San Francisco de Asís: reparar el templo de Dios – Card. Carlos Aguiar Retes, Arzobispo de México
Humility · main message
Community · carrying
Repentance
True salvation does not come from the mere fulfilment of the commandments, but from the humble following of Jesus Christ, which restores the spiritual temple of God in the community of believers.
It is not the commandments nor their fulfilment that will give us salvation. It is Jesus. But can one walk in the darkness? One easily falls, stumbles, hurts oneself. That is why they are lighthouses of light.
The text is a sermon for the memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi. It is based on the three liturgical readings of the day: Sirach, Paul, and Matthew. The central thesis is that Francis restored the 'temple of God' in the spiritual sense by giving himself entirely to Jesus Christ. The temple is understood not as a building, but as the community of believers in whom God dwells. The sermon emphasises that it is not the mere fulfilment of the commandments that saves, but the following of Jesus. The commandments are described as 'lighthouses' that point the way. The listeners are addressed as 'simple people' who acknowledge their fragility and gather around Jesus. The appeal is to live love in humility and to help one another as brothers.
Worldview
what this means- What, according to this text, is the root of the evil?
- Ignorance, illusion, a false view of reality
- Where does the evil reside?
- in the heart, the will, or the soul of the individual
- What helps against it?
- personal experience, testimony, encounter with God or with people; solidarity, mutual help, belonging
- What is human being according to this text?
- fallen, not able to be made whole by one's own strength
- Where is history heading?
- the message stands outside of history (inferred)
- What does the text base its claim on?
- on the founder or prophet of the tradition; on the holy scripture of its own tradition
- To whom does the text's call for devotion apply?
- to one's own fellow believers
- Where is the text's criticism directed?
- at one's own community and at oneself
Related texts from other traditions
by similarity of the analysis, one text per traditionسلسلة “قوانين روحية للحياة” (١٤).. قانون “لِيَ الْحَيَاةَ هِيَ الْمَسِيحُ” في اجتماع الأربعاء
Papst Tawadros II. lehrt fünf Schritte, um „Dass ich lebe, ist Christus“ zu leben: Christus an erster Stelle, Treue, Unerschrockenheit, Evangelium leben und Buße.
Our confidence for salvation
Eine Predigt über Philipper 3, die das Vertrauen auf Jesus als alleinigen Weg zur Erlösung betont und vor falschen Lehrern warnt, die eigene Werke als Voraussetzung fordern.
Und auf der Erde sind Zeichen für die fest Glaubenden, und in euch selber – seht ihr denn nicht?
Eine DITIB-Freitagspredigt, die den Frühling als Zeichen Gottes und Analogie zur Wiederauferstehung deutet und zum Festhalten am Koran als Frühling des Herzens aufruft.
Predigtreihe: Aufbruch zur Ehre Gottes | Predigtthema: Die Willkommenskultur Jesu - Gottes Gastfreundschaft erleben | Karsten Künzl
Jesus weist niemanden ab; durch seinen Tod ist der Weg zu Gott für alle offen, unabhängig von Schuld oder Status.
Klima: Wenn der Himmel den Hahn zudreht
Der Text verknüpft den aktuellen Wassermangel mit der jüdischen Tradition, in der Wasser und Regen seit der Schöpfung zentral sind und mit Gebet, Ritual und gerechtem Leben verbunden werden.
What the text calls for
- Demütig die eigene fragile Bedingung anerkennen (inward)
- Als Gemeinschaft um Jesus Christus versammeln (ritual)
- Die Liebe leben und einander als Brüder helfen (interpersonal)
Passages cited
Sir 48,1 · 1 Kor 3,16 · Gal 6,15 · 2 Kor 4,10 · Mt 11,25
Measured
- Basic stance
- 1 from -2 to 2
- Insistence
- 2 of 3
- Reach
- 3 of 5
- Concreteness
- 2 of 3
- Boundary
- 1 of 3, named: Die israelitische Gemeinschaft in der Zeit Jesus
- Time
- past 2, present 2, future 1
Full text in English
"This is the one who repaired the temple."
Today the readings describe very well what Saint Francis was. This first line of the book of the Ecclesiasticus, "this is the one who in his time repaired the temple."
It does not refer to the temple in the material sense, but to the temple in the spiritual sense. As Saint Paul was already saying on one occasion, it is we, the people of God, the temple where the Lord lives, in each one of us.
This is what he discovered, what he made his own, Saint Francis, and for that reason he gave himself to it.
The first reading continues saying, "of abundant water." Can one live without water? And if this is abundant, then it will never be lacking for us. And this reading ends saying, "like a radiant sun he shone in the temple of God."
The temple represents the place for the encounter with God, which gives life in abundance, and convincing testimony, that God walks with us, illuminating our everyday life and generating strength in the face of adversity, and joy for the fruits achieved.
That is why we responded to this first reading singing: "The Lord is the portion of my inheritance." In truth it is the Lord, the portion of my inheritance. And further on it said, "you are my good." That is what always rescues us, saves us, makes us present so that we may be light before others with our way of walking.
For its part, the second reading of Saint Paul also describes this other aspect: "What counts is not circumcision or uncircumcision, but a new creature… I bear in my body the marks of Jesus."
That is to say, what is important is to follow Jesus and his teachings, because the law and the commandments are only lighthouses of light, that point out the way, making it easier to live, imitating Jesus.
Therefore: It is not the commandments nor their fulfillment that will give us salvation. It is Jesus. But, can one walk in the darkness? One easily falls, stumbles, does harm. Then, for that reason they are lighthouses of light.
On the other hand, the Israelite community, in the time of Jesus, thought, and that was what Jesus clarified, thought that what saved was to fulfill the commandments, whatever happened.
It is Jesus who indicates to us the way, which Saint Francis followed so exactly, so precisely.
The Gospel of Saint Matthew tells us: "Jesus exclaimed, I give you thanks, Father, because you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and have revealed them to the simple people."
Who are we? Simple people, because we are here to celebrate the Eucharist. That already automatically manifests that we need Jesus. That is why we come here. That is the simplicity.
That is to say, to humbly recognize our earthly condition, fragile, and for that reason we gather as a community, around Jesus Christ Word, around Jesus Christ presence in the Eucharist.
Then, should we recognize ourselves as simple people? Yes, we are simple. We are here.
We must be simple people, living love and helping one another as brothers, children of God, as Saint Francis of Assisi was.
So be it.
The entry Saint Francis of Assisi: repairing the temple of God – Card. Carlos Aguiar Retes, Archbishop of Mexico was first published in Archdiocese of Mexico.
Full text in the original
“Este es aquel que reparó el templo”.
Hoy las lecturas describen muy bien lo que fue San Francisco. Este primer renglón del libro del Eclesiástico, “este es aquel que en su tiempo reparó el templo”.
No se refiere al templo en lo material, sino al templo en lo espiritual. Como lo decía ya San Pablo en una ocasión, somos nosotros, el pueblo de Dios, el templo donde el Señor vive, en cada uno de nosotros.
Esto lo descubrió, lo hizo suyo San Francisco, y por eso se entregó a él.
La primera lectura continúa diciendo, “de agua abundante”. ¿Se puede vivir sin el agua? Y si esta es abundante, pues no nos faltará nunca. Y termina diciendo esta lectura, “como sol refulgente brilló él en el templo de Dios”.
El templo representa el lugar para el encuentro con Dios, que da vida en abundancia, y testimonio convincente, de que Dios camina con nosotros, iluminando nuestra cotidianidad y generando fortaleza ante la adversidad, y gozo por los frutos alcanzados.
Por eso respondimos a esta primera lectura cantando: “El Señor es el lote de mi heredad”. En verdad es el Señor, el lote de mi heredad. Y más adelante decía, “tú eres mi bien”. Eso es lo que siempre nos rescata, nos salva, nos hace presentes para que seamos luz ante los demás con nuestro caminar.
Por su parte, la segunda lectura de San Pablo describe también este otro aspecto: “Lo que cuenta no es circuncisión o incircuncisión, sino criatura nueva… Llevo en mi cuerpo las marcas de Jesús”.
Es decir, lo importante es seguir a Jesús y sus enseñanzas, porque la ley y los mandamientos son sólo faros de luz, que señalan el camino, facilitando vivir, imitando a Jesús.
Por tanto: No son los mandamientos ni su cumplimiento, lo que nos va a dar la salvación. Es Jesús. Pero, ¿se puede caminar en la oscuridad? Fácilmente se cae, se tropieza, se hace daño. Entonces, por eso son faros de luz.
En cambio, La comunidad israelita, en el tiempo de Jesús, pensaba, y eso fue lo que Jesús aclaró, pensaba que lo que salvaba era cumplir los mandamientos, pasara lo que pasara.
Es Jesús el que nos indica el camino, que siguió tan exacto, tan preciso San Francisco.
El Evangelio de San Mateo, nos dice: “Jesús exclamó, te doy gracias, Padre, porque has escondido estas cosas a los sabios y entendidos y se las has revelado a la gente sencilla”.
¿Quiénes somos nosotros? Gente sencilla, porque estamos aquí para celebrar la Eucaristía. Eso ya manifiesta en automático, que necesitamos a Jesús. Por eso venimos aquí. Esa es la sencillez.
Es decir, reconocer humildemente nuestra condición terrena, frágil, y por eso nos reunimos como comunidad, en torno a Jesucristo Palabra, en torno a Jesucristo presencia en la Eucaristía.
Entonces, ¿debemos reconocernos como gente sencilla? Sí, somos sencillos. Estamos aquí.
Debemos ser gente sencilla, viviendo el amor y auxiliándonos unos a otros como hermanos, hijos de Dios, como lo fue San Francisco de Asís.
Que así sea.
La entrada San Francisco de Asís: reparar el templo de Dios – Card. Carlos Aguiar Retes, Arzobispo de México se publicó primero en Arquidiócesis de México .