O LORD, DO NOT LEAVE ME ALONE

PALM SUNDAY - Luke 22:14-23:56

With his disciples, Jesus was pressing on ahead to Jerusalem. He had to in time for the great feast of Passover. From all over Palestine and beyond, there were many people walking towards Jerusalem who formed crowds, as they approached the holy city. Recognising Jesus, who had become famous as a healer, a miracle worker and a prophet, many joined in, acclaiming him as the Messiah, ”the King who comes in the name of the Lord” and who will bring peace and give glory to God. The Pharisees, who heard the cry of the crowds, got alarmed because the Romans could understand those words as treacherous and the exact punishment on everybody. In order to prevent such reaction from the Roman authorities, they asked Jesus to rebuke his disciples. Jesus refused to do so because he should be recognised as the Messiah (Christ) and glory should be given to God. However, he did not enter Jerusalem as a powerful king, mounted on his horse and surrounded by his armies. He went in like a humble servant, riding a young donkey, which would not signal danger to anyone. In spite of that, Jesus would be arrested in Jerusalem, accused of proclaiming himself as king of the Jews, thus preparing a revolt in order to get independence.

With Palm Sunday, we initiate the Holy Week, a week set apart for the remembrance of Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection. After the solemn entrance with the palms, we read the passion according to the Gospel of Luke (since we are in year C). The events narrated in the Passion took place in less than twenty-four hours, and all of them on Friday, following the Jewish calendar, in which the day began at sunset. Late in the evening, when it was already dark, Jesus had the Last Supper with the Apostles. Then, they went to Mount of Olives to pass the night. While the apostles went to sleep, Jesus went to pray and during his prayer, he felt enormous anguish and fear, because he was aware that the tragic moment of his passion and death was close. And in the dark of the night, a group of men, guided by Judas, the traitor, fell upon him and arrested him “and they took him to the high priest’s house”. Most of the Apostles run away. Peter followed behind, but confronted by some servants, he denied to be a companion of Jesus or even to know him. Jesus was alone, without anybody to stand by him or to speak in his favour. There, he was abused and insulted. Then, early in the morning, the religious trial took place before the council of the elders of the people, presided by the high priest and he was found guilty of blasphemy, which carried with it the death penalty. Without wasting time, they took him to Pilate, the Roman governor, so that they could have him crucified. However, to the governor, they presented a political accusation, an accusation of high treason against the emperor and the Roman state. Pilate appears to doubt about the truth of the accusation, but, in the end, he passed judgement and condemned Jesus to death on the cross. And they took him to the cavalry, carrying his cross (or the beam of the cross). Exhausted and weakened by the flogging that usually took place before a crucifixion, Jesus could not walk under the weight of the cross; so the soldiers grabbed Simon of Cyrene, a foreigner who was coming from the fields and forced him to carry the cross for Jesus. By middle morning, he was crucified and the first words that he pronounced on the cross were a plea for all those who were involved in his death: “Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing.” One of the criminals asked for forgiveness and Jesus told him: “Indeed, I promise you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Jesus’ final words were: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” By fifteen hours, he was dead.

On the cross, Jesus prayed Psalm 22:

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

All who see me deride me.

  They curl their lips, they toss their heads.

‘He trusted in the Lord, let him save him;

  let him release him if this is his friend.’

Many dogs have surrounded me,

  a band of the wicked beset me.

They tear holes in my hands and my feet

  I can count every one of my bones.

They divide my clothing among them.

  They cast lots for my robe.

O Lord, do not leave me alone,

  my strength, make haste to help me!

I will tell of your name to my brethren

  and praise you where they are assembled.

You who fear the Lord give him praise;

  all sons of Jacob, give him glory.

  Revere him, Israel’s sons.

GO, AND FROM NOW ON SIN NO MORE

V SUNDAY OF LENT - Jn 8:1-11

Last week, we heard Jesus telling the story of the father with two children (mostly known as the parable of the prodigal son). It is a nice story and we can question ourselves about its practical implications. In this Sunday’s gospel, we have a real story - the story of the woman caught in adultery, being judged and condemned by the Pharisees and the scribes, who behave like the elder brother in the parable of the prodigal son. Jesus with his mercy and compassion refuses to condemn her and gives her the opportunity to repent and to convert. By doing so, he shows the Father (God)’s mercy in action.

As we read this passage (or hear it being read - Jn 8:1-11), we are called to reflect upon it and see the implications for our lives.

1. Adultery is an infidelity which many times destroys the relationship in marriage. In ancient times and in many traditional cultures, it was considered a crime and many times it was punished with death. In our modern societies, that is unthinkable; however, we need to be aware that it is no so in all cultures, even today. In the Law of Moses, the cultural practice of punishing adultery with death is presented as God's law: "If a man commits adultery with his neighbour's wife, an adulterer and an adulteress shall be punished with death." (Leviticus 20:10, see also Dt 22: 22-24). 
2. Hearing the passage of the woman caught red-handed, we should be surprised that the woman was arrested alone and an obvious question comes to mind: what happened to the man who was with her? How did they allow him to get away? The willingness to punish the woman alone indicates serious discrimination, even against the letter of the law, which imposed the same punishment on both of them. In fact, in such situations, the weak and the poor are the ones who suffer, while the rich and the powerful manage to get away. We may remember the case of Judah (Gn 38:24) and the case of David who committed adultery with Bathsheba (2 Sam 11,4). 
3. The law plays an indispensable role in society, regulating human behaviour and facilitating the establishment of order and peace. However, when the law becomes absolute, it crushes the weak and the vulnerable, presenting a vengeful dimension over those who break it. The law does not contemplate the possibility of reform and conversion. And those who defend the law at all costs, thinking of themselves as righteous and just, end up doing or accepting summary executions and even mob justice which easily leads to lynchings, forgetting that they are sinners as well. 
4. Jesus showed towards the woman the love, affection, compassion and mercy of the Father who welcomed the returning son. We may get the idea that for Jesus "anything goes”, but it is not so since Jesus called her to conversion. Jesus knew that to feel loved, forgiven, accepted and recognised, gives the possibility of finding a new direction, of changing course and starting anew. Jesus refused to condemn the woman, giving her a second opportunity, the opportunity to redeem herself. We are human, and we go easily astray. However, we must be prepared to offer and to receive forgiveness, making reconciliation possible.

INVITED TO RECONCILIATION

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

In his second letter to the Corinthians (2 Co 5:17-21), Paul invites us to reconcile with God, and that reconciliation is done in Jesus Christ. And Paul goes on telling us that Christ entrusted us (the Church) with the ministry of reconciliation. Lent is a special time during which the call for reconciliation is heard.

In the parable of the father who had two sons (known as the parable of the prodigal son), Jesus presents the Father’s attitude towards his children when they sin and illustrates as well his children possible attitudes towards reconciliation.

The two sons, in spite of being quite different in character, are very similar in their attitude towards the father. Both of them feel oppressed and hope for the freedom to be themselves. Both of them ignored and despised the father’s love, and were decided to get rid of him, even though they did it in very different ways. The youngest one left home, after extorting a fortune from his father, and went in search of freedom, pleasure and happiness, eventually falling into the baseness of fattening pigs (which for the Jews were impure animals), while starving with hunger. The elder did not have the courage to leave the house, and he appeared to be compliant and obedient; yet he lived like a stranger, full of bitterness, waiting patiently for the day when he would be master of everything. He turned his back on everybody and accused his father of injustice. The elder brother looked like an obedient and responsible man and he had a very good self-image, thinking of himself as just and holy, claiming for himself the right to accuse and to judge his father. He was hard on himself and very demanding to the others. He had no time for anything, but work. Although he accused his father of not even giving him a little kid to eat with his friends, we can guess by his father's answer that he was a miser and would not spend a penny to celebrate with his friends; after all, he had no friends. And we may conclude that his pride, his avarice, and his meanness drove him away from everyone. In his heart, there was only bitterness, envy and resentment. Looking upon himself as just, he was unable to acknowledge his sin and lacked the humility to ask for forgiveness and to accept the forgiveness offered to him. And he stood proudly alone. Indeed, it is difficult to recognise the attitudes that separate us from others and from God! Being very strict to others, we are extremely lenient to ourselves. It is no surprise that many people can easily say that they have no sins.

Facing hardship, the youngest son was able to reflect upon his life and, realising the madness of the path he had taken, changed his course. Trusting his father’s good heart, he went back home, where he found unconditional love far beyond what he could expect.

Both brothers needed to reconcile with the father. However, only one recognised his sin and made an effort to change his attitude. That was made possible because he became aware of his sinfulness while being sure that his father would not reject him completely. In fact, the father did not reject any of the two brothers and appealed to the elder one to recognise his brother and to reconcile, feeling at home in the house that also belongs to him.

The parable keeps us in suspense and uncertainty. We know that the younger brother entered the house, but we are not sure about the elder one. Did accept his father’s invitation or was he so full of himself that he chose to remain outside? We may ask ourselves what is going to be our choice.

I AM HAS SENT ME TO YOU

III SUNDAY OF LENT - Exodus 3:1-8,13-15

Referring to the Old Testament, in his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote that everything happened for a purpose and to serve as an example “and it was written down to be a lesson for us” (1 Co 10:11). That is one of the reasons why the Scriptures (the Bible) are appealing to so many people, believers and unbelievers alike since they find in them something valuable for their lives. Reading the Scriptures, we find everything that is human, and they become a mirror in which we see ourselves, being at the same time confronted with ourselves. As we read, we are being questioned and challenged by a voice that speaks underneath the text which we read or underneath the words which we hear. It is the voice of God addressing us and speaking to us personally and calling us forward to a relationship with him. That’s why the Scriptures are considered to be the Word of God, in spite of being so human as well. We may say that the Scriptures share in the mystery of the incarnation, a mystery in which the Son - he is the Word - became a human being. The Scriptures guide us and lead us to recognise God’s salvific presence and action in human history; they prop us in our journey through life, taking us to Christ. The writings of the Old Testament give us the key and open the horizons so that we may recognise Jesus as the Messiah and the Saviour, that is the Lord.

In this third Sunday of Lent, in the first reading, we read about the theophany of God experienced by Moses.  With his flock, Moses went to the holy mountain and, there, touched by the divine, some extraordinary thing attracted his attention. As he approached to have a look, he was warned to proceed cautiously. This double feeling of attraction and cautiousness is part of all religious experiences. However, the experience of the divine, which erupted in the life of Moses, acquired a completely new turn, when God revealed himself as a compassionate and loving God, who pays attention to the suffering of his people and is willing to intervene in history so that his people may enjoy freedom and peace. In his manifestation to Moses, God is not something, but SOMEONE who wills to establish a relationship with human beings. God is relational and he is ready to seal his relationship with a covenant, implying that he commits himself to his people in such a way that he will be always attentive to their destiny.

To Moses, God revealed his personal name - the Holy Name of God, which in Hebrew is written with only four letters - YHWH (since the vowels are not written), probably being pronounced Yahweh. Driven by a deep respect for the name of God and fearing to utter it in vain, the Jews ceased to pronounce it, replacing it with Adonai, which means Lord. To Moses God presented himself as a God who relates and who wishes to establish an alliance of friendship with human beings. He has a name - YAHWEH, meaning “I-am-who-I-am”, or simply “I am." This name expresses much more than God’s essence since it implies a presence - the loving presence of someone who always accompanies us. "I am" the One who is always by your side to defend you, protect you and set you free. Yahweh is the name of the saving and liberating God. To carry out his plan of liberation for his people he called Moses and entrusted to him a mission. God goes on calling us and entrusting a mission to us - to mission to set his people free.

THIS IS MY SON, THE CHOSEN ONE. LISTEN TO THIM.

II SUNDAY OF LENT - Luke 9:28-36

In the first reading, God makes a promise to Abram and he sealed that promise with an alliance, meaning that God committed himself to friendship with Abram and put himself as the guarantor of the alliance, to which he will remain faithful forever. The promise and the alliance made to Abram were extended to Isaac and then to Jacob and to all his family. With Abram, a completely new type of religious experience, signified by his new name Abraham. With him, the great journey of faith begins. His relationship with the divine was no longer guided by a magical attitude but was instead a personal relationship with God, initiated with a call to which he responded with faith and trust. This relationship was reinforced by a promise and sealed by an alliance, which implies a mutual commitment between God and Abraham. With Abraham the story of salvation began, that is, the story of God's interventions in human history, which demonstrate His commitment to humankind. All who walk in life guided by faith and are descendants of Abraham, the first believer.

In the Old Testament, God chose Abraham and then Isaac and Jacob. Jesus also made his choice, taking Peter, James, and John with him for them to have an extraordinary experience. Some may ascribe to Jesus a discriminatory attitude, forgetting that God chooses those whom he wills. And when he chooses, he chooses them for the benefit of all, by placing the chosen ones at their service. 

The divine glory of Jesus was manifested during prayer and was contemplated during prayer, a prayer that is mediated by the Word of God, made present and active by the Prophets and the Torah (law). The divine glory of Jesus manifested momentarily, is linked to his death on the Cross. On the mountain of transfiguration, the word of the Father is heard again: This is my Son, my Elect: listen to Him!

There is a Zambian proverb that says: “Ubumi bwa muntu buli mu kutwi” (“Life is in the ear!”), that is, the ability to listen makes it possible to hear and understand. Speaking, we are able to understand each other; however, communication becomes extremely difficult without listening. And in traditional societies, where knowledge was transmitted orally, people were much more aware of the importance of listening; it was a question of survival, since the law, the commandments, the counsels for life as well as all the technical knowledge and all the professions were learned by ear. Our world today is very much dominated by noise, making it much harder to hear and understand. It even seems that we do not need the others and that, by ourselves, alone, we can find out what is essential in life. We may forget that listening is essential for any kind of human relationship. Our refusal to listen is a sign of contempt for the other, who feels humiliated. Listening is a statement of the importance of the speaker. If we read the Scriptures, we realize the fundamental importance of listening to the Word of God. Jesus is the Word - the Word made man. It is by the Word that God pronounces himself, reveals himself and calls us by name. Hence the importance of listening to this Word that is loving presence and action. The Father reveals the secret of Jesus: He is the Son, the Chosen One. Hence, the commandment: Listen to Him.

JESUS’ TEMPTATIONS ARE OUR TEMPTATIONS

I SUNDAY OF LENT - Luke 4:1-13

In the first Sunday of Lent, we are presented with the temptations of Jesus, so that it is made clear for us what are our big temptations, or the false values that easily seduce us and carry us away from the path of righteousness.

The gospel tells us that, immediately after baptism, Jesus went to the desert for a time of reflection and searching. It was during that time that he was confronted by a set of proposals which would make of him a rich and powerful man, feared, respected and followed by multitudes of people. However, following them, he would be one more in the big list of men who have gone down in history as famous through their exploitations and their conquests. They may have done great things to be remembered, but they did not bring peace to this world; they changed the world, but the world did not become better. The three great proposals presented to Jesus have become, throughout the ages, a snare by which everybody has been entrapped. Enlightened by the Spirit, Jesus recognised in them the same deceptive path that led others astray, turning them against God and against each other. Since the beginning, human beings have become slaves of their inner and vain desires, which lead them to enslave everybody else.

The temptations presented in the gospels are like a summary of the great temptations which Jesus faced throughout his life. However, guided by the Holy Spirit, and relying on the Word of God, Jesus chose the path of total surrender to the Father, rejecting wealth, power and glory as guides and supports in the fulfilment of his mission. 

the enticing proposals

1. Going through difficulties and encountering suffering, the immediate reaction is to do anything in order to overcome that situation. It is an instinct of self-preservation, by which we care for ourselves and our well-being. And nothing else matters. We become the centre of everything else, putting everything at our service, becoming extremely selfish. Jesus “was hungry” and his body was craving for food. Anyone in a position of power would use his power to find relief and satisfy his hunger. Everybody would see that as normal and would proceed likewise. Jesus saw that as an attitude of selfishness and act of abuse of his position for his own benefit. While wandering in the desert, the people of Israel attributed to God evil intents and accused Moses and his God of deception: while pretending to liberate them, they were, in fact, leading them to starvation. Jesus put all his trust in the Father and he would teach his disciples to do the same (Mt 10:29-31).
2. b)Wealth and power were always appealing, convincing us that with them we can overcome all problems and find all solutions. With wealth and power, nothing seems to be impossible, since we will be able to transform the world and to put it at our service. We live in times of plenty, and we behave as if the wealth of the world were ours. Our society has become hedonist and has to try everything that might satisfy us and fill us with pleasure. Consumption is fuelled by unbridled pursuit of profit, making the accumulation of wealth the supreme value by which everything is measured and valued. In order to buy more and more, new needs are created, so that we end up giving our money to the lords of this world. Major decisions within companies are primarily aimed at maximising profit and economic policies are decided with this objective. However, the gap between rich and poor widens, leading to the exploitation of labour. There has never been so much material well-being, which is turning the world into a dumping ground, filled with our waste. Our world, this world we live in, is getting poisoned and has already started vomiting that venom in our face. The unbridled search for wealth and power leads to the substitution of God for false idols that end up oppressing us.
3. Filled with ourselves and making us into the centre of the world, we may think that we have a right to force God to protect us from dangers which result from our stupid and unnecessary search for vain glory. What purpose would serve to throw himself down the pinnacle of the temple? It would a useless show off, just to get people’s applause. And it would be the use of the God’s temple and of God’s name to get fame and glory. God can never be at the service of our foolish desires. If we do it, then we are putting God to the test, a test which he will not answer; in the end, we are the losers. We cannot use the name of God to get a following and to become popular.

Jesus made the right but not the obvious choices. He preferred to put all his trust in the Father, leading his life by his word. Indeed only God is God and we must put ourselves at his service, being always ready to accept his will. May the Holy Spirit fill us with the strength to make the right choices like Jesus.

WORDS OF WISDOM

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

In this Sunday’s gospel, Luke puts together a few sayings of Jesus, which became guidelines for the behaviour of his disciples. The first is self-evident: a blind man cannot guide another blind man, otherwise, both of them will end up falling into a pit. So we must pay attention to what kind of people we choose as role models. There is a Bemba proverb that conveys similar wisdom: “Uwenda na ngoshe, apyana no busungu” (the one who travels with the mamba, inherits the poison) or “Uwenda no ulwele pa mutima, alambukilwa” (Who travels with a sick person, catches the sickness). Nowadays, there are plenty of famous people who are followed and imitated in their behaviour and in their ideas, even in their likes and dislikes. Some become like gods who are worshipped and obeyed. However, many of them are blind leading the blind, and it will be too late when we realise that we were being misled. Jesus is the only true role model, he who told us: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6).

The following saying is about seeing the splinter in the other’s eye while ignoring the plank that is in mine.  We are very quick at noticing even the small mistakes made by other people and we are ready to judge and to condemn them in the harshest way while presenting ourselves as upright and just. We must practice self-examination and become aware of our own failures. If we do that, we will become much more understanding to the others and we will be able to create a surrounding which will enable the others to improve and overcome their failures, while they will give the same kind of support to us. If we live in glass houses, we should not throw stones at the others’.

The third saying gives us the scales to weigh ourselves and others: a sound tree is known by its fruits. So we should examine ourselves and see what kind of fruits we produce. What comes out of our heart is it full of goodness or is it full of evil. If our hearts are full of evil, then the fruits that we produce are poisonous fruits. This is the rule we should use to choose our role models. If we do that, then the tree of our heart will be pollinated by trees full of goodness and we will produce delicious fruits. The first reading advises us to pay attention to the language used by the ones who speak to us since the words they use and the way they speak reveal what is in their hearts.

“The orchard where a tree grows is judged on the quality of its fruit,

similarly a man’s words betray what he feels.

Do not praise a man before he has spoken,

since this is the test of men.” (Sirach 27:6-7)