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

Gospel text

(Jn 14,7-14): 

Jesus said to his disciples: «If you know me, you will know the Father also; indeed you know him and you have seen him». Philip asked him, «Lord, show us the Father and that is enough». Jesus said to him, «What! I have been with you so long and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever sees me sees the Father; how can you say: ‘Show us the Father?’ Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? All that I say to you, I do not say of myself. The Father who dwells in me is doing his own work.

»Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; at least believe it on the evidence of these works that I do. Truly, I say to you, the one who believes in me will do the same works that I do; and he will even do greater than these, for I am going to the Father. Everything you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. And everything you ask in calling upon my Name, I will do».

«I am in the Father and the Father is in me»

Fr. Jacques PHILIPPE
(Cordes sur Ciel, France)

Today, we are invited to recognize the Father who reveals himself in Jesus Christ. Philip articulates a very fair intuition: «Lord, show us the Father and it is enough for us» (Jn 14:8). To see the Father is to discover God as the origin, as the life that flows, as generosity, as a gift that constantly renews everything. What else do we need? We are coming from God, and each man, even if unconsciously, carries the profound desire of going back to God, of recuperating the fatherly home and remain there forever. There we can find all the possessions we may strive for: life, light, love, peace… St. Ignatius of Antioch, a martyr at the beginning of the second century, expressed it eloquently: «There is in me living water that murmurs within me: 'Come to the Father'!».

Jesus makes us glimpse the existing deep reciprocal intimacy between Him and the Father. «I am in the Father and the Father is in me» (Jn 14:11). What Jesus says and does emanates from the Father, and the Father fully expresses Himself in Jesus. Whatever the Father wants to tell us is to be found in the Son's words and deeds. All He wants to fulfill for us He fulfills through His Son. To believe in the Son allows us to have «access to the Father» (Eph 2:18).

—The humble and faithful faith in Jesus, our choice to follow and obey Him, day after day, connects us mysteriously but truly with the very mystery of God, while making us recipients of all the riches of His kindness and mercy. This faith lets the Father execute, through us, the work of grace He began in His Son: «Whoever believes in me will do the works that I do» (Jn 14:12).

Gospel text

(Jn 14,1-6): 

Jesus said to his disciples, «Do not be troubled; trust in God and trust in me. In my Father's house there are many rooms. Otherwise I would not have told you that I go to prepare a place for you. After I have gone and prepared a place for you, I shall come again and take you to me, so that where I am, you also may be. Yet you know the way where I am going». Thomas said to him, «Lord, we don't know where you are going; how can we know the way?». Jesus said, «I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me».

The Application

I very often take this reading for the funeral celebration. How Jesus  is our way, will determine the truth that we search and this will give us a new life. Today, I would like to invite you to do an examination of conscience. Let us verify, how Jesus is our way, particularly during this lock down days? Have we found the Truth that we are searching and how Jesus has become our truth? At the end, How Jesus has become our life?

Action of the day: Trust in God.

«I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me»

Fr. Josep Mª MANRESA Lamarca
(Valldoreix, Barcelona, Spain)

Today, on this Friday 4th of Easter, Jesus invites us to stay calm. Serenity and joy flow smoothly like a river of peace from his resurrected Heart towards ours, dazed and restless, so often shaken by an activity as hectic as it is futile.

Ours are times of agitation, restlessness and stress. Times where the father of lies has infected man's intelligence by making him call what is evil good and what is good evil, to put light for darkness and darkness for light, to plant in his soul a burning doubt and skepticism that kills the slightest trace of hope in a horizon of plenitude which the world with its flattery does not know, nor can it give.

The fruits of this devilish enterprise are evident. Once the “nonsense” and the loss of transcendence prevail among so many men and women, they find that not only have they forgotten their way, but they have also lost it, because previously they forgot the Way. Wars, all kinds of violence, unreasonable hostility and selfishness before life (birth-control, abortion, euthanasia...), broken families, aimless youth, and so on and so forth, constitute the great lie over which the sad scaffolding of the so called society of “progress” leans on.

In the middle of it all, Jesus, the Prince of Peace, repeats to all men of good will, with his infinite gentleness: «Do not be troubled; trust in God and trust in me» (Jn 14:1). To the right of the Father, He cherish, as a hopeful dream of his mercy, the moment when He shall have us by his side «so that where I am, you also may be» (Jn 14:3). We cannot argue as Thomas did. We already know where the way is. We do know, by sheer grace, the path leading to the Father, in whose house there are many rooms. A place in Heaven is prepared for us that will remain forever empty if we do not occupy it. Let us, therefore, get closer, without any fright and with unlimited trust, to Him who is the only Way, the inalienable Truth and the fullness of Life.

Texte de l'Évangile

(Jn 14,1-6): 

«Ne soyez donc pas bouleversés: vous croyez en Dieu, croyez aussi en moi. Dans la maison de mon Père, beaucoup peuvent trouver leur demeure; sinon, est-ce que je vous aurais dit: Je pars vous préparer une place? Quand je serai allé vous la préparer, je reviendrai vous prendre avec moi; et là où je suis, vous y serez aussi. Pour aller où je m'en vais, vous savez le chemin». Thomas lui dit: «Seigneur, nous ne savons même pas où tu vas; comment pourrions-nous savoir le chemin?». Jésus lui répond: «Moi, je suis le Chemin, la Vérité et la Vie; personne ne va vers le Père sans passer par moi».

L’Application

Je vous invite à faire une relecture de votre vie et affirmez-vous, comment Jésus est votre Chemin, et votre Vérité et votre Vie ?

«Moi, je suis le Chemin, la Vérité et la Vie; personne ne va vers le Père sans passer par moi»

Abbé Josep Mª MANRESA Lamarca
(Valldoreix, Barcelona, Espagne)

Aujourd'hui 4e Vendredi de Pâques, Jésus nous invite au repos. La sérénité et la joie coulent tout le long d'une rivière de paix, de son Cœur ressuscité jusqu'au nôtre, qui est inquiet et agité et, si souvent, secoué par une activité aussi fébrile que vaine.

Nos temps sont ceux de l'agitation, de l'énervement et de la contrainte. Des temps où le père du mensonge a infecté l'intelligence des hommes en leur faisant confondre le bien avec le mal et le mal avec le bien, en leur faisant prendre la lumière pour l'obscurité et l'obscurité pour lumière, et en semant dans leurs âmes le doute et le scepticisme qui délitent toute manifestation d'espoir en un horizon de plénitude que notre monde, avec ses attraits ne sait ni ne peut leur donner.

Les fruits de cette diabolique entreprise sont bien évidents. Dominés par “l'absurde” et par la perte de la transcendance, les hommes et femmes n'ont pas seulement oublié, ils ont perdu le chemin, ayant déjà oublié le Chemin.

Guerres, violences de toutes sortes, repliement sur soi et égoïsme face à la vie (contraception, avortement, euthanasie...), familles détruites, jeunesse “désorientée”, etcetera, etcetera, constituent le grand mensonge sur lequel s'est installée une bonne partie du triste échafaudage de la société du «progrès» tant vanté.

Au beau milieu de tout cela, Jésus, le Prince de la Paix, réaffirme aux hommes de bonne volonté, avec sa douceur infinie: «Ne soyez donc pas bouleversés: vous croyez en Dieu, croyez aussi en moi» (Jn 14,1). À la droite du Père, Il caresse comme un rêve plein d'espoir miséricordieux le moment de nous avoir à Ses côtés, «et là où je suis, vous y serez aussi» (Jn 14,3). Nous ne pouvons nous excuser comme l'a fait Thomas. Car nous connaissons bien le chemin. Par la grâce de Dieu, nous connaissons la route qui mène au Père, dont la maison a beaucoup de demeures. Dans le ciel une place nous attend, et elle restera vide si nous ne l'occupons pas. Approchons-nous, donc, sans peur, avec une confiance sans bornes, du Celui qui est l'unique Chemin, la Vérité à laquelle on ne peut renoncer et la Vie en plénitude.

Texte de l'Évangile

(Jn 13,16-20): 

Après qu'il leur eut lavé les pieds, leur dit: «Amen, amen, je vous le dis: le serviteur n'est pas plus grand que son maître, le messager n'est pas plus grand que celui qui l'envoie. Si vous savez cela, heureux êtes-vous, pourvu que vous le mettiez en pratique. Je ne parle pas pour vous tous. Moi, je sais quels sont ceux que j'ai choisis, mais il faut que s'accomplisse la parole de l'Écriture: Celui qui partageait mon pain a voulu me faire tomber. Je vous dis ces choses dès maintenant, avant qu'elles n'arrivent; ainsi, lorsqu'elles arriveront, vous croirez que moi, je suis. Amen, amen, je vous le dis: recevoir celui que j'envoie, c'est me recevoir moi-même; et me recevoir, c'est recevoir celui qui m'envoie».

«Après qu'il leur eut lavé les pieds…»

Abbé David COMPTE i Verdaguer
(Manlleu, Barcelona, Espagne)

Aujourd'hui comme dans ces films qui commencent par raconter un événement passé, la liturgie se souvient d'un geste qui appartient au Jeudi Saint: Jésus lave les pieds de ses disciples (cf. Jn 13,12). Lu dans la perspective de Pâques, ce geste acquiert une valeur permanente. Voici simplement trois idées.

D'abord, le caractère central de la personne. Dans notre société, on dirait que le faire est le thermomètre de la valeur de quelqu'un. Il est alors facile de traiter les gens comme des instruments; nous nous servons des autres. L'Évangile d'aujourd'hui nous pousse à transformer cette dynamique en une dynamique de service: l'autre n'est jamais un pur instrument. Il s'agit de vivre une spiritualité de communion, où l'autre —selon les mots de Jean-Paul II— en vient à être «quelqu'un pour moi», un «don qui m'est adressé», auquel je dois «faire sa place». Sommes-nous attentifs aux autres? Les écoutons-nous quand ils nous parlent?

Dans une société de l'image et de la communication, il ne s'agit pas d'un message à transmettre, mais d'une tâche à remplir, à vivre chaque jour: «Heureux êtes-vous, pourvu que vous le mettiez en pratique» (Jn 13,17). Voilà peut-être pourquoi le Maître ne se borne pas à une explication: il imprime le geste de service dans le souvenir des disciples, pour que l'Église en fasse mémoire; mémoire constamment appelée à se faire à nouveau geste: dans la vie des familles, dans la vie des personnes.

Et pour finir un cri d'alerte: «Celui qui partageait mon pain a voulu me faire tomber» (Jn 13,18). Dans l'Eucharistie, Jésus ressuscité se fait notre serviteur, Il nous lave les pieds. Mais notre assistance physique ne suffit pas. Il faut apprendre de l'Eucharistie et y puiser les forces pour qu'il soit vrai qu'«ayant reçu le don de l'amour, nous mourions au péché et vivions pour Dieu» (Saint Fulgence de Ruspe).

Gospel text

(Jn 13,16-20): 

After Jesus had washed the feet of the disciples He said «Truly, I say to you, the servant is not greater than his master, nor is the messenger greater than he who sent him. Understand this, and blessed are you if you put it into practice. I am not speaking of you all, because I know the ones I have chosen and the Scripture has to be fulfilled that says, ‘The one who shared my table has risen against me’ I tell you this now before it happens, so that when it does happen, you may know that I am He. Truly, I say to you, whoever welcomes the one I send, welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me, welcomes the One who sent me».

The Application

If there is something that Jesus repeats very often is the discipleship and the faithfulness. We are all the disciples of Jesus and are asked to be faithful in His commandment of love. Jesus himself was faithful to the Father and had the joy of fulfilling it.

It is in this faithfulness that service is born and expected of us. This service is also an imitation of Jesus and His ministry in our personal life. However, there are unfaithful disciples who continue to hangover. Whatever may be the situation, Jesus is affirming to us, that nothing will go beyond the divine power and we need not fear of our enemies.  Let our generosity be extended to everyone.

Action of the day: Imitate Jesus in your service.

«After Jesus had washed the feet of the disciples...»

Fr. David COMPTE i Verdaguer
(Manlleu, Barcelona, Spain)

Today, as with those movies that, at the beginning, take us back in time, our liturgy remembers a passage that belongs to the Holy Thursday: Jesus washes the feet of his disciples (cf. Jn 13:12). Thus, this gesture —read from the Easter perspective— recovers a perennial validity. Let us consider only three ideas.

In the first place, the centrality of the person. In our society it seems that to do is the thermometer to measure a person's worth. Within this dynamic it is easy for people to be considered as tools; we use each other extremely easy. Today, the Gospel urges us to transform this dynamic into service dynamics: the other party will never be just a tool. It would rather be a matter of living a spirituality of communion, where the other one —quoting John Paul II— becomes “someone that belongs to me” and a “gift to me”, whom we have “to give room” to. In our language we could translate it as “to care about other people's feelings”. Do we care about other people's feelings? Do we listen to them when they speak to us?

In our world of image and communications, this is not a message to transmit, but a job to be done, to live up to every day: «and blessed are you if you put it into practice!» (Jn 13:17). Maybe, this is why the Master does not limit himself to an explanation: He imprints into his disciples' memory his gesture of service, to pass it immediately on to the Church's memory; a memory that we demand to become a gesture, time and again: in the lives of so many families, of so many people.

Finally, a warning signal: «The one who shared my table has risen against me» (Jn 13:18). In the Eucharist, Jesus resurrected becomes our servant, He washes our feet. But the physical presence is not enough. We have to learn in the Eucharist and get the necessary strength from so that it may become a reality that «having received the gift of love, we die to sin and we live for God» (Saint Fulgence, Bishop of Ruspe).

Gospel text

(Jn 12,44-50): 

Jesus declared publicly: «Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me, sees him who sent me. I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I am not the one to condemn him; for I have come, not to condemn the world, but to save the world. The one who rejects me, and does not receive my word, already has a judge: the very word I have spoken will condemn him on the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority; the Father who sent me has instructed me in what to say and how to speak. I know that his commandment is eternal life, and that is why the message I give, I give as the Father instructed me».

The Application

The greatest danger is not that we live in darkness, rather voluntarily reject the Light. It is not the question of falling, rather not looking at the possibilities that the Lord proposes to us to get up.

The best way of living our Christian life is, to look at Jesus, the way He loves us. The more we listen to the Word of God, and be sincere in our engagements, the better will be our capacity to welcome Jesus in to our hearts.

How to apply this gospel message into our daily life? Learn to look in every one, the divine presence, as if this person is sent to teach us, to help us to grow, either in their goodness in a positive way, or in their wickedness in a negative way. It is in our capacity to see the divine will, that we learn to accept others as they are, welcome them, with their limits, in to our company. Easily said that done. If we are sincere, the Holy Spirit will certainly accompany us and give us the strength to go forward.

Action of the day: See Christ in every person you meet today.

«Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me»

Fr. Julio César RAMOS González SDB
(Mendoza, Argentina)

Today, Jesus cries out; He cries out just as someone who is saying words everybody should clearly listen to. His clamor synthesizes his saving mission, as He has come «to save the world» (Jn 12:47), but not on his own but in the name of «the Father who sent me and has instructed me in what to say and how to speak» (Jn 12:49).

It is not yet a month ago when we were celebrating the Paschal Triduum: how much present was the Father in the final hour, the hour of the Cross! As His Holiness John Paul II has written, «Jesus, overwhelmed by his foreknowledge of the trial waiting for him, alone before God, invokes him with his usual and tender expression of trust: ‘Abbá, Father’». The next hours clearly show the intimate dialogue of the Son with the Father: «Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing» (Lk 23:34); «Father, into your hands I commend my spirit» (Lk 23:46).

The importance of this work by the Father and his Messenger, well deserves the personal response of he who is listening. This response is to believe, that is, a profession of faith (cf. Jn 12:44); faith that gives us the light —by the same Jesus— so that we shall not remain in darkness. But, he who rejects all these gifts and manifestations, and does not listen to those words «already has a judge: the very Word I have spoken» (Jn 12:48).

Therefore, to accept Jesus is to believe in, see and listen to the Father, not to be in darkness, to obey the command of eternal life. We certainly deserve Saint John of the Cross' rebuke: «[The Father] with this Word said everything in one go (...). Consequently, if you would like to ask God now, or should you pretend some kind of vision or revelation, it would not only be a piece of nonsense, but an offence for God, for not looking up only at Christ without asking for any other thing or novelty».

Texte de l'Évangile

(Jn 12,44-50): 

Jésus, lui, affirmait avec force: «Celui qui croit en moi, ce n'est pas en moi qu'il croit, mais en celui qui m'a envoyé; et celui qui me voit voit celui qui m'a envoyé. Moi qui suis la lumière, je suis venu dans le monde pour que celui qui croit en moi ne demeure pas dans les ténèbres. Si quelqu'un entend mes paroles et n'y reste pas fidèle, moi, je ne le jugerai pas, car je ne suis pas venu juger le monde, mais le sauver. Celui qui me rejette et n'accueille pas mes paroles aura un juge pour le condamner. La parole que j'ai prononcée, elle le condamnera au dernier jour. Car ce que j'ai dit ne vient pas de moi: le Père lui-même, qui m'a envoyé, m'a donné son commandement sur ce que je dois dire et déclarer; et je sais que son commandement est vie éternelle. Donc, ce que je déclare, je le déclare comme le Père me l'a dit».

L’Application

Je voudrais tirer certains mots qui peuvent nous aider à vivre notre foi (croire et lumière) et aussi attirer votre attention à la volonté divine, la mission confiée.  Il est venu nous sauver et nous amener à choisir la Lumière, L’envoyé du Père.

Le grand danger, ce n’est pas ce qu’on vit dans les ténèbres, mais vouloir rejeter la Lumière. C’est pourquoi nous devons porter attention au discernement quotidien. Dans ce discernement, il faut apprendre à voir en tous, la présence divine, car il ou elle peut être cet envoyé(e) du Père.

«Celui qui croit en moi, ce n'est pas en moi qu'il croit, mais en celui qui m'a envoyé»

Abbé Julio César RAMOS González SDB
(Mendoza, Argentine)

Aujourd'hui Jésus crie; Il crie comme un qui dit des paroles que doivent être clairement entendues par tous. Son cri synthétise sa mission salvatrice, car Il est venu «sauver le monde» (Jn 12,47), non en son propre nom, mais au nom du «Père lui-même, qui m'a envoyé, m'a donné son commandement sur ce que je dois dire et déclarer» (Jn 12,49).

Il y a à peine un mois, nous célébrions le Triduum Pascal: combien le Père dû-il être présent à la dernière heure, celle de la Croix! Comme Jean Paul II a écrit, «Jésus, accablé à la pensée de l'épreuve qui l'attend, seul devant Dieu, l'invoque à sa manière habituelle de tendre confiance: «“Abbà”, “Père”».

Et dans les heures qui suivent, l’intime dialogue du Fils avec son Père se fait plus évident: «Père, pardonne-leur: ils ne savent pas ce qu'ils font» (Lc 23,34); «Père, entre tes mains je remets mon esprit» (Lc 23,46).

L'importance de cette œuvre du Père et de son envoyé, mérite une réponse personnelle de celui qui écoute. Cette réponse est celle d'y croire, c'est à dire, la foi (cf. Jn 12,44); cette foi qui —grâce à Jésus— nous donne la lumière pour ne pas demeurer dans les ténèbres. Au contraire, celui qui rejette tous ces dons et manifestations, et ne garde pas ces paroles «aura un juge pour le condamner. La Parole» (Jn 12,48).

Par conséquent, accepter Jésus c'est croire, voir, écouter le Père, ne pas demeurer dans le ténèbres, obéir au commandement de la vie éternelle. Profitons bien de l'avertissement de saint Jean de la Croix: «Il [Le Père] l'a dit tout entier dans son Fils, en nous donnant ce tout qu'est son Fils. Voilà pourquoi celui qui voudrait maintenant l'interroger, ou désirerait une vision ou une révélation, non seulement ferait une folie, mais ferait injure à Dieu, en ne jetant pas les yeux uniquement sur le Christ, sans chercher autre chose ou quelque nouveauté».

Gospel text

(Jn 10,22-30): 

The time came for the feast of the Dedication. It was winter and Jesus walked back and forth in the portico of Solomon. The Jews then gathered around him and said to him, «How long will you keep us in doubt? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly». Jesus answered, «I have already told you but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father's name proclaim who I am, but you don't believe because, as I said, you are not my sheep. My sheep hear my voice and I know them; they follow me and I give them eternal life. They shall never perish and no one will ever steal them from me. What the Father has given me is stronger than everything and no one can snatch it from the Father's hand. I and the Father are one».

The Application

Jesus is in the center of attraction and the Jews refuse to see the light, on the feast day of the light. Jesus asks us to see the world and its works, especially the creation. All creation blesses the Lord and gives Him glory. If we seek this God, He is there, through everything and in everyone. The more we open ourselves to the new realities, the better will be the newness in our life. God renews our life daily and every day is a new day to begin and accomplish.

The baptized are called to be witnesses of His presence, so that others may discover this merciful God. He attaches himself to us, and He gives us His only begotten Son for us. Thus, every day is a new revelation of divine presence in us and particularly through people and events around. Since God resides in us, we are supposed to be joyful and be witness of God’s love.

We must recognize that He is our Shepherd and we are His sheep. By trusting our Shepherd, if we follow Him faithfully, we will discover how Jesus’ Father loves us in Him, and since we know the Father's beloved son, we already know His Father. Let us be in our daily life carriers of God’s love and lights to the world.

Action of the day: Open your eyes and see the works of God in you.

«I and the Father are one»

Fr. Miquel MASATS i Roca
(Girona, Spain)

Today, we see Jesus walking «back and forth in the portico of Solomon» (Jn 10:23), during the Feast of Dedication, in Jerusalem. It was then when the Jews ask him: «If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly», and Jesus answers: «I have already told you but you do not believe» (Jn 10:24-25).

Only through Faith man is able to recognize Jesus Christ as the Son of God. When The Holy Father John Paul II addressed the young people on occasion of the 15th World Youth Day at Tor Vergata, in the year 2000, he spoke about the “school of faith”. To the question «Who do the crowds say that I am?» (Lk 9:18), there are many answers... But, then, Jesus becomes more personal: «But, who do you say that I am?». To correctly answer this question we need the “revelation of the Father”. To be able to answer like Simon Peter did —«You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God» (Mt 16:16)— it takes God's grace.

But, even though God wishes everybody to believe and be saved, only humble men are capacitated to receive the gift of grace. «But with the humble is wisdom», can be read in the Book of Proverbs (11:2). Man's true wisdom consists of trusting God.

Saint Thomas Aquinas comments on this passage of the Gospel by saying: «I can see thanks to the sun light, but if I close my eyes, I cannot see; but this is not the fault of the sun, but mine».

Jesus tells them to believe in him, if nothing else, because of his works that manifest God's power: «The works I do in my Father's name proclaim who I am» (Jn 10:25).

Jesus knows his sheep and his sheep hear his voice. Faith allows us to connect with Jesus through prayer. What else is a prayer but a way to communicate with Jesus Christ, who loves us and takes us to the Father? And the outcome and reward of this intimacy with Jesus in this life is eternal life, as we have read in the Gospel.

Texte de l'Évangile

(Jn 10,22-30): 

On célébrait à Jérusalem l'anniversaire de la dédicace du Temple. C'était l'hiver. Jésus allait et venait dans le Temple, sous la colonnade de Salomon. Les Juifs se groupèrent autour de lui; ils lui disaient: «Combien de temps vas-tu nous laisser dans le doute ? Si tu es le Messie, dis-le nous ouvertement!». Jésus leur répondit: «Je vous l'ai dit, et vous ne croyez pas. Les oeuvres que je fais au nom de mon Père, voilà ce qui me rend témoignage. Mais vous ne croyez pas, parce que vous n'êtes pas de mes brebis. Mes brebis écoutent ma voix; moi, je les connais, et elles me suivent. Je leur donne la vie éternelle: jamais elles ne périront, personne ne les arrachera de ma main. Mon Père, qui me les a données, est plus grand que tout, et personne ne peut rien arracher de la main du Père. Le Père et moi, nous sommes un».

L’Application

Jésus nous demande de voir le monde et ses œuvres, particulièrement la création. La création tout entière bénit le Seigneur et Lui rende gloire. Si nous cherchons ce Dieu, Il est là, par tout et en tous. Les baptisés sont appelés à être les témoins de sa présence, pour que les autres puissent découvrir ce Dieu miséricordieux. Il s’attache à nous, et Il se donne à nous.

Nous devons reconnaitre qu’Il est notre Berger et nous sommes ses brebis. En faisant confiance à notre Berger, si nous le suivons fidèlement, nous découvrirons, comment son Père nous aime en Lui, et puisque nous connaissons Le fils bien aimé du Père, nous connaissons déjà son Père. Soyons dans notre vie quotidienne, êtres les témoins de la présence divine.

«Le Père et moi, nous sommes un»

Abbé Miquel MASATS i Roca
(Girona, Espagne)

Aujourd'hui nous voyons Jésus qui «allait et venait dans le Temple, sous la colonnade de Salomon» (Jn 10,23), durant la fête de la Dédicace à Jérusalem. Alors les juifs lui demandent: «Si tu es le Messie, dis-le nous ouvertement!», et Jésus leur répond: «Je vous l'ai dit, et vous ne croyez pas» (Jn 10,24.25).

Seule la foi rend l'homme capable de reconnaître Jésus-Christ comme Fils de Dieu. L'an 2000, pendant la rencontre avec les jeunes à Tor Vergata, Jean-Paul II parlait du “laboratoire de la foi”. À la question «Qui suis-je, aux dires des foules?» (Lc 9,18), il y a beaucoup de réponses… Mais Jésus passe ensuite au plan personnel: «Mais pour vous, qui suis-je?». Pour répondre correctement à cette question la “révélation du Père” est nécessaire. Pour répondre comme Pierre —«Tu es le Christ, le Fils du Dieu vivant» (Mt 16,16)— il faut la grâce de Dieu.

Même si Dieu veut que tout le monde croie et soit sauvé, seuls les humbles sont capables d'accueillir ce don. «Aux humbles, la sagesse», lit-on au livre des Proverbes (11,2). La vraie sagesse de l'homme consiste à se fier à Dieu.

Saint Thomas d'Aquin commente ainsi ce passage de l'Évangile: «Je puis voir grâce à la lumière du soleil, mais si je ferme les yeux, je ne vois pas; ce n'est pas la faute du soleil, mais la mienne».

Jésus leur dit que s'ils ne croient pas, qu’au moins ils croient les œuvres qu'Il fait, qui manifestent le pouvoir de Dieu: «Les œuvres que je fais au nom de mon Père, voilà ce qui me rend témoignage» (Jn 10,25).

Jésus connaît ses brebis et ses brebis écoutent sa voix. La foi mène à fréquenter Jésus dans la prière. Qu'est-ce que la prière, sinon la fréquentation de Jésus, qui nous aime et nous emmène au Père? Le résultat et la récompense de cette intimité avec Jésus dans cette vie, est la vie éternelle, comme nous l'avons lu dans l'Évangile.

Gospel text

(Jn 10,11-18): 

«I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. Not so the hired hand or any other person who is not the shepherd and to whom the sheep do not belong. They abandon the sheep as soon as they see the wolf coming; then the wolf snatches and scatters the sheep. This is because the hired hand works for pay and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, as the Father knows me and I know the Father. Because of this I give my life for my sheep.

»I have other sheep that are not of this fold. These I have to lead as well, and they shall listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock since there is one Shepherd. The Father loves me because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down freely. It is mine to lay down and to take up again: this mission I received from my Father».

Sunday Homily

What must we do to have eternal life? Jesus answers us by saying, do not be blind, see for yourselves, and recognize your Shepherd, the Shepherd of Israel, who is the only door that will give you access to the Father. In these days we prepare ourselves for deconfinement, knowing that life will no longer be the same. Many of us suffer without being able to participate in the Eucharist, the source of our life. Even though we are in Easter time, we unfortunately live in the desert. It is important that we remember the experience of the people of Israel in the desert and also the temptation of the Lord because they were hungry.  It is in such disappointed moment, an moment of emptiness that the Lord respond. Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.

Saint John introduces us to the good shepherd. The good shepherd knows his sheep and the sheep recognize his voice. We know for sure that Jesus understands our daily concerns. He sees our human difficulty and human suffering. In difficult times, He is the door that protects and liberates us. He will be our liberator, if we recognize that He is our Shepherd and we are his sheep. The Church invites us to re-read our lives. Are we really His sheep? Do we hear the Word of our Shepherd? Do we recognize the instructions He is giving us here now? 

In the first reading Peter asks us to recognize that the Lord is our only Shepherd and we are his sheep.  From the Shepherd to the sheep, there  a deep relationship is built and it is built in a trust that helps us to flourish.  Jesus is the door, who gives access to the truth, the knowledge of the Father. We should get closer to him.

This parable is a continuation of the healing of the born blind. He was able to see in Jesus the Savior, that is why, even if others prevented him, he cried with a loud voice, Jesus Son of David have mercy on me. Jesus called him and gave him sight, new life, a life of light.  Jesus tells us again in this parable, "He calls each of them by name and brings them out. "Let us trust in Jesus and he will bring us out.

We must recognize that the Church is currently going through a period of transition that obliges it to reconsider in depth its relationship to the world. The world is still searching for meaning, the meaning of life, the life of man. For centuries, God our Father had, in his goodness, entrusted his flock to his shepherds. On this Good Shepherd's Day, I invite you to pray for the shepherds of your parishes, that they may constantly reinvent a certain type of divine presence, so that the sheep may hear the voice of his Shepherd. Let us pray for ourselves, the Father's beloved sheep, that every man may take Jesus as his model and follow his path. Amen.