. Humans are capable of all kinds of evil whenever they ignore God and revolt against him. Accepting willingly the death on a cross, Jesus gave the ultimate proof of his obedience and faithfulness. The hymn quoted by Paul in his letter to the Philippians presents Jesus’ attitude:

His state was divine,

yet Christ Jesus did not cling

to his equality with God

but emptied himself

to assume the condition of a slave

and became as men are;

and being as all men are,

he was humbler yet,

even to accepting death,

death on a cross.

God accepted his offering and recognised his faithfulness, raising him from the dead:

But God raised him high

and gave him the name

which is above all other names

so that all beings

in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld,

should bend the knee at the name of Jesus

and that every tongue should acclaim

Jesus Christ as Lord,

to the glory of God the Father. (Ph 2:6-11).

Paul wrote to the Corinthians about the saving power of the cross: “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Co 1:18). That’s why “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1 Co 2:2).

Let us glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

CARRYING THE CROSS

XXIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 14:25-33

Jesus never tried to seduce his disciples with false promises. He never deceived them; on the contrary, he was always very clear about the demands of discipleship. They should not expect an easy life. On the contrary, they must be ready to accept suffering. “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master” (Mt 10:24). If the master was rejected, judged and condemned, what can the disciple expect? It is difficult to understand why so many Christians are hated and persecuted. Despite not being perfect, they are among the most law-abiding citizens of any country. They are hated for carrying Jesus’ name. In the book of Revelation, speaking of the dragon – that is, the “ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world” – we are told that “the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” (Rev 12:9-17). We should not be surprised that in many countries of the world, war on Christians is being waged.

It is not an easy thing to be a Christian. We may be hated and rejected for it. And we must be ready to strive for holiness, following Jesus’ footsteps. We must live our lives guided by the spirit of the Beatitudes. To the Colossians, Paul wrote that we “have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” (Col 3:9) According to the new self, we live our lives guided by only one commandment, the new commandment given to us by Jesus: “Love one another: just as I have loved you” (Jn 13:34).

The readiness to follow Jesus has implications on the way we relate to others. Paul wrote to the Colossians: “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.” (Col 3:11) Based on this awareness of being one in Christ, Paul wrote to Philemon, pleading with him to accept Onesimus as a brother, not as a slave. Indeed, before Christ, there are no slaves, but all are children of the same Father. 

May the Lord give us the strength to acknowledge and affirm the dignity of all our brothers.

CITIZENS OF HEAVEN

XXII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24a

Whenever we read the Bible, we can easily discover a lot of discrepancies between the Old and the New Testaments. It is no surprise that, in the second century, a man called Marcion defended a radical distinction between the God of the New Testament and the God of the Old Testament. In reading the Bible, we must always be aware that God reveals himself in a long process that takes us from the beginning to Jesus Christ. He is the only way to the Father: “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” (Jn 1:18). In the Bible, we find the long journey of humanity to Christ. If we read it from this standpoint, then we discover that things fit in place and that there is a continuous line that leads to Christ. Thus, Jesus Christ is the key for the interpretation of the Old Testament. That’s the way the Apostles and the Church Fathers dealt with the Old Testament, mainly with the prophets and the psalms.

On this Sunday’s liturgy, the second reading, taken from the letter to the Hebrews, invites us to compare the way we experience God and the way the people of Israel experienced Him. On Sinai, people experienced God’s presence, power and glory through the terrifying natural phenomena, such as the “blazing fire”, the storm, and the “trumpeting thunder”. People were terrified hearing God’s voice and pleaded with Moses to be God’s spokesperson to them. God revealed Himself to be so holy that people could not come close to Him. In the Temple, only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies, once a year, after careful preparation and purification. We, who belong to the New Covenant, are granted a completely different experience: “But what you have come to is Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem where the millions of angels have gathered for the festival, with the whole Church in which everyone is a ‘first-born son’ and a citizen of heaven. You have come to God himself, the supreme Judge, and been placed with spirits of the saints who have been made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator who brings a new covenant.” (Heb 12:22-24) In his letter to the Romans, Paul tells us, “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.” (Ro 8:15-17a). Indeed, God reveals to us his love and, through the Holy Spirit, pours his love into our hearts (Ro 5:5).

 IF ANYONE LOVES ME

XXI SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 13:22-30

More than once, Jesus was asked about salvation. A rich man came to him and asked, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” (Mt 19:16). To that question, Jesus gave a straightforward answer: Keep the commandments. On this Sunday, the gospel presents a similar question: “Sir, will there be only a few saved?” Prophet Isaiah, in the first reading, announces that God will offer salvation to people of all nations: “I am coming to gather the nations of every language. They shall come to witness my glory.” “And of some of them I will make priests and Levites, says the Lord.” (Is 66:18, 21) However, salvation is not for the faint-hearted. It demands effort, and it implies hardships. That’s what Jesus states clearly in the answer that he gave to the question about salvation: “Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed.” And he insists that we must be ready to welcome the Lord when he comes. We must be on the alert; otherwise, we may find the door closed. Then, we will be excluded, and we cannot blame anybody but ourselves. We must always be in a state of readiness to answer God’s call.

The second reading, taken from the letter to the Hebrews, advises us to accept God’s corrections, which take place whenever we go through hardships and suffering in life. “Suffering is part of your training; God is treating you as his sons.” (Heb 12:7). For sure, suffering is never pleasant, and we try to avoid it at all costs. However, an easy life never yields the ripe and sweet fruits of justice, compassion, and love. Hardships are necessary to build a good character and bring forth commitment and responsibility.

The gospel acclamation puts forward the essential attitude of listening and obedience:

“If anyone loves me he will keep my word,

and my Father will love him,

and we shall come to him.” (Jn 14:23)

BRINGING FIRE TO THE EARTH

XX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 12:32-48

As this Sunday’s gospel is proclaimed, we may feel confused about the meaning of some of Jesus’s words. “‘I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already!” What kind of fire is Jesus talking about?

In fulfilment of Jesus’ promise, the Holy Spirit will come upon the disciples as tongues of fire, filling them with strength, zeal and boldness to proclaim the Good News of salvation. The coming of the Holy Spirit made possible the beginning of the Church, which must spread to the ends of the earth.

In the Old Testament, God manifests himself in fire, as it happened to Moses on Horeb with the burning bush (Ex 3:2). During their travelling through the desert, God accompanied his people in a “pillar of fire to give them light” ( Ex 13:21). In the great theophany that took place on Sinai, “the LORD had descended on it in fire.” (Ex 19:18). And the book of Deuteronomy presents God as a “consuming fire” (Dt 4:24).

Fire can also refer to love (SS 8:6), God’s love that is poured into our hearts. However, we should not forget that fire is also associated with judgment. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire, and the prophet Malachi speaks of the day of judgment that will come “burning like a furnace” (Malachi 4:1). In the parable of the last judgment, Jesus says that those who are excluded from heaven will go to “the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Mt 25:41). According to Paul, in his Second Letter to the Thessalonians, Jesus will be “revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2 Tes 1:7-8).

When the judgment comes at the end of time, Jesus will reveal Himself in all His glory, bringing to fulfilment the salvation plan. Then God will be all in all (1 Co 15:28). Jesus’ eagerness to spread the fire indicates his urgency in carrying out the Father’s plan of salvation. To achieve that, Jesus has to pass through suffering and death, which is the baptism that he speaks about, and he is deeply distressed.

Jesus warns his disciples that they will suffer opposition and rejection, even from their own family. They must be ready to go through Jesus’ baptism, that is, His passion. We must be prepared to lose our lives for Jesus Christ; otherwise, we are not worthy of being his disciples.

STAY AWAKE AND STAND READY

XIX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 12:32-48

The second reading taken from the letter to the Hebrews invites us to reflect on faith and presents Abraham and Sarah as role models of faith.

In the Scriptures, Abraham is presented as the first who lived in faith. Called, he answered God’s call, making of his life a journey of relationship with God. God took the initiative and established with Abraham ties of friendship. Abraham proceeded the journey of faith putting himself in God’s hands, full of trust in His love, protection and guidance. He went through difficult moments and his faith was put to the test. However, he never turned his back on God and never doubted his friendship. In the darkest moments of his life, he abandoned himself in God’s hands, being certain that God remains faithful to his promise.

Journeying in faith through life, they realised that “they were only strangers and nomads on earth.” Aware of that, they lived in “in search of their real homeland.” (Hb 11:13-14).

Being strangers and nomads, we must behave in a detached way from the things that may tie us down, making our journey heavy and difficult. In the Gospel, Jesus advises his disciples on the attitudes they should have to walk towards heaven:

• We are weak, fragile, small and poor, but that is no reason to fear: “There is no need to be afraid, little flock”.
• With that confidence in God’s care, our hearts and minds may be free from greed.  “‘Sell your possessions and give alms. Get yourselves purses that do not wear out, treasure that will not fail you, in heaven where no thief can reach it and no moth destroy it. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Our treasure is in heaven. If we possess wealth, we must use it to get purses in heaven. By sharing with others, we will find brothers and sisters who will accompany us  and speak for us in God’s presence.
• The lamps of our faith must be lit and we must be ready to welcome the Lord when he comes. When He calls out, we must be ready to answer: “Present!”
• We must be true servants - faithful and trustworthy. We are called to serve and the gifts we receive from the Holy Spirit are to be used for the benefit of others. We should never abuse our position and our ministry.
• We must be always ready to carry out our master’s will. We will be answerable for our actions: “The servant who knows what his master wants, but has not even started to carry out those wishes, will receive very many strokes of the lash. The one who did not know, but deserves to be beaten for what he has done, will receive fewer strokes.”
• The more we received from the Lord, the more will be expected from us: “When a man has had a great deal given him, a great deal will be demanded of him; when a man has had a great deal given him on trust, even more will be expected of him.”

May the words of the Psalmist echo in our hearts:

Our soul is waiting for the Lord.

  The Lord is our help and our shield.

May your love be upon us, O Lord,

  as we place all our hope in you. (Psalm 33)

THERE IS ONLY CHRIST

XVIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 12:13-21

In this Sunday’s readings, the responsorial psalm gives us the mood and the attitude with which we should approach not only the liturgy but also life.

“Make us know the shortness of our life

  that we may gain wisdom of heart.” - Psalm 90

We must become aware of our fragility and weakness. We are mortal, and the span of our lives is short. While in good health, we may appear strong and feel that everything is possible. This may lead us to become reckless with our lives. According to the psalm, we are “like the grass which springs up in the morning”; “it springs up and flowers: by evening it withers and fades.” The first reading, taken from Qohelet (Ecclesiastes), summarises the reality of life, saying: “Vanity of vanities. All is vanity!”. (Ecc 1:2). This truth is illustrated by Jesus in the parable of the rich man who put his heart and soul into his wealth, forgetting that death may take him away at any time. We will take nothing to the grave. In death, all go the same way. This awareness will give us the wisdom to find meaning and purpose for our lives. We should realise that life is to be lived with others. When we prioritise wealth, we develop a sense of self-sufficiency that often overlooks and disregards others. The rich man of the parable did not think about all those who contributed to his wealth. Thus, he did not share, but kept it all to himself. In his selfishness, there was no place for anybody else. In the end, his life was empty and meaningless.

In his letter to the Colossians, Paul presents the only way we can find meaning in our lives. Redeemed by Christ, we must put our minds and hearts on the values that must be found in his followers: “Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ, you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand.” (Col 3:1). This implies a daily struggle against the false values the entice and seduce us: “That is why you must kill everything in you that belongs only to earthly life: fornication, impurity, guilty passion, evil desires and especially greed, which is the same thing as worshipping a false god; and never tell each other lies. You have stripped off your old behaviour with your old self, and you have put on a new self which will progress towards true knowledge the more it is renewed in the image of its creator”. (Col 3:8-10)