Happy Labor Day

Well folks, Happy Labor Day! I hope everyone is enjoying themselves on the unofficial last day of summer! No picnic's, BBQs, or pool parties for me! We do not celebrate Labor Day here in Mexico...so I don't have to worry about going over my allotted points on WW!!! Speaking of WW, it was a rough summer with lot's of gains and losses with each of my trips, but the net result from Memorial Day until Labor Day was -10.3lbs.  I'm 16lbs from my goal weight!!! I've been laser focused for the past 10 days and hope that it will carry me into my next trip to the US tomorrow.

Life here in Mexico has been good and busy.  Br. Nero and I went to Puebla on Thursday afternoon to have a meeting with our accountant and then to meet with Br. Chui for a Sector Council meeting.  It's a 4 hour trip between Queretaro and Puebla with good traffic.  We did pretty well, but when we arrived there was lots of traffic and lots of rain, so it took us almost 45 minutes to make it to the community.  The next morning, after Morning Prayer, Mass, and Meditation, I went to the park for a 5 mile walk/run.  That helped me be prepared for the 2 hour meeting with the accountant.  I was grateful that Fr. Quentin (an American) was available during our meeting because he was able to provide me with some translation when the discussion was getting confusing....yes, numbers in Spanish! It was a productive meeting.  After eating our main meal at 2pm, the Sector Council met again to discuss some issues within the Sector.  It was a very good meeting where we were able to air some differences and try to problem solve some areas that currently need some leadership attention.  Nereo and I left early on Saturday morning.  We arrived in Queretaro at 12:30pm, took a taxi to the community and joined the community for La Comida at 2pm.  After dinner, I worked on my homily and then took a 5 mile walk.  For the past week, I've been binging on Downton Abbey on Netflix, so my wild Saturday night comprised of several episodes of Downton Abbey !

Sunday I woke up early, reviewed my homily a few times and reviewed the prayers and Gospel for the day.  I had 3 Masses on Sunday and by the end of the last one at 7pm I was pretty tired.  I had to wait around a bit because we were waiting for "pilgrims" to arrive at our Church.  Apparently, bike riding pilgrims are all the rage in Mexico!  They were making their way to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  They arrived and then the holy water flew everywhere! The Mexican people love blessings!  I had to bless the riders, their bikes, the image of La Virgen, the food they were about to eat...and then it started raining and my sprinkling holy water on them seemed superfluous!

All in all, it was a good weekend, filled with many activities.  I head to Orlando tomorrow to visit my dad for a few days before my Provincial Council meetings in San Antonio on Saturday morning.  I'm looking forward to seeing my dad, I have not seen him since April and I am very frustrated with his phone right now.  My older brother keeps saying that the issue is not the phone, its Operator Error...I think he may be right, but what do you expect at 88 years old! I guess you just gotta love him!

Enjoy the week! Keep me in your prayers....
Here's my homily from this past Sunday

Homily

Good Morning Church! Are you ready to be a disciple? Turn to the person next to you and say, “I want to follow Jesus.” Yes, if we showed up to Church today, we all want to follow Jesus, but it is one thing to say I want to follow him, it is another thing to understand all that it means to follow him.  If we want to follow Jesus, then we need to be aware of a few things.  The Word of God today gives us three important things to think about if we want to follow Jesus.  In the Book of Wisdom, the author challenges us to seek the wisdom of God in our lives.  In the letter of Paul to Philemon, Paul invites Philemon to have a change of heart and see Onesimus not as a slave, but as a brother in the Lord, and in the Gospel, Jesus invites the crowd to understand that there is a cost to being a disciple, and that cost demands preparation and sacrifice.

Who can know the mind of God? That is a great question? We seek the wisdom of God in our daily lives in order to live our lives in a loving and understanding way, Amen? Now, I do not know the mind of God, but I do know what Scripture tells us about God, and that is, that God’s ways are not our ways.  God does not think the same way we think.  God is much more open than we are! God is more forgiving, compassionate, understanding, and loving than I am! So, when I think about the wisdom of God, I often think about what my response would be and then I magnify it one hundred percent, because my vision is limited and God’s vision is not, Amen? So, when you have a situation in your life and you are trying to make a decision, think about if that decision is limiting yourself or others, and then think about magnifying and opening up your decision, and that is probably where the wisdom of God will be.  The wisdom of God opens us up and does not close us in on ourselves.  Who can know the mind of God?  No one really, but we have some hints from the Word of God as to what we need to do in our lives.

When we are baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, there is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, woman or man.  All are equal in the name of the Lord.  Paul wrote to Philemon to remind him of the new reality that comes to us who are united in the Lord.  Onesimus was a runaway slave.  Philemon, by the law at the time, had the right to punish his runaway slave.  Paul reminds Philemon that in Christ Jesus, believers are called to a higher standard than the civil law demands.  As a newly baptized person, Onesimus was equal to his former master and deserved to be treated with dignity and respect.  Paul begged Philemon to have a change of heart with regards to Onisimus.  This is the same change of heart that all of us must have when we encounter a brother or sister in the Lord.  All are equal through the waters of baptism.  Our relationship changes with one another because of baptism.  Maybe there is someone in your life that the Lord is asking you to have a change of heart? Another way of saying this same thing is, is there someone in your life that if you saw them through the eyes of faith, you would see them differently? A husband, a wife, a son or daughter, a friend, a coworker, a person in Church.  If you want to be a disciple of Jesus, then you must have a change of heart in those relationships were you do not see the other person as an equal.  Baptism demands equality!

Jesus told the crowd that if they wanted to be a disciple, then they might even face not being accepted by family members.  That was difficult to hear in a culture that was very family oriented.  I am sure that is difficult to hear in this culture too! Jesus invited the crowd to a different relationship with one another.  In making changes in their lives, sometimes those changes might be against the ways of a family or the wishes of a mother or father.  The call to follow Jesus must be stronger than the wishes of the family.  Jesus did not want to paint an easy picture for those who wanted to follow him.  It was not going to be easy.  Following Jesus demanded sacrifices, even sacrifices to the family. Jesus also reminded the crowd that if they were going to follow him, they needed to be prepared to follow him.  They needed to be certain of the cost and so he used the image of building a tower without the full amount of money, or going into battle before weighing the options.  If we are going to follow Jesus, it is not just because everyone else is following him.  It takes a personal sacrifice and an informed decision to want to follow him, knowing that there are consequences for taking up our cross and following him.  I am sure that all of us in this Chapel made sacrifices in our lives to follow Jesus.  The road has not always been fun, but the road has been worth it, Amen?

So, do you still want to be a disciple of Jesus? Say, Amen! The Word of God challenges us to seek wisdom, change our hearts and count the cost of following Jesus.  Being a disciple is a demanding life, but the rewards are eternal, Amen?

Buenos días Iglesia! ¿Estás listo para ser un discípulo? Gira a la persona a tu lado y decir: "Quiero seguir a Jesús." Sí, si llegamos a la Iglesia de hoy, todos queremos seguir a Jesús, pero es una cosa que decir que quiero seguirlo, es otra cosa a entender todo lo que significa para seguirlo. Si queremos seguir a Jesús, entonces tenemos que tener en cuenta algunas cosas. La Palabra de Dios hoy nos da tres cosas importantes en que pensar si queremos seguir a Jesús. En el libro de la Sabiduría, el autor nos desafía a buscar la sabiduría de Dios en nuestras vidas. En la carta de Pablo a Filemón, Pablo invita a Filemón a tener un cambio de corazón y ver Onésimo no como esclavo, sino como un hermano en el Señor, y en el Evangelio, Jesús invita a la gente a entender que hay un costo de ser un discípulo, y que el costo exige preparación y sacrificio.

Quién puede conocer la mente de Dios? ¿Esa es una buena pregunta? Buscamos la sabiduría de Dios en nuestra vida diaria con el fin de vivir nuestras vidas de una manera amorosa y comprensión, Amén? Ahora, no sé la mente de Dios, pero sí sé lo que la Escritura nos dice acerca de Dios, y eso es, que los caminos de Dios no son nuestros caminos. Dios no piensa de la misma manera en que pensamos. Dios es mucho más abierta de lo que somos! Dios es más tolerante, compasivo, la comprensión, y amante de lo que soy! Por lo tanto, cuando pienso en la sabiduría de Dios, a menudo pienso en lo que sería mi respuesta y luego magnifico que el cien por cien, porque mi visión es limitada y la visión de Dios no es, Amén? Por lo tanto, cuando se tiene una situación en su vida y que está tratando de tomar una decisión, pensar si esa decisión está limitando a sí mismo a los demás, y luego pensar en aumento y la apertura de su decisión, y eso es probablemente donde la sabiduría de Dios estarán. La sabiduría de Dios nos abre y no nos encerrarnos en nosotros mismos. ¿Quién puede conocer la mente de Dios? En realidad, nadie, pero tenemos algunas pistas de la Palabra de Dios en cuanto a lo que tenemos que hacer en nuestras vidas.

Cuando somos bautizados en el nombre del Señor Jesucristo, no hay Judío ni griego, esclavo o libre, hombre o mujer. Todos son iguales en el nombre del Señor. Pablo escribió a Filemón para recordarle la nueva realidad que viene a nosotros que están unidos en el Señor. Onésimo era un esclavo fugitivo. Filemón, por la ley en el momento, tenía el derecho de castigar a su esclavo fugitivo. Pablo recuerda a Filemón que en Cristo Jesús, los creyentes están llamados a un nivel más alto que las exigencias de la ley civil. Como recién bautizado, Onésimo era igual a su antiguo maestro y merecía ser tratado con dignidad y respeto. Pablo rogó a Filemón a tener un cambio de corazón con respecto a Onésimo. Este es el mismo cambio de corazón que todos debemos tener cuando nos encontramos con un hermano o hermana en el Señor. Todos son iguales a través de las aguas del bautismo. Nuestra relación cambia entre sí a causa de bautismo. Tal vez hay alguien en su vida que el Señor le está pidiendo que tener un cambio de corazón? Otra forma de decir esto es lo mismo, ¿hay alguien en su vida que si usted los vio a través de los ojos de la fe, que se vería de forma diferente? Un marido, una esposa, un hijo o una hija, un amigo, un compañero de trabajo, una persona en la Iglesia. Si quieres ser un discípulo de Jesús, entonces usted debe tener un cambio de corazón en esas relaciones eran no ve al otro como a un igual. El bautismo exige igualdad!

Jesús dijo a la multitud que si querían ser discípulo, entonces puede ser que incluso se enfrentan a no ser aceptado por los miembros de la familia. Eso fue difícil de escuchar en una cultura que fue muy adecuado para familias. Estoy seguro de que es difícil de apreciar en esta cultura también! Jesús invitó a la multitud a una relación diferente entre sí. Al hacer cambios en sus vidas, a veces esos cambios podrían estar en contra de las formas de una familia o los deseos de una madre o padre. La llamada a seguir a Jesús debe ser más fuerte que los deseos de la familia. Jesús no quería pintar un cuadro fácil para los que querían seguirlo. No iba a ser fácil. El seguimiento de Jesús exigía sacrificios, incluso sacrificios a la familia. Jesús también recordó a la multitud que si iban a seguirlo, tenían que estar preparados para seguirlo. Tenían que estar seguro del costo y por lo que utilizó la imagen de la construcción de una torre sin la cantidad total de dinero, o ir a la batalla antes de pesar las opciones. Si vamos a seguir a Jesús, no es sólo porque todo el mundo lo está siguiendo. Se necesita un sacrificio personal y una decisión informada para querer seguirlo, sabiendo que hay consecuencias por tomar nuestra cruz y seguirlo. Estoy seguro de que todos nosotros en esta capilla hacían sacrificios en nuestras vidas para seguir a Jesús. El camino no siempre ha sido muy divertido, pero el camino ha valido la pena, Amén?

Así que, ¿todavía quiere ser un discípulo de Jesús? Decir, Amén! La Palabra de Dios nos desafía a buscar la sabiduría, cambiar nuestro corazón y contar el costo de seguir a Jesús. Ser discípulo es una vida exigente, pero la recompensa eterna, Amén?