“God so loved the world…”

Our heavenly Father did not abandon the world, did not condemn it... He loved it enough to enter it completely... to dwell among wounds, fears, violence, and death in order to restore life.

And life is sacred!

It is sacred because every person is first held in the gaze of God before they are judged by the world. The unborn child, the refugee crossing borders, the lonely teenager, the exhausted parent, the prisoner, the dying man in hospice, the poor — all are carried within the immeasurable love revealed in Christ. Our task is to “see all things new in Christ,” to notice where human dignity is ignored and where God still labors quietly for healing.

Jesus did not come to condemn the world, but to save it. This does not mean evil is ignored; it means mercy is stronger. A faithful witness refuses both cruelty and indifference. We must not proclaim the Gospel through domination or fear, but through presence, compassion, truth, courage, and love.

This love for the world reminds us too that peace is sacred.

Christ enters violent hearts and teaches another way — the way of reconciliation, encounter, and radical hope. The cross itself becomes the great contradiction against hatred: love stretched open even for those who rejected it by the God “who so loved the world” and calls us to love our neighbors because...

Our neighbors are sacred.

No one stands outside the reach of divine love. In every encounter, we are challenged to ask: How is Christ already present here? The neighbor is often the place where Christ waits for us. If we claim to love God while despising another made in the divine image, we close our eyes to the very Gospel we claim to believe.

God sent his Son into the world, so that the world might be saved through him... no condemnation for the world, but transformation within it. The disciple is called to be a witness: protecting life, making peace, feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, speaking truth without hatred, and resisting the temptation to reduce people to categories, politics, or usefulness.

The Church walks forward carrying this difficult but beautiful conviction: life is sacred, peace is sacred, our neighbors are sacred, because God so loved the world and still does!

And so we pray, as we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, for the grace not to believe these words and to embody them — in workplaces, classrooms and kitchens, at parish tables and public meetings, in silence, in service, and in the hidden choices of ordinary days.

For God so loves the world, that sends us out in the name of Jesus, to continue the transformation... THIS is who we are!

-Ignar, The Pilgrim Prophet

 

El Huésped del alma

 

Este próximo domingo la iglesia celebra la gran fiesta de Pentecostés,el espíritu consolador prometido por Jesús una vez que él se marchara a la casa del Padre.

 

El libro de los hechos de los apóstoles narra la venida del Espíritu Santo sobre los apóstoles. Una vez fortalecidos por la presencia del espíritu Santo en cada uno de ellos, salieron del cenáculo donde estaban reunidos en oración, la primera novena en la iglesia, y llevaron la buena noticia al mundo.

 

¿ Quién es el Espíritu Santo para ti?  Durante mis años de estudiante de escuela superior, los religiosos Marianistas que eran mis profesores, nos instruyeron sobre la presencia del espíritu Santo en nuestra alma. Por virtud del bautismo cada uno de nosotros se convierte en hijo muy amado del Padre y templo del espíritu Santo. Esa enseñanza fue una gracia de Dios para mí y para mis compañeros de clase.

Desde entonces en mi camino espiritual, he tratado de estar consciente de la presencia del huésped que habita en mi corazón y mi alma; Vivir en la presencia de Dios. No puedo decir que siempre he estado consciente de esta realidad. Éste es el trabajo de una vida entera. Vivir en la presencia de Dios es el reto más grande de todo el que desea vivir la vida cristiana plenamente.

 

En los momentos difíciles, en los momentos de enfrentar una prueba, o una crisis, trató  de recordar la presencia del consolador en mi alma y solicitar su ayuda. No se trata de pedir algo y esperar que suceda como si fuera magia. Se trata de sentir que no estamos solos, que el consolador está a nuestro lado, que no nos abandona.

 

El año pasado en Santa Brígida se nos invitó a que, como los Apóstoles, Hiciéramos una novena en preparación para la gran fiesta de Pentecostés y se nos proporcionó un libreto a tal fin. Conservo el libreto y lo he vuelto a usar este año.  Termino esta reflexión con la oración con que comenzamos la novena todos los días. Su autor es San Agustín.  Te invito a que le digas a menudo.

 

Respira en mi, oh espíritu Santo,

Para que todos mis pensamientos sean santos

Actúa en mí, o espíritu Santo

Para que también mi trabajo sea santo

Abre mi corazón, o espíritu Santo

Para que yo ame solamente lo que es santo

Fortaléceme, oh espíritu Santo

Para defender todo lo que es santo.

Guárdame, o espíritu Santo

Para que siempre seas santo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mount Rushmore Can't Hold Him

 You know when I was a kid, I remember I had a children’s bible.  It was full of pictures.  I loved paging through the bible, looking at the different scenes, particularly those in the Gospels of Jesus doing great things, and even the picture of him on the cross and of the empty tomb.  It was so fascinating to me.  There was even a picture of the scene we had this week.  I remember Jesus ascending into the clouds.  I remember thinking, as a child, that was kind of the end of the story.  In my child’s understanding, I figured Jesus was only present for a certain time and then he went away.  Then as a sort of consolation prize, he sent the Holy Spirit to keep the Apostles company and to help them remember Jesus.

In that way of thinking, the Gospel story is like any other child’s story.  There is a beginning and an end.  And we want to say, 'And they all lived happily ever after.'  In that childlike understanding of the story of our savior, Jesus came to save us, and he died on the cross, and some people told stories about him rising from the dead.  And then he ascended into heaven and resides in some far-off place, distant from us, and we are left with the Holy Spirit to remind us about him.   And then some two thousand years later, people remember this great preacher and miracle worker who lived a long time ago and is simply a model for what we should do.

You see that understanding of the Gospel very simply makes Jesus a nice historical figure.  It relegates Jesus to the many historical figures that we remember.  In our own country, we recall the likes of Abraham Lincoln and Neil Armstrong and Amelia Earhart.  So often we make Jesus into one famous historical figure among many.  We make our faith simply into following someone who was great and someone we should imitate.  We put Jesus into a far-off place in a far-off time.  We think being a disciple of Jesus simply means when we have a challenge, we should just ask, “What would Jesus do?”  And yes, it is a good practice to see Jesus as a model on how to live.  After all Jesus shows us how to be fully human, but we can’t limit him to a mere historical figure, for that says his ministry was for only basically a few years in a time long gone and in a far-off place.

Jesus ascended to heaven not to take his place on the Mount Rushmore of famous religious figures.  As the head, Jesus went to rule over the rest of his body.  The body, the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ has still very much been doing his ministry for two thousand years and will continue doing it both now and forever.

- The Servant

 

Sixth Sunday of Easter

John 14: 15-21

 

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

 

Happy Mother’s Day!

 

How many times when I was a child did my mother tell me, in not so many words, “If you love me, you will listen to what I say.”?  Oh, she never made her love conditional.  On the contrary, whenever I was scolded, or reprimanded or punished she would always make it a point to tell me that she was doing so because she loved me.  That she wanted me to be safe from harm. She wanted me to grow up right and be happy.  She wanted me to become a good person.  The implication was always, “If you listen to what I tell you, it means that you know how much I love you.”

 

Jesus’ words today may sound conditional, but we know they are not.   Jesus’ words are my mother’s words, “I love you so much that I want you to listen to what I say, to obey my commandments, so that you will grow up right, so that you will happy and peaceful, and that your life will be a witness to the Father’s glory.”

 

As a child it may have been enough to listen to mom (and dad) simply because I was told to.  Being a “good boy” certainly saved a lot of hassle.  But knowing that mom and dad’s instructions and admonitions were the product of their love made such a difference.  It led me to something much deeper than mere obedience.  Knowing how much I was loved was the greatest gift I could ever receive from them and has made me the person I am today.  (Oh, I have way too many faults, but, on balance, I’m happy with the person I see in the mirror.) So too with Jesus.

 

I can call myself a good follower of Christ if I obey Jesus’ commandments simply because he told me to.  But in just checking off that box I’d be missing the point.  I would be obeying out of a sense of obligation, not out of love. I would not be fully embracing His love for me, and, as a result, I would not be allowing Him to transform me. 

 

We know the old adage:  My life is Gods gift to me.  What I do with my life is my gift to God.

 

It’s as simple as that.  Obeying Jesus’ commandments is the best way for me to say, “I love you, too, Jesus.”

 

 

“Call Me Ishmael”

 

Love and Trust.

 In this week's gospel, John 14:1-12, Jesus reassures the disciples that he is who he says he is.

Jesus says to them, "Do not let your hearts be troubled." Jesus wanted the disciples to know that they were ready for the next chapter of this story. They had some doubts about what Jesus was going to do next and needed to have their faith strengthened. That's exactly what he did. He explained that in "his father's house there are many dwelling places…" These statements were God's way of making it clear to them that the disciples were already in God's hands. I think we have all needed the reassurance that we were in God's hands every now and then. We have had those moments where we just wish we had a clear sign that everything was going to be ok.

There have been so many seasons in my life where I wasn't sure if what I wished for was going to happen. Living with uncertainty takes tremendous faith. We are called to have faith in something not seen. Jesus was calling the disciples to believe that he wasn't going to just leave them. He had a plan. All he wanted was trust. Still they questioned him. Thomas said, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" Jesus responds powerfully, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him." This exchange between Jesus and the disciples is one of my favorites. The disciples just want to be sure. They want a definite answer to calm their nerves. That's exactly what Jesus gives them when He says, "I am the way." He is the answer to all of the questions. He is the certainty when you don't have it.

How many times have you been just like the disciples? How many times have you asked God for what you already have? You know that God will never leave you in a position that isn't right for you. No matter what you are going through, deep down you know that God will never let you down. Sure, there will be pain. Sure, there will be suffering, but it is always God's will. Still we question. We ask for more signs. The truth is that we do not need any more signs. We need to trust. We need to know who the Father is. We need to wake up every day with the understanding that the will of God is the only thing that we can count on. Our will isn't enough. That's exactly why we question. Remember that when you want certainty, there is only one answer. Today's Gospel is a reminder that we may question the plan, but the answer is and will always be the same. Trust the Lord.