GOD IS LOVE AND HE CALLS US TO HIS LOVE

FEAST OF THE HOLY TRINITY - John 16:12-15

It is always difficult to speak about God. Whatever we may say about him is always far from the whole truth. The prophet Isaiah had already realised that, when he has God saying: my thoughts are not your thoughts and my ways are not your ways (Is 55:8). God is always the Different, the utterly different, who cannot be controlled and fully understood by our minds. When we speak about him, we speak from our side, the human side, in a constant search, so that we may understand a little more; however, our thoughts remain human, and therefore limited. It is possible to go beyond our limitations, only if God himself lifts a bit of the veil that hides him from us.

Speaking about our human relationships, the Bemba proverb says: Munda ya mubiyo tamwingilwa. One cannot enter the entrails of his friend, and cannot know what is deep inside his heart, unless he opens it and allows his friend to go in. And it is much more so with God. In spite of all efforts and attempts, we are very far from understanding the mystery of our own self; it is not surprising that we only have glimpses of truth about God. 

With our human reason, we can come to the conclusion that there is a creator, who is the source of everything else. However, it is much more difficult to know what kind of being is that creator. And that is why God is thought of in many different ways. There are those who believe in many gods; and those who believe that everything is god. Some think that the many gods are just different modalities of the same Supreme Being, others that they are independent gods. And there are those who believe in two opposing gods - the god of light and good and the god of darkness and evil, who fight each other. In old times, the people of Israel alone believed in one God, and following them we have the Christians and the Muslims who are monotheists as well, that is they believe in one God. Only God is God, and there is no other.

However, the Jewish and Christian concepts of God are quite different from the islamic concept of God. Our God is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; he is a God who enters into a personal relationship with people. He is a God who does not pride himself upon being a very distant and lonely being; on the contrary, he wants to share his life and his love. In his decision to share, he interacts with human history and intervenes in it for the sake of the people he loves. The Bible is written about this interaction, that is about God’s intervention in human history to transform it into salvation history. The God of Islam is a lonely God, with whom it is impossible to have a personal relationship. He is high and far and he decides whatever he will without consideration for us, who are no more than slaves, his slaves, who must submit to whatever fate he imposes on them.

In the New Testament, through Jesus Christ, God reveals his inner self as relationship. In himself, God is communication, dialogue, relationship, love. In his first letter, St. John makes it clear that God is love (1 Jn 4:8), and he wants to establish a relationship of love with us. That is the mystery of Holy Trinity: God is one and only one, but this one God is communion and relationship, because he is love. God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Within our hearts, we feel the deep desire of being one, without destroying our diversity, and this deep desire comes from God who in himself is one and yet diverse; he is communion and love.

“O the depth of the riches and wisdom 

and knowledge of God! 

How unsearchable are his judgments 

and how inscrutable his ways!

“For who has known the mind of the Lord?

Or who has been his counsellor?”

 “Or who has given a gift to him,

to receive a gift in return?”

SEND FORTH YOUR SPIRIT

FEAST OF PENTECOST - Acts 2:1-11

Fifty days after Passover - that is the meaning of Pentecost - during the Jewish feast of Shavuot or feast of weeks, which was a harvest feast - the community of disciples had an extraordinary experience. While the Jews were celebrating with great joy the receiving of the Law, which constituted them into a people (a nation), the disciples received the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Lord, who made it possible for them to become the new people of God, founded on a new covenant and a new law, the law of love.

The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles makes it very clear that the new people established by the receiving of the Holy Spirit is open to all, being inclusive, not exclusive, made up of people from all languages, tribes and nations. Our God speaks all languages and his message of salvation can be heard “in our own language” (Act 2:11). In spite of the differences of languages and cultures, they can unite and live in communion, because they are moved by the same Spirit. On the day of Pentecost, with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the divisions symbolised by the tower of Babel and caused by jealousy, hatred and pride come to an end. Pentecost is the opposite of Babel. Instead of confusion and disorder, there is peace and sharing. Our diversity is no more a cause of separation, but a contribution to the common good, putting us together in building up the body of Christ.

With the psalmist, we must pray: “Send forth your spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.” (Ps 104:30). The Spirit leads us to Jesus Christ, giving us the understanding and the openness to recognise and proclaim him as Lord (1 Co 12:3). In the community of disciples, there is a great variety of gifts and of services, but it is the same Spirit that acts in all and makes all that variety possible. And the gifts of the Spirit are given to each one of us for the benefit of all. The Spirit makes possible an attitude of service, because he has filled our hearts with love.

St. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians points out that we were all baptised “in the one Spirit”, be it “Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as citizens”, because “one Spirit was given to us all to drink.” (1 Co 12:13).

The second reading can be taken from 1 Corinthians 12:3-7,12-13 or from Romans 8:8-17. Because “the Spirit of God has made his home in you”, we are able to put our minds and hearts in the spiritual things that are pleasing to God. And it is the Spirit that transforms us and makes alive with a new life in Christ. It is “by the Spirit that you put an end to the misdeeds of the body”, so that we may live. We were baptised in the Spirit, and the Spirit has made us children of God, in such a way that we can address God with love and tenderness, calling him: Daddy (Abba). We are children, not slaves. And because we are children, we will have a share in God’s inheritance, a share in his glory.

In this Jubilee of Mercy, let us open our hearts and our minds to the Spirit, that he may have his dwelling in us and our hearts may be filled with his love, the love that leads us to service. The Holy Spirit leads us to experience the merciful love of God, and so it makes it possible for us to be merciful.

THEY WORSHIPPED HIM

FEAST OF ASCENSION - Luke 24:46-53

Time and again, the disciples were full of doubts, unable to believe, due to their false expectations. The scandal of the cross was so great that they run away, and it was hard for them to believe in the resurrection. That's why Jesus spent time with them, facilitating an experience of the Risen Lord, which enabled them to believe and to act accordingly. However, up to the end, they had the wrong expectations. On the day of the Ascension, they were still asking if the time to restore the kingdom of Israel had finally arrived. They hoped for political power, and Jesus had to dash their dreams, and bring them to reality. Finally, at the very end, we see the Apostles gathered around Jesus, receiving the last instructions and being empowered to continue his mission. 

First, “he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures”, making them realise “that everything written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled." (Lk 24:44-45). Jesus became the key to understand and interpret the Scriptures, and the Scriptures helped to make sense of  his passion and death. The Messiah should suffer, die and then rise on the third day.

They had lived with Jesus and were taught by him. They had the facts, and so they could be witnesses, but in order to be witnesses they needed to understand and read the facts correctly; they needed as well to have the courage to stand up and give witness to Jesus Christ. For both things, they needed the Holy Spirit, and Jesus promised them the Holy Spirit, who would empower them to proclaim the Good News, that is “repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name” (Lk 24:47).

After these final instructions, we are presented with a final scene, in which Jesus blesses them and, while blessing them, he is carried up into heaven. While he is rising up, the disciples worship him. Afterwards, they went back to Jerusalem with great joy.

In the letter to the Ephesians, quoting a Christological hymn, Paul tells us that God “put everything under His (Christ) feet and appointed Him as head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of the One who fills all things in every way” (Ef 1:22-23).

The ascension is like a graphical expression of this same proclamation: Jesus Christ is the Head of everything and everything is put under his feet. He is the Lord!

Nowadays, in many parishes, there is the tradition of having novenas  for any important celebration. The first novena, where the nine days that go between the Ascension and the day of Pentecost. The Apostles spent that time in preparation for the receiving of the Holy Spirit. It is important that we join and prepare ourselves well to allow the Holy Spirit to come into our hearts.

TAUGHT BY THE HOLY SPIRIT

VI EASTER SUNDAY - Acts 15:1-2,22-29

Jesus promised his disciples that 

“the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you.” (Jn 14:26)

And throughout the ages, we have witnessed the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church, guiding, protecting and teaching her the ways of the Lord. However, human beings have always a way of twisting things, and we have seen as well many people going astray, while claiming to be guided by the Holy Spirit. Even nowadays there are great numbers of people who claim to be anointed with the Holy Spirit, but who speak words and teach doctrines that have very little to do with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There are people who confuse their dreams and their inner desires with the voice and inspiration of the Spirit. We must be aware that Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus Christ, who always guides to Jesus Christ and helps us to listen to his word and understand it. What falls outside of the Word is not from the Spirit.

The book of the Apostles reports an extraordinary meeting held in Jerusalem with the presence of all the Apostles and the elders of the community to discuss a very urgent matter that was troubling the first Christians outside Palestine and was becoming a source of conflict. The issue at hand was: should the Christians of Gentile origin be circumcised or was it enough to believe in Jesus Christ? 

In the end, when they reached a solution, they were convinced that the Holy Spirit guided them in their deliberations. To reach a conclusion, they debated at length the issue at hand, realising that the Christian Gentiles’ way of life showed clearly the presence and work of the Holy Spirit. Then, they avoided radical and fundamentalist positions, choosing to compromise so that the doors  are not closed on anybody, without betraying what they considered essential. However, one can notice that some of what they considered essential derived from the need to compromise, like the staying away “from blood, from the meat of strangled animals”, which are cultural aspects and have nothing to do with faith.

In spite of the compromise, the struggle went on and sometimes it became nasty and even violent. It was a struggle between two positions: on one side, stood Paul, Barnabas and the christians of Gentile origin defending that we only need faith in Jesus Christ to be saved; on the other side, there were the Jews, mainly the ones of the pharisaic group, who claimed that one must be circumcised and obey the law of Moses in order to be saved. In Paul, we had a position of openness and inclusiveness; while in the pharisaic camp, there was na attitude of exclusivism and fundamentalism.

In spite of having reached a compromise in the Council of Jerusalem, the fundamentalist group would not abide by the agreement, refusing to share their faith with the other Christians.

A fundamentalist attitude always separates us from the others, making it impossible to listen to the Holy Spirit and to be taught by him.

The second reading, from the book of Revelation, is full of insight into the Kingdom of God and the Church. At the end of times - the time of fulfilment and the time for a new order - the holy city, the heavenly city will be like a bride prepared for the Lamb. That city has twelve gates with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. We cannot forget where we come from. We are the descendants of Abraham, and we must pass the gates of the prophets and learn with that people that was guided by God for many centuries. The Messiah comes from them. Although we have inherited the promises, we cannot forget that they were made to them.

However, the city is built on the foundation of the Apostles of the Lamb. That’s why the Church is called apostolic. They are the witnesses of Jesus’ death and resurrection. So we cannot separate ourselves from them. We must be faithful to the teaching of the Apostles.

The number twelve (12) plays a crucial role in this city. It is built on twelve stone foundations and it has twelve gates, three to each of the four cardinal points of the earth, meaning its universality and its completeness. The city is a perfect square measuring twelve thousand stadia (a Greek measure) and the walls measured one hundred and forty four cubits (which is twelve times twelve). The gates of the city are always open, so that all peoples can come in. There is no temple in the city, because God himself and the Lamb are the Temple. The gates are open to all, but only those who follow the Lamb and have their names written in the Lamb’s book of life will go in.

MAY GOD FILL YOU WITH HIS BLESSINGS

V EASTER SUNDAY - Acts 14:21-27

We can learn a lot from the beginnings of the Church. That’s why the reading of the Acts of the Apostles is so important for us. In this Sunday’s first reading, we hear that Paul and Barnabas ended their first missionary journey. Going back, they passed through the communities that they had evangelised, encouraging them and warning them about tribulations and sufferings, the hardships that go together with a Christian life. People need to be continuously encouraged to “persevere in the faith” (Act 14:22). At the same time, they appointed leaders to the communities. We should not forget that leaders play a key role in the life of the community. Throughout my pastoral experience in Chililabombwe and in Solwezi, I have seen small christian communities and centres fall and rise according to the leaders that they have. The communities need leaders who live according to the faith that they believe in, who are ready to serve the people and who are committed to the ministry entrusted to them. The leaders must be knowledgeable in matters of faith, so that they can give guidance an encouragement to all.

To pay attention to the formation of leaders has been always one of my pastoral priorities during the years that I have stayed in Zambia. Whenever people asked for formation, I was always ready to spend time reading and writing, that is preparing material that might be helpful for the strengthening of the communities and of the Christian life. And I always felt disappointed when the leaders did not feel the need for formation. The life in the Parish, in the Centres and in the Small Christian Communities cannot be improved without good formation of the leaders.

Finally, as they arrived in Antioch, Paul and Barnabas assembled the community and reported on the mission that had been entrusted to them. This reporting back is very important, giving the sense that the Christian mission is the responsibility of all and all must be involved in it. Nowadays, we forget a lot of this reporting back. However, when we ignore the community, the community will ignore us as well. This reporting creates bonds of love between all, making us realise that we are one body, the body of Christ.

Nowadays, there is a lot of discussion going on about religion and violence, with some claiming that religion brings about violence, as it tries to impose itself on others. And people speak of Islam and the terrible violence going on in the name of Islam. Is Islam a religion of peace? And then the same question is asked about Christianity. If we read the Bible, we find a lot of violence, and a lot of it done in the name of God and presented as being ordered by God. About the Bible, we need to understand that for the Christians the Bible is not the word of God in the same way as the Koran is the word of God for the Muslims. For them, the Koran is the exact word of God as he pronounced it and as it is written in heaven. For us, in the Bible, we find the mystery of Incarnation - that is the mystery of Jesus Christ, the Son of God who became a human being. In the Bible, the word of God is mediated through human words and so in the Bible we find God’s challenges mixed with the human behaviour. The Bible forces us to confront ourselves with everything that is human - even envy, jealousy, hatred, violence and injustice. And in all that God is challenging us to allow ourselves to be transformed and become more and more like him. The Bible presents us the journey of humanity throughout history, a journey that will lead us to divinity, in spite of all the twists of human history.

Jesus was not violent and he did not preach violence. In fact, he proclaimed that we must forgive our enemies to be true children of God. To all of us he gives a new commandment: 

I give you a new commandment:

love one another;

just as I have loved you,

you also must love one another.

By this love you have for one another,

everyone will know that you are my disciples. (Jn 13:34-35)

Jesus Christ is the model and the measure of our love: “As I have loved you.” This the Christian daily struggle: to be like Christ and to love like him.

As I am preparing to leave Zambia, I remember and cherish the care and love that I have found in so many people, who have treated me as one of their own. I pray to the Lord, full of love and mercy, that he may always fill you with all his blessings.

Ndi panshi, ndetotela. Kabili ndelomba kuli Lesa ukuti amufumfumwine amapalo, amusunge umutende.

Mbenakulomba kwi Lesa wa ngovu yonse, namba emupushele ne kwimulama mutende.

MY SALVATION MAY REACH THE ENDS OF THE EARTH!

IV EASTER SUNDAY - Acts 13:14,43-52

During the Easter season, we read from the books of Acts and Revelation (Apocalypse) and from the Gospel of John.

In the Acts, we can know how the Church came into existence and how she spread from town to town, mainly along the most important trade routes of the Roman Empire. Paul, who had been an enemy and a persecutor of the Church, became the greatest evangelist, proclaiming the Gospel to all, Jews and Gentiles. His preaching and his understanding of the Gospel was crucial in order to carry the message of Jesus Christ far and wide, breaking the barriers that separated Jews and Gentiles. His contribution was essential to take the Gospel out of the straightjacket of Judaism. In that, he faced a strong opposition from most of the Jews that had become Christians. They wanted to impose on everybody the Jewish culture, considering it as essential to be saved. Paul made it clear that to be a disciple of Jesus, one just needs to believe in Him and to walk in his footsteps, thus making the Jewish culture irrelevant for salvation. One can be Christian in any culture, and Christ challenges all cultures, since all of them are stained by sin.

In this Sunday’s first reading, we are told that Paul and Barnabas went to Antioch in Pisidia. On Saturday, they went to the synagogue. After the readings from the Law and the Prophets, being invited to address the congregation, they proclaimed the Gospel. A good number converted and they “urged them to remain faithful to the grace God had given them.” (Act 14:43). The following Saturday, a big crowd came to hear the word of God. Seeing a great number of Gentiles, the Jews became jealous and started opposing and contradicting Paul. This led Paul to leave them and to concentrate on the Gentiles. This became the pattern of Paul’s ministry. Wherever he went, he would go first to the synagogue. Then he would be expelled from the synagogue and sometimes even from the city, and then dedicated himself to preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles, who were ready to accept the good news of salvation. 

In the end, this led to a total separation of the emerging Church from the Jewish religious set up. There were many Jews ready to accept Jesus as the Christ and the Saviour, but they considered a strict obedience to all the regulations of the law, as important and as necessary for salvation as to have faith in Jesus. They were guided by pharisaic attitude of exclusivism and separation. Without breaking out from their straightjacket, the Church would have always remained a Jewish affair. However, Jesus had taught that the Kingdom of God is a little yeast mixed with the flour. Paul had understood that the Gospel set us free and that faithfulness to Jesus Christ can be lived in any place and any culture. Because of this approach to the Gospel, Paul was constantly harassed and persecuted, leading to the Christians being expelled from the synagogues. And anyway the Gentiles could not be allowed into the synagogues unless they went through the circumcision, thus accepting all Jewish traditions and customs. 

Paul’s battle for the freedom of the Gospel was a hard and difficult battle, and he might have lost the war, since even Peter was afraid of Paul’s radicalism, and was ready to compromise.  Many experts think that Paul’s openness to all won the day, because of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, which dealt a terrible blow on the Jewish people, leading to the loss of most of the influence of the Church of Jerusalem.

Indeed, Paul had been chosen to be the Apostle of the Gentiles, and Christ, who called him, would not allow is mission to end in failure. The Risen Lord went on and goes on being the Good Shepherd that guides and protects his Church.

Both the book of Revelation and the Gospel of John present Jesus as the Shepherd.

“The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice;

I know them and they follow me.

I give them eternal life;

they will never be lost

and no one will ever steal them from me.” (Jn 10:27-28)

Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and he will not allow his sheep to be lost or stolen from him. He gives them eternal life.

In the book of Revelation, we are presented with a huge liturgical assembly, where the redeemed gathered together to worship and sing the praises of the Lord. They have found life and salvation, since all suffering and pain have disappeared, since the power of death has been defeated. The Lamb (Jesus Christ) is their Shepherd:

“They will never hunger or thirst again; neither the sun nor scorching wind will ever plague them, because the Lamb who is at the throne will be their shepherd and will lead them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away all tears from their eyes.” (Rev 7:14-17)

Let us pray to the Lord to give his Church good shepherds who put themselves wholeheartedly at the service of the Gospel.

TO JESUS - THE LAMB THAT WAS SACRIFICED - HONOUR, GLORY AND BLESSING

III EASTER SUNDAY - Apocalypse 5:11-14

In the book of Revelation, everything is extraordinary, in such a way that there is no human language able to fully describe it; that’s why we are presented with strange images and symbols, which make it possible to go beyond words. In this Sunday liturgy, we are told of a huge gathering, in which the whole creation takes part, singing with one voice the praises of God and of the Lamb.

The Lamb is Jesus Christ. John the Baptist had already called him so: “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn 1:29). Jesus is the Passover lamb that brings reconciliation, peace and liberation by offering himself in sacrifice. Jesus Christ is “the Lamb that was sacrificed” (Rev 5:12) for our sake. That’s why

he “is worthy to be given power, 

riches, wisdom, strength, 

honour, glory and blessing!”

And all proclaimed at one voice:

“To the One who is sitting on the throne 

and to the Lamb, 

be all praise, honour, glory and power, 

for ever and ever.” (Rev 5:13)

Jesus Christ is a lamb, not a wolf or lion. He suffered violence and death, and never imposed himself by inflicting violence and death on those who refused him or turned against him.

Following in his footsteps, the Apostles had the same attitude. When the leaders of the people tried to stop them from preaching, they answered: “Obedience to God comes before obedience to men”. (Act 5:29). By disobeying the strict orders given to them, they incurred harsh punishment, but they were happy:

“And so they left the presence of the Sanhedrin glad to have had the honour of suffering humiliation for the sake of the name.” (Act 5:41).

Nowadays, there are organised groups which claim obedience and total submission to God, killing innocent people in God’s name. That is a total aberration and a mockery of God and of a pretentious submission to God. The Apostles rejoiced because they could suffer for their faithfulness to the way of Jesus Christ.  Their submission to God’s will led them to suffering and death and never to inflict suffering on others. By doing that, they become true followers of the Lamb.

After his resurrection, Jesus asked a very important question to Peter: Do you love me more than these others do?

This is the question that each one of us is asked. In the end, to follow Jesus is not a question of obedience and submission, but a question of love. Faith is a relationship of love, in which we accept God’s love and give ourselves back to him with all heart. In spite of having denied Jesus, Peter answered: Yes, Lord, you know I love you.

Surely, he knows! But like in any human relationship, the beloved wants to hear from my lips that I love Him.

Peter felt upset, when Jesus asked him three times the same question. Indeed, he goes on and on asking us the same question, and we cannot get tired of answering back: Lord, you know that I love you. In spite of failures and shortcomings, we love you.

However, this love cannot be just platonic love; it must lead to commitment and service. That’s why Jesus told Peter: Feed my lambs, look after my sheep, feed my sheep. Jesus did not entrust Peter with authority, but with service, and his authority will depend on his attitude of service. In the end, Peter will go through the last test - he will become like his master, suffering violence and death for his love and faithfulness to Jesus Christ. 

Let us remember all Christians who suffer persecution for their faithfulness to Jesus Christ. May the Lord strengthen them and keep them faithful to the end.