EVANGELIO DEL DÍA

lunes, 22 de noviembre de 2010

«El cielo y la tierra pasarán, pero mis palabras no pasarán» (Mt 24,35)

EVANGELIO DEL DÍA: 23/11/2010
¿ Señor, a quién iremos?. Tú tienes palabras de vida eterna. Jn 6, 68


Martes de la XXXIV Semana del Tiempo Ordinario


Apocalipsis 14,14-19.
Y vi una nube blanca, sobre la cual estaba sentado alguien que parecía Hijo de hombre, con una corona de oro en la cabeza y una hoz afilada en la mano.
En seguida salió del Templo otro Angel y gritó con voz potente al que estaba sentado sobre la nube: "Empuña tu hoz y siega, porque ha llegado el tiempo de la cosecha y los sembrados de la tierra están maduros".
Y el que estaba sentado sobre la nube pasó su hoz sobre la tierra, y esta quedó segada.
Entonces otro Angel salió del Templo que está en el cielo, llevando también una hoz afilada.
Y salió del altar otro Angel -el que tiene poder sobre el fuego- y gritó con voz potente al que tenía la hoz afilada: "Empuña tu hoz y cosecha los racimos de la viña de la tierra, porque han llegado a su madurez".
El Angel pasó la hoz afilada sobre la tierra, cosechó la viña y arrojó los racimos en la inmensa cuba de la ira de Dios.

Salmo 96,10.11-12.13.
Digan entre las naciones: "¡El Señor reina! El mundo está firme y no vacilará. El Señor juzgará a los pueblos con rectitud".
Alégrese el cielo y exulte la tierra, resuene el mar y todo lo que hay en él;
regocíjese el campo con todos sus frutos, griten de gozo los árboles del bosque.
Griten de gozo delante del Señor, porque él viene a gobernar la tierra: él gobernará al mundo con justicia, y a los pueblos con su verdad.

Evangelio según San Lucas 21,5-11.
Y como algunos, hablando del Templo, decían que estaba adornado con hermosas piedras y ofrendas votivas, Jesús dijo:
"De todo lo que ustedes contemplan, un día no quedará piedra sobre piedra: todo será destruido".
Ellos le preguntaron: "Maestro, ¿cuándo tendrá lugar esto, y cuál será la señal de que va a suceder?".
Jesús respondió: "Tengan cuidado, no se dejen engañar, porque muchos se presentarán en mi Nombre, diciendo: 'Soy yo', y también: 'El tiempo está cerca'. No los sigan.
Cuando oigan hablar de guerras y revoluciones no se alarmen; es necesario que esto ocurra antes, pero no llegará tan pronto el fin".
Después les dijo: "Se levantará nación contra nación y reino contra reino.
Habrá grandes terremotos; peste y hambre en muchas partes; se verán también fenómenos aterradores y grandes señales en el cielo. 
Lc 21,5-11
Leer el comentario del Evangelio por 
San Cirilo de Jerusalén (315-350), obispo de Jerusalén y doctor de la Iglesia
Catequesis bautismales, nº 15
«El cielo y la tierra pasarán, pero mis palabras no pasarán» (Mt 24,35)
     Nuestro Señor Jesucristo vendrá de los cielos y vendrá hacia el fin del mundo, en el último día; porque este mundo tendrá un fin, y el mundo creado será renovado. Puesto que, efectivamente, la corrupción, el robo, el adulterio y las faltas de toda clase han llegado a toda la tierra y «la sangre sucede a la  sangre derramada en todo el mundo» (Os 4,2), y para que esa admirable morada no quede llena de injusticia, ese mundo pasará y se inaugurará uno más bello...

     Escucha lo que dice Isaías: «Se enrollan como un libro los cielos,       y todo su ejército palidece como palidece el sarmiento de la cepa, como una hoja mustia de higuera» (Is 34,4). También el Evangelio dice: «El sol se oscurecerá, la luna no dará su resplandor, las estrellas caerán del cielo» (Mt 24,29). No nos aflijamos como si sólo tuviéramos que morir nosotros: también las estrellas morirán, pero quizás resucitarán. El Señor enrollará los cielos, no para destruirlos, sino para resucitarlos aún más bellos. Escucha como habla el profeta David: «Al principio cimentaste la tierra, y el cielo es obra de tus manos: ellos perecerán, pero tú permaneces... Serán como un vestido que se muda (Sl 101, 26-28)... Escucha lo que también dice el Señor: «El cielo y la tierra pasarán, pero mis palabras no pasarán» (Mt 24,35); es que el peso de las cosas creadas no se puede igualar con las palabras de sus Señor. 


martes 23 Noviembre 2010

San Clemente I



«Clemente vio a los Apóstoles en persona, tuvo relación con ellos, oyó con sus propios oídos su predicación y conservaba aún ante su vista su tradición». Con estos términos presenta San Ireneo, un siglo más tarde, a aquel que, tras los desdibujados episcopados de Lino y Cleto, aparece como la figura prominente de primer sucesor de Pedro.   Es cierto que su intimidad con los Apóstoles contribuyó no poco a imponer la elección de Clemente a la comunidad romana, aun cuando resulte imposible el reconocer a ciencia cierta su nombre entre aquellos de los que asegura San Pablo que se hallan inscritos en el «Libro de la Vida»    En la carta que, hacia el año 95, dirigió en nombre de «la Iglesia de Dios que reside en Roma a la Iglesia de Dios que reside en Corinto» - a fin de exhortar a los cristianos de Corinto a la unidad y al amor - Clemente evoca con emoción la memoria de Pedro y Pablo.   El espíritu que se deja entrever detrás de esta carta es el de un hombre que se nutría de la Escritura, el de un ciudadano que se mueve muy a sus anchas dentro del mundo grecolatino - cuya cultura había recibido - y el de un cristiano a quien había enseñado a orar el propio San Pablo ¿Fue llamado a dar su sangre por Cristo? Eso al menos es lo que atestigua la tradición a partir de fines del siglo IV.   «Cristo dice Clemente, pertenece a las almas sencillas y no a aquellos que se engríen por encima del rebaño»




  Oremos

Dios todopoderoso y eterno, cuya gloria resplandece en la fortaleza de tus santos, concédenos celebrar con alegría la festividad del Papa San Clemente, ministro de la Iglesia y mártir de tu Hijo, el cual, con su martirio, dio testimonio de lo que en el culto celebraba y, con su ejemplo, confirmó  lo que sus labios exponían. Por nuestro Señor Jesucristo, tu Hijo.

«Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away » (Mt 24,35)

DAILY GOSPEL: 23/11/2010
«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68


Tuesday of the Thirty-fourth week in Ordinary Time


Book of Revelation 14:14-19.
Then I looked and there was a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud one who looked like a son of man, with a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.
Another angel came out of the temple, crying out in a loud voice to the one sitting on the cloud, "Use your sickle and reap the harvest, for the time to reap has come, because the earth's harvest is fully ripe."
So the one who was sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.
Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven who also had a sharp sickle.
Then another angel (came) from the altar, (who) was in charge of the fire, and cried out in a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, "Use your sharp sickle and cut the clusters from the earth's vines, for its grapes are ripe."
So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and cut the earth's vintage. He threw it into the great wine press of God's fury.

Psalms 96:10.11-12.13.
Say among the nations: The LORD is king. The world will surely stand fast, never to be moved. God rules the peoples with fairness.
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them. Then let all the trees of the forest rejoice
before the LORD who comes, who comes to govern the earth, To govern the world with justice and the peoples with faithfulness.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 21:5-11.
While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, he said,
All that you see here--the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.
Then they asked him, "Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?"
He answered, "See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and 'The time has come.' Do not follow them!
When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end."
Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky. 
Lc 21,5-11
Commentary of the day 
Saint Cyril of Jerusalem (313-350), Bishop of Jerusalem, Doctor of the Church
Baptismal catecheses, n° 15
« Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away » (Mt 24,35)
Our Lord Jesus Christ will come from heaven at the end of the world, on the last day. For the world will end and this created world will be renewed. For since corruption, theft, adultery and all kinds of sins cover the earth, and «bloodshed follows bloodshed over the land» (Hos 4,2), therefore this world will pass away and another, more lovely, will be established so that this wonderful dwelling place may not remain full of injustice...

Hear what Isaiah says: «The heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll and the stars fall like the leaves of a fig tree» (cf. Is 34,4). And the Gospel also says: «The sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky» (Mt 24,29). So let us not be dismayed as though we were the only ones who must die. The stars will also die and yet perhaps they will be brought to life again. The Lord will roll away the sky, not to destroy it but to restore it to life more lovely than before. Listen to the prophet David speaking: «Of old you established the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They shall perish but you remain. They will all grow old like a garment; like clothing you change them and they will be changed» (Ps 102[101], 26-28)... Listen, too, to our Lord speaking: «Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away» (Mt 24,35), for the authority of created things does not equal that of their Master's words.


Tuesday, 23 November 2010

St. Clement I, Pope and martyr († 100)



SAINT CLEMENT I
POPE AND MARTYR
(† 100)
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Let us devote our attention to the Apostolic Fathers, that is, to the first and second generations in the Church subsequent to the Apostles. And thus, we can see where the Church's journey begins in history.
St Clement, Bishop of Rome in the last years of the first century, was the third Successor of Peter, after Linus and Anacletus. The most important testimony concerning his life comes from St Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons until 202. He attests that Clement "had seen the blessed Apostles", "had been conversant with them", and "might be said to have the preaching of the apostles still echoing [in his ears], and their traditions before his eyes" (Adversus Haer. 3, 3, 3).
Later testimonies which date back to between the fourth and sixth centuries attribute to Clement the title of martyr.
The authority and prestige of this Bishop of Rome were such that various writings were attributed to him, but the only one that is certainly his is the Letter to the Corinthians. Eusebius of Caesarea, the great "archivist" of Christian beginnings, presents it in these terms: "There is extant an Epistle of this Clement which is acknowledged to be genuine and is of considerable length and of remarkable merit. He wrote it in the name of the Church of Rome to the Church of Corinth, when a sedition had arisen in the latter Church. We know that this Epistle also has been publicly used in a great many Churches both in former times and in our own" (Hist. Eccl. 3, 16).
An almost canonical character was attributed to this Letter. At the beginning of this text - written in Greek - Clement expressed his regret that "the sudden and successive calamitous events which have happened to ourselves" (1, 1) had prevented him from intervening sooner. These "calamitous events" can be identified with Domitian's persecution: therefore, the Letter must have been written just after the Emperor's death and at the end of the persecution, that is, immediately after the year 96.
Clement's intervention - we are still in the first century - was prompted by the serious problems besetting the Church in Corinth: the elders of the community, in fact, had been deposed by some young contestants. The sorrowful event was recalled once again by St Irenaeus who wrote: "In the time of this Clement, no small dissension having occurred among the brethren in Corinth, the Church in Rome dispatched a most powerful Letter to the Corinthians exhorting them to peace, renewing their faith and declaring the tradition which it had lately received from the Apostles" (Adv. Haer. 3, 3, 3).
Thus, we could say that this Letter was a first exercise of the Roman primacy after St Peter's death. Clement's Letter touches on topics that were dear to St Paul, who had written two important Letters to the Corinthians, in particular the theological dialectic, perennially current, between the indicative of salvation and the imperative of moral commitment.
First of all came the joyful proclamation of saving grace. The Lord forewarns us and gives us his forgiveness, gives us his love and the grace to be Christians, his brothers and sisters.
It is a proclamation that fills our life with joy and gives certainty to our action: the Lord always forewarns us with his goodness and the Lord's goodness is always greater than all our sins.
However, we must commit ourselves in a way that is consistent with the gift received and respond to the proclamation of salvation with a generous and courageous journey of conversion.
In comparison with the Pauline model, the innovation added by Clement is to the doctrinal and practical sections, which constituted all the Pauline Letters, a "great prayer" that virtually concludes the Letter.
The Letter's immediate circumstances provided the Bishop of Rome with ample room for an intervention on the Church's identity and mission. If there were abuses in Corinth, Clement observed, the reason should be sought in the weakening of charity and of the other indispensable Christian virtues.
He therefore calls the faithful to humility and fraternal love, two truly constitutive virtues of being in the Church: "Seeing, therefore, that we are the portion of the Holy One", he warned, "let us do all those things which pertain to holiness" (30, 1).
In particular, the Bishop of Rome recalls that the Lord himself, "where and by whom he desires these things to be done, he himself has fixed by his own supreme will, in order that all things, being piously done according to his good pleasure, may be acceptable unto him.... For his own peculiar services are assigned to the high priest, and their own proper place is prescribed to the priests, and their own special ministries devolve on the Levites. The layman is bound by the laws that pertain to laymen" (40, 1-5: it can be noted that here, in this early first-century Letter, the Greek word "laikós" appears for the first time in Christian literature, meaning "a member of the laos", that is, "of the People of God").
In this way, referring to the liturgy of ancient Israel, Clement revealed his ideal Church. She was assembled by "the one Spirit of grace poured out upon us" which breathes on the various members of the Body of Christ, where all, united without any divisions, are "members of one another" (46, 6-7).
The clear distinction between the "lay person" and the hierarchy in no way signifies opposition, but only this organic connection of a body, an organism with its different functions. The Church, in fact, is not a place of confusion and anarchy where one can do what one likes all the time: each one in this organism, with an articulated structure, exercises his ministry in accordance with the vocation he has received.
With regard to community leaders, Clement clearly explains the doctrine of Apostolic Succession. The norms that regulate it derive ultimately from God himself. The Father sent Jesus Christ, who in turn sent the Apostles. They then sent the first heads of communities and established that they would be succeeded by other worthy men.
Everything, therefore, was made "in an orderly way, according to the will of God" (42). With these words, these sentences, St Clement underlined that the Church's structure was sacramental and not political.
The action of God who comes to meet us in the liturgy precedes our decisions and our ideas. The Church is above all a gift of God and not something we ourselves created; consequently, this sacramental structure does not only guarantee the common order but also this precedence of God's gift which we all need.
Finally, the "great prayer" confers a cosmic breath to the previous reasoning. Clement praises and thanks God for his marvellous providence of love that created the world and continues to save and sanctify it.
The prayer for rulers and governors acquires special importance. Subsequent to the New Testament texts, it is the oldest prayer extant for political institutions. Thus, in the period following their persecution, Christians, well aware that the persecutions would continue, never ceased to pray for the very authorities who had unjustly condemned them.
The reason is primarily Christological: it is necessary to pray for one's persecutors as Jesus did on the Cross.
But this prayer also contains a teaching that guides the attitude of Christians towards politics and the State down the centuries. In praying for the Authorities, Clement recognized the legitimacy of political institutions in the order established by God; at the same time, he expressed his concern that the Authorities would be docile to God, "devoutly in peace and meekness exercising the power given them by [God]" (61, 2).
Caesar is not everything. Another sovereignty emerges whose origins and essence are not of this world but of "the heavens above": it is that of Truth, which also claims a right to be heard by the State.
Thus, Clement's Letter addresses numerous themes of perennial timeliness. It is all the more meaningful since it represents, from the first century, the concern of the Church of Rome which presides in charity over all the other Churches.
In this same Spirit, let us make our own the invocations of the "great prayer" in which the Bishop of Rome makes himself the voice of the entire world: "Yes, O Lord, make your face to shine upon us for good in peace, that we may be shielded by your mighty hand... through the High Priest and Guardian of our souls, Jesus Christ, through whom be glory and majesty to you both now and from generation to generation, for evermore" (60-61).
BENEDICT XVI General audience (March 7,  2007)


© Copyright 2007 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana



All-powerful and ever-living God, we praise your power and glory revealed to us in the lives of all your saints.
Give us joy on this feast of Saint Clement,
the priest and martyr who bore witness with his blood
to the love he proclaimed and the gospel he preached.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.