The LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being. Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and he placed there the man whom he had formed. Out of the ground the LORD God made various trees grow that were delightful to look at and good for food, with the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and bad. Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals that the LORD God had made. The serpent asked the woman, "Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?" The woman answered the serpent: "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, 'You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.'" But the serpent said to the woman: "You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is bad." The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
Psalms 51(50)
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me.
For I acknowledge my offense, and my sin is before me always: "Against you only have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight."
A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. Cast me not out from your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
Give me back the joy of your salvation, and a willing spirit sustain in me. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Letter to the Romans 5,12-19.
Brothers and sisters: Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned— for up to the time of the law, sin was in the world, though sin is not accounted when there is no law. But death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin after the pattern of the trespass of Adam, who is the type of the one who was to come. But the gift is not like the transgression. For if by that one person's transgression the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one person Jesus Christ overflow for the many. And the gift is not like the result of the one person's sinning. For after one sin there was the judgment that brought condemnation; but the gift, after many transgressions, brought acquittal. For if, by the transgression of one person, death came to reign through that one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of justification come to reign in life through the one person Jesus Christ. In conclusion, just as through one transgression condemnation came upon all, so through one righteous act acquittal and life came to all. For just as through the disobedience of one person the many were made sinners, so through the obedience of one the many will be made righteous.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 4,1-11.
At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread." He said in reply, "It is written: 'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.'" Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: 'He will command his angels concerning you and 'with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'" Jesus answered him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.'" Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, "All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me." At this, Jesus said to him, "Get away, Satan! It is written: 'The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.'" Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.
POPE FRANCIS ANGELUS 1 March 2020 Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good Morning,
On this first Sunday of Lent, the Gospel (cf. Mt 4:1-11) narrates that, after being baptized in the River Jordan, Jesus “was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (v. 1). Jesus prepares himself to begin his mission as proclaimer of the Kingdom of Heaven and, just as Moses and Elijah (cf. Ex 24:18; 1 Kings 19:8) had done in the Old Testament, he does so by fasting for 40 days. He enters into “Lent”.
At the end of this period of fasting, the tempter, the devil, breaks in and tries to put Jesus to the test three times. The first temptation arises when Jesus is hungry. The devil suggests, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread” (v. 3). A challenge. But Jesus’ response is clear: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (v. 4). He refers to when Moses reminded the people of their long journey in the desert, through which they learned that their lives depended on the Word of God (cf. Dt 8:3).
The devil then makes a second attempt (vv. 5-6). He becomes more astute, and he too, quotes the Sacred Scripture. The strategy is clear: if you are so confident in God’s power, then experience it. For Scripture itself affirms that you will be aided by the angels (v. 6). But also in this case, Jesus does not allow himself to be confounded, because those who believe do not put God to the test, but rather they entrust themselves to God’s goodness. Thus, to the words of the Bible that Satan interpreted for his own purposes, Jesus responds with another quotation: “Again it is written; ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God’” (v. 7).
Lastly, the third attempt (vv. 8-9) reveals the devil’s true reasoning: since the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven marks the beginning of his own defeat, the evil one wants to distract Jesus from accomplishing his mission by offering him a perspective of political messianism. But Jesus rejects the idolatry of power and human glory and, in the end, drives the tempter away, and says “Begone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve’” (v. 10). At this point, the angels draw near to serve Jesus, who is faithful in handing himself over to the Father (cf. v. 11).
This teaches us one thing: Jesus does not dialogue with the devil. Jesus responds to the devil with the Word of God, not with his own words. In temptation, we often begin to dialogue with temptation, to dialogue with the devil: “yes, I may do this..., then I will go to confession, then this, then that...”. We must never dialogue with the devil. Jesus does two things with the devil: he either sends him away or, like in this case, he responds with the Word of God. Be attentive to this: never dialogue with temptation, never dialogue with the devil.
Today too, Satan breaks into people’s lives to tempt them with his enticing proposals. He mixes his own voice to the many other voices that try to tame our conscience. Messages come to us from many places, inviting us to “allow ourselves to be tempted”, to experience the intoxication of transgression. Jesus’ experience teaches us that temptation is an attempt to walk paths that are alternative to those of God. Do this, there’s no problem, then God forgives! One day of joy for yourself ...”. “But it is a sin! — No, it is nothing”. Alternative paths, paths that give us the impression of self sufficiency, of enjoying life as an end in itself. However, all this is illusory. We soon realize that the more we distance ourselves from God, the more defenceless and helpless we feel when facing life’s big problems.
May the Virgin Mary, the Mother of he who crushed the head of the serpent, help us during this Lenten period to be vigilant when confronted with temptation, not to submit ourselves to any idol of this world, and to follow Jesus in the struggle against evil. Thus we too will be victorious as Jesus.
FAUSTI– Jesus was taken up into the desert. The Spirit received in baptism brings Him not to a privileged place, but to the mountainous desert which is above the Jordan. In the desert Adam had felt himself , after sin, and Israel after leaving Egypt. It is the unserviceable place, of the proof and the fall. There God re-educates us to listening, in order to lead us back to “ Land”. The Son, after Baptism, is taken to the desert to meet the disobedient and unjust children who are lost in it. Once the good choice is completed, there is the difficulty of taking forward it . Temptations do not exist as long as you do evil. They come when we rebel against it, and with violence proportional to commitment. It was easy for the Lord to deliver Israel from Egypt and the hands of Pharaoh; it will be more difficult for him to deliver him It was easy for the Lord to deliver Israel from Egypt and from the hands of Pharaoh; it will be more difficult for Him to deliver it from Egypt and from the pharaoh in itself. To Him 40 years of patient work were not enough, “Having fasted forty days and forty nights” It is a recall to the forty days of Moses on the mountain and of Elijah on way to the Oreb (Ex 34,8 – 1 Kings 19,1-8). The number also alludes to the years of Israel in the desert : it is a life! To consider food as life is cause of bulimia in case of intake, of anorexia in case of refusal. But this fasting is delirium of omnipotence, will of control over life ; on the contrary, that of Jesus is recognition that life is a gift , and it does not come from food, but from the Father. The point of attack of temptation is hunger, need. . To the perspective natural and obvious of man, Jesus responds with the perspective of God : “Scripture says”. “Not only will man live by bread, but by every Word that comes out of God’s mouth” He recalls the first temptation of Israel in the desert: the need for bread, to which God answered by manna. It is also the first temptation of man which consists in posing a false alternative between bread and Word, matter and Spirit, man and God. This is what happens when you make your hungers the absolute. The absolute is not the material life, but the“way” in which I live it. If I listen to the Word of the Father, I live as a son and a brother. This already assures now the daily bread to all and the eternal life of which it is sign. “On the pinnacle” It is the central temptation. A messianism that responds to religious expectations, guaranteeing the possession of God by visible signs Jesus was tempted as a prophet, as a priest and as a king, meaning respectively salvation in a materialistic way, communion with God in a miraculous way, freedom in a masterly way. They are the temptations of always : exchanging salvation with health, God with his ( or better, our) performances/sensations , the other with our power over him. Temptation is not just an initial accident, almost an entrance ticket. They are the struggle that Jesus will continue all His life long , in the effort to live His own limit, even the extreme one, as Son and not as master. Jesus manifested confidence in the Father and in His Word. Now, the devil, becoming a subtle theologian, quotes on this subject the Psalm 91 : Does Jesus really trust the Word of the Father, and this does deserve trust? Jump off the pinnacle “It is also written”; one cannot isolate one aspect of the Word from another: it is“an heresy”, with which I choose what God should do to my advantage, forgetting that faith is other: it is first of all listening and loving Him in Himself, not for what He gives to me. The gifts are a sign of His Love. They are not given to those who claim them.
--->He who loves does not request them and discovers them in abundance. Jesus answers by recalling the episode of Mass : the temptation of water (Ex 17,1-7). It is the fall into distrust: those who do not trust, are hungry insatiably for confirmation. Religious life is often pretending and awaiting God's approval. We always tell Him : “Listen to us, O Lord!”; instead of asking Him :”arrange for us to listen to You, Lord!” Implicitly we think that He does not love us and does not want our good. We try so hard to ingratiate Him, to bend Him to us, to buy Him. Poor God, who is Love! This is the gravest sin against Him, what is hardness to His ears. God should not be tempted : He must not listen to us – He has always listened to us ! - but He must be heard by us. His Word is given to us because we , and not Him, obey His Word “All the kingdoms of the world”: The Messiah must rule from sea to sea (sl 72,8) and He has been given all power , in heaven and on earth (28,16-20). But all the kingdoms and kings of this world are the grotesque reversal of God and His Kingdom. Take away freedom, instead of giving it, seek domination instead of service, inflate with vainglory instead of reflecting the“Gloriy”. Power is granted to those who worship Satan, to those who hold him as absolute value. We would like the Messiah to be the divine guarantor of man’s power over man. But God does not confirm our evil.He prefers to get rid of it. Power is the true idol, the only alternative to God , is the god of this world. Jesus will be King, but on the Cross. There He will reveal Himself as absolute freedom, putting life at the service of all, without dominating anyone. Peter will be called satan , because he awaits a Messiah of this type and not the Crucified. How many satanic christs respond to our power delusions! The Cross is the infinite distance that God has placed between Himself and our every religious image of Him (Bonhoeffer). Satan’s power over the world will grow stronger. Christ will conquer it on the Cross. The Church herself, His Bride, will conquer it when she is willing to share the fate of Her Consort.
BENEDICT XVI( ANGELUS 13 MARCH 2011) In this Time of LENT, in the Year of Faith, let us renew our commitment to the journey of CONVERSION, to overcome the tendency to close in ourselves and to make, instead, space for God, looking at daily reality with His eyes. The alternative between closing ourselves up in our selfishness and opening ourselves to the love of God and of others, we could say, corresponds to the alternative of JESUS' TENSES: that is, the alternative between human power and the love of the CROSS, between a redemption seen in material well-being alone and a redemption as the Work of God, to Whom we give primacy in existence. To convert means not to close oneself off in the pursuit of one's own success, prestige, or position, but to make truth, faith in God, and love become the most important thing every day, in small things.
Book of Genesis 2,7-9.3,1-7.
RispondiEliminaThe LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being.
Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and he placed there the man whom he had formed.
Out of the ground the LORD God made various trees grow that were delightful to look at and good for food, with the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and bad.
Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals that the LORD God had made. The serpent asked the woman, "Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?"
The woman answered the serpent: "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden;
it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, 'You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.'"
But the serpent said to the woman: "You certainly will not die!
No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is bad."
The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
Psalms 51(50)
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
"Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight."
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Letter to the Romans 5,12-19.
Brothers and sisters: Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned—
for up to the time of the law, sin was in the world, though sin is not accounted when there is no law.
But death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin after the pattern of the trespass of Adam, who is the type of the one who was to come.
But the gift is not like the transgression. For if by that one person's transgression the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one person Jesus Christ overflow for the many.
And the gift is not like the result of the one person's sinning. For after one sin there was the judgment that brought condemnation; but the gift, after many transgressions, brought acquittal.
For if, by the transgression of one person, death came to reign through that one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of justification come to reign in life through the one person Jesus Christ.
In conclusion, just as through one transgression condemnation came upon all, so through one righteous act acquittal and life came to all.
For just as through the disobedience of one person the many were made sinners, so through the obedience of one the many will be made righteous.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ
RispondiEliminaaccording to Saint Matthew 4,1-11.
At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.
He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry.
The tempter approached and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread."
He said in reply, "It is written: 'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.'"
Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple,
and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: 'He will command his angels concerning you and 'with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"
Jesus answered him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.'"
Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence,
and he said to him, "All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me."
At this, Jesus said to him, "Get away, Satan! It is written: 'The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.'"
Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.
POPE FRANCIS
RispondiEliminaANGELUS 1 March 2020
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good Morning,
On this first Sunday of Lent, the Gospel (cf. Mt 4:1-11) narrates that, after being baptized in the River Jordan, Jesus “was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (v. 1). Jesus prepares himself to begin his mission as proclaimer of the Kingdom of Heaven and, just as Moses and Elijah (cf. Ex 24:18; 1 Kings 19:8) had done in the Old Testament, he does so by fasting for 40 days. He enters into “Lent”.
At the end of this period of fasting, the tempter, the devil, breaks in and tries to put Jesus to the test three times. The first temptation arises when Jesus is hungry. The devil suggests, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread” (v. 3). A challenge. But Jesus’ response is clear: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (v. 4). He refers to when Moses reminded the people of their long journey in the desert, through which they learned that their lives depended on the Word of God (cf. Dt 8:3).
The devil then makes a second attempt (vv. 5-6). He becomes more astute, and he too, quotes the Sacred Scripture. The strategy is clear: if you are so confident in God’s power, then experience it. For Scripture itself affirms that you will be aided by the angels (v. 6). But also in this case, Jesus does not allow himself to be confounded, because those who believe do not put God to the test, but rather they entrust themselves to God’s goodness. Thus, to the words of the Bible that Satan interpreted for his own purposes, Jesus responds with another quotation: “Again it is written; ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God’” (v. 7).
Lastly, the third attempt (vv. 8-9) reveals the devil’s true reasoning: since the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven marks the beginning of his own defeat, the evil one wants to distract Jesus from accomplishing his mission by offering him a perspective of political messianism. But Jesus rejects the idolatry of power and human glory and, in the end, drives the tempter away, and says “Begone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve’” (v. 10). At this point, the angels draw near to serve Jesus, who is faithful in handing himself over to the Father (cf. v. 11).
This teaches us one thing: Jesus does not dialogue with the devil. Jesus responds to the devil with the Word of God, not with his own words. In temptation, we often begin to dialogue with temptation, to dialogue with the devil: “yes, I may do this..., then I will go to confession, then this, then that...”. We must never dialogue with the devil. Jesus does two things with the devil: he either sends him away or, like in this case, he responds with the Word of God. Be attentive to this: never dialogue with temptation, never dialogue with the devil.
Today too, Satan breaks into people’s lives to tempt them with his enticing proposals. He mixes his own voice to the many other voices that try to tame our conscience. Messages come to us from many places, inviting us to “allow ourselves to be tempted”, to experience the intoxication of transgression. Jesus’ experience teaches us that temptation is an attempt to walk paths that are alternative to those of God. Do this, there’s no problem, then God forgives! One day of joy for yourself ...”. “But it is a sin! — No, it is nothing”. Alternative paths, paths that give us the impression of self sufficiency, of enjoying life as an end in itself. However, all this is illusory. We soon realize that the more we distance ourselves from God, the more defenceless and helpless we feel when facing life’s big problems.
May the Virgin Mary, the Mother of he who crushed the head of the serpent, help us during this Lenten period to be vigilant when confronted with temptation, not to submit ourselves to any idol of this world, and to follow Jesus in the struggle against evil. Thus we too will be victorious as Jesus.
FAUSTI– Jesus was taken up into the desert. The Spirit received in baptism brings Him not to a privileged place, but to the mountainous desert which is above the Jordan.
RispondiEliminaIn the desert Adam had felt himself , after sin, and Israel after leaving Egypt.
It is the unserviceable place, of the proof and the fall.
There God re-educates us to listening, in order to lead us back to “ Land”.
The Son, after Baptism, is taken to the desert to meet the disobedient and unjust children who are lost in it.
Once the good choice is completed, there is the difficulty of taking forward it .
Temptations do not exist as long as you do evil. They come when we rebel against it, and with violence proportional to commitment.
It was easy for the Lord to deliver Israel from Egypt and the hands of Pharaoh; it will be more difficult for him to deliver him
It was easy for the Lord to deliver Israel from Egypt and from the hands of Pharaoh; it will be more difficult for Him to deliver it from Egypt and from the pharaoh in itself.
To Him 40 years of patient work were not enough,
“Having fasted forty days and forty nights” It is a recall to the forty days of Moses on the mountain and of Elijah on way to the Oreb (Ex 34,8 – 1 Kings 19,1-8). The number also alludes to the years of Israel in the desert : it is a life!
To consider food as life is cause of bulimia in case of intake, of anorexia in case of refusal. But this fasting is delirium of omnipotence, will of control over life ; on the contrary, that of Jesus is recognition that life is a gift , and it does not come from food, but from the Father.
The point of attack of temptation is hunger, need.
. To the perspective natural and obvious of man, Jesus responds with the perspective of God : “Scripture says”.
“Not only will man live by bread, but by every Word that comes out of God’s mouth” He recalls the first temptation of Israel in the desert: the need for bread, to which God answered by manna.
It is also the first temptation of man which consists in posing a false alternative between bread and Word, matter and Spirit, man and God.
This is what happens when you make your hungers the absolute.
The absolute is not the material life, but the“way” in which I live it.
If I listen to the Word of the Father, I live as a son and a brother.
This already assures now the daily bread to all and the eternal life of which it is sign.
“On the pinnacle” It is the central temptation.
A messianism that responds to religious expectations, guaranteeing the possession of God by visible signs
Jesus was tempted as a prophet, as a priest and as a king, meaning respectively salvation in a materialistic way, communion with God in a miraculous way, freedom in a masterly way. They are the temptations of always : exchanging salvation with health, God with his ( or better, our) performances/sensations , the other with our power over him.
Temptation is not just an initial accident, almost an entrance ticket.
They are the struggle that Jesus will continue all His life long , in the effort to live His own limit, even the extreme one, as Son and not as master.
Jesus manifested confidence in the Father and in His Word.
Now, the devil, becoming a subtle theologian, quotes on this subject the Psalm 91 : Does Jesus really trust the Word of the Father, and this does deserve trust? Jump off the pinnacle
“It is also written”; one cannot isolate one aspect of the Word from another: it is“an heresy”, with which I choose what God should do to my advantage, forgetting that faith is other: it is first of all listening and loving Him in Himself, not for what He gives to me.
The gifts are a sign of His Love. They are not given to those who claim them.
--->He who loves does not request them and discovers them in abundance.
RispondiEliminaJesus answers by recalling the episode of Mass : the temptation of water (Ex 17,1-7).
It is the fall into distrust: those who do not trust, are hungry insatiably for confirmation.
Religious life is often pretending and awaiting God's approval.
We always tell Him : “Listen to us, O Lord!”; instead of asking Him :”arrange for us to listen to You, Lord!”
Implicitly we think that He does not love us and does not want our good.
We try so hard to ingratiate Him, to bend Him to us, to buy Him.
Poor God, who is Love! This is the gravest sin against Him, what is hardness to His ears.
God should not be tempted : He must not listen to us – He has always listened to us ! - but He must be heard by us.
His Word is given to us because we , and not Him, obey His Word
“All the kingdoms of the world”: The Messiah must rule from sea to sea (sl 72,8) and He has been given all power , in heaven and on earth (28,16-20). But all the kingdoms and kings of this world are the grotesque reversal of God and His Kingdom.
Take away freedom, instead of giving it, seek domination instead of service, inflate with vainglory instead of reflecting the“Gloriy”.
Power is granted to those who worship Satan, to those who hold him as absolute value.
We would like the Messiah to be the divine guarantor of man’s power over man.
But God does not confirm our evil.He prefers to get rid of it.
Power is the true idol, the only alternative to God , is the god of this world.
Jesus will be King, but on the Cross.
There He will reveal Himself as absolute freedom, putting life at the service of all, without dominating anyone.
Peter will be called satan , because he awaits a Messiah of this type and not the Crucified.
How many satanic christs respond to our power delusions!
The Cross is the infinite distance that God has placed between Himself and our every religious image of Him (Bonhoeffer).
Satan’s power over the world will grow stronger.
Christ will conquer it on the Cross.
The Church herself, His Bride, will conquer it when she is willing to share the fate of Her
Consort.
BENEDICT XVI( ANGELUS 13 MARCH 2011)
RispondiEliminaIn this Time of LENT, in the Year of Faith, let us renew our commitment to the journey of CONVERSION, to overcome the tendency to close in ourselves and to make, instead, space for God, looking at daily reality with His eyes. The alternative between closing ourselves up in our selfishness and opening ourselves to the love of God and of others, we could say, corresponds to the alternative of JESUS' TENSES: that is, the alternative between human power and the love of the CROSS, between a redemption seen in material well-being alone and a redemption as the Work of God, to Whom we give primacy in existence. To convert means not to close oneself off in the pursuit of one's own success, prestige, or position, but to make truth, faith in God, and love become the most important thing every day, in small things.