Dreptate și pace

CUVÂNTUL ACUM PE CITITURILE DE MASĂ
pentru 22 - 23 septembrie 2014
Memorialul Sfântului Pio din Pietrelcina de astăzi

Textele liturgice aici

THE lecturile din ultimele două zile vorbesc despre dreptatea și grija care li se datorează aproapelui nostru în felul în care Dumnezeu consideră că cineva este drept. Și acest lucru poate fi rezumat în esență în porunca lui Isus:

Îți vei iubi aproapele ca pe tine însuți. (Marcu 12:31)

Această afirmație simplă poate și ar trebui să modifice radical modul în care vă tratați aproapele astăzi. Și acest lucru este foarte simplu de făcut. Imaginați-vă fără haine curate sau fără mâncare suficientă; imaginați-vă fără loc de muncă și deprimat; imaginați-vă singur sau îndurerat, neînțeles sau speriat ... și cum ați dori să vă răspundă alții? Mergeți atunci și faceți asta altora.

The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, but the dwelling of the just he blesses… He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor will himself also call and not be heard. (from Monday’s and Tuesday’s first readings)

Și din nou,

My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it. (Tuesday’s Gospel)

But there is something more we can and trebuie sa offer our neighbour—and that is the pace of Christ. Did you know that Jesus came not only to save us from sin but to bring peace to our hearts and to the world, right now, not just in Heaven? The first proclamation of the angels at Christ’s birth was:

Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests. (Luke 2:14)

And when He had risen from the dead, the first proclamation of Jesus Himself was:

Pacea fie cu tine. (Ioan 20:19)

Jesus wants us to be at peace. And this means much more than the absence of war. One can sit in absolute calm in the middle of nature and not be at peace. True peace is a heart that is at peace with God. And when we are, the ministry of Jesus can flow through us in such a way that we not only bring justice, but peace to our brothers wounds—both exterior and interior răni. 

So are you at peace today? The degree to which our hearts are disturbed is often the degree to which we cease to bring justice and peace to others. Disruption of our own peace is often a sign of self-love, of a lack of trust in God and unhealthy attachment to creatures, objects, or our situation. Sin is the greatest robber of serenity.

On this memorial of St. Pio, a man who constantly battled with Satan and those in the Church who opposed his mystical gifts, let us examine our hearts in the light of his wisdom so that we can truly enter the peace of Christ who says again to us today:

Pacea o las cu tine; pacea mea ti-o dau. Nu așa cum dă lumea, ți-l dau eu. Nu lăsați inimile voastre să fie tulburate sau înfricoșate. (Ioan 14:27)

Peace is simplicity of spirit, serenity of mind, quietness of soul, and the bond of love. Peace is the order, the harmony within us. It is the continuous contentment that comes from the testimony of a clear conscience. It is the holy joy of a heart in which God reigns. Peace is the road to perfection—or rather, perfection is found in peace. The devil, who knows all of this quite well, applies all his efforts to make us lose our peace. Let us be on high alert against the least sign of turmoil, and as soon as we notice we have fallen into discouragement, let us have recourse to God with filial confidence and complete abandonment of ourselves to him. Every instance of turmoil in us is very displeasing to Jesus, because it is always connected to some imperfection in us that has its origin in egotism or self love. -Direcția spirituală a lui Padre Pio pentru fiecare zi, Gianluigi Pasquale, p. 202

Acquire a peaceful spirit, and around you thousands will be saved. -Sf. Serafimi de Sarov