Called to the Mountain

Matthew 18: 1-19

 

O’ Lord, You are the bright cloud from atop the mountain whose tenacious voice reminds us to listen to His son

Lord, You are the gentle license that whispers from the mouth of all righteous prophets.

Glory to the Winsome Avatar!

O’ Lord, Your magnificence exceeds any attempt to imagine Your grandeur or divine existence.

Lord, You are the call to the mountain and the impeccable offering that is beyond our limited sphere of knowing.

Praise to Jehovah Nissi (guide & protector)!

O’ Lord, Yours is the superlative voice of deliverance who commissions us to arise from dirt and become people of the New Covenant.

Lord, You are the enunciation of justice and compassion whose voice echoes from the deep valleys to the highest of hills.

Glory to the Bedrock of Trust!

O’ Lord, You inspire us to rise up from the ground, preaching often with words and  especially with our actions.

Lord, use us to be the articulation of Your will only and be instruments of a faith that will rock the world to its senses.

Praise to Jehovah Shammah (God ever-present)!

O’ Lord, Yours is the authoritative voice who is the source of determination and direction in whom we trust.

Lord, You call us to the mountain and remain the Holy Dimension between heaven and earth that is in peril.

Glory to the Wholesome Rendezvous!

O’ Lord, Your calling is not confined to any one tribe but rather to all the nations of the planet You created.

Lord, we refuse to succumb to fear that is a tactic of the evil one and we will rise from the Holy ground to be disciples of Christ.

Praise to Jehovah Shalom (God of peace & comfort)!

O’ Lord, thank You for calling us to the mountain of retreat of silence and contemplative prayer.

Lord, let Your love dominate all hate and Your instruction be clear so we too can join the others who have climbed that Holy mountain.

Glory to Jehovah Sabaoth (God of authority & power)!           

                                                                                                                                                The Pilgrim.

 

 

 

 

Reconciliarse

 

Las lecturas para este próximo domingo sexto del  tiempo ordinario,  nos invitan a observar libremente la ley que Dios nos ha dado, primero, en el antiguo testamento mediante Moisés y los profetas.

 

En el nuevo testamento Jesús nos dice que él no ha venido a abolir la ley si no a completarla. Luego enumera unas cuantas situaciones y señala  la manera que el discípulo debe responder a ellas.

 

Entre estas me impacta la siguiente, “ Por lo tanto, si cuando vas a poner tu ofrenda sobre el altar, te acuerdas allí mismo  que tu hermano tiene alguna queja contra ti, deja tu ofrenda junto al altar y ve primero a reconciliarte con tu hermano y vuelve luego a presentar tu ofrenda…”.

 

Cuando tenía algunos 10 o 12 años me enteré que una familia que había sido muy amiga de nuestra familia, de pronto se enojó con nosotros.  Yo estoy seguro que ni mis padres ni  abuelos sabían exactamente porque.

 

Pasó algún tiempo, probablemente bastante tiempo. Cierto día cuando mi abuelita se disponía a acercarse a recibir la sagrada comunión durante una celebración eucarística, sintió que alguien le ponía el brazo en la espalda en señal de abrazo. Se percató que era su antigua amiga, la madre de la otra familia. Al comentar lo sucedido, añadiría que al final de misa se acercaron una a la otra, se abrazaron y ambas lloraron mucho

 

Siempre que escucho estas palabras de Jesús, “ antes de presentar tu ofrenda, ve y Reconcíliate con tu hermano “ recuerdo, aunque han pasado muchos años, lo que vivió mi abuela.

 

Ciertamente aquella señora, antigua amiga de mi abuelita, entendía plenamente el mensaje de Jesús. Probablemente no fue fácil acercarse a mi abuelita porque podía ser rechazada.  Una de las dudas del que pide perdón siente el temor de ser rechazado. No es fácil pedir perdón pero es consejo evangélico

 

Mi abuelita por su parte,acepto el abrazo que se le ofrecía. Sé que se había sentido muy herida por los desaires de aquella familia de quien había sido tan buena amiga pero en el momento en que se disponía a recibir a Jesús sacramentado, no podía dejar de aceptar aquel gesto de Reconciliación.

 

¿ Has vivido una experiencia semejante?  ¿ has tenido que pedir perdón alguna vez?¿ cómo has sido recibido?¿ Alguien te ha pedido perdón alguna vez? ¿ cómo has respondido?

 

El perdonar,  el pedir perdón o ser perdonado, el reconciliarse entre hermanos o hermanas es un acto que sana, que libera.

 

Cuando participamos de la actividad reconciliadora por excelencia, el encuentro con Jesús mediante el sacramento de la reconciliación, la confesión, salimos perdonados, sanados, liberados.

 

¡ Que el Padre,  el Hijo y el espíritu Santo sea glorificado en todas partes por la Inmaculada virgen María!

 

El caballero de Nuestra Señora

 

 

 

 

New Landmarks

 

Did you ever go back to the street of your childhood home?  If you hadn’t been there since you were a child, you might not have anticipated that things might be a little different.  For example, that little tree that was home base when you played tag might not be so little anymore, or it might not even be there anymore.  That empty lot at the end of the street might have a house on it now.  That red wooden picket fence surrounding your old neighbor’s yard might not be red anymore.  In fact, it might not be made of wood any longer. 

Things change.  So suddenly what was once familiar and could be counted on is no longer there.  In fact, trying to navigate your way around what was once familiar might be very challenging.  Old landmarks and old points of reference must be replaced by something new and easily recognizable.  We need new light.  We need new salt.  We need new houses on the hill.

The Eternal Truth, which is God, particularly in the person of Jesus Christ, never changes.  For he is the Alpha and the Omega – the beginning and the end.  He is the same yesterday, today and forever.  What once pointed us to him might seem unrecognizable now.  Our culture changes, and so we need new salt.  We need a new light, not hidden under a bushel basket.  When we look up at the hill, we need a new house. 

The world is a different place than when most of us grew up.  What was once recognizable has been transfigured into what often seems to be an upside-down culture.  This type of transformation from what was secure at one time to what is shaky at best has likely happened many times over the generations.  Each time there was a desperate need for the Eternal Truth.  This is not a longing for some psychological comfort.  It is a longing for what all human beings have always longed for – and that is God. 

What’s needed is what has always been needed - “landmarks” or signs pointing us to him.  We find ourselves trying to go back and find what once was.  Reminiscing on the good old days can be helpful, but we must be mindful of what we are called to be for one another in the here and now.  Living the Gospel message, living the Beatitudes is not simply a self-help program; it is meant to transform the world.  We are called to be salt of the earth.  Salt brings flavor.  A world searching for truth in all the wrong places is bland and boring.  We are meant to be the light to the world.  A world searching for the truth in darkness is lonely and frightening.  We are meant to be a city on a hill.  Without something to aspire to, we will stay in the valley.

Let’s be signs of the new neighborhood of God’s kingdom.

-  -      - The Servant