Sunday, August 27, 2017

un puro asombro

Homilía: 21º Domingo en el Tiempo Ordinario – Ciclo A
          Quizá todos recordemos ese famoso pasaje del Evangelio cuando Jesús dice: "si no cambian y no llegan a ser como niños, nunca entraran en el Reino de los Cielos". Lo que Jesús quiere decir con esto parece obvio, ¿no?: que la salvación implica un retorno a un estado de inocencia moral, como los niños.
          Pero creo que esto plantea la pregunta un poco. Quiero decir, ¿son los niños tan inocentes como su reputación los hace ser? Pensemos en esto por un momento. ¡Los bebés son algunas de las personas más egoístas que conozco! Ellos lloran y se quejan hasta que consiguen lo que quieren, completamente sin tener en cuenta cómo su actitud afecta a otros. ¿Y los niños pequeños? ¿No les dan a los padres constantes dolores de cabeza a medida que se obstinan en afirmarse contra la voluntad de sus padres? Luego, al llegar al kínder y más allá, aumentan su desafío obstinado y comienzan a mentir a sus padres, ¿no?; y ¡añadir a él un tormento implacable de sus hermanos! No, no estoy convencido de que los niños sean realmente tan inocentes como su reputación los hace ser.
          Tal vez, sin embargo, Jesús se estaba refiriendo a un tipo de inocencia diferente cuando hizo esa declaración: no una inocencia moral, sino una inocencia marcada por una pureza de asombro. Mira, para los niños sanos, el mundo es un lugar lleno de maravillas. Las cáscaras del mar y la luz de las estrellas son mágicamente misteriosas para ellos; y los saltamontes y las montañas verdes inspiran igualmente la fascinación y el entusiasmo. ¿Y no es así debería ser? Quiero decir, ¿no es esa la forma en que Adán y Eva habrían visto el mundo antes del pecado original: como una inspiradora colección de magníficos tesoros que les ha dado su Creador? Creo que sí, porque eso es lo que la creación es: un regalo fabuloso de un Dios todopoderoso que es un Padre sabio y amoroso y que quiere que sus hijos compartan su deleite en su creación.
          Una actitud de asombro y admiración hacia el don de Dios de la vida y el universo creado es algo que ha sido compartido por todos los santos. Y se aplica no sólo a los dones naturales, sino más aún a los dones sobrenaturales de la salvación y la redención. Esta es la razón por la que San Pablo, después de haber pasado tres capítulos de su Carta a los Romanos analizando y explicando los complejos giros y vueltas de la historia de la salvación, rompe en un himno de asombro y alabanza: "¡Qué inmensa y rica es la sabiduría y la ciencia de Dios!" Amigos míos, este es el grito de un corazón como un niño y lleno de gracia. En otras palabras, es el grito de quien lleva un corazón cristiano saludable.
          En su himno espontáneo de alabanza, san Pablo nos dice que los juicios de Dios son "impenetrables" y que sus caminos son "incomprensibles". Ahora bien, él no quiere decir esto en un sentido negativo, sino más bien en un sentido "lleno de maravillas" cuando reconoce cómo Dios estaba usando una manera creativa e inesperada para lograr la salvación del pueblo israelita. De hecho, Dios siempre está usando formas creativas para llevar a cabo su magnífico plan de salvación. Una de esas formas particularmente creativas es el papado.
          En el pasaje del Evangelio de hoy, Jesús explica que el papado es el fundamento indestructible de su Iglesia. Para enfatizar el punto, le da a su discípulo Simón un nuevo nombre que simboliza su ministerio como el primer papa: "Pedro", que se deriva de la palabra griega petrus, que significa "roca". Por interesante que sea, el escenario en el que se está llevando a cabo sólo amplifica la situación. Esta conversación tuvo lugar a las afueras de la ciudad de Cesarea de Filipo, que fue una ciudad gloriosa que fue construida en la cima de una colina enorme, un lado de la cual era un acantilado de roca desnuda e imponente. Esto dio a la ciudad una apariencia de invencibilidad y magnificencia. Precisamente allí, de pie junto a aquel imponente acantilado, Jesús explica que su Iglesia también será invencible, porque también estará fundada sobre una roca: la roca de Pedro, el primer Papa. Jesús prometió que su Iglesia será indestructible; y que las "puertas del infierno" no prevalecerán contra ella. Y vemos que su promesa se ha hecho realidad.
          Durante los últimos 20 siglos, vemos que el papado ha continuado intacto. Incluso las enciclopedias seculares (que observan los hechos, no la tradición religiosa) pueden trazar una línea de sucesión ininterrumpida desde San Pedro, el primer Papa, hasta Francisco, nuestro Papa actual. A veces hay que admitir que ha habido hombres corruptos, codiciosos y débiles que ocupan la "silla de Pedro", y muchos emperadores, reyes y generales han tratado de interrumpir el papado haciendo que papas sean secuestrados, asesinados y exiliados en numerosos ocasiones. Sin embargo, ningún Papa en la historia ha arruinado la pureza del Evangelio o ha interrumpido el flujo de la gracia de Dios a través de los sacramentos. Así vemos que la roca que Jesús estableció ha resistido la prueba del tiempo; y no por las cualidades humanas de los papas, sino más bien por las "riquezas y sabiduría y ciencia" de la divina y verdaderamente maravillosa cuidado providencial de Dios. Era un plan extraño, por cierto; pero nuestros corazones deben estar llenos de asombro por la sabiduría de Dios, porque ha funcionado y continuará funcionando hasta el fin de los tiempos.
          Mis hermanos y hermanas, ¿cuándo fue la última vez que nos encontramos resonando el himno de San Pablo en nuestros propios corazones, llenos de asombro y temor al pensar en la bondad, sabiduría y poder de Dios? Si fue recientemente, entonces eso es una buena señal. La evidencia de asombro en nuestros corazones es una clave señal vital para el sano alma cristiana.
          Si su alma falta un poco de maravilla y asombro, sin embargo, puede ser una señal de advertencia. Por supuesto, algunas personas tienden a ser un poco pesimistas por el temperamento: es parte de su personalidad y por lo que los signos externos de asombro simplemente "no es para ellos". Eso es diferente, sin embargo, que el tipo de cinismo mundanal y el escepticismo que en realidad extingue el fuego cristiano en nuestros corazones. El cínico sólo se ríe de la ironía y el sarcasmo y el escéptico sólo sonríe ante las fallas de su vecino; pero para el cristiano sano, la vida misma es una fuente de alegría y satisfacción. En otras palabras, incluso con todo su sufrimiento, la vida, para el cristiano sano, es una maravilla llena de temor, porque muestra las insondables "riquezas y sabiduría y ciencia de Dios" y nos recuerda que "todo proviene de Dios, todo ha sido hecho por él y todo está orientado hacia él". Y si no lo tiene, tal vez sea un indicador de que necesita volver a los fundamentos de la vida espiritual cristiana: la oración y los sacramentos, especialmente el sacramento de la reconciliación.
          Sin embargo, mis hermanos y hermanas, hoy, si nuestro sentimiento de maravilla es raquítico o robusto, vamos a despertarlo durante el milagro de esta Misa, para darle placer a Dios por disfrutar de sus dones y para hacer saludables a nuestros corazones cristianos para que podamos llevar este gozo al mundo que nos rodea.
Dado en la parroquia de Todos los Santos: Logansport, IN

27 de agosto, 2017

A pure wonder

Homily: 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle A
          Perhaps we all remember that famous passage in the Gospel when Jesus says, "Unless you turn and become like little children, you shall not enter the Kingdom of God".  What Jesus means by this seems obvious, right?: that salvation involves a return to a state of moral innocence, like children.
          But I think this begs the question a little.  I mean, are children really as innocent as their reputation makes them?  Let’s think about this for a moment.  Infants are some of the most selfish and self-centered people I know!  They will cry and fuss until they get what they want, completely without regard to how their attitude affects others.  And what about toddlers?  Don't toddlers give their parents constant headaches as they stubbornly assert themselves against their parents’ wills (I mean, we don’t call it the “terrible twos” for nothing, right)?  Then, as they get to kindergarten and beyond, they augment their stubborn defiance and begin lying to their parents, don’t they?; and add to it an unrelenting torment of their siblings!  No, I’m not convinced that children are really as innocent as the “media” makes them out to be.
          Perhaps, however, Jesus was referring to a different kind of innocence when he made that statement: not a moral innocence, but an innocence marked by a purity of wonder.  You know, for healthy children, the world is a wonder-filled place.  Sea shells and starlight are both magically mysterious to them; and grasshoppers and green mountains equally inspire fascination and excitement.  And isn't that way it should be?  I mean, isn't that the way that Adam and Eve would have seen the world before original sin: as an inspiring collection of magnificent treasures given to them by their Creator?  I think so, because that's what creation is: a fabulous gift from an all-powerful God who is a wise and loving Father and who wants his children to share in his delight in his creation.
          An attitude of wonder and awe towards God’s gift of life and the created universe is something that has been shared by all the saints.  And it applies not only to natural gifts, but even more to the supernatural gifts of salvation and redemption.  This is why Saint Paul, after spending three chapters of his Letter to the Romans analyzing and explaining the complex twists and turns of salvation history, breaks out into a hymn of wonder and awe: "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!"  My friends, this is the cry of a childlike, grace-filled heart.  In other words, it is the cry of one who carries a healthy Christian heart.
          In his spontaneous hymn of praise, Saint Paul tells us that God's judgments are "inscrutable" and his ways are "unsearchable."  Now, he doesn’t mean this in a negative sense, but rather in a “wonder-filled” sense as he acknowledges how God was using a creative, unexpected way to bring about the salvation of the Israelite people.  As it turns out, God is always using creative ways to bring about his magnificent plan of salvation.  One of those particularly creative ways is the papacy.
          In today's Gospel passage, Jesus explains that the papacy is the indestructible foundation of his Church.  To emphasize the point, he gives his disciple Simon a new name that symbolizes his ministry as the first pope: "Peter," which is derived from the Greek word petrus, meaning "rock".  As interesting as that is, the setting in which this is taking place only amplifies the situation.  You see, this conversation took place just outside the city of Caesarea Philippi, which was a glorious city that was constructed on the top of a huge hill, one side of which was a towering, bare rock cliff.  This gave the city an appearance both of invincibility and magnificence.  Precisely there, standing near that imposing cliff, Jesus explains that his Church will also be invincible, because it too will be founded on rock: the rock of Peter, the first Pope.  Jesus promised that his Church will be indestructible; and that the "gates of the netherworld" will not prevail against it.  And we see that his promise has come true.
          For the last 20 centuries, we see that the papacy has continued intact.  Even secular encyclopedias (who look at facts, not religious tradition) can trace an unbroken line of succession from Saint Peter, the first pope, up to Francis, our current pope.  At times, we must admit, there have been corrupt, greedy, and weak men occupying the “chair of Peter”, and many emperors, kings, and generals have tried to disrupt the papacy by having popes kidnapped, murdered, and exiled on numerous occasions.  Nonetheless, no pope in history has spoiled the purity of the Gospel or interrupted the flow of God's grace through the sacraments.  Thus we see, that the rock that Jesus established has stood the test of time; and not because of the popes' human qualities, but rather because of the "riches and wisdom and knowledge" of God's divine and truly wonder-filled providential care.  It was an odd plan, to be sure; but our hearts should be filled with wonder for God’s wisdom, because it has worked and will continue to work until the end of time.
          My brothers and sisters, when was the last time that we found ourselves echoing Saint Paul's hymn in our own hearts, being filled with wonder and awe at the thought of God's goodness, wisdom and power?  If it was recently, then that's a good sign.  Evidence of wonder and awe in our hearts is a key vital sign for the healthy Christian soul.
          If your soul is a bit short on wonder and awe, however, it may be a warning sign.  Of course, some people tend to be a bit pessimistic by temperament: it's part of their personality and so external signs of wonder and awe are just “not their thing”.  That's different, however, than the kind of worldly (and sometimes diabolically encouraged) cynicism and skepticism that actually extinguishes the Christian fire in our hearts.  You see, the cynic only laughs at irony and sarcasm and the skeptic only smiles at the failings of his neighbor; but for the healthy Christian, life itself is a source of joy and satisfaction.  In other words, even with all its suffering, life, for the healthy Christian, is a wonder-filled, awe-inspiring thing, because it shows forth the unfathomable "riches and wisdom and knowledge of God" and it reminds us that "from him and through him and for him are all things".  And so, if you don’t have this, perhaps it’s an indicator that you need to return to the basics of the Christian spiritual life: prayer and the sacraments, most especially the sacrament of reconciliation.
          Nevertheless, my brothers and sisters, today, whether our sense of wonder is rickety or robust, let's stir it up during the miracle of this Mass, so as to give God pleasure by enjoying his gifts and to make our Christian hearts healthy so that we might carry this joy into the world around us.

Given at All Saints Parish: Logansport, IN – August 27th, 2017

Sunday, August 20, 2017

A chosen race?

Homily: 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle A
          The ancient Jews thought that they were a “chosen race”; and this, for good reason.  Throughout the Old Testament in the Bible, we read how, time and again, God called this people and set them apart by making a covenant with them: a sacred contract which united this people to God by an irrevocable bond.  Because of this covenant, God demanded that his people would hold to a higher standard of living.  Now, I’m not talking about the house they live in or the clothes that they wear, but rather about their conduct: both with him and with each other.  They were to treat each other justly and to keep themselves from the defilement of sin—most importantly, the defilement of in any way acknowledging or worshiping the false gods of pagan peoples.
          What this led to, as you might imagine, is that the ancient Jews became very strict about how they interacted with non-Jewish people.  They feared that any interaction with any non-Jew would lead to defilement before God and so they severely restricted the ways in which a Jew could interact with a non-Jew.
          Nevertheless, throughout their history, God revealed to his “chosen people” that one day even non-Jews would be acceptable to him.  In other words, that he would extend the benefits of his covenant even to those who were not direct descendants of one of the sons of Israel.  Our reading from the prophet Isaiah is an example of this.  In it, he states that “foreigners who join themselves to the Lord…” following his statutes and commandments, will be acceptable to him and God will lead them to the place of true worship, the temple in Jerusalem on Mount Zion, where they will offer sacrifice and praise and, thus, receive blessings from him.  Isaiah concludes by saying “my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”
          For an ancient Jew, who perhaps had gotten quite comfortable with the idea that their race was a race “set apart” from all others and, thus, held a distinct privilege above all others, to hear this prophesy that all peoples will one day be united under God might have upset some of them.  Everyone likes to feel like they are special and that they are part of something special and unique.  Grateful as the ancient Jews may have been for God’s favor, they nonetheless were reluctant to accept that God’s favor could be given to anyone.  They feared that, by allowing other races to enter, they’d lose their distinctiveness as a race and, thus, the particular favor that they enjoyed before God.
          At the time that Jesus walked the earth, those fears were at fever pitch because of the Roman occupation of the holy land that God had given to his chosen people.  The Jews, therefore, were greatly anticipating the Messiah, the one who would liberate them from the oppressive Roman regime and usher in the kingdom of heaven: a new springtime in prosperity for the Jewish people.  As we know, Jesus is the Messiah for whom they were waiting, but he didn’t conform to their expectations.  Instead of closely guarding and reinforcing their racial boundaries, re-isolating the Jewish people from the non-Jewish races, Jesus broke through them: opening the door to fulfill what Isaiah had prophesied centuries before.
          Just look at today’s Gospel reading: Jesus “withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon…”  This was Gentile territory and we aren’t given much of a reason why he went there.  Then we’re told that a Canaanite woman approaches him.  There are many social taboos that are broken here: 1) that she was an unattended woman approaching a man; 2) she is a non-Jew speaking to a Jew; 3) this is all happening in public.  In spite of all of this, she pleads for Jesus to heal her daughter.  At first, Jesus tows the line: ignoring her, and then brushing her off as a non-Jew.  Finally, he accedes and grants her what she asks because of her faith.  In Isaiah, it says “The foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, ministering to him, loving the name of the Lord, and becoming his servants … will be acceptable…”  Jesus, recognizing that the covenant belongs to the Jews, but also that, through the Jews, God desires all peoples to come to himself, finds this woman “joined to the Lord” in faith and so grants her the benefits which belong properly to the people of the covenant.
          Saint Paul, in another place, wrote “There is no longer Jew, nor Greek, man, nor woman, slave, nor free…” in the eyes of the Lord.  Therefore, we know that, with Jesus, all who profess faith, “joining themselves to the Lord, ministering to him and loving the name of the Lord,” are able to receive the benefits that rightly belong to the Jewish people, the people of the covenant.  And so we are here today.
          My brothers and sisters, our Scriptures today ought to make clear to us that it is unacceptable for any of us to think that we are somehow a “chosen race”, privileged above all others (regardless of which race we belong to).  The events of this past week, particularly the ugly events that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, ought to reinforce this fact.  Rather, we must be bearers of the Good News that God has made it so that all persons, regardless of race, now have access to his divine life: granted that they meet the strict conditions: that they join themselves to the Lord, minister to him, love the name of the Lord, and become his servants.
          Friends, regardless of whether you were born and raised here or if “you ain’t from around here”, God desires you to be united to him in his Church, here in this place.  If you aren’t on board with this plan then you have chosen not to serve the Lord and you risk separating yourselves from him.  Nobody is saying, of course, that you have to stop being “Berries”, “Kings”, “Panthers”, or “Comets”, or that you have to stop being “Italian”, “German”, “Irish”, “Mexican”, “Guatemalan”, “Salvadorian”, “Honduran”, “Vietnamese”, or “Pilipino”.  It does mean, however, that you have to see in this great diversity your brother, your sister, your co-heir to the kingdom won for us by Jesus; and that you have to accept your mission to go out from your own group to seek out those who still are not joined to us, so that they, too, might share in God’s divine life.
          Brothers and sisters, this Eucharist that we share is not the exclusive reward for one privileged group, but rather God’s divine life, given for all.  As we receive it today, let us be ready to bring our brothers and sisters to this table and thus bring God’s kingdom to fulfillment.

Given at All Saints Parish: Logansport, IN – August 19th & 20th, 2017

Monday, August 14, 2017

El silencio nos fortalece para las tormentas

Homilía: 19º Domingo en el Tiempo Ordinario – Ciclo A
          Para muchos, parece que al momento cuando Dios parece estar más cerca, él permite grandes pruebas a sus mejores amigos. Nuestras lecturas hoy en día tocan este tema. El profeta Elías, que en ese momento parecía ser la única persona fiel a Dios después de que el reino del norte de Israel le abandonó su fidelidad, se encuentra cazado como un criminal atroz después de haber probado que Yahweh, el Dios del pueblo israelita, es el verdadero Dios y que los dioses que los pueblos del reino del norte habían estado adorando (los baals) eran falsos e impotentes. Debido a esto, Elías cayó en la desesperación. Había llamado fuego de Dios cuando los más de 400 profetas de baal no pudieron hacer tal cosa; y, en lugar de encontrar a un pueblo que se volviera a Dios (y, por tanto, que podría estar con él, en lugar de contra él), encontró un pueblo cada vez más ansioso de destruirlo. Esta fue una gran prueba para Elías, conocido como el hombre de Dios.
          San Pablo, después de su conversión en el camino de Damasco, comenzó una misión muy fructífera de llevar el Evangelio a los gentiles: el pueblo de cualquier nación que no era un descendiente de la antigua nación de Israel. Sin embargo, fue atormentado constantemente porque el pueblo de su propia herencia, los israelitas, con quien Dios había establecido su alianza, había rechazado su mensaje y no había aceptado a Jesús como el Cristo, el Mesías que Dios había enviado. Estaba tan molestado por esto que, en su carta a los romanos, escribió que se entregaría a la condenación (es decir, a la separación eterna de Dios) si significaría que su pueblo aceptaría a Jesús como el Cristo y así vería que la alianza llegue a plenitud. Esta fue una gran prueba para Pablo, conocido como el Apóstol de los gentiles.
          En nuestro Evangelio, leemos cómo, después de la alimentación milagrosa de las 5000 personas, Jesús envió a sus discípulos a través del mar en una barca durante la noche. Durante la noche, una tormenta surgió, llenando a los discípulos de miedo por sus vidas. Tanto es así, que cuando Jesús vino hacia ellos, caminando sobre el agua (!), pensaron que era un fantasma y, por lo tanto, un signo de su muerte inminente. Esto también fue una gran prueba para aquellos conocidos como los primeros discípulos de Jesús.
          Santa Teresa de Ávila ha resumido esta experiencia de frustración y desesperación que puede suceder a muchos que siguen cercanamente a Dios y han experimentado su poderosa intervención en sus vidas. Vivió a finales del siglo 16 y trabajó arduamente para reformar la orden carmelita. Para ello viajó mucho. Como se puede imaginar, viajar en largas distancias en el siglo 16 fue difícil, incluso cuando el clima era bueno. Sin embargo, Teresa siguió viajando y Dios continuó demostrando que estaba en su trabajo por el hecho de que podía superar lo que parecía ser obstáculos imposibles para reformar los monasterios y establecer otros nuevos.
          Sin embargo, sus viajes no estaban exentos de sus pruebas. Famosamente, en uno de sus últimos viajes, Teresa y sus compañeros se encontraron en medio de una tormenta terrible: una que inundó por completo el camino por el que viajaba su coche. Inquebrantable, animó a sus compañeros a seguir adelante a pie. Cuando había estado un poco más lejos, el agua que corría a su alrededor casi la barrió. Al oír esto, levantó la vista y gritó: "Oh Señor, ¿cuándo dejarás de esparcir obstáculos en mi camino?" "No te quejes, hija", respondió el Señor, "porque así es como trato a mis amigos. -¡Ay, Señor! -respondió Teresa-, ¡también por eso tienes tan pocos!
          Una de las cosas que cualquier persona que ha aceptado su vocación de Dios debe enfrentar es la frustración y la desesperación que puede venir cuando Dios parece alejarse de nosotros, dejándonos víctima de las tumultuosas fuerzas del mundo, incluso después de que él pueda tener intervino de una manera poderosa en nuestras vidas. En cualquiera de estos tres episodios de hoy probablemente podamos encontrar algo de nuestras propias experiencias.
          Tal vez algunos de ustedes han hablado con valentía de algunos errores -tal vez en el trabajo o en la comunidad- sólo para descubrir que aquellos a quienes esperaban apoyarlos se han vuelto contra ustedes y comienzan a sufrir más que si nunca hubieran hablado. O tal vez hiciste grandes sacrificios en tu familia -tal vez hasta someterse a una gran vergüenza entre ellos- para que tus hijos o nietos crezcan en la fe católica, sólo para sufrir como una y otra vez que ignoran e incluso rechazan sus esfuerzos. O tal vez has dado de ti mismo y has hecho sacrificios tanto de tu tiempo como de tu dinero para hacer el trabajo de Dios para aliviar un poco de sufrimiento para los pobres, sólo para descubrir que tu propia seguridad es barrida fuera de ti por la pérdida de un trabajo o el apoyo de un benefactor.
          Aunque ninguna de estas cosas puede destruir nuestra creencia en Dios, cada una de ellas puede dañar nuestra confianza en él. Sin embargo, como Dios lo ha demostrado a lo largo de la historia -en las Escrituras, en las vidas de los santos y en nuestras propias vidas- nunca está lejos de nosotros cuando nos encontramos en medio de estas pruebas. Para Elías, Dios se permitió ser encontrado en "el murmullo de una brisa suave" para recordarle que, en medio del clamor del mundo aparentemente luchando contra él, Dios estaba cerca de él en los recovecos más silenciosos de su corazón. Para Pedro y los discípulos, fue la aparición de Jesús en medio de la tormenta, sin ser afectada por ella, lo que pudo calmar su miedo y animarlos a dar un paso adelante (como lo demuestra la confianza de Pedro en el mandato del Señor de salir del barco). Para Pablo, fue el testimonio constante de las Escrituras lo que le aseguró que la promesa de Dios a su pueblo no había sido revocada, lo que lo motivó a seguir proclamando la buena noticia a los gentiles: hasta el punto de que esperaba que ser a través de los gentiles que su pueblo acabaría aceptando a Jesús como el Cristo.
          Así es para todos nosotros, hermanos y hermanas. De ninguna manera debemos considerarnos inmunes a este tipo de pruebas. Más bien, en medio de estas pruebas, debemos entregarnos a Dios en confianza: sabiendo que él, que no abandonó a los grandes santos y profetas antes de nosotros, tampoco nos abandonará a ninguno de nosotros. Para cultivar esta confianza, sin embargo, debemos hacer algo que es cada vez más difícil -y aparentemente imposible- en la cultura de hoy: necesitamos cultivar el silencio en nuestras vidas.
          Para ello, primero debemos desactivar el ruido externo: la televisión, la red y nuestros celulares. Entonces, viene el trabajo difícil: porque entonces debemos enfrentar nuestro ruido interno - nuestras pasiones, ansiedades y frustraciones - y tratar de silenciarlo también ofreciéndolo a Dios con actos de confianza en su poder para satisfacer nuestro verdadero deseo y para salvarnos de toda prueba. Sólo entonces comenzaremos verdaderamente a escuchar "el murmullo de una brisa suave" que es la presencia de Dios asegurando con nosotros; y, por lo tanto, encontrar la fuerza para perseverar. Mis hermanos y hermanas, debemos tomar este buen trabajo de buscar el silencio: ¡porque nuestras vidas de fe, literalmente, dependen de ello!
          Que la presencia permanente de Dios en esta Santa Eucaristía nos llene de paz para vencer todo temor y permanecer fiel a él hasta que vuelva en gloria.
Dado en la parroquia Todos los Santos: Logansport, IN

13 de agosto, 2017


Silence strengthens us for the storms

Homily: 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle A
          For many, it seems, that just when God seems to be closest, he allows great trials to befall his closest friends.  Our readings today touch on this theme.  The prophet Elijah, who at the time appeared to be the only person faithful to God after the northern kingdom of Israel abandoned their faithfulness to him, finds himself hunted down as a heinous criminal after having proven that Yahweh, the God of the Israelite people, is the true God and that the gods that the people of the northern kingdom had been worshiping (the baals) were false and powerless.  Because of this, Elijah fell into despair.  He had called down fire from God when the over 400 prophets of baal could do no such thing; and, instead of finding a people who turned to God (and thus, who might stand with him, instead of against him), he found a people ever more anxious to destroy him.  This was a great trial for Elijah, known as the man of God.
          Saint Paul, after his conversion on the road to Damascus, began a very fruitful mission of bringing the Gospel to the Gentiles: the people from any nation that wasn’t a descendent of the ancient Israelite nation.  Nonetheless, he was tormented constantly because the people of his own heritage, the Israelites, with whom God had established his covenant, had rejected his message and had failed to accept Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah whom God had sent.  He was so bothered by this that, in his letter to the Romans, he wrote that he would readily give himself up to condemnation (that is, to eternal separation from God) if it would mean that his people would accept Jesus as the Christ and thus see the covenant come to fulfillment.  This was a great trial for Paul, known as the Apostle to the Gentiles.
          In our Gospel, we read how, after the miraculous feeding of the 5000, Jesus sent his disciples across the sea in a boat through the night.  During the night, a storm arose, filling the disciples with fear for their lives.  So much so, that when Jesus came towards them, walking on the water (!), they thought it was a ghost and, thus, a sign of their impending death.  This, too, was a great trial for those known as first followers of Jesus.
          Saint Teresa of Avila famously summed up this experience of frustration and despair that can befall many who follow God closely and have experienced his powerful intervention in their lives.  She lived in the late 1500’s and worked strenuously to reform the Carmelite order.  To do so she travelled much.  As you can imagine, travel over long distances in the 1500’s was difficult, even when the weather was good.  Nonetheless, Teresa continued to travel and God continued to prove that he was in her work by the fact that she could overcome what seemed to be impossible obstacles to reform monasteries and to establish new ones.
          Her travels weren’t without their trials, however.  Famously, in one of her last journeys, Teresa and her companions found themselves in the midst of a horrific storm: one that completely flooded the road on which her carriage was traveling.  Undeterred, she encouraged her companions to go forward on foot.  When she had been just a little way, the water rushing around her almost swept her away.  At this, she looked up and cried out “Oh Lord, when will you cease from scattering obstacles in my path?”  “Do not complain, daughter,” the Lord reportedly answered, “for this is the way that I treat my friends.”  “Ah, Lord,” Teresa replied, “it is also because of this that you have so few!”
          One of the things that anyone who has accepted their vocation from God must face is the frustration and despair that can come when God seems to take his favor away from us, leaving us victim to the tumultuous forces of the world, even after he may have intervened in a powerful way in our lives.  In any one of these three episodes today we can probably find something of our own experiences.  Perhaps some of you have spoken up boldly against some wrong—maybe at work or in the community—only to find that those whom you expected to support you have turned against you and you begin to suffer more than if you had never spoken.  Or perhaps you made great sacrifices in your family—maybe even submitting yourself to great embarrassment among them—so that your children or grandchildren might grow in the Catholic faith, only to suffer as time and again they ignore and even reject your efforts.  Or maybe you’ve given of yourself and made sacrifices of both your time and your money to do the work of God to relieve some suffering for the poor, only to find that your own security is swept out from under you by the loss of a job or the support of a benefactor.
          While none of these things may ever destroy our belief in God, each one of them can, and often does, damage our trust in him.  As God has proven throughout history, however—in the Scriptures, in the lives of the saints, and in our own lives—he is never far from us when we find ourselves in the midst of these trials.  For Elijah, God allowed himself to be encountered in the “tiny whispering sound” in order to remind him that, in the midst of the clamor of the world seemingly fighting against him, God was close to him in the most silent recesses of his heart.  For Peter and the disciples, it was Jesus’ appearance in the midst of the storm, while unaffected by it, that could calm their fear and embolden them to step headlong into it (as evidenced by Peter’s trust in the Lord’s command to step out of the boat).  For Paul, it was the constant witness of the Scriptures that assured him that God’s promise to his people had not been revoked that motivated him to continue to proclaim the good news to the Gentiles: even to the point that he came to hope that it would be through the Gentiles that his people would eventually accept Jesus as the Christ.
          So it is for all of us, brothers and sisters.  We should in no way consider ourselves immune from this type of trial.  Rather, in the midst of these trials, we must give ourselves back over to God in trust: knowing that he, who did not abandon the great saints and prophets before us, will not abandon any of us, either.  In order to cultivate this trust, however, we have to do something that is increasingly difficult—nay, seemingly impossible—in today’s culture: we need to cultivate silence in our lives.  To do this, we must first turn off the external noise: the television, the internet, and our smart phones.  Then, comes the difficult work: for we must then confront our internal noise—our passions, anxieties, and frustrations—and seek to silence it as well by offering it all to God with acts of trust in his power to satisfy our every true desire and to save us from every trial.  Only then will we truly begin to hear the “tiny whispering sound” that is God’s assuring presence with us; and, thus, find the strength to persevere.  My brothers and sisters, we must take up this good work of seeking silence: for our lives of faith, literally, depend upon it!
          May God’s abiding presence in this Holy Eucharist fill us with peace to overcome every fear and to remain faithful to him until he comes again in glory.

Given at All Saints Parish: Logansport, IN – August 13th, 2017


Monday, August 7, 2017

Worshiping Jesus for his glory

Homily: The Transfiguration of the Lord – Cycle A
          Lest anyone be confused, let me clear something up for you right away: today’s feast is not about us.  It’s about Jesus and about celebrating who Jesus has been revealed to be.  I know, I know… most times—especially during Ordinary Time—we can walk away from Mass on Sunday and say something like, “Okay, there’s something else that I can work on in my life as I strive to be a better Christian” or “That was interesting, what those readings said; I’m really going to try to figure out what that means and how I can apply it in my life”.  Today, however, there’s none of that; it’s really all about Jesus and who Jesus has been revealed to be.
          On the one hand, as a preacher, that kind of stinks.  You see, it’s much easier to preach when I can take what comes to us in Sacred Scripture and then find some way to apply it to our lives: in other words, when there’s a discernable “moral to the story”.  On the other hand, however, I’m kind of happy for it; because it “upsets the apple cart” a little bit and, maybe (just maybe) leads us to something even more inspiring.  Therefore, if this feast is all about Jesus, then let’s dive in and see what it has to tell us.
          In the book of the prophet Daniel, we are given this vivid description of a vision that Daniel experienced; and this vision was really about the end of time.  The vision is given to us in two parts.  In the first part, Daniel describes having seen the “Ancient One” (with a capital “A” and a capital “O”).  This was common terminology for God because it pointed to two of God’s essential attributes: his eternity and his wisdom.  Describing his appearance as having a “bright whiteness” indicates his absolute purity.  This, however, describes more than moral purity, but rather a purity of mind and heart that enhances his wisdom.  Unsullied by any impurity, therefore, the “Ancient One” is able to judge all things rightly.  The flames of fire that form his throne and that surge in streams from his throne indicate the great power that he commands; and the millions who minister to him indicate the wide breadth of authority that he exercises over all things.  Finally, we hear that a court is convened in his presence, indicating that the Ancient One is ready to exercise his judgment.
          In the second part of the vision, Daniel describes one being presented to the Ancient One, presumably for judgment.  He is described as one “like a Son of man, coming on the clouds of heaven”.  “Like a Son of man…” describes someone who is human in appearance, though it doesn’t necessarily mean that he or she is human.  The vision goes on to describe how this one receives from the Ancient One great power and authority over the entire universe and that this dominion that has been given him will be everlasting: never to be taken away or destroyed.  This second part of the vision is describing the Messiah, of course: the one who, ultimately, would restore God’s kingdom on earth.
          The recounting of the Transfiguration of Jesus in the Gospels echoes the images described in Daniel’s vision.  First, and most obviously, Jesus is “one like a Son of man…” who goes “up a high mountain”, which, in the ancient world, always meant “going to the heavens to meet/communicate with God”.  Then, he is transfigured before Peter, James, and John, whom he took with him; and what do we see?  His face “shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light”.  Interesting that the one whom we at first connect with the second part of Daniel’s vision is described as suddenly having an appearance of “bright whiteness”, like the Ancient One in the first part of the vision.  This points to something truly amazing: that Jesus truly is “one like a Son of man”, but also that he is so much more; that he, at least, shares in the eternal life, wisdom, and power of the Ancient One, and maybe even that he is of one being with the Ancient One.
          Reading further, we, of course, see that our suspicion that Jesus is the “one like a Son of man” from Daniel’s prophecy is confirmed, as Jesus not only converses with Moses and Elijah (thus, demonstrating his equality with the ancient law-giver and the greatest of Jewish prophets), but a cloud overshadows them all (indicating, of course, the “cloud of the presence” that filled the ancient temple and indicated that God had made his dwelling there) and a voice comes from the cloud declaring “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”  The voice declares Jesus’ divinity (this is my beloved Son) and that he has been given authority over all things (listen to him).
          My friends, those who want to reduce Jesus to the level of a wise sage or a devoted charity worker have never seriously read these two passages together.  Jesus is a wise sage and he is devoted to relieving the sufferings of the poor, but to reduce him to these things misses the point of who he is in himself.  Jesus is God’s beloved Son, who, nonetheless, is like a Son of man: human in form, but still divine.  I hope that you all can see how amazing this is: that the Ancient One—the eternal God who created all things in this incredible universe—nonetheless cares so much for us that he sent us his Son to become one with us so that we could become one with him.  If there is anything in this message today that is for us, it’s this: that God didn’t come to make us nice people, but rather he came to make us like him—to transfigure us, so that we could be one with him.
          My brothers and sisters, today, like every Sunday, we worship God for having humiliated himself out of love for us by taking on a human nature in order to save us from sin and death (in other words, from eternal separation from him).  In a specific way, today, we worship Jesus who made his divinity known to us in his Transfiguration so that we might have the confidence to call him “Lord” and so that we might be filled with the hope of knowing that our human nature can be transformed by the divine power of God working within it.  And how does that divine power come into our human nature?  Well, there are seven specific ways that it comes to us.  Does anybody know what those seven ways are called?  Yes, the Sacraments.  When we receive any one of the seven Sacraments we receive a share of God’s divine life and, thus, make it possible for our nature to be transformed—transfigured—to be like his so that we can be one with him in eternity.
          Yes, my brothers and sisters, today’s feast is a celebration of Jesus and of who Jesus has been revealed to be.  We celebrate because, in revealing his full nature, Jesus also revealed who we can be when his divine life dwells within us.  As we place our sacrifice on this altar today, let us be mindful to unite to it our prayers of thanksgiving to God for his great mercy that brought Jesus to us, and for his divine life in which we will share more deeply when we receive this gift from this altar once again.  Through the intercession of Mary and the Apostles Peter, James and John, may each of our lives be transfigured so as to show forth the splendor of God’s glory to all those around us.

Given at All Saints Parish: Logansport, IN – August 5th & 6th, 2017