Teresa Girolami
Teresa Girolami è laureata in Materie letterarie e Teologia. Ha pubblicato vari testi, fra cui: "Pellegrinaggio del cuore" (Ed. Piemme); "I Fiammiferi di Maria - La Madre di Dio in prosa e poesia"; "Tenerezza Scalza - Natura di donna"; co-autrice di "Dialogo e Solstizio".
Today's Gospel from Luke emphasises the greed of a rich man who thinks of enlarging his storehouses because of abundant harvests, neglecting his soul and his relationship with God, who finds him unprepared before a sudden death.
Instead of enriching himself with God, he foolishly thinks of accumulating for himself.
Francis of Assisi, on the other hand, donated all he possessed to the poor and set out to give back to God the little he had in exchange for the much he would receive.
He was in love with Our Lady Poverty; he married her and esteemed her because she was chosen by the Son of God, who had nowhere to lay his head.
He was so evangelically attracted to her that he took pity when he met creatures poorer than himself.
The Sources recount:
"It happened to him, during a journey, to meet a poor man. Seeing his nakedness, he was saddened in his heart and said to his companion in a voice of lamentation:
"The misery of this man has brought us great shame; for we, as our only wealth, have chosen poverty: and behold, it shines brighter in him than in us" (FF 1126).
And Bernard, a citizen of Assisi, who later became his companion in the following of Christ, was advised to leave his possessions, considered a false feud.
But to be sure, "when morning came, they entered a church and, having prayed devoutly, opened the book of the Gospel, willing to carry out the first advice offered them.
They opened the book, and Christ manifested his advice in these words: «If you want to be perfect, go, sell all you possess and give to the poor». They repeat the gesture, and the passage occurs: «Take nothing for the journey». A third time again, and they read: «Whoever wishes to come after me, let him deny himself».
Without delay Bernard performed everything and did not omit a single iota. Many others, in a short time, freed themselves from the mordacious cares of the world and, under the guidance of Francis, returned to the infinite good in the true homeland. But it would be too long to say how each one achieved the prize of the divine call" (FF 601).
Clare herself had requested and obtained from Pope Gregory IX the Privilege of Poverty (17 September 1228) in written form.
This document assured the Poor Sisters of St Damian's the right to live without any property in this world, following in the footsteps of the One who, for our sake, became poor and the Way, the Truth and the Life.
In the same Rule, concerning those who wanted to enter the Monastery to follow Christ, Clare says:
"And if she is suitable, let the word of the holy Gospel be told her: that she should go and sell all her possessions and endeavour to distribute them to the poor. If she cannot do this, her good will suffices" (FF 2757).
And in his first letter to Blessed Agnes of Prague (his spiritual daughter) he writes:
"O blessed poverty! For those who love you and embrace you procure eternal riches!
O holy poverty! To those who possess and desire you God promises the kingdom of heaven, and infallibly offers eternal glory and blessed life.
O pious poverty! Thee the Lord Jesus Christ [...] deigned to embrace in preference to everything else" (FF 2864).
«So [happens to] those who accumulate treasures for themselves and do not enrich for God» (Lk 12:21)
Monday 29th wk. in O.T. (Lk 12,13-21)
Healing on the Way: the new Light that shines in the outsider
Dishonest administrator, and recovered wealth
«Lifting up the Cross»: far beyond the capacity for Resilience
Franciscan Sumptuousness, of the last places
The ancient priest stagnates, and evaluates based on categories of possibilities; reluctant to the Spirit who moves situations
Il sacerdote antico ristagna, e valuta basando su categorie di possibilità; riluttante allo Spirito che smuove le situazioni
«Even through Joseph’s fears, God’s will, his history and his plan were at work. Joseph, then, teaches us that faith in God includes believing that he can work even through our fears, our frailties and our weaknesses. He also teaches us that amid the tempests of life, we must never be afraid to let the Lord steer our course. At times, we want to be in complete control, yet God always sees the bigger picture» (Patris Corde, n.2)
«Anche attraverso l’angustia di Giuseppe passa la volontà di Dio, la sua storia, il suo progetto. Giuseppe ci insegna così che avere fede in Dio comprende pure il credere che Egli può operare anche attraverso le nostre paure, le nostre fragilità, la nostra debolezza. E ci insegna che, in mezzo alle tempeste della vita, non dobbiamo temere di lasciare a Dio il timone della nostra barca. A volte noi vorremmo controllare tutto, ma Lui ha sempre uno sguardo più grande» (Patris Corde, n.2)
Man is the surname of God: the Lord in fact takes his name from each of us - whether we are saints or sinners - to make him our surname (Pope Francis). God's fidelity to the Promise is realized not only through men, but with them (Pope Benedict).
L’uomo è il cognome di Dio: il Signore infatti prende il nome da ognuno di noi — sia che siamo santi, sia che siamo peccatori — per farlo diventare il proprio cognome (Papa Francesco). La fedeltà di Dio alla Promessa si attua non soltanto mediante gli uomini, ma con loro (Papa Benedetto)
In the communities of Galilee and Syria the pagans quickly became a majority - elevated to the rank of sons. They did not submit to nerve-wracking processes, but spontaneously were recognizing the Lord
Nelle comunità di Galilea e Siria i pagani diventavano rapidamente maggioranza - elevati al rango di figli. Essi non si sottoponevano a trafile snervanti, ma spontaneamente riconoscevano il Signore
And thus we must see Christ again and ask Christ: “Is it you?” The Lord, in his own silent way, answers: “You see what I did, I did not start a bloody revolution, I did not change the world with force; but lit many I, which in the meantime form a pathway of light through the millenniums” (Pope Benedict)
E così dobbiamo di nuovo vedere Cristo e chiedere a Cristo: “Sei tu?”. Il Signore, nel modo silenzioso che gli è proprio, risponde: “Vedete cosa ho fatto io. Non ho fatto una rivoluzione cruenta, non ho cambiato con forza il mondo, ma ho acceso tante luci che formano, nel frattempo, una grande strada di luce nei millenni” (Papa Benedetto)
Experts in the Holy Scriptures believed that Elijah's return should anticipate and prepare for the advent of the Kingdom of God. Since the Lord was present, the first disciples wondered what the value of that teaching was. Among the people coming from Judaism the question arose about the value of ancient doctrines…
Gli esperti delle sacre Scritture ritenevano che il ritorno di Elia dovesse anticipare e preparare l’avvento del Regno di Dio. Poiché il Signore era presente, i primi discepoli si chiedevano quale fosse il valore di quell’insegnamento. Tra i provenienti dal giudaismo sorgeva il quesito circa il peso delle dottrine antiche...
Gospels make their way, advance and free, making us understand the enormous difference between any creed and the proposal of Jesus
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