Horario de misas - Todos los Santos y Los Fieles Difuntos

Esta semana, tenemos estas celebraciones en nuestra parroquia de Santiago en Tupelo:

martes, el 1 de noviembre - Solemnidad de Todos los Santos - misas en ingles a las 12:10 y 6:00 de la tarde y en español at las 7:30 de la tarde.

miércoles, el 2 de noviembre - Los Fieles Difuntos - misa en ingles/español a las 6:00 de la tarde.

domingo, el 6 de noviembre - misa dominical y bendición de las tumbas en San Tomás en Saltillo - misa empieza a las 5:00 de la tarde (612 County Road 683, Saltillo, Mississippi).

11/1/2016 - Solemnity of All Saints - Matthew 12:1-12, Revelation 7: 2-4, 9-14

      As we come near the end of the Church’s liturgical year, today we celebrate the solemnity of All Saints. Some of the adults in our parish tell me that they did not learn a lot about the saints growing up.  They knew of them, that they existed, but did not study them so much. Thankfully, in our current era, with the emphasis on learning more about the Early Church and the evolution of our faith coming from the Second Vatican Council, there has been a renaissance of interest in the saints in recent years. So, when we think of today’s celebration of the saints, we might think about those holy men and women who have been canonized or beatified by our Church, which includes saints as diverse as St James the Apostle, St John the Evangelist, and St Jerome from the Early Church; lay people such as Louis and Zelie Martin and St Joan of Arc; missionaries such as Francis Xavier and Jean de Brebeuf; mystics such as John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila;  and modern saints such as Mother Teresa and Jose Maria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei. But, today’s celebration of the saints goes beyond those who have been canonized and beatified.  All Saints Day celebrates all those baptized Christians who have died and who are now with God in heaven in eternal glory.  

      It is always interesting to hear the Gospel that has been chosen for All Saints Day: the Beatitudes from Matthew’s Gospel from the Sermon on the Mount.  When we think of holiness, we might think about conforming to God’s Ten Commandments and God’s other laws that we are instructed to follow as disciples of Christ.  And when we think of the values of Christ’s Good News, perhaps the Beatitudes are not what first come to our mind.  But just like our parish has a mission statement, the Beatitudes can also be thought of as a kind of mission statement that we are called to follow as Christians that go beyond the Ten Commandments. We are blessed by God, to be happy and fortunate as we follow the values of the Beatitudes, because by following the Beatitudes, it shows that we are putting God first in our lives. The saints have lived out the Beatitudes in their lives in many different ways.  We are called to be poor in spirit, to realize that through our human weaknesses and frailties that we need the help and support of God, that we need God at the center of our lives. We are called to be meek in the Gospel sense, to reach out to others in tenderness, compassion, and care, to be aware of their needs to be aware of our connection as brothers and sisters in Christ.  We are called to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to treat others with dignity and respect, to work together to ensure that all are treated with that dignity and respect, even if we have to make sacrifices to do so.  We are called to be merciful, to extend God’s mercy, compassion, and forgiveness to others, to be merciful to others in the sense that God the Father is merciful to us.  The Beatitudes describe the attitudes, attributes, and values we are to have as disciples of Christ. Many of the saints had these attributes.  Their witness and their intercessions help us to strive toward the perfection of these Gospel values.   

     Our reading from the Book of Revelation tells us of John’s vision of saints in glory, unified with God in his kingdom: “a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.” Out celebration of All Saints Day today reminds us that we are called to be a part of that vast multitude of holy ones whose numbers are so great they cannot be counted.  We remember the community of saints today. We give thanks to God for the community of saints.  But, we also prayer for their help and intercessions as well. 

Prayer for the November 2016 elections

Lord God, as the election approaches, we seek a better understanding of the issues.  and the concerns that affect our country.  We ask for eyes that can free us from blindness, so that we can see each other as one family and equal in dignity, especially those who are victims of violence and injustice and those who are different from us.  We ask for ears that will hear the cries of the unborn and the voices of those who want to exercise their religious freedom.  We ask for minds and hearts that are open to hearing the voices of our leaders who will bring us closer to the peace and justice of your kingdom.   In gratitude for the right to vote and for the freedoms afforded to us by our Constitution, we ask you to lead us and guide us to do your will in the way we vote in our upcoming election this week.  We offer this prayer in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  AMEN.  

10/30/2016 - XXXI domingo del tiempo ordinario - Lucas 19,1-10

      Probablemente recordamos el cuento del Evangelio de Lucas donde el joven le preguntó a Jesucristo lo que debe hacer para entrar la vida eterna.  Esta joven sabía las leyes y los mandamientos de Dios, pero cuando Jesús le dijo que él debe vender todo lo que tiene y distribuir este dinero a los pobres, este joven salió desanimado, no estaba dispuesto a hacer un compromiso firme a una vida de discipulado con Cristo.  Este joven estaba buscando algo, pero él estaba perdido en su camino también.  En el Evangelio de hoy, también del Evangelio de San Lucas, hay otro alma perdida - el cuento de Zaqueo.  Pero este cuento tiene una diferencia.

      Jesús se encontró con Zaqueo en la ciudad de Jericó. Jericó era una ciudad comercial muy rica - Zaqueo ganó todo su dinero cobrando los impuestos de los judíos por los romanos.  Zaqueo era un hombre muy rico, pero probablemente tenía pocos amigos porque los publicanos extorsionaron multas de los judíos cuando cobraron los impuestos. Los publicanos eran despreciados por su pueblo. Los judíos en Jericó le consideraron a Zaqueo como ladrón y traidor.

      Era la temporada de la Pascua - había miles de judíos que pasaban a través de Jericó en su camino a Jerusalén. Jesús pasaba por la ciudad de Jericó también.  Jesús estaba muy famoso en este momento en Israel - muchos de los judíos que pasaban por la ciudad quería verlo.  Zaqueo estaba muy interesado en este rabino de Nazaret que tenían amistad con los marginados de la sociedad, incluso a los pecadores y publicanos.  De hecho, Zaqueo probablemente sabía que Mateo, que salió su trabajo como publicano, fue elegido para ser miembro del grupo de los apóstoles de Jesucristo.  Zaqueo tenía este anhelo para tener contacto con Jesucristo.  Para escapar de las multitudes y para acercarse a Cristo, Zaqueo subió al árbol, escondido en sus ramas.   Jesús veía a Zaqueo y en su grito comunicaba las ganas de visitarlo en su casa. En el momento en que Jesús llamaba a Zaqueo en el árbol y le presentaba esta invitación, el corazón de Zaqueo llenaba con gozo y alegría y él se convertía como discípulo en un instante. Considerando que antes Zaqueo extorsionaba el dinero de los ciudadanos, ahora se compromete a ayudar a los pobres y devuelve cuatro veces lo que robó.  El encuentro entre Jesús y Zaqueo es un ejemplo de su proclamación en el Evangelio de hoy - “El Hijo del hombre ha venido a buscar y a salvar lo que se había perdido.”

     Zaqueo tenía defectos.  Zaqueo tenía pecados, por supesto.  Pero Zaqueo era buscador y literalmente subió al árbol para encontrar a Jesucristo.  A veces, estamos perdidos en nuestro camino de fe, pero no no damos cuenta. A veces, buscamos algo en la vida y no sabemos lo que buscamos. No sabemos cuales son preguntas que necesitamos preguntar. No sabemos las respuestas que queremos recibir.  Estamos llamados de tener corazones abiertos al cambio y transformación como Zaqueo.  Y a veces, como él, tenemos que subir al árbol para hacerlo.

     Hay muchas cosas en nuestra vida de fe en este momento - mucho en la Iglesia y en nuestra parroquia.  Este fin de semana, terminamos el mes del rosario y el mes del Respeto de la Vida mes este.  Celebramos nuestro Festival del Otoño esta tarde - comenzamos esta tarde nuestra celebración de Todos los Santos y del Día de los Fieles Difuntos.  Anoche, celebramos una gran misa con la comunidad hispana para la fiesta de San Judas, el patrón de las causas imposibles y situaciones difíciles.  Tenemos mucha riquezas en nuestra fe católica-  mas que podemos imaginar.   Pero, necesitamos participar y necesitamos tener corazones abiertos a las situaciones donde podemos encontrar a Dios.  Y a veces, necesitamos subir a este árbol.

Prayer during the election year - 2016

At our masses last weekend, we prayed for our upcoming elections at the end of the homily 

     God of Mercy and Compassion, you have given us the gift of a free country and the gift of citizenship. As Catholics, you have given us the responsibility to participate in working with our country and to allow the Christian values of the Gospel to lead us in all of our actions. 
      During this election year, may we take our social responsibility to register to vote, to pray, to study the issues and the candidates and then vote from our Gospel values this November. May our choices take into account the poor, the vulnerable our common home, and the values of the Gospel of Life. We pray for our current elected leaders, that wisdom and prudence may give them the strength to make decisions that are right, just, and true. We pray for our future leaders, to let them know our concerns for peace, justice, and integrity. We ask that your Holy Spirit be with all of us during this time of elections. We pray this in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  AMEN. 

Adapted from a prayer written by Sister Rose Therese Nolta, SSpS, website:
http://www.chicagofranciscans.org/downloads/Prayers-2016-Election-Year.pdf

11/3/2016 - Thursday of the 31st week in Ordinary Time - Memorial of St Martin de Porres - Philippians 3:3-8a

     St Paul tells us that he thought he had everything under the Lord.  He was born a Jew in the tribe of Benjamin.  He was a member of the privileged group of the Pharisees.  In his righteousness, he persecuted the Church.  He thought that he was following God’s plan and that he was one of the privileged few who was blessed and chosen by God. Then he got knocked off his horse - literally.  The truth of our Lord Jesus Christ was revealed to him.  His world was turned upside down.  He came to the faith and it led him down a different road.  But he does not bemoan or begrudge those things he lost. In fact, he is able to rejoice in what he lost, because in his faith in Christ, he was able to lose what was unimportant and gain the greatest treasure of all. Through the stories of the different saints we hear about, we are able to learn more about our faith and about the values of our kingdom. 

       While in the eyes of the Jews, Paul was born in a place of privilege, the saint we celebrate today, St Martin de Porres, was born under very humble circumstances.  It took a while for the Church to officially recognize the sanctity and holiness of Martin, since he was born in the late 16th century and was not canonized as a saint until the 1960s under the papacy of Pope John XXIII.  Born of a Spaniard father and an African mother in the colonial era in Peru, Martin was disowned by his father during most of his years growing up, living in extreme poverty with his mother and sister.  Often ridiculed and discriminated against due to his mixed racial heritage, he did not have a lot of opportunities to earn a living.  He gravitated to the Dominican religious order, but lived in great humility.  He would welcome visitors to the abbey, take care of the poor and sick, and nursed back to health sick animals.  

      Martin is often depicted in religious art wearing a Dominican habit, holding a broom, with a mouse and dog at his feet.  There is a story told about Martin that he was ordered to poison a group of mice who had infested the linen supply room at the abbey.  With his great love for animals, Martin made a deal with the mice.  He led them out of the storage room into the courtyard, where the mice were able to live peacefully, where he brought them a meal each deal.  Martin would carry the broom with him wherever he went.  When he entered the house of a poor person or an invalid, he would clean up their room with his broom as a sign of love, Christian charity, and humility.  

      Martin's reputation grew. People all over Peru -  commoners, Church officials, and the upper class alike - came to him for spiritual counseling, for material aid, for spiritual direction, and for cures for their illnesses.  When he died after an illness at the age of 60, all of Peruvian society turned out for his funeral.  It was fitting that in the midst of the Vatican II meetings that were taking place in the Vatican and in the midst of the Civil rights movements sweeping the world in the 1960s, that is when Martin de Porres was canonized.  Martin found his way in life through Christ.  We are to do the same.  

10/30/2016 - 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time - Luke 19:1-10

       We probably remember the famous story from Luke’s Gospel, in which the rich young man asked Jesus what he must do in order to enter into eternal life. This young man knew God’s laws and commandments very well, but when Jesus tells him that he should sell all he has and distribute the proceeds to the poor, this young man leaves disheartened, not willing to make a firm commitment to a life of discipleship. This man was searching for something, but he was still lost. In the Gospel today, also from Luke, we hear about another lost soul - the story of Zacchaeus.  But this story has quite a different ending.  

     Jesus encountered Zacchaeus in the city of Jericho. Jericho was a very wealthy commercial town - Zacchaeus made all his money there collecting taxes from the Jews on the behalf of the Romans.  Zacchaeus was a very rich man, but he probably had very few friends, since tax collectors extorted large amounts of interest and fines from the Jews in addition to the taxes that they collected, making the tax collectors despised by their own townspeople.  The Jews in Jericho would have considered him a thief, a traitor, and an outcast.  

      It was Passover time - there were hundreds of thousands of Jews passing through Jericho on their way to Jerusalem.  Jesus was one of those passing through the city.  Jesus was very famous at this time, so many of those Jews who were passing through the city wanted to see him.   Zacchaeus was very interested in finding out more about this rabbi from Nazareth who befriended the outcasts of society, even the sinners and tax collectors.   In fact, Zacchaeus probably knew that Matthew, a former tax collector himself, was chosen to be a member of Jesus’ select group of apostles.  Some longing deep inside Zacchaeus’ heart moved him to try to get closer to Jesus.  To escape the crowds and to get a good look, Zacchaeus climbed a sycamore tree, sitting hidden away in its leafy branches.  Jesus sees Zacchaeus and is compeled to call him down from the tree, wanting to visit him at his house.  The minute Jesus calls Zacchaeus down from the tree and issues him this invitation, joy fills Zacchaeus’ heart and he is converted into a disciple of the world.  Whereas before he extorted money for the taxpayers, he now vows to help the poor and to repay four-fold what he stole.  Jesus calling down Zacchaeus from the tree is a real life example of what Jesus proclaims in the last sentence of today’s Gospel: “The Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”  Yes, that is what Jesus and his ministry is all about, isn’t it? 

     I have a good friend who is a pilot.  He would identify himself as Catholic, but he doesn’t go to mass every Sunday.  But, he has told me several times that the story of Zacchaeus and the tree is his favorite story from the Bible.  This weekend, I asked him why he likes this story so much, and if I could share that in my homily today.  He said that even as a little boy in his religious education class at St Thomas Aquinas parish in Indianapolis, the story of Zacchaeus made an impression on him, a story of this arrogant, haughty dishonest man of wealth and power who opens his life up to Jesus and is humbled by what he finds.  For all his faults, for all his sins, Zacchaeus was a searcher and seeker who literally went out on a limb to find Jesus.  Sometimes we are lost in life and we do not even know it.  Sometimes we are searching for something in life and we don’t know what we are looking for.  We don’t know what questions to ask.  We don’t know the answers we want.  We are called to be open to change and transformation like Zacchaeus. And sometimes, like him, we need to go out on a limb to do so. 

        There is a lot going on in our lives of faith right now - a lot going on in the Church.  We are finishing up with the month of the rosary and Respect Life month this weekend.  We are celebrating our Fall Fest on Sunday afternoon here at St James, kicking off our celebrating of All Saints Day and All Souls Day this upcoming week.   I am celebrating a big mass with the Hispanic community on Saturday night for the feast day of St Jude, the patron saint of impossible causes and difficult situations.  And in fact, Friday I attended a pastoral conference for pastors at the hospital.  Several Protestant pastors were mentioning books that they were reading, all of them written by Catholic monks and priests - Father Henri Nouwen, Father Thomas Merton, and Brother Lawrence, a 17th century Carmelite monk.  Our Catholic faith has a richness beyond anything we can imagine, but we have to engage and we have to be open to how God speaks to us in our faith.  Even if we are a life long Catholic, even if we are very engaged in our faith, God always has something new and fresh for us to discover.  But we have to be open to what is there.  We sometimes have to go out on a limb.   

Oraciones de los fieles - misa de San Judas Tadeo

Sacerdote:  Celebrando San Judas y su testimonio de fe, presentamos nuestras oraciones a Dios. 

1. Dios es la luz de la Iglesia. Oremos por los que han sido iluminados en el bautismo, por los que creen ver pero no se comprometen y por los que necesitan la visión que sólo la fe puede dar. Roguemos al Señor. 

2. Dios es el creador del mundo. Oremos por los pueblos que son explotados, por los pueblos que viven en la pobreza y el miedo.  Roguemos al Señor.

3. Dios es el sanador de los que sufren. Oremos por los enfermos que aspiran a la plenitud y por aquellos que el sufrimiento o la soledad les impide ver a Dios. Roguemos especialmente por los enfermos de nuestra comunidad.  Roguemos al Señor.

4. Dios es la vida de los difuntos. Oremos por nuestros familiares cuyos ojos la muerte ha cerrado para que gocen de la visión de Dios.  Roguemos al Señor.

5. Oremos con San Judas Tedeo por las situaciones desesperadas, de los casos imposibles y de las causas perdidas que tenemos en nuestra vida. Necesitamos recordar que con Dios, nada es imposible.  Roguemos al Señor.

Sacerdote – Gracias Dios Padre por las bendiciones que tu nos da.  Te lo pedimos por su hijo nuestro Señor Jesucristo.  AMEN.

10/28/2014 – San Judas y San Simón, apóstoles – Lucas 6:12-19

     Como católicos, en nuestra vida de fe, La comunidad de los santos tiene una presencia muy profunda. Esta semana que viene, celebramos la solemnidad de todos los santos. Hoy, celebramos la misa de un miembro de la comunidad de los santos: el apóstol Judas Tadeo.  En la historia de la Iglesia, San Judas Tadeo siempre está celebrando con San Simón.  Como todos los miembros de la comunidad de los santos, San Judas Tadeo es nuestro intercesor ante de Dios. Pero también, él es un gran modelos para nosotros en nuestro propio camino de fe. Es guía y amigo para nosotros.  Estamos aquí, los miembros de nuestra comunidad hispana, porque ustedes tienen una devoción a San Judas.  En nuestra vida de fe, San Judas es el patrono de situaciones desesperadas, de los casos imposibles y las causas perdidas. Hay días cuando estamos desesperados en muchos sentidos. Entonces, San Judas es un santo para todos nosotros, en los desafíos y los sufrimientos de nuestra vida. En muchos países en el mundo – en Alemania y en Italia, en México y en los Estados Unidos, tienen numerosos devotos que consiguen por la intercesión de San Judas Tadeo en nuestras oraciones a Dios, especialmente para conseguir empleo, una casa, y otros beneficios.

      Celebramos el día de los Santos Judas Tadeo y Simón en el mismo día porque según una antigua tradición los dos iban siempre juntos para predicar la Palabra de Dios al mundo. Simón y Judas Tadeo se murieron juntos en su trabajo misionero en el país de Irán, y sus tumbas se ubica abajo del altar de San José en la basílica de San Pedro en Roma.  Como explica el Evangelio de hoy, estos dos santos Judas y Simón fueron llamados por Cristo para formar parte del grupo de los doce apóstoles.  Judas Tadeo y Simón recibieron el Espíritu Santo en forma de lenguas del fuego en el día de Pentecostés y miraron los milagros de Jesús en Galilea.  En estatuas y pinturas, podemos mirar Judas Tadeo con llamas sobre su cabeza – es un símbolo de su testimonio al día de Pentecostés y la presencia del Espíritu Santo con él.  Simón y Judas Tadeo fueron presentes en la visita de Jesucristo al grupo de los apóstoles después de su resurrección.  F. En verdad, para nosotros hoy, San Judas Tadeo es un testigo de fe y mártir de fe.  Yo doy gracias hoy por nuestra comunidad hispana en Tupelo - ustedes están en misa oraciones cada día. La devoción que ustedes tienen a San Judas Tadeo y la comunidad de los santos es un testimonio al mundo.  San Judas Tadeo – ruegue por nosotros. 

Misa de San Judas con la comunidad hispana de Tupelo - 29 de octubre de 2016

El sábado - el 29 de octubre de 2016 - a las 6:30 de la tarde - tenemos la misa en honor de San Judas Tadeo. Todos están invitados a asistir a esta mis en honor del patrono de situaciones desesperadas, de los casos imposibles y de las causas perdidas. Celebramos la misa en la casa de la familia Acosta en el camino Palmetto en el pueblo de Verona, cera de Tupelo. Es una celebración de la comunidad hispana de la Parroquia de ST JAMES - TUPELO.

Las lecturas de la misa de San Judas Tadeo y San Simón - 10/28/2016

Celebramos la misa de San Judas Tadeo con nuestra comunidad hispana.  Son las lecturas de esta santa misa: 

Lectura de la carta de San Pablo a los efesios - 

Hermanos: Ya no son ustedes extranjeros ni advenedizos; son conciudadanos de los santos y pertenecen a la familia de Dios, porque han sido edificados sobre el cimiento de los apóstoles y de los profetas, siendo Cristo Jesús la piedra angular.

Sobre Cristo, todo el edificio se va levantando bien estructurado, para formar el templo santo del Señor, y unidos a él también ustedes se van incorporando al edificio, por medio del Espíritu Santo, para ser morada de Dios.

Palabra de Dios 

Salmo Responsorial

Salmo 18, 2-3. 4-5

R. El mensaje del Señor resuena en toda la tierra.

Los cielos proclaman la gloria de Dios

y el firmamento anuncia la obra de sus manos.

Un día comunica su mensaje al otro día

y una noche se lo transmite a la otra noche.

R. El mensaje del Señor resuena en toda la tierra.

Sin que pronuncien una palabra,

sin que resuene su voz,

a toda la tierra llega su sonido 

y su mensaje hasta el fin del mundo.

R. El mensaje del Señor resuena en toda la tierra.

Aclamación antes del Evangelio

R. Aleluya, aleluya.

Señor, Dios eterno, alegres te cantamos,

a ti nuestra alabanza.

A ti, Señor, te alaba el coro celestial de los apóstoles.

R. Aleluya.

Lectura del santo Evangelio según San Lucas - 

Por aquellos días, Jesús se retiró al monte a orar y se pasó la noche en oración con Dios.

Cuando se hizo de día, llamó a sus discípulos, eligió a doce de entre ellos y les dio el nombre de apóstoles. Eran Simón, a quien llamó Pedro, y su hermano Andrés; Santiago y Juan; Felipe y Bartolomé; Mateo y Tomás; Santiago, el hijo de Alfeo, y Simón, llamado el Fanático; Judas, el hijo de Santiago, y Judas Iscariote, que fue el traidor.

Al bajar del monte con sus discípulos y sus apóstoles, se detuvo en un llano. Allí se encontraba mucha gente, que había venido tanto de Judea y Jerusalén, como de la costa de Tiro y de Sidón. Habían venido a oírlo y a que los curara de sus enfermedades; y los que eran atormentados por espíritus inmundos quedaban curados. Toda la gente procuraba tocarlo, porque salía de él una fuerza que sanaba a todos.

Palabra del Señor

Lecturas - presentación” de un niño de tres años

Lectura del libro de Éxodo –

      Entonces el Señor habló a Moisés y le dijo: “Conságrame todo primogénito. El primer nacido de toda matriz entre los Israelitas, tanto de hombre como de animal, Me pertenece.”

      Y Moisés dijo al pueblo: “Acuérdense de este día en que salieron de Egipto, de la casa de esclavitud, pues el Señor los ha sacado de este lugar con mano poderosa.”

     “Lo harás saber a tu hijo en aquel día, diciendo: ‘Esto es con motivo de lo que el Señor hizo por mí cuando salí de Egipto.’”

     “Y cuando el Señor te lleve a la tierra del Cananeo, como te juró a ti y a tus padres, y te la dé, dedicarás al Señor todo primer nacido de la matriz. También todo primer nacido del ganado que poseas. Los machos pertenecen al Señor.

     “Será, pues, como una señal en tu mano y como insignias entre tus ojos. Porque con mano fuerte nos sacó el Señor de Egipto.”  Palabra de Dios

Salmo - 

¡El Rey de la gloria es el Señor de los ejércitos!

¡Puertas, levanten sus dinteles, levántense, puertas eternas, para que entre el Rey

de la gloria!

¡El Rey de la gloria es el Señor de los ejércitos!

¡Y quién es ese Rey de la gloria? Es el Señor, el fuerte, el poderoso, el Señor

poderoso no los combates.

¡El Rey de la gloria es el Señor de los ejércitos!

¡Puertas, levanten sus dinteles, levántense, puertas eternas, para que entre el Rey

de la gloria!

¡El Rey de la gloria es el Señor de los ejércitos!

¿Y quién es ese Rey de la gloria? El Rey de la gloria es el Señor de los ejércitos.

¡El Rey de la gloria es el Señor de los ejércitos!

Lectura de la carta de San Pablo a los Gálatas -  

Cuando vino la plenitud del tiempo, Dios envió a Su Hijo, nacido de mujer, nacido bajo la Ley, a fin de que redimiera a los que estaban bajo la Ley, para que recibiéramos la adopción de hijos. Y porque ustedes son hijos, Dios ha enviado el Espíritu de Su Hijo a nuestros corazones, clamando: “¡Abba! ¡Padre!” Por tanto, ya no eres siervo, sino hijo; y si hijo, también heredero por medio de Dios. Palabra de Dios

 Lectura del Santo Evangelio según San Lucas (2:22-38)

      Al cumplirse los días para la purificación de ellos, según la ley de Moisés, Lo trajeron a Jerusalén para presentar al Niño al Señor, como está escrito en la Ley del Señor: “Todo varón que abra la matriz será llamado santo para el Señor,” y para ofrecer un sacrificio conforme a lo que fue dicho en la Ley del Señor: “un par de pichones.”

     Había en Jerusalén un hombre que se llamaba Simeón. Este hombre, justo y piadoso, esperaba la consolación de Israel, y el Espíritu Santo estaba sobre él.  Y por el Espíritu Santo se le había revelado que no vería la muerte sin antes ver al Cristo del Señor.  Movido por el Espíritu fue al templo. Y cuando los padres del niño Jesús Lo trajeron para cumplir por El el rito de la Ley, Simeón tomó al Niño en sus brazos, y bendijo a Dios diciendo:

“Ahora, Señor, permite que Tu siervo se vaya en paz, conforme a Tu palabra; porque mis ojos han visto Tu salvación la cual has preparado en presencia de todos los pueblos; Luz de revelación a los gentiles,

Y gloria de Tu pueblo Israel.”

       Y los padres del niño estaban asombrados de las cosas que de El se decían.  Simeón los bendijo, y dijo a su madre María: “Este niño ha sido puesto para caída y levantamiento de muchos en Israel, y para ser señal de contradicción,  y una espada traspasará aun tu propia alma, a fin de que sean revelados los pensamientos de muchos corazones.”  Palabra del Señor -

homilia - misa de la la presentación de un niño de tres años

      Hoy, celebramos la tradición de “la presentación” de un niño de tres años.  Sin duda, la fuente de esta tradición es la presentación del niño Jesús en el Templo en Jerusalén cuarenta días después de su nacimiento. En México, este día de la presentación de Cristo en una celebración especial - las familias asisten a una misa especial como celebramos hoy esta mañana en nuestra parroquia de St James.  En México, a esta ocasión, muchas familias llevan estatuas del niño Jesús a la iglesia para bendecirlas.  En la fiesta de la presentación en la Iglesia, María y José llevaron a su niño en sus brazos al Templo, no solo según la ley de Moisés, pero como testigos de la divinidad de su hijo. 

      Para la Virgen María, la entrega de su hijo en el Templo era mas de un ritual – hoy mas de un ritual también.  El significado de esta presentación del niño Jesús es su entrega para la redención y la salvación del mundo, una entrega de la madre de Jesús a la voluntad del Padre.  Escribió San Bernardo sobre la presentación – “La Virgen Bendita, ofrece su hija a Dios Padre como el fruto de tu vientre para nuestra salvación, la víctima quien es agradable a Dios.” Cristo dice que necesitamos un corazón como un niño para aceptar el reino de Dios en nuestra vida, para comprender con gozo y alegría su mensaje y su Buena Nueva.  

        En la presentación de hoy, necesitamos entender que celebramos.  La presentación de este niño hoy no es una substitución por el bautismo.  La presentación no es una celebración del cumpleaños del niño de tres años, la excusa para tener una fiesta.  Esta presentación es importante porque es un momento santo con Dios, es un momento de bendición con la comunidad de fe, un mensaje que ustedes dan a su hija – que dan al mundo. El momento de esta presentación es un momento catequístico para esta familia y para nuestra comunidad de fe.  Es una presentación de esta niña a nuestra comunidad de fe, un compromiso con Dios. 

10/27/2016 - Thursday of the 30th week in Ordinary Time - Ephesians 6:10-20

     When I was doing some research as to how All Saints Day and All Souls Day connect to our secular holiday of Halloween, I read that Halloween started as All Hallows Eve - the Old English term for the vigil celebration before the Feast of the Saints.  In Ireland, the faithful used in costumes on All Hallows Eve of both saintly and evil spirit, depicting the battle between good and evil that goes on in the world.  Paul mentions such a battle in the passage from the Letter to the Ephesians today, telling the faithful to draw strength from the Lord to help them firm against the tactics of the Devil.  Paul says that our main struggle in this world is not against our fellow human beings, but rather it is against those forces of spiritual evil that are forging battle against us.  In our modern way of looking at the world and the universe, with our knowledge of science and astronomy and cosmology, we perhaps have lost the sense of a battle of good vs evil spiritual forces that the ancient world saw as a part of reality.  We have gained a lot with our scientific knowledge, but perhaps we have lost a lot as well.  Growing in God’s truth, maintaining integrity and loyalty to the faith, following God’s laws and commandments, forming a strong union with our brothers and sisters in Christ - these are ways we can put on the armor of Christ, being firm and resolute on our journey of faith.   Like Paul, may we live out of faith boldly, not being afraid to stand up for our religious convictions.

10/26/2016 - Wednesday of the 30th week in Ordinary Time - Luke 13:22-30

     A man approaches Jesus, asking, “Is it true that only a few people will be saved?”  We get the feeling that this man believes that the answer will be “yes”, that he thinks that he will be one of the chosen ones who will be saved.  Jesus does not answer this man directly, but instead tells him that many will strive to enter the narrow gate, but only a few will be strong enough to enter.  What is important is not how we view ourselves as God’s chosen ones, but rather how we walk down the road of faith, that narrow path Jesus spoke about. When that gate is closed for the last time, so many will be shouting and crying to get in.  How do we see ourselves as committed to our faith in light of Christ's message today? 

     The scribes and Pharisees attacked Jesus for eating and drinking with sinners, for reaching out to them rather than condemn them. However, more than having contact with Jesus, these men and women needed to repent and to change their lives. It is not enough to claim Jesus as our friend, to say that he is our Lord and our Savior.  It is not enough to be a baptized Christian who has heard Christ’s teachings, who tries to go to mass everything Sunday and and tries to fulfill all of our religious obligations.  Yes, we are called to do those things, but we are also called to go below the surface of our faith.  To go through the narrow gate as a disciple of Christ, we must commit ourselves to living out the Gospel and to being transformed.  

10/28/2016 - Feast of St Simon and St Jude - Apostles - Luke 6:12-16

       Back in September, we celebrated the feast of St Matthew.  And just last week, we celebrated the St Luke, the Evangelist.  We celebrate all the apostles and the Evangelists in our Church’s liturgical calendar.  This brings us to the feast of St Simon and St Jude, which we celebrate on October 28th each year.  As I was writing this homily, I wondered: Why would we celebrate Simon and Jude together?  Shouldn’t each one get his own feast day like the other apostles?  As best we can tell, they are associated with each other and celebrated on the same feast day because tradition has passed down that they were both missionaries together in Persia and Mesopotamia, with both being martyred in Persia. In Scripture, we don’t know a lot about them, other than that they are included on the list of apostles.  In art, Jude is portrayed with an architect’s square, portraying him as an architect of the house of God.  Simon is portrayed with a saw, the instrument of his martyrdom. Tradition holds that Simon was a member of the Zealots, a group in Ancient Israel that was very nationalistic.  The Zealots hoped that the Messiah would come to liberate them from the foreign powers that had occupied Ancient Israel, to bring their nation back to military and political glory.   St Peter’s in Rome and St Sernin’s in Toulouse, France both claim to have the remains of Simon and Jude, so we are not entirely sure where they are buried.  We may not know a lot of details about a lot of the apostles, but we do know that the Catholic faith we have today was passed down by them through great sacrifice and suffering.  As we hear in the Gospel today of the 12 apostles whom Jesus called by name, we know that they were not the richest, not the most intelligent, not the most politically connected, but rather men who had great flaws and weaknesses.  They were tax collectors or zealots or men who had combative and argumentative personalities.   We can take away this message from our celebration of St Simon and St Jude today: In the midst of all our flaws and weaknesses, the Lord calls us to be his followers, to live out our faith as best we can in the reality of our lives.  May we all hear that call.  

10/25/2016 - Tuesday of the 30th week in Ordinary Time - Luke 13:18-21

       When Luke recorded in his Gospel Jesus’ parable about the mustard seed, a small seed that would grow into a large tree, the Early Church was still small and developing.  It was not yet a recognized religion in the Roman Empire.  It was subject to persecution and attacks.  However tiny it still was, the Early Church had still grown considerably compared to that small group of disciples that helped Jesus in his ministry while he was still alive.  When these words in the Gospel were written, there was still a lot of hope and confidence that the Church would indeed grow and overcome its setbacks and challenges.  I wonder how those first Christians would respond to the Church today.  We are so much bigger, so much a part of the fabric of many societies here on earth.  The attacks and persecutions may be different than they were in those days of the Early Church, but they are still a reality in our world today. In fact, persecutions and attacks on Christianity and other faiths are probably worse now than they have been in many years.  We need to capture a sense of the hope, confidence and optimism that characterizes this parable, knowing that we can still be dedicated to the truths of our faith in the midst of the secularism and violence against religion that exists in our world today.   God is still with us.  We have nothing to fear.   Being a Christian is more than a label.  It is more that what we call ourselves.  Being a Christian is having the faith the we can indeed live a life of faith and a life of discipleship in the midst of a secular world.   Back in the first century, St Ignatius of Antioch, Doctor of the Church said this: “It is right, therefore, that we not just be called Christians, but that we actually be Christians.”  Let us live our faith boldly and courageously.   Let the faith of the mustard seed grow and grow and grown within us.  

23 de octubre de 2016 - XXX domingo del tiempo ordinario - Lucas 18:9-14

   Dios escucha el grito de los pobres, es verdad.  En la primera lectura, escuchamos la sabiduría de Sirácide. Vivía en Egipto dos siglos antes del nacimiento de Cristo. Sus alumnos eran de las familias ricas, pero Sirácide explicaba a estos chicos que Dios no escuchaba sus oraciones automáticamente porque eran privilegiados.  También, Dios escucha específicamente a los pobres porque tiene una ternura especial para ellos.

      La humildad es el tema común en las lecturas de hoy. La humildad tiene un papel muy importante en la forma en que oramos a Dios, en la forma en que vivimos nuestra vida del discipulado, en la manera de llevar el mensaje de Jesucristo al mundo como misioneros de su Buena Nueva. El fariseo ora a Dios en la parábola en el Evangelio. En realidad, lo que el fariseo dijo no es realmente una oración a Dios. En lugar de dar gracias a Dios, el fariseo dice esta oración a sí mismo. El fariseo, mira a los demás y proclama que ellos son "pecadores". El fariseo, de hecho hace un montón de cosas buenas en su vida, pero es arrogante y orgulloso. Dios nos llama a la humildad y la compasión hacia nuestro prójimo, muy diferente de la actitud este fariseo abraza.

     La oración del publicano es muy diferente de la oración del fariseo. El publicano se sitúa en la parte posterior del templo, en lugar de asumir una posición de poder y honor. El publicano es tan humilde - no puede levantar los ojos a Dios. Él confiesa sus pecados y pide perdón.  Su oración viene de los rincones más profundos de su corazón. Él ha hecho muchas cosas malas en su vida, pero él posee la virtud de la humildad.  El fariseo ora como alguien que no necesita el perdón de Dios, pero el publicano ora como alguien que sabe que necesita el perdón, y recibe el perdón de Dios. ¿Cómo nos acercamos a la vida de oración? ¿Fuera de nuestro orgullo y el poder y la justicia propia?  ¿O fuera de nuestra humildad y la obediencia? Según el filósofo existencialista Soren Kierkegaard: "La oración no cambia a Dios, pero la oración cambia el hombre que ora." Según Padre Raymond Brown de la Universidad de Notre Dame, "Si no hay cambio como resultado de la oración, entonces uno realmente no ha orado.”  En la humildad y el arrepentimiento, podemos abrir nuestras oraciones al cambio y transformación en nuestra vida de oración. El publicano se entrega a la gracia de Dios en su humildad. El fariseo piensa que él mismo tiene todas las respuestas - la gracia de Dios no tiene un puesto en su vida. En el espíritu del Evangelio de hoy, de la humildad, el arrepentimiento y la fe, se puede encontrar en las oraciones en la Coronilla de la Divina Misericordia: "Padre Eterno, te ofrezco el Cuerpo y la Sangre, el Alma y la Divinidad, de tu amadísimo Hijo, nuestro Señor Jesucristo, como propiciación de nuestros pecados y los de todo el mundo. Por el bien de su dolorosa pasión, ten misericordia de nosotros y del mundo entero “.

      Ustedes conocen que celebramos el Mes del Respeto de la Vida durante el mes de octubre. Además, es el mes del rosario. Hoy, también celebramos el Domingo Mundial de la Misiones. Este año marca el noventa aniversario en el que la Iglesia Católica celebra el Domingo Mundial de las Misiones, declarado por primera vez por el Papa Pío XI en 1926. Como el mundo, las misiones han cambiado mucho desde ese año. Por muchos años, muchos de los sacerdotes de nuestra diócesis en Mississippi vinieron de Irlanda. Ahora, no hay mas sacerdotes que pueden venir de Irlanda - entonces, tenemos sacerdotes en nuestra diócesis de África, India, Vietnam, México e Indonesia, lugares que antes estaban los países de las misiones.Porque todavía estamos en el Año de Misericordia, el Papa Francisco elijo este tema por el Domino Mundial da las Misiones: Iglesia Misionera - Testigo de la Misericordia.  

         Al celebrar la llamada universal que tenemos que ser misionero, reconocemos la forma en que la llamada se inicia en el nivel parroquial. Queremos que todos ustedes a ser parte de nuestra misión aquí en St James. A medida que nos acercamos a nuestros feligreses, nuestros hijos, y nuestros jóvenes, ya que nos acercamos a la comunidad y más allá, todos podemos ser parte de este mandato misionero. Esa es una de las metas aquí en St James - para cumplir con este llamado a ser misioneros en el mundo.

10/23/2016 - 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle C - Luke 18:9-14

      When I was working as as a lay missionary in Ecuador, prior to coming to Mississippi, I hosted a group of high school students from Cincinnati, Ohio for a two week long mission experience.  In this jungle province of Ecuador, there were more than 100 missionaries doing all kinds of work - not just ministry in parishes, but running schools, health clinics, orphanages, and community outreach projects.  I had arranged for a canoe to bring the youth and their leaders to a village where I did a lot of work as a missionary.  The canoe ride was about 4 hours away from the mission site where I lived.  As the canoe was speeding down the huge river - a river that was about as wide as the Mississippi River, with the immense rain forest jungle all around us - one of the high school students in the canoe turned to me and said: “I feel like we’ve been transported to one of the pages in National Geographic Magazine.”  And I think that is how a lot of us see this mission field - as this exotic location thousands of miles away from us in the United States. However, in recent years, our Church has been trying to educate the faithful with the reality that whole world is a mission field, that all of us are missionary in spirit as disciples of Christ.  

     We have been celebrating Respect Life Month during the month of October.  In addition, this month, we have been celebrating the month of the rosary.  Today, we also celebrate a special Sunday during the month of October - World Mission Sunday.  This marks the 90th year in which our Catholic Church celebrates World Mission Sunday, as it was first declared by Pope Pius XI & the Pontifical Society for the Propagation for the Faith in 1926.  How the mission world has changed since that year.  Back then, many of the priests in our diocese in Mississippi, which at the time was the named the Diocese of Natchez, came from Ireland.  Now, with no more priests coming from Ireland, we have priests in our Diocese from the Congo, India, Vietnam, Mexico, and Indonesia, places that used to be thought of as the mission field.  We are working hard to cultivate home-grown priests from the parishes within Mississippi to provide the priests we need.  Since we are still celebrating the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis chose this as the theme for World Mission Sunday this year: Missionary Church - Witness of Mercy. 

     Humility is the common theme in our readings today.  And humility plays an important role in how we pray to God, in how we live out our life of discipleship, in how we bring the message of Jesus Christ to the world as missionaries of his Good News.  We hear of a Pharisee who is praying to God in today’s parable.  In actuality, what the self-righteous Pharisee said is not really a prayer to God.  Instead of thanking God, the Pharisee brags about himself. In fact, he really says this prayer to himself.  The Pharisee looks down at others, labeling them “sinners”.  The Pharisee actually does a lot of good things in his life, but he is very arrogant and proud.  God calls us to humility and compassion toward our brothers and sisters, very different from the attitude this Pharisee embraces. 

     The prayer of the tax collector is very different from the prayer of the Pharisee.  The tax collector stands at the back of the Temple, rather than assuming a position of power and honor up in front.  The tax collector is so humble that he will not even lift up his eyes to God.  He confesses his sins and asks for forgiveness, praying out of the deep recesses of his heart.  The tax collector has done many bad things in his life, but he possesses the virtue of humility, which leads him to repent and to ask forgiveness from God, the merciful Father.  The Pharisee prays as someone who feels that he does not need God’s forgiveness, but the tax collector prays as someone who knows that he needs forgiveness, and he receives that forgiveness from God.   How do we approach prayer? Out of our pride and power and self-righteousness?  Or out of our humility and obedience?  According to the 19th century existentialist philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, “Prayer does not change God, but (prayer) changes him who prays.”  And according to scripture scholar Father Raymond Brown from University of Notre Dame, “If no change occurs as a result of prayer, then one has not really prayed.” Out of our humility and repentance, like that which was shown by the tax collector in today’s Gospel, we can be open to change and transformation in our prayer life.  The tax collector surrenders himself to God’s grace in his humility and openness.  The Pharisee thinks he had all the answers; God’s grace has no room in his life.  The spirit of today’s Gospel, of humility, repentance, and faith, can be found in the prayers in the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy: “Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.  For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us, and on the whole world.”

     We here in the Diocese of Jackson are a missionary diocese - we reflect the missionary nature of our universal Church, our desire to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus throughout the world, and to share our Catholic faith with others.  Last Thursday, we had our deanery meeting in Northeast Mississippi.  There are six deaneries in our diocese.  Our deanery - Deanery 5 - stretches from Corinth and Ripley in the north, over to Oxford and Bruce, and all the way down to Starkville and Columbus to the south of us - quite a large area.   Our deanery is very rural and is comprised of mostly small parishes. It has the most developed Hispanic ministry in the diocese. Our deanery has the most lay leaders in charge of parishes as well.  We try our best to work together, to help each other out.  It is not always easy. It is sometimes frustrating and exhausting.  But our collaboration in the missionary spirit of our Church is what we are called to as brothers and sisters in Christ.  At that deanery meeting on Thursday, one of the lay ministers remarked how appreciative she is of the way we all try to help each other in the neighboring parishes in Northeast Mississippi, of how we collaborate in ministry, trying to give each other understanding and support.  As we celebrate the universal call we have to be missionary, we acknowledge how that call begins on the parish level.  We want all of you to be a part of our mission here at St James.  As we reach out to our fellow parishioners, our children, and our youth, as we reach out to the community and beyond, all of us can be a part of this missionary mandate.  That is one of goals here at St James - to fulfill this call to be a missionaries in the world. 

10/21/2016 - Friday of the 29th week in Ordinary Time - Luke 12:54-59

      We hear some common sense advice from Jesus today.  A lot of times, even in our modern era, we tried to read signs in nature to forecast the weather.  I know the Farmer’s Almanac is still popular here in the US.  For our part of the country, it forecasts an upcoming winter that is “penetrating cold and very wet.”  With the dry months we’ve just had, that sounds like a relief.  For the Midwest, it forecasts “numbing cold and snowy” - not so good.   In Jesus’ day in Ancient Israel, they would use patterns to forecast the weather as well.  Wind coming from the Mediterranean ocean to the west was known to bring rain.  Wind coming from the south from the desert would bring hot weather and no moisture.   Jesus asks the people why they are good is reading the signs in the weather but are not very good in reading the signs from God that are before them.   Here God has sent Jesus, the Messiah, with teachings and signs and wonders.  He heals the sick.  He performs miracles to feed the crowds and to calm the storms.  Yet, they fail to recognize that these signs are from God.  They clammer for other signs, not understanding what is already before them.  They look on with curiosity, but are unwilling to make a commitment of faith.  We can see our church and our religion and our faith as drudgery or as an obligation, or we can see it as an opportunity or an invitation from God.  Are we reading the signs and the opportunities that God give us on our own journeys of faith?  

10/20/2016 - Thursday of the 29th week in Ordinary Time - Luke 12:49-53

       We hear Jesus proclaim that he has come to set the earth on fire, how he wishes that it were already blazing!”  Perhaps he is not meaning literally, but rather symbolically.   We must remember that Jesus was a practicing Jew.  To him and to all the Jews of Ancient Israel, the imagery of fire as evoked in the Old Testament symbolized the powerful presence of God.  We recall how Moses saw God in the burning bush and how the pillar of fire led the Israelites through the desert at night on their way to the promised land.  We also recall the tongues of fire that came upon the disciples with the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  The fire of the Holy Spirit burns in all the hearts of Christ’s disciples.  The Holy Spirit leads us and guides us to transformation, conversion, and renewal.   If Jesus wishes to spread that fire throughout the earth, we as his disciples and the messengers of his Gospel, must be willing to help. 

      Some of our parishioners had told me that they have had friends and acquaintances ask them about the eternal flame in front of our church, about what it symbolized.  To many in our parishes, it is a symbol of God, that God is with us in our parish of St James, named after one of the original apostles, the apostle who brought Christ’s Gospel to others as a missionary after Christ’s death and resurrection.  The symbols of our faith are there for a reason, to remind us of who we are and what God is about.  May we never forget our mission.  

10/19/2016 - Memorial of Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Priests, and Companions, Martyrs of North America - Isaiah 12:2-3, 4BCD, 5-6

      Instead of a psalm, we hear verses from the prophet Isaiah today, as he declares: God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid. My strength and my courage is the LORD, and he has been my savior.  We may assume that the psalmist is having great success and joy in his life, but perhaps he is going through many sufferings, challenges and obstacles in his life, finding confidence and strength in his faith in the midst of all he is going through. 

      Today, we celebrate two great missionaries and their companions:  St Jean de Brébeuf, St Isaac Rogues, and their companions, all missionaries from Europe who died as martyrs in North America in the 17th century. The first permanent French settlement was established in Quebec in present day Canada in 1608.  Not many years later, the Jesuits established a permanent mission in Quebec. Jean de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues, and other Jesuits were among the priests who traveled throughout Quebec to establish missions among the native people there.  The missions amongst the Huron tribe were the most successful.  Not only did these missionaries have to contend with learning a native language that was not written down, a harsh northern environment, and the natives’ natural distrust of the newly arrived Europeans, they also were confronted by a state of constant warfare amongst the tribes.  Many of these priests were captured and tortured at different times.  Isaac Jogues was captured in 1642 by members of the Mohawk tribe, who tortured him and enslaved him until he was able to escape.  In fact, in this era of Church history, a priest who was bodily deformed was not able to perform his priestly duties.  Because Jogues had many of his fingers removed or mutilated during his torture, he had to receive a special papal dispensation in order to continue to celebrate mass.  Brébeuf is most remembered for the written records he left behind of the Huron language, as well as the Huron Carol that he wrote in the native Huron language, the first recorded Christian hymn that was written and composed in North America.  8 Jesuit priests were killed in Canada between 1642 and 1649 - collectively they are known as the North American martyrs.  Author Brian Moore, whose novel Black Robe is based upon the life of Brébeuf, stated that the faith and conviction of these Jesuit priests is a dynamic, profound Christian faith that speaks to us across the centuries.  We can certainly learn a great deal from the tenacity and courage of these faithful missionaries.  Most of these missionaries knew that they would die for the faith in one form or another, but their belief in the missionary mandate we have as Christians quelled any fear or trepidations that they had.  May the spirit of these brave Jesuit missionary live on in us today.