When Bishop Luigi Negri believed that the whores along the Via Aurelia were paying homage to him
/in Briefs of the Fathers/by father arielWHEN BISHOP LUIGI NEGRI BELIEVED THAT THE WHORES ALONG THE VIA AURELIA WERE HONORING HIM
He had launched the more or less joking joke about "obsequious sluts", precisely because he was very touched by those young and beautiful girls reduced to beating on the street. Then he told me: «Let's recommend them to the Madonna». And it began: «Ave Maria, full of grace, The Lord is with you …». And his eyes were shining.
— The Briefs of the Fathers of The Island of Patmos —
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Luigi Negri (Milan, 26 November 1941 – †Milano, 31 December 2021) Bishop of San Marino-Montefeltro (2005-2012), Archbishop of Ferrara-Comacchio (2013-2017), he would have accomplished today 83 year old.
Complex personality, man of great faith and solid doctrine, endowed with acumen and at the same time burdened by forms of naivety that led him to make gross errors. Most faithful servant of the Church and the Papacy, generally as delicate as number sandpaper 10, especially when he opened his mouth in more or less private contexts with hilarious phrasebooks from the Trastevere carter of the late nineteenth century, which personally made me laugh out loud, I am so allergic to the falsity of certain apparently so delicate clerical mouths. All of this, But, it was mostly stage, because few had understood what it really was like: with these poses of his, Luigi Negri hid his fundamentally shy character and a sensitive, even tender soul.
It was the month of May 2009 when he came to visit me in the international priestly house where I resided on the Via Aurelia, as I was preparing to complete my training. He left his driver free for a couple of hours, who waited for him in front of the Paul VI Hall, where the plenary assembly of the CEI took place, where I took him back in my car.
Along the Via Aurelia the cute one, mostly young Romanian men already impaled in broad daylight, as we drove by they smiled and waved with hand gestures. After one, due, three … Luigi Negri blurts out amused: “But these bitches are always so obsequious towards bishops?». I replied: «Don't be under any illusions, it's not her they greet, with». And I explained to him that I often made that journey on foot for a few kilometers and I always stopped to say hello to those poor girls, I also gave them all a rosary.
He had launched the more or less joking joke about "obsequious sluts", precisely because he was very touched by those young and beautiful girls reduced to beating on the street already in broad daylight. Then he said: «Let's recommend them to the Madonna». And it began: «Ave Maria, full of grace, The Lord is with you …». And his eyes were shining.
This too was Luigi Negri, rather, especially this one. With all due respect to the delicate sweethearts with the flowery little clerical mouths who would never say "fuck!», as he said more or less thirty times a day, who however was moved by young sluts and prayed to the Virgin Mary for them.
the Island of Patmos, 26 November 2024
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Ok Houston, down here in the visible Church we have had big problems in religious life
/in Actuality/by Father IvanoOK, HOUSTON, QUAGGIÙ NELLA CHIESA VISIBILE ABBIAMO AVUTO DEI GROSSI PROBLEMI NELLA VITA RELIGIOSA Alcuni personaggi che nella vita da laici non avrebbero potuto adire a posti di responsabilità poiché deficitari sotto diversi punti di vista, approfittando della debolezza degli Ordini Religiosi riescono a realizzarsi in essi e acquisire prestigio e credito, mantenendo sotto traccia quelle difficoltà personali che prima o poi ritornano in superficie. Quelli un po’ più dotati, riescono a conseguire qualche titolo accademico in centri di studi ecclesiastici, ormai fin troppo facili da acquisire, vantando competenze e ascendenze sulle persone, quando spesso non servono ad altro che ad ammantare le carenze personali. È la desolazione del nulla compensata con carte accademiche che oggi non valgono niente. —...
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I can't read. Functional illiteracy and the new rite of the funeral of the Roman Pontiff
/in Briefs of the Fathers/by Father TheodoreI CAN'T READ. L’ANALFABETISMO FUNZIONALE E IL NUOVO RITO DELLE ESEQUIE DEL ROMANO PONTEFICE
Nella dose di veleno quotidiano del 20 November 2024, that sublime canonist who can never remain silent, spiega che «Anche dal Rito delle Esequie sparisce il Sostituto per gli Affari Generali della Segreteria di Stato…». E non potendo mancare la sua pregiata dose di veleno prosegue precisando: «…Se le persone sono marce, Francesco non elimina solo le persone ma direttamente i ruoli».
– The briefs of the Fathers of the Isle of Patmos –
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Oggi sono molto diffusi l’functional illiteracy e quello digital, disturbi dai quali non sono immuni neppure coloro che un giorno sì e uno no presumono di dar lezioni di diritto canonico all’intera Catholic world e a noi canonisti professionisti.
Nella dose di veleno quotidiano the 20 November 2024, that sublime canonist who can never remain silent, spiega che «Anche dal Rito delle Esequie sparisce il Sostituto per gli Affari Generali della Segreteria di Stato…». E non potendo mancare la sua pregiata dose di veleno prosegue precisando: «…Se le persone sono marce, Francesco non elimina solo le persone ma direttamente i ruoli».
Del Sostituto, in reality, we talk about it and how, anche nei momenti più importanti: alla chiusura della bara (cf.. n. 66) e nel luogo della sepoltura (cf.. n. 110).
Needless to say: quando il Signor Tacer Non Posso è messo con le spalle al muro e non può rispondere nel merito ― come quando in un nostro editoriale dell’ottobre 2023 gli contestammo la pretesa che la Chiesa chiedesse scusa a quel miserevole personaggio del defunto Abate di Montecassino (cf.. nostro redazionale WHO) ―, reagisce mandando letterine a interi presbitèri, sperando di essere preso persino sul serio. Oppure paventando nei suoi video, tra risolini e mossettine simpatiche (cf.. minute 6:18 WHO), persino la potenziale invalidità delle ordinazione sacerdotali altrui, invocando a tal guisa l’intervento dei dicasteri competenti della Santa Sede, che sicuramente sono lì, pronti a esaudire le richieste sue e dei cecchini anonimi della sua sedicente redazione che sparano alle spalle nell’ombra senza metterci il loro nome e la loro faccia (cf.. minute 2:07 WHO).
I comici migliori sono da sempre quelli che non sanno di esserlo e che nei loro deliri si prendono sempre terribilmente sul serio.
Velletri of Rome, 25 November 2024
Post Scriptum del 26.11.2024
E si faccia altresì presente al maestrino in cattedra, castigatore di tutto e di tutti, che né il Romano Pontefice né il Vescovo è mai stato sepolto con la ferula, detta bastone pastorale. Limit it, the pastoral staff, lo espongono, che è altra cosa dall’essere seppelliti con il bastone pastorale … Signor Maestro!
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The cross of Christ the King bearing the sign of triumph on his shoulders
/in Homiletics/by hermit monkTHE CROSS OF CHRIST THE KING WHO BEARS THE SIGN OF TRIUMPH ON HIS SHOULDERS
Christ carried the cross for himself, and for the wicked it was a great ridicule but for the faithful a great mystery. Christ carries the cross as a king carries his scepter, as a sign of his glory, of his universal sovereignty over all. He carries it as a victorious warrior carries the trophy of his victory
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If last Sunday the announcement of the second coming of Christ "in the clouds with great power and glory" was proclaimed (MC 13, 26), today, on the last Sunday of this Liturgical Year, we reopen the Gospel according to John at the point where a peculiar quality of the coming Lord is revealed, his royalty. The singular context, the passion of the Lord, and the interlocutor, an imperial official, make the understanding of the kingship that Jesus embodies particularly intriguing.
What the world represented by Pilate he cannot understand, However, those who open themselves with faith to an unusual and surprising revelation understand it. Let's read the passage.
"During that time, Pilate said to Jesus: “You are the king of the Jews?”. Jesus replied: “You say this for yourself, or have others told you about me?”. Pilate said: “Maybe I am a Jew? Your people and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?”. Jesus answered: “My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have fought to keep me from being handed over to the Jews; but my kingdom is not from here ". Then Pilate said to him: “So you are king?”. Jesus answered: “You say it: I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world: to bear witness to the truth. Whoever it belongs to the truth, listen to my voice" (GV 18,33-37).
It is described here is the first of the two confrontations that Pilate had with Jesus inside the Praetorium. They will culminate in that central scene of the entire narrative of the passion according to St. John, occurred on Litòstroto, where Pilate spoke the words: «Behold your King» (GV 19,14). To highlight the importance of the scene and the depth of meaning of the words spoken, John will note that at that same time the Passover lambs were being prepared, on the day of Preparation.
In this Sunday's evangelical passage Pilate, without wasting time, he immediately gets to the point and the crucial question that interests him most: «You are the king of the Jews?». For the Roman Prefect, representative of imperial power, this question highlights a concern about the governance of its territories. On the occasion of Jewish Passover, indeed, the Prefect moved, troops following, from Caesarea to Jerusalem, precisely to prevent a riot from destabilizing order and security pax romana. Ma, as several commentators point out, the expression "King of the Jews" that Pilate uses can be understood, in our song, in at least two other ways, different from what he probably means. The Jews, with that expression, they meant the messiah king awaited since the time of David for the time of salvation, invested with both a religious and political-national mission. The term Re has here, therefore, in this context, an earthly and historical meaning, with also an allusion to a theological content. In biblical history, both are closely linked and employed for each other; so much so that the two meanings will play a decisive role in the accusation made against Jesus.
But we must take into account of the meaning that the words must have had for Jesus, particularly indicative for understanding today's celebration. In the mouth of Jesus this title reveals a new meaning, which only Saint John highlights and makes stand out. Jesus accepting the title and responding: "You say: I am king", at the same time it denies the meaning that Pilate wants to attribute to it, to insist instead on his special kingship. Jesus refuses to embody an earthly messianism, like the one already evoked in the temptations in the desert, in particular in the Lucanian version of the test: «The devil led him up and, showing him in an instant all the kingdoms of the earth, he told him: «I will give you all this power and the glory of these kingdoms, because it has been placed in my hands and I give it to whoever I want. If you bow down before me everything will be yours" (LC 4,5-7). «The whole world belongs to Satan, who is willing to give Jesus power over all the kingdoms of the earth. But Jesus, from the beginning of his public life, radically refuses to found an earthly kingdom" (cf.. Ignace de La Potterie, The passion of Jesus according to the Gospel of John, 1993). If the kingship of Christ is to be understood in another way, this should not lead us to the opposite idea, that is, to imagine a Messiah estranged from the world. The text of this Sunday's gospel must be read carefully. In greco, the words of Jesus to v. 36 I'm, verbatim: «My kingdom is not «from» this world». What a difference compared to the apocrypha. «In certain Gnostic writings inspired by the fourth gospel, for example the Acts of Pilate, the following small change is introduced in this text: «My kingdom is not «in» this world"; which evidently has a completely different meaning and leads to a separation between the world and the kingdom of God". The words of Jesus instead mean that «the kingship of Christ is not based on the powers of this world and is not in the least inspired by these. It is a sovereignty in the World, but which is realized in a different way from earthly power and draws its inspiration from another source" (cf.. Ignace de La Potterie).
Pilate was an experienced official, concrete and, as needed, violent and ruthless. According to Saint John to the words of Jesus, almost surprised, he could only ask: "So you are a king?». Jesus answered:
"You say: I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world: to bear witness to the truth. Whoever it belongs to the truth, hears my voice ".
It is here that the Lord specifies the profound meaning of his kingship and where it comes from. Its source is in the Father who sent it, to become the way of truth and life. John states in the Prologue:
«And the Word became flesh and came to live among us; and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten Son who comes from the Father, full of the grace of truth" (GV 1, 14).
San Giovanni then continues urgently:
"From his fullness we have all received: grace upon grace. Because the Law was given through Moses, the grace of truth came through Jesus Christ. It gave, no one has seen him: the only Son, who is God and is at the Father, it is he who has made him known " (GV 1, 16-18).
The truth therefore that Jesus brings to humanity as a grace, a gift and a mission from the Father, it is his revelation. Not a simple abstract and aseptic truth, but life, the word, the entire existence of the Lord Jesus, in the inexhaustible fullness of its meaning of love, of salvation and life in the Father, for every person who opens up to it and adheres to it with faith. In every man or woman who welcomes the truth of Christ He reigns in peace. And this despite the fact that the kingship of the Lord had to pass through the crucible of passion, of which this Sunday's evangelical scene is the precursor. But for San Giovanni, and only for him, precisely the passion will be the manifestation of the kingship of Jesus: Christ reigns from the Cross.
Giovanni, as he recounts the passion of Christ, it does not deny the reality or materiality of the events that were painful. However, it highlights, unlike the Synoptics, the appearance of royalty and triumph, of victory over evil and the salvific value, which is inherent in the passion and death suffered by Jesus Christ: while the narration also gives us the meaning of the events. These aspects emerge already during the trial and then at the crucifixion of Jesus. At the end of the Roman trial Pilate brings Jesus in front of the crowd and says: «Here is a man, Here's the man." (GV 19,5). At that moment Jesus is wearing the symbols of royalty and in addition to the crown of thorns he still has his cloak. While the Synoptic Gospels say that the purple was taken from him causing him pain, in the Fourth Gospel we even have the impression that Jesus goes towards the cross still wearing both the purple and the crown. And there is a striking parallel, also literary, between the scene that took place in the praetorium, in the place called Gabbatà (GV 19, 13-16), and what happens at the foot of the cross, on Golgotha (GV 19, 17-22). In both cases John places the emphasis on the theme of kingship and in both cases it is Pilate, that is, the holder of the highest civil power, who honors Jesus. «Here is your king» he says to the crowd gathered in front of the praetorium (GV 19,14); then over the cross he has it written: «The king of the Jews» (GV 19,19). This is it, in front of the world, a proclamation of the kingship of Christ made in three languages: in Hebrew, the language of Israel, in Greek, the language of culture; and in Latin, the language of civil power. The episode, Once again, it is told only by Saint John. And it is no coincidence that in the Christian tradition the Way of the cross, mainly inspired by Giovani's story, it will become a triumphal path. Likewise quite a few painted crosses, like the famous Crucifix of San Damiano in Assisi which spoke to Saint Francis, they depict Jesus according to the typology of Christ triumphant. John writes that Jesus leaves the city: «And bearing the cross to himself». It is usually translated: «Carrying the cross himself». Actually the correct translation is: «Carrying the cross for himself», that is, bringing it as an instrument of his victory. Saint Thomas Aquinas confirms this translation and says: «Christ carried the cross for himself, and for the wicked it was a great ridicule but for the faithful a great mystery. Christ carries the cross as a king carries his scepter, as a sign of his glory, of his universal sovereignty over all. He carries it as a victorious warrior carries the trophy of his victory.". And in the first centuries Saint John Chrysostom had already used a similar expression: «He carried the sign of triumph on his shoulders».
From the Hermitage, 24 November 2024
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The episcopal nomination of Renato Tarantelli Baccari. When those suffering from liver cancer charge into the attack, those who cannot remain silent
/in Briefs of the Fathers/by HypatiaTHE EPISCOPAL APPOINTMENT OF RENATO TARANTELLI BACCARI. WHEN YOU ARE AFFECTED BY LIVER CANCER, THEY CHARGE ON THE ATTACK THOSE WHO CANNOT BE SILENT
Those who cannot remain silent thunder that this person has a "demonic adult vocation", calling him in several posts a "failed lawyer" who received the sacred order 42 year old, and today, just 48 year old, elapsed from priestly ordination i 5 years foreseen by the fee, he was called to the episcopal order.
– Hypatia's cogitatory –
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Punctual like acute bacterial prostatitis here comes the little lesson on law from the most eminent canonist in Italy seasoned with cyanide sauce, it is the one who cannot remain silent, together with the anonymous people of its phantom "editorial staff", which are not signed because they are too important people within the Holy See, assures and justifies the Lord «We in the Vatican… here in the Vatican…». This is why they launch from 2022 attacks from behind without putting your name and face on it, because they are too important to sign, obvious! And so, today they incinerate the meek Cardinal Mauro Gambetti with napalm, then they play pigeon shooting, shooting Kalashnikov every other day at the Prefect of Communications Paolo Ruffini, on the Director of Vatican Media Andrea Tornielli, on the Director of the Holy See Press Office Matteo Bruni accusing them of being "ignorant", «incompetent», «illiterate», «idiots» … but above all to steal the salaries that «we pay… we pay!», thunders Mr. Tacer I can't, almost as if he were the paying employer of this gang of clumsy and lazy employees.
The fact: the Roman presbyter Renato Tarantelli Baccari was appointed auxiliary bishop and vicegerent of the Diocese of Rome. I don't know this newly elected member, on which I could not express any opinion, I limit myself to wishing him all the best and copious thanks from the Lord for the high office to which he has been called.
He who remains silent cannot However, he thunders that he has a "demonic adult vocation", calling him in several posts a "failed lawyer" who received the sacred order 42 year old, and today, just 48 year old, elapsed from priestly ordination i 5 years foreseen by the canon he was called to the episcopal order.
The truth is that Mr.'s anonymous snipers. I can't be silent, inexorably tied to the frustrating pole of a faded ecclesiastical career and therefore enraged and poisoned to the maximum power, they were urgently transported to the Regina Elena National Cancer Center in Rome and are currently under careful observation for suspected liver cancer with widespread metastases.
On behalf of myself and the Pious Confraternity of Gatti Romani Cattolici, I extend my best wishes to the new auxiliary vicegerent bishop of the Diocese of Rome, invoking upon him the maternal protection of Our Lady Gattara, our protector.
the Island of Patmos, 22 November 2024
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Cardinal Carlo Caffarra and his teaching on the vital pluralism of thought within the Church
/3 Comments/in Briefs of the Fathers/by father arielCARDINAL CARLO CAFFARRA AND HIS TEACHING ON THE VITAL PLURALISM OF THOUGHT WITHIN THE CHURCH
May these words lead to reflection certain emulators with the wooden cross hanging from their necks, the poor at heart, the sacred migrant on the mouth and the wooden crosier in the hand, terrified at the idea of not conforming to that system that the Archbishop Emeritus of Pisa Alessandro Plotti defined bluntly as the conformism of mediocre and pandering bishops.
— The Briefs of the Fathers of The Island of Patmos —
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I was very close to the Cardinal Carlo Caffara in the last years of his life and I knew his discomfort when some tried to pit him against the Supreme Pontiff Francis, this touched him so much that he made a statement:
«I would have been more pleased if it were said that the Archbishop of Bologna has a lover rather than if it were said that he has a view contrary to that of the Pope. If a bishop has a thought contrary to that of the Pope, he must leave, but just you have to go by the diocese. Because lead the faithful on a road that is not what Jesus Christ. So lose himself forever and would risk eternal loss of the faithful " (see video WHO).
Today someone tries to argue that statement he did it in October of 2014 and who changed his opinion in the following years, after the results of the Synod on the family (!?). I can testify that the whole thing is false and that in May 2017, four months before his death, in one of our long conversations he returned to the topic by telling me:
«In the Church, the different voices, they have always been extremely valuable. In fact, it would be fearful if the bishops all had the exact same thoughts. In the Church it is necessary for Bruno Forte and Carlo Caffarra to live together and express themselves. A Church formed solely by Bruno Forte or formed solely by Carlo Caffarra would be a dangerously unbalanced Church, if not worse dead to any form of theological speculation".
May these words lead certain emulators to reflection with the wooden cross hanging from his neck, the poor at heart, the sacred migrant on the mouth and the wooden crosier in the hand, terrified at the idea of not conforming to that system that the Archbishop Emeritus of Pisa Alessandro Plotti he defined bluntly as the conformism of mediocre and pandering bishops (the full text of the interview in the monthly magazine Jesus of February 2014 "Enough ruffians, now we need courage", is reported WHO).
the Island of Patmos, 17 November 2024
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Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away
/in Homiletics/by hermit monkHEAVEN AND EARTH WILL PASS AWAY, BUT MY WORDS WILL NOT PASS
In this condition the believer can therefore spiritually assume the dimension of the coming of the Lord in the space of waiting. It will not be distressing or a harbinger of anxiety, quite full of confidence, since it rests on the assurance of the Lord: "I'll come soon"
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A certain event, but we don't know when it will happen, demands that we wait for it. This is what emerges from this Sunday's Gospel passage. Taken from Mark's eschatological discourse (Cap. 13), it announces the coming of the Lord as certain, but states that its date and time are uncertain. Let's read it:
"During that time, Jesus told his disciples: “In those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened,, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky and the powers that are in the heavens will be upset. Then shall they see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. He will send the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the ends of the sky. From the fig tree learn its lesson: When its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So do you: when you see these things, know that he is near, It is coming. Verily I say unto you: this generation will not pass away until all these things happen. Heaven and earth will pass, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day or that hour, nobody knows, neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, except the Father”» (MC 13,24-32).
He Cap. 13 of the Gospel of Mark begins with two questions from the disciples addressed to Jesus upon leaving the Temple and on the Mount of Olives:
«As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples told him: “Maestro, Look at those stones and what buildings!”. Jesus answered him: “You see these great buildings? Not one stone upon another will be left here that will not be destroyed” (vv.1.2). «While he was on the Mount of Olives, sitting in front of the temple, Pietro, Giacomo, Giovanni and Andrea questioned him aside: “Tell us: when these things will happen and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be fulfilled?”» (vv. 3.4).
Jesus does not immediately answer the question of the four disciples, but in the meantime he has the opportunity to talk about the latest things. The words of Jesus describing the arrival of these "last things", in "those days", they are a revival of prophetic texts of Isaiah, Joel and Daniel. Who heard them from the mouth of Jesus, he probably understood the meaning better than us, that after so many years away we struggle to orient ourselves. In reality, apocalyptic language is not far from our culture, indeed it is strongly permeated by it. It must be kept in mind, But, that said language is a "literary genre", therefore not a historical tale or a scientific treatise. Unfortunately, many believers interpret it exactly like this, reading present events as a realization of Jesus' words. Eschatological language has its own key and must be interpreted as such. It is a genre that arises from the confluence of the wisdom and prophetic current. Especially when the latter ends, a prophet will be expected in Israel who would put things right: «They placed the stones on the temple mount in a convenient place, until a prophet appeared to decide on them" (1Mac 4, 46). After all, we cannot think that Jesus meant that the end of the world will happen exactly as he described it. Then, we are sure that He was talking about the "end of the world", and not, instead, of a new beginning? Because he says that "this generation" will see what he announced.
The central figure of today's Gospel is that of the Son of Man. While previously the Lord had spoken of his suffering destiny, this time he agrees with what was thought about this character at the time and therefore among the disciples. The Son of Man is a powerful figure, almost a divine hypostasis as the prophet Daniel describes it (7, 13-14), whose main task seems to be that of the judge (Book of Jubilees). Jesus describes himself in this way, when he responds to the High Priest who asks him if he is the Messiah: «I am! And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven." (MC 14,62); and these words will become one of the reasons for his condemnation. But today He speaks of the Son of Man, linking him to a theme dear to Judaism, or the gathering of the missing. Surprisingly, indeed, for the evangelical traditions it will not happen only at the "end of the world", but it was already realized in a particular moment, that is, at the death of the Messiah Jesus. This is particularly clear in the Fourth Gospel when Saint John reports the words of Jesus: "And I, when I am lifted up from the ground, I will attract everyone to me " (GV 12,32). The gathering of the people brought about by the Son of Man is preceded by celestial upheavals. So if we look at the way in which the Evangelist Mark describes the death of the Messiah, we find that some signs that were announced in today's Gospel passage are fulfilled. Jesus had said that the sun would darken (MC 13,24), and here it is after the crucifixion of Jesus, « come noon, it became dark over the whole earth, until three in the afternoon" (MC 15,33). Matteo, amplifying the Marcian story, he then adds that "the earth trembled and the rocks split" (Mt 27,51), a reference to Jesus' phrase that "the stars will begin to fall from the sky" (MC 13,25). We are therefore faced not only with an announcement of the end of the world and of time. which, moreover, had already been glimpsed in the opening words of the Gospel: «The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is near; convert and believe in the Gospel" (MC 1,15). But with the coming of the Messiah and the death of the Lord Jesus the eschatological time begins, the time of the end, through which the scene of this world passes: «This I tell you, siblings: time has become short... in fact the figure of this world passes!» (1Color 7, 29-31).
In this condition the believer can therefore spiritually assume the dimension of the coming of the Lord in the space of waiting. It will not be distressing or a harbinger of anxiety, quite full of confidence, since it rests on the assurance of the Lord: "I'll come soon" (AP 22,7). The Christian expectation of the second coming of the Lord is an act of faith. It will branch out in the different directions of patience, of resistance, of perseverance and above all of hope. Says the Apostle Paul: «But if we hope for what we do not see, we await it with perseverance" (we wait patiently, cf.. RM 8,25). Patient waiting even becomes a reason for bliss according to the book of Daniel: «Blessed is he who waits patiently» (Dn 12,12).
It should be underlined that this Sunday's evangelical passage is framed between two almost identical warnings: blepete, «look», "be careful"; e agrupneite, «keep your eyes wide open and take care» (MC 13,23.33). The text is set within an exhortation to vigilance and discernment. The time of history is inhabited by tribulations of which Mark spoke in the previous verses (MC 13,19-20), tribulations that precede the central event of the eschatological announcement, which will put an end to the story by giving it an end: the coming of the Son of Man. The upheaval of celestial realities (MC 13,24-25) he says that a divine event is taking place, an event of which the creator God is the protagonist. But the sun and the moon, the stars and celestial powers were also part of the pantheon of the ancient Romans, deified entities and idols; and we know that Mark writes to Christians in Rome. Therefore not only the end of the world is announced here, but also the end of a world, the collapse of the world of pagan gods dethroned by the Son of Man. And if it is stated that the end of idolatry will be accomplished with the Kingdom of God established by the coming of the Lord, it is also insinuated that the practice of Christians in the world can represent a sign of the reign of God; thanks to your vigilance, so as not to let idols reign over him. Announcing his glorious coming, Jesus therefore asks Christians, as a prophetic gesture, conversion from idols and worldly powers. Living the wait for the Lord means living in a state of conversion. But conversion has vigilance as a necessary premise.
Here then is the very sweet image of the sprouting fig tree, in all directions, since it almost gives a foretaste of the final outcome when the ripe fruit appears. This is a parable of the Lord who teaches us how looking at celestial signs and observing terrestrial ones are not alternatives.. The future is being prepared in the present day, on the earth where we are planted and where we can see many signs of the glorious coming of the Lord. Only those who know how to observe well can also see them: «From the fig tree learn the parable: when its branch already becomes tender and puts out leaves, you know that summer is near" (MC 13,28).
From the Hermitage, 17 November 2024
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Coincidence of opposites. Between utopia and sexophobic Catholic fundamentalists
/in Catechesis/by Father SimoneCoincidence of opposites. BETWEEN UTOPIA AND SEX-PHOBIC CATHOLIC INTEGRALISTS Certain sad characters are capable of criticizing two homosexuals who, or for lack of shame, or out of stupid provocation, they kiss in the middle of the street in the sunlight leaning against the wall of a building, but they don't care at all, nor are they scandalized in the slightest except on scaffolding, on the third and fourth floors of that same building under which two scandalous homosexuals were kissing, workers work illegally, unhired and uninsured, underpaid and exploited. And let's not say that they are different things, because it is precisely the hypocrites of all times who, with their backs against the wall, attempt the last desperate defense of... but they are different things! . AuthorSimone...
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The Italian Episcopal Conference on Rai: «Do not divide what unites». And the garbage?
/in Briefs of the Fathers/by Father TheodoreTHE ITALIAN BISHOPS' CONFERENCE ON RAI: «DON'T DIVIDE WHAT UNITES». AND THE GARBAGE?
Possible not to see, o peggio sorvolare su tutta la spazzatura ideologica scaricata notte e giorno incessantemente da decenni direttamente nelle case degli italiani dalla radiotelevisione statale asservita all’individualismo scientista e involgaritasi nella rincorsa al ribasso di quella privata berlusconiana e quindi strumento efficace della definitiva scristianizzazione del Paese, unitamente alla Scuola Statale di ogni ordine e grado?
– The briefs of the Fathers of the Isle of Patmos –
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Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, Arcivescovo di Bologna e Presidente della Conferenza Episcopale Italiana, nella Santa Messa per la RAI in occasione dei 70 anni della televisione e dei 100 anni della radio ha commentato:
«L’ethos nazionale non sarebbe lo stesso, il nostro Paese e noi tutti non saremmo gli stessi senza questi 70 anni di televisione. Un’intera generazione non sarebbe uscita dall’analfabetismo senza la tv e l’Italia sarebbe stata meno unita senza questo immaginario comune che crea quel tanto che ci unisce. Guai a dividerlo o indebolirlo» (cf.. WHO).
Forse sarebbe stato bene ricordare che il Servizio Pubblico, precisely because it is so, dovrebbe aiutare “il senso del bene comune”, libero da forti condizionamenti commerciali e ideologici. A meno che non si scelga di vivere nel mondo delle fiabe, popolato di fatine alfabetizzanti in stile maestro Alberto Manzi.
Possible not to see, o peggio sorvolare su tutta la spazzatura ideologica scaricata notte e giorno incessantemente da decenni direttamente nelle case degli italiani dalla radiotelevisione statale asservita all’individualismo scientista e involgaritasi nella rincorsa al ribasso di quella privata berlusconiana e quindi strumento efficace della definitiva scristianizzazione del Paese, unitamente alla Scuola Statale di ogni ordine e grado?
Tutto questo con la connivenza e spesso con la complicità di tanti sedicenti cattolici, che non dovrebbero essere né conniventi né tanto meno celebratori di un tale stato di cose.
Velletri of Rome, 3 November 2024
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The website of this magazine and the editions take name from the Aegean island in which the Blessed Apostle John wrote the Book of the Apocalypse, isola also known as «the place of the last revelation»
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