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FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD 6 OCTOBER 2024 27TH Sunday of Ordinary Time WORD of the DAY The Pharisees approached Jesus and asked, “Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?” They were testing him. He said to them in reply, “What did Moses command you?” They replied, “Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her.” But Jesus told them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this. He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” (Mark 10: 2-16) How shall I live this Word? Fidelity-Fruitfulness. This Sunday the Lord puts before us a word that is out of fashion for many: Faithfulness. In the society of waste, where everything is used and thrown away, it is easier to change partners than to adopt the criteria that Paul indicates in his letter to the Corinthians: “love forgives all, believes all, hopes all, bears all” (1 Cor 13:7). When fidelity wants to break, look at the Crucifix, embrace the cross, and be faithful until death. Fertility, welcoming children is a strong vocation today,... read more
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FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD 5 OCTOBER 2024 26TH Saturday of Ordinary Time WORD of the DAY The seventy-two disciples returned rejoicing and said to Jesus, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.” Jesus said, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky. Behold, I have given you the power ‘to tread upon serpents’ and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven. (Luke 10: 17-20) How shall I live this Word? The joy that the disciples experience in returning to Jesus is full. They tell Jesus what they have seen, “Even the demons submit to us in Your name.” The disciples perceived with joy that in the name of Jesus they healed, saw the poor rise up from suffering, gave joy to continue living well and better, freed their brothers and sisters from evil. After these events, they return to Him. This is also very indicative for our life and mission in the Church. Continually return to Him with whatever has been accomplished. Sometimes, our work is all centered on ourselves forgetting that it is He who works in us. To return to Him and to entrust to Him the mission He entrusts us is to recognize that He is the source of life. In the last verse of today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus who forcefully tells the disciples the true reason for joy. “But do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to... read more
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FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD 4 OCTOBER 2024 26TH Friday of Ordinary Time St. Francis of Assisi WORD of the DAY “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” (Matthew 11: 28-30) How shall I live this Word? “The poor man of Assisi”, as Saint Francis is also called, a great saint who shines in the church and in the whole world for his witness to life. His message on “Sister poverty” was lived by him in radicality, stripped of any possession. We have before us the one who lived a decisive encounter with Jesus and followed Him in everything until he was conformed to Him with the stigmata. Jesus also invites us today to go to Him, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” Hearing these words, I ask myself, in my condition of labor and burdens, where do I go to seek rest? We may believe that these situations of fatigue and heaviness have nothing to do with our life as Christians. Instead, they do and a lot. Jesus says it clearly; it is He who restores us. He does not take away our burdens but helps us to carry the weight. Going towards Him, seeking and approaching His Word, His Eucharistic Bread, adoration of the Eucharist, the sacraments, prayer, we can have rest in our... read more
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FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD 3 OCTOBER 2024 26TH Thursday of Ordinary Time WORD of the DAY Job said: Pity me, pity me, O you my friends, for the hand of God has struck me! Why do you hound me as though you were divine, and insatiably prey upon me? Oh, would that my words were written down! Would that they were inscribed in a record: That with an iron chisel and with lead they were cut in the rock forever! But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives, and that he will at last stand forth upon the dust; Whom I myself shall see: my own eyes, not another’s, shall behold him, And from my flesh I shall see God; my inmost being is consumed with longing. (Job 19: 23-27b) How shall I live this Word? Surely, we have heard this saying, “The patience of Job.” It is a popular saying to indicate that it takes much patience to face something, to wait for something. It also indicates patience in trial, in pain; patience to see results. Behold, this character of the Bible has much to tell us. Job can express a strong certainty, affirmation, conviction with such clarity. Which one? Where does this come from? Certainly not from friends, or wife, but from the Spirit, from his great and strong faith in the Lord. He says, “I know that my Vindicator lives… that he will at last stand forth upon the dust; Whom I myself shall see: my own eyes, not another’s, shall behold Him.” Reaching this certainty in faith is not so... read more
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FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD 2 OCTOBER 2024 HOLY GUARDIAN ANGELS 26TH Wednesday of Ordinary Time WORD of the DAY The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me. “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.” (Matthew 18: 1-5/10) How shall I live this Word? “Our Angel is not a mythological surrogate of God, but a spirit that, being entirely at His service, and involved by Him in the adventure of salvation of humans, entrusted to them by His goodness and providence. Messengers of good inspirations, according to the Fathers, have special functions in regard to us. They protect us from internal and external disturbances. And from this point of view, St. John Chrysostom calls them Angels of peace. They reproach and punish us when we stray from the good road. For this, Herma calls them Angels of Penance. They assist us and help us in our most important task, which is to pray. And so, Tertullian says: Angels of prayer. For the need to breathe inwardly the atmosphere of salvation that Christ himself puts in our hearts. For our... read more
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FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD 1 OCTOBER 2024 SAINT THERESA of the CHILD JESUS 26TH Tuesday of Ordinary Time WORD of the DAY When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, and he sent messengers ahead of him. On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village. (Luke 9: 51-56) How shall I live this Word? ‘Set out on the road’ is the very clear call to which today’s Gospel invites us. Jesus does not preach to us with many words on the subject. He himself does it; He sets off. We commonly use this metaphor, “to set out on our way”. How? Where? When? What is the goal? These are questions that accompany the journey of life. “Jesus resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, “when “the days in which He would be lifted up” would be fulfilled. With these words, Jesus refers to His elevation on the Cross. He is already determined to reach His final goal, to give His life for the salvation of all, there in Jerusalem. Jesus is “journeying to Jerusalem”, where the fulfilment of a plan entrusted to Him by the Father awaits: our salvation. But on the way, there are difficulties, as happens to us. “The Samaritans did... read more
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FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD 30 SEPTEMBER 2024 26TH Monday of Ordinary Time WORD of the DAY An argument arose among the disciples about which of them was the greatest. Jesus realized the intention of their hearts and took a child and placed it by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.” How shall I live this Word? Our eyes are invited to look at the children, as Jesus did. Why does Jesus do this? We ask ourselves, What is this? If we walk towards the maturity of life, almost proud to have abandoned our childlike condition, why does Jesus tell us that we must make ourselves small? Certainly, Jesus hears the disciples arguing about which of them was the greatest. It would seem that the disciples at that time are like children eager to be great, not only adults, but great in value, power. Instead of preaching, Jesus puts something very incisive in front of them. He puts a child near them to make them understand the meaning of smallness and greatness. The little ones are the ones who are in need. They know that alone they can’t do it. Evangelical smallness brings us to an attitude of trusting abandonment, to an acceptance of one’s own creature state, of accepting one’s own fleeting condition of living moment by moment. I can be here today and gone tomorrow. So, this acceptance leads me... read more
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FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD 29 SEPTEMBER 2024 26TH Sunday of Ordinary Time WORD of the DAY Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries. Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth-eaten, your gold and silver have corroded, and that corrosion will be a testimony against you; it will devour your flesh like a fire. You have stored up treasure for the last days. Behold, the wages you withheld from the workers who harvested your fields are crying aloud, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on earth in luxury and pleasure; you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter. You have condemned; you have murdered the righteous one; he offers you no resistance. (James 5: 1-6) How shall I live this Word? Today, as San Biagio House of Prayer, we take up again the comments of the Word of the liturgy of the day that illuminate our daily lives. Let us consider the second reading of today’s liturgy. The Letter of St. James in its five chapters helps us to deepen the theme of wealth and of the poor. He presents himself as, “James, servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (James 1: 1), and addresses the Christian communities of his time who were experiencing suffering, difficulties, injustices, and were challenged in living the faith concretely. This image takes us back to the present day. Many Christian communities in the world are in similar situations. It is enough to look at every continent, every people, and nation. Today,... read more
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FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD 29 JUNE 2024 SATURDAY X11 SAINTS PETER & PAUL WORD of the DAY When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so, I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16: 13-19) How shall I live this Word? The liturgy of today’s feast invites us to celebrate simultaneously the faith of Peter, his confession in the divinity of Christ, the mandate that the Lord Himself has entrusted to him to be the leader of the church, and the continuity of that mandate in the person of his successors. It is therefore a feast that involves the whole church, the one who represents Christ on earth, the Roman pontiff, and all the members of His Church. The whole Gospel is pervaded by the question, Who... read more
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