Meditation

Today, on the Second Sunday of Easter, we complete the octave of this liturgical season, one of the two octaves —together with Christmas— that remain in the liturgy renewed by the Vatican Council II. For eight days, we contemplate the same mystery and try to deepen our understanding of it in the light of the Holy Spirit.
 

Today, relying on the risen Jesus, we must rediscover the Gospel as the "Good News". The Gospel is not a law that tyrannizes us. Occasionally, we may have fallen into the temptation of thinking that non-Christians are more tranquil than us and do what they want, whereas we have to abide by a list of commandments. This is a merely superficial view of things.
 

Today, for the third time, Jesus reveals himself to his disciples after his rising. Peter has gone back to his old fisherman job and the others have decided to join him. It stands to reason that, if he was a fisherman before following Jesus, afterwards, he gets back to his old job; and there still are those who are surprised to see that it is not necessary to leave one's honest work to follow Christ.
 

Today, the risen Christ meets again his disciples with his desire of peace: “Peace be with you.” This is how He makes disappear the fears and forebodings the Apostles had accumulated during their days of Passion and loneliness.
 

Today we are reassured by the Gospel that Jesus is alive and continues to be the center around which the disciples' community is built. The gathering of the community, the dialog with brothers and sisters who share the same faith, the reading of the Word of God, the love shared and expressed through fraternity and service, is precisely the ecclesial context in which the disciples can encounter the Resurrected.
 

Today, in the figure of Mary Magdalene we may contemplate two levels of acceptance of our Savior: the first one, imperfect; complete, the second one. According to the first one, Mary appears as the most sincere of Jesus' disciples. She follows him, unmatched Master;...
 

Today, the joy of resurrection has made brave messengers out of those women that went to Christ's tomb. The angel's announcement of the Master's resurrection filled their hearts with “great joy.” And, immediately after, they “ran out”, to tell the news to the Apostles. 

The great sign the Gospel gives us today is that Jesus' tomb is empty. We have to look no more among the dead for He who is alive has risen. And his disciples also realize his tomb is empty. They will see him risen later on; experiencing him alive in a wonderful meeting in faith. 

Today, we do not consider any particular Gospel, inasmuch it is a day with no liturgy. But, with Mary, the only one who stayed firm in faith and hope after the tragic death of her Son, we shall prepare ourselves, in silence and in prayer, to celebrate the feast of our liberation in Christ, that is, the fulfillment of the Gospel.
 

Today we celebrate the first day of the Paschal Triduum. It is therefore the day of the Victorious Cross, where Jesus Christ left us the best of Him: the Virgin Mary as mother, the forgiveness —for his executioners too— and the total trust in God Father.
 

Today, we remember the first Holy Thursday of history, when Jesus Christ gathers his disciples to celebrate the Passover. He inaugurates the new Passover of the new Covenant when his sacrifice is offered for our salvation.
 

The word “deliver” (“paradidōmi” in Greek) is repeated six times and serves as a link between these three moments: (i) when Judas delivers Jesus; (ii) Passover, which is a figure of the sacrifice of the cross, where Jesus gives His life; and (iii) the Last Supper, in which the delivery of Jesus is manifested, which will be fulfilled on the Cross.
 

Today, Holy Tuesday, the liturgy emphasizes the scene about to be unleashed and that will end with the crucifixion on Good Friday. “So Judas took the morsel and left at once. And it was night” (Jn 13, 30). It is always night when we move away from He who is “Light from Light, true God from true God” (Symbol of Faith: Nicene Creed).
 

Judas' complaint has no utility whatsoever, and it only led him to treachery. Mary's act, on the other hand, led her to love her Lord even more and, as a consequence, to a greater love for all the “feet” of Christ in world today.
 

This King does not impose Himself, He offers Himself. His kingship is infused with a spirit of service. "He comes without pomp or ostentation. He will not dispute or raise his voice to make it heard in the streets. He will be meek and humble. 

The negative words of Caiaphas, "It is better for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed" (Jn 11, 50), Jesus would take positively in the redemption he worked for us. Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, dies on the cross for the love of all! He dies to fulfill the Father's plan, that is, "to gather into one the dispersed children of God" (Jn 11, 52).
 

Once more, our Lord's Cross emerges with all its strength as a true banner, as the one and only unquestionably reason: “O admirable virtue of the Holy Cross! O ineffable glory of the Father! We can see in it our Lord's Tribunal, the judgment of this World and the power of Christ Crucified. 

Today, Saint John places us before Jesus' revelation in the Temple. Our Savior reveals something unknown to the Jews: that Abraham looked forward and rejoiced when he saw Jesus' day. They all knew God had made a promise to Abraham, by assuring him of great promises of salvation for his seed. However, they were unaware of how far God's light could reach. 

Today, the Lord directs harsh words to the Jews. Not to some Jews, but precisely to those who embraced the faith: Jesus said “to those Jews who believed in him” (Jn 8, 31). This dialogue of Jesus reflects, without any doubt, the beginning of those difficulties caused by the Jewish Christians in the first hours of the Church.
 

Only the friendship of He, who is fully acquainted with the Cross, may provide us with the needed connaturality to get us into the Redemptor's heart. 

Today, it is said that the sense of sin is lost. There are many who do not know what is good or bad, nor why. It is like saying —in a positive way— that the sense of Love for God is lost: the sense of God's Love for us and the reciprocity this Love demands from us. He who loves does not offend.
 

We Christians are called to live, already in this world, this new supernatural life that allows us to get credit for our destiny: Always ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks us for a reason for our hope! (cf. 1Pet 3, 15). It is logical that in these days we try to follow Jesus Master closely. 

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

Today’s Gospel allows us to contemplate the confusion that arose over the identity and mission of Jesus Christ. As the people come face to face with Jesus, there are misunderstandings and presumptions about who He is, how He will or will not fulfill the Old Testament prophecies and what He will accomplish. Assumptions and judgments lead to frustration and anger. 

Jesus Christ reproaches those who listen to him three impediments they have, to accept him as the Son of God's Messiah: the lack of love of God; the lack of honest intentions —they only seek the human glory— and, their having their own interests at heart when interpreting the Scriptures.
 

Among the things our Lord tell us today, there are a few referring to all those that, through History, will believe in him: to hear and to believe Jesus, is having already eternal life (cf. Jn 5, 24). Certainly, it is not yet the definitive life, but we can begin sharing the promise. It is convenient for us to keep it well in mind, while we make an effort to listen to Jesus' word:...

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

Today, the Church invites us to contemplate the kind figure of the Holy Patriarch. Chosen by God and by Mary, Joseph lived like all of us between sorrows and joys. We must look at any of his actions with special interest. We will always learn from him. 
 

Today, in the Fourth Sunday of Lent —also called rose or “laetare” (rejoice) Sunday— the entire liturgy invites us to experience a deep joy, a great exultation, because Easter is getting nearer.
 

Nowadays we tend to see guilt feelings as close to a psychological aberration: ‘beating oneself up over something’. Nevertheless the ‘guilt-racked’ tax-collector leaves the Temple in the better state for, “the latter went home justified, not the former” (Lk 18, 14). “This feeling of guilt”, wrote Benedict XVI when he was still Cardinal Ratzinger ("Conscience and truth"),...