Thus says the LORD: Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion, shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem! See, your king shall come to you; a just savior is he, meek, and riding on an ass, on a colt, the foal of an ass. He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem; the warrior’s bow shall be banished, and he shall proclaim peace to the nations. His dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.
Second reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans ROM 8:9, 11-13
Brothers and sisters: You are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you. Consequently, brothers and sisters, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY From the Gospel according to Matthew MT 11:25-30
At that time Jesus exclaimed: “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER He was enamoured of our smallness, and for this reason He has chosen us. And He chooses the small: not the great, the small. And He is revealed to the small: ‘you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones.’ He is revealed to the little ones: if you want to understand something of the mystery of Jesus, lower yourself: make yourself small. Be mindful of being nothing. And He not only chooses and reveals Himself to the little ones; He calls the little ones: ‘Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest.’ You that are the smallest – because of suffering, because of fatigue – He chooses the little ones, He is revealed to the little ones, and He calls the little ones. But the great, does He not call them? His heart is open, but the great do not recognize His voice because they are not able to hear it because they are full of themselves. To hear the voice of the Lord, you must make yourself little. (Santa Marta, 23 June 2017)
FAUSTI - Abba is the Word full of love, with which the Son says the Father. His sweetness is understood only by those who say it and those who listen it: It expresses the mystery of God who is Father and Son, in the unique Love. This Word is the centre of Christianity. The Spirit of the Son, effused in our hearts, cries into us: "Abba!". (Rom 5.5). The believer is the one who has known and believed the love that God has for him. (1Jn 4:16). What God is, we too are; through the gift of the Son we are really children of God (1Jn 3:1). This is the great mystery, already revealed now, even if as in a mirror and in an enigmatic way (! Cor 13:12). Only at the end will we see Him face to face, and we will know perfectly how we are known (1 Cor 13:13). When the child is born, he detaches himself from his mother and it seems to him to be dying, but instead he comes to the light and sees his face. When we detach ourselves from earthly life, we will come to the light of the Face of the Father and we will be similar to Him, because we will see Him as He is (! Jn 3:2). Already now, however, reflecting the Glory of the Lord, we are transformed into that same image, according to the action of the Spirit of the Lord (2 Cor 3:18). "Lord of heaven and earth" Our Father, so close and tender, is the Most High and Almighty God, Lord of heaven and earth! God is spoken of only by opposites (coincidentia oppositorum, says Cusano), so that we don't reduce Him to an idol: He is near and very high, tender and omnipotent, small and great, merciful and just. The ineffable relationship of mutual knowledge between Father and Son, revealed to infants, is hidden from others, wise and intelligent. The Wisdom of the Son is the Wisdom of the Beatitudes; the wise do not understand it, the intelligent ones defend themselves from it. Infants not only ignore , they are poor. They do not even speak. To them, without words, the Word is revealed: "Abba!". In us, too, beyond the many words, there is a silent wisdom, proper to the poor. It is the "learned ignorance" of the pure of heart, to which God shows Himself, quite different from the ignorant wisdom of the clever, to which God resists. He is not the object of the robbery of our intelligence, but the Beginning and End of our love: He doesn't appear at the window of our mind, but knocks at the door of our heart. Jesus is happy about this. He is "yes" not only to the Father, but also to His brothers and sisters. All that the Father is, is a gift to the Son. The Father is God who gives everything. All that the Son is, is a gift of the Father. From Him He receives His nature, His Love and Himself, in indissoluble union with Him in His distinction from Him. The Son is God who receives everything. Jesus is the Son who calls God "My Father". If we are in Him, He also becomes "Our Father". The "things" hidden to the wise and intelligent, the mutual knowledge between Father and Son, Their Love, Their only Spirit, which is the Life of both, is communicated by the Son to the infants who welcome Him. The Word "Abba" is the inheritance of the little ones. Beyond any pretended wisdom, in every man there is the ineffable wealth of the infant, the dignity of the child. The little one knows them. He lives by gift, love, and grace.
A reading of the prophet Zechariah
RispondiEliminaZEC 9:9-10
Thus says the LORD:
Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion,
shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king shall come to you;
a just savior is he,
meek, and riding on an ass,
on a colt, the foal of an ass.
He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim,
and the horse from Jerusalem;
the warrior’s bow shall be banished,
and he shall proclaim peace to the nations.
His dominion shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
Second reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans
ROM 8:9, 11-13
Brothers and sisters:
You are not in the flesh;
on the contrary, you are in the spirit,
if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.
Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
the one who raised Christ from the dead
will give life to your mortal bodies also,
through his Spirit that dwells in you.
Consequently, brothers and sisters,
we are not debtors to the flesh,
to live according to the flesh.
For if you live according to the flesh, you will die,
but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body,
you will live.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Matthew
MT 11:25-30
At that time Jesus exclaimed:
“I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to little ones.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER
He was enamoured of our smallness, and for this reason He has chosen us. And He chooses the small: not the great, the small. And He is revealed to the small: ‘you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones.’ He is revealed to the little ones: if you want to understand something of the mystery of Jesus, lower yourself: make yourself small. Be mindful of being nothing. And He not only chooses and reveals Himself to the little ones; He calls the little ones: ‘Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest.’ You that are the smallest – because of suffering, because of fatigue – He chooses the little ones, He is revealed to the little ones, and He calls the little ones. But the great, does He not call them? His heart is open, but the great do not recognize His voice because they are not able to hear it because they are full of themselves. To hear the voice of the Lord, you must make yourself little. (Santa Marta, 23 June 2017)
FAUSTI - Abba is the Word full of love, with which the Son says the Father. His sweetness is understood only by those who say it and those who listen it: It expresses the mystery of God who is Father and Son, in the unique Love.
RispondiEliminaThis Word is the centre of Christianity.
The Spirit of the Son, effused in our hearts, cries into us: "Abba!". (Rom 5.5).
The believer is the one who has known and believed the love that God has for him. (1Jn 4:16).
What God is, we too are; through the gift of the Son we are really children of God (1Jn 3:1). This is the great mystery, already revealed now, even if as in a mirror and in an enigmatic way (! Cor 13:12). Only at the end will we see Him face to face, and we will know perfectly how we are known (1 Cor 13:13).
When the child is born, he detaches himself from his mother and it seems to him to be dying, but instead he comes to the light and sees his face. When we detach ourselves from earthly life, we will come to the light of the Face of the Father and we will be similar to Him, because we will see Him as He is (! Jn 3:2).
Already now, however, reflecting the Glory of the Lord, we are transformed into that same image, according to the action of the Spirit of the Lord (2 Cor 3:18).
"Lord of heaven and earth" Our Father, so close and tender, is the Most High and Almighty God, Lord of heaven and earth! God is spoken of only by opposites (coincidentia oppositorum, says Cusano), so that we don't reduce Him to an idol: He is near and very high, tender and omnipotent, small and great, merciful and just.
The ineffable relationship of mutual knowledge between Father and Son, revealed to infants, is hidden from others, wise and intelligent.
The Wisdom of the Son is the Wisdom of the Beatitudes; the wise do not understand it, the intelligent ones defend themselves from it. Infants not only ignore , they are poor. They do not even speak.
To them, without words, the Word is revealed: "Abba!".
In us, too, beyond the many words, there is a silent wisdom, proper to the poor.
It is the "learned ignorance" of the pure of heart, to which God shows Himself, quite different from the ignorant wisdom of the clever, to which God resists.
He is not the object of the robbery of our intelligence, but the Beginning and End of our love: He doesn't appear at the window of our mind, but knocks at the door of our heart.
Jesus is happy about this. He is "yes" not only to the Father, but also to His brothers and sisters.
All that the Father is, is a gift to the Son.
The Father is God who gives everything.
All that the Son is, is a gift of the Father.
From Him He receives His nature, His Love and Himself, in indissoluble union with Him in His distinction from Him.
The Son is God who receives everything.
Jesus is the Son who calls God "My Father".
If we are in Him, He also becomes "Our Father".
The "things" hidden to the wise and intelligent, the mutual knowledge between Father and Son, Their Love, Their only Spirit, which is the Life of both, is communicated by the Son to the infants who welcome Him. The Word "Abba" is the inheritance of the little ones. Beyond any pretended wisdom, in every man there is the ineffable wealth of the infant, the dignity of the child.
The little one knows them. He lives by gift, love, and grace.