(Lucas 4)
Un dibujo famoso apareció hace ochenta años en la portada de una revista americana. Muestra a un hombre demasiado sofisticado. Lleva abrigo y sombrero de copa. Está mirando con monóculo una mariposa. Parece decir el señor: “¡Que interesante el bicho!”
Con tal arrogancia la gente de Nazaret mira a Jesús en el evangelio hoy. Lo trata como una curiosidad, un bicho con colores variados. Para estos hombres Jesús es solamente el hijo de Pepe que ha ganado alguna fama por sus curas. Posiblemente están diciendo entre sí mismos, “¿Por qué él no nos da a nosotros una muestra de su magia?”
Les falta a estas personas un aprecio de Jesús como profeta, el hombre de Dios. Sus curas no son trucos. Más bien, son actos autorizados por Dios para indicar que las palabras de Jesús valen acatamiento. No está allí para entretenerlas sino para instruirlas acerca de la voluntad de Dios.
Hasta el día hoy muchos ven a Jesús como si fuera una mariposa. Dicen que era un buen hombre pero ¿qué me importa? Se fascinan con la canción famosa tanto en español como en inglés, “A mi modo.” Jesús instruye que tenemos que rezar por aquellos que nos ofendan. Pero dicen ellos, “No es mi modo; yo voy a tener venganza.” Jesús instruye que hemos de decir la verdad. Pero dicen ellos, “No es mi modo; yo voy a echar mentiras cuando me parece oportuno.”
En este país estamos muy inclinados a hacer las cosas “a mi modo.” Recientemente la asociación de ginecólogos ha anunciado que todas las mujeres embarazadas deben someterse al examen para determinar si su bebé tiene el síndrome de Down. Quiere dar a las mujeres la oportunidad de cuidar al bebé con el síndrome “a su modo”; eso es, abortarlo. Es realmente una tragedia porque personas con el síndrome de Down no sólo son imagines de Dios dignas de respeto sino también promueven cariño y gozo en la familia.
En frente de una iglesia en el sur de California hay una imagen de Jesús sentado. A su lado está una mujer a quien está aconsejando. La mujer tiene que decidir: ¿es Jesús un profeta cuyas palabras valen el acatamiento? O ¿sólo es un buen hombre con consejos “interesantes”? ¿Va a vivir según sus preceptos o a sus propios modos? Es una postura y una pregunta para todos nosotros. Que nos pongamos al lado de Jesús para escuchar sus consejos. ¿Valen el acatamiento? O ¿vamos a vivir “a mi modo”? ¿Será su modo o mi modo?
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Friday, January 19, 2007
Homily for Sunday, January 21 (in Spanish)
Lucas 1 & 4
La novela El Poder y la Gloria fue escrita por un autor católico. Tiene que ver con la persecución de la Iglesia en México. Un sacerdote ha sido infiel al celibato. Sin embargo, sigue creyendo en los sacramentos y últimamente el estado lo ejecuta por celebrar la misa. La introducción del libro llama la atención. En ella el autor cuenta de la interrogación que le dio el Vaticano por haber escrito de un sacerdote decaído. En el Evangelio según San Lucas que escuchamos hoy y casi todos los domingos este año hay otra introducción que llama la atención.
San Lucas es el único escritor en el entero Nuevo Testamento que escribe introducciones. Y él la hace dos veces – una vez para su evangelio y otra vez en los Hechos de los Apóstoles. En las dos San Lucas menciona la persona por la cual está escribiendo – un tal Teófilo. No sabemos quien es este hombre. Pero puede ser un cristiano fijo o, tal vez, usted desde que Teófilo significa “amigo de Dios.”
San Lucas nos dice también que después de investigar todas las cosas acerca de Jesús, él las escribe “por orden.” Imaginamos que San Lucas quiere decir que va a poner en más orden los eventos relatados en el Evangelio según San Marcos escrito algunos años antes. Una cosa es el lenguaje. San Lucas no incluye palabras foráneas en su relato como hace San Marcos. Por ejemplo, en el Evangelio según Lucas cuando Jesús levanta a la hija de Jairo de la muerte, no dice “Talitá kumi” como en Marcos sino sólo, “Niña, levántate.” Otra cosa es la secuencia de la narrativa. Los eventos en el Evangelio de Lucas son más fáciles a seguir. Donde San Marcos trata la negación de Pedro en dos partes – antes y después de la interrogación de Jesús -- Lucas termina con la historia de la negación antes de tratar la interrogación de Jesús.
Después de la introducción la lectura hoy brinca al principio del ministerio de Jesús. Lucas nos dice que Jesús regresa a su pueblo donde entra la sinagoga al día sábado. Entonces lee la Escritura del profeta Isaías y hace un discurso de sólo catorce palabras: “’Hoy mismo se ha cumplido este pasaje de la Escritura que acaban de oír.’” En el Evangelio según San Mateo Jesús comienza su ministerio con el gran “Sermón del Monte.” Una vez más Lucas escribe de manera más simple que los otros evangelistas.
Por la lectura de Isaías con el discurso breve Lucas indica dos temas principales suyos. En primer lugar, muestra la preocupación por los necesitados: los pobres, los cautivos, los ciegos, y los oprimidos. No debe sorprendernos que solamente en este evangelio escuchamos la parábola del pobre Lázaro y el rico o solamente en este evangelio tenemos la historia de Zaqueo prometiendo la mitad de sus bienes a los pobres.
También en el pasaje hoy escuchamos del Espíritu Santo, otro tema en que Lucas hace hincapié. Sólo en Lucas Jesús dice que el Padre enviará al Espíritu Santo a aquellos que lo pidan. Por supuesto, es en los Hechos de los Apóstoles, escrito por el mismo Lucas, donde encontramos al Espíritu Santo descendiendo sobre María y todos los discípulos. Seguramente, el propósito de Lucas es para recordarnos que el Espíritu está con nosotros también. Y no solamente esto, sino que el mismo Espíritu nos mueve a actuar por los necesitados.
Para los orientales el año 2007 es el año del cerdo. Para las Naciones Unidas es el año de los derechos de las personas desplazadas. Para los científicos es el año para estudiar dos cosas: los polos de la tierra y el sol. Y para nosotros cristianos Católicos el 2007 es el año para leer el Evangelio según San Lucas. Que aprovechémonos de este año por hacernos todos verdaderos Teófilos. Eso es, que seamos amigos de Dios con la preocupación de los necesitados en el Espíritu Santo. Que nos preocupemos de los necesitados en el Espíritu.
La novela El Poder y la Gloria fue escrita por un autor católico. Tiene que ver con la persecución de la Iglesia en México. Un sacerdote ha sido infiel al celibato. Sin embargo, sigue creyendo en los sacramentos y últimamente el estado lo ejecuta por celebrar la misa. La introducción del libro llama la atención. En ella el autor cuenta de la interrogación que le dio el Vaticano por haber escrito de un sacerdote decaído. En el Evangelio según San Lucas que escuchamos hoy y casi todos los domingos este año hay otra introducción que llama la atención.
San Lucas es el único escritor en el entero Nuevo Testamento que escribe introducciones. Y él la hace dos veces – una vez para su evangelio y otra vez en los Hechos de los Apóstoles. En las dos San Lucas menciona la persona por la cual está escribiendo – un tal Teófilo. No sabemos quien es este hombre. Pero puede ser un cristiano fijo o, tal vez, usted desde que Teófilo significa “amigo de Dios.”
San Lucas nos dice también que después de investigar todas las cosas acerca de Jesús, él las escribe “por orden.” Imaginamos que San Lucas quiere decir que va a poner en más orden los eventos relatados en el Evangelio según San Marcos escrito algunos años antes. Una cosa es el lenguaje. San Lucas no incluye palabras foráneas en su relato como hace San Marcos. Por ejemplo, en el Evangelio según Lucas cuando Jesús levanta a la hija de Jairo de la muerte, no dice “Talitá kumi” como en Marcos sino sólo, “Niña, levántate.” Otra cosa es la secuencia de la narrativa. Los eventos en el Evangelio de Lucas son más fáciles a seguir. Donde San Marcos trata la negación de Pedro en dos partes – antes y después de la interrogación de Jesús -- Lucas termina con la historia de la negación antes de tratar la interrogación de Jesús.
Después de la introducción la lectura hoy brinca al principio del ministerio de Jesús. Lucas nos dice que Jesús regresa a su pueblo donde entra la sinagoga al día sábado. Entonces lee la Escritura del profeta Isaías y hace un discurso de sólo catorce palabras: “’Hoy mismo se ha cumplido este pasaje de la Escritura que acaban de oír.’” En el Evangelio según San Mateo Jesús comienza su ministerio con el gran “Sermón del Monte.” Una vez más Lucas escribe de manera más simple que los otros evangelistas.
Por la lectura de Isaías con el discurso breve Lucas indica dos temas principales suyos. En primer lugar, muestra la preocupación por los necesitados: los pobres, los cautivos, los ciegos, y los oprimidos. No debe sorprendernos que solamente en este evangelio escuchamos la parábola del pobre Lázaro y el rico o solamente en este evangelio tenemos la historia de Zaqueo prometiendo la mitad de sus bienes a los pobres.
También en el pasaje hoy escuchamos del Espíritu Santo, otro tema en que Lucas hace hincapié. Sólo en Lucas Jesús dice que el Padre enviará al Espíritu Santo a aquellos que lo pidan. Por supuesto, es en los Hechos de los Apóstoles, escrito por el mismo Lucas, donde encontramos al Espíritu Santo descendiendo sobre María y todos los discípulos. Seguramente, el propósito de Lucas es para recordarnos que el Espíritu está con nosotros también. Y no solamente esto, sino que el mismo Espíritu nos mueve a actuar por los necesitados.
Para los orientales el año 2007 es el año del cerdo. Para las Naciones Unidas es el año de los derechos de las personas desplazadas. Para los científicos es el año para estudiar dos cosas: los polos de la tierra y el sol. Y para nosotros cristianos Católicos el 2007 es el año para leer el Evangelio según San Lucas. Que aprovechémonos de este año por hacernos todos verdaderos Teófilos. Eso es, que seamos amigos de Dios con la preocupación de los necesitados en el Espíritu Santo. Que nos preocupemos de los necesitados en el Espíritu.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Homily for Sunday, January 14, 2007
(John 2)
Weddings are not only times of joy. They are also moments of peace. We see this portrayed in the movie, “My Big, Fat Greek Wedding.” Two very different families come to like each other on the occasion of the wedding of their children. The Greek-American family of the bride is loud and large. In contrast, the blue-blood parents of the groom are sedate. But by the end of the wedding feast everyone is dancing together. In the gospel today a much more momentous peace emerges at a wedding banquet.
Jesus arrives at the wedding in Cana with his disciples. They always travel together. Discipleship by definition is to keep one’s eyes on the teacher in order to learn from him. Jesus’ disciples stand apart from those of other teachers because he has called them personally. And so are we called at baptism. “Carmen, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” a priest said pouring water over my head sixty years ago. As disciples, Jesus teaches us through the gospels that encapsulate his message.
The wedding feast comes to a roadblock. There is no more wine for the celebration. Wine cheers human hearts. The French have a saying, “A meal without wine is like a day without sunshine.” If that is so, then a wedding feast without wine is like three months of cloudy skies. We might change this analogy a bit, “A wedding feast without wine is like a society without justice.” It’s like Montgomery, Alabama, fifty-one years ago when an African-American woman who worked all day was told to cede her seat on a bus to a man simply because his skin was white.
But Montgomery was not to remain with this injustice. A Black preacher named Martin Luther King, Jr., told the people to resist racial discrimination. They organized a bus boycott. Black people would not ride city buses until racial discrimination stopped. Many would walk to work and to visit their families. They would walk from one side of the city to the other if necessary, rather than submit to racial subjugation. They practiced discipline, the mark of discipleship. Did it hurt them? Not that much. As one elderly person put it during the bus boycott, “My feet may be hurting, but my soul is at rest.” In the gospel Jesus’ mother tells the servers at the wedding to do whatever Jesus tells them. Discipleship entails developing the discipline of doing whatever Jesus tells us.
Jesus then transforms the water into wine. This miracle is not meant just to give everybody another drink. No, it is infinitely more welcome than that. The water in the six stone jars is to be used for ceremonial washing. It represents the Jewish law which, as St. Paul writes to the Romans, has no power to save us from sin. Transformed by Jesus into wine, however, it brings shalom, that is peace and well-being, to all. We partake of this wine at the Eucharist. From our coming together on Sundays (and on weekdays if possible) we become peacemakers in the world. At work we support efforts of taking grievances honestly and respectfully to those responsible. In the community we extend our helping hand to anyone in legitimate need.
Patty is just one of Christ’s disciples transformed by the Eucharist to bring peace to the world. She comes from Mexico but has made her home in southern California. She has four children and two part-time jobs. Still, she finds time to teach catechism to Spanish-speaking children. Through all her efforts family, church, and community are blessed with shalom.
In the long struggle for racial justice, African-Americans would remind themselves to “keep your eyes on the prize.” Our prize, the one whom we watch with more attention than dancers at a Greek wedding, is Jesus. He teaches us and transforms us. Without him our efforts at creating peace will hit a roadblock. With him our failures are rewarding and our successes bring the fullness of peace. Let’s keep our eyes on Jesus.
Weddings are not only times of joy. They are also moments of peace. We see this portrayed in the movie, “My Big, Fat Greek Wedding.” Two very different families come to like each other on the occasion of the wedding of their children. The Greek-American family of the bride is loud and large. In contrast, the blue-blood parents of the groom are sedate. But by the end of the wedding feast everyone is dancing together. In the gospel today a much more momentous peace emerges at a wedding banquet.
Jesus arrives at the wedding in Cana with his disciples. They always travel together. Discipleship by definition is to keep one’s eyes on the teacher in order to learn from him. Jesus’ disciples stand apart from those of other teachers because he has called them personally. And so are we called at baptism. “Carmen, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” a priest said pouring water over my head sixty years ago. As disciples, Jesus teaches us through the gospels that encapsulate his message.
The wedding feast comes to a roadblock. There is no more wine for the celebration. Wine cheers human hearts. The French have a saying, “A meal without wine is like a day without sunshine.” If that is so, then a wedding feast without wine is like three months of cloudy skies. We might change this analogy a bit, “A wedding feast without wine is like a society without justice.” It’s like Montgomery, Alabama, fifty-one years ago when an African-American woman who worked all day was told to cede her seat on a bus to a man simply because his skin was white.
But Montgomery was not to remain with this injustice. A Black preacher named Martin Luther King, Jr., told the people to resist racial discrimination. They organized a bus boycott. Black people would not ride city buses until racial discrimination stopped. Many would walk to work and to visit their families. They would walk from one side of the city to the other if necessary, rather than submit to racial subjugation. They practiced discipline, the mark of discipleship. Did it hurt them? Not that much. As one elderly person put it during the bus boycott, “My feet may be hurting, but my soul is at rest.” In the gospel Jesus’ mother tells the servers at the wedding to do whatever Jesus tells them. Discipleship entails developing the discipline of doing whatever Jesus tells us.
Jesus then transforms the water into wine. This miracle is not meant just to give everybody another drink. No, it is infinitely more welcome than that. The water in the six stone jars is to be used for ceremonial washing. It represents the Jewish law which, as St. Paul writes to the Romans, has no power to save us from sin. Transformed by Jesus into wine, however, it brings shalom, that is peace and well-being, to all. We partake of this wine at the Eucharist. From our coming together on Sundays (and on weekdays if possible) we become peacemakers in the world. At work we support efforts of taking grievances honestly and respectfully to those responsible. In the community we extend our helping hand to anyone in legitimate need.
Patty is just one of Christ’s disciples transformed by the Eucharist to bring peace to the world. She comes from Mexico but has made her home in southern California. She has four children and two part-time jobs. Still, she finds time to teach catechism to Spanish-speaking children. Through all her efforts family, church, and community are blessed with shalom.
In the long struggle for racial justice, African-Americans would remind themselves to “keep your eyes on the prize.” Our prize, the one whom we watch with more attention than dancers at a Greek wedding, is Jesus. He teaches us and transforms us. Without him our efforts at creating peace will hit a roadblock. With him our failures are rewarding and our successes bring the fullness of peace. Let’s keep our eyes on Jesus.
Friday, January 5, 2007
Homily for Sunday, January 6
FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY (Matthew 2)
No doubt you know the movie. Few Americans alive today grew up without seeing it. The Wizard of Oz tells the story of a group of seekers on a long journey. They travel on meeting people along the way. But they never become distracted from their goal. They desperately want to meet the wizard so that he might help each to fulfill a particular need. They are not very different from the seekers we meet in the gospel today.
The Magi are looking for Jesus. They ask, “Where is the King of the Jews?” They intend to pay homage to him. We also are looking for Jesus. We need his help. Who are we? We are an elderly woman who has been struggling with cancer for a whole year. That last round of chemotherapy felt worse than death. We need Jesus to help us accept the inevitable. We are also a young woman with an infant daughter and a thirty-eight year old husband who has just suffered a major stroke. We have to encourage him, take care of our child, and generate enough income for the household. We need Jesus to support us in meeting these challenges. We are also a compulsive middle-aged man who has never gotten controlled over sexuality. We find ourselves viewing porn on the Internet which leads to masturbation and then to guilt. We need Jesus to forgive our sin and strengthen our weakness.
There are still others looking for Jesus. But they neither want to worship him nor to ask his assistance. In fact, they, like Herod in the gospel, want to do away with Jesus. Who are these culprits? Some are scientists who dismiss religion as nothing but pious legend. If these people were seeking truth, they would realize that science can neither prove nor disprove the claims of religion because it examines physical reality while religion treats of the spiritual. Other people who want to do away with Christ are secularists. They see the point of human existence as achieving as much satisfaction as possible in this world. They don’t want Jesus to tell them that abortion is wrong and that a person does not have a right to die when she wants. Finally, there are people whose hearts are blackened by evil. They would exploit workers by having them work under dangerous conditions and then abandoning them at pay time.
The Jewish chief priests and scribes consult the Scriptures to learn where the newborn Messiah is born. In His Holy word God has revealed to humans His plan for their salvation – from the Messiah’s birth to his resurrection from the dead. We have access to this Word first in the Bible but more certainly in Jesus himself. Still we have to avail ourselves of it. This means that we have to read it, ponder it, and contemplate how we might put it itno practice.
Once again on the road, the Magi see the star. Now it will lead them to Jesus. Without having learned from the Jews about the King’s birthplace, however, the Magi would still be lost. The star represents nature. It can help us achieve our goal but it cannot deliver it. Our natural abilities have this same limitation. They can make us better men and women but they cannot make us heirs of eternal life. For that we need Christ. He will fill the elderly cancer patient with trust as death closes in. He will raise the young wife and mother to meet her challenges as the stepping stones to heaven. And he will calm the desires of the compulsive man with his love.
Finally, the Magi unpack their gifts for the child-king. They present gold, incense, and myrrh on behalf of all believers. Gold represents virtue, our most noble quality. We strive for excellence not only for ourselves but to assist Christ in the transformation of the world. Frankincense symbolizes our prayers. When burned, it rises to heaven as our prayers must. We need the support of Christ’s mighty arm if we are to be of any help at all in his mission. Finally myrrh, a spice used for burial, stands for our willingness to sacrifice ourselves. Jesus will tell his disciples that they must take up their cross and follow him. Myrrh indicates our readiness to do just that.
We have entered the month of January, named after Janus, the two-faced god. One face looks to the past; the other, to the future. It is time for us to take inventory. We have to recall the best of the past -- how Christ’s mighty arm has supported us and how his love has calmed our desire. We do this to meet the challenges of the future – how to generate income for the household and how to face up to a heart darkened by evil. For this purpose we will find the Scriptures not just interesting but also helpful.
No doubt you know the movie. Few Americans alive today grew up without seeing it. The Wizard of Oz tells the story of a group of seekers on a long journey. They travel on meeting people along the way. But they never become distracted from their goal. They desperately want to meet the wizard so that he might help each to fulfill a particular need. They are not very different from the seekers we meet in the gospel today.
The Magi are looking for Jesus. They ask, “Where is the King of the Jews?” They intend to pay homage to him. We also are looking for Jesus. We need his help. Who are we? We are an elderly woman who has been struggling with cancer for a whole year. That last round of chemotherapy felt worse than death. We need Jesus to help us accept the inevitable. We are also a young woman with an infant daughter and a thirty-eight year old husband who has just suffered a major stroke. We have to encourage him, take care of our child, and generate enough income for the household. We need Jesus to support us in meeting these challenges. We are also a compulsive middle-aged man who has never gotten controlled over sexuality. We find ourselves viewing porn on the Internet which leads to masturbation and then to guilt. We need Jesus to forgive our sin and strengthen our weakness.
There are still others looking for Jesus. But they neither want to worship him nor to ask his assistance. In fact, they, like Herod in the gospel, want to do away with Jesus. Who are these culprits? Some are scientists who dismiss religion as nothing but pious legend. If these people were seeking truth, they would realize that science can neither prove nor disprove the claims of religion because it examines physical reality while religion treats of the spiritual. Other people who want to do away with Christ are secularists. They see the point of human existence as achieving as much satisfaction as possible in this world. They don’t want Jesus to tell them that abortion is wrong and that a person does not have a right to die when she wants. Finally, there are people whose hearts are blackened by evil. They would exploit workers by having them work under dangerous conditions and then abandoning them at pay time.
The Jewish chief priests and scribes consult the Scriptures to learn where the newborn Messiah is born. In His Holy word God has revealed to humans His plan for their salvation – from the Messiah’s birth to his resurrection from the dead. We have access to this Word first in the Bible but more certainly in Jesus himself. Still we have to avail ourselves of it. This means that we have to read it, ponder it, and contemplate how we might put it itno practice.
Once again on the road, the Magi see the star. Now it will lead them to Jesus. Without having learned from the Jews about the King’s birthplace, however, the Magi would still be lost. The star represents nature. It can help us achieve our goal but it cannot deliver it. Our natural abilities have this same limitation. They can make us better men and women but they cannot make us heirs of eternal life. For that we need Christ. He will fill the elderly cancer patient with trust as death closes in. He will raise the young wife and mother to meet her challenges as the stepping stones to heaven. And he will calm the desires of the compulsive man with his love.
Finally, the Magi unpack their gifts for the child-king. They present gold, incense, and myrrh on behalf of all believers. Gold represents virtue, our most noble quality. We strive for excellence not only for ourselves but to assist Christ in the transformation of the world. Frankincense symbolizes our prayers. When burned, it rises to heaven as our prayers must. We need the support of Christ’s mighty arm if we are to be of any help at all in his mission. Finally myrrh, a spice used for burial, stands for our willingness to sacrifice ourselves. Jesus will tell his disciples that they must take up their cross and follow him. Myrrh indicates our readiness to do just that.
We have entered the month of January, named after Janus, the two-faced god. One face looks to the past; the other, to the future. It is time for us to take inventory. We have to recall the best of the past -- how Christ’s mighty arm has supported us and how his love has calmed our desire. We do this to meet the challenges of the future – how to generate income for the household and how to face up to a heart darkened by evil. For this purpose we will find the Scriptures not just interesting but also helpful.
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