First reading from the Book of Ezekiel EZ 18:25-28
Thus says the LORD: You say, "The LORD's way is not fair!" Hear now, house of Israel: Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair? When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies, it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die. But if he turns from the wickedness he has committed, he does what is right and just, he shall preserve his life; since he has turned away from all the sins that he has committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
PSALM 25 "ADORATION I offer, Yahweh, .to you, my God. BUT in my trust in you do not put me to shame, let not my enemies gloat over me. .CALLING to you, none shall ever be put to shame, but shame is theirs who groundlessly break faith. DIRECT me in your ways, Yahweh, and teach me your paths. 5.ENCOURAGE me to walk in your truth and teach me since you are the God who saves me. FOR my hope is in you all day long -- such is your generosity, Yahweh. GOODNESS and faithful love have been yours for ever, Yahweh, do not forget them. HOLD not my youthful sins against me, but remember me as your faithful love dictates. INTEGRITY and generosity are marks of Yahweh for he brings sinners back to the path. JUDICIOUSLY he guides the humble, instructing the poor in his way. KINDNESS unfailing and constancy mark all Yahweh's paths, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees."
Second reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians PHIL 2:1-11 OR 2:1-5
Brothers and sisters: If there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace in love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion and mercy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing. Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also for those of others.
Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Gospel of the day
From the Gospel according to Matthew MT 21:28-32
Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people: "What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, 'Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.' He said in reply, 'I will not, ' but afterwards changed his mind and went. The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, 'Yes, sir, ‘but did not go. Which of the two did his father's will?" They answered, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him."
Words of the Holy Father
Where do I place my trust? In power, in friends, in money? In the Lord! Thus it is this legacy that the Lord promises us: ‘I will leave in the midst of you a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord’. Humble because they feel they are sinners; seeking refuge in the Lord because they know that the Lord alone can guarantee what is good for them. This is why Jesus had to tell the chief priests, who did not understand these things, that a harlot would enter the kingdom of God before them. (Santa Marta, 15 December 2015)
FAUSTI -The one who doesn't want to change, can't understand someone who proposes the opposite of what he does. Jesus does not enjoy turning our ideas upside down; He only turns them over in order to right them: "My thoughts are not your thoughts, your ways are not my ways" (Is 55:8). Those who do not want to convert are not left to themselves. The Lord speaks to him in parables, because, seeing not to see, he is converted and healed. Jesus reveals Himself clearly to those who love Him, even if they do not understand Him, like Peter; to those who understand Him, but do not love Him, He speaks first through His silence, and then through parables. It is a way of speaking that at the same time is silent and says: it expresses something understandable, that alludes to something else that, when one wants one can understand. This parable reveals the situation of the listener who does not want to convert: he is like the brother who says yes, but does not. When he is aware of this, he can become like the other, who says no, but later changes his opinion. The priests and the notables of the people are like the fig tree, which has many leaves, but no fruit, they are like the temple, which is cave of thieves and not house of prayer. But they will never convert, as long as they believe themselves to be just. "Doing the Will of the Father" is the center of the Gospel of Matthew . It means recognizing oneself as a son and living as a brother. This is possible for those who convert themselves, but they convert only those who feel the discomfort of their own evil. True blind is he who believes he is seeing, true sinner is he who believes he is right. And his sin does not obtain forgiveness because neither does he want it. The parable highlights this grave sin, so that it is not consumed in the inadvertence of deaf resistance to the Spirit. John came in the way of righteousness; like all prophets, he asked for conversion (3:1-12). They considered him an indemonite: "How does he dare to question the righteous? The publicans and prostitutes believed him; that is why the Son of Man eats and drinks with them: they are His brothers and do the Will of the Father. The leaders saw not only John, but also the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem and the temple. They will see Him in a few days on the Cross, where He will be dry wood and destroyed temple; He, Tree of Life and Son of God! The definitive sign with which He will reveal Himself, in conversion of us all, will be the ultimate product of our blind violence. "Not even you would repent to believe Him!" Faith is the great conversion: it is the passage from one's presumed justice to God's justification. It makes us see - faith is enlightenment - both the reality of our no to God and the reality of His yes to us. When we will see the sign of the Son of Man, in which God's yes to man and man's yes to God are fulfilled, then we will beat our breasts (24:30). But will the salvation of the righteous be only at the end, or even sooner? It will be when he recognizes in himself the sin that reproaches others. Then, and not before, it will be possible for him to be converted.
RispondiEliminaFirst reading from the Book of Ezekiel
EZ 18:25-28
Thus says the LORD:
You say, "The LORD's way is not fair!"
Hear now, house of Israel:
Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?
When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies,
it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die.
But if he turns from the wickedness he has committed,
he does what is right and just,
he shall preserve his life;
since he has turned away from all the sins that he has committed,
he shall surely live, he shall not die.
PSALM 25
"ADORATION I offer, Yahweh, .to you, my God. BUT in my trust in you do not put me to shame, let not my enemies gloat over me.
.CALLING to you, none shall ever be put to shame, but shame is theirs who groundlessly break faith.
DIRECT me in your ways, Yahweh, and teach me your paths. 5.ENCOURAGE me to walk in your truth and teach me since you are the God who saves me. FOR my hope is in you all day long -- such is your generosity, Yahweh.
GOODNESS and faithful love have been yours for ever, Yahweh, do not forget them.
HOLD not my youthful sins against me, but remember me as your faithful love dictates.
INTEGRITY and generosity are marks of Yahweh for he brings sinners back to the path.
JUDICIOUSLY he guides the humble, instructing the poor in his way.
KINDNESS unfailing and constancy mark all Yahweh's paths, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees."
Second reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians
PHIL 2:1-11 OR 2:1-5
Brothers and sisters:
If there is any encouragement in Christ,
any solace in love,
any participation in the Spirit,
any compassion and mercy,
complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love,
united in heart, thinking one thing.
Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory;
rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,
each looking out not for his own interests,
but also for those of others.
Have in you the same attitude
that is also in Christ Jesus,
Who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
which is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Gospel of the day
From the Gospel according to Matthew
MT 21:28-32
Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people:
"What is your opinion?
A man had two sons.
He came to the first and said,
'Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.'
He said in reply, 'I will not, '
but afterwards changed his mind and went.
The man came to the other son and gave the same order.
He said in reply, 'Yes, sir, ‘but did not go.
Which of the two did his father's will?"
They answered, "The first."
Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the kingdom of God before you.
When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your minds and believe him."
Words of the Holy Father
Where do I place my trust? In power, in friends, in money? In the Lord! Thus it is this legacy that the Lord promises us: ‘I will leave in the midst of you a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord’. Humble because they feel they are sinners; seeking refuge in the Lord because they know that the Lord alone can guarantee what is good for them. This is why Jesus had to tell the chief priests, who did not understand these things, that a harlot would enter the kingdom of God before them. (Santa Marta, 15 December 2015)
FAUSTI -The one who doesn't want to change, can't understand someone who proposes the opposite of what he does.
RispondiEliminaJesus does not enjoy turning our ideas upside down; He only turns them over in order to right them: "My thoughts are not your thoughts, your ways are not my ways" (Is 55:8).
Those who do not want to convert are not left to themselves.
The Lord speaks to him in parables, because, seeing not to see, he is converted and healed.
Jesus reveals Himself clearly to those who love Him, even if they do not understand Him, like Peter; to those who understand Him, but do not love Him, He speaks first through His silence, and then through parables.
It is a way of speaking that at the same time is silent and says: it expresses something understandable, that alludes to something else that, when one wants one can understand.
This parable reveals the situation of the listener who does not want to convert: he is like the brother who says yes, but does not.
When he is aware of this, he can become like the other, who says no, but later changes his opinion.
The priests and the notables of the people are like the fig tree, which has many leaves, but no fruit, they are like the temple, which is cave of thieves and not house of prayer.
But they will never convert, as long as they believe themselves to be just.
"Doing the Will of the Father" is the center of the Gospel of Matthew . It means recognizing oneself as a son and living as a brother. This is possible for those who convert themselves, but they convert only those who feel the discomfort of their own evil.
True blind is he who believes he is seeing, true sinner is he who believes he is right.
And his sin does not obtain forgiveness because neither does he want it.
The parable highlights this grave sin, so that it is not consumed in the inadvertence of deaf resistance to the Spirit.
John came in the way of righteousness; like all prophets, he asked for conversion (3:1-12). They considered him an indemonite: "How does he dare to question the righteous?
The publicans and prostitutes believed him; that is why the Son of Man eats and drinks with them: they are His brothers and do the Will of the Father.
The leaders saw not only John, but also the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem and the temple.
They will see Him in a few days on the Cross, where He will be dry wood and destroyed temple; He, Tree of Life and Son of God! The definitive sign with which He will reveal Himself, in conversion of us all, will be the ultimate product of our blind violence.
"Not even you would repent to believe Him!" Faith is the great conversion: it is the passage from one's presumed justice to God's justification. It makes us see - faith is enlightenment - both the reality of our no to God and the reality of His yes to us.
When we will see the sign of the Son of Man, in which God's yes to man and man's yes to God are fulfilled, then we will beat our breasts (24:30).
But will the salvation of the righteous be only at the end, or even sooner? It will be when he recognizes in himself the sin that reproaches others.
Then, and not before, it will be possible for him to be converted.