In the First Reading, it is said that God created man and woman to become one flesh. And in the Gospel, the Lord goes even further when he says that “what God has united, let no man separate”. God’s intention then, when He created man and woman, was that the union between them was an eternal bond that nothing should break.
Such an assertion in a world like ours, where one marriage out of two ends up in a divorce, cannot but appear as outdated, moreover as an intrusion in one’s private life. After all, this question has to be dealt with between the couple and by nobody else.
On reading these texts, three reflections came to my mind that I would like to share with you. First, that man and woman have been made for one another and that this is God’s will from the very beginning. Human beings find their ultimate accomplishment in the mutual encounter. That is the very nature of humanity. And it is so true that people who shut themselves up in their own solitude end up dying.
A second reflection goes with the creation of the woman with a rib from Adam’s side. This colourful image- for it is one- does not intend to give a scientific explanation to human beginnings but rather to convey a meaning: namely that man and woman share the same human nature and as such are equal. In other words, God does not create two individuals but the couple. Each sex being the incomplete half of humanity.
This, of the couple, as our Lord states it, has to be understood not as the beginning but as the end of a process. For to live together is not necessarily to be together. We may be close at the beginning but we are not yet one. We need time and understanding and sufferings together and this, on every level of married life- psychological, emotional, moral and spiritual- to become one. That along the road of life, we happen to slow down, to trip or even to go astray, doesn’t matter as long as we keep going.
Consequently, this pressing invitation to become one is addressed to everyone of us, whatever our situation: single or married, older or younger, man or woman, whoever we may be, we have to start walking. For life is a process towards better knowledge and acceptance of others and of God with whom we are ultimately destined to become one with.
Let us be grateful then for all those who walk with us whoever they may be and as long as they do it honestly and truthfully. Amen
Today’s readings focus on God’s Spirit. A Spirit who is there at every key moment of man’s history. He was there when the world started and He will be there when it ends. He was there with Abraham, with Moses, with the prophets, with Jesus and today He is there with the restless and the migrants. At the beginning He was a dove; with Abraham, an inner voice; with Moses a burning bush and with the prophet, a gentle breeze. But whatever be His outside manifestation, His action is always the same: when He comes into our heart, we experience a burning desire to love God and do something for humanity.
Three temptations though, await man in his relationship with the Spirit: to reserve it to a happy few; to control it; to possess it. Today’s three readings unmask those egotistical tendencies of ours. The Spirit is given to every human being, says Moses in the First Reading; the only worthy reason to live is justice and sharing, says James in the Second Reading and who ever is not against us is with us, says the Lord in the Gospel.
The meaning of these three readings is clear: God’s Spirit is given to everyone: Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Jews, members of every religion, migrants and settlers, who are honest and sincere. His action is limited neither in time nor in space; He blows not only on a Sunday or in the Church but during the week and on the job; He blows at noon and at night; at home and abroad; at the store and on the street. He is there for every honest seeker of God, whatever be his creed and whoever looks honestly for Him will find Him in due time. Let us thank God for this unpredictable manifestation of Himself which reaches us each time we need it. Amen.
One cannot but be amazed at the many misunderstandings which are reported in the Gospels between Jesus and His disciples. Like today. When Jesus tells them that He has to die to fulfill His mission, they do not understand. A little bit further, He says to them that, if they want to stay with Him, they will have to behave as servants of others, which leaves them stunned. They were viewing themselves, not on the ground floor where people work but on the second floor with plenty of fringe benefits. They were dreaming about first places and power but Jesus talks about last place and serving. In the Garden, Jesus invites them to pray but they fall asleep. And one of them, right after having shared bread with Him, betrays Him with a kiss. We often complain about the fact that more and more people are no longer interested in the Church and have abandoned it. We wonder why and try to find ways to reverse the situation. The first and most basic way has always been and still is, the behaviour of Christians, which by the way, is the only one that the Lord talks about. In the course of history, very few people have been attracted to Christianity by discussion or teaching. It is the testimony of people living according to their faith that has attracted people. If I became a priest, it is not because I heard sermons or read books about it but rather because one of my teachers in college was a living witness of the Lord. To be a true disciple is quite demanding but deeply rewarding. This is the way millions of Christians have lived in the past. This is the way our parents lived. This is the way that our Lord invites us to live. Amen.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus asks his disciples who they think that He is. This question can easily be ours today. Who is Jesus for us? A great man, the founder of a new religion, a social activist, a model of behaviour? All these answers, and many others, have been given throughout history. But Jesus goes further: who am I to you, He asks. To the first question all the disciples answered spontaneously: you are a prophet, a wise man. To the second one though, there is a split second of hesitation between the question and the answer. And this time Peter is the only one to answer.
And this we can understand, for if the first question is about public information, the second one is about personal commitment. Jesus will confirm Peter’s answer. Not only because it was the right one but because He likes people who take a stand. But as usual with Jesus, He will start with Peter’s answer and go much further. Not only, He says, shall I benefit from the Resurrection, but I will have to walk the way which leads to it, that is all the sufferings which go with it. Something Peter was not expecting at all. About this we are like Peter: we hate death, all the illness and suffering that goes with it. Our Lord does not ask us to like it. On the contrary, He is happy with all the effort we do to control it and when possible, to erase it. But He wants us to accept it, not only because we can not avoid it, but because it is the real way to Resurrection in this life and in the next. Amen
Miracles take up an important amount of Jesus’ ministry. There are reanimations, as for Lazarus, wonders as the quieting of the storm and cures like the one of the deaf mute in Today’s Gospel. Each time though, in some part of our mind, the question arises: Is it true? Did Jesus really perform these miracles or were they put there afterwards by people eager to sell their religion, as it happens so often, even nowadays? To ask that kind of question is typical of our times. For in Jesus’ times, people never questioned the reality of miracles. To perform miracles was even a regular part of the clergy’s ministry. Their question was not about the fact of the miracle but about the one who performed it. Was He a messenger of God? Was He sent by the devil to fool people or from God to help them? And if so, why then would He perform His deed on the Sabbath day, something which God’s law clearly forbade? Jesus’ answer to these questions is interesting on three counts.
First, Jesus often refuses to perform miracles but when He does, most of them are small ones and they are always intended to restore back physical or mental health. Miracles are not a display of divine power but signs of God’s mercy. This way, each one of us here can perform miracles. We can all utter the good word, give a helping hand, offer the friendship that keeps depression away, sustain the victim in danger of crumbling, spread around love and peace of mind. This is what the second reading invites us to do when it asks Christians to treat equally the rich and the poor. I remember the time when, in theChurch, we had to pay a rent for places and had first-, second- and third-class marriages and funerals. With the result that in the Church of the one who did not even have a stone to rest his head upon, rich people were better treated than the poor. As you see, we have improved. Let us not get discouraged then. There is hope ahead. Amen. Amen.
In every religion, people have established a certain number of spiritual practices to perform in order to please God and be saved: prayer, pilgrimage, devotions, etc. The idea behind these practices is good: if you believe that God exists and rewards, then you have to show it. And the way to show it is to pray to Him. But it happens in every religion, that faith is reduced to these spiritual practices. As if prayers had a kind of magical power. As if they opened the secret door to happiness. As if, ultimately, one could bribe God. This has always been a temptation for every believer of every creed, including the faithful of the Jewish faith in Jesus’ time. That is what Jesus means when He says that those who say “Lord, Lord” will not necessarily enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Those who enter the Kingdom, He says, are those who lead a life of efficient love and justice. I remember my mother, who brought up seven children and helped her neighbours in every possible way, always wondered if she would be saved because, she said “I do not pray enough”. As if the amount of prayer had something to do with its truthfulness. And I had a hard time to make her understand that her good deeds were as good for her salvation as her prayers. In faith as in life, two components are needed: words and deeds. Deeds to show that the words are truthful and words to give meaning to the deeds. The same with God. We need to pray to Him. Jesus was doing it all the time. But we need to do also. Jesus spent His whole life caring and curing. Let us ask God to inspire us to find the proper ways to a better world of solidarity and peace. Amen.
The last four Sundays, the Gospel readings have told us about Jesus’ word as food and drink. No one can live without food and drink. The same with you, says the Lord: you cannot live without my word. And we know what that word is: “Love God and love one another”. He even adds: “The whole Law and the prophets depend on these two commandments”. This is what we hear at Church every Sunday.
But what about these once we get out of Church? When we are at work, at the restaurant, at home, with neighbours, who are so hard to get along with sometimes, in everyday life with all the problems small and big, that our lives are filled with? Maybe a few examples taken out of Jesus own experience could help us find answers to these questions.
On His way, Jesus stops at a well to drink. A woman happens to be there for the same reason. Then she starts sharing with Him about her matrimonial situations and about religion. According to the received ideas of the time, Jesus should not have talked to her or even looked at her. What does He do? He asks her for a glass of water, sits down and engages in conversation.
One day, Jesus is preaching to adults. But all around them, kids run, sing and yell. According to the received ideas of the time, Jesus should have looked at them sternly and told them with authority: “Shut up!” What did He do? He caught one of the kids by the arm, placed him in front of the crowd and told them: “If you do not become like these little ones, you will not enter the Kingdom of God”
Jesus is crucified between two bandits. One of them is cursing the fate awaiting him but the other repents. According to the received ideas of His time, Jesus should have looked him up and down, telling him “Too late my friend, you should have thought about that before”. What does He do? “This very day” He says to him “you will be with me in God’s Kingdom.”
Let us first say that our Lord was not a dreamer, He came to live with us. So that He knew what the daily life of His time was all about. He knew about the trades of His time: the keeping of the vineyard, the sharecropping, the daily workers and their meager salaries. He knew also about warfare, unfair judgements, family feuds, the senseless spending of some, the deadly fights between brothers and the cunning of those with money.
He also knew about the kids and their innocence, about women and their thirst for respect and acknowledgement. He knew about sick people, about broken hearts, sinners, abused women. He knew about poor people, so often despised and scoffed at.
Does Jesus want us to act as He does? Certainly. Is it easy to act this way? Certainly not. What shall we do then? Let us ask Him to put us on the right track. Amen.
The main topic today’s readings talk about is food. Food for the body, food for the soul. In the first reading, God’s Wisdom invites us to its table. In the second one, Paul warns us about drunkenness and debauchery; and in the Gospel, the Lord invites us to eat His flesh and drink His blood, both of which, He says “will give you eternal life.”
We do not need to be Bible scholars to understand that these are images to convey a message. And in this message, we know about: it is the word of God. As much as we need food to survive, so do we also need the word of God to live fully.
If then this is true, what about those who do not live according to God’s word? What about all those in the world who are not Christians? Or all those among us who went astray from the faith they were brought up into?
When we come to food, all human beings have the same basic needs: whoever we are and wherever we live on the planet; we all need water, bread or its equivalents, vegetables and meat. In the same way, all human beings are in need of food for their soul. And the food we need for our souls, our Lord has summarized in one sentence: Love one another. That is acknowledge that other people exist, that they have talents and richness that I do not have, that they know things that I do not know about and that I can learn from them. To love one another means to understand that if God gave me eyes, hands, feet and a heart, it is to see people, to shake hands with them, to walk towards them and to love them.
“Whoever is not against us is with us” says the Lord. Consequently, whoever endeavours to develop these attitudes, whether one wears an African burnous, an Arab keffieh, a niqab or a turban, is with us. On the other hand, whoever delights in violence, lies and manipulation, is against us, whether one wears a fancy suit and tie, is impeccably dressed, drives a luxury car or eats at a chic restaurant.
It is this-all of this and only this- that counts: to live in peace and harmony and trust with one another. Amen.
In the Middle East, where most of the biblical events take place, the desert plays a major role. For it is in the desert that Israel will experience God’s presence. It is in the desert that Israel, which was a pack of anonymous slaves, will become a nation; it is in the desert that Moses, Elijah, John the Baptist and Jesus heard the word of God and found their mission. Why there? Because the desert is the place where nothing can be found but God. In the first reading Elijah is cornered; he runs away from the king who wants to kill him. But he has to face another challenge: lack of food and water. He is faced with a gloomy choice: die by the sword or starve to death. Moreover, his whole mission has failed. The people he preached to, did not listen to him. Hence his discouragement: “Lord” he says “take away my life: I am no better than my ancestors”. An experience you and I have had or will eventually have to go through: discouragement, acute feelings of failure, and awareness of my own frailties. But then, unexpectedly, the feeling of God’s presence by my side. A feeling of inner peace, a surge of energy to stand up and challenge the situation, as if a source, a crystal clear running water, so to speak, was irrigating my whole self: mind, heart and body, boosting me up. And my faith invites me to identify this source of energy as the presence of the Spirit within me. And the sacraments, the Eucharist in particular, are the channels through which God’s life will come within me. Let us make room for Him. Amen.