Lectio divina
Following Jesus
If we agree to follow Jesus, we will be forced to challenge every day the world in which we live, not because this world is bad, indeed it is the place of the presence of God, and the environment in which salvation is achieved; but it is also the place of the presence of Satan, the Prince of this world.
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Entering a world into a reverse way
The world we must challenge is the one in which despotic masters reign such as money, power and impurity, where the small and the weak are oppressed, where the race for profit rots hearts. But let's be careful! Our challenge to the world will be sincere and true if we agree to challenge ourselves every day, because we are deeply in solidarity with the sin of the world. As he crudely says Claudel: "Your bad breath stinks up the universe."
In the midst of this generation, we must appear as the poor of God who fully lives the spirit of the Beatitudes. It is the only way that leads to holiness. In the light of this spirit, we can judge the excellence of our Christian life, and also of our apostolic influence. We will be able to evangelize to the extent that the light of the Beatitudes illuminates our face. To live, we must act in a way that is contrary to the mentality of the environment, accepting to be poor, humble and pure. From the now frequent reading of books and apostolic letters, we know and understand that God has not chosen the wise according to the flesh, nor the powerful, but all that is weak according to the world, to confuse the strong. It is always through weakness that God demonstrates his strength, in short: "The true Christian lives in an upside-down world".
Carrying our cross means entering into this mysterious wisdom that is incomprehensible to the powerful and to good people. This is the attitude realized by Jesus, the poor of Yahweh par excellence. Attitude that God is only in those who possess the spirit that can live it. Jesus, who lived it fully first, is also the only one who can give it to us, or better yet, he is the only one who can live it and realize it in us.
The Beatitudes aim to form in us an open and available heart, forgetful of itself and capable of giving itself. Poverty is a fruit that grows from the tree of love. Let us begin to love our brothers until we feel them as our equals and this love will take us very far. As Jesus led him to strip himself of his own riches to enrich us with his life, we too will become poor and humble, we will try to give our brothers not only the gift of our goods, but above all the gift of our person.
In itself, wealth is not an evil, indeed in itself it is indifferent and even useful, but if we are not prudent, it develops in us a process of appropriation that makes us slaves and favors the wrong growth of ourselves. We are always under the threat of becoming proud both for what we know or are aware of, and for what we do, and therefore of remaining closed in ourselves, watching and defending ourselves with all our strength. The poor, according to the Gospel, no longer have these problems of self-defense, he accepts to lose everything for Jesus including himself, he is entirely open to Him, Jesus and through Him to others, because it is Jesus who makes us follow the path of donation lived in his divine person.
To reach this level we must allow Jesus to dig into our hearts to tear out all our goods one by one: "It is the exact meaning of Christian purification". We do not know exactly what the real obstacle to our action is because we possess riches that we judge to be good, healthy, however they are not. Then we must let it act so that it can make us poor, gradually uprooting those goods that chain us, but which we do not see.
Jesus
Do not let yourself be discouraged by the labors undertaken for my sake, and do not lose heart because of tribulations, but in every event let my promise strengthen and console you.
I can reward you in every way and beyond all measure. You will not labor long here below, nor will you be oppressed by pains. Wait with patience, and you will soon see the end of evils. The hour will come when all labor and all conflict will cease.
Everything that passes with time is small and short-lived.
Oh, if you could see the immortal crowns of the Saints in Heaven, and in what immense glory those who were once despised by the world, indeed considered unworthy of life, now rejoice, certainly you would immediately humble yourself profoundly and would rather be below everyone, than dominate even one.
Nor would you like the cheerful days of this life any more, but you would rather be pleased to be troubled for the love of God, and you would consider it a great gain to be despised by men.
So lift up your eyes to heaven. Behold, I am there, and with me all the Saints, who, after having endured the harsh struggles of the world, now rejoice, now are glad and assured of immortality, now rest from their labors and will remain with me without end in the Kingdom of my Father.
(Imitation of Christ - Book Three).
