Bishop and missionary, also listed as Robert of Hrodbert. A member of a noble Frankish family, he was appointed bishop of Worms, Germany, and then dedicated himself to spreading the faith among the Germans. With the patronage of Duke Thedo of Bavaria, he took over the deserted town of luvavum about 697, which was renamed Salzburg, Austria. Rupert founded a church, a monastery, and a school; brought in groups of missionaries; and established a nunnery at Nonnberg with his sister, Eerentrudis, …
Author: WebDept ParishAdmin
Prayer for a Sick Person # 4: Prayer of the Day for Monday, March 27, 2023
Dear Jesus,
Divine Physician and Healer of the Sick,
we turn to You in this time of illness.
O dearest Comforter of the Troubled,
alleviate our worry and sorrow with Your gentle love,
and grant us the grace and strength to accept this burden.
Dear God,
we place our worries in Your hands.
We ask that You restore Your servant to health again.
Above all,
grant us the grace to acknowledge Your holy will
and know that whatsoever You do,
You do for the love of us.
Amen.
Fifth Sunday of Lent
Reading I Ez 37:12-14
Thus says the Lord GOD:
O my people, I will open your graves
and have you rise from them,
and bring you back to the land of Israel.
Then you shall know that I am the LORD,
when I open your graves and have you rise from them,
O my people!
I will put my spirit in you that you may live,
and I will settle you upon your land;
thus you shall know that I am the LORD.
I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD.
Responsorial Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
R. (7) With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.
R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
LORD, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.
R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
I trust in the LORD;
my soul trusts in his word.
More than sentinels wait for the dawn,
let Israel wait for the LORD.
R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
For with the LORD is kindness
and with him is plenteous redemption;
And he will redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.
R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
Reading II Rom 8:8-11
Brothers and sisters:
Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
But you are not in the flesh;
on the contrary, you are in the spirit,
if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.
Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
But if Christ is in you,
although the body is dead because of sin,
the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
the one who raised Christ from the dead
will give life to your mortal bodies also,
through his Spirit dwelling in you.
Verse Before the Gospel Jn 11:25a, 26
I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord;
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will never die.
Gospel Jn 11:1-45
Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany,
the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil
and dried his feet with her hair;
it was her brother Lazarus who was ill.
So the sisters sent word to him saying,
“Master, the one you love is ill.”
When Jesus heard this he said,
“This illness is not to end in death,
but is for the glory of God,
that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
So when he heard that he was ill,
he remained for two days in the place where he was.
Then after this he said to his disciples,
“Let us go back to Judea.”
The disciples said to him,
“Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you,
and you want to go back there?”
Jesus answered,
“Are there not twelve hours in a day?
If one walks during the day, he does not stumble,
because he sees the light of this world.
But if one walks at night, he stumbles,
because the light is not in him.”
He said this, and then told them,
“Our friend Lazarus is asleep,
but I am going to awaken him.”
So the disciples said to him,
“Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved.”
But Jesus was talking about his death,
while they thought that he meant ordinary sleep.
So then Jesus said to them clearly,
“Lazarus has died.
And I am glad for you that I was not there,
that you may believe.
Let us go to him.”
So Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples,
“Let us also go to die with him.”
When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus
had already been in the tomb for four days.
Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away.
And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary
to comfort them about their brother.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming,
she went to meet him;
but Mary sat at home.
Martha said to Jesus,
“Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.
But even now I know that whatever you ask of God,
God will give you.”
Jesus said to her,
“Your brother will rise.”
Martha said to him,
“I know he will rise,
in the resurrection on the last day.”
Jesus told her,
“I am the resurrection and the life;
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,
and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?”
She said to him, “Yes, Lord.
I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,
the one who is coming into the world.”
When she had said this,
she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying,
“The teacher is here and is asking for you.”
As soon as she heard this,
she rose quickly and went to him.
For Jesus had not yet come into the village,
but was still where Martha had met him.
So when the Jews who were with her in the house comforting her
saw Mary get up quickly and go out,
they followed her,
presuming that she was going to the tomb to weep there.
When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him,
she fell at his feet and said to him,
“Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.”
When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping,
he became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said,
“Where have you laid him?”
They said to him, “Sir, come and see.”
And Jesus wept.
So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.”
But some of them said,
“Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man
have done something so that this man would not have died?”
So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb.
It was a cave, and a stone lay across it.
Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”
Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him,
“Lord, by now there will be a stench;
he has been dead for four days.”
Jesus said to her,
“Did I not tell you that if you believe
you will see the glory of God?”
So they took away the stone.
And Jesus raised his eyes and said,
“Father, I thank you for hearing me.
I know that you always hear me;
but because of the crowd here I have said this,
that they may believe that you sent me.”
And when he had said this,
He cried out in a loud voice,
“Lazarus, come out!”
The dead man came out,
tied hand and foot with burial bands,
and his face was wrapped in a cloth.
So Jesus said to them,
“Untie him and let him go.”
Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary
and seen what he had done began to believe in him.
OR:
The sisters of Lazarus sent word to Jesus, saying,
“Master, the one you love is ill.”
When Jesus heard this he said,
“This illness is not to end in death,
but is for the glory of God,
that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
So when he heard that he was ill,
he remained for two days in the place where he was.
Then after this he said to his disciples,
“Let us go back to Judea.”
When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus
had already been in the tomb for four days.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming,
she went to meet him;
but Mary sat at home.
Martha said to Jesus,
“Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.
But even now I know that whatever you ask of God,
God will give you.”
Jesus said to her,
“Your brother will rise.”
Martha said,
“I know he will rise,
in the resurrection on the last day.”
Jesus told her,
“I am the resurrection and the life;
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,
and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?”
She said to him, “Yes, Lord.
I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,
the one who is coming into the world.”
He became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said,
“Where have you laid him?”
They said to him, “Sir, come and see.”
And Jesus wept.
So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.”
But some of them said,
“Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man
have done something so that this man would not have died?”
So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb.
It was a cave, and a stone lay across it.
Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”
Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him,
“Lord, by now there will be a stench;
he has been dead for four days.”
Jesus said to her,
“Did I not tell you that if you believe
you will see the glory of God?”
So they took away the stone.
And Jesus raised his eyes and said,
“Father, I thank you for hearing me.
I know that you always hear me;
but because of the crowd here I have said this,
that they may believe that you sent me.”
And when he had said this,
He cried out in a loud voice,
“Lazarus, come out!”
The dead man came out,
tied hand and foot with burial bands,
and his face was wrapped in a cloth.
So Jesus said to them,
“Untie him and let him go.”
Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary
and seen what he had done began to believe in him.
– – –
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Jesus Wept / Jesús Se Puso a Llorar
We might think Jesus had nothing to cry about. After all, he knows that the life we experience after earthly death is the point at which our eyes are opened and our hearts are completely filled at last. He knows that he will soon raise Lazarus from the dead, and everyone will be rejoicing and their sorrow forgotten. So, why did he weep?
It seems he wept at the sight of others’ sorrow; he saw Mary and the others grieving over Lazarus’ death and became “perturbed and deeply troubled,” and he wept. This is a profound insight into the very Heart of the Savior – a compassionate heart truly entering into the sorrow of others and reaching out to alleviate their pain.
He is again “perturbed” when some of the bystanders suggest that he was unable to do anything about this, that he should have done something earlier to save Lazarus. What caused this agitation was not that he took personal offense at their doubtfulness. His Heart is always for others first! His pain was caused by their continued lack of faith, which was detrimental to THEM, not to him. He is the Savior and Redeemer, who calls them to believe and trust.
Jesus is also a Teacher, who does not miss any “teachable moment.” So, as he is about to perform this extraordinary act, he wants to make sure that the lessons are understood clearly. One of these lessons is that Jesus only does what the Father wills, that his power over sickness and demons and death itself is the will of the Father and comes from the Father (“Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me.”) but it is truly also HIS power. In the Gospel, Jesus never asks the Father to do the healing, the casting out, or the raising from the dead; he speaks directly for himself. “He cried out in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out.”
In this one scene, Jesus is accomplishing many things, “for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it”:
- Jesus shows he is beyond any fear of perceived danger by returning to the people who had rejected him and tried to stone him to death.
- Jesus reminds the disciples that he walks by a greater light, and they can too.
- Jesus strengthens the faith of those present and declares, “I am the resurrection and the life.”
- Jesus raises the one he loves, four days after he died.
- Jesus restores a brother to two grieving sisters.
- Jesus demonstrates his divine power to the bystanders and the disciples.
- Jesus draws many others to believe in him.
This Lent, has my faith deepened? Do I believe that whatever God allows is for a greater good, for His greater glory? Do I trust that his love and mercy never fail and will ultimately relieve every sorrow? Is my heart freer to receive the fullness of redemption in Christ?
Podríamos pensar que Jesús no tenía nada por qué llorar. Después de todo, él sabe que la vida que experimentamos después de la muerte terrenal es el punto en el que nuestros ojos se abren y nuestros corazones se llenan por fin. Sabe que pronto resucitará a Lázaro de entre los muertos, y todos se regocijarán y olvidarán su dolor. Entonces, ¿por qué lloró?
Parece que lloró al ver el dolor de los demás; vio a María y a los demás afligidos por la muerte de Lázaro y se “se conmovió hasta lo más hondo”, y lloró. Esta es una visión profunda del Corazón mismo del Salvador: un corazón compasivo que realmente se adentra en el dolor de los demás y se extiende para aliviar su dolor.
Él está nuevamente “conmovido” cuando algunos de los espectadores sugieren que no pudo hacer nada al respecto, que debería haber hecho algo antes para salvar a Lázaro. Lo que causó esta agitación no fue que se sintiera ofendido personalmente por sus dudas. ¡Su Corazón siempre está para los demás primero! Su dolor fue causado por su continua falta de fe, lo cual fue perjudicial para ELLOS, no para él. Él es el Salvador y Redentor, que los llama a creer y confiar.
Jesús es también un Maestro, que no se pierde ningún “momento de enseñanza”. Entonces, cuando está a punto de realizar este acto extraordinario, quiere asegurarse de que las lecciones se entiendan claramente. Una de estas lecciones es que Jesús solo hace lo que el Padre quiere, que su poder sobre la enfermedad y los demonios y la muerte misma es la voluntad del Padre y viene del Padre (“Padre, te doy gracias porque me has escuchado. Yo ya sabía que tú siempre me escuchas.”) pero verdaderamente también es SU poder. En el Evangelio, Jesús nunca le pide al Padre que haga la curación, la expulsión o la resurrección de los muertos; habla directamente por sí mismo. “Luego gritó con voz potente: ‘¡Lázaro, sal de allí!’ Y salió el muerto”.
En esta escena, Jesús está logrando muchas cosas, “para la gloria de Dios, para que el Hijo de Dios sea glorificado por medio de ella”:
- Jesús muestra que está más allá de cualquier temor de peligro al regresar donde la gente que lo había rechazado y tratado de apedrearlo hasta la muerte.
- Jesús les recuerda a los discípulos que él camina en una luz mayor, y ellos también pueden hacerlo.
- Jesús fortalece la fe de los presentes y declara: “Yo soy la resurrección y la vida”.
- Jesús resucita al que ama, cuatro días después de su muerte.
- Jesús restaura un hermano a dos hermanas afligidas.
- Jesús demuestra su poder divino a los espectadores y a los discípulos.
- Jesús atrae a muchos otros a creer en él.
Esta Cuaresma, ¿se ha profundizado mi fe? ¿Creo que todo lo que Dios permite es para un bien mayor, para su mayor gloria? ¿Confío en que su amor y misericordia nunca fallan y finalmente aliviará cada dolor? ¿Está mi corazón más libre para recibir la plenitud de la redención en Cristo?
Kathryn Mulderink, MA, is married to Robert, Station Manager for Holy Family Radio. Together they have seven children (including Father Rob), and seven grandchildren. She is President of the local community of Secular Discalced Carmelites and has published five books and many articles. Over the last 30 years, she has worked as a teacher, headmistress, catechist, Pastoral Associate, and DRE, and as a writer and voice talent for Catholic Radio. Currently, she serves the Church by writing and speaking, and by collaborating with various parishes and to lead others to encounter Christ and engage their faith. Her website is www.KathrynTherese.com
Feature Image Credit: Rita Laura, https://cathopic.com/photo/11441-ternura-y-amor
Prayer before Confession: Prayer of the Day for Sunday, March 26, 2023
Receive my confession, O most loving and gracious Lord Jesus Christ, only hope for the salvation of my soul. Grant to me true contrition of soul, so that day and night I may by penance make satisfaction for my many sins.
Savior of the world, O good Jesus, Who gave Yourself to the death of the Cross to save sinners, look upon me, most wretched of all sinners; have pity on me, and give me the light to know my sins, true sorrow for them, and a firm purpose of never committing them again.
O …
Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord
Reading 1 Is 7:10-14; 8:10
The LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying:
Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God;
let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!
But Ahaz answered,
“I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!”
Then Isaiah said:
Listen, O house of David!
Is it not enough for you to weary people,
must you also weary my God?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign:
the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son,
and shall name him Emmanuel,
which means “God is with us!”
Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God;
let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!
But Ahaz answered,
“I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!”
Then Isaiah said:
Listen, O house of David!
Is it not enough for you to weary people,
must you also weary my God?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign:
the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son,
and shall name him Emmanuel,
which means “God is with us!”
Responsorial Psalm Ps 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 11
R. (8a and 9a) Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Holocausts or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, “Behold I come.”
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
“In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!”
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Your justice I kept not hid within my heart;
your faithfulness and your salvation I have spoken of;
I have made no secret of your kindness and your truth
in the vast assembly.
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Holocausts or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, “Behold I come.”
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
“In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!”
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Your justice I kept not hid within my heart;
your faithfulness and your salvation I have spoken of;
I have made no secret of your kindness and your truth
in the vast assembly.
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Reading 2 Heb 10:4-10
Brothers and sisters:
It is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats
take away sins.
For this reason, when Christ came into the world, he said:
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;
in holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight.
Then I said, ‘As is written of me in the scroll,
behold, I come to do your will, O God.'”
First he says, “Sacrifices and offerings,
holocausts and sin offerings,
you neither desired nor delighted in.”
These are offered according to the law.
Then he says, “Behold, I come to do your will.”
He takes away the first to establish the second.
By this “will,” we have been consecrated
through the offering of the Body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Verse Before the Gospel Jn 1:14ab
The Word of God became flesh and made his dwelling among us;
and we saw his glory.
and we saw his glory.
Gospel Lk 1:26-38
The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.
– – –
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Do Not Be Afraid / No Temas
“Do not be afraid, Mary.”
Through the centuries, the Annunciation has inspired many artists who have sought to capture in their paintings this most sacred and pivotal moment in the history of the world. My favorite is The Annunciation, painted in 1898 by the American artist Henry Ossawa Tanner. The artist seems to capture the intensity and fire of the angel Gabriel’s appearance to the young Mary. I can’t decide if Tanner is depicting Mary’s first startled awareness at what God was asking of her or her sinking under the weight of what this message would mean for her life. Her hands folded, she is already pondering, storing away in her heart what God was doing.
So many masterpieces of the Annunciation portray the young virgin Mary in a religious setting where all seems peaceful and simple. But Tanner, I believe, captures the words of the angel, “Do not be afraid, Mary.”
We cannot imagine that this girl, barely a teenager, would not have been concerned or apprehensive about the role that she was to carry out in salvation history. There were many unknowns that the angel didn’t clear up for her. Gabriel didn’t point out a way forward or explain to her how Joseph was going to find out about the child. What would her parents think? Her friends? Would she be able to share this with anyone? Would anyone be able to walk this way with her and show her the next steps she should take? The Messiah. The Son of the Most High. The one who would sit upon the throne of David and rule over the house of Jacob forever. The one whose kingdom would have no end.
It is hard to think that this young girl walked with ease and security into the rest of that Annunciation day with total confidence about what was happening to her. Throughout every day of her life, I can imagine her recalling the words as she heard them from the angel, “Do not be afraid, Mary.”
When she and Joseph realized Jesus was lost, “Do not be afraid, Mary.”
When Jesus left home to begin his public life, “Do not be afraid, Mary.”
When she saw the growing discontent and disapproval directed at Jesus by the religious leaders, “Do not be afraid, Mary.”
When she stood beneath the cross, “Do not be afraid, Mary.”
This beautiful account of what happened at the Annunciation, probably told to Luke by Mary herself, concludes with her yes, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the passage transitions back into ordinary life with the almost ominous sentence, “Then the angel departed from her.” She was left alone.
We are told of no angel leading her back into Jerusalem to find her son. We read of no angels providing for her needs after Joseph had died and Jesus had left home to pursue his public ministry. The Gospel does not assure us that Mary had special revelations from further angels that everything was going to be okay as the religious leaders sought to put her son to death. We see no angels supporting her beneath the cross. Only John who stood in for you and me as Jesus gave us his mother to be our mother. No. The angel departed from her.
There must have been not a few moments of wondering, worry, anxiety, sorrow alongside the strong faith, the determined surrender, and the rejoicing with which she continued to magnify the Lord. Somehow Mary was able to hold in her heart, to ponder and pray and believe and hope even as she wondered and worried in the uncertainty of all that was happening. As I look at Tanner’s Annunciation, this is the message I tuck away in my own heart. When I worry and wonder and doubt and fear I usually forget to ponder and pray and believe and hope. Mary was able to hold together the whole picture: the whole picture of what was happening in her own life, in the life of her Son, of her people, of history, of God’s work of salvation. She didn’t have a selective memory. She remembered everything and trusted everything and entrusted herself entirely into the unknown of the radical newness of what God was accomplishing in her for the sake of the world.
I struggle to do this, and perhaps so do you. In whatever strained circumstances or difficult situations that cause you anxiety and doubt today, remember the angel’s words, “Do not be afraid.”
“No temas, María”.
A través de los siglos, la Anunciación ha inspirado a muchos artistas que han buscado capturar en sus pinturas este momento tan sagrado y fundamental en la historia del mundo. Mi favorito es The Annunciation, pintado en 1898 por el artista estadounidense Henry Ossawa Tanner. El artista parece captar la intensidad y el fuego de la aparición del ángel Gabriel a la joven María. No puedo decidir si Tanner está representando la primera toma de conciencia de María sobre lo que Dios le estaba pidiendo o si ella se hunde bajo el peso de lo que este mensaje significaría para su vida. Con las manos cruzadas, ya está meditando, guardando en su corazón lo que Dios estaba haciendo.
Tantas obras de arte de la Anunciación retratan a la joven Virgen María en un ambiente religioso donde todo parece pacífico y sencillo. Pero Tanner, creo, capta las palabras del ángel: “No temas, María”.
No podemos imaginarnos que esta niña, apenas una adolescente, no se hubiera sentido preocupada o aprensiva por el papel que iba a desempeñar en la historia de la salvación. Había muchas cosas desconocidas que el ángel no le aclaraba. Gabriel no señaló un camino a seguir ni le explicó cómo Joseph iba a averiguar sobre el niño. ¿Qué pensarían sus padres? ¿Sus amigos? ¿Sería capaz de compartir esto con alguien? ¿Alguien podría caminar por este camino con ella y mostrarle los próximos pasos que debe tomar? El Mesías. El Hijo del Altísimo. El que se sentaría en el trono de David y reinaría sobre la casa de Jacob para siempre. Aquel cuyo reino no tendría fin.
Es difícil pensar que esta joven caminó con tranquilidad y seguridad el resto del día de la Anunciación con total confianza en lo que le estaba pasando. A lo largo de cada día de su vida, puedo imaginarla recordando las palabras que escuchó del ángel: “No temas, María”.
Cuando ella y José se dieron cuenta de que Jesús se había perdido, “No temas, María”.
Cuando Jesús salió de la casa para comenzar su vida pública, “No temas, María”.
Cuando vio el creciente descontento y la desaprobación dirigida a Jesús por parte de los líderes religiosos, “No temas, María”.
Cuando estuvo bajo la cruz, “No temas, María”.
Este hermoso relato de lo que sucedió en la Anunciación, probablemente contado a Lucas por la misma María, concluye con su sí: “Yo soy la esclava del Señor; cúmplase en mí lo que me has dicho.” Luego, el pasaje vuelve a la vida ordinaria con la frase casi siniestra: “Y el ángel se retiró de su presencia.” Ella se quedó sola.
No se nos dice que ningún ángel la condujo de regreso a Jerusalén para encontrar a su hijo. No leemos que ningún ángel suplió sus necesidades después de que José falleció y Jesús se fue de la casa para continuar con su ministerio público. El Evangelio no nos asegura que María tuvo revelaciones especiales de otros ángeles de que todo iba a estar bien mientras los líderes religiosos buscaban matar a su hijo. No vemos ángeles que la apoyen debajo de la cruz. Solo Juan, quien nos sustituyó a ti y a mí cuando Jesús nos dio a su madre para que fuera nuestra madre. No. El ángel se retiró de su presencia.
Debió haber muchos momentos de asombro, preocupación, ansiedad, dolor junto con la fe fuerte, la entrega decidida y el regocijo con el que continuaba magnificando al Señor. De alguna manera, María pudo contener en su corazón, meditar y orar, creer y esperar, incluso mientras se preguntaba y se preocupaba por la incertidumbre de todo lo que estaba sucediendo. Mientras miro a The Annunciation de Tanner, este es el mensaje que guardo en mi propio corazón. Cuando me preocupo, me pregunto, dudo y temo, por lo general me olvido de meditar, orar, creer y esperar. María pudo mantener unida la imagen completa de lo que estaba sucediendo en su propia vida, en la vida de su Hijo, de su pueblo, de la historia, de la obra de salvación de Dios. Ella no tenía una memoria selectiva. Recordaba todo y confiaba en todo y se entregaba enteramente a lo desconocido de la novedad radical de lo que Dios estaba realizando en ella por el bien del mundo.
Batallo por hacer esto, y quizás tú también batallas. En cualquier circunstancia tensa o situación difícil que te provoque ansiedad y dudas hoy, recuerda las palabras del ángel: “No temas”.
Sr. Kathryn James Hermes, FSP, is an author and offers online evangelization as well as spiritual formation for people on their journey of spiritual transformation and inner healing. Website: www.touchingthesunrise.com My Books: https://touchingthesunrise.com/books/
Public Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/srkathrynhermes/ HeartWork Spiritual Formation Group: https://touchingthesunrise.com/heartwork/
Feature Image Credit: Henry Ossawa Tanner, wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Henry_Ossawa_Tanner_-_The_Annunciation.jpg
Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Reading 1 Wis 2:1a, 12-22
The wicked said among themselves,
thinking not aright:
“Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us;
he sets himself against our doings,
Reproaches us for transgressions of the law
and charges us with violations of our training.
He professes to have knowledge of God
and styles himself a child of the LORD.
To us he is the censure of our thoughts;
merely to see him is a hardship for us,
Because his life is not like that of others,
and different are his ways.
He judges us debased;
he holds aloof from our paths as from things impure.
He calls blest the destiny of the just
and boasts that God is his Father.
Let us see whether his words be true;
let us find out what will happen to him.
For if the just one be the son of God, he will defend him
and deliver him from the hand of his foes.
With revilement and torture let us put him to the test
that we may have proof of his gentleness
and try his patience.
Let us condemn him to a shameful death;
for according to his own words, God will take care of him.”
These were their thoughts, but they erred;
for their wickedness blinded them,
and they knew not the hidden counsels of God;
neither did they count on a recompense of holiness
nor discern the innocent souls’ reward.
thinking not aright:
“Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us;
he sets himself against our doings,
Reproaches us for transgressions of the law
and charges us with violations of our training.
He professes to have knowledge of God
and styles himself a child of the LORD.
To us he is the censure of our thoughts;
merely to see him is a hardship for us,
Because his life is not like that of others,
and different are his ways.
He judges us debased;
he holds aloof from our paths as from things impure.
He calls blest the destiny of the just
and boasts that God is his Father.
Let us see whether his words be true;
let us find out what will happen to him.
For if the just one be the son of God, he will defend him
and deliver him from the hand of his foes.
With revilement and torture let us put him to the test
that we may have proof of his gentleness
and try his patience.
Let us condemn him to a shameful death;
for according to his own words, God will take care of him.”
These were their thoughts, but they erred;
for their wickedness blinded them,
and they knew not the hidden counsels of God;
neither did they count on a recompense of holiness
nor discern the innocent souls’ reward.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 34:17-18, 19-20, 21 and 23
R. (19a) The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
Many are the troubles of the just man,
but out of them all the LORD delivers him.
R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
He watches over all his bones;
not one of them shall be broken.
The LORD redeems the lives of his servants;
no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him.
R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
Many are the troubles of the just man,
but out of them all the LORD delivers him.
R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
He watches over all his bones;
not one of them shall be broken.
The LORD redeems the lives of his servants;
no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him.
R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
Verse Before the Gospel Mt 4:4b
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
Gospel Jn 7:1-2, 10, 25-30
Jesus moved about within Galilee;
he did not wish to travel in Judea,
because the Jews were trying to kill him.
But the Jewish feast of Tabernacles was near.
But when his brothers had gone up to the feast,
he himself also went up, not openly but as it were in secret.
Some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem said,
“Is he not the one they are trying to kill?
And look, he is speaking openly and they say nothing to him.
Could the authorities have realized that he is the Christ?
But we know where he is from.
When the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.”
So Jesus cried out in the temple area as he was teaching and said,
“You know me and also know where I am from.
Yet I did not come on my own,
but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true.
I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.”
So they tried to arrest him,
but no one laid a hand upon him,
because his hour had not yet come.
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Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Knowing Our Father / Conocer al Padre
“The one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.”
Jesus is talking about the Father, and the Jews know this; they know that Jesus is clearly stating that he is the Son of God, the Son of the Father; he is telling them clearly that he knows God, and has been sent by God. “I am from him, and he sent me.” There it is. No mincing words at this point in the mission, even if it will mean his death.
This is the very heart of Jesus being revealed to the world: the Father sent the Son, and the Son has accepted this mission in love – love for the Father, and love for us. Jesus’ bread is to do the will of the Father; the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing; the Son is obedient, even unto death, death on a cross…
What about us? We are called to be transformed in Christ – not just follow all the rules or be nice and share, but to be transformed IN him, conformed TO him, become one WITH him so that we can bring HIM to others. And when we are transformed in him, our motivation and desires will be the same as his. When we are transformed in him, our hearts should be like his: oriented toward the Father, in love. When we are transformed in Christ, when our hearts are aligned with his and our eyes are on the will of the Father, we are at last empowered and freed to bring Christ to the world and the world to Christ. This is what the world is thirsting for. This is what Christ is thirsting for. When we deepen our intimacy with Christ, the reverberations of that intimacy can transform the world. The deeper the intimacy, the stronger and farther the ripples of that love travel.
This is part of what Jesus came to teach us. We are created to be arrows pointing to the Father with our lives, for God’s glory, for our good, and the good of others.
We are each alive right here and now in a world that is in desperate need. It is in desperate need that we be who and what we are created to be: we are created and called to be leaven for a world enervated and deflated by sin and selfwardness, to be salt that enhances and preserves what would otherwise rot, to be light to every darkened place. We are anointed at Baptism to be God’s priests and prophets and kings! We are sent on mission, and this culture has a huge need for us to embrace that mission. We are created to be holy, and this world has a deep need for our holiness.
In Christ, we must strive to do God’s work God’s way, God’s will for God’s glory!
“Pues bien, yo no vengo por mi cuenta, sino enviado por el que es veraz; y a él ustedes no lo conocen. Pero yo sí lo conozco, porque procedo de él y él me ha enviado”.
Jesús está hablando del Padre, y los judíos lo saben; saben que Jesús está afirmando claramente que es el Hijo de Dios, el Hijo del Padre; les está diciendo claramente que conoce a Dios y que ha sido enviado por Dios. “Procedo de él y él me ha enviado”. Ahí está. Sin medir las palabras en este punto de la misión, incluso si eso significaba su muerte.
Este es el corazón mismo de Jesús que se revela al mundo: el Padre envió al Hijo, y el Hijo ha aceptado esta misión en el amor: amor por el Padre y amor por nosotros. El pan de Jesús es hacer la voluntad del Padre; el Hijo nada puede hacer por sí mismo, sino sólo lo que ve hacer al Padre; el Hijo es obediente, hasta la muerte, muerte en la cruz.
¿Qué pasa con nosotros? Estamos llamados a ser transformados en Cristo, no solo a seguir todas las reglas o ser amables y compartir, sino a ser transformados EN él, conformados A él, y ser uno CON él para que podamos llevarlo a otros. Y cuando seamos transformados en él, nuestra motivación y nuestros deseos serán los mismos que los suyos. Cuando somos transformados en él, nuestro corazón debe ser como el suyo: orientado hacia el Padre, en el amor. Cuando somos transformados en Cristo, cuando nuestros corazones están alineados con el suyo y nuestros ojos están puestos en la voluntad del Padre, somos por fin empoderados y libres para llevar a Cristo al mundo y al mundo a Cristo. El mundo está sediento por esto y es por esto que Cristo tiene sed. Cuando profundizamos nuestra intimidad con Cristo, las reverberaciones de esa intimidad pueden transformar a mundo. Cuanto más profunda es la intimidad, más fuertes y más lejos se extiendan las ondas de ese amor.
Esto es parte de lo que Jesús vino a enseñarnos. Somos creados para ser flechas apuntando al Padre con nuestra vida, para la gloria de Dios, para nuestro bien y el de los demás.
Todos estamos vivos aquí y ahora en un mundo que tiene una necesidad desesperada. Es una necesidad desesperada que seamos quienes y para lo que fuimos creados: fuimos creados y llamados a ser levadura para un mundo enervado y desinflado por el pecado y el egoísmo, para ser sal que realza y preserva lo que de otro modo se pudriría, para ser luz a todo lugar oscuro. ¡Somos ungidos en el bautismo para ser sacerdotes, profetas y reyes de Dios! Somos enviados a una misión, y esta cultura tiene una gran necesidad de que adoptemos esa misión. Fuimos creados para ser santos, y este mundo tiene una profunda necesidad de nuestra santidad.
En Cristo, debemos esforzarnos por hacer la obra de Dios a la manera de Dios, ¡la voluntad de Dios para la gloria de Dios!
Kathryn Mulderink, MA, is married to Robert, Station Manager for Holy Family Radio. Together they have seven children (including Father Rob), and seven grandchildren. She is President of the local community of Secular Discalced Carmelites and has published five books and many articles. Over the last 30 years, she has worked as a teacher, headmistress, catechist, Pastoral Associate, and DRE, and as a writer and voice talent for Catholic Radio. Currently, she serves the Church by writing and speaking, and by collaborating with various parishes and to lead others to encounter Christ and engage their faith. Her website is www.KathrynTherese.com
Feature Image Credit: Wesley Tingey, https://unsplash.com/photos/y2-FG8oiSiQ
Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Reading 1 Ex 32:7-14
The LORD said to Moses,
“Go down at once to your people
whom you brought out of the land of Egypt,
for they have become depraved.
They have soon turned aside from the way I pointed out to them,
making for themselves a molten calf and worshiping it,
sacrificing to it and crying out,
‘This is your God, O Israel,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt!’
The LORD said to Moses,
“I see how stiff-necked this people is.
Let me alone, then,
that my wrath may blaze up against them to consume them.
Then I will make of you a great nation.”
“Go down at once to your people
whom you brought out of the land of Egypt,
for they have become depraved.
They have soon turned aside from the way I pointed out to them,
making for themselves a molten calf and worshiping it,
sacrificing to it and crying out,
‘This is your God, O Israel,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt!’
The LORD said to Moses,
“I see how stiff-necked this people is.
Let me alone, then,
that my wrath may blaze up against them to consume them.
Then I will make of you a great nation.”
But Moses implored the LORD, his God, saying,
“Why, O LORD, should your wrath blaze up against your own people,
whom you brought out of the land of Egypt
with such great power and with so strong a hand?
Why should the Egyptians say,
‘With evil intent he brought them out,
that he might kill them in the mountains
and exterminate them from the face of the earth’?
Let your blazing wrath die down;
relent in punishing your people.
Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel,
and how you swore to them by your own self, saying,
‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky;
and all this land that I promised,
I will give your descendants as their perpetual heritage.'”
So the LORD relented in the punishment
he had threatened to inflict on his people.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 106:19-20, 21-22, 23
R. (4a) Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
Our fathers made a calf in Horeb
and adored a molten image;
They exchanged their glory
for the image of a grass-eating bullock.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
They forgot the God who had saved them,
who had done great deeds in Egypt,
Wondrous deeds in the land of Ham,
terrible things at the Red Sea.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
Then he spoke of exterminating them,
but Moses, his chosen one,
Withstood him in the breach
to turn back his destructive wrath.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
Our fathers made a calf in Horeb
and adored a molten image;
They exchanged their glory
for the image of a grass-eating bullock.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
They forgot the God who had saved them,
who had done great deeds in Egypt,
Wondrous deeds in the land of Ham,
terrible things at the Red Sea.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
Then he spoke of exterminating them,
but Moses, his chosen one,
Withstood him in the breach
to turn back his destructive wrath.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
Verse Before the Gospel Jn 3:16
God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.
so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.
Gospel Jn 5:31-47
Jesus said to the Jews:
“If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is not true.
But there is another who testifies on my behalf,
and I know that the testimony he gives on my behalf is true.
You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth.
I do not accept human testimony,
but I say this so that you may be saved.
He was a burning and shining lamp,
and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light.
But I have testimony greater than John’s.
The works that the Father gave me to accomplish,
these works that I perform testify on my behalf
that the Father has sent me.
Moreover, the Father who sent me has testified on my behalf.
But you have never heard his voice nor seen his form,
and you do not have his word remaining in you,
because you do not believe in the one whom he has sent.
You search the Scriptures,
because you think you have eternal life through them;
even they testify on my behalf.
But you do not want to come to me to have life.
“I do not accept human praise;
moreover, I know that you do not have the love of God in you.
I came in the name of my Father,
but you do not accept me;
yet if another comes in his own name,
you will accept him.
How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another
and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God?
Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father:
the one who will accuse you is Moses,
in whom you have placed your hope.
For if you had believed Moses,
you would have believed me,
because he wrote about me.
But if you do not believe his writings,
how will you believe my words?”
- Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint Toribio de Mogrovejo, bishop
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Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.