Fifth Sunday of Easter (Cycle B)

Jesus Christ as the Vine, Byzantine Orthodox Art.

The image presented by the liturgy this Sunday is simple and of great expressive force. Jesus is the true vine, full of life; We disciples are those branches that nourish ourselves with the sap that comes to us from Jesus. The Father is the vinedresser who personally cares for the vineyard so that it bears abundant fruit and so that his project of a more human and happier world for all becomes a reality. And at the same time, the image highlights where the problem lies: There are dry branches through which the sap of Jesus does not circulate, that is, disciples who do not bear fruit because the Spirit of the Risen One does not run through their veins. Christian communities that are turned off because their members are disconnected from their Lord. That is why an affirmation charged with intensity is made: «the branch cannot bear fruit if it does not remain on the vine»: the life of the disciples is sterile if we do not remain in Jesus. His words are very clear: «Without me you can do nothing.» Isn’t this the root of the crisis in our Christianity? The way many Christians live our faith, without a vital union with Jesus Christ, will not last long: it will be reduced to a kind of anachronistic folklore that will not bring the Good News of the Gospel to anyone. The Church will not be able to carry out her mission in the contemporary world, if those of us who call ourselves Christians do not become disciples of Jesus, animated by his spirit and his passion for a more human world. Being a Christian today requires a vital experience of Jesus Christ, an interior knowledge of his person and a passion for his doctrine. We Christians today live some kind worried and distracted by many issues however we must not forget the essential: We are all branches and only Jesus is the true vine. The decisive thing in these moments is to remain united to Him, to pay full attention to the Gospel. This is the only way to nurture our communities and our souls • AE

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Fr. Agustin’s Schedule for the Fifth Sunday of Easter 2021.

Saturday, May 1, 2021

11.00 a.m. First Communion Mass @ Our Lady of Grace

4.30 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation @ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles

5. 30 p.m. Mass @ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles

Sunday May 2, 2021

10.30 a.m. Mass @ Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church

12.00 p.m. Mass @ Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church

5. 30 p.m. Mass @ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles

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May, month of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The month of May (Overview – Calendar) is the «month which the piety of the faithful has especially dedicated to Our Blessed Lady,» and it is the occasion for a «moving tribute of faith and love which Catholics in every part of the world [pay] to the Queen of Heaven. During this month Christians, both in church and in the privacy of the home, offer up to Mary from their hearts an especially fervent and loving homage of prayer and veneration. In this month, too, the benefits of God’s mercy come down to us from her throne in greater abundance» (Paul VI: Encyclical on the Month of May, no. 1). This Christian custom of dedicating the month of May to the Blessed Virgin arose at the end of the 13th century. The practice became especially popular among the members of the Jesuit Order — by 1700 it took hold among their students at the Roman College and a bit later it was publicly practiced in the Gesu Church in Rome. From there it spread to the whole Church • AE

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V DOMINGO DEL TIEMPO DE PASCUA (CICLO B)

E. Hopper, Compartment C Car 293 (1938), oleo sobre tela, colección privada.

La imagen de este domingo, el quinto dentro del tiempo de Pascua, es de una belleza y una fuerza extraordinarias. Jesús se presenta a si mismo como la vid y de nosotros dice que somos los sarmientos. En otras palabras: la vitalidad de los cristianos nace de él. Si la savia de Jesús resucitado corre por nuestra vida, nos aporta alegría, luz, creatividad, coraje para vivir como vivía él. Si, por el contrario, no fluye en nosotros, somos sarmientos secos. Quizá nuestro problema radica en que celebramos a un Jesús que es una vid llena de vida, pero formada, en buena parte, por sarmientos muertos. ¿Para qué seguir distrayéndonos en tantas cosas, si la vida de Jesús no corre por nuestras comunidades y nuestros corazones? Quizá nuestra primera tarea debiera ser permanecer unidos a la vid, no vivir desconectados de Jesús, sin savia, secos. ¿Cómo lograrlo? El evangelio lo dice con claridad: hemos de esforzamos para que sus palabras permanezcan en nosotros. La vida cristiana no brota espontáneamente entre nosotros. El evangelio no es una deducción racional. Es necesario meditar largas horas las palabras del Señor. Sólo la familiaridad y afinidad con los evangelios nos hará ir aprendiendo poco a poco a vivir como él. Este acercamiento frecuente a las páginas del evangelio nos va poniendo en sintonía con Jesús, nos contagia su amor al mundo, nos va apasionando con su proyecto, va infundiendo en nosotros su Espíritu. Casi sin darnos cuenta, nos vamos haciendo cristianos. La meditación personal y silenciosa de las palabras de Jesús nos cambia más que todas las explicaciones, discursos y exhortaciones que nos llegan del exterior. Las personas cambiamos desde dentro. Y no cambiamos porque con frecuencia por nuestro corazón no pasa la savia de Jesús. La vida de la Iglesia sería ¡ay! Tan diferente si los creyentes -los matrimonios cristianos, los presbíteros, las religiosas, los obispos, los educadores- tuviéramos el libro de los evangelios como nuestro libro de cabecera. Este domingo podríamos tomar esta decisión: leer, todos los días, una página de los evangelios • AE

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Fourth Sunday of Easter

To remind us of the Lord’s concern for each one of us, to remind us that He rose from the dead to give His Life to all of us and to each of us, the liturgy of the Church presents to us today, Fourth Sunday of Easter, the Gospel of the Good Shepherd[1]. Jesus did not just die for mankind in general.  He died for you.  He died for me.  He knows His sheep.  He knows you.  He knows me. In fact, He knows us better than we know ourselves.  He knows everything that has affected our lives from the days when we were in our mothers’ wombs. He knows why we are more joyful or more deeply grieved than others in various situations. And He saves us from our sins.  Each of us.  You know, when I come upon that expression, “He saves us from our sins,” I’m tempted to limit this to something like “I can go to heaven because of the Blood of Jesus.”  And that is true.  But there is more, so much more to “He saves us from our sins.”  By saving us from our sins, He delivers us from eternal death.  We luxuriate in the Presence of Jesus Christ.  We treasure this Presence.  We want to remain in this Presence. We look forward to resting in His Presence forever.  “May eternal rest come upon him or her,” is not just a prayer we make for others.  Within it is the profound hope that we also will rest with Him. Every one of us is continually tempted to do really evil things, but giving into their temptations carries with it a huge cost.  Giving in means giving up Jesus. And, by the Grace of God, we are just not going to do that. And yes, we are tempted to live a selfish lifestyle, use other people to satisfy our physical needs and behave more like animals than human beings.  After all, the media presents this as normal.  But for us, if hedonism is normal, we would rather not be normal.  We are not going to sacrifice Jesus Christ for a few moments of pleasure.  If TV and the movies portray it normal to be sinful, then we would rather be abnormal for the Lord.  We would rather be crazy for Jesus in the eyes of an immoral world. And this is yet another way that He saves us from our sins. He saves us from sinning. He means too much to us for us to squander His Presence. He means too much to us for us to become presumptive, to think that, well, “I’ll sin now and ask Him to forgive me tomorrow.” Well, there may not be a tomorrow for us. What would we be like without Jesus?  This is the question! Let’s us ask ourselves, and let us be honest. And then let us remember that we have the Lord.  Because we value His Presence, we are protected from the physical and psychological dependencies that could easily take over our lives.  Those who are sober addicts know this so well.  Having the Lord in their lives results in their having an all-surpassing reason to fight off giving in to the addiction. The Lord told the parable of the merchant who found the pearl of great price. Everything was sold to purchase that pearl [2]. We have found the pearl of great price.  Or perhaps, to put it better, the Pearl has found us! And now we, like the merchant, are willing to do whatever we can to hold onto that Pearl. He means more to us than anything the world can offer. Jesus Christ makes us want to be better than we are.  Alleluia we proclaim.  We are sheep. And the Good Shepherd has found us, every single one of us! • AE

[1] Jn 10:11-18.

[2] Cf Matthew 13:45–46

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Fr. Agustin’s Schedule for the Fourth Sunday of Easter 2021.

Saturday, April 24, 2021

10.00 a.m. Reconciliation Service for Children @ Our Lady of Grace

4.30 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation @ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles

5. 30 p.m. Mass @ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles

Sunday April 25, 2021

9.00 a.m. Mass @ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles

11.00 a.m. Mass @ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles

5. 30 p.m. Mass @ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles

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IV DOMINGO DE PASCUA

K. Argüello, Cristo Buen Pastor (1979), óleo sobre madera. Colección particular.

Creo que no somos del todo conscientes que muchas veces vivimos “relaciones de intercambio” donde, como decía Weber, parece “estar prohibido el amor” y el sacrificio. El intercambio se ha convertido en factor que determina muchas relaciones. Pareciera ser la principal regla de juego aquella que dice: “Yo te doy en la medida que tú me das”, y así el único principio ético consistiría en no engañar ni cometer fraude en ese intercambio. Por lo demás, uno puede dedicarse a conseguir toda clase de ventajas para sí mismo. Este principio de actuación mercantil no funciona sólo cuando nos intercambiamos artículos, servicios o favores. Es algo que llega a impregnar incluso las relaciones de los matrimonios, las parejas y los amigos, sin embargo, viviendo así estamos vaciando de amor y de amistad nuestras relaciones. Quien ama a una persona, se preocupa por su felicidad y busca antes que nada su bien. Quien, por el contrario, vive una relación mercantil, no se siente responsable del bien o la felicidad del otro; se limita a respetar sus derechos. En el fondo, no está unido amorosamente al otro, sino separado de él por su propio interés.  En el amor lo decisivo es aprender a dar sin esperar a nada a cambio. Quiere, quiere, quiere, si tú quieres deveras que no te importe el por qué, que dice la sevillana esa tan bonita[1]. El que ama, sabe dar gratis. No da con el fin de recibir. Da porque ama, porque se siente dichoso al dar. Da de sí mismo, de su vida. Da lo que está vivo en él, su alegría, su fe, su escucha, su comprensión, su perdón. No se puede amar sin dar. Este amor es creador. Engendra fuerza para vivir, ayuda a crecer, crea y recrea continuamente a las personas y las parejas. Uno de los signos más claros de tal amor es la alegría que despierta en los que se aman, a pesar de los desacuerdos, conflictos y tensiones inevitables. Cuando el amor se vuelve triste es señal de que se está apagando, o de que está infectado de ese mercantilismo. Las palabras del Señor en el evangelio de este domingo, el cuarto dentro del tiempo de Pascua, podrían ayudarnos a hacer un silencioso y sereno examen de conciencia sobre este tema. Hoy Jesús nos habla del pastor bueno y del asalariado. Aparentemente los dos aman a las ovejas, sin embargo, uno busca recibir su salario -no le importan las ovejas y por ello las abandona- y el otro, el bueno, da su vida por las ovejas, porque las ama. Es justo en ese amor verdadero de Cristo Buen Pastor que podemos alimentar nuestra capacidad de amar; es ahí donde podemos purificar nuestras relaciones, para no caer en una vida puramente mercantil, y parecernos ¡ay! Un poquito más al Señor • AE

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_H9C0_lGZG

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Third Sunday of Easter

Today’s Gospel begins with the two disciples gathered together with the Twelve telling them their experience[1]. And then Jesus again appears. This time everyone recognizes Him, but thinks He is a ghost.  So, Jesus showed them His hands and feet and told them to touch Him.  He even ate a piece of fish to prove that He was not a ghost.  He explained the scriptures and call His disciples to be witnesses. Today he calls us to be His witnesses as well. In a court of law, at least in America, when someone is called to be a witness, that person has to swear that he or she will tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Well, we the witnesses of Jesus Christ, are called to give testimony that Jesus Christ has risen from the dead.  We are called to testify that there is more to life than the physical, there is the spiritual. We are called to proclaim that Jesus Christ came, suffered, died and rose from the dead so that we could have a share in His eternal life.  So, the world needs to hear our testimony. The world needs to hear that there is so much more around us than the everyday concerns of our lives. The 24/7 news reports from the left and from the right provide us with incessant whining regarding the statements and actions of those with opposite views. It makes it seem as though the world will stop if the views opposite their position are allowed to take hold on the country and the world. Because there are few people of faith on either side in the media, they miss that all their reports pale in comparison to the only news that matters, the Good News, the Gospel.  Jesus Christ has saved the world.  He has given us eternal life.  We have to treasure this life, and lead others to His life.  We have to take a stand for all that is right and moral whether it comes from the liberals or the conservatives, and we have to fight against all that which is wrong and immoral whether it exists among the liberals or conservatives. The bottom line of our concern is not either of the parties positions. The bottom line for us is the Truth of Jesus Christ! Every position in politics, every law in the land, must be seen from the perspective of the Truth of Jesus Christ. Who is there in this country who is going to stand up for what is right and true, just and moral?  Who? We Christians! We are the real witnesses of Jesus. We are witnesses to His Truth. If only people realized that there was so much more to life than meets the eye, if only people realized that the spiritual is real, if only people realized that the eternal life of the Lord is available for them, that the Lord is reaching out to them, then they would realize that much of their upset in politics as well as in their daily lives is insignificant next to the overwhelming truth and love and peace of Jesus Christ. So, someone must be found to let the world know about the only reality that matters. This is what we have been called to do. We are His witnesses • AE

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[1] Lk 24:35-48

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Fr. Agustin’s Schedule for the Third Sunday of Easter 2021.

Saturday, April 17, 2021

2.00 p.m. Confirmation Mass @ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles

3.00 p.m. Wedding of Natalie & Nathaniel @ Our Lady of Grace

4.30 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation @ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles

5. 30 p.m. Mass @ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles

Sunday April 18, 2021

10.30 a.m. Mass @ Our Lady of Grace

12.00 p.m. Mass @ Our Lady of Grace

5. 30 p.m. Mass @ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles

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III Domingo de Pascua

Caravaggio, Los discípulos de Emaús (1606), óleo sobre lienzo, Pinacoteca de Brera (Milán)

Por qué surgen dudas en su interior? Les dice el señor a los apóstoles.  Cuántos hombres y mujeres de nuestros días responderían inmediatamente enumerando un conjunto de razones que los hacen dudar. Antes que nada, hemos de recordar que muchas de nuestras dudas, aunque tal vez las percibamos hoy con una sensibilidad especial, son dudas de siempre, vividas por hombres y mujeres de todos los tiempos. No podemos olvidar aquello que decía Jaspers: «Todo lo que funda es oscuro». La última palabra sobre el mundo y el misterio de la vida se nos escapa. El sentido último de nuestro ser se nos oculta. Pero, ¿qué hacer ante las dudas, los interrogantes o inquietudes que nacen en nuestro corazón? Cada uno hemos de recorrer nuestro propio camino; a ratos buscaremos a tientas el rostro de Dios; a ratos habrá momentos más claros. Lo que no podemos olvidar es que el valor de nuestra vida depende del grado de sinceridad y fidelidad con el que nos pongamos delante de Dios, que ve el fondo de nuestro corazón. Y para esto no es necesario que hayamos resuelto todas y cada una de nuestras. Basta con que seamos honestos, como Tomás. Además, es necesario que alimentemos nuestra alma. Diario si es posible. Querer creer, a pesar de las dudas, es ya una manera humilde pero auténtica de vivir en verdad ante Dios. Quisiéramos vivir algo más grande y gozoso y nos encontramos con nuestro propio increencia. Quisiéramos agarrarnos a una fe firme, serena, radiante y vivimos una fe oscura, pequeña, vacilante. Si en esos momentos, sabemos esperar contra toda esperanza[1], creer contra toda increencia, y poner nuestro ser en manos de ese Dios a quien seguimos buscando a pesar de todo, en nuestro corazón se irá encendiendo cada vez más la fe, hasta que sea una auténtica hoguera. Somos creyentes. Dios entiende nuestro caminar por esta vida, a veces, ratos tan pobre y tan necesitado. Jesús resucitado nos acompaña siempre[2]. No olvidemos • AE

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[1] Cfr. Rm 4,16-25

[2] J. A. Pagola, Buenas Noticias, Navarra, 1985, p. 169 ss.

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Second Sunday of Easter. Sunday of Divine Mercy

Dawn at Arroyo Seco Ranch (South Texas)

With the exception of the angels among us, which would be just the infants and little children, we often shock ourselves with how easily we go off the deep end, losing our tempers, our patience, engaging tongue before brain, doing that which we said we would no longer do, again and again. Without rattling off a long list of negatives, suffice it to say that we are all frail human beings. Sometimes, though, we hide behind our humanity to justify our actions.  We say, “Well, you know, I’m only human”  But that is never an acceptable excuse for our behavior. We are not only human. We are also spiritual. Through the grace of our baptism, our acceptance of the New Life of the Resurrection, God dwells within each of us. We are infinitely more than human. We are sons and daughters of God. Our God sent His Son to become one of us.  One of us. Think about the cross: Along with the physical pain, Jesus knew what it was like to feel completely abandoned.  All of us suffer from feelings that we are all alone.  Even the mother in a house full of children and a caring husband often feels all alone. Jesus felt alone too. But this was more than that, He felt abandoned. With the exception of Mary, John and a small handful of people, He was all alone on Calvary.  On the cross he was praying the psalm that declares that no matter what the world is doing to Him, His Father would never abandon Him[1]. So, Jesus also knew how the world tempts us to hate and how easy it is to take a small step and go from disagreeing with another person to hating that person because of his or her opinions. He must look at us Americans in 2021 and say, “Hey guys, disagree in your political positions if you must, but stop being hateful to each other and start respecting each other.” Jesus even knew what it was like to wake up in the morning and feel crabby! Moods are part of our human condition and Jesus was one of us in all things but sin.  Granted, He controlled His moods, and we often don’t control our moods, but He did know that bad moods seem to come from nowhere.  He also shared our other frailties. Back to today’s Gospel, Jesus knew how Thomas was frustrated with the other disciples and how disappointed he was.The Lord knew what Thomas was going through and He forgave him. The Lord knows what each of us is going through in our lives and forgives us. Well, He forgives us as long as we are willing to take a step outside of ourselves and our wants, and recognize our need for His Presence in our lives. When the night is darkest, the sun comes comes. When our failures and falls make us feel desperate, the mercy of the Lord appears, like a dawn. On this Divine Mercy Sunday, we are reminded that when we say with our lives as well as with our tongues, “My Lord and my God,” then are we only human? No, we are not only human! His grace allows us to be infinitely more than just human. Through His mercy we can be the spiritual beings that He created us to be. “I am not good enough,” all of us are inclined to say, particularly when we know we need to serve God in the Church, in our home, our workplace, our school or our neighborhood.  “I am not good enough”, we say to ourselves and others not just to have an excuse for avoiding something, but far deeper, because we know our own frailty.  We are wrong.  All of us are wrong. We are all good enough! With his mercy and compassion He makes us good enough! This is the message of Divine Mercy Sunday • AE

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[1] Cf Psalm 22

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Fr. Agustin’s Schedule for the Second Sunday of Easter 2021.

Saturday, April 10, 2021

10.00 a.m. First Communions Mass @ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles

4.00 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation @ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles

5. 30 p.m. Mass @ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles

Sunday April 11, 2021

9.00 a.m. Mass @ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles

11.00 a.m. Mass @ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles

5. 30 p.m. Mass @ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles

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Segundo Domingo de Pascua. Domingo de la Divina Misericordia

Marçal de Sax, La Duda de Tomás (c. 1400), temple sobre tabla, Museo Catedral de Valencia (España)

La cruz y la muerte habían llevado la tristeza, el desánimo y el miedo a los corazones de los apóstoles. Ahí estaban: paralizados por el miedo, con los cerrojos echados, y sin esperanza e ilusiones[1]. En realidad, el sepulcro vacío no estaba resolviendo el problema. Lo que realmente iba a transformar la vida de los discípulos es lo que ha dado en llamarse la experiencia pascual, es decir, sentirse resucitados con la fuerza del Resucitado. Aquel día el Señor Jesús aparece con su paz. Nada mejor podían recibir aquellos corazones atribulados y con un (explicable) complejo de culpabilidad. Pero, atención, no viene Jesús a echarles en cara su traición. No. Un aire nuevo irrumpe en la casa con la presencia de Jesús: el perdón de los pecados y el Espíritu Consolador. El evangelio de hoy habla de dos apariciones de Jesús, la primera tiene todo el perfume de la celebración de un sacramento: el domingo, al atardecer, los discípulos perdonados y llenos del Espíritu Santo, que son enviados a llevar a los hombres el amor y el perdón de que han sido testigos[2]. Tres años de intimidad con Jesús de Nazaret; catequesis escuchadas y comentadas después en la intimidad; signos y prodigios de Jesús… Todo pudo haberse quedado en la estupenda experiencia de haber conocido de cerca un gran Maestro y Profeta suscitador de esperanzas, que había acabado -como acaba todo- con la muerte. Pero la experiencia pascual los hace cristianos: Testigos de la Resurrección que proclaman que Jesús de Nazaret es el Cristo Señor[3]. No es preciso, para confirmar la fe, tocar físicamente a Jesús. Él ha dejado, al alcance y servicio de todas las generaciones, la experiencia pascual. Y Tomás. ¡Ay Tomás! Tomás era uno de los doce, pero aquel día no estaba con sus hermanos. Se había ido a hacer la guerra por su cuenta. Pero ¿qué podría llevar Tomás al mundo sin ser testigo de la Resurrección? Pues lo mismo con nosotros: ¿Qué podríamos aportar hoy, cargados de ideas, pero sin la experiencia del Señor? Quizá repartir teorías, y poco más[4]… ¡Dichoso el que viva hoy la experiencia pascual! Dichoso quien no haya visto al Señor y así lo ame y crea en Él y se alegra con un gozo indecible, transfigurado, alcanzando así la meta de la fe: la propia salvación; la vida en comunión que nos hace testigos de cómo Dios sigue salvando. Los sacramentos que Él nos dejó, celebrados con alegría como acontecimiento salvador, ponen al alcance de la mano el poder exclamar igual como hizo Tomás ¡Señor mío y Dios mío! • AE

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[1] Cfr. Jn 20, 19-31

[2] Ídem.

[3] Cfr. Hch 4, 32-35

[4] M. Flamarique Valerdi, Escrutad las Escrituras. Reflexiones sobre el ciclo A, Ed. Desclée de Brouwer, Bilbao, 1989, p. 79 ss.

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EASTER SUNDAY 2021

El Greco, The Resurrection (c. 1597), oil on canvas, Museo Nacional del Prado (Madrid).

Christians, to the Paschal Victim

offer sacrifice and praise.

The sheep are ransomed by the Lamb;

and Christ, the undefiled,

hath sinners to his Father reconciled.

Death with life contended: combat strangely ended!

Life’s own Champion, slain, yet lives to reign.

Tell us, Mary: say

what thou didst see upon the way.

The tomb the Living did enclose;

I saw Christ’s glory as He rose!

The angels there attesting;

shroud with grave-clothes resting.

Christ, my hope, has risen:

He goes before you into Galilee.

That Christ is truly risen

from the dead we know.

Victorious King, Thy mercy show!

Amen. Alleluia.

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With Christ on the way to the New World

In addition to attending the liturgical celebration of Easter, one of the best things we could do on resurrection morning is to listen to the New World Symphony, composed by Antonin Dvorak. The author was born in Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic, in 1841. He became popular in Germany and then in England in the 1880’s. In 1892 he became the Director of the New York National Conservatory. During this time, he wrote his 9th Symphony which he entitled, From the New World. He wrote from America at a time when thousands and thousands of people from Ireland, Italy, Germany, and Poland were migrating from the homes their ancestors lived in for centuries to find a new life and a new world. There was the sea, the language, the search for a place to live, a job in a hostile job market. They were accustomed to receiving respect in their home towns and villages. They were belittled and insulted by many in America.  Still, they endured all. Why? Well, because they wanted a better life for their children and grandchildren. They wanted their children to be able to break out of the silent caste system of Europe. So, they sacrificed their own positions of respect in their community, their own homes, their own countries, their futures, all for the sake of a new world for their children. Jesus the Christ longed for a New World for God’s children. He longed for a world where they would no longer be confined in a mortal prison by hatred, by paganism, by materialism. He grieved over people who were like sheep without a shepherd.  Their lives were pointless.  They wanted meaning but could not find meaning.  In this way their lives were not that much different from the lives of many people of our time.  Modern people spend millions of dollars on self-help books.  They go to gurus. They give themselves over to modern forms of Buddhism, thinking that they can find happiness and peace within themselves.  But they end up with nothing.  They work much harder than they need to in order to make enough money to own everything this old world can produce. And they end with nothing of lasting value. Jesus wants to lead all of God’s children to a New World, a world which would give meaning and happiness to their lives. But the journey to the New World would take sacrifice. A Tremendous Sacrifice from a Tremendous Lover. And so, Jesus allowed the world to do its worse to Him.  The terrible sacrifice took place on the cross on Good Friday. The New World was proclaimed on Easter Sunday. Those who accept Jesus would be given a new life, a spiritual life, an eternal life. The prophecy of Hosea is fulfilled.  It is a prophecy that we seldom hear quoted but it means everything to us: “On the third day he will raise us up that we might live before Him”[1]. Jesus invites us to join Him on the journey to the New World. This journey demands that we also sacrifice. It demands that we reject the old, dead way of life.  The journey demands that we accept being alone in a world full of mockers.  They tell us that we are wasting our time, our money and our energy on religion. They say that fewer and fewer people are believing.  We tell them that we would rather be in a minority with Jesus than in a majority that rejects Him.  We suffer from others.  We also suffer from our own selfishness. We suffer, we sacrifice, even to the point of death with Jesus.  We endure much so we can have a New Life in the New World of the Lord not just for ourselves, but for our children.  For if we do nothing more in our lives than lead our children to the Lord, then our lives have been a total success and have had infinite value. Our lives have meaning, and purpose and beauty because we are not satisfied with the shallow existence of materialism and self-gratification. Jesus has called us out of this darkness and death and given each of us the ability to make His presence real for others.  If we just allow God to work through us, if we just strive to be that unique reflection of His love, He created each of us to be, then we will come out of the tomb of selfishness this world buries us in and live eternally. The tomb is empty, Mary Magdalene, sinner who lived it up and was dead in her sins. She found life by rejecting her sinful life.  The tomb is empty Mary.  But the world is full.  The Savior Lives.  May His life change the world.  May we let His life change the world.  For the world craves His New Life.  And we need a New World • AE

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[1] 6:2

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Fr. Agustin’s Schedule for Easter Sunday of 2021

Sunday, April 4, 2021

9.00 a.m. English Mass @ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles

11.00 a.m. English Mass @ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles

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DOMINGO DE PASCUA DE LA RESURRECCIÓN DEL SEÑOR

La bella flor que en el suelo
plantada se vio marchita
ya torna, ya resucita,
ya su olor inunda el cielo.

De tierra estuvo cubierto,
pero no fructificó
del todo, hasta que quedó
en un árbol seco injerto.
Y, aunque a los ojos del suelo
se puso después marchita,
ya torna, ya resucita,
ya su olor inunda el cielo.

Toda es de flores la fiesta,
flores de finos olores,
más no se irá todo en flores,
porque flor de fruto es ésta.
Y, mientras su Iglesia grita
mendigando algún consuelo,
ya torna, ya resucita,
ya su olor inunda el cielo.

Que nadie se sienta muerto
cuando resucita Dios,
que, si el barco llega al puerto,
llegamos junto con vos.
Hoy la cristiandad se quita
sus vestiduras de duelo.
Ya torna, ya resucita,
ya su olor inunda el cielo •

(Del Oficio de Laudes de la Liturgia de las Horas para el Domingo de Pascua)

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Jacopo di Cione, Noli me tangere, óleo sobre madera, The National Gallery (Londres)

Con el evangelio de hoy, la liturgia nos dice qué necesitamos hacer para ver a Jesús como el Hombre Nuevo que es. Es el primer día de la semana, aún de madrugada, casi a oscuras, cuando la fe aún no ha iluminado nuestro día. Estamos, como Magdalena, confusos y llorosos, mirando con miedo el vacío de una tumba. Ese vacío interior que a veces nos invade: cansancio de vivir, acciones sin sentido, rutina. El vacío que se nos produce cuando estamos en crisis y los esquemas antiguos ya no tienen respuesta; cuando sentimos que tal acontecimiento o nueva doctrina nos quita eso seguro a lo que estábamos aferrados. Cuando tomamos conciencia de ello, nos asustamos, creyendo que se derrumba nuestro mundo bien armado. ¿Y Jesús? Nos lo han robado, justamente a nosotros que creíamos tenerlo tan seguro, tan bien conservado. Pensábamos que teníamos a Jesús para siempre, como si el tiempo se hubiera detenido para que nosotros pudiéramos gozar y recrearnos indefinidamente en ese mundo ya hecho y terminado. Pero sobreviene la crisis, cae ese mundo y Cristo desaparece. Y entonces pedimos ayuda, y Pedro y Juan comienzan a correr… ¿Será posible que Jesús no esté allí donde lo habíamos dejado debajo de una pesada piedra para que no escapara? Es la pregunta de la comunidad cristiana, atónita cuando algo nuevo sucede en el mundo o en la Iglesia, y debe recomponer sus esquemas. Pedro y Juan corren. Pedro, lo institucional de la Iglesia. Juan, el amor, el aspecto íntimo. El amor corre más ligero y llega antes, pero deja paso a la autoridad para que investigue y averigüe qué ha pasado. Pedro observa con detenimiento todo, pero no comprende nada, pero Juan, el discípulo a quien Jesús amaba, el que se mantuvo fiel junto a la cruz, el que vio cómo de su corazón salía sangre y agua, el que recibió a María como madre…, el Juan que compartió el dolor de Cristo, vio y creyó[1]. Intuyó lo que había pasado porque el amor lo había abierto más al pensamiento de Jesús. Pedro siempre había resistido a la cruz y al camino de la humillación; el orgullo lo había obcecado y no se decidía a romper sus esquemas galileos. Pocos días después, cuando junto al lago de Genesaret Jesús le pida el triple testimonio de amor -¿Me amas más que éstos?- y le proponga seguirlo por el mismo camino que conduce a la cruz, entonces Pedro sanará, y no solo eso sino que dará testimonio de ese Cristo resucitado que había comido y bebido con él después de la resurrección[2]. La lección del Evangelio es sencilla de comprender: sólo el amor puede hacernos ver a Jesús en su nueva dimensión; sólo quien primero acepta su camino de renuncia y de entrega, puede compartir su vida nueva. Inútil es, como Pedro, investigar, hurgar entre los lienzos, buscar explicaciones. La fe en la Pascua es una experiencia sólo accesible a quienes escuchan el Evangelio del amor y lo llevan a la práctica. El grano de trigo debe morir para dar fruto. Si no amamos, esta Pascua estará vacía, como aquella tumba. Si esta Pascua no nos hace más hermanos, nuestras palabras serán mentirosas. Si ni vivimos y crecemos en el amor, si no pasa «haciendo el bien y curando a los oprimidos[3], ¿cómo daremos testimonio de Cristo? • AE

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[1] Cfr. Jn 20,1-9

[2] Cfr. Hech 10,34; 37-43.

[3] Idem.

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