We are surrounded by people. We are continually waiting in line– the grocery store, the bank, the Chick-fil-a drive thru, etc. There are so many people at work. So many people in school. We are part of the crowd; we are the traffic; and yet we are alone. God understand each of us. He sees the unique reflections of His Image and Likeness He created each of us to be. He knows our spiritual potential. And He offers us the ability to live in His Presence. And He knows that we are not alone. He loves each of us too much to let us be alone. Still, the feeling of loneliness needs to be confronted by each of us. Each person had to work out their salvation with the Lord. I recently saw a wonderful opera entitled Dialogues des Carmelites, Dialogues of the Carmelites. This was about the 16 Carmelite nuns who were guillotined on July 17, 1794, during the Reign of Terror into which the French Revolution degraded. All the Carmelites did was live a cloistered life of prayer and work. But they did not dissolve their monastery when ordered to do so. They remained praying, remained loyal to the Church, and for that they were executed. They went to the guillotine singing the Salve Regina and kept singing as each was murdered from the oldest to the youngest–their voices fading into the last saint’s solo. The point of the opera is that each had to make that choice, and it was a difficult choice. The main role was Sr. Blanche, a woman full of fear but who was determined not to allow her fear to hold her back. Picture these women, with the crowds screaming, the sixteen together, yet each very much alone. All of the martyrs presented in the second reading, those who have washed their baptismal robes in the Blood of the Lamb, all of the martyrs had to work out their salvation with the Lord[1]. My favorites, Agnes, Perpetua, Felicity, Thomas More, all of them had to confront their fear, and work out their salvation with the Lord. The martyrs had to work out their salvation, and so do we. We may not be called to sacrifice our lives, but we are called to live in such a way that we give witness to the reality of Christ’s Kingdom. We know what the Lord wants of each of us. How? We can listen, listen to His Voice. In the Gospel Jesus says that He knows His sheep and His sheep recognize his voice. We are His sheep. When we look deep within ourselves, we can hear the Lord’s voice. He is calling each of us to be that unique person He created each of us to be. He is calling us to listen to our consciences. He is calling us to look for companions who will support us, not lead us into lives of dissipation. Positive influences can support our desire to be the best person we can be. This is not just an instruction for Teens though. All of us need a Christian, Catholic support group. But with all this said, you and I are alone. Alone, alone in a crowd. Yes, sort of. Well not really. We are never really alone when we are determined to serve our God. He always walks with us. And like the martyrs, we need to realize that we are alone for others. We embrace giving witness to Jesus Christ. That is what being a martyr means after all. We have a responsibility to others to choose Christ and live this choice. Just as we have been strengthened by the martyrs choice, we need to strengthen others by our determination to stand firm for the Lord no matter what the personal cost might be. If we feel alone in living our Christianity, we need to remember that we are alone for others. We pray today for the grace to continue to work out our response to God’s grace, our salvation, for ourselves and for all who need the witness of our determination to follow Christ • AE

[1] Rev 7:9, 14b-17

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Ego sum pastor bonus, alleluia,
et cognosco oves meas, alleluia,
et cognoscunt me meae, alleluia.
(John 10:14)

I am the good shepherd, alleluia,
and I know my sheep, alleluia,
and mine know me, alleluia.

Fr. Agustin Schedule for the Fourth Sunday of Easter (2022)

Sunday May 8, 2022

10.00 a.m. Holy Mass (English Mass @ Main Church)

12.30 p.m. Holy Mass (English Mass @ Main Church)

3.00 p.m. Holy Mass (Misa en Español @ Main Church) y celebración de Primeras Comuniones

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IV Domingo de Pascua (Ciclo C)

Se pueden hacer toda clase de estudios y diagnósticos. Lo cierto es que el mundo necesita hoy savia nueva para vivir. Las iglesias andan buscando aliento y esperanza. Mucha gente alrededor del mundo reclama justicia y pan. Occidente ya no sabe cómo salir de esa tristeza mal disimulada que ningún bienestar logra ocultar. El problema no es sólo de cambios políticos ni de renovaciones teológicas -aunque mucho ayuden- sino del estilo de vida. Hoy más que nunca estamos necesitados de algo parecido a ese fuego que Jesús encendió en su paso por la tierra: su mística, su lucidez, su pasión por el ser humano. Necesitamos personas como él, palabras como las suyas, esperanza y amor como los suyos. Necesitamos volver a Jesús. Desde el inicio, los cristianos vieron que él podía guiar a los seres humanos. El evangelio de éste domingo nos presenta a Jesús como el pastor capaz de liberar a las ovejas del aprisco donde se encuentran encerradas para sacarlas afuera, a un país nuevo de vida y dignidad. El camina por delante marcando el camino a quienes lo quieran seguir. Jesús no impone nada. No fuerza a nadie. Llama a cada uno por su nombre. Para él no hay masas. Cada uno tiene nombre y rostro propio. Cada uno ha de escuchar su voz sin confundirla con la de extraños que no son sino ladrones que quitan luz y esperanza. Esto es lo decisivo: no escuchar voces extrañas, huir de mensajes que no vienen de Galilea. Siempre que la Iglesia ha buscado renovarse, se ha desencadenado una vuelta a Jesús para seguir de nuevo sus pasos. Como se ha recordado tantas veces, sígueme es la primera y la última palabra de Jesús a Pedro. Pero volver a Jesús no es tarea exclusiva del Papa ni de los obispos. Todos los creyentes somos responsables. Para volver a Jesús no hay que esperar ninguna orden. Francisco de Asís, entre otros muchos, no esperó a que la Iglesia de su tiempo tomara no se qué decisiones. Él mismo se convirtió al evangelio y comenzó la aventura de seguir a Jesús de verdad. ¿A qué tenemos que esperar para despertar entre nosotros una pasión nueva por el evangelio y por Jesús y así vivir como cristianos? ¡El Espíritu de Dios nos ayude éste domingo, el cuarto dentro del tiempo de Pascua, a respondernos esta importante pregunta • AE

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