They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them

28 FEBRUARY (Lk 16,19-31)

The salvation of a man is from listening to the prophets. Here is what the Book of Proverbs teaches: “Without prophecy the people become demoralized; but happy is he who keeps the law” (Pr 29.18). Today, Abraham tells the rich man that Moses and the prophets are enough for salvation. It is right that this statement is explained, otherwise we run the risk of getting into wrong tracks and false conceptions of the “prophetic vision”.

When it comes to Moses, one speaks of the stability of the Sinai Law. Moses is the mediator of the Old Covenant. It is he who established the covenant between God and his people. Moses belongs to a time, an hour, a special day in the history of revelation. Moses is not the revelation, he is not the Law, he is not the commandment of the Lord, because Moses is not the entire history of Israel. Moses is only the history of forty years in the desert. Then the desert ends and we enter a never-ending history.

Every moment of history must be taken by God and illuminated by his eternal truth. This constant, perennial, daily an infinite illumination, is entrusted by God to his prophets. These are sent to “update, make advance, progress, lead to the fullness of the truth” the will of God for man at any moment and at any time. The prophet is the presence of God today in the midst of his people.

This truth also applies to the Gospel, the New Testament. It is true. With the New Testament, which ends with the death of the Last Apostle, namely John, we know all the mystery of salvation. This knowledge is not enough for us to be saved. We need the new prophets of the new covenant to lead us into all truth every day. This ministry was given by Jesus to the Holy Spirit, that uses the new prophets to lead the people of God from truth to truth to the fullness of understanding of the truth that will never run out.

“There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores. When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.’ Abraham replied, ‘My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented. Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours.’ He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment.’ But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.’ He said, ‘Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ Then Abraham said, ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.'”

When the people of God does not listen to the prophets it is a sign that the purity of the truth of salvation, either the written or oral one, either that of yesterday or the one of today reign in it no more. The people lost the way of truth, justice and true holiness. It is a people immersed in darkness, with the impure heart, full of sin. And when this people rails against the true prophets of the Holy Spirit and cast upon them mud and filth, this is the moral mud and spiritual filth that is in their hearts. The impure heart pronounces unclean things, and the filthy mind thinks dirty things for the true prophets. A farmer of moral filth can sell nothing but rot. He will sell it using the false testimony, slander, lies, deception, taking advantage of souls which also lack the Holy Spirit, because they are evil in soul and body, to spread his filth in the world. The Lord allows this to happen to test the gentleness and meekness of his prophets.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints make us pure in heart.