Jesús Paciente (IV Domingo de Cuaresma. Ciclo C)



Nació en el alto cielo una parábola
y fue enviado el Hijo a proclamarla:
que había un pobre lleno de pecados
y había un Padre pródigo de gracia.

Durmiendo en la dehesa entre animales,
sin dulce compañía que le amara;
sin paz ni pan, con rostro de cautivo,
el pobre que sufría era mi alma.

¡Qué envidia de vosotros, jornaleros!,
decía con palabras que sangraban:
¡Señor, pequé, perdona mi locura,
que pueda ser un siervo de tu casa!

Y había un padre fiel, ¡oh Padre bueno!,
que en casa para mí tenía un arca;
la túnica preciosa y el anillo
el Padre estremecido me guardaba.

De abrazos y de besos fue el encuentro,
de mesa llena, músicos y danzas.
¡Oh Dios que todo sabes, tú conoces,
tú solo, mi pecado y tus entrañas!

¡A ti la gratitud, Jesús paciente,
que el gran amor del Padre nos contabas,
a ti la bendición porque muriendo
has dicho lo que el Padre nos amaba! Amén •

P. Rufino María Grández, ofmcap,
Jerusalén, Domingo del hijo pródigo, 
9 marzo 1986.








Compartir y repartir (IV Domingo de Cuaresma. Ciclo C)



La parábola la conocemos como la del hijo pródigo, pero también podríamos llamarle la parábola de la alegría, o la parábola del perdón, o la parábola del hermano mayor, o la parábola de la llamada a la conversión de los buenos, o la de mejor caminemos juntos, o la del padre; o la del padre de los padres, porque en realidad él es el único que ama y sabe de amor en todo el relato. Así es de rica y de imaginativa esta parábola. Toda una pieza maestra de Jesús. El texto es como una especie de tratado de cómo Dios escribe derecho sobre renglones torcidos, y está llena de personajes reales, aunque se trate de una parábola. El pródigo vuelve por hambre. Le mueve el deseo de la mesa; así es, por prosaico y poco romántico que nos pueda parecer. Y cuando llega a casa todo le sale mucho mejor de lo que había planeado, y es que Dios es así. El padre –dice el texto- corrió. Mientras el arrepentimiento anda a su lento paso, la misericordia corre, vuela, precipita las etapas, anticipa el perdón, manda delante, como heraldo, la alegría. Dios es así. Por su parte el hijo mayor aparentemente es buena persona. Cree que el padre ha perdido la cabeza y da la impresión de que también se rebela contra la libertad de amar de Dios. En realidad le molesta que el padre quiera a todos; le pasa lo que nos pasa a muchos de nosotros, que no aceptamos un Dios compartido y repartido. Aquel hijo mayor -y con él nosotros- no entiende que el amor es gratuidad, pretende cobrar por su antigüedad y su fidelidad. Está lleno de razones y de dignidad y casi nada lo mueve. Lo peor de todo, reniega de su hermano y de la fraternidad. La parábola, en fin, toca fibras muy sensibles, llama a la puerta del corazón; invita a guardar silencio, a dar gracias por el Padre bueno que siempre nos recibe con alegría; nos lleva a pensar cómo podríamos encontrarnos con ese hermano que nos ha dejado de querer y nos anima a que pase lo que pase siempre nos pongamos en camino de regreso hacia el amor y el perdón • AE 



Fr. Agustin´s Schedule March 30-31, 2019 (Fourth Sunday of Lent)



Saturday March 30, 2019. 
Fourth Sunday of Lent.
  
Sacrament of Confession.

4.00 p.m. @ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles
Catholic Church.

Vigil Mass

5.30 p.m. @ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles
Catholic Church.

Sunday March 24, 2019. 
Fourth Sunday of Lent.
  
10.00 a.m. @ Our Lady of Sorrows 
Catholic Church. 

11.30 p.m. @ Our Lady of Sorrows 
Catholic Church.

We, the ones who put labels (Fourth Sunday of Lent. Cycle)



The gospel today also speaks of the “older son,” a man who stays home with his father and does not imitate his brother’s dissolute life, far from home. He is upset when they inform him of the party organized by his father to welcome the lost son. Instead of being happy, as his father, about his brother’s return, he is mad. He became angry and refused to enter to join the celebration. He never left home, but now he feels like a stranger among his own family. The father comes out to invite him with the same tenderness with which he has welcomed his brother. He does not shout or give out orders. He pleads with him with humble love to go in and be part of the welcome home party. It is then that the son explodes and lays bare all his resentment. He has spent his whole life fulfilling his father’s orders, but he has not learned to love the way his father loves. Now all he knows is to demand his rights and put his brother down. This is the tragedy of the older son. He has never left home, but his heart has always been far away. He knows how to fulfill commandments but he does not know how to love. He does not understand his father’s love for that lost son. He does not welcome or forgive him; he does not want to know anything about his brother. Jesus ends his parable without satisfying our curiosity: Did the older son join the celebration or did he stay outside? Caught up in the religious crisis of modern society, we have gotten used to talking about believers and non-believers, about those who practice their religion and those who have drifted away, about marriages blessed by the Church and couples in irregular situation… While we keep classifying God’s children, God keeps waiting for us all, since he is not the property of good people or of religious practitioners. He is everyone’s Father. The “older son” is a question for those of us who think we live closely with the Father. What are we who have not left the Church doing? Assuring our religious survival by observing the best we can what is commanded, or being witnesses of God’s great love for all his sons and daughters? Are we building open communities that know how to understand, welcome and accompany those who seek God in the midst of doubts and questions? Do we put up barriers or do we lay bridges? Do we offer friendship or do we look on others with suspicion? There is no doubt: we have many questions for our conversatin with our Lord this morning. The main one would be, am I open to all the love that God has to give me? Am I living full of resentments like the older son? • AE

III Domingo de Cuaresma.



Con ojos del corazón
yo te miro, Jesús mío,
tu cruz es paz y rocío,
lluvia de amor, bendición.

Y en tu divino semblante
mi carne contemplo y veo;
en tu pasión saboreo
el amor de Dios amante.

No hay dolor en mí presente
que en tu cruz no hayas tomado,
ni gozo que tú has gozado
negado a tu fiel creyente.

Yo vivo en ti porque antes
tú descendiste hasta mí,
y quisiste para ti
ser hombre con ignorantes.

Mi lenguaje es tu lenguaje
y mis penas son tus penas,
al tiempo que a manos llenas
das tu divino hospedaje.

La unidad de ser y vida
ser uno siempre contigo
es todo lo que persigo
ahora y en mi partida.

Es tu Misterio Pascual
mi presente y mi futuro,
Jesús, divino conjuro,
y mi patria celestial. Amén •

P. Rufino María Grández, ofmcap.
Puebla, 26 de marzo de 2009AE

El susurro de la higuera que crece (III Domingo de Cuaresma. Ciclo C)



No basta criticar. No basta indignarse y pegar tres gritos en Twitter atribuyendo a otros su responsabilidad. Ninguno podemos situarnos en una zona neutral de inocencia. De una forma u otra todos somos culpables, y hoy más que nunca es necesario que todos sepamos reconocer nuestra propia responsabilidad en los conflictos. El Señor nos invita éste domingo a no pasarnos la vida denunciando culpabilidades ajenas. Una actitud de conversión exige la valentía de reconocer con sinceridad el propio pecado y comprometerse en la renovación de la propia vida. Necesitamos sembrar y cuidar una nueva higuera, una que dé frutos nuevos y buenos. Tenemos que aprender a vivir una vida diferente, no de acuerdo a las reglas de juego que hemos impuesto en nuestra sociedad egoísta, sino de acuerdo a valores nuevos y escuchando las aspiraciones más profundas del ser humano. “Si ustedes no se arrepienten, perecerán de manera semejante”. Nos salvaremos si llegamos a ser no más poderosos sino más solidarios. Creceremos no siendo cada vez más grandes sino estando cada vez más cerca de los pequeños. Seremos felices no teniendo cada vez más sino compartiendo cada vez mejor. Mejoraremos no si vivimos gritando cada uno nuestras propias reivindicaciones y olvidando las necesidades de los demás, sino sirviendo a los demás. La salvación nos llegará si apartamos la mirada de lo que está de moda de aquello que nos parece trendy y ponemos atención al susurro del evangelio de Jesús[1] • AE


[1] J. A. Pagola, Buenas Noticias, Navarra, 1985, p. 275  ss.


Fr. Agustin´s Schedule March 23-24, 2019 (Third Sunday of Lent, 2019)


Saturday March 23, 2019. 
Third Sunday of Lent.

Sacrament of Confession. 
5.00 p.m. @ Our Lady of Sorrows 
Catholic Church

Vigil Mass

6.00 p.m. @ Our Lady of Sorrows 
Catholic Church

Sunday March 24, 2019.
Third Sunday of Lent.
  
8.30 a.m. @ Our Lady of Sorrows 
Catholic Church 
(Misa en Español)

11.00 a.m. @ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles 
Catholic Church.

5.30 p.m. @  St. Peter Prince of the Apostles 
Catholic Church.


Where are we Christians when others do not perceive God? (Third Sunday of Lent. Cycle C)



In the first part of today’s gospel Unknown persons communicate to Jesus the news about the horrible slaughter of some Galileans in the holy precincts of the Temple. Once again, the perpetrator is Pilate. What is most horrifying is that the blood of those men’s blood was mixed with the blood of the animals that were being offered to God. We do not know why they approach Jesus. Do they want him to express solidarity with the victims? Do they want him to explain what horrible sin the victims committed to deserve such a shameful death? And if they did not sin, why did God allow such a sacrilegious death in his own temple? Jesus answers by recalling another dramatic event that took place in Jerusalem, namely, the death of eighteen people who were crushed by the fall of a tower of the wall near the pool of Siloam. Now then, Jesus makes the same statement about both events: the victims were not any more sinners than anyone else. And he finishes his intervention with the same warning, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did! Jesus’ answer makes one think. Before anything else, he rejects the traditional belief that misfortunes are God’s punishment. Jesus is not thinking of a “vigilante” God who goes about punishing his sons and daughters, handing out here and there sickness, accidents, woes, as his response to their sins. Afterwards, Jesus changes the perspective of the issue at hand. He does not pause to give time to theoretical musings about the ultimate cause of misfortunes, by talking about the victims’ guilt or about God’s will. He turns his gaze toward those who are present and he confronts them with their own selves: they must hear in these occurrences God’s call to conversion and change of life. Are we still shaken by the tragic shooting in New Zealand? How does one read this tragedy from the perspective of Jesus’ attitude? Certainly, what is primary is not to ask where is God but where are we. The question that can guide us toward conversion is not, “Why does God allow this horrible tragedy,” but rather, “How is it that we are so in favor of violence and guns?” We will not find the crucified God by holding accountable a faraway divinity, but by identifying ourselves with the victims. We will not find him by accusing him emphatically of indifference or by denying his existence, but by working together in hundreds of ways to mitigate the suffering. Then, perhaps, we will sense in light and shadow that God is in the victims, defending their eternal dignity, and in those who fight against evil, encouraging them in their struggle • AE


San José, nuestro padre y señor.



Escuchen qué cosa y cosa
tan maravillosa, aquesta:
un padre que no ha engendrado
a un Hijo, a quien otro engendra.

Un hombre que da alimentos
al mismo que lo alimenta;
cría al que lo crió,
y al mismo sustenta que lo sustenta.

Manda a su propio Señor
y a su Hijo Dios respeta;
tiene por ama a una esclava,
y por esposa a una reina.

Celos tuvo y confianza,
seguridad y sospechas,
riesgos y seguridades,
necesidad y riquezas.

Tuvo, en fin, todas las cosas
que pueden pensarse buenas;
y es de María esposo y,
de Dios, padre en la tierra. Amén • 

Himno del Oficio de Laudes 
de la Liturgia de las Horas.


Con temor y temblor (Solemnidad de San José, esposo de la Bienaventurada Virgen María)



Pensó dejarla en secreto”, dice el evangelista para explicar la reacción de José cuando se da cuenta el embarazo de su prometida. San Bernardo lo explica de manera maravillosa: «¿Por qué quiso José despedir a María? Escuchad acerca de este punto no mi propio pensamiento, sino el de lo Padres; si quiso despedir a María fue en medio del mismo sentimiento que hacía decir a san Pedro, cuando apartaba al Señor lejos de sí: "Apártate de mí, que soy pecador"[1]; y al centurión, cuando disuadía al Salvador de ir a su casa: "Señor, no soy digno de que entres en mi casa"[2]. También dentro de este pensamiento es como José, considerándose indigno y pecador, se decía a sí mismo que no debía vivir por más tiempo en la familiaridad de una mujer tan perfecta y tan santa, cuya admirable grandeza la sobrepasaba de tal modo y le inspiraba temor. El veía con una especie de estupor, por indicios ciertos, que ella estaba embarazada de la presencia de su Dios, y, como él no podía penetrar este misterio, concibió el proyecto de despedirla. La grandeza del poder de Jesús inspiraba una especie de pavor a Pedro, lo mismo que el pensamiento de su presencia majestuosa desconcertaba al centurión. Del mismo modo José, no siendo más que un simple mortal, se sentía igualmente desconcertado por la novedad de tan gran maravilla y por la profundidad de un misterio semejante; he ahí por qué pensó en dejar secretamente a María. ¿Habéis de extrañaros, cuando es sabido que Isabel no pudo soportar la presencia de la Virgen sin una especie de temor mezclado de respeto? En efecto, “¿de dónde a mí la dicha de que la madre de mi Señor venga a mí?”[3]»[4]. Que el santo Patriarca interceda por nosotros y que nos ayude a acercarnos con reverencia y amor al misterio de Dios, y a confiar en Su providencia cuando nuestro entendimiento no alcance a comprender toda la profundidad de la Providencia divina • AE


[1] Lc 5, 8.
[2] Mt 8, 8.
[3] Lc 1, 43.
[4] San Bernardo, Homilía sobre el Missus est, PL 183, p. 68.


Walking after God’s will (Solemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary)



When Joseph awoke he did as the angel of the Lord had directed him... Those are the words that stand out for me from today's Gospel on the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Husband of Mary[1]. We don't know a lot about Joseph, only few things like that God spoke to him in his dreams and he followed his dreams. What's also interesting to me is that nowhere in the  Gospels  do we ever hear anything Joseph says. He never says anything. But he’s a man of action: he does what the angel tells him; he takes Mary as his wife; he goes to Bethlehem; he finds a place to stay for the night; he takes his family to Egypt... He’s a man of action, not a man of words, a man after God’s will. He longed to know God’s will and searched to see how he fit into the Father’s plan. And just like God had a plan for Joseph, God has a plan for each one of us. The plan does not need to be more than that He wants us to be upright and righteous. He wants us to be loving people. But, just like Joseph, we may feel that we don’t have anything to contribute: that we are nothing but simple carpenters...we may feel insignificant, that we have nothing to offer. Still, God has a plan for us! God gives us dreams and speaks to us in our dreams. But also, just like Joseph we may never see the fruit of our labour, we may never reap the harvest, but we have to keep going. St. Joseph may have been a simple carpenter, who did not amount too much during his life, but today he is venerated as one of the greatest saints in the Church. As we journey through Lent, especially when we gather around the Eucharistic table, let’s pray to St. Joseph. Let him guide us and help us open our hearts to God’s plan. That we may be upright and righteous; that we may be men and women after God’s will; that we may be able to pray, “Father show me how I fit into this plan of yours.” And dream. Let God speak to us in our dreams and then get up and do as the angel of the Lord directs us! God has a great plan for everyone. Even for a simple Carpenter • AE


[1] Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24. 

A Divine Magnet for the world (Second Sunday of Lent. Cycle C)



Today’s readings help us to refocus on the spiritual in our lives, to refocus on the mystical. We come upon Jesus at prayer on the Mountain.  The Lord is opening Himself to the presence of the Father.  At peace, at prayer, He is transformed, transfigured, into a state that reflects the glory of God. Moses and Elijah appear. They also are radiant, reflecting the glory of God. They are speaking of God's plan for his people, the conquest of the spiritual. Of course, the disciples, Peter, James and John, don't understand this. They are still looking for a physical kingdom.  The spiritual is beyond them.  The voice in the cloud is meant for them and us:  "This is my Beloved Son, Listen to Him." God wants to transform the world.  He has established the Kingdom of the Spirit and called us as the new Chosen People.  Following him does not mean merely performing certain external actions, like not eating pork or being circumcised, or simply coming to Church, showing up to get married, having our children baptized, receive communion or be confirmed.  Following God means entering a spiritual, mystical relationship with him, a relationship that is present through our daily duties as well as when we are together at prayer. We have to nourish our spiritual lives, our relationship to God.  We have to feed our spiritual life the food of union with God. The spiritual must conquer in our lives.  If we become spiritual, then we can fulfill the call to evangelize the world. We all need to be less concerned with devising ways for people to hear about the faith and more concerned living the faith in a way that attracts people to the faith.  We can only do this through the power of the Holy Spirit working in us.  The Holy Spirit is the Mystical Power of God.  This Holy Mystery is a Holy Magnet. "This is my Beloved Son, listen to him," the voice calls out from heaven.  We have to be people of mystery.  We have to be people of prayer.  This is how we can listen to Him.  We have to have a prayer life.  We have to respond to His message in our hearts. We have to listen. We have to grow.  He is transforming the world.  He is transforming us. On the Second Sunday of Lent we consider the way we are following the Lord.  Do we allow ourselves to be exposed to the spiritual?  Do we pray, really pray? Do we allow the spiritual to become real in our lives? Are we allowing God's plan to take effect in our world? If someone were to ask any of us, “What exactly is a Catholic?” in what terms would we form our answer?  If we were to answer the question in terms of religious practices, such as “a Catholic is a person who goes to Church on Sundays, receives the sacraments, says the Rosary, etc.,” we would be giving far too much importance to what we do and not enough importance to what God is doing.  However, if we were to answer the question, “What is a Catholic?” in terms of what God does, if we were to say, “A Catholic is someone united to God in such a way that others experience the Mystery of God working in him,” then it is God and his works that are the essence of lives. Few people are drawn to Catholicism because they want to do the things that Catholics do. People are drawn to Catholicism because they want to experience God as Catholics experience Him. Spiritually alive, living with God, united in the Holy Spirit, we can become the Divine Magnet for the world. We began today’s Gospel with Jesus at prayer, in union with the Father, entering into the mystery of his Being.  He is transfigured.  The disciples call out, “It is good for us to be here.” Yes, it is! It is good for all of us to be here in the presence of the Lord. We also are called into the mystery of our being, the depth of whom we are where physical and spiritual unite. We are called into our depth, into union with the Holy Spirit so others might say, “It is good for us to be here.” Transform us Lord! Transfigure us, Lord. You want the spiritual to be real in our lives. You knock on the door of our hearts. Help us to let you in. Help us to fight for the reign of the spiritual, the mystical. Help us to be vehicles of your presence, to be a Divine magnet for the world • AE