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

Gospel text

 (Mt 18,12-14): 

Jesus said to his disciples, «What do you think of this? If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them strays, won't he leave the ninety-nine on the hillside, and go to look for the stray one? And I tell you: when he finally finds it, he is more pleased about it than about the ninety-nine that did not get lost. It is the same with your Father in heaven: there they don't want even one of these little ones to be lost».

The Application

Though there may not be great human and material logic in this approach, it is how God acts with us. We are ready to die for the good people, but God was ready to die for us, the sinners. It is in this divine mercy that we invoke God with confidence. It is in this ardent love for His people, that God is generous to forgive us and take us back and offered to us the Incarnation. Today we are called to participate in the divine joy, an eternal joy promised to the people of God.

All the readings of the day invite us to understand this love of God and profit from it, by responding to the divine call for conversion and reconciliation. These scripture words are literally consoling us, if we are broken and disappointed. Just like Jesus who put everything in the hand of the Father, it is important for us too, to put ourselves and all that we have in to the hands of divine graces.

Daily Quote from the early church fathers: 

A small seed produces a great tree, by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD)

"Do you see in how many ways he leads us to care for our worthless brothers? Don’t therefore say, 'The fellow's a smith, a cobbler, a farmer; he's stupid,' so that you despise him. In case you suffer the same, see in how many ways the Lord urges you to be moderate and enjoins you to care for these little ones. He placed a little child in the midst and said, 'Become like children,, and, 'Whoever receives one such child, receives me.' But 'whoever causes one of these to sin' will suffer the worst fate. And he was not even satisfied with the example of the millstone, but he also added his curse and told us to cut off such people, even though they are like a hand or eye to us. And again, through the angels to whom these small brothers are handed over, he urges that we value them, as he has valued them through his own will and passion. When Jesus says, 'The Son of man came to save the lost (Luke 19:10),' he points to the cross, just as Paul also says, writing about his brother for whom Christ died (Romans 14:15). It does not please the Father that anyone is lost. The shepherd leaves the ones that have been saved and seeks the one lost. And when he finds the one that has gone astray, he rejoices greatly at its discovery and at its safety." (excerpt from the  THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 59.4)

«Your Father in heaven (…) doesn't want even one of these little ones to be lost»

Fr. Damien LIN Yuanheng 
(Singapore, Singapore)

Today, Jesus challenges us: «What do you think of this?» (Mt 18:12): what kind of mercy do you practice? Perhaps, we, “practicing Catholics”, having drunk copiously of God's mercy in his sacraments, could come to a point to think that we are already justified in the eyes of God. We run the danger of unconsciously becoming the pharisee who slights the tax-collector (cf. Lk 18:9-14). Though we might not speak it aloud, we might think that we are already blameless before God. Some symptoms of this pharisaical pride taking root could be impatience before the defects of others; or thinking we are already beyond reproach.

The disobedient prophet Jonah, a Jew, was adamant when God showed pity the Assyrian city of Nineveh. Yahweh reproached Jonah’s intolerance (cf. Jon 4:10-11). His human outlook set a limit to divine mercy. Do we also set limit to God's mercy? We too have to heed Jesus' lesson: «Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful» (Lk 6:36). In all likelihood, we still have a long way to go to imitate God's mercy.

How should we understand the mercy of our heavenly Father? Pope Francis said that «God does not pardon with a decree but with an embrace». God's embrace of each one of us is called “Jesus Christ”. Christ manifests God's fatherly mercy. In John chapter four, Christ did not make light of the sins of the Samaritan woman. Instead, God's mercy heals by helping the Samaritan woman come face to face with the full reality of her sin. God's mercy is fully consistent with truth. Mercy is not an excuse to cut corners. Yet, Jesus must have elicited her repentance with so much tenderness that the adulterous woman felt herself “wounded by love” (cf. Jn 8,3-11). We too have to learn how to help others come face to face with their mistakes without shaming them, with great respect for them as fellow brothers in Christ, and with tenderness. In our case, also with humility, knowing that we ourselves are “vessels of clay”.

Texte de l'Évangile

 (Mt 18,12-14):

 «Que pensez-vous de ceci? Si un homme possède cent brebis et que l'une d'entre elles s'égare, ne laissera-t-il pas les quatre-vingt-dix-neuf autres dans la montagne pour partir à la recherche de la brebis égarée? Et, s'il parvient à la retrouver, amen, je vous le dis: il se réjouit pour elle plus que pour les quatre-vingt-dix-neuf qui ne se sont pas égarées. Ainsi, votre Père qui est aux cieux ne veut pas qu'un seul de ces petits soit perdu».

L’Application

Les lectures du jour sont remplies d’espérance et de consolation et elles nous apportent la joie, une joie provenance de Dieu. L’incarnation est un signe de cet amour. Aujourd’hui nous sommes appelés à répondre à ce Berger qui vient nous chercher. Il ne faut pas nous cacher, en revanche, il faut oser aller vers ce Dieu d’amour et de miséricorde.

«Ce n'est pas la volonté de votre Père céleste qu'un seul de ces petits se perde»

Fr. Damien LIN Yuanheng 
(Singapore, Singapour)

Aujourd'hui, Jésus nous lance un défi : "Qu'en pensez-vous ?" (Mt 18,12). Quelle sorte de miséricorde pratiques-tu ? Il est possible que nous, les "catholiques pratiquants", qui avons bénéficié de nombreuses fois de la miséricorde de Dieu dans ses sacrements, nous soyons tentés de penser que nous voilà excusés aux yeux de Dieu. Nous courons le risque de nous convertir inconsciemment en ce pharisien qui méprise le publicain (cf. Lc 18,9-14). Même si nous ne le disons pas à voix haute, nous pensons peut-être que nous sommes sans faute devant Dieu. Il y a quelques symptômes démontrant que cet orgueil pharisien prend racine en nous comme l'impatience face aux défauts des autres, ou penser que les avertissements ne sont jamais pour nous.

Le "désobéissant" prophète Jonas, un juif, resta inflexible lorsque Dieu montra qu'il avait de la peine pour les habitants de Ninive. Yahvé a reproché son intolérance à Jonas (cf. Jon 4, 10-11). Ce regard humain mettait des limites à la miséricorde divine. Et si nous aussi nous mettions des limites à la miséricorde de Dieu ? Nous devons prêter attention à la leçon de Jésus : "Soyez miséricordieux comme votre Père est miséricordieux (Lc 6,36). Il est probable qu'il nous reste beaucoup de chemin à parcourir pour imiter la miséricorde de Dieu !

Comment devrions-nous comprendre la miséricorde de notre Père céleste ? Le Pape François a dit que "Dieu ne pardonne pas par le biais d'un décret, mais en nous serrant dans ses bras". L'accolade de Dieu avec chacun d'entre nous s'appelle "Jésus-Christ". Le Christ démontre la miséricorde paternelle de Dieu. Dans le quatrième chapitre de l'Évangile de Saint Jean, le Christ n'ébruite pas les péchés de la femme samaritaine. Au contraire, la miséricorde divine guérit la Samaritaine en l'aidant à affronter pleinement la réalité de son péché. La miséricorde de Dieu est totalement cohérente avec la vérité. La miséricorde n'est pas une excuse pour réduire nos valeurs morales. Par contre, Jésus a dû provoquer son repentir avec beaucoup plus de tendresse que ce qu'a ressenti la femme adultère "blessée par l'amour" (cf. Jn 8,3-11). Nous aussi, nous devons apprendre comment aider les autres à affronter leurs erreurs sans leur faire honte, avec un grand respect pour eux en tant que frères du Christ, et avec tendresse. Dans notre cas, avec humilité aussi, en sachant que nous ne sommes nous-mêmes que des "vases en terre cuite".

Texte de l'Évangile (Lc 5,17-26): 

Un jour que Jésus enseignait, il y avait dans l'assistance des pharisiens et des docteurs de la Loi, venus de tous les villages de Galilée et de Judée, ainsi que de Jérusalem; et la puissance du Seigneur était à l'oeuvre pour lui faire opérer des guérisons. Arrivent des gens, portant sur une civière un homme qui était paralysé; ils cherchaient à le faire entrer pour le placer devant Jésus. Mais, ne voyant pas comment faire à cause de la foule, ils montèrent sur le toit et, en écartant les tuiles, ils le firent descendre avec sa civière en plein milieu devant Jésus. Voyant leur foi, il dit: «Tes péchés te sont pardonnés». 

Les scribes et les pharisiens se mirent à penser: «Quel est cet homme qui dit des blasphèmes? Qui donc peut pardonner les péchés, sinon Dieu seul?». Mais Jésus, saisissant leurs raisonnements, leur répondit: «Pourquoi tenir ces raisonnements? Qu'est-ce qui est le plus facile? de dire: ‘Tes péchés te sont pardonnés’, ou bien de dire : ‘Lève-toi et marche’? Eh bien! pour que vous sachiez que le Fils de l'homme a sur terre le pouvoir de pardonner les péchés, je te l'ordonne, dit-il au paralysé: lève-toi, prends ta civière et retourne chez toi». A l'instant même, celui-ci se leva devant eux, il prit ce qui lui servait de lit et s'en alla chez lui en rendant gloire à Dieu. Tous furent saisis de stupeur et ils rendaient gloire à Dieu. Remplis de crainte, ils disaient: «Aujourd'hui nous avons vu des choses extraordinaires!».

«Tes péchés te sont pardonnés»

Abbé Joan Carles MONTSERRAT i Pulido 
(Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Espagne)

My Homily

The first Sunday I have proposed ‘watch and pray’ as the theme for the week. This week, I would like to propose the theme, ‘preparation with joyful hope’.

Life is filled with inner and outer movements. There are plenty of movements to be observed and our inner movements can be observed only by us. In these movements, there is the question of discernment, choice and finally engagement, both positive and negative. Thus we observe that there is fighting, to take up or not, to accept or to deny, to engage or to ignore, etc. For Christians, these movements must be animated by the Holy Spirit and our struggles are always a spiritual struggle. These movements and fights we name them as a step that helps us to prepare ourselves to welcome Christ in the infant Jesus. How can we check ourselves, if we prepare well, especially for the final arrival of the Lord? It is very simple. If we become aware of these inner movements and connect them to external movements, if we manage to listen to them and recognize their origins, I would say that we are taking the first step towards a preparation that can be justly judged as good.

Preparation is a sign of hope, and at this time of Advent it is a joyful hope. The reason and source of our preparation is in the first reading of the day, "Say to the cities of Judah, 'Here is your God! This is the Lord God! He comes with power "Our preparation is directed towards this God who is coming. This reading presents us with a shepherd's image, The Eternal Shepherd who will come to take care of his lost sheep. This divine engagement for the salvation of the humanity gives us the hope to Esperance and the joy of waiting. So, do not reduce or limit our preparation to Christmas, because it is a memory and will take us back to 2000 years. We are walking towards the heavenly Jerusalem, towards the house of God, towards this Shepherd who seeks his sheep.

While staying on the earth, we are fixing our orientation at this paradise God has promised us. Our dream is those of the psalmist. Love and truth meet, justice and peace embrace each other; truth will sprout from the earth and from heaven will look righteousness. For that, we commit ourselves together, as a faithful and fervent community, as we are, wherever may be the place we are situated or whatever may be our states of life. We pray and believe in the hope that the Lord will fulfil all that He has promised. As he was faithful to the promise made to our father Abraham, He will be faithful with us too, the poor sinners, that we are.

St. Paul and today St. Peter tells us that this promise will come into this world like a thief, without warning us. Yet for us, the children of the light, we must not worry, for God will reveal everything to us. To welcome this revelation and the Messenger in a dignified way, we must prepare ourselves, prepare ourselves for His arrival. This preparation begins with the conversion.

John the Baptist proposed a baptism of conversion, a conversion of unbelief from Thomas (I would not believe) to the obedience of Mary (here is the servant of the Lord). It is in this opening of the mind that we can convert. Every conversion is with hope and happens in joy of new life. To convert, one must listen to this message of John the Baptist, "Here comes the one who is stronger than me: I am not worthy to lower myself to undo the strap of sandals. I have baptized you with water: he will baptize you in the Holy Spirit. Without passing this baptism of personal and individual conversion, from time to time, a community conversion, we cannot participate in the Baptism of the Lord, the baptism of fire and in the Spirit.

Advent is a moment of interiorization, it is a moment of conversion. It is a time that invites us to progress in love and forgiveness. May this love make us progress more and more in the true knowledge and the perfect clairvoyance that will make us discern what is more important in everyday life. Amen.

Mon Homélie

La vie est remplie des mouvements intérieurs et extérieurs. Il y a  des combats. Pour les chrétiens, ces mouvements doivent être animés par l’Esprit Saint et nos combats sont toujours un combat spirituel. Ces mouvements et combats nous les nommons comme une étape qui nous aide à bien nous préparer à accueillir le Christ en Jésus. Comment pouvons-nous nous  vérifier, si nous nous préparation bien, particulièrement pour l’arrivée définitive du Seigneur ? C’est très simple.  Si nous prenons conscient de ces mouvements intérieurs et les connecter aux mouvements extérieurs, si on s’arrive à les écouter et reconnaitre leurs origines, je le dirais que nous faisons le premier pas vers une préparation qui est bonne.

La préparation est un signe d’espérance, et en ce temps de l’Avent, elle est une espérance joyeuse.  La raison et la source de notre préparation se trouve dans la première lecture du jour, « Dis aux villes de Juda, « Voici votre Dieu ! Voici le Seigneur Dieu ! Il vient avec puissance»  Notre préparation s’oriente vers ce Dieu qui va venir. Cette lecture nous présente une image de berger, Le Berger éternel qui va venir s’occuper de ses brebis perdues. Donc, ne réduisons pas ou ne nous limitons pas notre préparation jusqu’au Noël, car il est un mémoire et un souvenir de 2000 ans. Nous marchons vers le Jérusalem céleste, vers la maison de Dieu, vers ce Berger qui cherche ses brebis.

En restant sur la terre, nous fixons nos regards vers ce paradis que Dieu nous a promis. Notre rêve est ceux du psalmiste. ‘Amour et vérité se rencontrent, justice et paix s’embrassent ; la vérité germera de la terre et du ciel se penchera la justice. » Pour cela, nous nous engageons ensembles, comme une communauté fidèle et fervente, tels que nous sommes, quoi que soit nos lieux ou nos états de vie. Nous prions et croyons  dans l’espérance que le Seigneur accomplira tout ce qu’Il a promis. Comme il était fidèle à la promise faite à notre père Abraham, Il sera fidèle  encore avec nous, les pauvres infidèles, que nous sommes.  

Saint Paul nous dit que cette promesse viendra dans ce monde comme un voleur, sans nous prévenir. Pourtant, pour nous, les enfants de la lumière nous ne devons pas nous inquiéter, car Dieu nous révélera tout. Pour accueillir cette révélation et le Messager d’une manière digne, il faut nous préparer, nous préparer à son arrivée. Cette préparation commence avec la conversion.

Jean le Baptiste a proposé un baptême de conversion, une conversion d’incrédulité de Thomas (Je ne croirais pas) vers l’obéissance de Marie (voici la servante du Seigneur). C’est dans cette ouverture de l’esprit que nous pouvons nous convertir.  Pour se convertir, il faut écouter ce message de Jean le Baptiste, « Voici venir derrière moi celui qui est plus fort que moi : je ne suis pas digne de m’abaisser pour défaire la courroie de se sandales. Moi, je vous ai baptisés avec de l’eau : lui vous baptisera dans l’Esprit Saint. » Sans passer ce baptême de conversion personnelle et individuelle, de temps en temps, une conversion communautaire, nous ne pouvons pas participer au Baptême du Seigneur, le baptême de feu et dans l’Esprit.

L’avent est un moment d’intériorisation, c’est un moment de  conversion. C’est un temps qui nous invite à progresser dans l’amour et dans le pardon. Que cet amour nous fasse progresser de plus en plus dans la connaissance vraie et la parfaite clairvoyance qui nous feront discerner ce qui est plus important dans la vie quotidienne. Amen.

Gospel text

 (Mt 9,35-10,1.6-8): 

Jesus went around all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom, and he cured every sickness and disease. When he saw the crowds he was moved with pity, for they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, «The harvest is abundant but the workers are only few. Ask the master of the harvest to send workers to gather his harvest».

Then he called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority over the unclean spirits to drive them out and to heal every disease and sickness. «Go instead to the lost sheep of the people of Israel. Go and proclaim this message: The kingdom of heaven is near. Heal the sick, bring the dead back to life, cleanse the lepers, and drive out demons. You received this as a gift, so give it as a gift».

The application

As a faithful we are called to imitate Christ and become another Christ for our brothers and sisters. While meditating on this gospel, it is important to see Christ very closely and imitate Him the maximum possible. It is not repeating the same act, rather finding the reason and the source behind every Word and act.

The First impression is the area that Jesus has covered, all common places, the city, the village and the place of worship. Why Jesus has chosen these places and how do I choose the place and people?

The second aspect is, the message itself. We are to harvest the fruit of divine work. Am I able to identify these divine fruits (the persons, the good works, great ideas, etc.) in our surroundings and bring them all together?  Though there is an explicit mission, there is also an implicit mission: the Prayer.

Though Jesus remains the Good News par excellence, how to translate this Good News to people in their daily life? Jesus translated it by healing and preaching ministry. How am I going to translate the Good News? For us personally, what is this Good News received and going to announce? How to make the people to realise the nearness of this Kingdom? And the gratuity of divine grace?

Daily Quote from the early church fathers: 

In remembrance of heavenly life, by Bede the Venerable, 672-735 A.D.

"Why should the lunar reckoning be calculated from the noontide hours, seeing that the moon had not yet been placed in the heavens or gone forth over the earth? On the contrary, none of the feast days of the law began and ended at noon or in the afternoon, but all did so in the evening. Or else perchance it is because sinful Adam was reproached by the Lord 'in the cool of the afternoon' (Genesis 3:8) and thrust out from the joys of Paradise. In remembrance of that heavenly life which we changed for the tribulation of this world, the change of the moon, which imitates our toil by its everlasting waxing and waning, ought specifically to be observed at the hour in which we began our exile. In this way every day we may be reminded by the hour of the moon's changing of that verse, 'a fool changes as the moon' (Sirach 27:11) while the wise man 'shall live as long as the sun' (Psalm 72:5), and that we may sigh more ardently for that life, supremely blessed in eternal peace, when 'the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days.' Indeed, because (as it is written) 'from the moon is the sign of the feast day' (Sirach 43:7), and just as the first light of the moon was shed upon the world at eventide, so in the law it is compulsory that every feast day begin in the evening and end in the evening (see Exodus 12:18). (excerpt from THE RECKONING OF TIME 3.43) 

«Ask the master of the harvest to send workers to gather his harvest»

Fr. Xavier PAGÉS i Castañer 
(Barcelona, Spain)

Today, a week into our preparation for the celebration of Christmas, we see that one of the virtues which we have to work on during Advent is hope. Not in a passive way, like that of someone waiting for a train, but active hope, hope which gets us ready to give all that is needed for Jesus to be born again in our hearts.

We can't be happy just thinking about what it is we are hoping for, we have to think about what it is that God hopes of us. He wants us to follow him, just like he did the apostles. He tells us through Isaiah: «This is the way, walk in it» (Is 30:21, today's first reading). God hopes of us that we will give witness, each one in his own particular situation and circumstances that «the kingdom of heaven is near» (Mt 10:7).

Today's Gospel tells of how Jesus, in front of that huge crowd, felt compassion and said «the harvest is abundant but the workers are only few. Ask the master of the harvest to send workers to gather his harvest» (Mt 9:37-38). He has always wanted to be able to count on us, he wants us, in all our diverse circumstances to become real apostles of the world in which we move and live. The mission for which God sent his son to the world depends on us for its continuation. We find in our present day a mass of desperate and disorientated souls, thirsting for the Good News of Salvation that Christ has brought us, and of which we are the messengers. It is a mission which has been entrusted to every one of us. Conscious of our weaknesses and our failings, we get the support we need from constant prayer and are happy that this way we can collaborate with the plan for redemption that Christ has revealed.

Texte de l'Évangile

(Mt 9,35-10,1.6-8): 

Jésus parcourait toutes les villes et tous les villages, enseignant dans leurs synagogues, proclamant la Bonne Nouvelle du Royaume et guérissant toute maladie et toute infirmité. Voyant les foules, il eut pitié d'elles parce qu'elles étaient fatiguées et abattues comme des brebis sans berger. Il dit alors à ses disciples: «La moisson est abondante, et les ouvriers sont peu nombreux. Priez donc le maître de la moisson d'envoyer des ouvriers pour sa moisson». 

Alors Jésus appela ses douze disciples et leur donna le pouvoir d'expulser les esprits mauvais et de guérir toute maladie et toute infirmité. «Allez plutôt vers les brebis perdues de la maison d'Israël. Sur votre route, proclamez que le Royaume des cieux est tout proche. Guérissez les malades, ressuscitez les morts, purifiez les lépreux, chassez les démons. Vous avez reçu gratuitement: donnez gratuitement».

L’Application

Regardons la manière donc Jésus a enseigné. Il va par tout, les villes, les villages et les synagogues. Il faut faire une relecture de notre vie sincèrement en posant cette question : Quelles sont les lieux que j’ai parcouru jusqu’aujourd’hui pour annoncer la Bonne Nouvelle ?

Quelle était la Bonne Nouvelle que Jésus a annoncé ? Avons-nous une Bonne Nouvelle ? Jésus a reçu cette Nouvelle de son Père. De qui avons-nous reçue cette Bonne Nouvelle ?

Jésus a besoin les ouvriers, non pas pour semer, (beaucoup d’entre nous pensons que nous sommes appelés à semer)  mais plutôt pour moissonner (rassembler).  Non pas dans la maison, mais vers les brebis perdues, particulièrement de la maison d’Israël.

Nous sommes envoyés de son nom. Avant entreprendre cette mission, n’oublions pas la mission essentielle : la prière.  

«Priez donc le maître de la moisson d'envoyer des ouvriers pour sa moisson»

Abbé Xavier PAGÉS i Castañer 
(Barcelona, Espagne)

Aujourd'hui, quand une semaine s'est déjà écoulée en la préparation de l'itinéraire des célébrations de Noël, nous avons pu constater qu'une des vertus que nous devons encourager pendant l'Avent est celle de l'espérance. Mais pas d'une façon passive, comme celle de qui attend le train qui arrive, mais une espérance active, qui nous pousse à y mettre de notre part tout ce qu'il faut afin que Jésus puisse naître de nouveau dans nos coeurs.

Nous pouvons essayer de ne pas rester seuls dans nos espoirs, mais —surtout— de découvrir qu'est ce que Dieu attend de nous. Comme les douze apôtres, nous sommes tous appelés à suivre ses chemins. Si seulement nous pussions écouter aujourd'hui la voix du Seigneur qui —au moyen du prophète Isaïe— nous dit: «Voici le chemin, marchez-y!» (Is 30,21, de la première lecture d'aujourd'hui). En suivant chacun de nous notre chemin, Dieu espère de nous tous qu'avec notre vie nous annonçons «que le Royaume des cieux est tout proche» (Mt 10,7).

L'Evangile d'aujourd'hui nous raconte comme, en voyant les foules, il eut pitié parce qu'elles étaient fatiguées et abattues et dit alors à ses disciples: «La moisson est abondante, et les ouvriers sont peu nombreux. Priez donc le maître de la moisson d'envoyer des ouvriers pour sa moisson» (Mt 9,37-38). Il a voulu compter sur nous et il veut que dans les circonstances plus diverses, nous répondions à la vocation de devenir apôtres de notre monde. La mission pour laquelle le Dieu Père a envoyé son Fils au monde nécessite que nous en soyons les continuateurs. Des nos jours nous pouvons trouver aussi une foule trompée et sans espoir qui a soif de la Bonne Nouvelle du Salut que le Christ nous a amené, dont nous en sommes les messagers. C'est une mission qui a été confiée à nous tous. En connaisseurs de nos faiblesses et de nos manques, appuyons-nous dans la prière constante et soyons heureux de devenir ainsi des collaborateurs du plan rédempteur que le Christ nous a révélé.

Gospel text (Lc 1,26-38): 

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth. He was sent to a young virgin who was betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the family of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. The angel came to her and said, «Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you». Mary was troubled at these words, wondering what this greeting could mean. 

But the angel said, «Do not fear, Mary, for God has looked kindly on you. You shall conceive and bear a son and you shall call him Jesus. He will be great and shall rightly be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the kingdom of David, his ancestor; he will rule over the people of Jacob forever and his reign shall have no end». Then Mary said to the angel, «How can this be if I am a virgin?». And the angel said to her, «The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the holy child to be born shall be called Son of God. Even your relative Elizabeth is expecting a son in her old age, although she was unable to have a child, and she is now in her sixth month. With God nothing is impossible». Then Mary said, «I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me as you have said». And the angel left her.

Daily Quote from the early church fathers: 

God borrows Mary's flesh to lead humanity to glory, by an anonymous early author from the Greek church

"Revealing to you the pre-eternal counsel, Gabriel came and stood before you, maid, and in greeting said, 'Rejoice, earth that has not been sown; rejoice, burning bush that remains unconsumed; Rejoice, unsearchable depth; Rejoice, bridge that leads to heaven; Rejoice, ladder raised on high that Jacob saw; Rejoice, divine jar of manna; Rejoice, deliverance from the curse; Rejoice, restoration of Adam, the Lord is with you!' 
    "'You appeared to me in the form of a man,' said the undefiled maid to the chief of the heavenly hosts. 'How then do you speak to me of things that pass human power? For you have said that God shall be with me and shall take up his dwelling in my womb. How shall I become the spacious habitation and the holy place of him that rides upon the cherubim? (Psalm 18:10) Do not amuse me with deceit; for I have not known pleasure, I have not entered into wedlock. How then shall I bear a child?' 
    "Then the bodiless angel replied, 'When God so wills, the order of nature is overcome, and what is beyond humankind comes to pass. Believe that my sayings are true, all-holy and immaculate lady.' And she cried aloud, 'Let it be to me according to your word, and I shall bear him that is without flesh, who shall borrow flesh from me, that through this mingling he may lead humankind up to his ancient glory, for he alone has power so to do!'"(excerpt from  STICHERA OF THE ANNUNCIATION) 

«The angel came to her and said, Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you»

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

Today, the Gospel plays a tune made up of three notes. Three notes which, in our society, are not always that well-tuned: one note of doing, one of friendship and another one of coherence of life. Nowadays, we all have very busy lives, but, do we have a plan? Today, when we are navigating through a world of communications, are we capable of being alone in our own company for a while? Today, in the information era, are we letting it shape who we are?

A plan. Mary, a young woman «betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the family of David» (Lk 1:28). Mary has a plan. Of human proportions, evidently. Nevertheless, God comes into her life to bestow on her another project... of divine proportions. Today, He wants to come into our lives too, to give our everyday human tasks divine proportions.

A presence. «Do not fear, Mary» (Lk 1:30). We just do not go and build the first thing that comes into our head! Lest our addiction to “doing” were to become a way to hide a void. Marriage, a life of servitude, our profession, should not mean a leap in the dark. «(...) Full of grace, the Lord is with you» (Lk 1:28). Presence that accompanies and provides a new meaning. Trust in God, which —indirectly— brings us to trust others. Friendship with God that renews our friendship with others, too.

To shape ourselves. Today, when we are confronted with so many stimuli, so often conflicting, it is necessary to give unity and shape to our life. Mary, says saint Louis Mary Grignion, «is the living mould of God». «A sculptor, explains Grignion, can make a statue in two ways: By using his skill, strength, experience and good tools to produce a statue out of hard, shapeless matter; or by making a cast of it in a mould (...). The second is quick, easy, straightforward, almost effortless and inexpensive, but the mould must be perfect and true to life and the material must be easy to handle and offer no resistance». Mary is the great mould of God. Do we turn to Her by being ourselves material that easy to shape?

Texte de l'Évangile (Mt 7,21.24-27): 

«Il ne suffit pas de me dire: ‘Seigneur, Seigneur!’, pour entrer dans le Royaume des cieux; mais il faut faire la volonté de mon Père qui est aux cieux. Tout homme qui écoute ce que je vous dis là et le met en pratique est comparable à un homme prévoyant qui a bâti sa maison sur le roc. La pluie est tombée, les torrents ont dévalé, la tempête a soufflé et s'est abattue sur cette maison; la maison ne s'est pas écroulée, car elle était fondée sur le roc. Et tout homme qui écoute ce que je vous dis là sans le mettre en pratique est comparable à un homme insensé qui a bâti sa maison sur le sable. La pluie est tombée, les torrents ont dévalé, la tempête a soufflé, elle a secoué cette maison; la maison s'est écroulée, et son écroulement a été complet».

«Il ne suffit pas de me dire: ‘Seigneur, Seigneur!’, pour entrer dans le Royaume des cieux»

Abbé Jean-Charles TISSOT 
(Freiburg, Suisse)

Gospel text

(Mt 15,29-37): 

Jesus went to the shore of Lake Galilee, and then went up into the hills where he sat down. Great crowds came to him, bringing the dumb, the blind, the lame, the crippled, and many with other infirmities. The people carried them to the feet of Jesus, and he healed them. All were astonished when they saw the dumb speaking, the lame walking, the crippled healed and the blind able to see; so they glorified the God of Israel.

Jesus called his disciples and said to them, «I am filled with compassion for these people; they have already followed me for three days and now have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away fasting, or they may faint on the way». His disciples said to him, «And where shall we find enough bread in this wilderness to feed such a crowd?». Jesus said to them, «How many loaves do you have?». They answered, «Seven, and a few small fish». So Jesus ordered the people to sit on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the small fish and gave thanks to God. He broke them and gave them to his disciples, who distributed them to the people.

They all ate and were satisfied, and the leftover broken pieces filled seven wicker baskets.

The Application

These days we are watching and praying. What are we to watch, while reading today’s readings? From the first reading, I would say, let us not lose our hope and there is always a meaning in putting our hope in the Lord. In the gospel Jesus by the multiplication of the bread manifests this reason to trust in the Lord.

The second aspect may be, Jesus is filled with mercy and compassion. He searches the means to express this, and He does it in the right time and right place. We have to watch, whether we have this mercy and compassion? And how, when and why we express them?

The third is, the disciples look what they don’t have and Jesus is inviting them to find out the little they have. In our daily life, do we search what we have or spend our time wasting, in search of what we don’t have?

Have a wonderful day.

Daily Quote from the early church fathers: 

The joy of the hope rooted in Christ, by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD)

"Having said that the Lord will reign in Zion and Jerusalem, Isaiah leads us to the mystical meaning of the passage (Isaiah 25:6-10). Thus Zion is interpreted as a high place that is good for surveillance, and Jerusalem is the vision of the world. In fact, the church of Christ combines both: it is high and visible from everywhere, and is, so to speak, located on the mountain. The church may be understood as high also in another way: there is nothing low in it, it is far removed from all the mundane things, as it is written, 'I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!' (Psalm 47:7-8). Equally elevated are its orthodox and divine doctrines; thus the doctrine about God or about the holy and consubstantial Trinity is true, pure and without guile. 
    "'The Lord of hosts will make for all people,' not just for the Israelites elected for the sake of their patriarchs but for all the people of the world. What will he make? 'A feast of wines on the lees; they will drink joy, they will drink wine. They will be anointed with myrrh on the mountain.' This joy, of course, means the joy of hope, of the hope rooted in Christ, because we will reign with him, and with him we will enjoy every spiritual joy and pleasure that surpasses mind and understanding. By 'wine' he points to the mystical sacrament, that of the bloodless sacrifice, which we celebrate in the holy churches." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 25:6-7) 

«‘How many loaves do you have?’. They answered, ‘Seven, and a few small fish’»

Fr. Joan COSTA i Bou 
(Barcelona, Spain)

Today we reflect on the multiplication of the bread and fish in the Gospel. Many people —Matthew states— «came to him» (Mt 15:30). Men and women who were in need of Christ: blind people, cripples and sick people of every kind, together with those who accompanied them. We are all in need of Christ. Of his tenderness, his forgiveness, his light, his mercy... In him, the fullness of all that is human can be found.

Today's Gospel makes us aware of the need for men who will lead others to Christ. Those who bring Jesus the sick so that he can cure them are the image of all those who know that the greatest act of charity towards their fellow man is to get them close to Christ, the source of our life. A life of faith demands holiness and apostolate.

Saint Paul urges us (Phil 2:5) to have the same feelings as Christ. This story shows what Jesus' heart is like: «I am filled with compassion for these people». He cannot leave them, because they are hungry and tired. Christ searches man out in his necessity and manages to be there for us to find. How good he is to us!; and how important we people are for him! Our hearts swell with gratitude, admiration and a sincere wish for conversion.

This God made man, all-powerful, who loves us passionately, and whom we need in everything and for everything —«apart from me you can do nothing» (Jn 15:5)— paradoxically requires something from us as well: this is the meaning of the seven loaves of bread and the few fish that he will use to feed a crowd. If we really realized how much Jesus counts on us, and of the value of all we do for him, as small as it is, we would try all the harder to correspond to him with all our being.