Archives for February 2017

Our attempt to increase in size and number the portions of our possessions is within our nature. We all want an increase in our property, in our mobile and valued goods, and we fight every day for that. How much can you withstand the increase in your mobile and real estate assets?

There is no precise answer because a question of this kind can never be asked, that is, how much you want to increase your wealth. So, as the increase of my everyday goods is unlimited, in the matters of faith we do not seek indefinite horizons, but on the contrary we set narrowly confined limits. Our soul is starving, but we ignore the signs of poverty, we neglect them as childish indulgences and end up with many mental vacuums of faith and efficiency. And while it is obvious that no matter how much everyday goods are increasing, in the end we have the same needs as in the beginning, we still do not invest in the future alongside everyday life.

The right attitude is to move my boundless horizon into increasing my share of faith, by rationalizing the horizon of my natural needs and goods that I gather, because that way my quality of life is upgraded today and a portion of my future is credited as well.

We travel but do not approach. We pass many areas by car, ship, plane, but in the end we are approaching to only touch the land of our destination. The intermediate parts are ephemeral images that we may have kept in our mind, but they were left behind as a memory.

The “εγγύς” (en-gü’s) and the “εγγίζω” (en-gē’-zō) , I approach in order to touch, are familiar concepts in Greek. Similar is the concept of approaching in the issues of living faith. I travel with a purpose and it is obvious that we all travel to everyday life with a purpose, either to earn our livelihood or a goal beyond everyday life. And for everyday life, the practical need makes us productive and careful.

On the contrary, on matters of faith that include not only today but also tomorrow and the near and distant future, our attention is generally relaxed; we do not approach our successes and failures with the same interest.

Our interest gradually diminishes, we become sluggish in the hearing of the Gospel, the faith remains inactive, and we end up in a typical Christian program, without control of depth and effectiveness.

The faith of the grain does not yield fruit, the supplies and gifts of our creator not only are not exploited but they are forgotten and lost in oblivion and in the absence of truth from our lives.

The weapon systems are evolving and new ones, often monstrous, are constantly being discovered, in order to exterminate not one, but thousands of citizens or soldiers at the same time. The arms race imposes the development of weapons of personal protection.

However, the concept of personal protection is not exhausted in deadly firearms, but also has the rules and techniques, initially in order to avoid conflicts and then to defend and protect against any malicious force that attacks or threatens to attack with the purpose of removing freedom or denying the exodus of individual captivity.

The body’s captivity and the captivity of the soul are the top issues of everyday life and everyone is called to practice and learn not only how to avoid but also how to protect themselves from the attacks of every opponent who has set as goal the abolition of your own freedom or the limitation of your personal exercise of rights, which your creator has endowed with and abundantly granted to you.

With this title I would like to raise the question of the test of our faith in its true dimension. Not just the content but also the procedures. There is the first, then there are others and in any case a person of faith is called on a daily basis to overcome the trials with seriousness and success.

Christ’s attitude towards his adversary – the answers he gives to his opponent’s challenges, the accuracy and the austerity of the answers – leads us to the conclusion that the people of faith owe not only to be serious and responsible, but also to know in depth the things we talk about and about which we strive daily.

Frivolities, misconceptions that are disorientating from the truth, generalizations that overlay our ignorance, do not exist in the example quoted by Evangelist Matthew about the events that took place before Christ Himself began his public presence.

The preparation for Christ’s long journey was here, the problems he was worried about were here, and he had to successfully face the examinations that demonstrated his ability to carry out the task assigned to him.

“Guarding”, or even better “safekeeping”, refers to valuable things that need to be protected because they are at risk of theft. Every good and valuable thing for us is kept with care and diligence so that it is not compromised and subjected to theft.

In a nutshell, the valuable things are protected, not the insignificant ones.

Proportional to the value of things is also their protection. This is what our nature and our social practice teach us. Indeed, the more valuable something is, the more dangerous it is to have it stolen, since many are those who would like to own it instead of us.

In any case, all goods and nice things may be stolen; they may be taken away from someone either by personal hatred or personal gain. Resistance, prophylaxis, the protection of our own precious things belongs to us and we have an obligation to organize any necessary initiative for this purpose.