In the first reading today and in the Gospel reading we meet two widows who are very similar. Both are common, hardworking women. Both are poor. Both put their trust in God rather than in things. Both are rewarded for their faith. What these widows did is extremely difficult for all of us. No matter how great our faith is, it is extremely difficult to put our total trust in God. There is something within us all that looks for quick solutions to our problems outside of the realm of faith. Perhaps as rugged individualists we think that we can solve our own problems, conquer all obstacles ourselves. Certainly, we are all tempted to believe that the proper amount of cash applied in the right places can heal all life’s ills. At the same time, I know you will agree that the great fallacy of our age is that money can solve our problems. It is the job of advertisers to convince us that we can buy happiness. But this is a mirage, nothing more. The fact is that among those who have been blessed with material success the happiest are those who have no qualms about sharing their wealth. So, the message of today’s readings is that we must place our confidence in God rather than in our material possessions. As simple (and as difficult) as this! This is difficult for us to do because it demands our practicing the forgotten virtue of humility. Humility? Yes, humility. Only a humble person recognizes where he or she stands before God. Only a humble person recognizes his or her profound need for God. Only a humble person is certain that the presence of God in his or her life is fundamental to happiness. The two widows gave from their substance. They put their trust in God shouting with their actions that His presence in their lives was infinitely more important than anything they owned, even more important than everything they owned. They give us the example of ideal Christians, humbly trusting in God to care for them. Perhaps, someday, you and I will have faith so profound faith that we trust in God as these two widows trusted in God. But, then again, that is one of the reasons why we go to Church, isn’t it? We are here praying for faith… and humility. And we do it through the intercession of the humblest creature that has ever existed: Mary. She, who is the Mother of God, describes herself as the slave of the Lord, we have so much to learn from her! • AE
Fr. Agustin Schedule for the Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Saturday, November 6, 2021.
3.30 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation
5.00 p.m. English Mass @ St. Dominic Catholic Church
Sunday, November 7, 2021.
7.30 a.m. English Mass @ St. Dominic Catholic Church
10.00 a.m. @ St. Dominic Catholic Church
XXXII Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario (Ciclo B)
La envidia nos resulta vergonzosa e inconfesable, pero está muy extendida en nuestra sociedad. Todos la padecemos a lo largo de nuestra vida en mayor o menor medida, en unos momentos u otros según las circunstancias. En los niños aflora con más claridad porque todavía no han aprendido a disimularla. Los adultos sabemos maquillarla mejor y la ocultamos de diversas maneras bajo forma de desprecio, descalificación, necesidad de lucir mejores que los demás. La envidia, el único pecado que no produce ningún placer, es un proceso a veces bastante complejo y soterrado, que puede hacer a la persona profundamente desgraciada, incapacitándola para disfrutar de felicidad alguna. El envidioso nunca está contento consigo mismo, con lo que es, con lo que tiene. Vive resentido. Necesita mirar de reojo a los demás, compararse, añorar el bien de los otros, estar por encima. Vivimos en una sociedad que, con frecuencia, nos empuja a articular nuestras relaciones interpersonales en torno al principio de competitividad. Ya desde niños se nos enseña a rivalizar, competir, ser más que los demás. Hay quienes viven compitiendo eternamente. Uno de los medios más utilizados para ello es demostrar que se tiene más que los demás, que uno puede comprar un modelo de auto mejor, poseer una casa más lujosa; hacer unas vacaciones más exóticas. No nos atrevemos a confesarlo, pero en la raíz de muchas vidas dedicadas a ganar siempre más y a conseguir un nivel de vida siempre mejor, solo hay un incentivo: la envidia. El evangelio de este domingo nos muestra la reacción de Jesús ante aquellos que solo viven para aparentar, sobresalir y aprovecharse de los débiles. Y también su reacción ante aquella pobre viuda que se desprende de lo poco que tiene para ayudar a otros más necesitados. La invitación de hoy es a vivir humanamente, a disfrutar lo que tenemos y lo que somos, a compartirlo, tratando de vivir de cara a Dios • AE
LA MEDITACION DE LA ESPOSA 