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FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD 33ND Friday of Ordinary Time November 18, 2022 WORD of the DAY Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things, saying to them, “It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.” And every day he was teaching in the temple area. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile, were seeking to put him to death, but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose because all the people were hanging on his words. (Luke 19: 45-48) How shall I live this Word? Even in the small house of prayer of San Biagio, today the Word resounds strongly, “My house will be a house of prayer”. But which house are we talking about? If it is important to create the conditions for a place to be favorable to an encounter with God, it is even more important to create them for our heart. Our heart is that house of prayer which must be kept in silence, freed from small or great troubles and burdens, so that it can welcome the Word that generates life. A silent and collected external environment would be useless if our heart were full of noise and inhabited by useless things. It is right there, in the depths of our depths, that Life inhabits. Then, during the day, I can go to my house of prayer whenever I want: to meet Him, relate to Him, let myself be renewed by Him in order to face... read more
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FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD 33ND Wednesday of Ordinary Time November 16, 2022 WORD of the DAY While people were listening to Jesus speak, he proceeded to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem and they thought that the Kingdom of God would appear there immediately. So, he said, “A nobleman went off to a distant country to obtain the kingship for himself and then to return. He called ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins and told them, ‘Engage in trade with these until I return.’ His fellow citizens, however, despised him and sent a delegation after him to announce, ‘We do not want this man to be our king.’ But when he returned after obtaining the kingship, he had the servants called, to whom he had given the money,to learn what they had gained by trading. The first came forward and said, ‘Sir, your gold coin has earned ten additional ones.’ He replied, ‘Well done, good servant! You have been faithful in this very small matter; take charge of ten cities.’ Then the second came and reported, ‘Your gold coin, sir, has earned five more.’ And to this servant too he said, ‘You, take charge of five cities.’Then the other servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your gold coin; I kept it stored away in a handkerchief, for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding man; you take up what you did not lay down and you harvest what you did not plant.’ He said to him, ‘With your own words I shall condemn you, you wicked servant.... read more
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FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD 33ND Tuesday of Ordinary Time November 15, 2022 WORD of the DAY At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So, he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord,“Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone, I shall repay it four times over.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”. (Luke 19: 1-10) How shall I live this Word? Zacchaeus: a man who desires to see Jesus and, taken by curiosity, places himself on the path that He will have to travel. Jesus, the Christ, wishes to meet man, every man, even the most hardened sinner; He, a lover of life, tries not to... read more
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FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD 33ND Monday of Ordinary Time November 14, 2022 WORD of the DAY As Jesus approached Jericho a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging, and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what was happening. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” He shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” The people walking in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent, but he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me!” Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him; and when he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” He replied, “Lord, please let me see.”Jesus told him, “Have sight; your faith has saved you.” He immediately received his sightand followed him, giving glory to God. When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God. (Luke 18: 35-43) How shall I live this Word? We are on the way that Jesus is taking to Jerusalem. A blind man asks what was happening. Having learned the answer, he immediately begs Jesus crying out: “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!” The blind man is a symbol of those who do not let Jesus the Nazarene pass in vain, dares to knock on His door, and clings to it despite the lack of understanding of others. How many times discouragement and mistrust inhabit our life so much that we lose hope and the courage to dare, so much so as to let God’s grace pass in vain. Even today, Jesus is... read more
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FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD 33ND Sunday of Ordinary Time November 13, 2022 WORD of the DAY While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, “All that you see here– the days will come when there will not be lefta stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.” Then they asked him, “Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?”He answered, “See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’ Do not follow them! When you hear of wars and insurrections,do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end.”Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.“Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by... read more
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FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD 32ND Saturday of Ordinary Time November 12, 2022 WORD of the DAY Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, “There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’ For a long time, the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, ‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me, I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.’” The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you; he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:1-8) How shall I live this Word? This is a parable about the need to pray without ever getting tired. Thus, Jesus teaches the disciples to assume a new attitude towards God. Not an alien and indifferent God but a Father ready to do justice to His chosen ones who cry out to Him. In these words, we can hear the echo of that merciful God who bent down to look and went down to see what was happening to... read more
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FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD 32ND Friday of Ordinary Time November 11, 2022 WORD of the DAY Jesus said to his disciples: “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man; they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building;on the day when Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all. So, it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, someone who is on the housetop and whose belongings are in the house must not go down to get them,and likewise one in the field must not return to what was left behind. Remember the wife of Lot. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it.I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. And there will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken, the other left.” They said to him in reply, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the body is,there also the vultures will gather.” (Luke 17:26-37) How shall I live this Word? With two examples from the Old Testament, Jesus invites His disciples to be vigilant and teaches them to pay deep attention to history in the midst of which God’s mercy... read more
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FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD 32ND Thursday of Ordinary Time November 10, 2022 MEMORIAL OF ST. LEO THE GREAT WORD of the DAY Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus said in reply,“The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’ For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you. “Then he said to his disciples, “The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. There will be those who will say to you, ‘Look, there he is,’ or ‘Look, here he is.’ Do not go off, do not run in pursuit.For just as lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation.” (Luke 10:20-25) How shall I live this Word? The Kingdom of God is not so much a physical place that extends its boundaries by means of strong armies, but a condition of communion in which those live who welcome Christ into their life and accept Him as personal Savior. Jesus is the Kingdom of God and the communion of love with Him constitutes us in the dimension of the resurrection. “Whoever believes in me has eternal life,” says the Lord. All this means that the kingdom of God is a matter of faith and not of armies. Becoming citizens of the kingdom of God... read more
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FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD 32ND Wednesday of Ordinary Time November 9, 2022 DEDICATION OF ST. JOHN LATERAN BASILICA WORD of the DAY Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money-changers seated there. He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables,and to those who sold doves he said, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.” His disciples recalled the words of Scripture, Zeal for your house will consume me. At this the Jews answered and said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his Body. Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the Scripture and the word Jesus had spoken. (John 2:13-22) How shall I live this Word? Celebrating the feast of the dedication of a Church is an occasion of praise to God who has chosen and called to His service the community that gathers there, but celebrating the dedication of the Lateran Basilica is, for every Catholic, reason... read more
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FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD 32ND Tuesday of Ordinary Time November 8, 2022 WORD of the DAY Jesus said to the Apostles: “Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’? Would he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat.Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished’? Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded?So should it be with you. When you have done what you have been commanded, say,‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’” (Luke 17:7-10) How shall I live this Word? Is it perhaps an invitation to self-harm? To despise ourselves? Is it a word that despises our strenuous commitment to serve the Lord? None of that! This parable that Jesus addresses to His disciples in the form of a question is rather an invitation, which runs through the entire Gospel, to assume the stature of Christ. Jesus takes us by the hand and, as is His style, with provocative questions. He invites us to contemplate Him as a model of a new human being to be imitated. Who then among you will act differently from what this master did in regard to his servant who did everything for which he was appointed, that is, as a servant? None, none of you, but I do. Jesus Himself is the useless servant, “a-kreioi” writes Luke, that... read more
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