BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT

IV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Matthew 5:1-12a

Our world is ruled by powerful people who are proud of themselves and their achievements. Power, wealth and fame are the supreme values that guide their lives. And they count themselves among the most blessed since they yield the power to bend society to their will. They behave as if they are gods. However, all that is no more than a delusion. Despite all the efforts, “we have given birth to wind. We have accomplished no deliverance in the earth” (Is 26:18). The arrogance of the powerful leads to oppression, violence and war.

The road that takes us to the Kingdom of God, where we will find rest and peace, is completely different. The prophet Zephaniah advises us: 

    “Seek integrity,

    seek humility:

    you may perhaps find shelter

    on the day of the anger of the Lord.” (Zephaniah 2:3)

To find shelter and be protected from the evil that will assail us, we must approach the Lord with humility. At the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus puts forward the way to receive and enjoy God’s blessings. The Beatitudes are like the Magna Carta that guides us to be partakers of the Kingdom of God.

Behaving like the new Moses, Jesus “went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.”

We may be surprised and even shocked: How can the meek and the merciful be blessed? How can the humble be happy? For the wisdom of the world, this teaching is foolish and contrary to common sense. Is Jesus glorifying poverty and reviling wealth?

What does it mean: “Blessed are the poor in spirit”? Poor are those who depend on others to survive. From them, they receive food, clothing and a place to stay. Every day, he has to reach out to others and implore their mercy. We must do the same before God. We are never self-sufficient. Alone, on our own, we cannot find salvation. We must reach out to God and allow ourselves to be loved and redeemed by Him. We must recognise our frailty, our shortcomings, our failures and our sin. Then, we can ask for healing and redemption.

Let’s heed the prophet’s advice: 

Seek the Lord,

all you, the humble of the earth,

who obey his commands.

Seek integrity,

seek humility. (Zephaniah)

And let’s learn with Paul: “The human race has nothing to boast about to God, but you, God has made members of Christ Jesus and by God’s doing he has become our wisdom, and our virtue, and our holiness, and our freedom. As scripture says: if anyone wants to boast, let him boast about the Lord.” (1 Co 1:29-31).

THE WORD OF GOD

 III SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Matthew 4:12-23

Pope Francis has chosen the third Sunday in ordinary time as the Sunday of the Word of God. For this year, he has given us the following theme: “We proclaim to you what we have seen” (1 Jn 1:3). The encounter with Christ changes our life forever and we feel impelled to speak out, thus giving witness to Jesus Christ. The preaching of the Gospel is not based on dreams; it is the result of a profound experience: “that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life” — that’s what “we proclaim”. The celebration of the Sunday of the Word of God makes us aware of our duty to evangelise and of the urgency we feel to give witness to Jesus Christ.

At the beginning of his gospel, John tells us that Jesus is the eternal Word of God: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (Jn 1:1). Thus, celebrating the Word of God, we are celebrating Jesus Christ. He is the one who reveals to us the hidden mysteries of God: “No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.” (Jn 1:18 NRSV).

The Holy Scriptures are the privileged medium through which we can hear the voice of Jesus Christ, that is the Word who reveals to us the secrets of God and his loving plan of salvation. The Scriptures take us to Christ, in whom we find salvation: Indeed, the Holy Scriptures “are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tm 3:15-16). Saint Jerome said that “Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.”

**

In this Sunday’s gospel, Matthew presents the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Hearing that John had been arrested, Jesus left home in Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum near the lake, bordering Zebulun and Naphtali. His presence, his actions and his preaching became a light of hope: “The people that lived in darkness has seen a great light”.

“From that moment Jesus began his preaching with the message, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’” It was a very simple message that concentrated on the essential: the coming of the Kingdom of God, that is the fulfilment of God’s promise of salvation, and the attitude needed to be accepted in that kingdom, repentance. To accompany Jesus in the establishment of God’s Kingdom, one needs conversion, meaning a new set of values and attitudes. God must become the central point of reference in our lives.

To carry out his project, Jesus looked for followers, collaborators and disciples. He chose the ones he wanted. In the last supper, Jesus would tell his disciples: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you” (Jn 15:16).

Then, Matthew summarises the ministry of Jesus with the following sentence: “He went round the whole of Galilee teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness among the people.”

THE LAMB OF GOD WHO TAKES AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD

II SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - John 1:29-34

In this Sunday’s gospel, we are presented with John the Baptist’s witness to Jesus Christ. First of all, we must admire John’s sincerity and truthfulness: “I did not know him myself”. However, he was well aware that he was given the mission to reveal Him. His ministry had no other purpose but to lead people to Jesus. In a way, John should submit to Jesus because, despite coming after him, he existed before him. John recognises Jesus' precedence, as the one who was before time.

Then, we may ask ourselves how was he able to recognise Jesus as the one who was before him? God gave him a clear sign: a dove comes down and hovers over its nest. so the Spirit came down on him from heaven and rested on him. It reminds us of the Spirit at the beginning of creation: “And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” (Gn 1:2). Jesus comes to be the new Adam, and the Spirit rests on him. After Jesus’ baptism, “a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Mt 3:17) That’s why the Holy Spirit has his abode in Jesus. And John bears witness to Jesus saying: “Yes, I have seen and I am the witness that he is the Chosen One of God” or “this is the Son of God.” (ESV, Jn 1:34).

Having recognised Jesus as the Chosen One of God, that is as the Messiah, he announces  the role that Jesus is going to fulfil: 

“Look, there is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.”

We may be puzzled by such a title, needing explanation. What does it mean to call Jesus the Lamb of God?

It comes immediately to mind the Passover lamb, whose blood was put on the lintel of the houses as a sign of belonging to the people of God whom God sets free from slavery in Egypt. Jesus is the true lamb, whose blood is shed for us to be reconciled with God.

The lamb brings to mind as well the Servant of Yahweh. Indeed, he is “like a lamb that is led to the slaughter” and keeps silent (Is 53:7). The Servant of Yahweh accepts his suffering and death for the sake of the people:

“upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

and with his wounds we are healed.” (Is 53:5)

“he was cut off out of the land of the living,

stricken for the transgression of my people” (Is 53:8).

Finally, the title “Lamb” is given to Christ in the book of revelation. He alone was found worthy of reading the scroll of the mysterious plans of God and thousands upon thousands sang in his praise:

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might

and honour and glory and blessing!” (Rev 5:12)

Through his blood, the Lamb takes away the sin of the world and prepares for himself a bride - the people of God -  

“and his Bride has made herself ready;

it was granted her to clothe herself

with fine linen, bright and pure”—

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.” (Rev 19:7-8)

The kings of the earth who follow the beast will make war on the Lamb and his followers, but the Lamb will defeat him:

… “and the Lamb will conquer them, 

for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, 

and those with him are called 

and chosen and faithful.” (Rev 17:14).

ALL NATIONS SHALL FALL PROSTRATE BEFORE YOU

THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD - Matthew 2:1-12

The Epiphany is known in the Eastern Christian tradition as Theophany. In it, we celebrate the manifestation of Jesus as divine and as the Saviour of the world. is a very traditional feast. The gospel of Matthew catches our attention with the marvellous story of the Magi, considered kings by tradition. They came from the East, looking for “the infant king of the Jews”. In Jerusalem, the old but all-powerful king Herod was sitting on the throne. Hearing about a newborn king, he was alarmed and distressed, shivering at the thought that someone somewhere in his kingdom was plotting against him. Canny as he was, Herod planned to deceive the magi and do away with the threat posed by a child. 

While people came from afar to encounter the Messiah and recognise him as such, those in Jerusalem, instead of showing interest in him, felt threatened by him and decided to get rid of him. This rejection at the beginning is already an announcement of the future rejection that would end in the crucifixion. In the introduction to his gospel, John presents the same rejection: “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” (Jn 1:11).

The Magi, or wise men, stand for the gentiles, that is for all of us who are not Jews. They stand for all those who strive for salvation and are in search of the Saviour. Tradition has made kings of the Magi, but most probably they were not kings. They were people in search of the truth, which is the way to redemption and life. Wealth was not important to them. And they set out guided by a star, that is by an ideal. Along the road, they found problems and difficulties that obscured the star, but they did not give up. When lost, they looked for help. All of us need help and those who refuse to ask and receive help will end up by the roadside.

The star is Jesus himself, he who is the Light of the world. To find the way, we must be guided by that light as the Magi were. Little by little, he draws us to himself. When they reached the end of their journey, “they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage.” They worshipped Jesus, recognising him as the Son of God and offered him the best they had to offer.

The story of the Magi teaches us an essential truth of our faith, the same truth Paul speaks about in his letter to the Ephesians: “it means that pagans now share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body, and that the same promise has been made to them, in Jesus Christ, through the gospel.”

Let us give thanks and praise to God for calling us and leading us to his Son, Jesus Christ, who is the Light of the world. May we recognise and adore him as the Magi did.

MAY THE LORD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU

MARY, THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD - Numbers 6:22-27

We begin the New Year in the company of Mary of Nazareth, the mother of Jesus, the Messiah. Today, we acclaim her as the Mother of God or Theotokos. We may find such a title very strange, but it was adopted in the ecumenical council of Ephesus (in 431), as a proclamation of faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. By calling Mary Mother o God, we say that her son, Jesus, is divine, or that the son born of her is God who came to be with us. He is Immanuel, that is, God with us (Mt 1:23). In no way do we mean that the Son of God was generated by Mary, but through her, He assumed a human body for him to live with us. By God’s favour and choice, Mary played an important role in the fulfilment of God’s plan of salvation. The gospel of John presents Mary at the beginning and the end of Jesus’ ministry. Before dying, Jesus entrusted her to his beloved disciple, who cared for her as his mother. Each one of us is called to be that beloved disciple. Like him, we must welcome Mary in our homes, being sure that she will pay attention to our shortcomings and then she will take them to Jesus for him to transform our sadness and suffering into happiness and wholeness.

We address Mary, as the Mother of God and ask for her intercession so that we may find peace. Indeed, as we enter the new year, we are called to pray for peace, so that we may give praise and glory to God. Every year, on the first day of the year, the whole Church prays for peace. With Europe at war, a war that is in danger of escalating, we must kneel and recognise that “no one can be saved alone”. Peace is only possible when everybody is ready to work for peace, giving the best of themselves and accepting the contribution of others.  asking for God’s blessings. We must recognise that God has made us his children. Through the spirit that He has poured on us, we can address Him saying: “Abba, Father” (Gal 4:4-7). We are not slaves, but children and we must live according to our dignity as children. We may apply the Bemba proverb: Cimumbwa pala noko pala wiso ukuwama. You creature, be like your mother, be like your father, how that is good.

At the beginning of the year, the Church presents us with God’s blessings, as it is given in the book of Numbers:

The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ‘Say this to Aaron and his sons: “This is how you are to bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them:

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

May the Lord let his face shine on you and be gracious to you.

May the Lord uncover his face to you and bring you peace.”

With the Virgin Mary, let us ask for God’s blessings, so that we may work for peace.

CHRISTMAS IS ABOUT JESUS, THE CHRIST

CHRISTMAS - Isaiah 9:1-7

As we celebrate Christmas, we may ask ourselves what are we celebrating? It sounds like an absurd question, since the word Christmas refers to Christ. However, looking at the celebrations of the season around us, we are bombarded with images of Father Christmas, trying to entice us to buy all kinds of gifts. Christmas has become a highly profitable season for all the big shopping centres. And we may get the false impression that everything is about children, while, in reality, it is about profit. And we lose sight of the one we are celebrating, Jesus Christ. Christmas is about Jesus, the Christ, and nothing else. And we should not be distracted from that. At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Jesus, who is proclaimed as the Saviour of the world.

The great feast of Christmas represents an effort of inculturation. It falls on the winter solstice, which happened on 25 December in the Julian calendar. The solstice was celebrated in many cultures, being considered a time of renewal of life, as the days begin to grow in the northern hemisphere. And people celebrated and welcomed the light that makes possible life. And Jesus came as the Light of the world (Jn 8:12). Isaiah had announced such a time of blissfulness:

The people that walked in darkness

has seen a great light;

on those who live in a land of deep shadow

a light has shone. (Is 9:2)

We must rejoice and give praise to God because he has look upon us with compassion and, in order to set us free, he sent his Son, who, becoming a human being like us, open the way for us to become divine in Him. Indeed, a child for us is born:

For there is a child born for us,

a son given to us

and dominion is laid on his shoulders;

and this is the name they give him:

Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God,

Eternal-Father, Prince-of-Peace. (Is 9:6)

He came as the Prince of peace, opening the way of reconciliation with God and with one another. That’s why we sing with the angels:

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and peace to men who enjoy his favour.” (Lk 2:14).

And those who enjoy his favour are all those who give glory to God and become themselves a manifestation of God’s glory. According to John:

“to all who did accept him

he gave power to become children of God”.

Let us welcome the Child Jesus in our hearts, our homes and our communities, for us to become like Him children of God.

Let’s go to Bethlehem and greet the great King born for us. Bane, imeni!

HE IS IMMANUEL, THAT IS “GOD-IS-WITH-US”

IV SUNDAY OF ADVENT - Romans 1:1-7

Paul begins his letter to the Romans by presenting himself with three titles: “servant of Christ Jesus”, “called to be an apostle”, and “chosen to preach the Good News”. So he is a servant, an apostle and a preacher. What is he preaching? What is the Good News that he proclaims? The Good News announced by Paul is about the Son of God, that is Jesus Christ, who, according to human nature, is a descendant of David and, according to the Spirit, is the Son of God, which is testified by his resurrection. It is through Jesus Christ that Paul received his apostolic mission to lead all nations to obedience to Jesus Christ. All of us are called to be saints.

Jesus Christ, the Saviour, is the Son of God. He is Immanuel, that is “God-is-with-us”, He came to fulfil the promise made in Prophet Isaiah and that fulfilment is presented in the Gospel. In this Sunday’s gospel, our eyes are turned to Joseph, who was engaged to Mary of Nazareth. The passage presents a catechetical lesson about the incarnation of the Son of God, leaving it clear that Jesus is that Son. Through Joseph, he belongs to the family of David, but he is generated through the power of God. Like the first Adam, this second one is a fruit of the Spirit. With Adam, God used the dust of the ground, with Jesus, God used the womb of Mary to bring forth the Saviour. 

We must look at Joseph and learn from him. He was honest and sincere, more preoccupied with his fiancé’s good than with his honour. Being pure of heart, God became his refuge, protecting him and entrusting to him the guardianship of Jesus, the Son of God.