S. FAUSTI - The guests at the banquet are the poors and the excluded. To them belongs the Kingdom, because they are like Jesus. Now it is said to the disciple see well if he is among those, because, in order to be with Him, it is necessary to choose His same place. For this to those who do not leave everything, He repeats for three times the refrain "can not be my disciple." The Kingdom is offered for free. But there are some conditions to accept it. The door is narrow (13,24). All we are too swollen to get into it! In front of the demands of Jesus no one is able to do it. Luke wants to make us conscious of our inability, so that, despairing of us, we hope in Him. These words are a sting that pierces us deflating us of any presumption, it makes us humble, poor and beggars, because we cry out to Him, as the blind man of Jericho (18.35 to 43). Our only chance to be disciples is the avowed impossibility: "When I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor 12:10): stronger of the power of the One “Who strengthens me and makes me quite possible (Phil 4:13). No claim is able to make us disciples. It 's just a gift of grace that God gives to the humble and the poor. But if everything is God's action, everything is also the freedom of man, who can accept it or not. The full and rich has sent away empty(1.53); but the open and empty mouth is filled. The poverty, that Jesus requires, is not stoic, is motivated by love for Him. It touchs all levels and is the unique virtue that so much is material, as more spiritual. But only if it is dictated by love and not hardens towards others. The poverty requires humiliation and leads to humility. Also being in itself curse and deprivation, it becomes friendly and necessary choice for the disciple who wants to be with his Lord. The requirements of the discipleship are : hatred towards what is dear and love for what is hateful to the world, for to go following Jesus; prudent estimate of the one who doesn't want to remain in the mid-enterprise or to be defeated and wise folly of the one who finds his strength in losing everything.
--->Otherwise it is like silly and useless salt . Irretrievable and to throw . We are at the heart of Luke 's catechesis, that unfolds in the journey from Samaria to Jerusalem . If this is so, who can dwell on the holy mountain of God? Who will decide evangelically leave everything to choose the Kingdom? The strength of such decision is the love of those who were conquered by Him. He becomes the One, the Only, the rest does not have any more flavor. The life so called "religious" offers to everyone the main point of the Christian Faith.The one who recognizes in his Lord his all, he becomes prophecy for the whole Church, reminding to this the essential one . If the Church neglects poverty, humility and chastity, (there are many adulterers!), also as apostolic means, it becomes insipid salt . It loses the light of which it is a witness, abandons his poor, humble and free Lord. . Today the Church is particularly tempted to use, "for good", the instruments of the power , competing with the world. It search a false importance, not knowing that his identity with the Crucified is the its only strength. The old religious orders were born, always, to witness in the Church and to the world the Cross of the Lord, just at times when it was more forgot dangerously ..Even if it is natural to degenerate in the wealth, the power and the honor, Even if it is "obvious" to fall into what Jesus has discarded as temptation, (4.1 to 12), nevertheless this concerns the coming of the Kingdom more than any other evil. It is said that poverty is "the wall and defense" of the religious life. When it falls apart and collapses, it falls into the hands of the enemy and loses its essence: it not witnesses any more its trust in the Father. If the mirage of the world is to become rich, that of the disciple is to become poor. The Kingdom is for the poors, because the King has revealed Himself poor.
S. FAUSTI - The guests at the banquet are the poors and the excluded. To them belongs the Kingdom, because they are like Jesus. Now it is said to the disciple see well if he is among those, because, in order to be with Him, it is necessary to choose His same place.
RispondiEliminaFor this to those who do not leave everything, He repeats for three times the refrain "can not be my disciple." The Kingdom is offered for free. But there are some conditions to accept it.
The door is narrow (13,24). All we are too swollen to get into it!
In front of the demands of Jesus no one is able to do it.
Luke wants to make us conscious of our inability, so that, despairing of us, we hope in Him. These words are a sting that pierces us deflating us of any presumption, it makes us humble, poor and beggars, because we cry out to Him, as the blind man of Jericho (18.35 to 43).
Our only chance to be disciples is the avowed impossibility:
"When I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor 12:10):
stronger of the power of the One “Who strengthens me and makes me quite possible (Phil 4:13).
No claim is able to make us disciples. It 's just a gift of grace that God gives to the humble and the poor. But if everything is God's action, everything is also the freedom of man, who can accept it or not.
The full and rich has sent away empty(1.53); but the open and empty mouth is filled.
The poverty, that Jesus requires, is not stoic, is motivated by love for Him. It touchs all levels and is the unique virtue that so much is material, as more spiritual.
But only if it is dictated by love and not hardens towards others.
The poverty requires humiliation and leads to humility.
Also being in itself curse and deprivation, it becomes friendly and necessary choice for the disciple who wants to be with his Lord.
The requirements of the discipleship are : hatred towards what is dear and love for what is hateful to the world, for to go following Jesus; prudent estimate of the one who doesn't want to remain in the mid-enterprise or to be defeated and wise folly of the one who finds his strength in losing everything.
--->Otherwise it is like silly and useless salt . Irretrievable and to throw . We are at the heart of Luke 's catechesis, that unfolds in the journey from Samaria to Jerusalem .
RispondiEliminaIf this is so, who can dwell on the holy mountain of God? Who will decide evangelically leave everything to choose the Kingdom? The strength of such decision is the love of those who were conquered by Him.
He becomes the One, the Only, the rest does not have any more flavor.
The life so called "religious" offers to everyone the main point of the Christian Faith.The one who recognizes in his Lord his all, he becomes prophecy for the whole Church, reminding to this the essential one . If the Church neglects poverty, humility and chastity, (there are many adulterers!), also as apostolic means, it becomes insipid salt .
It loses the light of which it is a witness, abandons his poor, humble and free Lord. .
Today the Church is particularly tempted to use, "for good", the instruments of the power , competing with the world. It search a false importance, not knowing that his identity with the Crucified is the its only strength. The old religious orders were born, always, to witness in the Church and to the world the Cross of the Lord, just at times when it was more forgot dangerously ..Even if it is natural to degenerate in the wealth, the power and the honor, Even if it is "obvious" to fall into what Jesus has discarded as temptation, (4.1 to 12), nevertheless this concerns the coming of the Kingdom more than any other evil. It is said that poverty is "the wall and defense" of the religious life. When it falls apart and collapses, it falls into the hands of the enemy and loses its essence: it not witnesses any more its trust in the Father. If the mirage of the world is to become rich, that of the disciple is to become poor. The Kingdom is for the poors, because the King has revealed Himself poor.