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Ks. Kazimierz Stasiak

To assert (φάσκω faskō)

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Instead, they brought against him certain disputes about their own superstition and about a certain Jesus, who had died, but whom Paul asserted to be alive. (Acts 25:19)

ζητήματα δέ τινα περὶ τῆς ἰδίας δεισιδαιμονίας εἶχον πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ περί τινος Ἰησοῦ τεθνηκότος ὃν ἔφασκεν ὁ Παῦλος ζῆν.

Quæstiones vero quasdam de sua superstitione habebant adversus eum, et de quodam Iesu defuncto, quem affirmabat Paulus vivere.

The certainty of Saint Paul is built on inner experience. He did not look for the traces of Jesus in the Holy Land, because He was his life, he lived in Him. It is no longer I who lives, but Christ lives in me. Union with the Lord, the experience of His grace when Saint Paul was weak and uncertain, was the source of such confidence that he was not afraid to face any judgment. For Festus, Jesus is some dead man. For Saint Paul, Jesus is the Lord of life and death.

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Witness (μάρτυς martys)

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But you shall receive the power of the Holy Spirit, passing over you, and you shall be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

ἀλλὰ λήμψεσθε δύναμιν ἐπελθόντος τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς καὶ ἔσεσθέ μου μάρτυρες ἔν τε Ἰερουσαλὴμ καὶ [ἐν] πάσῃ τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ καὶ Σαμαρείᾳ καὶ ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς.

sed accipietis virtutem, superveniente Sancto Spiritu in vos, et eritis mihi testes et in Ierusalem et in omni Iudaea et Samaria et usque ad ultimum terrae.

The Greek noun μάρτυς is taken from judicial vocabulary, where it means a person who testifies about events in which he took part or about people and situations he knows directly. The basis for testifying about Jesus, for witnessing about Him to others, is my intimacy with Him, being close to Him, listening to Him, eating His Body and Blood… Fortunately, I am not alone in this because the Lord sends me the Spirit who gives me strength and enables me for this mission.

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To receive (δέχομαι dechomai)

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Now the Apostles and brothers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the Word of God. (Acts 11:1)

Ἤκουσαν δὲ οἱ ἀπόστολοι καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ οἱ ὄντες κατὰ τὴν Ἰουδαίαν ὅτι καὶ τὰ ἔθνη ἐδέξαντο τὸν λόγον τοῦθεοῦ.

Audierunt autem Apostoli, et fratres, qui erant in Iudæa: quoniam et Gentes receperunt verbum Dei. 

This acceptance of the Word brings important life changes. From now on, they will no longer be pagans. The Word of God gives birth to them to new life. It will give meaning and direction to life, and establish new relationships and a style of thinking. The Word of God will give them the power to become children of God. It is about internal acceptance, consent, and obedience that will give life to the heart.

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Name (שֵׁם šem)

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Blessed is he who arrives in the name of the Lord. We have blessed you from the house of the Lord. (Ps 118:26)

בָּר֣וּךְ הַ֭בָּא בְּשֵׁ֣ם יְהוָ֑ה בֵּ֝רַֽכְנוּכֶ֗ם מִבֵּ֥ית יְהוָֽה׃

Benedictus, qui venit in nomine Domini. Benedicimus vobis de domo Domini.

εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου· εὐλογήκαμεν ὑμᾶς ἐξ οἴκου κυρίου.

Name (שֵׁם šem), in Hebrew, is a noun derived from a two-consonant root that means not only a name but also “designation, fame, reputation or memory.” Sometimes שֵׁם (šem) is equivalent to the name of the God of Israel, YHWH. שֵׁם (šem) translates into Greek ὄνομα (onoma).
Today’s responsorial Psalm (Ps 118) blesses the One who “comes in the name (שֵׁם šem) of the Lord”, and in the first reading (Acts 4:8-12) we read the words of Peter, who, filled with the Holy Spirit, says: “let it be known to all of you and all the people of Israel, that in the name (ὄνομα onoma) of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, that through Him this man stands before you in good health”. This means that it was not the apostles, but Jesus, who performed the healing, which is only a sign of the power that flows from the Person of the Crucified and Risen Lord. The name, in this context, indicates the identity of Jesus himself as the Savior, because not in another name, that is, not in another person, but it is in Him that salvation was given to us by God.
In the Gospel, the Lord Jesus reveals his identity using the image of a shepherd, the good one, ready to give his life for the sheep that are His. Hence, as He says, no one takes His life, but He gives it because He has the power to give His life and regain it. However, how aware are we of the power we have through faith and accepting the Person of Jesus as Savior?

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Face (πρόσωπον prosōpon)

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And all those who were sitting in the council, gazing at him, saw his face as if it had become the face of an Angel. (Acts 6:15)

καὶ ἀτενίσαντες εἰς αὐτὸν πάντες οἱ καθεζόμενοι ἐν τῷ συνεδρίῳ εἶδον τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ὡσεὶ πρόσωπον ἀγγέλου.

Et intuentes eum omnes, qui sedebant in concilio, viderunt faciem eius tamquam faciem Angeli.

The word etymologically refers to the verb “to see”. It is what is seen in a man through his face. Stephen was gifted with closeness to Jesus, which made him a herald-angel. It is not about any disembodiment, but about light that has its source in the love of Jesus and the brothers. Let our love not fade away.

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To ask (שָׁאַל szâ’al)

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Ask for a sign for yourself from the Lord your God, from the depths below, even to the heights above. (Is 7:11)

שְׁאַל־לְךָ֣ אֹ֔ות מֵעִ֖ם יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ הַעְמֵ֣ק שְׁאָ֔לָה אֹ֖ו הַגְבֵּ֥הַּ לְמָֽעְלָה׃ 

Pete tibi signum a Domino Deo tuo in profundum inferni, sive in excelsum supra. 

Αἴτησαι σεαυτῷ σημεῖον παρὰ κυρίου θεοῦ σου εἰς βάθος ἢ εἰς ὕψος.

Ahaz’s encouragement or even urging may raise surprise. Usually, we are the ones who ask for a sign, for intervention, for a reaction, for God’s help. Maybe the king is afraid that what he wants to do will not go according to God’s wishes. On the one hand, he seeks God’s help, is bothered, and on the other hand, he does not accept the plans of God’s Providence.

Ask from Sheol itself, ask with exultation because your life is always in the hands of the good Father.

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Right hand (δεξιός dexios)

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For David said about Him: I foresaw the Lord always in my sight, for He is at my right hand so that I may not be moved. (Acts 2:25)

Δαυὶδ γὰρ λέγει εἰς αὐτόν· προορώμην τὸν κύριον ἐνώπιόν μου διὰ παντός, ὅτι ἐκ δεξιῶν μού ἐστιν ἵνα μὴ σαλευθῶ.

David enim dicit circa eum: Providebam Dominum coram me semper, quoniam a dextris meis est, ne commovear.

(Ps 16, 8) שִׁוִּ֬יתִי יְהוָ֣ה לְנֶגְדִּ֣י תָמִ֑יד כִּ֥י מִֽ֝ימִינִ֗י בַּל־אֶמֹּֽוט׃

We may be surprised by the choreography of this scene, taken from Psalm 16. David first says that he has the Lord before him, and at the same time God is at his right hand. This may indicate that God is present in every place and every situation. Its presence is omnidirectional. Our life is hidden in Him, we move in Him, and we live and are in Him.
The right side is also the right hand יָמִין [jamin] or South, according to the Hebrew way of thinking. When we stand looking East, towards the sun, our outstretched hand points South. God, standing on the right, is the Father who strengthens, protects, and guards.

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Sapling (יוֹנֵק yônêq)

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Like a sapling he grew up before him, like a root in arid ground. He had no form or charm to attract us, no beauty to win our hearts. (Is 53:2)

וַיַּ֨עַל כַּיּוֹנֵ֜ק לְפָנָ֗יו וְכַשֹּׁ֨רֶשׁ֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ צִיָּ֔ה לֹא־תֹ֥אַר לֹ֖ו וְלֹ֣א הָדָ֑ר וְנִרְאֵ֥הוּ וְלֹֽא־מַרְאֶ֖ה וְנֶחְמְדֵֽהוּ׃

Et ascendit sicut virgultum coram eovet sicut radix de terra sitienti. Non erat species ei neque decor, ut aspiceremus eum, et non erat aspectus, ut desideraremus eum.

ἀνηγγείλαμεν ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ ὡς παιδίον, ὡς ῥίζα ἐν γῇ διψώσῃ, οὐκ ἔστιν εἶδος αὐτῷ οὐδὲ δόξα· καὶ εἴδομεν αὐτόν, καὶ οὐκ εἶχεν εἶδος οὐδὲ κάλλος.

A treelet carries the promise of life, gentle shade on a hot day, fruit when the time comes to ripe. Trees are faithful, they can always be found where we planted them. Isaiah uses a significant image because this young shoot etymologically comes from a verb meaning breastfeeding, sucking – יָנַק [yânaq]. So this is a baby, an infant, someone who needs care and protection because he is completely dependent. Therefore, the LXX translates this word as παιδίον [paidion], i.e. child. This thought is more appropriate to Christmas, when we saw Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. Today they will wrap Him in burial cloths and lay Him in the grave. But this young shoot has the power to split the rock of death.

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Name (שֵׁם szem)

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The Lord has called me from the womb; from the womb of my mother, he has been mindful of my name. (Is 49:1)

יְהוָה מִבֶּטֶן קְרָאָנִי מִמְּעֵי אִמִּי הִזְכִּיר שְׁמִי׃

Dominus ab utero vocavit me, de ventre matris meae recordatus est nominis mei.

κύριος ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου ἐκάλεσεν τὸ ὄνομά μου.

God calls each of us by name (Is 43:1; Is 45:3), He knows best what it sounds like… In the biblical tradition, a NAME is more than just a way of calling another person. It expresses the essence of a person, i.e. what is deepest in this person. God knows my name and speaks it with the greatest tenderness…
In today’s reading, the prophet Isaiah reminds us that the Lord has remembered my name from the moment of conception. It is the primary name, touching the depths of identity… This name remains unchanged throughout life, although it may be blurred by our history and various events… It may happen that during our lives we receive many “names”, some of them are given to us by other people, and some we give to ourselves… But today God reminds me of the deepest name that perhaps no one knows except me and the LORD. What does it sound like? How does God pronounce my name?

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Reed (קָנֶה qâneh)

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The bruised reed he will not break, and the smoldering wick he will not extinguish. He will lead forth judgment unto truth. (Is 42:3)

קָנֶ֤ה רָצוּץ֙ לֹ֣א יִשְׁבֹּ֔ור וּפִשְׁתָּ֥ה כֵהָ֖ה לֹ֣א יְכַבֶּ֑נָּה לֶאֱמֶ֖ת יוֹצִ֥יא מִשְׁפָּֽט׃

Calamum quassatum non conteret, et linum fumigans non extinguet: in veritate educet iudicium.

κάλαμον τεθλασμένον οὐ συντρίψει καὶ λίνον καπνιζόμενον οὐ σβέσει, ἀλλὰ εἰς ἀλήθειαν ἐξοίσει κρίσιν.

The fragility of our existence manifests itself in the fact that we are vulnerable to injury. This susceptibility increases as soon as we begin to love. Love, in a certain way, reveals to us the truth of giving and receiving. When wounded love cries, the heart of the Son of God is moved, in which gentleness burns, capable of saving the faint flame of our hope, faith, and love.

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To help (עזר῾āzar)

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But you, O Lord, do not take your help far from me; be attentive to my defense. (Ps 22:20)

וְאַתָּ֣ה יְ֭הוָה אַל־תִּרְחָ֑ק אֱ֝יָלוּתִ֗י לְעֶזְרָ֥תִי חֽוּשָׁה׃

Tu autem, Domine, ne elongaveris; fortitudo mea, ad adiuvandum me festina.

σὺ δέ, κύριε, μὴ μακρύνῃς τὴν βοήθειάν μου, εἰς τὴν ἀντίλημψίν μου πρόσχες.

In the first reading from Palm Sunday, year B, we hear the voice of the suffering Servant of YHWH, who recognizes that God has given Him eloquence so that He “can help the weary with a refreshing word.” At the same time, it teaches Him to listen, or more precisely, to obey, because the ability to listen to the Word gives the Servant strength in the face of everything that happens to Him from those who cause Him suffering. Maintaining confidence in suffering is undoubtedly a source of strength, but the certainty that God is supporting Him (עזר ῾āzar) is the real motive for insensitivity to insults and the confidence that He will emerge from suffering without shame.

The reading is echoed by Psalm 22, in which the psalmist asks God for help in the situation of suffering inflicted on Him: “For many dogs have surrounded me. The council of the malicious has besieged me. They have pierced my hands and feet. They have numbered all my bones. But You, O Lord, do not take Your help (עזר ῾āzar) far from me; be attentive to my defense”. In this context, it is worth quoting D. Bonhoeffer that “God does not save us from suffering, but in suffering; he does not save us from death, but in dying”.

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People (עַם ‘am)

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And My tabernacle shall be among them. And I will be their God, and they will be My people. (Ez 37:27)

וְהָיָ֤ה מִשְׁכָּנִי֙ עֲלֵיהֶ֔ם וְהָיִ֥יתִי לָהֶ֖ם לֵֽאלֹהִ֑ים וְהֵ֖מָּה יִֽהְיוּ־לִ֥י לְעָֽם׃ 

Et erit tabernaculum meum in eis: et ero eis Deus, et ipsi erunt mihi populus. 

καὶ ἔσται ἡ κατασκήνωσίς μου ἐν αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἔσομαι αὐτοῖς θεός, καὶ αὐτοί μου ἔσονται λαός.

The phrase “My people” or “people of God” always emphasizes a special relationship. It was God who chose Israel as His people, as Ezekiel speaks in his prophecy to the nations neighbouring the people of God. People who do not come from Jewish backgrounds but believe in the Messiah, in Jesus Christ, are considered the people of God. Jesus came to all people, not only to save Israel. It is the readiness to devote oneself to God that determines belonging to the people of God. Everyone who accepts Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord becomes part of the people of God. It is a free choice to follow God. Therefore, a choice must be made. When we make the decision to cling to God, He also surrounds us with His love and guides us. And then we truly become the people of God.

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To sing (שִׁיר šiyr)

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Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord! For he has freed the soul of the poor from the hand of the wicked. (Jer 20:13)

שִׁ֚ירוּ לַֽיהוָ֔ה הַֽלְל֖וּ אֶת־יְהוָ֑ה כִּ֥י הִצִּ֛יל אֶת־נֶ֥פֶשׁ אֶבְיֹ֖ון מִיַּ֥ד מְרֵעִֽים׃

Cantate Domino, laudate Dominum: quia liberavit animam pauperis de manu malorum.

ᾄσατε τῷ κυρίῳ, αἰνέσατε αὐτῷ, ὅτι ἐξείλατο ψυχὴν πένητος ἐκ χειρὸς πονηρευομένων.

Also, the noun meaning song sounds identical. In the original, the book Song of Songs begins with the words שִׁ֥יר הַשִּׁירִ֖ים [shir hasshirim]. Today, the prophet Jeremiah is like a conductor who wants to animate the community to sing and worship. The singing of Alleluia will be heard soon, and today there is already a herald of this joyful song. Singing is an expression of the chords of the soul moved by grace. It is making contact with the Holy Spirit. So let the melody that the Word of God inspires resound in us.

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Table (שֻׁלְחָן šulḥân)

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You have prepared a table in my sight, opposite those who trouble me. You have anointed my head with oil, and my cup, which inebriates me, how brilliant it is! (Ps 23:5)

תַּעֲרֹ֬ךְ לְפָנַ֨י  שֻׁלְחָ֗ן נֶ֥גֶד צֹרְרָ֑י דִּשַּׁ֖נְתָּ בַשֶּׁ֥מֶן רֹ֝אשִׁ֗י כּוֹסִ֥י רְוָיָֽה׃

Parasti in conspectu meo mensam, adversus eos, qui tribulant me. Impinguasti in oleo caput meum: et calix meus inebrians quam præclarus est!

ἡτοίμασας ἐνώπιόν μου τράπεζαν ἐξ ἐναντίας τῶν θλιβόντων με· ἐλίπανας ἐν ἐλαίῳ τὴν κεφαλήν μου, καὶ τὸ ποτήριόν σου μεθύσκον ὡς κράτιστον.

One way to experience and show closeness is to sit down at the table, to eat, and to celebrate. The psalmist experiences an incredible change in his fate. From the pasture, through the dark valley, he finds himself in the palace, where God himself welcomes him and sets the table with dishes that ennoble him. Enemies can only watch. Sometimes there are still crumbs of bread on Lenten tables. However, there is a table where Living Bread feeds us to our hearts’ content every day.

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Innermost being (קֶרֶב qereb)

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But this will be the covenant that I will form with the house of Israel, after those days, says the Lord: I will give My law to their inner most being, and I will write it upon their heart. And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. (Jer 31:33)

כִּ֣י זֹ֣את הַבְּרִ֡ית אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֶכְרֹת֩ אֶת־בֵּ֨ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל אַחֲרֵ֨י הַיָּמִ֤ים הָהֵם֙ נְאֻם־יְהוָ֔ה נָתַ֤תִּי אֶת־תֹּֽורָתִי֙ בְּקִרְבָּ֔ם וְעַל־לִבָּ֖ם אֶכְתֲּבֶ֑נָּה וְהָיִ֤יתִי לָהֶם֙ לֵֽאלֹהִ֔ים וְהֵ֖מָּה יִֽהְיוּ־לִ֥י לְעָֽם׃

Sed hoc erit pactum, quod feriam cum domo Israel post dies illos, dicit Dominus: Dabo legem meam in visceribus eorum et in corde eorum scribam eam; et ero eis in Deum, et ipsi erunt mihi in populum. 

ὅτι αὕτη ἡ διαθήκη ἣν διαθήσομαι τῷ οἴκῳ Ισραηλ μετὰ τὰςἡμέρας ἐκείνας φησὶν κύριος διδοὺς δώσω νόμους μου εἰς τὴν διάνοιαναὐτῶν καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίας αὐτῶν γράψω αὐτούς καὶ ἔσομαι αὐτοῖς εἰς θεόν καὶαὐτοὶ ἔσονταί μοι εἰς λαόν.

Interior (קֶרֶב qereb), this noun also means: “entrails, body, heart, womb, among or between.” In ancient times, thoughts, feelings, tendencies, and other abstract human attributes were located in the “inside” of a person. In this case, the noun קֶרֶב (qereb) was a synonym for “heart.” Alternatively, it also indicated a person.
In today’s reading from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah (Jer 31:31-34), God announces the conclusion of a new covenant with His people, different from the previous one related to Israel’s exit from Egyptian captivity. The need for a new covenant results from the people’s infidelity to God who, as He poetically says, “took Israel by the hand”, led them out of Egypt, and was like a Bridegroom to them. The characteristics of the new covenant will be a new law, a new Torah written inside, in the “innermost being” (קֶרֶב qereb), on the hearts of the Israelites. The law written inside a person is the ability to know God through one’s interior, without the need to be taught by someone from the outside.
In the same way, Jesus assures us in today’s Gospel (Jn 12:20-33) about what He will do for us and speaks about it in the face of approaching suffering and death. The fight that Jesus wages against the “ruler of this world” is expressed poetically by the metaphor of a seed thrown into the ground; if it does not die, it will not bring forth new life. Similarly, Jesus’ words that “when He has been lifted up from the earth, He will draw all things to Himself.” remind us of the concern of God, who took them by the hand to free His people from slavery. The road of Jesus is also our road, passing through the narrow gate, through the process of giving birth to a new life, which requires the gift of one’s own life. We are not alone on this journey if we allow ourselves to be drawn to Jesus.

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Mystery (μυστήριον mystērion)

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And they were ignorant of the mysteries of God; they neither hoped for the reward of justice nor judged the value of holy souls. (Wis 2:22)

καὶ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν μυστήρια θεοῦ οὐδὲ μισθὸν ἤλπισαν ὁσιότητος οὐδὲ ἔκριναν γέρας ψυχῶν ἀμώμων.

et nescierunt sacramenta Dei neque mercedem speraverunt sanctitatis nec iudicaverunt honorem animarum immaculatarum.

The etymology of this noun comes from a verb that means to close one’s mouth. In this way, the intentions and meaning are hidden. To know the secret means to have access to what is invisible, internal. If today we have something of the knowledge of God’s secrets, it is only because it was given to us through knowledge of the Logos – the Word. We needed and still need initiation into the secrets of God’s wisdom. Without it, we wander like lost planets, without our orbit and direction.

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Remember (זָכַר zakar)

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Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your very self, saying: I will multiply your offspring like the stars of heaven. And this entire land, about which I have spoken, I will give to your offspring. And you shall possess it forever. (Ex 32:13)

זְכֹר לְאַבְרָהָם לְיִצְחָק וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵל עֲבָדֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּעְתָּ לָהֶם בָּךְ וַתְּדַבֵּר אֲלֵהֶם אַרְבֶּה אֶת־זַרְעֲכֶם כְּכֹוכְבֵי הַשָּׁמָיִם וְכָל־הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר אָמַרְתִּי אֶתֵּן לְזַרְעֲכֶם וְנָחֲלוּ לְעֹלָם׃

recordare Abraham Isaac et Israhel servorum tuorum quibus iurasti per temet ipsum dicens multiplicabo semen vestrum sicut stellas caeli et universam terram hanc de qua locutus sum dabo semini vestro et possidebitis eam semper.

Μνησθεὶς Αβρααμ καὶ Ισαακ καὶ Ιακωβ τῶν σῶν οἰκετῶν οἷς ὤμοσας κατὰ σεαυτοῦ καὶ ἐλάλησας πρὸς αὐτοὺς λέγων πολυπληθυνῶ τὸ σπέρμα ὑμῶν ὡσεὶ τὰ ἄστρα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τῷ πλήθει καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ταύτην ἣν εἶπας δοῦναι τῷ σπέρματι αὐτῶν καὶ καθέξουσιν αὐτὴν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.

Since God says that His nostrils will burn (וְיִֽחַר־אַפִּ֥י), Moses rightly (anthropomorphizing) suggests to the Lord to also remember (זְכֹ֡ר). We can have the impression that the kind Lord, even in difficult times, gently suggests to us how to take Him at His word to reach His heart.

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To forget (שׁכח shâkach)

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Can a woman forget her infant, so as not to take pity on the child of her womb? But even if she would forget, still I shall never forget you. (Is 49:15)

הֲתִשְׁכַּ֤ח אִשָּׁה֙ עוּלָ֔הּ מֵרַחֵ֖ם בֶּן־ בִּטְנָ֑הּ גַּם־ אֵ֣לֶּה תִשְׁכַּ֔חְנָה וְאָנֹכִ֖י לֹ֥א אֶשְׁכָּחֵֽךְ׃

numquid oblivisci potest mulier infantem suum ut non misereatur filio uteri sui et si illa oblita fuerit ego tamen non obliviscar tui.

μὴ ἐπιλήσεται γυνὴ τοῦ παιδίου αὐτῆς τοῦ μὴ ἐλεῆσαι τὰ ἔκγονα τῆς κοιλίας αὐτῆς εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐπιλάθοιτο ταῦτα γυνή ἀλλ᾽ ἐγὼ οὐκ ἐπιλήσομαί σου εἶπεν κύριος.

In God’s eyes, I am more than a baby loved by its mother. The next verse reminds us of the engraving on the hands – traces of suffering on Jesus’ hands. God can’t forget me because He has me in front of His eyes all the time.

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To heal (רָפָא rafa)

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And every living soul that moves, wherever the torrent arrives, will live. And there will be more than enough fish, after these waters have arrived there, and they will be healed. And all things will live, where the torrent arrives. (Ez 47:9)

‎ וְהָיָה כָל־נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה אֲשֶׁר־יִשְׁרֹץ אֶל כָּל־אֲשֶׁרָ יָבוֹא שָׁם נַחֲלַיִם יִחְיֶה וְהָיָה הַדָּגָה רַבָּה מְאֹד כִּי בָאוּ שָׁמָּה הַמַּיִם הָאֵלֶּה וְיֵרָפְאוּ וָחָי כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־יָבוֹא שָׁמָּה הַנָּחַל׃

et omnis anima vivens, quae movetur, quocumque venerit torrens, vivet, et erunt pisces multi satis, postquam venerint illuc aquae istae, et sanabuntur et vivent omnia, ad quae venerit torrens.

καὶ ἔσται πᾶσα ψυχὴ τῶν ζῴων τῶν ἐκζεόντων ἐπὶ πάνταἐφ᾽ ἃ ἂν ἐπέλθῃ ἐκεῖ ὁ ποταμός ζήσεται καὶ ἔσται ἐκεῖἰχθὺς πολὺς σφόδρα ὅτι ἥκει ἐκεῖ τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦτο καὶὑγιάσει καὶ ζήσεται πᾶν ἐφ᾽ ὃ ἂν ἐπέλθῃ ὁ ποταμὸς ἐκεῖζήσεται.

Today’s reading recalls the prophet Ezekiel’s vision of the temple. Water flows from the side of the temple (Ez 47:1), which after some time turns into a life-giving river. Thanks to it, salty waters become healthy and become a space where plants and animals can develop. Wherever this water reaches, it revives or heals everything. No exceptions, and no limits… No conditions can stop the life-giving force of water…
Where to find this water? Because each of us wants it…
The answer is the pierced side of Jesus – the new Temple – from which flowed blood and water… (Jn 19:34). It has the power to revive and heal everything, even what is long dead or very wounded and bruised…

O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of Mercy for us, we trust in You! Heal us!

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New (חָדָשׁ ḥâḏâš)

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For behold, I create the new heavens and the new earth. And the former things will not be in memory and will not enter into the heart. (Is 65:17)

כִּֽי־הִנְנִ֥י בוֹרֵ֛א שָׁמַ֥יִם חֲדָשִׁ֖ים וָאָ֣רֶץ חֲדָשָׁ֑ה וְלֹ֤א תִזָּכַ֨רְנָה֙ הָרִ֣אשֹׁנֹ֔ות וְלֹ֥א תַעֲלֶ֖ינָה עַל־לֵֽב׃

ecce enim ego creo caelos novos et terram novam et non erunt in memoria priora et non ascendent super cor.

ἔσται γὰρ ὁ οὐρανὸς καινὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ καινή, καὶ οὐ μὴ μνησθῶσιν τῶν προτέρων, οὐδʼ οὐ μὴ ἐπέλθῃ αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν.

If the first act of creation was so delightful, how much greater glory will be revealed in the new creation. Every spring in our latitude is a constant reminder of this. This promise, or rather its implementation, will come back once again in the Apocalypse of St. John where we read: “And the One who was sitting upon the throne, said, Behold, I make all things new” (Rev 21:5). Today, may the Lord make a new heart in us and renew the strength of the body.

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