13/09/2009 - 24th. Sunday in Ordinary
Season - B
Ist. Reading Is 50,5-9 dal Psalm 114 IInd. Reading Js 2,14-18 Gospel Mk 8,27-35
"Forgive us our sins". I have said that sins against the sexuality
of our bodies destroy the conscience of what the family is suppose to be, ruin
the psyche of the children as from early age, ruin interpersonal relationships,
and make easy for one to accept and justify abortion. This bring also a change
in the mentality regarding the value of life itself. It's a broken chain of
values without end. Families are almost conditioned to limit the number of children
to one or two, obliging them to live in solitude, without the experience of
a fraternal or parental life. It brings forward a permissive mentality that
makes it easy for one to divorce or separate, and hence ruining psychologically
many children and kids: what kind of adults will they become? To what kind of
psychological deformations are they heading to? What will the consequences on
society be in 50 years from now? Even the other sins bring a disorder, sicknesses
and sufferings with long effects in time and history. Greed and being miser
bring division among the brothers, produce anxiety and resentments that lead
one to various kinds of depression or develop various and unknown illnesses.
Every kind of sin bring society to a state of lack of trust that make life sad
and difficult. The only remedy is forgiveness; that we give and take. Let us
ask it and ask it insistently. We ask it from the Father: only he can really
forgive us. We believe that his forgiveness is true and brings fruit. Forgiveness
gives us peace and the joy of being beloved children of the Father. God celebrates
when we ask him to forgive us. That we are forgiven is his joy! Even after a
grave sin or a grave situation, we cannot say that all is finished and that
there is no remedy. On the other hand we are not to take things light and justify
ourselves for the fact that God is merciful, for it doesn't help to humble oneself
and ask forgiveness. We ask for forgiveness: Jesus himself puts on our lips
this prayer! Its for our good to humble ourselves and ask forgiveness. If we
don't ask it, we remain in our pride, that is, in sin, away from the Father's
love.
St. James wants to help us take seriously our faith. It should change our lives
and inspire our actions, and determine our relationships with others. Faith
is like Love, that cannot exists without real and concrete acts of generosity.
What can this be? We believe in Jesus Christ, crucified and risen. We show our
faith when we enter into our cross, accepting it with serenity and without complain,
because we are sure of the resurrection, because before us Jesus went through
the cross and he was resurrected. In the cross there is each and every person
that come across our way: we are to see them as loved by our Lord for he shed
his blood for them too. We are not to look at the material, cultural, or social
'dress' they are wearing: Jesus died for us, for our eternal salvation, and
not for what one has or because one is kept high by others. We say of every
person: "You are son/daughter of God, loved by him, for you his sent his
son!"
Today Jesus asks us, like that day he asked his disciples: "Whom do you
say I am?" This is a very important question because it helps us to see
ourselves in our relationship with him, but it is also important because our
relationship with him is reflected in our relationship with every person that
stands in front of us. Who is Jesus? What does it mean that he gave his life
for the world? Why is it important for me? Where does he come from? Why did
he come? Who sent him and for what ? One cannot answer to these questions from
some ready made answers like from the catechism. I need to take time and think.
I need to think about the significance and the end of my life, of my fatigue,
of my relationships with others, and see the empty spaces that exist. Jesus
came to give life, eternal life. This means to fill all the emptiness of which
my existence is "filled"! Who is he to be able to do so? He is 'the
Christ' says Peter. He knew that Christ means "consecrated", consecrated
to be the one to represent God on earth. Jesus is the visible and audible presence
of the God who is invisible and imaginable. In listening to Jesus, I listen
to God, in see Jesus I see God, the God who has chosen the name of Father, to
be loved also by me and to tell me of his tenderness towards me and all. Answering
to his question, I won't say to Jesus that I only believe in him, but I will
also say: "Come, Lord Jesus. Come to give me your love and help me to love
you. My love doesn't add anything to your presence, but can change my life from
a fragile vase into a rich container of goodness and humility". Jesus is
the Christ, destined to raise up after the rejection and death. Like Peter,
me too, protest with Jesus who has made it part of his program to suffer and
be rejected my men and look like cursed by God. The rejection of the cross is
a characteristic of Satan, God's enemy. This is to disappear from the life of
the children of God so that they can follow Jesus on the way of the cross. I
shall loose my life there on earth, but I will witness to my faith and will
be a gift of God for many!