10th century Byzantine illustration of Luke the Evangelist

Lectio: 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time (C)

An essay on what Christmas tells us about God and man: Life to Full: The Gift of Christmas.

Here is a list of the feasts which will stimulate those reflections and prayers between now and my next Insights message:

• Dec. 24: Christmas Eve
• Dec. 25: Solemnity of Christmas
• Dec. 26: St. Stephen, the First Martyr
• Dec. 27: St. John, Apostle and Evangelist
• Dec. 28: The Holy Innocents, Martyrs
• Dec. 29: Thomas Becket, Bishop and Martyr
• Dec. 30: The Holy Family
• Dec. 31: Sylvester I, Pope
• Jan. 1: Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
• Jan. 2: St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, bishops and doctors
• Jan. 3: Most Holy Name of Jesus

Late last Friday, Phil Lawler surveyed the news around the world and wondered whether it was now Open season on Catholicism. To me, this provided even more evidence that Western culture cannot currently sustain the kind of politicswe as Christians would hope to see.

And so I have raised a question which I hope will prompt a searching discussion, despite potential disagreements. Have we been putting too much of our energies into politics, and not enough into deeper and ultimately more productive efforts to convert our neighbors and reshape our culture from below? See The End of Pro-Life Politics.

Tomorrow  Mark Thompson takes over as the new President and CEO of The New York Times. Thompson is a practicing Catholic who believes “that the truths of the Christian faith are objective truths, rather than being entirely subjective.”

The position is primarily focused on running the business aspects of the Times. Thompson turned the British Broadcasting Company into a global online media powerhouse, and the Times management feels that he could do the same here.

The New York Times Company announced on August 14th that Thompson would become its new President and CEO. Thompson left the position as director-general of the British Broadcasting Corporation on Friday, September 14th. Times Company’s chairman, Arthur Sulzberger Jr., told analysts last month that Mr. Thompson “possesses high ethical standards, and is the ideal person to lead our company.” However, questions about Thompson’s ethics arose in October.

Objective Truth

Jesus, the Scribes and the widow
The different way of accounting in the Kingdom of God
Mark 12: 38-44

1. Opening prayer

Lord Jesus, send your Spirit to help us to read the Scriptures with the same mind that you read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In the light of the Word, written in the Bible, you helped them to discover the presence of God in the disturbing events of your sentence and death. Thus, the cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for them the source of life and of resurrection.
Create in us silence so that we may listen to your voice in Creation and in the Scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the poor and suffering. May your word guide us so that we too, like the two disciples from Emmaus, may experience the force of your resurrection and witness to others that you are alive in our midst as source of fraternity, justice and peace. We ask this of you, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed to us the Father and sent us your Spirit. Amen.

2. Reading

a) A key to the reading:

The Gospel text of this Sunday presents us with two opposing but connected facts: on the one hand we have Jesus criticizing the Scribes who used religion to exploit poor widows, and, on the other hand, we have the example of the poor widow who gave to the Temple even what she had to live on. These facts are relevant even today!

b) A division of the text to help with the reading:

Mark 12:38-40: Jesus criticizes the exploitation of the Scribes
Mark 12:41-42: Jesus watches people who place their alms in the treasury of the Temple
Mark 12:43-44: Jesus reveals the value of the poor widow’s action

c) Text:

38 In his teaching he said, ‘Beware of the scribes who like to walk about in long robes, to be greeted respectfully in the market squares, 39 to take the front seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at banquets; 40 these are the men who devour the property of widows and for show offer long prayers. The more severe will be the sentence they receive.’
41 He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the treasury, and many of the rich put in a great deal. 42 A poor widow came and put in two small coins, the equivalent of a penny. 43 Then he called his disciples and said to them, ‘In truth I tell you, this poor widow has put more in than all who have contributed to the treasury; 44 for they have all put in money they could spare, but she in her poverty has put in everything she possessed, all she had to live on.’

3. A moment of prayerful silence

so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.

4. Some questions

to help us in our personal reflection.

a) What pleased or struck you most in this text? Why?
b) What does Jesus criticize and what does he praise in the doctors of the Law?
c) What social and religious imbalances of that period do we find in the text?
d) How is it that the two coins of the widow are of more value than the great amount put in by the rich? Look carefully at the text and see what follows: “Why does Jesus praise the poor widow?”
e) What message does this text convey to us today?

5. For those who wish to go deeper into the theme

a) Yesterday’s and today’s context:

● The context in Jesus’ time.
Mark’s text 12:38-44 recounts the last part of Jesus’ activities in Jerusalem (Mk 11:1 to 12:44). Those were very intense days, full of conflicts: the driving out of the sellers in the Temple (Mk 11:12-26), and many discussions with the authorities: (Mk 11:27 to 12:12), with the Pharisees, with the Herodians and the Sadducees (Mk 12:13-27) and with the doctors of the Law (Mk 12:28-37). This Sunday’s text (Mk 12:38-44) reports a final word of criticism by Jesus concerning the bad behaviour of the doctors of the Law (Mk 12:38-40) and a word of praise for the good behaviour of the widow. Almost at the end of his activities in Jerusalem, Jesus sits in front of the treasury where people were putting their alms for the Temple. Jesus draws the disciples’ attention to the action of a poor widow and teaches them the value of sharing (Mk 12:41-44).

● The context in Mark’s time.
During the first forty years of the Church’s history, from the 30’s to the 70’s, the Christian communities, for the most part, were made up of poor people (1Cor 1:26). Later some rich people or those who had various problems joined them. The social tensions that existed in the Roman Empire, began to be felt also in the life of the communities. For instance, divisions came to the fore when the communities came together to celebrate the supper (1Cor 11:20-22), or when they met together (James 2:1-4). Thus, the teaching concerning the action of the widow was very real for them. It was like looking into a mirror, because Jesus compares the behaviour of the rich with that of the poor.

● Today’s context.
Jesus praises the poor widow because she could share more than the rich people did. Many poor today do the same. People say: The poor never allow another poor person to die of hunger. But sometimes even this is not true. Donna Cícera, a poor lady who went from the country to the periphery of a great city used to say: “In the country, I was very poor, but I always had something to share with another poor person who knocked on my door. Now that I am in the city, when I see a poor person who knocks on my door, I hide for shame because I have nothing to share!” Thus we see on the one hand rich people who have everything, and on the other poor people who have almost nothing to share, and yet share the little they have.

b) A commentary on the text:

Mark 12:38-40: Jesus criticizes the doctors of the Law.
Jesus draws his disciples’ attention to the hypocritical and exploiting behaviour of some doctors of the Law. “Doctors” or Scribes were those who taught people the Law of God. But they taught it only by word, because their lives witnessed to the opposite. They liked going about the squares wearing long tunics, accepting the greetings of people, taking first places in the synagogues and places of honour at banquets. In other words, they were people who wished to appear important. They used their knowledge and their profession as a means for climbing the social ladder and of enriching themselves, and not for serving. They liked to visit widows and recite long prayers in exchange for money! Jesus ends by saying: “The more severe will be the sentence they receive!”

Mark 12:41-42: The almsgiving of the widow.
Jesus and the disciples were seated in front of the treasury of the Temple and watched people placing their alms in the treasury. The poor gave a few cents, the rich put in bills of great value. The treasury became full. All gave something for the upkeep of the cult, to support the priests and for the maintenance of the Temple. Some of the money was used to help the poor, since in those days there was no social security. The poor depended on public charity. The most needy among the poor were the orphans and widows. They had nothing. They completely depended on the charity of others. But, even though they had nothing, they made an effort to share with others the little they had. Thus, a very poor widow places her alms in the treasury, just a few cents!

Mark 12:43-44: Jesus shows us where to find God’s will.
What is of greater value: the few cents of the widow or the thousand coins of the rich? For the disciples, the thousand coins of the rich were far more useful to perform acts of charity than the widow’s few cents. They thought that peoples’ problems could be solved by means of a lot of money. On the occasion of the multiplication of the loaves, they said to Jesus: “Are we to go and spend two hundred denarii on bread for them to eat?” (Mk 6:37) Indeed, for those who think this way, the two cents of the widow are of no use. But Jesus says: “This poor widow has put more in than all who have contributed to the treasury”. Jesus has different criteria. In calling the attention of the disciples to the action of the widow, he teaches them and us where we must look for the manifestation of God’s will, that is, in sharing. If today we shared the goods that God has placed in the universe for the whole of humanity, there would be neither poverty nor hunger. There would be enough for all and there would be some left over for others.

c) Further information: Almsgiving, sharing, wealth

The practice of almsgiving was very important for the Jews. It was considered a “good work” (Mt 6:1-4), because the law of the Old Testament said: “There will never cease to be poor people in the country, and that is why I am giving you this command: Always be open handed with your brother, and with anyone in your country who is in need and poor” (Dt 15:11). Alms placed in the treasury, whether for the cult or for the maintenance of the Temple or for those in need, orphans and widows, were considered an act pleasing to God. Almsgiving was a way of sharing with others, a way of recognizing that all goods and gifts belong to God and that we are but administrators of these gifts, so that there may be an abundance in this life for all.

It was from the book of Exodus that the people of Israel learnt the importance of almsgiving, of sharing. The forty years’ journey in the desert was necessary to overcome the desire for accumulation that came from the Pharaoh of Egypt and that was well implanted in the minds of the people. It is easy to leave Pharaoh’s country. It is difficult to free oneself of Pharaoh’s mentality. The ideology of the great is false and deceiving. It was necessary to experience hunger in the desert so as to learn that what is necessary for life is for all. This is what the Manna teaches: “No one who had collected more had too much, no one who had collected less had too little” (Ex 16:18).

But the tendency to accumulate was there all the time and was very strong. And it constantly reappears in the human heart. It is precisely because of this tendency to accumulate that the great empires in the history of humanity were formed. The desire to possess and to accumulate is at the very heart of the ideology of these human empires or kingdoms. Jesus points to the conversion required to enter the Kingdom of God. He says to the rich young man: “Go and sell what you own and give the money to the poor” (Mk 10:21). This same requirement is echoed in the other Gospels: “Sell your possessions and give to those in need. Get yourselves purses that do not wear out, treasure that will not fail you, in heaven where no thief can reach it and no moth destroy it” (Lk 12:33-34; Mt 6:9-20). Then Jesus adds the reason for this demand: “For wherever your treasure is, that is where your heart will be too”.

The practice of sharing, of almsgiving and of solidarity is one of the marks of the Spirit of Jesus, given to us on Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13), and that he wishes to make present in the communities. The result of the outpouring of the Spirit is precisely this: “None of the members was ever in want, as all those who owned land or houses would sell them, and bring the money from the sale of them, to present it to the apostles” (Acts 4:34-35ª; 2:44-45). These alms received by the apostles were not accumulated but were rather “then distributed to any who might be in need” (Acts 4:35b; 2:45).

On the one hand, the coming of rich people into the communities made it possible to expand Christianity, because these offered better conditions to the missionary movement. However, on the other hand, the accumulation of goods blocked the movement of solidarity and of sharing inspired by the force of the Spirit of Pentecost. James wishes to help such people to understand that they had gone the wrong way: “Well now you rich! Lament, weep for the miseries that are coming to you. Your wealth is rotting, your clothes are all moth-eaten.” (Jm 5:1-3). We all need to become students of that poor widow who shared what she had to live on, so as to learn the way to the Kingdom (Mk 12:41-44).

6. Praying a Psalm 62 (61)

God is strength and love

In God alone there is rest for my soul,
from him comes my safety;
he alone is my rock, my safety,
my stronghold so that I stand unshaken.
How much longer will you set on a victim,
all together, intent on murder,
like a rampart already leaning over,
a wall already damaged?
Trickery is their only plan,
deception their only pleasure,
with lies on their lips they pronounce a blessing,
with a curse in their hearts.

Rest in God alone, my soul!
He is the source of my hope.
He alone is my rock,
my safety, my stronghold,
so that I stand unwavering.
In God is my safety and my glory,
the rock of my strength.
In God is my refuge;
trust in him, you people, at all times.
Pour out your hearts to him,
God is a refuge for us.

Ordinary people are a mere puff of wind,
important people a delusion;
set both on the scales together,
and they are lighter than a puff of wind.
Put no trust in extortion,
no empty hopes in robbery;
however much wealth may multiply,
do not set your heart on it.
Once God has spoken,
twice have I heard this:
Strength belongs to God,
to you, Lord, faithful love;
and you repay everyone as their deeds deserve.

7. Final Prayer

Lord Jesus, we thank for the word that has enabled us to understand better the will of the Father. May your Spirit enlighten our actions and grant us the strength to practice that which your Word has revealed to us. May we, like Mary, your mother, not only listen to but also practice the Word. You who live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

29th Sunday-Congregatio Pro Clericis 

Twenty Ninth Sunday In Ordinary Time – Year B

Citations of:

Is 53,10-11:                                              www.clerus.org/bibliaclerusonline/en/9apoutbu.htm          

He 4,14-16:                                            www.clerus.org/bibliaclerusonline/en/9avuuqd.htm     

Mc 10,35-45:                                           www.clerus.org/bibliaclerusonline/en/9bweoqj.htm    

In the homily at the inauguration of his Pontificate, the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, addressed the Church and the entire world, affirming that Christ “takes nothing away, and He gives you everything.”  He who can affirm, with Peter, the certainty that Christ takes nothing away and gives you everything has received an inestimable treasure, he has found that ‘precious pearl’ and that ‘hidden treasure’ that the Lord speaks of in the Gospel.  Daily, we implore the gift of grace, and when it comes, it is always welcomed as being ever new.  It is the same gift that moved the first disciples to leave their loved ones and their occupations to follow the Lord.  It is the same gift that the Apostles received and, of which, the pages of this Sunday’s Gospel narrate.  

Certainly, Christ does not take anything away from man but, rather, He gives everything.  However, He may deprive him of some of his worldly goods in order to give him the greatest good that is Himself, in Person.  In a certain sense He also does not ever deprive man of evil.  He who is the only Saviour, does not solve our difficulties by eliminating them or substituting them or artificially removing us from the sorrowful circumstances of our lives.  Certainly, Christ saves man from evil and from death by His Cross.  However, He saves us without sparing us that beneficial great ‘fatigue’ that comes from our liberty, that healthy fatigue which only death can remove.

The heart often seems heavy with this fatigue and it would long to be liberated from it, yet it quickly turns to the object of its desire with the same impatience that animated James and John in today’s Gospel, “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.”(Mk10:37)  With these words the sons of Zebedee seem to ask the Lord to accede to their ‘jump’ that automatically places them in the first place and would save them the burden of taking the journey.  It is almost as if this journey, with all its unpredictable circumstances, constitutes an objection to the goal and something that the Lord might, after all, save them from.

One might be tempted to share the indignation of the other disciples or to look  at James and John with a little pity, if we consider that the request was just a ‘youthful impulse’ or a remnant of what St Paul calls the “old man” from which they must despoil themselves.  In any case, even a hasty glance would clearly show that their ideas do not coincide with the Lord’s view.

In fact, the Lord does not reproach them for the request that they expressed but helps them to call it by its real name so that He could direct them upon the only right path to happiness.  With extreme delicacy  – the delicacy of He who knows and loves every fibre of our being – Christ calls this desire by name and the sons of Zebedee, and the other Apostles, were moved when He said: “whoever wishes to be great among you….” (Mk10:44)  In reality, James and John did not desire “greatness” and had acknowledged that if such greatness was possible for man, it could only be achieved next to that exceptional Person with whom they now shared their lives and their day.  If it was possible to be great, it could only be achieved at Christ’s side:  “Grant that in your glory
we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” 

The authentic desire for true greatness belongs to man in so much as it is part of each of us and so should not be censured or decreased under the guise of a misguided humility which could result.  Man is made to be great.  St Thomas teaches us that man is “Capex Dei” which means “capable of God” and therefore cannot be content with anything that is inferior to God Himself.

How can one face such a desire to be great, without hiding or reducing it?  Above all else by trusting it to Christ because it is He that had made our hearts in this way.  It will be Christ to respond, perhaps unexpectedly, but certainly in a true way helping us to face the circumstances that we would love to escape and which we, consider to be an obstacle in our lives.  In these same concrete circumstances, that Christ did not want to deprive us of, we can enjoy his continuous Presence because He became man in order to face our difficulties for us and with us because: “we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God,  who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin.” (Heb 4:15)

We cannot become “servants” of a moralistic contempt for greatness but only for the love of the One who is truly great, Jesus of Nazareth, Lord and Christ who calls us to share His entire life and Kingdom with Him.   Christ has drunk the bitter chalice of the Passion, and so it may also rest on our lips so that we can also take our place alongside Him.

May most Holy Mary, who all generations call Blessed, guide us on the authentic road of greatness.  Amen!

voting is an important moral responsibility. I try to outline how Catholics must exercise this responsibility in my latest In Depth Analysis: The Dangers of Voting Your Heart: An Intrinsically Moral Guide.

I’m also happy to report that Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois, made the same point in his recent teaching that repudiation of intrinsic moral evils must be the voter’s first priority: Bishop Paprocki: voting for candidate who supports intrinsic evils jeopardizes one’s salvation.

At the same time, Catholics must realize that in democratic societies, the fundamental moral problems of politics are always widespread spiritual and cultural problems before they are political. Thus they require spiritual and cultural solutions. So I raise another key question this week: How Much Does Politics Matter?

Lectio: 21st Sunday of ordinary time (B)

The disciples’ heart tested by the Word of the Lord.
The challenge: to keep faith in the Father and the Son
or to side with the evil one.
John 6: 60-69

1. Opening prayer

Russian icon of the Last Supper (1497)
Lord, your Word is sweet, it is like a honeycomb, it is not hard nor is it bitter. It may burn like fire, it may be like the hammer that breaks rock, it may be the sharp sword that pierces and separates the soul… but, Lord, your Word is sweet! Grant that I may listen to it that it may be gentle music, a song and an echo to my ears, my memory and my intellect. I offer my whole being to you and ask you to grant that I may listen faithfully, sincerely, strongly. Lord. grant that I may keep my ears and heart fixed on your lips, your voice, so that not one word may be in vain. Pour forth your Holy Spirit to be like living water watering my field so that it may bear fruit, thirty, sixty and a hundredfold. Lord, draw me, grant that I may come to you, because, you know… where shall I go, to whom on this earth if not to you?

2. Reading

a) Placing the passage in its proper context:

These are the concluding verses of the great chapter six of John’s Gospel, where the Evangelist presents his “Eucharistic theology”. This conclusion is the climax of the chapter, because the Word leads us deeper into and towards the centre of things; from the crowd at the start of the chapter, to the Jews who discuss with Jesus in the synagogue in Capernaum, to the disciples, to the twelve, even to Peter, the only one who stands for each one of us, alone, face to face with the Lord Jesus. Here we hear the reply to Jesus’ teaching, to the Word sown abundantly in the heart of his listeners. Here we verify whether the soil of the heart produces thorns and weeds or green shoots that produce ears and finally good corn in the ears.

b) An aid to the reading of the passage:

v. 60: Some disciples condemn the Word of the Lord and thus also Jesus himself who is the Word of God. God is not seen as a good Father who speaks to his children, but as a hard master (Mt 25: 24), with whom it is not possible to enter into dialogue.
vv. 61-65: Jesus unveils the incredulity and hardness of heart of his disciples and reveals his mysteries of salvation: his ascension into heaven, the gift of the Holy Spirit and our participation in the divine life. But these mysteries can only be understood and accepted by the wisdom of a docile heart, capable of listening, and not by means of physical intelligence.
v. 66: This verse reveals the first great betrayal by many disciples who have failed to understand the true teaching of Jesus. Instead of turning their gaze on the Master, they turn their backs on him and thus interrupt communion and no longer walk with him.
vv. 67-69: Jesus now addresses himself to the twelve, his most intimate friends, and places before them a final and absolute choice, whether to stay with him or go away. Peter answers on behalf of all and proclaims the faith of the Church in Jesus as Son of God and in his Word, which is the true source of life.

c) The text:

60 Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?”
61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at it, said to them, “Do you take offence at this? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of man ascending where he was before? 63 It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But there are some of you that do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the first who those were that did not believe, and who it was that would betray him. 65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
66 After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him.
67 Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

3. A moment of silent prayer

I have received the Gift, the grace, I have listened to the Word of the Lord, now I do not wish to murmur (v. 61), I do not wish to be scandalised (v. 61), nor do I wish to be confused by incredulity (v. 64). I do not wish to betray my Master (v. 64), I do not wish to withdraw and not walk with him any longer (v. 66)… I wish to remain with the Lord at all times! In the silence of my heart, I repeat endlessly to him: “Lord to whom shall I go if not to you??!”. Behold, Lord, I come…

4. A few questions

to open my heart and plough my interior soil with a plough capable of pulling up the roots of hardness and incredulity.

a) What kind of disciple am I? Am I really willing every day to learn at the school of Jesus, to receive his teaching, which is not the doctrine of human beings but the wisdom of the Holy Spirit?
b) “This is a hard saying, who can listen to it?” Is it really the Word of the Lord that is hard or is it my heart that wants only to close itself and no longer listen?
c) “Jesus knowing in himself…”. He knows my heart and knows what is in each person (Jn 1: 48; 2; 25; 4: 29; 10: 15). How do I react to his gaze, to his voice that calls my name, to his coming into my life, to his constant knocking (Ap 3: 20)? What choices do I make?
d) “It is the Spirit that gives life”. However, do I allow myself to be led like Mary (Lk 1: 38) and Simeon (Lk 2: 27), do I allow the Lord to take me where he wills, where he waits for me, or do I always want to decide for myself the direction of my life?
e) Do I answer Jesus’ personal invitation “Come to me! Come and follow me!” every day, every moment, in the most diverse situations of my life, in various circumstances, in the presence of others? To whom do I go? Where do I turn to? Whose footsteps am I following?

5. A key to the reading

I ask the Scriptures to be my guide, to enlighten each step, each movement, because I wish to go to Jesus. I ask the verbs he uses, the expressions he repeats, the silence of the unsaid words, to reveal to me the way… to find him and not someone else.

• The Word of the Lord and the love relationship with it

In this passage, John presents to me the Word of the Lord as meeting point, the holy place for an appointment with Him. I realise that this is the place of my decision, of ever deeper separations in my heart and in my conscience. I realise also that the Word is a Person, it is the Lord himself, present before me, given to me, open to me. The whole of the Bible, page after page, is an invitation, sweet yet at the same time strong, to meet the Word, to get to know the Promised one, the Bride who is really the Word that comes from the kiss of love, from the mouth of the Lord. The meeting accorded is not superficial, empty, nor is it fleeting or sporadic, but intense, full, constant, uninterrupted, because it is like the meeting between the bride and groom. Thus does the Lord love me and give himself to me. It is, therefore, important to listen carefully and lovingly so that not one word may be in vain (1 Sam 3: 19); it is important to listen with the heart, with the soul (Ps 94: 8; Bar 2: 31); it is important to obey in practice for a lifetime (Mt 7: 24-27; Ja 1: 22-25); it is important to make a true and final decision that will choose the Word of the Lord even to making it my sister (Pr 7: 1-4) or my bride to be taken into my home (Wis 8: 2).

• Murmuring is closing one’s heart

The theme of murmuring, of rebelling, shakes me up and creates a crisis in me; when I read the Bible, even when I just recall it, I realise that murmuring against the Lord and his actions in our lives is the most terrible and destructive thing that could possibly live in my heart, because it takes me away from Him, it separates me strongly and makes me blind, deaf and insensitive. It makes me say that He does not exist while all the time He is very near; that He hates me when He loves me with an eternal and faithful love (Dt 1: 27)! It is the greatest and most profound foolishness! In Exodus, Numbers and the Psalms, I come across a people of God that weeps, complains, gets angry, murmurs, closes itself, rebels, turns away (Es 16: 7ff; Num 14: 2; 17, 20ff; Ps 105: 25)); a hopeless, lifeless people. I understand that this kind of situation comes about when there is no longer dialogue with the Lord, when the contract with Him is broken, when, instead of listening to Him and asking questions of Him, there is only murmuring, a kind of continuous droning in the soul, in the mind, that makes me say: “Can God supply food in the dessert?” (Ps 77: 19). If I murmur against my Father, if I stop believing in his Love for me, in his tenderness, that He showers me with every good thing, I am lifeless, I am without nourishment for the every-day journey. Or if I get angry, if I become jealous because He is good and gives His love to all, without reserve, and I act like the Pharisees (Lk 15: 2; 19: 7), then I am entirely alone and besides no longer being His child I am no longer even brother or sister of anyone. In fact, there is a close relationship between murmuring against God and murmuring against brothers and sisters (Phil 2: 14; 1 Pt 4: 9). I learn all this when I follow the trail of this word…

• The Gift of the Son of man: the Holy Spirit

It seems that I see a road full of light, traced by the Lord Jesus and almost hidden in these verses that are so compact and overflowing in spiritual richness. The starting point lies in a true and deep listening to his Words and in welcoming them. From here we pass on to the purification of the heart, which from a heart of stone, hard and closed, becomes, through the tenderness of the Father, a heart of flesh, soft, a heart that He can hurt, mould, take into His hands and hold tight, as a gift. Yes, all this is accomplished by the Words of Jesus when they come to me and enter into me. It is only thus that I can continue on my journey, overcoming murmurings and scandal, until I am able to see Jesus with new eyes, eyes renewed by the Word, eyes that do not rest on superficial things, on the hardness of the rind, but eyes that learn, every day a little more, to go beyond and to look on high. “Then what if you were to see the Son of man ascending where he was before?” (v. 62). This is the welcoming of the Spirit, gift of the Risen One, gift of the One who ascended at the right hand of the Father, gift from on high, perfect gift (Ja 1: 17). He had said: “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to me” (Jn 12: 32) and He draws me with the Spirit, He makes me His own with the Spirit, He sends me in the Spirit (Jn 20: 21s), He strengthens me thanks to the Spirit (Acts 1: 8). If I take a long look at the pages of the Gospels, I can see how the Spirit of the Lord is the strength that dwells in each person, each reality, because He is the eternal love of the Father, the very life of God in us. I pay attention and dwell on the verbs and the expressions used, on the words that follow and enlighten each other, enriching each other. I feel that I am really immersed in living Waters that gush and gurgle, I feel that I receive a new baptism and I thank the Lord with my whole heart. “He will baptise you in the Holy Spirit and fire” (Mt 3: 11), so cries John and, as I read, this Word comes true in me, inside me, in my whole being. I feel the Spirit speaking in me (Mt 10: 20); who, with His power, drives away from me the spirit of evil (Mt 12: 28); who fills me, as He did Jesus (Lk 4:1), John the Baptist (Lk 1: 15), the Virgin Mary (Lk 1: 28. 35), Elisabeth (Lk 1: 41), Zachary (Lk 1: 67), Simeon (Lk 2: 26), the disciples (Acts 2: 4), Peter (Acts 4: 8) and so many others. I feel and meet the Spirit who teaches me what to say (Lk 12: 10); who really gives new birth to me so that I may never die (Jn 3: 5); who teaches me all things and reminds me of all that Jesus said (Jn 14: 26); who guides me towards truth (Jn 16: 13); who gives me strength to witness to the Lord Jesus (Acts 1: 8), to His love for me and for everyone.

• The struggle of faith: in the Father or in the evil one?

This passage of John’s Gospel challenges us to a great struggle, a hand-to-hand fight between the spirit and the flesh, between the wisdom of God and human reason, between Jesus and the world. I can see that Job was right when he said that human life on earth is a time of temptation and a struggle (Job 7: 1), because I too experience the evil one who tries to discourage me by creating doubts concerning the divine promises and urging me to turn away from Jesus. He would like to send me away, tries by every means to harden my heart, to close me, to break my faith, my love. I hear him roaming around like a roaring lion seeking whom to devour (1 Pt 5: 8), like a tempter, a creator of divisions, an accuser, like a scoffer mocking and repeating all the time: “Where is the promise of his coming?” (2 Pt 3: 3f). I know that it is only with the arms of faith that I can win (Eph 6: 10-20; 2 Cor 10: 3-5), only in the strength that comes to me from the Words of my Father; hence I choose them, love them, study them, scrutinise them, learn them by heart, repeat them and say: “Even if a whole army surrounds me, I will not be afraid; even if enemies attack me, I will still trust in God!” (Ps 26: 3).

• Profession of faith in Jesus, Son of God

The appearance of Simon Peter at the end of this passage is like a pearl set on a precious jewel, because it is he who proclaims truth, light and salvation through his profession of faith. I gather other passages from the Gospels, other professions of faith that help my incredulity, because I too wish to believe and then know, I too wish to believe and be firm (Is 7: 9): Mt 16: 16; Mk 8: 29; Lk 9: 20; Jn 11: 27).

6. A moment of silent prayer: Psalm 18

A hymn of praise to the Word of the Lord,
who gives wisdom and joy to the heart

The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes.

Ref. Lord, you have the words of eternal life!

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever;
the ordinances of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover by them is thy servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.

Ref. Lord, you have the words of eternal life!

But who can discern his errors?
Clear thou me from hidden faults.
Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord,
my rock and my redeemer.

Ref. Lord, you have the words of eternal life!

7. Closing prayer

Lord, thank you for your words that have re-awakened in me spirit and life; thank you because you speak and creation goes on, you overwhelm me, you still print your image in me, your unique likeness. Thank you because, lovingly and patiently, you wait for me even when I murmur, when I allow myself to be scandalised, when I fall into incredulity or when I turn my back to you. Forgive me, Lord, for all these faults and continue to heal me, to make me strong and happy in following you, you alone! Lord, you ascended to where you were before, but you are still with us and do not cease to draw each one of us to you. Draw me, Lord, and I shall run, because I have truly believed and known that you are the Holy One of God! But, please Lord, when I run to you, let me not run alone, let me be always open to the companionship of my brothers and sisters; and together with them I shall find you and shall be your disciple all the days of my life. Amen.