May 13, 2019

13 MAY 2019 - MONDAY 4th EASTER
MOTIVATION
Today the word makes us see the contrast between those who treat us by bringing us to life, to fullness, and those who do not seek our good, but try to lure us into dark and dark areas, where selfishness wants to have the upper hand.
Jesus makes clear to us the scenario in which we will often find ourselves involved, but he does so in order that we may not fail to be lucid and discern properly, not to allow ourselves to be trapped or blocked by fear.
Knowing how to understand the stones along the way and the risks that we may encounter will make our route smoother and more bearable, for in the end we are guided by the One whose "...".yoke is soft, and its burden is light".
From the Gospel of John 10,1-10
At that time, Jesus said:
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but leapeth out at another place, the same is a thief and a robber: but he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the keeper opens the door, and the sheep listen to his voice, and he calls his sheep by name and leads them out. When he has led out all his own, he walks before them, and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice: a stranger they will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers".
Jesus put this comparison to them, but they did not understand what he was talking about. So Jesus added:
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.
I am the door: whoever enters through me will be saved, and will be able to go in and out and find pasture.
The thief does not enter except to steal and kill and make havoc; I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly".
PRAYERFUL COMMENTARY
In this Easter season, Jesus reminds us of essential words that sustain our lives. Sometimes we don't quite understand how to apply them to our own reality; it happens to us like Jesus' listeners, that "... we are not able to understand how to apply them to our own reality.they did not understand what I was talking about"But Jesus insists on the same message. Because it must be important.
Although Christ presents himself to us as the Good Shepherd, he does not hide from us the dangers and risks that we may encounter in following him: false shepherds who may lead us to the wrong pastures; thieves and bandits who want to steal from our hearts the true precious stones of faithfulness and proven love; strange voices that attract us with their seductions, but which have nothing to do with the sweet and deep voice of the Risen Christ when he calls us by name.
It is true that there are thieves, cliffs, bad omens, robbers, deceitful voices that can lead us astray... but none, none of these compare with the salvation that Christ offers us.
Salvation that is not the fruit of our personal efforts based on fists and sterile demands, but is given to us as an open path of fruitful and abundant life.
The life to which Jesus Christ himself calls us.
WORD OF THE MYSTICS
CANTO:
PRAYER
Risen Lord,
sometimes -unintentionally-
I get entangled in strange paths
that do not smell of You,
that keep me away from your fold.
And in the end, I ended up losing my way.
 
You are my north, the compass that always points to me
the way home.
You are the one who knows how to pronounce my name,
that word which in the intimate
sums up my essence and my meaning.
You are our door,
the one where we can enter and leave freely,
but that when we go through it
makes us feel your infinite goodness, your fullness of being,
and from where we would never want to leave.
 
Lord Jesus, Good Shepherd of humanity,
may we not be strangers to your voice today,
but let us allow ourselves to be drawn in peace
and in deep reconciliation.
 
Ana María Díaz, cm

 
13th MAY 2019 - 4th MONDAY OF EASTER
MOTIVATION
Today the word shows us the contrast between those who lead us to life, to the fullness, and those who do not seek our good, but who try to attract us to dark and shadowy areas, where selfishness would like to have the loudest word.
Jesus clearly presents us with the scenario where we will often be involved, but he does so that we may continue being lucid and able to discern properly, not to let ourselves be caught or blocked by fear.
Knowing how to discern the stones we may find on the road, and the risks we may run, will make our route smoother and bearable, because in fact we are guided by He whose "yoke is easy and whose burden is light".

From the Gospel of John 10:1-10
In those say, Jesus said:
"Very truly I tell you Pharisees: anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice". Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.
That's why Jesus said again, "Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

REFLECTION
At this time of Easter, Jesus reminds us of essential words that sustain our life. Sometimes we don't fully know how to apply them to our own reality; it happens to us as to the listeners of Jesus, who "did not understand what he was talking about".but Jesus insists on his message: it must be important.
Although Christ is presented to us as the Good Shepherd, he does not hide from us the dangers and risks that we may encounter in his following: false shepherds who can lead us to wrong pastures; thieves and bandits who want to steal from our hearts the true precious stones of faithfulness and proven love; strange voices that attract us with their seductions, but that have nothing to do with the sweet and profound voice of the Risen Christ when he calls us by our own name.
It is true that there are thieves, cliffs, bad omens, assailants, deceitful voices that can lead us in wrong directions... but none, none of them compares with the salvation that Christ offers us.
Salvation that is not the result of our personal effort based on fists and sterile demands, but is given to us as an open path of fertile and abundant life.
The life to which Jesus Christ himself calls us.

A WORD FROM THE MYSTICS
SONG:
 PRAYER
Risen Lord,
sometimes -unintentionally-
I get tangled up by strange paths
that do not lead to You,
but that take me away from your fold.
And in the end, I just lose my way.
 
You are my north, the compass
that always points to me the way home.
You are the one who knows how to pronounce my name,
that word that intimately
summarizes my essence and my meaning.
You are our door,
the one where we can enter and leave freely,
but when we go through it
it makes us feel your infinite goodness, the fullness of your being,
from where we would never want to leave.
 
Lord Jesus, Good Shepherd of humanity,
may we not be alien to your voice today,
but may we allow ourselves to be attracted with peace
and in deep reconciliation.
 Ana María Díaz, cm