At the parish office we receive emails all the time from people claiming that the Church is run by immoral people. They relegate every priest and bishop who does not bow to their distorted views as purveyors of immorality. I am disgusted by web-sites that promote to be written by real Catholics, but through their hostility, their lack of love, are questionable as Christians, followers of Christ. They certainly are not the real Catholics they purport to be. Of course, there is no use in arguing with these people because they are basically Gnostic. The ancient heresy of Gnosticism never went away. The Gnostic believes that he or she has the inner knowledge, secret knowledge. If you don’t agree with them, that’s because you have not been given the gift of what they call true knowledge. But they don’t have inner knowledge. In fact, they don’t have any knowledge at all, at least not the gift of the Holy Spirit that is knowledge. A Church that bashes people in the head is not the Church that Jesus came to found. I don’t want to be part of a Church that spews hatred. Nor do you. Nor did St. Paul. I am writing all this because of the beginning of today’s second reading, taken from the letter to the Corinthians. There, St. Paul talks about the foundation of our faith: Jesus Christ, and Jesus is Love: «If I speak in human and angelic tongues, but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing». (1) We are accustomed to a disconnect between appearance and reality. We are used to learning that this or that person is very rich, or very famous, and at the same time a pathetic human being. We know that we could have riches, fame or power and be miserable people. What we are less accustomed to realizing is that there can be a disconnect between the appearance of greatness and reality when it comes to spiritual things. Someone can be rich in religious experiences, someone can prophesy or speak in tongues, and still be a self aggrandizing misfit. Someone can be famous for care for the poor, and still be a pathetically swollen ego of a person. Someone can even have the power to perform miracles, heal the sick or move mountains, and still be rotten to the core with arrogance and pride. Someone might look to be truly something, and yet still be nothing. No human person can be anything unless he or she reflects the image of the Creator. Our God is a consuming fire, we read in the Letter to the Hebrews (2). He is a consuming fire of love. Without love, no matter what other kind of apparent greatness a person may have, in reality that person is nothing. But with the all consuming love of God, our actions can transform the world. And we can be something, sons and daughters of God. You and I are only something if we are on fire with love. Our actions only have meaning if they are rooted in His Love. Our Christian faith is only worthwhile if it brings the love to the world. Jesus came to establish the Kingdom of God, a Kingdom of love. This love is not a warm feeling of affection that tries to please everybody and never rock the boat. Rather, it is a courageous love, willing to get killed in order to bring good to those it loves. True love, God’s love, embraces everybody. That kind of love is something! And we are nothing unless we have it. We are the Church. We are the ones empowered to establish the Kingdom of God. We need to put up a fight against the vitriol of our times. We can bring God’s love to the world. We must be people grounded in His love •AE
(1) 1 Cor 12:31—13:13 (2) 12:29.
Fr. Agustin Schedule for Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Saturday, January 29, 2022
Sacrament of Baptism for Lucille Robinson @ St. Peter Prince of the Apostles (10.00 a.m.)
XV Celebration for Chloe Martinez @ St. Dominic Catholic Church (12.00 p.m.)
Sacrament of Baptism for Melrose Walton @ San Francesco di Paola Parish (3.00 p.m.)
Sunday, January 30, 2022
IV DOMINGO DEL TIEMPO ORDINARIO (CICLO C)
Los evangelistas no nos han ocultado la resistencia, el escándalo y la contradicción que encontró Jesús a su alrededor. Su actuación libre y liberadora resultaba demasiado molesta y acusadora. Su comportamiento ponía en peligro muchos intereses. Y Jesús lo comprende. Es difícil que un hombre que se pone a actuar escuchando fielmente a Dios sea bien aceptado en un pueblo que vive de espaldas a Él, y los cristianos no deberíamos olvidar esto. No podemos seguir a Jesus y no provocar, de alguna manera, la reacción, la extrañeza, la crítica y hasta el rechazo de quienes, por diversos motivos, no pueden estar de acuerdo con un modo de vivir cristiano. ¿No somos los creyentes demasiado «normales» y demasiado bien aceptados en una sociedad que no es tan normal ni tan aceptable cuando se miran las cosas desde la fe? ¿No nos sentimos demasiado a gusto y bien adaptados? Nos da miedo ser diferentes. Hace mucho tiempo que está de moda estar a la moda, una moda que nos impone los gestos, las maneras, el lenguaje, las ideas, las actitudes y las posiciones que debemos defender. Se necesita una gran dosis de coraje y de valor para ser fiel a las propias convicciones, cuando todo el mundo se acomoda y adapta «a lo que se lleva». Es más fácil vivir sin un proyecto de vida personal, dejándose llevar por los acontecimientos y los convencionalismos sociales. Es más fácil instalarse cómodamente en la vida y vivir superficialmente según lo que nos dicten desde fuera. Al principio quizá aún escuchamos esa voz interior que le dice que no es ése el camino acertado, pero pronto nos tranquilizamos: no queremos lucir por un anormal, un extraño o un loco; estamos mas seguros en el rebaño. Y así seguimos caminando: en manada. Sin embargo, el evangelio de Cristo nos sigue invitando a ser fieles a nuestras convicciones, a nuestra identidad, incuso cuando puedan acarrearnos la crítica y el rechazo. ¿De qué nos serviría ganar todo el mundo si al final perdemos el alma? •AE
LA MEDITACION DE LA ESPOSA 