Warning:
those among LIUC students who wish to prepare for the S. Confirmation will come to me by early December.
Reading of the Gospel according to Matthew 11, 2-15
at that time. John, who was in prison, having heard about the works of Christ, through he sent his disciples to tell him, "Are you he that should come or look we for another?". Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor and proclaim the Gospel. And blessed is he who does not find me a source of scandal. " While they were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the multitudes concerning John: "What did you go to see in the desert? A reed shaken by the wind? So, what did you go see? A man dressed in clothes of luxury? Here, those who wear luxury clothing are in kings' palaces! Well, what did you go see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, in fact, more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written: "Behold, before thee I send my messenger before you, he will prepare your way." Verily I say unto you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist, but the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force. All the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And, if you want to understand, he is Elijah who was to come. Those who have ears, listen. "
Comment
John is a bit 'in crisis has been arrested and while in prison, his dark thoughts come to mind. And then there's Jesus that delays in bringing the purifying fire, as John had predicted.
Jesus said to him showing signs of the kingdom of God real signs, but mild, effective signs, but not sensational. The biggest will be the king of this kingdom, Jesus will have to cross the throne. And that John could not even conceive.
But the question of John gives the opportunity to really talk about Jesus to him
This is a true canonization in the field.
John is not a reed shaken by the wind.
Let us remember what is our word.
Think of how hard we try the truth.
Think of how hard we defend the truth and values \u200b\u200bin which we say we believe.
pale.
Then Jesus says that John is not as luxurious dress.
Think of what the facilities weaken our purposes
Think about the compromises that have to do.
Let us remember what we are selfless in our service to others.
flushed.
Finally, Jesus says he is a prophet.
Announcesnot a word to which it obeys with his whole being.
Think of our weak or no listening to the Word of God
Think about the unwillingness of our commitment to proclaim Christ.
We think we prefer to stay in our suite (once called the broth!), Rather than bear witness to the faith.
pray for the gift to look like the Baptist
Deepening We dedicate this week to Cardinal John Henry Newman, an extraordinary personality recently beatified by Pope
seems to be far from Giovanni Battista, reality of the times was a Baptist modern.
I am attaching the speech made by Pope Benedict XVI during a prayer vigil that preceded the betatificazione.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
this is an evening of joy, of immense spiritual joy for us all. We are gathered here in this prayer vigil to prepare for tomorrow's Mass, during which a great son of this nation, Cardinal John Henry Newman, will be declared Blessed. How many people in Britain and around the world have been waiting for this moment! For me personally it is a great joy to share this experience with you. As you know, Newman has had a long time an important influence in my life and my thoughts, as it was for many people across these islands. The drama of the life of Newman invites us to examine our lives, to see them in the context of the vast horizon of God's plan, and to grow in communion with the Church of every time and everywhere: the Church of the Apostles, the Church of the Martyrs The Church of the saints, the Church which he loved and whose mission Newman devoted his entire life.
thank Archbishop Peter Smith for his kind words of welcome in your name, and are particularly pleased to see many young people present at this vigil. This evening, in the context of common prayer, I would like to reflect with you on some aspects of the life of Newman, which I consider important for our lives as believers and for the life of the Church today.
Let me begin by pointing out that Newman, in his own account, he retraced the path of his entire life in the light of a powerful conversion experience, which occurred when he was young. It was an immediate experience of the truth of the Word of God, of the objective reality of the Christian revelation which had been transmitted in the Church. This experience, both religious and intellectual, he inspired his vocation to become a minister of the Gospel, his discernment of the source of authoritative teaching in the Church of God and his zeal for the renewal of ecclesial life in fidelity to the apostolic tradition. At the end of life, Newman would have described his work as a fight against the growing tendency to treat religion as a purely private and subjective, a matter of personal opinion. Here is the first lesson we can learn from his life today, when an intellectual and moral relativism threatens to sap the very foundations of our society, Newman reminds us that, as men and women created in the image and likeness of God, we were created to know the truth, to find it in our ultimate freedom and the fulfillment of the deepest human aspirations. In a word, we were meant to know Christ, who is himself "the way, the truth and the life "(Jn 14.6). The existence of
Newman also teaches us that the passion for truth, intellectual honesty and genuine conversion fee for a great price to pay. The truth that makes us free can not be held for ourselves, requires the testimony, it needs to be heard, and at the bottom of its power to persuade is by itself and not by human eloquence or arguments which may be situated in . Not far from here, at Tyburn, a large number of our brothers and sisters died for the faith, the testimony of their loyalty to the end was far more powerful than the inspired words that many of them said the first leave it to the Lord. In our time, the price of fidelity to the Gospel is not so much to be hanged, drowned and quartered, but often involves being pointed out as irrelevant, ridiculed or made the sign of parody. Yet the Church can not be exempt from the duty to proclaim Christ and his Gospel as the saving truth, the source of our ultimate happiness as individuals and as a basis for a just and humane society.
Finally, Newman tells us that if we accepted the truth of Christ and we have committed our lives to him, there can be no separation between what we believe and how we live our lives. Our every thought, word and action must be directed to the glory of God and the spread of his Kingdom. Newman understood this and was the great champion of the laity's prophetic Christian. He saw clearly that we should not accept the truth so much as a purely intellectual, but rather receive it through a spiritual dynamic that penetrates down to the deepest fibers of our being. The truth is not transmitted simply through formal training, although that is important, but also through the witness of lives lived fully, faithfully and holiness of those who live in the truth and recognize instinctively what is false, because false is enemy of beauty and goodness that complements the splendor of truth, Veritatis Splendor .
The first reading this evening was the beautiful prayer with which St. Paul calls us to be given to know "the love of Christ which surpasses all understanding" (cf. Eph 3.14 to 21). The Apostle prays that Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith (cf. Eph 3.17), and because we come to "comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth" of love. Through faith we come to see the word of God as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (cf. Ps 119, 105). How many saints who preceded him on the path of Christian discipleship, Newman taught that the "kindly light" of faith leads us to realize the truth about ourselves, our dignity as children of God, and sublime destiny which awaits us in heaven . By allowing this light of faith shine in our hearts and abandoning its union with the Lord through daily prayer and participation in the sacraments of the Church, the giver of life, we become light for those around us, we exercise our "office prophetic, often without knowing it, we draw people closer to God and his truth. Without the life of prayer, without the inner transformation that happens through the grace of the sacraments, we can not - in the words of Newman - "radiate Christ" become just another "tinkling cymbal" (1 Cor 13.1) in a world already filled with growing noise and confusion, full of false paths that lead only to deep pain of heart and illusion.
One of the most popular meditations of Cardinal contains these words: "God created me to offer him a specific service. Has given me some work that he has not committed to another "( Meditations on Christian Doctrine ). We see here the precise realism Christian Newman, the point at which faith and life inevitably intersect. Faith is destined to bear fruit in the transformation of our world through the power of the Holy Spirit working in their life and work of believers. No one who looks realistically at our world today can think that Christians can continue to do things every day, ignoring the profound crisis of faith that is coming up in society, or simply trusting that the heritage of values \u200b\u200bpassed down through the centuries Christians can continue to inspire and shape the future of our society. We know that in times of crisis and rebellion God has raised great saints and prophets for the renewal of the Church and Christian society and we trust in His providence and pray for his continued leadership. But each of us, according to his state of life, is called to work to spread the Kingdom of God imbuing life time values \u200b\u200bof the Gospel. Each of us has a mission, everyone is called to change the world, to work towards a culture of life, a culture forged by the love and respect for the dignity of every human person. As the Lord teaches us in the Gospel just heard, our light must shine before all so that, seeing our good works can give glory to our heavenly Father (cf. Mt 5.16).
Here I wish to say a special word to many young people present. Dear young friends: Jesus alone known as "specific service" has in mind for you. Be open to his voice that resonates deep within your heart, even now his heart speaks to your heart. Christ needs of families who remind the world of human dignity and the beauty of family life. He needs men and women who devote their lives to the noble task of education, taking care of the young and educated to the ways of the Gospel. Needs of those who consecrate their lives to the pursuit of perfect charity, following in chastity, poverty and obedience, and serving Him in the least of our brothers and sisters. He needs the love of the powerful religious contemplatives who hold the testimony and the activity of the Church through their constant prayer. And he need priests, holy priests and good men willing to lose his life for his flock. Ask God what he has in mind for you! Ask the generosity to say yes! Do not be afraid to give yourselves totally to Jesus will give you the grace necessary to fulfill your vocation. Let me conclude these few words and invite you to join me next year in Madrid for the World Youth Day. This is always a wonderful opportunity to grow in love for Christ and be encouraged in your joyful life of faith with thousands of other young people. I hope to see many of you there!
And now, dear friends, we continue this vigil of prayer to prepare to meet Christ present among us in the Blessed Sacrament. Together, in the silence of our common worship, we open minds and hearts to his presence, his love, the persuasive power of its truth. In a special way, thank him for the continuing witness to the truth, offered by Cardinal John Henry Newman. Confident in his prayers, asking God to enlighten our feet and those of British society, with the gentle light of his truth, his love, his peace. Amen.
Roman Rite
FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Gospel: Mt 24.37-44
At that time, Jesus told his disciples:
"How were the days of Noah, so shall also the coming of the Son of man. For as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and took her husband until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not know until the flood came and swept all: so shall also the coming of Son of Man. Then two men in the field: one will be taken away and the other left. Two women grinding at the mill: one will be taken away and the other left.
Watch therefore, for do not know on what day your Lord is coming. Understand this: if the householder had known at what hour of the night the thief, have watched and would not have let his house be broken. Therefore you also be ready for, hour you do not, is the Son of Man. "
is that God comes when you least expect it.
Maybe you are looking for a lifetime, or you think you're looking for, or you think you have found it and then rest on our laurels and in the meantime, life will pass him.
Or just do not think, as you are overwhelmed by things to do, from mortgage to pay, in this desperately floating ragged decline of civilization in which we live. Is that
God is clear and mysterious, hidden and accessible, and have not yet.
And our lives are over, with his desires and his disappointments, his findings and his pauses, his fears and his irony, his enthusiasm and his failures. Come and find it hard to hold it in one place, anywhere, around which everything else to run. Is that all gufano
around, but now and then. And also want to be optimistic and always see the glass half full there is to live in perpetual anxiety: political instability is through the roof, perhaps Europe fails after all the good dreams of unity, some of you (I !) find themselves without a job, all around, they seem to rabid dogs that snap when they graze.
short, for all these reasons we really need to stop, at least a few minutes to look at where we're going to find a thread to hang, like the clothes, all our events.
Today begins the coming at last.
public confession that we are four weeks preparing for Christmas, an ark is salvation given to us to carve out a space of awareness. A month to prepare a crib for God, was also in a stable. We are not here to pretend that Jesus was born then it is already born in history, will return in glory. But now asks to be born in me.
I want to prepare myself, I need to figure out how I can find God became accessible, without face, now meet them. I want to be able to see this God delivered, given up, blatant, hidden in the eyes and faces of many babies. Few
four weeks, I know. But I want to try again. Why do we celebrate one hundred
birth without ever once God is born in our hearts.
As Bonhoeffer says beautifully: "No one owns God so that you do not need to wait. Yet she can not wait for God who did not know that God has already waited a long time him. "
one taken, one left
started reading Matthew, now. The tax became a disciple, one who has done well the accounts in his pocket, he accompanies us and encourages us sull'impervia road conversion.
The Gospel passage is difficult and confusing and could be read in a grotesque.
Jesus, as usual, is extraordinary cites symbolic events of Noah, says that around him there was a lot of good people who were swept away by the flood without even realizing it. So he invites us to watch, stay awake, just as Paul writes to the Romans.
And he warns that one is taken, the other left.
one encounters God, the other not.
One is filled, the other does not find.
God is fair, modest, almost shy, does not require his presence, as the evening breeze is his coming. We are asked to throw open your heart, open your eyes, the desire to let emerge.
How? I do not know, friends. I try to carve out a space to do daily to pray, to meditate on the Word. Some of you can take a Sunday afternoon for a couple of hours of silence and prayer, others make a little detour to go to work to get into a church. If living in there, help the Christian symbols of Christmas: to prepare a crib, decorate a tree, to participate in the novena. Let's do something, a little thing, to ask if Christ is born in us, not to be overwhelmed by the deluge of words and things that everyone experiences.
But, to aggravate our situation, we must not only fight against forgetting. It also touches
fight the fake birth.
sale
do not understand why a wonderful feast, the feast celebrating the news dell'inaudito of God that breaks into the world, has been overwhelmed by the molasses doing good Christmas.
is a drama, Christmas is the story of a man of God present and absent.
There is nothing to celebrate, we have not done a very good figure, the first time.
Christmas is a punch in the stomach, a provocation, an event that forces you to take sides.
Christmas is the surrender of God that compels us to conversion.
Therefore: long live the gifts, the party alive. But it is true that we do, that this is the guest of honor, God, our calorie dinners, that children understand that it is his birthday, and we are the presents.
Svendesi
In these years I have seen with dismay that Christmas, true for the poor, for those who have suffered neglect, trauma, bereavement, has become a party odious and unsustainable.
face of the stereotypical images of happy family around the tree and harmony and songs of the angels who propinano media, who, however, lives fragile emotions and loneliness, he is overcome by an unbearable pain.
And that makes me crazy with anger.
The God of the poor, the God who comes to the shepherds, the marginalized of the time, the God who is not born in the Temple of Jerusalem, but in the cave of Bethlehem, is replaced by the God of our little hypocritical gooders. If only the grandparents, if the people abandoned the wounded from life if not a leap of hope on Christmas Eve, it means that our ad is ambiguous, swept away and replaced by a generic message of peace useless.
I exaggerate? God grant that this is so.
In four weeks we will celebrate Christmas.
not play then to pretend that Jesus was born, Jesus is already born, died and rose again, lives next to me.
The problem is, if anything, if I was born.
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