Month: April 2024

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you… Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.”

Jesus gives us the peace that only He can give: a peace that can remain steadfast through every difficulty and confusion and apparent setback; a peace that can anchor our hearts in the midst of the storms of life, and even keep us in persevering calm against the “ruler of the world.” Because that enemy has no power over Christ, and Christ is with us.

It is this oneness with Christ that allowed Paul to remain steadfast and to keep preaching even after he was stoned and left for dead. Hardships could not make him recoil from his mission, and in fact they seemed to have spurred him on to work even harder and travel farther! He understood this principle in Christ – that love for the Father moved His Heart to fulfill His mission in spite of the suffering it demands, and His Heart remained at peace in the certainty of the Father’s love, even through the anguish He had to endure.

We might sometimes be tempted to misunderstand the nature of the sufferings of Christ as if He were “hovering above” the suffering due to His divine nature; but He suffered more than any of us ever will or could. We may think this about the saints as well, as if their holiness exempted them from feeling the fullness of their martyrdom. But their suffering is true suffering. If it is sweetened, it is by the love that makes them willing to do anything for the Beloved.

Like a mother who will forgo sleep and food and comfort for the sake of her suffering child, more aware of the child’s need than her own, Paul and every other holy one has their heart focused on the good of others and their love for God, no matter the cost. Their desire to do the will of God drives them beyond their comfort zone, beyond their own resources and limitations, beyond their own ideas and agenda, to great (and sometimes hidden) things for the Kingdom. This is how they magnify the Lord with their lives: “Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.”

As fellow Kingdom-dwellers, we follow in Jesus’ footsteps toward the Father, but often in ways that we could not have anticipated, and perhaps would not have chosen. But our love for Christ and desire to obey the Father like Him, should drive us beyond our own expectations and calculations without being troubled or fearful. Like Jesus, we can pour ourselves out for love, in trust, without counting the cost, because His Heart keeps our hearts in peace.

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“La paz les dejo, mi paz les doy… No pierdan la paz ni se acobarden.”

Jesús nos da la paz que sólo Él puede dar: una paz que puede permanecer firme a través de cada dificultad, confusión y aparente paso para atrás; una paz que puede anclar nuestros corazones en medio de las tormentas de la vida, e incluso mantenernos en una calma perseverante contra el “príncipe de este mundo”. Porque ese enemigo no tiene poder sobre Cristo, y Cristo está con nosotros.

Es esta unidad con Cristo la que le permitió a Pablo permanecer firme y seguir predicando incluso después de haber sido apedreado y dado por muerto. Las dificultades no pudieron hacerle retroceder ante su misión y, de hecho, ¡parecían haberlo estimulado a trabajar aún más duro y viajar más lejos! Entendió este principio en Cristo: que el amor al Padre conmovió Su Corazón a cumplir Su misión a pesar del sufrimiento que exige, y Su Corazón permaneció en paz en la certeza del amor del Padre, incluso a través de la angustia que tuvo que soportar.

A veces podríamos sentirnos tentados a malinterpretar la naturaleza de los sufrimientos de Cristo, como si Él estuviera “flotando por encima” del sufrimiento debido a Su naturaleza divina; pero sufrió más de lo que cualquiera de nosotros sufrirá o podría sufrir. Podemos pensar lo mismo también de los santos, como si su santidad los eximiera de sentir la plenitud de su martirio. Pero su sufrimiento es verdadero sufrimiento. Si se endulza es por el amor que los hace dispuestos a todo por el Amado.

Como una madre que renuncia al sueño, al alimento y al consuelo por el bien de su hijo que sufre, más consciente de las necesidades del niño que de las suyas, Pablo y todos los santos tienen el corazón centrado en el bien de los demás y en el amor a Dios sin importar el costo. Su deseo de hacer la voluntad de Dios los lleva más allá de su zona de confort, más allá de sus propios recursos y limitaciones, más allá de sus propias ideas y agenda, hacia cosas grandes (y a veces ocultas) para el Reino. Así engrandecen al Señor con su vida: “Que muestren a los hombres tus proezas, el esplendor y la gloria de tu reino.”

Como compañeros habitantes del Reino, seguimos los pasos de Jesús hacia el Padre, pero a menudo de maneras que no podríamos haber anticipado y tal vez no hubiéramos elegido. Pero el amor por Cristo y el deseo de obedecer al Padre como Él deben llevarnos más allá de las propias expectativas y cálculos sin sentirnos preocupados ni temerosos. Como Jesús, podemos entregarnos al amor, en confianza, sin contar el costo, porque Su Corazón mantiene nuestros corazones en paz.

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Today is the feast day of St. Catherine of Siena, Doctor of the Church. Throughout her life, St. Catherine was a prolific writer. She composed many prayers, including the following to the Holy Spirit:

Holy Spirit, come into my heart; draw it to Thee by Thy power, O my God, and grant me charity with filial fear. Preserve me, O beautiful love, from every evil thought; warm me, inflame me with Thy dear love, and every pain will seem light to me. My Father, my sweet Lord, help me in all my actions.

In St. Catherine’s prayer I hear an echo, a response to today’s Gospel where Jesus promises to send an Advocate to His disciples. Jesus says, “I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name – he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you” (John 14:25-26). 

The Holy Spirit is with us always. We received the Holy Spirit at our baptism and each day, each moment, He is working within us. Those sparks of ideas for generosity, patience, outreach, love, compassion and mercy come from the Holy Spirit. The Catechism states: “By this power of the Spirit, God’s children can bear much fruit. He who has grafted us onto the true vine will make us bear “the fruit of the Spirit: . . . love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” “We live by the Spirit”; the more we renounce ourselves, the more we “walk by the Spirit” (CCC #736).

St. Catherine understood this deeply. She lived during the 1300’s. While her mother greatly desired her to marry, Catherine knew her calling from a young age. She even cut her hair to make her less attractive so she could devote her life totally to God. One would assume the next phase of her life included heading to a convent. Not Catherine. Her complete surrender to Jesus, which led her to a deep understanding of the Holy Spirit’s guidance, kept her at home. She remained a lay woman her whole life, but dedicated herself in service to the poor and the Church through the Dominican Third Order. 

St. Catherine shows us that everyone, religious and lay alike, are called to holiness. Each one of us has received the Spirit within us. When we follow the Holy Spirit, we will always be drawn deeper into the mystery of the Trinity, the mystery of our ever loving God.

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The beauty of this Easter season is that the Word became flesh, died for our sins, conquered death, and gives us access to the Father. Each of these remarkable events point to the fact that our faith is real, tangible, even corporeal. Though we all have a personal relationship with God in the very depths of our hearts, as human beings, we are meant to share our hearts with the world. In other words, we should not be keeping our faith in our hearts, but bringing it to the world. 

The second reading for today reminds us of this fact when it says, “Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.” It seems that it is not enough to simply think about or talk about God, but our interior faith must be reflected by deeds. 

The second reading seems to be telling us that a private faith is not enough. Our actions should flow from the faith we have that we have been made in the image and likeness of God. Sometimes we can think because faith is so personal, it does not need to be shared. I know I have had the mindset at times that as long as I am in good relationship with God I am doing just fine. But the Gospel implores us to share. Jesus commands the disciples to go to the ends of the earth to preach the Gospel. 

We might take the approach that we can be an example and hope that people will see the way we live and make the connection to our Christian faith, but at some point we are called to act in love. Jesus wants us to talk about him, to serve, to forgive, to feed the poor. After all, he died not only so we could personally believe, but so that all men could be saved and come to knowledge of the truth. 

This Easter season is a perfect time to reflect on the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. Maybe hang a list of them somewhere so they will be a constant reminder to act. Faith is the supernatural virtue where we come to believe, but this belief is so profound and tangible that it can’t help but be shared. Let’s take a word from the end of every Mass, go in peace to love and SERVE the Lord. 

From all of us here at Diocesan, God bless!

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La belleza de esta temporada de Pascua es que el Verbo se hizo carne, murió por nuestros pecados, venció la muerte y nos da acceso al Padre. Cada uno de estos acontecimientos notables señala el hecho de que nuestra fe es real, tangible e incluso corpórea. Aunque todos tenemos una relación personal con Dios en lo más profundo de nuestro corazón, como seres humanos, debemos compartir nuestro corazón con el mundo. En otras palabras, no deberíamos mantener la fe dentro del corazón nada más, sino llevarla al mundo.

La segunda lectura de hoy nos recuerda de este hecho cuando dice: “Hijos míos: No amemos solamente de palabra, amemos de verdad y con las obras.” Parece que no basta simplemente pensar en Dios y hablar de Él, sino que la fe interior debe reflejarse en los hechos.

La segunda lectura parece decirnos que una fe privada no es suficiente. Las acciones deben surgir de la fe que tenemos de que hemos sido hechos a imagen y semejanza de Dios. A veces podemos pensar que la fe es tan personal que no necesita ser compartida. Sé que a veces he tenido la mentalidad de que mientras tenga una buena relación con Dios, me irá bien. Pero el Evangelio nos implora que compartamos. Jesús ordena a los discípulos que vayan hasta los confines de la tierra a predicar el Evangelio.

Podríamos adoptar el enfoque de que podemos ser un ejemplo y esperar que la gente vea la forma en que vivimos y establezcamos una conexión con nuestra fe cristiana, pero en algún momento somos llamados a actuar con amor. Jesús quiere que hablemos de él, que sirvamos, que perdonemos, que alimentemos a los pobres. Después de todo, él murió no sólo para que pudiéramos creer personalmente, sino para que todos los hombres pudieran salvarse y llegar al conocimiento de la verdad.

Este tiempo pascual es un momento perfecto para reflexionar sobre las obras de misericordia espirituales y corporales. Tal vez puedes colgar una lista de ellos en algún lugar para que sean un recordatorio constante de que debes actuar. La fe es la virtud sobrenatural en la que llegamos a creer, pero esta creencia es tan profunda y tangible que no podemos evitar compartirla. Tomando parte de la despedida en cada Misa, vayamos en paz a amar para SERVIR al Señor.

De parte de todos nosotros aquí en Diocesano, ¡Dios los bendiga!

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