SANTA MISA HOY SABADO 18 JULIO

Reflection on Today's Gospel “Woe to those who plot evil!” As I write this reflection, the words of Pope Leo XIII in Madrid, Barcelona, ​​and the Canary Islands for the entire Church still resonate—words that cannot fall into anonymity because they clearly reflect what the Church is in the world: a proposal of dignity, of salvation through new relationships, a proposal of life for everyone, everyone, everyone… The reading from Micah shows us that conspiracy for evil is not something unique to certain ideologies of recent centuries, but rather something that has always loomed over humanity and has always managed to take root in the hearts of people, even those who consider themselves “good.” Micah exposes the conspiracies, the schemes hatched in the shadows of offices and economic centers to ensure that ambition is fulfilled at the expense of others. But Micah does not remain silent, as should be the case with every man and woman of good will, but rather denounces their malice and clearly states that “you will not have a lot in the assembly of the Lord.” This is how it is, and this is how we must live: evil has no place in the heart of one who belongs to the Lord. Neither hatred, nor lies, nor stealing from the poor, nor racism or xenophobia are part of the Lord's vineyard. “Thus was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah.” But to understand this reading, we need the perspective of Jesus, the Word of the Gospel: even though they conspired against Jesus, they plotted against him because of his message, because of his openness, because of his life for those whom the powerful despised, because he proclaims justice for the nations, because he does good… he responds by healing, by restoring lives, by believing in each one of them, in each one of us, knowing that “the past does not condemn the future” (Pope Leo), he does not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoldering wick. It is true that we live in uncertain times, perhaps darker than those we have experienced in recent years, but it is also true that we cannot fail to proclaim that we are all bruised reeds at some point in our lives; we are all wicks that flicker between hope and disillusionment, and the Word of God, the gestures of Jesus, renew as always our confidence that, healed and healing, we can continue; the confidence that revenge or hatred solves nothing, but that in the face of pain, persecution, or death, we are not entirely lost. Our lot was won for us by the One who fights for the rights of all, for the dignity of every human being above all else, the One who, in the silence of His love, never abandons us. Today's Gospel is about heaping burning coals of shame upon the head of the one who does evil (Rom. 12:20). It is a reminder to those in power that good is not achieved by crushing others, and a reminder to the powerful that it is not achieved by confining those we do not want to receive to closed institutions. The right of all to live with dignity is non-negotiable: “Spain’s own history suggests that it is not the culture of confrontation but that of encounter that generates stability and prosperity” (Pope Leo in Madrid).