XI SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME: Mark 4:26-34

The mustard tree

Slow, but sure growth

This Sunday’s Gospel speaks of slow, silent, but sure growth. It is like the work in the fields. We cannot see the growth, and we may be disillusioned, thinking that all the work was a waste of time. We must learn with the farmer to be patient. He knows that the seed will germinate, grow and then produce a harvest. He knows that once the seed is cast on the soil, it will have a life of its own and the silent work is going on, even when the farmer is resting and sleeping.

The Kingdom of God is like a seed

We are called to sow the seed of God’s word; and we must do it tirelessly and with enthusiasm; but we should not think about measuring our own achievements and success. The Kingdom of God has a dynamism of its own. The seed is very small, but it will grow and it will become a giant tree, so that people can shelter in its shade.

A SHORT INTRODUCTION TO THE BIBLE

In the Catholic Diocese of Solwezi, we organised a two week workshop for Catechists and Prayer Leaders. A short introduction to the Bible was part of that workshop. You can have a look at it, and if it helps you, make good use of it. Follow the link below:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mbjwszmvzpkl1bs/Bible%20Short%20Introduction%202012.pdf 

THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST

This Sunday’s feast is like a repetition of what we celebrate every Sunday: the Eucharist, in which we do what Jesus ordered us to do in memory of him. The feast was established to reaffirm the faith in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and to encourage the faithful to be in communion with Jesus by receiving his body and blood.

The language sounds crude and blunt, but it is no more than a repetition of the words that Jesus used in the Last Supper, when he said: “Take; this is my body”; and “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.” (Mk 14:22-24).

In the Gospel of St. John, speaks openly and clearly about the need to make him our food and our drink: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” (Jn 6:53).

His body broken on the cross and his blood spilt all over are the sacrifice of the New Covenant, sealed with his blood. By his death and resurrection, Jesus established a new order in the relationship with God. To enter that order, we must become one with Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. And he shows us the way to be one with him. Paul put it clearly: “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” (1 Cor 10:16).

FEAST OF THE HOLY TRINITY

THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD

Don’t be mistaken! We Christians do not believe in three gods. There is only one God. The first reading is very clear: “Understand this today, therefore, and take it to heart: the LORD is God indeed, in heaven above as on earth beneath, he and no other.” (Dt 4:39). 

Christians are strictly monotheists. But, in his actions towards people and in his work of salvation, God reveals himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, being one God. How is that possible? – you may ask. We have no answers that may answer fully that question. It is the mystery of God. And then there are so many questions in life for which we have no answers. Even if we are created in his image, God is so different from everything that we know. There is a Bemba proverb that says: The short one will never reach up there, where the tall one has put something (apasamika umutali, mwipi teti asamune). In the end, we cannot know the secrets of God, unless he reveals himself to us.

GOD IS LOVE

The New Testament makes it very clear that God is love and that he reveal himself as love. And basically that’s the reality we mean, when we profess the Trinity. God is love. In love, there is communion and sharing. The greater the love, the greater the sharing and communion. With perfect love, we have perfect communion. Love does not destroy the differences, but makes possible the union, so that they are truly one. And this love is eternal, without beginning and end, because it is God himself.

Celebrating the Holy Trinity, we are celebrating God’s love, a love that he shares with us, calling us to have a share in that love. God’s love for us is so great, that he makes us his beloved children.

CHILDREN OF GOD

In his letter to the Romans, Paul puts it very clearly:

“Everyone moved by the Spirit 

is a child of God. 

The spirit you received is not the spirit of slaves bringing fear into your lives again; 

it is the spirit of sons, and it makes us cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’ 

The Spirit himself and our spirit bear united witness that we are children of God. 

And if we are children we are heirs as well: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, sharing his sufferings so as to share his glory.” (Ro 8:14-17).

FEAST OF PENTECOST

The readings of today’s liturgy – liturgy of the feast of Pentecost – are full of insights on the work of Holy Spirit.

• Paul (1 Corinthians 12:3-7,12-13) tell us that faith in Jesus Christ not possible, but through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. He is the one who leads us to Christ, enlightening our minds to recognise him and opening our hearts to accept him as the Son of God, who came to save us.
• After the resurrection, Jesus’ disciples were no more than a closed group, gathering in secret and living in fear. They had not the strength and the courage to come into the open, to address the crowds and to give witness to Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit change all that. Their hearts were fired up and their voices were raised to proclaim that Jesus is Lord and Saviour and to give witness that he is alive.
• On the day of Pentecost (Act 2:1-11), the disciples went through an extraordinary experience. The Holy Spirit, like a strong wind, forced the doors open and filled them with a zeal that nothing could extinguish. The discipleship of Jesus Christ cannot be hidden or reduced to privacy of our rooms or the secrecy of our hearts. The message of the Gospel – the good news of God’s Love and mercy, who redeems us in Jesus Christ – must be proclaimed everywhere and to everybody. 
• And they spoke in tongues, so all peoples of the world can hear the message and proclaim their faith in Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is universal; it must be addressed to all, because his salvation is offered to all. In the old story of the Tower of Babel, people wanted to storm God’s place and take it by force. That arrogance brought out division and insurmountable differences. Speaking different languages, they went their own ways. Guided by the Holy Spirit and strengthened by his power, the different languages and cultures are no more a barrier separating people; instead, they are the building blocks of a new society called to unity built on love and truth.
• Finally, according to John’s Gospel (Jo 20:19-23), the Holy Spirit makes reconciliation possible. The ministry of reconciliation is entrusted to the Church, and the Church must be an instrument of reconciliation and peace.

FEAST OF ASCENSION: Acts 1:1-11

THE CHURCH IS NOT AFTER POLITICAL POWER

Up to the end, the Apostles were concerned with earthly matters and striving for political power. However, Jesus did not come for political power, and his mission was not to establish an earthly kingdom, or a super-state, in which he would be the ruler of the world and his close friends would have the top positions in the political establishment.

To his disciples he entrusted his own mission: to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God, which is a message of reconciliation, of peace, of justice, of life and of salvation. The Church was not given a political mission and she does not aspire to political power. The leaders of the Church, even when they try, are never good political leaders. We should not fall in the trap and the illusion of thinking that if the religious leaders were the rulers of the world, the world would be better. They would corrupt both the religious and the political order.

The Church’s mission is to be Jesus’ witnesses up to the end of the earth (Act 1:8), proclaiming his good news and facilitating the encounter with Jesus, so that in him all may find salvation and life. However, the Church’s mission has political implications, even though is not political. Faith is concerned with the whole life and cannot be hidden in the secrets of the heart or reduced to the privacy of the house. In order to go to heaven, Christians have to direct their attention and set their hearts on the daily realities of their own lives and the realities of the world in which they live. That’s why the angels told the Apostles: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven?” (Act 1:11). Faith in Jesus Christ leads to look at the reality around us and to work for its transformation so that it becomes more and more according to God’s plans and will.

VI SUNDAY OF EASTER: GOD IS LOVE

In his first letter, John is very clear: God is love; and only the ones who love know God.

It may be difficult to understand and to accept, when we are daily confronted with a world full of evil. We may ask ourselves if God is really in charge, because the world seems to be in the hands of a dark and evil power, not only the world outside us but the world within our hearts as well.

The word love is repeated endless times in all kinds of situations, and it may mean a lot of very different things; for instance, lust and selfishness are taken for love. Whenever a man wants to seduce a woman, he will tell her: I love you, even if he just wants to have sex with her; afterward, he dumps her, as a used object that lost all its value. That is not love at all; in fact, it is a total misrepresentation of love.

Jesus’ guidelines for true love

Today’s Gospel (Jo 15:9-17) is one of my preferred passages, which I use many times in reflexions for married couples. Jesus presents us with some very important points about love.

• Remain in love. Love cannot be for a moment or for a few days only. True love is for life. To remain in love, one has to make a choice: the choice to protect, defend and enhance love, always remembering that true love comes from God.
• Keep the commandments of love. There is no love without rules. That’s why in the tradition, marriage teachings were so important. There is need of self and mutual respect; and they go together with dialogue and cooperation, with care and kindness. Never abuse your partner, never take him/ her for granted; and be always attentive to the needs of the other. When you give, you shall receive. If you choose to receive only, then you will loose even the little you have.
• The rules and the commandments of love are not oppressive; instead, they support and protect. They make us aware of our weaknesses and shortcomings; and they guide us in a straight path, that brings joy and happiness. Jesus wants that “my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (Jo 9:11).
• The measure of love, according to Jesus, is to be able to suffer for the ones  we love. We can see it quite clearly in our parents' love. As today is the mothers’ day, it is good to reflect about that. True parents work and suffer for the children, and they hardly feel the pain of that suffering. True love gives the strength, the courage and the boldness to work and to suffer for the ones we love. And that is the measure of true love in marriage as well.
• In love, there are no servants. The relationship of love makes those in the relationship equal. If one is low, the one in higher position comes down and raises his/ her beloved up. That’s what Jesus did. He humbled himself and became one like us, to raise us to the dignity of children of God.
• In love, there are no secrets. Jesus told his disciples that he revealed to them everything told to him by the Father. True love is based on trust and grows up on trust. The more they trust each other, the more they open their hearts to each other.

May God bless all those who are in marriage and all those who have started walking together the journey of love.

A POEM OF VINICIUS DE MORAES

Vinicius de Moraes was a poet, a composer, a singer, a diplomat. He was a man of many trades, who enjoyed the limelight, and who had a big influence in Brazilian society. I found this nice poem in the blog of my Parish Priest, and I decided to translate it for you. Enjoy the wisdom, and strengthen your faith.

If I die before you, make me a favour.

Cry as much as you like,

but don’t quarrel with God for having taken me.

If you don’t feel like crying, then don’t.

If you cannot cry, don’t worry.

If you feel like laughing, just do so.

If some friends tell something about me,

listen and add your version.

If they overdue the singing of my praises,

correct the exaggeration.

If they overdue the criticism, defend me.

If they want to make me a saint, only because I died,

show them that I had a bit of a saint,

but that I was far from being the kind of saint they imagine.

If they want to make me a devil,

show them that maybe I had a bit of a devil,

but that I tried to be good and friendly in my whole life.

If they speak of me more than of Jesus Christ,

warn them.

If you long for me and want to talk to me,

talk to Jesus and I will listen.

I hope to be with him enough time,

so that I can be useful to you, there where I am.

If you want to write something about me,

Say only a sentence.

This one:

“He was my friend,

he believed in me,

and he wanted me to be closer to God!”

Yes, there you can shed some tears.

I will not be there to dry them,

but it doesn’t matter.

Other friends will do that in my place.

Seeing that I have a good substitute,

Myself I will concentrate on my new task in Heaven.

However, from time to time,

give a look towards God.

You will not see me,

but I will be very pleased seeing you looking at him.

And when your turn comes to go to the Father,

there, without any veil separating us,

we will live in God the friendship

that, here, he prepared us for him.

Do you believe these things?

Yes?

Then pray so that both of us

may live as someone who knows

that one day will die,

and that we may die

as someone who knew how to live straight.

Friendship only makes sense

if it brings Heaven closer to us,

and if it initiates here its very beginning.

I am not going to find Heaven strange…

Do you know why?

Because…

Being your friend is already a piece of it!”