Antiphon The Lord is my support, He has carried me out to sea, He has delivered me because he loves me. (Cf. Ps 17:19-20).
Collect Grant, O Lord, that the course of events in the world may unfold according to your will for peace. and that the Church may devote herself with joyful confidence to your service. Through our Lord Jesus Christ.
God our Father, who sent into the world the Word of truth, heal our divided hearts, that from our mouths no evil words come forth. but words of charity and wisdom. Through our Lord Jesus Christ.
First Reading Praise no one until he has spoken. the Book of Sirach Sir 27:4-7
When a sieve is shaken, the husks appear; so do one’s faults when one speaks. As the test of what the potter molds is in the furnace, so in tribulation is the test of the just. The fruit of a tree shows the care it has had; so too does one’s speech disclose the bent of one’s mind. Praise no one before he speaks, for it is then that people are tested.
Responsorial Psalm From Ps 91 (92) R. It is good to give thanks to the Lord. It is good to give thanks to the Lord And sing to your name, O Most High, To proclaim your love in the morning your faithfulness through the night. R.
The righteous shall flourish as a palm tree, He shall grow like the cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord they shall flourish in the halls of our God. R.
In old age they shall yet bear fruit, they shall be green and flourishing, to proclaim how righteous the Lord is, my rock, in him there is no evil. R.
Second reading from the First letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians 1 Cor 15:54-58
Brothers and sisters: When this which is corruptible clothes itself with incorruptibility and this which is mortal clothes itself with immortality, then the word that is written shall come about: Death is swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, steadfast, always fully devoted to the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. From the Gospel according to Luke Lk 6:39-45
Jesus told his disciples a parable, “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher. Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,’ when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye.
“A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not pick figs from thornbushes, nor do they gather grapes from brambles. A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.” WORD OF THE LORD
Today’s Gospel passage presents brief parables with which Jesus seeks to indicate to his disciples the path to follow in order to live wisely. With the question: can a blind man lead a blind man?” (Lk 6:39), he wishes to emphasize that a leader cannot be blind, but must see clearly, that is, he must have wisdom in order to lead wisely, otherwise he risks causing damage to the people who are entrusted to him. Jesus thus calls attention to those who have educational responsibility or who govern: spiritual pastors, public authorities, legislators, teachers, parents, exhorting them to be aware of their delicate role and to always discern the right path on which to lead people.
And Jesus borrows a wise expression in order to designate himself as an example of teacher and leader to be followed: “A disciple is not above his teacher, but every one when he is fully taught will be like his teacher” (v. 40). It is a call to follow his example and his teaching in order to be sound and wise leaders. And this teaching is included above all in the Sermon on the Mount — which, in the past three Sundays the liturgy has offered us in the Gospel — indicating the attitude of meekness and of mercy in order to be honest, humble and just people. In today’s passage we find another significant phrase, which exhorts us to be neither presumptuous nor hypocritical. It says: “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (v. 41). So often, as we all know, it is easy or convenient to see and condemn the flaws and sins of others, without being able to see our own with such clarity. We always hide our flaws; we even hide them from ourselves; while it is easy to see the flaws of others. The temptation is to be indulgent with ourselves — lenient with ourselves — and severe with others. It is always useful to help one’s neighbour with wise advice, but while we observe and correct our neighbour’s flaws, we must be aware that we too have flaws. If I believe I have none, I cannot condemn or correct others. We all have flaws: everyone. We must be aware of them, and, before condemning others, we must look within ourselves. In this way we can act in a credible way, with humility, witnessing to charity.
How can we understand if our view is clear or if it is obstructed by a log? And again Jesus tells us so: “no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit” (vv. 43-44). The fruits are actions but also words. A tree’s quality can also be understood from words. Indeed, those who are good draw good from their hearts and their mouths, and those who are bad draw bad, by practicing the most damaging exercise among us, which is grumbling, gossiping, speaking ill of others. This destroys. It destroys the family, destroys school, destroys the workplace, destroys the neighbourhood. Wars begin from the tongue. Let us consider a bit this lesson of Jesus and ask ourselves the question: do I speak ill of others? Do I always seek to tarnish others? Is it easier for me to see others’ flaws than my own? And let us try to correct ourselves at least a little: it will do us all good.
Let us invoke Mary’s support and intercession in order to follow the Lord on this journey.
FAUSTI - The Commandment: "Become merciful just as your Father is Merciful" (6, 36), synthesis of the whole discourse of Mercy, is the only main road to salvation. Against possible and easy deviations, it is now confirmed with a series of similarities. Whoever teaches otherwise is a blind guide, a false teacher; whoever acts differently, by criticizing the evil of others and not by seeing his own, he is a hypocrite. The Commandment of Mercy is the only way of salvation, because it makes us what we are, that is, "children of the Most High". Whoever lowers his throw, because he considers it too perfect, is a blind man who leads to perdition. Whoever thinks that he knows one more perfect, is a false teacher who teaches useless things. Mercy is the greatest good because it is that love which knows realistically how to know and take charge of evil. It prevents foolishness and the presumption of criticizing the others. Criticism must be exercised only against oneself, in order to know one's own evil and the mercy of which one is indigent.Thus one enters into possession of the "good treasure". The disciple lives of this treasure, which is the Cháris of God that he has experienced, and makes others sharing in it. Only the heart converted by and to mercy can save from evil. Man was born to love and has failed because he does not love. His essential desire cannot flourish, because it is rotten bud. .Only the heart converted by Mercy can turn into good treasure that is evil. If God's love has created everything from nothing, His Mercy saves everything from evil, worse than nothing. Judging others and justifying oneself is the grave sin of blindness that prevents one from knowing one's own evil and from knowing God. This double knowledge is given in mercy. To the disciple it is asked to remove his own beam that makes him blind: he must not consider himself just and not in need of mercy! Thus the root of the evil plant is healed. Then he can remove the mote from his brother's eye. Not with a complicated eye operation, but simply with his good eye, he sees good and does good, communicating an experience of goodness. The other is pardoned by me as I was pardoned! My eye toward the other is the same of God toward me! More one is a sinner, more one is worthy of merciful love.And, as I have experienced God towards me, it is I towards the other. Our wickedness towards others is the absence of mercy: it is the rotten bud of our bad tree. The fundamental evil is the blind eye that does not see its own evil and does not feel the need for mercy. The blind eye expresses a dark heart, without goodness. And this heart, as it sees, so also acts badly. It has a hand full of fruits with the taste of death. There is a strict connection between eye/heart/hand: the principle of good or bad action is the heart full or not of mercy; and the principle of mercy in our heart is the eye, its window, which recognizes its need and welcomes its light. The principle of good is therefore our eye/heart open to our evil and tenderened by the mercy that we have received.This mercy saves from evil and creates good. I met a man who was deaf to every bad word, while he had sensitive hearing to every good thing: in him evil was extinguished and good enlightened him. He had a selective sensitivity. The bad heart, instead, only feels the evil and germinates the worst, parasite victim of the evil and its multiplier. The serious problem of the disciple is to recognize himself as an evil plant with rotten fruits. This sincerity permits to the disciple not to be blind about his own blindness. Whoever sincerely sees himself, sees his own evil and the need that he has of mercy. It is the only condition for healing.
-->Jesus, Mercy of the Father, works the judgment so that those without sight may see and those with sight turn blind. Before Him, man can discover his own sin without fear and without shame, because he sees himself forgiven. To recognize my bad heart, which has treasured a great capital of evil of living, is the very grafting that makes me a good tree, puts me in communion with Him who forgives and with my brothers and sisters that then I forgive. From our fruits of death, we can easily recognize ourselves as bad wood. Thus we are willing to accept His forgiveness and accept the grafting of the Only Good Wood: the Tree of Mercy of the Father, the Cross of His Son, Given for us. The knowledge of my sin in this light finally makes me in solidarity with the Father and with my brothers and sisters.
Antiphon
RispondiEliminaThe Lord is my support,
He has carried me out to sea,
He has delivered me because he loves me. (Cf. Ps 17:19-20).
Collect
Grant, O Lord, that the course of events in the world may unfold according to your will for peace.
and that the Church may devote herself with joyful confidence to your service.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ.
God our Father,
who sent into the world the Word of truth,
heal our divided hearts,
that from our mouths no evil words come forth.
but words of charity and wisdom.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ.
First Reading
Praise no one until he has spoken.
the Book of Sirach
Sir 27:4-7
When a sieve is shaken, the husks appear;
so do one’s faults when one speaks.
As the test of what the potter molds is in the furnace,
so in tribulation is the test of the just.
The fruit of a tree shows the care it has had;
so too does one’s speech disclose the bent of one’s mind.
Praise no one before he speaks,
for it is then that people are tested.
Responsorial Psalm
From Ps 91 (92)
R. It is good to give thanks to the Lord.
It is good to give thanks to the Lord
And sing to your name, O Most High,
To proclaim your love in the morning
your faithfulness through the night. R.
The righteous shall flourish as a palm tree,
He shall grow like the cedar of Lebanon;
planted in the house of the Lord
they shall flourish in the halls of our God. R.
In old age they shall yet bear fruit,
they shall be green and flourishing,
to proclaim how righteous the Lord is,
my rock, in him there is no evil. R.
Second reading from the First letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians
1 Cor 15:54-58
Brothers and sisters:
When this which is corruptible clothes itself with incorruptibility
and this which is mortal clothes itself with immortality,
then the word that is written shall come about:
Death is swallowed up in victory.
Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?
The sting of death is sin,
and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters,
be firm, steadfast, always fully devoted to the work of the Lord,
knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
From the Gospel according to Luke
Lk 6:39-45
Jesus told his disciples a parable,
“Can a blind person guide a blind person?
Will not both fall into a pit?
No disciple is superior to the teacher;
but when fully trained,
every disciple will be like his teacher.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?
How can you say to your brother,
‘Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,’
when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye?
You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
then you will see clearly
to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye.
“A good tree does not bear rotten fruit,
nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit.
For every tree is known by its own fruit.
For people do not pick figs from thornbushes,
nor do they gather grapes from brambles.
A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good,
but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil;
for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.” WORD OF THE LORD
ANGELUS OF POPE FRANCIS - 3 MARCH 2019
RispondiEliminaToday’s Gospel passage presents brief parables with which Jesus seeks to indicate to his disciples the path to follow in order to live wisely. With the question: can a blind man lead a blind man?” (Lk 6:39), he wishes to emphasize that a leader cannot be blind, but must see clearly, that is, he must have wisdom in order to lead wisely, otherwise he risks causing damage to the people who are entrusted to him. Jesus thus calls attention to those who have educational responsibility or who govern: spiritual pastors, public authorities, legislators, teachers, parents, exhorting them to be aware of their delicate role and to always discern the right path on which to lead people.
And Jesus borrows a wise expression in order to designate himself as an example of teacher and leader to be followed: “A disciple is not above his teacher, but every one when he is fully taught will be like his teacher” (v. 40). It is a call to follow his example and his teaching in order to be sound and wise leaders. And this teaching is included above all in the Sermon on the Mount — which, in the past three Sundays the liturgy has offered us in the Gospel — indicating the attitude of meekness and of mercy in order to be honest, humble and just people. In today’s passage we find another significant phrase, which exhorts us to be neither presumptuous nor hypocritical. It says: “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (v. 41). So often, as we all know, it is easy or convenient to see and condemn the flaws and sins of others, without being able to see our own with such clarity. We always hide our flaws; we even hide them from ourselves; while it is easy to see the flaws of others. The temptation is to be indulgent with ourselves — lenient with ourselves — and severe with others. It is always useful to help one’s neighbour with wise advice, but while we observe and correct our neighbour’s flaws, we must be aware that we too have flaws. If I believe I have none, I cannot condemn or correct others. We all have flaws: everyone. We must be aware of them, and, before condemning others, we must look within ourselves. In this way we can act in a credible way, with humility, witnessing to charity.
How can we understand if our view is clear or if it is obstructed by a log? And again Jesus tells us so: “no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit” (vv. 43-44). The fruits are actions but also words. A tree’s quality can also be understood from words. Indeed, those who are good draw good from their hearts and their mouths, and those who are bad draw bad, by practicing the most damaging exercise among us, which is grumbling, gossiping, speaking ill of others. This destroys. It destroys the family, destroys school, destroys the workplace, destroys the neighbourhood. Wars begin from the tongue. Let us consider a bit this lesson of Jesus and ask ourselves the question: do I speak ill of others? Do I always seek to tarnish others? Is it easier for me to see others’ flaws than my own? And let us try to correct ourselves at least a little: it will do us all good.
Let us invoke Mary’s support and intercession in order to follow the Lord on this journey.
FAUSTI - The Commandment: "Become merciful just as your Father is Merciful" (6, 36), synthesis of the whole discourse of Mercy, is the only main road to salvation. Against possible and easy deviations, it is now confirmed with a series of similarities.
RispondiEliminaWhoever teaches otherwise is a blind guide, a false teacher; whoever acts differently, by criticizing the evil of others and not by seeing his own, he is a hypocrite. The Commandment of Mercy is the only way of salvation, because it makes us what we are, that is, "children of the Most High".
Whoever lowers his throw, because he considers it too perfect, is a blind man who leads to perdition.
Whoever thinks that he knows one more perfect, is a false teacher who teaches useless things.
Mercy is the greatest good because it is that love which knows realistically how to know and take charge of evil. It prevents foolishness and the presumption of criticizing the others. Criticism must be exercised only against oneself, in order to know one's own evil and the mercy of which one is indigent.Thus one enters into possession of the "good treasure". The disciple lives of this treasure, which is the Cháris of God that he has experienced, and makes others sharing in it.
Only the heart converted by and to mercy can save from evil.
Man was born to love and has failed because he does not love. His essential desire cannot flourish, because it is rotten bud. .Only the heart converted by Mercy can turn into good treasure that is evil.
If God's love has created everything from nothing, His Mercy saves everything from evil, worse than nothing.
Judging others and justifying oneself is the grave sin of blindness that prevents one from knowing one's own evil and from knowing God.
This double knowledge is given in mercy.
To the disciple it is asked to remove his own beam that makes him blind: he must not consider himself just and not in need of mercy!
Thus the root of the evil plant is healed.
Then he can remove the mote from his brother's eye. Not with a complicated eye operation, but simply with his good eye, he sees good and does good, communicating an experience of goodness.
The other is pardoned by me as I was pardoned! My eye toward the other is the same of God toward me! More one is a sinner, more one is worthy of merciful love.And, as I have experienced God towards me, it is I towards the other.
Our wickedness towards others is the absence of mercy: it is the rotten bud of our bad tree.
The fundamental evil is the blind eye that does not see its own evil and does not feel the need for mercy. The blind eye expresses a dark heart, without goodness.
And this heart, as it sees, so also acts badly.
It has a hand full of fruits with the taste of death. There is a strict connection between eye/heart/hand: the principle of good or bad action is the heart full or not of mercy; and the principle of mercy in our heart is the eye, its window, which recognizes its need and welcomes its light.
The principle of good is therefore our eye/heart open to our evil and tenderened by the mercy that we have received.This mercy saves from evil and creates good.
I met a man who was deaf to every bad word, while he had sensitive hearing to every good thing: in him evil was extinguished and good enlightened him. He had a selective sensitivity.
The bad heart, instead, only feels the evil and germinates the worst, parasite victim of the evil and its multiplier. The serious problem of the disciple is to recognize himself as an evil plant with rotten fruits.
This sincerity permits to the disciple not to be blind about his own blindness. Whoever sincerely sees himself, sees his own evil and the need that he has of mercy. It is the only condition for healing.
-->Jesus, Mercy of the Father, works the judgment so that those without sight may see and those with sight turn blind. Before Him, man can discover his own sin without fear and without shame, because he sees himself forgiven.
RispondiEliminaTo recognize my bad heart, which has treasured a great capital of evil of living, is the very grafting that makes me a good tree, puts me in communion with Him who forgives and with my brothers and sisters that then I forgive. From our fruits of death, we can easily recognize ourselves as bad wood. Thus we are willing to accept His forgiveness and accept the grafting of the Only Good Wood: the Tree of Mercy of the Father, the Cross of His Son, Given for us.
The knowledge of my sin in this light finally makes me in solidarity with the Father and with my brothers and sisters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgL5uqIP3q4
RispondiElimina