D.D.- You see, the words always need a story to be understood in their thickness. The words without story are as a book without interlacement of the lifes that speak and that flow among the one who writes and the one who reads. This way it is of the word of God that makes himself feel through of the human mediations, and it always speaks of very concrete situations. Here's one of the words that today resonates again in all the Churchs of the world in this third Sunday of Advent; it is the word "joy."This word thrown down , said this way it seems anachronistic, not in tuning with the times that are flowing. It's even irritating not to say offensive. To whom can we speak of joy today? To whom is without job? To whom doesn't succeed paying the mutual anymore and goes to sleep in a car every night? To whom is indebted and he thinks about commiting suicide? And he sometimes he does it. To whom I do can speak of joy this evening...? Can we speak of joy to whom cries, however is his/her weeping? our immediate answer, is easily: no! We cannot speak of joy to whom cries and to whom suffers. And here is the Gospel as pleased new as grace of God that he thinks it of completely different way from us. So the Lord says, I speak now really to whom cries, really to these people in the mourning, in the fatigue,we too. It's an overthrow of logic. God in the first reading speaks through the prophet Zephaniah: "Rejoice, Jerusalem, do not to let your arms drop. Your God is in the midst of you, and he renews you with his love." God dances for you.But to whom God's speaking? God is talking to all those that, to the times of Zephaniah, in Jerusalem and nearby, they were fed up of embezzlement, of spreading and ruling corruption to expenses of the weak. God is speaking to whom was fed up of a power badly managed . This happens six centuries before Christ and two thousand years later too. How many similarities, my dear friends. And to these people that are fed up, God speaks of joy. God sides with those people that are fed up, and He speaks of a joy that comes from heaven and that doesn't eliminate the troubles, but He gives you the strength to face them all.
Do not let to fall your hands limp, Jerusalem. All those that are exhausted, all those that say it is the end, it is enough, "don't let your arms drop" I am with you, I dance of joy for you. For this you must be happy. Not differently Paul, that we have heard in the second reading, is talking to his Christians of Phillip. The famous letter to the Filippesis: " Brothers, be pleased in the Lord. I repeat it to you, be pleased, be cheerful." These words of Paul contains the story of a man that writes from a jail, and he doesn't know if he would go out alive from this jail. He hopes for it, but he is not sure at all. Today you are here, tomorrow who knows. Paul speaks of joy. Once more a joy that descends from heaven and that supports Paul in the jail to risk of his own life. And with Paul it sustains all of his Christian friends of Phillip. I begin to understand a little more this joy, I place it in the thickness of human affairs.
This invitation to joy from God is a great invitation to hope, to trust, to say: I am with you.
->To enter this joy of God there are some steps to take? Yes, they are the Gospel that we have heard a short time ago.
John Baptist in the Gospel points out some simple steps to enter this joy of God that consoles youself, that sustains you, that supports you. First step, the text speaks of a multitude. "The crowds ask to John Baptist: what shall we do?” That question is very actual and urgent today.
John Baptist points out a first simple step, simple: " The one who has two tunics, he must share one with the man who has none, and the one with something to eat must do the same” First step to enter the joy of God: to share. We speaks of material goods, but we should rise, sharing the time, the energies, the dowries. How many poor men of every kind turn around me and you. When there is no sharing with these poor men, let's remember it to us all, it's the end. It's the end of States, it's the end of the society, it is the end of the man. If there is no sharing it is the end. We should shout these things. Meanwhile I question you. Me, as priest, I question you.
Then the crowds have questioned John Baptist. Now the collectors arrive, the publicans. All the private services entrusted by the government to receive the taxes: What shall we do? John Baptist doesn't say: you have to change your job, he says here a very simple word, a second step: "you don't demand anything more of what has been fixed." Then the soldiers come: What shall we do? John Baptist doesn't say: you have to change your job, you join the non-violence, but he says : don't misuse your power, small or great as it is. This evening we ask this to each of us, to all those that have power in the world: "Don't misuse your power, don't take advantage of your role for doing dishonest buisness."
Then the joy of the Christmas can be welcomed and it can spoken of joy to whom cries, to whom suffers, to whom is in punishment. This way that joy is experimented, that word, in all of its historical and concrete thickness as hope and as fraternity.
D.D.- You see, the words always need a story to be understood in their thickness. The words without story are as a book without interlacement of the lifes that speak and that flow among the one who writes and the one who reads. This way it is of the word of God that makes himself feel through of the human mediations, and it always speaks of very concrete situations.
RispondiEliminaHere's one of the words that today resonates again in all the Churchs of the world in this third Sunday of Advent; it is the word "joy."This word thrown down , said this way it seems anachronistic, not in tuning with the times that are flowing. It's even irritating not to say offensive. To whom can we speak of joy today? To whom is without job? To whom doesn't succeed paying the mutual anymore and goes to sleep in a car every night? To whom is indebted and he thinks about commiting suicide? And he sometimes he does it.
To whom I do can speak of joy this evening...? Can we speak of joy to whom cries, however is his/her weeping? our immediate answer, is easily: no!
We cannot speak of joy to whom cries and to whom suffers.
And here is the Gospel as pleased new as grace of God that he thinks it of completely different way from us. So the Lord says, I speak now really to whom cries, really to these people in the mourning, in the fatigue,we too.
It's an overthrow of logic. God in the first reading speaks through the prophet Zephaniah: "Rejoice, Jerusalem, do not to let your arms drop. Your God is in the midst of you, and he renews you with his love." God dances for you.But to whom God's speaking? God is talking to all those that, to the times of Zephaniah, in Jerusalem and nearby, they were fed up of embezzlement, of spreading and ruling corruption to expenses of the weak.
God is speaking to whom was fed up of a power badly managed . This happens six centuries before Christ and two thousand years later too. How many similarities, my dear friends.
And to these people that are fed up, God speaks of joy.
God sides with those people that are fed up, and He speaks of a joy that comes from heaven and that doesn't eliminate the troubles, but He gives you the strength to face them all.
Do not let to fall your hands limp, Jerusalem. All those that are exhausted, all those that say it is the end, it is enough, "don't let your arms drop" I am with you, I dance of joy for you. For this you must be happy.
Not differently Paul, that we have heard in the second reading, is talking to his Christians of Phillip. The famous letter to the Filippesis: " Brothers, be pleased in the Lord. I repeat it to you, be pleased, be cheerful." These words of Paul contains the story of a man that writes from a jail, and he doesn't know if he would go out alive from this jail. He hopes for it, but he is not sure at all. Today you are here, tomorrow who knows. Paul speaks of joy. Once more a joy that descends from heaven and that
supports Paul in the jail to risk of his own life. And with Paul it sustains all of his Christian friends of Phillip.
I begin to understand a little more this joy, I place it in the thickness of human affairs.
This invitation to joy from God is a great invitation to hope, to trust, to say: I am with you.
->To enter this joy of God there are some steps to take? Yes, they are the Gospel that we have heard a short time ago.
RispondiEliminaJohn Baptist in the Gospel points out some simple steps to enter this joy of God that consoles youself, that sustains you, that supports you.
First step, the text speaks of a multitude. "The crowds ask to John Baptist: what shall we do?” That question is very actual and urgent today.
John Baptist points out a first simple step, simple: " The one who has two tunics, he must share one with the man who has none, and the one with something to eat must do the same” First step to enter the joy of God: to share. We speaks of material goods, but we should rise, sharing the time, the energies, the dowries.
How many poor men of every kind turn around me and you. When there is no sharing with these poor men, let's remember it to us all, it's the end.
It's the end of States, it's the end of the society, it is the end of the man. If there is no sharing it is the end. We should shout these things. Meanwhile I question you. Me, as priest, I question you.
Then the crowds have questioned John Baptist. Now the collectors arrive, the publicans. All the private services entrusted by the government to receive the taxes: What shall we do? John Baptist doesn't say: you have to change your job, he says here a very simple word, a second step: "you don't demand anything more of what has been fixed."
Then the soldiers come: What shall we do? John Baptist doesn't say: you have to change your job, you join the non-violence, but he says :
don't misuse your power, small or great as it is. This evening we ask this to each of us, to all those that have power in the world: "Don't misuse your power, don't take advantage of your role for doing dishonest buisness."
Then the joy of the Christmas can be welcomed and it can spoken of joy to whom cries, to whom suffers, to whom is in punishment.
This way that joy is experimented, that word, in all of its historical and concrete thickness as hope and as fraternity.