The two meanings of the Bible

The reason why the divine power has give us the Scriptures is not solely to present facts according t the literal interpretation of the narrative.  If one looks to the letter of the text, some of the facts have not actually happened and would be irrational and illogical.

Granted , the facts that have happened in the literal sense are much more numerous than the facts that have been added and have only a spiritual meaning.

All the same, in the face of certain pages the reader feels embarrassed.  Without accurate research it is not possible to discover if a fact that seems historical actually happened according to the literal sense of the words or if it did not happen at all.

By keeping the commandment of the Lord to “search the Scriptures” (John 5:39), one ought to examine with care and attention where the literal meaning is historical and where it is not.

In Scripture not everything is objectively historical in the literal sense. Sometimes it is obvious that the result of taking it literally is impossible. But the divine Scripture, taken as a whole, has a spiritual meaning.

Thursday 3rd September 2020, 22nd Week in Ordinary Time

The feast of the Servant of the Servants of God, St Gregory the Great. (540 – 604).

“Put out into deep water”

Today, we are still surprised at how those fishermen were capable of leaving everything behind, their job, their families, to follow Jesus («They brought their boats to land and followed him, leaving everything»: Lk 5:11), precisely when He manifested himself before them as an exceptional collaborator for the business which they lived from. If Jesus of Nazareth would make the same proposal to us, in our 21st century…, would we have as much courage as those other men had?; should we be able to sense which is the true gain for us?

We Christians believe that Christ is ever present; this resurrected Christ, therefore, requests us, not only to Peter, John or James, but to George, Joe, Paula, and all of us who accept him as our Lord, that we accept him —from Luke’s text— in the boat of our life for He wants to rest by our side; He requests us to let him make use of us, to allow him to show us where He wants to guide our existence to, so we can become productive amid a society which every day is more far away and in need of God’s Good News. The proposal is quite attractive, we need only to know how are we, and if we really wish, to manage to get rid of our fears, of our worries about what people may “say” or “think” and set a course for deeper waters, or what is equivalent, to horizons which may be farther away than those restricting our quotidian mediocrity of anguish and disappointments. «He who stumbles on his way, no matter how little he moves forward, always gets somewhat closer to the end of his journey; but he who runs out of his way, the more he runs the farther he gets from the end of his trip» (St. Thomas Aquinas).

«Duc in altum»; «To pull out a little from the shore» (Lk 5:4): let us try not to rest by the shore of a world that lives by contemplating its navel! Our navigation through the seas of life has to take us towards the harbor on the promise land, the end of our course in this Heaven long waited for, which is a gift from the Father, but, indivisible too, the work of man —yours, mine— from the service to others in the Church’s boat. Christ knows quite well the fishing grounds; it all depends upon us: or in our harbor of selfishness, or towards his horizons.

Wednesday 2nd September 2020, 22nd Week in Ordinary Time.

Sacrament of “Anointing of the sick”

Today, moved by so much suffering, Christ not only allows himself to be touched by the sick, but He makes their miseries His own. God —as God– cannot suffer but He can suffer with. Man is worth so much to God that He Himself became man in order to suffer with man in an utterly real way. Thus, by redeeming man through pain, Jesus has redeemed the very pain (He has given it a new meaning): now man can join his suffering to the savior pain of Christ the Redeemer.

With the sacrament of “Anointing of the sick” our Church prays for the sick and helps them join the suffering Lord. It is not by sidestepping or fleeing from suffering that we are healed, but rather by our capacity for accepting it, maturing through it and finding meaning through union with Christ, who suffered with infinite love. Really, to every human suffering, there has entered “One” who shares suffering and endurance; in all suffering “con-solatio” is diffused, the consolation of “touching” God’s participating love.

August 31, 2020
Monday of the Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time

“Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place.” Luke 4:24

Do you ever feel that it’s easier to talk about Jesus with a stranger than with those closest to you? Why is that? Sometimes it is hard to share your faith with those closest to you, and it can be even harder to let yourself be inspired by the faith of someone close to you.

Jesus makes this statement above after He had just read from the Prophet Isaiah in the presence of His kinfolk. They listened to Him, were somewhat impressed at first, but quickly came to the conclusion that He was nothing special. In the end, they were filled with fury at Jesus, drove Him out of the town and almost killed Him right then and there. But it wasn’t His time.

If the Son of God had a hard time being accepted as a prophet by His own kin, so also will we have a hard time sharing the Gospel with those close to us. But what is far more important for us to consider is the way we do or do not see Christ in those closest to us. Are we among those who refuse to see Christ present in our family and those we are close to? Do we tend, instead, to be critical and judgmental to those around us?

The truth is that it’s much easier for us to see the faults of those closest to us than their virtue. It’s much easier to see their sins than the presence of God in their lives. But it is not our job to focus in on their sin. It’s our job to see God in them.

Each and every person we are close to will, no doubt, have goodness in them. They will reflect the presence of God if we are willing to see that. Our goal must be to not only see it, but to seek it out. And the closer we are to them the more we must focus in on the presence of God in their lives.

Reflect, today, upon whether or not YOU are willing to accept the prophetic voice of Christ in the people all around you. Are you willing to see Him, acknowledge Him and love Him in them? If not, you are guilty of Jesus’ words above.

St Augustine of Hippo – August 28th

• You aspire to great things? Begin with little ones.
• This is the very perfection of a man, to find out his own imperfections.
• Our hearts were made for You, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in you.
• Complete abstinence is easier than perfect moderation.
• Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.
• And He departed from our sight that we might return to our heart, and there find Him. For He departed, and behold, He is here.
• If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself
• Miracles are not contrary to nature, but only contrary to what we know about nature.
• The confession of evil works is the first beginning of good works.

The “Logic of the gift” (Social Doctrine of the Church)

Today, the crisis obliges us to re-plan our journey, because the picture of development suffers many overlapping layers. Man cannot forgo without his “transcendent” nature: he is not his own creator; he must be open to God and to others. He is created for the “gift”, for loving. But quite often first and foremost we prioritize productivity and usefulness. Christ tells us: faith makes mercy possible and mercy perfects justice.

The “city of man” is not promoted only with relationships of rights and duties, but to an even greater and more fundamental extent, with relationships of gratuitousness, of mercy and of communion. The exclusive binary model of market-plus-State is corrosive of society, while economic forms based on solidarity, which find their natural home in civil society without being restricted to it, build up society. The market of gratuitousness does not exist and attitudes of gratuitousness cannot be established by law. Yet, both the market and politics need individuals who are open to “reciprocal gift”: this is only the result of charity

Monday 24th August 2020, 21st Week in Ordinary Time

St. Bartholomew, apostle

Today, we contemplate Nathanael’s avowal, traditionally identified with the Apostle Bartholomew. His confession of faith stands out: “Rabbi, You are the Son of God, You are the King of Israel”. This acknowledgment has the function to open the terrain to the fourth Gospel, because a first and important step is taken on the path of adherence to Christ.

When Jesus calls us to follow him, we should know that this call entails other responsibilities. Being called opens us up to the mission to bring other to Jesus. Jesus brings those who follow him not only to recognize him as the expected Messiah; he also promises to lead them to admire the full radiance of God’s kingdom. The grace of God leads us to this unexpected encounter with Jesus. How good it is to be gazed upon by Jesus, as he did with Nathaniel, and to be told that he would lead us to understand deeper the mysteries of the kingdom of God.

Bartholomew recognizes Jesus both by His special relationship with God the Father, of whom He is the only begotten Son, as well as by His relationship with the people of Israel, of whom He is called King, an attribution proper of the awaited Messiah. These two elements are essential since If we only proclaim only the heavenly dimension of Jesus we run the risk of making Him an ethereal and evanescent being while If we would only recognize His concrete role in history, we run the risk of neglecting His divine dimension, which is His proper description.

Sunday 23rd August 2020, 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time.

1. Doctrinal explanation

Today, we are thankful to God for the person of the Roman Pontiff, successor of St. Peter. The Pope —endorsing the words that Simon heard— is elected to confirm his brothers in the faith. And so, he receives a distinct assistance of the Holy Spirit. All this was evident in Caesarea Philippi: it was Simon Peter who, through a revelation from the Father, publicly and accurately confessed the Divinity of Christ.

He has “received” the primacy of the Church. We say “received” because it is an assignment. The Pope has supreme and full authority, but not to do what he may deem convenient: he is not a “dictator” but he must be the guarantor of obedience. He stands for Christ: he is His visible head. He stands for the Revelation: he is Its custodian. He stands for Truth: he is Its teacher. He advocates for his brothers: he is the Holy Father! He is the “servant of the servants of God”.

2. What do people say of the Son of Man? Who do they say I am?

Today, Peter’s profession of faith at Caesarea Phillippi opens the last stage of the public ministry of Jesus and prepares us for the supreme occurrence of His death and resurrection. After the multiplication of breads and fishes, Jesus decides to retire with the apostles for a while to deepen in their formation; in them, the Church, seed of the Kingdom of God sown in us, starts becoming visible.

Two Sundays ago, when we were watching Peter walking on the sea and beginning to sink, we saw Jesus reprimand him: «You of little faith! Why did you doubt?» (Mt 14:31). Today, the scolding is changed to praise: «It is well for you, Simon Barjona» (Mt 16:17). Lucky of Peter because he has managed to open his heart to the divine revelation and has recognized in Jesus Christ the Son of God, our Savior. Throughout history, the same questions have been asked time and again: «What do people say of the Son of Man? (…). But you, who do you say I am?» (Mt 16:13-15). At one time or other, we also have had to explain who is Jesus for me and what do I recognize in Him; through the faith received from testimonies (parents, catechists, priests, teachers, friends…) we have moved into a personalized faith in Jesus Christ, which we also have become testimonies of, because this is what the essential core of Christian vocation consists of.

Only from our faith and communion in Jesus Christ shall we prevail over the power of evil. The Kingdom of Death is manifested amongst us, it makes us suffer and opens up many question marks; but, at the same time, the Kingdom of God is also made available to us and it unveils the hope; and the Church, sacrament of the Kingdom of God in the world, built on the rock of the faith Peter confessed, allows us to expect the hope and the joy of eternal life. While mankind lives in this world, we shall have to bestow hope, and while it may be necessary to impart hope, the Church’s mission will be necessary; this is why. the gates of the Kingdom of Death will never overcome it, as Christ, quite present amidst his people, guaranteed us (cf. Mt 16:18).

Saturday 22nd August 2020

The Feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

“Blessed are you who have believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord will be fulfilled. (Luke 1: 45).

What are we celebrating today? We are celebrating the truth that the Father gave us the Mother of His Son Jesus to be our Queen and Mother. (Cf the Collect of this Feast).

Mary prophesied during her visit to Elizabeth that all generations shall call her blessed. All generations indeed call her blessed for two principal reasons:

1 She is the Mother of the Son. (Divine Maternity).

2 She is the Mother of the King of the Universe and therefore the Queen Mother.

From the Cross, Jesus said to the Apostle John representing humanity: “This [Mary] is your mother.”

The Church recently revised the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Litany of Loreto) and added these three praises to this ancient and popular prayer of the Church:

*MOTHER of Mercy.
*MOTHER of Hope.
*COMFORT of Migrants.

I say the Litany every morning after the Rosary. I am so delighted by these new titles because the world today is desperately in need of the mercy of God and the powerful intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Here are my favorite titles of Mary as Queen:

Queen of Angels,
Queen of Patriarchs,
Queen of Prophets,
Queen of Apostles,
Queen of Martyrs,
Queen of Confessors,
Queen of Virgins,
Queen of the most holy Rosary,
Queen of families,
Queen of peace.

Thursday 20th August 2020, 20th Week in Ordinary Time.

St Bernard of Clairvaux. (1090 – 1153).

“The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come.” (Matthew 22: 1 – 3).

Our key Scripture for today from the Parable of the Wedding Feast (Matthew 22: 1 – 14) is for me the saddest parable in the Gospels. Let us see why. The Wedding Feast represents the Eucharist, the a type of the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. The Host is Abba Father and the Wedding is for the Son, Jesus. The honored and invited guests are you and me. The invited guests ignored the invitation and went about their businesses none of which was urgent. They delivered the ultimate insult to the King who invited them to come and feast sumptuously without cost. (Cf Isaiah 55: 1 – 3).

This is how the most Holy Eucharist is treated today. It is reckoned that less than 25 % of Catholics answer the weekly invitation to the Weeding Feast of the Lamb. Some who show up manifest a high degree of disrespect by not wearing the wedding garment. At the end of the Mass, many rush out without the courtesy of a simple “Thank You Jesus.”

My friends, you see why this parable is an invitation for us to examine our conscience and resolve to do what is right and honorable. Honor Jesus in the Most Holy Eucharist.

St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090 – 1153)

He was born near Dijon, in France, in 1090, of a noble family. In 1112 he joined the new monastery at Cîteaux. This had been founded fourteen years before, in a bid to reject the laxity and riches of the Benedictine Order (as exemplified by great monasteries such as Cluny) and to return to a primitive poverty and austerity of life.
Bernard arrived at Cîteaux with four of his five brothers and two dozen friends. Within three years he had been sent out to found a new monastery at Clairvaux, in Champagne, where he remained abbot for the rest of his life. By the time of his death, the Cistercian Order had grown from one house to 343, of which 68 were daughter houses of Clairvaux itself.
Bernard was a man of great holiness and wisdom, and although he was often in very poor health, he was active in many of the great public debates of the time. He strongly opposed the luxurious lives of some of the clergy, and fought against the persecution of the Jews. He was also a prolific writer, of an inspiring rather than a technical kind.
The Church is always suffering from corruption and always being renewed. If St Bernard, so often ill, could take a leading part in this renewal, what excuse do we have?

St. Benard, Pray for us.