Obedience in Jesus is the true cult to God

Today's Gospel Reading (Luke 8:19-21)

His mother and his brothers came looking for him, but they could not get to him because of the crowd.He was told, 'Your mother and brothers are standing outside and want to see you.'But he said in answer, 'My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice.'

Obedience in Jesus is the true cult to God Today, Christ exacts our obedience. The "letter to the Hebrews" describes Old Testament worship as a "shadow" in view of the inadequacy of animal sacrifices that God does not require and which man does not give God what He might expect from man. Authentic worship to God is to be found in a life marked by His Word and within it. However, our obedience is always lacking. Our personal morality is not enough to properly worship God. For this reason the Son of God becomes flesh; He takes on a human body. In this way a new obedience becomes possible, an obedience that surpasses all human fulfillment of God’s Commandments. The Son becomes man and in His Body bears the whole of humanity back to God. Only the incarnate Word, whose love is fulfilled on the Cross, is perfect obedience of the Son; it is the new sacrifice. —O Jesus, You who are God incarnate, take us all with you and offer what we could not give just by ourselves.

What is the "Social Doctrine of the Church"?

Today's Gospel Reading (Luke 8:16-18)

No one lights a lamp to cover it with a bowl or to put it under a bed. No, it is put on a lamp-stand so that people may see the light when they come in.For nothing is hidden but it will be made clear, nothing secret but it will be made known and brought to light.So take care how you listen; anyone who has, will be given more; anyone who has not, will be deprived even of what he thinks he has.'

What is the "Social Doctrine of the Church"?

Today, we remember that Jesus Christ said He was the "Light of the world". It is the mission of the "Social Doctrine of the Church" to project this light over the whole world, by effectively permeating the hearts of all men and earthly structures. This social teaching of the Church is "caritas in veritate in re sociali", the proclamation of the truth of Christ’s love in society.

This doctrine is a service to charity, but its locus is truth. Developments, social well-being, the search for a satisfactory solution to the grave socio-economic problems besetting humanity, all need this truth. The Christian faith in promoting development does not rely on privileges or positions of power, but only on Christ, to whom every authentic vocation to integral human development must be directed. The Gospel is fundamental for development because, in the Gospel, Jesus Christ fully reveals humanity to itself.

—Lord, precisely because you pronounce the biggest "Yes" to man, I cannot fail to open myself to the divine vocation to reach my full potential.

The women

Today's Gospel Reading (Luke 8:1-3)

Now it happened that after this he made his way through towns and villages preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. With him went the Twelve, as well as certain women who had been cured of evil spirits and ailments: Mary surnamed the Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their own resources.

The women

Today, Jesus walks with the twelve and some women, spreading the
Word. There is a considerable difference between the way the disciples 

follow Jesus and the way the women do. The Gospels leave us in No 

doubt that “many” women formed part of the constituency of 

believers and that they “accompanied Jesus in the faith” which was essential to being part of this community. This is clearly demonstrated later on at the foot of the Cross and at the resurrection.

In opposition to the customs of the times where women were considered
secondary citizens, Christ started a sort of female emancipation.
Femininity completes humanity as much as masculinity does but in very
different ways; Women have a special sensitivity to be able to capture
what is new, different and great, what is mysterious that appears in
Jesus Christ. He brings them into his company in a special way and from
this comes forth the "Womanly Charisma".

—Mary, you are blessed among all women and mother of the church.

Our Lady of Sorrows

Today's Gospel Reading (Luke 2:33-35)

As the child's father and mother were wondering at the things that were being said about him, Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, 'Look, he is destined for the fall and for the rise of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is opposed- and a sword will pierce your soul too -- so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.'.

Our Lady of Sorrows

Today, the Gospel not only tells us what women were next to the
Cross, but also that Jesus Christ does not leave His mother alone:
He places her in the custody of John. When St. John speaks of human
acts like this, he certainly remembers events that had actually occurred,
but he always wants to go deeper than mere facts of the past. So,
what is he trying to say?

The first clue comes from his form of address to Mary: "Woman".
Jesus had used this same form of address at the marriage feast of Cana,
anticipation of the definitive marriage feast, of the "new wine" that the
Lord wanted to bestow. What had then been merely a prophetic sign
now becomes a reality. Second, the Church has not had any difficulty
to recognize in the "Woman", on the one hand, Mary herself, and,
on the other hand —transcending time— the "Church", bride and
Mother, in which the mystery of Mary spreads out into history.

—O Jesus, I wish to receive Mary as a person (our Mother!) in my
own personal existence and as a Church, thus fulfilling your last will,
as St. John also did.

The Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Today's Gospel Reading (John3:13-17)

No one has gone up to heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Son of man; as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so must the Son of man be lifted up so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. For this is how God loved the world: he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.For God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but so that through him the world might be saved.

The Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Today, Nicodemus, who "took out the nails" from Jesus Christ, receives
an anticipated revelation: the Son of man will be "ex-alted" (high and lifted
up from the Earth) and will draw all men unto Himself. The emerging
Church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, was slowly getting deeper
into this truth. One thing was clear from the onset: with the Cross of Christ,
the ancient sacrifices of the temple were definitely outdone. Something new
had happened!

God did not want to be glorified by sacrificing bulls and rams, whose blood
cannot purify man nor atone for him. The new desired cult, but still undefined
until then, had become a reality. In the Cross of Jesus it had been verified what
in vain had been attempted with animal sacrifices: Christ has occupied their
place. The temple was still a venerable place of prayer and announcement.
Its sacrifices, on the other hand, were no longer binding upon Christians.

—We adore you, Oh Christ!, and we bless you, because with your Holy Cross
you redeemed the world.

The greatness of humanity depends on its relation with the sufferer

Today's Gospel Reading (Luke 7:11-17)

It happened that soon afterwards he went to a town called Nain, 

accompanied by his disciples and a great number of people. Now 

when he was near the gate of the town there was a dead man being 

carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a 

considerable number of the townspeople was with her. When 

the Lord saw her he felt sorry for her and said to her, 'Don't cry.' Then 

he went up and touched the bier and the bearers stood still, and he said, 

'Young man, I tell you: get up.' And the dead man sat up and began to 

talk, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Everyone was filled with awe 

and glorified God saying, 'A great prophet has risen up among us; God 

has visited his people.' And this view of him spread throughout Judaea 

and all over the countryside

The greatness of humanity depends on its relation 

with the sufferer

Today, the mercy of God towards the needy is highlighted. The true
measure of humanity is essentially determined in relationship to
suffering and to the sufferer. This holds true both for the individual and
for society.

A society unable to accept its suffering members and incapable of
helping to share their suffering and to bear it inwardly through "com-
passion" is a cruel and inhuman society. Yet society cannot accept its
suffering members unless individuals are capable of doing so
themselves; moreover, the individual cannot accept another’s suffering
unless he personally is able to find meaning in suffering, a path of
purification and growth in maturity, a journey of hope.

—O Jesus, help me to welcome the sufferer by taking up his suffering,
so it becomes also mine. Then, this shared suffering will be penetrated
by the light of love and we will experience the joy of consolation:
both of us —united in suffering— will find You, Who suffered on the
cross for us.

Religion, "laïcité positive" and "secularism"

Today's Gospel Reading (Luke 7:1-10)

When he had come to the end of all he wanted the people to hear, 
he went into Capernaum. A centurion there had a servant, a favourite 
of his, who was sick and near death. Having heard about Jesus he sent 
some Jewish elders to him to ask him to come and heal his servant. 
When they came to Jesus they pleaded earnestly with him saying, 
'He deserves this of you, because he is well disposed towards our people;
he built us our synagogue himself.' So Jesus went with them, and was 
not very far from the house when the centurion sent word to him by 
some friends to say to him, 'Sir, do not put yourself to any trouble 
because I am not worthy to have you under my roof; and that is why I
did not presume to come to you myself; let my boy be cured by your 
giving the word. For I am under authority myself, and have soldiers 
under me; and I say to one man, "Go," and he goes; to another, "Come 
here," and he comes; to my servant, "Do this," and he does it.' When
Jesus heard these words he was astonished at him and, turning round, 
said to the crowd following him, 'I tell you, not even in Israel have 
I found faith as great as this.' And when the messengers got back to 
the house they found the servant in perfect health.

Religion, "laïcité positive" and "secularism"

Today, this scene plunges us in a social atmosphere of
"endearing humanity": a centurion —a foreigner— is concerned about
one of his servants; he sends some elders of the Jews to plead with Jesus
to heal his servant who is seriously ill… There is an element that brings
them together: "he has built our synagogue". In their multifaceted
diversity (origin, culture, social position… even religion), they are united
by their respect to "religiosity".

"Laïcité positive" seeks a fair political autonomy: it avoids the
"confessional"State, but assumes the deep human fact of the religiosity
("secularism"rejects it). It is essential to insist on the distinction between
"politics" and"religion” to protect as much the religious freedom of all
citizens as the State responsibility for them. On the other hand, we
should become more aware of the irreplaceable role of religion for the
formation of consciences and the contribution which it can bring to
—among other things— the creation of a basic ethical consensus within
society.

—O Lord, we adore You and we pray to you for our authorities.