A World Undone

I am slowly reading a one volume history of World War One, entitled A World Undone. It is written by G.L. Meyer, and I am finding it very informative. I am also reading the second book of the Hunger Games, called "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins. I have found the Hunger Games to be a moving and provocative narrative. In a recent sermon to some high school students at Juan Diego Academy, I described the Hunger Games as set in what the world would have looked like if Mordor had won the battle for the Ring. It is an ugly world, with dark and extravagant extremes. Power and entertainment dominate the landscape of human relations. Death is a game, and the powerful control the society by combining fear and violent entertainment. Young people are placed in the middle of this macabre dance of socially sponsored death and games. But the young can be heroic, and Katniss the heroin of the tale, restores by her humanity in an inhuman situation, a genuine sense that things need not go the way of blood and power. Beauty is possible in a soul.

I am also reading the Son of Neptune, Rick Riordan's second volume in the Heroes of Olympus series. Designed for a younger set of readers than The Hunger Gmes, it is a series I have enjoyed thus far (one of my nieces urged me to read the Percy Jackon series, which is how I got hooked). Still, like the Hunger Games, the plots of the Percy Jackson series move because there is a threat that the world is set to destruction because of sinister and chaotic forces. And young people respond heroically to hold things together. What? You ask, the bishop spends his time reading childrens books? Well, I read lots of things, mostly at airports and on airplanes. It's good to know what young people are reading, and to learn a little from authors who seem to be in touch with what their fears and hopes are. Reading these two series you might be justified in thinking that many young people fear a world on the verge of falling apart, or governed by chaotic forces of death and control. You might even call it a fear of A World Undone. You might also find that many young people yearn for a nobler more heroic way to live a human life. 

I am also reading La isla de la Pasion, by Laura Restrepo. Before you jump to conclusions about what the title might suggest about content, let me say it is really a historical novel set on the island of Clipperton, out in the Pacific Ocean. When Clipperton was discovered by the Spanish explorers a couple of hundred of years before it was named La Isla de la Pasión. The island is the setting for a small crew of Mexican soldiers and their commander, and his wife. They are sent at the end of the Porfiriato to defend the island from a real or imagined threat of French invasion. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Some Nice Things I Missed

The title of a Sinatra Album, c. 1973. Not his best, but still better than anything else put out that year. Anyway, I take "some nice things I missed" as a title for a post with a few pictures highlighting some events that I have been graced to take part in this summer. As my posting has been a bit sparce of late, I thought I would wrap some shots into one.

On July 21 I was able to go up to Rio Grande City to visit the Monastery of the Good Shepherd. I spent some time with some extraordinary young women from the Valley who were participating in a in a religious vocation discernment weekend. We had Mass, and meals together that day, and I was able to give a few thoughts to them about how to discern the call to the Consectated Life.

On July 18, I had a great time with about 500 of our middle-school age young people from the Valley who gathered on the campus of the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valley, at the Diocesan Pastoral Center . We had a "Catechesis on the 10 Commandments with the Bishop" day. Our young people came from all sections of the Rio Grande Valley, and I was able to share a cathecesis with them on the decalogue. Boy was I impressed with how well prepared they were! They practically taught the sessions themselves, because they knew all the answers to the questions I was asking! We also had lunch outside, pictured above. We made Rosaries together, and at the end of the day we all prayed the Rosary together.

We had a tent set up outside for music and snacks, and it served its purpose for about half the day. Then we had a little drama, and got hit pretty hard with a thunder storm, so we all had to run inside. Most of us got soaked, but it turned out that we were better able to pray the Rosary, knowing that the Blessed Mother was protecting us from the storm.

And, around July 10, I went to a place west of Uvalde, Texas, to participate in a retreat. The terrain was beautiful, and made for a nice setting to pray.

Saint Benedict Parish, San Benito, Texas: 100 Years!

Saint Benedict Parish in San Benito, Texas, celebrated 100 years as a parish earlier this summer. It was a beautiful celebration of the Holy Mass, and music and much food afterward! Congratulations to all who made the event such a beautiful moment in the life of the Diocese of Brownsville.

The occasion spurred me to write the following reflection on the blessing of parish life. The Spanish version is futher below.

On the 13^th of July God granted me the blessing of gathering with the faithful of the Saint Benedict Parish in San Benito, Texas, to celebrate 100 years of parish life. Clergy members, religious women, and parishioners of the community congregated around the Lord’s altar along with the bishop to offer God the Father the sacrifice of praise and gratitude. Congratulations to the parish of San Benito for completing 100 years of service to the Lord!

And what does it mean to belong to a parish? It is a basic question for a Catholic and deserves our reflection.  Jesus Christ invited his first disciples to share the grace of his amicable presence as members of a community. Belonging to the community is an essential aspect of being followers of Our Lord. Jesus preached and instructed the disciples as a group. The preaching of the Lord had the purpose of softening the hearts of those who listened, instilling in them that warmth of soul that opens the way to the love of God and of neighbor. Isn’t the love towards God and one’s neighbor what encompasses the mystery of the Gospel that the Lord preached?

We read the Scriptures and we realize that the disciples advanced slowly in this journey towards authentic charity. They themselves experienced envy, jealousy and rivalries, and fought over who was more important in the kingdom. But the progress they achieved in the journey with Jesus Christ advanced forward precisely because they listened to the lessons of Jesus in the context of every day life with the other the disciples. They couldn’t avoid the lessons on humility, forgiveness, and generosity because they encountered real life situations to live these virtues of the kingdom in every member of the community. This means that the community itself, stable and focused on the person of Christ, forms the school of charity. Peter learned to love his fellowman because he could not avoid dealing with the imperfections of the other apostles.

In our parishes we form a stable community, focused on the lessons of the Lord. We listen to the same Gospel that the first disciples listened to and we find the same interpersonal difficulties that were presented to them and that offered to them the opportunity to apply the lessons of the kingdom. And why does the parish have to be a stable community? Because if we don’t commit ourselves to cultivate a Christian life with a particular community, we’ll be going every Sunday to Mass without knowing the people with whom we listen to the Lord. As a result we will never encounter the difficult circumstances that are inevitably presented within the members of the community, the experiences which serve to refine the quality of charity. If one asks the Lord for the grace of living what we listen to in the Gospel, then generosity, forgiveness, and humility will grow with each trial we encounter. Remember this when you are working together for the festival or the kermes of your parish!

But there’s more. The heart of the parish is found in the main altar of each Church. The disciples would gather around the Lord to ask for the grace needed to live what He was preaching. As a community they were gathered around the table at the Last Supper, the table which a few hours later took the form of both cross and of altar. They gathered with Him with only one thing in common: Each listened to the word with the need to receive the salvation and the strength that only the Lord Jesus Christ could give, and this through his sacrifice. In the same way, our communities are very diverse and every member has his or her history and path, but we gather around the altar to ask the Lord what only He can give us: the grace to live in the communion of the kingdom. The sacrifice completes the preaching of the Gospel in this sense: living the charitable love towards God and one’s neighbor requires the grace that the Lord pours forth from the Cross. Therefore, this same parish community, after having heard the Gospel, turns its attention to the Lord’s altar because from the altar comes to us the precious Blood that gives life to souls. The sacred words pronounced by the priest reverberate in our parish communities, and they offer us the nourishment of salvation along the path towards the fullness of life: Take and eat; this is my Body. Take and drink, this is the chalice of my Blood.

The Lord gives us new life, life in his instructive word, and life in his holy sacrifice. This life is found in the stable context of the parish community. What a blessing!

La Parroquia: Comunidad y Altar

El día 13 de Julio Dios me concedió la bendición de poder reunirme con los fieles de la parroquia de San Benito en San Benito, Texas, para festejar cien años de vida parroquial. Miembros del clero, religiosas, y los feligreses de la comunidad fueron congregados alrededor del altar del Señor junto con el obispo para ofrecerle a Dios Padre el sacrificio de alabanza y de agradecimiento. ¡Felicidades a la parroquia de San Benito por haber llegado a los cien años de servicio al Señor!

¿Y qué significa pertenecer a una parroquia? Es una pregunta básica para un católico y merece nuestra reflexión. Cristo Jesús invitó a sus primeros discípulos a compartir de la gracia de su presencia amistosa como miembros de una comunidad. Pertenecer a la comunidad es un aspecto esencial de ser seguidores de Nuestro Señor. Jesús predicó e instruyó a los discípulos en común. La predicación del Señor tenía el propósito de suavizar los corazones de los oyentes inculcando en ellos aquella ternura de alma que da paso al amor hacia Dios y hacia el prójimo. ¿Acaso no es ese amor hacia Dios y hacia el prójimo lo que encuadra el misterio evangélico que predicaba el Señor?

Leemos las Escrituras y nos damos cuenta de que los discípulos avanzaron despacio en este camino hacia la caridad auténtica. Ellos mismos experimentaban envidias, celos y rivalidades, y se peleaban sobre quién era el más importante en el reino. Pero el progreso que lograron en el camino con Jesucristo se precipitaba precisamente porque escuchaban la lección de Jesus en el contexto de la vida diaria con los demás discípulos. No podían evitar las lecciones sobre humildad, perdón, y generosidad porque en cada miembro de la comunidad encontraban las ocasiones reales para vivir estas virtudes del reino. Esto quiere decir que la comunidad misma, estable y enfocada en la persona del Señor, formaba la escuela de caridad. Pedro aprendió a amar al prójimo debido a que no pudo evitar las imperfecciones de los demás apóstoles.

En nuestras parroquias formamos una comunidad estable, enfocada en las lecciones del Señor. Escuchamos el mismo Evangelio que escuchaban los primeros discípulos  y encontramos las mismas dificultades interpersonales que se les presentaban a ellos y que les brindaban la oportunidad para aplicar las lecciones del reino. ¿Y por qué la parroquia debe de ser una comunidad estable? Porque si no nos comprometemos  a cultivar la vida cristiana con una comunidad en particular, nos iremos cada domingo a Misa sin conocer a las personas con quien escuchamos  al Señor. Resulta que nunca nos enfrentaremos con las circunstancias difíciles que inevitablemente se presentan entre miembros de la comunidad, las experiencias que sirven para acrisolar la calidad de la caridad. Si uno le pide al Señor la gracia de vivir lo que escuchamos en el Evangelio, entonces  la generosidad, el perdón y la humildad crecen con cada prueba. ¡Hay que recordar esto cuando ustedes están trabajando en común para la fiesta  o  la kermese de su parroquia!

Pero hay más. El corazón de la parroquia se encuentra en el altar principal de cada templo. Los discípulos se congregaban alrededor del Señor para pedirle la gracia necesaria para vivir lo que Él les estaba predicando. Como comunidad fueron congregados alrededor de la mesa de la última cena, mesa que pocas horas después tomó forma de cruz y de altar. Se reunieron con Él con una sola  cosa en común: Cada uno era un oyente de la palabra  con necesidad de recibir la salvación y la fuerza que solo el Señor Jesucristo les podía dar, y eso por medio de su sacrificio. Del mismo modo,  nuestras comunidades son muy diversas y cada miembro tiene su historia y su camino, pero nos reunimos alrededor del altar para pedirle al Señor lo que solo Él nos puede dar: la gracia para vivir en la comunión del reino. El sacrificio completa la predicación del Evangelio en este sentido: vivir el amor caritativo hacia Dios y hacia el prójimo requiere la gracia que derrama el Señor desde su Cruz. Por eso, esta misma comunidad parroquial, después de escuchar el Evangelio, vuelve su atención al altar del Señor porque desde el altar nos viene la Sangre preciosa que da vida a las almas. Reverbera en nuestras comunidades parroquiales las palabras sagradas pronunciadas por el sacerdote, las cuales nos ofrecen el alimento de la salvación para el camino hacia la plenitud de la vida: Tomen y coman, esto es mi Cuerpo; Tomen y beban, este es el cáliz de mi Sangre.

El Señor nos da la vida nueva, vida en su palabra instructora, y vida en su sacrificio santo.  Esta vida se encuentra en el contexto estable de la comunidad parroquial. ¡Qué bendición!

Catholic Youth Renovation Project

Last week, I had the great joy of driving west to the environs of Peñitas, not too far from La Joya, to a community familiarly known as Pueblo de Palmas. I went up to visit the youth and adults from Saint Paul Parish in Mission, Texas, who were working to renovate family homes in the area. I am happy to report that youth from Saint John of the Fields Parish in Mission were also participating in the project and a couple of our seminarians too. I was given a tour of various work sites, and was able to see first-hand the youth and adults working to fix walls, add new rooms, and restore household fixtures.

I was amazed and edified by the coordination of the project, and the energy and enthusiasm of the adult

volunteers and the youth.

I am grateful to the adults who prepare throughout the year for this week-long summer project. They work really hard to give the youth a genuine experience of self-giving, which is so essential to growing in Christian life and faith. And thanks to those who helped the youth to pray and meditate while involved in the work-days. And thanks also to the local businesses, and parishioneres who made sure the youth had plenty of water, and good meals during their stay. While I toured the sites, I was able to bless the homes in process of renovation, and the families also. Blessing babies is one of my favorite things to do!

I am very proud of our Catholic Youth in the Diocese of Brownsville. They are generous and looking for ways to serve the larger community. These kinds of community projects, coordinated through different parishes, and that involve adults willing to show young people how to help, give to everyone who participates a powerful experience of the three elssential elements of Catholic life: Prayer and Sacraments, an experience of living and working as a community of believers, and an experience of self-giving in the service of others.

The Lord inspires the Church to go out and serve. When we do this, we have to remember 1) it is the Lord who inivites us, and so we must reflect on his call, and his enduring presence in our midst especially in the Eucharist and in personal prayer. And 2) that it is the Church he calls. This means that we best share the abundant life the Lord calls us to when we pray and work together, as a communion of disciples. And 3) we cannot be true to the call of the Lord to the community of the Church until we make room in our lives to go out and serve, do something good for somebody else, for no other reason than it is the Lord who asks, and there is a need to which we are able to respond.

And I was even able to greet a friendly dog along the way. They say Saint Dominic had a dog that would mysteriously appear when he was on the road. Well, I'm no Saint Dominic, but I always appreciate seeing a friendly canine during my travels!

Ordinations

I just thought I would post this picture, because I am rather fond of it.  I should have done it some time ago, but time sort of gets away from me. It is from the ordinations to the priesthood celebrated at the Basilica on Pentecost weekend this year. At the conclusion of the ordination Mass, after I announced where I was assigning the three newly ordained, I asked the three to give me their first priestly blessing. My thanks to Father Andy Gutierrez, Father Jesús Paredes, and Father Luis Roberto Tinajero, for their prayer and blessing. And I am grateful to God for having inspired each of them to offer priestly service to the Church in the Rio Grande Valley.