2nd Book of Chronicles 36,14-16.19-23. In those days, all the princes of Judah, the priests and the people added infidelity to infidelity, practicing all the abominations of the nations and polluting the LORD'S temple which he had consecrated in Jerusalem. Early and often did the LORD, the God of their fathers, send his messengers to them, for he had compassion on his people and his dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, despised his warnings, and scoffed at his prophets, until the anger of the LORD against his people was so inflamed that there was no remedy. They burnt the house of God, tore down the walls of Jerusalem, set all its palaces afire, and destroyed all its precious objects. Those who escaped the sword he carried captive to Babylon, where they became his and his sons' servants until the kingdom of the Persians came to power. All this was to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah: "Until the land has retrieved its lost sabbaths, during all the time it lies waste it shall have rest while seventy years are fulfilled." In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD inspired King Cyrus of Persia to issue this proclamation throughout his kingdom, both by word of mouth and in writing: "Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia: 'All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD, the God of heaven, has given to me, and he has also charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever, therefore, among you belongs to any part of his people, let him go up, and may his God be with him!'"
Psalms 137(136) 1-2.3.4-5.6. By the rivers of Babylon we sat mourning and weeping when we remembered Zion. On the poplars of that land we hung up our harps.
There our captors asked us for the words of a song; Our tormentors, for a joyful song: "Sing for us a song of Zion!"
But how could we sing a song of the LORD in a foreign land? If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand wither.
May my tongue stick to my palate if I do not remember you, if I do not exalt Jerusalem beyond all my delights.
Letter to the Ephesians 2,4-10. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ (by grace you have been saved), raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast. For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 3,14-21.
Jesus said to Nicodemus, "And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.
On this fourth Sunday of Lent, the Eucharistic liturgy begins with this invitation: “Rejoice, Jerusalem...”. (cf. Is 66:10). What is the reason for this joy? In the middle of Lent, what is the reason for this joy? Today’s Gospel tells us: God “so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn 3:16). This joyful message is the heart of the Christian faith: God’s love found its summit in the gift of his Son to a weak and sinful humanity. He gave his Son to us, to all of us.
This is what appears in the nocturnal dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus, a part of which is described in the same Gospel passage (cf. Jn 3:14-21). Nicodemus, like every member of the people of Israel, awaited the Messiah, identifying him as a strong man who would judge the world with power. Instead, Jesus challenges this expectation by presenting himself in three forms: the Son of man exalted on the cross; the Son of God sent into the world for salvation; and that of the light that distinguishes those who follow the truth from those who follow lies. Let us take a look at these three aspects: Son of man, Son of God, and light.
Jesus presents himself first of all as the Son of man (vv. 14-15). The text alludes to the account of the bronze serpent (cf. Num 21:4-9), which, by God’s will, was mounted by Moses in the desert when the people were attacked by poisonous snakes; whoever had been bitten and looked at the bronze serpent was healed. Similarly, Jesus was lifted up on the cross and those who believe in him are healed of sin and live.
The second aspect is that of the Son of God (Jn 3:16-18). God the Father loves humanity to the point of “giving” his Son: he gave him in the Incarnation and he gave him in handing him over to death. The purpose of God’s gift is the eternal life of every person: in fact, God sends his Son into the world not to condemn it, but so that the world that it might be saved through Jesus. Jesus’ mission is a mission of salvation, of salvation for everyone.
The third name that Jesus gives himself is “light” (vv. 19-21). The Gospel says: “the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light” (v. 19). The coming of Jesus into the world leads to a choice: whoever chooses darkness will face a judgment of condemnation; whoever chooses light will have a judgment of salvation. The judgement is always the consequence of the free choice of each person: whoever practices evil seeks the darkness; evil always hides, it covers itself. Whoever seeks the truth, that is, who practices what is good, comes to the light, illuminates the paths of life. Whoever walks in the light, whoever approaches the light, cannot but do good works. The light leads us to do good works. This is what we are called to do with greater dedication during Lent: to welcome the light into our conscience, to open our hearts to God’s infinite love, to his mercy full of tenderness and goodness, to his forgiveness. Do not forget that God always forgives, always, if we humbly ask for forgiveness. It is enough just to ask for forgiveness, and he forgives. In this way we will find true joy and will be able to rejoice in God’s forgiveness, which regenerates and gives life.
May Mary Most Holy help us not to be afraid to let ourselves be “thrown into crisis” by Jesus. It is a healthy crisis, for our healing: so that our joy may be full.
HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS 14 March 2021 “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son” (Jn 3:16). This is the heart of the Gospel; this is the source of our joy. The Gospel message is not an idea or a doctrine. It is Jesus himself: the Son whom the Father has given us so that we might have life. Jesus is the source of our joy: not some lovely theory about how to find happiness, but the actual experience of being accompanied and loved throughout the journey of life. “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son”. Brothers and sisters, let us dwell on these two thoughts for a moment: “God so loved” and “God gave”.
First of all, God so loved. Jesus’ words to Nicodemus — a Jewish elder who wanted to know the Master — help us to see the true face of God. He has always looked at us with love, and for the sake of love, he came among us in the flesh of his Son. In Jesus, he went in search of us when we were lost. In Jesus, he came to raise us up when we fell. In Jesus, he wept with us and healed our wounds. In Jesus, he blessed our life forever. The Gospel tells us that whoever believes in him will not perish (ibid.). In Jesus, God spoke the definitive word about our life: you are not lost, you are loved. Loved forever.
If hearing the Gospel and practicing our faith don’t enlarge our hearts and make us grasp the immensity of God’s love — maybe because we prefer a glum, sorrowful and self-absorbed religiosity — then this is a sign that we need to stop and listen once more to the preaching of the Good News. God loves you so much that he gave you his entire life. He is not a god who looks down upon us from on high, indifferent, but a loving Father who becomes part of our history. He is not a god who takes pleasure in the death of sinners, but a Father concerned that that no one be lost. He is not a god who condemns, but a Father who saves us with the comforting embrace of his love.
We now come to the second aspect: God “gave” his Son. Precisely because he loves us so much, God gives himself; he offers us his life. Those who love always go out of themselves. Don’t forget this: those who love go out of themselves. Love always offers itself, gives itself, expends itself. That is the power of love: it shatters the shell of our selfishness, breaks out of our carefully constructed security zones, tears down walls and overcomes fears, so as to give freely of itself. That is what love does: it gives itself. And that is how lovers are: they prefer to risk self-giving over self-preservation. That is why God comes to us: because he “so loved” us. His love is so great that he cannot fail to give himself to us. When the people were attacked by poisonous serpents in the desert, God told Moses to make the bronze serpent. In Jesus, however, exalted on the cross, he himself came to heal us of the venom of death; he became sin to save us from sin. God does not love us in words: he gives us his Son, so that whoever looks at him and believes in him will be saved (cf. Jn 3:14-15).
The more we love, the more we become capable of giving. That is also the key to understanding our life. It is wonderful to meet people who love one another and share their lives in love. We can say about them what we say about God: they so love each other that they give their lives. It is not only what we can make or earn that matters; in the end, it is the love we are able to give.
-->This is the source of joy! God so loved the world that he gave his Son. Here we see the meaning of the Church’s invitation this Sunday: “Rejoice... Rejoice and be glad, you who mourn: find contentment and consolation” (Entrance Antiphon; cf. Is 66:10-11). I think of what we saw a week ago in Iraq: a people who had suffered so much rejoiced and were glad, thanks to God and his merciful love.
Sometimes we look for joy where it is not to be found: in illusions that vanish, in dreams of glory, in the apparent security of material possessions, in the cult of our image, and in so many other things. But life teaches us that true joy comes from realizing that we are loved gratuitously, knowing that we are not alone, having someone who shares our dreams and who, when we experience shipwreck, is there to help us and lead us to a safe harbor.
FAUSTI - Nicodemus calls Jesus "Master". He is not a simple colleague: he knows that He has come from God, like Moses, and, seeing the signs He performs, he concludes that God is with Him. He recognizes Him as Master and Messiah, authenticated by God. Jesus leads Nicodemus beyond the Law, to the very source of Life itself: to the gift of the new heart and the new Spirit of which the Prophets speak and of which the Pharisee also knows. To enter the Kingdom of God is not the work of man, but gift of God. Into this Kingdom of freedom do not enter those who seek to conquer it, but those who accept to be sons, those who become like children, sons in the Son. The Baptism of Jesus, in addition to water - which in John is the symbol of Life (4,14 - 7,37 - 19,34) - will be in the Spirit, which is the divine fire of Love. For one exists as a person when he is loved. He is born from the wound in the heart of the one who welcomes him and lets him enter into himself, loving him as he is, distinct from himself. One comes to full light when he himself loves. The Words of Jesus to Nicodemus have the intent to operate in us that passage to the new heart, required by the Law and promised by the Prophets that we see well described ( Philippians 3) by Paul who recounts his experience of man of the Law meeting the Lord. "That which is begotten of the flesh is flesh..." Flesh, in opposition to Spirit, indicates that which unites us to the earth : the weak, corruptible and mortal element. Spirit, on the other hand, is what relates us to God: the perennial force of the Life Principle.From the beginning, man is composed of clay and divine breath (Gen 2:4), of earth and of heaven. The earth can only live of heaven. Jesus says that man is flesh.From the beginning, man is composed of clay and divine breath (Gen 2:4), of earth and of heaven. The earth can only live of heaven. Jesus calls "earthly things" what He has said about the birth from the flesh and the necessity of a birth by the Spirit . In fact, the law and the prophets, called terrestrial, speak of it because they are witnesses of that light which has always been present in creation and in the history of Israel. They give voice to the desire of the Spirit that is in every man. If one does not believe this voice, one does not even believe the Word, which reveals to us heavenly things. In fact, the law is not in heaven, but close to every man, while heavenly things are revealed by the Son, who came down from heaven. Jesus wants to open Nicodemus, the teacher of the law, to the gift of the Spirit, which man on earth does not understand. In Him we know the truth of God and our own. Being a son is not an object of robbery, but a gift of love. The Son of man raised up - on Him the heavens were opened, both to descend and to ascend - is the alone who can manifest to us the glory and tell us about the Father. In Him is the descent of God to man and the ascent of man to God. "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness" To the people, bitten by snakes, Moses showed, lifted up as a standard, a bronze serpent (Num 21:8). Whoever looked up was cured of the deadly poison. Contemplating the Crucified One, we are "unveiled" from the lie of the serpent who took away our knowledge of the Father and made us flee from Him. He loves us and we are the love that He has for us. Turning our gaze to the One we pierced, (19:37) at the foot of the cross we discover this truth that sets us free (8:32) and we are born from above. We have recognized and believed in the love that God has for us". Indeed, "God is Love" (1Jn 4:16). "To give the Only Begotten Son" He gave us the Son, because only in Him, who loves as He is loved, do we see our identity as sons of the Father.
--->"Not to judge the world, but that the world may be saved through Him" The Son has the same judgment as the Father. He comes with the scourge into the Temple not to judge or condemn the sinful world. He came to save it precisely by "purifying" the Temple, removing with His Cross the diabolical image that man has of God and of himself. In Him, raised up, we have the true knowledge of Him and of ourselves, which the mouth of the serpent had taken away from us. To adhere to Him is true holiness and righteousness: it is to live of the Son and as sons, to share in the common glory of the Father and the Son. For Nicodemus, as for all of us, it is a slow process that brings us to the light. Reaching the truth is a journey of progressive liberation, of small steps. And it is accomplished by the Word Itself. The meaning of human history is the revelation of the Son, His growth to His full stature (Eph 4:13) so that God may be everything in everyone. "This is the judgment: the Light has come into the world" The judgment for those who, though knowing it, do not receive the Word become Flesh, is that of preferring darkness to light, death to life. The judgment on man is made by man himself, not by God.
SONG OF THE HIDDEN GOD - Karol Wojtyla In me is a transparent country, in the clearness of the Lake of Genezaret and the boat ... and the landing place of the fishermen leaning against silent waves ... and the crowd... the crowd of hearts embraced by a Single Heart, a Single Heart, the simplest, the most meek - or that evening with Nicodemus or on the seashore, where every day I return fascinated by Your Beauty - And all this: the evening with Nicodemus the village and the fishermen's landing place the transparent bottom and Your Person so close - all this is seen through a candid point of the purest whiteness, surrounded, in the heart of man by a bright red stream
2nd Book of Chronicles
RispondiElimina36,14-16.19-23.
In those days, all the princes of Judah, the priests and the people added infidelity to infidelity, practicing all the abominations of the nations and polluting the LORD'S temple which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.
Early and often did the LORD, the God of their fathers, send his messengers to them, for he had compassion on his people and his dwelling place.
But they mocked the messengers of God, despised his warnings, and scoffed at his prophets, until the anger of the LORD against his people was so inflamed that there was no remedy.
They burnt the house of God, tore down the walls of Jerusalem, set all its palaces afire, and destroyed all its precious objects.
Those who escaped the sword he carried captive to Babylon, where they became his and his sons' servants until the kingdom of the Persians came to power.
All this was to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah: "Until the land has retrieved its lost sabbaths, during all the time it lies waste it shall have rest while seventy years are fulfilled."
In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD inspired King Cyrus of Persia to issue this proclamation throughout his kingdom, both by word of mouth and in writing:
"Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia: 'All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD, the God of heaven, has given to me, and he has also charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever, therefore, among you belongs to any part of his people, let him go up, and may his God be with him!'"
Psalms 137(136)
1-2.3.4-5.6.
By the rivers of Babylon
we sat mourning and weeping
when we remembered Zion.
On the poplars of that land
we hung up our harps.
There our captors asked us
for the words of a song;
Our tormentors, for a joyful song:
"Sing for us a song of Zion!"
But how could we sing a song of the LORD
in a foreign land?
If I forget you, Jerusalem,
may my right hand wither.
May my tongue stick to my palate
if I do not remember you,
if I do not exalt Jerusalem
beyond all my delights.
Letter to the Ephesians
2,4-10.
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us,
even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus,
that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God;
it is not from works, so no one may boast.
For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ
according to Saint John 3,14-21.
Jesus said to Nicodemus, "And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed.
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.
POPE FRANCIS
RispondiEliminaANGELUS 14 March 2021
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Buongiorno!
On this fourth Sunday of Lent, the Eucharistic liturgy begins with this invitation: “Rejoice, Jerusalem...”. (cf. Is 66:10). What is the reason for this joy? In the middle of Lent, what is the reason for this joy? Today’s Gospel tells us: God “so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn 3:16). This joyful message is the heart of the Christian faith: God’s love found its summit in the gift of his Son to a weak and sinful humanity. He gave his Son to us, to all of us.
This is what appears in the nocturnal dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus, a part of which is described in the same Gospel passage (cf. Jn 3:14-21). Nicodemus, like every member of the people of Israel, awaited the Messiah, identifying him as a strong man who would judge the world with power. Instead, Jesus challenges this expectation by presenting himself in three forms: the Son of man exalted on the cross; the Son of God sent into the world for salvation; and that of the light that distinguishes those who follow the truth from those who follow lies. Let us take a look at these three aspects: Son of man, Son of God, and light.
Jesus presents himself first of all as the Son of man (vv. 14-15). The text alludes to the account of the bronze serpent (cf. Num 21:4-9), which, by God’s will, was mounted by Moses in the desert when the people were attacked by poisonous snakes; whoever had been bitten and looked at the bronze serpent was healed. Similarly, Jesus was lifted up on the cross and those who believe in him are healed of sin and live.
The second aspect is that of the Son of God (Jn 3:16-18). God the Father loves humanity to the point of “giving” his Son: he gave him in the Incarnation and he gave him in handing him over to death. The purpose of God’s gift is the eternal life of every person: in fact, God sends his Son into the world not to condemn it, but so that the world that it might be saved through Jesus. Jesus’ mission is a mission of salvation, of salvation for everyone.
The third name that Jesus gives himself is “light” (vv. 19-21). The Gospel says: “the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light” (v. 19). The coming of Jesus into the world leads to a choice: whoever chooses darkness will face a judgment of condemnation; whoever chooses light will have a judgment of salvation. The judgement is always the consequence of the free choice of each person: whoever practices evil seeks the darkness; evil always hides, it covers itself. Whoever seeks the truth, that is, who practices what is good, comes to the light, illuminates the paths of life. Whoever walks in the light, whoever approaches the light, cannot but do good works. The light leads us to do good works. This is what we are called to do with greater dedication during Lent: to welcome the light into our conscience, to open our hearts to God’s infinite love, to his mercy full of tenderness and goodness, to his forgiveness. Do not forget that God always forgives, always, if we humbly ask for forgiveness. It is enough just to ask for forgiveness, and he forgives. In this way we will find true joy and will be able to rejoice in God’s forgiveness, which regenerates and gives life.
May Mary Most Holy help us not to be afraid to let ourselves be “thrown into crisis” by Jesus. It is a healthy crisis, for our healing: so that our joy may be full.
HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
RispondiElimina14 March 2021
“God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son” (Jn 3:16). This is the heart of the Gospel; this is the source of our joy. The Gospel message is not an idea or a doctrine. It is Jesus himself: the Son whom the Father has given us so that we might have life. Jesus is the source of our joy: not some lovely theory about how to find happiness, but the actual experience of being accompanied and loved throughout the journey of life. “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son”. Brothers and sisters, let us dwell on these two thoughts for a moment: “God so loved” and “God gave”.
First of all, God so loved. Jesus’ words to Nicodemus — a Jewish elder who wanted to know the Master — help us to see the true face of God. He has always looked at us with love, and for the sake of love, he came among us in the flesh of his Son. In Jesus, he went in search of us when we were lost. In Jesus, he came to raise us up when we fell. In Jesus, he wept with us and healed our wounds. In Jesus, he blessed our life forever. The Gospel tells us that whoever believes in him will not perish (ibid.). In Jesus, God spoke the definitive word about our life: you are not lost, you are loved. Loved forever.
If hearing the Gospel and practicing our faith don’t enlarge our hearts and make us grasp the immensity of God’s love — maybe because we prefer a glum, sorrowful and self-absorbed religiosity — then this is a sign that we need to stop and listen once more to the preaching of the Good News. God loves you so much that he gave you his entire life. He is not a god who looks down upon us from on high, indifferent, but a loving Father who becomes part of our history. He is not a god who takes pleasure in the death of sinners, but a Father concerned that that no one be lost. He is not a god who condemns, but a Father who saves us with the comforting embrace of his love.
We now come to the second aspect: God “gave” his Son. Precisely because he loves us so much, God gives himself; he offers us his life. Those who love always go out of themselves. Don’t forget this: those who love go out of themselves. Love always offers itself, gives itself, expends itself. That is the power of love: it shatters the shell of our selfishness, breaks out of our carefully constructed security zones, tears down walls and overcomes fears, so as to give freely of itself. That is what love does: it gives itself. And that is how lovers are: they prefer to risk self-giving over self-preservation. That is why God comes to us: because he “so loved” us. His love is so great that he cannot fail to give himself to us. When the people were attacked by poisonous serpents in the desert, God told Moses to make the bronze serpent. In Jesus, however, exalted on the cross, he himself came to heal us of the venom of death; he became sin to save us from sin. God does not love us in words: he gives us his Son, so that whoever looks at him and believes in him will be saved (cf. Jn 3:14-15).
The more we love, the more we become capable of giving. That is also the key to understanding our life. It is wonderful to meet people who love one another and share their lives in love. We can say about them what we say about God: they so love each other that they give their lives. It is not only what we can make or earn that matters; in the end, it is the love we are able to give.
-->This is the source of joy! God so loved the world that he gave his Son. Here we see the meaning of the Church’s invitation this Sunday: “Rejoice... Rejoice and be glad, you who mourn: find contentment and consolation” (Entrance Antiphon; cf. Is 66:10-11). I think of what we saw a week ago in Iraq: a people who had suffered so much rejoiced and were glad, thanks to God and his merciful love.
EliminaSometimes we look for joy where it is not to be found: in illusions that vanish, in dreams of glory, in the apparent security of material possessions, in the cult of our image, and in so many other things. But life teaches us that true joy comes from realizing that we are loved gratuitously, knowing that we are not alone, having someone who shares our dreams and who, when we experience shipwreck, is there to help us and lead us to a safe harbor.
FAUSTI - Nicodemus calls Jesus "Master". He is not a simple colleague: he knows that He has come from God, like Moses, and, seeing the signs He performs, he concludes that God is with Him.
RispondiEliminaHe recognizes Him as Master and Messiah, authenticated by God. Jesus leads Nicodemus beyond the Law, to the very source of Life itself: to the gift of the new heart and the new Spirit of which the Prophets speak and of which the Pharisee also knows.
To enter the Kingdom of God is not the work of man, but gift of God.
Into this Kingdom of freedom do not enter those who seek to conquer it, but those who accept to be sons, those who become like children, sons in the Son. The Baptism of Jesus, in addition to water - which in John is the symbol of Life (4,14 - 7,37 - 19,34) - will be in the Spirit, which is the divine fire of Love.
For one exists as a person when he is loved. He is born from the wound in the heart of the one who welcomes him and lets him enter into himself, loving him as he is, distinct from himself.
One comes to full light when he himself loves. The Words of Jesus to Nicodemus have the intent to operate in us that passage to the new heart, required by the Law and promised by the Prophets that we see well described ( Philippians 3) by Paul who recounts his experience of man of the Law meeting the Lord.
"That which is begotten of the flesh is flesh..." Flesh, in opposition to Spirit, indicates that which unites us to the earth : the weak, corruptible and mortal element.
Spirit, on the other hand, is what relates us to God: the perennial force of the Life Principle.From the beginning, man is composed of clay and divine breath (Gen 2:4), of earth and of heaven. The earth can only live of heaven. Jesus says that man is flesh.From the beginning, man is composed of clay and divine breath (Gen 2:4), of earth and of heaven.
The earth can only live of heaven.
Jesus calls "earthly things" what He has said about the birth from the flesh and the necessity of a birth by the Spirit .
In fact, the law and the prophets, called terrestrial, speak of it because they are witnesses of that light which has always been present in creation and in the history of Israel.
They give voice to the desire of the Spirit that is in every man. If one does not believe this voice, one does not even believe the Word, which reveals to us heavenly things.
In fact, the law is not in heaven, but close to every man, while heavenly things are revealed by the Son, who came down from heaven. Jesus wants to open Nicodemus, the teacher of the law, to the gift of the Spirit, which man on earth does not understand.
In Him we know the truth of God and our own.
Being a son is not an object of robbery, but a gift of love.
The Son of man raised up - on Him the heavens were opened, both to descend and to ascend - is the alone who can manifest to us the glory and tell us about the Father.
In Him is the descent of God to man and the ascent of man to God.
"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness" To the people, bitten by snakes, Moses showed, lifted up as a standard, a bronze serpent (Num 21:8). Whoever looked up was cured of the deadly poison.
Contemplating the Crucified One, we are "unveiled" from the lie of the serpent who took away our knowledge of the Father and made us flee from Him.
He loves us and we are the love that He has for us.
Turning our gaze to the One we pierced, (19:37) at the foot of the cross we discover this truth that sets us free (8:32) and we are born from above.
We have recognized and believed in the love that God has for us".
Indeed, "God is Love" (1Jn 4:16).
"To give the Only Begotten Son" He gave us the Son, because only in Him, who loves as He is loved, do we see our identity as sons of the Father.
--->"Not to judge the world, but that the world may be saved through Him" The Son has the same judgment as the Father. He comes with the scourge into the Temple not to judge or condemn the sinful world. He came to save it precisely by "purifying" the Temple, removing with His Cross the diabolical image that man has of God and of himself. In Him, raised up, we have the true knowledge of Him and of ourselves, which the mouth of the serpent had taken away from us. To adhere to Him is true holiness and righteousness: it is to live of the Son and as sons, to share in the common glory of the Father and the Son.
RispondiEliminaFor Nicodemus, as for all of us, it is a slow process that brings us to the light. Reaching the truth is a journey of progressive liberation, of small steps. And it is accomplished by the Word Itself. The meaning of human history is the revelation of the Son, His growth to His full stature (Eph 4:13) so that God may be everything in everyone.
"This is the judgment: the Light has come into the world" The judgment for those who, though knowing it, do not receive the Word become Flesh, is that of preferring darkness to light, death to life. The judgment on man is made by man himself, not by God.
SONG OF THE HIDDEN GOD - Karol Wojtyla
In me is a transparent country, in the clearness of the Lake of Genezaret
and the boat ... and the landing place of the fishermen leaning against silent waves ...
and the crowd... the crowd of hearts embraced by a Single Heart,
a Single Heart, the simplest, the most meek -
or that evening with Nicodemus
or on the seashore,
where every day I return fascinated by Your Beauty -
And all this: the evening with Nicodemus
the village and the fishermen's landing place
the transparent bottom and Your Person so close -
all this is seen through a candid point
of the purest whiteness,
surrounded, in the heart of man
by a bright red stream