First the Lord degraded the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali; but in the end he has glorified the seaward road, the land west of the Jordan, the District of the Gentiles.
Anguish has taken wing, dispelled is darkness: for there is no gloom where but now there was distress. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone. You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing, as they rejoice before you as at the harvest, as people make merry when dividing spoils. For the yoke that burdened them, the pole on their shoulder, and the rod of their taskmaster you have smashed, as on the day of Midian.
Second reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians 1 COR 1:10-13, 17
I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose. For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers and sisters, by Chloe’s people, that there are rivalries among you. I mean that each of you is saying, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” Is Christ divided Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with the wisdom of human eloquence, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning. Gospel of the day
From the Gospel according to Matthew MT 4:12-23 OR 4:12-17
When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled: Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen. From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him. He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people. Words of the Holy Father
These words are very important: “The kingdom of God is in our midst!”, Jesus says. God comes to establish his lordship in our history, today, every day, in our life; and there — where it is welcomed with faith and humility — love, joy and peace blossom. With the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, it is God himself who abides among us to free us from self interest, sin and corruption, from these manners of the devil: seeking success at all costs; seeking power to the detriment of the weak; having the desire for wealth; seeking pleasure at any price. (Angelus, 4 December 2016)
FAUSTI - The piece marks the passage between the activity of the Precursor and that of the Messiah. John is not "arrested". His witness does not stop; on the contrary, it reaches its destination becoming martyrdom. After His retreat in the desert and the arrest of the Baptist, Jesus returns to Galilee; however, He doesn't go to His country, but rather to Capernaum. Jesus' movement, made for prudential reasons, responds to a providential plan. What might seem like flight is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah, who had spoken of the liberation of this land (733 B.C.), prophecy of what is accomplished by the ministry of Jesus. Isaiah's prophecy tells about Galileans under the oppression of slavery. The Light is given to all! Thus Jesus overcomes the enemy, not using his own means, but the Voice and the Light of the Word. The beginning of His ministry is seen as the sunrise, dawn of the new day. His coming is "the day of God". predicted by the prophets, and that ends the night of the world. The pagans also saw the Light of His star (2,2), which led them on their way to Jerusalem. The Light is great and rises in the heart of darkness. The struggle between light and darkness is the duel truth/faith, freedom/slavery, life/death, which interprets the drama of Jesus, Light of the world. "He began to proclaim and to say" Jesus does not give moral sermons or philosophical-theological explanations. He proclaims publicly, and says to each one in private, a long-awaited fact: the day of God has come, of which the Baptist was, with the other prophets, the morning star (2 Pet 1:19). To convert, to turn to the Light, to open one's eyes is now the only condition to be during the day that is already there. The Kingdom, first awaited and now present in Jesus, is that of the Father, in which we live as children and brothers. The Word "kingdom" contains every desire of man, indeed the promise of God, which surpasses every reputation (Ps 138:2). It is enough that we convert, changing direction to our eyes and feet. "Walking on the seashore" the water recalls both Genesis and Exodus, the new creation and liberation. Jesus, sitting when He teaches through the Word, walks when He teaches through Life. He is the Word and the Way. He must be listened to and followed, like the cloud that guides the people to the promised land. The disciples are called to make His own path, which is luminous for those who go towards freedom and dark for the others ( Ex 14:20). It is the passage from darkness to light (4,16) , the coming into the light of the new man. The whole Gospel recounts this birth, which is an exodus from the condition of slave to that of son. "How does God see me? Jesus says of each of us to the Father: "You have loved them as You have loved me" (Jn 17:23). To see how He sees me, to know how I am known to Him is happiness without end (1 Jn 3:2). To understand His "passion for me" - "He loved me and gave Himself for me" says Paul ( Gal 2:20) - is to understand who He is, Absolute Love for me, and who I am, infinitely loved by Him. "Two brothers" My call is to the fraternity, because I am son. In relation to the brother I realize the name given to me by the Father: I receive my secret name and exist as son. "Come behind me "It is a personal and direct proposal, to go near Him and follow Him. Jesus is the Word itself, the Son of God. By following Him, I too become what He is . Son. Jesus is not a teacher whom the disciple chooses. It is the Lord Himself who chooses us to be with Him. "They, at once..." The immediacy of the response is underlined. They leave everything, even the means of work, from which, however modest, they draw sustenance.
--> They do it not sadly, but with the joy of those who have found the treasure (13:44). It is not deprivation, but the choice of what is most at the heart of all. God's signature about the goodness of a choice is "consolation". before , and above all, after. The price can also be high: one leaves everything! But because one receives infinitely more.
RispondiEliminaReading of the day
First reading from the Book of Isaiah
IS 8:23—9:3
First the Lord degraded the land of Zebulun
and the land of Naphtali;
but in the end he has glorified the seaward road,
the land west of the Jordan,
the District of the Gentiles.
Anguish has taken wing, dispelled is darkness:
for there is no gloom where but now there was distress.
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom
a light has shone.
You have brought them abundant joy
and great rejoicing,
as they rejoice before you as at the harvest,
as people make merry when dividing spoils.
For the yoke that burdened them,
the pole on their shoulder,
and the rod of their taskmaster
you have smashed, as on the day of Midian.
Second reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians
1 COR 1:10-13, 17
I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that all of you agree in what you say,
and that there be no divisions among you,
but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose.
For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers and sisters,
by Chloe’s people, that there are rivalries among you.
I mean that each of you is saying,
“I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,”
or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.”
Is Christ divided
Was Paul crucified for you?
Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel,
and not with the wisdom of human eloquence,
so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.
Gospel of the day
From the Gospel according to Matthew
MT 4:12-23 OR 4:12-17
When Jesus heard that John had been arrested,
he withdrew to Galilee.
He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea,
in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet
might be fulfilled:
Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
light has arisen.
From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say,
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,
Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew,
casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.
He said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
At once they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along from there and saw two other brothers,
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets.
He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father
and followed him.
He went around all of Galilee,
teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness among the people.
Words of the Holy Father
These words are very important: “The kingdom of God is in our midst!”, Jesus says. God comes to establish his lordship in our history, today, every day, in our life; and there — where it is welcomed with faith and humility — love, joy and peace blossom. With the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, it is God himself who abides among us to free us from self interest, sin and corruption, from these manners of the devil: seeking success at all costs; seeking power to the detriment of the weak; having the desire for wealth; seeking pleasure at any price. (Angelus, 4 December 2016)
FAUSTI - The piece marks the passage between the activity of the Precursor and that of the Messiah.
RispondiEliminaJohn is not "arrested". His witness does not stop; on the contrary, it reaches its destination becoming martyrdom.
After His retreat in the desert and the arrest of the Baptist, Jesus returns to Galilee; however, He doesn't go to His country, but rather to Capernaum. Jesus' movement, made for prudential reasons, responds to a providential plan. What might seem like flight is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah, who had spoken of the liberation of this land (733 B.C.), prophecy of what is accomplished by the ministry of Jesus.
Isaiah's prophecy tells about Galileans under the oppression of slavery. The Light is given to all!
Thus Jesus overcomes the enemy, not using his own means, but the Voice and the Light of the Word.
The beginning of His ministry is seen as the sunrise, dawn of the new day.
His coming is "the day of God". predicted by the prophets, and that ends the night of the world.
The pagans also saw the Light of His star (2,2), which led them on their way to Jerusalem.
The Light is great and rises in the heart of darkness. The struggle between light and darkness is the duel truth/faith, freedom/slavery, life/death, which interprets the drama of Jesus, Light of the world.
"He began to proclaim and to say" Jesus does not give moral sermons or philosophical-theological explanations. He proclaims publicly, and says to each one in private, a long-awaited fact: the day of God has come, of which the Baptist was, with the other prophets, the morning star (2 Pet 1:19). To convert, to turn to the Light, to open one's eyes is now the only condition to be during the day that is already there. The Kingdom, first awaited and now present in Jesus, is that of the Father, in which we live as children and brothers.
The Word "kingdom" contains every desire of man, indeed the promise of God, which surpasses every reputation (Ps 138:2).
It is enough that we convert, changing direction to our eyes and feet.
"Walking on the seashore" the water recalls both Genesis and Exodus, the new creation and liberation.
Jesus, sitting when He teaches through the Word, walks when He teaches through Life.
He is the Word and the Way.
He must be listened to and followed, like the cloud that guides the people to the promised land. The disciples are called to make His own path, which is luminous for those who go towards freedom and dark for the others ( Ex 14:20).
It is the passage from darkness to light (4,16) , the coming into the light of the new man.
The whole Gospel recounts this birth, which is an exodus from the condition of slave to that of son.
"How does God see me? Jesus says of each of us to the Father: "You have loved them as You have loved me" (Jn 17:23). To see how He sees me, to know how I am known to Him is happiness without end (1 Jn 3:2). To understand His "passion for me" - "He loved me and gave Himself for me" says Paul ( Gal 2:20) - is to understand who He is, Absolute Love for me, and who I am, infinitely loved by Him.
"Two brothers" My call is to the fraternity, because I am son. In relation to the brother I realize the name given to me by the Father: I receive my secret name and exist as son.
"Come behind me "It is a personal and direct proposal, to go near Him and follow Him.
Jesus is the Word itself, the Son of God. By following Him, I too become what He is . Son.
Jesus is not a teacher whom the disciple chooses.
It is the Lord Himself who chooses us to be with Him.
"They, at once..." The immediacy of the response is underlined.
They leave everything, even the means of work, from which, however modest, they draw sustenance.
--> They do it not sadly, but with the joy of those who have found the treasure (13:44).
RispondiEliminaIt is not deprivation, but the choice of what is most at the heart of all.
God's signature about the goodness of a choice is "consolation". before , and above all, after.
The price can also be high: one leaves everything!
But because one receives infinitely more.