Friday of 6th week of Easter 6th May 2016
“So it is with you : you are sad now, but I shall see you again, and your hearts will be full of joy, and that joy no one shall take from you.”
Ac.18,9-18 Ps.46 Jn.16,20-23a
“In all truth I tell you, you will be weeping and wailing while the world will rejoice ; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy.”
Still today the same combat is lived out in humanity which Jesus has conquered. It is a mystery of Peace and Love, compassion and Light that is brought to us.
The call of the Angel to Mary at the Annunciation has led humanity to this marvellous bringing to birth of Jesus at Christmas! Heaven and earth give a Saviour to the world. This mystery provokes the uncontrollable fury of the liar who jumps up, red with hatred, for he took possession of the earth.
Right from the beginning we have been wounded, and we carry within ourselves zones of great violence. We also have the grace to live Jesus’ mystery which brings peace to our hearts.
We can plunge the violence that submerges us in God’s Love, and let ourselves be pacified by Christ Jesus. He comes into each one of our lives in order to save us. This is how we pass through the pain of the woman giving birth, in this great combat of Mary and the Church announced in the Apocalypse : the woman is there before the dragon, that dragon ready to devour the child right from his birth.
We too have to face up to the ’dragon’ that destroys the mystery of love and tenderness in our hearts.
We follow Jesus’ commandment, that of mutual love, in communion with him, the mediator between us and the Father.
Love is the vital link of the Father and Son in the mystery of the Holy Spirit, allowing Christ to love in us and through us. He is the Good Shepherd who give his life for his sheep.
“A woman in childbirth suffers, because her time ahs come ; but when she has given birth to the child she forgets her suffering In her joy that a human being has been born into the world.”
The Apostle John who in the Apocalypse tells about the comnbat lived by Jesus in the presence of Mary at the Cross, was a witness of the impetuous unjustified attacks made on him on the summit of Golgotha.
At the Cross, Jesus became the child of his sorrow.
To accept out of love what Jesus commands doesn’t make us slaves, but on the contrary, to accept this means we participate in the sovereign liberty of God.
Whoever is entirely available, obedient, knows the Truth that comes from God by the intermediary of Jesus, this truth frees from the slavery of sin and depth.
This mystery is lived out in the Heart of the Church as it is lived out in the heart of humanity, it is a birth for a new life!
Stuck there in front of the woman, the dragon is ready to devour her child, fruit of her faith, hope and love. Mystery of love and suffering faced one with another!
Mary, Jesus’ Mother, prefigures the Church, she gives her a face, she is its prototype.
’The greatest privilege of this day of grace is that Jesus destroyed the suffering of death and gave birth to the first born amongst the dead, he who said : ’I am going to my Father and to your Father, to my God and your God.“What lovely good news! The One who is for us became like us so as to make of us his brothers, brings hi own humanity towards the Father so as to bring with him the whole of human kind.(Saint Gregory of Nyssa).”So it is with you; you are sad now, but I shall see you again, and your hearts will be full of joy, and that joy no one shall take it away from you. When that day comes, you will not ask me any questions. In all truth I tell you, anything you ask from the Father he will grant it in my name."
We become friends of Jesus following a free gift, a benevolent choice. In Jesus’ thoughtfulness, he always takes the first steps, and he knocks at our door, calls, awaits patiently our reply.
This choice, flowing from his Love and aiming at the blossoming of our being, produces fruits because we are untied to Christ. This life in Christ is by its very nature, conquering ; it must spread out to the whole of the disciples’ mission.
The love that reigns within the Christian community contradicts the hatred outside of it. The Lord Jesus is comforted by his people. Taken up into Heaven, Jesus sits from now on at the right hand of the Father in a power of complete Love. He surrounds the universe with all his Tenderness and sustains the Church’s combat. All of these sufferings are linked to Jesus’ Passion and Mary’s compassion, they become a strength for sanctification : ’Your sadness will change into joy.’
God who overcomes hatred and death by the Resurrection of Jesus provokes thanksgiving in his Church, this is given by the Holy Spirit who unifies.
We ask for the grace to be offer ourselves to Jesus so as to bear abundant fruit.
FRIDAY of 6th WEEK of EASTER The call that the God’s Angel sent to Mary at the Annunciation will lead humanity to the marvelous child birth of Jesus at Christmas, heaven and earth will give birth on earth to a Saviour. This mystery provokes the uncontrollable fury of the liar who jumps around roaring with hatred. This combat occurs in all of our lives too. Our lives therefore need to be pacified in order to receive the Saviour.There are huge zones of violence within us and we live too from the mystery of God who pacifies our hearts. We plunge this violence in God’s Heart of Love, letting ourselves be pacified by Jesus Christ.All the commandments are put in a nutshell:mutual love amongst the disciples, united together in communion with their Shepherd, Christ Our Lord. It is He who is the mediator between the disciples and the Father. It is precisely the commandment of Love that permits the disciples to remain in Communion with Christ.Love is the vital link that exists within the Father, the Son and the disciples. We must allow Christ to love in us and through us, for He is the Good Shepherd who gives His Life for his sheep. THis passage of the woman in pain and in labour is the great combat of Mary and the Church.It ids the announce, ion the Apocalypse of the pain of the woman confronted with the dragon ready to devour the child as son as he is born. We too need to confront ’the dragon’ who destroys the mystery of love and the tenderness of God’s Heart. Still today the combat goes on in humanity where what will come out victorious will be the Mystery of peace and of love, of compassion and of the Light of Jesus who will be victorious
’When the woman gives birth she is saddened because her time has come, but once she has given birth, she no longer remembers her suffering, so joyful is she having brought a child into the world.’.
The Apostle John will tell in the Apocalypse the combat undergone by Jesus in the presence of Mary at the Cross. He had witnessed terrible, unjustified attacks on
Jesus as he was at the summit of Golgotha. Stood before the woman, the dragon is there, ready to devour her child, fruit of her faith , hope and Love.At the Cross, Jesus became the child of her sorrows. we don’t become a slave if we accept what Jesus commands, but on the contrary if we accept we participate in the sovereign freedom of God. The one who is entirely available, obedient, knows the Truth which comes from God through the intermediary of Jesus and this Truth frees him from the slavery of sin and of death.This Mystery is still lived in the heart of the Church as it is lived in the heart of humanity, it is a child birth for a new life! A Mystery of Love and of suffering which comes face to face! Mary, the Mother rof Jesus, prefigures the Church, giving it a new face, she is the proto type.
’And you too, you are sad; but I shall see you again ,your heart will rejoice and no- one will take your joy from you.’
We become a friend of Jesus following a free gift, a benevolent choice. In his thoughtfulness and foresight, God always makes the first move.He even knocks at our door. He calls out to us and waits patiently for our reply.This choice flows out from his Love and aims the blossoming of our being. This produces fruits as it is united to Christ. By its nature, this life in Christ is a winner ; it must pread out to all the disciples’ mission. The Love that reigns within the Christian community contradicts the hatred sown outside of it in the world. The Lord Jesus is a comfort for his People, gone up into heaven, from now on he seats at the right hand of the Father, completely powerful in Love.with all his Tenderness he surrounds the whole universe, sustaining the Church’s combat. They ravage, those hearts that let themselves be taken up by the Liar, bringing about unbearable suffering. But from now on, all these sufferings are united to the Passion of Jesus and to Mary’s Compassion. They become strength for sanctification. Is not this the meaning of ’Your sadness will turn into joy’ ? With the Resurrection of Jesus, God who is a victorious over hatred and over death. The holy Spirit unifies the Church in a spirit of thanksgiving.