Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A)

L. Spada, Martyrdom of St. Peter (1620), oil on canvas, 

Hermitage Museum (St. Petesburg)

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The Gospel passage comes immediately after last Sunday’s Gospel when Jesus called Peter, “Blessed”, for proclaiming that Jesus was the Christ. He told him that he was the rock upon which Jesus would build His Church.  He told Peter that his decisions on earth, Peter’s decisions on earth, would have power in heaven.  Now in the passage that follows all this, Jesus calls Peter Satan. How did Peter fall so quickly?  He fell because he was reasoning things out the way people of the world would reason.  He was not thinking the way God thinks.  He lacked wisdom.  The way of the world would be, “Save your life.  Don’t let anyone kill you.” The way of the Lord would be, “Make the sacrificial love of God real.  Sacrifice yourself for others.” It is easy for us to think the way the world thinks. Everything around us tells us to take not give, to be concerned about ourselves first and others second, or third or fourth. Fit God in somewhere, if you care. That is the thought process of the world. “Times have changed, Father. I’m only doing what is perfectly acceptable by our society.” And with these words, the elderly lady explained away her present living condition.  And with the same words, the young man justified his “wild” lifestyle, and with the same words the abuser justified his actions. And on and on and on. Add in whatever immoral behavior you can think of, and someone will say, “I’m only doing what is perfectly acceptable by society.” But what society is that? In what society is immorality acceptable?  It is acceptable by the society that finds nothing wrong with hedonism, putting one’s pleasure before every other good in life, including respect for others, respect for country, respect for life.  What is the society that so many claim for themselves? It is the society that is at best amoral, but which is mostly immoral.  It is the society that is at best pagan, but mostly atheistic. When a person hides his or her immoral behavior behind the “acceptable by our society,” argument, that person is invoking the society that St. Paul calls “this age,” or, according to some translations, “the pattern of the world.”  This is the world that Jesus Christ came to save. It is the world of selfishness, a world of pride, a world where God is not wanted.   It is a world of darkness. It is a world to which we Christians cannot belong. We were joined to a new world when we were baptized.  Each of us is a key part of the new world, the Kingdom of God.  There are hundred, perhaps thousands of people in each of our lives who look to us to illuminate their darkness with the Light of Christ.  The problem is that we can easily be enticed by all that is around us. We can easily reject all that is within us. And so we often straddle major issues in life. Even though we recognize our dignity as sons and daughters of God, we often let ourselves get involved in actions that are far less than holy.  We think that we are OK, because we are firmly planted on the Lord’s dock, but the forces the other foot has stepped into draws us away from the dock, and we end up in the drink. We do not embrace Christianity for high theological reasons or arguments. We embrace Jesus Christ for one reason only: we are wounded by His Love. That is from an Irish saint, St. Columban: “Show me my hearts desire, O Lord, for I am wounded by your love.” Men of God, women of God, we have been wounded by Love. When we made the conscious choice of Jesus Christ, we set out on a course of action that does not allow turning back. But we don’t care. We are wounded by His Love.  And we love it.  He is within us, burning out for us to proclaim his presence.  Even if we wanted to ignore Him, we cannot.  We are His. Better is one day in your house, O Lord, better is one day in your house, than a thousand elsewhere. That is from Psalm 84.  Better is one day savoring your presence in my life, than a thousand in a luxurious house gained through questionable business practices, gained immorally.  Better is one day in your house than a thousand in the arms of an immoral love.  Better is one day in your house, than a thousand as the most popular person in school with a talent for quietly destroying others.  Better is one day in your house than a thousand parties where drugs and drunks are plentiful. And yet, still, a little devious voice within us that protests, “Does this all need to be so demanding?  I am doing my part.  I can back off some.” To this voice, we shout angrily as Jesus shouted at Peter, “Get behind me, Satan. God’s work is all that matters.” We are wounded by Love. And we love it. You duped us Lord, and we let ourselves be duped. We love it. We love you.  Nothing else, no one else, my Lord, than a thousand elsewhere • AE

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Fr. Agustin’s Schedule for August 30, 2020.

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

9.00 a.m. English Mass

@ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles Catholic Church

11.00 a.m. English Mas

@ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles Catholic Church

4.30 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation

5.30 p.m. English Mass

@Trinity University

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XXII Domingo Ordinario (Ciclo A)

 

La reacción de Pedro es, en cierto modo, explicable. De su amor a Cristo no se puede dudar. El domingo pasado escuchábamos su gran profesión de fe: "Tú eres el Mesías, el Hijo de Dios". Pero todavía no había entendido que el camino de Cristo es camino de renuncia y sacrificio, antes de ser de salvación y de gloria. A Pedro, como a nosotros, le gustaban los aspectos amables del seguimiento de Jesús, pero no el sacrificio. Le gustaba el monte Tabor, el de la transfiguración, pero no el Gólgota, el del dolor.... ¡Y algo asín nos pasa a nosotros!... La historia de Jeremías y de Jesús es la historia de tantos y tantos cristianos que, a lo largo de los siglos, han experimentado la dificultad de vivir su fe en medio de una sociedad indiferente o incluso hostil, y la historia de un cristiano de hoy, que quiere vivir su cristianismo con coherencia. Ser cristiano se ha ido convirtiendo cada vez más en una opción explícita por Cristo y por su estilo de vida, por su mentalidad y criterios de actuación. Pero supone que se acepta a la vez el riesgo y la dificultad, porque la escala de valores de Cristo no coincide con la de este mundo. No se trata de buscar el sufrimiento en sí mismo, sino de aceptar el seguimiento de Cristo con coherencia. Este es el punto. En la segunda lectura de este domingo el apóstol les aconseja a los cristianos de Roma que "no se ajusten a este mundo, sino que sepan discernir lo que es la voluntad de Dios, lo bueno, lo que agrada, lo perfecto”, ¡Ese es el mejor culto a Dios! El discernimiento cuesta, y conduce a decisiones que pueden resultar difíciles, porque lo cómodo es acomodarse a este mundo: sentarse a ver la vida pasar con un buen trago en la mano. Jeremías también pensó en abandonar el encargo profético para poder vivir tranquilo en su pueblo. Pero la Palabra de Dios le ardía dentro y escogió el camino difícil. Jesús pidió a su Padre que le ahorrara "el cáliz de su muerte", pero eligió el camino difícil: "No se haga mi voluntad, sino la tuya". Y Pedro, que al principio pensaba como los hombres y no como Dios y prefería las cosas fáciles, también le vendrá el tiempo en que, ya maduro en su fe y amor a Cristo dé el valiente testimonio del martirio. También a nosotros el mundo de hoy nos ofrece caminos mucho más fáciles y prometedores a corto plazo. Pero Cristo nos dice que si queremos seguirle tenemos que tomar cada uno su cruz. Lo que no podemos hacer es una selección de lo que nos gusta, evitando lo que nos parece más serio y exigente en el programa de vida de Jesús. La Eucaristía nos da la fuerza para poder seguir por ese camino, exigente pero coherente. Comulgar con Cristo, en la eucaristía, es comulgar también en lo que tenemos entre manos a lo largo de la semana. Con todas las consecuencias, aunque a veces eso suponga dificultad y renuncia. Pero, a la larga, es lo único que nos dará paz y alegría • AE

Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A)

 

As you know, the name Peter comes from the Greek word, Petra, meaning rock.  Jesus named Simon, "Peter", the rock upon which the Church would be built.  Authority in the Church was entrusted to Peter: whatever you declare bound on earth would be bound in heaven, whatever you declare loosed on earth would be loose in heaven. The Lord could have found many ways of establishing His church. He could have entrusted it to the angels.  He could have worked out a Church of some sort of direct inspiration where every move on earth was exactly dictated from heaven.  Instead, the Lord put the Church in the hands of people of faith. Good people, like Peter, but still people with all the limitations of being human. As all human beings, sometimes the humanity of individuals got in the way of their divine charge. Peter tried to keep Christ from going to Jerusalem and was called "Satan" for he was doing the work of the devil.  After boasting that he would never deny the Lord, he did in fact deny him three times.  Peter was a good man, a man of faith, but sometimes his vision became clouded.  He was a man who could walk on water to the Lord, but then started thinking about what he was doing and started to drown. That was very much the story of his failings. He often started out well, but then let his humanity effect his actions.  Peter was a holy man, but still, a man, and as a man he made human mistakes. On the positive side, Peter was a man who grew in his faith.  He was a determined fisher of men.  He accepted the obligations and responsibilities of leadership over the other apostles, many of whom were far better educated than he was.  Think about Paul who was educated at the feet of the great teacher Gamaliel. Yet Paul laid his teaching out before Peter to be sure he was proclaiming Christ properly.  Peter’s authority was given to Him by the Lord and confirmed in the action of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and through the remainder of Peter’s life.  Peter may have denied Jesus before Pentecost, but after Pentecost, he embraced suffering if that was what the Gospel entails. Peter, this man of Galilee, whose longest trip had been to Jerusalem, traveled all the way to Rome. This man who fled the crucifixion of Jesus, accepted his own crucifixion asking to be crucified head down because he didn’t deserve to die as the Lord died. When we consider the human failings of all the Popes who followed Peter, including those who would be canonized saints, we must recognize the hand of the Holy Spirit in the very life of the Church. Christ gave His authority to the rock, even though some of those who exercised this authority let their humanity get in the way of their responsibility.  Still, because we do have a concrete authority, rock-solid, we know who we are when we say we are Catholic.  We know the fundamental beliefs of our faith and the basic dictates of our morals.  We are so firm in our faith, that even if those in authority should give us a poor example of living the faith as some of the popes of the distant past did, we still maintain our Christianity.  The Church still flourishes.  Why?  Because the Church is far more than individuals.  It is the Body of Christ guided by the Holy Spirit. Human frailty is not more powerful than Divine Grace.  When I think of some of the ways in which I, as an ordained leader have let my humanity get in the way of my responsibility, and yet still witness the wonderful ways the Lord uses me for others, I realize that God's power is far greater than my own limitations.  After twenty years as a priest, I am still shocked at the way the Lord uses me despite my continual human failings. Many parents fear that they are acting like hypocrites when they do everything, they cannot prevent their children from engaging in actions that those parents themselves had done. But really, they are not hypocrites.  They are concerned parents who want to protect their children from repeating their mistakes. We are entrusted with the responsibility of leading others to the Lord. We recognize that we do not do this alone.  We realize that we must allow the hand of the Lord to work his wonders through us. Today's gospel reading, You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church leads us to make an act of faith in the Lord who uses human beings, you and me, to proclaim his wonders, his mercy and his love • AE

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Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time. 

All Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church Sunday Masses (8:30 am, 10:30 am and 12 Noon) will be at St. Anthony High School Chapel (right across the parking lot). This chapel that can accommodate more people that our Church. We will continue to follow the social distance guidelines, close pews allowing 6 feet apart, and sanitizing in between Masses.

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Fr. Agustin´s Mass Schedule

8.30 a.m. English Mass

@ Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church

 

10.30 a.m. English Mass

@ Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church

 

5.30 p.m. English Mass

@ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles Catholic Church.

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XXI Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario (Ciclo A)

Y ustedes, ¿quién dicen que soy yo? No es fácil responder con sinceridad a esta pregunta. En realidad, ¿quién es Jesús para nosotros? Su persona nos llega a través de veinte siglos de imágenes, fórmulas, ideologizaciones, experiencias e interpretaciones culturales que van desvelando y velando al mismo tiempo su enorme riqueza. Además, cada uno vamos revistiendo a Jesús de lo que nosotros somos, proyectando en él nuestros deseos, aspiraciones, intereses y limitaciones. También nuestros miedos. Casi sin darnos cuenta lo empequeñecemos y desfiguramos incluso cuando tratamos de exaltarlo. Somos asín (sic). Lo que importa es que Jesús, el Señor, sigue vivo. Los cristianos no lo hemos podido disecar con nuestra mediocridad. Y además tampoco permite que lo disfracemos, ni se deja etiquetar ni reducir a unos ritos, unas fórmulas, unas costumbres. Jesús siempre desconcierta a quienes nos acercamos a Él, y al mismo tempo es siempre es distinto de lo que esperábamos. Siempre abre nuevas brechas en nuestra vida, rompe nuestros esquemas y nos empuja a una vida nueva. Cuanto más se le conoce, más sabe uno que todavía está empezando a descubrirlo. Seguir a Jesús es avanzar siempre, no sentarse a ver la vida pasar; crear, construir, crecer. Con Jesús todo nuestro interior queda al descubierto. En Él hay una entrega a los hombres que desenmascara todo nuestro egoísmo. Una pasión por la justicia que sacude todas nuestras seguridades, privilegios y comodidad. Una ternura y una búsqueda de reconciliación y perdón que deja al descubierto nuestra mezquindad. Una libertad que rasga nuestras mil esclavitudes y servidumbres. Y sobre todo un amor tan grande que nos atrae y nos invita a abrir nuestra existencia al Padre. A Jesús lo iremos conociendo en la medida en que nos acerquemos a él. Sólo hay un camino para ahondar en su misterio: seguirle. Seguir humildemente sus pasos, abrirnos con él al Padre, actualizar sus gestos de amor y ternura, mirar la vida con sus ojos, compartir su destino doloroso, esperar su resurrección. Y sin duda, saber orar muchas veces -diariamente- desde el fondo de nuestro corazón con aquellas palabras del padre de aquel muchacho enfermo: "Creo, Señor, ayuda mi incredulidad" • AE

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (2020)

Today, with the universal Church, we affirm our belief that Mary, the Mother of God is the perfect model of Christian life; who was preserved from the corruption of the grave and who is the Queen of Heaven and Earth. On this Solemnity, we are also reminded that our destiny lies beyond the grave and each day we are being called to eternity. For that reason we said these words in our Opening Prayer: “Always attentive to the things that are above, may we merit to be sharers of Mary’s glory.” We cannot assume that we will go to heaven. We must strive daily to cooperate with the Lord’s grace so that we may be prepared on the day He calls us to Himself. Mary shows us the way: Like her, we must, “proclaim the goodness of the Lord and rejoice in God our Savior. Like her, we must with profound trust say daily: “Let it be done to me according to your word.” In other words, as humble and faithful disciples our souls must magnify---not ourselves, but the One is Lord, the Son of God, the Son of Mary. How blessed are we that from the Cross he gave Mary to us as our Mother to guide us on our earthly journey and to the ultimate goal for which we long.  Just yesterday we celebrated the Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe who offered us this sound advice: “We should let ourselves be guided by Mary and rest quiet and secure in her hands. She will watch out for us; provide for us; answer our needs of body and spirit and dissolve all our difficulties and worries” Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth, pray for us today and always. Amen • AE

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Solemnidad de Asunción 

de la Santísima Virgen María (2020)

La fiesta de hoy, por las lecturas mejor proclamadas que nunca, debería contagiarnos esperanza. La Asunción es un grito de fe en que es posible la salvación y la felicidad: que es verdad el programa salvador de Dios. Es una respuesta a los pesimistas, que todo lo ven negro. Es una respuesta al hombre materialista, que no ve más que los factores económicos o sensuales: algo está presente en nuestro mundo que trasciende nuestras fuerzas y que lleva más allá. La Asunción de María Santísima es la prueba de que el destino del hombre no es la muerte, sino la vida. Y, además, que es toda la persona humana, alma y cuerpo, la que está destinada a la vida total, subrayando también la dignidad del cuerpo humano. En María Santísima ya ha sucedido. En nosotros no sabemos cómo y cuándo sucederá, pero tenemos plena confianza en Dios: lo que ha hecho en ella quiere hacerlo también en nosotros. Cada vez que participamos en la Eucaristía, elevamos a Dios nuestro canto de alabanza, exactamente como hizo la Santísima Virgen con su Magníficat. La plegaria eucarística es como un Magníficat prolongado por la historia de amor y salvación que va construyendo Dios. Cada vez que participamos en la Eucaristía recibimos como alimento el Cuerpo y la Sangre del Señor Resucitado de quien nos había dicho "Quien come mi Carne y bebe mi Sangre, tiene vida eterna y yo le resucitaré el último día". La Eucaristía es como la semilla y la garantía de la vida inmortal para los seguidores de Jesús. Por tanto, de alguna manera, también nosotros estamos recorriendo el camino hacia la gloria, como la que ya conseguido María, la Madre. Cada Eucaristía nos acerca al misterio de la Asunción. Si la celebramos bien, con amor y devoción, vamos pues por buen camino • AE

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This year, as the celebration falls on a Saturday, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has decided that the solemnity of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (sadly) is not a holiday of obligation.

Fr. Agustin will celebrate the holy Mass at 8.00 a.m. at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church.

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A)

So, what is the Liturgy of the Church trying to say to us by relating the dialogue that Jesus had with the Canaanite woman? And what does all this have to do with us, people of 21st century? It has everything to do with us. The readings today are about inclusion, the call to One Church, to One Kingdom, a kingdom that refuses to exclude those seeking God. The Canaanite woman wins healing for her daughter by showing Jesus her faith in Him. She even humbles herself when He said that the gifts of the Messiah, the food of the Jewish people, should not be shared with the dogs, the Gentiles.  She responds that even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table, a common practice in meals where there are no utensils, just pieces of bread that are dipped into the stew pot, then dropped onto the floor rather than be re-dipped into the pot. It is clear from the Gospel that the faith of the gentiles, their openness to the wonders of God, has earned them a place at His table, the Banquet of Life. It would take time, but the Church came to a deep understanding that there is no right side or left side of the Church, nor are there people who are more worthy of the promise of Christ than others. The Church realized that it was universal, it was Catholic, the word that you know means universal. The Church is made up of people from various backgrounds, but all part of One Church.  The Catholic Church is not just European, nor is it just American. The Catholic Church is also Asian, South American, African, Australian etc.  All are part of the one Church called to accept the spiritual, called to eternal life. Think of the Church as a tapestry with various colors of threads all forming one picture, or as a mosaic with various different tiles all forming a great work of art. The world needs us to be Catholic.  Our country needs us to be Catholic. In the First Eucharistic Prayer for Various Needs, entitled The Church on the Path of Unity, we have the petition: “In a world torn by strife may your people shine forth as a prophetic sign of unity and love”. Recent events in our country are calling us more than ever to be this prophetic sign of unity amid our diversity. The world needs to see one body of people with diverse backgrounds all forming that tapestry, that mosaic, that is the People of God. The world and our country need to experience in the Catholic Church the prophetic sign that diverse people can become one unified person.  We have to be a sign for our country that our strength comes from the bond of love that does not accept any form of exclusion of any peoples. The world needs to witness our living out what we proclaim with our Creed: We are One, Holy Catholic and Apostolic. Who belongs here?  Who belongs in the Church?  All people belong here.  All people are called to form Church.  May our country see in the unity of the Catholic Church a prophetic sign that diverse people can unite in love • AE

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XX Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario (Ciclo A)

La liturgia de este domingo podría ayudarnos a renovar nuestra vida de oración. El mundo agitado que vivimos muchas veces no nos deja espacio para recoger nuestra alma, quedarnos en silencio, y alabar a Dios. Nos encontramos en cierto sentido "extrovertidos", desparramados por las cosas y los acontecimientos. No somos capaces de reservar algunos minutos para la oración personal. ¿Qué puedo hacer hoy para hablar con mi Señor? ¡La gran pregunta! Podríamos hacerlo diciendo con labios nuevos las oraciones que hacíamos al levantarnos y al ir a descansar: Dulce Madre, Oh Señora mía, Acordaos, Ángel de mi guarda. Lo podemos hacer al bendecir la mesa y pedir a Dios por nuestra familia y nuestros hijos. ¡Qué experiencia tan profunda la de la familia que reza unida! ¡Cómo se queda grabada en la mente de los niños las oraciones recitadas al lado de la madre o del padre! Reavivemos nuestra fe en la oración. Impongámonos ese pequeño gran ejercicio que supone detenerse unos cuantos minutos cada día en silencio interior y en diálogo profundo con el Señor Jesús. Nuestra alma ganará en paz, en esperanza, en fortaleza para enfrentar los avatares de la vida y vendrá la certeza de que el amor no se detiene ante las dificultades. Es verdad, el amor no conoce la dilación, no conoce los obstáculos. El amor está en continua actitud de donación y de sacrificio en bien de la persona amada. Esto es lo que escuchamos hoy en la voz de la mujer cananea: su petición a Jesús está toda en favor de su hija • AE

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Fr. Agustin’s Schedule for August 16, 2020.

Twentieth Sunday In Ordinary Time

9.00 a.m. English Mass

@ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles Catholic Church

11.00 a.m. English Mass

@ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles Catholic Church

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A)

We learn from Genesis that on the first day God created the heavens and earth and then created light to overcome the darkness. On the second day, we learn that the earth was covered in water. God created land and separated the seas from the land. He conquered the seas. To the ancient people, the seas represented chaos. Fishermen and sailors, then, as well as now, know all too well the sudden turmoil caused by rough waters. That is chaos. But God conquered the seas. And Jesus walked on the water. He continues to walk on water. He walks on the chaos of our lives. That is one of the messages of today’s Gospel reading. No matter what chaos there is in the world and in our lives, Jesus walks on it. Jesus conquers the chaos that is caused by things that our beyond our control. Life itself is chaotic. Just when all is seems to be calm, a loved one suddenly dies. All of us have experienced this. We did not cause the chaos, but we do suffer from it. Jesus conquers the chaos, even that chaos which we ourselves cause in our lives. Many of us have made bad choices. Many of us have sinned. Many of us suffer the results of our sins or the sins of others.  For example, a person finally recognizes that he has gotten into a relationship which is destroying his family and destroying himself. He returns to his family, but the damage has been done. He and his family suffer the results of his sins. It makes no difference whether we caused the chaos or whether we suffer from the chaos caused by others. Jesus still walks on the water. He conquers the chaos. Then, do you know what he does? Well, full of mercy and tenderness He calls us to walk out onto the chaos and walk towards him.  “Come Peter.”  And Peter walked on the water.  At least for a bit. That is what Jesus does for us all. He walks on the chaos of our lives, and then calls us to come and join him. He gives us the strength to walk on water. And what if we fail? What if we blink, and sink like Peter did?  “Don’t be afraid!”, the Lord says. He is there to reach down and lift us out of the water, out of the chaos, just as he lifted Peter out of the water, out of the chaos of his life. The Lord knows that we are not saints, not yet anyway. He knows that we are weak. He accepted Peter, that loud lout, that well-meaning coward, and turned him into the Rock of the Church. He takes us as we are and walks with us on the water. He only asks us to have the courage to put our faith in Him. He gives us the strength to join Him in conquering the chaos. Where is the chaos in your lives, in my life? Is it sickness or death? Is it in some addiction? Is it turmoil in your marriage or your family? Where have the seas raised up to chaotic dimensions? Wherever that chaos is, please remember, that there is nothing, no chaos that is too great for Jesus to conquer. And there is nothing too devastating for us to conquer with Him. He walked on the waters, and He calls us to walk with Him • AE 

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XIX DOMINGO DEL TIEMPO ORDINARIO (CICLO A)

Por qué has dudado? ¡Difícil responder a esta pregunta del Señor! A veces las más hondas convicciones se nos desvanecen, y los ojos del alma se nublan sin saber exactamente por qué. Principios que hasta entonces eran inconmovibles comienzan a tambalearse y se despierta la tentación de abandonarlo todo. La vida es así. Otras veces, el misterio de Dios se nos hace agobiante y abrumador. La última palabra sobre la vida se nos escapa, ¡qué dificil abandonarse al misterio! La razón sigue buscando insatisfecha una luz clara que no encuentra ni podrá jamás encontrar. No pocas veces, la superficialidad y ligereza de nuestra vida cotidiana y el culto secreto a tantos ídolos y a tantos apegos nos sumergen en largas crisis, con la sensación de haber perdido realmente a Dios. Además, nuestro propio pecado quebranta nuestra fe. Si somos sinceros, hemos de confesar que hay una distancia enorme entre el creyente que profesamos ser y el creyente que somos en realidad. ¿Y entonces? ¿Qué hacer al constatar en nosotros una fe a veces tan frágil y vacilante? Lo primero sería quizá no desesperar, ni asustarse al descubrir en nosotros dudas y oscuridad. Ese es el punto de partida. La búsqueda de Dios se vive casi siempre en la inseguridad, en el riesgo. A Dios lo buscamos a tientas. En realidad, la fe genuina sólo puede aparecer como duda superada. Lo que importa es aceptar el misterio de Dios con el corazón abierto, sencillo, sin esperar a que nuestros interrogantes y dudas se encuentren resueltos para vivir de cara a Él. Por eso es tan importante es saber gritar como Pedro, constantemente "¡Señor, sálvame!"; saber levantar hacia Dios nuestras manos vacías, y no sólo como gesto de súplica, sino también como entrega confiada de quien se sabe pequeño, ignorante y necesitado de salvación. La fe, qué duda cabe, es caminar sobre agua, pero con la posibilidad de encontrar siempre esa mano que nos salva del hundimiento total, la mano fuerte y amorosa del Señor Jesús • AE

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Fr. Agustin’s Schedule for August 9, 2020.

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

 

Sunday August 9, 2020.

8.30 a.m. English Mass

@ Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church

(Outdoors mass)

10.30 a.m. English Mass

@ Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church

(Outdoors mass)

12.00 p.m. English Mass

@ Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church

(Main church)

Celebration of the Sacrament of Confession (Summer 2020)

Confession is the sacrament of the tenderness of God, his way of embracing us (Pope Francis)

Dear parishioners and fellow friends who follow this blog: the celebration of the sacraments takes place regularly in our three communities. The Sacrament of Confession is usually celebrated on Saturdays one hour before the vigil mass, but not limited to this schedule. I am available to celebrate the Confession at any time that is appropriate and prudent at any of our three communities: Our Lady of Grace, St. Peter Prince of the Apostles and Our Lady of Sorrows. The best way to organize the day and time that is most convenient for both parties is through an e-mail. So, please feel free to contact me at: agusestrada@gmail.com and for sure I will set up the best time for both of us. You can share this information with whoever you think may need this sacrament • AE

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Queridos parroquianos y amigos que siguen este blog: La celebración de los sacramentos se lleva a cabo de manera regular en nuestras tres comunidades. El Sacramento de la Confesión se celebra todos los sábados una hora antes de la misa de la tarde, pero no está limitado a ese horario; yo estoy disponible para oír confesiones en cualquier momento que sea oportuno y prudente en cualquiera de las tres comunidades parroquiales de las que soy vicario: Our Lady of Grace, St. Peter Prince of the Apostles y Our Lady of Sorrows. La mejor manera para encontrar un día y una hora que sea conveniente es a través del correo electrónico. Por lo tanto, si necesitas recibir el Sacramento de la Confesión contáctame a través de mi e-mail a: agusestrada@gmail.com. Puedes compartir esta información con quien tú creas que puede necesitar este sacramento • AE