Jesus Christ Archivi

Posts tagged "Jesus Christ"

Pseudo-Homilies 24 – The Transfiguration

Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord – Year A This is the feast of the revelation of the divine nature of Christ. From the Gospel of Matthew: while on a mountain together with three apostles, the face and clothes of Jesus become very bright; Moses and Elijah also appear next to Jesus, representing the Law and the Prophets respectively: in Jesus the Old Testament finds its fulfillment. Then Peter, James and John are covered by a bright cloud, and a voice from the cloud proclaims that Jesus is the beloved Son. A sign, through the glimmering of this intense light, which overcomes those men, and which we find testified…

Pseudo-Homilies 21 – The Sower

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A The First and Second Readings refer us to a grand divine plan, of course hard to grasp with our limited minds. This plan entails Creation in all its manifestations of the physical world as we know it (including the Matterhorn, the Great Barrier Reef, a vulture eating a half-rotten carrion), but it contains, by design, as a crucial element, the painful journey of the Church (with all its limitations and glories). Just as we can appreciate the self-sustained nature of the water cycle that we all studied in elementary school (or whatever these schools are called now), similarly the Word of God doesn’t…

Pseudo-Homilies 19 – a Communion of Love

XIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR A The first theme of the day is hospitality. This family from the First Reading does everything they can to properly host the prophet Elisha. And Jesus in the Gospel praises, among others, those who “receive a prophet because he is a prophet”. In fact, generosity doesn’t come from letting your heart be touched by the most atrociously desperate stories of the most miserable people. Stories that may manage, thanks to their dramatic nature, to win our consciences, which have become numb as a form of selfish defense: desensitized by a thousand requests, we’re accustomed to move on, unfazed. No, generosity is confident,…

Pseudo-Homilies 18 – Enemies

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time– Year A We must give credit to the Jews in general, and specifically to the Old Testament, because sometimes they know how to defend their interests without much pretense, showing us that it is not really required, strictly speaking, to become your enemies’ doormat, to let them crush you. You shouldn’t assume that your adversaries may always be right, hence somehow making the very thought of contradicting them unacceptable. No, the good guys must learn to be confident, bold and assertive. Starting from a clear judgment: it is not pride to defend God’s reasons, just because we have joined those who support them, albeit unworthily. Self-confident,…

Pseudo-Homilies 17 – Laborers are Few

Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A What could be the common thread of this Sunday? Here’s what connects the promise of God, the Father, to Moses on one side, and the calling to the apostles by Jesus on the other: the existence of a plan of salvation. God chooses a special people; Jesus tells his followers they shouldn’t just go in the world and preach to the entire humanity: they should instead focus on that very same people, the Israelites. But why? We can always play the mystery card, but the explanation we usually give ourselves, which I gave too, and it’s valid, is the one that involves a…

Pseudo-Homilies 15 – The Trinity

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity – Year A On the Sunday of this festivity we celebrate one of the most difficult mysteries of the Christian faith: the Trinity of God. One in three Persons, equal and distinct: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They are not three gods, he is one God. Not sure how to explain this… And the linked Sunday readings unfortunately don’t help much. In order to write this piece, I tried to draw inspiration and get useful teachings from a remarkable book; one of those books that most people may begin to read, only to give up after a few pages, overwhelmed by a sudden headache:…

Pseudo-Homilies 13 – The Ascension to… the Heavens?

The Ascension of the Lord (Year A) This is when Jesus Christ bids farewell to his people and ascends to Heaven. In this very unique case an anomalous inversion takes place: the First Reading takes the central role, with a narration that features Christ himself; the Gospel is relegated to a supporting role, representing only a sort of minor development. They appear to put forward two contrasting narratives: according to the Gospel of Matthew, the Eleven Apostles are sent to Galilee, where they finally meet their Master again. Instead Luke makes an exception to the internal logic of his book, and opens the Acts of the Apostles with an episode…

Pseudo-Homilies 11 – The rejected stone

Fifth Sunday of Easter (Year A) This Sunday’s Readings are once again developing the theme of the complex identity between Jesus and the Father. Here we’re facing the final revelations: teachings that are hard to accept -and even to understand- for the Jews. We could then again, underline the theme of the divinity of Christ. How easily confused are those who, not relying on Tradition, lose sight of the essential and chase after whims and feelings. To reiterate: it’s foolish beyond naive, to pretend to take the naked text as a natural starting point, analyze it superficially, and then dictate conditions to God, so that He reveals Himself in terms…

Pseudo-Homilies From a Layman -10- Peter the Shepherd

Fourth Sunday of Easter – Year A Today’s liturgy, as is often the case, develops two parallel themes: Jesus Christ expressing himself through a metaphor set in the world of sheep farming; Peter who takes center stage, both in the 1st and 2nd reading, as the guide of the Apostles and, as a consequence, of the Church. I found myself wondering: given that talking about sheep and shepherds at the time of Jesus was an effective way to help the audience visualize ideas through familiar themes, does it still make sense for us, as we’re so far removed from the rural world? It’s become difficult to feel at…

Pseudo-Homilies From a Layman -9- Obscure Disciples, Emmaus

The credibility of the Gospel, again. Third Sunday of Easter (Year A) Here’s our famous episode of the disciples going to Emmaus… Needless to say, modern scholars – in general – consider it a fabrication. And yet… Once again there are stylistic details that tell me otherwise; this isn’t how stories are invented, and here’s at least a couple of reasons that easily came to my puny little mind. 1. The trope of not recognizing Jesus, again! At least at first glance (but in this case they spent a lot of time with him before getting it!). This is how a legitimate doubt about a mistaken identity makes its…

Pseudo-Homilies From a Layman -8- Thomas’ finger

Second Sunday of Easter (or Sunday of Divine Mercy, Year A) “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”. If you cut the quotation here you get a different impression, right? I mean: compared to when all the attention of the sermons and meditations on the text falls on Thomas and his “need to put his finger into the nailmarks to check”. I wanted to highlight this passage which in my opinion represents kryptonite for Jehovah’s Witnesses (keep in mind they…

Pseudo-Homilies From a Layman -7- Easter Sunday

Finally, the most important celebration, which defines the heart of our faith. The Resurrection of the Lord The Mass of Easter Day (Year A) The Resurrection of Christ is the cornerstone event. In order to better appreciate its importance, consider this quotation from St. Paul, who clarifies what’s at stake here (1Cor 15, 17-19): …if Christ has not been raised, your faith is pointless and you have not, after all, been released from your sins. In addition, those who have fallen asleep in Christ are utterly lost. If our hope in Christ has been for this life only, we are of all people the most pitiable. With this,…