SPEX 4.1 Judgment and Hell

El Buscador de buscadores

¿Como puedo entrar de lleno y con gran libertad de espíritu en el trabajo de los ejercicios?

Anhelar - Desear participar activamente

Abrirse a Dios plenamente, con gran generosidad y docilidad

Abrazar - Ponerse en disposición de escucharle y de abrazar pronta y libremente su voluntad

“Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor 6:2).

“He aquí, ahora es el tiempo propicio; he aquí, ahora es el día de salvación” (2 Co 6:2).

“Seek the Lord while he may be found;

call upon him while he is near” (Isa 55:6).

“Buscad al Señor mientras puede ser hallado,

llamadle en tanto que está cerca” (Isa 55:6).

Señor, antes de que yo empecé a buscarte a ti, tú me estabas buscando a mí.

Asique tengo la seguridad que te voy a encontrar tu rostro si te busco con toda mi fuerza y todo mi corazón.

Muéstrame el amor que está en tu corazón, Jesús,

Para que me enciende el corazón con tu fuego.

Lord, long before I ever began to seek you,

You were already seeking me.

Therefore, I am sure that I will find your face

If I seek you will all my strength and my whole heart.

Show me the love of your heart, Jesus,

That my heart may burn with your fire.

Flecte quod est rígidum, fove quod est frígidum, rege quod est dévium (Veni Sancte Spiritus)

· La gracia les precede. LOTS of grace! 1 year of Masses

· St. Padre Pio – value of the Mass

· What are you going to do with that grace?

· Forget yourself. 27 men enter the Exercises tonight. 27 priests. 27 LCs.

· You are the LIFEBLOOD for your brothers. Maybe he is in desperate need.

· For his sake, seek union with God with all you soul, heart, strength.

1 He entered Jericho and was passing through.

1 Habiendo entrado Jesús en Jericó, pasaba por la ciudad.

Jericho

• the lowest city on earth (825 ft / 250 m below sea level)

• this place name calls for theological geography

• The Son of God descends from the highest place, his throne in heaven, to find Zacchaeus, but apparently he is only...

Passing through (Gk. διέρχομαι)

• Jesus is the incarnate Son of God: he came down from heaven to execute a precise mission. He doesn't meander, he doesn't lollygag (holgazanear, hacer el vago; IT – gironzolare; FR – traîner), he doesn't go anywhere by accident.

• At the beginning of the passage, however, Jesus seems a like an aimless vagabond (la, la, la-la la, la...say, there's Jericho...quaint little place, lovely people!...wish I could stay... sorry folks, I'm just passing through...), but by the end we learn that Jesus was actually “seeking” the lost.

Perhaps he's seeking to make us into seekers (cf. Jn 4).

2 And behold, (Mira! Behold! Ecce! Gk. ἰδού)

there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich.

2 Y un hombre llamado Zaqueo, que era jefe de los recaudadores de impuestos y era rico,

Behold!

· The interjection seems to highlight Jesus' surprise.

· As he's “passing through,” he thinks, “Why not take some shade under that sycamore... Well, butter my buns, and call me a biscuit! (Behold! Gk. ἰδού) Is that you, Zack? What a co-inky-dink! It's me, the Son of God! I was just...passing through!

• However casual this moment feels, however spontaneous, know this. Christ is earnestly plotting to sanctify you, but he can't do it without you, so his tactics are more like a lover trying to woo his bride, than an army trying to take down an enemy.

Chief … rich

• in the very next verse (Lk 19:3), Luke highlights his small stature, despite his high position.

By bringing these details close together in the narrative, Luke hints at a facade: there is a difference between what Zacchaeus is and what money and post make him out to be.

• His position made him an outsider for sure, but it also gave him a false sense of security. He had prospered. He was rich in the eyes of the world, but in truth he was poor and wretched (cf. Rev 3:17).

16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

16 Ahora bien, puesto que eres tibio, y no frío ni caliente, voy a vomitarte de mi boca. 17 Tú dices: «Soy rico; me he enriquecido; nada me falta». Y no te das cuenta de que eres un desgraciado, digno de compasión, pobre, ciego y desnudo.

• He needed Christ to knock on his door, eat at his table, anoint his eyes, and heal his blindness, so that he might give to the poor and lay up treasure for heaven.

19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

18 Te aconsejo que me compres oro acrisolado al fuego para que te enriquezcas, vestidos blancos para que te cubras, y no quede al descubierto la vergüenza de tu desnudez, y un colirio para que te lo pongas en los ojos y recobres la vista. 19 Yo a los que amo, los reprendo y corrijo. Sé, pues, ferviente y arrepiéntete. 20 Mira que estoy a la puerta y llamo; si alguno oye mi voz y me abre la puerta, entraré en su casa y cenaré con él y él conmigo.

3 And he was seeking

trataba [ζητέω]

to see who Jesus was,

de ver quién era Jesús;

but on account of the crowd he could not,

pero no podía a causa de la multitud,

because he was small in stature.

ya que él era de pequeña estatura.

seeking

• Delicious irony! Zacchaeus seems to be seeker, the one taking the initiative.

• In truth, he is being sought. Meet Jesus (v.10), the Seeker of seekers (get it?). Definitely a sneaky Seeker.

• Why the game? He wants us to want him. He's thirsty for our thirst (cf. Jn 4).

to see

• to see the face of God is man's deepest desire

• This is the generation that seeks the face of God, cf. Ps 24:6.

• Greeks to Philip, “Kyrios, we wish to see Jesus” (Jn 12:20).

• Philip to Jesus, “Kyrios, show us the Father” (Jn 14:8). To which Jesus responds, “Whoever has seen me, has seen the Father.”

• Jesus is the “image of the invisible God” (Col 1:15), and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (Jn 1:14).

The crowd

• keeps him from seeing Jesus, but like the woman with a hemorrhage (see Mt 9:29), he will find a way.

• In prayer we need the same determination to encounter Jesús.

small

• in more ways than one

• although an Israelite, when it comes to learning to walk in the ways of the Lord, he is still a wee little man.

• maybe he was a kind of Napolean figure, big ego in a small package. Loves to use his position to lord it over others. Makes him fill big and strong!

4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way.

Ran...climbed

• That's a lot of effort! Seeking was more than just a state of mind. Generosity is required in our spiritual exercise as well, if we are to encounter Christ.

· Ran ahead (προδραμὼν)...

· this action shows foresight, strategy, and initiative. He assessed that the obstacle would behave in a certain way based on how it was behaving presently. He devised a plan to intercept the advancing crowd: he ran ahead. He acted on this plan!

· What am I assessing, planning, and doing to overcome obstacles in my spiritual life so as to discover Jesus more?

· If your meditation is very mediocre, have you really asked yourself why? Could you "run ahead" by reading the the Gospel the day before, preparing your points with pen and paper, carving out time to plan a meditation program? Could you "climb up" by improving upon lazy postures in prayer, leaving aside the computer at night, ?

Sycamore fig

The occasion for Zacchaeus to see Jesus.

· What sycamore do you see today? What could you do to seek him? Eucharistic life? Scripture? Clean my room? Spiritual Reading? Sacrifice? Spiritual Direction?

5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.”

Looked

· Is this the look that touches the heart and transforms Zacchaeus?

Zacchaeus

· Wait! Jesus knows his name?

· I thought they were strangers...

Come down

• Jesus doesn't join him in the tree. Zacchaeus must follow Jesus' lead.

• You need to be proactive, but never forget that grace precedes you.

• Jesus meets us where we're at, but he loves us to much to let us stay there.

• Metaphorically too, Zacchaeus must come down from his exalted view of self. Humility is the precursor to conversion.

• What tree must I come down from? Where is vanity and pride keeping me from a deeper union with the Gospel?

I must stay

• Jesus gives himself away at last.

• There is a divine plane behind this seemingly chance encounter after all.

Hurry...today

• There is a sense of urgency about this call. Jesus is inviting, but not loitering. Beware the grace of God that comes, never to return!

• σπεύσας “hurry,” may, for Luke, reflect the eschatological urgency attached to the presence of Jesus (note the use of “today” here and in v 9; and cf. at 9:57–62; 12:54–59).

6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.

Hurried...came down

• In this Zacchaeus obeys: his actions reflect Jesus' instructions perfectly.

Joyfully

• But in this he truly loves!

• We love because he loved us first (1Jn 4:19).

• In lowering himself, he is not debased. This is the paradox of accepting Christ's sovereignty. The kingdom is .... righteousness, peace, and joy in the HS (Rom 14:17).

7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”

Grumbled...sinner

• Always the problem: Lk 7:46, 15:2...

8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”

Luke also has sharp words of warning for the RICH

· Magnificat: he has filled the hungry...the rich he has sent away empty (Lk 1:53)

· "A rich man" and "a poor man named Lazarus" have reverse destinies at death (Lk 16:22). The eschatological reversal is Father Abraham's explicit message: "Now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish" (Lk 16:25).

And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.

Since...a son of Abraham

• Notice Jesus did NOT say: “since he can be generous with his money too, since he cleaned up his act, since he earned it by his virtue.” Rather, Jesus reminds us the he is a son of the covenant.

why not “since he is a son of Jacob,” or “since he is an Israelite?”

• Jacob/Israel would evoke the fragmentation of the people of God, since he had 12 sons, but ten tribes were lost.

• But God sealed a covenant with Abraham (father of a multitude) when the heirs to the promise were one. So even the lost tribes are heirs to that promise because they too are sons of Abraham. That means all those Gentilized Israelites too!

10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Seek

• Zack thought he took the initiative to seek (v. 3).

• Here, Christ says, “Gotcha!”

Seek and Save

• That pretty much sums up Christ's entire existence (and the Third Gospel).

El Buen Pastor

1 Salmo. De David.

Yahvé es mi pastor, nada me falta.

2 En verdes pastos me hace reposar.

Me conduce a fuentes tranquilas,

3 allí reparo mis fuerzas.

Me guía por cañadas seguras

haciendo honor a su nombre.

4 Aunque fuera por valle tenebroso,

ningún mal temería,

pues tú vienes conmigo;

tu vara y tu cayado me sosiegan.

5 Preparas ante mí una mesa,

a la vista de mis enemigos;

perfumas mi cabeza,

mi copa rebosa.

6 Bondad y amor me acompañarán

todos los días de mi vida,

y habitaré en la casa de Yahvé

un sinfín de días.

The King of Love My Shepherd Is (p. 370)

The King of love my shepherd is, Whose goodness fails me never; I nothing lack if I am his And he is mine forever.

Where streams of living water flow, My ransomed soul he’s leading And where the verdant pastures grow, With food celestial feeding.

Confused and foolish oft I strayed, But yet in love he sought me And on his shoulder gently laid And home, rejoicing, brought me.

In death’s dark vale I fear no ill With you, dear Lord, beside me, Your rod and staff my comfort still, Your cross before to guide me.

You spread a table in my sight; Your saving grace bestowing; And, oh, what transport of delight From your pure chalice flowing!

And so through all the length of days Your goodness fails me never. Good Shepherd, may I sing your praise Within your house forever.

Before I bring my need I will bring my heart Before I lift my cares I will lift my arms I wanna know You I wanna find You In every season In every moment Before I bring my need I will bring my heart And seek You

First I wanna seek You I wanna seek You First I wanna keep You I wanna keep You First More than anything I want, I want You First

Before I speak a word Let me hear Your voice And in the midst of pain Let me feel Your joy Ooh, I wanna know You I wanna find You In every season In every moment Before I speak a word I will bring my heart And seek You

First I wanna seek You I wanna seek You First I wanna keep You I wanna keep You First More than anything I want, I want You First

You are my treasure and my reward Let nothing ever come before You are my treasure and my reward Let nothing ever come before I seek You

First

First I wanna seek You I wanna seek You First I wanna keep You I wanna keep You First More than anything I want, I want You First First

Antes de traer mi necesidad

Traeré mi corazón

Antes de levantar mis preocupaciones

Levantaré mis brazos

Quiero conocerte

Quiero encontrarte

En cada temporada

En cada momento

Antes de traer mi necesidad

Traeré mi corazón

Y te buscaré

primero

Quiero buscarte

primero

Quiero tenerte

primero

Más que nada quiero, te quiero a ti

primero

Antes de hablar una palabra

Dejame escuchar tu voz

Y en medio del dolor

Déjame sentir tu alegría

Ooh, quiero conocerte

Quiero encontrarte

En cada temporada

En cada momento

Antes de hablar una palabra

Traeré mi corazón

Y buscarte

primero

Quiero buscarte

primero

Quiero tenerte

primero

Más que nada quiero, te quiero a ti

primero

Eres mi tesoro y mi recompensa

Que nada venga antes

Eres mi tesoro y mi recompensa

Que nada venga antes

Te busco

primero

Quiero buscarte

primero

Quiero tenerte

primero

Más que nada quiero, te quiero a ti

primero

Notes 2019

· Beholding … we are being transfigured (2 Cor 3:18)

· Christosis … Theosis!

· You are what you contemplaterse encontrar por Cristo