Book of Genesis 15,1-6.21,1-3. The word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram! I am your shield; I will make your reward very great." But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what good will your gifts be, if I keep on being childless and have as my heir the steward of my house, Eliezer?" Abram continued, "See, you have given me no offspring, and so one of my servants will be my heir." Then the word of the LORD came to him: "No, that one shall not be your heir; your own issue shall be your heir." He took him outside and said: "Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so," he added, "shall your descendants be." Abram put his faith in the LORD, who credited it to him as an act of righteousness. The LORD took note of Sarah as he had said he would; he did for her as he had promised. Sarah became pregnant and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time that God had stated. Abraham gave the name Isaac to this son of his whom Sarah bore him. Psalms 105(104),1b-2.3-4.5-6.8-9. Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name; make known among the nations his deeds. Sing to him, sing his praise, proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
Glory in his holy name; rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD! Look to the LORD in his strength; seek to serve him constantly.
Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought, his portents, and the judgments he has uttered. You descendants of Abraham, his servants, sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He remembers forever his covenant which he made binding for a thousand generations. Which he entered into with Abraham and by his oath to Isaac. Letter to the Hebrews 11,8.11-12.17-19. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was to go. By faith he received power to generate, even though he was past the normal age--and Sarah herself was sterile--for he thought that the one who had made the promise was trustworthy. So it was that there came forth from one man, himself as good as dead, descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sands on the seashore. By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only son, of whom it was said, "Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name." He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead, and he received Isaac back as a symbol.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 2,22-40.
When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, just as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord," and to offer the sacrifice of "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons," in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord. Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Messiah of the Lord. He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him, he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying: Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel." The child's father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer. And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem. When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon Him.
POPE FRANCIS ANGELUS 27 December 2020 Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
A few days after Christmas, the liturgy invites us to turn our eyes to the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. It is good to reflect on the fact that the Son of God wanted to be in need of the warmth of a family, like all children. Precisely for this reason, because it is Jesus’ family, the family of Nazareth is the model family, in which all families of the world can find their sure point of reference and sure inspiration. In Nazareth, the springtime of the human life of the Son of God began to blossom at the moment he was conceived by the work of the Holy Spirit in the virginal womb of Mary. Within the welcoming walls of the House of Nazareth, Jesus’ childhood unfolded in joy, surrounded by the maternal attention of Mary and the care of Joseph, in whom Jesus was able to see God’s tenderness (cf. Apostolic Letter Patris Corde, 2).
In imitation of the Holy Family, we are called to rediscover the educational value of the family unit: it requires being founded on the love that always regenerates relationships, opening up horizons of hope. Within the family one can experience sincere communion when it is a house of prayer, when affections are serious, profound, pure, when forgiveness prevails over discord, when the daily harshness of life is softened by mutual tenderness and serene adherence to God’s will. In this way, the family opens itself up to the joy that God gives to all those who know how to give joyfully. At the same time, it finds the spiritual energy to be open to the outside world, to others, to serving brothers and sisters, to cooperation in building an ever new and better world; capable, therefore, of becoming a bearer of positive stimuli; the family evangelizes by the example of life. It is true that there are problems, and at times arguments in every family. “Father, I argued...”. But we are human, we are weak, and we all quarrel within the family at times. I will tell you something: if you quarrel within the family, do not end the day without making peace. “Yes, I quarrelled”, but before the end of the day, make peace. And do you know why? Because a cold war, day after day, is extremely dangerous. It does not help. And then, in the family there are three words, three phrases that must always be held dear: “Excuse me”, “Thank you”, and “Sorry”. “Excuse me”, so as not to be intrusive in the life of others. “Excuse me: may I do something? Do you think I can do this? Excuse me”. Always, not being intrusive. “Excuse me”, the first phrase. “Thank you”: so much help, so much service that we do for one another within the family. Always say thank you. Gratitude is the lifeblood of the noble soul. “Thank you”. And then, the hardest one to say: “I am sorry”. Because we always do some bad things and often someone is offended by this: “I am sorry”, “I am sorry”. Do not forget the three phrases: “excuse me”, “thank you”, and “I am sorry”. If there are these three phrases in a family, in a family environment, then the family is fine.
-->Today’s feast reminds us of the example of evangelizing with the family, proposing to us once again the ideal of conjugal and family love, as underlined in the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris laetitia, promulgated five years ago this coming 19 March. And there will be a year of reflection on Amoris laetitia and it will be an opportunity to focus more closely on the contents of the document [19 March 2021-June 2022]. These reflections will be made available to ecclesial communities and families, to accompany them on their journey. As of now, I invite everyone to take part in the initiatives that will be promoted throughout the Year and that will be coordinated by the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life. Let us entrust this journey with the families of the whole world to the Holy Family of Nazareth, in particular to Saint Joseph, attentive spouse and father.
May the Virgin Mary, whom we now address with the Angelus prayer, grant that families throughout the world be increasingly fascinated by the evangelical ideal of the Holy Family, so as to become leaven of a new humanity and of a concrete and universal solidarity.
FAUSTI - No one has ever seen God. No one has ever known him, much less named. It is the unnameable Name, the origin of every name! “Tell me Your Name” asks Jacob (Gen 32,30); "Show me Your Glory" asks Moses (Ex 33:18), "Show me Your Face" plead with innumerable Psalms. Seeing the Face of God is the salvation of man, who finds his face again. To say the Name of God is to find the Name that substantiates every name, it is to find that "You" that makes every "I" exist. The desire of all religions is to give a Face and a Name to God. What is the greatest desire of man now finds satisfaction. What a surprise to give the Name to Him who called all things out of nothing and made them exist! The Name of God for man can only be "Jesus" that is "God saves", both because naming God is man's salvation, and because man is lost and can only know God as the One who saves him. That God who frightened us, because he is Most Holy, can be named in any place of perdition and despair, because he is Savior. God is for us lost and far from him, because he is called Jesus, God-with-us and Savior. Luke lets us glimpse the sweetness of being able to call God by name, the gentleness, the power and the brightness of this Name, Jesus. The Lord visits His Temple. But he comes with the weakness of a Child and not to judge the non-observance of the law, but to submit himself as man to the obedience to the Father whom we have disobeyed. He comes to pay our debt, offering himself to the One who has offered everything. It is a giver of Life. Presenting the Child to Him means recognizing from Him the gift of life and in Him life itself as a gift, in order to be able to draw from it in abundance. Simeon, which means "God has heard", is the man who "listens to the Word of God" and is just and pious. To him the Spirit promises that he will see the Messiah of the Lord, the consolation of Israel, (Is 40,1), the fulfillment of the Word of God. As with all prophets, the Spirit was upon him. Directed by this Spirit, he comes to meet him. The arms of Simeon are the dry two thousand year old arms of Israel that receive the flower of Life. His voice is a cry of joy, stifled by a very long wait, which finally explodes: a calm and irrepressible cry, the spread of a river that breaks the bank, the breath of all humanity, held in mortal fear, who now relaxes. Man, kept a slave alive for fear of death - in an insufficient and distressed life - is now full of life. He can retire satisfied from the banquet. Simeon's eyes no longer see the darkness before him, but the dawn of life, God's "salvation". This is the Glory of Israel, which sanctifies the Name of God and reverberates the Glory of His Face on his face. . Salvation is prepared by God "in the face of all peoples". It is not just for Israel. It is a light for all people who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. Jesus is still understandable to us today only starting from the Old Testament. Simeon is also able, moved by the Spirit, to predict his fate to Mary. The Child will be both a cause of fall and resurrection for the multitudes of Israel. In fact, it brings an unacceptable salvation for everyone. This is why everyone is against him, they are scandalized by him and fall. The disciples first. But He is the Savior of all who have fallen. Here the mystery of the Lord's Death and Resurrection is foreshadowed. This is the Word that as a double-edged sword will cross the heart of every disciple and of the whole Church, of which Mary is a figure. This mystery will live on continuously in the history of the disciple who retraces His own path from the Cross to Glory.
BENEDICT XVI ...The song of the Angels, the first evangelists of the Holy Night:" Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth to men who are the objects of His Grace, to men of good will"...Peace on earth, that is the meaning of Christmas. But the Angels' song precedes something else, which comes first, and without which peace cannot last long: the Glory of God. The doctrine of the peace of Bethlehem says : the peace of men comes from the Glory of God. Anyone who really wants to care about men and their salvation must first of all care about the Glory of God. Giving glory to God is not a private affair, which everyone can dispose of as he sees fit, but a matter for everyone. It is a common good, and where God is not honored among men, neither can man long be respected in his dignity. Christmas therefore has to do with the peace of men, for in it the Glory of God is again proclaimed and restored among men. (Lob der Wethnacht)
Book of Genesis 15,1-6.21,1-3.
RispondiEliminaThe word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram! I am your shield; I will make your reward very great."
But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what good will your gifts be, if I keep on being childless and have as my heir the steward of my house, Eliezer?"
Abram continued, "See, you have given me no offspring, and so one of my servants will be my heir."
Then the word of the LORD came to him: "No, that one shall not be your heir; your own issue shall be your heir."
He took him outside and said: "Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so," he added, "shall your descendants be."
Abram put his faith in the LORD, who credited it to him as an act of righteousness.
The LORD took note of Sarah as he had said he would; he did for her as he had promised.
Sarah became pregnant and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time that God had stated.
Abraham gave the name Isaac to this son of his whom Sarah bore him.
Psalms 105(104),1b-2.3-4.5-6.8-9.
Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought,
his portents, and the judgments he has uttered.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations.
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
Letter to the Hebrews 11,8.11-12.17-19.
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was to go.
By faith he received power to generate, even though he was past the normal age--and Sarah herself was sterile--for he thought that the one who had made the promise was trustworthy.
So it was that there came forth from one man, himself as good as dead, descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sands on the seashore.
By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only son,
of whom it was said, "Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name."
He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead, and he received Isaac back as a symbol.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ
Eliminaaccording to Saint Luke 2,22-40.
When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,"
and to offer the sacrifice of "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons," in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Messiah of the Lord.
He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:
Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in sight of all the peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel."
The child's father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted
(and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."
There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.
When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon Him.
POPE FRANCIS ANGELUS
RispondiElimina27 December 2020
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
A few days after Christmas, the liturgy invites us to turn our eyes
to the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
It is good to reflect on the fact that the Son of God wanted to be in need of the warmth of a family, like all children. Precisely for this reason, because it is Jesus’ family, the family of Nazareth is the model family, in which all families of the world can find their sure point of reference and sure inspiration. In Nazareth, the springtime of the human life of the Son of God began to blossom at the moment he was conceived by the work of the Holy Spirit in the virginal womb of Mary. Within the welcoming walls of the House of Nazareth, Jesus’ childhood unfolded in joy, surrounded by the maternal attention of Mary and the care of Joseph, in whom Jesus was able to see God’s tenderness (cf. Apostolic Letter Patris Corde, 2).
In imitation of the Holy Family, we are called to rediscover the educational value of the family unit: it requires being founded on the love that always regenerates relationships, opening up horizons of hope. Within the family one can experience sincere communion when it is a house of prayer, when affections are serious, profound, pure, when forgiveness prevails over discord, when the daily harshness of life is softened by mutual tenderness and serene adherence to God’s will. In this way, the family opens itself up to the joy that God gives to all those who know how to give joyfully. At the same time, it finds the spiritual energy to be open to the outside world, to others, to serving brothers and sisters, to cooperation in building an ever new and better world; capable, therefore, of becoming a bearer of positive stimuli; the family evangelizes by the example of life. It is true that there are problems, and at times arguments in every family. “Father, I argued...”. But we are human, we are weak, and we all quarrel within the family at times. I will tell you something: if you quarrel within the family, do not end the day without making peace. “Yes, I quarrelled”, but before the end of the day, make peace. And do you know why? Because a cold war, day after day, is extremely dangerous. It does not help. And then, in the family there are three words, three phrases that must always be held dear: “Excuse me”, “Thank you”, and “Sorry”. “Excuse me”, so as not to be intrusive in the life of others. “Excuse me: may I do something? Do you think I can do this? Excuse me”. Always, not being intrusive. “Excuse me”, the first phrase. “Thank you”: so much help, so much service that we do for one another within the family. Always say thank you. Gratitude is the lifeblood of the noble soul. “Thank you”. And then, the hardest one to say: “I am sorry”. Because we always do some bad things and often someone is offended by this: “I am sorry”, “I am sorry”. Do not forget the three phrases: “excuse me”, “thank you”, and “I am sorry”. If there are these three phrases in a family, in a family environment, then the family is fine.
-->Today’s feast reminds us of the example of evangelizing with the family, proposing to us once again the ideal of conjugal and family love, as underlined in the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris laetitia, promulgated five years ago this coming 19 March. And there will be a year of reflection on Amoris laetitia and it will be an opportunity to focus more closely on the contents of the document [19 March 2021-June 2022]. These reflections will be made available to ecclesial communities and families, to accompany them on their journey. As of now, I invite everyone to take part in the initiatives that will be promoted throughout the Year and that will be coordinated by the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life. Let us entrust this journey with the families of the whole world to the Holy Family of Nazareth, in particular to Saint Joseph, attentive spouse and father.
EliminaMay the Virgin Mary, whom we now address with the Angelus prayer, grant that families throughout the world be increasingly fascinated by the evangelical ideal of the Holy Family, so as to become leaven of a new humanity and of a concrete and universal solidarity.
FAUSTI - No one has ever seen God. No one has ever known him, much less named.
RispondiEliminaIt is the unnameable Name, the origin of every name! “Tell me Your Name” asks Jacob (Gen 32,30); "Show me Your Glory" asks Moses (Ex 33:18), "Show me Your Face" plead with innumerable Psalms.
Seeing the Face of God is the salvation of man, who finds his face again.
To say the Name of God is to find the Name that substantiates every name, it is to find that "You" that makes every "I" exist. The desire of all religions is to give a Face and a Name to God.
What is the greatest desire of man now finds satisfaction. What a surprise to give the Name to Him who called all things out of nothing and made them exist!
The Name of God for man can only be "Jesus" that is "God saves", both because naming God is man's salvation, and because man is lost and can only know God as the One who saves him. That God who frightened us, because he is Most Holy, can be named in any place of perdition and despair, because he is Savior. God is for us lost and far from him, because he is called Jesus, God-with-us and Savior.
Luke lets us glimpse the sweetness of being able to call God by name, the gentleness, the power and the brightness of this Name, Jesus.
The Lord visits His Temple. But he comes with the weakness of a Child and not to judge the non-observance of the law, but to submit himself as man to the obedience to the Father whom we have disobeyed. He comes to pay our debt, offering himself to the One who has offered everything.
It is a giver of Life. Presenting the Child to Him means recognizing from Him the gift of life and in Him life itself as a gift, in order to be able to draw from it in abundance.
Simeon, which means "God has heard", is the man who "listens to the Word of God" and is just and pious.
To him the Spirit promises that he will see the Messiah of the Lord, the consolation of Israel, (Is 40,1), the fulfillment of the Word of God. As with all prophets, the Spirit was upon him.
Directed by this Spirit, he comes to meet him.
The arms of Simeon are the dry two thousand year old arms of Israel that receive the flower of Life. His voice is a cry of joy, stifled by a very long wait, which finally explodes: a calm and irrepressible cry, the spread of a river that breaks the bank, the breath of all humanity, held in mortal fear, who now relaxes.
Man, kept a slave alive for fear of death - in an insufficient and distressed life - is now full of life. He can retire satisfied from the banquet.
Simeon's eyes no longer see the darkness before him, but the dawn of life, God's "salvation". This is the Glory of Israel, which sanctifies the Name of God and reverberates the Glory of His Face on his face. .
Salvation is prepared by God "in the face of all peoples". It is not just for Israel.
It is a light for all people who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.
Jesus is still understandable to us today only starting from the Old Testament.
Simeon is also able, moved by the Spirit, to predict his fate to Mary.
The Child will be both a cause of fall and resurrection for the multitudes of Israel.
In fact, it brings an unacceptable salvation for everyone. This is why everyone is against him, they are scandalized by him and fall. The disciples first. But He is the Savior of all who have fallen.
Here the mystery of the Lord's Death and Resurrection is foreshadowed.
This is the Word that as a double-edged sword will cross the heart of every disciple and of the whole Church, of which Mary is a figure. This mystery will live on continuously in the history of the disciple who retraces His own path from the Cross to Glory.
BENEDICT XVI
RispondiElimina...The song of the Angels, the first evangelists of the Holy Night:" Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth to men who are the objects of His Grace, to men of good will"...Peace on earth, that is the meaning of Christmas.
But the Angels' song precedes something else, which comes first, and without which peace cannot last long: the Glory of God.
The doctrine of the peace of Bethlehem says : the peace of men comes from the Glory of God. Anyone who really wants to care about men and their salvation must first of all care about the Glory of God. Giving glory to God is not a private affair, which everyone can dispose of as he sees fit, but a matter for everyone.
It is a common good, and where God is not honored among men, neither can man long be respected in his dignity.
Christmas therefore has to do with the peace of men, for in it the Glory of God is again proclaimed and restored among men. (Lob der Wethnacht)