THE MEEK WILL POSSESS THE EARTH

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

The proud is full of himself, having no place for anybody else. He becomes his own god, deciding right and wrong. The others become tools to be manipulated as he wishes, bringing oppression and exploitation. Pride is the root of jealousy, envy and hatred which bring violence between individuals, communities and nations. The others, mainly the ones who look and act differently, are perceived as a threat and looked upon as enemies. In fear, doing all he can to protect himself and to keep the others at a distance, he builds walls. His great values are wealth and power and he is ready to do anything in order to keep his power and increase his wealth.

The proud does not need to go in search of the truth, since he owns the truthNd sets himself up as the rule of truth. His heart does not seek God, because he does not need God. In his pride, he cannot understand that his tower of wealth and power will tumble down and crush him. Excluding the others, he will remain alone, unable to see the light and to find peace. Only the humble will recognize their shortcomings and become aware of their weaknesses; only they are ready to seek help and search for the truth. That's why the prophet Zephaniah calls on them to seek the Lord:

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. (Zeph 2:3)

To seek the Lord, we need humility and we need integrity. If our hearts and minds are corrupted by false values, we will not feel the need of seeking the Lord. 

In line with the prophets, Jesus presented a different way, with a new set of values, turning upside down the scale of values accepted by the world. Presented as the new Moses, Jesus went up the mountain to give the charter of the New Covenant for the new people of God. It is the sermon on the mountain or of the beatitudes. Who are the blessed ones?

Blessed are the poor in spirit, the gentle, those who mourn, those who hunger for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, the persecuted for the cause of right and for Jesus Christ. However, for all those who follow the wisdom of the world, this is sheer nonsense. Following these values, we go nowhere and achieve nothing. The wealthy and the powerful achieve their greatness by being ruthless and merciless. Doing that, they become oppressors and exploiters, always ready to conquer and dominate. It is not surprising that there is so much violence and so many wars.

Only the humble may work for peace and bring peace. And only the poor in spirit may enter the kingdom of God, because, being aware of his fragility and powerlessness, he is ready to believe and to accept salvation as a gift.

CALLED TO BE ONE

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

We are in the middle of the Unity Week, a week dedicated to ecumenism, in which we reflect about the divisions in the Church and pray for unity. 

Reconciliation: For the love of Christ urges us on - is the theme for this year’s week of prayer; and 2 Cor 5:14-20 is the basis of our reflections. The Church, as the body of Christ, is called to unity and Jesus himself prayed for the unity of all those who believe in him (Jn 17:20-21). However, we are divided; and the divisions are so obvious and the groups so many that they have become a stumbling block for many. The different churches that we find are not a sign of diversity, but of opposition in which the ones who claim faithfulness accuse the others of betrayal and apostasy. Many times, the different churches compete with each other and attack each other, as if they are enemies.

Reading the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians or even reading the Acts of the Apostles and the letters of John, we can see that divisions in the Church have been there since the beginning, as if they are a part of the Church. Many times, we forget that the Church as the community of believers, is made up of human beings, who are sinners, dominated by selfishness and pride, which lead to envy and jealousy, causing endless divisions. 

Through out history, there were many divisions, some of which have perdured through generations. There are still  Nestorian churches, which left the church after the council of Ephesus (431); and there are the Monophysite churches, who rejected the council of Chalcedon (451), present mainly in Egypt, Ethiopia and Syria. Then there was the great division between Catholic and Orthodox, which took place in 1054, due more to mistrust and to political reasons than to differences of faith. Then, in 1517, Luther initiated what is called Reformation with his ninety-five theses criticising Church doctrine and practice. What started as an attempt to reform the Church became an open revolt which tore apart the unity of the Latin Church and led to endless divisions. 

In this year of 2017, the beginning of the Reformation is being celebrated, but it has to be celebrated by all in an attitude of repentance and an effort of reconciliation.

In order to reconcile, we must recognise that Jesus is the Head, being therefore the only point of reference and the only way that we must follow. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul stresses this: 

“I appeal to you, brothers, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, to make up the differences between you, and instead of disagreeing among yourselves, to be united again in your belief and practice.” (1 Cor 1:10)

Calling the Corinthians unity, Paul puts forward the gospel of the Crucified Christ. He is the one who died for us, so that we may be reconciled with God and with each other. Being baptised in his name, we were grafted in him, being one with him. Let us go back to Christ, trying by all means to be his disciples, walking on his footsteps.  If all of us walk through the same path, we will be able to recognise each other so that we make the journey together, guided only by Christ.

HE IS THE LAMB OF GOD

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

When Jesus came, most of the people did not recognise him as the Messiah who had been announced by the prophets. They were expecting a king full of power and glory, who would liberate the people of Israel and dominate the world, establishing the Kingdom of God.  However, Jesus rejected the kingship and said very clearly to Pilate that his kingdom is not of this world (Jn 18:36). Jesus did not come to be an earthly king. Instead, he chose to be a servant - the Servant of the LORD (YHWH), as the prophet Isaiah had announced long ago.

In Isaiah, there four passages, wich are considered the four songs of the Servant: Is 42:1-4; Is 49:1-6; Is 50:4-9 and Is 52:13 - 53:12. Some people understand these passages as speaking about the people of Israel, but many others read them as referring to the  Messiah presented as a servant, who listens, learns and obeys; someone who is faithful up to the end. The only aim his life is to give glory to the LORD, but he was rejected by all those who should have accepted him. He was a man of suffering, who was crushed by our sins, but who offered himself in sacrifice to atone for us and to reconcile us with God. It is in him that God “shall be glorified” (Is 49:3). 

Isaiah makes it clear that this servant has not come only for the people of Israel, but for the salvation of the whole world:

“It is not enough for you to be my servant,

to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back the survivors of Israel;

I will make you the light of the nations

so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” - Is 49:6

This Sunday’s gospel makes clear this aspect, telling us that John the Baptist recognised Jesus as “the Chosen  One of God”, who came to take away the sin of the world. And John gives him a new title, that expresses well his salvific role: the Lamb of God. He his the lamb of the sacrifice, which reconciles us with God and sets us free. Jesus is the true Servant, the Messiah, whose blood is shed for us. He is the lamb of the sacrifice, the lamb of the new Passover. It is by him that the world can find salvation; he is “the light of the nations”, which guides the peoples in the way to life, justice and peace.

The Baptist - true to himself - gave witness to Jesus Christ, saying: “Yes, I have seen and I am the witness that he is the Chosen One of God.” (Jn 1:34).

Being Christians, we are called to stand as witnesses that Jesus is the Saviour of the world. Only he is the true lamb of God who can take away the sin that oppresses the world. Let us approach him to find life and salvation and invite others to this encounter with Jesus, so that everybody may recognise that he is Lord and Saviour.

GOD’S SALVATION IS OFFERED TO ALL

FEAST OF EPIPHANY: Matthew 2:1-12

We are celebrating this Sunday the Feast of Epiphany, also called of the kings or wise men. In people’s imagination, three kings came from the East to pay their respect to the new born Messiah, the King of Peace. However, reading the text, we find that it mentions only the Magi who came from the East, saying nothing about their number and their names. Who were they? We do not know. In Babylon and in Persia, there were people called magi, who were connected with sanctuaries and the study of the stars. For the writer of the Gospel, all that does not matter. It only matters that they were foreigners and that they came looking for the Messiah, so that in him they may find salvation. 

The Magi symbolise all the Gentiles - all those who were not Jews - thought to be excluded from God’s mercy and love. 

Coming from afar, they were guided and strengthened by the hope of finding rest and peace in the new born king. Tirelessly, they went on searching, never giving up. And they were not ashamed to look for help, when they lost direction. For them, no effort was to big compared with the reward of finding that child. Yes, they were looking for a child, because a child is always an affirmation of life and a promise of a better future.

Like them we are searching for life and peace, and can only find them in the infant king, Jesus Christ. The feast of Epiphany is the feast of the universality of God’s plan of salvation. Jesus came for all - Jews and non-Jews. As Paul wrote to the Ephesians: “Pagans share the same inheritance” with the Jews. Indeed, the mystery of God’s love is revealed in Jesus:

“This mystery that has now been revealed through the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets was unknown to any men in past generations; 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.” - Eph 3:5-6