Giovanni da San Giovanni, Christ with the Eucharist between two angels (1633), oil on canvas, Santa Maria Della Fonte Nuova (Italy)

We Christians eat the Body and drink the blood of the Lord in a mysterious way. From the earliest days of the Church, we have referred to the Eucharist as the Mystery of Faith, an expression of Christ’s death, resurrection and second coming. For all of us, to understand Communion is to take a leap of faith into mystery. We are receiving the real Body and Blood of the Lord. At Mass, the bread and wine are consecrated, not just blessed. They become Jesus in a mystical way, a way beyond our understanding. The Eucharist is infinitely more than a meal of fellowship. It is this, but it is far more than this. The Eucharist is infinitely more than the union of the community with Christ as its head. It is this, but it is far more than this. When we receive communion, we receive Jesus, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. The bread and wine become the Lord and remain the Lord. The consecrated hosts are kept in our tabernacles for us to take to the sick and for us to pray before in adoration. Our non-Catholic brothers and sisters have no reason to do this. They do not have tabernacles because they do not believe that bread and wine are transformed into the Lord’s Body and Blood. Nor do they have priests capable of doing this for the community. Their communion services are radically different than ours. That is the reason why a Catholic cannot leave the Catholic Church without leaving the Eucharist even if they join a faith that has a communion service.

So, we Catholics are people of mystery. We do not know how, but somehow, we are united to Christ in a mystical way every time we receive communion. To understand the miracle and mystery of the Eucharist, our starting point must be Jesus. Jesus is Divine, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. He is the Eternal Son of the Father. When we eat His Body and drink His Blood, when we receive communion, He gives us who He is, Eternal Life. Our Founding Fathers, Washington, Adams, Franklin, Jefferson gave us liberty, but they were not liberty. Abraham Lincoln gave the slaves freedom, but he was not freedom. But Jesus gave the Bread of the Eternal Life because He is the Bread of Life. Jesus was not just a great man. He is Divine. The Bread of Life is Jesus, our Divine Sustenance. And we take Him into ourselves. When we receive the Eucharist, we are united to Him, to each other and to the whole Body of Christ. It is no wonder that those who wish to destroy the Church begin by attacking the Eucharist. In England of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries, France in the Eighteenth Century, Mexico in the Twentieth Century, and throughout the world in the Twenty-first century. Throughout history and continuing to the present day priests are tortured and killed for saying Mass for the people who long for the Bread of Life.

Every Sunday, and for some of us every day, we enter into the Mystery of the Eucharist. We receive the One who is the Bread of Life. This is Jesus who unites Himself to Us with His Body and Blood. This is the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, the Eternal Son of the Father, who humbled Himself to become one of us, to die for us, and then gave the gift of His Life and Death to us in the form to the Blessed Sacrament. This is Jesus whom we will take into ourselves today when we receive communion. The people of the Gospel reading murmured. They murmured because they were not open to faith. We do not murmur. We proclaim • AE

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St. Joseph Catholic Church (Dilley, TX) • Weekend Schedule

Fr. Agustin E. (Parish Administrator)

Saturday August 10, 2024.

5.00 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation

6.00 p.m. Santa Misa.

Sunday, August 11, 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.

Thursday, August 15, Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

(Holy Day of Obligation)

6.00 p.m. Holy Mass

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XIX Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario (Ciclo B)

La incredulidad no es como decía un autor (profundamente equivocado, desde luego) una «deformación perversa del espíritu», o algo propio de hombres malvados y retorcidos que pretenden enfrentarse con Dios. No. La incredulidad sutil, una tentación que siempre va a estar presente en nuestra vida y que empieza a echar raíces cuando decidimos, en pequeños o en grandes momentos, vivir de espaldas a Dios.

Vivimos en un mundo en el que Dios no está de moda, y en el caso de que lo necesitemos, luego resulta fácil arrinconarlo en algún lugar donde no moleste demasiado. Al final, lo más fácil es vivir como si Dios no existiera ¿Qué puede significar hoy para muchos hombres y mujeres la invitación de Jesús en el evangelio de este domingo a vivir como discípulos, escuchando lo que dice el Padre? Y es que incluso los que nos decimos creyentes hemos ido perdiendo capacidad para escuchar a Dios. No es que Dios no hable ya en el fondo de las conciencias. Es que, llenos de ruido, avidez, posesiones y autosuficiencia, no sabemos ya percibir Su presencia. Quizá sea ésta una de las mayores tragedias del hombre contemporáneo. Estamos arrojando a Dios de nuestra conciencia. Rehusamos escuchar su llamada que nos busca. Intentamos ocultarnos a su mirada amistosa y a la invitación que nos hace a sentir su amor, su perdón, su luz y su alegría. Preferimos otros dioses con quienes vivir con más tranquilidad. El Concilio Vaticano II nos recordó que la conciencia es el núcleo más secreto y el sagrario del hombre, en el que se siente a solas con Dios, cuya voz resuena en el recinto más íntimo de aquélla (Gaudium et Spes, 16). Cuando los hombres perdemos esta capacidad de escuchar la invitación de Dios en el fondo de nuestra conciencia, cuando no hay silencio interior, cuando vivimos del ruido y por el ruido, corremos el riesgo de gritar colectivamente afirmaciones muy solemnes sobre el amor, la justicia, la solidaridad y honestidad, pero sin hacerlas vida en nuestra vida. Llamaradas de petate, que dice la sabiduría popular. Como aquel que gritaba, en auditorios llenos de personas, aquello que de cien almas le interesaban las cien, pero al final le interesaban solamente aquellas que le reportaran algún beneficio.

Cuando no escuchamos la llamada personal de Dios e intentamos responder, con esfuerzo, con sacrificios, con días malos y con días buenos, empezamos a escuchar con más atención nuestros intereses egoístas, y a buscar la satisfacción de nuestros deseos por encima de todo. Y de todos.

No podemos olvidar que nuestra vida la vamos construyendo no tanto en los acontecimientos ruidosos, y mucho menos en nuestra a veces tan vacía participacion en redes sociales. Nuestra vida se va haciendo en esas horas silenciosas en las que hablamos con el Señor y le escuchamos, en esas horas de trabajo, en esos días a veces grises, a veces luminosos, en los que damos nuestro mejor esfuerzo por encontrarnos con el Señor • AE

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Music for prayer

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525 -1594) was an Italian composer of late Renaissance music. The central representative of the Roman School, with Orlande de Lassus and Tomás Luis de Victoria, Palestrina is considered the leading composer of late 16th-century Europe. Primarily known for his masses and motets, which number over 105 and 250 respectively, Palestrina had a long-lasting influence on the development of church and secular music in Europe, especially on the development of counterpoint. According to many scholars, Palestrina’s «success in reconciling the functional and aesthetic aims of Catholic church music in the post-Tridentine period earned him an enduring reputation as the ideal Catholic composer, as well as giving his style (or, more precisely, later generations’ selective view of it) an iconic stature as a model of perfect achievement.» It is to Palestrina that we owe this beautiful version of Ego Sum Panis Vivus • AE

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We continue today with our five-week study of the sixth chapter of John. It began last week with the multiplication of loaves and fish with all its Eucharistic implications. Today’s Gospel takes place the next day as the people came looking for Jesus. Jesus and his disciples were on the other side of the lake. The disciples crossed over by themselves, but Jesus met up with them walking on the water. That is why the Gospel for this Sunday begins with the crowds saying, «Rabbi, when did you get here?» Jesus responds that they are only looking for him because they ate loaves and fish yesterday and want more today. They were not concerned with the sign that He performed. They were just concerned with free food.

So, what makes a person a Christian? What makes a person a Catholic? Does the sacrament of baptism do it? Perhaps theologically, but if the person does not reaffirm his or her faith with his or her life, then baptism is an act lost in the forgotten past, theologically something that took place, but a life that no longer exists due to the person’s refusal to live this life. The Life of God cannot be taken from us, but it can be surrendered by us, given away by us. That is the reason people feel empty when they commit serious sin. They may fill their lives with all sorts of experiences, or all sorts of things, but they still feel so empty. They sense that they have given away the Life of God within them. Back to the question: What makes a person a member of a parish, a Christian, a Catholic? Does filling out paperwork make a person a member of a parish? That is easy enough to do. So, then does attendance in Church do it? No, there are plenty of people who wish they could come to Church but who can’t due to sickness or age or both. Although not in Church, these people are certainly active members of the parish. They pray daily for the parish and for sick members of the parish. On the opposite side of the spectrum, there are some people who attend Church but who do not live a Christian life outside of the building. We are all sinners, no doubt, but most of us want to be better, want to fight sin. But those few who cheat others continually or support abortion stubbornly and who firmly intend to keep living this way, are they Christians simply because they attend Mass? What makes a person in reality, not in name, a Christian, a Catholic, an active member of a parish? The answer is simple: Jesus Christ. Everything that matters is about Jesus. All else is false. Those who seek Jesus and who worship Him in their daily lives as well as with the community of believers are members of the parish, members of the Church. They, we, are Christians. They, we, are Catholic and The food is Jesus Christ. The Eucharist is the sacramental expression of this food. The Eucharist is our union with the Lord loving us to death on the cross. The Eucharist is the most significant of the many ways that we receive the Bread of Life. So, what makes a person a member of a parish, a member of the Church, a Catholic? The question was phrased incorrectly. It is not the what, it is the Who that unites a person to God’s intimate love. The Who is Jesus Christ, the One who gives life by dying, and has set us on fire with the Love of God and who has filled us with the only food we will ever need, Himself • AE

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St. Joseph Catholic Church (Dilley, TX) • Weekend Schedule

Fr. Agustin E. (Parish Administrator)

Saturday August 3, 2024.

5.00 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation

6.00 p.m. Santa Misa.

Sunday, August 4, 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.

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XVIII Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario (Ciclo B)

M. Wolgemut, La Multiplicación de los Panes y los Peces (1491), xilografía en color).

¿Es Jesucristo relevante para los hombres y mujeres del siglo XXI? ¿Nos va a resolver acaso los problemas del mundo actual? El evangelio de este domingo, el segundo en este largo discurso del Pan de Vida recoge un dialogo que Jesús mantiene con la gente que lo sigue. El día anterior han compartido con Jesús una comida sorprendente y gratuita. Han comido pan hasta saciarse. ¿Cómo lo van a dejar que se vaya así nada más? Lo que buscan es que Jesús repita su gesto y los vuelva a alimentar gratis. No piensan en otra cosa. Y Jesús los desconcierta con un planteamiento inesperado: «Esfuércense no por conseguir el alimento transitorio, sino por el permanente, el que da la vida eterna». Pero ¿cómo no preocuparnos por el pan de cada día? El pan es indispensable para vivir. Lo necesitamos y debemos trabajar para que no falte. Jesús lo sabe. El pan es lo primero. Sin comer no podemos subsistir. Por eso se preocupa de los hambrientos y mendigos que no reciben de los ricos ni las migajas que caen de su mesa. Por eso tiene palabras duras para quienes almacenan el grano sin pensar en los pobres. Por eso enseña a sus seguidores a pedir cada día al Padre pan para todos sus hijos.

Pero Jesús quiere despertar en ellos un hambre diferente. Les habla de un pan que no sacia solo el hambre de un día, sino el hambre y la sed de vida que hay en el ser humano. No lo hemos de olvidar. En nosotros hay un hambre de justicia para todos, un hambre de libertad, de paz, de verdad. Jesús se presenta como ese Pan que nos viene del Padre, no para hartarnos de comida sino para dar vida al mundo. Este Pan, venido de Dios, da la vida eterna. Los alimentos que comemos cada día nos mantienen vivos durante años, pero llega un momento en que no pueden defendernos de la muerte. Es inútil que sigamos comiendo. No nos pueden dar vida más allá de la muerte. Jesús se presenta entonces como Pan de vida eterna. Cada uno ha de decidir cómo quiere vivir y cómo quiere morir. Pero los cristianos hemos de saber que creer en Cristo es alimentar en nosotros una fuerza imperecedera, empezar a vivir algo que no acabará en nuestra muerte. Sencillamente, seguir a Jesús es entrar en el misterio de la muerte sostenidos por su fuerza resucitadora. Al escuchar sus palabras aquellos hombres y mujeres le gritan desde lo hondo de su corazón esas palabras maravillosas que escuchamos casi al final del relato: «Señor, danos siempre de ese pan». Desde nuestra fe vacilante, a veces nosotros no nos atrevemos a pedir algo semejante. Quizás, solo nos preocupa la comida de cada día. Y, a veces, solo la nuestra • AE

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¿y PaRA lEer?

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Ego sum panis vivus (Ettore Pozzoli)

Ego sum panis vivus es fundamentalmente un cántico Eucarístico que forma parte de la música compuesta para la solemnidad del Corpus Christi; existen muchas versiones. El texto está inspirado en el Discurso del Pan de vida recogido en el capitulo 6 del evangelio de San Juan.

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Master of the Antwerp Adoration, The Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes, oil on panel, Particular collection.

This Sunday we begin the deep dive into the Sixth chapter of the Gospel of John. This is the chapter on the Eucharist. John 6 begins with the multiplication of the loaves and fish. What again? The multiplication of loaves and fish is the only Gospel miracle found in all four gospels and is actually found twice in the Gospels of Mark and Matthew. So, we come upon it quite frequently in our liturgies. Anyway, I would like to focus on the gathering of the fragments.

Unlike the manna, the fragments were not to be thrown away. They came from God. This happens in our churches every time we celebrate Mass. Bread and wine are consecrated, not blessed, but consecrated. They become the Eucharist, the Body and the Blood of the Lord. Once the physical elements are transformed, they remain the Body and Blood of the Lord. We place the consecrated hosts in our tabernacles because this is still the Lord. We bring the Body of Christ to those who cannot join us at Mass. We pray before the Body of Christ in our tabernacles. The Eucharist is not merely a liturgical action during the Mass. It is Jesus. He is really present in the consecrated species, the bread and wine. We believe that this is really and truly the Body and Blood of Christ. To leave the Catholic Church for another faith is to reject the gift of the real presence of Jesus Christ as Eucharist. Once a person is brought into the mystery of the Eucharist, that person cannot leave this mystery. It would a rejection of a great Grace given when that person became Catholic or entered that stage of life when he or she could come to an understanding of what we Catholic believe about the Eucharist. How great is our God? God is so great that he has found a way for all of us to attend the eternal Passover. How great is our God? God is so great that he leads us into his presence and feeds us his meal. How great is our God? He is so great that he has found a way for each of us to join the disciples at the Last Supper, or what is really the First Supper, the First Supper of the Kingdom. How great is our God? He is so great that He has created billions and billions of people in the world, and, yet, has found a way to treat each person as an only child. How great is our God? He is so great that He loves every person as though each of us were the only person He ever created.

When we receive communion, we are present at the Last Supper, the First Supper, the Banquet of the Lord. When we receive holy Communion, we enter into the intimate union with God that Jesus came to earth to provide. How much our God cares for us! He has found a way to nourish our spiritual lives. His very Body and Blood keeps us strong. He gives us the strength to proclaim his Kingdom.

So, we need to ask ourselves at communion time: «What am I doing?» Am I just following the crowd? Hopefully not. Am I receiving some sort of blessing? Hopefully, we realize that holy Communion is much more than a blessing. What is it that I am doing when I receive holy Communion? I am receiving the Food that God provides. I am being nourished with the Body and Blood of Christ. Let us ask the Holy Spirit for a deeper appreciation and a deeper reverence for the Great Gift of Love that is the Eucharist • AE

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St. Joseph Catholic Church (Dilley, TX) • Weekend Schedule

Fr. Agustin E. (Parish Administrator)

Saturday July 27, 2024.

5.00 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation

6.00 p.m. Santa Misa.

Sunday, July 28, 2024

8.00 a.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation

8.30 a.m. Holy Mass.

10.30 a.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation.

11.00 a.m. Holy Mass

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XVII Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario (Ciclo B)

Campbells Soup Cans (1962) del norteamericano Andy Warhol en el Museo Tate Modern de Londres

Criticamos con facilidad y rapidez al mundo contemporáneo porque pensamos que son otros los que tienen la culpa de todo. Los verdaderos culpables se encuentran ocultos tras el sistema, son las multinacionales, los políticos de ciertas naciones poderosas. Si ellos son los culpables, nosotros somos inocentes. Sin duda, hay culpables y hay, sobre todo, causas de los males e injusticias, pero hay también una culpa que está como diluida en toda la sociedad y que nos toca a todos. Hemos interiorizado personalmente un tipo de cultura que nos lleva a pensar, sentir y tener comportamientos que sostienen y facilitan el funcionamiento de una sociedad poco humana. Pensemos, por ejemplo, en esta sociedad de consumo en la que vivimos. Podemos estudiar lo que significa objetivamente una economía de mercado, la producción masiva de productos, el funcionamiento de la publicidad y tantos otros factores, pero podemos también analizar nuestra actuación, la de cada uno de nosotros. Si yo me dejo modelar por la sociedad de consumo, esto significa que valoro más mi propia felicidad que la solidaridad; que pienso que esta felicidad se obtiene, sobre todo, teniendo cosas más que mejorando mi modo de ser; que tengo como meta secreta ganar siempre más y, para ello, tener el mayor éxito profesional y económico. Esto me puede llevar fácilmente a considerar como algo normal una sociedad profundamente desigual donde cada uno tiene lo que se merece. Hay individuos eficientes y dinámicos que consiguen un nivel apropiado a sus esfuerzos, y un grupo numeroso de personas poco hábiles y nada trabajadoras que nunca conseguirán un nivel digno en esta sociedad.

A partir de aquí organizamos nuestra actividad y relaciones de manera inteligente. Naturalmente, valoramos la amistad y el compañerismo, la convivencia familiar y el círculo de amigos. Apreciamos, incluso, los gestos de generosidad y la ayuda al necesitado. Pero hay que saber calcular. No hemos de perder nunca de vista nuestro propio interés y provecho. Hay que saber dar de manera inteligente, ayudar a quien un día nos podrá corresponder. Olvidamos aquel “dar hasta que duela”, que solía repetir Madre Teresa.

Podemos seguir echando la culpa a otros, pero cada uno somos responsable de este estilo de vida poco humano. Por eso es bueno dejarnos sacudir de vez en cuando por las palabras y las obras de Jesús. El relato de la multiplicación de los panes que escuchamos este domingo en el evangelio -el décimi séptimo del tiempo ordinario- es un signo mesiánico que revela a Jesús como Aquel que viene a alimentar al pueblo, pero encierra también una llamada muy específica: una invitación a que cada uno pongamos nuestro esfuerzo, nuestro tiempo, nuestro talento, lo que cada uno pueda hacer y dar, aunque sólo sean cinco panes y dos peces • AE

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¿Qué vamos a leer?

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Jeremiah prophesied a day when the leaders would be wise and just, a day when people would look at their king and proclaim, «The Lord is our justice.” Usually when we hear the term «justice» we think of court cases. We refer to justice as a decision that safeguards the rights of all people. Biblical justice is much deeper than that. Biblical justice describes a way of life that reflects the presence of God. Biblical justice is based on faith in God resulting in a particular way of acting. Biblical justice refers to integrity.

Now there’s a word that we do not hear a lot, at least not in the public forum. Integrity. The word integrity means to be whole, complete. A person with integrity is a person of sincerity, a person’s whose actions are a natural reflection of his or her interior. A person with integrity has a firm hold on the truth. He does not create truth. He respects truth. What qualities, then, should we look for in a leader? Today’s readings answer this question: 1) a leader must be capable of uniting the people in truth, as St. Paul tells the Corinthians, and 2) a leader must be both strong and compassionate, as the Lord Jesus was. When we think of leaders, we naturally tend to think about those in the highest echelons of authority: the Holy Father, the leaders of the Church, the president, the leaders of governments throughout the world. But leadership does not stop here. Through the sacrament of marriage, husbands and wives assume the responsibility of leading their spouses and their children to God. Through the sacrament of Holy Orders, deacons, priests and bishops assume the responsibility of leading in word and sacrament. By the grace of the sacrament of confirmation we are all given the responsibility of being leaders in the Church. The leadership we all share in as confirmed Catholics is directly related to the leadership entrusted to the Apostles on Pentecost Sunday. When the Apostles received the Holy Spirit, the Spirit spoke through them and they proclaimed Jesus Christ. This is an area where we all need help. We are all tempted to compromise with a society that has rejected Christ. Or, at least, we are tempted to keep quiet when others are attacking the faith. We need to pray for each other that we be compassionate while never deserting the Truth that is Christ. So, today we pray for all leaders: in the Church, in the world, in our families, among our ordained clergy, and among all the confirmed. We pray that we and all leaders may combine the Christ-like characteristics of being strong and compassionate. We have to be people of integrity. We have to have the courage to demand the truth in our own lives as well as in the lives of all we love. People need leaders to show them the love and the compassion of Christ. They need leaders who have a firm hold on integrity. They need us to be those leaders. We can do this. We must do this. The prophet Jeremiah said, “A day is coming when people will say, ‘The Lord is our justice, our integrity.’» That day is upon us. Jesus is with us. Jesus is yearning to be reflected in our lives. He is calling us to be the people we can be • AE

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St. Joseph Catholic Church (Dilley, TX) • Weekend Schedule

Fr. Agustin E. (Parish Administrator)

Saturday July 20, 2024.

5.00 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation

6.00 p.m. Santa Misa.

Sunday, July 21, 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.

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XVI Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario (Ciclo B)

La escena está cargada de ternura. Llegan los discípulos cansados del trabajo realizado. La actividad es tan intensa que no encuentran tiempo para comer. Y entonces Jesús decide llevarlos a un sitio tranquilo a descansar.

Los cristianos olvidamos hoy con demasiada frecuencia que un grupo de cristianos no es sólo una comunidad de oración, reflexión y trabajo, sino también una comunidad de descanso y alegría, aunque no siempre ha sido así. Las frases que siguen no son de ningún teólogo progresista. Están redactadas allá por el siglo IV, por aquel gran Obispo poco sospechoso de frivolidades que fue Agustín de Hipona: «Un grupo de cristianos es un grupo de personas que rezan juntas, pero también conversan juntas. Ríen en común y se intercambian favores. Están bromeando juntas y juntas están en serio. Están a veces en desacuerdo, pero sin animosidad, como se está a veces con uno mismo, utilizando ese desacuerdo para reforzar siempre el acuerdo habitual. Aprenden algo unos de otros o lo enseñan unos a otros. Echan de menos, con pena, a los ausentes. Acogen con alegría a los que llegan. Hacen manifestaciones de este u otro tipo: chispas del corazón de los que se aman, expresadas en el rostro, en la lengua, en los ojos, en mil gestos de ternura»

Tal vez, lo que más nos sorprende hoy en este texto es que san Agustin mencione a unos cristianos que saben rezar pero saben también reír. Saben estar serios y saben también bromear. Y es que la Iglesia aparece ¡tantas veces! grave y solemne. Pareciera que los cristianos le tenemos miedo a la risa, como si la risa fuera siempre signo de frivolidad y falta de responsabilidad ante los problemas. Quién no recuerda aquella escena de la película «El Nombre de la Rosa». Sin embargo hay un humor y un saber reír que es signo más bien de madurez y sabiduría. Es la risa del creyente que sabe reír porque sabe relativizar lo que es relativo, sin dramatizar sin necesidad los problemas. Es una risa que nace de la confianza última de ese Dios que nos mira a todos con compasióm y ternura. Una risa que distiende, libera y da fuerzas para seguir caminando. Esta risa une. Los que ríen juntos no se atacan ni se hacen daño porque la risa verdaderamente humana nace de un corazón que sabe comprender y amar, de un corazón que se sabe bajo la mirada amorosa de Dios • AE

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lEcTUrAS dE vEraNo

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¿Escuchar & Leer?

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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

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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.

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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

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¿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

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