THE DEATH OF THE JUST

THE DEATH OF THE JUST
(Reflections on the Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26 and 27: collected points)

IS JESUS MISSION UNSUCCESSFUL?
- All the words his spoken and the miraculous deeds he has done seem to be in vain: it is because the Preacher (Prophet and Prophecy), and the Miracle worker (Sanctifier and the Healer) of God’s Kingdom is now forgotten.
- His death on the Cross just like any other criminal of the time has raised the question of whether is he really a Messiah.
- Even the people who were waiting for the Savior and in fact seen him in the person of Jesus themselves are thinking that God has abandoned him to die alone on the cross.
- Now He has become victim of insults and blasphemies and not any more the bringer of good news and thus his fame has vanished.
- All these incidents show that the mission of Jesus has become meaningless and successful.
THE FATE/DESTINY OF THE PERSECUTED JUST:
- Keep away your sword and in this way the scriptures should be fulfilled (26:52-56).
- Therefore Jesus fulfills not only the glorious things told about him but also other prophecies.
What are they?
A. The suffering just of the Old Testament in the figure of Joseph sold (Gen 37-50)
B. The prayers of the suffering just prefigured in the Psalms: “Lord how many are my oppressors” (3); “Lord, save me and liberate me from the one who persecutes me” (7) and various others.
C. The suffering just in the figure of prophet Jeremiah: “like a lamb to the slaughtering house” (Jer 11:18-23; 17:14-18); “they fight against me but do not prevail” (Jer 15: 15-21)
D. The suffering just who appears also in the books of Daniel and the Wisdom.
E. Finally New Testament predicts that of the suffering servant of Isaiah (52:13-53:12).
JESUS DELIVERS HIMSELF INTO THE HANDS OF DEATH
- Many have betrayed him: not only Judah (26:14-16), but also all his disciples (26:56); the Pharisees and Sadducees for their jealousy (27:18); knowing this Pilot delivers him into the hands of the soldiers just for the political reasons (27:26) and finally he is also delivered into the hands of his friends to be buried (27:58).
- This is all possible only when he wills it and when he allows it to happen. Therefore, he has delivered himself to the death (Jn 10:17-18).
THE INNOCENT BLOOD:
- The innocent blood is sold for thirty dinars just like that of Joseph ( Gen 37:28) and that of Zachariah (11:11-13).
- The penitence of Judah Iscariot (27:4: I have sinned and I have sold innocent blood) and it is called justly: the price of blood and the place of blood.
THE SILENCE OF JESUS:
- He has not responded not even a single word (27:12-13), as prophesized by Isaiah (53:7).

THE JUST REJECTED BY THE JEWISH AUTHORITY AND RECOGNIZED THE STRANGERS:
- Jews have refused and rejected him (Mt 26:67)
- But the ordinary people and people outside religious system recognized him as the just man and the Messiah (Mt 27:54).

At the end of the drama of this Just Man persecuted and put to death there is the Hope of Redemption and the Reality of Resurrection. God, who seems to have abandoned him till the death on the cross, now begins to redeem his people with the same suffering, blood and innocent death of His Son. Jesus is born, died and has risen! Alleluia!

In the Walk towards the knowledge and acceptance of Christ: Year A

9th SUNDAY – A: (Deut 11:18, 26-28,32; Rom 3:21-25a,28; Math 27:21-27)
Theme: Let us build the mobile and living house in our walk of faith
Reflection:
- We are still in the discourse on the mountain but at the ending part.
- The discourse which begins with the beatitudes to be new way of the Christian and continues with the perfection of the old law and commission of the new law and finally ends with the assurance of God’s presence and his power for those who seek him and his kingdom.
- As the part of this context we have today the true and authentic follower who builds his house on the rock of the Lord, that is, Jesus Himself.
First Reading:
- Context of the reading is people are in walk towards the promised land
- God gives them his words as their nutrition his words on their journey
- It is Moses, the law giver of the Old Testament, who admonishes the people of Israel to take into heart the words of God and not to ignore them.
- The only way to be chosen and the only road to follow in the journey is observance the commandments of God.
- Proper blessing or proper curse depends on the proper living of the words of God.
- Opening the hearts to listen to the word and opening the hands to put it in practice.
Psalm: we have the fortified rock of refuge in which we can have our permanent and un-faltering tent.
Second Reading:
- Man is justified faith independently of the law: though this Pauline thinking led astray the fellow brethren who reject everything else except God’s justification by the faith alone, never is his intention to keep faith away from the actions. The one who separated themselves from the Church do say that our actions or our good deeds do not merit any benefit of salvation and it’s only the gift of pure grace of God. This keeps the faith and good works separated which is, in return, is not a and not to be the way of a real disciple of Christ who has earned the salvation of man by his Paschal event, not just Paschal word.
- Paul’s theology is not to create any of such confusions. He himself is very much aware that Christ has perfected and fulfilled the old law and through his deeds and good works has manifested the love of God for the man. One has to imitate him not only in faith but in life which is the testimony of the practice of God’s words.
- But this faith has to be lived by the good action. Faith is principle element in deed, and the deeds of goodness are all the more important and they are to be added to the faith, as the heart is covered by the body.
Gospel:
- Jesus distinguishes the real prayer from that of just calling the name of God: “not who call me Lord, Lord who enter the kingdom of God but the one who listens and does the will of my Father in heaven”.
- Calling name of God or just making some prayers are the useless practices of faith and by this one uses His name in vain and God’s command is: “Do not use my name in vain”.
- All the words we use or just using the lips keeping the mind and hearts away will always create our own judgment for God will one day say: “these people praise me with their lips but their hearts are far away.”
- Not that we have to keep the prayer away to do all the good works but there should be the connection between the heart and the hands, between the words and the deeds. We cannot stop with the first ones and say that we have lived our faith because the faith in God is not just a word but an action.
- The one who listens and practices the will of God is like a wise man who builds his house: here three important elements are dealt with:
o Wise man: the wisdom is not human; it is always divine and spiritual; Intelligence is human on the other hand; Therefore, the one who listens and practices the Word of God, that is Christ, is in the condition of participating in the very life of God because wisdom belongs to God alone.
o Has the house but built on a rock: Just having the house is not enough; anyone can build house; where it is built and how it is built is that matters; We are the houses in which God dwells (your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit: thus says St. Paul). We are built on a Rock of God that is Jesus Christ, who is the corner stone of the foundation.
o On the Church: Jesus tells to Peter: “you are the rock on which I build my house”. The Church is built on the rock (the faith) of Peter. This means that the wise man builds his house on the rock of St. Peter, that is, the Church.
- Finally this house of faith which is built on the rock of Christ will not flatter though the rain of problems and difficulties fall, though the storms of doubts and human weakness flow and though the winds of temptations and the attractions of the world blow, the house (or the Church) does not fall because it is build on the firm rock of Christ.

We are the house which is living and moving. We are fixed people at one place but we are on the move towards the communion in Christ. Therefore, each one of has to be the moving house into which all can enter and take the place of fraternal love.

In the Walk towards the knowledge and acceptance of Christ: Year A

8TH SUNDAY – A: (Is 49:14-15; Ps 61/62, 2-3, 6-9; 1Cor 4:1-5; Matt 6:24-34)
Theme: Continuous hope in the providence of God
Reflection:
1st Reading:
- Hope in God that He would not forget us
- Like a mother who cannot forget her children and even more God about his chosen ones and adopted children.
- Hope between human agony and God’s promise
Psalm:
- Song of faith in God from whom comes the salvation and who is the rock and defense.
- Song of praise of the soul for the reposing place
- The true post and real tent where man can relax and repose well is ONLY GOD
Gospel:
- Every word is precious
- Every sentence reminds us to throw ourselves on the total dependence of God.
- Jesus reveals the truth of the man who is in CONFLICT between two desires: desires of the soul and desires of the body; desires of the spirit and desires of the world; desires of the faith and desires of the flesh;
- Jesus asks us to take a moment to think what are we, where are we from and we are we heading to and what is our final destiny? Why to have too much of preoccupation and too much of unnecessary worries and thoughts.
- Food, water and garments are very much important and necessary for the human life but THEY ARE NOT THE ONLY LIFE. Man cannot go after them risking his life and at the cost of his own fall into the destruction of one’s faith and spirit.
- In this world: modern man is forgetting his own origin and forgetting the basement of his life and on the other hand want to become himself a God. And today Jesus reminds us to ACCEPT and ADORE with the silence and wonder the GRANDNESS of God and his immense love for the creation.
- Finally as human we have to work and labor for the daily food. Jesus do not tell us to escape the proper task but tells us not to be worried and preoccupied too much about this.

We have to work for what will remain till the end. The world and desires of this world do not last long. The only reality that exists for ever is the Kingdom of God and Jesus tells us to work for that and search for its realization amidst us with our life and testimony and what we need (not the things but the way), will be automatically shown to us.

In the Walk towards the knowledge and acceptance of Christ: Year A

6TH SUNDAY – A: (Sir 15:15-20; 1Cor 2:6-10; Mt 5:17-37)
Theme: We need to buy and to obtain the True Law of Christ
Reflection:
- The law is needed because it guides us to the knowledge of the truth; it leads us to the embracing of the true wisdom
- We have to walk towards knowing and accepting the Lord.
First Reading:
- The wisdom is
o Leaving out what is bad, that is, the death; and
o Selecting what is good, that is, the life.
Psalm: our walk is always a walk with the taste and splendor and we are exactly happy because we are walking in the law of the Lord.
Second Reading:
- The world never understands the immense love of God revealed and manifested through the wisdom of the cross and crucified.
Gospel:
- Jesus himself is the New Law of God
- He came not to abolish but fulfill and perfect what was given.
- Law never makes a man slave.
- The true liberty contains in the observing the law of the creator.
- Great connection between the Law and Kingdom
o Who is least in the world becomes great in the kingdom
o One has to supersede the old law
o Ten Commandments summarized in the one great law: Love.
- Passage from the observing of the law to the living of love.

In our walk towards the perfect knowledge of Christ we accept his laws, we accept Him the True Law of God.


7TH SUNDAY – A: (Lev 19:1-2, 17-18; 1Cor 3:16-23; Mt 5:38-48)
Theme: walking with the word and action of love
Reflection:
- Becoming mature day by day
- A passage from yesterday to today and from today to tomorrow
- Daily living of the word and growing in it.
First Reading:
- A non being (do not be against your brother)
- A being for oneself (love your brother as yourself)
Gospel:
- A being for others (essere oltre)
- From hating to loving as oneself to loving as Jesus has loved us.
- Passage from ordinary and normal love to loving for love
- If our love does not supersede this ordinary love we are still in Old Testament and we are the children of the Old Law
- But now we are children of the New Law, the Law of Christ.

It is not easy to understand the depths of love; it is not easy to find the real and authentic meaning of love; but we can always LOOK at Jesus on the cross for the Word and Action of Love. This is very important in the walk of love.

In the Walk towards the knowledge and acceptance of Christ: Year A

4TH SUNDAY – A: (Wis 2:3; 3:12-13; 1Cor 1:26-31; Mt 5:1-12)
Theme: We are not alone; our beatitude will lead us.
Reflection:
First Reading:
- We have search for God and take into our hearts his ordinances
- Our Justice and our humility will make us stand upright in front of our Lord
- The presence of the people humble and poor is indeed the deed of the Lord for the rest of the world.
Psalm: Even the poor realize the power of the Spirit and proclaim to the world that “happy are the poor in Spirit”.
Second Reading:
- Our vocation is not of our own choice/our own strength. It is not because of our wisdom.
- God’s wisdom is too high that man will never be in the condition of understanding it.
- The ultimate wisdom of God is manifested in the Word made Flesh, for Jesus Christ has become for us the wisdom, justice, sanctification and redemption.
Gospel:
- Christ himself is the highest model of the beatitude
- He doesn’t just preach the blessedness or happiness but lives it.
- He has born poor (in the manger); he has cried (for the Jerusalem/for the sinners from the cross); he has made himself meek ( for he says “learn from me because I am meek and humble…. And take up my cross” and later on with the meekness without opening the mouth he takes up his cross to the Calvary); he had the hunger and thirst for the kingdom of God (my food is doing the will of my Father); he is merciful (when he saw the flock as a sheep without shepherd he is moved with compassion); He is pure (is the innocent lamb of God without stain); he is the peace-maker (calling and healing the people and making them the children of the kingdom of peace); he is persecuted (accepts the suffering with the joy). In this way, Jesus himself becomes the greatest role model for the beatitude.
- Christ appears here as the New Moses giving to the people a New Law.
- Wisdom of God (the blessedness/beatitude) is manifested in living courageously the trials and challenges of the world.

In our Walk we are blessed even if there are many hinders in the path and so we are not alone but we have the presence of Christ who has lived all these difficulties.


5TH SUNDAY – A: (Is 58: 7-10; 1Cor 2:1-5; Mt 5:13-16)
Theme: Our mission is to enter into the life of others
Reflection:
- We are in the walk with the assurance of the beatitude and happiness
- The beatitudes as the Hymn that opens all the discourse that Jesus makes on the mountain
- It is the summery of all that Jesus says and does
- Today’s gospel is an introduction to all the discourse.
First Reading:
- Light as a aurora (wakening of the day)
- This aurora:
o opens way to the another day;
o it enkindles the hope;
o it discloses another possibility; and finally
o it is a gift of God because many do not see the following day.
Psalm: the just man shines like a light; the radiance of his light peeps into the darkness of injustice.
Gospel:
- Salt generates the taste and in the world of Greeks the salt is the sign of wisdom.
- Salt results in giving out itself for the taste, for preservation and for the purification.
- Light spells out its splendor
- Light makes the one to see the thing clear, better and truly.
- Both salt and light have one nature in common: the sacrificing nature; they lose themselves to enter into others and make them tasty and shinning.

We, in the walk of faith, have the mission of not hiding ourselves (as the salt thrown in the street, or, as the light put under the bed), but we have the mission of entering into the life of others and creating in them the fruits of perfume of faith and splendor of living.

In the Walk towards the knowledge and acceptance of Christ: Year A

2ND SUNDAY – A: (Is 49:3,5-6; 1Cor 1:1-3; Jn 1:29-34)
Theme: John the Baptist, the authentic model for the testimony
Reflection:
First Reading:
- It’s God who moulds his servant
- God’s servant is called from the womb of his mother, which means, it’s not the personal choice of the servant but God’s will.
- The servant is to restore the fallen tribes of Israel in the OT.
Psalm: every servant has to realize and sing his call saying: Here I am Lord, I come to do your will.
Second Reading:
- St. Paul testifies himself as called to be an Apostle of Christ
- The true Apostle diffuses the grace of God to other: “grace and peace form God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Gospel:
- Servant stands between the revelation and proclamation
- John, as the last prophet of the OT and the first testimony of the NT, stand between the revealed Word-Christ (God in the mystery) and the redeemer Jesus-Christ (God in the history).
- John accepts himself as the testimony to the light which has come and not the light himself.
- Humility is not degrading of oneself but accepting of the grandeur of the One who has called him to be.
- The authentic testimony sees the presence/descent of the Holy Spirit and his action on the servant who is on mission.

We have the great example of John the Baptist to be followed in our walk towards testifying Christ with our words and deeds.

3RD SUNDAY - A: (Is 8:23-9:3; 1Cor 1:10-13, 17; Mt 4:12-23)
Theme: Discipleship is “Entering into the camp of Christ”
Reflection:
- Prophecy finds its fulfillment in the mission accomplished
- The Old Testament has to wait for the New Testament for its final completion
- The WORD (Christ’s origin in the mystery) Spoken in the OT becomes the ACTION (Christ’s origin as Jesus in the history)
- The salvation is not of Just a Word but of a Real Action.
First Reading:
- Light is promised to all those who live in the darkness
- Light is compared with the joy
- Light dispels the burden of the yoke of opposition
Psalm: the one who finds true light cannot but embrace it with the melodious chanting: “The Lord is my light and my salvation.”
2nd Reading:
- The one who is in Christ is not divided within himself nor with others
- The light of gospel breaks the barriers of division and unites
- Preaching of the Gospel precedes the baptism “Christ has sent me not to baptize but to preach the Gospel.”
- All those in Christ are one in talking
- The chosen one of Christ HAS point out the existing divisions and exhort for the perfect union in the community of believers.
Gospel:
- Jesus calls his first disciples, not from the house but from the working place, for fishermen, the seashore is a working place.
- Jesus call and mission does not depend on the capacity and talent of the called but on the power and destiny of the call.
- The world sees the ignorance of the fishermen in knowledge but Christ sees the knowledge of the heart, be it fishermen or someone else.
- The acceptance of the call is “to enter into the camp or sphere of Christ”
- The cost of the call is ‘to leave their securities such as home, work and all the attachments which could hinder the mission”.

In our walk towards Christ, we have to leave out what is ours and take what is of Christ and be with him IN HIS CAMP.

JOURNEY TOWARDS KNOWING THE TRUTH OF CHRIST THROUGH THE YEAR

Dear Friends,
I would like to share my reflection on the Sundays of the Liturgical Year A.
First of all let me make myself clear about two things:
one is that these reflections are all purely personal and so subject to the modification and corrections.
The other is that it's only my personal journey towards knowing the truth of God's revelation through his Word-Christ made man Jesus. I just want to invite you to walk with me in my journey so that we can together and in communion enter into the reality of revelation of God. Therefore, it's only an invitation which always subject to any form of response, either positive: acceptance or negative: rejection.
This liturgical year celebrates the word of God from the Gospel of Matthew.
The principle aspects of Matthew's Gospel are:
1. Matthew writes to the Jews and so wanted to show the Jesus is the One who is promised in the Old Testament and Sent by God as the Savior.
2. He indicates that Jesus is the Prophecy Fulfilled.
3. He shows that Jesus is the New Moses who takes the old law and perfects it and makes it new and therefore He gives New Law of God to his people (seen perfectly in the sermons on the mountain - chapter 5-6-7)
4. More than a miracle worker Jesus is the Law giver and the one who leads people to see how God's promise is fulfilled in his person (His mission and preaching - chapters 8-12).
5. The continuation of revelation of God in the person of Jesus Christ.
6. The aspect of the Kingdom of God which grows from the tiny seed to the huge tree symbolizes the process and progress of salvation plan of God from the tiny tribe of Israel to the huge tree of whole humanity (parables on the kingdom of heaven - chap 13).
7. The promise of the future church on the rock (faith) of St. Peter (chap 16)
8. Fraternal forgiveness and making of the community (chap 18)
9. Awaiting for the God's reward and reality of final judgment (chap 21-25), in which also fall Jesus's bold and authoritative correction of the leaders of the Jewish people.
10. Jesus's Suffering and death which includes the institution of the Eucharist, Peter's denial of Jesus, death on the Cross which signifies Jew's rejection of another Jew Jesus and once again fulfilling the prophecy and finally resurrection from the dead with assurance of his presence through out the history of mankind.

With these elements keeping in mind as the general opening to the journey let us move forward with the mediations week by week.