Showing posts with label Jesus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jesus. Show all posts

Sunday, 9 February 2014

SEL DE LA TERRE, LUMIERE DU MONDE




Homélie, 5ème Dimanche du temps Ordinaire de l’année A


La seule condition pour le triomphe du mal dans le monde c’est que les hommes et les femmes de bonne volonté ne font rien.

Il ne suffit pas simplement d’avoir la bonne volonté, il faut que ta bonne volonté se traduise en bonne action

Il ne suffit simplement « d’être bon », il faut que ta bonté soit visible.

Il n’est pas suffisant d’avoir la foi et de porter le nom de chrétien, il faut que ta foi soit visible et agissante.

J’ai comme impression que nous les chrétiens ne faisons pas assez d’effort ; on se contente de faire le minimum. On ne brille plus.

Sinon,  comment peut-on expliquer le fait qu’il y ait plus de ténèbres que de lumière, plus de mauvaise nouvelles que de bonnes nouvelles.

Notre monde perd petit à petit la saveur de la vertu et se noie progressivement dans le vice.

Regardez autour de vous et voyez : les fils de ce monde sont plus habiles entre eux que les fils de la lumière.  


Voila pourquoi la parole que Jésus nous adresse aujourd’hui nous concerne à plus d’un titre. Frères et Sœurs, il est l’heure de se réveiller de sommeil, de notre inactivité, et de prendre vraiment en main notre mission de témoignage au sein d’un monde qui en perte de repères.


Cette mission consiste effectivement à être le sel de la terre et la lumière du monde. Le Seigneur nous dit, il nous rappelle et interpelle : VOUS ETES LE SEL DE LA TERRE, VOUS ETES LA LUMIERE DU MONDE. Quelle belle image qui nous révèle à quelle hauteur le Seigneur nous estime. Il n’avait autour de lui que le petit groupe de ses disciples, mais il voyait déjà dans ces gens ordinaires, ces paysans sans grand importance, {sans influence, sans éducation, sans formation} le sel de toute la terre, la lumière du cosmos. Imaginez ! Mais c’est quand même audacieux de dire une chose pareille, de regarder un tout petit groupe en marge de la société, et de voir en eux le levain qui ferait lever toute la farine. Heureusement, ces premiers disciples ont cru vraiment la parole du Seigneur, ils l’ont pris au sérieux, et ils ont pu malgré  leur énorme limitation, apporter la Bonne Nouvelle aux extrémités de la terre. Donc, en fait, ce n’est pas le grand nombre qui compte, c’est la présence de l’Esprit de Jésus en nous. {C’est lui la vrai Lumière du monde qui nous transforme en lumières du monde}. Ce n’est pas la quantité qui importe, c’est la qualité de notre témoignage.  


Le sel ne vit pas pour lui-même mais pour la sauce ; la lumière n’existe pour elle-même mais pour son environnement. Notre vie ne nous appartient pas, elle appartient à Dieu pour le service des autres. Nous serons vraiment sel à la mesure où nous nous mettons au service du prochain. Notre lumière doit briller pour montre au monde le chemin qui mène à Dieu.  Ne laissons pas le démon dénaturer le sel du Christ en nous, ne laissons pas le diable étoffer notre lumière.


  

Thursday, 6 February 2014

SAVED ON THE CROSS


You remember the two thieves who died with Jesus on that Good Friday afternoon? They had a number of things in common: they were guilty of the same crime, suffered the same sentence and had exactly the same opportunity of grace, one at His left the other at His right. But one simple detail separates these two men: One asked to be saved from the cross, the other preferred to be saved on it; one wanted to be taken down from the cross, the other wished to be taken up to heaven.

Many Christians of today are pretty much like that thief on the left. We often pray the same way he prayed. We want a Christ without the cross and a Christianity of roses and glory only. We like to lay claim to our position as sons and daughters of God with the reasoning that the Son of God cannot be on the cross. “If you are the Son of God”, we often say to Him, “save yourself and save us”. “If You know You are God enough bring me down from this cross of pain and sickness, misunderstanding and embarrassment, loneliness and lowliness”.

Of course He has the power to bring us down just as He had the power to come down from the cross Himself. But if He decided to hang on there and die, it is because there must be certain situations where coming down from the cross is directly opposed to going up to heaven, where our material comfort and temporal satisfaction is detrimental to our spiritual good. In such cases, it is infinitely more profitable to be saved on and by that cross than to be saved from it.

This truth may sound strange to some people because it supposes that there are instances where suffering and unpleasant situations are more beneficial than their removal. Well, it may be better to look at it this way. Our Lord Jesus saved us by His life and love which incidentally involved suffering and death. And since that day when He died on the cross, suffering, disappointment and even death have gained an additional meaning. By dying on the cross, the Son of God gave a new status to the crosses of men. That which was formerly and purely an instrument of suffering and shame and death, can become in Christ a means of salvation and exaltation.

Now don’t think I am proposing that one must do nothing to alleviate suffering and inconveniences in oneself and in others, or worse still that one should go in search of sufferings. No! What I’m saying is that if there are certain troubles you must bear, then bear them profitably by bearing them in union with Christ just as the Good Thief did. We often speak of offering them up to Christ. It’s all part of carrying our crosses after Him.  

Lord, if my being taken down from this cross will cost me my being taken up to you, I prefer to stay and die on it. Amen.


Have  a good day and God loves you.

Tuesday, 18 November 2008

THE THIRD SERVANT IN THE PARABLE OF TALENTS

At Mass today, the Gospel reading was on the parable of the Talents. I am sure you know the story. One guy was given 5 talents, another 2 and the third was given 1. The master who gave them the talents left everything to their initiative. The first two guys invested their talent profitable but the last guy buried his.

Why on earth did he do that? Well he said it was because he was afraid of the master. He considered the master as a mean gentleman that "reaps where he did not sow and gathers where he did not scatter. How honest that was! How admirable and audacious! He said his mind. And if that is truly the case with his master, we can really lay blames on the poor guy.

Well the guy was wrong in his perception of the master. The story reveals the master as a generous, wise and considerate man. Remember he did not even ask the other two servants to refund him his capital; he gave them but the capital and the profit. This act alone does not potrait someone who reaps where he did not sow.

In reality, friend, man of us are like this third servant in the sense that we have a misguided notion about God. There are not a few people who think God kind of a kill-fun entity out there who places laws against does things that makes us feel good. Some see God as one big mean fellow that punishes us with a guilty conscience when we do some of the things we like to do.

No, that is not God. God is love and whatever he tells us to do, he tells us because he cares about us and because He knows that at the end that won't make us happy. He is calling you and me to us our three Ts: time, treasure and talent . we must not bury them as the third servant erroneously did. We should use them for the betterment of the world, to put a smile in the face of the needy person next door, we should use them to promote justice and right morals wherever we find ourselves. In short, we should us our 3 'T's to build the kingdom of God here on earth. Be sure of this: there is an abundant reward in store for anyone who does this. God will faithfully multiply his or her lot until he or she becomes more or less intoxicated with blessing. I mean it. it's true; I have tried it. May be you can do the same. Try and see. PEACE

Saturday, 8 November 2008

THE ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE

I look at the world outside and at the other person
Then I look at myself
Sometimes I get sober on the inside
I ask questions
Questions that have always been asked
And which resonate every now and then in my heart
How did it all come about?
Where is it leading us to?

I want life, abundant life
But I can get only just my life span
And I burn inwardly for love untainted
But what comes comes with prizes and reserves
Then I ask where to find the truth in all these
Alas, only this and that opinion before me

I am discouraged and suspicious
Perhaps there is no need to worry
Just eat and drink whatever is present at present
And I say in my anxiety, 'Be free be free my heart
Cut the strings that holds from above'

But from time to time comes the knock on the door
That gets me uneasy with its calls
Afraid to open the door and sit a while in my depression
Somehow I find a way to dull the sound and continue
How long will it be, the subtle longing of my heart

Wake up, sleeping soul
Answer the phone that's been ringing
God is calling you because He love you
Come, He says, to the Spring of Life
And to the Love-Well that never dries
Come to the truth you are searching for
You are tired, come and rest in me.