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

Gospel text

(Mt 23:1-12): 

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens [hard to carry] and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’

As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’ You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called ‘Master’; you have but one master, the Messiah. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

The Application

I would like to continue the same theme of yesterday, 'Let us be children of this merciful God. Once our life is conditioned by this God who loves us, we can easily love even our enemies and we will pray for their conversion. Very often we allow ourselves to be led by the world leaders, and get disappointed by their counter witnessing life. Jesus is inviting us not to look at them and be disappointed, rather look at the Father, who is always good to us.

The contemporary world is always looking for recognition and reward, which is just and sometime we can accept this approach as something humain and quite normal. However, a man of God, who is totally configured to Christ, will not look for recognition and reward from this world, but for a perfect union with this God, the very source of his or her existence. Before fixing our gaze on this world, or the leaders who guide us,  we must direct our gaze on ourselves, on our interiority. Are we really the children of this merciful God who loves us? Is he really our Master and do we practice all that He has asked us to do? If not, we must first be converted.

Action of the day: Give heed anything good, even if it comes from your enemy.

“You have but one teacher, you have but one Father, you have but one master, the Messiah”

Fr. Gerardo GÓMEZ

(Merlo, Buenos Aires, Argentina)

Today, more than ever before, we have to work for our personal and collective salvation, as Saint Paul states, with regard and significance, for “on the day of salvation I helped you.” (2Co 6:2). Lent offers us a sacred chance, granted by our Father, so that with an attitude of profound conversion, we may invigorate our personal values, become conscious of our own blunders and repent from our sins, with the intention that our life becomes —through the action of the Holy Spirit— a fuller and riper life.

For our behavior to fit with that of our Lord Jesus, a gesture of humility is fundamental, as Pope Emeritus Benedict said: “I recognize myself for what I am, a frail creature, made from earth and destined to return to earth, yet also made in the image of God and destined for him”.

In Jesus’ times there were many “models” that prayed and behaved just to be seen, to be revered: vain people, cardboard characters, which could not stimulate either the growth or the development of their neighbors. Their attitude and behavior did not evidence the pathway to God: “but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice.” (Mt 23:3).

Modern society also displays an infinite amount of behavior models that lead to a vertiginous and wild sort of life that weakens our awareness of transcendence. Let us not allow these fake referents to make us lose sight of the true Master: “You have but one teacher, you have but one Father, you have but one master, the Messiah” (Mt 23:8-9-10).

Let us, therefore, take advantage of Lent to invigorate our own convictions as Jesus’ disciples. Let us try to have some sacred moments, “moments in the desert”, when we may rediscover ourselves and we may meet the true Model and Master. And in front of those specific situations when we wonder how to react, let us ask ourselves: what would Jesus say? How would Jesus behave?

Texte de l'Évangile

(Mt 23,1-12): 

Alors Jésus, parlant à la foule et à ses disciples, dit: «Les scribes et les pharisiens sont assis dans la chaire de Moïse. Faites donc et observez tout ce qu'ils vous disent; mais n'agissez pas selon leurs oeuvres. Car ils disent, et ne font pas. Ils lient des fardeaux pesants, et les mettent sur les épaules des hommes, mais ils ne veulent pas les remuer du doigt. Ils font toutes leurs actions pour être vus des hommes. Ainsi, ils portent de larges phylactères, et ils ont de longues franges à leurs vêtements; ils aiment la première place dans les festins, et les premiers sièges dans les synagogues; ils aiment à être salués dans les places publiques, et à être appelés par les hommes "Rabbi".

»Mais vous, ne vous faites pas appeler "Rabbi"; car un seul est votre Maître, et vous êtes tous frères. Et n'appelez personne sur la terre votre "père"; car un seul est votre Père, celui qui est dans les cieux. Ne vous faites pas appeler directeurs; car un seul est votre Directeur, le Christ. Le plus grand parmi vous sera votre serviteur. Quiconque s'élèvera sera abaissé, et quiconque s`abaissera sera élevé».

L’Application

Je voudrais continuer sur le même thème qu'hier : " Soyons les enfants de ce Dieu miséricordieux ". Une fois que notre vie est conditionnée par ce Dieu qui nous aime, nous pouvons facilement aimer même nos ennemis et nous prierons pour leur conversion. Le monde contemporain est toujours à la recherche de reconnaissance et de récompense, ce qui est juste. Cependant, un homme de Dieu, qui est totalement configuré au Christ, ne cherchera pas la reconnaissance et la récompense de ce monde, mais une union parfaite avec ce Dieu. Avant de fixer notre regard sur ce monde, nous devons diriger notre regard sur nous-mêmes, sur notre intériorité. Sommes-nous vraiment les enfants de ce Dieu miséricordieux ? Est-il vraiment notre Maître ? Si non, nous devons d'abord nous convertir.

«Un seul est votre Maître; un seul est votre Père; un seul est votre Directeur, le Christ»

Abbé Gerardo GÓMEZ

(Merlo, Buenos Aires, Argentine)

Aujourd'hui plus que jamais, nous devons travailler pour notre salut personnel et communautaire car, comme Saint Paul nous dit, avec respect et conviction, c'est maintenant le jour du salut (2Co 6,2). Le temps du Carême est une occasion sacrée donnée par notre Père afin que, dans une attitude de profonde conversion, nous puissions revitaliser nos valeurs personnelles, reconnaitre nos erreurs et nous repentir de nos péchés, de façon à transformer notre vie par l'action du Saint Esprit en une vie plus pleine et mature.

Pour adapter notre conduite à celle du Seigneur Jésus il est fondamental d'avoir un geste d'humilité, comme lorsque Benoit XVI nous dit: «Je me reconnais pour ce que je suis, une créature fragile, faite de terre et destinée à la terre, mais également faite à l'image de Dieu et qui lui est destinée».

A l'époque de Jésus, il y avait beaucoup de "modèles" qui priaient et agissaient pour être vus, pour être révérés: de la pure fantaisie, des personnages en carton, qui ne pouvaient encourager la croissance et la maturité de leurs voisins. Leurs attitudes et comportements ne montraient pas le chemin qui conduit à Dieu: «N'agissez pas selon leurs œuvres. Car ils disent, et ne font pas» (Mt 23,3).

La société actuelle nous présente aussi une variété infinie de modèles de contenance qui nous mènent une existence vertigineuse, folle, qui affaiblit les sens de la transcendance. Ne laissons pas que ces faux référents nous fassent perdre de vue le vrai Maître: «Un seul est votre Maître; (…) un seul est votre Pere; (…) un seul est votre Directeur, le Christ (Mt 23,8.9.10).

Servons-nous du Carême pour renforcer nos convictions comme disciples de Jésus-Christ. Cherchons-nous avoir des moments sacrés de désert o nous retrouver avec nous-mêmes et avec le vrai modèle et Maître. Et face aux situations concrètes, où souvent nous ne savons pas comment réagir, nous pourrions nous demander: qu'est-ce que Jésus en penserait?, comment agirait Jésus?

Gospel text

(Lk 6:36-38): 

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. “Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”

The Application

The Christian identity is visible by the acts of love and this love is better expressed in pardon and mercy. Everything has a meaning, when God is the centre of our thinking and acting. Thus, in and through us, God finds His own visibility and He accomplishes, what He deeply wishes to share with the humanity. It is here we realise, how much God is in need of our thinking, words, and acts, particularly our cooperation. In return, we realise, how much we are in need of God, to rightly represent Him, in our daily lives. The need to be with Him, the need to listen to Him, the need to feel His presence, and this spiritual thirst is quite unquenchable.

Last Sunday we were invited to have a mystical experience with the Lord of glory, and we heard from His Father, "Listen to Him. Today He speaks to us. The Lord of goodness and generosity asks us to be merciful, not because others deserve it, but simply because our Father asks it of us. Since we love Him, in His love, let us be merciful. Our actions and words be conditioned, not by the actions of men, but by the love of our Father.

Action of the day: Feel the warmth of His presence.

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful”

Fr. Zacharias MATTAM SDB

(Bangalore, India)

Today we ask ourselves, how does a Christian behave towards his brothers and sisters? Showing the same compassion and kindness shown to him by the heavenly Father: “Be merciful just as your heavenly Father is merciful” (Lk 6:36). Jesus said, “I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world” (Jn 12:47). Jesus did not judge even his own murderers. Instead He was thinking well of them and excusing them and praying for them: “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do” (Lk 23:34). As His disciples, we are invited to be like the Master.

Jesus says, in Mathew’s gospel: “Stop judging, that you may not be judged. Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?” (Mt 7:1.3). The wooden beam is “the non-love”, the “pride” and “resentment” in our heart. These vices are like a wooden beam preventing us to see the fault of our brother from his proper perspective and are more serious than his fault which is only like a splinter, and so these must be banished first. It is only with love that we can truly correct another as “Love bears all things” (1Cor 13:7).

When Jesus says: “Do not judge”, Jesus is not prohibiting the exercise of our faculty of discernment, nor are we asked to approve everything that our brother does. What He is forbidding is to attribute an evil intention to the person for acting thus. Only God knows what is in the heart of a person; “God does not see as a mortal, who sees the appearance. The Lord looks into the heart” (1Sam 16:7) Furthermore, to judge is God’s prerogative, which we usurp when we judge our brother.

What is important in Christianity is love: “Love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 13:34). This love is poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (cf. Rm 5:5). In the Eucharist Christ gives us His Heart as a gift and we can love everyone with His Heart and be merciful as the Heavenly Father is merciful.

Texte de l'Évangile

(Lc 6,36-38): 

«Soyez donc miséricordieux, comme votre Père est miséricordieux. Ne jugez point, et vous ne serez point jugés; ne condamnez point, et vous ne serez point condamnés; absolvez, et vous serez absous. Donnez, et il vous sera donné: on versera dans votre sein une bonne mesure, serrée, secouée et qui déborde; car on vous mesurera avec la mesure dont vous vous serez servis».

L’Application

Dimanche dernier, nous avons été invités à vivre une expérience mystique avec le Seigneur de la gloire, et nous avons entendu son Père nous dire : "Écoutez-le. Aujourd'hui, il nous parle. Le Seigneur de la bonté et de la générosité nous demande d'être miséricordieux, non pas parce que les autres le méritent, mais simplement parce que notre Père nous le demande. Puisque nous l'aimons, dans son amour, soyons miséricordieux. Que nos actes et nos paroles soient conditionnés, non par les actions des hommes, mais par l'amour de notre Père.

« Soyez donc miséricordieux, comme votre Père est miséricordieux »

Abbé Zacharias MATTAM SDB

(Bangalore, Inde)

Aujourd'hui, comment doit se comporter un chrétien avec ses frères et sœurs ? Et bien en montrant envers eux la même miséricorde et amabilité que le Père céleste : « Soyez donc miséricordieux, comme votre Père est miséricordieux » (Lc 6,36). Jésus a dit, « Je ne suis pas venu pour juger le monde, mais pour sauver le monde » (Jn 12,47). Jésus-Christ n’a même pas jugé ses bourreaux. Au contraire, Il a pensé du bien d’eux en les excusant et en priant pour eux : « Père, pardonne-leur car ils ne savent pas ce qu’ils font » (Lc 23,34). En tant que ses disciples, nous sommes invités à être comme le Maître.

Jésus dit dans l’Evangile de Matthieu : « Ne jugez point et vous ne serez pas jugés » Pourquoi regardes-tu le fétu dans l'œil de ton frère alors que tu ne remarques pas la poutre qui est dans ton œil ? (Mt 7,1.3) La poutre c’est le c’est le “désamour”, “l’orgueil” et le “ressentiment” dans notre cœur. Ces vices sont comme une poutre qui nous empêche de considérer la faute de notre frère de sa propre perspective, ce qui est plus grave que la faute en elle-même (au bout du compte, un fétu de paille !) et, par conséquent, ce sont ces attitudes qu’on devrait supprimer en premier lieu. C’est seulement avec l’amour que nous pouvons vraiment corriger l’autre, en prenant en compte que « l’amour excuse tout » (1Cor 13,7).

Quand Le Christ dit « ne jugez pas » il n’est pas en train de nous interdire d’exercer notre capacité de discernement, ni de dire que nous devons approuver tout ce que fait notre frère. Ce qu’Il interdit, c’est d’attribuer une mauvaise intention à la personne qui agit de cette manière. Dieu seul sait ce qu’il y a dans le cœur de la personne. « L’homme regarde les apparences mais le Seigneur regarde le cœur »(1 Sam 16,7). Par conséquent, juger est une prérogative de Dieu, prérogative que nous lui usurpons quand nous jugeons notre prochain.

L’important dans le Christianisme c’est l’amour : «Aimez-vous les uns les autres comme je vous ai aimés» (Jn 13,34). Cet amour se répand dans nos cœurs à travers le Saint Esprit (cf. Rom 5,5). Dans l’Eucharistie, le Christ nous donne Son Cœur comme un don et ainsi nous pouvons aimer chacun avec Son Cœur et être miséricordieux comme le Père du Ciel est miséricordieux.

I would like to begin, strangely, from the last Sunday, with the temptations of the Lord, by asking this question to me, who is Jesus to me. Today’s gospel invites us all to have a mystical experience of the Trinity, not alone, but with the disciples of the Lord, accompanied by Moses and Elijah. In this discovery of Jesus, Today's psalm presents us with another similar reality of temptation from the Lord, to which we all go through daily. The Lord is my light and my salvation is an expression of hope when one is living in darkness where real hope has totally disappeared. The prayer of this psalmist presents us with a situation that is totally in disarray, yet it shows us the hope that man can rely on in difficult times. We know that in the book of Job, he will repeat the same prayer, when he is confronted by rejection and death. It is here Jesus has chosen to reveal to the humanity. The transfiguration is not the revelation of the Lord of glory, rather a subtle revelation of the passion that He will undertake. It is in this moment of passion that Job expresses his hope and we are called to imitate the same expression.

I am sure I shall see the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living.

"Hope in the Lord, be strong and take courage;

hope in the Lord."

It is in this hope that Abraham becomes the father of faith. We have that rare recognition by God when He deems that a man was righteous before God. A righteous man standing before God, gives glory to God, says St. Ignatius of Loyola whom we celebrated yesterday on the 400th anniversary of his canonization.  The first reading narrates to us that all day long Abraham will wait for himself with immense patience, knowing nothing of what is reserved for him and in the end he will see God in the night. God wanted to meet Abraham in vision, in sleep, in his brokenness. This sleep or brokenness is sacred to God, because through this sleep God gives hope to humanity.

Going into the desert of life voluntarily, even more so, urged on by the Holy Spirit, or climbing the mountain with the Lord after an exhausting day, or even carrying the cross like Simeon, make us discover an exceptional grace that God grants to his faithful who follow the Lord in love. Especially to those who know how to carry the cross, their own cross of the day. Is it not good to go through these moments of darkness, like St. John of the Cross, in his prison, in order to better assimilate the wonders of God, which are so close and so far, all depending and conditioned by your own will, or your readiness to undertake a path unknown or less travelled by the world? St. Paul invites us to fix our gaze not on the visible and palpable elements, but on the elements of heaven, of God, to stand firm in the Lord.

Today’s gospel gives us the hope that, if we have the courage to climb with the Lord on the mountain, we will certainly see that face shining and making everything around it shine. Not only his face, and the men around him, but also his clothes. What an exceptional and mystical experience, yet it all happens in sleep, a sleep voluntarily imposed by the Lord. Let us not be afraid of this sleep willed by the Lord, He willed it from the beginning of creation.  Sleep is a fruit of our tiredness and in our tiredness, God discreetly acts and transforms us. The failures of life, the discouragements and betrayals are from time to time this sleep, and let us entrust everything to the Lord, so that he may transform them. When we wake up from our slumbers, we will find ourselves totally transfigured by the Lord.

The source of this transfiguration for the contemporary world will certainly be the law of the Lord presented by Moses and the prophets, represented by Elijah. If we have heard the temptations of the Lord, we have certainly discovered that the sacred Scriptures will give us a solid and practical answer, so let us read the Bible regularly. The Lord even invited the Devil to read these sacred scriptures. The Church continues to teach us, so that we may have the same experience of transfiguration. A newness that man will discover little by little.

In the face of the experience of newness, the temptation is great for us to be nostalgic and to project ourselves into the past, imposing tents, so that this God continues to dwell in the way that man would like. The Tent was certainly God's dwelling place. Yet today's gospel invites us to abandon the past and to move towards the newness that Jesus proposes to us: to worship God in Spirit and in truth.  He will no longer be chained in the tents; God has chosen the hearts of men.

It is in this newness that the disciples of the Lord are invited to discover Jesus. Today's Gospel affirms this. They enter and experience a new transfiguration, no longer in sleep, but in truth, like Moses and Elijah. Man is invited to dialogue with God and to discover his will, the promised passion.

Like any divine encounter, the transfiguration of the Lord brings us a message with a revelation. Today, they certainly had a divine revelation, a mystical experience, a project that is coming, a project that Jesus will fulfil. The fulfilment of the law and the prophets. In order for us to participate in this divine project, God asks us to listen to his only Son, the one sent by the Father, the only and best means available to men of good will. Next Sunday we will hear the message of Jesus.  Let’s have some patience,  be watchful and attentive. Amen.

Gospel text

(Mt 5:43-48): 

Jesus said to his disciples, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect."

The Application

The perfection that Jesus demands of us, not in relation to our activities, but simply to his Father. Perfection in freedom and goodness, perfection in mercy and forgiveness, perfection in the way we look at each other, etc. Perfection, not in doing, but in being. Be a perfect man, act and think like a man, not like an animal, who only sees his need.

The man par excellence is found in the person of JESUS, and by imitating Jesus, you will become a perfect man. God does not ask us to be perfect divinely, but He simply asks us to be perfect humanly. This perfection in our humanity is quite possible. Very often I used to make jokes by telling, if a dog can be dog and a cat to be a cat, why can’t man with all the means possible, can’t be man? Can we take this seriously and act upon?

Action of the day: Be human in your words and deeds.

“Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you”

Fr. Joan COSTA i Bou

(Barcelona, Spain)

Today's Gospel exhorts us to the most perfect love. Love wants to do well to others, and here lies our personal fulfillment. We do not love for our own sake, but for the sake of doing well to our neighbor and on doing it we improve as persons. The II Vatican Council said: “man cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of himself.” That’s what Sainte Therese of the Infant Jesus meant when speaking about “making an holocaust of our life.” Love is a human vocation; our whole behavior, to be truly human, has to be the expression of the reality of our being while fulfilling our vocation for love. Saint John Paul II wrote: “Man cannot live without love. He remains a being that is incomprehensible for himself, his life is senseless, if love is not revealed to him, if he does not experience it and make it his own, if he does not participate intimately in it.”

Love has its foundation and reaches its highest form in God's love in Christ. We are invited to a dialogue with God. We exist for the love of God, Who created us, and for the love of God which keeps us, “for man would not exist were he not created by Gods love and constantly preserved by it; and he cannot live fully according to truth unless he freely acknowledges that love and devotes himself to His Creator” (II Vatican Council); this is the most important reason of its dignity. In other words, human love must remain under the custody of Divine Love, which is where it comes from, where it finds its reflection and brings it to its fullest. This is why, love, when truly human, loves with God's heart and can even embrace its foe. Otherwise, one does not truly love. To such an extent that the exigency of our giving ourselves sincerely, becomes a divine precept: “So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt 5:48).

Texte de l'Évangile

(Mt 5,43-48): 

«Vous avez appris qu'il a été dit: ‘Tu aimeras ton prochain, et tu haïras ton ennemi’. Mais moi, je vous dis: Aimez vos ennemis, bénissez ceux qui vous maudissent, faites du bien à ceux qui vous haïssent, et priez pour ceux qui vous maltraitent et qui vous persécutent, afin que vous soyez fils de votre Père qui est dans les cieux; car il fait lever son soleil sur les méchants et sur les bons, et il fait pleuvoir sur les justes et sur les injustes. Si vous aimez ceux qui vous aiment, quelle récompense méritez-vous? Les publicains aussi n'agissent-ils pas de même? Et si vous saluez seulement vos frères, que faites-vous d'extraordinaire? Les païens aussi n'agissent-ils pas de même? Soyez donc parfaits, comme votre Père céleste est parfait».

L’Application

La perfection que Jésus exige de nous, non pas par rapport à nos activités, mais simplement par rapport à son Père. Perfection dans la liberté et la bonté, perfection dans la miséricorde et le pardon, perfection dans le regard que nous portons les uns sur les autres, etc. La perfection, non pas dans le faire, mais dans l'être. Soyez un homme parfait, agissez et pensez comme un homme, pas comme un animal, qui ne voit que son besoin.

L'homme par excellence se trouve dans la personne de JESUS, et en imitant Jésus, vous deviendrez un homme parfait. Dieu ne nous demande pas d'être parfaits divinement, mais il nous demande simplement d'être parfaits humainement. Cette perfection dans notre humanité est tout à fait possible.

«Aimez vos ennemis, bénissez ceux qui vous maudissent»

Abbé Joan COSTA i Bou

(Barcelona, Espagne)

Aujourd'hui l'Évangile nous exhorte à l'amour le plus parfait. Aimer c'est vouloir le bien de l'autre et notre épanouissement personnel est fondé sur cela. Nous n'aimons pas pour notre propre bien-être, mais pour le bien de la personne aimée, et ce faisant, nous grandissons comme personnes. L'être humaine, affirma le Concile Vatican II, «ne peut pleinement se trouver que par le don désintéressé de lui-même». Sainte Thérèse de l'Enfant Jésus se référait à cela quand elle demandait de faire de notre vie un holocauste. L'amour est la vocation de l'homme. Tout notre comportement, pour être véritablement humain, doit manifester la réalité de notre être, en réalisant sa vocation à l'amour. Comme saint Jean Paul II l'a écrit, «l'homme ne peut vivre sans amour et vu qu'il demeure pour lui-même un être incompréhensible, sa vie est vide de sens s'il ne reçoit pas la révélation de l'amour, s'il n'en fait pas l'expérience, s'il ne rencontre pas l'amour, s'il ne le fait pas sien, s'il n'y participe pas fortement».

L'amour a son fondement et sa plénitude dans l'amour de Dieu dans le Christ. La personne est invitée au dialogue avec Dieu. Nous existons par l'amour de Dieu qui nous a créé, et par l'amour de Dieu qui nous conserve, «et on peut dire seulement que l'homme ne vit pleinement selon la vérité que s'il reconnaît librement cet amour et s'abandonne à son Créateur» (Concile Vatican II): telle est la plus haute raison de sa dignité. L'amour humain, en conséquence, doit être baigné d'Amour Divine qui est sa seule source, où il trouve son modèle et qui le mène à sa plénitude. C'est pourquoi l'amour, quand il est vraiment humain, aime avec le coeur de Dieu et s'étend même ses ennemis. Autrement, on n'aime pas pour de bon. C'est pourquoi l'exigence du don sincère de soi-même est un précepte divine: «Vous donc, soyez parfaits comme votre Père céleste est parfait» (Mt 5,48).

Gospel text

(Mt 5:20-26): 

Jesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.

“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny”.

The Application

This demand of Jesus, though apparently looks little difficult for some of us to realise, particularly with people who wilfully hurt us and continue to hurt us, seems to be Jesus, as a possibility. This is the core of our own identity as Christians. Without this, we can’t identify ourselves with Jesus, who was able to forgive, even on the cross. He has initiated a new tradition and such a wonderful example can’t be ignored.

God, who is the Father of all men, would like all his children to live in peace and tranquillity. How can I say that I do not want to be reconciled with my brother or sister and yet I affirm that I love this God of love? Therefore, as a child of this merciful God, let us be just, just before men and also before this God who loves us.

Action of the day: Be good to everyone.
 

“Leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother”

Fr. Thomas LANE

(Emmitsburg, Maryland, United States)

Today, the Lord challenges us to convert as He speaks about what goes on in our hearts. The commandment says “You shall not kill” (Mt 5:21), but Jesus reminds us that there are other ways of killing life in others. We can kill life in others by harboring excessive anger towards them in our hearts or not treating them respectfully and calling them “Fool” (cf. Mt 5:22).

The Lord calls us to be people of integrity: “Leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother” (Mt 5:24), i.e. the faith we profess in our celebration of the Liturgy should flow over into our daily lives and affect how we live. So Jesus asks us to be reconciled with our enemies. A first step along the road to reconciliation is to pray for our enemies as Jesus requested. If we find this difficult it is good to remember and picture in our minds Jesus dying for those whom we dislike. If others have seriously hurt us let us pray for healing of painful memories and the grace to forgive. As you pray, ask the Lord to walk back in time with you to the time and place of the hurt and replace your hurt with his love so that you may be free to forgive.

As Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI wrote, “If we want to present ourselves to him, we must also take a step towards meeting one another. To do this we must learn the great lesson of forgiveness: we must not let the gnawing of resentment work in our soul, but must open our hearts to the magnanimity of listening to others, open our hearts to understanding them, eventually to accepting their apologies, to generously offering our own.”

Texte de l'Évangile

(Mt 5,20-26): 

«Je vous le dis en effet: Si votre justice ne surpasse pas celle des scribes et des pharisiens, vous n'entrerez pas dans le Royaume des cieux. Vous avez appris qu'il a été dit aux anciens: ‘Tu ne commettras pas de meurtre’, et si quelqu'un commet un meurtre, il en répondra au tribunal. Eh bien moi, je vous dis: Tout homme qui se met en colère contre son frère en répondra au tribunal. Si quelqu'un insulte son frère, il en répondra au grand conseil. Si quelqu'un maudit son frère, il sera passible de la géhenne de feu.

»Donc, lorsque tu vas présenter ton offrande sur l'autel, si, là, tu te souviens que ton frère a quelque chose contre toi, laisse ton offrande là, devant l'autel, va d'abord te réconcilier avec ton frère, et ensuite viens présenter ton offrande. Accorde-toi vite avec ton adversaire pendant que tu es en chemin avec lui, pour éviter que ton adversaire ne te livre au juge, le juge au garde, et qu'on ne te jette en prison. Amen, je te le dis: tu n'en sortiras pas avant d'avoir payé jusqu'au dernier sou».

The Application

Dieu, qui est le Père de tous les hommes, voudrait que tous ses enfants vivent dans la paix et la tranquillité. Comment puis-je dire que je ne veux pas me réconcilier avec mon frère ou ma sœur et pourtant j'affirme que j'aime ce Dieu d'amour ? Alors, en tant qu'enfant de ce Dieu miséricordieux, soyons justes, justes devant les hommes et aussi devant ce Dieu qui nous aime.

«Laisse ton offrande là, devant l'autel, va d'abord te réconcilier avec ton frère»

Abbé Thomas LANE

(Emmitsburg, Maryland, Etats-Unis)

Aujourd'hui, le Seigneur, qui parle de ce qui se passe dans nos cœurs, nous incite à la conversion. Le commandement dit «Tu ne commettras pas de meurtre» (Mt 5,21); mais Jésus nous rappelle qu'il y a plusieurs façons de tuer les autres. Nous pouvons détruire la vie des autres si nous nourrissons une colère excessive dans nos cœurs envers eux ou si nous les insultons (cf. Mt 5,22).

Le Seigneur nous appelle à être des gens intègres: «Laisse ton offrande là, devant l'autel, va d'abord te réconcilier avec ton frère» (Mt 5,24). La foi que nous pratiquons dans la célébration de la Liturgie devrait s'écouler dans nos vies quotidiennes et affecter notre façon de vivre. C'est pourquoi Jésus nous demande de nous réconcilier avec nos ennemis. Un premier pas sur ce chemin de réconciliation est de prier pour nos ennemis comme Jésus nous l'a demandé. Et si nous trouvons cela difficile il serait bon d'évoquer en nous l'image de Jésus mourant pour tous ceux qui nous sont antipathiques. Si nous avons été sérieusement blessés par d'autres prions le Seigneur de cicatriser ces souvenirs douloureux et d'obtenir la grâce de pouvoir pardonner. Et, lorsque nous prions, demandons au Seigneur de revenir avec nous au temps et au lieu de l'offense et d'y mettre son amour, pour que nous puissions être libres de pardonner.

Comme le Pape Benoît XVI a écrit: «Nous ne pouvons pas communiquer avec le Seigneur, si nous ne communiquons pas entre nous. Si nous voulons nous présenter à Lui, nous devons également nous mettre en mouvement pour aller les uns à la rencontre des autres. C'est pourquoi il faut apprendre la grande leçon du pardon: ne pas laisser notre âme être rongée par le ressentiment, mais ouvrir notre coeur à la magnanimité de l'écoute de l'autre, ouvrir notre coeur à la compréhension à son égard, à l'éventuelle acceptation de ses excuses, au don généreux des nôtres».

Gospel text

(Mt 7:7-12): 

Jesus said to his disciples; “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asks for a loaf of bread, or a snake when he asks for a fish? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him. “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets.”

The Application

If Jesus asks us to pray or ask his Father, it is not because our request or prayer is right or according to the divine will. He tells us that our Father is full of goodness and generosity. Since He is full of love and mercy, we can trust Him. So, Jesus invites us to discover the divine goodness and to recognise it. Only if we discover this divine genrosity, we could make this sincere prayer of Esther and experience the divine support.

The second point I would like to share with you is do we really recognise our need and the necessities of life? It is not fair to ask the president of a country for a sweet. We need to ask God for something worthy of Him. What are those things that we discern as worthy of God and that we can ask Him for? I personally ask God Himself for me. If God is there with me, who will sand against me!

Action of the day: Be wise in your demands.

“For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds”

Fr. Joaquim MESEGUER García

(Rubí, Barcelona, Spain)

Today, Jesus reminds us of the need and power of prayer. We cannot understand our Christian life without being related to God, and in this relation, prayer takes a central place. While we live in this world, we Christians find ourselves on a pilgrimage road, but our prayer gets us closer to God, opens up the door of his immense love and brings forward the Heaven delights. This is why, our Christian life is a constant request and search: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Mt 7:7), says Jesus to his disciples.

At the same time, the prayer gradually turns a stone heart into a flesh heart: “If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him” (Mt 7:11). The best summary we can ask God can be found in Our Lord's Prayer: “Your kingdom come and your will be done, on earth as in heaven” (cf. Mt 6:10). We, therefore, cannot ask just anything in our prayers, but something, which is really for our own good. If nobody wants to hurt himself, we should not want any damage for others, either.

We, sometimes, fail to see God's concern for us, for we find our prayers seemingly unanswered or may even feel God does not love us. In such moments, it will do us good to remember this advice from Saint Jerome: “It is certain God gives to he who asks, that he who seeks finds, and that he who knocks will be opened: It is clearly seen that he who has not received, who has not found, who has not been opened, is just because he did not know how to ask, how to seek nor how to knock at the door.” Let us, therefore, ask God, in the first place, to give us a loving heart just like that of Jesus Christ.