READING OF THE DAY First reading from the First Book of Samuel 1 Sm 3:3b-10, 19
Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the LORD where the ark of God was. The LORD called to Samuel, who answered, “Here I am.” Samuel ran to Eli and said, “Here I am. You called me.” “I did not call you, “ Eli said. “Go back to sleep.” So he went back to sleep. Again the LORD called Samuel, who rose and went to Eli. “Here I am, “ he said. “You called me.” But Eli answered, “I did not call you, my son. Go back to sleep.”
At that time Samuel was not familiar with the LORD, because the LORD had not revealed anything to him as yet. The LORD called Samuel again, for the third time. Getting up and going to Eli, he said, “Here I am. You called me.” Then Eli understood that the LORD was calling the youth. So he said to Samuel, “Go to sleep, and if you are called, reply, Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.” When Samuel went to sleep in his place, the LORD came and revealed his presence, calling out as before, “Samuel, Samuel!” Samuel answered, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
Samuel grew up, and the LORD was with him, not permitting any word of his to be without effect.
PSALM 40
I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.
Second reading from the First Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians 1 Cor 6:13c-15a, 17-20
Brothers and sisters: The body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body; God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power.
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? But whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one Spirit with him. Avoid immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the immoral person sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY From the Gospel according to John Jn 1:35-42
John was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” — which translated means Teacher —, “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they went and saw where Jesus was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon. Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus. He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” — which is translated Christ —. Then he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Cephas” — which is translated Peter.
WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER Have I learned to be vigilant within myself so that the temple of my heart is only for the Holy Spirit? To purify the temple, the temple inside and to keep watch. Be careful: what is happening in your heart? Who comes in, who goes out… What are your feeings, your ideas? Do you speak with the Holy Spirit? Do you listen to the Holy Spirit? Be vigilant. Be careful about what happens inside our temple, inside of us. (Santa Marta, 24 November 2017)
FAUSTI - The starting point of the testimony is Bethany, on the other side of the Jordan, where John's baptism was received. The place of man's truth is also the place of encounter with the Lord. Two disciples: one is Andrew, the other, anonymous, is mostly identified with John "the disciple whom Jesus loved". Jesus begins his journey that, from beyond the Jordan, leads to Jerusalem. On this journey he reveals : "the truth becomes the way to lead us to life". The Baptist, the man of expectation, is the only one capable of seeing it and pointing it out to others.The other can never be the product of our own doing: it is always the grace of an encounter, finding or discovering of one who manifests himself. He who dwells with the Son meets his brother: he is the one to whom he communicates his experience. True fraternity lies in the word exchanged. He who has encountered the Word cannot not communicate it, just as he who is enlightened cannot not reverberate light. "We have met the Messiah". is the surprise of one who has discovered the treasure. Andrew communicates his joy to his brother, because he is interested both in Jesus and in his brother, to whom the Messiah also interests as well. The Messiah is the king who would fulfill every promise of God and expectation of man. It is the brother who leads to the Son. Each person comes to meet the Other through the mediation of another who bears witness to him. The encounter is a game of glances that penetrate the heart. "You are Simon" Jesus says his name without anyone having previously communicated it to Him. He Himself is the Word, who first said His name and makes him exist. My identity is a gift of the Other who calls me and loves me. As one is called, that is his name. There is a secret name, which no one knows and only the Lord reveals . It is the identity of a person, his "vocation". which will be his "mission". Each of our names always has a part of light and a part of darkness. Only when our shadow turns to Jesus, then we are fully enlightened. This is what will happen to Simon: in his own unfaithfulness, he will experience the faithfulness of his Lord.
READING OF THE DAY
RispondiEliminaFirst reading from the First Book of Samuel
1 Sm 3:3b-10, 19
Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the LORD
where the ark of God was.
The LORD called to Samuel, who answered, “Here I am.”
Samuel ran to Eli and said, “Here I am. You called me.”
“I did not call you, “ Eli said. “Go back to sleep.”
So he went back to sleep.
Again the LORD called Samuel, who rose and went to Eli.
“Here I am, “ he said. “You called me.”
But Eli answered, “I did not call you, my son. Go back to sleep.”
At that time Samuel was not familiar with the LORD,
because the LORD had not revealed anything to him as yet.
The LORD called Samuel again, for the third time.
Getting up and going to Eli, he said, “Here I am. You called me.”
Then Eli understood that the LORD was calling the youth.
So he said to Samuel, “Go to sleep, and if you are called, reply,
Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.”
When Samuel went to sleep in his place,
the LORD came and revealed his presence,
calling out as before, “Samuel, Samuel!”
Samuel answered, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
Samuel grew up, and the LORD was with him,
not permitting any word of his to be without effect.
PSALM 40
I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.
Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. Many, O Lord my God,
are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.
Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.
Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,
delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.
Second reading from the First Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians
1 Cor 6:13c-15a, 17-20
Brothers and sisters:
The body is not for immorality, but for the Lord,
and the Lord is for the body;
God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power.
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?
But whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one Spirit with him.
Avoid immorality.
Every other sin a person commits is outside the body,
but the immoral person sins against his own body.
Do you not know that your body
is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you,
whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
For you have been purchased at a price.
Therefore glorify God in your body.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to John
Jn 1:35-42
John was standing with two of his disciples,
and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said,
“Behold, the Lamb of God.”
The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus.
Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them,
“What are you looking for?”
They said to him, “Rabbi” — which translated means Teacher —,
“where are you staying?”
He said to them, “Come, and you will see.”
So they went and saw where Jesus was staying,
and they stayed with him that day.
It was about four in the afternoon.
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter,
was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus.
He first found his own brother Simon and told him,
“We have found the Messiah” — which is translated Christ —.
Then he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said,
“You are Simon the son of John;
you will be called Cephas” — which is translated Peter.
WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER
RispondiEliminaHave I learned to be vigilant within myself so that the temple of my heart is only for the Holy Spirit? To purify the temple, the temple inside and to keep watch. Be careful: what is happening in your heart? Who comes in, who goes out… What are your feeings, your ideas? Do you speak with the Holy Spirit? Do you listen to the Holy Spirit? Be vigilant. Be careful about what happens inside our temple, inside of us. (Santa Marta, 24 November 2017)
FAUSTI - The starting point of the testimony is Bethany, on the other side of the Jordan, where John's baptism was received.
RispondiEliminaThe place of man's truth is also the place of encounter with the Lord. Two disciples: one is Andrew, the other, anonymous, is mostly identified with John "the disciple whom Jesus loved".
Jesus begins his journey that, from beyond the Jordan, leads to Jerusalem.
On this journey he reveals : "the truth becomes the way to lead us to life".
The Baptist, the man of expectation, is the only one capable of seeing it and pointing it out to others.The other can never be the product of our own doing: it is always the grace of an encounter,
finding or discovering of one who manifests himself. He who dwells with the Son meets his brother: he is the one to whom he communicates his experience.
True fraternity lies in the word exchanged.
He who has encountered the Word cannot not communicate it, just as he who is enlightened cannot not reverberate light.
"We have met the Messiah". is the surprise of one who has discovered the treasure.
Andrew communicates his joy to his brother, because he is interested both in Jesus and in his brother, to whom the Messiah also interests as well.
The Messiah is the king who would fulfill every promise of God and expectation of man.
It is the brother who leads to the Son. Each person comes to meet the Other through the mediation of another who bears witness to him.
The encounter is a game of glances that penetrate the heart.
"You are Simon" Jesus says his name without anyone having previously communicated it to Him. He Himself is the Word, who first said His name and makes him exist.
My identity is a gift of the Other who calls me and loves me.
As one is called, that is his name.
There is a secret name, which no one knows and only the Lord reveals .
It is the identity of a person, his "vocation". which will be his "mission".
Each of our names always has a part of light and a part of darkness. Only when our shadow turns to Jesus, then we are fully enlightened. This is what will happen to Simon: in his own unfaithfulness, he will experience the faithfulness of his Lord.