2007-2008

"Can I do not do with you, O house of Israel, just as the potter has done?" (Jr 8:6)

From the cross to your heart. Jesus Christ carried out his work of redemption, truly dying in our place and for our sins. We know that the Father resurrected and glorified him, exalting him with his Ascension to the highest and giving him the Name that is above all names, confirming him as Lord and Savior, with all authority and power. Through him we the believers are reconciled with God and have the path to his presence open, as to regain communion with him and life eternal. Today, on the earth, it is the Holy Spirit who in the name of Jesus Christ brings us closer to the work carried out on the cross. Truly, the Holy Spirit continues bringing the presence of Christ among us. That is why we can say that Jesus saves today. When we accept the Savior of our life, salvation comes to us: from the cross into our hearts.

"So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!" (2 Cor 5:17)

Changes. When someone is saved from a mortal danger or overcomes a serious infirmity, it is customary to say that this person "has been born again", a metaphor for a new person…, but in practice it is possible that only some of his habits might have changed. Par example, someone who through a hard struggle has overcome cancer, may continue living life with habits different from the previous ones, as far as diet, physical exercise are concerned, or if he has been a chain smoker he could have turned into an anti-tobacco activist, or could have become a vivacious person, one who appreciates the things that life offers and which had gone unnoticed before. But when our salvation refers to the eternal salvation, we do not become new in a metaphoric sense or because some of our habits have changed… but, truly, because we have been born again, because we have a new life within us!

"For, as life, it is the blood that makes atonement" (Lev 17:11)

Why blood? The blood has a very special meaning to any of us, for it represents life; if we lose blood we become weak and if we lose a great amount of it we may lose life. As to understand its sacred meaning in relation to life, the Scriptures teach us to take much care in not consuming the blood of animals (cf Gen 9:4; Lk 19:26; Act 21:25) and also to avenge the shed blood (cf Gen 9:6; Dt 32:43).

"For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but for us who are being saved is the power of God" (1 Cor 1:18)

A revelation of the cross. Throughout the history of humankind and of the people of Israel, the cross has been present and has been constantly announced. Some examples:

"There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under the heaven given to mortals by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12)

"In him we have redemption through his blood" (Eph 1:7)

Jesus, the Christ. The Letter to the Ephesians says that God set forth a plan to be accomplished "in the fullness of time" (Eph 1:10) and that consists "to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth" (Eph 1:10).

This is the Man! When the police seek someone whose identity it do not know, it makes an identikit of that person using the data it possesses. This we can also do regarding our Redeemer

" I lift up my eyes to the hills --- from where will my help come?" (Ps 121:1)

"O that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest" (Ps 55:6)

And now, what? If the problems in which man finds himself involved and those into which he involves are too many and too serious and although the fronts accumulate, they continuously demand from us an answer or a search for a solution or for a way out. We cannot escape an obstinate reality that constantly challenges us to fight: "Do not human beings have a hard service on earth?" (Job 7:1).

"Surely there is no one on earth so righteous as to do good without ever sinning" (Ecc 7:20)

" For the wages of sin is death " (Rom 6:23)