Don’t show off

https://t.me/eph2atha/14 - click here to listen to the recording 

Jn 14:1-4

https://t.me/eph2atha/9  - click here so to listen the recording 

The requisites to become children of the Heavenly Father

The originality of being a Christian is not on how many prayers one have said, or how knowledgeable of the Bible...

IT'S ALL IN THE LOVE FOR THE ENEMIES...
      Love your Enemies
         Pray for those who persecute you.... That you may be children of your heavenly Father!

It will never be easy, that's why it's not easy to be a Christian.
He who brings a necklace cross thinks to be a Christian, surely isn't what he thinks to be so. Being a Christian is not what we imagine in praying, because many times people pray without having the consciousness of being children of the Heavenly Father.

People see the external part but God sees the heart.
Love for enemies is the real challenge. Jesus said there's no advantage loving those who are lovable.

Christians will be more authentic and credible, by professing less words and blah blah blah....
     more love to those who have caused hurts and humiliations...
     more prayers for those who persecuted and criticized...
     more positive thoughts to those who are suspicious and doubtful to our goodness...

If we can't have this kind of love, so let's insist more to God to heal our brokenness and sinfulness.  Let's not be judgmental to others who don't come to our churches. Unless we turn to be more coherent, we will never see the joy of being Children of the Heavenly Father who cares for those who are bad and good people.
 

From the Gospel according to Matthew
MT 5:43-48
Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was said,
You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I say to you, love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your heavenly Father,
for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,
and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?
Do not the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet your brothers only,
what is unusual about that?
Do not the pagans do the same?
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Love that completes

The strangeness of the Lord

The Lord stood with Moses and proclaimed His name

- - - Then .... "If I find favor with you, O Lord, do come along in our company.  This is indeed a stiff-necked people; yet pardon our wickedness and sins, and receive us as your own."

The paradox of exhortation 

To the Christians of Corinthians, St. Paul did important recommendations which is also valid for us today, thus we should practice it each day, until we will be experts:

«Brothers and sisters, rejoice.

Mend your ways, encourage one another,

agree with one another, live in peace,

and the God of love and peace will be with you.»

The total love

The Father at the perfect time offered His son in exchange of the salvation of the world. The Son revealed the love of the Father into the world. But not all understood such Total Love. This is the only path that will reconcile us to the Father, no religious practices can save the world; except love. Love that drives out fear; love that brings light to those who are in the dark; love that feeds the hungry and gives water to the thirsty; love that restores the dignity to the one who unjustly condemned; love of the truth; love of honesty and with no corruption; love of simplicity with no vainglory and narcissism; love of sharing and with no publicity; love with no if’s and why’s; love so to share the love of the Father to the Son in communion with the Holy Spirit.

——————-

First reading from the Book of Exodus

EX 34:4B-6, 8-9

Early in the morning Moses went up Mount Sinai as the LORD had commanded him,

taking along the two stone tablets.

Having come down in a cloud, the LORD stood with Moses there and proclaimed his name, "LORD."

Thus the LORD passed before him and cried out,

"The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity."

Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship.

Then he said, "If I find favor with you, O Lord, do come along in our company.

This is indeed a stiff-necked people; yet pardon our wickedness and sins, and receive us as your own."

 

Second reading from second Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians

2 COR 13:11-13

Brothers and sisters, rejoice.

Mend your ways, encourage one another,

agree with one another, live in peace,

and the God of love and peace will be with you.

Greet one another with a holy kiss.

All the holy ones greet you.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ

and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to John

JN 3:16-18

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.

The disgust to RELIGIOUS PEOPLE

Scribes are those people who know so well the Law and the Holy Scriptures. They have authority of understanding and interpreting the Word of God in the temple. But according to Jesus, they are dangerous, one has to be mindful and be smart in looking at them and in imitating them. On this gospel of Mark chapter 12, verse 38 - 40, there are serious accusations that Jesus made clear:

1. These religious people, expert of the Word of God, like to be seen by the way they dress that gives the claim of authority from the people.

2. They love to be greeted in the public places. - where people might see them and really admire how influential and respected they are by the society.

3. They always want to have the important places: "seats of honor in syngogues", places of honor at banquets.

But.....
4. They devour the houses of widows - the helpless ones who can't defend themselves.

5. As a "pretense" they recite "LONG PRAYERS"... as if God will listen them more coz they pray with so many words.

The conclusion of Jesus is His consideration: THEY WILL RECEIVE A VERY SEVERE CONDEMNATION.


Mark 12:38-40

Denunciation of the Scribes.^* 38In the course of his teaching he said,^p “Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the marketplaces, 39seats of honor in synagogues, and places of honor at banquets. 40They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext, recite lengthy prayers. They will receive a very severe condemnation.” 

The Poor Widow’s Contribution.^* 41He sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury.^q Many rich people put in large sums. 42A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. 43Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, “Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. 44For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.” 

Inspired by the Holy Spirit

No one can profess who is Jesus unless he is inspired by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:3B)

The most renowned king David talked about the future messiah, as so far as under the  inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is the only one who can bring us to Jesus. There are no Pastoral Strategies and magical prayers, or any pilgrimages that can give a true experience of the love of Jesus.

The presumption to be religious and to be devoted is the worst enemy of the work of the Third Person of the Holy Triune God.  Because it gives an idea of a pre-packed options of God in which He in His Wisdom and Glory has to submit to a mediocre vision and practice, by reducing it all to moral doctrines of “do’s and don’ts”. 

———

Mark 12: 35

As Jesus was teaching in the temple area he said, “How do the scribes claim that the Messiah is the son of David?

36

David himself, inspired by the holy Spirit, said:

‘The Lord said to my lord,

“Sit at my right hand

until I place your enemies under your feet.”’

37

David himself calls him ‘lord’; so how is he his son?” [The] great crowd heard this with delight.

Pope Francis on Pentecost 2020

Three enemies of self-giving

However, in this gift of self, the Pope noted there are three enemies: narcissism, victimhood and pessimism.

Narcissism, the Pope said, makes us concerned only with how we can profit from it. In this time of the pandemic, the Pope lamented the tendency to think only of our own needs, to be indifferent to those of others. 
Victimhood, he said, is equally dangerous. Victims complain every day about their neighbours – that no one understands them, no one experiences what they experience and everyone is against them. In the present crisis, he noted, we are experiencing how ugly victimhood is. 
Pessimism is an unending complaint that “nothing is going well in society, politics, the Church…”.  A pessimist gets angry with the world, but sits back and does nothing. In the current crisis, the Pope said it is damaging to “see everything in the worst light and to keep saying that nothing will return as before”. 

Famine of hope

“When someone thinks this way,” the Pope observed, “the one thing that certainly does not return is hope.” “We are experiencing a famine of hope,” he said, “and we need to appreciate the gift of life, the gift that each of us is.” “We need the Holy Spirit, the gift of God who heals us of narcissism, victimhood and pessimism.”

 https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-05/pope-francis-pentecost-homily-unity-self-giving.html