Mar 31, 2021 | NEWS
Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you going to give me, and I will hand him over to you.” And they assigned him thirty pieces of silver. From then on, he looked for an opportunity to hand him over. [Mt 26, 14-16]
What could have prompted Judas to betray the Master and hand him over to his enemies? He was chosen by Jesus himself and called to follow him, he lived with him, he listened to his sermons, he saw miracles … But all this was not enough to convince him. Jesus did not match his expectations and those who were waiting for the Messiah, but certainly not like him! When our expectations are too high or do not match what a person is and can give, then what Judas did to Jesus may happen.
Judas, an insincere and rebellious friend,
also we are!
Forgive us, Lord!
How many times do we not hesitate to betray you and sell you for a few coins.
How many times do we turn our backs on you because we think you have let us down!
How many times do we accuse you of not being and you’re not acting like you should!
You know our fears and uncertainties the bitter taste of our Judas kisses
and after all, you always greet us as friends.
Fiorenzo Salvi
Giampietro Polini
Mar 30, 2021 | NEWS
Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, but later you will follow.” Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can’t I follow You now? I will give my life for You. Jesus replied, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the cock will not crow until you have denied me three times. [Jn 13: 36-38]
Long-suffering and fragility shine in Peter. He is ready to give his life for Jesus, but also to deny Him in order to save himself. It is a contrast that is also inherent in each of us. We are ready to do what is good and what is right, but we are also blocked by fear of the price to be paid. Only humble awareness of our handicaps helps us not to be surprised by fear in the moment of trial. Peter, only after acknowledging and crying over his denial, will he be ready to give his life for the Master.
How we are like Peter,
Lord Jesus.
We are your fearful students
who don’t know how to stay by your side
at the time of trial.
How easy it is to deny you
how dangerous it is to claim to be a friend!
How easy it is to cheat on you
when something is offered to us
which seems worth more than you.
Don’t leave us in temptation.
Forgive us and trust us again if we’ve done wrong.
Florenzo Salvi
Giampietro Polini
Mar 30, 2021 | POSITIVE IMPULSES
Your relationship with God is vital. Because that is the only way you can realize your self fully. All your other relationships are conditioned and dictated by lots of limitations. But your relationship with your creator is without conditions or restrictions. Creator is the fullness of creation. So, in God you can find your fullness. The more open we are to this infinite reality the more we have the opportunity to grow into the realization of our self. In Him you can find your perfect design of your self.
Don Giorgio
Mar 29, 2021 | NEWS
Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
[John 12, 1-3]
Jesus also had friends. The family of Martha, Maria and Lazarus was certainly a point of reference, and he loved being in this house where he felt welcomed and loved. During the last supper with them, Maria makes a surprising gesture. Her love for him is so profound that she finds no other way to express it than with this very expensive perfume, poured out with exaggerated abundance, applied with gestures of extreme tenderness. It is the last real consolation for Jesus, before His Passion.
I would like to learn from Martha how to serve you,
from Lazarus to be with you,
from Maria, to show you my generous love
poured out like precious oil with exaggerated abundance.
I would like your presence to smell in my home, in my family, in my community …
Jesus, let me live each day in deep friendship with You.
Fiorenzo Salvi
Giampietro Polini
Mar 28, 2021 | SPIRITUALITY
Behold, your King is coming to you, just and victorious. Humble – riding a donkey. (Zak 9, 9)
Today we contemplate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Jesus, like a great victor in glory, enters the city. And this is understandable to us, because we know that he is the King of the universe who came to save us. It can be strange, however, that he rides on a donkey. Yes, it was a popular means of transport in those days, but if Jesus wanted to show people that he was a great King, he should use a horse that, for example, was ridden by important Romans who occupied Jerusalem at that time. So what did he want to show us by riding a donkey? Once again he wanted to say that yes, he is a King, but not as we imagine him to be. His kingdom is a reality alongside this world, or against human mentality. The donkey of the Lord Jesus is a clear message for us that we will find the Kingdom of God where there is simplicity and humility, where, humanly thinking, there is nothing attractive, spectacular, where there is ordinary everyday life and ordinary people. This is the taste of God and His kingdom, and so He saved us. The donkey is one of the many signs of “God’s style”. We are beginning the Holy Week, let us also look for such signs in the following days.
Sr.M. Sybilla Kołtan
