, "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand Upon learning of the arrest of John, Jesus leaves Nazareth and the Judean desert, and flees to the north of Galilee, specifically in territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, tribe of Israel inhabited by the same name. A territory border that are the pure in Jerusalem in those days looked with great suspicion, where mingled beliefs and rites, cultures and languages, place bastardized, hybrid, lost. Just one example of these territories came from the extremist movement of the Zealots, and that giving the "Galileo" was tantamount to someone define "terrorist."
It is from this place that Jesus begins his preaching, from the confines of history. God is always the case, he prefers the far, those with a hard life, to those who live peacefully, without any major problems. Jesus chose to live, to share everything with these people, brings light, gives testimony.
first sign is a very important to us, brothers, we, with our faith, we must leave our homes, our churches, God is tired of being alone, abandoned in the tabernacles, and of not being able to enter in our society, in everyday life of everyone is fed up with be brought up in times and places "sacred" and be expelled from the places of business, politics, entertainment and culture. Here then is the reason why we disciples we gather every Sunday to rejoice in the Lord, it must be that - once out of the church - to find the strength to proclaim and bear witness to Christ in daily life, lived in, in the "real" to everyone! What to do?
"Repent!" Is acceleration that the invitation reaches us today: "Repent for the Kingdom has drawn near." Yes, just like Matthew writes: What does it mean? What is the Kingdom for having approached, he, God, who takes the initiative, so now it's up to us to finally realizing it, to turn away (to convert, in fact). God never starts with some moral reprimand, with some good-natured lecture, with some gilt and mellifluous speech, intended to arouse in us repentance and change of behavior. No, sir: He acts, he first offered, it gives, it risks everything. He tells us: "I am close, can not you see? What are you doing?" Where "notice" means giving up all let go of many businesses, many useless things that we rush to recover the key, like Peter, as Andrew, who became - finally - fishers of men, aware of their role, their mission.
"Repent!" It is a curt order, immediately, Jesus invites us, here and now, to challenge them, to change thinking, to throw out the false hope and look for the Hope that does not deceive. This should not be afraid to face trials, defeats, disappointments, because the moment we collapse on our aspirations, in which our human plans are shattered, it is precisely at that moment that God is in us the ideal soil. Falling human security, it's time for the safety of God, because God is waiting for us right there on the road to challenge ourselves, my brethren, is not the end of the good arguments, cars incense ("how good I am , how smart, how clever! ") that we meet God, but when we live our humility to be nothing, attentive, open and available, the meeting with Him, who alone is Lord of our lives. Whatever you think!
Unfortunately, today more than ever, not all come to understand the true extent of this 'repent' means a fact that is rather obvious and very clear for those who have already experienced. That's right, brothers, because if we accept the invitation of Jesus, if we trust him blindly, if you really "change course", then we will discover a truly wonderful life, a life completely different, rich, intense, deep (the United, in fact). And we say: "But where we lived so far? How did we live so miserably so far? Yet God was so close." We will understand then that this "repent" has nothing to do with commitments moralistic facade, nothing to do with ascetic devotions and prayers to freewheel. "repent" simply means "we have to change radically Accorgiamoci life!" "Let us take seriously that God in his goodness, it takes close to him" that look?, Who is convinced of this, it will never be the same. For this reason the monks, embracing the monastic life they changed their name: because after meeting Christ, could not be more than before!
Obviously this requires our initial commitment: each must make a personal choice, a choice that is his alone. no one else.
But it also happens to us not to think about not to change, to get involved, we feel already in place. To become this uncompromising, hard, hard, aggressive, slander: to others but especially to those who, like Jesus invites us to move from our positions. Why do we fear change. Always. It is a move towards the unknown, towards the unknown and that we have not. To do so we must rely, blindly. But we still have "shifty-eyed." And we continue on our way.
If we look around we see that many go to church for many years and are always the same: on the contrary, "we are" always the same! Maybe we pretend to be good and good, but deep down, we are always the same computer! We will then ask, "What do I need to attend all groups of spirituality by Fr x y Don, the movement from Neocatechumenals charismatic or renewal of the Spirit, if then In practice I never change?. When did I grow up? "We are convinced to change, but instead rationalize, intellectualize the message of Jesus We know a lot of things, attend courses of theological study, to weeks of spirituality, we learned and regulars of the parish, we active, always interested, but ... we are just a facade. In truth we adapt, concealing, why change is difficult, painful and scary. We prefer to give us more "conditional" (which is maybe not). We do "something" but never "too" not to get involved at all. Let us show that we try, and if not we succeed, well, it's our fault, we've at least tried! In a word we're telling us! We take refuge in the excuse of work, the commitments of home, office, children etc.. to create for ourselves an excuse, all serve to justify, to shirk from the task of fundamental interests of our inner life, about us, our spirit, our soul, to become what we become.
"Repent." Other than being - as often we are - mere consumers of worship we must be living people who have heard the call, not people motivated by religious habits, but live announcers, excited about the Kingdom of God, about Jesus Christ. In a word, we must "Converted" into "beliefs".
"repent" because - in greek metanoeite from metanoia - implies a change of thought "( noeo ) so it's not so much to change the attitudes outside: to smile more or be more good or helpful, to pray more or try harder to be good Christians. This is certainly okay, but not essential! You have to change inside, soul and way of thinking, feeling and living. Be convinced!
should not be "more", but "different." Otherwise, brothers, there is no change: it is not to give a new painting to a wall old, but to completely change the wall, from the foundations. The Christian apostolate is not a vain race who does more: the Church to have fuller, more beautiful the ceremony, the choir sang more, but it is primarily a life "new: the life of charity, ' open and in listening to everyone and the life of God in us, our families, our communities. If our pastoral life, our works do not come from charity, are efforts to empty, are useless: they are sterile gestures that will never bring the fruits because they are godless Only on this basis we can be part of the "called". Yes, because there is another particularly interesting: Jesus, I ask everyone to "convert" but only a few requests to "follow". Why? Simple: because only those who came really from the perspective of "change" Jesus considers it appropriate to call and then to "follow" among his closest associates.
Well, this is the Kingdom of God, brothers! This is to follow God, this is to follow Jesus
And I conclude: we, who - I think - we think of "called," we are ready to follow Jesus? to be his authentic employees, convinced and committed subjects of his kingdom? We follow him with all our enthusiasm? We have full awareness of this responsibility? Think seriously about what Paul tells us in the second reading, referring to the Christian community in Corinth: "a Church divided not announce Christ, but is a denial of Christ"? Our first response to the "call" should therefore be a "yes", unconditional and generous, whatever the cost, and we must live up to these people "new" one people "change" who lives the love, mercy and forgiveness. I repeat: all our other experiences - both this movement, parish, spirituality, community - is simply a "tool", half, and absolutely does not exhaust the Kingdom. The Kingdom is well! Very well.
Thank God then, brethren, at least part of it, in our small! We live most of all love, because Christ wants this from us: "I give you a new commandment: love one another just as I have loved you, so you must love each other already. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. " Amen.
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