DECLARING OURSELVES FOR CHRIST

XII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Romans 5:12-15

In his letter to the Romans, Paul puts side by side Adam, the first man, and Christ, the new Adam. Adam represents the old humanity enslaved by sin who have chosen to disobey God and rebel against Him. Full of pride, they refuse to recognise their dependence on Him and affirm themselves as being self-sufficient and independent. In shame, they try to distort and destroy God’s image in them. Jesus Christ is the New Adam. From Him, it comes a new humanity that affirms itself in humility and obedience to God. It is a humanity that reveals the image of God and His glory. The “divine grace, coming through the one man, Jesus Christ, came to so many as an abundant free gift.” Whenever we follow Adam’s path, we find chaos, self-destruction and death. However, if we choose to be disciples of Jesus Christ and follow his footsteps, we find peace and life, enjoying them to the full. Having Adam as a role model, we live in darkness and submit to the power of evil. By choosing Christ’s way, we become children of the light, are set free and are granted a claim to the Kingdom of God.

There is a constant struggle between light and darkness, which tries by all means to overcome light. This struggle takes place in our hearts and in the world at large. If we were not strengthened by hope and by the guarantee of God’s faithfulness, we would fall into despair. Those who revel in darkness make it their duty to persecute and destroy Jesus’ disciples so that his light may not shine over the world.

In the first reading, we find Jeremiah, whose life was in itself a prophecy. He was rejected and persecuted for being faithful and truthful to God’s calling. Even his friends turned against him. He complains but does not despair. He entrusts his cause to the Lord, being sure that the Lord delivers “the soul of the needy from the hands of evil men” (Jeremiah 20:10-13). With the Psalmist, we pray, "In your great love, answer me, O Lord.”

Jesus fulfilled Jeremiah’s prophecy, being rejected, tortured and crucified as a criminal among other criminals. Like Jeremiah, Jesus entrusted his cause to the Lord, remaining faithful to the end. Jesus’ way passes through suffering and death towards glorification. By his resurrection, Jesus is established as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Before Him, every tongue has to confess that He is the Lord.

Jesus calls his disciples to follow after Him through the way of the cross, enduring rejection and suffering and remaining faithful to the end. With reassuring words, Jesus tells us: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” We are in God’s hands, and He will never desert us. As for us, it is our duty to remain faithful at all times and in all places.

“So if anyone declares himself for me in the presence of men, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father in heaven. But the one who disowns me in the presence of men, I will disown in the presence of my Father in heaven.” (Mt 10:26-33).

A KINGDOM OF PRIESTS

XI SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Exodus 19:2-6

When they reached the wilderness of Sinai, the sons of Israel “pitched their camp; there facing the mountain Israel pitched camp.” Then, Moses went up the mountain, answering the Lord’s call, and God declared this to the people of Israel: “I will count you a kingdom of priests, a consecrated nation.”

All the peoples of the earth belong to God, but he specially chose Israel to hear his word, know his will and give thanks and praise to him. The people of Israel should stand for all humanity, establishing a bridge to God and serving the Lord in worship. They were not chosen for their greatness, their wealth or their cleverness. On the contrary, they were chosen for being one of the smallest and weakest among the nations. They were chosen so that the glory and the sanctity of God may be revealed in them. And God sealed this special relationship with Israel with a covenant that shows His commitment and confirms His promise of redemption. From the people, God demands faithfulness to the covenant: you must “obey my voice and hold fast to my covenant”.

We know that, time and again, the people of Israel were unfaithful to the covenant, doing their own will and pursuing their own ways, thus turning their backs to God and rebelling against Him. However, God kept his promise, preparing the coming of the Messiah and establishing in Christ the new covenant, a covenant open to all peoples of the world.

The Psalmist invites us to recognise and proclaim that we belong to him. 

We are his people, the sheep of his flock.

Know that he, the Lord, is God.

  He made us, we belong to him,

  we are his people, the sheep of his flock.

We are his people, the sheep of his flock.

(Psalm 100)

In the gospel, we can see Jesus facing the people and becoming aware of the dire situation they were in. “When Jesus saw the crowds he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd.” These words may be applied to our generation as well. We feel lost and hopeless. It brings to my mind the words of Jeremiah: "For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.” (Jer 2:13). All of this because there are very few shepherds, and many of them are not good shepherds. We must pray incessantly to “the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.” And Jesus decided to initiate the Apostles in this work, sending them to proclaim the Good News: "The kingdom of heaven is close at hand.” (Mt 9:36-10:8), We must proclaim everywhere and to everybody that God’s Kingdom is within reach. God is calling; let us hear his voice and answer his invitation.

COMMUNION WITH THE BODY OF CHRIST

SOLEMNITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI – Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14-16

In the calendar of the Universal Church, the solemnity of Corpus Christi is celebrated on the Thursday after the Holy Trinity. However, the celebration is done on the following Sunday in the countries where that Thursday is a working day. There should be no need for a special celebration of the Eucharist since it is celebrated every Sunday, but, in her wisdom, aware that we are carried by habit, Mother Church gives us this liturgical celebration for us to focus on some essential themes.

The first reading, taken from the book of Deuteronomy, presents the manna as pointing to the Eucharist as the true bread from heaven. Like the manna received by the people in their wandering in the desert, the Eucharist is the true viaticum, that is, the bread for the journey. We must be fed with this bread to become strong enough to proceed and reach the finishing line. Due to our weakness, we fall and go astray. On our own, we will never arrive unless we are fed with this special food.

In the gospel, Jesus tells his disciples that they will not have eternal life and enter the Kingdom of God without eating this food. And the reason for that is that, by eating this food, we enter into a special bond with Jesus, receiving life from Him as He receives from the Father. A true communion is established between Jesus and us and, through Jesus, with the Father.

Jesus makes it very clear that the food He gives us is his body and his blood. “I tell you most solemnly, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you. Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise him up on the last day.” Indeed, “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me, and I live in him.” (Jn 6;51-58)

In the second reading, taken from the First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul echoes Jesus’ words by telling us that, in the celebration of the Eucharist, we enter into communion with the blood and the body of Christ. This was the belief of the early Church and is still our belief today. We cannot approach the table of the Lord without a strong belief that we receive the body and blood of Christ to become one with Him. “The fact that there is only one loaf means that, though there are many of us, we form a single body because we all have a share in this one loaf.” (1 Corinthians 10:16-17)

LET MY LORD COME WITH US

HOLY TRINITY SUNDAY - Exodus 34:4-6, 8-9

Before the mystery of God, who reveals Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we remain puzzled and in awe, as we contemplate the One who is beyond understanding. However, He would not be God if we could understand Him. He is so much higher and greater than us that He remains always beyond us while, at the same time, being in us. We believe in one God, being part of the religions that belong to the Abrahamic tradition.  Despite that belief, we are treated, mainly by the Muslims, as being polytheistic due to our belief in one God who reveals Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They accuse us of associating others with God. Indeed, our conception of God is miles apart from the Islamic God. Allah reveals himself as the Almighty and most powerful. He is the master of everything, and the only possible attitude before Him is that of a slave. We cannot ask or question Him, and total submission is the only acceptable attitude. Allah is a lonely God who revealed himself through an angel and never spoke to man or entered into a relationship with him. Yahweh, on the other side, is Love, who shares that love with us and establishes a relationship with us. Throughout the Holy Scriptures, Yahweh reveals himself entering into a dialogue and establishing a partnership with man. That is what we celebrate today. We can address Him, putting our grievances and our questions to Him, entrusting ourselves to His mercy and His love. Before Him, we can dream of the heights, filling our hearts with hope, being assured that He will take us to fulfilment, sharing in His glory. We can repeat the words of Moses with confidence: “…let my Lord come with us, I beg. True, they are a headstrong people, but forgive us our faults and our sins, and adopt us as your heritage.” In Jesus Christ, God has adopted us as his beloved children. Indeed, we are his heritage.

“God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life." (Jn 3:16)

Being one body with Christ, we are invited to enter God’s mystery, accepting His love and feeling His heartbeat for us. With the psalmist, we sing, "To you glory and praise for evermore.”

God’s love bestowed on us must be present in our communities and mould our lives: “Brothers, we wish you happiness; try to grow perfect; help one another. Be united; live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.” (2 Corinthians 13:11-13).

UNITY AND RECONCILIATION

 PENTECOST SUNDAY - Acts 2:1-11

Chapter eleven of the book of Genesis begins with the story of Babel about human pride and arrogance. Humanity does not accept its limitations and frailties and continuously attempts to climb higher and excel until they reach God’s place and takes it over. However, such attempts end in failure, producing cracks and leaving scars that reopen time and again. When humanity decides to take God’s place and play God’s role, it produces division, violence and war. The effort of self-affirmation may end in self-destruction. When someone is born, he is born into a world tainted by sin. We may try, but we are unable to liberate ourselves and establish a world built on love, peace and communion. 

To enter the Kingdom of God, we must be born again (Jn 3:3), that is, we must be born from above, through water and the Spirit. The Spirit, granted to us by the Father, at the Son’s request, renews and recreates us, establishing a new humanity that dedicates itself to unity and reconciliation. We live in a divided world, but by giving us the Spirit, Jesus has sown the seeds of communion and peace.

On the day of Pentecost, after receiving the Holy Spirit, the disciples came to the public square to announce the Good News of Jesus Christ. And, by the power of the Spirit that leads to Jesus, the situation of division is healed by a spirit of union and peace. People coming from all corners of the world could hear the message in their own language: “We hear them preaching in our own language about the marvels of God”.

As Saint Paul wrote in his first letter to the Corinthians, there is a great variety of gifts bestowed on us by the Holy Spirit, but this diversity is at the service of communion. We make the body of Christ, each one of us playing a different role and occupying a different place. And all of this is for the good of the community.

The Church is a well-organised body with different services. Certainly, we still live in this world, thus being affected by divisions, and we may contribute to those divisions. That’s why there is a need for reconciliation. And the Gospel deals with that. Jesus granted the Holy Spirit to the Apostles to enable them to exercise the ministry of reconciliation. The practice of reconciliation in the Church should serve as a model and an incentive for others to practice reconciliation.

WITNESSES TO THE END OF THE EARTH

ASCENSION SUNDAY - Acts 1:1-11

We celebrate today the Ascension of the Lord. Jesus himself had explained to the disciples, "I came from the Father and have come into the world and now I leave the world to go to the Father.” (Jn 16:28). The ascension is this return to the Father. As the eternal Son, He had accepted to put aside His glory, humbling Himself and becoming a human being in everything, like all other human beings. He took “the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men." He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Fil 2:6-11).

Jesus said goodbye to his disciples and rose to glory, to the glory He has as the beloved Son of the Father. Reading about that event in the Acts of the Apostles, we get surprised by the disciples’ attitude. 

The desire for power was so embedded in them that they had a last go at it. They asked, “Are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” Their expectations were about an earthly kingdom, and Jesus had to be straight with them: “It is not for you to know times or dates that the Father has decided by his own authority”, Then, he promised them the Holy Spirit, who would be bestowed on them so that they might proclaim the Gospel and be witnesses of Jesus Christ. They are entrusted with the mission to give witness to “the ends of the earth”. And they remained there transfixed, looking to heaven. They had to be called back to reality, keeping hope in the Lord Jesus, who will come back in glory to finish the work of salvation, taking us into plenitude. Up to then, we must proclaim the Good News to all peoples, making disciples of Jesus Christ. All those who accept the Good News must be baptised, and Jesus’ commands must be taught to them. This is the mission entrusted to the Church, and every Christian is called upon to carry it out. The final word that Jesus gave his disciples is one of reassurance: “I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.”.

THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH GUIDES US TO CHRIST

 VI EASTER SUNDAY - John 14:15-21

As we come to the end of Easter Time, our attention is drawn to the Holy Spirit, promised to the disciples by Jesus and received by them on the day of Pentecost. The resurrection of Jesus served as a gathering event for the disciples, who began to assemble on the first day of the week. However, they gathered in silence, avoiding calling attention to their group, afraid of being caught and punished by the authorities. It was only on the day of Pentecost that they got emboldened by the Holy Spirit who came upon them like a mighty wind, putting them on fire to proclaim without fear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Since then, the Holy Spirit would play a vital role in the life of the Church. When the Holy Spirit came upon Cornelius and the members of his household, who heard the word, Peter was forced to accept in amazement that God shows no partiality and calls both the Jews and the Gentiles to salvation.

The first reading (Acts 8:5-8, 14-17) makes clear the connection between the Holy Spirit, the proclamation of the Gospel and the building of the Church. The deacon Philip went to Samaria, and there he successfully proclaimed the Good News, with many people asking to be baptised. “When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.” Since “they had only been baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus”, “they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.” Thus, the receiving of the Holy Spirit is connected to the ministry of the Apostles, who prayed for them and laid their hands on them. This link with the Apostles and this dependence on them is necessary to be fully empowered as disciples of Jesus Christ and recognised as members of the Church.

The Holy Spirit was promised by Jesus as the Advocate (παρακλητον), the Spirit of truth, who is with us and in us. Through him, Jesus goes on being present among us. As the Spirit of truth, He leads us to an ever-deepening understanding of the relationship between Jesus and the Father. Through Jesus, we are being introduced into that relationship: “On that day you will understand that I am in my Father and you in me and I in you.” It is the Holy Spirit who enables us to keep Jesus’ commandments, thus living in a deep relationship of love with Him and with the Father. “Anybody who receives my commandments and keeps them will be one who loves me; and anybody who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I shall love him and show myself to him.”