CHRIST JESUS DID NOT CLING TO HIS EQUALITY WITH GOD

PALM SUNDAY - Luke 22:14-23:56

The Lenten season has ended, and we begin the Holy Week with Palm Sunday. We celebrate the solemn entrance in Jerusalem when a big crowd of disciples proclaimed him the Messiah-King, “who comes in the name of the Lord”. Some Pharisees who accompanied him considered those words provocative and asked Jesus to rebuke his disciples, but Jesus answered them: ”I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.’

In a few days, the people of Jerusalem would accuse him of treason and ask for his death. During the Holy Week, we remember Jesus’ passion, which ended in his death on the cross. On this Palm Sunday, we read the Passion according to Luke. During the Last Supper, Jesus gave the meaning of his death as the sacrifice of the New Covenant, in which his blood is poured out for us. Then Jesus announced his betrayal by one of them. For a while, they questioned themselves who would do such a thing, but they did not seem too concerned with such matters. They had more pressing problems, disputing among them who would be the greatest. Jesus had to scold them, presenting himself as the “one who serves”. After the Last Supper, he went with his disciples to the Mount of Olives. There, while in prayer, he went through terrible moments of anguish but accepted the Father’s will, being ready to drink the cup of suffering to the full. Betrayed by Judas, who knew where Jesus was passing the night, he was arrested and treated like a brigand. In Jesus’ arrest, we can see the “reign of darkness” showing its power and dominion. Taken to the high priest’s house,  he was insulted, mocked and beaten. While there, Simon Peter denied Jesus and then repented, weeping bitterly. Early in the morning, he was presented to the assembly of the elders of the people, the chief priests and the scribes for a summary trial in which he was found guilty of blasphemy. He was taken immediately to Pilate, the Roman governor, and accused of treason. Despite not being convinced of his guilt, Pilate sentenced him to death on the cross.

Luke’s gospel is considered the gospel of God’s mercy, and that mercy is shown in Jesus’ attitudes and words. Jesus addressed a group of women weeping for him and consoled them. Then, crucified on the cross, Jesus asked forgiveness for all those who were involved in his killing: “Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing.” One of the criminals crucified with him recognised his sin and asked Jesus to remember him. And Jesus assured him of salvation: “Indeed, I promise you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Then, in a last effort, he “cried out in a loud voice”, saying: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” Jesus remained faithful to the end, thus overcoming the power of darkness and evil. 

As we follow Jesus’ steps to the Calvary, we are made to realise his great love. 

Being divine, 

“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.”

Before such a mystery, we remain silent, short of words,

contemplating the tortured face of Christ, who died for us to set us free, reconciling us with God and restoring in us his divine image.

NEITHER DO I CONDEMN YOU

V SUNDAY OF LENT - John 8:1-11

We continuously compare the present with the past and consider the past better than the present. The golden age is always in the past. We hope for better times, but our references are in the past. However, in the Scriptures, we are called to look forward since the golden age will be in the future.

In the first reading, taken from Isaiah 43:16-21, the prophet remembers the past, bringing to mind the crossing of the Red Sea (Sea of Reeds), but then, he turns his mind to the future with the promise that God is going to do more extraordinary wonders for the sake of his people:

“No need to recall the past,

no need to think about what was done before.

See, I am doing a new deed,

even now it comes to light; can you not see it?

Yes, I am making a road in the wilderness,

paths in the wilds.”

Christians live in the hope that the Lord Jesus Christ will bring salvation to completion. Many times, we live trapped in our past, which pulls us down, destroying any hope of renewal and redemption. The encounter with Christ fills us with light, dispelling the darkness of our hearts and giving us a path to the future. In his youth, Paul was filled with a zeal for God so strong that it left him blind and unable to discover God’s presence and action beyond his narrow mind. His heart became full of anger and hatred, leading him to persecute innocent people in the name of God. The deep experience of the encounter with God transformed him and allowed him to look upon new horizons. In the letter to the Philippians, Paul speaks of his experience, which marked him forever.

For Christ, “I have accepted the loss of everything, and I look on everything as so much rubbish if only I can have Christ and be given a place in him.” The love of Christ became the only motivation of his life. “I believe nothing can happen that will outweigh the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (Phil 3:8-14).

In this Sunday’s gospel, we have another instance of redemption and salvation. The encounter with Christ sets the woman free not only from the ones who want to stone her to death but also from her sinful past. God shows forth his justice through his mercy, while human beings pretend to exercise justice through revenge and punishment.

In the episode of the woman caught in adultery, Jesus unmasked the hypocrisy of her accusers., saving her from stoning. Due to Jesus’ intervention, the woman was not condemned. Then, Jesus told her: “‘Neither do I condemn you. Go away, and do not sin any more.”

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (Jn 3:17)

Jesus reveals to us God’s mercifulness and love.

GOD RECONCILED US TO HIMSELF THROUGH CHRIST

IV SUNDAY OF LENT - Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

In Luke’s gospel, Jesus puts forward the ideal for his disciples: “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” (Lk 6:36). In a way, Jesus’ words echo the proclamation made by God before Moses on Sinai: 

“The LORD, the LORD, 

a God merciful and gracious, 

slow to anger, 

and abounding in steadfast 

love and faithfulness, 

keeping steadfast love 

for thousands, 

forgiving iniquity and 

transgression and sin” (Ex 34:6-7)

In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul presents God as the one who reconciles us with Him through Jesus Christ: “It was God who reconciled us to himself through Christ” (2 Co 5:17-21). Being a merciful God, He takes the initiative.

In Jesus Christ, God’s mercifulness is revealed to the full. Then, we should not be surprised that the “tax collectors and the sinners were all seeking the company of Jesus”. However, the Pharisees and the scribes could not understand that, and they complained bitterly: “This man, they said, ‘welcomes sinners and eats with them.” It was then that Jesus told the parable of the father with two children. The father stands for God, and the children for humanity. Despite God’s love and care, we are never satisfied with him. At any time, we find plenty of reasons to ignore and despise him, turning our backs on him. Both cut ties with the Father. In a way, both killed the father, rejecting to behave like children. 

The youngest one demanded his share of the inheritance as if the father had died. Then, gathering all his wealth, he “left for a distant country”, where he would quench his thirst for freedom, autonomy and independence. He could not stand his father’s house; there, he felt stifling. He needed to breathe different air and prove that he could take care of himself. And his dreams and project of life ended in failure. He proved to be irresponsible. Life is hard enough when we live with others and becomes unbearable when we rely solely on ourselves. We cannot build a meaningful life base on wealth and pleasure. At a certain moment, he realised that his life was a mess leading him self destruction. He needs his father to make sense of his life. Sooner or later, we have to reorient our lives, discovering that God alone gives purpose and meaning to our personal history.

The eldest was completely different: well-behaved, hardworking, and responsible. He was a good man. We might wonder where it went wrong. His self-righteousness brought him down. He accepted his share of the inheritance but continued living in his father’s house. However, he felt as if his father stood in his way to freedom and independence. His heart was set on his property and wealth. Coming from the fields, he behaved like a stranger. He did not rejoice when informed that his brother had returned. For him, his brother had died long ago, and his memory had been erased from his heart. Full of resentment and anger, he refused to enter the house, accusing his father of being unfair. Hurt in his pride, he could not recognise the father who overlooked the misdeeds of the younger son instead of administering the deserved punishment. The father insisted that he enters the house. However, the doubt remains. He might have persisted in his refusal.

The Father respects his children’s freedom. He does not force them to remain with him. They have to make their choice and live with the consequences of that choice. Despite turning their backs on him, he never stopped loving them. Whenever we go back, God accepts us not as servants but as children.

Let us repeat with the psalmist:

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Look towards him and be radiant;

  let your faces not be abashed.

This poor man called, the Lord heard him

  and rescued him from all his distress. (Ps 34)

BE CAREFUL, YOU MAY FALL

III SUNDAY OF LENT - Luke 13:1-9

In the fig tree parable, Jesus teaches that we must bear fruit; otherwise, we will be cut down like the tree that became useless. Being patient with us, God is ready to wait, giving us enough time to repent and convert. Whenever we receive God’s visit, we must present the delicious fruits of justice, mercy and love. Without them, we will be excluded from God’s field. God’s workers must take good care of all the trees in the field, digging around, watering and manuring them. They should not be blamed for them being fruitless. The servants of the Lord must proclaim the Word and call on everybody to repent and return to God.

This Sunday’s gospel begins with a warning to all of us. We are no better than others, and the punishment that fell on them may fall on us. We may think of ourselves as good and just, but in that case, we are being delusional. We are sinners in need of repentance and conversion, and we should not wait for tomorrow to do it. We must become aware of the urgency of responding to God’s call. We should not listen to God’s word in vain.

In the second reading, taken from the first letter to the Corinthians, Paul reminds his readers of what happened to the people of Israel. Despite their extraordinary experiences and the great gifts they received from God, “most of them failed to please God and their corpses littered the desert.” That is a warning to all of us. The Old Testament should be seen as a guide that takes us to Christ, calling on us to prepare the ways of the Lord and to welcome him in our hearts and lives. We should never be overconfident: “The man who thinks he is safe must be careful that he does not fall.” (1 Co 10:12).

REMAIN FAITHFUL IN THE LORD

II SUNDAY OF LENT - Luke 9:28-36

On this second Sunday of Lent, we are presented with the Transfiguration of Jesus before three disciples chosen for that extraordinary experience. Jesus took them to the mountain to pray. In prayer, we come into the presence of God, and for that, we need to elevate ourselves, leaving behind the cares of this world. At prayer, we put ourselves at God’s disposal to be touched by his power, mercy and love. We must allow God to fill our hearts and our lives. On Sinai, Moses was drawn into the cloud that represented the mystery of God’s glory.  And that glory was so overwhelming that people felt afraid. On the mountain of transfiguration, Peter, James and John went through the same experience and were touched by God’s glory manifested in Jesus. It was an experience beyond time and space, which filled them with joy and peace. Still in the body but already in heaven, Peter cried joyfully: “Master, it is wonderful for us to be here!” With Jesus, they saw Moses and Elijah representing the Law and the Prophets for the disciples to understand that the old covenant leads to Jesus, the giver of the new covenant. Sharing the glory of Jesus, Moses and Elijah spoke to Jesus about his passing that would take place in Jerusalem. Jesus was ready to offer his life in sacrifice, thus opening the way for us to share in his glory. From heaven, the Father testified that Jesus is the “Chosen One”, the Son. Being the Son, we must listen to him. And we are left in no doubt about that. The commandment is clear: “Listen to him.”

In the second reading, taken from the letter to the Philippians, Paul makes clear the implications of this commandment: Jesus Christ is the Saviour who comes from heaven to transform our bodies in the manner of his “glorious body”. As pilgrims here on Earth, we live in the hope of reaching “our homeland” in heaven.  For us to share in God’s glory, we must remain faithful and follow the same rule of life as Paul, which implies carrying the cross of Jesus Christ.

With the psalmist let us pray: 

The Lord is my light and my help.

It is your face, O Lord, that I seek;

  hide not your face.

Dismiss not your servant in anger;

  you have been my help.

The Lord is my light and my help.

I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness

  in the land of the living.

Hope in him, hold firm and take heart.

  Hope in the Lord!

The Lord is my light and my help. (Psalm 27)

DO NOT PUT GOD TO THE TEST

I SUNDAY OF LENT - Luke 4:1-13

On the first Sunday of Lent, we are presented with the temptations that Jesus suffered in the desert. The three temptations summarise the great temptations suffered by Jesus as the Son of man. The temptation of selfishness is present everywhere and comes to everybody. If I have power, due to my position and role in society, I should profit from it. Is there anything wrong with that? Most people do that. Then, the craving for wealth and power is in everybody’s heart. And people live for that. A good number will use all means at their reach to accumulate riches and become powerful. That is the way honourable people behave. Is there anything wrong with that? Finally, is there anything wrong with becoming famous? By all means, we need to be recognised and appreciated in society at large and especially in the Church, where we deal with religious matters. To get noticed, some are ready to do crazy things, but does it matter?

The temptations represent the great value of the world proposed to us by the prince of darkness. They sound fair, honourable and good, but they lead to jealousy, envy, hatred, violence, exploitation and oppression. They are not the way to salvation and happiness. Jesus rejected this path and chose the true values that will lead humanity to happiness and true life. Jesus answered with a quotation from the Scriptures to each one of the proposals.

1. “Man does not live on bread alone.” Bread is needed, and we pray for “our daily bread”. Hunger and starvation do not manifest the dignity of God’s children, but we cannot live only for that. We must find purpose and meaning in our lives. Indeed, we need much more than bread. Created in the image of God, who is love, we need to love and be loved,
2. “You must worship the Lord your God, and serve him alone.” Only God deserves to be worshipped and served. He is the one who sets us free and accepts us as his beloved children. Nothing can take God’s place and demand total obedience and service from us. Only God is God, and everything else exists to be at our service.
3. “You must not put the Lord your God to the test.” Whenever we use God’s name in vain and try to force him to satisfy our whims, we put God to the test. If we do that, we will suffer the consequences. God cannot be used for us to find influence and power or together recognition. We should not expect God to do for us what we can and should do ourselves.

Jesus came out victorious and showed us the way to remain faithful to the Lord. Let us pray with the psalmist:

His love he set on me, so I will rescue him;

  protect him for he knows my name.

When he calls I shall answer: ‘I am with you,’

  I will save him in distress and give him glory. (Psalm 91)

PLANTED IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD THEY WILL FLOURISH IN THE COURTS OF OUR GOD.

 VIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 6:39-45

In the first reading and in the gospel, we find several pieces of advice that should guide us in our daily lives and relationships with others. 

• the blind cannot lead blind people. However, that happens time and again in political and religious spheres. Some leaders pretend to be enlightened despite their ignorance and lack of common sense and give themselves the right to show the way. They end up falling into a ditch. They should be unmasked and denounced.
• As true disciples, we must follow in the footsteps of our teacher, Jesus Christ. We must be ready to be rejected as he was. Like him, we must carry the cross.
• We find it easy to point out others’ shortcomings and failures, ignoring and covering up our own. We must be hard on ourselves before being hard on others.
• The goodness of a tree is known by its fruits. In the same way, the goodness of a man is shown in his actions. Good behaviour comes from “the store of goodness in his (a man’s) heart; a bad man draws what is bad from the store of badness.”
• “For a man’s words flow out of what fills his heart.” The first reading, taken from Sirach, stresses the importance of the words as they reveal a person’s heart: “ The test of a man is in his conversation.” And it continues: “Do not praise a man before he has spoken,   since this is the test of men.” (Sirach 27:8).

In the second reading, taken from the first letter to the Corinthians, Paul speaks of our sharing in Jesus’ victory. With Him, we will overcome death, being able to sing a hymn of victory:

“Death is swallowed up in victory. 

Death, where is your victory? 

Death, where is your sting?”

“So let us thank God for giving us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Co 15:54-58)

BE MERCIFUL AS YOUR FATHER IS MERCIFUL

VII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 6:27-38

Being created in the image of God, we should reflect His inner qualities in our lives and behaviour.

In the Holy Scripture, three passages set forward the ideal proposed to us by God:

• “You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy” (Lev 19:2)
• “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48).
• “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (Lk 6:36)

According to the letter to Ephesians, God “chose us in him (Christ) before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him” (Ep 1;4). Holiness is the goal God established for us. Once we achieve that, we will be perfect, as the Father is perfect. We may think that God is aiming too high, proposing to us something unachievable. Indeed, by our means, we will not get there. However, he will grant us the perfection in Christ. For that, we must become one with Christ, and the image of Christ must be present in us. It is a long way that demands effort and continuous conversion, only possible by God’s grace. Having received mercy from God, we must be merciful to others. God’s compassion and mercifulness are the clearest signs of his holiness.

In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus presents the path of mercy to his disciples: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who treat you badly.” It is a difficult path because our hearts, moved by a false sense of pride, are set on vengeance. Inside our hearts, we carry Cain, allowing ourselves to be dominated by jealousy and envy that lead us to violence.

In the first reading, we are presented with David as a role model for the greatness of exercising mercy within the political realm. David had done nothing to provoke Saul’s wrath. On the contrary, he had been a faithful servant. He was on the run to escape from Saul’s pursuit. Then, he had the opportunity to avenge himself and kill his enemies, However, with gracefulness, David chose to leave revenge in the hands of God. Vengeance belongs to God:

“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” (Ro 12:19)

Let us learn with Jesus to be merciful, thus imitating the Father who as been merciful to us.

WE PUT OUR TRUST IN THE LORD

VI SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - 1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20

Within us, there is a profound desire for life, and we never accept death as the end of our lives. Despite being confronted by death, we never get used to it. We pray and hope that death will not have the last word. For those who believe death is the gateway to God’s world, where we will be welcomed by him to share in his glory. However, we may be called upon to face reality and accept inevitable death as the end of our dreams.

In the Church of Jesus Christ, his disciples meet every Sunday to celebrate his resurrection, believing that we will rise to eternal life with him if we pass through death with him. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the nucleus of our faith. We, the followers of Jesus Christ, believe that Jesus rose from the dead and became the “firstborn from the dead” (Col 1:18), with us following him behind. As he rose, we shall rise to eternal life in his Kingdom.

Faith in the resurrection of Jesus has been faced with doubts and denial from the beginning. The religious leaders in Jerusalem accused the Apostles of stealing Jesus’ body and then spread the lie (falsity) of his resurrection. When Paul announced the resurrection of Jesus in Athens, people laughed at him, considering it a fairytale. It is no surprise then that many people refused to believe in the resurrection of the dead. That’s why, in his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul had to reassert this essential point of the Christian faith: “If Christ raised from the dead is what has been preached, how can some of you be saying that there is no resurrection of the dead?” And Paul concludes: “... if the dead are not raised, Christ has not been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, you are still in your sins.” “If our hope in Christ has been for this life only, we are the most unfortunate of all people.”

The resurrection implies that our bodily dimension will share in the glory of God. Paul wrote to the Philippians: Christ “will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body” (Phil 3:21). The whole person will be saved, body and soul.

We must strengthen our faith in the resurrection, which is the source of our hope. We know that God will remain faithful to his promise, and he will set us free from the corruption that enslaves us. We put our trust in the Lord. Indeed, “Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.”

CHOSEN AND CALLED TO BE FISHER OF MEN

V SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 5:1-11

In this time of ours, whoever doesn’t accept the politically correct is excluded and cancelled. DEI - diversity, equity and inclusion - are essential parts of political correctness that supersedes even religious belief. Thus, it has spread the idea that all religions are the same and all lead to God. Therefore, there is no need to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ or call people to conversion. If that is so, this Sunday’s readings are out of step with that way of thinking. Isaiah heard God’s call and answered: “Here I am, send me” (Is 6:8). He was ready to be at the service of the Lord, making God’s word known to the people.

In the Gospel, Jesus calls Simon, proposing the mission of being a fisher of men. In carrying out his mission, Simon will have to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ, calling people to repentance and conversion. They must turn away from the false gods that enslave them and keep them away from the true God. As we announce the Gospel, we denounce the idols that lead us to condemnation. Certainly, we cannot impose on others the message of salvation in Jesus Christ. We propose a way of Life that has Jesus as the role model for the ones who choose to live as children of God.

Can we have Isaiah’s attitude of service and obedience? Are we ready to be faithful to God’s call, or do we allow ourselves to be carried away by novelties that ignore the gospel? When questioned by Jesus about their loyalty and faithfulness, Peter answered in the name of the disciples: Where shall we go? Only you have words of eternal life. Indeed, only in Jesus can we find life and salvation.

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul tells us that he teaches what he was taught. He did not introduce novelties but remained faithful to what he had received, mainly about the resurrection and the eucharist. And he repeats: “... what matters is that I preach what they preach, and this is what you all believed” (1 Co 15:11).