Mary: Multiple Celebrations!

Greetings good friends! I am now trying to catch up from all the celebrations, meetings in the US and visiting with friends.  So, most of the post will be old news, but thought I should share some thoughts anyway.

In December we have two very important feast days in the Church, the Immaculate Conception (Dec 8) and Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dec 12).  I was blessed to be able to celebrate both of these feasts in Mexico.  On Dec 8th, the community celebrated with a BBQ outside (yes, it was warm enough that day for one!).  We ate a traditional Chilean meal which the Brothers learned how to cook when some of the attended the Novitiate in Chile.  We had meat, chorizo, veggies, potatoes, wine, bread and tequila!!!! It was a great afternoon, chatting, listening to Mexican music, and enjoying the tequila! That night we had Mass in the Church and the place was packed. 

The next day, we took a community trip to San Miguel Allende, which is a small city about 90 minutes from where we live.  The place is important because it was close to there where the first talks about Mexican Independence began to surface.  Also, the place has become home to many retired Americans.  The weather is good, and I guess the dollar goes very far there, so over the past 25 years Americans have been purchasing homes and living out retirement in Mexico. 

Church built in the early 1700s

 

Christmas tree in the square

 

An Advent Wreath with Mary in the middle, she is pregnant here.... like all of us pregnant with hope during Advent.  Interesting!

OK, this is a picture of the Trinity! I found this very fascinating because God the Father is in the Center, Jesus, the Lamb on the left, and the Holy Spirit on the right.  They are all a reflection of the Father....I like that theology!

So, did you know that the piñata was used as a catechetical devise?  It has 7 points which refer to the 7 deadly sins.  When you hit it (confess your sins) it breaks open and wonderful sweets are found! So, when you break away the exterior of sin, on the inside is goodness and sweetness!

 

Hidalgo was the forerunner of the Independence Movement... and he was a priest!

For the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the community was very busy.  We had a Mass on Dec 11th at 11pm.  The Mass was held outside of the Church under a tent.  There were probably close to 500 people at the Mass.  The Mass was led by a Mariachi Band and then after the Mass we sang Mananitas , or Songs to the Virgin.  We finished around 1am.  The next day, the Brothers were very busy all day long visiting local companies and offering Communion Services at the places of business.  It is a tradition here in Mexico.  Fr. Raymundo and I celebrated First Communion Mass at 12pm (which did not start until 12:25pm!).  There were 100 children receiving First Communion.  In Mexico, they also have godparents for First Communion.... so do the math, 100 children, 100 stats of godparents, 100 sets of parents, and family and friends and yes you could say the place was packed! Later that evening, we had the parish celebration of the Solemnity at 7pm.  There were fewer people at this celebration, but the crowd still numbered about 300 people.  After the Mass, a hearty Mexican soup called pezole was served.  All of this, and we still had Sunday to worry about!  I presided at the 8:30am and the 9:30am Mass for the Third Sunday of Advent.  I think the community was "Churched out" as the crowds were not as big as they normally were for a Sunday morning.  I went home after Mass, finished my packing and boarded my plane to the US.  I arrived fine and finished my Provincial Council meetings.  Now I am just visiting people and going to Christmas parties and awaiting my departure for the Ivory Coast on Tuesday.  I did celebrate the morning Mass at the parish on Wednesday and I also have the Sunday morning Mass at 10:30am.  So, its good to be here and good to celebrate with friends!

Not sure what happened here, but just wanted to give you an idea of all the flowers and images of Our Lady of Guadalupe that were present for the Mass

The Mariachi Band before Mass

 

Third Sunday of Advent Homily

 

Morning Church! Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice!  Today we celebrate the third Sunday of Advent, and the Church in her wisdom calls this Sunday Gaudete Sunday, which means rejoice in Latin.  As we all know, sometimes the discipline of the spiritual life can become tiresome, and so the Church reminds us during this Advent season that now is the time to rejoice! We are at the midpoint of our Advent journey and we are reminded that our Advent journey is almost coming to an end.  Today is a reminder to reflect on our lives, make the necessary changes we need to make, and be filled with joy so that we can prepare for the coming of Christ born again in our hearts on Christmas Day.  So, are you ready to rejoice?  Turn to the person next to you and say, “Rejoice in the Lord always”.  Now this time a little louder! Great!

 The prophet Zephaniah tells us to “Shout for joy”, “be not discouraged”, and “the Lord your God is in your midst”.  While these words may be comforting, we must all acknowledge that there has been bad news expressed to us in our world during this past week.  Conflicts between countries, drug trafficking, corruption among political leaders, shootings of innocent people, displacement of refugees, and thousands of people going hungry and without shelter each day are the items that fill our modern news each week.  This bad news is not so different from the bad news that was announced during the time of the prophet Zephaniah.  The prophet spoke thousands of years ago to a people who were filled with despair to have some hope because God did not forget them.  The prophet speaks these same words to us today.  Do not despair, because God did not forget you…for God will “renew you in his love.”  I experienced this renewal in love yesterday here in the Chapel.  Over 100 children received First Communion.  The sight of the little one’s receiving Jesus for the first time was a sign of hope for me.  The joy and pride in the eyes of their parents was a sign of hope and expectation.  At the end of the Mass we could not help but, “Shout for joy” because God was in our midst- in the gathering of the faithful and in the bread and wine of the Eucharist.  The young are always a sign of hope….today the prophet invites us to be “young in heart” so that we might be Good News for our world.  When we are a visible sign of Good News, God then will “sing joyfully because of you.”  When you think of your life, what song do you think God will sing because of you?  Will it be a song of rejoicing?  God wants to sing a song of joy for you.  Do you believe it?

 

Rejoice in the Lord always….again I say rejoice! Saint Paul tells the Philippians to have no anxiety at all.  Over and over again we are reminded to not have anxiety, to be not afraid.  If we are people of faith, we should not be afraid, Amen? What if we woke up every morning, looked at ourselves in the mirror and said, “Do not be afraid” Think of all the great things that we could accomplish.  I know in my own life, fear has a way of holding me back.  Right now I am still struggling with Spanish.  Every day is an act of humility for me.  I think I am a good priest in English and in my own culture.  I love to speak to people, I love to preach, I love to celebrate the Mass, I love to celebrate confession, I love to listen and help people with their problems, but in Spanish it is so difficult for me.  I have to be honest, that at times I am afraid…afraid that I will not understand, that I will offend, that I will not do a good job, that people will get tired of repeating themselves because I do not understand them the first time.  This fear can keep me in my room where it is safe.  But real life happens when our lives intersect with others.  The anxiety that I sometimes feel does not help me to live freely in the Lord.  So, right now in my life my anxiety, my fears have to do with speaking Spanish.  What are your fears?  Where do you have anxiety in your life?  What would happen if you heard the Lord say to you, “Do not be afraid” What could you accomplish if you let go of your fear? What would your life look like if you let go of your anxiety and really lived your life? I think we all would rejoice a bit more….Amen?

Rejoice in the Lord always….again I say rejoice!  Once again we encounter the person of John the Baptist in the Gospel of Saint Luke.  People are coming to him because they want to change their lives.  They ask him practically what they should do in order to repent.  John tells each person what they need to do that is personal and specific to their own situation.  I like that.  While it is important to have general guidelines, we are all different, Amen?  We all have something in our lives that we need to change, and it may be different from the person sitting next to you.  So the change may have to do with being less selfish and sharing food and clothes with others, or being honest in business transactions, or not being a bully in relationships.  As we each prepare the way for the Lord in our lives, we all need to make a change, Amen? My change is not your change, but change we must! Turn to the person next to you and say, “I need to make a change in my life.”  Turn to the other person on the other side of you and say, “My change is not your change.” So just think, if every person in this Church today made one change in their life, think of what a Church this would be!  Repeat after me, “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice!”

So here we are on Gaudete Sunday.  Today is about putting aside our fears, letting God sing a song about us, rejoicing in the Lord and making a change in our lives.  Once again, through the person of John the Baptist we have the example of taking a good look at each of our lives and knowing our place in the world as John knew his place in relationship to Jesus.  He pointed the way, he was not the way.  Let us point the way to Jesus in our lives.  When we live without anxiety, when we rejoice, and when we make changes so that our hearts can be pure and free, we prepare the way for the coming of the Lord.  This is Good News, Amen?

So Church, in the words of Saint Paul, we say together with joyful hearts, “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice” Amen!

 

Buenos días Iglesia! Alégrense  siempre en el Señor; se lo repito Alégrense! Hoy celebramos el tercer domingo de Adviento, y la Iglesia en su sabiduría llama este domingo Gaudete domingo, lo que significa que se regocijan en América. Como todos sabemos, a veces la disciplina de la vida espiritual puede llegar a ser tedioso, por lo que la Iglesia nos recuerda durante este tiempo de Adviento que ahora es el momento para alegrarse! Estamos en el punto medio de nuestro camino de Adviento y nos recuerda que nuestro camino de Adviento está casi llegando a su fin. Hoy en día es un recordatorio para reflexionar sobre nuestras vidas, hacer los cambios necesarios que necesitamos hacer, y estar lleno de alegría para que podamos prepararnos para la venida de Cristo nacido de nuevo en nuestros corazones en el día de Navidad. Así que, ¿estás listo para alegrarse? Gire a la persona a tu lado y decir: "Alégrense siempre en el Señor". Ahora esta vez un poco más fuerte! ¡Excelente!

El profeta Sofonías nos dice: "Da gritos de júbilo", "No se desalienten", y "el Señor tu Dios está en medio de ti". Si bien estas palabras pueden ser reconfortante, todos debemos reconocer que ha habido una mala noticia expresó a nosotros en nuestro mundo durante la semana pasada. Los conflictos entre los países, el narcotráfico, la corrupción entre los líderes políticos, tiroteos de personas inocentes, de desplazamiento de los refugiados, y miles de personas que pasan hambre y sin refugio cada día son los artículos que llenan nuestras noticias moderna cada semana. Esta mala noticia no es tan diferente de las malas noticias que se anunció durante el tiempo del profeta Sofonías. El profeta habló hace miles de años a un pueblo que estaban llenos de desesperación a tener un poco de esperanza, porque Dios no se olvidó de ellos. El profeta habla las mismas palabras para nosotros hoy. No se desespere, porque Dios no se olvidó... por Dios "te renovará con su amor." Experimenté esta renovación en el amor de ayer aquí en la Capilla. Más de 100 niños recibieron la Primera Comunión. La vista de la pequeña de un cierto Jesús receptor por primera vez era un signo de esperanza para mí. La alegría y el orgullo en los ojos de sus padres era un signo de esperanza y expectativa. Al final de la Misa no podíamos dejar de "gritos de júbilo ", porque Dios estaba en medio de nosotros - en el recogimiento de los fieles y en el pan y el vino de la Eucaristía. Los jóvenes son siempre un signo de esperanza... .HOY el profeta nos invita a ser "jóvenes de corazón" para que podamos ser una buena noticia para nuestro mundo. Cuando somos un signo visible de la Buena Nueva, Dios entonces se "cantan con alegría gracias a ti." Cuando piensas en tu vida, ¿qué canción crees que Dios va a cantar por tu culpa? ¿Será una canción de regocijo? Dios quiere cantar una canción de alegría para ti. ¿Tú lo crees?

 Alégrense  siempre en el Señor; se lo repito: Alégrense.   San Pablo dice a los Filipenses a tener ninguna ansiedad en absoluto. Una y otra vez nos recuerda que no tiene ansiedad, a no tener miedo. Si somos personas de fe, no debemos tener miedo, Amén? ¿Y si nos despertamos cada mañana, mirado en el espejo y dijo: "No temas" Piensa en todas las grandes cosas que podríamos lograr. Sé que en mi propia vida, el miedo tiene una manera de celebrar mi espalda. En este momento yo todavía estoy luchando con el español. Cada día es un acto de humildad para mí. Creo que soy un buen sacerdote en inglés y en mi propia cultura. Me encanta hablar con la gente, me encanta predicar, me encanta celebrar la misa, me encanta celebrar la confesión, me encanta escuchar y ayudar a la gente con sus problemas, pero en español es tan difícil para mí. Tengo que ser honesto, que a veces tengo miedo... miedo de que no voy a entender, que voy a ofender, que no voy a hacer un buen trabajo, que la gente se cansa de repetir a sí mismos porque no entiendo la primera vez. Este miedo me puede tener en mi habitación donde es seguro. Pero la vida real ocurre cuando nuestras vidas se cruzan con los demás. La ansiedad que a veces me siento no me ayuda a vivir libremente en el Señor. Por lo tanto, en este momento en mi vida mi ansiedad, mis miedos tienen que ver con hablar español. ¿Cuáles son sus temores? ¿Dónde tiene la ansiedad en su vida? ¿Qué pasaría si usted oyó el Señor te dice: "No tengas miedo".  Qué podría lograr si se suelta de su miedo? ¿Cómo sería tu vida si dejas de su ansiedad y realmente vivió su vida? Creo que a todos nos alegrará un poco más ... .Amen?

Alégrense siempre en el Señor; se lo repito; Alégrense. Una vez más nos encontramos con la persona de Juan el Bautista en el Evangelio de San Lucas. La gente está viniendo a él porque quieren cambiar sus vidas. Le preguntan prácticamente lo que deben hacer para arrepentirse. Juan le dice a cada persona lo que tienen que hacer es personal y específico de su propia situación. Me gusta eso. Si bien es importante contar con directrices generales, todos somos diferentes, Amén? Todos tenemos algo en nuestra vida que tenemos que cambiar, y puede ser diferente de la persona sentada a tu lado. Así que el cambio puede tener que ver con ser menos egoístas y compartir la comida y la ropa con los demás, o ser honesto en las transacciones comerciales, o no ser un matón en las relaciones. Como cada uno de nosotros preparamos el camino para el Señor en nuestras vidas, todos tenemos que hacer un cambio, Amén? Mi cambio no es su cambio, pero el cambio que debe! Giro a la persona a tu lado y decir: "Tengo que hacer un cambio en mi vida." A su vez a la otra persona en el otro lado de ustedes y decir: "Mi cambio no es su cambio." Así que pensar, si cada persona en esta Iglesia, hizo hoy un cambio en su vida, piensa en lo que es una Iglesia que sería! Repite conmigo: "Alégrense  siempre en el Señor; se lo repito, Alégrense

Así que aquí estamos en Gaudete domingo. Hoy en día se trata de poner a un lado nuestros miedos, dejar que Dios cantar una canción sobre nosotros, regocijándose en el Señor y hacer un cambio en nuestras vidas. Una vez más, a través de la persona de Juan el Bautista tenemos el ejemplo de tomar un buen vistazo a cada una de nuestras vidas y conocer nuestro lugar en el mundo como Juan sabía que su lugar en relación con Jesús. Él señaló el camino, él no era el camino. Señalemos el camino a Jesús en nuestras vidas. Cuando vivimos sin ansiedad cuando nos regocijamos, y cuando hacemos cambios para que nuestros corazones podemos ser pura y libre, preparamos el camino para la venida del Señor. Estas son buenas noticias, Amén?
Así que la Iglesia, en las palabras de San Pablo, decimos juntos con corazones alegres, "Alégrense siempre en el Señor, se lo repito; Alégrense! ,¡Amén