Lenten Message 2013

The Lord in the desert and the Our Father

The Scriptures tell us that our Lord decided to spend forty days in the desert “moved by the Holy Spirit.” Our Lord spent these forty days in prayer and fasting to “pray to his Father in secret,” just like he advised us to do. He looked for the most suitable place to direct his attention as a man “full of grace and truth” to speak with his Father. He sought out a place to be in communion with the Father; the devil followed him. This happens. 

Saint Luke tells us that the devil came “when those days were completed.” This means that when his time of prayer and communion with the Father was over, the devil, like a snake waiting for its moment to strike, was ready. The Lord was hungry. Perhaps the Great Deceiver anticipated being able to insinuate himself into the Lord’s soul on account of his physical weakness. He did not succeed, as we know. The Lord shows us that the power of the soul strengthened by a full communion with God fortifies the weakened body.

It is worth noting that the devil presented three temptations to the Holy Son of God. The first has to do with bread, because he tempts the Lord with turning stones into bread to satisfy his bodily needs. The second temptation has to do with the kingdom, because the devil offers the Lord all the glory of the kingdoms on the earth. And the third temptation has to do with the avoidable danger, because the devil suggests that it would be good if the Lord would plunge himself from highest part of the temple, giving the Heavenly Father an occasion to manifest his care over his eternal Son made flesh.

It is not a mere coincidence of words that the three of the petitions of Our Father correspond to these same realities: the bread, the kingdom, and danger. The Fathers of the Church used to say that the Lord’s Prayer is a short summary of the whole Gospel. In fact, we realize that the devil’s strategy is to overturn the foundations of what the Lord came to offer us in his Gospel, and in the prayer that He taught us.

The Lord teaches us in the Our Father that the Father loves us and is watching over us. God provides, and he gives us the necessary resources to maintain our life in body and soul. The devil wishes to introduce fear in our Lord’s soul; he wants to create doubt about the Father’s actual care. By rejecting this temptation Our Lord teaches us that the temptation to manipulate nature does not help mankind if it is motivated by fear; on the contrary, trust in God should inspire human beings to obtain the resources necessary for the body’s well been. It seems to me that this is a vital lesson for today’s world when we have so much scientific power in our hands. Sadly, this power is frequently used to destroy life, not to promote life. I think, for example, about the manipulation of human embryos, something that should horrify a healthy mind. But such efforts arise from an attitude that says there is no God who is looking after us, and thus we dare to control the world’s resources with no reference to the dignity of human life. Technology is good, but without reference to God it can become destructive.

The devil offers the Lord the passing glory of the world. The temptation to dominate and control has ever been strong in the human heart. Nowadays it shows itself in many ways. But the Father is not pleased with the self-glorification found in those kingdoms which are based on the desire to dominate, to accumulate riches, and to control the resources that are destined to the general well-being of all. God wants a people free to cultivate and attain what is good, not a people anxious to seek a way to exalt our own selfishness. Notice that we ask the Lord that “thy kingdom come” and with this petition we reject the kingdoms offered by the devil. God’s kingdom consists of “righteousness, peace, and joy in the holy Spirit” as St. Paul says in his letter to the Romans (14: 17). In God’s kingdom we live to seek not so much our own interests, but rather the interests of all.  But to advance in the kingdom of peace and justice among human beings, first it is necessary to dedicate ourselves to cultivate a living relationship with God. That is why, by rejecting this temptation, the Lord tells the devil “you shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.”

We ask the Lord not to let us fall into temptation. This means that we ask the Lord’s help to avoid mortal danger. Well, this is precisely what the devil seeks: to invite Jesus to seek danger and thus force the Father to make evident his personal care. The Lord rejects the attitude that says that God must prove his love by the whimsical standards of men.  God takes care of the world, but his wisdom and his power are beyond our reach. To tempt the Lord means that we would deliberately put ourselves in dangerous situations with the idea that ultimately, God will save us. Dangers exist in many forms. Some dangers threaten the body, others the soul.  Asking for the grace to avoid temptation implies a plea for help to avoid the circumstances that invite danger, either to the body or the soul. At the same time, it seems to me that in reality this temptation shows itself as a kind of assault on our use of common sense. There is no need to look for dangers and temptations; they are plentiful enough as it is. By rejecting this temptation, our Lord vindicates the value of the common sense that God himself has given to us to guide our daily decisions.

The Lord rejects the three temptations and demonstrates that the path that he came to establish is a path of full trust and communion in the goodness of the Father. The Son, and we, the sons and daughters of God, don’t need to tempt the Lord, or seek kingdoms of ephemeral glory, or doubt God’s providence. This is why I recommend you meditate frequently on the petitions in the Our Father during Lent. It serves as a good guide and as a pillar of strength to reject the temptations we face daily. Our Lord Jesus Christ triumphed over these temptations and with the help of his grace, we will overcome them also.

 

 

 

 

Mensaje de Cuaresma 2013

El Señor en el desierto y el Padre Nuestro

Las Escrituras nos dicen que Nuestro Señor tomó la decisión de pasar  cuarenta días en el desierto “impulsado por El Espíritu Santo”. El Señor pasó estos cuarenta días en oración y en ayunas para “rezarle a su Padre en secreto”, así como él mismo nos aconsejó hacerlo. Buscaba el espacio idóneo para dirigir toda su atención como hombre “lleno de gracia y de verdad” al diálogo con su Padre. Salió a encontrar espacio de comunión con el Padre; el demonio lo siguió. Eso sucede.

San Lucas nos indica que el demonio llegó “cuando se completaron aquellos días”. Eso quiere decir que al terminar su tiempo de oración y comunión con el Padre, el demonio, como la culebra esperando su momento para atacar, estaba bien listo. El Señor tenía hambre. Quizá el Gran Mentiroso anticipaba insinuarse al alma del Señor por medio de su debilidad corporal. Buscaba alguna manera de introducir un veneno en la santísima alma del Señor. No logró hacerlo, como ya sabemos. El Señor nos muestra que la fuerza del alma fortalecida con la plena comunión con Dios robustece el cuerpo debilitado. 

Vale la pena notar que el demonio le presentó tres tentaciones al Santo Hijo de Dios. La primera tiene que ver con el pan, porque tienta al Señor con convertir las piedras en pan para satisfacer la necesidad del cuerpo. La secunda tentación tiene que ver con el reino, porque el demonio le ofrece al Señor toda la gloria de los reinos del mundo.  Y la tercera tentación tiene que ver con el peligro evitable, porque el demonio sugiere que sería bueno si el Señor se arrojara desde la parte más alta del templo dándole así al Padre celestial ocasión para manifestar su cuidado sobre el Hijo eterno hecho hombre.

No es mera coincidencia de palabras que tres de las peticiones del Padre Nuestro corresponden a estas mismas realidades: el pan, el reino, y el peligro. Solían decir los Santos Padres que la oración dominical es un resumen en pocas palabras de todo el Evangelio. De hecho, nos damos cuenta de que la estrategia del demonio es revolcar las fundaciones de lo que el Señor vino a ofrecernos en su Evangelio, y en la oración que él nos enseñó.

El Señor nos enseña en la oración dominical que el Padre nos ama y está vigilando sobre nosotros. Dios es providente, y cada día nos da los recursos necesarios para sostener la vida del cuerpo y del alma. El demonio desea introducir un miedo en el alma del Señor; propone establecer una duda sobre el cuidado actual del Padre. Rechazando esta tentación Nuestro Señor nos enseña que la tentación de manipular la naturaleza no ayuda al ser humano si está motivado por miedo; al contrario, confianza en Dios debe de inspirar la actividad del ser humano a colocar los recursos necesarios para el bien del cuerpo. Me parece una lección fuerte para hoy en día cuando tantos poderes científicos están en nuestras manos. Lamentablemente este poder se usa frecuentemente para destruir la vida y no para promover la vida. Pienso, por ejemplo, en la manipulación de los embriones humanos, cosa que actualmente debe de horrorizar una mente sana. Pero tales esfuerzos surgen de la actitud que dice que no hay un Dios al cuidado de nosotros, y por eso nos atrevemos a dominar los recursos del mundo sin referencia a la dignidad de la vida humana. La tecnología es buena en sí pero sin referencia a Dios resulta destructora.

El demonio le ofrece al Señor la gloria pasajera del mundo. La tentación de dominar y de controlar siempre ha sido fuerte en el corazón humano. Hoy en día se muestra de muchas maneras. Pero el Padre no se complace en la jactancia mostrada en los reinos basados en el deseo de dominar, de acumular riquezas y de controlar a los recursos destinados para el bien de todos. Dios desea un pueblo libre para cultivar y actualizar el bien, no para buscar como exaltar mejor nuestros propios egoísmos. Dense cuenta que le pedimos al Señor que “venga su reino” y con esta petición rechazamos los reinos que nos ofrece el demonio. El reino de Dios “consiste en la justicia, en la paz, y en el gozo del Espíritu Santo” como dice San Pablo en su carta a los Romanos (14, 17). En el Reino de Dios vivimos para buscar no tanto nuestros propios intereses sino los intereses de todos. Pero para avanzar en el reino de paz y de justicia entre los seres humanos es preciso que primero nos dediquemos a cultivar una relación viva con Dios. Por eso, al rechazar esta tentación, el Señor le dice al demonio que “adorarás al Señor tu Dios, y a él sólo servirás”.

Le pedimos al Señor que no nos deje caer en la tentación. Esto quiere decir que pedimos la ayuda del Señor para evitar el peligro mortal. Pues eso es precisamente lo que quiere el demonio: invitar a Jesús a buscar el peligro para forzar  al Padre a poner en evidencia su cuidado personal. El Señor rechaza la actitud que dice que Dios debe de poner en evidencia su amor según los caprichos de los seres humanos. Dios cuida al mundo pero su sabiduría y su poder superan nuestro alcance. Tentar al Señor significa ponernos deliberadamente en condiciones de peligro con la idea de que al fin de cuentas Dios salva. Los peligros existen en muchas formas. Algunas amenazan el cuerpo, otras el alma. Pedir la gracia de evitar la tentación implica pedir una ayuda actual para evitar las circunstancias que invitan al peligro ya sea del cuerpo o del alma. Al mismo tiempo, me parece que ésta tentación se muestra en realidad como un asalto contra el sentido común del ser humano. No hay para que buscar peligros y tentaciones; existen de sobra. Al rechazar esta tentación, Nuestro Señor vindica el valor del sentido común que Dios mismo nos ha dado para guiar nuestras decisiones diarias.

El Señor rechaza las tres tentaciones y de ésta manera muestra que el camino que él vino a establecer es un camino de plena confianza y de comunión en la bondad del Padre. El Hijo, y nosotros, hijos e hijas de Dios, no necesitamos tentar al Señor, ni buscar reinos de gloria efímera, ni dudar de la providencia de Dios. Por eso les recomiendo meditar frecuentemente sobre las peticiones del Padre Nuestro durante la Cuaresma. Servirá como una buena guía y como una columna de fuerza para rechazar las tentaciones que enfrentamos diariamente. El Señor Jesucristo triunfó sobre estas tentaciones y con la ayuda de su gracia, nosotros también las superaremos.

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Benedict XVI

February 11, 2013

Pope Benedict XVI’s Resignation

We were all surprised by the announcement Pope Benedict XVI made today, just two days before the start of Lent, about his intention to resign effective Feb. 28. I have a great personal affection for the Holy Father. He appointed me as bishop of the Diocese of Brownsville in 2009, and I will always be grateful to God and to him personally for that great blessing.

We should see this decision as an act of great humility and courage.  In renouncing the highest office in the Church, the Holy Father's thoughts have been focused upon the future of the Church. The Holy Father is thinking more about what the Church needs in the days to come and not thinking about himself. He very simply stated that he thinks that this moment in history requires someone with greater physical strength and stamina to govern the Catholic Church spread throughout the world. It would be difficult for any of us to imagine the grueling schedule that the Holy Father has maintained since his election. Pope Benedict has felt himself grow weaker physically in recent months. As he announces this decision, Pope Benedict confides the care of the Church to Almighty God, and he invites us all to do the same. 

For us now it is a moment to be grateful to God for the gift of Pope Benedict XVI, and it is a moment for us to pray that God will inspire and illuminate the minds of the cardinals who will gather shortly after the 28th to elect a new pope.

I think it is a considerate and thoughtful decision on the Holy Father’s part that he chose this moment to announce his decision. He obviously thinks Lent is a special time of grace for the whole Church as we pray in a spirit of penance and hope. As the College of Cardinals convenes to elect the next pope, the whole Church throughout the world will be joined in Lenten prayer. I ask all Catholics in the Rio Grande Valley to remember Pope Benedict in their prayers, and to pray for the one who will be called to succeed him. The life of the Church is in the hands of God, we are all his servants.

The Immigration Experience at the Border

Last week I attended the annual meeting of a national Christian organization named Christian Churches Together. The meeting was held in Austin, Texas. I had been asked to address the assembly on the topic of "The Immigration Experience at the Border". My talk was fairly lengthy, but if your interested, a link to the text is here provided:

http://christianchurchestogether.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Bishop-Daniel-E-Flores-CCT-AM-Jan.-30-2013.pdf

Who is CCT? 

"Christian Churches Together offers a space that is inclusive of the diversity of Christian families in the United States — Evangelical, Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Pentecostals, historic Protestant, Racial and African American churches.  ... Christian Churches Together is unique in providing the only venue where churches from all the major groupings of churches, representing over one hundred million Christians, come together for prayer, dialogue, fellowship and witness." (Description taken from CCT website)

I am grateful to CCT for their gracious hospitality to me. I was a bit under the weather when I gave the keynote, and everyone was very considerate. A pesar de la gripa, le doy gracias a Dios que me concedió participar.