COME, LORD JESUS!

XXXIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Mark 13:24-32

Will the universe come to an end? If so, then when and how will it happen? To the first question, even scientists give an affirmative answer. As for the date and the manner of that event, the imagination goes wild. On that, Jesus was very clear to his disciples: “As for that day or hour, nobody knows it, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son; no one but the Father” (Mk 13:32). So we should not waste our time involving ourselves in guessing possible dates for the end of the world. Those who do that end up as a laughing stock.

Jesus said that “the powers in the heavens will be shaken” and there will be “a time of anguish” (Dan 12:1) or a time of “tribulation” (Mk 13:24). However, the stress is put on the coming of the Son of Man (that is Jesus Christ), who will come full of power and glory to gather his people and deliver them. For the faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, the end of the world will not be a moment of horror and terror, but a great time of joy, as they become partakers of the glorious victory of Christ. With his coming, Jesus Christ will bring in the New World, a new creation, where there will be no suffering and no tears, but only the joyous cries of victory, because the powers of oppression and death have disappeared and God will reign supreme, being “all in all” (1 Co 15:28).

Jesus advises us to pay attention to the signs of the Lord’s proximity so that we are prepared to answer his call and to welcome his coming. If he surprises us and finds us unprepared, we will be left to our own fate, far from him with whom there are life and salvation.

Christians look forward to that time with eagerness, which is well expressed in a very simple prayer at the end to the book of Revelation: “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev 22:20).

With the Psalmist, we pray: “Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you” (Ps 16:1)

THE LORD THWARTS THE PATH OF THE WICKED

XXXII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Mark 12:38-44

In this Sunday’s liturgy, the widows come to the forefront. In the first reading, we hear about the widow who lived in the Phoenician city of Sarepta. She had a son, she was poor to the point of starving and she was a foreigner, living in Sarepta near Sidon. In spite of being a pagan, she welcomed Elijah and shared with him the last food she had, trusting in God’s promise conveyed to her by the prophet who had run away for his own safety from the unfaithful people of Israel. Jesus would use the example of the widow of Sarepta as an indictment against those who refused to believe him. The outsiders (the pagans) proved to be more willing to listen to the message of salvation than the members of the people of God. This remains as a warning to us. We should not be overconfident, taking God for granted and thinking that belonging to the Christian Church is enough guarantee of salvation.

In the Gospel, we are presented with another widow, who, in spite was extremely poor, offered to God everything she had, thus putting herself totally in God’s hands. Humanly speaking, her attitude looks like foolishness. How could she give the little she had, without thinking about the day of tomorrow? The poor don’t think about tomorrow, leaving that to God. They are like the birds who have no stores to gather their food and live day by day, getting whatever they can find (Mt 6:26). They put their lives in the hands of God and entrust themselves to him. The widow knew how precarious her life was and in that precariousness, she knew that her life depended on God’s mercy and on the people’s compassion. Giving all she had, she gave herself, making a profession of faith in God’s care and love. That’s why Jesus praised her and presented her as an example that brings out the vain show-off of the rich who, although giving a lot, don’t feel at all the pinch of their offering. Offering what they don’t need, they don’t offer themselves.

The passage of the widow’s offering comes immediately after Jesus’ denunciation of the Scribes. They were experts of the Scriptures and doctors of the Law, thus having a big influence on the people and being highly respected. They were people full of themselves, proud and arrogant, living on the people and exploiting the widows pretending to console them. The Scribes put on a mask of holiness, demanding to be recognised as masters. Because of that, “the more severe will be the sentence they receive” (Mk 12:40).

“It is the Lord who loves the just,

the Lord, who protects the stranger.

The Lord upholds the widow and orphan

but thwarts the path of the wicked.” (Ps 146:8-9).

LOVE IS THE FULFILMENT OF THE LAW

XXXI SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Mark 12:28-34

Life, happiness and prosperity is something everybody dreams about and tries hard to achieve. All try to find a way out of suffering and pain and would like to find a remedy for hardships and death. In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses put forward the correct approach in order to achieve a meaningful life: “If you fear the Lord your God all the days of your life and if you keep all his laws and commandments which I lay on you” (Dt 6:2), then you will find life. “Truly, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom” (Job 28:28). “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Pro 1:8). This fear of the Lord does not mean the trembling of the slave, but the respect and the obedience of the children, who fear to offend and despise their parents’ love. First of all, we need to put God in the centre of our lives and to recognise him as the only source of being. God must be the point of reference for our life and our behaviour. The words that express this belief have reverberated throughout the ages, being repeated in the Jewish daily prayers in the morning and in the evening:

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart”.

The Jews call this confession of faith Shema, from the first word: Hear! We must profess that YHWH alone is God and we must dedicate ourselves to him, loving him with all our being, hearts and souls.

The scholars of the Holy Scriptures, who dedicated themselves mainly to the study of the Law of Moses, several times, tried to catch Jesus off guard. And some of the more sincere ones wanted to verify if he knew the basics and if his message was in accordance with the Law. Hence the question, "What is the first of all the commandments?" That is, what are the essential requirements for moral behaviour that is worthy of God and in accordance with his will? Jesus proclaims the Shema and then clearly states that the love of God implies loving our neighbours, quoting Lev 19:18: “you shall love your neighbour as yourself”.

“God is love” (1 Jn 4:8) and he has created us in his image and likeness; hence we cannot live without love. It is love, which leads to the total surrender of ourselves, that makes us truly human. From God we receive our being, acting and loving and we cannot be a true image of God without love; we must love God and our neighbour, that is all those we meet and all those we must come close to. Loving God and loving others is the same love. So much so that Jesus will acknowledge as done to him all the deeds of love we do to others and will regard the contempt, violence, oppression and injustice done to others as being done to him. In the end, we will be judged solely by the commandment of love. This love is not a passion that leads to transient self-satisfaction, but it is a commitment that leads to doing everything for the good of others. The love of God demands the love of our neighbour, therefore having social and political implications. St. Paul wrote: 

"Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbour; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law."(Rom 13:8-10).

WE ARE BLIND PEOPLE, SEARCHING FOR LIGHT

XXX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Mark 10:46-52

This Sunday, the Gospel of Mark presents the healing of Bartimaeus, near Jericho, a southern town, near the Dead Sea. Like Jesus, he was on the road. Well, not really on the road but by the roadside. Sitting, he was begging from the passers-by a little coin or any small thing that might help him to survive. He passed his days seated by the roadside, lest he becomes a nuisance and a hindrance. He depended on the kindness of those who felt pity for him and he should not overdo it and become an occasion of stumbling for others. By the roadside, he lived as someone who hardly has the right to live as if he has been cursed. Blind, he lives in darkness, with no hope of finding the light. We may even guess that he had accepted his fate with resignation, knowing that there is no remedy for his handicap. However, one day, everything changed. He got his chance and he did not allow it to pass by but grabbed it with all his power. Hearing a strange noise of a passing crowd, he sensed that something was happening or someone very special was passing. And he asked. Once he got the answer, nobody could stop him. Full of hope, he cried out: "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me." 

This blind man is the paradigm of all of us who live in darkness, at the edge of the road, without knowing the way that leads us to light and life. We are blind and we cannot see the light which comes from God, giving sense and meaning to our lives. In this modern or post-modern society, our blindness to God’s presence and God’s wonderful works is becoming deeper and deeper. Full of ourselves, we remain by the roadside, unable to join the followers of Jesus. Like Bartimaeus, we need to shout: “Lord, have pity on me”. And when Jesus asks us, "What do you want me to do for you?”, we are going to reply: "Lord, let me see.” Yes, let me see the truth and feel your love. May I find salvation in you. May I find meaning and purpose for my life. May I see the way to follow you.

THOSE IN LEADERSHIP MUST BE AT THE SERVICE OF ALL

XXIX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Mark 10:35-45

We may think that the Church should be holy and blameless, without stains from corruption and depravation and without the power struggles which undermine her credibility. However, we should know that the Church is a source of holiness for her members, who are sinners, only because of her head, Christ, who is the redeemer and saviour. We can easily be scandalised when we see the dirty tricks used by leaders who have a grudge against other leaders in the Church or simply because they want to increase their sphere of influence.  However, this is as old as the Church, as we are told in this Sunday’s gospel. 

The two brothers, James and John, approached Jesus with a request that left all the others full of indignation, what shows that all of them had the same deep hidden desire for a position of influence and power. Throughout the history of the Church, we can find plenty of leaders - popes and bishops - who looked for power, putting on their heads the crown of royalty and imposing their will by the power of the sword, and they did all this in the name of Christ. However, by doing that, they were betraying Jesus Christ. 

The narrative of the temptations makes it very clear that Jesus rejected power as the way to establish the Kingdom of God. When he suspected that people wanted to make him king, he went into hiding. To the apostles and to us, Jesus put himself forward as an example: he did not come to be served, but to serve, and to serve to the point of giving his life for the salvation of all. 

Whenever the Church accepts power and exercises authority in the manner of the rulers of this world, it is diverting from the path that leads to salvation. In the Church, according to Jesus, authority should be exercised solely as a service, and the leaders must become the slaves of all.

Let us ask the Lord to give us a humble heart to serve. Let us pray for the pope and the bishops asking for them the humility to serve.

*****

WORLD MISSION DAY

Together with young people, let us bring the Gospel to all 

“Every man and woman is a mission; that is the reason for our life on this earth. To be attracted and to be sent are two movements that our hearts, especially when we are young, feel as interior forces of love; they hold out promise for our future and they give direction to our lives. More than anyone else, young people feel the power of life breaking in upon us and attracting us. To live out joyfully our responsibility for the world is a great challenge. I am well aware of lights and shadows of youth; when I think back to my youth and my family, I remember the strength of my hope for a better future. The fact that we are not in this world by our own choice makes us sense that there is an initiative that precedes us and makes us exist. Each one of us is called to reflect on this fact: “I am a mission on this Earth; that is the reason why I am here in this world” (Evangelii Gaudium, 273). 

We proclaim Jesus Christ 

The Church, by proclaiming what she freely received (cf. Mt 10:8; Acts 3:6), can share with you young people the way and truth which give meaning to our life on this earth. Jesus Christ, who died and rose for us, appeals to our freedom and challenges us to seek, discover and proclaim this message of truth and fulfilment. Dear young people, do not be afraid of Christ and his Church! For there we find the treasure that fills life with joy. I can tell you this from my own experience: thanks to faith, I found the sure foundation of my dreams and the strength to realize them. I have seen great suffering and poverty mar the faces of so many of our brothers and sisters. And yet, for those who stand by Jesus, evil is an incentive to ever greater love. Many men and women, and many young people, have generously sacrificed themselves, even at times to martyrdom, out of love for the Gospel and service to their brothers and sisters. From the cross of Jesus we learn the divine logic of self-sacrifice (cf. 1 Cor 1:17-25) as a proclamation of the Gospel for the life of the world (cf. Jn 3:16). To be set afire by the love of Christ is to be consumed by that fire, to grow in understanding by its light and to be warmed by its love (cf. 2 Cor 5:14). At the school of the saints, who open us to the vast horizons of God, I invite you never to stop wondering: “What would Christ do if he were in my place?” (Pope Francis, Message for the World Mission Day).

RICHES CANNOT BUY SALVATION

XXVIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Mark 10:17-30

This Sunday’s gospel challenges us to make a reflection on wealth and to examine our attitudes towards wealth. The society we live in is intent on creating wealth and the creation of wealth is an essential requirement for the welfare of people. The creation of wealth goes together with work and with the improvement of the living conditions. In order to finish with the scourge of poverty, we must create wealth. However, the creation of wealth is always tainted by the danger of selfishness and exploitation, easily becoming a temptation that separates us from God and turns us against the others. Instead of being a tool at the service of the community, it easily becomes a god, always thirsty for the sweat and the blood of those who produce it. We do not look only for the needed wealth to bring well-being to all, but we put all our minds and hearts on the search for ever bigger profits.

Profit has become the engine that moves the whole society, influencing education, the accepted values, the politically correct and economy. In the market economy, which we are in, profit determines the expansion of the business, its survival or its failure. The rule of profit is a ruthless and compassionless rule, in which workers are valued simply by the amount and the quality of their output. The search for profit leads to an increasing substitution of the worker for the machine, leaving many unemployed. The unbridled search for profit enslaves more and more people, kept at the mercy of profit creation. At any moment, they can be disposed of.

It is not surprising that Jesus used harsh words against wealth when it becomes the god that we serve. One cannot serve God and money (Mt 6:24).

It happened that a rich man, concerned with his own salvation, went to Jesus, looking for the best way to get it. Being a good man, faithful to the commandments, he wanted to do better and to excel. Jesus recognised his desire and invited him to put aside everything that might prevent him from being a true disciple: “Go and sell everything you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” However, he found the price too high and “went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth”.

When the heart clings to wealth, the eyes cannot see beyond the wealth and power, the influence and well-being it provides. Wealth puts easily at risk the freedom of spirit and heart, making us slaves who enslave the others, demanding obedience and service. With such an attitude, we cannot enter the kingdom of God.  Hence, "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." (Mk 10,25). Nevertheless, God has the power to transform the rich by giving them a heart of poor, that is a heart caring and compassionate, able to share and to be at the service of others, mainly the weak and the suffering.

GOD’S PROJECT FOR MARRIAGE

XXVII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Genesis 2:18-24

In today’s language of the politically correct, we do not know any more what marriage is. With the ideology of the gender spreading evermore abroad, there are people who want to consider any union between two people sealed with a recognised contract as marriage. And we find gay and lesbian marriages being celebrated, promoted and given the same rights as true marriage between two heterosexual people. For a Christian marriage is more than a contract; indeed, it is a sacrament, that is a covenant of love open to life. A homosexual relationship is by definition a relationship that has closed its doors to life. It is an investment at zero profit, with no possibility of continuation and development. In such a relationship, both of them are centred exclusively on themselves, enclosed in a dungeon which does not allow to look into the future.

God has a different project for human beings, that’s why he made them man and woman, needing each other in order to become complete and to go on giving the life that they freely received.

We have read Genesis 2:4b-25 as the story of creation, where God is presented as a potter, working with the clay to create man, and then as a magician to create the woman out of the man. However, instead of reading this passage as a factual narrative of the creation, we should listen to it as a reflexion on the relationship between man and woman and as a presentation of the big guidelines on marriage.

Human beings are linked to the whole creation; it is as if they come from the clay of the ground. However, they have something special that sets them aside, since in them there is a spirit - the breath of God. Having created the man, God provided him with everything needed for his wellbeing. Since the beginning, God never deserted man but remained attentive to his deepest needs. Doing that, God noticed that the man was not happy and he realised that “it is not good that the man should be alone” and so he decided to “make him a helper as his partner” (Gn 2:18). Man and woman are called to be partners and to help each other. In God’s plan, there is a reciprocity that cannot be ignored. It is looking into each other, that each one of them recognises himself/ herself. One is the mirror of the other. They are the same, yet different, and it is in their difference, that each one becomes the completion of the other. The woman was taken to the man by God as if he is the marriage maker. And when he received the woman, he recognised immediately that “this at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Gn 2:23), meaning, we are the same: body, mind, heart and soul. They have the same dignity and the same rights; they have received the same call and were entrusted with the same mission; and they were presented with the same promise of salvation and eternal life (see 1 Cor 11:11-12).

Then, in a short sentence, Genesis 2:24, we find God’s plan for marriage: “Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh”. And these words are so important, that Jesus repeated them and so did Paul (Ef 5:31). God’s project is that “they become one flesh”. This being one flesh implies the sexual relationship but it goes far beyond it. God’s project speaks of a communion of body, heart and soul that will make of them the true images of God. This project can be accomplished in two steps: a) leave, b) cling. They must leave, in order to start anew. They must break with the past and all that tied them to the past. They cannot depend on their parents any longer. They have to stand on their own, being committed to each and responsible for each other. And they must break with all kinds of individualism and selfishness. Without this first step, the second one will become impossible. Then, they must cling to each other. And this implies a process because it cannot happen all at once. In order to be united in an ever-deepening communion, they must have respect for each other, that is, they must affirm each other, bringing out the best in each other. They must learn to listen to each other, they must be able to dialogue and to share everything. Thus, walking together through the path of life, they will become one, every day they will become more and more one. 

This project of God can only be carried out with God’s grace. Let’s ask God’s blessings upon all married couples, so that they may be true witnesses of God’s love.