Book of Isaiah 49,3.5-6. The LORD said to me: You are my servant, Israel, through whom I show my glory. For now the LORD has spoken who formed me as his servant from the womb, That Jacob may be brought back to him and Israel gathered to him; And I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD, and my God is now my strength! It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel; I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.
Psalms 40(39)
I have waited, waited for the LORD, and he stooped toward me and heard my cry. And he put a new song into my mouth, a hymn to our God.
Many shall look on in awe and trust in the LORD. Sacrifice or oblation you wished not, but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not; then said I, “Behold I come.” To do your will, O my God, is my delight, and your law is within my heart!”
I announced your justice in the vast assembly; I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
First Letter to the Corinthians 1,1-3.
Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, to the church of God that is in Corinth, to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 1,29-34. John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. He is the one of whom I said, 'A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.' I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel." John testified further, saying, "I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky and remain upon him. I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the holy Spirit.' Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God."
FAUSTI - "He sees Jesus coming towards himself": the day after his testimony, John "sees" Him Whom he had already contemplated before, but without recognizing Him. Even the reader has already heard in the prologue that Jesus is the only-begotten Son of God; but it takes time to recognize Him. To see Jesus who "comes" is to see the invisible, the Word become Flesh which shows the Glory. John awaits It, but it is This One who comes to be seen. The initiative of the encounter is His own. The Son, just as He is turned towards the Father, so necessarily He turns towards us, His Brethren. The "voice of one who cries out in the desert" sounds consolation, because she promises forgiveness and brings the good news: "Here is our God! (Is 40.1-9). Forgiveness, however, is not only for Israel, but for "the world", so that all flesh may see His Glory. (Is 40.5). We speak of sin, not sins. It is about sinfulness, which is the non-knowledge of God, the root of every single transgression. Whoever takes away sin can only be God Himself. Jesus is called "the Lamb". The Word alludes to the Servant of JHWH , mute as a lamb led to slaughter (Is 53:7) , especially since the Aramaic word "taleya" can mean both child/servant and lamb. In these Words of John resounds the same theology as in the other Gospels, according to which Jesus in Baptism is proclaimed by the Father the Son/Servant who, through His sacrifice, will save the world. The Baptism of Jesus is the gateway to Christian revelation, which introduces us into the house of God. Is not He completely a door wide open to man? The scene of Jesus' Baptism took place earlier, at an unspecified time. It is not said when, perhaps because in every time the Word "is Baptized" and is immersed in the world. John, like each of us, needs time to understand what he has contemplated in the flesh of the Word, in solidarity with all mankind. He reveals Himself as the Son because He makes Himself our Brother and immerses Himself in the condition common to all. The Spirit Who in creation hovered over the primordial waters, the dove that hovered over the earth as soon as it emerged from the deluge, descends upon Jesus who is Baptized in the Jordan. Not only descends, but "dwells" upon Him, His Home. Directly from God for inner inspiration, or indirectly, through the Word long chewed, John knows the sign to recognize Jesus as "He who comes". He is the Spirit who descends and dwells upon Him. However, for him, as for us, there is always a distance between knowing and recognizing, between seeing and understanding. While the other prophets had foreseen and foretold, John sees and says . The fulfillment of what was promised has already happened in Jesus and is present to all in the testimony of the one who has seen and recounts.
ANGELUS 19 January 2020 Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
This second Sunday of Ordinary Time is in continuity with the Epiphany and the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus. The Gospel passage (cf. Jn 1: 29-34) again speaks to us of the manifestation of Jesus. Indeed, after being baptized in the River Jordan, He was consecrated by the Holy Spirit Who came upon Him, and was proclaimed Son of God by the voice of the heavenly Father (cf. Mt 3: 16-17 et seq.). The Evangelist John, unlike the other three, does not describe the event, but proposes to us the witness of John the Baptist. He was the first witness of Christ. God had called him and prepared him for this.
The Baptist cannot hold back the urgent desire to bear witness to Jesus and declares: “I have seen and have borne witness” (v. 34). John saw something shocking, that is, the beloved Son of God in solidarity with sinners; and the Holy Spirit made him understand this unheard-of novelty, a true reversal. In fact, while in all religions it is man who offers and sacrifices something to God, in the event Jesus is God Who offers His Son for the salvation of humanity. John manifests his astonishment and his consent to this newness brought by Jesus, through a meaningful expression that we repeat each time in the Mass: “Behold the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world!” (v. 29).
The testimony of John the Baptist invites us to start out again and again on our journey of faith: to start afresh from Jesus Christ, the Lamb full of mercy that the Father gave for us. Let us be surprised once again by God’s choice to be on our side, to show solidarity with us sinners, and to save the world from evil by taking it on fully.
Let us learn from John the Baptist not to assume that we already know Jesus, that we already know everything about Him (cf. v. 31). This is not so. Let us pause with the Gospel, perhaps even contemplating an icon of Christ, a “Holy face”. Let us contemplate with our eyes and yet more with our hearts; and let us allow ourselves to be instructed by the Holy Spirit, Who tells us inside: It is He! He is the Son of God made lamb, immolated out of love. He alone has brought, He alone has suffered, He alone has atoned for sin, the sin of each one of us, the sin of the world, and also my sins. All of them. He brought them all upon Himself and took them away from us, so that we would finally be free, no longer slaves to evil. Yes, we are still poor sinners, but not slaves, no, not slaves: children, children of God!
May the Virgin Mary obtain for us the strength to bear witness to her Son Jesus; to proclaim Him with joy with a life freed from evil and a word full of astonished and grateful faith.
O Lamb of God, hidden among men! O inconceivable goodness of God, who protect us at every step, let infinite honor be given to Your mercy, for having fraternized not with angels but with men, this is a miracle of the unfathomable mystery of Your mercy. All our confidence is in You, Jesus Christ, our Elder Brother, true God and true Man.
My heart trembles with joy to see how good God is to us, so wretched and ungrateful, and as proof of His love He gives us an inconceivable gift, that is, Himself, in the person of His Son. We cannot exhaust the mystery of this love in all eternity. O men, why do you think so little that God is truly in our midst?
O Lamb of God, I do not know what is more to be admired in You: Your meekness, Your hidden life and Your annihilation for man, or that ceaseless miracle of Your mercy that transforms souls and raises them to eternal life. Though You are so hidden, Your omnipotence is revealed here more than in the creation of man; though the omnipotence of Your mercy acts for the justification of the sinner, Your action remains silent and hidden.
Book of Isaiah 49,3.5-6.
RispondiEliminaThe LORD said to me: You are my servant, Israel, through whom I show my glory.
For now the LORD has spoken who formed me as his servant from the womb, That Jacob may be brought back to him and Israel gathered to him; And I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD, and my God is now my strength!
It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel; I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.
Psalms 40(39)
I have waited, waited for the LORD,
and he stooped toward me and heard my cry.
And he put a new song into my mouth,
a hymn to our God.
Many shall look on in awe
and trust in the LORD.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, “Behold I come.”
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!”
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
First Letter to the Corinthians 1,1-3.
Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
to the church of God that is in Corinth, to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ
according to Saint John 1,29-34.
John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
He is the one of whom I said, 'A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.'
I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel."
John testified further, saying, "I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky and remain upon him.
I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the holy Spirit.'
Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God."
FAUSTI - "He sees Jesus coming towards himself": the day after his testimony, John "sees" Him Whom he had already contemplated before, but without recognizing Him. Even the reader has already heard in the prologue that Jesus is the only-begotten Son of God; but it takes time to recognize Him.
RispondiEliminaTo see Jesus who "comes" is to see the invisible, the Word become Flesh which shows the Glory. John awaits It, but it is This One who comes to be seen. The initiative of the encounter is His own.
The Son, just as He is turned towards the Father, so necessarily He turns towards us, His Brethren.
The "voice of one who cries out in the desert" sounds consolation, because she promises forgiveness and brings the good news: "Here is our God! (Is 40.1-9).
Forgiveness, however, is not only for Israel, but for "the world", so that all flesh may see His Glory.
(Is 40.5). We speak of sin, not sins. It is about sinfulness, which is the non-knowledge of God, the root of every single transgression. Whoever takes away sin can only be God Himself.
Jesus is called "the Lamb". The Word alludes to the Servant of JHWH , mute as a lamb led to slaughter (Is 53:7) , especially since the Aramaic word "taleya" can mean both child/servant and lamb. In these Words of John resounds the same theology as in the other Gospels, according to which Jesus in Baptism is proclaimed by the Father the Son/Servant who, through His sacrifice, will save the world. The Baptism of Jesus is the gateway to Christian revelation, which introduces us into the house of God. Is not He completely a door wide open to man?
The scene of Jesus' Baptism took place earlier, at an unspecified time. It is not said when, perhaps because in every time the Word "is Baptized" and is immersed in the world.
John, like each of us, needs time to understand what he has contemplated in the flesh of the Word, in solidarity with all mankind. He reveals Himself as the Son because He makes Himself our Brother and immerses Himself in the condition common to all.
The Spirit Who in creation hovered over the primordial waters, the dove that hovered over the earth as soon as it emerged from the deluge, descends upon Jesus who is Baptized in the Jordan.
Not only descends, but "dwells" upon Him, His Home.
Directly from God for inner inspiration, or indirectly, through the Word long chewed, John knows the sign to recognize Jesus as "He who comes". He is the Spirit who descends and dwells upon Him. However, for him, as for us, there is always a distance between knowing and recognizing, between seeing and understanding.
While the other prophets had foreseen and foretold, John sees and says . The fulfillment of what was promised has already happened in Jesus and is present to all in the testimony of the one who has seen and recounts.
ANGELUS 19 January 2020
RispondiEliminaDear brothers and sisters, good morning!
This second Sunday of Ordinary Time is in continuity with the Epiphany and the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus. The Gospel passage (cf. Jn 1: 29-34) again speaks to us of the manifestation of Jesus. Indeed, after being baptized in the River Jordan, He was consecrated by the Holy Spirit Who came upon Him, and was proclaimed Son of God by the voice of the heavenly Father (cf. Mt 3: 16-17 et seq.). The Evangelist John, unlike the other three, does not describe the event, but proposes to us the witness of John the Baptist. He was the first witness of Christ. God had called him and prepared him for this.
The Baptist cannot hold back the urgent desire to bear witness to Jesus and declares: “I have seen and have borne witness” (v. 34). John saw something shocking, that is, the beloved Son of God in solidarity with sinners; and the Holy Spirit made him understand this unheard-of novelty, a true reversal. In fact, while in all religions it is man who offers and sacrifices something to God, in the event Jesus is God Who offers His Son for the salvation of humanity. John manifests his astonishment and his consent to this newness brought by Jesus, through a meaningful expression that we repeat each time in the Mass: “Behold the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world!” (v. 29).
The testimony of John the Baptist invites us to start out again and again on our journey of faith: to start afresh from Jesus Christ, the Lamb full of mercy that the Father gave for us. Let us be surprised once again by God’s choice to be on our side, to show solidarity with us sinners, and to save the world from evil by taking it on fully.
Let us learn from John the Baptist not to assume that we already know Jesus, that we already know everything about Him (cf. v. 31). This is not so. Let us pause with the Gospel, perhaps even contemplating an icon of Christ, a “Holy face”. Let us contemplate with our eyes and yet more with our hearts; and let us allow ourselves to be instructed by the Holy Spirit, Who tells us inside: It is He! He is the Son of God made lamb, immolated out of love. He alone has brought, He alone has suffered, He alone has atoned for sin, the sin of each one of us, the sin of the world, and also my sins. All of them. He brought them all upon Himself and took them away from us, so that we would finally be free, no longer slaves to evil. Yes, we are still poor sinners, but not slaves, no, not slaves: children, children of God!
May the Virgin Mary obtain for us the strength to bear witness to her Son Jesus; to proclaim Him with joy with a life freed from evil and a word full of astonished and grateful faith.
St. Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938)
RispondiEliminaO Lamb of God, hidden among men!
O inconceivable goodness of God, who protect us at every step, let infinite honor be given to Your mercy, for having fraternized not with angels but with men, this is a miracle of the unfathomable mystery of Your mercy. All our confidence is in You, Jesus Christ, our Elder Brother, true God and true Man.
My heart trembles with joy to see how good God is to us, so wretched and ungrateful, and as proof of His love He gives us an inconceivable gift, that is, Himself, in the person of His Son. We cannot exhaust the mystery of this love in all eternity. O men, why do you think so little that God is truly in our midst?
O Lamb of God, I do not know what is more to be admired in You: Your meekness, Your hidden life and Your annihilation for man, or that ceaseless miracle of Your mercy that transforms souls and raises them to eternal life. Though You are so hidden, Your omnipotence is revealed here more than in the creation of man; though the omnipotence of Your mercy acts for the justification of the sinner, Your action remains silent and hidden.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk0dnuVFgHM
RispondiEliminahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sJHwnUyZuM&t=9s
RispondiElimina