The Ascension of the Lord


“On the third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into Heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there, He will come to judge the living and the dead.”

The opening expression at the beginning of the Creed serves as a reminder of an event that happened in real history and as an eschatological sign.

The Ascension of Jesus foreshadows our destiny at the end of time. If we stop and look closely, it’s not limited to Jesus’ divine nature. If that were the case, His body would have been found in the grave. A divine nature does not need a body.

It is Jesus’ humanity and divinity that ascends into Heaven, without blurring and without separating.

Man does not have a divine nature, but he has a body and a soul. Thy rejoin at the end of time and like Jesus, we hope to ascend to Heaven.

Man has one task, if he wants to ascend on the last day. He must keep his body and soul as sinless as possible to be admitted into the gates of Heaven.

He who stains his body and soul with sin, will rise from the dead only to descend into the pit of darkness and hopelessness.

Published in: on May 9, 2024 at 2:14 PM  Leave a Comment  

Navigating through the Dry Desert


Spiritual aridity is as different from spiritual apathy as Rome is from Tokyo. There can be many causes for spiritual aridity, but explaining each cause would turn this into a book of Christian spirituality and psychology, Let’s settle for the existential experience of spiritual aridity.

Existentially, spiritual aridity can best be described as thirst in a sandy desert. Once looks for a connection with God in prayer, the Sacraments, the Church, even the Gospel. At the end, not finding that spring that we once experienced in the spiritual life, we become despondent. We argue that there is no spiritual gain in prayer, the Mass, the Church, or even those around us.

The biggest problem is that we fault all religious activity as falling short and not meeting our spiritual needs. We fail to look into our soul. We are afraid of the darkness we might find there. Our reasoning ability becomes weak.

But God is not found through human reasoning, As complete and perfect, God is far superior to the collective of human wisdom.

God is that body that illuminates the night. The darker the night, the more visible are the stars of space. The stars that shine in the night are the sunlight that light up our day. Do we give up on prayer, the Sacraments, and the Church because of the human weakness that we find there, or the catastrophic mess that we are?

We need to remember that through the centuries, many have seen the weakness that we see…however, some of those people cry out to God to brighten the darkness that they see around them. Some of our most admirable saints have spent years calling out to God, the light of the night and the water in an oasis.

The more the cry out to God, “come be my light,” the stronger we become without realizing it. Grace is not a human feeling. It’s a seed planted in the soul where the Divine Gardener will water it and protect it from death as long as we persevere, “Come be my light”.

We carry on with whatever good the Church, Sacraments, and the Sacred Scriptures will offer. But each time we come into contact with the cold desert night, we call out to Him who can be the light we seek. The search for the light of God, however, requires that we never give up on calling, “Come, be my light”. God has never abandoned one who called out to Him. Those who give up calling out to God will be burned by the light of the Son whom they have given up. Man gives up hoping for the light. The Light for each man will always allow Itself to be seen; but only when God knows that it will do some good for us and through us.

We can never forget that we are the sheep that can’t find the Good Shepherd. But He is always closer to us when the desert looks the darkest or feels the coldest.

May the Immaculata always guide us through the dark desert.

“Our Lady of Solitude“, Madrid School, 17th Century
Published in: on January 22, 2023 at 7:06 PM  Leave a Comment  

The Immaculate Conception


The Immaculate Conception is an event that happened only once in history. The Immaculate Conception is God’s power to create a person free of original sin. That person is Mary, the mother of Jesus who is the Son of God.

When the Holy Spirit overcame Mary, Jesus’ humanity and divinity were placed in her womb for protection and the necessary space for the divine seed which had been planted – with a human nature alongside the divinity. In her womb, the God-man grew and, at the right time, he was born like any other child, except this child had two natures: human and divine, without blending.

To plant such a divine seed, who was His Son, God first created a woman who never experienced sin, because she had been conceived Immaculate, so that the Messiah that had been promised to Israel would acquire His human nature in a womb that did not know sin.

Mary has the protection of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was so powerful in Mary that we first became aware of the Third Person of the Most Holy Trinity when Gabriel said the Holy Spirit would act in her, without any human intervention.

It’s through the Virgin conceived without sin that man is first introduced to the most powerful and glorious being: the Triune God.

Published in: on December 7, 2022 at 10:58 PM  Leave a Comment  

Rebuild My House


“Saint Francis Praying before the Crucifix at San Damiano,” Giotto, c. 1295, fresco

 
Francis was asked by Jesus to rebuild His house. Francis thought it referred to the chapel of San Damiano.
 
As time passed, after Francis had rebuilt San Damiano, his emptiness and his desire for truth continued to burn in his heart. It was only when his father dragged him to be judged by the Bishop that Francis realized that the house he was meant to renew was within him.
 
Francis stripped himself of his past when he returned to his father his money and everything he was wearing. Only when we strip ourselves of the past and the present do we realize how small and insignificant we are. When we strip ourselves of attachments, prejudices, opinions, material possessions, and past dreams and desires, we become like a vacant lot of land ready for a new building, a new house, a house where God is the master.
 
To realize that God is the master, we must realize our sinfulness. Sins that only God can blot away. No matter if we have been absolved in Confession, our attachment to sin has become part of the soil where God is to build His house. The previous house has been demolished and the surface of the field is clear, but beneath the top soil are the roots of sin, which, if not acknowledged, cannot be dug out like the weeds they are. Being absolved cleanses us of the eternal punishment we deserve, but the attached roots that remain must be acknowledged and God’s help must be begged to weed them out.
 
“Without me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me and I in him, he is like a branch that is thrown away”.
– Jn 15:5
 
This is the most difficult truth that Francis had to face, if he was going to be raised as a living stone in Christ’s Church. It’s the lesson that Francis leaves for his followers. Live aware of the roots of sin in you, also remain aware of Christ’s presence through whom all things are possible.
 

“With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” – Mt 19:26

“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” – Ps 118:22

 

“Nothing is impossible for God” (Lk 1:37). He is more powerful and closer to us than the roots of sin. When we 

see our nakedness, where the only thing left are the roots of sin, God is closer than those roots. Unlike the roots of sin, God is alive.

May the Immaculate always light our empty lot so that we may see our attachments to sin and her living Son always willing to clear the ground and help us build his house.

 

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Published in: on November 27, 2022 at 10:39 PM  Leave a Comment  

From Scientists and Politicians God Preserve Us


When scientists began to explore the world around them, they discovered that the Creator had given rules to the natural world: biology, physics, chemistry, earth science…it is contrary to the nature of the Creator to endow us with access to these rules so we may use them to destroy each other.

The question remains: “Why did the Creator intend humanity to explore the laws of nature and use their properties?” The God that called and keeps all things into existence, also ordered them throughout space and time to be observable and accessible to human beings, each at its proper time and place. God did not simply create nuclear physics as he created agriculture: how would nuclear physics enhance the lives of primitive human beings?

It stands to reason that the Creator, who lives outside of time and space, would have every branch of science “alive” in His mind for all eternity. God does not simply wake up one morning, yawn, trapse out of bed, and drag Himself to a kitchen for a cup of coffee before He can begin creating. Since God is alive beyond our space and time, He is continuously creating and informing nature of the laws and properties by which it is governed. He has given humanity the will to explore beyond our bubble, the intellect to comprehend what we find, and the virtues to govern how we use this knowledge.

We can identify an insurmountable amount of knowledge that man has discovered, wherein he abused his freedom, ignored virtue, and used what God has ingrained into nature to feed his obsession with power and wealth. Thus, we find ourselves engaged in wars and conflicts in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, the Americas, and the Pacific Ocean. Thanks to the irresponsible actions of scientists and politicians, almost everything that we have discovered is analyzed to determine if it can be weaponized for power and wealth. Not so often do scientists apply their discoveries for the good of humanity and world peace.

Take a count of the number of Russians and Ukrainians who have died, lost their families and homes, and financial resources, because two political opponents engage in a deadly military confrontation “for the nation’s good”. Ukrainians and Russians are using war machines that rely on the laws of physics and chemistry!

We should pray for the North Korean and American armed forces who engage daily in “tests” and military tease demonstrations meant to intimidate rather than invite each other to the table of honest fraternal dialogue that seeks the good – especially of those who would be passive victims of political and military conflict that runs the risk of destroying human beings who have no voice in science or politics.

Like our holy father Saint Francis, the Franciscans of Life subscribe to the same practice of virtue: “Most High, all-powerful, all-good Lord, all praise is Yours, all glory, all honor, and all blessings“. Everything has been created by the same God who created humanity. All the laws of the universe are created by the Lawgiver, the triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As did our holy father Saint Francis of Assisi, we do not think, we know that every human being is our brother or sister, because we all came into existence by the Will of the Father, were redeemed by the Son, and are guided by the voice of the Holy Spirit (if we care to listen). “And God looked upon all that He had made and, indeed, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31)

We believe that every scientific discovery has existed in the mind of God throughout eternity, and is discovered by us at a time, place, and by people who can use their discovery to enhance and protect humanity and the world.

Whether or not we evolved from a lower lifeform, came into existence because of the “Big Bang”, or were created in six days, should not be the questions on the table right now. The question on the table is: what are the means that God has given us to cooperate with the Divine Will: “I came that all may have life, and have it in abundance”?   

 

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Published in: on October 10, 2022 at 8:12 PM  Comments (1)  

Prudence and Emotional Responses


Disclaimer: the information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical or spiritual advice, diagnosis, or treatment. For physical / psychological issues, please discuss the matter with your P.C.P. and/or seek anger management or mental health counseling. There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing so, nor are you “crazy”, if you take proactive steps for the sake of your health and of your mind. For spiritual issues, please amend your life, increase your life of prayer (particularly Confession and Mass attendance, as well as reading the Gospels and praying the Rosary) and discuss matters with your pastor. 

Hot-button issues bear one characteristic aspect: they incite emotional responses from the reader. Such responses can easily escalate into violence, either overtly or covertly, as we have been witnessing recently across the Nation.

We have to be very careful to monitor our emotions and regulate them so as not to lose control of ourselves and do things that will hurt ourselves – as well as others – and fuel our rage as time passes and our control over our passions becomes weaker.

Rage has a way of leading one to self-destruction in the search for peace. Sometimes it can lead to “self-medicating” with drugs or alcohol, or other addictive substances and behaviors. Their relief is short. The person then moves on to bigger and more “efficient” ways of expressing the anger. That is when anger can become physical: the destruction of property, for example.

If one is not stopped, such action only feeds the fire of Hell within, which keeps the anger burning with a flame that never runs out of fuel.

When destruction of property fails to suffocate the interior rage, the person then turns on living beings – animals first, then human beings – trying in every possible way to control them, provoke them, or bully them.

By that point, Satan is satisfied: he has been allowed to lead the person into serious evil. At this level, the person starts to make excuses instead of working on recovering interior peace. “See what you made me do?” or “If you had done it my way, we wouldn’t be having this problem“.

The demons sit back and laugh: the more one deflects the less they resolve their problem. The rage that has grown in the interior life distorts reality. If a real problem is distorted, any attempt to solve it is severely crippled.

To avoid all of the above, we must begin with ourselves. We must sit back and try to understand what is it that is truly provoking our rage. We usually see that what we are seeing is really the outer shell of a rotten egg… that rot can be something that has nothing to do with the target of one’s fury. It is only when we identify what really makes us angry that we can determine whether it has anything to do with us, or even if we are rightfully angry at all.

If we are justifiably angry, we have regained control over our emotions. Those feelings may not go away, but at least we can exert our free will and authority over our mind and emotions.

Any action that blinds our intelligence can lead us to the behaviors and damage that we described above.

Here are some additional online resources related to this topic.

Physical / psychological:

Spiritual:

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Published in: on June 28, 2022 at 8:22 PM  Leave a Comment  

FFV Pro-Life Rosary Crusade 📿


Dear family:

   More than half of the Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States have agreed on a draft that reviews the constitutionality of Roe v Way as it was written in 1973. The conclusive verdict is to be handed down later this spring or early summer.        

stock picture of scared elderly lady looking outside her window

   As Franciscans of Life, this review has captured our attention.  More importantly, we have become aware that people who object to this review have gathered to protest in front of the Justices’ homes, without regard for the safety of the families who live inside.  As citizens, we have the right to protest and communicate our demands to the government in peaceful and safe demonstrations.  There is, however, no moral justification for the dangers arising when angry mobs gather, especially before the homes of private citizens.  Spouses, children, grandchildren, seniors living in the homes are not public figures.  They have the right to a quiet and peaceful life as the rest of us. Disturbance of the peace and instilling fear in private citizens is immoral and – as we have stated above – dangerous to the collective safety.

    I’m saying all of this because, as Franciscans of Life, we know that human life is sacred from conception to natural death.  Life is the supernatural act of God in favor of humanity, a humanity that His Son, Jesus Christ, would assume at a precise moment in history, society, and ethnicity. 

   We believe that the Second Person of the Holy Trinity became man, developed in the womb of a human mother, was born of her, and was unjustly executed on the cross.  Taking on our human nature side by side with His divine nature, and being executed, was an act of God’s love for humanity. 

   Our Country fought a civil war for many reasons, the most important being the belief that no human being can own another human being – not even one’s mother.  We have no ownership of the person in the womb, thus killing an unborn baby is claiming ownership and authority that is not ours. Abortion is a false belief that the preborn child has less rights than a slave, and that the child in the womb is as much the property of the mother as a lung. 

unborn baby responds to mom's touch

   The Franciscans of Life are inviting everyone we know to join our Rosary Crusade, to pray that Congress and state governments will pass laws that protect the right to life of every person, from conception to natural death. 

   We invite you, your family, and friends to pray the Holy Rosary every Saturday, starting this Saturday, which the Church reserves for Our Heavenly Mother, until the Saturday before the Feast of the Assumption (August 13).

   You don’t have to go to the parish church.  You can pray from your home, car, or any quiet place.  Just pray.  The Rosary is the most powerful private prayer in our armory. Popes have called it “scourge of the devil,” “treasure of graces,” “heavenly instrument,” “glory of the Church”.

We encourage you to log your prayers at www.franciscansoflife.com/rosary

Fraternally in the Child Jesus,

The Franciscans of Life

(B. Jay Rivera, Superior)



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Published in: on May 21, 2022 at 12:09 AM  Comments (3)  
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My Sins and The Nails that Pierced Christ


Holy Week is an invitation by Christ and the Church to meditate not only on the suffering of Christ on the cross, but especially on the cause of Christ’s Passion.  For centuries, we Christians have proclaimed that Christ died on the cross to redeem us.  But very rarely do we say It is my sins that led Christ to be executed by the cruelest form of capital punishment of the time.

Today we hear many sermons and read many spiritual books on God’s love for us and our obligation to love God and others.  These points are true.  However, we rarely hear Your sins contributed to the cruel passion of Christ.  It has become unfashionable to speak to people directly about personal sin.  The excuse that we most frequently hear is It is not for me to judge.  It is true that it is not for us to judge the state of another person’s soul.  But we certainly have a duty to reflect on the state of our soul.  

It is not enough to say I have always been a good person, or I have always tried to do the best that I could in any given situation.  These statements are like the clouds that block the light of the sun from reaching us on a dreary day.  I am a good person is often cloud cover.

When mediating on the suffering of Christ and His Blessed Mother we must ask ourselves some very important questions, such as:

  1. Do I tell myself that God is a loving god who, in the end, will pardon my sins and welcome me to heaven?

That is presuming God’s mercy while not considering his justice.  The mercy of God is an absolute truth. So is His justice.  We must pay for our sins.  Otherwise, we are guilty of the sin of presumption.

  1. Have I ever believed myself or my community to be superior to others?

Looking down at others is a sin of arrogance.  It may be true that I live a more virtuous life than the person next door.  But we can only see external acts, we do not see what God sees.  He sees the whole person.  He does not measure a person’s value by their race, culture, achievements, sexual orientation, parentage, or religion.  God knows about all these things and what He blesses and what He condemns.  However, Christ tells us, “do not judge, or you too will be judged” (Matt 7:1).

  1. Do I truly believe doctrine and moral law that the Church teaches, or do I create my own doctrine and my own moral law?  

Maybe I question the Church’s teaching on same sex marriage, abortion, birth control, marriage of divorcees, sex outside of marriage celibacy. 

Maybe I believe that Christ is in the host, but not that the host is the real body and blood of Christ.  However, the host is not an outer shell within which hides the Lord Jesus Christ…the consecrate host is the Lord Jesus Christ.  Christ makes this very clear when He told his followers, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life . . . “(Jn 6:54).

  1. Do I look down on non-Catholics or maybe I do not ever think about non-Catholics?

Catholics are often indifferent to other religions, believe that all religions are the same, or are hostile toward non-Catholics.  When we are indifferent about the existence of other religions, we are indifferent about our own Catholic religion.  We fail to see the need to bring others into the fulness of the Gospel which subsists only in the Catholic Church. 

To subscribe to the idea that all religions are the same is as intelligent as believing that all cultures are the same.  They are not the same.  Other religions have some beliefs that are the same as Catholic beliefs, and some beliefs that are completely mistaken because they ignore or distort Truth. 

Hostility toward people of other faiths contradicts what Jesus has taught us.

Jesus was asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” “

Do this and you will live.” (Lk 10:25-28)

I must never stay silent in the face of error for the sake of political correctness.  To do so is to give consent to the error.  But I must never consider myself above others.  Truth comes from Christ, not from man.

If I consider myself above non-Catholics, then I am as wrong as they are.  Because my Catholic faith is not of my creation, but a gift from God.  I must share this gift whenever the situation presents itself, with respect and kindness.  Never with aggression or condescension. 

In conclusion, let us not think only those sins which are observable: adultery, impurity, injustice, slander, rudeness, vulgarity, passing up an opportunity to practice charity…  We are guilty of many sins that are not easily observable and which we believe can be swept under the rugs.  Yet, no sin in hidden from the sight of God. The nails that pierced the hands and feet of Christ are my sins along with those of others.

Published in: on March 30, 2021 at 2:27 PM  Leave a Comment  

REMEMBER THAT UNTO DUST YOU SHALL RETURN


Today we are seeing people dying in the hundred thousand from COVID-19.  Just as we are celebrating that vaccines are created by several pharmaceutical companies, along come variations and mutations of the original virus. There are still areas in the United States and countries with fewer resources where the vaccine has not reached and there is no set date for its arrival.

In the United States millions of people are living in arctic conditions, thousands without electricity.  No electricity means no heating.  Already, people have died from complications caused by frigid temperatures.  People are leaving their homes to shelter in facilities that have electricity, such as enclosed stadiums.  Let us not forget the thousands of people who are stranded in airports because the weather has caused more than 3,000 flight cancellations and hundreds of delays.  Driving home is not always possible.  The safest place to protect oneself and one’s family is the airport.

Around the world, people die from hunger, violence, wars, and natural disasters.  The point is that we are probably more aware of death today than we were twenty years ago.  Death is knocking at doors that are too close to home for comfort.

Ash Wednesday, being the first day of Lent in the Christian world, calls us to forty days of reflection and sacrifice.  The number 40 is not random.  We remember Noah in the ark for 40 days, Jewish slaves fleeing Egypt through the desert for 40 years. Christ retreated into the desert for 40 days. Finally, the risen Lord remained 40 days with His apostles before His Ascension.  Forty were periods of suffering, atonement, penance, and the journey to glory.

With the number of deaths around us, the Church invites us to remember that Christ carried the cross up Mount Calvary.  On the pinnacle of Mount Calvary, He died and redeemed all of humanity.  Redemption is not to be mistaken with forgiveness.  Redemption is a moment in time that makes forgiveness possible for all who are willing to carry the cross.

For some people, the cross may be living through COVID-19 patiently, trusting that God will do what is best for our salvation.  It is a time of suffering and an opportunity to place our trust in God.

The Arctic conditions that millions of people are experiencing, perhaps without electricity to heat their homes, can be offered as a cross that, if carried with faith in God and charity toward our neighbor, can be the best Lenten sacrifice.  If one does not suffer from COVID-19 or Arctic weather, we can remember to make a daily sacrifice for the benefit of those who are suffering and remember them in our daily prayer.

Lent is a time for conversion, change.  We carry our crosses with patience and trust that God knows what is best for us.  In times of crisis, we reach out to our neighbor to offer our help or to ask for help.  Sometimes, asking for help is more difficult than helping.

Why do we take up our cross during these 40 days?  At the end of his life, Christ died for all men.  Three days later he rose from the dead no more to die. “He who wishes to be my disciple, let him take up his cross and follow me.”  Christ does not invite us to carry our cross for the sake of imitation.  He invites us to carry our cross so that we may never forget that we are not omnipotent and will leave this world on a given day and time.  Those who have carried their cross with the same love as Christ, will also rise to eternal life in Paradise.

“Was crucified, died, and was buried…On the third day, He rose again. “

Published in: on February 19, 2021 at 11:12 PM  Leave a Comment  

Luz en la Oscuridad


Mi mamá siempre decía, “La oscuridad nunca conquistara la luz.” Al mirar el mundo hoy en dia, las cosas parecen oscuras si no buscamos la luz. Covid-19 ha hecho más que enfermar algunos y causar la muerte de otros. Ha puesto a familias en crisis. Hay quienes lloran por un ser querido. Otros se preocupan por un pariente anciano en un asilo de ancianos adonde no se permiten visitas. Esposos y esposas pasan horas esperando, rezando y dudando si su ser querido podrá desconectarse del respirador. Los pacientes fatigan a respirar. Sus cuerpos duelen. Pierden el sentido del sabor y hasta del olor. La tos sin fin no les permite una noche de descanso. También debemos considerar como el virus ha impactado la vida de los profesionales de la salud. Ellos siguen siendo seres humanos. Muchos tienen a seres queridos, incluyendo esposo/a, padres, hijos. Luego de entrar a la facultad de enfermería o de medicina, no imaginaron un día estar “en las trincheras”. Esas cosas ocurren al entrar en las fuerzas armadas, no en el campo de la sanidad.

Sabían que pasarían largos días de pie, mas no sabían que deberían asistirmás de diez pacientes. Había temor limitado de llevarse a casa un virus que podría tomar la vida de un ser querido. Al seguir enfermándose enfermeros/as, doctores, tecnicos, y otros profesionales de la salud, el trabajo se volvió aún más pesado. En vez de turnos de 12 horas, hay muchos que han tenido que poner turnos de 18 horas. Sin embargo, estas personas tienen esposo/a, hijos, padres, hasta mascotas, esperando por sus cuidados. Cuando un ser querido es un paciente en el hospital, un residente de un asilo de ancianos en cierre de emergencia, un enfermero/a, médico, o técnico, uno no siempre puede tener una noche de descanso, debido al estar constantemente preocupado. Además, la pérdida de ingresos de muchos trabajadores les ha obligado a estrechar sus recursos más allá de lo posible. Al estar negocios en cierre de emergencia, hay personas reales en sus casas, pagando boletas y comprando alimentos, sin tener la menor idea de cuando podrán regresar a su trabajo, y traer nuevamente un sueldo a la casa. Personas que trabajaron duro toda su vida para abrir una pequeña tienda ahora están pagando boletas sin tener ingresos.

También está el asunto de la violencia, los saqueos, y las confrontaciones en las calles. No olvidemos que esta fue una de las temporadas de huracanes más activas en décadas, y que los incendios han dejado a miles de personas sin techo. Ni han tomado vacación el terrorismo y las muestras confrontativas de poderío militar.

Las personas se preguntan: “adonde está Dios en todo esto? Si Dios es tan bueno y misericordioso, porque hay tantas personas sufriendo? De veras la oración produce resultados?” Hay quienes están enojados con Dios. Se sienten abandonados.

Dada la situación en el mundo de hoy, es muy natural cuestionar nuestra fe. Dios no se molesta por nuestras dudas ni enojo.

Hallamos respuestas a nuestras preguntas de fe al reflexionar sobre la vida de mujeres y hombres de fe como: San Maximiliano Maria Kolbe, quien murió en un campo de concentración para salvar la vida de un hombre de familia; Santa Teresa de Calcuta, quien dejo su casa a los 18 años para ser misionera en uno de los países más pobres del mundo.

También están esposos/as y padres como San Gianna Beretta Molla, quien escogió dar su vida antes que abortar su hijo prenacido. Ella falleció luego de dar a luz a una niña.

Hablando de personas de gran fe, no puedo olvidar lo que nuestra Santísima Madre le dijo a San Bernardita de Lourdes, quien se hallaba en su lecho de muerte a los 35 años de edad debido a una dolorosa enfermedad de los huesos:

No puedo prometerte la felicidad en esta vida, sólo en la siguiente.

Jesucristo nunca nos prometió que la vida en este mundo sería sin sufrimiento, sin dolor. Al entrar en la Temporada de Navidad, debemos de reflexionar sobreel hecho de que el Hijo de Dios nació con una recompensa sobre su vida. Herodes buscaba asesinar al pequeño. Sus padres debieron huir a Egipto. A pesar de la amenaza de infanticidio y luego de la ejecucion en la cruz, Dios escogió nacer en un mundo que no le ofrecia inmunidad del sufrimiento y de la pérdida.

Dios escogió nacer en un mundo lleno de sufrimientos y perdidas. Navego por el mundo siempre recordando de que nada es imposible para el Padre. No olvidemos jamás que Dios trajo luz en el mundo en un establo de Belén – y luego nuevamente en la resurrección.

La Navidad es la conmemoración de aquel momento en el que Dios entro a la fuerza en la oscuridad de la humanidad para traer la luz de la fe, la esperanza y la caridad. Tambien es un tiempo de anticipación. Jesucristo prometió que Él volvería para juzgar a vivos y los muertos. Volverá para arrojar luz sobre nuestros pecados y actos de amor.

Jesucristo dijo que el acto más grande de amor que alguien pueda hacer, es dar su vida por su próximo.

Caos, miedo, conflictos y confusión que experimentamos pueden ser momentos de luz si alcanzamos a quienes sufren. No debemos necesariamente de darles algo. Los pastores que visitaron a la Sagrada Familia no traían regalos. Eran pobres. Sin embargo, les ofrecieron el don más grande: apoyo, amor, y acompañamiento para una joven familia con dificultades.

Published in: on December 27, 2020 at 12:06 AM  Leave a Comment  
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