Our Biblical Blog /'Examined Life'
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Our Biblical Blog /'Examined Life'
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15. The best way to dominate and gain control over people is to spread despair and discouragement, even under the guise of defending certain values. Today, in many countries, hyperbole, extremism and polarization have become political tools. Employing a strategy of ridicule, suspicion and relentless criticism, in a variety of ways one denies the right of others to exist or to have an opinion. Their share of the truth and their values are rejected and, as a result, the life of society is impoverished and subjected to the hubris of the powerful. Political life no longer has to do with healthy debates about long-term plans to improve people’s lives and to advance the common good, but only with slick marketing techniques primarily aimed at discrediting others. In this craven exchange of charges and counter-charges, debate degenerates into a permanent state of disagreement and confrontation.
16. Amid the fray of conflicting interests, where victory consists in eliminating one’s opponents, how is it possible to raise our sights to recognize our neighbours or to help those who have fallen along the way? A plan that would set great goals for the development of our entire human family nowadays sounds like madness. We are growing ever more distant from one another, while the slow and demanding march towards an increasingly united and just world is suffering a new and dramatic setback. (From Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter, Fratelli Tutti, On Fraternity and Social Friendship, articles 15-16) COMMENT:
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SHATTERED DREAMS 2
‘Opening up to the world’ is an expression that has been co-opted by the economic and financial sector and is now used exclusively of openness to foreign interests or to the freedom of economic powers to invest without obstacles or complications in all countries. Local conflicts and disregard for the common good are exploited by the global economy in order to impose a single cultural model. This culture unifies the world, but divides persons and nations, for as society becomes ever more globalised, it makes us neighbours, but does not make us brothers. We are more alone than ever in an increasingly massified world that promotes individual interests and weakens the communitarian dimensions of life. Indeed, there are markets where individuals become mere consumers and bystanders. As a rule, the advance of this kind of globalism strengthens the identity of the more powerful, who can protect themselves, but it tends to diminish the identity of the weaker and poorer regions, making them more vulnerable and dependent. In this way, political life becomes increasingly fragile in the face of transnational economic powers that operate with the principle of ‘divide and conquer’. (From Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter, Fratelli Tutti, On Fraternity and Social Friendship, a. 12) /Comment. Perhaps, as Christians, we can reflect on the growing power of those who own, run and control the social media platform. Is not their identity (hubris?), their voice getting stronger and stronger, in proportion as they become financially richer from this new form of trade?
For decades, it seemed that the world had learned a lesson from its many wars and disasters, and was slowly moving towards various forms of integration. For example, there was the dream of a united Europe, capable of acknowledging its shared roots and rejoicing in its rich diversity. We think of the firm conviction of the founders of the European Union, who envisioned a future based on the capacity to work together in bridging divisions and in fostering peace and fellowship between all the peoples of this continent. There was also a growing desire in Latin America, and several steps were taken in this direction. In some countries and regions, attempts at reconciliation and rapprochement proved fruitful, while others showed great promise.
Our own days, however, seem to be showing signs of a certain regression. Ancient conflicts thought long buried are breaking out anew, while instances of a myopic, extremist, resentful and aggressive nationalism are on the rise. In some countries, a concept of popular and national unity influenced by various ideologies is creating new forms of selfishness and a loss of the social sense under the guise of defending national interests. Once more we are being reminded that each new generation must take up the struggles and attainments of past generations, while setting its sight even higher. This is the path. Goodness, together with love, justice and solidarity, are not achieved once and for all; they have to be realised each day. It is not possible to settle for what was achieved in the past and complacently enjoy it, as if we could somehow disregard the fact that many of our brothers and sisters still endure situations that cry out for our attention. (From Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter, Fratelli Tutti, On Fraternity and Social Friendship, a. 12-13) Jesus’ expelling the money changers from the Temple reminds us of Moses return from Mount Sinai when he found the Jews worshipping the golden calf. When Moses was absent from the people, it left a void for the Israelites in their relationship with God. They fell back on what they know and created an ‘idol’ to reassure them of God’s presence and care - in their own way. ‘…and in the Temple he found people selling cattle and sheep and pigeons, and the money changers sitting at their counters there.’
What does make us ‘worshiping false gods’? What is it in us that we are so prone to create distractions and abandon God’s friendship and companionship, whom we are called to meet and worship? The third Sunday of Lent invite us to face this question. It seems that at the root of forgetting God is that we want to create our security. And the point easily comes, when we want to secure our life (via our work and business) without Him. So on this third Sunday of Lent, let us face the question: how do people, ourselves, end up in doing business without God? Just as an illustration, two people requested a Baptism certificate, back from the very early 1980s. I went through the Registry, and was surprised (even shocked) that every month there were 4 to 6 baptisms. Today we have 2-3 a year. ‘Making a whip out of some cord, Jesus drove them all out of the Temple, cattle and sheep as well, scattered the money changers’ coins, knocked their tables… Take all this out here and stop turning my Father’s house into a market!’ We Christians today are reminded, that our soul and body, our life, is the Temple of the Holy Spirit. So, again: where are we now? To what extend have we preserved (as a country, a culture, and individuals) this Temple of God? Our fist reading is the most precise guide and questionnaire… I would like to share in image, which illustrates both Jesus’ anger - and the self-assessment of how fare or close we are to God. The Italian sculpture Arturo Modica made a sculpture, the Charging Bull (1989). This is an ambiguous image. Originally it was erected in front of the New York Stock Exchange. It to symbolize the resilience of the U.S. economy after a 1987 stock market crash. Though the statue was removed from its original location, it remained a symbol of Wall Street. Eventually, it was embraced by traders as a symbol of good luck. However, in it, many recognised ‘the golden calf’ - when we do business and secure of lives without God. Glistening, muscular, dynamic, and intensely animal the Charging Bull undeniably has an allure that is undeniable. We can easily understand why such a creature was once a symbol for a mighty god. Let this image help us in our discernment. What space God is given in our lives? 07.03.2021 Issues of human fraternity and social friendship have always been a concern of mine...The following pages do not claim to offer a complete teaching on fraternal love, but rather to consider its universal scope, its openness to every man and woman. I offer this…as a modest contribution to continued reflection, in the hope that in the face of present-day attempts to eliminate or ignore others, we may prove capable of responding with a new vision of fraternity and social friendship that will not remain at the level of words.
As I was writing this letter, the Covid-19 pandemic unexpectedly erupted, exposing our false securities. Aside from the different ways that various countries responded to the crisis, their inability to work together became quite evident. For all our hyper-connectivity, we witnessed a fragmentation that made it more difficult to resolve the problems that affect us all. Anyone who thinks that the only lesson to be learned was the need to improve what we were already doing, or to refine existing systems and regulations, is denying reality. It is my desire that, in this our time, by acknowledging the dignity of each human person, we can contribute to the rebirth of a universal aspiration to fraternity. Brotherhood between all men and women. Here we have a splendid secret that shows us how to dream and to turn our life into a wonderful adventure. No one can face life in isolation. We need a community that supports and helps us, in which we can help one another to keep looking ahead. How important it is to dream together… By ourselves, we risk seeing mirages, things that are not there. Dreams, on the other hand, are built together. Let us dream, then, as a single human family as fellow travellers sharing the same flesh, as children of the same earth which is our common home, each of us bringing the richness of his or her beliefs and convictions, each of us with his or her own voice, brothers and sisters all. (From Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter, Fratelli Tutti, On Fraternity and Social Friendship, a. 5-8.) There is an episode in the life of Saint Francis that shows his openness of heart, which knew no bounds and transcended differences of origin, nationality, colour or religion. It was his visit to Sultan Malik-el-Kamil, in Egypt, which entailed considerable hardship, give Francis’ poverty, his scarce resources, the great distances to be travelled and their different language, culture and religion.
That journey, undertaken at the time of the Crusades, further demonstrated the breadth and grandeur of his love, which sought to embrace everyone. Francis’ fidelity to his Lord was commensurate with his love for his brothers and sisters. Unconcerned for the hardships and dangers involved, Francis went to meet the Sultan with the same attitude that he instilled in his disciples: if they found themselves ‘among Saracens and other non-believers’, without renouncing their own identity they were not to engage in arguments or disputes but to be subject to every human creature for God’s sake. In the context of the times, this way s was an extraordinary recommendation. We are impressed that some eight hundred years ago Saint Francis urged that all forms of hostility or conflict be avoided and that a humble and fraternal ‘subjection’ be shown to those who did not share his faith. Francis did not wage a war of words aimed at imposing doctrines; he simply spread the love of God. He understood that ‘God is love and those who abide in love abide in God’ (1 Jn 4:16). In this way, he became a father to all and inspired the vision of a fraternal society. Indeed, ‘only the man who approaches others, not to draw them into his own life, but to help them become ever more fully themselves, can truly be called a father.’ In the world of that time, bristling with watchtowers and defensive walls, cities were a theatre of brutal wars between powerful families, even as poverty was spreading through the countryside. Yet there Francis was able to welcome true peace into his heart and free himself of the desire to wield power over others. He became one of the poor and sought to live in harmony with all. Francis has inspired these pages. (From Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter, Fratelli Tutti, On Fraternity and Social Friendship, 5.) 1.Accompanying Others
We need to encourage and accompany the person, without imposing our own roadmaps…If you are to accompany others on this path, you must be the first to follow it, day in and day out. That is what Mary did, in her own youth, as she confronted her own questions and difficulties. May she renew your youthfulness by the power of her prayers and accompany you always by her maternal presence. My joyful hope is to see you keep running the race before you, outstripping all those who are slow or fearful. Keep running, ‘attracted by the face of Christ, whom we love so much, whom we adore in the Holy Eucharist and acknowledge in the flesh of our suffering brothers and sisters. May the Holy Spirit urge you on as you run this race. The church needs your momentum, your intuitions, your faith. We need them! And when you arrive where we have not yet reached, have the patience to wait for us. (From Pope Francis’ letter to young people, Christ Is Alive, art.298-299) 1.Discernment: joining and departing
…Discernment becomes a genuine means of spiritual combat, helping us to follow the Lord more faithfully. The desire to know our personal vocation thus takes on a supreme intensity, a different quality and higher level, one that better respects the dignity of our person and our life. In the end, good discernment is a path of freedom that brings to full fruit what is unique in each person, something so personal that only God knows it. Others cannot fully understand or predict from the outside how it will develop. When we listen to others in this way, at a certain moment we ourselves have to disappear in order to let the other person follow the path he or she has discovered. We have to vanish as the Lord did from the sight of his disciples in Emmaus, leaving them alone with burning hearts and an irresistible desire to set out immediately (cf. Lk 24:31-33). When they returned to the community, those disciples heard the good news that the Lord was indeed risen (Lk 24:34). (From Pope Francis’ letter to young people, Christ Is Alive, art.295-296) Jesus’ transfiguration on Mount Tabor has its primary Lenten meaning. The Son of God is given a special revelation of his coming suffering. Here, the Father gives him that loving reassurance, almost in advance, as a resource, which he can’t find in his agony on the Mount of Olives on the night of Holy Thursday.
Radiating from this primary meaning, there is so much to contemplate and think about in Jesus’ transfiguration. For us, it is a gentle light, which guides us and makes us think about our own journey. The Jewish reading for the days of Purim (a feast of liberation from the ill intentions of Haman) gives us an interesting connection. It is about the details of the vestment of the high priest. The description of the dazzling beauty of it invites us to connect it with the beauty of Jesus’ transfiguration. ‘The High Priest’s garments are gorgeous, made from the most expensive fabrics, in stunning colours of gold, blue, and crimson, and adorned with the best precious stones. These precious stones embedded in the High Priest’s hoshen (breastplate) represents the whole nation. “Aaron shall carry the names of the sons of Israel on the breastpiece of decision over his heart, when he enters the sanctuary, for remembrance before the Lord all times” /Exod 28:29/. Similarly, the names of the tribes of Israel are engraved on two lazuli stones on the shoulders of the garment.’ Interestingly, this description of the priestly vestment (‘Transfiguration’ of the High Priest) is juxtaposed to the passage of animal sacrifice (Lev 1-7, and 8). The Jewish sages believed that ‘just as offerings/sacrifice effect atonement, so too, priestly vestments symbolically effect atonement.’ It is mind-blowing and gives a shiver to see our Lord Transfigured as the one who stands there as our High Priest. He is offering his yes to the Father, the most important offering and sacrifice. He wants to give his life for us. The rest of the scene is a profound mystery. The second connection that we could raise is a topical image. These days we have a mini-version of a banal transfiguration. When we put on our masks. We become ‘changed’. People become different, as part of their identity becomes veiled from others. ‘Ralph Lee, an American puppeteer often speaks about aspects of wearing masks and costumes and asks: Does a mask hide certain aspect of the wearer? Or give the person the freedom or/ and responsibilities to become someone else?’ Let us think about it in terms of our Lord’s transfiguration. With his new glorified appearance, actually, Jesus is not putting on a mask or a different outfit, but he is revealing his true identity. On Mount Tabor, he completely ‘unmasks’ himself. He puts on the responsibility of our redemption, and he does it in utmost freedom. Is not Lent in invitation to reveal ourselves fully to God, to Him, and to each other? Let us think about this symbol of the ‘mask’ in terms of our Lenten preparation. The third image I would like to share is the story of an egg. It is from a children’s tale by Dan Pagis (The Egg that Disguised Itself). It might challenge us to think about our Lenten journey; where we would like to arrive? ‘Bored and lonely, the egg is looking to be something else, an artificial identity constructed by costumes; limited by its physical form - a round egg - it is looking to free itself from its shape. The egg tries disguise after disguise, but in vain. Its “egginess” always shows until at the end, when, found by the mother hen, it develops into its true self, a baby chick.’ And that’s when true growth comes! Perhaps a deeper look can make us see that until the Holy Spirit of Lent finds us we are like the egg. Never satisfied with ourselves. We are trying so many things, sometimes hiding, disguising and concealing our feelings and thoughts in certain situations, hiding from discrimination, or simply trying to fit in with where we are. Lent and Easter, this is what we celebrate today, will reveal our true identity. Easter will help us to accept our true identity - deeply rooted in the life of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Applied resource, JTS meditation ‘Dr Ofra Arieli Backenroth, “Wearing Masks”’) 28.02.2021 1.Discernment and Listening
The second kind of sensitivity is marked by discernment. It tries to grasp exactly where grace and temptation is present, for sometimes the things that flit across our minds are mere temptations that can distract us from our true path. I need to ask myself what is that the other person is trying to tell me, what they want me to realise is happening in their lives. Asking such questions helps me appreciate their thinking and the effects it has on their emotions. This kind of listening seeks to discern the salutary promptings of the good Spirit who proposes to us the Lord’s truth, but also the traps laid by the evil spirit – his empty works and promises. It takes courage, warmth and tact to help others distinguish the truth from illusions and excuses. The third kind of sensitivity is the ability to perceive what is driving the other person. This calls for a deeper kind of listening, one able to discern the direction in which that person truly wants to move. Apart from what they are feeling or thinking right now, and whatever has happened up to this point in their lives, the real issue is what they would like to be. This may demand that they look not to their own superficial wishes and desires, but rather to what is most pleasing to the Lord, to his plans for their life. And that is seen in a deeper inclination of the heart, beyond the surface level of their likes and feelings. This kind of listening seeks to discern their ultimate intention, the intention that definitively decides the meaning of their life. Jesus knows and appreciates this ultimate intention of the heart. He is always there, ready to help each of us to recognise it. We need but say to him: ‘Lord, save me! Have mercy on me!’ (From Pope Francis’ letter to young people, Christ Is Alive, art.293-294) |
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