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Visualizzazione dei post da settembre, 2015

Now we are strong? Not at all! Homily at Mass

Manila Retreat 17 Last Mass We have this treasure in clay jars (2 Cor 4:7-18); Once I read an article about the final greetings of the Mass: “The Mass is ended, go in peace”, which wants to be the translation of “ite missa est”. The author was explaining that in old days, the priest used to save some of the consecrated bread and after the Mass entrust it to people to bring it to those who could not attend the Mass because sick. The word Missa comes from the root of mittere, to send, like mission. So the priest would say: now that the celebration is over, go because the mission starts. So today I would like to say: Only the first part of the retreat is over, now you go and do the second part, the practical one. Go with the mission of translating what you understood, into the daily life. We have heard St. Paul saying that we have a treasure in earthen vessels. Indeed our life and our vocation are such a treasure. Indeed these five days have provided y...

Is the Cross the end? power of sufference

Manila retreat 16 Up to the Cross: The suffering and the purification St Paul says to Timothy (2 Tim 3:10-13) “ Now you have observed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and suffering the things that happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. Indeed, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But wicked people and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving others and being deceived .” During the Holy Week we reflect on the mystery of Christ’s suffering and death. It must be clear for us the fact that the death of Christ on the cross was not an accident or a mistake. Jesus could have chosen a road of glory and success, instead he decided to choose the condition of the poorest, the persecuted, and lived and died like them. This choice not only gave hope to all who suffer, but gave value to sufferance...

Treasure or pearl. How important is for us to be with Jesus. Homily at Mass

Manila retreat 15 MASS: The penitential act is moved before the offertory and so is the sign of peace quoting the passage of the Gospel Mt 5:23. The treasure in the field and the precious pearl (Mt 13:44-46) The penitential act is moved before the offertory and so is the sign of peace quoting the passage of the Gospel Mt 5:23. This we have heard today is one of the parables of the Kingdom. It is, actually, not a parable but an allegory because is very short, more like an example or a comparison. The points to underline in this passage are 2: The great value of what is found The great desire to possess it to the point of giving up everything for it. A treasure is something that can change the life of that farmer forever. So it is really worthy to put everything at loss. Do you remember the passage of St. Paul to the Philippians (3:7-8): I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have...

the tree of good roots starts bearing fruits: Apostolate

Manila retreat 14 We bring out what we experience inside: Need of Apostolate Great part of our days and our life is dedicated to the apostolate. Actually Jesus himself dedicated a lot of time to the poor. All founders underlined well that we are for the poor, and our congregation is registered among those of active life, not of the contemplative. So is it there a contradiction with what we said till now about the need of being mystics? Nobody denies the importance of the apostolate. Every apostolate has always the double dimension: the help of the needy and the witness to the Kingdom of God. So the real question is to discover which is the place of apostolate (or its use) in the plan of God. Apostolate is a necessary part of religious life, even for the contemplative congregations. Pope Francis insists very much that our faith and witness becomes real going out towards the foarthest, the most needed and rejected. When we look at our works of charity (especi...

Community life: is it really necessary?

Manila retreat 13 A real love shows itself first of all inside the house: community life Today I would like to start with a question: Is community life simply for helping the apostolate or is there more than that? The answer seems to be obvious: The community has a value in itself, we all know that, but it is not so when we go to the concrete life. Our communities are set up because there is a work to do, a parish to work in, a Cottolengo, a seminary, a school to run etc. People sent to it are chosen according to their skills: he has titles, he is a good teacher so let us send him to a community where he can be put in charge of a school. Even the timetable is made in a way to favour the work we do. Of course we need a place where to stay, to pray, to eat and that is the community house. But if in our apostolate we look at the efficiency, we can see that working with others slows down the process, different ideas make the decision making process more difficult, an...

Even Jesus makes mistakes? the call of the 12. Homily for Mass

Manila retreat 12 Mass The call of the 12 Apostles ( Mk 3:13-19) Jesus was about to accomplish the most important fact in the history of humanity: the salvation of the world. He knew that he could not possibly accomplish it in the few years available, he needed a structure, a group that would go beyond the centuries and the civilizations: the Church that would become the biggest and most powerful structure ever. As God he could have chosen better times, maybe be incarnated in today’s times where technology would have made his job easier and more effective, or at least chose the most powerful empire: Rome, or the most developed culture: the Greek, and instead he chose the smallest and most troubled nation: Israel and Judea. In Israel he could have chosen as companions and successors the rich Sadducees, or the religious Pharisees, or some members with political connections with the king or with the Romans, and instead he chose simple people, mostly poor and illite...

Authority versus Obedience. 3rd temptation

Manila Retreat 11 3 rd Temptation and vow of Obedience Mt 4:8-10 “ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour; and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! for it is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'”. Now the devil tempts Jesus promising him authority over all the kingdoms of earth. Jesus had come just for that reason: to reunite all Kingdoms, so this is a Messianic temptation. Eph 1:9-10 “ he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth .”. So the point is: should Jesus have it in the easy way of the devil or in the hard way of God? The power given by the devil is human because is not connected w...

Popularity versus Chastity. 2nd temptation

Manila retreat 10 2 nd Temptation and vow of Chastity Mt 4:5-7 In analysing the temptations of Christ we follow the order of Matthew, not the one of Luke. “ Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'" Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'” (Mt 4:5-7) This temptation is very similar to the first: Satan invites Jesus to be a man of miracles. The difference stands in the fact that the aim of the miracle now is not anymore the satisfaction of his needs, but the attracting people, impressing them in order to get their approval. The temple of Jerusalem is the place of the elite, of the religious. This addresses a ...