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

Texte de l'Évangile (Jn 7,1-2.10.14.25-30): 

La fête juive des Tentes approchait. Lorsque les frères de Jésus furent montés à Jérusalem pour la fête, il y monta lui aussi, non pas ostensiblement, mais en secret. 

La semaine de la fête était déjà à moitié passée quand Jésus monta au Temple et se mit à enseigner. Quelques habitants de Jérusalem disaient alors: «N'est-ce pas lui qu'on cherche à faire mourir? Le voilà qui parle ouvertement, et personne ne lui dit rien! Les chefs du peuple auraient-ils vraiment reconnu que c'est lui le Messie?. Cependant celui-ci, nous savons d'où il est; mais le Christ, quand il viendra, personne ne saura d'où il est». Et Jésus, enseignant dans le temple, s'écria: «Vous me connaissez, et vous savez d'où je suis! Je ne suis pas venu de moi-même: mais celui qui m'a envoyé est vrai, et vous ne le connaissez pas. Moi, je le connais; car je viens de lui, et c'est lui qui m'a envoyé. Ils cherchaient donc à se saisir de lui, et personne ne mit la main sur lui, parce que son heure n'était pas encore venue».

«Personne ne mit la main sur lui, parce que son heure n'était pas encore venue»

Abbé Matthew J. ALBRIGHT 
(Andover, Ohio, Etats-Unis)

«Personne ne mit la main sur lui, parce que son heure n'était pas encore venue»

+ Abbé Josep VALL i Mundó 
(Barcelona, Espagne)

Gospel text

(Jn 7,1-2.10.14.25-30): 

Jesus went around Galilee; He would not go about in Judea because the Jews wanted to kill him. Now the Jewish feast of the Tents was at hand. But after his brothers had gone to the festival, He also went up, not publicly but in secret. 

Some of the people of Jerusalem said, «Is this not the man they want to kill? And here He is speaking freely, and they don't say a word to him? Can it be that the rulers know that this is really the Christ? Yet we know where this man comes from; but when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from». So Jesus announced in a loud voice in the Temple court where He was teaching, «You say that you know me and know where I come from! I have not come of myself; I was sent by the One who is true, and you don't know him. I know him for I come from him and he sent me». They would have arrested him, but no one laid hands on him because his time had not yet come.

The Application

In every healthy human relationship we desire the good of others. Even in our just remark negative we will be charitable and in positive remark we will be generous. This charity and generosity doesn’t come from the external force or energy, nor conditioned by others or events. It is the perfect revelation of ourselves and our own goodness.

In the gospel of the day we have many such commentaries, and some of them are justly neutral. All that Jesus observes from these commentaries is, their ignorance and certitude. At the same time, the author of the gospel does indicates that there were people of good will and God has His own way of doing. Do we have the patience to listen and observe by connecting ourselves with the divine programming and His goodness?

«His time had not yet come»

Fr. Matthew J. ALBRIGHT 
(Andover, Ohio, United States)

Today’s Gospel allows us to contemplate the confusion that arose over the identity and mission of Jesus Christ. As the people come face to face with Jesus, there are misunderstandings and presumptions about who He is, how He will or will not fulfill the Old Testament prophecies and what He will accomplish. Assumptions and judgments lead to frustration and anger. So it is in every age: confusion over faith in Christ and Church teaching sparks controversy and religious disintegration. The flock is scattered if the sheep do not know their shepherd. 

The people say: «We know where this man comes from; but when the Christ appears, no one will know where He comes from» (Jn 7:27) and conclude that Jesus cannot be the Messiah because He does not fit the description of “Messiah” that they have been taught. On the other hand, they know that the Chief Priests want Him dead but can see that He is walking about freely without being arrested, so that wonder «Can it be that the rulers know that this is really the Christ?» (Jn 7:26). 

Jesus cuts through the confusion by identifying Himself as “sent by the One who is true” (cf. Jn 7:28). He is in charge of the situation, as He is portrayed by John, and no one touches Him because the time has not yet come for Him to fully reveal His identity and mission. Jesus defies expectations by showing Himself to be, not a conquering leader overthrowing Roman oppression but the Suffering Servant of Isaiah.

Pope Francis wrote in “Evangelii Gaudium”: «The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus». It is critical that we help everyone we meet to get beyond presumptions and judgments about who Jesus is and what the Church is and facilitate for them an encounter with Jesus. When a person comes to know who Jesus really is, joy and peace abound.

«His time had not yet come»

+ Fr. Josep VALL i Mundó 
(Barcelona, Spain)

Today, evangelist John tells us that Jesus' time «had not yet come» (Jn 7:30). He is referring to the hour of the Cross, to the precise and precious time of his submission for the sins of the entire Humankind. His time has not yet come, but it is getting very close. It will be Good Friday when our Lord will bring to its end his Celestial Father's will, while feeling —as Cardinal Wojtyla wrote— all «the burden of that hour, when the Servant of Yahweh must accomplish Isaiah's prophecy, by pronouncing his “Yes”».

Christ —in his continuous priestly longing— spoke many times about this definite and determining hour (Mt 26:45; Mk 14:35; Lk 22:53; Jn 7:30; 12:27; 17:1). The Lord's life will be completely dominated by the supreme hour and He will long for it with all his heart: «But, there is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished» (Lk 12:50). And «before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father. He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end» (Jn 13:1). That Friday, our Redeemer shall hand over into the Father's hands his spirit and, as of that moment, his mission already completed shall become the mission of the Church and of all its members, pushed by the Holy Spirit.

After Gethsemane, after his death on the Cross and his Resurrection, the life initiated by Jesus «underlies all history» (Catechism of the Church, n. 1165). Life, work, prayer, Christ's submission is being now made present in his Church: it is also the hour of the Lord's Body; his hour becomes our hour, the time to join him in the prayer of Gethsemane, «always awake —as Pascal asserted— by his side, in his agony, till the end of time». It is the hour to act as living members of Christ. This is why «The prayer of the Hour of Jesus always remains his own, just as his Passion “once for all” remains ever present in the liturgy of his Church» (Catechism of the Church, n. 2746).

Texte de l'Évangile (Jn 5,31-47): 

«Si je me rendais ce témoignage à moi-même, mon témoignage ne serait pas vrai; il y a quelqu'un d'autre qui me rend témoignage, et je sais que le témoignage qu'il me rend est vrai. Vous avez envoyé une délégation auprès de Jean Baptiste, et il a rendu témoignage à la vérité. Moi, je n'ai pas à recevoir le témoignage d'un homme, mais je parle ainsi pour que vous soyez sauvés. Jean était la lampe qui brûle et qui éclaire, et vous avez accepté de vous réjouir un moment à sa lumière. Mais j'ai pour moi un témoignage plus grand que celui de Jean: ce sont les oeuvres que le Père m'a données à accomplir; ces oeuvres, je les fais, et elles témoignent que le Père m'a envoyé. Et le Père qui m'a envoyé, c'est lui qui m'a rendu témoignage. Vous n'avez jamais écouté sa voix, vous n'avez jamais vu sa face, et sa parole ne demeure pas en vous, puisque vous ne croyez pas en moi, l'envoyé du Père. 

»Vous scrutez les Écritures parce que vous pensez trouver en elles la vie éternelle; or, ce sont elles qui me rendent témoignage, et vous ne voulez pas venir à moi pour avoir la vie! La gloire, je ne la reçois pas des hommes; d'ailleurs je vous connais: vous n'avez pas en vous l'amour de Dieu. 

»Moi, je suis venu au nom de mon Père, et vous ne me recevez pas; si un autre vient en son propre nom, celui-là, vous le recevrez! Comment pourriez-vous croire, vous qui recevez votre gloire les uns des autres, et qui ne cherchez pas la gloire qui vient du Dieu unique! Ne pensez pas que c'est moi qui vous accuserai devant le Père. Votre accusateur, c'est Moïse, en qui vous avez mis votre espérance. Si vous croyiez en Moïse, vous croiriez aussi en moi, car c'est de moi qu'il a parlé dans l'Écriture. Mais si vous ne croyez pas ce qu'il a écrit, comment croirez-vous ce que je dis?».

«Si je me rendais ce témoignage à moi-même, mon témoignage ne serait pas vrai»

Abbé Miquel MASATS i Roca 
(Girona, Espagne)

Gospel text

(Jn 5,17-30): 

Jesus said to the Jews, «My Father goes on working and so do I». And the Jews tried all the harder to kill him, for Jesus not only broke the Sabbath observance, but also made himself equal with God, calling him his own Father.

Jesus said to them, «Truly, I assure you, the Son cannot do anything by himself, but only what he sees the Father do. And whatever He does, the Son also does. The Father loves the Son and shows him everything He does; and He will show him even greater things than these, so that you will be amazed. As the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son gives life to whom He wills. In the same way the Father judges no one, for He has entrusted all judgment to the Son, and He wants all to honor the Son as they honor the Father. Whoever ignores the Son, ignores as well the Father who sent him. Truly, I say to you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life; and there is no judgment for him because he has passed from death to life. 

»Truly, the hour is coming and has indeed come, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and, on hearing it, will live. For the Father has life in himself and He has given to the Son also to have life in himself. And He has empowered him as well to carry out Judgment, for He is a son of man. Do not be surprised at this: the hour is coming when all those lying in tombs will hear my voice and come out; those who have done good shall rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be con­demn­­ed. I can do nothing of myself, and I need to hear Another One to judge; and my judgment is just, be­cause I seek not my own will, but the will of him who sent me».

The Application

In every human relationship, we should be able to associate everything to the source of all the existence, God. If we fail to associate to the source, anything which is from us, will be disassociated with source, thus losing all the credibility. Just like, Jesus who is associating Himself with the Father, and He desires that we too, associate ourselves, with all that we have, to the Father, through Jesus.

This association is a fruit of our configuration to Christ and the consequence of this configuration shall be a good and healthy interpersonal relationship with our brothers and sisters. A good and heathy relationship will certainly produce good fruit and this fruit in itself carries the seeds or the fermentation, which will help the multiplication. This multiplication will certainly, will be associated to the Father, and thus we become co-operators in the construction of the Kingdom of God, participating directly in the mission of Jesus, the salvation of the humanity.

Everything has its own time. We need patience to know the right time, the right place and the right way. The configuration to Christ will help us to have a good discernment and this discernment will lead us to a good decision.

«Truly, I say to you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life»

Fr. Francesc PERARNAU i Cañellas 
(Girona, Spain)

Today, the Gospel speaks of the reply Jesus gives to those who do not look at Him with good eyes when He chooses to cure the disabled man on Saturday. Jesus Christ takes advantage of this criticism to emphasize his condition as God's Son, and therefore, Lord of Saturday. Words that will be used against him the day of his trial at the High Priest Caiphas' house, when Jesus receives his condemnatory sentence. Indeed, when Jesus declares himself to be God's Son, the High Priest cries out: «He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, now you have heard the blasphemy; what is your opinion?» (Mt 26:65).

Quite often, Jesus had referred to the Father, but in every case by establishing a distinction: God's Paternity is different whether it refers to Christ or to the other men. And the Jews who were listening to him did understand him very well: He was not a Son of God like the others, but the relationship He claimed for himself is a natural filiation. Jesus affirms that his nature and his Father's are the same, despite their being different persons. He states in this way his divinity. This is a very interesting fragment of the Gospel in connection with the revelation of the mystery of the Holy Trinity. 

Among the things our Lord tell us today, there are a few referring to all those that, through History, will believe in him: to hear and to believe Jesus, is having already eternal life (cf. Jn 5:24). Certainly, it is not yet the definitive life, but we can begin sharing the promise. It is convenient for us to keep it well in mind, while we make an effort to listen to Jesus' word: The Word of God that will save us. Reading and meditation of the Gospel must become a part of our everyday religious practices. In the revealed pages we shall hear Jesus' words, immortal words that open the doors of eternal life. In short, as Saint Ephrem taught, the Word of God is an inexhaustible source of life.

Texte de l'Évangile (Jn 5,1-3.5-16): 

Après cela, à l'occasion d'une fête des Juifs, Jésus monta à Jérusalem. Or, à Jérusalem, près de la Porte des Brebis, il existe une piscine qu'on appelle en hébreu Bézatha. Elle a cinq colonnades, sous lesquelles étaient couchés une foule de malades: aveugles, boiteux et paralysés. Il y en avait un qui était malade depuis trente-huit ans. Jésus, le voyant couché là, et apprenant qu'il était dans cet état depuis longtemps, lui dit: «Est-ce que tu veux retrouver la santé?». Le malade lui répondit: «Seigneur, je n'ai personne pour me plonger dans la piscine au moment où l'eau bouillonne; et pendant que j'y vais, un autre descend avant moi». Jésus lui dit: «Lève-toi, prends ton brancard, et marche». Et aussitôt l'homme retrouva la santé. Il prit son brancard: il marchait! 

Or, ce jour-là était un jour de sabbat. Les Juifs dirent à cet homme que Jésus avait guéri: «C'est le sabbat! Tu n'as pas le droit de porter ton brancard». Il leur répliqua: «Celui qui m'a rendu la santé, c'est lui qui m'a dit: ‘Prends ton brancard, et marche!’». Ils l'interrogèrent: «Quel est l'homme qui t'a dit: ‘Prends-le, et marche’?». Mais celui qui avait été guéri ne le savait pas; en effet, Jésus s'était éloigné, car il y avait foule à cet endroit. Plus tard, Jésus le retrouva dans le Temple et lui dit: «Te voilà en bonne santé. Ne pèche plus, il pourrait t'arriver pire encore». L'homme partit annoncer aux Juifs que c'était Jésus qui lui avait rendu la santé. Et les Juifs se mirent à poursuivre Jésus parce qu'il avait fait cela le jour du sabbat.

«Jésus, le voyant couché là: ‘Est-ce que tu veux retrouver la santé?’»

Abbé Àngel CALDAS i Bosch 
(Salt, Girona, Espagne)

Gospel text

(Jn 4,43-54): 

Jesus left for Galilee. Jesus himself said that no prophet is recognized in his own country. Yet the Galileans welcomed him when He arrived, because of all the things He had done in Jerusalem during the Festival and which they had seen. For they, too, had gone to the feast. Jesus went back to Cana of Galilee where He had changed the water into wine. 

At Ca­per­naum there was an official whose son was ill, and when he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and asked him to come and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Jesus said, «Unless you see signs and won­ders, you will not believe!». The official said, «Sir, come down before my child dies». And Jesus replied, «Go, your son is living».

The man had faith in the word that Jesus spoke to him and went his way. He was already going down the hilly road when his servants met him with this news, «Your son has recovered!». So he asked them at what hour the child had begun to recover and they said to him, «The fever left him yesterday in the afternoon about one o'clock». And the father realized that it was the time when Jesus told him, «Your son is living». And he became a believer, he and all his family. Jesus performed this second miraculous sign when he returned from Judea to Galilee.

The Application

The Faith is essentially a gift of God, which gives us hope and courage to advance in our daily life.  We may ask reasonably, why this gift is given only to the few and the rest are left alone? The answer to this question is in the question itself. Only the few search for it and find this gift given to them, and the majority wait for the visible sign to believe, thus they refuse in their ignorance, this beautiful gift of Faith given by God, freely and generously to all.

This father of the sick son, didn’t wait for the sign and simply believed. It is preciously because he wished to know the exact hour of the healing, to confirm his certitude of the Word of God and to invite others in the family to participate in his faith, which gives birth to the multitude, the same faith received.

The gospel does confirm to us that for all those who desire this faith, were able to see and believe not only what Jesus has done, but also what Jesus has said. For us today, this same word of God is given to us, to hear it and believe. If we wish to see the divine acts, there are plenty of miracles, scientifically proved, which can help us to deepen our Faith.

Sometime in our ignorance we demand Jesus to descend with us, in to our own history, into our own way of thinking and being. We have to learn to adopt to the divine way of thinking and doing. This poor father, can be a good example for us, though wished that Jesus goes and heals…….. However, he remained content with the Word of Jesus, putting all the trust and confidence in this Word. Humanly, it is possible for us, and what is expected of us.

«That Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee»

Fr. Ramon Octavi SÁNCHEZ i Valero 
(Viladecans, Barcelona, Spain)

Today, we find Jesus again in Cana of Galilee, where He had previously made the well known miracle of changing the water into wine. Now, on this occasion, He performs a new miracle: the recovery of a royal official's son. In spite of how spectacular the first one was, this second miracle is, undoubtedly, more valuable, for what Jesus solves with this miracle is nothing material, but a problem of a human life.

What is so remarkable in this case is that Jesus does not go to Capernaum to directly heal there the sick one; He performs the miracle without moving from Cana: «The official told him: ‘Sir, come down before my child dies!’. And Jesus replied: ‘Go, your son is living’» (Jn 4:49-50).

This should remind us all that we can do a lot of good from a distance, that is, without having to make us present wherever our generosity is requested. We can, thus, help the Third World simply by collaborating economically with our Missions or with catholic organizations that may be working over there. Or let us help those in need on the marginal suburbs of the big cities with our contributions to institutions like Caritas International, without our having to set foot there. Or, we can even make a lot of people far away happy by means of just a telephone call, a letter or an e-mail.

Quite often we do not perform a good deed by excusing ourselves because of our impossibility to be physically present wherever there is an urgent need for outside help. Jesus did not use that excuse. He was not at Capernaum, but He simply performed the miracle.

If you want to be generous, distance should be no problem, for our generosity comes all the way directly from our heart and it crosses all frontiers. As Saint Augustine said: «He who is charitable at heart, always finds something to give».

Texte de l'Évangile (Jn 4,43-54): 

Jésus, après avoir passé deux jours chez les Samaritains, partit pour la Galilée. Lui-même avait attesté qu'un prophète n'est pas honoré dans son propre pays. Il arriva donc en Galilée; les Galiléens lui firent bon accueil, car ils avaient vu tout ce qu'il avait fait à Jérusalem pendant la fête de la Pâque, puisqu'ils étaient allés eux aussi à cette fête. Ainsi donc Jésus revint à Cana en Galilée, où il avait changé l'eau en vin.

Or, il y avait un fonctionnaire royal, dont le fils était malade à Capharnaüm. Ayant appris que Jésus arrivait de Judée en Galilée, il alla le trouver; il lui demandait de descendre à Capharnaüm pour guérir son fils qui était mourant. Jésus lui dit: «Vous ne pourrez donc pas croire à moins d'avoir vu des signes et des prodiges?». Le fonctionnaire royal lui dit: «Seigneur, descends, avant que mon enfant ne meure!». Jésus lui répond: «Va, ton fils est vivant». 

L'homme crut à la parole que Jésus lui avait dite et il partit. Pendant qu'il descendait, ses serviteurs arrivèrent à sa rencontre et lui dirent que son enfant était vivant. Il voulut savoir à quelle heure il s'était trouvé mieux. Ils lui dirent: «C'est hier, au début de l'après-midi, que la fièvre l'a quitté». Le père se rendit compte que c'était justement l'heure où Jésus lui avait dit: «Ton fils est vivant». Alors il crut, avec tous les gens de sa maison. Tel est le second signe que Jésus accomplit lorsqu'il revint de Judée en Galilée.

«Jésus, après avoir passé deux jours chez les Samaritains, partit pour la Galilée»

Abbé Ramon Octavi SÁNCHEZ i Valero 
(Viladecans, Barcelona, Espagne)

In every process of human development, God is at the heart in sprouting in us the hope and brings whenever needed the light to enlighten us. It is humanly understandable and we experience very often in our daily life that we stumble and fall, sometime wilfully, refusing to acknowledge our failures. The little pleasures of life submerge our capacity of reasoning, application of our intelligence and our deeper will to be with God. It is here God sends the messengers to remind us and rekindle in us the same desire for God and for His holiness. Our unfaithfulness and arrogance sometime have helped our enemies to destroy, this wonderful desire in us, and we were the cause of the desperations of the messengers of God.  The faithfulness and the mercy of God are there to remind us and help us, happily to re-join in the company of people, the people of God, the people that God so loved. The Lenten season is one such occasion to realise this divine faithfulness, discover his unconditional love and mercy, inviting us all to come back to God, just like the prodigal son.

It is important that we recall our past misadventures, which will earnestly help us not to fall once again by our stupidity. Our history of salvation is also filed with signs of Hope, because it gives us the wonderful image of a merciful God. A God who is always ready to forgive and help us. We are His people, a people chosen by Him, a people loved by Him. It is in this unconditional love that we find the reason to hope.  This hope is certainly not a handiwork of human being. It is a mere gift given by God, to us, with love and compassion.

The search of Nicodemus can be compared to the people of good will of our contemporary world, who still search for this God, the God of mercy and compassion. Just like him, who didn’t have the certitude of finding the Christ, advancing in doubt with the hope, we too should have the courage to take this pilgrimage towards the Christ, with the hope of finding Him. For the surprise of Nicodemus, Jesus has already found him under the fig tree, and today he is invited to discover the divinity of Jesus, the saviour of the Word. An invitation is extended to him, to join the angels of the Lord, particularly to participate in the divine movements in the human history. ‘You will see the greater things’ to come. This future history is not the beginning of a new history, rather the continuation of the NEW history, narrowly linked to the OLD history, the lifting of the serpent, which has saved the people in the desert.

This new history is a beautiful love story, the love story of God. God so ‘loved the world’. Even though this world repeatedly rejected the light and have chosen the darkness, God comes once again, in Christ to light up the world. The WORD became flesh, tangible and accessible to us all. Now it is up to us, to choose the light or the darkness. The way we act and think will discern whether we are with Jesus or not. All that we do and say, should give a life witness to this divine love story and make our life as a beautiful love story, in dedication to the divine love, given and received, in Jesus, on the Cross. Have a wonderful Sunday. 

Texte de l'Évangile (Lc 18,9-14): 

Jésus dit une parabole pour certains hommes qui étaient convaincus d'être justes et qui méprisaient tous les autres: «Deux hommes montèrent au Temple pour prier. L'un était pharisien, et l'autre, publicain. Le pharisien se tenait là et priait en lui-même: ‘Mon Dieu, je te rends grâce parce que je ne suis pas comme les autres hommes: voleurs, injustes, adultères, ou encore comme ce publicain. Je jeûne deux fois par semaine et je verse le dixième de tout ce que je gagne’. Le publicain, lui, se tenait à distance et n'osait même pas lever les yeux vers le ciel; mais il se frappait la poitrine, en disant: ‘Mon Dieu, prends pitié du pécheur que je suis!’. Quand ce dernier rentra chez lui, c'est lui, je vous le déclare, qui était devenu juste, et non pas l'autre. Qui s'élève sera abaissé; qui s'abaisse sera élevé».

«C'est lui, je vous le déclare, qui était devenu juste»

Fr. Gavan JENNINGS 
(Dublín, Irlande)

Texte de l'Évangile (Mc 12,28b-34): 

Un scribe qui avait entendu la discussion, et remarqué que Jésus avait bien répondu, s'avança pour lui demander: «Quel est le premier de tous les commandements?». Jésus lui fit cette réponse: «Voici le premier: Écoute, Israël: le Seigneur notre Dieu est l'unique Seigneur. Tu aimeras le Seigneur ton Dieu de tout ton coeur, de toute ton âme, de tout ton esprit et de toute ta force. Voici le second: Tu aimeras ton prochain comme toi-même. Il n'y a pas de commandement plus grand que ceux-là». 

Le scribe reprit: «Fort bien, Maître, tu as raison de dire que Dieu est l'Unique et qu'il n'y en a pas d'autre que lui. L'aimer de tout son coeur, de toute son intelligence, de toute sa force, et aimer son prochain comme soi-même, vaut mieux que toutes les offrandes et tous les sacrifices». Jésus, voyant qu'il avait fait une remarque judicieuse, lui dit: «Tu n'es pas loin du royaume de Dieu». Et personne n'osait plus l'interroger.

«Il n'y a pas de commandement plus grand que ceux-là»

Abbé Pere MONTAGUT i Piquet 
(Barcelona, Espagne)