1 September 2006
Bible Meditations & Prayers (by language)Monthly Bible Meditation (en)Matthew 20: 20-28In every culture there is a system of honoring some of its selected members, distinguishing them from others by means of titles, clothes, posts or material advantages. In both West and East, human beings try to acquire more honor or influence in a given group. The problem is that some use every means possible to acquire them. The struggle for power and various forms of intrigue – manifest or hidden – exist in all human societies. Even the apostles were not totally exempt from it.
Jesus’ teaching on power is clear and even (...)
1 August 2006
Bible Meditations & Prayers (by language)Monthly Bible Meditation (en)Jeremiah 2: 1-13These disconcerting words, in which God seems to be speaking angrily against his people, are in fact a sign of his profound concern for them.
Jeremiah brings God’s message at a period of crisis. Its aim is to help them see where their real security lies, to realize that their true identity and their long-term well-being depend on their relationship with God.
The problem is that the people have tended to neglect this life-giving relationship or “covenant” in favour of other things, particularly the worship of “idols” or of (...)
1 July 2006
Bible Meditations & Prayers (by language)Monthly Bible Meditation (en)Matthew 16: 24-26In contemporary society where “self-realization” is encouraged and glorified, Jesus’ teaching of “self-denial” is a real challenge. Some may ask: Is denying oneself not losing oneself? What remains if one denies oneself? Is taking up the cross really necessary? Are there no other effective ways of being disciples of Jesus? But Jesus’ words are so clear. He warns sharply against the danger of losing what is most precious for immediate gain. Should we not understand the perplexing word “to deny oneself” as meaning to give the (...)
1 June 2006
Bible Meditations & Prayers (by language)Monthly Bible Meditation (en)Hebrews 1:1-4Some think that the introduction to the Letter to the Hebrews, which is in fact one long Greek sentence, is the best constructed text in the entire New Testament. The author centers his reflections on the mystery of Christ, the Son of God and the culmination of God’s self-revelation. But if Christ is the high-point of revelation, this does not disqualify all the other ways in which God has communicated throughout the ages. For his part the author has in mind the history of the people of Israel recounted in Scripture, but could (...)
1 May 2006
Bible Meditations & Prayers (by language)Monthly Bible Meditation (en)Jeremiah 1:4-10Who is the prophet Jeremiah? A man who, one day, when he was very young, discovered a call from God deep in his heart. That call turned his life upside down. In it Jeremiah found the meaning of his life. He constantly returned it to face the trials of his existence and to go forward.
Although God called other prophets through a vision, like Isaiah (Isaiah 6:1-3) or Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1), in the case of Jeremiah it was different. God spoke a “word” (v. 4) to him, an inner word set in his heart, in the depths of his being, even (...)
1 April 2006
Bible Meditations & Prayers (by language)Monthly Bible Meditation (en)John 12: 20-28We can discover in this scene described by Saint John an account of a temptation Jesus experienced in Jerusalem. His life is seriously threatened (see John 11:53) and then all of a sudden people come from a different world than that of Israel, and these Greeks are interested in him. Who knows? Perhaps they will listen to his message in a more sympathetic and far-reaching way. Perhaps something more universal can begin. All Jesus would have to do would be to turn away from what seems doomed to failure and to refuse what is in (...)
1 March 2006
Bible Meditations & Prayers (by language)Monthly Bible Meditation (en)Numbers 11:24-30In the course their long journey in the wilderness, Moses and the people of Israel passed through many different stages and crises. Chapter 11 of the book of Numbers recounts one of the most important of these. Having to deal with the complaints of the people, which are becoming more and more strident, Moses realizes that his responsibilities have become too heavy for him. So he gathers together a group of seventy respected men to help him. He asks God to support them in their task by giving them the Spirit. But two of the (...)
1 February 2006
Bible Meditations & Prayers (by language)Monthly Bible Meditation (en)Matthew 15:21-28Trust is a key reality in the gospel. This trust is expressed by our “yes” to Christ, our “yes” to the will of God. It is a humble trusting. We accept even things or situations that we do not understand. But are there sometimes also times when trust is expressed by a “no”?
One day, a Canaanite woman came to Jesus asking for her daughter to be healed. Jesus pays no attention to her request. First he does not even answer her, and then he gives a reply that seems insulting to a non-Jewish woman: “It is not right to take bread from (...)
1 January 2006
Bible Meditations & Prayers (by language)Monthly Bible Meditation (en)Romans 4:1-12Writing to the Romans, Saint Paul takes up the question “what makes us just?” in other words what makes us people who have a right relationship with God and consequently with others. He insists that we do not have a good relationship with God because of anything we have done. This relationship is not a reward we earn for work well done. It is a gift, freely offered by God to all, independently of their achievements.
To support his argument, Paul uses the example of Abraham, considered by the Jews as their forefather and a model (...)
1 December 2005
Bible Meditations & Prayers (by language)Monthly Bible Meditation (en)Luke 6:46-49As elsewhere in the Gospels (Matthew 7:21), Jesus stresses the necessary link between how we think and speak, and the way we live our life. When our words are in harmony with the substance of our life, they take on a solidity which tells both the speaker and the listener of their truth. People experienced this with Jesus, and not only his friends (see John 7:46). On the other hand, rootless words which are not confirmed by the substance of our lives are misleading. Like a house without foundations, they give an impression of (...)