Wednesday, March 31, 2021

NOT WHO, BUT WHAT KILLED JESUS

    There is a persistent misunderstanding among many Christians that the Jews killed Christ.  No.  Jesus was killed by a small group of religious/political leaders.  So to say that the Jews killed Christ is akin to saying  something like on January 6th the American people invaded the Capitol and killed five people.

    To be clear, God the Father did not send Jesus into the world to be killed.  Parents don't give birth to their children so they could be killed.  Jesus was sent to show us how to live our human lives within Divine Love.  He was killed by a very few people who were blinded by their own human power.  And he has been crucified ever since by the same human blindness.

   Example abound.  Our Catholic bishops, blind to Divine Love and to human love, permitted priests to kill children's spirits by sexually abusing them.  

   It appears that the killing of George Floyd by a police officer was an act of murderous power that blinded the officer to  both human and Divine Love.     

   Our true enemy, therefore, is blindness to Human and Divine Love.  And this blindness is self-imposed.  For example, I have lived long enough to see our American culture deteriorate from small town closeness and city neighborhood closeness to a scattered array of Americans who live in the same areas but don't know the people who live next door.

   Our schools are failing us, not because teachers don't care or don't work hard.  Most all of them care very much and work hard.  But the cannot overcome both a poor educational plan, e.g., that fails to teach human values for fear of being accused of teaching "religion," and the plight of children who are sent to schools almost hopelessly unprepared to learn.

   In sum, the collapse of neighborliness, effective education, strong family life, our political life and of Church effectiveness is crucifying our society today.  And sadly, there is no true resurrection in sight.

   We have many corrections to make in our Churches, our politics, ourselves and our society in order to be truly receptive to the Good News of Easter Resurrection.  With both our churches and schools not really ready to lead us, we are own our own. So we have to accept the cross we have created for ourselves and begin to work toward our personal resurrection and the resurrection of our o[ our educational programs, politics, society and culture.  

     Only in the love and power of the Risen Jesus can we succeed.  We have fallen far behind.  From our self inflicted cross we must reach out to the Innocent Crucified One and pray to him to help us toward the resurrection of our personal, family, social and political life.  And where necessary, of our spiritual life.  

   Only with Him and in Him can we succeed.  But as we do succeed, as we become newly resurrected in Christ, we will be able to proclaim to one another in His Love, HAPPY EASTER!    


Comments:  massimini7@gmail.com












 

Friday, March 19, 2021

                     LORD, PLEASE LET ME SEE (Mt. 19:16-24)

   There are many ways to be blind besides physical blindness.  We can be personally  blind like the rich young man who identified himself as his money.  In order to get him to find his true self and human dignity and integrity, Jesus told him  to get rid of his riches.  Trapped in his false self, the young man walked away from Jesus.  

   We can be morally blind when we fail to see right from wrong.  A deeply sad example comes from political leaders who cater to the worst emotions of their people in order to get re-elected so they can continue to cater to their people's worst emotions.    

   We can be socially blind when we restrict our American citizenship to our own little physical and social "hometown" values, and look with suspicion and even hatred upon people who are different from us.

    Also, many of us are refusing to wear masks in public.  Blind to the truth that every right carries a responsibility, they claim that they have a right to act dangerously without caring for the people they may harm or even kill, 

    All these forms of blindness are examples of spiritual blindness.  These acts are examples of the loss of the dignity and integrity of our very soul that makes us humans.  

   "Lord, please let me see."  Christ has already answered our prayer.  In his Light, which is the Light of the World (Jn. 8:12) we are "everyday mystics" who can see the truth of our humanity and spirituality.  And we are "everyday prophets" who are called and enabled to "proclaim" Christ's truth by our actions to help people open their eyes and see the truth that in the One Body of Christ, we are all one regardless of color, nationality, social standing, etc., 

   In the darkness of today's society, Christ is depending upon us.  



COMMENTS:  amassimini"gmail.com

"Blind to the truth that every right carries a responsibility."  I like that idea.  LSP New Jersey