Meditation

Today, in the Gospel, we can appreciate what a normal day in the three years of Jesus' public life should have been. St. Luke explains it in a few words: “Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God” (Lk 8, 1). This is what we contemplate in the third Mystery of Light of the Holy Rosary.
 

Today, Simon the Pharisee invites Jesus to dine with the purpose of drawing people’s attention. It was an act of arrogance, but his behavior when he met Jesus, did not even correspond to the most elementary good manners.
 

Today, Jesus confirms the hardness of heart of the people of his time, at least, as far as the Pharisees are concerned, so self-assured that nobody can convert them. They do not alter their mind not even before John the Baptist, who “came neither eating food nor drinking wine” (Lk 7, 33), and accuse him of having an evil spirit;...
 

Today, two groups of people cross each other's path… One group escorting death; the other one escorting life. A poor widow, followed by her relatives and friends, is carrying out her only son to the cemetery while, suddenly, she sees a lot of people following Jesus. The two groups of people get together and they come to a halt, while Jesus tells the mother who was going to lay her son to rest: “Do not weep” (Lk 7, 13). 
 

Today, we are faced with an interesting question. Why did the captain in the Gospel not personally approach Jesus but rather, sent messengers ahead with the request to heal his servant? The captain answers this question for us in the Gospel passage. "You see I didn't approach you myself. Just give the order and my servant will be healed" (Lk 7, 7).
 

Today we encounter situations similar to those described in this Gospel passage. If God were to ask us right now, "Who do people say that I am?" (Mark 8, 27), we would have to report all kinds of responses, some even quite strange. A quick look at what is being aired in various media would give us a clear picture. Yet… more than twenty centuries of ‘Church time’ have passed...
 

Today, the Gospel is a prophecy, that is, a glance into the mirror of reality that plunges us into its truth, far beyond what our own senses tell us: the Cross, the Holy Cross of Jesus Christ is the Savior's Throne. That is why Jesus asserts, “So must the Son of Man be lifted up” (Jn 3, 14).
 

Today, the words of the Gospel make us think about how important examples are along with providing an exemplary life for others. Yes, indeed, we have a saying that goes “‘Friar example’ is the best preacher”, and another one saying “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Let us not forget that we, Christians, are —with no exception!— guides, as our Baptism confers on us a participation in Christ's priesthood...

Today, the Gospel of the Lord is asking us twice to love our enemies. And, immediately afterwards, it gives three positive instances of this commandment: do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who offend you. It is a commandment that looks difficult to abide by: how can we love those who do not love us? What is more, how can we love those we know for sure hate us?
 

Today, Jesus points out where true happiness lies in our lives. In Luke's version, beatitudes are accompanied by painful wails for those who do not accept the message of salvation, but prefer to stick to a self-sufficient and selfish life. With the beatitudes and wails, Jesus applies the doctrine of the two paths: the path of life and the path of death...
 

Today, I would like to center our thoughts on the first words of this Gospel: “Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God” (Lk 6, 12). Introductions as this one may go unnoticed in our daily reading of the Gospel, while —in fact— they are of the maximum importance. Today, Jesus, specifically and clearly tells us that the election of the twelve disciples —central decision for our Church's future life...

Today, Jesus provides us with an example of the freedom, which we speak so much about. But, contrary to what most claim or consider as “freedom”, Jesus' freedom, is totally associated with and adhered to the Father's actions. He will say: “Amen, amen, I say to you, a son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees his father doing; for what he does, his son will do also” (Jn 5, 19). And the Father only does and acts out of love.
 

Today, the liturgy takes us to contemplate the healing of a “deaf man who had a speech impediment” (Mk 7, 32). As in other cases (the Bethsaida and Jerusalem blind men, etc.), the Lord surrounds the miracle with a series of outward motions. In such miracles, the Fathers of the Church see the overemphasized harmonic involvement of the Humanity of Christ...
 

Today, responding to the Pharisees' accusation, Jesus explains the correct meaning of the Sabbath, while quoting an example from the Old Testament (cf. Deut 23, 26): “Have you not read what David did (...)? He went into the house of God, took the bread of offering, which only the priests could lawfully eat, ate of it, and shared it with his companions” (Lk 6,3-4).
 

Today, while pondering over the Gospel, we can detect the trap prepared by the Pharisees and masters of the Law, when they twist an important question: they simply oppose how the fasting and praying of the Pharisees and John’s disciples compares to the eating and drinking of Jesus' disciples.
 

Today, we are still surprised at how those fishermen were capable of leaving everything behind, their job, their families, to follow Jesus (“They left everything and followed him” Lk 5, 11), precisely when He manifested Himself before them as an exceptional collaborator for the business from which they made their living. If Jesus of Nazareth would make the same proposal to us, in our 21st century...,

Today, we are facing a great contrast: people out in search of Jesus and Him healing all kinds of “sickness” (starting with Simon's mother-in-law); at the same time, “demons also came out from many, shouting” (Lk 4, 41). That is: on one side, goodness and peace; on the other side, evil and despair.
 

Today, we can see how His teaching activity was Jesus' central mission of His public life. Jesus' preaching, however, was very different from others, and this surprised and amazed people. Despite the fact Jesus had not studied (cf. Jn 7, 15), He, certainly, befuddled the Jews with his teachings, “because he spoke with authority” (Lk 4, 32). His style of speech had the authority of he who knows He is the “Saint of God”.
 

Today, “this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing" (Lk 4, 21). With these words, Jesus comments at the synagogue of Nazareth a text from the prophet Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me” (Lk 4, 18). These words have a meaning that goes beyond the specific historical moment when they were said...

Today, the Word of the Lord helps us to discern that over and above our human usages we have to place God's Commandments. In fact, as time goes by, it is easy for us to distort the evangelic advice and, willingly or not, replace the Commandments or engulf them in a punctilious meticulousness: “And on coming from the marketplace they do not eat without purifying themselves...
 

Today, we contemplate the parable of the talents. Here, we can appreciate something like a change of style in Jesus' message: the announcement of the Kingdom is no longer limited to point out its nearness but to the description of its contents through stories: it is the time of the parables!
 

Today, Friday, 21st week in ordinary time, the Lord, in the Gospel, reminds us of the convenience of staying always awake and ready to meet him. Whether at midnight, or at any other moment, a cry can ring out at our door to invite us to come out and meet our Lord. Death never makes appointments. In fact, “you know neither the day nor the hour” (Mt 25, 13).
 

Today, we remember the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist, the Messiah's Precursor. All his life moves around Jesus, to the extent that without Him, the very existence and aim of the Messiah's Precursor would have had no significance whatsoever.
 

Today, as in previous days, and in others to follow, we contemplate Jesus, beside himself, condemning those attitudes incompatible with a dignified and decent life, not only Christian but also human: “on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing” (Mt 23, 28). He confirms us that sincerity, honesty, loyalty, nobility, are virtues God loves and are, also, very much appreciated by us, humans.
 

Today we seem to catch Jesus in a foul mood —someone must have really gotten him upset; upset with false religiosity, pompous claims and egoistic piety. He has sensed the lack of love, i.e., “judgment and mercy and fidelity” (Mt 23, 23), behind the superficial actions of trying to fulfill the Law. Jesus embodies all these in his person and ministry. He was justice, mercy and faith...
 

Today, once again, the Gospel shows how the goodness of God, who watches over our happiness, is poured out. It tells us clearly what the sources are: truth, goodness, righteousness, justice, love... and all the virtues. It also warns us not to fall into the traps - excesses, lusts, deceptions, in a word, sins - that would prevent us from attaining such happiness.
 

Today the Gospel places us in Capernaum, where Jesus is followed by many after witnessing his miracles, especially the spectacular multiplication of the loaves. Socially, Jesus runs the risk of dying of success there, as is often said; they even want to name him king. This is a key moment in the catechesis of Jesus. It is the moment in which he begins to clearly explain the supernatural dimension of his message...
 

Today, we celebrate the Feast of Saint Bartholomew, apostle. Evangelist John so vividly narrates his first encounter with the Lord, that it is easy for us to visualize the scene. It is a dialogue between young, direct, frank... divine hearts!
 

Today, a teacher of the law asks Jesus “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” (Mt 22, 36), the most important one is the first commandment. The answer, however, speaks of a first commandment and of a second commandment. Two inseparable rings, which are the very same thing. Inseparable, but a first one and a second one, a golden one and a silver one.
 

Today, Jesus’ parable speaks of the banquet of the Kingdom, a recurrent example in his preaching. Specifically, this story has to do with that wedding feast that will be celebrated at the end of time, when the union of Jesus with his Church will be eternal. She is Christ's spouse, who walks in our world, and will finally espouse her Beloved forever and ever.