Today’s second reading, from the beginning of the Letter to the Ephesians says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him.”
Paul is not speaking about himself. He is speaking about us. God has chosen us. Like Amos, we have been chosen to be prophets. We need to prophesy. A prophet is someone who proclaims the truth. We need to proclaim the Truth of Jesus Christ. Like the Twelve we have been chosen to drive out demons, What demons? The demons of fear, of deceitfulness, of materialism, of pagan values, the demons of sickness, of psychological, mental, and physical ills. We have been called to tell the truth that all that matters is Jesus Christ. This is how we prophesy. We listen closely to the Lord. We hear his voice in the Word of God, the Bible. We hear his voice in the proclamation of scripture in the homily. We hear his voice in the teaching of the Magisterium of the Church. And, particularly, we hear his voice within us when we receive the Eucharist and in our prayer life. It is His voice that roars. It is His message that we must proclaim. We are not called to proclaim our own message. We are not to use religion for our own ends. No one should use religion, as sadly some have, for their own personal gain. There is nothing new about people using religion to proclaim their own message. Jesus spoke about this in the Sermon on the Mount when he told his disciples not to be like the hypocrites who make a great show of saying their prayers and donating money so all could see them. The Lord is asking us to proclaim his message, not the message of some internet site. There are some people who have their own agendas. They transfer their upset with themselves upon others. There are internet sites that are in constant attack against the Holy Father, the Bishops and anyone who does not joining their radical view of the faith. Christ did not call us to oppose His Church. He called us to proclaim its truths. We have been chosen to proclaim not our own message or the message of others, but to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ.
The message of the Lord, the Gospel, is the good news that we are loved by Jesus Christ. It is good news that He forgives us and that He is with us. The second reading is so beautifully comforting. God has chosen us for love. We are to proclaim the love of Christ mainly by being people of kindness. The world needs us to be prophets of the truth. So many people have lost their grip on truth. So many people choose to believe whatever they want, even if that means denying reality. When Pilate asked, “Truth, what is truth?” He was reflecting a cynical world that had lost its way. He could not even recognize the truth when it stood before him! We have been chosen by God to be prophets. We are valuable to the Lord. We have worth. We are people he has called to live in His Love and to spread His Love. May we be prophets of His Truth • AE
St. Joseph Catholic Church (Dilley, TX) • Weekend Schedule
Fr. Agustin E. (Parish Administrator)
Saturday July 13, 2024.
5.00 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation
6.00 p.m. Santa Misa.
Sunday, July 14, 2024
8.00 a.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation
8.30 a.m. Holy Mass.
10.30 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation.
11.00 a.m. Holy Mass.
XV Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario (Ciclo B)
Cuando en la Iglesia se habla de la necesidad de una nueva evangelización. ¿Qué queremos decir exactamente? ¿Qué hemos de cambiar? ¿Cuál fue realmente la intención de Jesús al enviar a sus apostoles a evangelizar? El relato de Marcos deja claro que solo Jesús es la fuente, el inspirador y el modelo de la acción evangelizadora de sus seguidores. Estos actuarán con su autoridad. No harán nada en nombre propio. Son enviados de Jesús. No se predicarán a sí mismos: solo anunciarán su Evangelio. No tendrán otros intereses: solo se dedicarán a abrir caminos al reino de Dios.
El punto de partida para entender y luego impulsar una nueva evangelización es purificar e intensificar una relación con Jesús. No hay otro camino. No habrá nueva evangelización si no hay nuevos evangelizadores, y no habrá nuevos evangelizadores si no hay un contacto más vivo, lúcido y apasionado con el Señor. Sin él haremos todo menos introducir su Espíritu en el mundo.
Al enviarlos, Jesús no deja a sus discípulos abandonados a sus fuerzas. Les da su autoridad, que no es un poder para controlar, gobernar o dominar a los demás, sino su fuerza para expulsar espíritus inmundos, liberando a las personas de lo que esclaviza, oprime y deshumaniza a las personas y a la sociedad. Los discípulos saben muy bien qué les encarga Jesús. Nunca lo han visto gobernando a nadie. Siempre lo han conocido curando heridas, aliviando el sufrimiento, regenerando vidas, liberando de miedos, contagiando confianza en Dios. Curar y liberar son tareas prioritarias en la actuación de Jesús. Darían un rostro radicalmente diferente a nuestra evangelización. Cuando en nuestra conducta hay reclamos, reproches, drama, no estamos caminando por el camino trazado por el Señor, camino en el que solo habríamos de llevar bastón, sandalias y una túnica. No necesitamos más para ser testigos de lo esencial.
Sin recuperar este estilo evangélico no lograrermos una nueva evangelización. Lo importante no es poner en marcha nuevas actividades y estrategias, sino desprendernos de costumbres, estructuras y servidumbres que nos están impidiendo ser libres para contagiar lo esencial del Evangelio, con verdad y sencillez. En la Iglesia hemos perdido en muchos lugares ese estilo itinerante que sugiere Jesús. A ratos no sabemos acompañar a las personas, nos agarramos al poder que hemos tenido, y nos enredamos en intereses que no coinciden con el reino de Dios. Necesitamos, en menos palabras, una conversión real, y sobre todo una profunda relación de amor con el Señor, ¿A qué estamos esperando? • AE
¿Qué vamos a leer y qué vamos a oir?
En el mes en el que la Iglesia celebra la fiesta de nuestro padre San Ignacio de Loyola
LA MEDITACION DE LA ESPOSA 