#blessedbygod

Ben Sira in his book taught about the action of the wisdom of God in the history of Israel, and in his account, he spoke of a very important period, the transition from the aristocracy of judges to the monarchy. The judges had been instituted by Moses before arriving in Canaan, and they were in charge of governing the conquered territories. Many of these judges performed great feats like Samson, a Nazirean famous for his strength who was also a judge and died fighting the Philistines. With these words, the master of wisdom remembered these famous rulers: "The JUDGES, each one of them, whose hearts were not deceived, Who did not abandon God— may their memory be ever blessed!" Ben Sira 46:11. But then Ben Sira especially mentioned the prophet and judge Samuel. This prophet was blessed from his conception and consecrated to the service of the Lord, God accompanied this famous prophet throughout all his life, with these words Ben Sira remembered him: "Beloved of his people, dear to his Maker, pledged in a vow from his mother's womb. As one consecrated to the LORD in the prophetic office, was SAMUEL, the judge who offered sacrifice" Ben Sira 46:13. And this prophet had a very special task, due to the constant wars of Israel on its borders and due to the urgent need for peace, the elders of Israel requested the prophet Samuel the consecration of a king, and thus, he first anointed Saul as king, and then for the sins of this king and at the request of God of David, so were the words of Ben Sira: "At God's word he established the kingdom and anointed princes to rule the people" Ben Sira 46:13. And this teaching of Ben Sira is very important because it teaches us that a king, to be a true monarch, needs God's blessing because otherwise there is no king but a tyrant, who is the opposite and perverse figure of the king.

The Gospel of Saint Mark tells us of the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. But Jesus was not a political or military leader, he did not enter to conquer Jerusalem; perhaps many Jews have thought that Jesus was going to free the holy land from the Roman government and establish an independent state like the Macabeans, but it was not like that. Jesus while he was on earth was a spiritual leader and his mission was to save humanity from their sins, and redeem all those who believed in his name and thus give them the gift of eternal life, because he as the "son of man", as the personification of the perfections of God, he was sent by the Father to the world. This is why Jesus, upon entering into the city of Jerusalem, meditated on his entrance, and thus asked his disciples to look for a tied donkey in a town near Jerusalem, the donkey is not an elegant and beautiful animal like the horse, the donkey is an animal destined to the hard work, a symbol of peace, wisdom, and meekness. The Kingdom of God, the domain or empire of divine perfections, as Jesus taught it, is not for proud and arrogant people, but for the meek who make themselves the last to serve their brothers. Jesus with the example of his life always gave testimony of this spiritual truth. With these beautiful words, the Gospel of Mark tells us of the entry of Jesus into the holy city: "When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, ´Hosanna!´ ´Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!´ ´Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!´ ´Hosanna in the highest heaven!´ Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve" Mark 11:7-11.

The spiritual gift of salvation announced in the gospels by our Lord is the greatest good to which an adult and formed christian can aspire, salvation as a spiritual good is different from happiness; happiness as good is sought by simple and common people, but salvation is the fullness of spiritual goods in man, salvation is peace, longevity, prosperity, joy, the happiness of the heart, security; and this salvation is a grace from above, a spiritual gift. And this search for salvation requires a very determined spiritual effort, and this means living the gift of perseverance every day of our lives, perseverance is the daily determination to avoid evil, doing good ("Do to others what you would have them do to you" Matthew 7:12). But if the temptations of the world, the greed, the lust and the vanity, seduce and slave our minds, we will never be able to reach this Kingdom of Heaven, this empire or dominion of God’s perfections, and its salvation; which means, among other things, receiving the spiritual gift of eternal life (adoration of wisdom). That is why Jesus warned us with a metaphor expressed in very severe words, that we must not allow ourselves to be led by error and sin: "If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell" Mark 9:43-47. Although these words pronounced by Jesus seem very exaggerated, Jesus taught us that changes for the better may seem annoying or painful at first, but in the long run, they lead us to true success. This is what Jesus wanted to tell us. Sin is deceitful, and to overcome and win salvation, we have to recognize the lie and seek Jesus above all things.