Witnesses of the Resurrected Christ

 Homily: 3^rd Easter – Cycle B

          How many of you watched the eclipse of the sun last Monday?  (Keep your hands up, I’m counting… just kidding!)  I watched the eclipse and if you’re anything like me you were very much amazed at the spectacle.  As I commented to one person afterwards, “I didn’t have this on my ‘bucket list’ of things to do before I die, but I’m writing it on there today and then checking it off!”

          One of the things that I couldn’t get out of my mind during the entire process was just how impossible it all was.  I mean, here we are, standing on this huge rock, hurtling through space, circling a big ball of fire, millions of miles away.  And there’s this other, smaller rock, that’s circling around the rock we’re on, which, on a regular basis, lines up perfectly with the big ball of fire and is the right size and the right distance between us and that ball of fire to block the ball of fire out completely for a short time, making a dazzling display for us.  Friends, this did not just “happen”.  Too many variables had to line up over hundreds and thousands of years for this to have happened by “chance”.  I can only imagine that this is one of those great “easter eggs” that God has thrown into the universe to delight us.  Hopefully, you had similar thoughts and experiences.

          Okay, let me ask you this, how many of you told one or more persons about your experience of viewing the eclipse?  Great!  A good many of you.  I did, too!  When you did, you engaged in the work of being a witness.  A witness is someone who has an experience of an event who then will give, or be called upon to give, a testimony of what he/she has experienced to others.  We know this most commonly, of course, from courts of law.  In a criminal investigation, “witnesses”—those who had some experience of the event in question—are called upon to give testimony about what they have experienced in an attempt to establish the facts of the event and, thus, judge whether a crime has been committed.  In the same way, our experiences of the eclipse made us witnesses.  Our testimony of our experience before others is evidence that we are.

          In today’s Gospel reading, we are once again back in the upper room the night of the day of Our Lord’s resurrection.  It begins with the two disciples from Emmaus giving testimony to what they witnessed when the Risen Lord walked with them on the way and then revealed himself fully when he broke bread with them at table.  It continues with Jesus himself appearing to them.  After going through many gyrations to demonstrate to them that it was he himself who was alive, and not a ghost, Jesus again explains how the Scriptures had foretold everything that had happened to him.  After he does this, he says to them, “You are witnesses of these things”.  The disciples from Emmaus had already proven themselves to be witnesses.  With Jesus’ words, the apostles and others who were present learned that they, too, were witnesses.  Witnesses are those who have an experience of an event and who then testify to what they have experienced.

          In the first reading, Peter is giving testimony to what he has experienced to a group of Jews who are questioning him after he and John brought healing to the lame man.  He recounts how Jesus was treated by the Jews—that he was put to death at their hands—but then recounts his experience of Jesus, risen from the dead.  He tells them plainly: “of this we are witnesses”.  Peter and the other apostles have taken Jesus’ words seriously and have made themselves witnesses by giving testimony about what they have experienced—a most impossible thing… the rising of a man from the dead!—leading others, thus, to believe, even though those others may not have seen it for themselves.

          Friends, we too are witnesses of the risen Christ.  When we look back at these encounters with the risen Lord, we see that they took place around a table: the disciples from Emmaus at the table in their home and with the apostles and others in the upper room, where the Last Supper was celebrated.  We gather each Sunday (and more often for some of you) around this table—an altar of sacrifice, yes, but also a table of encounter and communion—and the risen Lord makes himself present to us.  And how impossible is this, right?  That the Master of the Universe, who designed it to include such useless, yet awe-inspiring events as a total eclipse, in such a way that we can experience it, would nonetheless make himself present to us in bodily form, under the appearance of simple bread and wine.  It’s not only impossible, it’s unfathomable for us.  None of us would have ever come up with this idea on our own: it’s too strange to our sensibilities.  It could only be imagined by him who sees so far beyond our thinking.  Yet, here it is, and here we are once again.  Therefore, Jesus’ words to the apostles and the others in the upper room that first Easter night are the same that he says to us here today: “You are witnesses of these things”.  We are witnesses of these things.

          As you are all staying aware of, I’m sure, we are in the midst of a National Eucharistic Revival here in the United States.  A revival in which we are striving to reinvigorate this belief among the faithful: that the Son of God took on human nature and lived among us; that he suffered death unjustly in order to redeem us from our sins; that he rose from the dead by his own divine power; and that he is present to us in the form of bread and wine in each Mass so that we might be witnesses of his resurrection.  Friends, people throughout the world are suffering and looking to be rescued from it.  What I just described to you is God’s rescue project.  As recipients of his rescue, we are called to be witnesses: to give testimony to others about what we have experienced.  In this year of revival, may our testimony bring new life to our celebration of these awe-inspiring mysteries!

          Perhaps one last note: If you are struggling to believe in the impossibility of what happens here in the Mass, consider thinking about it this way.  Just as we could not look directly at the sun, even as the moon was eclipsing it, so too we could not look directly at Jesus in his glorified body.  Thus, he appears to us in this way—in the form of simple bread and wine—obscuring the full brightness of his glory, yet allowing us to look directly at a portion of his splendor so that we might not shy away from looking at him, but rather approach with confidence to his warm embrace.  Let us approach him now, eyes wide open, ready to receive him and the grace to be his witnesses in the world.

Given at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish: Carmel, IN – April 14^th, 2024

Abrazando la Divina Misericordia

 Homilía: 2º Domingo de la Pascua (La Divina Misericordia) – Ciclo B

         El 30 de abril del año 2000 sucedieron dos hechos importantes que han afectado directamente nuestra celebración de hoy. (Quizás muchos de ustedes sepan qué son estas cosas, pero las repasaremos aquí, sólo para estar seguros). Primero, el Papa Juan Pablo II canonizó a Hermana María Faustina Kowalska, una monja polaca que tuvo la bendición de haber recibido revelaciones de Jesús pidiéndole que difunda la devoción a la Divina Misericordia. En segundo lugar, el Papa Juan Pablo II declaró que el segundo domingo de Pascua sería conocido en adelante como “Domingo de la Divina Misericordia”. La primera fue importante como autenticación de las revelaciones hechas a Hermana Faustina, permitiendo así promover la devoción a la Divina Misericordia en todo el mundo. La segunda fue importante porque cumplía una de las peticiones que Jesús hizo a hermana Faustina: que toda la Iglesia reservara el segundo domingo de Pascua para honrar y conmemorar la infinita misericordia de Dios. Por eso, hoy es apropiado que dediquemos un tiempo en esta Misa a reflexionar sobre la misericordia de Dios.

         En las Escrituras vemos la misericordia de Dios en manifestación. En el Evangelio retrocedemos hasta el día de la Resurrección, donde los discípulos de Jesús se habían reunido y aún no sabían de la resurrección de Jesús. Entonces Jesús resucitado aparece ante ellos, a pesar de que las puertas del lugar estaban cerradas—lo cual fue una muestra de gran y terrible poder—y ¿qué les dice? “¿Cómo pudieron? ¡Todos ustedes me abandonaron en mi hora de necesidad! Luego, les acurrucan con miedo, ¡como si nunca les hubiera dicho que así tenía que ser! ¡Es como si ni siquiera estuvieran escuchando!” No, él no dice eso, ¿verdad? ¿Qué dice? Él dice: “La paz esté con ustedes” y se pone a disposición de ellos: mostrándoles las manos y su costado para que sepan que es él en carne y no un fantasma. Él no los reprendió; más bien, tuvo misericordia de ellos, aunque lo habían abandonado.

         No sólo eso, sino que el siguiente paso de Jesús es darles la comisión de ir y compartir este alegre mensaje con otros. Notemos que esta comisión, “Como el Padre me ha enviado, así también los envío yo”, no tiene límites. Así, Jesús está extendiendo su misericordia incluso a aquellos que lo mataron mientras envía a sus discípulos a proclamar que ha resucitado y que todos los que ponen su fe en él pueden disfrutar de la redención.

         Para estar seguro de que no hay dudas sobre si una persona ha recibido la misericordia de Dios o no, Jesús hace algo aún más increíble: da a sus discípulos la autoridad de perdonar los pecados. Por lo tanto, cada vez que se encuentran con alguien, no tienen que confiar en una convicción vaga (“Dios es misericordioso, y por eso estoy seguro de que Dios te perdona”), sino que pueden proclamar con valentía: “Sé que Dios te perdona, porque a mí me ha sido dada autoridad para proclamar su perdón, y lo proclamo”. Ésta, por supuesto, es la institución del Sacramento de la Reconciliación: el sacramento de la misericordia de Dios extendido a los pecadores.

         Entonces, a pesar de todo este dramatismo intensificado, llega un momento de dramatismo aún mayor en la lectura de hoy, ¿verdad? Tomás, uno de los doce discípulos más cercanos de Jesús, no estaba con ellos cuando Jesús se les apareció esa primera noche de Pascua. Cuando regresa con ellos y le dicen que habían visto a Jesús vivo, Tomás lo niega. (¿Te lo imaginas? Tomás escuchó el relato de la aparición de Jesús y dijo: “¡No! ¡No lo creo! ¡Están mintiendo y haciéndome daño!”) Está tan herido por la aparente derrota de Jesús—el que pensaba que sería su nuevo rey—que no aceptará el testimonio de otros, sino que insistirá en una reconciliación cara a cara con él.

         Durante toda una semana Tomás rumia sobre el hecho de que Jesús supuestamente se apareció a los otros discípulos sin que él estuviera presente hasta el domingo siguiente cuando, presente esta vez con los otros discípulos, Tomás también ve al Señor resucitado. Nuevamente, misericordiosamente, Jesús no condena a Tomás, sino que lo invita a acercarse. En cierto modo, Jesús le está diciendo: “No dejes que tu dolor te impida poner tu fe en mí. ¡Ven, toca las marcas de los clavos y mi costado abierto y sabrás que soy yo, vivo incluso después de la muerte!” Tomás, al encontrarse cara a cara con el hombre que estaba muerto, pero que ahora vive, confiesa la verdad que su corazón seguramente sabía desde el principio: “¡Señor mío y Dios mío!” ///

         Ésta, hermanos míos, es la naturaleza ilimitada de la misericordia de Dios: no sólo que nos perdone nuestros pecados, sino que se acerque a nosotros, sin permitirnos nunca alejarnos de él, sino persiguiéndonos porque él desea tanto que nos reconciliemos con él. Quiero decir, ¿crees que fue un accidente que Jesús se apareciera a los discípulos cuando Tomás no estaba con ellos el Domingo de Pascua? ¡Por supuesto que no! Al hacerlo, Jesús quiso demostrarnos que, incluso en nuestras dudas, no nos abandonaría. Así, permite que Tomás se pierda su primera aparición para poder mostrarnos a todos que la duda (¡aunque sea significativa!) no es suficiente para asustarlo u ofenderlo. [REPETIR] Más bien, él viene a nosotros una y otra vez… y otra vez, si es necesario, hasta que permitamos que su tierna mirada caiga sobre nosotros y así confesemos nuestra fe en él.

         Estoy seguro de que cada uno de nosotros ha experimentado los tipos de ansiedades, frustraciones y dudas que experimentó Tomás cuando vio a su Señor sufrir y morir. Sospecho que es seguro decir que, en algún momento de nuestras vidas, cada uno de nosotros, como Tomás, nos hemos resistido a creer que Dios realmente ha superado lo que parecía ser nuestra derrota. Lo que esta lectura del Evangelio de hoy hace por nosotros, y lo que nuestra conmemoración de la Divina Misericordia hace hoy por nosotros, es recordarnos que Dios nunca nos abandona en nuestras ansiedades, frustraciones y dudas, sino que regresa a nosotros, siempre dispuesto a encontrarnos, con las manos expuestas y diciendo: “La paz esté con ustedes”. Es paz lo que él nos ofrece: la paz de creer que la bondad de Dios nunca puede agotarse y que ninguna oscuridad en el mundo podrá apagar su luz: la misma luz que atravesó las tinieblas de la muerte para que podamos experimentar la vida eterna.

         Cada vez que venimos a Misa y nos acercamos a la Sagrada Comunión, nos encontramos cara a cara una vez más con la misericordia de Dios. Hoy, en el día en que celebramos particularmente la Divina Misericordia, abramos nuestro corazón para permitir que las palabras de Jesús vuelvan a nuestras vidas: “La paz esté con ustedes”. Y luego, mientras nuestro “Amén” proclama las palabras de Santo Tomás: “¡Señor mío y Dios mío!”, pronunciemos también las palabras que Jesús enseñó a decir a Santa María Faustina cuando se encontraba cara a cara con su misericordia: “Jesús, en ti confío”. Con estas palabras en nuestros corazones, estaremos listos para dar un paso adelante de esta Misa para ser el rostro de la misericordia de Dios para quienes nos rodean; para que juntos proclamemos la verdad más importante de todas: que Jesús, el Hijo de Dios, el crucificado, está vivo… ¡que verdaderamente ha resucitado!

Dado en la parroquia de San Jose: Rochester, IN – 7 de abril, 2024

Embracing the Divine Mercy

 Homily: 2^nd Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday) – Cycle B

         On April 30^th of the year 2000, two important things happened that have directly affected our celebration today.  (Perhaps many of you know what these things are, but we’ll review them here, just to be sure.)  First, Pope John Paul II canonized Sr. Maria Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun who was blessed to have received revelations from Jesus asking her to spread devotion to Divine Mercy.  Second, Pope John Paul II declared that the second Sunday of Easter would be known from now on as “Divine Mercy Sunday”.  The first was important as an authentication of the revelations made to Sr. Faustina, thus making it possible to promote devotion to Divine Mercy throughout the whole world.  The second was important as it fulfilled one of the requests that Jesus made to Sr. Faustina: that is, that the entire Church reserve the second Sunday of Easter to honor and commemorate God’s infinite mercy.  And so, today, it is appropriate that we spend some time in this Mass reflecting on God’s mercy.

         In the Scriptures, we see God’s mercy on display.  In the Gospel, we rewind back to the day of the Resurrection, where the disciples of Jesus had gathered together and did not yet know of Jesus’ resurrection.  The risen Jesus then appears before them, even though the doors to the place were locked—which was a display of great and fearful power—and what does he say to them?  Does he say, “How could you?  You all abandoned me in my hour of need!  Then, you huddle away in fear as if I never told you that this is how it had to be!  It’s like you weren’t even listening!”  No, he doesn’t say that, does he?  What does he say?  He says, “Peace be with you” and he makes himself available to them: showing them his hands and his side so that they will know it’s him in the flesh and not a ghost.  He didn’t chastise them; rather, he had mercy on them, even though they had abandoned him.

         Not only that, but Jesus’ next move is to give them a commission to go and share this joyful message with others.  Notice that this commission, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you”, has no limits on it.  Thus Jesus is extending his mercy even to those who put him to death as he sends his disciples to proclaim that he is risen and that redemption can be enjoyed by all who put their faith in him.

         To be sure that there is no doubt about whether or not a person has received God’s mercy, Jesus does something even more incredible: he gives his disciples the authority to forgive sins.  Therefore, whenever they encounter anyone, they don’t have to rely on a vague conviction (“God is merciful, and so I’m sure that God forgives you”), but rather they can boldly proclaim: “I know that God forgives you, because I have been given the authority to proclaim his forgiveness, and I proclaim it”.  This, of course, is the institution of the Sacrament of Reconciliation: the sacrament of God’s mercy extended to sinners.

         Then, in spite of all of this heightened drama, there comes a moment of even greater drama in today’s reading, doesn’t there?  Thomas, one of Jesus’ twelve closest disciples, wasn’t with them when Jesus appeared to them on that first Easter evening.  When he returns to them and they tell him that they had seen Jesus alive, Thomas denies it.  (Can you imagine it?  Thomas hearing the account of Jesus’ appearance and saying, “No! I don’t believe it! You’re lying and being hurtful to me!”)  He is so hurt by the seeming defeat of Jesus—the one who he thought would be his new king—that he will not accept the testimony of others, but rather instead insists on a face-to-face reconciliation with him.

         For a whole week Thomas broods over the fact that Jesus allegedly appeared to the other disciples without him being present until the following Sunday when, present this time with the other disciples, Thomas, too, sees the risen Lord.  Again, mercifully, Jesus does not condemn Thomas, but rather he invites him close.  In a way, Jesus is saying to him, “Do not let your hurt get in the way of placing your faith in me.  Come, touch the nail marks and my open side and know that it is me, alive even after death!”  Thomas, having come face to face with the man who was dead, but now lives, confesses the truth that his heart surely knew all along: “My Lord and my God!” ///

         This, my brothers and sisters, is the unbounded nature of God’s mercy: not just that he would forgive us our sins, but rather that he would come close to us, never allowing us to stay far from him, but rather pursuing us because he desires so much that we would be reconciled to him.  I mean, do you think that it was an accident that Jesus appeared to the disciples when Thomas wasn’t with them on Easter Sunday?  Of course not!  In doing so, Jesus wanted to prove to us that, even in our doubt, he would not abandon us.  Thus, he allows Thomas to miss his first appearance so that he might show us all that doubt—even if it is significant!—is not enough to scare him away or offend him. [REPEAT] Rather, he comes to us again… and again… and again, if necessary, until we allow his tender gaze to fall upon us and so confess our faith in him.

         Each of us, I’m sure, has experienced the kinds of anxieties, frustrations, and doubts that Thomas experienced when he watched his Lord suffer and die.  I suspect that it is safe to say that, at some point in our lives, each of us, like Thomas, has resisted believing that God really has overcome what seemed to be our defeat.  What this Gospel reading today does for us—and what our commemoration of Divine Mercy today does for us—is remind us that God never abandons us in our anxieties, frustrations, and doubts, but that he comes back to us, ever ready to meet us, hands exposed and saying “Peace be with you.”  It is peace that he offers us: the peace of believing that God’s goodness can never be exhausted and that no darkness in the world can ever extinguish his light: the very light that broke through the darkness of death so that we might experience eternal life.

         Every time that we come to Mass and we approach Holy Communion, we come face-to-face once again with God’s mercy.  Today, on the day in which we particularly celebrate the Divine Mercy, let’s open our hearts to allow Jesus’ words to be spoken into our lives once again: “Peace be with you.”  And then, as our “Amen” proclaims the words of St. Thomas—“My Lord and my God!”—let us also speak the words that Jesus taught St. Maria Faustina to say when she was face-to-face with his mercy: “Jesus, I trust in you.”  With these words in our hearts, we will then be ready to step forward from this Mass to be the face of God’s mercy to those around us; so that, together, we might proclaim the most important truth of them all: that Jesus, the Son of God, the crucified one, is alive… that he is truly risen!

Given at St. Joan of Arc Parish: Kokomo, IN – April 6^th, 2024

Given at the Monastery of the Poor Clares: Kokomo, IN – April 7^th, 2024

The resurrection through suffering

 Homily: Easter Sunday – Cycle B

         Friends, if you couldn’t tell by the way the church is decorated, by the vestments that I am wearing or by the festive music that we are singing, today is a great day of rejoicing.  Christ the Lord is risen from the dead; and for this we rejoice!  Yet, there is a great truth, hidden beneath the surface of this reason for our celebration, that should add depth of joy to our celebration, and it is this: that the way to the resurrection is through suffering.

         Most of us, perhaps, live relatively comfortable lives.  Nevertheless, if we’ve lived long enough, we realize that even those comforts that we enjoy haven’t kept suffering completely out of our lives.  Rather, we have all experienced suffering in some way.  We’ve lost loved ones through death and we’ve watched loved ones suffer; we’ve been hurt by those closest to us; we’ve lost jobs and, perhaps, material goods through natural disasters or through the malice of other people.  In these and countless other ways, suffering has touched each of our lives.

         Suffering, for many people, is a thing of despair; and if we think about it even for a little bit, we can see why.  We instinctively know that our life spans are limited; and so if suffering becomes too great a part of it, we begin to despair that there is any hope of enjoying this life that we have been given.  For those for whom daily suffering is intense, this lack of hope can be stifling: leading them to isolate themselves from the world and, in some cases, to contemplate ending their own lives.

         This is why today’s celebration—the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead—is such good news: because not only has Jesus redeemed us from the punishment due to sin, but he has opened for us a life beyond suffering: one into which we enter precisely through suffering.  Yes, Jesus’ resurrection is a thing of wonder and awe; but it would be much different if he had lived a comfortable and full life and died at a ripe-old age of natural causes, wouldn’t it?  We’d certainly be overjoyed to see him again, but would it truly be the victory we’d hoped for?  No, Jesus’ resurrection holds such great power because it comes precisely after he suffered horrendously: that he, the only truly innocent man ever to live, suffered the full brunt of evil that the world could produce and defeated it by rising from the dead.  In doing so, he demonstrates for us that suffering in this world is not meaningless; but rather that, when it is accepted and endured in innocence of heart, for the love of God and our neighbor, it will speed us along the path that leads to the life beyond suffering that Jesus has opened for us.

         My friends, we do not proclaim an easy salvation.  Rather, we proclaim a salvation won for us through suffering: a salvation in which we participate through suffering.  And this, as I’ve said, is the great truth hidden beneath the surface of today’s celebration: that if we embrace the sufferings that come to us in this life—the daily sufferings that we experience because of our sins, those we suffer simply because this world is broken, and most especially the sufferings that come to us precisely because we are disciples of Jesus—then we are uniting ourselves more perfectly to Christ in his suffering.  And when we are united to Christ in his suffering, then we will also be united to him in the fruits of his suffering: the new life beyond suffering that he has opened for us.

         This is why we have taken on voluntary suffering for the last forty days: to remind us that suffering in this world is not to be avoided at all costs, but rather that, when embraced for love of God and our neighbor, suffering unites us more perfectly to Christ and, thus, prepares us to experience the resurrection with him.  If you have spent these forty days well, then by all means celebrate in praise and thanksgiving for the grace of God that has worked within you.  And if you haven’t spent these days well, then you, too, should rejoice: because the fruits of the resurrection of Christ are not just for those who can claim “victory” at the end of these forty days, but rather it is for everyone who still struggles to live the life that God has called them to live.  For these I say, “God is on your side!  Continue to struggle and you will find grace to overcome.  Your faith will be evident in the struggle, and by faith the life beyond suffering which Christ has opened for us will be yours!”

         This truth couldn’t be more evident to us than here in this Mass: in which we offer back to God the perfect sacrifice of his Son in thanksgiving for the salvation that his suffering won for us.  Therefore, let us put our whole hearts into this offering: for Christ is risen and we have life in him.

Given in at St. Joseph Parish: Rochester, IN – March 31^st, 2024

La resurreccion a traves del sufrimiento

 Homilía: Domingo de Pascua – Ciclo B

         Hermanos, si no se dieron cuenta por la forma en que está decorada la iglesia, por las vestiduras que llevo o por la música festiva que cantamos, hoy es un gran día de alegría. Cristo el Señor ha resucitado de entre los muertos; ¡Y por esto nos regocijamos! Sin embargo, hay una gran verdad, escondida bajo la superficie de este motivo de nuestra celebración, que debería añadir profundidad de alegría a nuestra celebración, y es ésta: que el camino a la resurrección es a través del sufrimiento.

         La mayoría de nosotros, quizás, llevamos una vida relativamente cómoda. Sin embargo, si hemos vivido lo suficiente, nos damos cuenta de que ni siquiera las comodidades que disfrutamos han eliminado completamente el sufrimiento de nuestras vidas. Más bien, todos hemos experimentado sufrimiento de alguna manera. Hemos perdido a seres queridos a causa de la muerte y los hemos visto sufrir; hemos sido heridos por aquellos más cercanos a nosotros; Hemos perdido empleos y, tal vez, bienes materiales debido a desastres naturales o por la malicia de otras personas. De éstas y de muchas otras maneras, el sufrimiento ha afectado a cada una de nuestras vidas.

         El sufrimiento, para muchas personas, es una cuestión de desesperación; y si lo pensamos, aunque sea un poco, podemos ver por qué. Instintivamente sabemos que nuestra esperanza de vida es limitada; y así, si el sufrimiento se convierte en una parte demasiado grande de él, comenzamos a desesperarnos de que haya alguna esperanza de disfrutar esta vida que se nos ha dado. Para aquellos para quienes el sufrimiento diario es intenso, esta falta de esperanza puede resultar asfixiante: llevarlos a aislarse del mundo y, en algunos casos, a contemplar la posibilidad de poner fin a sus propias vidas.

         Por eso la celebración de hoy—la resurrección de Jesucristo de entre los muertos—es tan buena noticia: porque Jesús no sólo nos ha redimido del castigo debido al pecado, sino que nos ha abierto una vida más allá del sufrimiento: una en la que entramos precisamente a través del sufrimiento. Sí, la resurrección de Jesús es motivo de asombro; pero sería muy diferente si hubiera vivido una vida cómoda y plena y hubiera muerto a una edad avanzada por causas naturales, ¿no? Ciertamente estaríamos encantados de volver a verlo, pero ¿sería realmente la victoria que esperábamos? No, la resurrección de Jesús tiene un poder tan grande porque se produce precisamente después de que sufrió horriblemente: que él, el único hombre verdaderamente inocente que jamás haya vivido, sufrió todo el peso del mal que el mundo podía producir y lo derrotó al resucitar de entre los muertos. Al hacerlo, nos demuestra que el sufrimiento en este mundo no carece de sentido; sino que, cuando es aceptado y soportado con inocencia de corazón, por amor a Dios y al prójimo, nos acelerará por el camino que conduce a la vida más allá del sufrimiento que Jesús nos ha abierto.

         Hermanos míos, no proclamamos una salvación fácil. Más bien, proclamamos una salvación ganada para nosotros a través del sufrimiento: una salvación en la que participamos a través del sufrimiento. Y ésta, como he dicho, es la gran verdad escondida bajo la superficie de la celebración de hoy: que si aceptamos los sufrimientos que nos sobrevienen en esta vida—los sufrimientos diarios que experimentamos a causa de nuestros pecados, aquellos que sufrimos simplemente porque este mundo está quebrantado, y muy especialmente los sufrimientos que nos sobrevienen precisamente porque somos discípulos de Jesús—entonces nos estamos uniendo más perfectamente a Cristo en su sufrimiento. Y cuando estemos unidos a Cristo en su sufrimiento, entonces también estaremos unidos a él en los frutos de su sufrimiento: la vida nueva más allá del sufrimiento que él nos ha abierto.

         Por eso hemos asumido el sufrimiento voluntario durante los últimos cuarenta días: para recordarnos que el sufrimiento en este mundo no se debe evitar a toda costa, sino que, abrazado por amor a Dios y al prójimo, el sufrimiento nos une más perfectamente a Cristo y, así, nos prepara para vivir la resurrección con él. Si han pasado bien estos cuarenta días, entonces por todos los medios celebran en alabanza y acción de gracias por la gracia de Dios que ha obrado en ustedes. Y si no han pasado bien estos días, entonces también ustedes deben alegrarse: porque los frutos de la resurrección de Cristo no son sólo para aquellos que pueden cantar “victoria” al final de estos cuarenta días, sino que son para todos los que aún luchan por vivir la vida que Dios los ha llamado a vivir. A estos les digo: “¡Dios está de tu lado! Continúa luchando y encontrarás la gracia para vencer. ¡Tu fe será evidente en la lucha, y por la fe será tuya la vida más allá del sufrimiento que Cristo nos ha abierto!

         Esta verdad no podría ser más evidente para nosotros que aquí en esta Misa: en la que ofrecemos a Dios el sacrificio perfecto de su Hijo en acción de gracias por la salvación que su sufrimiento nos ganó. Por tanto, pongamos todo nuestro corazón en esta ofrenda: porque Cristo ha resucitado y tenemos vida en él.

Dado en la parroquia de San Jose: Rochester, IN – 31 de marzo, 2024

La pasión de Jesús está siempre con nosotros.

 Homilía: Domingo de Ramos de la pasión del Señor – Ciclo B

Hermanos, como hemos escuchado nuevamente la narrativa de la Pasión del Señor, nos enfrentamos a la pregunta: ¿Cómo podría la gente que aclamaba a Jesús como rey el Domingo de Ramos, luego condenarlo a una muerte violenta el viernes? No intentaré responder esa pregunta por completo, pero creo que hay dos formas en las que podemos reflexionar de manera fructífera sobre esta pregunta.

La primera forma es reconocer que la capacidad de volverse radicalmente contra nuestro Señor es algo que todos poseemos. ¿No piense? Solo mire a los discípulos más cercanos de Jesús en la narrativa que acabamos de leer. Como predijo Jesús, cada uno de ellos lo abandonó cuando fue arrestado. Pedro incluso lo negó completamente. Ninguno de ellos fue tan lejos como condenarlo, por supuesto, pero el hecho de que los amigos más cercanos de Jesús eligieron abandonarlo en lugar de venir en su defensa debería ser una señal para cada uno de nosotros de que la capacidad de pasar de “seguidor” a "perseguidor" existe en cada uno de nosotros. En verdad, este es el trabajo que hemos estado haciendo durante la Cuaresma: examinarnos para identificar las formas en las que todavía nos alejamos de Jesús, para arrepentirnos y renovarnos en su amistad.

La segunda forma de reflexionar sobre esta cuestión es reconocer que en esta situación no estamos hablando de las mismas personas en cada instancia. Más bien, estamos hablando de dos grupos de personas: los que aclamaban a Jesús y los que lo condenaban. Los primeros son los que aclamaron a Jesús como rey en su entrada triunfal a Jerusalén, mientras que el segundo resintió sus aclamaciones y más tarde esa semana se unió a la conspiración para condenar a Jesús. Cuando esto sucedió, el primer grupo se quedó atónito, sin saber qué hacer. ¿No suena esto mucho más a nuestra vida actual? En casi cualquier tema, hay personas que apoyan y defienden un bando en particular, así como personas que lo rechazan y se resisten. Aquí en los Estados Unidos, los demócratas y republicanos de nuestro gobierno nos enseñan esto a diario.

Creo que esta segunda vía es importante porque nos recuerda que, en este mundo, siempre habrá, en mayor y menor grado, quienes aclamaran a Jesús como rey y quienes lo condenarían a muerte de nuevo. Es importante recordar esto porque nos recuerda que nuestro trabajo de evangelización nunca termina. Siempre debemos dar testimonio de lo que creemos e invitar a quienes nos rodean a reconocer a Jesús como su rey también. Esto ha causado y causará siempre sufrimiento a los discípulos de Jesús. Por eso Jesús mismo sufrió: para modelarnos el vaciamiento que se exigiría a los que quisieran ser ciudadanos de su reino.

Así, cada año recordamos solemnemente la pasión de Jesús. Hacemos esto para que vuelva a estar presente para nosotros. Como todos los grandes misterios de nuestra salvación, la pasión de Jesús no es algo que sucedió en el pasado y terminó. Más bien, es algo que está sucediendo continuamente en su Cuerpo, la Iglesia. Por eso, entramos en su pasión esta semana para recordar que la pasión de Cristo entra en nuestras pasiones, donde y cuando las suframos. En otras palabras, el recuerdo solemne de la pasión de Jesús nos recuerda que, en nuestros sufrimientos, el sufrimiento de Jesús está con nosotros para recordarnos que, así como el Padre glorificó a Jesús por su obediencia, también seremos glorificados cada uno de nosotros después de los sufrimientos que sufrimos por ser sus discípulos. Quizás más claramente: la pasión de Jesús nos recuerda que Dios no nos ha prometido una vida sin sufrimiento, sino que nos ha prometido una vida exaltada después del sufrimiento.

Hermanos, esta gran semana se trata de hacer presente nuevamente los misterios de nuestra salvación y esto debe llevarnos a la alabanza gozosa. También debería llevarnos a estar tan inmersos en la pasión de Cristo que seamos fortalecidos para soportar los sufrimientos de nuestra propia vida con la esperanza de la vida exaltada por venir. Y así, esta semana, esforcémonos por ver en nuestros sufrimientos los sufrimientos de Cristo y, así, decidamos unirnos a él en su pasión (que siempre está con nosotros); para que, el domingo de Pascua, podamos alegrarnos de conocer la gloria a la que nos conducen nuestros sufrimientos: la gloria de la nueva vida que hemos recibido en Jesucristo—la gloria que nos encontramos con aquí, en esta Eucaristía.

Dado en la parroquia de San Jose: Rochester, IN – 24 de marzo, 2024

The Passion of Jesus is always with us

 Homily: Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion – Cycle B

         Friends, as we have heard again the reading of the Passion of the Lord, we are confronted again with the question: How could the people who acclaimed Jesus as king on Palm Sunday, then condemn him to a violent death on Friday?  I won’t attempt to answer that question completely, but I do think that there are two ways that we can reflect fruitfully on this question.

         The first way is to recognize that the capacity to turn radically against our Lord is something that each of us possesses.  Think not?  Just look at Jesus’ closest disciples in the narrative that we just read.  As Jesus predicted, each of them abandoned him when he was arrested.  Peter even denied him outright.  They did not go so far as to condemn him, of course, but the fact that Jesus’ closest friends chose to abandon him rather than come to his defense should be a sign to each of us that the capacity to turn from “follower” to “persecutor” exists in each of us.  Truly, this is the work that we have been doing during Lent: examining ourselves to identify the ways in which we still turn from Jesus so as to repent and be renewed in his friendship.

         The second way to reflect on this question is to recognize that in this situation we are not talking about the same people in each instance.  Rather, we are talking about two groups of people: those who acclaimed Jesus and those who condemned him.  The first are those who acclaimed Jesus as king in his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, while the second resented their acclamations and later that week joined the conspiracy to condemn Jesus.  When this happened, the first group stood by stunned, not knowing what to do.  Doesn’t this sound much more like our life today?  On almost any issue, there are people who support and champion a particular side as well as people who reject and resist it.  Here in the United States, the Democrats and Republicans in our government model this for us daily.

         I believe that this second way is important because it reminds us that, in this world, there will always be, to greater and lesser degrees, those who acclaim Jesus as king and those who would condemn him to death all over again.  It is important to remember this because it reminds us that our work of evangelization is never over.  We must always give witness to what we believe and invite those around us to recognize Jesus as their king, too.  This has caused and will always cause suffering for Jesus’ disciples, which is why Jesus himself suffered: to model for us the self-emptying that would be demanded of those who would be citizens of his kingdom.

         Thus, each year we solemnly recall Jesus’ passion.  We do this so as to make it present again to us.  Like all of the great mysteries of our salvation, Jesus’ passion is not something that happened in the past and has ended.  Rather, it is something that is continually happening in his Body, the Church.  Therefore, we enter into his passion this week in order to be reminded that Christ’s passion enters into our passions, wherever and whenever we suffer them.  In other words, the solemn remembrance of Jesus’ passion reminds us that, in our sufferings, Jesus’ suffering is there with us so as to remind us that, as the Father glorified Jesus for his obedience, so too will each of us be glorified after the sufferings that we endure for being his disciples.  Perhaps more plainly: Jesus’ passion reminds us that God has not promised us a life without suffering, but rather that he has promised us an exalted life after suffering.

         Friends, this great week is about making present again the mysteries of our salvation and this should lead us to joyful praise!  It should also lead us to be so fully immersed in Christ's passion that we are strengthened to bear the sufferings of our own lives with hope of the exalted life to come.  And so, this week, let us strive to see in our sufferings the sufferings of Christ and, thus, decide to unite ourselves to him in his passion (which is always with us); so that, on Easter Sunday, we may rejoice to know the glory to which our sufferings are leading us: the glory of the new life we have received in Jesus—the glory that we encounter now, here in this Eucharist.

Given in Spanish at St. Joseph Parish: Rochester, IN – March 24^th, 2024