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

Gospel text

(Jn 5:17-30): 

Jesus answered the Jews: “My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.” For this reason they tried all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God.

Jesus answered and said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for what he does, the Son will do also. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything that he himself does, and he will show him greater works than these, so that you may be amazed. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes. Nor does the Father judge anyone, but he has given all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life. Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he gave to the Son the possession of life in himself. And he gave him power to exercise judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not be amazed at this, because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out, those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation.

“I cannot do anything on my own; I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.”

The Application

I do understand the concerns of the people of Israel, especially the chosen and the elite contemporaries of then Jesus' society. Yet we fail to understand how anyone can ignore the good words and works of Jesus. The deeds and words help us to understand everything that dwells in the hearts of men. When we find difficult to understand the words oe deeds of Jesus, it was necessary to go to Jesus, to ask Him questions in all sincerity and He would have made them understand His words and the implications. There are many of us who behave like the elites in today's gospel. We easily judge good people as bad and destroy all their good initiatives. Shouldn't we initiate a good and constructive dialogue? 

Jesus is there to help us to understand the divine will and to do all that the Father has entrusted to Him. We all need to concentrate on this divine will, particularly in its application through our words and deeds. In the first reading we read of God's will and especially of his love for this people who are often rough and unfaithful. "Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.  It is on this promise that we are called to hold and act upon. Let us pay attention to the Word of Jesus and be faithful to his love.

Action of the day: Believe in the divine goodness.

“Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one 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 have we of witnesses? You have now heard the blasphemy; what is your opinion?” (Mt 26:65-66).

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 5,17-30): 

Jésus leur déclara: «Mon Père, jusqu'à maintenant, est toujours à l'oeuvre, et moi aussi je suis à l'oeuvre». C'est pourquoi, de plus en plus, les Juifs cherchaient à le faire mourir, car non seulement il violait le repos du sabbat, mais encore il disait que Dieu était son propre Père, et il se faisait ainsi l'égal de Dieu.

Jésus reprit donc la parole. Il leur déclarait: «Amen, amen, je vous le dis: le Fils ne peut rien faire de lui-même, il fait seulement ce qu'il voit faire par le Père; ce que fait celui-ci, le Fils le fait pareillement. Car le Père aime le Fils et lui montre tout ce qu'il fait. Il lui montrera des oeuvres encore plus grandes, si bien que vous serez dans l'étonnement. Comme le Père, en effet, relève les morts et leur donne la vie, le Fils, lui aussi, donne la vie à qui il veut. Car le Père ne juge personne: il a donné au Fils tout pouvoir pour juger, afin que tous honorent le Fils comme ils honorent le Père. Celui qui ne rend pas honneur au Fils ne rend pas non plus honneur au Père, qui l'a envoyé. Amen, amen, je vous le dis: celui qui écoute ma parole et croit au Père qui m'a envoyé, celui-là obtient la vie éternelle et il échappe au Jugement, car il est déjà passé de la mort à la vie.

»Amen, amen, je vous le dis: l'heure vient -et c'est maintenant- où les morts vont entendre la voix du Fils de Dieu, et ceux qui l'auront entendue vivront. Comme le Père a la vie en lui-même, ainsi a-t-il donné au Fils d'avoir la vie en lui-même; et il lui a donné le pouvoir de prononcer le Jugement, parce qu'il est le Fils de l'homme. Ne soyez pas surpris; l'heure vient où tous ceux qui sont dans les tombeaux vont entendre sa voix, et ils sortiront: ceux qui ont fait le bien, ressuscitant pour entrer dans la vie; ceux qui ont fait le mal, ressuscitant pour être jugés. Moi, je ne peux rien faire de moi-même; je rends mon jugement d'après ce que j'entends, et ce jugement est juste, parce que je ne cherche pas à faire ma propre volonté, mais la volonté de celui qui m'a envoyé».

L’Application

Je comprends les préoccupations du peuple d'Israël, en particulier des élus et de l'élite contemporaine de la société de Jésus d'alors. Pourtant, nous ne comprenons pas comment quelqu'un peut ignorer les bonnes paroles et les œuvres de Jésus. Les actes et les paroles nous aident à comprendre tout ce qui habite le cœur des hommes. Lorsque nous avons du mal à comprendre les paroles de Jésus, il fallait aller le voir, lui poser des questions en toute sincérité et il leur aurait fait comprendre ses paroles et ses implications. Nous sommes nombreux à nous comporter comme les élites de l'évangile d'aujourd'hui. Nous jugeons facilement le bon peuple comme mauvais et détruisons toutes leurs bonnes initiatives. 

Jésus est là pour faire la volonté du Père. Dans la première lecture, nous lisons la volonté de Dieu et surtout son amour pour ce peuple qui est souvent rude et infidèle. "Une femme peut-elle oublier son bébé, ne plus avoir de tendresse pour le fils de ses coupes ? Même si elle l'oubliait, je ne vous oublierais pas.  Soyons attentifs à la Parole de Jésus et soyons fidèles à son amour.

 «Amen, amen, je vous le dis: celui qui écoute ma parole et croit au Père qui m'a envoyé, celui-là obtient la vie éternelle»

Abbé Francesc PERARNAU i Cañellas

(Girona, Espagne)

Aujourd'hui l'Évangile nous parle de la réponse que Jésus fit à ceux qui ne voyaient pas d'un bon oeil qu'Il ait guéri un paralytique le jour du Sabbat. Jésus Christ profite de ces critiques pour manifester sa condition de Fils de Dieu et, en conséquence, de Maître du Sabbat. Certaines de ses paroles motiveront sa condamnation lors du jugement chez Caïphe. En effet, quand Jésus se présenta comme Fils de Dieu, le grand prêtre déchira ses vêtements, en disant: «Il a blasphémé! Pourquoi nous faut-il encore des témoins? Vous venez d'entendre le blasphème! Quel est votre avis?» (Mt 26,65).

À plusieurs reprises, Jésus avait fait référence au Père, en établissant toujours une distinction: la Paternité de Dieu est différente selon qu'il s'agit du Christ ou des hommes. Et les juifs qui l'écoutaient le comprenaient très bien: il n'était pas Fils de Dieu comme les autres, la filiation qu'il réclamait pour Lui était une filiation naturelle. Jésus affirme qu'il est l'égal du Père par nature, bien qu'il s'agisse de personnes différentes. Il manifeste ainsi sa divinité. Voilà un passage de l'Évangile très intéressant pour la révélation du mystère de la Sainte Trinité.

Dans ce que le Seigneur dit aujourd'hui, il y a des choses qui concernent en particulier tous ceux qui, au long de l'histoire, croiront en Lui: écouter et croire à Jésus c'est obtenir déjà la vie éternelle (cf. Jn 5,24). Certes, ce n'est pas encore la vie définitive, mais c'est d'ores et déjà participer de sa promesse. Il est bon de ne pas l'oublier, en faisant l'effort d'écouter la parole de Jésus, comme ce qu'elle est vraiment: la Parole de Dieu qui nous apporte le salut. La lecture et la méditation de l'Évangile doivent faire partie de nos pratiques religieuses habituelles. Dans les pages révélées nous entendrons les paroles de Jésus, paroles immortelles qui ouvrent les portes de la vie éternelle. Tout compte fait, comme le disait saint Éphrem de Syrie, la Parole de Dieu est une source inépuisable de vie.

Gospel text

(Jn 5:1-16): 

There was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem at the Sheep Gate a pool called in Hebrew Bethesda, with five porticoes. In these lay a large number of ill, blind, lame, and crippled. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be well?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me.” Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your mat, and walk.” Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked.

Now that day was a Sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who was cured, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.” He answered them, “The man who made me well told me, ‘Take up your mat and walk.’” They asked him, “Who is the man who told you, ‘Take it up and walk’?” The man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away, since there was a crowd there. After this Jesus found him in the temple area and said to him, “Look, you are well; do not sin any more, so that nothing worse may happen to you.” The man went and told the Jews that Jesus was the one who had made him well. Therefore, the Jews began to persecute Jesus because he did this on a Sabbath.

The Application

Jesus reveals to us the importance of spiritual healing, which cleanses us from all sin. We are all in need of the healing that Jesus brings. For this, we need to be in the Temple, in the place of encounter, the possibility of meeting God. No one can help us to meet God, because this encounter is personal, and this covenant is made directly with us, without any intermediary. If we remain open, we do not even need to go to God, because God Himself will come to meet us. No one can stop him. The question is, are you ready to meet the Christ who heals you, wish to remain faithful to Him and have the courage to put the message into practice?

Action of the day: Be kind and gentile with sick people.

“Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be well?”

Fr. Àngel CALDAS i Bosch

(Salt, Girona, Spain)

Today, Saint John speaks of the parable of the pool of Bethzatha. It rather looked like the waiting room of a traumatology hospital. “There lay a multitude of sick people-blind, lame and paralyzed n these lay a large number of ill, blind, lame, and crippled” (Jn 5:3). Jesus went up there.

It's rather curious!: Jesus manages to be found always in the middle of some problem. Wherever He goes, there is always somebody to be “liberated”; there He is when it comes to making people happy. The Pharisees, instead, were concerned only over the fact that it was Saturday. Their bad faith was killing their spirit. Sin's nasty features were showing through their eyes. There's no worse deaf man than he who does not want to hear.

The protagonist of the miracle had been disabled for thirty eight long years. “Do you want to be well?” (Jn 5:6), Jesus says to him. He had since long ago been struggling in the void for he had not found Jesus. At long last, he had found the Man. The five galleries of the pool of Bethzatha boomed out upon hearing the Master's voice: “Rise, take up your mat, and walk.” (Jn 5:8). It was just a matter of an instant.

Jesus Christ's voice is the voice of God. Everything was anew with that old disabled man, spent by dejection. Much later, Saint John Chrysostom will say that in Bethzatha pool sick people cured their bodies, while in the Baptism those same sick cure their soul; over there, one only sick could eventually be cured, every now and then. Baptism however, cures always and everybody. In both cases God's power is evidenced through water.

That helpless disabled man, close to the water, does not remind you of our own helplessness to do good? How can we dare solving by ourselves that which has a supernatural scope? Don't you see, every day, around you, a big crowd of disabled ones that are “moving” themselves a lot, while being totally unable to get rid of their lack of freedom? Sin paralyzes man, grows him old, kills him... We have to fix our eyes in Jesus. We need him —his Grace— to plunge us into the waters of prayer, of confession, of the opening of our spirit. You and I may be eternal disabled persons, or, on the contrary, bearers of his light instruments.

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.

L’Application

Jésus nous révèle l'importance de la guérison spirituelle, qui nous purifie de tout péché. Nous avons tous besoin de la guérison que Jésus apporte. Pour cela, nous avons besoin d'être dans le Temple, dans le lieu de la rencontre, de la possibilité de rencontrer Dieu. Personne ne peut nous aider à rencontrer Dieu, car cette rencontre est personnelle, et cette alliance se fait directement avec nous, sans aucun intermédiaire. Si nous restons ouverts, nous n'avons même pas besoin d'aller vers Dieu, car Dieu lui-même viendra à notre rencontre. Personne ne peut l'en empêcher. La question est de savoir si vous êtes prêt à rencontrer le Christ qui vous guérit et si vous souhaitez lui rester fidèle. 

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

Abbé Àngel CALDAS i Bosch

(Salt, Girona, Espagne)

Aujourd'hui saint Jean nous parle de la scène de la piscine de Bézhata. Elle ressemblait, plutôt, à la salle d'attente d'un hôpital pour traumatisés: «Une foule de malades étaient couchés: aveugles, boiteux et paralysés» (Jn 5,3). Et Jésus s'y rendit.

Comme c'est étonnant! L'on trouve toujours Jésus au beau milieu des problèmes. Là où il existe une possibilité de “libérer”, de rendre quelqu'un heureux, le voici. Les pharisiens, par contre, ne songeaient qu'au Sabbat. Leur mauvaise foi tuait l'esprit. La colère du péché dégoulinait de leurs yeux. Il n'est pire sourd que celui qui ne veut pas entendre!

Le protagoniste du miracle était malade depuis trente-huit ans. «Est-ce que tu veux retrouver la santé?» (Jn 5,6), lui dit Jésus. Depuis longtemps qu'il luttait dans le vide, faute d'avoir rencontré Jésus. Mais, maintenant, il avait trouvé l'Homme. Les cinq colonnades de la piscine de Bézhata retentirent lorsqu'on entendit la voix du Maître: «Lève-toi, prends ton brancard, et marche» (Jn 5,8). Ce fut l'affaire d'un instant.

La voix du Christ est la voix de Dieu. Tout était neuf dans ce vieux paralysé, usé par le découragement. Plus tard, saint Jean Chrysostome nous dira que dans la piscine de Bézhata les maladies du corps étaient guéries, et qu'avec le Baptême ce sont les maladies de l'âme qu'on guérit. Là, c'était de temps en temps et pour un seul malade à la fois. Dans le Baptême, c'est pour toujours et pour tous. Dans le deux cas, le pouvoir de Dieu est manifesté par l'eau.

Le paralytique impuissant au bord de l'eau, ne te fait-il pas songer à l'expérience de notre propre impuissance à faire le bien? Comment essayons–nous de résoudre, tout seul, ce qui relève d'un pouvoir surnaturel? Te rends-tu compte que chaque jour, autour de toi, il a une foule de paralytiques qui “se remuent” beaucoup, mais n'arrivent pas à échapper de leur manque de liberté? Le péché paralyse, vieillit, tue. Il nous faut regarder Jésus. Il est nécessaire qu'Il —sa Grâce— nous plonge dans les eaux de la prière, de la confession, de l'ouverture de le esprit. Toi et moi, nous pouvons être de sempiternels paralytiques, ou des porteurs et des instruments de lumière.

Gospel text

(Jn 4:43-54): 

At that time Jesus left Samaria for Galilee. For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his native place. When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all he had done in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves had gone to the feast.

Then he returned to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, who was near death. Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” The royal official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.” The man believed what Jesus said to him and left. While he was on his way back, his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live. He asked them when he began to recover. They told him, “The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.” The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live,” and he and his whole household came to believe. [Now] this was the second sign Jesus did when he came to Galilee from Judea.

The Application

We believe that the presence of Jesus transforms everything, like a sun that illuminates the whole world with its light. However, we know that if we close our eyes, we will find ourselves in the midst of darkness despite the good sun. We must know how to open ourselves to God's grace and by welcoming this grace in humility, God will transform us. The Lord invites us to believe, to believe in human impossibility, and to believe in divine possibility. For God, everything is possible, says St Teresa of Avila.

This royal official leads us to this impossibility, so that every impossibility becomes a possibility. He has heard and he has seen. Today he will live it, not in the presence of Jesus, but with the people around him. Through the grace he has received, others will live this faith with him and through this faith they will become true witnesses of God's grace. Let us invite our brother sisters to believe all that we believe by daily practice and let us be in humility, the true witnesses of the divine love.

Action of the day: Believe that everything is possible to God.

“Jesus left Samaria for 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 royal official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.” The man believed what Jesus said to him and left” (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.

L’Application

Nous croyons que la présence de Jésus transforme tout, comme un soleil qui illumine le monde entier de sa lumière. Cependant, nous savons que si nous fermons les yeux, nous nous retrouverons au milieu des ténèbres malgré ce bon soleil. Nous devons savoir nous ouvrir à la grâce de Dieu et en accueillant cette grâce dans l'humilité, Dieu nous transformera. Le Seigneur nous invite à croire, à croire à l'impossibilité humaine, et à croire à la possibilité divine. Pour Dieu, tout est possible, dit sainte Thérèse d'Avila.

Ce fonctionnaire royal,  nous conduit à cette impossibilité, pour que toute impossibilité devienne une possibilité. Il a entendu et il a vu. Aujourd'hui, il va le vivre, non pas en présence de Jésus, mais avec les gens qui l'entourent. Par la grâce qu'il a reçue, d'autres vivront cette foi avec lui et, par cette foi, ils deviendront de véritables témoins de la grâce de Dieu. Invitons nos frères et sœurs à croire tout ce que nous croyons par une pratique quotidienne et soyons dans l'humilité, les vrais témoins de l'amour divin.

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

Abbé Ramon Octavi SÁNCHEZ i Valero

(Viladecans, Barcelona, Espagne)

Aujourd'hui nous rencontrons de nouveau Jésus à Cana de Galilée, où il avait réalisé le fameux miracle de la conversion de l'eau en vin. Et voici qu'il fait un nouveau miracle: la guérison du fils d'un fonctionnaire royal. Le premier avait été spectaculaire, mais celui-ci a sans doute plus de valeur: il ne résout pas un embarras matériel, il s'agit d'une vie humaine.

Ce qui attire l'attention ici, c'est que Jésus agit à distance. Il ne se rend pas à Capharnaüm pour guérir directement le malade; il lui redonne la santé sans bouger de Cana: «Le fonctionnaire royal lui dit: ‘Seigneur, descends, avant que mon enfant ne meure!’. Jésus lui répond: ‘Va, ton fils est vivant’» (Jn 4,49.50).

Cela nous rappelle que, tous, nous pouvons faire beaucoup de bien à distance, sans devoir être présents à l'endroit où l'on sollicite notre générosité. Nous aidons, par exemple, le Tiers Monde en collaborant économiquement avec nos missionnaires ou avec des entités catholiques qui y travaillent. Nous aidons les pauvres des quartiers marginaux des grandes villes par nos apports à des institutions comme Caritas, sans que nous devions y mettre les pieds. Nous pouvons même donner une grande joie à beaucoup de gens qui sont loin de nous, par un appel téléphonique, une lettre ou un message électronique.

Bien souvent, nous trouvons une excuse dans l'impossibilité d'être physiquement présents dans les lieux où il y a des nécessités urgentes. Jésus, n'a pas cherché d'excuse; il a fait le miracle.

La distance n'est pas un problème à l'heure d'être généreux, car la générosité sort du cœur et dépasse les frontières. Comme le disait saint Augustin: «Qui possède la charité dans son cœur, trouve toujours une chose à donner».

We are entering the 4th Sunday of Lent and I would like to remind us of our journey from Ash Wednesday to today. We walked together with the Lord in the desert and from the desert to the transfiguration where God the Father asked us to listen to his son. Last Sunday, Jesus asked us to be converted. He comes to us again, to tell us what kind of conversion he expects from us.

For this, we are given two sons of the same father, faithful to his love. On this day, it is good to remind ourselves of the sons of Adam, Abel and Cain, both of whom will behave in different ways. Abel looks to the Lord and believes that everything belongs to God. It is therefore normal that he gives the best to God as an offering, there he found his joy and consolation. A look towards heaven will direct all his actions on earth. God, who looks at the heart, and all that is done in secret, will accept Abel's offering, as a pure and worthy offering. Cain, on the other hand, looks at his brother, far from God and totally disconnected from God, with a gaze fixed on the visible and palpable elements, without wanting to recognise all that dwelt in his brother's heart. Totally disconnected from the Father's will, closing in on himself, will give an impure offering, half-filled, with a hardened heart. This offering will be rejected.

I invite you now to look at these two sons and their father in today's Gospel. The two sons, it seems to us, are acting in a normal and acceptable way, according to the justice and right that the world of the time has already established. In applying this justice and right, the son rightly claims his property and goes off to celebrate, unfortunately alone, ignoring the immense love of his father and putting him in great pain.  In truth, this one doesn't have the right to claim for. However, in love the Father given him. And the elder son, who has witnessed his father's suffering, will repeat the same suffering that his younger brother has offered his father. It is a pity that the one who gives generously, the one who forgives without limit, the one who welcomes with an open heart, is a victim of a society that has no respect for itself and for others.

Life today is well summarised in this story. Joy and anger coexist, and everyone is invited to take them out of their backpacks. The little son, as today's Gospel tells us, "Then he went into himself", symbolically invites us to recognise all that dwells deep in our hearts, in our history.  There we will recognise that our Father remains faithful, welcoming and open. "How many of my father's workers have bread in abundance, and I am starving here", a great discrepancy between what is happening in his Father's house and what is happening outside. "I will get  up to go to my Father and the elder  refused to enter. If the Father went out to welcome his little one, who was dead, then he will do the same for the other one, he will go out of the party, to meet him. As he let the little one go, he will let the elder one to remain outside and give him the time he needs to come back. A fair father.

It seems as if the story has ended well, because the son who had died has come back to life. Unfortunately the story has just started again, it is not over. It is our story that starts again today. We are that elder son who is still outside. We are all miserable, living in our Father's house, totally disconnected from the Father's love.

This Sunday invites us to taste and see how good the Lord is. Let us be touched by this love of God, by his patience with us, and his confidence in the return of his son, whom we are. "He who looks to him will shine, with no shadow or trouble on his face," the psalm of the day tells us. Let us savour this love of God who welcomes the two sons as they are, while expressing his joy and sorrow. Let us make a good choice, so that our father may be happy and we may participate in the feast he offers us, Amen.

Gospel text

(Lk 18:9-14): 

Jesus then addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. “Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity —greedy, dishonest, adulterous— or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

The Application

Who is right before God? This explanation comes directly from the Lord. The one who recognises God's mercy and the one who is open to receive it. Jesus does not judge this Pharisee, who nevertheless does a lot of good for himself and for others. Yet he is not ready to accept God's mercy, nor the grace that God generously gives him. In truth, we must imitate the good deeds of this Pharisee and avoid his arrogance which leads him to sin. Jesus invites us to imitate the behaviour of a publican, open and welcoming, surrendering before the divine mercy. If we want to be judged as righteous before God, let us learn to be humble, so that God may lift us up. It is in this self-emptying that we allow God to fill us with His grace.

Action of the day: Accept the divine mercy.

“I tell you, the latter went home justified”

Fr. Gavan JENNINGS

(Dublín, Ireland)

Today, Christ presents us with two men who, to a casual observer, might appear almost identical for they are in the same place doing the same thing, as both “went up to the Temple to pray” (Lk 18:10). But beyond appearances, at the deepest level of their personal consciences, both men differ radically: one, the Pharisee, has an easy conscience while the other, the tax collector, is racked by feelings of guilt.

Nowadays we tend to see guilt feelings as close to a psychological aberration: ‘beating oneself up over something’. Nevertheless the ‘guilt-racked’ tax-collector leaves the Temple in the better state for, “the latter went home justified, not the former” (Lk 18:14). “This feeling of guilt”, wrote Benedict XVI when he was still Cardinal Ratzinger ("Conscience and truth"), “disturbs the false calm of conscience and could be called conscience's complaint against my self-satisfied existence. It is as necessary for man as the physical pain which signifies disturbances of normal bodily functioning.”

Jesus doesn’t lead us to believe that the Pharisee is not telling the truth when he says that he is not “greedy, dishonest, adulterous” (Lk 18:11) and that he fasts and gives money to the Temple, nor that the tax-collector is delusional in thinking himself a sinner. This is not the question. Rather it is that “the Pharisee no longer knows that he too has guilt. He has a completely clear conscience. But this silence of conscience makes him impenetrable to God and men, while the cry of conscience which plagues the tax collector makes him capable of truth and love. Jesus can move sinners” (Benedict XVI).

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».

L’Application

Qui est juste devant Dieu ? C'est une explication qui vient directement du Seigneur. Celui qui reconnaît la miséricorde de Dieu et celui qui est ouvert pour la recevoir. Jésus ne juge pas ce pharisien, qui fait pourtant beaucoup de bien pour lui et pour les autres. Mais il n'est pas prêt à accepter la miséricorde de Dieu, ni la grâce que Dieu lui donne généreusement. En vérité, nous devons imiter les bonnes actions de ce pharisien et aussi adopter le comportement d'un publicain, ouvert et accueillant. Si nous voulons être jugés justes devant Dieu, apprenons à nous humilier devant Dieu, afin que Dieu puisse nous élever.

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

Fr. Gavan JENNINGS

(Dublín, Irlande)

Aujourd'hui, le Christ nous présente deux hommes qui, pour un observateur "ordinaire" pourraient sembler presque identiques, car ils se trouvent au même endroit et font la même chose: tous les deux sont «montés au temple pour prier» (Lc 18,10). Mais au-delà des apparences, au plus profond de leur conscience personnelle, les deux hommes diffèrent radicalement: l'un, le pharisien, a la conscience tranquille, alors que l'autre, le publicain —collecteur d'impôts— est inquiet car il ressent de la culpabilité.

Aujourd'hui, nous avons tendance à considérer les sentiments de culpabilité —le remords— comme quelque chose qui se rapproche d'une aberration psychologique. Cependant, le sentiment de culpabilité permet au publicain de ressortir du Temple réconforté, car «lorsque cet homme est redescendu à sa maison il était devenu juste alors que l'autre non» (Lc 18,14). «Ce sentiment de culpabilité» a écrit Benoît XVI quand il était encore le Cardinal Ratzinger ("Conscience et vérité") «trouble la fausse tranquillité de la conscience et on peut l'appeler "protestation de la conscience" contre mon existence faite d'auto-satisfaction. Il est aussi nécessaire pour l'homme que la douleur physique, qui signifie une altération du fonctionnement normal du corps».

Jésus ne nous incite pas à penser que le pharisien ne dit pas la vérité quand il affirme qu'il n'est pas un rapace, qu'il n'est ni injuste ni adultère et qu'il jeûne et donne de l'argent au Temple (cf. Lc 18,11); ni que le collecteur d'impôts délire en se considérant comme un pécheur. Ce n'est pas la question. C'est plutôt que «le pharisien ne se rend plus compte que lui aussi est coupable. Sa conscience est complètement nette. Mais le "silence de la conscience" le rend impénétrable vis-à-vis de Dieu et des hommes, alors que le "cri de la conscience" qui inquiète le publicain le rend capable de sentiments de vérité et d'amour. Jésus peut troubler les pécheurs!» (Benoît XVI).

Gospel text

(Lk 1:26-38): 

The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”

But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

The Application

“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you." In this time of trouble, this word will not trouble us, for we need it.  This grace that God gave to Mary also came with its consequences, and Mary wanted to take it on. How many of us are prepared to take on the consequences of our commitments?

"Do not be afraid" is an assurance, for God will take you and do everything for you, so that everything goes well for you. Yet not everything will be revealed to Mary. She will discover them bit by bit, from Joseph, Simeon and Anna, etc. There will certainly be the other surprises that Mary will welcome with joy and she will put them in her heart to contemplate them. For a young girl to carry all this is already beyond her years.

Mary did not ask for a sign, yet God gives her a sign in her cousin Elizabeth. In these signs God already reveals all that this child will accomplish. He will take the throne of David, without his powers or authority. Who would want all this without recognition, without authority, etc.? Mary will accept it in her humility.

The Holy Spirit, who has descended in Mary, begins to work now, even Mary is not aware. God is always active in the world, through the impulses of the Holy Spirit. He is always active, even in us. It is up to us to decide to let Him work in us.

"Here is the Servant of the Lord" is a total submission to the divine will. Let us pray on this day of the consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, that politicians and civil servants will listen to this call for peace and reconciliation and work unceasingly for the good of the whole world. Amen.

Action of the day: Be filled with grace.

“Hail, full of grace!”

Fr. Johannes VILAR

(Köln, Germany)

Today, in the “Hail, full of grace!” (Lk 1:28) we hear for the first time the name of the Mother of God: Mary (Archangel Gabriel’s second phrase). She has the fullness of grace and the gifts. It is said like this: "keharitoméne", “full of grace” (Angel’s greeting).

15 years old and alone, Mary has to answer in a way that will change the full history of mankind. Saint Bernard pleaded: “The price of our salvation is offered to you. We shall be set free at once if you consent. In the eternal Word of God we all came to be, and behold, we die. In your brief response we are to be remade in order to be recalled to life.” God is awaiting an uninhibited response, and the "full of grace", representing all of us needing Redemption, responds: "génoitó", become! As of today, Mary is freely linked to the Work of her Son; today her Mediation begins. As of today, she is the Mother of those who are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal 3:28).

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI brought a special message for young people: “Reawaken the courage to make definitive decisions: they are really the only ones that allow us to grow, to move ahead and to reach something great in life. They are the only decisions that do not destroy our freedom but offer to point us in the right direction. Risk making this leap, so to speak, towards the definitive and so embrace life fully: this is something I would be happy to communicate to them.” Mary: here is an example!

And Saint Joseph is also included in God’s plans: he has to accept taking Mary as his wife and name her son (cf. Mt 1:20s): Jesua, “the Lord saves.” And He does it. Another example!

The Annunciation also reveals the Trinity: The Father sends the Son, incarnated by the Holy Spirit. And the Church sings: “And the Word becomes flesh today and makes his dwelling among us.” His redeeming work —Christmas, Good Friday, Easter— is present in this seed. He is Immanuel, “God with us” (cf. Is 7:15). Rejoice Humanity!

The festivities of Saint Joseph and the Annunciation prepare us excellently to celebrate the Paschal Mystery.