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FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD Monday 20 June 2022 12th Week of Ordinary Time WORD of the DAY Jesus said to his disciples:“Stop judging, that you may not be judged.For as you judge, so will you be judged,and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.” (Matthew 7: 1-5) How shall I live this Word? Fr. Oreste Benzi often said that persons are not their mistakes. Not judging in today’s Gospel does not mean turning off the intelligence of reasoning and avoiding condemning evil. This mistake would be worse than the first. It is called indifference. The indifferent is the one who thinks that since millions of others do their part, it is useless to do their part, so nothing will change, neither for worse nor for better. Indifference cancels responsibility and will, except to accuse all. The Christians of whom the Gospel speaks are responsible for their own acts and those of others. But you have to stop judging these. We cannot identify sin with the sinner, a person with their error; or rather, we must always give the sinner the possibility to redeem self from sin. This means not to judge. Sometimes there is the risk that Christians, with their psychology of ‘Doctors of the Law’, extinguish what the Holy Spirit lights up in the heart of someone who stands on the threshold, who begins to feel nostalgia for God. What is really serious in the life of a Christian? It is serious to judge others with intransigence and hatred; it is serious and hypocritical to condemn others with force and severity... read more
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FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD Sunday 19 June 2022 12th Week of Ordinary Time Most Holy BODY and BLOOD of CHRIST WORD of the DAY Jesus spoke to the crowds about the kingdom of God, and he healed those who needed to be cured. As the day was drawing to a close, the Twelve approached him and said, “Dismiss the crowd so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms and find lodging and provisions;for we are in a deserted place here.” He said to them, “Give them some food yourselves.”They replied, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have, unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people.” Now the men there numbered about five thousand. (Luke 9: 11-17) How shall I live this Word? Jesus takes the five loaves and the two fish into great consideration, although they represented too little to feed five thousand people. But He doesn’t consider them a trivial matter. He wants to tell us that a little can work miracles. The disciples say to send the crowd to buy food but Jesus uses another verb, “give them”, share. It is the verb ‘to share’ that can kindle hope in our world, hope for the poor who have nothing and who can only be saved through sharing by those who have the superfluous. The prodigy of this Gospel passage is not a ‘multiplication’, but a ‘sharing’ of the loaves. The evangelist says, “Everyone ate their fill”. It is God who fills our voids. A life that cannot die because it is shared, and all that is shared,... read more
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FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD Saturday 18 June 2022 11th Week of Ordinary Time WORD of the DAY Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life,what you will eat or drink,or about your body, what you will wear. But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness,and all these things will be given you besides.(Mt. 6: 25/33) How shall I live this Word? How much we struggle every day for work, family, home, friends, and it is right to do so, because this is our life. But how many times our attention turns only to what is futile, useless, inconsistent. Jesus calls us to the essential, to what we really need to live because it fills the heart and life. Jesus reminds us of the essential which is He Himself. Let us look for Him and we will be happy, because He is capable of giving answers to our search for meaning, of comforting our tired and saddened hearts, of giving hope to our bored existence without flashes of enthusiasm. Let us seek Him and we will regain the joy we have lost, the dreams we have canceled, the desires we have forgotten. Let us look for Him and our hearts will no longer be burdened by suffering and pain. Let’s look for Him! Lord, teach us to seek only You because You are the answer to our expectations and our needs. The Voice of Fr. Ermes Ronchi “Seek first the Kingdom of God and these things will be given to you besides.” The Gospel is not moralistic … It frees you from small desires,... read more
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FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD Friday 17 June 2022 11th Week of Ordinary Time WORD of the DAY “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal.But store up treasures in heaven,where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. (Mt. 6: 19-21) How shall I live this Word? It is important to ask ourselves every now and then “where is your treasure?” Where is the thing or person you care about most? Because that’s where our heart will be, our affections, our desires, our dreams, what gives meaning to our life and our choices. Don Bosco’s treasure was the young people and his whole heart was with them because he was ready to make any sacrifice for them. Mother Teresa’s treasure was the poorest, the most abandoned, those without rights and for them she changed her life and she gave it to the full. Chiara Corbella’s treasure was her family and her son, who after so much suffering she carried in her womb, and in order not to harm him, she did not voluntarily submit to the care she needed. The treasure of the monks of Tibhirine was the Lord and the people among whom they lived and for them they gave their lives to the point of martyrdom. And where is our treasure? Lord, You be our treasure, the profound meaning of our life, the reason why we live and love, the reason for our journey and our choices. The Voice of Pope... read more
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FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD Thursday 16 June 2022 11th Week of Ordinary Time WORD of the DAY Jesus said to his disciples:“In praying, do not babble like the pagans,who think that they will be heard because of their many words.Do not be like them.Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Mt. 6: 7-8) How shall I live this Word? How many words do we say every day to tell, justify, offend, console, ask, pray? How many words, often useless, vain, sometimes false. How many times even in prayer do we speak, explain, tell without needing it because our God, the Father who is in heaven, knows us and knows what we need, even better and even before we do. Because it is not necessary to clarify to God what we are experiencing to convince Him that we are right and others are wrong. Because it is not necessary to tell Him what others have been up to and explain to Him how He should behave with them. Because it is not necessary to use all the time of our prayer to explain something to the One who knows everything. Instead, it is necessary to speak less and listen more, to look at the Lord and let Him look at us with love, to surrender and not defend ourselves before Him, because He always knows what is best for each of us. Lord, help us to come before You, in prayer, defenseless and abandoned, ready to listen to You and to welcome Your Word for us. The Voice of Fr. Luigi Maria Epicoco Prayer can... read more
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FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD Wednesday 15 June 2022 11th Week of Ordinary Time WORD of the DAY But when you give alms,do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,so that your almsgiving may be secret.And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. (Mt. 6: 3-4) How shall I live this Word? In the era of “you exist only if you appear;” “everything you do is true only if it is on social networks;” “you are someone if you have followers;” “to be worth it you must be an influencer.” Jesus asks us to live in humility and silence, making known only to Him the good we do. And this is the reason why, as one sage says, “a falling tree makes more noise than an entire growing forest.” There is so much good, but it makes no noise. Like Simona who raised her children alone by educating them to respect and kindness. Like Said who lost her life at sea to save two children who were drowning in the waves. Like Mattia who, at the age of twelve, helps his father who is still young but suffering from precocious and very disabling Alzheimer’s. Like Matilde who, despite a violent and bad husband, did not withdraw into herself but was always generous with all those who needed her. The Father will generously reward Simona, Said, Mattia, Matilde, and all the others … Lord, help me not to be conditioned by the judgment of others and their approval, but teach me to seek my reward only in You. The Voice of Pope Francis... read more
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FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD Tuesday 14 June 2022 11th Week of Ordinary Time WORD of the DAY Jesus said to his disciples:“You have heard that it was said,You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.But I say to you, love your enemiesand pray for those who persecute you,that you may be children of your heavenly Father,for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. (Matthew 5: 44-45) How shall I live this Word? How difficult is this Word of the Lord which reminds us that we are all brothers and sisters, children of the same Father, both the good and the bad. And precisely because brothers and sisters, we must take care of everyone and pray for one another, even for those who are our enemies and for those who harm us. But it is not easy to tell those who are fighting to defend their city and their family from an unjust and meaningless war. It is not easy to tell those who have seen harm done to their children, their parents, friends, and are asked to forgive. It is not easy to say to those who have seen their rights trampled on, to those who have been bullied and mistreated, to those who have been mocked and insulted; it is not easy to tell those who have been hit by rumor and slander. It is not easy, but Jesus did it, before us and for us, and with Him many men and women, saints, regular people, with their own limitations and... read more
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FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD Monday 13 June 2022 11th Week of Ordinary Time WORD of the DAY Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow. (Matthew 5: 42) How shall I live this Word? “The measure of love is to love without measure”, and this is the only way to be human! One is not human who sees the misery and loneliness of another and does not intervene because … ‘it is not my job!’ One is not human who accumulates for self and does not care for the well-being of others because … I and my interests come first! One is not human who in front of pain turns and goes away because … I don’t want to get my hands dirty! Give to those who ask you; do not turn your back on anyone Jesus tells us. He forces us to review our way of being with others, to manage what we have, to share our time, money, skills, affection. Because if we have these things, we cannot keep them for ourselves but we must give them if we want to be men and women, true friends of Jesus! Lord, teach us to love totally, without measure and without fear, in full gratuitousness and freedom, and grant that our loving may change the world. The Voice of St. Anthony of Padua Charity is the soul of faith, makes it alive. Without love, faith dies. _________________________________________________________________________ E-mail: srmterzo@gmail.com Website: www.sanbiagio.org info@sanbiagio.org Blog: livingscripture.wordpress.com Comment by Sr. Sandra Bona,... read more
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FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD Sunday 12 June 2022 11th Week of Ordinary Time MOST HOLY TRINITY WORD of the DAY Jesus said to his disciples: “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. (John 16:12-13) How shall I live this Word? In a period like ours, so full of loneliness, fragility, and relational difficulties, celebrating the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, “my Three” as Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity called them, is the most beautiful way to understand what it means to love, to give oneself, to be present. Because love is being there and not leaving anyone alone, but it is also giving them the space to grow and perhaps to make mistakes. It is helping them to live in the present and, at the same time, giving hope for the future. It is accompanying them along the path but, in the end, leaving them free to fly with their wings and at their heights. And this is exactly what the Three do. The Father leaves room for the Son who, in any case, always speaks about Him, because He is so full of Him. When He ascends to heaven, He prepares the place for the Spirit of Love who, it is certain, will continue what He has done and will lead His disciples to the whole truth. Let us imitate the... read more
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FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD Saturday 11 June 2022 10th Week of Ordinary Time ST. BARNABAS APOSTLE WORD of the DAY Now there were in the Church at Antioch prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Symeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who was a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,“Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, completing their fasting and prayer, they laid hands on them and sent them off. (Acts 13:2-3) How shall I live this Word? Joseph, nicknamed ‘Barnabas’ by the Apostles, which translated means ‘exhorter’, or ‘prophet’, was a Levite from Cyprus. From the information provided by the Acts of the Apostles, he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. The evangelist Luke, in a passage from Acts writes that Barnabas owned a field and, after selling it, he brought the money to the feet of the Apostles. Barnabas had to be well liked both in communities of Jewish origin and in those coming from Hellenism because he had a strong, decisive, and passionate character towards the Gospel. Throughout his life, he was the conciliator between the exponents of the two Greek and Jewish cultures … which is not so simple. He introduced Paul into Judeo-Christian circles, gave impetus to the Christian community of Antioch, which was the first example of a Church that gathered more Greeks than Jews. He also accompanied Paul on his first apostolic journey; but the strong personality of the... read more
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