MAKE AN EFFORT TO SETTLE THE MATTER

Eph 4,1-6; Ps 23; Lk 12,54-59
26 OCTOBER

Man, created by God in his image and likeness, by his Lord received every gift of grace and truth, so that he could live a life in all in conformity with his nature. The Book of Sirach reveals to us the wonderful inner structure of man.

The Lord from the earth created man, and in his own image he made him. Limited days of life he gives him and makes him return to earth again. He endows man with a strength of his own, and with power over all things else on earth. He puts the fear of him in all flesh, and gives him rule over beasts and birds. He forms men’s tongues and eyes and ears, and imparts to them an understanding heart. With wisdom and knowledge he fills them; good and evil he shows them. He looks with favour upon their hearts, and shows them his glorious works, That they may describe the wonders of his deeds and praise his holy name. He has set before them knowledge, a law of life as their inheritance; An everlasting covenant he has made with them, his commandments he has revealed to them. His majestic glory their eyes beheld, his glorious voice their ears heard. He says to them, “Avoid all evil”; each of them he gives precepts about his fellow men. Their ways are ever known to him, they cannot be hidden from his eyes. Over every nation he places a ruler, but the Lord’s own portion is Israel. All their actions are clear as the sun to him, his eyes are ever upon their ways. Their wickedness cannot be hidden from him; all of their sins are before the Lord. A man’s goodness God cherishes like a signet ring, a man’s virtue, like the apple of his eye. Later he will rise up and repay them, and requite each one of them as they deserve. But to the penitent he provides a way back, he encourages those who are losing hope! Return to the Lord and give up sin, pray to him and make your offenses few. Turn again to the Most High and away from sin, hate intensely what he loathes; Who in the nether world can glorify the Most High in place of the living who offer their praise? No more can the dead give praise than those who have never lived; they glorify the Lord who are alive and well. How great the mercy of the Lord, his forgiveness of those who return to him! The like cannot be found in men, for not immortal is any son of man. Is anything brighter than the sun? Yet it can be eclipsed. How obscure then the thoughts of flesh and blood! God watches over the hosts of highest heaven, while all men are dust and ashes (Sir 17,1-32).

Unfortunately this beautiful structure was like shattered by sin. Here is who Christ the Lord is – today this truth must be urgently preached even to the Church that has forgotten it – the one that came, that comes to take away the sin of the world. Having removed sin, the Holy Spirit recreates the unity and man begins to act as a man.

He also said to the crowds, “When you see (a) cloud rising in the west you say immediately that it is going to rain – and so it does; and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south you say that it is going to be hot – and so it is. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time? “Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate, make an effort to settle the matter on the way; otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the constable, and the constable throw you into prison. I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”

The grace of recomposition of the unity has been fructified by Jesus for every man. Responsible for the missed unity is now the Christian if he fails in the proclamation. Whoever rejects Christ and the Holy Spirit is also responsible. Today man can live as a man. If he does not live as a man, man is directly or indirectly responsible.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints, make us immune from every sin of omission.