Revelation 2: 18-25

'Write to the angel of the church in Thyatira and say, "Here is the message of the Son of God who has eyes like a burning flame and feet like burnished bronze:

I know your activities, your love, your faith, your service and your perseverance, and I know how you are still making progress. Nevertheless, I have a complaint to make: you tolerate the woman Jezebel who claims to be a prophetess, and by her teaching she is luring my servants away to commit the adultery of eating food which has been sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent but she is not willing to repent of her adulterous life. Look, I am consigning her to a bed of pain, and all her partners in adultery to great hardship, unless they repent of their practices; and I will see that her children die, so that all the churches realise that it is I who test motives and thoughts and repay you as your deeds deserve.

But on the rest of you in Thyatira, all of you who have not accepted this teaching or learnt the deep secrets of Satan, as they are called, I am not laying any other burden; but hold on firmly to what you already have until I come.

CROSS

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the cross of Christ my God,
The vain delights that charm me most:
I sacrifice them to his blood.

--- from the Breviary ---

Kneel only in the presence of God. Worship only Him and be reverent because He is God and You are His child ...

Palm – Passion Sunday ...

Everything is upside down …

What a strange liturgy we have today. Almost as if the church cannot decide what to do! So, we just squeeze together everything from Jesus entering Jerusalem with the crowds shouting "Hosanna" through the crucified Christ being laid in a borrowed tomb.

Even the name for this Sunday is "Palm - slash - Passion Sunday." It's neither "Palm Sunday" nor "Passion Sunday." It's not "Palm and Passion Sunday." Its "Palm - slash - Passion Sunday," two different events jammed up against one another.

We begin Holy Week by focusing in on the Passion of the Lord, this year according to St. Matthew. On Thursday we will relate the Passion to Sacramental celebration of the gift of the Lord in the Eucharist, on Friday we will zero in on the suffering and death of the Lord, then on Easter we will celebrate the triumph of Eternal Life over Physical Death.

He suffered for us. And what does he ask in return? He asks that we love his Father. He asks that we believe in Him. He asks that we love each other. He asks that we fight for his Kingdom. He asks that live as moral, decent people. He asks little, this Tremendous Lover who has given so much.

The reading from the Gospel in this first part recalls the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem as King.  He gets a rapturous reception from the crowd who acclaim him with words we still use in the "Holy, holy, holy...": “Hosanna in the highest, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”.  This scene is important for, in a few days' time, the same triumphant Jesus will be reduced to a battered wreck of humanity, calling forth the words of Pilate: "Look, it is a human being!" (Ecce homo). The same crowd, who on Sunday was acclaiming Him king, will, on Friday, scream violently: “Crucify him!!!”

Hosanna and … crucify HIM!!! - The crying out of these words, we hear side by side in today's liturgy of the word. In fact, less than a week, precisely five days separates them. On Sunday Jesus is called by the crowds a King and on Friday - probably the same crowds - call for His death. Often it is the same in our lives; after days of glory will suddenly come, days of disaster and mortification, days of difficulty and fear.

Do not forget that, after Palm Sunday with its "Hosanna" comes Good Friday with the cry "Crucify Him".

This is our way of the cross; this is our way to salvation. Jesus didn't promise us a luxurious, easy and stress-free life. He said: "If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me."

We must not forget that the symbol of our religion is not the shamrock or horseshoe but the cross scandal for the Jews and stupidity for the pagans.

But we must not forget also that after Good Friday comes Sunday of the Resurrection, with its truth: "I am the Resurrection and the Life, who believes in me, even if he dies will live with me".

Entering the Holy Week of the Passion of Christ let us think about our participation and sharing in His Passion… because without our involvement … the whole Passion of Christ will be useless and ineffective.

Although efforts are now made to make the listening of the Passion less of an endurance test, there really is too much to be fully digested as we stand listening to one or three readers. Perhaps we should set aside a short period later in the day to go through the dramatic telling once more. Or perhaps, even better, we could focus on a particular passage which speaks to us more at this time.

And so we have:

- the last meal of Jesus with his disciples, a bitter-sweet experience for all,

- Jesus' struggle with fear (even terror) and loneliness in the garden, ending in a sense of peace and acceptance,

- Peter's denial of ever having known Jesus, the same Jesus with whom he had just eaten and who had invited him into the garden,

- the kiss of Judas, another disciple, sealing the fate of Jesus, and leading to bitter remorse and suicide,

- the rigged trial before the religious leaders and again before the contemptuous, cynical Pilate, the brief appearance before the superstitious and fearful Herod

This is followed by the implementation of the judgment:

- the torture, humiliation and degradation of Jesus,

- the way of Calvary - the weeping women, the reluctant Simon of Cyrene,

- the crowds, so supportive on Sunday, who now laugh and mock,

- the murderous gangster promised eternal happiness that very day,

- the last words of forgiveness and total surrender (emptying) to the Father. "Father, into your hands I surrender my spirit" - and in so surrendering it, he passed on that Spirit to us.

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From Gloria to Crucify Him

Jesus' life can be summarized in few very meaningful words:

First we have Gloria at His birth

Than we have "this is my beloved Son" at His baptism and transfiguration,

Next we have "Hosanna" in today's first Gospel

And "crucify Him" in today's second Gospel.

But we have not to forget that the last word summarizing His life the "ALLELUIA" on the Easter Sunday.

In our life we did have our Gloria, we did have our "this is my beloved child", we do certainly have our Hosanna and crucify him, but we cannot forget that the end of our life is Alleluia at the day of our resurrection.

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When Jesus dies on the Cross, a pagan, a Roman centurion makes the announcement: "Surely this is the Son of God." To understand who Jesus is, we have to stand under the Cross.  To recognize how much God loves us, we have to realize the extent of his suffering for us.  To realize that we are his followers, we have to join Him on the Cross. Love gives joy, but this joy can result in pain. Love means giving, but this gift can result in suffering as we say no to our own desires for the sake of the one whom we love. Love gives life. The Lord loves us so much that we receive His life.  As we begin this Holy Week we pray that we might have the courage to follow Christ in embracing our own crosses.  May we make real the cross of Christ in the world by giving ourselves to others in love, not sentimental and emotional but in real "love in the truth", as Pope Benedict XVI writes in his encyclical letter "Cartatis in Veritate".

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Climax of the Mission of Christ

This week sees the climax of the mission of Jesus Christ in which the deepest meaning of his life is unfolded and in which his teaching becomes incarnated in his own words and actions.

Today's celebration is divided into two distinct parts: the procession with palms and the Mass proper.

In the first part the prevailing atmosphere is one of joy and the vestments in today's liturgy are a triumphal red and not the violet which has prevailed during the other days of Lent.

The reading from the Gospel in this first part recalls the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem as King.  He gets a rapturous reception from the crowd who acclaim him with words we still use in the "Holy, holy, holy...": “Hosanna in the highest, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”.  This scene is important for, in a few days' time, the same triumphant Jesus will be reduced to a battered wreck of humanity, calling forth the words of Pilate: "Look, it is a human being!" (Ecce homo). The same crowd, who on Sunday was acclaiming Him king, will, on Friday, scream violently: “Crucify him!!!”

Although efforts are now made to make the listening of the Passion less of an endurance test, there really is too much to be fully digested as we stand listening to one or three readers. Perhaps we should set aside a short period later in the day to go through the dramatic narration once more.  Or perhaps, even better, we could focus on a particular passage which speaks to us more at this time.

And so we have:

- the last meal of Jesus with his disciples, a bitter-sweet experience for all,

- Jesus' struggle with fear (even terror) and loneliness in the garden, ending in a sense of peace and acceptance,

- Peter's denial of ever having known Jesus, the same Jesus with whom he had just eaten and who had invited him into the garden,

- the kiss of Judas, another disciple, sealing the fate of Jesus, and leading to bitter remorse and suicide,

- the rigged trial before the religious leaders and again before the contemptuous, cynical Pilate, the brief appearance before the superstitious and fearful Herod

This is followed by the implementation of the judgment:

- the torture, humiliation and degradation of Jesus,

- the way of Calvary - the weeping women, the reluctant Simon of Cyrene,

- the crowds, so supportive on Sunday, who now laugh and mock,

- the murderous gangster promised eternal happiness that very day,

- the last words of forgiveness and total surrender (emptying) to the Father. "Father, into your hands I surrender my spirit" - and in so surrendering it, he passed on that Spirit to us.

The drama is truly overpowering and needs really to be absorbed, one incident at a time.

It would be worth reflecting in which of these scenes I can see myself, with which characters I can identify as reacting in the way I probably would.

Through it all there is Jesus, the young 33 years old man (God-Man) who changed the history of the whole Universe. So, as we go through this day and this week, let us look very carefully at Jesus our Savior. We watch, not just to admire, but also to learn. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first human being to walk on the moon. The American President of that time said:  “This was the most important event of the whole history of humanity”. I don’t think so. I think that by entering into this Holy Week we are participating in the most important events of the whole history of humanity.

And we should learn … a lot.

IV Sunday of Lent - A

Light of the World

A strange blindness which grips contemporary societies, it's not a disease of eyes, but of the soul. The man then sees what he wants to see and the way he wants to see it. This disease distorts reality and causes the blind man to live in a world of delusion and mirages, ​​not in the real world. The effects of this type of disease are twofold – we not only don't notice our neighbor living next to us, but God also disappears from our sight. Even more, this fragmentary perception is often only a projection of our desires and expectations, and we don’t have a contact with the real objects of reality. This is why Christ offers us a healing, restoration of sight, so we can see the world as God created it and how God sees it (1 Samuel 16:7). Jesus would like to heal us, because our perspective is neither true nor profound, and the appearances are wrong. What we take for persistent and important; it's only transitory and secondary. God has different perspective and He sees otherwise. He selects what is weak and what is despised by man, that no one boast before Him (1 Corinthians 1:25-29). This divine optics, the perception of the world illuminated by the splendor of God's truth, seems sometimes to be unacceptable for us, and yet the light that Christ brings to the world, is the true light that enlightens every man (John 1:9 ), if only man does not want to stubbornly persist in darkness (John 8:12 , 12:35 ) he can be healed and see.

Maybe today, in our modern times, enlightened by so many apparent lights and glittering decorations, we need to see and not be seduced and dazzled by these false lights of the theatre, that go off after the spectacle is over? Maybe we should not search for increasingly sophisticated glasses and contact lenses, but look out for the supernatural light to recognize what in our lives really matters? (Ezekiel 12:2 )

Do not tell me that you see, when perhaps a long time ago you lost your sight of what is the most important in your life, when you see only what you want, and most often only the end of your nose.

Evolution Vs. God - How weak is the atheism ...

Satan and Women's Liberation

Man can never hope to outsmart a demon

II Sunday of Lent - A

1 reading: Gen 12,1-4

Resp Psalm: Psalm 33

2 Reading: 2 Timothy 1:8-10

Gospel: Mt 17,1-9

The Transfiguration on Mount Tabor

You can look and not see, you can listen and do not hear, you can hear and see, and yet be blind and deaf internally on what you see and hear. And this is probably the case of so many contemporary indifferent Christians. It was indeed also the case of the Apostles; Peter, John and James , who were deaf and blind, after witnessing extraordinary events, after seeing and hearing … They did not understand at the moment and did not understand for a long time after. "It's good, that we are here ... "- says Peter in awe. "Let's stay here, because we feel so good here." How many Christians today are looking in the faith just only for such and enthusiasm, feelings, emotions and elation? But when moments of trial of their faith come, when they need to pass the exam from the "daily morality", they quickly forget about the emotions and elation and are ready to run away, to leave, like Peter at the time of the passion and crucifixion.

You can look and not see, you can listen and do not hear, you can be blind and deaf internally ... and this is why we need to understand what God the Father wants to tell us in the words: "This is my Son, my chosen One, listen to Him." Christ has certainly something to say and it's definitely something deeper and more substantial than just superficial sensation and euphoria. He wants to talk us about love, but about "demanding" love and not about sentimental and emotional feelings, He desires to talk about forgiveness and salvation, but not about naïve and foolish "all inclusive", "nice" Gospel. He wants to be a friend and brother, but respectful of human freedom. He wants to tell us about heaven and lead us there, but not in a childish and syrupy way. He wants to lead us from the Mount Tabor – the Mount of Transfiguration to the Calvary. Because only that way leads to the Mount of Ascension, to salvation and eternal happiness. Am I ready for this? Peter was delighted at the Mount of Transfiguration, but absent on Calvary ... He had, however his Calvary, and he passed it also,  before he meet finally his Master ... The Mount of Transfiguration is just a phase, like Calvary is also only a stage and it is worth remembering in the moments of ecstasy, but also in times of trial and testing .

I Sunday of Lent - A

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Deut 26,4-10

Rom 10,8-13

Lk 4,1-13

Triple hunger

The time of Lent is not a period of mindless austerity, "sportive competitions in asceticism", a time of "sour faces" and period invented by the Church for "oppression of human joys and pleasures of life." Lent is rather a time of reflection on our daily lives, about the presence of evil in our everyday life, on the sources, causes and means of combat it. Therefore, already the first reading today -from the Book of Genesis- is trying to answer these questions. Moral evil is "each and every disobedience" to God, an expression of human pride and greed. The man, who received ALL from God, wanted more, he wanted to become God, and he wanted to decide about what is good and what is bad. And so it is today. The same is present in each of our sins: this is the pride, the lust and the greed.

In a similar manner, the Gospel is trying to show us what is evil and sin. In each of our sins is present this triple famine:

-           the famine of bread - hunger of the body, that is greed and lust,

-           the hunger for glory or pride

-           and the hunger for power – prideful decision what is good and what is bad.

And the answers of Christ are:   the three evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty and obedience.

During the Lent we don’t have mindlessly mortify ourselves. We don’t have hypocritically to sprinkle ashes ... we have to answer the question: "How it is in my life? Do I not chase too much wealth, comfort, easiness? Am I not looking just and only for my glory? Am I not only hunting and searching power and domination over others? Do I not like to set and determine all and everything in my way?"

And above all, it is a period during which we have to realize that only with the help of Christ we can overcome the evil present in our lives. Mortification and imposition of ashes on the head are only a means to ensure that such reflection leads to conversion, to change and justice. Otherwise, they are just meaningless gestures.

Can I make an effort to identify my mistakes? Is this diagnosis followed by my action and change?

Ash Wednesday

First reading:      Jl 2, 12-18; 
Psalm resp.:        Psalm 51 (50), 3-4. 5-6a. 12-13. 14 and 17 (R. cf 3a); 
Second Reading: 2 Cor 5: 20 - 6, 3; 
verse:                   Jl 2, 13; 
Gospel:                Mt 6: 1-6. 16-18

Repentance and conversion

Ash Wednesday is the perfect time to remind ourselves of what we usually do not want or do not like to remember.  However, this should not be understood as a discipline, or threatening, but rather as something to remind us of what the most important in our lives. So in today's readings, as well as in the whole liturgy, there are two elements: the element of conversion and penance. The whole of Lent is a period particularly devoted to these two topics. And in the liturgy of Ash Wednesday it is expressed not only in liturgical readings, but also when the priest pronounces the formula applying ashes on our heads (Joshua 7:6 , 2 Sam 13:19 ; Est 4:1 , Isaiah 58:5 ) : "Repent and believe in the Gospel" (Matthew 1:15) or "Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return" ( cf. Gen 3:19 , Ps 103.14 ) . These words remind us of the necessity of continuing and thorough reconsideration of our lives and deepening of our faith, and of fragility and finitude of our earthly life. Perhaps this is why today, the Church reminds us the truth about the shortness of our mortal life, so to more joyfully announce the end of Lent when the Resurrection of Christ gives us the opportunity for something much bigger, the grandiosity of eternal life (Romans 6:5, John 6:47 )?

But, before we get to the joy of Easter morning, we need to repent and truly believe the Lord of Life and Death, Jesus Christ, Who has the power of rebirth of our mortal bodies to eternal life. So neither Ash Wednesday, nor Lent is the time of mourning and pessimism. Rather, it is sometimes very real and substantive reflection on ourselves and sometimes it reminds me of what I usually do not want to remember.

Speaking today about the need for repentance and conversion is not very much in fashion, because modern times suffer from spiritual myopia and mundane fascination. We won't see the eternal horizons, glorifying quick success and superficial happiness. Hence the more you have to remember about this dimensions, so that we are absorb by temporality ... Because temporality in itself is not evil, but only if it is wisely transformed into eternity. And this is what the Church proposes to us at the beginning of Lent, how wisely -through repentance and conversion- transform whatever passes into eternity.

Bowing your head to the imposition of ashes just think that this is the Christ, Who is the Lord of time and eternity Who is calling you to something bigger, to immortality.