FAUSTS - Jesus said that the thief / robber does not pass through the door, now He says: I am the door, through which the sheep can go out in freedom and reach life. He himself, the Word that has become Flesh, is the Door between earth and heaven. The door is where the prison wall is broken. Whoever is locked inside can go out; if he does not want to go out, the light of day still shines to his eyes. Salvation is not entering the temple like sheep for slaughter, but going out with Him to enter into Him, the Son, Who gives us life and to the full. He is in fact the loving intelligence of the Father, He saves our humanity, opening this to the light of His truth. He Himself is in fact the pasture of the flock, the true Bread of Life (6:33-35) that satisfies all hunger and thirst. Now JESUS shows His way of being a Shepherd: he exposes His life in favor of the sheep. Later, He will also say that He disposes and lays down His life for them. It is the beauty of Love that is shown in action! For the shepherd, the sheep are His own: they belong to Him and He takes care of them as if they were His own life. The mercenary, on the other hand, is worried about his salary: the sheep are at the service of his life, not he of theirs. For this reason he does not expound himself: he acts out of vile interest. At the moment of danger, he escapes from those who have followed him The wolf, the traditional enemy of the flock, represents the hostile forces of evil. Jesus Himself has sent His disciples as lambs in the midst of wolves. Before the wolves, who have just renewed their decision to kill him, (8:59) Jesus does not abandon his own and does not flee. He defends sheep because they interest him, he has them at heart because he has them in his heart. Jesus, after speaking of the Beautiful Shepherd in terms of courage, who makes Him expose His own life, now says what He "disposes" for His sheep, He makes His own life available to them, which is the knowledge and love of the Father. There is a knowledge, an intimacy, a mutual Love between Shepherd and sheep. He calls each one by name: "I have called you by name; you belong to me...you are precious to me, you are worthy of esteem and I love you" (IS.43,1-4) The relationship of knowledge and love that exists between Jesus and each of us is the same as that between the Father and Him: "Just as the Father loved me, so I loved you". (15,19). The mutual love between Father and Son, the mystery that is their very life, is the same one that circulates between us and Him. He disposes of His life for the benefit of the sheep. He makes it available to them, He offers it to them. There are also other sheep that are not of this enclosure. "This enclosure" is that of the temple, in which Israel stands. There are other religious or lay "fences", which hold man as a slave. The Son has brothers not only in the people of God, but everywhere: everything has been done through Him, Light and Life of every man, who is a son in the Son. For this reason, the Father loves the world (3:16) and the Son, the Savior (4:42) and Light of the World (8:12), will be raised not only to gather all the scattered of Israel, but for all peoples. Jesus also wants to lead them to freedom. Christianity is universal in nature (Catholic): it excludes no one. If we exclude someone, we deny the Father, who loves each one, and the Son, who is like the Father. The very concept of "mission" has nothing to do with proselytism. It is Son's inner drive towards the brothers and sisters. Jesus voluntarily lays down His life. His life is not a death, but a realization of one's own existence as a total gift of love: love is stronger than death (Ct. 8:6). His purpose in laying down His life is to receive it again. Jesus, by giving His life, receives it in its fullness: He is equal to the Father, because not only is the One Who known to be loved, but He loves His brothers and sisters with same Love of the Father.
--->In Him, life becomes what it is: a living circulation of love, a gift received and given. That is why He is the beloved Son, the perfect fulfillment of Father's Love.
FAUSTS - Jesus said that the thief / robber does not pass through the door, now He says: I am the door, through which the sheep can go out in freedom and reach life.
RispondiEliminaHe himself, the Word that has become Flesh, is the Door between earth and heaven.
The door is where the prison wall is broken. Whoever is locked inside can go out; if he does not want to go out, the light of day still shines to his eyes. Salvation is not entering the temple like sheep for slaughter, but going out with Him to enter into Him, the Son, Who gives us life and to the full.
He is in fact the loving intelligence of the Father, He saves our humanity, opening this to the light of His truth.
He Himself is in fact the pasture of the flock, the true Bread of Life (6:33-35) that satisfies all hunger and thirst.
Now JESUS shows His way of being a Shepherd: he exposes His life in favor of the sheep. Later, He will also say that He disposes and lays down His life for them.
It is the beauty of Love that is shown in action!
For the shepherd, the sheep are His own: they belong to Him and He takes care of them as if they were His own life. The mercenary, on the other hand, is worried about his salary: the sheep are at the service of his life, not he of theirs. For this reason he does not expound himself: he acts out of vile interest. At the moment of danger, he escapes from those who have followed him
The wolf, the traditional enemy of the flock, represents the hostile forces of evil.
Jesus Himself has sent His disciples as lambs in the midst of wolves.
Before the wolves, who have just renewed their decision to kill him, (8:59) Jesus does not abandon his own and does not flee. He defends sheep because they interest him, he has them at heart because he has them in his heart.
Jesus, after speaking of the Beautiful Shepherd in terms of courage, who makes Him expose His own life, now says what He "disposes" for His sheep, He makes His own life available to them, which is the knowledge and love of the Father. There is a knowledge, an intimacy, a mutual Love between Shepherd and sheep. He calls each one by name: "I have called you by name; you belong to me...you are precious to me, you are worthy of esteem and I love you" (IS.43,1-4) The relationship of knowledge and love that exists between Jesus and each of us is the same as that between the Father and Him: "Just as the Father loved me, so I loved you". (15,19). The mutual love between Father and Son, the mystery that is their very life,
is the same one that circulates between us and Him.
He disposes of His life for the benefit of the sheep. He makes it available to them, He offers it to them.
There are also other sheep that are not of this enclosure. "This enclosure" is that of the temple, in which Israel stands. There are other religious or lay "fences", which hold man as a slave.
The Son has brothers not only in the people of God, but everywhere: everything has been done through Him, Light and Life of every man, who is a son in the Son.
For this reason, the Father loves the world (3:16) and the Son, the Savior (4:42) and Light of the World (8:12), will be raised not only to gather all the scattered of Israel, but for all peoples.
Jesus also wants to lead them to freedom.
Christianity is universal in nature (Catholic): it excludes no one. If we exclude someone, we deny the Father, who loves each one, and the Son, who is like the Father.
The very concept of "mission" has nothing to do with proselytism. It is Son's inner drive towards the brothers and sisters. Jesus voluntarily lays down His life. His life is not a death, but a realization of one's own existence as a total gift of love: love is stronger than death (Ct. 8:6).
His purpose in laying down His life is to receive it again.
Jesus, by giving His life, receives it in its fullness: He is equal to the Father, because not only is the One Who known to be loved, but He loves His brothers and sisters with same Love of the Father.
--->In Him, life becomes what it is: a living circulation of love, a gift received and given.
RispondiEliminaThat is why He is the beloved Son, the perfect fulfillment of Father's Love.