Chrism Mass 2014

Thanks to everyone who made this year's Chrism Mass such an extraordinarily beautiful event. And thanks especially to so many of the faithful who came to the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle to pray with, and for our priests. At the end of the homily I cited a few lines from the Spanish Poet Lope de Vega. I intersperse them here with these pictures. The English translation is my effort.

Oye, pastor, pues por amores mueres,

no te espante el rigor de mis pecados,

pues tan amigo de rendidos eres.

 

 

 

Hear, o pastor, who on loves' account does die,

be not startled at the hardness of my sins,

for such a friend you are to one who cast-down lies.

 

 

Espera, pues, y escucha mis cuidados,

pero ¿cómo te digo que me esperes,

si estás para esperar los pies clavados?

 

 

Wait, please, and by my cares be hailed,

but ¿how can I say wait to you,

if for waiting's sake are your feet thus nailed?

 

 

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Reunión en la frontera

Este lunes, martes y miércoles celebramos la reunión bimestral de los obispos de la frontera Mexicana y Tejana, en Laredo, Texas. Estas reuniones nos prestan oportunidades para discutir francamente los temas pastorales y sociales afectando a la Iglesia en nuestra región. Siempre se llevan a cabo estas reuniones en un espíritu de fraternidad, amistad y agradecimiento. El estar juntos muestra que la frontera separa dos países, pero no divide la unidad de la Iglesia.
Por supuesto el tema del ministerio de la Iglesia a favor de los inmigrantes dominó nuestras discusiones. La foto se tomó después de la Misa ofrecida en la catedral de San Agustín en Laredo, Texas.
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TEXAS-MÉXICO Bishops Send support Arizona Bishops gathered to pray for Immigration Reform

TEX-MEX BORDER BISHOPS' MEETING
March 31-April 2, 2014
Laredo, Texas


Today, April 1, 2014, the bishops of the border area of Texas and Mexico are gathered in Laredo, Texas, for our biannual meeting. We particularly wish to send greetings and expressions of support to the bishops gathered in Arizona to fast and pray on behalf of comprehensive immigration reform in the United States. Today we will celebrate Mass in the Cathedral of Saint Augustine in Laredo, Texas, in union with you, and on behalf of our people. We are very conscious of the sufferings of so many who bear inhumane circumstances as they seek a way to live a sustainable life. We are committed to continue to work on the side of the poor and the immigrant, who show us the face of Christ.

We would like to take this occasion to propose a meeting at some future time between us to discuss our experiences as pastors on the border, and to share our mutual pastoral preoccupations.


Hoy, día 1 de abril 2014, nosotros los obispos de la región fronteriza de México y Texas, reunidos en Laredo, Texas, para nuestra reunión bimestral, mandamos saludos y expresiones de apoyo fraterno con ustedes, obispos de Estados Unidos reunidos en Arizona, para celebrar la Santa Misa a favor de la reforma del sistema migratoria en los Estados Unidos. Celebramos nosotros la Misa hoy a mediodía en la catedral de San Agustín en unión y plena comunión con ustedes. Estamos muy conscientes de los sufrimientos de nuestro pueblo a causa de circunstancias inhumanas que viven muchos sólo por buscar una vida sostenible. Estamos comprometidos a seguir al lado de los pobres y los inmigrantes, los cuales nos muestran el rostro de de Cristo.

Quisiéramos tomar está ocasión para proponer una reunión entre nosotros y ustedes en un futuro no lejano para compartir experiencias y preocupaciones pastorales como pastores en la frontera.

Excmo. Sr. Mons. Alonso G. Garza
Obispo de Piedras Negras
Most. Reverend. Daniel E. Flores
Obispo de Brownsville
Most. Reverend. Gustavo García Siller
Arzobispo de San Antonio
Excmo. Sr. Mons. Michael Sis
Obispo de San Angelo
Excmo. Sr. Mons. Ruy Rendón Leal
Obispo de Matamoros
Most. Reverend. James Tamayo
Obispo de Laredo
Excmo. Sr. Mons. Raúl Vera, O.P.
Obispo de Saltillo
Most. Reverend. Raymundo J. Peña  
Obispo Emérito de Brownsville
Excmo. Sr. Mons. Gustavo Rodríguez Vega
Obispo de Nuevo Laredo
Excmo. Sr. Mons. Jesús José Herrera Quiñones    
Obispo Nuevo Casas Grandes
Most. Reverend. Michael Pfeifer, O.M.I.
Obispo emérito de San Ángelo

Verdad, amor y la Cruz; Truth, Love and the Cross

I offer the following as a kind of meditation. It results from having thought about a provocative text I read in a book written by Joseph Ratzinger, long before he became Pope Benedict XVI, but which, it seems to me, lends itself to a terrain of reflection that has been sharply marked for us through the teaching of Pope Francis. The Spanish version is followed immediately by the English version.

"Only because truth abides does love become lethal. Truth without love does not have to die, but only judge; love without truth likewise does not have to die, but only yield. But where the two are together, the Cross comes to pass."

Joseph Ratzinger                
“Dogma and Preaching” p. 95

"Sólo porque la verdad permanece, el amor se muestra mortífero. La verdad sin el amor no tiene que morir, sólo tiene que juzgar; de igual manera, el amor sin la verdad no tiene que morir, sólo tiene que ceder. Pero cuando la verdad y el amor están juntos, resulta la Cruz."

Joseph Ratzinger                
“Dogma and Preaching” p. 95

Me encontré con este texto al leer un libro escrito por el teólogo Joseph Ratzinger. Lo escribió mucho antes de ser elegido sucesor de San Pedro pero sus  frases han permeado mis pensamientos de una manera fuerte durante esta Cuaresma y han guiado varias de mis meditaciones. Además, me parece un texto apropiado para contemplar aspectos de la fe claramente enfatizados por el Papa Francisco. Por tal motivo ahora quiero  compartir con ustedes algo de lo que el Señor me concedió entender por medio de estas meditaciones.

Dios es el amor, y el mismo Dios de amor se manifestó a nuestros ojos en la persona de Jesucristo nuestro Señor quien  dijo: "yo soy la verdad." La obra redentora de Nuestro Señor fue obra de amor y de verdad,  y solo  en él los dos coinciden perfectamente.

El Señor nos mostró la verdad con cada palabra, cada gesto, y cada expresión de bondad. Su verdad se extiende hacia nosotros, y revela lo que nos falta.  Al contemplarlo sentimos que estamos viendo en el espejo la totalidad de lo que no somos. No somos generosos con los leprosos, no somos amigables con los enemigos, no somos pacientes con los testarudos. No nos despojamos de  rencores, no nos fijamos en los pobres, no nos preparamos para perdonar. Si el Señor hubiese  venido únicamente con propósitos de revelarnos solo la verdad, el estar en su presencia hubiese sido suficiente para manifestar el juicio y la condena.

Por eso Cristo Jesús, Dios verdadero y hombre verdadero, prefiere morir antes que juzgar y condenar. El amor de Dios cede -- o sea, se renuncia completamente-- delante del capricho venenoso de sus seres insensatos pero tan pródigamente amados por él. Más todavía, podríamos decir que muere precisamente para evitar juzgarnos en ese momento. El amor cede paso, y maravillosamente en el ceder brilla aún más la belleza de la verdad.

El Señor nos muestra la verdad aún en su condición de condenado. ¿Qué es esta verdad? Esta verdad significa que somos cómplices en el desprecio letal que sufre el Hijo de Dios. ¿Cómo puede ser? Yo no estuve con él ese día. Cierto, pero en Cristo encontramos el Dios que quiso identificarse con cada ser humano. Se presentó como uno de tantos, y como tantos y cada uno recibió el azote y el golpe de un mundo cruel en su capacidad de  enviar la vida humana a la basura. Sí, ¿pero cuándo he hecho yo eso? "Cuando lo hiciste al más pequeño de los míos, me lo hiciste a mí,... aún les digo, el que desprecié a su hermano será llevado al fuego del lugar de castigo." (Véase Mateo  25: 31 y 5:21)

Al mirar a Cristo en la cruz nos debe de dar una vergüenza ardiente. Hemos condenado a muchos por medio de los desprecios, los enojos y los rencores que nos dominan cuando nos sentimos justificados y satisfechos en nuestra equivocada presunción. Reconocer en el rostro del Crucificado la cara desfigurada de la hermana o hermano es una gracia dura pero saludable. Si no vemos la pena que es nuestra condición, jamás podríamos pedir ayuda para escapar de ella.

El Dios de amor no desea condenar sino  liberar. La verdad libera. “¿Qué es la verdad?" le preguntó Pilato al justo condenado. Ahora lo verás le podría haber replicado el Señor. La verdad es que Dios no puede mostrarnos su cara de verdad sin descubrir su corazón de amor, porque al fin de cuentas, la verdad de Dios y la verdad del hombre es el amor. La verdad nos juzga, pero en Cristo no nos condena. El Señor, en lugar de ser el que condena, por causa del amor acepta ser condenado. En este sentido el Señor nos cede espacio y nos muestra la fuerza de su ternura: perdónalos, Padre, porque no saben lo que hacen.

Nuestra vergüenza delante de la Cruz sería nuestra condición perpetua si no fuera por el amor de Cristo perfectamente presente en su tránsito al Padre. La verdad se muestra pero no condena; al contrario, cede espacio para que pasemos con él al otro lado de la muerte, hacia la vida eterna. Muere para mostrar la verdad sobre el amor de Dios. Ilumina nuestro fracaso para invitarnos a resucitar a una vida nueva, una vida donde existe la gracia y el perdón, y por lo tanto, la plenitud de redención.
El amor no condena pero si muestra la verdad. La verdad es que tenemos que cambiar de corazón. Si no lo hacemos, entonces seguiremos condenando el Hijo del Hombre en su disfraces preferidos: los pobres, los chiquillos no nacidos, los débiles, los forasteros, los que se presentan como desfigurados a nuestros ojos, los que por cualquier razón no nos caen bien. Nuestra indiferencia nos juzgará en el juicio final sin que el Señor tenga que levantar el dedo.

El propósito de Dios y de su verdad es movernos a reconocer que en lo que más importa  de la vida --nuestras relaciones con nuestros cohabitantes en el mundo-- no alcanzamos rectitud, justicia y amor sin una relación sanadora con el Dios que desea amarnos hacia la verdad. Para  eso vino, para ofrecernos la gracia de la resurrección, gracia que viene desde la Cruz, que empieza con el milagro de un cambio de corazón y que termina en la gloria de la vida eterna.

Estos son los días para tomar de la verdad que se entrega en la Cruz y reconocer por medio del  cuerpo sagrado, ahí colgado, qué tan grande es el hueco que hay en nuestro corazón. Estos son los días de gracia para beber del amor que se derrama desde la Cruz y por medio de la sangre, que desde ahí fluye, pedir la gracia de amar como él nos ha amado. De esta manera es como resucitaremos con él para vivir de verdad.

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Only because truth abides does love become lethal. Truth without love does not have to die, but only judge; love without truth likewise does not have to die, but only yield. But where the two are together, the Cross comes to pass."
Joseph Ratzinger
“Dogma and Preaching” p.95

God is Love, and the same God of love manifested himself before our eyes in the person of Jesus Christ our Lord who said: “I am the truth.” The redemptive work of Our Lord was a work of love and truth, and only in him do both of these coincide perfectly.

The Lord showed us the truth with each word, each gesture, and each expression of kindness. His truth extends itself to us, and reveals what we lack. By reflecting on this we feel that we are looking in a mirror and seeing the totality of everything we are not. We are not generous with the lepers, we are not friendly with our enemies, we are not patient with those who are stubborn. We do not leave behind our grudges, we don’t remember to help the poor, we are not ready to forgive. If the Lord would have come only with the purpose of showing us the truth, being in his presence alone would have been sufficient to manifest a judgment upon us.

That is why Jesus Christ, true God and true man, prefers to die rather than to judge and condemn. The love of God yields – which means, it renounces itself completely – before the venomous whims of foolish human creatures, creatures who are nonetheless so prodigally loved by him. Even more, we could say that he dies precisely to avoid judging us at that moment. Love yields, and through this yielding shines all the more marvelously the beauty of the truth.

The Lord shows us the truth even in his condemned state. What is this truth? The truth is that we are accomplices in the lethal contempt that the Son of God suffers. How could this be? I was not with him that day. True, but he presented himself like anyone else, and like many others and each one of them he received the scourging blows of a world cruel in its capacity to send human life to the trash bin. Yes, but when have I ever done that? “What you did [or did not do] for one of these least of mine, you did [or did not do] for me,… Truly I say, he who despises his brother will be taken to a place of punishing fire.” (See Mathew 25:31 and 5:21).

 

Seeing Christ on the cross should give us a sense of burning shame. We have condemned many because of our despising of others, because of our anger and resentment that at times dominate us when we feel justified in our misdirected assumptions. Recognizing in the Crucified the disfigured face of the sister or the brother is a difficult but healthful grace. If we do not see the sorrow of our condition, we can never ask for help to escape from it.

The God of love does not want to condemn us, but rather to liberate us. The truth liberates. “What is the truth?” asked Pilate of the condemned Just One. Soon enough you will see, the Lord could have answered. The truth is that God cannot show us his face of truth without unveiling his heart of love, because in the end, the truth of God and the truth of man is love. Truth judges us, but in Christ it does not condemn us. The Lord, instead of being the one who condemns, because of his love accepts being condemned. In this sense the Lord gives us space and shows us the strength of his tenderness: forgive them Father, for they don’t know what they are doing.

Our shame before the Cross would be our perpetual condition if not for the love of Christ, perfectly present in his passing-over to the Father. The truth shows itself but it does not condemn; on the contrary, it yields a space for us so that we may go over with him to the other side of death, towards eternal life. He dies to show us the truth about God’s love. He sheds light on our failure in order to invite us to rise to a new life; a life where there is grace and forgiveness, and therefore, the fullness of redemption.

Love does not condemn but it does show the truth. The truth is that we need a change of heart. If we do not change, then we will continue condemning the Son of Man in his preferred disguises: the poor, the unborn little ones, the weak, the outsiders, those who present themselves disfigured before our eyes, those who for whatever reason we dislike. Our indifference will judge us at the final judgment without the Lord ever having to lift a finger.

God’s intent and that of his truth is to move us to recognize that in those things most important in life –our relationship with other human beings in the world—we do not attain righteousness, justice and love without a healing relationship with the God who wishes to love us towards the truth. That is why he came, to offer the grace of resurrection, the grace that comes from the Cross and which starts with the miracle of a change of heart and ends with the glory of eternal life.

These are the days for us to receive from the truth that is given on the Cross, and recognize by means of the sacred body hanging there, how large the hole in our heart is. These are the days of grace for us to drink the love that spills forth from the Cross and through the blood which flows from there, ask for the grace to love even as he has loved us. In this way we will rise with Him to live in the truth.

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Father James C. Erving, OMI: May he rest in peace.

I met Father James Erving, OMI, when the Oblate Fathers sent him to serve at Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish, in Port Isabel. He jumped into that assignment with a vigor I imagine St Eugene molded into his first Oblate companions. He was not there long; he worked like he knew he wouldn't be. But in fact he could not have known. Pastoral discussions involving his Oblate Superiors and the local bishop would soon result in an abrupt transfer to the other side of the Diocese, to Our Lady of Refuge in Roma, Texas.

I remember he came to see me before the change took effect. Humble, yes, and brutally honest with me, the kind of character God carves out of granite. A bishop cannot ask for more from any priest. It would be a difficult move, he said. Lots of things yet to be done to build the faith in Port Isabel, he said. I know, I said. God will provide for Port Isabel, just as He now provides for Roma. Fiercely obedient, obediently fierce; a Religious Community could not ask for more from a priest. Fr. Jim said a lot more; but most of that I take to the grave.

We talked about the pro-life apostolate. I thanked him for being willing to take it up. He had plans, but wasn't sure where to start. But start he did; our pro-life march that year went from St Joseph the Worker, to Sacred Heart Church, passing right through downtown McAllen on a Saturday morning, right in front of the abortion place. The picture is from that day. I like it because it so captures his blunt devotion to Christ and his Church. He is not pointing at me; he points for me to see something beyond. Be assured, I got the point, though I had not yet turned my head. No "let's stay in the sacristy and witness from here" in this man. Fierce defender of the unborn, the poor, the immigrant. Once in a while, I thought that day, a bishop stumbles into a good decision.

He gave all he had to Roma. I worry about the kids, I told him; they need a strong and courageous pastor. He was that. The missions need building up; people are moving into Starr County. I didn't need to say a lot; he understood. I did not know him long; but I think I knew him well enough to know he would be a strong shoulder pushing in favor of God's people here in the Rio Grande Valley.

Once, at a Confirmation in Roma, we ate lasagna after the Mass and after all the pictures. He told me about how Spanish was a struggle, but he was getting better. The people love a priest who gives himself to them, even if he gets the accent wrong on some words, I said. He told me about the immigrant population. We talked a lot about that. He said more, but that too I will keep for a later appointment. 

We do not know the mind of God apart from what is shown us in the wounded heart of Christ. But in the contemplation there, we find more than we could have ever thought possible. His illness came quickly, relentlessly, and took him from us fast.  His suffering was a fierce battle he waged obediently. God was all along forming a saint; that is what He is always trying to do for us. Fr. Jim, I am sure, knew that. May we be so generous in letting God do what He tries so desperately to do.

I hope in heaven, so did Jim. Should God grant me the grace to let Him do in me what He must do to get me to heaven, Jim will be one I expect to see early on, pointing, to make sure I remember to look up at the Mystic Rose, and beyond her, to that center where is beheld the Word Eternal proceeding in the glorified flesh of God Incarnate. Amen.

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Fr. James C. Erving, OMI, 43, died peacefully on Tuesday, March 18, 2014, at 3:24am, in San Antonio, TX.

Funeral services will be held at Immaculate Conception Memorial Chapel at 285 Oblate Drive, San Antonio, Texas 78216.

Vigil/Rosary will be held on Friday, March 21, 2014 at 7:00 PM.

Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, March 22, 2014 at 10:00 AM. Interment will follow at the Oblate Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations can sent to Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, 327 Oblate Dr., San Antonio, TX 78216

 

 

 

 

 

A couple of short and not unrelated reflections

I was happy to join Rabbi Claudio Kogan last week for a joint moment of reflection at the Mayor's Prayer Luncheon in the City of McAllen. We each chose a Scriptural text, and offered a brief comment about it. I presented what appears immediately below. I am also adding to this post a reflection I wrote some little time ago in Spanish. It is sort of a dialogue with the text of a poem that appears in the Liturgy of the Hours. The poem itself appears in bold-type, and is variously attributed to Anonymous or to Gabriela Mistral.

(Luke 10: 25 ff.)
There was a scholar of the law* who stood up to test him and said, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” He said in reply, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” He replied to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

With this brief passage, the Gospel of Luke prepares us to hear the parable of the Good Samaritan, familiar to most of the world as the story of the man who went out of his way to help an abandoned and wounded stranger.

The question "who is my neighbor?" provokes the occasion of the Parable, and implies a disquiet of conscience present in the man asking the question.

This question is propelled by the same unease of conscience that provoked Cain in the book of Genesis to ask the Lord God: "Am I my brothers keeper?"

The parable is itself a definitive response to both questions: The person in need whom God puts in the path of my life, such a one is brother and neighbor to me.

The question cannot fail to arise in a religious context, but it cannot be confined to a religious setting. "Who is my neighbor?" impacts all of our social, economic and political relations.

How you and I attend to this question affects the whole of the unfolding of human history lived here in the Rio Grande Valley. And by our response to this question shall be judged the quality of our love for the Lord God Himself.

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Meditación sobre el Himno del Breviario, "En esta tarde", Las Visperas de un viernes

En esta tarde, Cristo del Calvario,
vine a rogarte por mi carne enferma;
pero, al verte, mis ojos van y vienen
de tu cuerpo a mi cuerpo con vergüenza.
Ojos vagando
En su cansancio corrido
Buscan en vano
Lo que sabe de sentido
Carne y hueso llegaste
Verbo malherido
A mi muerte vida
Tocando mi sentido
¿Cómo quejarme de mis pies cansados,
cuando veo los tuyos destrozados?
¿Cómo mostrarte mis manos vacías,
cuando las tuyas están llenas de heridas?
En tu forma tosca
Su proporción suprimida
Intuyo mi alma
Sin sentir la herida
No alcanzo vergüenza
Por lo que al verte deriva
Vacías mejores
Que con mala intriga
¿Cómo explicarte a ti mi soledad,
cuando en la cruz alzado y solo estás?
¿Cómo explicarte que no tengo amor,
cuando tienes rasgado el corazón?
Explicar no puedo
Lo que palabra requiere
Sólo anhelar un aire
Que de mi no viene
Explicar no logro
De tu amor rasgado
Sólo pido inhalar
Lo que tú has dado
Ahora ya no me acuerdo de nada,
huyeron de mí todas mis dolencias.
El ímpetu del ruego que traía
se me ahoga en la boca pedigüeña.
En vano aspiro
Moldear palabra
Respuesta hueca
De la mente calada
El olvido sana
Si por fin recuerdo
Que no por nada
Me llamaste enfermo
Y sólo pido no pedirte nada,
estar aquí, junto a tu imagen muerta,
ir aprendiendo que el dolor es sólo
la llave santa de tu santa puerta. Amén.
Nada con todo
Y en todo nada
Amor tan duro
En ninguno y cada
Quizás me adelanto
Pidiéndote nada
Si decides tocarme
Sería mejor con fuego y espada. Amén

Meditations/Meditaciones

Meditaciones en camino
(The Text in English follows immediately after the Spanish)

Quisiera ofrecer algunos pensamientos variados, inspirados por las meditaciones que he compartido en varias predicaciones durante estas semanas. Los ofrezco como puntos que surgen de la misma Escritura Sagrada, y que puedan inspirar en ustedes un aprecio de la riqueza contenida en la palabra de Dios. La Palabra de Dios es la fuente de nuestra vida en comunión con el Señor. Por medio de ella, el Señor nos guía e ilumina, dándonos luz y fortaleza. Quisiera que todos los católicos se dedicaran a leer parte de las Escrituras todos los días, invitando al Espíritu Santo a profundizar su presencia en nuestras mentes y nuestros corazones. Para lo que sigue, les recomiendo que lean primero el pasaje indicado al inicio, y después lean lo que el Señor me dio para compartir con ustedes.

Lucas 1: 26-38: Entró el ángel a donde ella estaba y le dijo: “Alégrate, llena de gracia, el Señor está contigo”. Etc. ¿Cómo se expresaba la plenitud de gracia presente en el alma de María?  Como un deseo constante de agradarle al Señor. María siempre disfrutaba la gracia de un deseo ardiente dirigido a cumplir con lo que Dios le indicaba. Para nosotros, pobre pecadores, la gracia llega como fuego para encender este mismo deseo. Cuando María ruega por nosotros, está pidiendo que tengamos un deseo perseverante. Una cosa es conocer la voluntad de Dios, y otra querer cumplirla. ¡Que nunca nos falte el deseo!

Mateo 1: 1-25: “José, hijo de David, no dudes en recibir en tu casa a María tu esposa, porque ella ha concebido por obra del Espíritu Santo”. Etc. María recibió el misterio de la Encarnación con fe humilde, esperanza inquebrantable, amor inte nso. Todo empezó con el dialogo entre ella y el ángel. Con la ayuda del ángel visitando los sueños de San José, María le pudo comunicar el misterio al que iba dedicar su vida: la protección de la Virgen y su Hijo. José recibió el anuncio con fe firme en Dios, y con confianza en María. Como hombre justo, cumplió su misión con valor y sin quejas. Desde el cielo llegó el misterio admirable de la Encarnación al corazón y cuerpo de María, y llegó por medio de María y el ángel a la vida de San José. ¡Que recibamos nosotros el anuncio con la fe firme de José, y con la alegría de María!

Lucas 2:1-14: En aquella región había unos pastores que pasaban la noche en el campo, vigilando por turno sus rebaños. Etc. Los pastores cuidaban a las ovejas, y fueron testigos de la presencia de los ángeles. Toda la creación está representada en esta escena. El Niño Jesús trae la paz precisamente porque en su persona Dios se ha acercado al mundo de los seres humanos. La cercanía de Dios es la salvación del hombre porque nos abre paso de comunión entre el cielo y la tierra. ¡Pero hay que tomar el camino ofrecido! Los pastores tomaron el camino hacia Jesús para saludar la salvación que se había acercado en el Hijo de María. Debemos nosotros de dar este testimonio de la cercanía de Dios y del camino que conduce a la vida. Este testimonio es causa de alegría para los ángeles.

Lucas 4:14-22: Se le dio el volumen del profeta Isaías, lo desenrolló y encontró el pasaje en que estaba escrito: “El espíritu del Señor está sobre mí.” Etc. La unción del Espíritu Santo se derramó sobre Jesús en plenitud y sobreabundancia. Pero como nos enseñan los Santos Padres de la Iglesia, esa unción no fue destinada solamente para el uso del Cristo, sino que Él la recibió como cabeza de la Iglesia, para que la gracia del Espíritu Santo pudiera llegar a tocar, sanar y elevar la vida de todo el cuerpo. El Cuerpo de Cristo es la Iglesia, como nos enseña San Pablo. Somos los miembros de su cuerpo, y Él es nuestra cabeza. Lo que existe en plenitud de poder en Jesucristo, nuestra cabeza, llega a cada miembro del cuerpo ofreciendo la gracia que cada uno necesita. Para algunos llega como unción que sana heridas de pecado; para otros como unción que eleva el alma desanimada; para otros llega como unción que cura la oscuridad en el entendimiento o debilidad del cuerpo físico. Para otros llega como unción animándonos a servir con mayor entrega a los más afligidos y necesitados.

Lucas 5: 12-16: Señor, si quieres, puedes curarme. Etc. Extendiendo la mano para tocar el leproso, el Señor muestra que sí quiere curarlo. Verdaderamente, el hecho muestra como la unción del Espíritu Santo que sobreabunda en Jesucristo llega a tocar y aliviar las aflicciones del creyente. El leproso tenía esperanzas en Jesús, y movido por esta esperanza, le gritó su pena. A veces le tenemos que gritar a Jesús la grandeza de nuestra necesidad, no para que sepa (Él ya lo sabe), sino para que podamos nosotros abandonarnos a la grandeza de su misericordia. Este abandono es la gracia que más necesitamos.

Juan 3: 22-30: La gente acudía se bautizaba, pues Juan no había sido encarcelado todavía. Etc. Juan el Bautista predicaba arrepentimiento, y justicia. Preparaba el camino del Señor. Todos los Evangelios hablan de Juan, y la importancia de su mensaje, como ultima preparación del pueblo para la llegada de Hijo de Dios. Juan anunciaba que Dios es justo y santo, y que el juico de Dios iba caer con fuerza sobre los que solo buscan sus propios intereses, aplastando a los pobres, e ignorando el grito de los marginalizados. Juan era el último grito profético en la fila larga y noble de los profetas de Israel.  Jesús llega para ofrecer la misericordia a los que realmente desean cambiar de vida, dedicando sus esfuerzos a los intereses de los demás, buscando la justicia de Dios y la humildad del servicio. San Pablo decía que la ley de Moisés servía para manifestar el pecado, pero la ley del Espíritu llega para capacitarnos a vivir la justicia de Dios. Tomando esto en cuenta, Juan el Bautista es la voz de la ley, Jesucristo es el dador del Espíritu, lleno de gracia y verdad. Por eso dice el profeta que gritaba en el desierto: Es necesario que él crezca y que yo venga a menos.

I would like to offer a variety of reflections inspired by mediations that I have offered in some of my homilies during these weeks. I offer them as points that originate from the Holy Scriptures themselves, and that may inspire in each of you an appreciation for the richness contained in the word of God. The word of God is the source of our life in communion with the Lord. Through it, the Lord guides and illuminates us, giving us light and strength. I would like all Catholics to dedicate themselves to reading part of the Scriptures every day, inviting the Holy Spirit to deepen his presence in our minds and in our hearts. For what follows, I recommend that you first read the passage indicated at the beginning, and then read what the Lord gave me to share with you.

Luke 1: 26-38: “And coming to her, he said, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” …

How is the fullness of grace expressed in Mary’s soul? As a constant desire to please the Lord. Mary always enjoyed the grace of a burning desire to fulfill what God commanded. To us, poor sinners, grace arrives as a fire to ignite this same desire. When Mary prays for us, she is asking that we have a persisting desire. It is one thing to know the will of God and another to want to fulfill it. May we never lack the desire!

Mathew 1: 1-25: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.” ...

Mary received the Mystery of Incarnation with humble faith, unbreakable hope, and intense love. Everything started with the dialog between her and the angel. With the help of the angel visiting the dreams of St. Joseph, Mary was able to communicate to Joseph the mystery to which he would devote his life, the protection of the Virgin and her son. Joseph received the message with firm faith in God, and with trust in Mary. As a just man, he fulfilled his mission with courage and without complaints. From heaven the remarkable mystery of the Incarnation arrived to Mary’s heart and body, and it arrived through Mary and the angel to the life of St. Joseph. May we receive the annunciation with Joseph’s firm faith and with Mary’s joy!

Luke 2:1-14: “There were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock.” …

Shepherds took care of the sheep, and witnessed the angel’s presence. All creation is present in this scene. The Child Jesus brings peace precisely because in his person God has come close to the world of the human beings. The closeness of God is the salvation of man because it opens a way of communion between heaven and earth. But we must take the offered path! The shepherds took the road to Jesus to receive the salvation that had come close through Mary’s son. We must give this testimony of the closeness of God and the path that leads to life. This testimony is the cause of joy for the angels.

Luke 4: 14-22 “And was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.’” …

The anointing of the Holy Spirit spilled over Jesus in plenitude and overabundance. But as the Fathers of the church point out, the anointing was not only destined for Christ, but He received it as the head of the Church, so that the grace of the Holy Spirit could touch, heal and elevate the life of the entire body. The Body of Christ is the Church, as St. Paul teaches us. We are the parts of his body and he is our head. What exists in fullness of power in Jesus Christ, our head, reaches every part of the body as he offers the grace that each one needs. For some it comes as an anointing that heals the wounds of sin; for others as an anointing that elevates the soul of the disheartened; for others it comes as an anointing that heals the darkness of the mind or weakness of the physical body. For others it comes as an anointing encouraging us to serve with greater dedication those who are most afflicted and in need.

Luke 5:12-16: “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” …

Stretching his hand to touch the leper, the Lord shows that he does want to cure him. Truly, the event demonstrates how the anointing of the Holy Spirit that overflows in Jesus Christ touches and cures the afflictions of the faithful. The leper had hope in Jesus, and moved by this hope, he yelled out his misery. Sometimes we have to cry out to Jesus the magnitude of our need, not so that he might know (he already knows), but so that we can abandon ourselves to the greatness of his mercy. This abandonment is the grace we need most.

John 3:22-30: “People came to be baptized, for John had not yet been imprisoned.” …

John the Baptist preached repentance and justice. He prepared the Lord’s path. Every Gospel talks about John and the importance of his message, as the last preparation of the people for the arrival of the Son of God. John announced that God is just and holy, and that God’s justice would fall with force over those who only look out for their own interest, crushing the poor and ignoring the cries of the marginalized.  John was the last prophetic voice in the long and noble line of the prophets of Israel. Jesus arrives to offer mercy to those who really want a change in life, dedicating their efforts for the interest of others, seeking God’s justice and the humility of service. St. Paul said that the law of Moses served to manifest sin, but the law of the Spirit comes to make us capable of living in God’s justice. Taking this into account, John the Baptist is the voice of the law, Jesus is the giver of the Spirit, full of grace and truth. This is why the prophet crying in the wilderness said: He must increase, I must decrease.