Friday, August 23, 2024

 

 Señor, ¿ a quién iremos?

 

Este mes de agosto hemos celebrado dos grandes fiestas Marianas, la Asunción el jueves 15 de agosto y María Reina el jueves 22 de agosto.  Celebramos lo que recordamos cada vez que decimos el cuarto y quinto misterio glorioso del Santo Rosario; que Nuestra Señora se durmió en el Señor, fue llevada al cielo por los ángeles y coronada como reina y señora de todo lo creado por su divino Hijo.

 

La devoción a la santísima Virgen forma parte de la espiritualidad que aprendí de mi familia y que luego fue reforzada por mis educadores Marianistas en el colegio donde recibí mi formación religiosa y académica.

 

España y cada país de habla española tiene una patrona, está dedicado a Maria, la madre de Dios, bajo un título especial. Por ejemplo, México a la virgen de Guadalupe, la República Dominicana, a la virgen de la Altagracia, Puerto Rico a la virgen de la Providencia, Cuba a la virgen de la caridad del cobre y así sucesivamente.  La devoción a la santísima virgen no es solamente parte de mi tradición familiar si no que está muy arreglada en nuestra cultura.

 

Durante mi vida he recibido la gran gracia de poder visitar muchos santuarios marianos. Puedo relatar momentos vividos, gracias recibidas, regalos de Dios nuestro Padre, en muchas de estas visitas.

 

Recuerdo cuando visité por primera vez a Lourdes. Me uní a un grupo de peregrinos que viajaban en un autobús de San Sebastián en España a Lourdes en Francia. El viaje en aquella época tomaba como unas cinco horas.

 

Llegamos a Lourdes, yo que viajaba solo, bajé del autobús y empecé a encaminarme hacia el santuario. La primera impresión no fue muy grata; comercios por todas partes, gente comprando artículos religiosos y mucho ir y venir bullicioso.

 

Finalmente llegué al santuario, crucé el gran portón de hierro, divise el río y me sentí entrar en otro mundo, física y espiritualmente. “ Qué bien es estar aquí “. Sentí una gran paz, sentí la presencia de Dios de una manera especial, me sentí muy cerca del cielo.

 

Caminé por todo aquel lugar, tome  dagua de Lourdes, visité la gruta, asistí a misa en la gran basílica moderna junto a miles de peregrinos de todas partes del mundo. Y al oscurecer, participé de la gran procesión de las candelas, cantando el Santo Rosario en muchas lenguas y junto a muchos enfermos que habían venido buscando una sanación milagrosa. Ahora sus rostros revelaban paz y alegría simplemente por estar allí.

 

Entrada la noche regresamos a España y aquel grupo de gente extraña en el viaje de la mañana, ahora se había como te diga debemos ir a la Bakery qué hay cerca de ellos que dijo convertido en una comunidad creyente, eran ahora Iglesia.

 

Se dice que durante su vida el cristiano, el creyente sentirá la presencia de Dios de manera especial en ciertas dime sí ocasiones especiales. Para mí aquella visita a Lourdes fue una ocasión especial de sentir la presencia de Dios. Gracias, Padre, por tan bello regalo que nunca olvidaré.

 

En el evangelio de este domingo 21 del tiempo ordinario, algunos discípulos al escuchar el mensaje que hemos estado escuchando por las pasadas semanas, “ mi cuerpo es verdadera comida y mi sangre es verdadera bebida “ les parece muy difícil de aceptar. Y se alejan de Jesús, lo abandonan.

 

Jesus se dirige a los 12, les pregunta, “ ¿y ustedes también me van a abandonar? “

Pedro responde en nombre de ellos, “¿Señor, a quién iremos? “

 

¡ Iremos a Jesús por María, con una sonrisa!

 

El caballero de Nuestra Señora.

 

 

 

 

Thursday, August 15, 2024

A Friend

 

If it is a mere symbol, why did I miss it so much?  I miss it when I don’t have it because it is him.  When I am away from those close to me, I miss them.  When I can’t be present to my loved ones and my loved ones can’t be present to me, I am sad.  I am lost.

In 2020, all of us had to be separated from our loved ones.  We were in isolation because of the danger of a virus.  We couldn’t see our loved ones, except virtually through a computer screen.  For many the viscousness of the virus caused permanent separation from their loved ones. The killer virus forced so many into ambulances, never to be seen again.  The fortunate ones would get to be reunited when the virus abated, but there was still pain of time lost.  Life events – graduations, birthday parties, weddings – were not given their due.  The losses weren’t about missing material things.  They were about missing people.

And so the loss of being able to receive the body and blood of our savior  during that time was a real loss as well.  Restrictions did not permit us to join in public celebrations of the Eucharist and therefore we were not able to receive him in Holy Communion.  This separation went on for months.  At one point, after several months of separation, the ban was lifted and once again the host would be presented, “The Body of Christ.”  There it was.  And so the emotion came.  There was the lump in the throat.  The moisture of tears glistened in the eyes.  It wasn’t reuniting with a symbol.  It was reuniting with a friend.

The real presence of a friend is essential particularly in life’s challenges.  Not too long ago I had to relocate to another state.  I secured a teaching job in a state twelve hundred miles from my home.  I went on a visit to my new school and was given a tour.  Nervous about meeting new people and feeling like I had to prove myself to new people, I longed for a familiar face.  That familiar “face” would come as I was shown the school chapel.  In there was the Tabernacle, where my friend resided.  In that moment, in my heart, I heard my friend tell me, “Don’t worry. I am already here.”  A symbol doesn’t speak words of reassurance.  A person does.

Perhaps those who only see the Eucharist as a symbol have not allowed themselves to enter the friendship.  When we come to realize that indeed the Eucharist is not a symbol, but is the real presence of a real person, and not just any person – but the Divine savior, we will enter a friendship that will change our lives.  When we are away from our friend, we will feel it.  When we are united with our friend, we will truly rejoice.  No symbol can do that.

- The Servant

 

Wednesday, August 7, 2024

 

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

John 6:41-51

We’re all going to die.

That is inevitable.

 

So often we pray for good health – for ourselves or for others – as well we should.  And, although I doubt that anyone who reads this is actually starving, we know that so many around the world really are, and so, we pray that their hunger and thirst will be alleviated so that they will have life.  However, even if our fervent prayers are answered in the way we wish, no one; neither me, nor you, nor anyone can escape our mortality and walk upon this earth forever.

 

Jesus even tells us as much in today’s gospel,  “Your ancestors ate manna in the desert, but they died.”   So what are we to do?  Give up hope in the face of the futility of life, like Elijah did in today’s first reading from 1 Kings 19:4-8?   “This is enough,  O Lord!” he exclaimed.  “Take my life…”  Yes, this mortal life often deals us a hand which seems hopeless.  Bad health. The death of those we love.  Starvation.  Poverty.  Persecution.  Indeed, life can become overwhelming, so overwhelming that all we want to do is give up, or, as Elijah did, choose to just lie down and let death come.

 

But Jesus gives us a whole new perspective:  Eternal life.  But wait, we can’t really  “live” forever.  No one ever has.  No one ever will.  But Jesus offers us a new life that can be described in one word:  Hope.  Hope is life nurturing, not life taking.  Ultimately, the real death is the death of the spirit. Despair.  Hopelessness.  Eternal life, however, is hope itself.  Even amidst illness, death, starvation, persecution there is love and kindness and comfort and an inner joy and peace so great that nothing can defeat it.  How do we obtain this type of life?  From the bread of life, Jesus.

 

Just as the angel of God placed a hearth cake and a jug of water at Elijah’s head and ordered him to get up and eat, Jesus offer himself and implores us, “Take, and eat.”

 

Although giving up may seem like a warm and inviting choice when the difficulties of life are too much, to do so is to give up on God.  We cannot be agents of God’s love, peace, joy, mercy and most importantly, hope, if we choose to simply give up.  We turn our backs on God if that is what we choose.  So eating the bread of life is not only a choice of salvation for ourselves  - but for the whole world.  Jesus tells us that in today’s gospel when he says, “… and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

 

So although we know we will not walk this earth forever, we know that the choices we make while we are here will either lead eternal life.to despair or hope.  Not only for us, but for the whole world.  Let us choose hope – the true bread of eternal life.

"Call me Ishmael"

 

“Call me Ishmael”