May 2 Fri
Why did Jesus say that He would attract everyone?
From the Cross, Jesus Christ attracts the gaze of all; he is the center of the faith and the meaning of life.
God has laid his hands on the bread, on pain, and on the apostles: with their participation in the Priesthood of Jesus Christ, they will be able to spread the Good News throughout the world.
"And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to me." Hostile glances then, loving glances from his Mother Mary and some women, and glances from a few men prove the fulfillment of his words. From then on, men and women will understand the meaning of pain, of Redemption, of God's Love. And the hearts of the disciples united to the Cross will bring everything back to God.
Man cannot live without love. Man remains for himself an incomprehensible being, his life is devoid of meaning if love is not revealed to him, if he does not encounter love, if he does not experience it and make it his own, if he does not participate in it vividly. For this reason, Christ the Redeemer (...) fully reveals man to man himself. This profound surprise regarding the value and dignity of man is called the Gospel, that is, the Good News. It is also called Christianity." John Paul II.
The origin of evil is in man; evil does not originate in God but in the freedom of men, created in the image of God, hence they can choose to do good or to do evil, in rebellion against Him, as happened at the beginning of human history.
Yahweh is unique and good; He has definitely bet on man. We are not the playthings of mythical and capricious gods engaged in their wars, who come and go, causing tragedies among humans as if they were puppets, as developed especially in Greek and Roman mythology.
We know that God did not ignore the good creation or the sin of mankind, but that He promised, with mercy, a radical liberation while respecting the freedom of mankind. This explanation, which may not convince many, it is quite coherent and explanatory of history with its lights and shadows. That is why millions of men and women believe in Jesus Christ as Savior of the world.
The living and true God judges each one according to his works. God is not an anonymous force, nor a rational principle, nor a myth invented by men. He acts in history, is provident, and always seeks the good of men.
God intervenes in history: Christian faith in Jesus Christ is implicit in the psalms, they are the prologue of the imposing history of hope that God offers to the freedom of all men.
In the heart of every person nestles hope as a desire and expectation of goodness, even if no one knows what tomorrow will bring. However, the unpredictability of the future often gives rise to conflicting feelings: from confidence to fear, from serenity to discouragement, from certainty to doubt. We often meet people who are discouraged, who look to the future with skepticism and pessimism, as if nothing could offer them happiness. May the Jubilee be for everyone an occasion to rekindle our hope. The Word of God helps us to find the reasons for it.
There is hope with Mary. Let us allow ourselves to be guided by her toward Christ.
Excerpts from Jesús Ortiz López