Dec 11, 2024 Written by 

Translation of power into silence

The authority of Jesus and ours

(Mt 21:23-27)

 

«With wich authority do you do these things? And who gave you this authority?» (Mt 21:23).

In the traditional Judaizing milieu of the early communities, questions bounced about Christ’s authority in putting under siege the ordinary religious system, and His distinction even from prophets recognized as the Baptist.

Only answer: the power of God that was expressed in the sign of the times - by fermenting consciences.

Jesus’ mission was not regular: He baffled the atmosphere, so His living and sharp Word had to be circumscribed at all costs.

Such bold behavior would have seemed irreverent, even if adopted by the expected Messiah himself.

And a landless man could only be his false claimant...

 

Religious leaders that the Lord faced - rooted in established thought patterns and strategies - were always content to adapt Heaven within closed screens.

Mt tried to help his communities in Galilee and Syria: they had to continue fearlessly, and not let themselves be seduced by official religious practices, nor polluted by imperial ideology.

The Evangelist also seems to suggest to the faithful in Christ to avoid puny diatribes, with the representatives of a world only apparently stable - vice versa destined to implode on its own contradictions.

 

After the expulsion of the sellers and usurer-profaners from the Temple (Mt 21:12ff), Jesus' fate is sealed.

But through his intimates, the new Kingdom - untied - must be proposed in spirit of disinterest, and as a Surprise.

Only the Father can have seed management, of the roots and development.

No man can give "permission" to any person to be reflective and dissolved.

There is an unpredictable path even for those who are accustomed to being directed in every story. Instead the guarantees clutter minds and clog the streets that then result in frontier experiences.

In this way, we manifest independence and freedom because Jesus himself has demonstrated it, flying over all expectations and purpose.

 

Sooner or later the leaders would have been dismayed by those who could not stand the ratifications, finally recognizing their ignorance.

They would have stranded themselves permanently, on their own - even because of the will not to expose themselves (vv.25-27a). Tactical perplexity, which reveals disbelief - lukewarmness - total lack of Faith.

In short, the ‘silence’ of those who like a more attentive and less external Church is often the just echo of God, more eloquent than so many brilliant disquisitions (v.27b).

Thus Jesus avoids the ambiguity of mental restriction or evasive semantics: in Him the non-response to the leaders becomes a question.

 

The Lord remains silent, but without diverting the point.

 

 

[Monday 3rd wk. in Advent, December 16, 2024]

778 Last modified on Monday, 16 December 2024 12:07
don Giuseppe Nespeca

Giuseppe Nespeca è architetto e sacerdote. Cultore della Sacra scrittura è autore della raccolta "Due Fuochi due Vie - Religione e Fede, Vangeli e Tao"; coautore del libro "Dialogo e Solstizio".

The Kingdom of God grows here on earth, in the history of humanity, by virtue of an initial sowing, that is, of a foundation, which comes from God, and of a mysterious work of God himself, which continues to cultivate the Church down the centuries. The scythe of sacrifice is also present in God's action with regard to the Kingdom: the development of the Kingdom cannot be achieved without suffering (John Paul II)
Il Regno di Dio cresce qui sulla terra, nella storia dell’umanità, in virtù di una semina iniziale, cioè di una fondazione, che viene da Dio, e di un misterioso operare di Dio stesso, che continua a coltivare la Chiesa lungo i secoli. Nell’azione di Dio in ordine al Regno è presente anche la falce del sacrificio: lo sviluppo del Regno non si realizza senza sofferenza (Giovanni Paolo II)
For those who first heard Jesus, as for us, the symbol of light evokes the desire for truth and the thirst for the fullness of knowledge which are imprinted deep within every human being. When the light fades or vanishes altogether, we no longer see things as they really are. In the heart of the night we can feel frightened and insecure, and we impatiently await the coming of the light of dawn. Dear young people, it is up to you to be the watchmen of the morning (cf. Is 21:11-12) who announce the coming of the sun who is the Risen Christ! (John Paul II)
Per quanti da principio ascoltarono Gesù, come anche per noi, il simbolo della luce evoca il desiderio di verità e la sete di giungere alla pienezza della conoscenza, impressi nell'intimo di ogni essere umano. Quando la luce va scemando o scompare del tutto, non si riesce più a distinguere la realtà circostante. Nel cuore della notte ci si può sentire intimoriti ed insicuri, e si attende allora con impazienza l'arrivo della luce dell'aurora. Cari giovani, tocca a voi essere le sentinelle del mattino (cfr Is 21, 11-12) che annunciano l'avvento del sole che è Cristo risorto! (Giovanni Paolo II)
Christ compares himself to the sower and explains that the seed is the word (cf. Mk 4: 14); those who hear it, accept it and bear fruit (cf. Mk 4: 20) take part in the Kingdom of God, that is, they live under his lordship. They remain in the world, but are no longer of the world. They bear within them a seed of eternity a principle of transformation [Pope Benedict]
Cristo si paragona al seminatore e spiega che il seme è la Parola (cfr Mc 4,14): coloro che l’ascoltano, l’accolgono e portano frutto (cfr Mc 4,20) fanno parte del Regno di Dio, cioè vivono sotto la sua signoria; rimangono nel mondo, ma non sono più del mondo; portano in sé un germe di eternità, un principio di trasformazione [Papa Benedetto]
In one of his most celebrated sermons, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux “recreates”, as it were, the scene where God and humanity wait for Mary to say “yes”. Turning to her he begs: “[…] Arise, run, open up! Arise with faith, run with your devotion, open up with your consent!” [Pope Benedict]
San Bernardo di Chiaravalle, in uno dei suoi Sermoni più celebri, quasi «rappresenta» l’attesa da parte di Dio e dell’umanità del «sì» di Maria, rivolgendosi a lei con una supplica: «[…] Alzati, corri, apri! Alzati con la fede, affrettati con la tua offerta, apri con la tua adesione!» [Papa Benedetto]
«The "blasphemy" [in question] does not really consist in offending the Holy Spirit with words; it consists, instead, in the refusal to accept the salvation that God offers to man through the Holy Spirit, and which works by virtue of the sacrifice of the cross [It] does not allow man to get out of his self-imprisonment and to open himself to the divine sources of purification» (John Paul II, General Audience July 25, 1990))

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