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)

LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY

XVII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 11:1-13

Luke gives the context for the teaching of Our Father. The disciples had seen John’s followers recite prayers taught by their master. And they wanted the same from Jesus. So they approached Him with a request: “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” And Jesus taught them the Lord’s Prayer. Luke’s version is shorter than Matthew’s. However, the requests are the same. Mathew expanded on some of the requests found in Luke to have a total of seven. We begin with a profession of faith, addressing God as Father and recognising that we are his children, not by right but by adoption. In Jesus Christ, the Son, we become sons and daughters of the merciful and loving God.

Then, we make our petitions to God. On a first impression, the first two are concerned with God: “Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come.” However, in reality, they speak of us, praying that God’s name may be hallowed in us. May we be holy, as He is holy. May the glory of God be manifest in us. And then we ask for God’s kingdom to come, so that we may have peace, justice and freedom, that is happiness. For that to happen, we must be ready to do God’s will. The fulfilment of the following requests makes life in the community - that is, in God’s family - possible. We need our daily sustenance, getting the bread that keeps us alive and the bread of life that, uniting us to Jesus, is a guarantee of life eternal in God’s Kingdom. Recognising our sinfulness, we ask for forgiveness and show readiness to forgive. Finally, aware of our shortcomings and weaknesses, we ask that God strengthen us in temptation, so that we stand firm against the evil one.

With trust and confidence, we may approach the Father and ask for what is truly important. We may not be selfish in our petitions. However, God never refuses to give us his greatest gift, the Holy Spirit.

With Abraham, we learn the prayer of intercession, pleading with God to be merciful. May the Lord not punish us according to our sins, but, on account of His mercy and love, forgive us and strengthen us with His Spirit.

SERVANT OF THE CHURCH

XVI SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Colossians 1:24-28

In his letter to the Colossians, Paul speaks of the mystery: God’s mystery, or the mystery of salvation, which is God’s secret plan of salvation revealed in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the mystery: “The mystery is Christ among you, your hope of glory”. And Paul was chosen to proclaim this message: “God made me responsible for delivering God’s message to you”. That’s why he “became the servant of the Church”. His life has no other purpose but to proclaim Jesus Christ and to “train everyone and instruct everyone, to make them all perfect in Christ.” To achieve his mission, he is ready to suffer for the Church. He accepts his suffering as sharing in Christ’s suffering, adding up to it. Certainly, Christ suffered all he had to suffer. His cup was filled to the brim. However, in Christ’s mystery, there is the mystery of the Church, which is his body. And Christ goes on suffering in the members of his body until we reach in him the perfection. Then, Christ’s command will be fulfilled: “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt 5:48).

In this Sunday’s gospel (Lk 10:38-42), we are presented with two attitudes before the mystery of Christ, one of service and the other of contemplation. Martha loved Jesus and put herself at his service with readiness and commitment. She wanted her sister to do the same. We must be servants of Jesus Christ. That’s why Paul presents himself as a servant of the Church, that is, of Christ. However, we must aim higher. We should strive to become perfect in Christ, and this goes beyond service. Mary forgot about everything else to be with Christ. Paul was granted the extraordinary grace of being one with Christ, sharing in his suffering. He is certain that Christ is our “hope of glory”.

GO AND DO THE SAME YOURSELF

XV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 10:25-37

In the gospel of Luke, we can find some of the most beautiful parables. This Sunday, we are told the parable of the Good Samaritan. The parable was told as part of an answer to a lawyer who tried to catch him with a clever question. The man inquired about what he should do to inherit eternal life. Jesus returned the question, telling him: “What is written in the Law? What do you read there?” He was an expert in the Scriptures. He should know the answer. By doing this, Jesus unmasked his intentions. And he answered the way everyone knows: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself”.

To receive eternal life - that is, to be saved - one must keep the commandments, and the most fundamental commandments include and summarise all other commandments. Our life must be oriented towards God. He is the supreme value in our lives. Without Him, our lives run to self-destruction, sinking into darkness and despair. And we must realise that love of God demands and implies love of our neighbour. What does that mean? Trying to justify himself, the lawyer asked Jesus: “And who is my neighbour?” Maybe our friends or the ones who live nearby! However, Jesus does not speak about those. According to the parable, we must become the neighbour of those we cross paths with and are faced with their suffering.

In the parable, Jesus makes it clear that our love of God is tested in our attitude towards the suffering ones we meet along the way. The priest and the Levite were men of God coming from fulfilling their duties in the Temple. Certainly, they were in good standing before the community, but they ignored the man in need who robbers had attacked. Their love of God was found wanting. Failing their neighbour, they failed God.

Jesus is the Good Samaritan, who carries our sins and heals our wounds. At the same time, he identifies with the injured man. Ignoring the dying man, they ignored Christ. Our entrance into the Kingdom of God will depend on our compassion and mercy for the suffering ones.

THE MISSION IS ENTRUSTED TO THE DISCIPLES

XIV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 10:1-9

This Sunday’s gospel speaks of Jesus sending seventy-two disciples to the “places he himself was to visit”. This was a training mission for his disciples. They should prepare the terrain for Him. And he sent them in pairs. The mission received from Jesus Christ is never individual, but it always implies cooperation with others. As he sent them, Jesus put forward a few pieces of advice.

We should be aware that the task is huge. Indeed, the harvest is big, and the labourers are few. Alone, we will not finish the job. However, the field is not ours; it belongs to the Lord. Thus, we should remind him that he must find more workers for his mission.

The mission entrusted to the Church is full of danger. Jesus doesn’t hide it: “I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.” We may be attacked and killed. Indeed, through the centuries, many have paid with their lives for daring to announce the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are warned that we must be prepared for rejection. That will be full of evil consequences for those who reject the Gospel. They will be worse off than the people of Sodom.

The missionaries sent by Jesus must be single-minded in the task entrusted to them. They should not waste time on secondary things, like greeting people along the way. In their travels, they should accept people’s hospitality. And they cannot forget that they have a mission of peace. They are sent to proclaim the same Good News that Jesus preached: “The kingdom of God is very near to you.” As a sign of God’s Kingdom, they must care for the sick with love and compassion.

In the second reading, Paul reminds us that the proclamation of the Gospel demands sharing in the cross of Jesus Christ. In communion with Jesus Christ, we become “an altogether new creature.”.

ON THIS ROCK I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH

SAINTS PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES - Matthew 16:13-19

Being considered pillars of the Church, Peter and Paul are celebrated together on this day. Both of them finished their mission in Rome, where they suffered martyrdom during Nero’s persecution. Chosen by Jesus to be the first leader of the Church, Peter is revered for his faith and his role in the early Church. Guided by the Spirit, he opened the Church to the Gentiles. Paul is celebrated for his extraordinary missionary work, the depth of his theological reflection, and the pastoral care of the churches with which he kept in touch.

In the second reading, taken from 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18, Paul reviews his life, giving thanks and praise to God. He is reaching the end of his life, and he has kept the faith. Despite going through many hardships, he fought the good fight and is finishing the race. He knows that he did not put his trust in God in vain. God will fulfil his promise and grant him the “crown of righteousness”.

Even though we celebrate both Apostles Peter and Paul, on this feast day, most people of God concentrate on Peter, having for him greater affection. The New Testament was written to lead us to the faith proclaimed by Peter. When Jesus asks the question that he addresses to us as well, we must give the same answer. The question is simple: Who do you say I am? It is a very personal question that demands a personal answer, but in consonance with the community of faith. With the Church, we must proclaim that Jesus is Christ, the Son of the living God. This faith is the foundation of the Church, and Peter is the bedrock of this foundation. The care of the flock was entrusted to him, and he must confirm his brothers in faith.

We give thanks to God for these two bastions of the Church. May we follow in their footsteps and walk behind Christ as they did.

WHAT I RECEIVED FROM THE LORD

THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST - Luke 9:11-17

In the countries where last Thursday is not a holiday, the solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ is celebrated today. In the gospel, we are presented with Jesus feeding a huge crowd. Christ behaves like the host who sets the table for his guests (the people of God). His actions are similar to those he will perform during the Last Supper; he took the bread, blessed it (gave thanks for it), broke it and gave it to his disciples “to distribute among the crowd”. The food was so abundant that “they all ate as much as they wanted, and when the scraps remaining were collected, they filled twelve baskets.” The feeding of the five thousand is an announcement of the great banquet in God’s kingdom, hinting as well to the Eucharist in which we are given the bread of heaven, that is the body and blood of Jesus Christ. The celebration of the Eucharist is an anticipation of the banquet God will prepare, as he promised in Isaiah 25:6. We always celebrate the Eucharist looking forward to the eschatological times.

In the second reading (1 Corinthians 11:23-26), Paul gives us the narrative of the Last Supper with Jesus’ clear command: “do this as a memorial of me”. Paul is utterly certain that the eucharistic celebration comes from the Lord: “what I received from the Lord, and in turn passed on to you”. The tradition of the Eucharist was not established in the early Church, but rather is a fruit of obedience to the Lord’s command.

Since the apostolic time, the Church has always understood Jesus’ words in a literal way. When we approach the altar during Mass, we receive Jesus Himself, His body and His blood, as the bread from heaven. The kernel of the eucharistic celebration comes from Jesus. With Him, we break the bread and give thanks, repeating the same words He pronounced in the Last Supper. The Eucharist is always linked to Jesus’ passion and death, being also the celebration of His resurrection. Paul has no doubts about it: “Until the Lord comes, therefore, every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are proclaiming his death.” And Jesus Himself interprets his death as the sacrifice of the New Covenant, a sacrifice offered for the remission of sins. In the Mass, Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross becomes present to us so that we may be reconciled with God.

The first reading, taken from Genesis 14:18-20, speaks of Melchizedek, who was priest and king, and is a figure of the Messiah. Jesus is a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek, who offered a sacrifice of bread and wine transformed for us into His body and His blood.

Let us approach the table of the Lord with faith and a thankful heart.

 THE LOVE OF GOD HAS BEEN POURED INTO OUR HEARTS

SOLEMNITY OF HOLY TRINITY - 

The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity pervades the entire Christian life and is always present in everything we say and do. Before this great mystery, we must sit in silence with an open mind and loving heart to be touched by the unfathomable reality of God. On our own, we cannot grapple with such a big mystery. We should not be surprised since mysteries are all around us and even within us. We are a mystery to ourselves. There is a Bemba proverb that says munda ya mubiyo tamwigilwa, that is, there is no way to enter your friend’s guts, meaning that we cannot know his thoughts and feelings unless he reveals himself. The same happens with God. Throughout the history of salvation, during a long process, God revealed himself as the One who is always looking for relationships. And that is so because God is relationship. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He is Yahweh, the God who is always present and ready to hear our cry and lift us. God is relationship and communion, and that is what we profess and proclaim as we celebrate the Most Holy Trinity. We speak of God as Father, from whom the Son proceeds. That’s why everything the Father has belongs to the Son as well. The Son is the perfect image of 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). “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell” (Col 1:19). Affirming the Trinity is affirming that God is love (1 Jn 4:8). In his letter to the Romans, Paul says that the “love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given us.” (Ro 5:5). The Spirit proceeds from the Father and is sent to us by the Son (Jn 15:26). He is the Spirit of truth who guides us to the truth and opens our hearts to welcome Jesus and recognise him as the Christ, the Son of God.

We do not believe in three Gods. There is only one God. Christians are monotheists, but whenever we speak of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, we are testifying that God is love. Being created in God’s image, we must live in love to reach our fulfilment and be fully human.

We relate to God in a very different way from the way Muslims do. Yahweh and Allah are not the same God. Before Allah, a Muslim is a slave who must submit unconditionally. Before Yahweh, we are children who may call Him: Abba! Father! Allah is a lonely and very distant God. He never addresses his people, but through a messenger. He does not enter into a personal relationship with human beings. He decides and imposes his will as he wishes. We, the disciples of Jesus Christ, live in hope because “by faith and through Jesus that we have entered this state of grace in which we can boast about looking forward to God’s glory.” (Rm 5:2)

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;

the God who is, who was, and who is to come. (cf.Rv 1:8)