Monday, April 1, 2019

7 April 2019 – quinto domingo de cuaresma – ciclo C – Juan 8,1-11


      Caminamos durante la temporada sagrada de cuaresma. En una semana mas, entramos en el domingo de ramos y la semana santa.  En estos domingos de cuaresma, escuchamos lecturas muy interesantes sobre el perdón y la conversión.  El tercer domingo de cuaresma, escuchamos un discurso de Jesucristo.  El explicaba que vamos a perecer si no nos convertimos y si no arrepentimos, y nos dio el ejemplo de una higuera que no da fruto durante tres años. El domingo pasado, escuchamos la historia del hijo pródigo y su manera de buscar reconciliación con el padre. Hoy, continuando el tema del arrepentimiento y el perdón de los pecados, escuchamos la lectura del Evangelio de la mujer adúltera.  Esta mujer recibió el perdón de nuestro Señor.  Los valores de esta lectura nos exhorta a no ser acusadores de los pecados en nuestro prójimo, cuando, en el mismo momento, no queremos mirar los pecados que existen en nuestra vida. En lugar de la energía que gastamos mirando los pecados de los demás, podemos utilizar esta energía en un examen de nuestra consciencia, en la renuncia de nuestros errores, y en el cambio de nuestra vida.  Muchas veces, podemos ver con claridad los defectos y los pecados de los demás, pero quedamos ciegos para descubrir los nuestros.
       Jesús no tiene una actitud de indiferencia con los pecados ajenos.  Dice al la mujer adultera: “anda y no peques más”.  Jesús condena el pecado en esta mujer, pero quiere salvar al pecador.  El amor y la misericordia de nuestro Señor son más fuertes que las piedras que los demás pueden lanzar a su cuerpo. La condenación es algo muy fuerte en nuestra sociedad. Pero, con el dialogo y la voluntad de ayudar y conversar, podemos descubrir la solidaridad, la compasión, y la misericordia. Al frente de las acusaciones de la muchedumbre a la mujer adultera, la compresión de Jesús la orienta hacia el cambio y la transformación de su vida. Jesús no la condena, ni la mata.  Con él, siempre hay la invitación de arrepentirse y replantearse.  Con él, siempre hay la esperanza. Con la misericordia de Jesús, vence al pecado y nos muestra el amor de Dios. Cuando hablamos sobre el perdón, la comprensión, y la misericordia de Dios en el mensaje del Evangelio de la mujer adúltera, hablamos sobre la base esencial de la conversión que necesitamos en nuestra vida de fe.  Es un mensaje de nuestra salvación y redención que necesitamos escuchar al fin de nuestra viaje de peregrinación en el tiempo de cuaresma.  

3 April 2019 - Wednesday of the 4th week of Lent – John 5:17-23


        Jesus responds to a question in today’s Gospel in an unexpected way. He gets into trouble, not only for breaking the laws respecting the Sabbath, but also for the way he calls God his father, since with this terminology, Jesus would have been equating himself with God.
         Throughout history, many people who see God differently get into trouble with the Church, but often when they are long gone, the view can be seen more objectively and can be better appreciated. I think of mystics such as Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross, who experienced God in a very different way than was the norm in 16th century Spain.  In the middle of the backlash from the Protestant Reformation and at the height of the Spanish Inquisition, you can imagine that a mystical vision of God was not positively received during that era.  We can see it in our world today.  Not many years ago, Sister Elizabeth Johnson, who spent her entire adult life teaching at Catholic institutions such Fordham in New York and Catholic University in Washington DC, wrote a book about how people experienced God in their lives in the modern world called The Quest from the Living God. That book was criticized by some of our Church leaders in the United States.  
         We are called to see the world through the lens of our faith, so see where God is speaking to us and to view his presence in the reality of our lives.  I think of the different versions of the Way of the Cross that exist - Mary’s way of the cross, the Way of the Cross in the words of Pope Francis written in honor of the Year of Mercy, the Immigrants Way of the Cross, the way of the cross for youth, and the traditional way of the cross written by St Alphonsus Liguori in the 18th century.  All of them have something to say to us about our faith.  All of them help us see Jesus’ journey to the cross from a different perspective.  
         Lord, we thank you for the way you are present to us in the reality of our lives.  May we continue to walk with Jesus on his journey to the cross. May we continue to walk with him and to hear him speak to us.  

2 April 2019 – Tuesday of 4th week of Lent – John 5:1-16


       The pool at Bethesda is located just outside the city walls of Jerusalem.  The pool was originally built to supply water for the Temple, but by Jesus' time this function was superseded by other water sources.  Gradually, this pool acquired a reputation for healing qualities.  Jesus singles one man out from the many who are gathered there at the pool to be healed.  This man acknowledges that he has no one to put him in the pool, an admission that there are no family or friends to help him. It's difficult for us to imagine how he would survive there very long by himself without anyone to help him. This man did not know that it was Jesus talking to him, so he obviously did not anticipate being healed by Jesus.  Although the man expects to be cured by the waters of the pool, Jesus bypasses the pool altogether and cures him directly. It is interesting that, unlike some other cures, Jesus doesn’t link the cured person with his faith; Jesus just cures him because he needs healing. The cure that happens in this Gospel has a very reassuring and positive message to all of us as we continue our Lenten journey – the man is cured, he is saved, because he merely wanted to be well.
         The season of Lent is an opportunity for all of us to grow closer to God and to contemplate the great love God shows us through his son.  Today, in our modern world, we still reach out to Jesus for healing.  A lot of people look forward to the healing mass we have each month to offer the sacrament of the anointing of the sick to those who desire it.  This weekend, we will offer this sacrament of healing at all of our masses.  May we reach to Jesus to bring us healing into our daily lives. 

Wednesday, March 27, 2019

31 March 2019 - 4th Sunday in Lent - Cycle C - Luke 15:1-3, 11-32


    We hear a famous Gospel today: the parable of the prodigal son.  When I reflected upon this parable in the midst of the holy season of Lent, I see the theme of repentance and conversion. Indeed, there is great rejoicing in heaven for the sinner who repents, just as there is great joy in the heart of the shepherd when he finds that one lost sheep, just as the father has great joy when his lost son returns. This Gospel reflects the way Christ went out of his way to reach out to the poor and the outcast, how he had dinner with those seen as the greatest of sinners in his society, how he healed the leper, how left his disciples to reach out to those who had never heard his teachings. This message applies to us as a parish, as we are not to just remain closed in and content with our members alone, but are to evangelize and bring the Gospel to others, and in particular to the lost and the forgotten. 
      As we think about our need to forgive and to be forgiven, we still might wonder why the father celebrated his lost son’s return after the son wasted away his fortune.  Why did the father not celebrate the older son who always treated him with dignity and respect? It comes down to forgiveness: Jesus teaches us to forgive - to forgive again and again. Not 7 times.  77 times. This is a lesson in humility, to be sure.  Yes, we are all called to be humble as disciples of Christ. 
F. But beyond humility, this embodies God’s unconditional love.  
       God always welcomes us back. There are many of us who have left our faith for a time, who have left our faith community. There are many of us who feel a big space between us and God, no matter how hard we try. Sometimes we wonder where God is when we call out to him, when we don’t feel him answering us back. But, God welcome us back no matter what.  God is not angry at us for doubting or for straying or for ignoring him. Like the father with the prodigal son, God the Father greets us with joy when we return. It is never too late with God.  It is never too late.  
       We have been reflecting upon the saints during our Lenten journey. In a little more than a week, a group of our youth will be confirmed here at St Jude with Bishop Joseph Kopacz.  This is a major step on their journey.  I have asked a couple of our youth to share with us about the saint they have chosen for their confirmation name.  And how that saint’s life speaks to us our Lenten journey.  




Tuesday, March 26, 2019

31 de marzo de 2019 – el cuarto domingo de cuaresma - ciclo c – Lucas 15, 1-3, 11-32


       Nosotros católicos tenemos mucho animo para conmemorar la temporada de cuaresma cada año. Cuaresma es un tiempo especial de caminar con Cristo en el desierto durante 40 días, de mirar a nuestros corazones y nuestras vidas. La cuaresma nos da un tiempo de conversión, arrepentimiento y renovación. Nuestra fe católica es rica en tradiciones en la temporada de cuaresma, con el sacramento de reconciliación, con el via cruces, y con la observancia cuaresmal de la oración, el ayuno y las obras de caridad.  
       Hoy, el Evangelio del hijo pródigo se nos presenta el tema del perdón, un tema muy importante en la temporada de cuaresma.  La mayoría de nosotros encuentra el perdón como algo muy difícil para vivir en nuestra camino de fe.  En la misa diaria del martes pasado, escuchamos del evangelio de San Mateo. En este evangelio, Pedro pidió a Jesucristo sobre la frecuencia que debemos perdonar a su hermano que le ofende.  Pedro pregunta – ¿debo perdonar a mi hermano 7 veces? Cristo dice mas de 7 veces - sino más bien setenta veces siete.  Pedro quiere parecer indulgente y misericordioso, le pregunta si él debe perdonar 7 veces, porque los rabinos en la Israel enseñaron que necesita perdonar a sus enemigos no más de 3 veces, citando la sagrada escritura del primer capitulo de Amós con lo que Dios perdonó a los enemigos de Israel 3 veces.  Por lo tanto, que perdona más del doble de los tiempos citado en la sagrada escritura Hebrea, Pedro probablemente pensaba que Cristo iba alabarlo por su misericordia. 
       Por supuesto, Pedro y los otros discípulos deberían tener sorpresa por la respuesta de Jesucristo porque Dios no nos llama a poner límites a nuestra merced y perdón.  Se nos llama a perdonar con tanta gracia y generosidad mil veces como lo hacemos la primera vez que perdonamos.  Somos capaces de practicar este tipo de perdón por la presencia del Espíritu del Señor que llena nuestro corazón.  Es solamente a través de Dios que podemos verdaderamente perdonar.  Es más fácil para desear la venganza o la retribución o recuperación en lugar de perdonar.  Normalmente, es mucho trabajo para perdonar. 
       Tal vez la humildad es la clave para vivir el perdón en nuestra vida.  En su humildad, el hijo pródigo es capaz de decir en el Evangelio de hoy: “Me levantaré, volveré a mi padre y le diré: ‘Padre, he pecado contra el cielo y contra ti; ya no merezco llamarme hijo tuyo. Recíbeme como a uno de tus trabajadores.’”  Si quedamos en nuestro orgullo y arrogancia y vanidad, el perdón quedará un ideal inalcanzable.  Necesitamos reconocer nuestras debilidades y nuestras heridas.  Necesitamos reconocer nuestra dependencia de Dios.  El fundamento del perdón es el amor que Dios nos da.  El fundamento del perdón es el amor ágape que debemos vivir en nuestro camino de fe.
     Una de las obras espirituales de misericordia es perdonar las injurias.  Pero, ¿cómo podemos realmente perdonar a aquellas injurias que cortan nuestros corazones, que atacan a nuestras vidas y las vidas de nuestros queridos?  A veces no nos damos cuenta de las formas en que nuestros hermanos tenía que perdonar en la realidad de sus vidas. Perdonar no es algo fácil en nuestras vidas, pero es importante para hacerlo como discípulos de Cristo. 

Monday, March 25, 2019

28 March 2019 – Thursday of 3rd week in Lent – Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9, Jeremiah 7:23-28


      “If today you hear God’s voice, harden not your hearts.”  As believers of Christ, we certainly do not want hard hearts, but in the busy world we live in, in all the different messages and cynicism that bombard us each day, in the frustrations and anger that may arise within us, we may easily develop hearts that are hard and jaded.  The grace of God calls out to us today during our Lenten journey: it calls us to renew our hearts and to return to him.  Jeremiah spoke out to a people that had definitely hardened their hearts and stiffened their necks.  God reminded them through Jeremiah that he had sent them prophets and servants, but that often they had been rejected.  Echoing the reality that Jeremiah spoke about, we can reflect upon how we often reject God in a lot of different ways in our lives, in our thoughts and in our actions, in the thoughtlessness and hardness in which we treat our brothers and sisters, in the way we do not make our faith a priority in our lives.  What can we do about that?  Thomas Merton had this to say: We can often hide the precepts of God’s wisdom in our hearts – the precepts of humility, meekness, charity, renunciation, faith, and prayer.  The values that the precepts and prayers communicate, the life that they are trying to give us, can remain completely hidden from our human eyes.   Let us open our hearts up to the Lord, to the values he is trying to teach us.   Let us not turn our hearts away from him, no matter how much of a temptation that may be.  Let our hearts not become hardened. 

29 March 2019 - Friday of the third week of Lent – Psalm 51


     “I am the Lord your God – hear my voice.”  We hear this message in the psalm today.  We hear this message echoed in the answer Jesus gives the scribes, when they ask him to name the greatest of all of God's commandments.  How do we hear God’s voice?  How do we respond?  There is not just one answer to that, just as there is not just one way we seek God in the reality in our lives, just as there is not just one way to look for God and to convert our hearts during this holy season of Lent.
      We have heard a lot about Sister Thea Bowman in our Diocese recently.  She was a very influential individual in our Diocese.  Back in November, by unanimous vote, the US Bishops voted to support the advancement of the cause of Thea Bowman for canonization on the Diocesan level. I thought about Sister Thea when I was looking at the readings for today's mass because tomorrow, we mark the anniversary of her death; she died on March 30, 1990 at the age of 52.  When I taught school in the Delta before I became a priest, as I learned about Sister Thea and the contributions she made to our Church in the way she proclaimed God's kingdom, I always thought that one day she would be on track to be canonized. However, in many ways, she is already recognized as a saint and as a great example of faith by many believers, not only in our own Diocese, but throughout the world.  Thea Bowman was born in Yazoo City and grew up in Canton. Although Thea was not born into a Catholic family, her mother sent her to Catholic schools, knowing that this was the best education her daughter could receive.  Thea became Catholic when she was 9 years old, inspired by her Catholic education and the sister who taught her.  She became the first African American woman to join the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in Wisconsin.   Thea helped the Church celebrate the voice of African American Catholics, the contributions and spirituality that they brought to the faith.  Her joyful spirit, her love of music and literature, inspired countless students and those who heard her presentations.  As I think of the psalm today, we can definitely say that Sister Thea heard God’s voice and tried to bring that voice in her own way to the world.