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Biblical scholarship has provided us with much fruitful understanding
of the word of God. One of the especially beautiful fruits has been to
isolate in Second Isaiah four passages which speak of a Suffering
Servant, and to consider these passages as songs celebrating the mystery of
one who suffers that others might be saved. Today, we read the second of
these songs from Isaiah chapter 49. It can be shown fairly clearly that Jesus discovered the meaning of His life and vocation in the pages of Isaiah. Thus, in the Synagogue at Nazareth, he explained Isaiah chapter 61 as referring to himself (Lk. 4). When John the Baptist sent two disciples to ask him about himself, Jesus replied by quoting Isaiah (Mt. 11:4-5). We can be sure then that Jesus meditated long and deeply on the book of Isaiah during the long years of his hidden life. When he left home to begin the preaching of the Gospel, Jesus clearly followed the way of Isaiah. He became a servant to all, giving his life as a ransom for many. Lord Jesus, Suffering Servant, grant us a spirit of service, a spirit of sacrifice, so that we will become more like You, for our own salvation and for the salvation of the world. |
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P R A Y I N G W I T H T H E C H U R C H
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That consecrated people, answering the call of their
particular vocation, may radiate the spirit of the Gospel beatitudes in the
present-day world
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In the world of today there is a widespread search for joy, happiness,
serenity, liberty. That is why the consecrated religious is called on
to remind every person that the life of a human being comes from God.
Religious give outstanding and striking testimony that the world cannot
be transformed and offered to God without the spirit of the Beatitudes
which proposes a way of living and for people to relate to each other.
The consecrated life is for all the faithful a luminous sign of the
common vocation to holiness, a model on which to draw inspiration and
courage. Besides, the religious community based on motivations of faith,
on mutual love and on sharing presents itself as a call to the constant
reform of ecclesial communities. The commitment asked of consecrated people needs the support, awareness and prayer of the entire Christian community, so that human weakness may not prevail but may always allow itself to be led and transformed by God's action. In fact, the attitudes indicated by the Beatitudes not only point a sure way towards fulfilment and charity, but also lead directly to the Person of Christ who came so that men and women not only might have life but have it to the full. | |
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