2nd Sunday of Lent
February 25th 2018
Gospel: Mark 8,27-35
Homily of the Pontiff Samuel
On this second Sunday of Lent, we meditate the passage from Mark’s Gospel that brings us to partake in the first announcement of the Passion of Jesus. The Master is well aware of the end that awaits Him. But He is not disheartened. Not at all. He prepares His friends, He instructs and strengthens them, because the mission they have to lead is great: to proclaim the Gospel to every creature (Mk 16:15-16), so that each of them may become “son” (Jn 1,12).
In the Gospel we’ve read today, it is also written that, in order to follow Jesus, we must renounce ourselves (Mk 8:34) and leave our old life, so to live a new life renewed in the Spirit of Christ that leads us to be reborn from Above (Jn 3:3). Renouncing ourselves means to love Jesus more than our own habits, more than our own human convictions, more than our own families, more than our own affections, more than our own friendships, all to remain faithful to Jesus and to the teachings of the Gospel.
This means taking up one’s own cross following the Master. This means to co‑participate in the Plan of Love and Redemption wanted by the Father. This is to join and to co‑participate in the Sacrifice of Christ, who has donated His life for the Father’s Love, so that many, believing in Him, could be grafted into the Tree of Life (Rev 22:14) and live eternal Life. This means to live His Mass, that is alive, continuous and palpitating, as Jesus has revealed to His Maiden, Maria Giuseppina Norcia, the humble Handmaid called by God in this Land of Love to announce to the whole world, that the inexhaustible Source of the infinite Mercy of the Father is here, in the “Little Cradle of Baby Jesus”.
God’s Maiden has incarnated the teachings of the Gospel: to follow Jesus and the mission entrusted to Her, She has renounced Herself, loving Jesus more than Her affections, more than Her family; She has taken up Her cross and by giving Herself completely to the Father, She has fulfilled everything. Thanks to Her sacrifice, this Church is born. Thanks to Her sacrifice, many children have returned to the true Faith, many children have been reborn to true Life, captivated and guided by Her living Love, by Her living faith, by Her maternal attentiveness, by Her perseverance and by Her live, live, live prayer.
This is the Truth of this Land of Love, that we want to make known to all those who are no longer able to discern the Truth, to all those who would want to show a distorted truth, a truth of convenience, to make this Church appear for what She is not, wanting to strike dread and fear in the hearts of people and of the faithful, to keep them away from this Church, threatening them to be excommunicated, and hence to not live in communion with God any longer.
But I tell you: it’s the Father who decides who is in communion with His Heart and who is not (1Cor 1:9; 1Jn 1:6). It’s the Father who, examining the hearts of men, communicates and excommunicates, breaks and renews His Covenant. Do not fear the judgment of men who are no longer in communion with the Father’s Heart. Draw close to His Home, to His Land of Love, without fear. Come and see (Jn 1:46b). And in the full freedom, judge by yourselves the fruits of this Tree (Mt 7:16-20).
The world of goodwill will understand which House is in communion with the Father’s Heart, in which Church the Spirit of the Father dwells and in which house the Spirit of God no longer is. The Church of Christ is the one animated by the Holy Spirit, timeless and eternal, over which the netherworld will never prevail (Mt 16:18). But a church that is deprived of the Father’s Spirit is no longer the Church of Christ but is a church made up only of men. And the netherworld can prevail over that church deprived of the Father’s Spirit (see Mt 16:23).
We must fully and thoroughly meditate on the Truth of the Gospel. And everything will be understood in spiritual terms. In the passage of the Gospel of today, we also meditate on the figure of Peter and on his proclamation of faith in Christ Jesus (Mk 8:29). The figure of “Peter” must be deeply examined and understood. That “Peter” called by Jesus to lead the Church over which the netherworld will not prevail (see Mt 16:18), the Church of Christ, is the spiritual “Peter”, the “Peter” animated by the Holy Spirit, the “Peter” who has recognized Christ, as reported in the Gospels.
This “Peter”, the “Peter” faithful to Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit, is opposed to another “Peter”, that is human and not spiritual, who is not animated by the Holy Spirit, who thinks not as God thinks but as human beings do. And to that “Peter”, Jesus says: «Vade retro, satana! (Get behind me, satan!)» (Mk 8:33).
So first Jesus calls Peter “blessed” (Mt 16:17), because he’s filled with the Spirit of the Father. And on this “Peter”, Jesus founds His Church. But later Jesus calls Peter “satan”. In the announcement of the time of passion, which spiritually leads us to the last passion of Jesus and of His sons, the passion of the last times, “Peter” is opposed to Jesus. This “Peter” is no longer the Peter whom Jesus calls “blessed”, on whom Jesus founds His Church, but is a “Peter” whom Jesus calls “satan”, because he is animated by a not‑holy spirit, that leads him to reproach Jesus and to think according to men and to not accept, and consequently to betray the Project of Salvation wanted by the Father.
These words of Jesus lead us to reflect on the figure of “Peter” in different moments. What is certain is that even the one called “Peter’s successor” is free to welcome in his heart the good or the evil, just as he is free to follow the Spirit of Good or the spirit of evil. The Father has given everyone, no one excluded, the freedom to choose. Certainly, according to the choices that men make, the Father then modulates and re‑modulates His action, in one way or another. History teaches us that when men have remained faithful to the Father, the Father has confirmed His Covenant. When men have been unfaithful and betrayed the Spirit of the Father, the Father has renewed His Covenant (Lk 22:20; Heb 8:13).
The leaders of the Church of Rome, in freedom, have chosen as their pontiff the one who is proposing to the world teachings not in line with those of Jesus. This should not have happened. But in that reality, they have not wanted to accept the invitations, betimes made by the Mother of God, of abandoning what is bad, as revealed in many places, also recognized by Rome, such as La Salette, Fatima and Akita, in Japan. Many saints have strongly denounced the unstoppable evil that had inexorably affected the limbs of that body. But instead of trying desperately to save that body, amputating its corrupted limbs (Mt 18:8-9), those responsible for that body, in freedom, have decided not to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit.
On the basis of this, one can understand and welcome the intervention of the Father in history, who has withdrawn His Holy Spirit from that Courtyard of His Church, the Courtyard of Rome, to renew and restore His Covenant in another Courtyard of His Church, which Jesus has preserved for Himself, the Courtyard of the New Jerusalem, as it had been betimes revealed to Maria Giuseppina Norcia and as it is written and prophesied in the Holy Scriptures.
True Christians live to defend the family, the domestic church, instituted by the Father, which is founded on the indissolubility of the spousal union between a man and a woman, as established by Jesus (Mt 19:3-6; Mk 10:2-9). This is the true joy of the Christian love, which is very different from the amoris laetitia of the Church of Rome. True Christians live to defend the sacredness of life, from the natural conception until God wills. No man can establish the end of life, neither of the innocent, nor of the suffering, or of the terminally ill patients. True Christians live to ensure that all may believe in Jesus and receive His Baptism, in Holy Spirit and Fire. This is proselytizing (Mk 16:15-16). No one can say that proselytism is a solemn nonsense. True Christians live to ensure that everyone believes in Jesus, Son of God. No one can say that all believers are in the same way “sons” of God. Only those who believe in Jesus are “sons” (Jn 1:12). The others are “creatures”, who are to be helped to know, to love and live Jesus. This is why Jesus rebuked Peter: because he did not think according to God but according to men (Jn 1:12).
This is the Truth of the universal Christian faith. Truth is substance, Truth is essence of God’s Love, Truth is Life. The rest is only appearance. It is not a lasting truth, but a truth made of compromises, a personal truth, a relative truth, which powerful men make and change as they please, making believe all what from time to time suits them better.
This is the time of Lent, the time when we meditate on the passion of Jesus. For the true sons of God, it will not be a passion of cross and death but it will be a passion of resurrection, a true, live and holy resurrection, which will lead every son of God and every man and woman of goodwill to live in fullness this Holy Mystery of Salvation, to live in fullness the authentic Christianity, to experience the Love of the Father and His infinite Mercy, which in this Holy Place is given in abundance.
In this passion, we want to renew the bond of our heart of sons to the Heart of Mary, so to arrive to the Heart of Jesus that binds every heart to the Father’s Heart. Here it is that from this Land comes the salvation of the world: a true and holy salvation, that does not discard but that welcomes all those who are animated by goodwill, welcomes all those who, in the depths of their hearts, are just and holy, essential weapons to understand the Truth.
This Church will welcome all those who, fleeing from other realities, will come to live the Christian authenticity, in simplicity but in Truth. This Church will welcome all sinners in search of the infinite Mercy of the Father, believers and non‑believers. And to all of them it will be said: «Go and sin no more» (Jn 8:11b). This is the true Mercy of God. Not the mercy of “two measures and two yardsticks”, the one that opens the doors to anti‑Christians and that keeps them closed to Christians, especially if they are persecuted and oppressed.
Jesus, the Son of God, will save the men and women of good will. The Son of God will save those who, although not being fully aware of the Truth, are animated by the goodwill to be holy and true men and women. The Son of God will save all of them and will graft them in the Tree of Life (Rev 22:14), so that God’s people may be simple and renewed, great and truthful, holy and worthy of the Father’s infinite Mercy, that the Father wants to give to all those who approach Jesus in this Land of Love with a sincere heart. And so be it.