Solemnidad de Todos los Santos (2019)



Nacidos del amor para la vida,
vivieron un amor nunca acabado,
murieron un amor crucificado
en una carne débil no abatida.

Hirieron con la sangre de su herida
el animal salvaje del pecado,
floreció su bautismo en el Amado
con una santidad comprometida.

Hombres como nosotros, compañeros
del silencio extasiado o de la guerra,
en la fatiga de todos los senderos.

Danos, Padre, gozar su compañía,
ser testigos del cielo aquí en la tierra
y, como ellos, vivir en agonía. Amén •

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

¡Vale la pena! (Solemnidad de Todos los santos. Ciclo C)



En esta maravillosa y alegre solemnidad de Todos los Santos, la liturgia de la Iglesia nos anima a esperar con alegría la vida del cielo, ese lugar en el que esa inmensa multitud de hombres, mujeres y niños que sólo conocieron en esta vida miseria, hambre, humillación y sufrimientos, serán saciados y felices. Confiando en Jesús y en sus promesas, creo firmemente que el cielo será un lugar en el que no habrá pobreza ni dolor; donde nadie estará triste, nadie tendrá que llorar. Un lugar donde las personas sin salud, enfermos crónicos, minusválidos físicos y psíquicos, personas hundidas en la depresión y la angustia, cansadas de vivir y de luchar, conocerán lo que es vivir con paz y salud total y escucharán las palabras del Padre: "Entra para siempre en el gozo de tu Señor". En ese cielo en el que yo creo y espero, Dios ya no será un Dios oculto del que no podamos conocer su mirada, su ternura y sus abrazos. Ahi junto al Padre y el Espíritu estará Jesús,y junto a Él los últimos sean los primeros. Ahí conoceremos a los santos de todas las religiones, aquellos que vivieron amando en el anonimato y sin esperar nada. Ahí, junto al Padre, al Hijo y al Espíritu Santo estarán también nuestros padres y nuestros amigos, ahí podremos escuchar estas increíbles palabras que el Apocalipsis pone en boca de Dios: «Al que tenga sed, yo le daré a beber gratis de la fuente de la vida». ¡Gratis! Sin merecerlo. Así saciará Dios la sed de vida que hay en nosotros. Vale, pue, la pena seguir en este caminar. Vale la pena la espera confiada, vale la pena apretar el paso  firmes y alegres en la fe • AE

Fr Agustin's schedule for the Solemnity of All Saints and The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (2019)



Thursday October 31, 2019. 
5.00 p.m. Sacrament of Confession. 
6.00 p.m. Vigil Mass (English)@ Our Lady of Sorrows. 

Friday November 1, 2019.
Solemnity of All Saints (Holiday of obligation)
7.00 a.m. English Mass
@ Our Lady of Grace


12.00 p.m. Eucharistic Adoration and Sacrament of Confession (First Friday)
@ Trinity University. 

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

Saturday November 2, 2019.
Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)
(not a Holiday of obligation)

 8.00 a.m. Our Lady of Grace.
 ...

Sacrament of Confession during the week.

On Tuesday Mornings (unless otherwise indicated in my online schedule) I am always available to celebrate the sacrament of the Confession from 6.00 am to 6.50 am at the Eucharistic Chapel at St. Peter Prince of the Apostles Catholic Church (111 Barilla Place, San Antonio, TX 78209), on Wednesday morning at the confessional at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church (3107 N St Marys St San Antonio, TX 78212), from 7.00 a.m. to 7.50 a.m., and on Thursday morning from 7.00 a.m. to 7.50 a.m. at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church (223 E Summit San Antonio, TX 78212)
...
Los martes por la mañana (a no ser que en mi horario se indique lo contrario), estoy siempre disponible para celebrar el sacramento de la Confesión de las 6.00 a.m a las 6.50 a.m. en la capilla del Santísimo Sacramento en St. Peter Prince of the Apostles Catholic Church (111 Barilla Place, San Antonio TX 78209). Los miércoles por la mañana, de las 7.00 am a las 7.50 am en el confesionario de la parroquia de nuestra Señora de los Dolores (3107 N St Marys St San Antonio, TX 78212), y los jueves por la mañana en la parroquia de Our Lady of Grace (223 E Summit San Antonio, TX 78212) de las 7.00 a.m. a las 7.50 a.m. • AE


The path drawn by the saints of Christ (Solemnity of All Saints 2019; Cycle C)



The Solemnity of All Saints today reminds us of who we are and what a bright future can be ours. As we celebrate today all the saints, both those canonized and those who are unknown, we are joyful that they have reached the goal of life, heaven. They remind us to keep our sights fixed high, to remember who we are and the glorious possibility that God offers us. The saints encourage us in our own struggles because like us they also endured struggles, they grew from strength to strength, they matured in the Lord as they grew in years. We also see this journey of growth in the great people of the Bible. We could think of Abraham whom Genesis tells us pretended his wife was his sister because he was afraid but Abraham grew to become our father in faith[1]. Moses had a speech impediment and had murdered and protested against being called by God but he led his people to the Promised Land[2]. In the Gospels Peter is impulsive and doesn’t want the Lord to suffer but in Acts he is totally transformed and considers it an honor to suffer for the Lord. Interestingly in Acts even Peter’s shadow is a source of healing, something which is not said of Jesus in the Gospels. Obviously Peter’s Formation Adviser was out of this world! The journey of growth in the great people of the Bible is also seen in the canonized saints. The Curé of Ars struggled with learning while in seminary but so many pilgrims went to Ars to confess to him that by 1855 there was a daily service of two horse buses between Lyons and Ars, and two other buses met the Paris train at Villefranche. The railway station in Lyons even had a special ticket office for people going to Ars, so many were the pilgrims. St. Augustine struggled with impurity in his youth. As a teenager he was influenced by the loose living of his companions. When he was studying in Carthage he decided to take a mistress. He was such a scoundrel that he even once said to his mother St. Monica that there would be no problems between them if she gave up her faith! He underwent a conversion in Milan and went on to become a priest at the age of 36 and a bishop at the age of 41, and was Bishop of Hippo in North Africa for 35 years. One example of the influence Augustine has on the Church is that in the Catechism of the Catholic Church there are more quotations from St. Augustine than from any other writer. St. Ignatius of Loyola had a colorful past before his conversion. In 1515 Ignatius and his brother Pedro Lopez were arrested and prosecuted for nocturnal misdemeanors that were outrageous. Ignatius says up to his twenty-sixth year he was given to worldly vanities. He was proud, sensuous, and driven by violent and powerful impulses, he demanded adventure and glory. But after his conversion he noticed that day dreaming about the saints brought him joy but not worldly matters. And thus gradually he developed the rules for discernment of spirits and established the Society of Jesus. He established a college in Rome for young men entering the Society of Jesus and also set up colleges in Jerusalem, Cyprus and Constantinople. At his death in 1556 the Society of Jesus had 1000 members with 100 houses throughout the world. We see this same journey of growth in the lives of all the saints.  The saints remind us of who we really are, the reality described by John in our second reading: we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is[3]. Not only the saints’ lives but also their writings are precious gifts of grace to us to remind us of who we are and the glory that God is offering to us.  We treasure the Confession of St. Augustine with its words, “You have made us for yourself O Lord and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.”  Although the saints had much room for growth early in their lives by the end of their lives we see that they were living the beatitudes of our Gospel today[4]. Therefore they give encouragement to us as we are aware of our need for further growth. The saints were happy because they were poor in spirit, meek, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, merciful and clean of heart. Among the saints we venerate in a special way the martyrs. As our first reading from Revelation states: These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb[5]. They remind us to keep our sights fixed high, to remember who we are and the glorious possibility that God offers us. We know that they are praying for us. We hope and pray that all those near and dear to us who have departed are already or will be numbered among the saints and so we pray for them especially during this month. I conclude with our second reading: Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure[6] • AE


[1] Cfr 20: 1-16.
[2] Cfr Ex 4: 10.
[3] 1 John 3:2
[4] Matt 5:1-12
[5] Rev 7:14
[6] 1 John 3:2-3

El publicano y el fariseo (XXX Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario)



Gracias te doy, Señor; por que soy justo
porque pienso lo justo, justamente,
sin apartarme un ápice de mi cierto criterio,
sin dejar de ordenar el día de mañana
como ha de ser, porque Tú has mirado
esta virtud tan exacta que sólo Tu grandeza
no confundirá con ese otro que, allí apartado,
ensucia el aire con su pensamiento
nacido en la injusticia, nutrido en la injusticia
de no acatar la letra de tu autoridad divina.
 ...
A alzar no me atrevo al cielo mi mirada,
porque tengo conciencia que mis párpados pesan
de oscuridad y ansia de verte,
como he de hallarte, si eres Tú justicia
y no he encontrado en mí caridad suficiente
para que yo merezca tu misericordia.
Sólo sé que Tú eres cierto y yo la incertidumbre;
sólo Tú el justo, yo la humana injusticia
que atiende a la apariencia, junto a ella se queda,
conjeturando siempre ajenas intenciones.
Sólo Tú, el eterno, y yo el hombre-tiempo,
espejo en el mundo y soledad íntima
que si no la colmas con un fragmento tuyo,
ni tiempo es, nonada, lo que ellos quieran
aunque me sostenga ese albedrío concedido por Ti,
fuerte de tu poder, débil en mi ejercicio.
Haz valer tu caridad por sobre mi injusticia
y al borrarme el pecado, reabriré mis ojos
para conocerte a Ti y a mi fiel hermano,
ése que, a distancia, también te está orando • 

Roque Esteban Escarpa.

Mi Ego y mi perfección (XXX Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario. Ciclo C)



Las lecturas de hoy nos hablan de cómo podemos orientar nuestra relación con Dios. El Señor dice ésta parábola por algunos que "teniéndose por justos, se sentían seguros de sí mismos y despreciaban a los demás". La parábola habla por sí misma. La hemos escuchado muchas veces y es posible que al hacerlo hoy de nuevo, nos resbale un poco. Es como agua pasada. ¿A cuál de éstos dos personajes nos parecemos más? Hace muchos años que leo el evangelio y lo predico, sé que debo evitar la actitud de autosatisfacción y desprecio de los demás, e imitar la actitud humilde del publicano pero ¡ay cómo sale el fariseo que está escondido en mí! Siempre se me ocurre pensar que hay gente peor que yo (porque no hago lo que ellos hacen) y tiendo a sobrevalorar lo que yo hago (me siento satisfecho por esto o aquello). El fariseo es el personaje consciente de su buen comportamiento, que compara y enjuicia precisamente en base a su cumplimiento. Es perfecto. El publicano en cambio es consciente de su mal comportamiento. Por eso no compara, ni enjuicia; cree tener siempre obligaciones, nunca derechos sobre los demás; se da cuenta de que el mal no está solamente fuera, sino dentro de él, que no tiene las manos limpias, que no puede echar la culpa solo a los demás, sino que tiene que convertirse, cambiar personalmente. En realidad la única arma que tenemos contra nuestro ego y nuestro orgullo es una actitud como la del publicano: reconocer con sencillez que somos unos fariseos. Vistas así las cosas nuestra oración podría ser esa tan entrañable: “Señor, ten compasión de este fariseo que hay en mí” ¿A qué es debido que Jesús se ponga, digámoslo así, del lado del publicano? A que aquel hombre se presenta delante de Dios reconociendo que todo lo que hace no está bien y no puede atribuirse ningún mérito; todo debe esperarlo de la bondad del Padre. Por el contrario, el fariseo va por la vida como esperando que el propio Dios lo felicite por lo derechito que camina. Nuestra oración –nuestra relación con Dios- no puede ser la de un ser humano satisfecho con lo que hace, pagado y lleno de sí mismo y que al final se presentará delante de Dios para que mire sus libros de cuentas y los apruebe, sino más bien la del peregrino que sabe que le queda todavía mucho que andar, por desagraviar y por sembrar, esperando siempre más de Dios que de sí mismo. El fariseo se presentó delante de su Dios para gracias por el hecho de ser justo, por cumplir estrictamente y con creces la Ley de Dios. El publicano para suplicar el perdón por su pecado. Gran diferencia • AE

Fr. Agustin´s Schedule for Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (October 26-27, 2019)


Saturday October 26, 2019.
4.00 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation
@ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles Catholic Church.

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

Sunday October 27, 2019.
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time. 

9.00 a.m. English Mass
St. Peter Prince of the Apostles Catholic Church.

11.00 a.m. English Mass.
@ Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church.



4.00 p.m. Sacrament of Confession. 

5.00 p.m. English Mass.
Margarite B. Parker Chapel (Trinity University) 
...

Sacrament of Confession during the week.

On Wednesday mornings (unless otherwise indicated in my online schedule) I am always available to celebrate the sacrament of the Confession from 7.00 am to 7.50 am at the confessional at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church (3107 N St Marys St San Antonio, TX 78212); on Thursday mornings from 7.00am to 7.50am at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church (223 E Summit San Antonio, TX 78212)
...
Los miércoles por la mañana (a no ser que en mi horario se indique lo contrario), estoy siempre disponible para celebrar el sacramento de la Confesión de las 7.00 am a las 7.50 am en el confesionario de la parroquia de nuestra Señora de los dolores, y los jueves por la mañana en Our Lady of Grace de las 7.00 a.m. a las 7.50 a.m. • AE


The Pilgrim’s Prayer (Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Cycle C)



For many of us, it is difficult to walk into a Church, even our own parish Church. We enter, perhaps the thought comes into our minds: God is looking at me. How does he see me this week.  Was I better? Was I worse?  Some of us may have been away from Church for a few weeks, or months, or years. Maybe we need to talk to Him about our absence.  For some of us that might mean our absence from practicing the faith on Sundays, and receiving communion. For others, perhaps for most of us, that might mean our absence from practicing the faith in our daily lives.  Sometimes it is scary to look at the cross. Sometimes we want to join the Tax Collector and sit in the back and say, “Lord, have mercy on me a sinner.” For some of us it is difficult to walk into the Church.  We are concerned: Are other people looking at me? Maybe there are people here who have seen me at my worse. Maybe some have heard stories that I cannot deny.  There are some people here who are so serious about the faith, far more than I have been. Do I belong here with them? Am I treading on their turf?  The priest often talks about each of us being a different member of the Body of Christ, but, honestly, sometimes I think I might be a toenail. For some of us it can be difficult to walk into a Church because we may fear that we are joining those who are “holier than thou.”   Thoughts fly through our heads that so many others are ignoring God this Sunday, but we are here.  We think, “How many members of my extended family will not worship this weekend?”  And the thought flashes quickly into our minds: That must make me better than them.  Then we realize that we are judging others, and acting like that Pharisee who went to the Temple to remind God of how much better he was than others. For some of us it was difficult to walk into Church today.  But we need to be here. The relationship with God that each of us has been gifted with flows through the Church, the Saved Community.  It is through the Saved Community that we offer Christ on the Cross to our Heavenly Father.  It is through the Saved Community that we receive Jesus’ Body and Blood.  We need to nurture our role in this Community. At the same time, our relationship with God is unique.  We are individuals.  In the eyes of God no one is fundamentally better or worse than another person.  He created us to be ourselves, our best selves. That’s how He sees us.    Our God really is a Good, Good Father.  Good parents do not view their children as better or worse than each other.  They see them as different from each other.   “This child struggles in math but is a great reader.  His brother is the exact opposite.”  Good parents see both children as unique and care for them for whom each is, not in comparison to their brother or sister. We are God’s children.  God sees us as individuals.  He loves each of us as unique individuals.  Yes, He sees our sinfulness, but He forgives each of us for the times we have not returned his love. None of us are fundamentally better than any other person.  We all live under the Mercy of God. Sadly our Catholic faith is often accused of putting people on guilt trips. This is not true. Catholicism puts people on reality trips. Catholicism dares to speak about unpopular topics like sin. Catholicism dares to invite people to consider their own participation in sin and seek forgiveness. It asserts that our salvation is a process we are engaged in. We are being saved.  Catholicism recognizes that as human beings we are continually tempted to sin. Sometimes we give in to temptation.  Our Church reminds us that the Lord was one of us.  He experienced temptation, and, though He did not give in to temptation, He understands our need for mercy.  He gives us the Sacrament of Mercy, Penance, because He wants His Mercy not our guilt to direct our lives. Catholicism is not concerned with guilt. It is concerned with mercy.  People are continually telling their priests how much they need the Mercy of God. They are realists.  We all need the mercy of God. As we come to a deeper understanding of all that God has done for us, we also come to a deeper understanding of how much we need His mercy and forgiveness.  Sometimes we read about great saints like St. Francis of Assisi or Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and we are shocked that they and all the saints saw themselves as great sinners.  The saints had a profound realization of the extent of God’s love for them and the many times they have not returned His love. We are all called to be saints.  We are called to holiness. If we strive to respond to the call to holiness, to sanctity, then we also must realize how much we need God’s mercy! Today this parable leads us to the Pilgrim’s Prayer. The pilgrim’s prayer is both simple and profound. It is the prayer of the man in the back of the Temple who realized that he is totally dependent on God’s love, a love that he had often rejected. The pilgrim’s prayer is the prayer that we all need to say with our hearts throughout our day. The Pilgrim’s Prayer is: Lord Jesus, have mercy on me a sinner. A Pharisee and a tax collector go into the Temple. Only one prays.  Only one is a humble enough to recognize his need for the Healing Hand of God.  And that one leaves in the embrace of the Lord’s love. For some of us, it is difficult to walk into a Church. But God is here.  We need Him. We need His Mercy. We need the strength of His sacraments. We need to walk into the Church because we need the strength and the courage He provides. We need His grace so we can walk out of the Church with Him • AE

Véante mis ojos, dulce Jesús bueno (XXIX Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario. Ciclo C)



Rembrandt van Rijn, Cabeza de Cristo (1648), óleo sobre tela, 
Gemäldegalerie (Berlin)
...
Véante mis ojos, dulce Jesús bueno;
véante mis ojos, muérame yo luego.

Vea quién quisiere rosas y jazmines,
que si yo te viere, veré mil jardines,
flor de serafines; Jesús Nazareno,
véante mis ojos, muérame yo luego.

No quiero contento, mi Jesús ausente,
que todo es tormento a quien esto siente;
sólo me sustente su amor y deseo;
Véante mis ojos, dulce Jesús bueno;
véante mis ojos, muérame yo luego.

Siéntome cautiva sin tal compañía,
muerte es la que vivo sin Vos, Vida mía,
cuándo será el día que alcéis mi destierro,
veante mis ojos, muérame yo luego.

Dulce Jesús mío, aquí estáis presente,
las tinieblas huyen, Luz resplandeciente,
oh, Sol refulgente, Jesús Nazareno,
veante mis ojos, muérame yo luego.

¿Quién te habrá ocultado bajo pan y vino?
¿Quién te ha disfrazado, oh, Dueño divino ?
¡Ay que amor tan fino se encierra en mi pecho!
veante mis ojos, muérame yo luego.

Gloria, gloria al Padre, gloria, gloria al Hijo,
gloria para siempre igual al Espíritu.
Gloria de la tierra suba hasta los cielos.
Véante mis ojos, muérame yo luego. Amén •

(atribuido a Santa Teresa de Jesús)

¿De dónde me vendrá el auxilio? (XXIX Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario. Ciclo C)



El pasaje que escuchamos en la primera de las lecturas de éste domingo es precioso, y elocuente. En la batalla contra los enemigos, Moisés oraba a Dios pidiéndole su ayuda. Mientras él mantenía los brazos elevados, los israelitas llevaban las de ganar. Si él aflojaba en su oración, sucedía al revés. No es un gesto mágico. Es un símbolo de que la historia de este pueblo no se puede entender sin la ayuda de Dios[1]. Quizá hoy no nos resulta muy espontánea esta convicción, porque valoramos más la eficacia, los medios técnicos, el ingenio y el trabajo humano; en otras palabras: pareciera que no necesitamos a Dios para ir construyendo el mundo, sin embargo no podemos olvidar las palabras del Señor: "sin mi no podéis hacer nada"[2]. El salmo de la liturgia de éste domingo hoy nos invita a poner un poco de orden en medio de todas nuestras seguridades: "Levanto mis ojos a los montes: ¿De dónde me vendrá el auxilio? ¡El auxilio me viene del Señor, que hizo el cielo y la tierra!"[3]. Orar es reconocer la grandeza de Dios y al mismo tiempo nuestra debilidad, y orientar la vida y el trabajo según Dios. En el evangelio el Señor habla de la importancia de la oración en nuestra vida. En su parábola -¡tan simpática!- el juez no tiene más remedio que conceder a la buena mujer la justicia que reivindica. No se trata de comparar a Dios con aquel juez, que Jesús describe como corrupto e impío, sino nuestra conducta con la de la viuda, con una oración también de petición y perseverante, una oración confiada, una conversación en la que no se trata convencer a Dios más bien de encontrar motivos nuevos en nuestra visión de la historia –la historia personal- y entrar en comunión con Dios, porque Él quiere nuestro bien, más que nosotros mismos. La oración nos ayuda a sintonizar con Él, a confiar en Él ¡A aguantar el chaparrón! ¡Cuánto bien nos hace hablar con Dios sobre todo lo que pasa alrededor, reconociendo nuestra debilidad y esperanzo todo de su grandeza y de su providencia! • AE




[1] Cfr. Ex 17, 12.
[2] Jn 15, 5.
[3] Salmo 121.