Sunday, September 20, 2015

Odiosos al mundo, agradable a Dios.

Homilía: 25º Domingo en el Tiempo Ordinario – Ciclo B
          Todos sabíamos "ese chico", ¿verdad? Ya sabes, el "santurrón" que siempre fue el primero en completar cualquier tarea, era la mascota de la maestra, y se apresuró a delatar cuando compañeros de clase estaban susurrando, pasando notas, o contar chistes inapropiados en el patio (en especial cuando esos chistes estaban a punto de la maestra). Él o ella fue la que siempre le recordaba que estaba haciendo algo mal y que puede conseguir en problemas por hacerlo. Sabíamos que tenían razón, pero también sabíamos que podíamos salir con la suya. Es decir, siempre y cuando el santurrón no interrumpió todo. A todos nos odiábamos ese chico, ¿no? (A menos, por supuesto, que estábamos ese chico.)
          Si usted era una víctima de las obras de santurrón, entonces tal vez usted tuvo pensamientos de venganza en contra de él o ella. Tal vez, en algún momento, usted y sus amigos puede haber dicho el uno al otro: "Estoy harto de santurrón echando de perder nuestra diversión. Debemos hacer algo para causarle problemas. ¡Vamos a ver si el maestro viene a su rescate!" Su pensamiento es que si ha encontrado alguna manera de causar problemas a ese chico, entonces él o ella dejaría de molestarle. Si no es así que al menos que él o ella habría sufrido algo para todo el sufrimiento que él o ella hizo por usted y se sentirá mejor.
          Esto, mis amigos, es uno de los efectos del pecado original (no la "hacer el bien" parte, pero el parte del odio del santurrón). Mira, cuando Dios nos creó, nos cableado a amar lo que es bueno y odiar lo que es malo. El pecado, sin embargo, dañado nuestro hardware y cortocircuitado algunos de ese cableado de modo que ahora nos encanta lo que es malo y odiamos lo que es bueno. Jesús vino y se nos ganó el equipo que necesitamos para arreglar el problema (este se llama "gracia"), pero muchos de nosotros deja de realizar el mantenimiento requerido y por lo que la solución no resuelve el problema por completo.
          Pero, el santurrón realmente nos molesta ¿no?  Sólo estamos tratando de pasar un buen rato (quizás a costa de los demás) y ella siempre quiere echar a perder. Es curioso, sin embargo, que la misma palabra que usaría para describir el santurrón es la palabra que el autor del libro de la Sabiduría pone en la boca de "los malvados" cuando describen "el justo" en nuestra primera lectura de hoy. En vista de los extremos para que los malvados tienen intención de ir con el fin de silenciar "el justo", que debe tener la intención de significar algo más que “molesta” con su uso de la palabra "molestar".  Es porque la reacción de los malvados en la lectura parece ser una de miedo; y por lo que deciden luchar contra el justo para que puedan proteger su mal camino de la vida.
          Bueno, el justo no tiene la intención de dañarles, por supuesto. Más bien, él está tratando de convertirlos al camino en que es verdaderamente bueno para ellos. A causa de pecado original, sin embargo, los malvados son incapaces de reconocer esto y, conducidos como están por sus pasiones desordenadas, se sienten amenazados por él y por lo que tratan de protegerse a sí mismos al ponerlo a la muerte; y se van al punto de justificar sus acciones, diciendo que "si es tan bueno como él dice que es, entonces Dios lo proteja", lo que implica que piensan que sus malas acciones no tendría ningún verdadero efecto negativo al final.
          Como cristianos que vemos en esta una imagen de Jesús, que vino entre su pueblo y los llamó a la conversión en preparación para la venida del reino de Dios. La élite religiosa, sin embargo, se había vuelto insensible a los efectos del pecado original en su interior y así fallado en reconocer en Jesús el Mesías a quien habían estado esperando. Por lo tanto, Jesús era odioso a ellos y por lo tanto, al igual que los malvados en el libro de la Sabiduría, ellos decidieron ejecutar a Jesús: la justifican diciendo "si realmente es el Hijo de Dios, entonces Dios le salvará de esto”.
          Jesús demostró que él es verdaderamente el Hijo de Dios, sin embargo, aunque no como los sumos sacerdotes, los escribas y los ancianos esperan. En lugar de salvarse a sí mismo de la muerte, se resucitó después de tres días en la tumba, tal como lo había predicho; demostrando de esta manera que él era y es el Señor de la vida y la muerte. Muchos de los que estaban inicialmente contra él se dirigieron a él después de la resurrección. Aún así muchos otros, sin embargo, se mantuvo obstinado en su resistencia y que no lo siguiera. De hecho, continuaron persiguiendo a sus seguidores dondequiera que ellos les encontraron.
          A lo largo de los siglos, e incluso hasta el día de hoy, los cristianos siguen siendo "odiosos" a los impulsados por sus pasiones y las malas ideas de lo que es verdaderamente bueno. Los efectos del pecado original están vivos y sanos en los corazones de los hombres y mujeres de hoy; y uno sólo tiene que encender la televisión para ver la verdad en las palabras de San Santiago: que el desorden y toda mala acta proviene de nuestros celos y ambiciones egoístas; y que los conflictos y las guerras nacen de nuestras pasiones desordenadas. Por lo tanto, en esta cultura, los que son como el justo—que se pone a sí mismo en contra de lo que los malvados hacen y les reprocha por sus pecados—serán odiosos y, por tanto, objeto de persecución: incluso hasta el punto de eliminación.
          Esto no debe ser una sorpresa para nosotros, sin embargo. En el Evangelio Jesús nos prometió que el mundo odiaría los que le siguieron; ya lo largo de los siglos muchos santos nos recordaron este hecho cuando fueron asesinados por su fe. Para el cristiano esto no debe ser motivo de desesperación, sin embargo, porque tenemos prueba de que Dios verdaderamente está con nosotros; porque si Dios no abandonó a Jesús a la muerte, tampoco a abandonarnos que puso nuestra fe en él.
          El verdadero problema para nosotros, sin embargo, es que este tipo de odio sucede dentro de nuestras propias comunidades. En el libro de la Sabiduría, los malvados que se fijaron para eliminar el justo eran miembros de la misma comunidad; y, como sabemos, Jesús fue entregado a la muerte por los líderes de su pueblo; ambos de los cuales nos muestran que a veces nuestros peores enemigos son los que están más cerca de nosotros.
          Mis hermanos y hermanas, si la envidia o la ambición egoísta tenga cualquier lugar entre nosotros debemos erradicarlo, como Jesús instruyó a los apóstoles que hacer, por ponernos siempre al servicio de nuestros hermanos y hermanas. De esta manera vamos a proteger a nosotros mismos de la clase de los conflictos que surgen de nuestras pasiones desordenadas y superar los efectos del pecado original. Luego vamos a ser verdaderamente una comunidad de "justos" que son odiosos al mundo, pero agradable a los ojos de Dios; y vamos a cumplir con nuestra misión de llevar el regalo de la salvación de Jesucristo a todos los rincones de este mundo.
Dado en la parroquia Todos los Santos: Logansport, IN

20º de septiembre, 2015

Obnoxious to the world, pleasing to God.

Homily: 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle B
          We all knew “that kid”, right?  You know, the “goody two-shoes” who was always the first one done with any assignment, was the teacher’s pet, and was quick to tattle when classmates were whispering, passing notes, or telling inappropriate jokes on the playground (especially when those jokes were about the teacher).  He or she was the one that always reminded you that you were doing something wrong and that you would get in trouble for doing it.  We knew that they were right, but we also knew we could get away with it.  That is, as long as goody two-shoes didn’t mess it all up.  We all hated that kid, didn’t we?  (Unless, of course, we were that kid.)
          If you were at all a victim of goody two-shoes’ do-goodery, then perhaps you had thoughts of revenge against him or her.  Perhaps, at one point, you and your friends may have said to each other: “I’m tired of goody two-shoes spoiling our fun.  We should do something to get him in trouble.  We’ll see if the teacher comes to his rescue!”  Your thought being that if you found some way to get that kid in trouble, then he or she would stop bothering you.  If not that, then at least he or she would have suffered something for all of the suffering that he or she caused for you and you would feel better.
          This, my friends, is one of the effects of Original Sin (not the do-goodery part, but the hatred of the do-gooder).  You see, when God created us, he hard-wired us to love what is good and to hate what is evil.  Sin, however, damaged our hardware and short-circuited some of that wiring so that now we love what is evil and hate what is good.  Jesus came and won for us the equipment that we need to fix the problem (it’s called “grace”), but too many of us fail to keep up on the required maintenance and so the fix doesn’t overcome the problem completely.
          Goody two-shoes can be pretty obnoxious, though, can’t she?  I mean, we’re just trying to have some fun (at the expense of others) and she wants to spoil it all the time.  It’s funny, though, that the same word we’d use to describe goody two-shoes is the word that the author of the book of Wisdom puts in the mouth of “the wicked” when they describe the “just one” in our first reading today.  Given the extreme lengths to which the wicked intend to go in order to silence “the just one”, they must intend the word “obnoxious” to mean more than just “annoying”.
          The word “obnoxious” comes from a Latin phrase ob noxius, which means towards harmNoxius is the same word from which we get the word noxious, which means “harmful” (for example, when we say that a gas is “noxious” we mean that it is harmful to inhale).  Therefore, the full weight of the term obnoxious is that it describes something that is intending to harm.  Given this, we can see that the reaction of the wicked in the reading is one of fear; and that their reaction to the just one is to fight against him so that they can protect their wicked way of life.
          Now, the just one is not intending them harm, of course.  Rather, he is trying to turn them to the way that is truly good for them.  Because of Original Sin, however, the wicked are unable to recognize this and, driven as they are by their disordered passions, they feel threatened by him and so seek to protect themselves by putting him to death; and they even go so far as to justify their actions, saying that “if he is as good as he says he is, then God will protect him”, implying that their wrongdoing wouldn’t have any truly negative effect in the end.
          As Christians we see in this an image of Jesus, who came among his people and called them to conversion in preparation for the coming kingdom of God.  The religious elite, however, had become numb to the effects of Original Sin within them and so failed to recognize in Jesus the Messiah for whom they had been waiting.  Thus, Jesus was obnoxious to them (in the fullest sense of the word) and so, like the wicked in the book of Wisdom, they decided to put Jesus to death: justifying it by saying “if he truly is the Son of God, then God will save him from this.”
          Jesus proved that he truly is the Son of God, however, just not as the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders expected.  Instead of keeping himself from death, he rose to life again after three days in the tomb, just as he had predicted; thus proving that he was and is Lord over both life and death.  Many of those who were initially against him turned to him after the resurrection.  Still many others, however, remained obstinate in their resistance and would not follow him.  In fact, they continued to persecute his followers wherever they found them.
          Throughout the centuries and even until this day Christians continue to be “obnoxious” to those driven by their passions and misconstrued ideas of what is truly good.  The effects of Original Sin are alive and well in the hearts of men and women today and one needs only to turn on the television to see the truth in the words of Saint James: that disorder and every foul practice comes from our jealousy and selfish ambitions; and that conflicts and wars are born from our disordered passions.  Thus, in this culture, those who are like the just one—who sets himself against what the wicked ones do and reproaches them for their sins—will be obnoxious and, thus, targeted for persecution: even to the point of elimination.
          This shouldn’t be a surprise to us, however.  In the Gospel Jesus promised us that the world would hate those who followed him; and throughout the centuries many saints reminded us of this fact when they were murdered for their faith.  For the Christian this should be no cause for despair, however, because we have proof that God truly is with us: for if God did not abandon Jesus to death, neither will he abandon us who put our faith in him.
          The real problem for us, however, is that this kind of hatred happens within our own communities.  In the book of Wisdom, the wicked who set themselves to eliminate the just one were members of the same community; and, as we know, Jesus was handed over to death by the leaders of his people; both of which go to show that sometimes our worst enemies are those who are closest to us.
          My brothers and sisters, if jealousy or selfish ambition has any place among us we must root it out, as Jesus instructed the apostles to do, by placing ourselves always at the service of our brothers and sisters.  In this way we will safeguard ourselves from the kind of conflicts that arise from our disordered passions and overcome the effects of Original Sin.  Then we will truly be a community of “just ones” who are obnoxious to the world, yet pleasing in God’s eyes; and we will fulfill our mission to bring Jesus’ gift of salvation to every corner of this world.

Given at All Saints Parish: Logansport, IN – September 20th, 2015

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

You can't just be a fan; you have to play

Homily: 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Cycle B
          So this weekend the NFL begins its regular season and I’m sure that many of us are very excited about it.  Now, I know that we live in this, kind of, “contested land” here in which perhaps just as many claim the Chicago Bears as their team as claim the Indianapolis Colts.  Although I grew up near Chicago and thus rooted for the Bears for many years, I could not resist drinking the “Colts kool-aid” after moving to Indiana, especially living just north of Indianapolis, and so now call the Colts my team.  From what I hear in passing and read in headlines, it seems like the Colts have another strong team this year; which is why I’m glad to be counted as the “12th Man”.
          Doing a little internet research, however, I was disappointed to find out that the 12th Man doesn’t get a ring if the Colts win the Super Bowl.  Apparently you have to have actually played on the team in order to get one.  Sure, they’re all happy that you follow them and voice your support, but I guess that if you haven’t actually contributed on the field to the success of the team, then you don’t get a share in its rewards.  (Don’t worry, I’m penning a letter to the Commissioner of the NFL right now.)
          Peter wanted to be part of the winning team.  Thus, when he met Jesus, he knew that Jesus was a winner and so decided to follow him.  Being his disciple, he followed Jesus as he traveled and preached, and he watched him win battle after battle against the evils that afflict people (both demonic possessions as well as serious illnesses).  Having heard his words and having seen the miracles he performed, Peter was convinced that Jesus was the Christ and that he was, in fact, on the winning team.
          One day Jesus decided to check in with his followers to see if they were “getting it” (that is, to see if they recognized him as who he was revealing himself to be).  First he asked what other people were saying about him.  “John the Baptist, Elijah, one of the prophets…”  “Okay,” Jesus thought, “those who aren’t following me closely don’t get it.”  So he decided to ask those who followed him closely: “But who do you say that I am?”  Peter, having already become perfectly convicted of this truth, blurted out: “You are the Christ.”  “Good!  They really do get it,” I imagine Jesus thinking: “Perhaps it’s time to let them know what being part of this team requires.”
          Thus, Jesus began to reveal to them what his being the Christ would mean for him.  He told them that he would suffer greatly, that he would be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes of their religion, that he would be killed, but then also that he would rise again after three days.  For Peter, this was already too much.  “I’m on the winning team!” he must have thought, “There’s no way that our leader is going to lose like that!”  And so he decided to confront Jesus about it; and Jesus, as we all know, would have nothing of it.
          Having revealed by his response what it was that Peter thought being Jesus’ disciple would be like—namely, “riding on the coattails” of the winner—Jesus makes clear that to be on the team, that is, to reap the winner’s rewards, one has to have actually played on the team.  In other words, it wasn’t enough to wear the shirt and tell other people “This is my team”.  Rather, he had to have some “skin in the game”, too.  “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.”  Jesus is very clear: “It is not enough just to say that you’re my disciple; rather, you need to show that you’re my disciple by taking up your cross and following me.”
          The fact that this was well-understood by the Apostles following Jesus’ Resurrection and Ascension into heaven is revealed to us in the letter from the Apostle James.  “What good is it,” he says, “if someone says that he has faith but does not have works?”  It’s a rhetorical question and the obvious answer he’s hoping those who read his letter will come to is “It’s no good.”  James heard what Jesus said that day in Caesarea Philippi and so he knew that to proclaim faith in Jesus alone was not enough to be able to participate in the rewards of his Passion, Death, and Resurrection.  It’s like he’s saying to us: “There are no Super Bowl rings for the 12th Man.  Only those who play—who contribute on the field—get to participate in the rewards.”
          But even this was nothing new.  If we look back to the reading from the prophet Isaiah, we see that God expected the same thing even of his ancient prophets.  “The Lord God opens my ear that I may hear;” says the prophet, “and I have not rebelled, have not turned back.”  God called out to his servant, opening his ear so that he may understand that God was calling him, and the servant responded and become one of God’s loyal followers (the 12th Man).  Notice that he didn’t think it enough to simply say, “I’ve never given up on my team; I have not rebelled, have not turned back.” Rather, he thought it important also to record that he had some skin in the game: “I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting.”  He had contributed “on the field” for God and thus was confident that he would share in the winner’s rewards: “The Lord God is my help,” he said, “therefore I am not disgraced … See, the Lord God is my help…”  He not only spoke about who he followed, but he conformed his life—that is, all of his actions—so as to demonstrate that he followed him, too.
          We each have to face the danger of believing that simply being a fan is enough, in itself.  We can’t just say, “Jesus Christ is my personal Lord and Savior” and fail to permit that statement to change us and to change how we live our lives.  Making that statement is necessary, don’t get me wrong—I mean, we absolutely have to have faith in order to be saved—but the statement, in itself, is insufficient: it must be demonstrated by how we live our lives—no longer for ourselves, but now for him.
          Perhaps another example that will sound more familiar.  If someone asks you if you’re a Christian and you say “Sure, I go to church every Sunday”, then you are perhaps in danger of believing that being a fan is enough.  “Jesus is my team and I go and root him on every Sunday.”  The answer we should all be striving for (myself included) is, “Well, look at what I do.  Do I look like a Christian in how I live my life?”  My guess is that at least a few of us here would have a hard time proving in a court of law that we are players on the field on Jesus’ team versus just spectators solely by our actions: that is, no arguments, only examples of concrete actions you have taken in your day-to-day life.
          My brothers and sisters, our goal in life is to get to heaven.  Illusions that being the “12th Man” on Jesus’ team is enough to get it for us are false.  We have to be on the field: we have to have skin in the game.
         Friends, Jesus is the way.  Our task is to follow that way.
         Although the NFL's season is just getting started, for us the season’s well under way.  Therefore, let’s get in the game.

Given at All Saints Parish: Logansport, IN – September 12th & 13th, 2015

Monday, September 7, 2015

Frustrado? Bien. Presta atención.

Homilía: el 23º Domingo en el Tiempo Ordinario – Ciclo B
          Hace un par de años, cuando regresé a Guatemala para trabajar en mis habilidades en español, me fui de nuevo al mismo lugar donde yo había estudiado inicialmente mientras yo estaba en el seminario. Recuerdo que una de las cosas que me llamó la atención acerca de mi nueva visita era lo frustrante que la vida parecía ser para el pueblo guatemalteco. Todas las cosas de infraestructura que hacen nuestras vidas aquí relativamente cómodas—cosas como, buenas carreteras, nuevos carros, tiendas de conveniencia, y cosas así—son relativamente poco desarrollado allá (si están aún desarrollados en absoluto). Me imaginaba que esto significaba que sus vidas cotidianas son probablemente llenos de frustraciones en su intento de lograr lo que yo consideraría las tareas más simples; porque, por ejemplo, tal vez la electricidad se apaga, o la gasolinera era sin combustible, o la carretera se ha estropeado por la inundación anoche. Ellos, que supone, son una gente muy familiarizados con la frustración.
          En algún nivel, sin embargo, todos nosotros estamos familiarizados con la frustración de una forma u otra. Cuando el lápiz se queda sin tinta, o su cupón ha caducado, o dejar las sobras de la mesa en el restaurante... todos estos son ejemplos de cómo experimentamos frustraciones, incluso en las cosas más pequeñas de nuestra vida cotidiana. Ahora, tan extraño como esto pueda parecer, quiero proponer a ustedes que todas esas frustraciones tienen un propósito. "¿Un propósito? Padre, frustraciones son las cosas que se interponen en el camino de lograr otras cosas. En otras palabras, frustraciones se interponen en el camino de cumplir un propósito, así que ¿cómo podrían ellos mismos tener un propósito?" Aunque no lo crean, las frustraciones son destinadas a ser una señal para nosotros que algo no está bien. En otras palabras, de la misma manera que el dolor que sentimos en nuestra mano cuando nos toca una estufa caliente tiene como propósito que nos advierten que estamos haciendo algo para dañar a nosotros mismos, así también frustraciones tienen como propósito recordarnos que el mundo está "fuera de orden".
          ¿Por qué tenemos que recordar que el mundo está "fuera de orden"? Pues porque nuestras almas anhelan siempre que las cosas sean "en orden". Pensemos en esto por un ratito: si estar "fuera de orden" fue la manera que las cosas tenían que ser, entonces no se sienten frustrados, porque todo parece ser del mismo modo que se supone que ser. Por ejemplo, en un mundo donde "fuera de orden" es la manera que las cosas se supone que ser, si yo fuera a sufrir un pinchazo durante un viaje que no conseguiría frustrado porque yo sería capaz de decirme a mí mismo: "Bueno, yo esperaba que esto suceda porque así es como funciona el mundo. Pero “fuera de orden” no es el "orden" de las cosas, y por eso se sienten frustrados cuando "fuera de orden" cosas sucedan. Instintivamente sabemos que "fuera de orden" no está bien y lo que experimentamos malestar cuando nos encontramos con esto como una señal para recordarnos que no es bueno.
          Y esto es tan importante para nosotros, y aquí es por qué. Cuando pienso en ello, me parece que hay dos formas básicas que nos encargarnos con la frustración: 1) nos enfrentamos y tratamos de superarla (es decir, tratamos de poner de nuevo "en orden" lo que es "fuera de orden ") o 2) nos resignamos a la frustración y así damos por vencidos en tratar de superarlo por completo (en otras palabras, aceptamos que estar frustrado con "fuera de orden" es la única manera en que podemos ser). Debido a que hay tantas cosas que están fuera de nuestro control en este mundo, es más frecuente que nos encargamos con la frustración en el segundo manera que he descrito. El peligro de esto es que, si nos enfrentamos constantemente frustraciones, podríamos perder rápidamente la esperanza de que algo, realmente, nunca podría ser "en orden" de nuevo. Esto nos puede llevar a la apatía, que adormece nuestro sentido de frustración, haciéndonos así a olvidar que existe un "orden" ideal para el que debemos esforzarnos, y "fuera de orden" se convierte en las "cosas como se supone que ser".
          En la primera lectura, escuchamos una proclamación alentadora de Isaías. En su proclama, él está hablando de cómo Dios está llegando a vindicar su pueblo de sus enemigos, y él está utilizando términos de restauración: es decir, de la restauración de las cosas que están "fuera de orden" con el fin de ponerlos de nuevo "en orden". En otras palabras, Isaías está diciendo que, cuando llegue la vindicación de Dios, las cosas que habían estado fuera de orden—como los ojos que no vean, los oídos que no oyen, las piernas que no se pueden utilizan para saltar y lenguas que no pueden hablar—se restaurarán a la orden—para los ciegos verán, los sordos oirán, el cojo saltará, y el mudo hablará. Proclamó esto a ellos para que no se volverían resignado a aceptar lo que no podían cambiar y convertirse así en apáticos a como "fuera de orden" estaba todo. Debido a que, a los ojos de Dios, era mejor para las personas a tener un sentido saludable de frustración, porque eso sería mantenerlos anhelo por el orden que planeaba restaurar para ellos; y así fortalecería su fe.
          Como cristianos sabemos que Dios envió a su Hijo Jesús para vindicarnos a nuestros enemigos y así restablecer el orden en el mundo; y las historias grabadas para nosotros en los Evangelios son para apoyar esta afirmación. Hoy nos enteramos de cómo Jesús abrió los oídos de un hombre que era sordo y de cómo él liberó la lengua de ese mismo hombre que también era tartamudo. Esta fue una señal de que Jesús había venido a vindicar al pueblo de Dios como él vuelve a poner "en orden" lo que fue "fuera de orden" en este hombre. En este también vemos que, cuando Jesús trae la restauración, hace que sea personal. Lo que quiero decir es esto: en vez de sanar a este hombre delante de toda la multitud para que todos pudieran ver, toma al hombre a un lado, lejos de la multitud, antes de que lo cura. El interés de Jesús fue en la restauración a este hombre lo que, tal vez, nunca tuvo—la capacidad de escuchar y de hablar—y no en hacer una escena delante de la multitud. De esta manera nos muestra que él quiere conocer a cada uno de nosotros, en lo personal, a fin de poner de nuevo "en orden" lo que es "fuera de orden" en nuestras vidas: y así liberarnos de lo que nos oprime y nos restituye a la plenitud de vida.
          Por lo tanto, mis hermanos y hermanas, no tengamos miedo de traer los mayores frustraciones de nuestras vidas a Jesús, porque estas son las cosas que son la más "fuera de orden", ya sea en nuestras vidas o en el mundo, y Jesús quiere restaurarlos a la orden para nosotros. Y vamos a aferramos a la esperanza: la esperanza que tenemos en el hecho de que Jesús nos ha vindicado; y que el mundo de orden perfecto que nuestros corazones anhelan—el reino de Dios—vendrán a nosotros cuando Jesús venga de nuevo para hacer nuevas todas las cosas.
Dado en la parroquia Todos los Santos: Logansport, IN

el 6º de septiembre, 2015

Frustrated? Good. Pay attention.

Homily: 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time – Cycle B
          When I returned to Guatemala to work on my Spanish skills a couple of years ago, I went back to the same place where I had studied initially while I was in the seminary.  I remember that one of the things that struck me about my return visit was how frustrating life seemed be for the Guatemalan people.  All of the infrastructure things that make our lives here relatively comfortable—things like, good roads, new cars, convenience stores, etc.—are relatively underdeveloped there (if they’re even developed at all).  I imagined that this meant that their daily lives are probably filled with frustrations as they try to accomplish even what I might consider to be the simplest tasks; because, for example, maybe the electricity shut off, or the gas station was out of fuel, or the road washed out in the heavy rain last night.  They, I supposed, are a people very familiar with frustration.
          On some level, however, all of us are familiar with frustration in one form or another.  When your pen runs out of ink, or your coupon is expired, or you leave your leftovers on the table at the restaurant… these are all examples of how we experience frustrations even in the smallest things of our daily lives. Now, as weird as this may seem, I want to propose to you that all of those frustrations have a purpose.  “A purpose?  Father, frustrations are things that get in the way of accomplishing other things.  In other words, they get in the way of fulfilling a purpose, so how could they themselves have a purpose?”  Believe it or not, frustrations are meant to be a signal to us that something isn’t right.  In other words, much in the same way that the pain that we feel in our hand when we touch a hot stove has as its purpose to warn us that we are doing something to harm ourselves, so too frustrations have as their purpose to remind us that the world is “out of order”. 
          Why do we need to be reminded that the world is “out of order”?  Well, because our souls long for things to be “in order”.  Let’s think about this for a second: if being “out of order” was the way things were supposed to be, then we wouldn’t get frustrated because everything would seem to be just as it was supposed to be.  For example, in a world where “out of order” is the way things are supposed to be, if I were to blowout a tire on my car during a trip I wouldn’t get frustrated because I would be able to say to myself “Well, I expected this to happen because that’s how the world works.”  But “out of order” is not the “order” of things, and so we become frustrated when “out of order” things happen.  We instinctively know that “out of order” isn’t right and so we experience discomfort when we encounter it as a sign to remind us that it isn’t right.
          And this is so important for us, and here’s why.  You see, when I think about it, I find that there are two basic ways that we deal with frustration: 1) we confront it and try to overcome it (that is, we try to put back “in order” what is “out of order”) or 2) we resign ourselves to being frustrated and thus give up on trying to overcome it altogether (in other words, we accept that being frustrated with “out of order” is the only way it can be).  Because there are so many things that are outside of our control in this world, we more often than not deal with frustration in the second way that I described.  The danger of this is that, if we are constantly facing frustrations, we might quickly lose hope that anything really ever could be “in order” again.  This can lead us into apathy, which numbs our sense of frustration, thus causing us to forget that there is an ideal “order” for which we should be striving, and “out of order” becomes the “way things are supposed to be”.
          In the first reading, we heard an encouraging proclamation from Isaiah.  In his proclamation he is talking about how God is coming to vindicate his people from their enemies and he is using terms of restoration: that is, of restoring things that are “out of order” so as to put them back “in order”.  In other words, Isaiah is saying that when God’s vindication comes things that had been out of order—like eyes that are blind, ears that cannot hear, legs that cannot be used for jumping, and tongues that cannot speak—will be restored to order—for the blind will see, the deaf will hear, the lame will leap, and the mute will speak.  He proclaimed this to them so that they wouldn’t become resigned to accept what they couldn’t change and thus become apathetic to how “out of order” everything was.  In God’s eyes, it was better for the people to have a healthy sense of frustration, for that would keep them longing for the order that he planned to restore for them; and so would strengthen their faith.
          As Christians we know that God sent his Son Jesus to vindicate us from our enemies and thus to restore order to the world; and the stories recorded for us in the Gospels are meant to support this claim.  Today we heard of how Jesus opened the ears of a man who was deaf and of how he freed the tongue of that same man who also had a speech impediment.  This was a sign that Jesus had come to vindicate God’s people as he put back “in order” that which was “out of order” in this man.  In this we also see that, when Jesus brings restoration, he makes it personal.  What I mean is this: instead of healing this man in front of the whole crowd so that everyone could see, he takes the man aside, away from the crowd, before he heals him.  Jesus’ interest was in restoring to this man what he, perhaps, never had—the ability to hear and to speak—and not in making a scene in front of the crowd.  In this way he shows us that he wants to meet each of us, personally, so as to put back “in order” what is “out of order” in our lives: thus freeing us from what oppresses us and restoring us to fullness of life.
          Therefore, my brothers and sisters, let us not be afraid to bring our life’s biggest frustrations to Jesus, because these are the things most “out of order” either in our lives or in the world and Jesus wants to restore them to order for us.  And let us hold on to hope: the hope we have in the fact that Jesus has vindicated us; and that the world of perfect order that our hearts long for—the kingdom of God—will come to us when Jesus comes again to make all things new.

Given at All Saints Parish: Logansport, IN – September 6th, 2015