Allocution, January 29, Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today, Sunday, January 29, Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, we hear in all the Catholic Churches of the world, the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, chapter 5, verses 1 to 12.
(Gospel)
It was the Lord Jesus himself, who lived these beatitudes of today’s gospel before pronouncing them. Being rich in the glory of the heaven of eternity, the Son of God, who is God from eternity, became man in the virginal womb of Mary. He was born poor, he lived poor, he shared everything he had, his material goods, his wisdom, his divinity and he gave it to all the poor humans who lack faith, love and hope. For the Bible, poor is he who shares. Like Jesus, let us share with others and great joy and happiness will be present in our lives despite material poverty.
Jesus wept at the sight of Jerusalem because of the hardness of heart of its inhabitants. He cried at the death of his friend Lazarus. He cried at the betrayal of his friends. He cried on the cross. His tears help us and we want to cry with Him, so that He Himself can comfort us, dry our tears and like Him we can move forward despite the failure of good and our good projects.
Jesus was also unjustly judged and condemned. Blessed are those who suffer unjustly, because it is worse to suffer for doing evil than to suffer for doing good!
A lame man with crutches and a blind man met on a road towards the town where they both wanted to go. The blind man said: “I can’t, I don’t see.” The lame man said: “I can’t walk that far, there are many kilometers, I will advance very little distance.” But as the two had mercy, the blind man said: “I have an idea to help the lame man”, and at the same time the lame man thought: “Poor blind man, I want to help him”, and the two talked and found a solution. “I blind do not see, but you lame do.” “I lame, I don’t walk, but I see.” The blind man, a strong man, put the lame man on his shoulders and they began the journey, and the lame man showed the blind man the potholes, the paths, the difficulties, and the two of them were also singing. Mutual mercy works miracles.
How wonderful to rejoice in the good of others, to fulfill the promise made to God and to one’s brothers and friends, to tell the truth, to think well of others, that is being pure of heart. Blessed are the peaceful… How beautiful it is to reconcile people in conflict! If you know them, set out today to solve these conflicts, you will be very happy and you will make the conflictive people happy, who, although they do not say it, are desirous of peace.
Blessed are those persecuted for justice and for following Christ. The story speaks of many injustices, among them, one from the Middle Ages: A very virtuous man was unjustly accused of having murdered a woman. In reality, the true author was a very influential person in the kingdom and that is why from the first moment a scapegoat was found to cover up the culprit. The man was brought to trial, already knowing that he would have little or no hope of escaping the terrible verdict, hanging. The judge, who was also bought, was careful, however, to give every appearance of a fair trial. For this reason he told the accused: “Knowing your reputation as a just man and devoted to the Lord, we are going to leave your destiny in your hands. We are going to write the words guilty and innocent on two separate pieces of paper. You will choose and it will be the hand of God that decides your destiny.” Of course, the bad official had prepared two papers with the same legend: guilty. And the poor victim, without knowing the details, realized that the proposed system was a trap, there was no escape. The judge ordered the man to take one of the folded papers. He breathed deeply, remained silent for a few seconds with his eyes closed, and when the room was beginning to get impatient, he opened his eyes and with a strange smile he took one of the papers and, bringing it to his mouth, swallowed it quickly. Surprised and indignant, those present reproached him, but what did he do? And now how are we going to know the verdict? The man responded: “It is a matter of reading the remaining paper and we will know what the one I swallowed said.” With great hidden courage they had to free the accused and never bothered him again.
Blessed are you when they insult you, persecute you and slander you in any way because of me, be joyful and content because the reward will be great in heaven.
If you have been insulted, criticized, marginalized because of your faith, blessed are you.
(Singing)
Pope Francis tells us that the first announcement of Jesus has five elements:
“The first element is joy. Jesus proclaims: ‘The spirit of the Lord is upon me, he has sent me to announce the Good News to the poor’ (…) You cannot speak about Jesus without joy, because faith is a wonderful love story to share, witness to Jesus . Doing something for others in their name, that is, between the lines of life, having received a gift so beautiful that no words are enough to express it. However, when joy is lacking, the gospel does not pass, because this, the same word says, is Good News, and gospel means Good News, announcement of joy. A sad Christian can talk about very beautiful things, but everything is in vain if the announcement he transmits is not joyful. A thinker said, “a sad Christian is a sad Christian.” Don’t forget this.
(Singing)
Let’s go to the second aspect, liberation. Jesus says that he has been sent to proclaim the liberation of captives. This means that whoever announces God cannot proselytize, no. You cannot put pressure on others, but rather lighten them. Do not impose weights, but relieve them. Bring peace, don’t carry feelings of guilt, true. Following Jesus involves sacrifices. On the other hand, if anything beautiful requires it, much more the decisive reality of life. But whoever witnesses to Christ shows the beauty of the goal, more than the fatigue of the path. It must have happened to us to tell someone about a nice trip we have taken. For example, we will have talked about the beauty of the places, about what we have seen and experienced, not about the time it took to get there or the queues at the airport, no. Thus, every announcement worthy of the Redeemer must communicate liberation like that of Jesus: “today there is joy, because I have come to liberate.”
(Singing)
Third aspect, light. Jesus says that he has come to bring sight to the blind. It is striking that in the entire Bible before Christ, the healing of a blind man never appears, ever. In fact, it was a promised sign that would come with the Messiah. But here it is not just about physical sight, but about a light that makes life see in a new way. There is a coming to light, a rebirth that happens only with Jesus. If we think about it this way, Christian life began for us, with baptism, which in ancient times was called, precisely, illumination. And what light does Jesus give us? It brings us the light of filiation. He is the beloved son of the Father, living forever and with Him we too are children of the beloved God, forever, despite our errors and defects. So life is no longer a blind advance towards nothing, no. It is not a question of luck or fortune, it is not something that depends on chance or the stars, nor on health or finances, no. Life depends on love, on the love of the Father who takes care of us, his beloved children. How beautiful to share this light with others.
(Singing)
Fourth aspect of the announcement, healing. Jesus says that he has come to give freedom to the oppressed. Oppressed is someone who in life feels crushed by something that happens: illnesses, fatigue, anguish, feelings of guilt, mistakes, vices, sins… Oppressed by this. Let’s think, for example, about the feelings of guilt for this, for that… What oppresses us, above all, is precisely that evil that no medicine or human remedy can remedy: sin. And if one has a sense of guilt for something one has done, and one feels bad, but the good news is that with Jesus, this ancient evil, sin, which seems invincible, no longer has the last word. I can sin because I am weak. Each of us can do it, but this is not the last word. The last word is the outstretched hand of Jesus that lifts us from sin. And, Father, when does this happen? Once? No; two? no; Three? No. Always. Every time you are bad, the Lord always has his hand outstretched, you just have to hold on and let yourself go. The good news is that with Jesus, this ancient evil no longer has the last word. The last word is the outstretched hand of Jesus that carries you forward.
(Singing)
One last thing. This Good News that the gospel says is directed to the poor. We often forget about it, however, they are recipients mentioned explicitly because they are God’s favorites. Let us remember them and remember that to welcome the Lord, each of us must become poor within. With that poverty that makes us say, “Lord, I need forgiveness, I need help, I need strength.” This poverty that all of us have, becoming poor inside. It is about overcoming all pretensions of self-sufficiency to know that one is in need of grace and always in need of Him. If someone says to me: “Father, what is the shortest way to find Jesus? Make yourself needy, make yourself needy of grace, needy of forgiveness, needy of joy and he will come to you.
(Singing)
(Our Father Prayer)
To the Virgin of Candelaria, mother of light, we pray:
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among all women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death… Amen.
And the blessing of Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit descend upon you, upon your families and remain forever… Amen.
(Singing)