L'Evangile dans ma vie/ The Gospel in my life

Gospel text

(Mt 16,24-28): 

Jesus said to his disciples, «If you want to follow me, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me. For whoever chooses to save his life will lose it, but the one who loses his life for my sake will find it. What will one gain by winning the whole world if he destroys himself? There is nothing you can give to recover your own self. Know that the Son of Man will come in the Glory of his Father with the holy angels, and He will reward each one according to his deeds. Truly, I tell you, there are some here who will not die before they see the Son of Man coming as king».

«If you want to follow me, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me»

Fr. Pedro IGLESIAS Martínez
(Rubí, Barcelona, Spain)

Today, the Gospel clearly confronts us with the world... It is absolutely radical in its approach, and it does not admit any half measures: «If you want to follow me, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me» (Mt 16:24). In many instances, when we are facing the suffering generated by us or by others, we can hear: «We have to accept the sufferings God sends us... This is God's will..., or words to that effect», and we keep on gathering sacrifices in very much the same way as those trading stamps we used to collect, with the hope of showing them at Heaven's audit department when our day to present our statements of accounts arrives.

But our suffering per se would be of little value. Christ was no stoic: He was thirsty, He was hungry, He was tired, He did not like to be forsaken. He let others to help him... Where He could, He soothed pain, whether physic or moral. So, what is happening, then?

Simple. Before loading with our “cross”, the first thing we must do is to follow Christ. It is not a matter of first suffering and then following Christ... Christ must be followed from our Love, and from there we can then understand the sacrifice, the personal negation: «For whoever chooses to save his life will lose it, but the one who loses his life for my sake will find it» (Mt 16:25). Love and mercy may lead us to sacrifice. Any true love engenders, one way or other, some sort of sacrifice, but not all sacrifice engenders love. God is not sacrifice; God is love, and only from that perspective pain, fatigue and the cross in our existence, have any meaning, following the model of man the Father reveals us in Christ. St. Augustine sentenced: «When one loves, one does not suffer; but if one does suffer, the very suffering is loved».

In the ensuing events of our life, we are not to seek a divine origin to explain our sacrifices and shortcomings: «Why is God sending this to me?», but we rather have to find a “divine usage” for them: «How can I transform this into an act of faith and love?». It is from this evaluation how we are to follow Christ and how —certainly— we may deserve the Father’s merciful glance. The same glance which the Father looked at his Son in the Cross, with.

Gospel text

(Mt 17,1-9): 

Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain where they were alone. Jesus' appearance was changed before them: his face shone like the sun and his clothes became bright as light. Just then Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus. Peter spoke and said to Jesus, «Master, it is good that we are here. If you so wish, I will make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah».

Peter was still speaking when a bright cloud covered them in its shadow, and a voice from the cloud said, «This is my Son, the Beloved, my Chosen One. Listen to him». On hearing the voice, the disciples fell to the ground, full of fear. But Jesus came, touched them and said, «Stand up, do not be afraid». When they raised their eyes, they no longer saw anyone except Jesus. And as they came down the mountain, Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone what they had just seen, until the Son of Man be raised from the dead.

The Application

The transfiguration feast gives us an impression of life afterwards. Why did Jesus choose only three, and why not all twelve? Well, He will answer that later. For these disciples it is a moment of joy and we are invited not only to celebrate, but also to participate in this joy. Even though His invitation is open and inclusive, very few people respond positively to this call.

We have a good witness from heaven and God still does so today. In the whole human encounter God acts discreetly, without imposing anything. If we give him his own place in these human encounters, he will transform them as a divine encounter. In these encounters we can easily discover that God is pleased with Jesus and He is pleased with us too. That is why He asks us to listen to His Son, His beloved.

In this listening, we can hear ourselves in the depths of our being, "Do not be afraid. ", for I am with you. Let us make good use of this feast, so that we too may experience the transfiguration and have the same joy of the disciples.

Action of the day : Try to feel the divine presence in every human encounters

«This is my Son, my Chosen one»

+ Fr. Joan SERRA i Fontanet
(Barcelona, Spain)

Today, the Gospel speaks of the Transfiguration of our Lord on Mount Tabor. Jesus, after Peter's confession, started to say that it was necessary for the Son of man to be condemned to death and that He would rise on the third day. This passage of the Transfiguration of Jesus has to be placed within this context. Athanasius the Sinaite writes that «He, who had donned our miserable goatskin tunics, is today dressed with a divine dress and a dazzling light wraps him up as a robe». The message that Jesus Transfigured brings to us is the Father's words: «This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him» (Mk 9:7). To listen means to abide by his will, to contemplate his person, to imitate him, to put into practice his advice, to take up our own cross and follow him.

To avoid any misunderstandings or equivocals, «He ordered them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man be risen from the dead» (Mk 9:9). The three apostles are looking at Jesus Transfigured, signal of his divinity, but the Saviour does not want them to spread the news until after his resurrection, when it will be possible to understand the scope of this episode. Christ speaks to us through the Gospel and when we pray; we can then repeat Peter's words: «Master, it is good that we are here» (Mk 9:5), particularly, after the Holy Communion.

Today's mass preface summarizes in a very nice way the Transfiguration of our Lord. It says: «Because the Lord, Christ, having announced his death to his disciples, reveals his glory, at the sacred mountain and, having the Law and the prophets as witnesses, He makes them understand his Passion is necessary to reach the glory of the resurrection». A lesson we Christians should never forget.

Texte de l'Évangile

(Mt 17,1-9): 

Jésus prend avec lui Pierre, Jacques et Jean son frère, et il les emmène à l’écart, sur une haute montagne. Il fut transfiguré devant eux; son visage devint brillant comme le soleil, et ses vêtements, blancs comme la lumière. Voici que leur apparurent Moïse et Élie, qui s'entretenaient avec lui. Pierre alors prit la parole et dit à Jésus: «Seigneur, il est heureux que nous soyons ici! Si tu le veux, je vais dresser ici trois tentes, une pour toi, une pour Moïse et une pour Élie».

Il parlait encore, lorsqu'une nuée lumineuse les couvrit de son ombre; et, de la nuée, une voix disait: «Celui-ci est mon Fils bien-aimé, en qui j'ai mis tout mon amour; écoutez-le!». Entendant cela, les disciples tombèrent la face contre terre et furent saisis d'une grande frayeur. Jésus s'approcha, les toucha et leur dit: «Relevez-vous et n'ayez pas peur!». Levant les yeux, ils ne virent plus que lui, Jésus seul. En descendant de la montagne, Jésus leur donna cet ordre: «Ne parlez de cette vision à personne, avant que le Fils de l'homme soit ressuscité d'entre les morts».

L’Application

La fête de la transfiguration nous donne une impression de vie après. Pourquoi Jésus n'en a-t-il choisi que trois, et pourquoi pas les douze ? Il répondra à cette question plus tard. Pour ces disciples, c'est un moment de joie et nous sommes invités non seulement à célébrer, mais aussi à participer à cette joie. Même si Son invitation est ouverte et inclusive, très peu de personnes répondent positivement à cet appel.

Nous avons un bon témoignage du ciel et Dieu le fait encore aujourd'hui. Dans toute la rencontre humaine, Dieu agit discrètement, sans rien imposer. Si nous lui donnons sa propre place dans ces rencontres humaines, il les transformera en une rencontre divine. Dans ces rencontres, nous pouvons facilement découvrir que Dieu est avec Jésus et qu'il est également satisfait de nous. C'est pourquoi il nous demande d'écouter son Fils, son bien-aimé.

Dans cette écoute, nous pouvons nous entendre au plus profond de notre être, "N'aie pas peur". ", car je suis avec vous. Profitons de cette fête, afin que nous puissions, nous aussi, faire l'expérience de la transfiguration et avoir la même joie que les disciples.

«Celui-ci est mon Fils bien-aimé»

+ Abbé Joan SERRA i Fontanet
(Barcelona, Espagne)

Aujourd'hui, l'Évangile nous parle de la Transfiguration de Jésus sur le Mont Thabor. Après la profession de foi de Pierre, Jésus commence à leur montrer qu'il fallait que le Fils de l'Homme soit condamné à mort, Il leur annonce également sa résurrection le troisième jour. Nous devons voir la Transfiguration de Jésus à partir de ce contexte. Saint Athanase écrit: «Il s'est revêtu de notre misérable tunique de peau, aujourd'hui Il est vêtu du vêtement divin, et la lumière l'a enveloppé comme un manteau». Le message que Jésus transfiguré nous transmet ce sont les paroles du Père: «Celui-ci est mon Fils bien-aimé. Écoutez-le» (Mc 9,7). Ecouter veut dire faire sa volonté, contempler sa personne, l'imiter, mettre en pratique ses conseils, prendre notre croix et le suivre.

Afin d'éviter des confusions et fausses interprétations, Jésus «leur défendit de raconter à personne ce qu'ils avaient vu, avant que le Fils de l'homme soit ressuscité d'entre les morts» (Mc 9,9). Les trois apôtres contemplent Jésus transfiguré, signe de sa divinité, mais le Sauveur ne veut pas qu'ils le divulguent tant qu'il n'a pas ressuscité, c'est alors qu'on pourra comprendre l'ampleur de cet épisode. Le Christ nous parle dans l'Evangile et dans nos prières; nous pouvons dire comme Pierre: «Rabbi, il est heureux que nous soyons ici!» (Mc 9,5), surtout après la communion.

La préface de la messe de ce jour nous offre un beau résumé de la Transfiguration de Jésus. Il dit: «Parce que le Christ, Seigneur, ayant annoncé sa mort à ses disciples, leur révéla sa gloire sur la montagne sainte et ayant la Loi et les prophètes comme témoins Il leur fit comprendre qu'afin d'arriver à la gloire de la résurrection il faut passer par la Passion». C'est une leçon que nous chrétiens ne devons jamais oublier.

Gospel text

(Mt 15,21-28): 

Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. Now a Canaanite woman came from those borders and began to cry out, «Lord, Son of David, have pity on me! My daughter is tormented by a demon». But Jesus did not answer her, not even a word. So his disciples approached him and said, «Send her away: see how she is shouting after us». Then Jesus said to her, «I was sent only to the lost sheep of the nation of Israel».

But the woman was already kneeling before Jesus and said, «Sir, help me!». Jesus answered, «It is not right to take the bread from the children and throw it to the little dogs». The woman replied, «It is true, sir, but even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master's table». Then Jesus said, «Woman, how great is your faith! Let it be as you wish». And her daughter was healed at that moment.

The Application

What a wonderful encounter! Both coming out from one region to the other, and at the borders. These place and time are important to understand the depth and the consequence of this encounter. For us particularly today, with two explosions in the heart of the capital of the same county, which is in trouble, does speak a volume of their suffering and the need of our support and compassion.

The cry of this poor lady, and the holy silence of the Lord, particularly his clod response may disturb the contemporary world, which is still seeking an immediate response. Why this persistent cry which is responded with a cold answer?  We don’t have a clear answer. It’s quite normal that even in this scientific world that we may not have all the answers for our just questions. Anyway, why should we have answers to all our questions? There is always a place for mysteries. Shouldn’t we have patience to understand the plan of God?

Jesus is affirming the quality and the depth of her faith. Faith is not a fruit of external events, rather our capacity to internalize the external events, which are pure spiritual gifts. Can these explosions be an event to reveal a divine plan? Who knows? We should imitate the faith of this lady and in this tempting moment, we have to express the depth of our faith; still holding on to the Lord, like Job. By our faith we should affirm to the world that God is still alive in this world and in our personal life.

Action of the day: Put your trust in the Lord.

«Woman, how great is your faith!»

Fr. Jordi CASTELLET i Sala
(Sant Hipòlit de Voltregà, Barcelona, Spain)

Today, we often hear the expression “faith has been lost”, and the same people who ask our communities the baptism of their children or the catechesis for their infants or the sacrament of marriage, say it. These words depict the world in a negative way while trying to convince us bygone times were better and that we are now at the end of an stage where there is nothing left for us to say or to do. Evidently, these are basically young people who, in its majority, watch rather sadly how the world has changed from their parents' times, who used to live perhaps a more popular faith, which they have not known how to adapt to. This experience leaves them unsatisfied and without any capacity of reaction when, in fact, they might find themselves at the gates of a new stage they could very well take advantage of.

This passage of the Gospel draws the attention to that Canaanite mother that demands grace for her daughter by recognizing in Jesus the Son of David: «Lord, Son of David, have pity on me! My daughter is tormented by a demon» (Mt 15:22). The Master is surprised: «Woman, how great is your faith!” and He can do nothing but to act in favour of those persons: «Let it be as you wish» (Mt 15:28), although this does not seem to fall within his schedule. However, God's grace is manifested in human realities.

Faith is not a privilege of a few, nor is it the property of those who thing they are so good or of those who have ever been good, and have this social or ecclesial label. God's action precedes any Church's action and the Holy Spirit is already acting upon persons we would have never suspected could bring us a message from God, a request in favour of the needy. St. Leo says: «My beloved, the virtue and wisdom of Christian faith are our love of God and of our neighbour: it does not miss any obligation to any pious works procuring to render God worship due to him and to help our brethren».

Texte de l'Évangile

(Mt 15,21-28): 

Jésus s'était retiré vers la région de Tyr et de Sidon. Voici qu'une Cananéenne, venue de ces territoires, criait: «Aie pitié de moi, Seigneur, fils de David! Ma fille est tourmentée par un démon». Mais il ne lui répondit rien. Les disciples s'approchèrent pour lui demander: «Donne-lui satisfaction, car elle nous poursuit de ses cris!». Jésus répondit: «Je n'ai été envoyé qu'aux brebis perdues d'Israël».

Mais elle vint se prosterner devant lui: «Seigneur, viens à mon secours!». Il répondit: «Il n'est pas bien de prendre le pain des enfants pour le donner aux petits chiens». «C'est vrai, Seigneur, reprit-elle; mais justement, les petits chiens mangent les miettes qui tombent de la table de leurs maîtres». Jésus répondit: «Femme, ta foi est grande, que tout se fasse pour toi comme tu le veux!». Et, à l'heure même, sa fille fut guérie.

L’Application

Avec l’événement du jour, dans la même région où se trouve Jésus dans l’évangile du jour, aujourd’hui, nous sommes tous cette Cananéenne qui supplions pour ses enfants. La réponse immédiate du Seigneur, nous semble incompréhensible. Comme cette femme insistait, nous devons avoir la même foi, car nous avons un Dieu plein d’amour et de miséricorde. Je vous invite à prier pour ce peuple pour qu’il soit guéri et qu’il ait la vie.

«Femme, ta foi est grande»

Abbé Jordi CASTELLET i Sala
(Sant Hipòlit de Voltregà, Barcelona, Espagne)

Aujourd'hui, nous entendons souvent dire «il n'y a plus de foi», et ce sont les personnes qui demandent à nos communautés de baptiser leurs enfants, de leur enseigner le catéchisme ou de célébrer un mariage qui le disent. Cette façon de parler est une façon de voir le monde de manière négative, comme si les temps passés étaient meilleurs et que nous vivons la fin d'une époque où il n'y a rien de nouveau à dire ni à faire. Il s'agit, bien évidemment, des jeunes qui, pour la plupart d'entre eux, sont attristés de se rendre compte que le monde a beaucoup changé depuis l'époque de leurs parents qui vivaient, peut-être, une foi plus populaire et ils ont du mal à s'adapter. Or cette expérience les laisse insatisfaits et sans capacité de réaction alors qu'ils sont peut-être à l'aube d'une nouvelle étape dont il faut savoir profiter.

Ce passage de l'Évangile attire l'attention sur une mère de famille de la ville de Canna qui demande la grâce pour sa fille, reconnaissant en Jésus le fils de David: «Aie pitié de moi, Seigneur, fils de David! Ma fille est tourmentée par un démon» (Mt 15,22). Le Maître est surpris par sa foi: «Femme, ta foi est grande», et dans des cas comme ça, Il ne peut qu'agir pour donner satisfaction à ceux qui Lui demandent quelque chose «que tout se fasse pour toi comme tu le veux!» (Mt 15,28) même si cela ne semble pas rentrer dans Ses plans. Nonobstant, la grâce de Dieu se manifeste dans la réalité humaine.

La foi ne constitue pas le patrimoine de quelques-uns, elle n'est pas non plus la propriété privée de ceux qui se croient bons ou de ceux qui l'ont été, qui ont une étiquette sociale ou religieuse. L'action de Dieu précède l'action de l'Église, et le Saint Esprit agit déjà dans le cœur des personnes qui bien que nous ne l'ayons pas soupçonné nous apporteront un message de Dieu, une demande en faveur des plus nécessiteux. Saint Léon disait: «Bien-aimés, la vertu et la sagesse de la foi chrétienne consistent dans l'amour de Dieu et du prochain; celui qui aime à servir Dieu et à secourir son prochain possède toutes les vertus».

Gospel text

(Mt 14,22-36): 

After the crowds have eaten their fill, Jesus obliged his disciples to get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, while He sent the crowd away. And having sent the people away, He went up the mountain by himself to pray. At nightfall, He was there alone.

Meanwhile, the boat was very far from land, dangerously rocked by the waves for the wind was against it. At daybreak, Jesus came to them walking on the lake. When they saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, thinking that it was a ghost. And they cried out in fear. But at once Jesus said to them, «Courage! Don't be afraid. It's me!». Peter answered, «Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you walking on the water». Jesus said to him, «Come». And Peter got out of the boat, walking on the water to go to Jesus. But, in face of the strong wind, he was afraid and began to sink. So he cried out, «Lord, save me!». Jesus immediately stretched out his hand and took hold of him, saying, «Man of little faith, why did you doubt?». As they got into the boat, the wind dropped. Then those in the boat bowed down before Jesus saying, «Truly, you are the Son of God!».

They came ashore at Gennesareth. The local people recognized Jesus and spread the news throughout the region. So they brought all the sick to him, begging him to let them touch just the fringe of his cloak. All who touched it became perfectly well.

The Application

Life is filled with paradoxically mixed surprises. Some obligations, forced isolations, do help us to be freer and more educative in nature. Since we are taught to be selective, particularly what is pleasing and agreeable to us, in our discernment we fail drastically, ending miserably sad and broken. Away from the crowd, calling us to our own oneness, will help us to discover, even in our solitude, we are not alone.

In our own brokenness, disturbed mind-set, and agitated moment, even Jesus resembles to us a ‘ghost’ invoking fear and anxiety. What a paradox and tragedy! Once we are connected with the Lord, even real threat like deep water and wind, though really existing around us, seems to be losing their natural power and domination over us. The very moment we remain disconnected…………., helas!

Action of the day: Lean to remain connected

«Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you walking on the water»

Fr. Lluc TORCAL Monk of Santa Maria de Poblet
(Santa Maria de Poblet, Tarragona, Spain)

Today, we shall not look at Jesus sleeping on he boat while it sinks, nor rebuking the winds and the waves with a single word, so his disciples may be amazed (cf. Mt 8:23-27). But, today's action is no less disconcerting, whether for his first disciples or for us.

Jesus had obliged his disciples to get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side; and after the crowds have eaten their fill, He had sent the crowd away. And, then, He went up the mountain by himself to pray. And He remained there alone. (cf. Mt 14:22-23). Without his Master, the disciples were having troubles to face the wind. It was then when Jesus came to them walking on the water.

As plain and simple people would, the disciples were terrified to see him: men do not usually walk over water, so they thought they were seeing a ghost. But they were wrong: it was not an illusion what they were looking at, but the very Lord, who was inviting them —as He did quite often— not to be afraid and trust him to awake their faith in them.

This faith was first demanded to Peter, who said: «Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you walking on the water» (Mt 14:28). With this words, Peter showed that faith consists of abiding by the word of Christ: he did not say «let me walk on the water» but he just wanted to follow what the very and only Lord could command him to do, to believe the truthfulness of the Master's words.

His doubts, however, made him reel, but they led the other disciples to bow down and confess before their Master: «Truly, you are the Son of God!» (Mt 14:33). «The group of those that already were apostles, but did not yet fully believe, when they saw the waters waving below the Lord's feet and appreciated his steps were firm through the stormy waves (...) they believed Jesus was the true Son of God, and accepted him as such» (St. Ambrose).

Texte de l'Évangile

(Mt 14,22-36): 

Aussitôt Jésus obligea ses disciples à monter dans la barque et à le précéder sur l'autre rive, pendant qu'il renverrait les foules. Quand il les eut renvoyées, il se rendit dans la montagne, à l'écart, pour prier. Le soir venu, il était là, seul.

La barque était déjà à une bonne distance de la terre, elle était battue par les vagues, car le vent était contraire. Vers la fin de la nuit, Jésus vint vers eux en marchant sur la mer. En le voyant marcher sur la mer, les disciples furent bouleversés. Ils disaient: «C'est un fantôme», et la peur leur fit pousser des cris. Mais aussitôt Jésus leur parla: «Confiance! c'est moi; n'ayez pas peur!». Pierre prit alors la parole: «Seigneur, si c'est bien toi, ordonne-moi de venir vers toi sur l'eau». Jésus lui dit: «Viens!». Pierre descendit de la barque et marcha sur les eaux pour aller vers Jésus. Mais, voyant qu'il y avait du vent, il eut peur; et, comme il commençait à enfoncer, il cria: «Seigneur, sauve-moi!». Aussitôt Jésus étendit la main, le saisit et lui dit: «Homme de peu de foi, pourquoi as-tu douté?». Et quand ils furent montés dans la barque, le vent tomba. Alors ceux qui étaient dans la barque se prosternèrent devant lui, et ils lui dirent: «Vraiment, tu es le Fils de Dieu!».

Ayant traversé le lac, ils abordèrent à Génésareth. Les gens de cet endroit reconnurent Jésus; ils firent avertir toute la région, et on lui amena tous les malades. Ils le suppliaient de leur laisser seulement toucher la frange de son manteau, et tous ceux qui la touchèrent furent sauvés.

L’Application

Une interdiction, une obligation, ces vocabulaires, même si qu’ils soient négatifs, ils peuvent faire une grande charité. Il faut savoir discerner sur les interdictions et obligations qui sont bonnes et elles viennent d’où et de qui ?

Un homme qui est troublé intérieurement, ne sera pas capable de voire, regarder et discerner des choses extérieures. Pour les disciples, même Jésus était visiblement ‘un fantôme.’

Avec le Seigneur Pierre peut facilement traverser la mer et sans le Seigneur, il va s’enfoncer. Il faut rester toujours avec le Seigneur, si nous voulons marcher sur les eaux de la vie quotidienne.

«Seigneur, si c'est bien toi, ordonne-moi de venir vers toi sur l'eau»

Abbé Lluc TORCAL Moine de Monastère de Sta. Mª de Poblet
(Santa Maria de Poblet, Tarragona, Espagne)

Aujourd'hui, nous ne verrons pas Jésus entrain de dormir dans une barque pendant que cette dernière s'enfonce dans l'eau, ni calmer la tourmente avec une seule parole de réprimande, suscitant ainsi l'admiration des disciples (cf. Mt 8,22-23). Mais l'action d'aujourd'hui est aussi déconcertante: autant pour les premiers disciples que pour nous-même.

Jésus avait obligé les disciples à monter dans la barque et à se diriger vers l'autre rive; il s'était éloigné de tout le monde, après avoir donné à manger à une foule affamée et était demeuré seul dans la montagne, profondément plongé dans la prière (cf. Mt 14,22-23). Les disciples, sans le Maître, avançaient avec difficulté. Ce fut alors lorsque Jésus s'approcha à la barque en marchant sur les eaux.

Comme il est propre des personnes normales et saines d'esprit, les disciples s'effrayèrent à le voir: les hommes ne marchent généralement pas sur l'eau et donc, ils devaient être entrain de voir un fantôme. Mais ils se trompaient: il ne s'agissait pas d'une illusion, mais bien du Seigneur Lui-même, qui les invitaient —comme en tant d'autres occasions— à ne pas avec peur et à Lui faire confiance pour leur révéler la foi. Cette foi s'exigea tout d'abord de Pierre, qui dit alors: «Seigneur, si c'est bien toi, ordonne-moi de venir vers toi sur l'eau» (Mt 14,28). Avec cette réponse, Pierre démontre que la foi consiste en l'obéissance à la parole du Christ: il ne dit pas “fait que je puisse marcher sur les eaux”, mais il voulait faire ce que le Seigneur lui-même lui ordonne pour pouvoir croire en la véracité des paroles du Maître.

Ses doutes le firent chanceler dans la foi naissante, mais permirent la confession des autres disciples, lorsqu'en présence du Maître: «Vraiment, tu es le Fils de Dieu!» (Mt 14,33). «Le groupe de ceux qui étaient déjà apôtres, mais qui ne croyaient toujours pas, lorsqu'ils virent que les eaux bougeaient sous les pieds du Seigneur et que malgré les mouvements agités des vagues, les pas du Seigneurs étaient certains, (…) crurent alors que Jésus était le véritable Fils de Dieu, le reconnaissant comme tel» (Saint Ambroise).

Gospel text

(Mt 14,13-21): 

On hearing the death of John the Baptist, Jesus set out secretly by boat for a secluded place. But the people heard of it, and they followed him on foot from their towns. When Jesus went ashore, He saw the crowd gathered there and He had compassion on them. And He healed their sick.

Late in the afternoon, his disciples came to him and said, «We are in a lonely place and it is now late. You should send these people away, so they can go to the villages and buy something for themselves to eat». But Jesus replied, «They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat». They answered, «We have nothing here but five loaves and two fishes». Jesus said to them, «Bring them here to me».

Then He made everyone sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves and the two fishes, raised his eyes to heaven, pronounced the blessing, broke the loaves and handed them to the disciples to distribute to the people. And they all ate, and everyone had enough; then the disciples gathered up the leftovers, filling twelve baskets. About five thousand men had eaten there besides women and children.

The Application

Jesus didn’t come to nourish people materially. However, in His love and compassion, He uses all means possible to express His Father’s love and compassion to the humanity. God continues to nourish us, from the Old testament, new testament and the salvation history reminds us this truth. Even today He continues to take care of us. As our response to this compassionate God,  we  are called to search for such means to express our love for God.

For the same problem, the disciples see what they can’t do and Jesus is inviting us to see what we have, though very little they may be. He is inviting us to come to Him, present everything before Him, so that He could multiply them for us. We are called to put our confidence in the Lord.

Breaking of the bread, is breaking Jesus Himself. He will certainly give His life for our salvation. In this breaking, He is not alone. He is bringing His Father and associate Him. In every act, Jesus brings the divine will at the center.  Let God be, in our personal life, the center of everything.

Action of the day: Don’t waste even little piece of grace.

«Raised his eyes to heaven»

Fr. Xavier ROMERO i Galdeano
(Cervera, Lleida, Spain)

Today, the Gospel touches our “mental pockets”... This is why, as in Jesus' times, the voice of the prudent ones can be heard weighing whether this is worth our while. When they saw it was getting late, the disciples, who did not know how to handle the crowd gathered around Jesus, found a reasonable option: «they can go to the villages and buy something for themselves to eat» (Mt 14:15). Little did they expect their Lord and Master to break this sensible advise by telling them: «you give them something to eat» (Mt 14:16).

A popular saying goes: «He who does not count on God, does not know how to count». And it is true, the disciples did not know —neither do we— how to count for they forgot, as we often forget, the most important part of the addition: God himself is always amongst us.

The disciples did their calculation right; they figured out the exact number of loaves and fishes, but how could they possibly divide them amongst such a huge crowd?; this is why they cautiously said: «We have nothing here but five loaves and two fishes» (Mt 14:17). But they did not realize they also had Jesus—true God and true man— among them!

By quoting St. Josemaria Escrivà, it would not do us any harm to remember here that: «It is a good thing in our apostolate —it is in fact an obligation—to figure out our earthly means (2+2=4), but do not ever forget! you must also luckily count on another addend: God +2 +2...». Christian optimism is not based upon the absence of difficulties, of resistance and of personal errors, but upon God who says: «And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age» (Mt 28:20)

It would be good that both you and I, when facing our own difficulties, and prior to granting a death sentence to the boldness and optimism of the Christian spirit, we could relay upon God. If only we could say along with St. Francis that great prayer: «Wherever there is hate let me put love»; that is, wherever my accounts do not square up, let me rely upon God.

Texte de l'Évangile

(Mt 14,13-21): 

Quand Jésus apprit cela, il partit en barque pour un endroit désert, à l'écart. Les foules l'apprirent et, quittant leurs villes, elles suivirent à pied. En débarquant, il vit une grande foule de gens; il fut saisi de pitié envers eux et guérit les infirmes.

Le soir venu, les disciples s'approchèrent et lui dirent: «L'endroit est désert et il se fait tard. Renvoie donc la foule: qu'ils aillent dans les villages s'acheter à manger!». Mais Jésus leur dit: «Ils n'ont pas besoin de s'en aller. Donnez-leur vous-mêmes à manger». Alors ils lui disent: «Nous n'avons là que cinq pains et deux poissons». Jésus dit: «Apportez-les moi ici».

Puis, ordonnant à la foule de s'asseoir sur l'herbe, il prit les cinq pains et les deux poissons, et, levant les yeux au ciel, il prononça la bénédiction; il rompit les pains, il les donna aux disciples, et les disciples les donnèrent à la foule. Tous mangèrent à leur faim et, des morceaux qui restaient, on ramassa douze paniers pleins. Ceux qui avaient mangé étaient environ cinq mille, sans compter les femmes et les enfants.

L’Application

Le même événement et deux solutions différentes. Les disciples cherchent une solution extérieure et le Seigneur nous demande de la chercher à l’intérieur.

Dans la solution Jésus invite son Père et Lui demande de nous bénir.  Ce processus de la bénédiction, rompre le pain et le partager, était le même processus que Jésus a choisi pour nous sauver. Il se donne à l’humanité dans l’Eucharistie.

Jésus nous demande de ne pas gaspiller la grâce qu’Il nous donner. Ramasser les morceaux était une leçon à l’humanité. Apprenons à bien appliquer les grâces que Dieu nous accorde quotidiennement.

«Levant les yeux au ciel…»

Abbé Xavier ROMERO i Galdeano
(Cervera, Lleida, Espagne)

Aujourd'hui, l'Évangile touche nos "poches intellectuelles"… Pour cela, comme à l'époque de Jésus, les prudents peuvent élever leur voix pour considérer si cette question vaut la peine. Les disciples, en voyant qu'il se faisait tard et qu'ils ne pouvaient pas s'occuper de la quantité de gens qui entouraient Jésus, trouvent le moyen de s'en tirer à merveille: «Qu'ils aillent dans les villages s'acheter à manger!» (Mt 14,15). Ils ne s'attendaient pas à ce que leur Maître et Seigneur démolisse leur raisonnement tellement prudent en leur disant: «Donnez-leur vous-mêmes à manger» (Mt 14,16).

On dit que: «Qui ne compte pas sur Dieu, ne sait pas compter». Et c'est vrai, les disciples ne savaient pas compter —et nous non plus— car souvent dans nos additions nous oublions le chiffre le plus important: Dieu même parmi nous.

Les disciples ont bien fait leurs comptes, ils ont compté correctement le nombre de pains et de poissons, mais au moment de les diviser mentalement entre une telle quantité de gens le résultat était toujours zéro, et donc ils ont opté pour le réalisme prudent: «Nous n'avons là que cinq pains et deux poissons» (Mt 14,17). Ils n'ont pas réalisé qu'ils avaient Jésus —vrai Dieu et vrai Homme— parmi eux!

En paraphrasant Saint Josemaría, ce serait bien de nous rappeler que: «Dans les entreprises d'apostolat il est bon —c'est un devoir— de tenir compte de tes moyens terrestres (2 + 2 = 4), mais n'oublie jamais que tu dois heureusement compter sur un autre terme de l'addition: Dieu + 2 + 2...». L'optimisme chrétien n'est pas fondé sur l'absence de difficultés, des résistances et des erreurs personnelles, mais en Dieu qui nous dit: «Et moi, je suis avec vous tous les jours jusqu'à la fin du monde» (Mt 28,20).

Ce serait bien que nous, toi et moi face aux difficultés, et avant de déclarer la mort de l'audace et de l'optimisme de l'esprit chrétien, nous prenions Dieu en compte. Que nous puissions dire avec saint François cette merveilleuse prière: «Là où est la haine, que je mette l'amour», c'est à dire là où le compte n'est pas bon, il faut compter sur Dieu.

Christian life and faith are nourished by the Word of God. This Word not only gives us the hope to live this life in a peaceful way, it gives us rebirth, it gives us a new life every day, the life in its totality that is capable of giving birth in us a new life and of giving this life to others. "Come into me. "Come, all you who thirst, come, here is water, living water. Come, listen to me, and you will live. The Lord tells us, "I will make an everlasting covenant with you.  Every Eucharistic celebration is a new covenant.

Jesus in the Eucharist renews this covenant permanently and reminds us of the price He paid to save us.  With this commitment, He chose this bitter cup, a baptism of blood shed and the flesh given.  If we remain very far from the Lord, how can we understand the depth of this love He still has for us. That is why we must go to meet Him and discover for ourselves how tender and merciful He is, slow to anger and full of love," the Psalm of the day assures us.  Paul who has tasted this love in the pardon gives us a wonderful witness in the second reading of the day, «  Nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. »

Today's Gospel presents us with one of the events of this love. Jesus tells us that he is there with us, among us, very concerned about our daily sufferings and sorrows.  Moses did not know that his God cared about the suffering of his people. Little Samuel was not able to discern the voice of the Lord. A voice seemed very close to him, a voice he had heard before. He came before the high priest who was not able to discern the voice of the Lord either.  This voice is addressed to us, "Give them something to eat yourselves," for He has already fed us with His Word.

We have acquired a little blizzard behaviour, a consumerist behaviour, without knowing, why do we seek divine grace? Why did we come to church?  Certainly, you are going to answer me by saying that you have come to church to listen to the Word of God, to participate in the Eucharistic celebration, etc. In truth, it is the Lord who invites you there, so that after having participated in the Eucharist, we may be witnesses of his love and mercy.

The world of the day needs God, needs to identify his presence. The Gospel of the day tells us, "The crowds heard about it and left their towns and cities and followed on foot. "We are sent to this people of God, a people who thirst for God. Let this people come to us, let us be merciful like Him. It is true that we don't have the necessary means, or we are not able to give them bread or an answer to their question. Let us simply be with them, with a life-giving word, a gesture of openness, a compassionate look, etc., and let us be with them.  "We only have five loaves and two fishes. ", say the disciples of the Lord. Today, are we ready to share this bread that we have?