A. Mantegna, The Crucifixion (1458), Tempera on panel, The Louvre Museum (Paris)

The best we can do after the proclamation of the Passion of the Lord is to be quiet for a moment… Is there something else to say in the presence such an event with so much pain and physical and moral suffering? Probably not. The Passion of the Lord is the revelation [1] of the love that God has for all humanity and for each one of us and sooner or later we have to respond to that revelation, that’s why we need to be quiet. As Cardinal Sarah says: « If we want to grow and to be filled with the love of God, it is necessary to plant our life firmly on three great realities: the Cross, the Host, and the Virgin: crux, hostia, et virgo… These are three mysteries that God gave to the world in order to structure, fructify, and sanctify our interior life and to lead us to Jesus. These three mysteries are to be contemplated in silence» [2]. That’s why the Church is constantly inviting us to slow down and to take some time to ask ourselves… some good questions: What is God trying to tell me through the Passion of his Son? At this moment in my life, how am I embracing my cross? Gladly? with enthusiasm? Bitterly? If we contemplate the Passion of Jesus from a distance, and we are not really engaged, it is the same as leaving Jesus on the cross and washing our hands, as Pilate did [3].  Or something even worse: It could be that we have the same frivolous attitude of the soldiers who stood at the foot of the cross, watching over the executed. The gospel says that «When the soldiers had crucified Jesus,  (…) They also took his tunic from him, but the tunic was one-piece (…) So, they said to one another, «Let’s not tear it, but let us cast lots for it to see whose it will be» [4].Christ is right there: hanging on the cross, bleeding to death, moaning in pain …dying!…  And they are there … casting lots! Casting lots!  They were killing time…. Bored and yawning… Totally oblivious, insensible to what is happening there, over his head. Well, the same could happen to us,  that in the middle of the celebration of the holy sacrifice of the altar at Sunday mass we are boring, full of tedious,  looking at the clock because «this is going too slow» wanting to get out as soon as possible …This afternoon, with this eloquent and beautiful liturgy of Good Friday of the Passion of the Lord we have a great chance to remember how important it is to pay attention; how important it is our intention to be present in body, soul, spirit  and to receive with gratitude the grace of the Lord. How important is to be on time, wearing our best outfit, participating on the prayers with our best voice, our best postures, our best gestures… our best everything. This is how we can begin to recover a little that sense of reverence that we have been losing and that is so important for the celebration of the mysteries of our faith…

It’s Good Friday. the Liturgy of the Word and the tradition of the Church remind us in a liturgical way that the Lord has paid the price of our redemption, that we have salvation at hand. Jesus has climbed the Tree of the Cross out of love for each one of us. And this is not just a pretty phrase, but a reality, And the best way to respond and give thanks is by participating in this and all liturgical our celebrations, or whatever is related with our faith, with love, devotion, and attention. This is the point. The soldiers who are at the foot of the cross casting lots are a reminder that, in front of the most sacred, we can be distracted. But we also have the example of the Virgin Mary who, full of pain, remained faithful and loyal to everything that was happening there.

At the cross her station keeping,

Stood the mournful Mother weeping,

Close to Jesus to the last

The Stabat Mater sings, so let us ask the Lord this afternoon for the gift, huge gift, of recovering the sense of the Sacred, the gift of not being indifferent in His presence, the gift of celebrating the mysteries of our faith with devotion, with attention … with love. And today in particular, Good Friday of the Passion of the Lord, let us ask ourselves: What is God trying to tell me through the celebration of the Passion of his Son? At this moment in my life, how am I embracing the cross? gladly? with enthusiasm? bitterly? With hearts full of gratitude let us remember that by his passion, death and resurrection our wounds have been healed, our sins has been forgiven, our mistakes has been fixed, and a new opportunity has been given to us [5].

So, how can I repay the LORD for all the great good done for me?  The Psalm says, I will raise the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD [6]. Today we are invited to lift our hearts in thanksgiving, in silence, in reverence, in devotion and in love. It is Good Friday!

Heaven that you have promised me, my God,

Does not move me to love you.

Nor does hell so dreadful move me

To leave all that offends you.

You move me, Lord. It moves me to see you

Mocked, nailed to that cross.

It moves me to see your body so wounded.

Your dishonour moves me, and your death.

You move me to your love in such a way

That —even if there were no heaven— I would love you;

And —even if there were no hell— I would fear you.

You do not have to give to gain my love;

For —even if what I hope for becomes hopeless—

In the same way I love you, I would love you still [7] •

[1] Cf. Mark 14-15, Matthew 26-27, Luke 22-23, and John 18-19. [2] Robert Cardinal Sarah, The Power of Silence: Against the Dictatorship of Noise. [3] Cf. Matthew 27:24 [4] Cf Jn 18:1—19:42 [5] Cf. 1 Peter 2:24; Isaiah 53:5 [6] Cf 116: 12-13 [7] English translation of the anonymous Spanish poem Soneto a Cristo crucificado (“No me mueve mi Dios, para quererte”), by Stacy Shoop (1996).

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El Diario de María

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Los Improperios del Viernes Santo

Gaspar de Figueroa, Ecce Homo (c. 1658), óleo sobre tela, Iglesia de Santa Bárbara, Bogotá (Colombia)

Los Improperios, en latín Improperia, son los versículos que se cantan en el oficio de la tarde del Viernes Santo en la liturgia católica durante la ceremonia llamada Adoración de la Cruz. La palabra latina improperium significa «reproche».​ Los Improperios son, de hecho, los reproches de Cristo a su pueblo que lo ha rechazado. Puesto que a cambio de todos los favores concedidas por Dios, y en particular de haberlo librado de la servidumbre en Egipto y haberlo conducido sano y salvo a la Tierra Prometida, le ha infligido las ignominias de la Pasión. Es durante La Adoración de la cruz, después de las diecisiete oraciones, que estos improperios se decían por el coro en el rito romano. A cada favor de Dios en el libro del Éxodo se oponía un episodio de la Pasión de Cristo. El coro repetía como estribillo la aclamación griega Hagios o Theós (Ἅγιος ὁ Θεός), de forma más precisa alternando el griego y el latín, en doble coro. Esta versión es compuesta por Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina hacia 1580 •

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Viernes Santo de la Pasión del Señor (2024)

Anónimo alemán, El Descendimiento de la cruz (hacia 1420), Óleo sobre tabla, Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza (Madrid)

La muerte del Señor en la Cruz no fue algo casual, fruto de un malentendido de las  autoridades religiosas y políticas de Israel. Tampoco podemos considerar la cruz como algo permitido por Dios por motivos enigmáticos pero que luego se resolvió con el triunfo glorioso de la resurrección. La resurrección no elimina el escándalo de la cruz, sino que lo eleva a misterio, Porque, aún después de la resurrección, nos tenemos que preguntar: ¿por qué y  para qué la cruz? ¿qué hace Dios en una cruz?

Un Dios crucificado constituye una auténtica revolución y nos obliga a cuestionar todas  nuestras imágenes humanas de Dios. La cruz rompe todos nuestros esquemas sobre un  Dios al que suponemos conocer ya de antemano. El crucificado no tiene el rostro que nosotros atribuimos a la divinidad. En la cruz no hay  belleza, poder, fuerza, sabiduría, majestad.

Dios no aparece como el que tiene poder sobre la muerte, sino como alguien que se ve  sumergido dentro de ella. Con la cruz, o se termina toda nuestra fe en Dios o se abre a una comprensión nueva y  sorprendente de un Dios que nos ama de manera insospechada. Contra todas nuestras concepciones sobre la divinidad, en la cruz descubrimos  sorprendidos que Dios es alguien que sufre con nuestros sufrimientos. Nuestra miseria le  afecta. Nuestro sufrimiento le «salpica». Dios no puede amarnos sin sufrir. Como ha dicho D.  Bonhoeffer, «sólo un Dios que sufre puede salvarnos».

A este Dios crucificado no lo podemos entender desde categorías filosóficas. Es un  escándalo y una necedad. A este Dios crucificado sólo se le entiende cuando sabemos  amar a los que sufren y descubrimos por propia experiencia que el amor verdadero a los  crucificados hace sufrir. Este Dios crucificado no permite una fe ingenua y egoísta en cualquier Dios poderoso  puesto al servicio de nuestros propios intereses. Este Dios nos pone mirando hacia el  sufrimiento, el abandono y los gritos de los demás. A este Dios nos  acercamos, cuando sabemos acercarnos al sufrimiento de cualquier abandonado. Los cristianos seguimos dando muchos rodeos para no encontrarnos con el Dios  crucificado. Esta preciosa liturgia del Viernes Santo podría pues recordarnos que la originalidad del cristiano, como decía Bonhoeffer, está en  permanecer con Dios en la pasión de los que sufren, Sin esto, no hay fe  en el Dios verdadero sino manipulación •

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Were You There

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Anonymous artis, Lintel of the Washing of the Apostles’ Feet by Christ, Parochial church at Puy-de-Dôme (France)

Today we celebrate the redemptive presence of the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Jesus’ Eucharistic presence is the renewal of His presence in the Upper Room and on the cross, offering Himself for us. Do this in memory of me, he said. This evening we begin a three day remembrance of all that Jesus Christ did for us. The Mass, the cross, the empty tomb.

The Blood of the Covenant. We have been talking a bit on the concept of covenant. We heard about the covenant the Lord made with Noah, the covenant of the rainbow, the covenant that reminds us that God will never give up on his people. We heard about the covenant God made with Abraham, the covenant of faith, and we were reminded that if we put our faith in God he will care for us even if our lives are full of turmoil. We heard about the covenant made with Moses, the covenant of the ten commandments. The Covenant of Sinai was a call to holiness, a call to be separate from a world that looks towards satisfying itself instead of living for God and for others. It was called the holiness code because to be holy means to be set aside for the Lord. Moses then took the blood of sacrificed lambs and sprinkled it on the people, and said, «See this is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.» This was the first blood of the covenant. Two weeks ago we heard about another covenant. This was the prophesy of Jeremiah, the prophecy that there would be a new covenant which would be written in the hearts of the people. This evening, we celebrate the blood of the new covenant. When we celebrate the Eucharist, we celebrate the one action of Jesus dying and rising for us, sealing us with the Blood of the Covenant.

When we receive communion, we accept the new covenant written in our hearts. The Blood of the New Covenant is far deeper, infinitely more profound than any of the previous covenants. Within our hearts we celebrate the presence of Jesus Christ. We consecrate ourselves to making the presence of Christ real in the world. Each time we receive communion, we proclaim our commitment to the Blood of the New Covenant. The gift of the Eucharist necessitates the ministry of select individuals who have been called to make God present for his community. The Lord told his disciples to do this in memory of me. Bishops and priests proclaim the living memory of Jesus Christ every time they act in the person of the Lord and celebrate the Eucharist. Deacons make the Lord present in their service as well as their proclamation of the Word. Therefore, this evening’s liturgy celebrates not only the gift of the Eucharist but also gift of the sacrament of Holy Orders. These are the days of a living memory. We can never forget what Jesus did for us. As we kneel tonight before the Most Holy Sacrament, we remember. We are the people of the Blood of the New Covenant written in our hearts, keeping alive the mystery of the Lord’s presence in the world. We remember. We remember, and the Lord is present • AE

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Ave Verum Corpus (Mozart)

Ave verum corpus is a short Eucharistic chant that has been set to music by many composers. It dates to the 13th century, first recorded in a central Italian Franciscan manuscript (Chicago, Newberry Library, 24). A Reichenau manuscript of the 14th century attributes it to Pope Innocent III. During the Middle Ages it was sung at the elevation of the Eucharist during the consecration at Mass. It was also used frequently during Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. The prayer is a meditation on Jesus’s Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament, and ties it to the redemptive meaning of suffering in the life of all believers •

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Jueves Santo de la Cena del Señor (2024)

Juan del Castillo, Alegoría de la Eucaristía (1612), óleo sobre tela, Universidad de Sevilla (España)

La Misa de la Cena del Señor que celebramos en la tarde del Jueves Santo no difiere de la eucaristía de los demás días del año, pero tiene un valor ejemplar. Cada vez que la Iglesia celebra la Eucaristía y los otros sacramentos, de los que es fuente, se renueva para nosotros, hoy y por obra del Espíritu, la obra de Dios, que Cristo realizó de una vez para siempre. Lo que Jesús hizo un día es siempre actual y nuevo, aunque se repita indefinidamente. En cada celebración litúrgica, especialmente en cada eucaristía, sucede para nosotros el hic et nunc, el aquí y ahora, la salvación que Dios realiza desde el principio. Cristo está realmente presente. Actúa por medio de signos eficaces y por el poder del Espíritu. La noche del Jueves Santo marca el inicio del triduo pascual y un maravilloso vistazo a la vida del Señor: sus palabras, sus signos, su enseñanza, su consuelo, su esperanza, su oración… todo condensado en una misma celebración. Son muchos los elementos que se hacen presentes en cada uno de los días, en cada una de las celebraciones. En la noche del Jueves Santo recordamos la institución de la eucaristía, el mandato del amor fraterno y la institución del ministerio sacerdotal. Pero no debemos perder la perspectiva de la entrega en la cruz, la muerte de Cristo y el triunfo de la vida en su resurrección que celebramos los otros días, y completan el sentido del día de hoy. El Jueves Santo sabe a testamento. Nos trae gestos y palabras de Jesús que llevan a lo esencial, a una invitación a hacer memoria de lo vivido, pero, sobre todo, a vivir cada día haciendo memoria, realizando cada cristiano la entrega que Jesús hizo por nosotros • AE

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De rodillas, Señor, ante el Sagrario

De rodillas, Señor ante el sagrario,

que guarda cuanto queda de amor y de unidad.

Venimos con las flores de un deseo,

para que nos las cambies en frutos de verdad.

Cristo en todas las almas, y en el mundo la paz.

Cristo en todas las almas, y en el mundo la paz.

Como ciervos sedientos que van hacia la fuente,

vamos hacia tu encuentro, sabiendo que vendrás;

porque el que la busca es porque ya en la frente

lleva un beso de paz, lleva un beso de paz.

Como estás, mi Señor, en la custodia

igual que la palmera que alegra el arenal,

queremos que en el centro de la vida

reine sobre las cosas tu ardiente caridad.

Cristo en todas las almas, y en el mundo la paz.

Cristo en todas las almas, y en el mundo la paz.

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Unknown author, Triumphal entry into Jerusalem (1503), Illumination on parchment, National Library of Wales (UK)

Today we hold palm branches in our hands today.  We say, Hosanna, a word that means, «Be now our Savior». Christ’s entry into Jerusalem is the sign of our hope of entry into the heavenly Jerusalem. A man with leprosy came before Jesus and was healed. But Jesus told him, «See that you say nothing to anyone about this.» A deaf man came to the Lord.  Jesus said, «Ephphathat, Be Opened» and the man was able to hear. Then Jesus told him, “Say nothing about this to anyone.” A blind man had his sight returned, and, similarly, Jesus said to him, «Keep this quiet; don’t even enter the villages.» Jesus died on the Cross, and a pagan, a Roman centurion, made the announcement, «Surely this is the Son of God.» So, to understand who Jesus is, we have to recognize the Cross. To recognize how much God loves us, we have to realize the extent of his suffering for us. To realize what it means to be followers of Jesus, we have to join him on his holy Cross • AE

In the liturgy of the Church nothing is sung by chance. And the antiphons that the Roman Missal proposes for Holy Week express in a few words how much it is being celebrated. One of the latin songs proposed for Palm Sunday is titled Pueri hebraeorum, with a title taken from its first words: «The children of the Hebrews, carrying branches of olive trees, went out to meet the Lord, shouting and saying: Hosanna in heaven!». Could be sung in the initial procession of the Palm Sunday Mass, with palms and branches blessed. This outburst of joy will be found later, in the same celebration, with the dramatic horizon of the death of Jesus, since the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ is proclaimed in the Mass. This version was composed by Tomas Luis de Vitoria, one of the most important composers of polyphonic music. in 1572 •

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St. Dominic Catholic Church • Weekend Schedule

Saturday, March 23, 2024

3.00 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation – Fr. Jaime P.

5.00 p.m. Holy Mass (English) – Fr. Jaime P.

Sunday, March 24, 2024

7.30 a.m. Holy Mass (English) – Fr. Jaime P.

10.00 a.m. Holy Mass (English) – Fr. Agustin E.

12.30 p.m. Holy Mass (English) – Fr. Agustin E.

3.00 p.m. Santa Misa – Fr. Agustin E.

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Domingo de Ramos de la Pasión del Señor (2024)

Tiziano, Cristo cargando la cruz ayudado por Simón de Cirene (c. 1565), óleo sobre tela, Museo Nacional del Prado (Madrid)

Lo que nos hace cristianos es seguir a Jesús. Nada más. Este seguimiento a Jesús no es algo teórico o abstracto. Significa seguir sus pasos, comprometernos como él a hacer más humana la vida. Esto quiere decir que los seguidores de Jesús estamos llamados a poner verdad donde hay mentira, a introducir justicia donde hay abusos y crueldad con los más débiles, a reclamar compasión donde hay indiferencia y pasividad ante los que sufren. Y esto exige construir comunidades donde se viva con el proyecto de Jesús, con su espíritu y sus actitudes. Las tres cosas. Seguir así a Jesús trae consigo, por lo tanto, conflictos, problemas y sufrimiento. Los tres. Hay que estar dispuesto a cargar con las reacciones y resistencias de quienes, por una razón u otra, no buscan un mundo más humano, tal como lo quiere el Padre de Jesús. Quieren otra cosa. Los evangelios han conservado una llamada realista de Jesús a sus seguidores. Lo escandaloso de la imagen sólo puede provenir de él: «Si alguno quiere venir detrás de mí cargue con su cruz y sígame». Jesús no engaña. Si le siguen de verdad, tendrán que compartir su destino. Terminarán como él. Esa será la mejor prueba de que su seguimiento es fiel.

Seguir a Jesús es una tarea apasionante: es difícil imaginar una vida más digna y noble. Pero tiene un precio. Para seguir a Jesús, es importante «hacer»: hacer un mundo más justo y más humano; hacer una Iglesia más fiel a Jesús y más coherente con el evangelio. Sin embargo, es tan importante o más padecer: padecer por un mundo más digno; padecer por una Iglesia más evangélica. Al final de su vida, Rahner escribía: «Creo que ser cristiano es la tarea más sencilla, la más simple y, a la vez, aquella pesada “carga ligera” de que habla el evangelio. Cuando uno carga con ella, ella carga con uno, y cuanto más tiempo viva uno, tanto más pesada y más ligera llegará a ser Al final sólo queda el misterio. Pero es el misterio de Jesús» • AE

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Lecturas para la Semana Santa

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F. de Ribalta, Embrace of Saint Francis of Assisi to the Crucified (1620), oil on canvas, Convent of the Blood of Christ (Valencia, Spain)

Jesus spoke about time in today’s Gospel. He called it His Hour and he did not run from it. He embraced it. This was His Time. It was what He was put on earth to do. He would stand against evil. We all have hours, and we have our hour. We have many times in our lives when we have to stand up for God and be whom we are. All during Lent we have been asking ourselves, «Am I the person that God wants me to be? Do I try to reflect the image of God within me, or am I untrue to my very self? There are many temptations, many ways that we are tempted to hedge on our commitment to Christ. The cost of being true to the law written within our hearts can sometimes be quite heavy. We might find ourselves excluded from that society, that sport, or those people with whom we really want to belong. It hurts to have someone say, «What, are you too good to join us?» But the peace of Christ surpasses all things. Nothing is more important than living in this peace, then living united to the Lord. We all have our hours, and we have our hour. There are continual choices for God that we make throughout our lives. Those are our hours. There is also that one choice that is the reason why God placed us one earth. That is our hour. Our hour is the action that expresses whom we are deep within ourselves. It is the fundamental expression of our Christian life.

When we read about the saints, we learn about people who chose to suffer rather than deny Christ. But these are people about whom we read or heard. There are others whom we do not know. There is that girl with the unexpected pregnancy. It is her hour. Does she stand for Christ and bring this baby into the world regardless of what would happen to the plans she had for her future, or does she walk away from her hour and walk into that abortion clinic? There is that elderly man who chooses to care for his slowly dying wife because he could and because she wanted to stay at home. It is his hour. We know many others who are confronted with the choice of their lives, their hour, and embrace the law written within their hearts.

Maybe something so radical will not happen to us. Perhaps our hour will only be the sum total of the choices we have made in our lives which we present to the Lord when this life is over. The big question is: Are we ready? Are we ready to embrace the moment of our lives when all of our existence proclaims our union with Christ? Are we ready at all times to embrace all that we can be? All the little yeses we make to Christ, all those times that we deny ourselves what others say we should have or do, all these affirmations of our Christianity strengthen us for the total affirmation of our life, strengthen us for our hour. So, we are called to live and die for Christ. This is our time. This is our hour • AE

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Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O Good Jesus, hear me.
Within your wounds hide me.
Permit me not to be separated from you.
From the wicked foe, defend me.
At the hour of my death, call me
and bid me come to you
That with your saints I may praise you
For ever and ever. Amen.

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St. Dominic Catholic Church • Weekend Schedule

Saturday, March 16, 2024

3.00 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation – Fr. Agustin E.

5.00 p.m. Holy Mass (English) – Fr. Agustin. E.

Sunday, March 17, 2024

7.30 a.m. Holy Mass (English) – Fr. Agustin E.

10.00 a.m. Holy Mass (English) and 3rd Scrutiny for RCIA – Fr. Agustin E.

12.30 p.m. Holy Mass (English) – Fr. Jaime P.

3.00 p.m. Santa Misa – Fr. Jaime P.

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V Domingo de Cuaresma (Ciclo B)

Nos cuenta san Juan en su evangelio que unos peregrinos griegos que vinieron a celebrar la Pascua judía se acercaron a Felipe con una petición muy concreta: «Queremos ver a Jesús». Quizá es curiosidad. Quizá es un deseo sincero de conocer qué hay de aquel hombre. A Jesús se le ve preocupado. Dentro de unos días será crucificado. Cuando le hablan de aquellos hombres dice algo más bien desconcertante: «Llega la hora de que sea glorificado el Hijo del Hombre». Y es que cuando sea crucificado, todos podrán ver con claridad dónde está su verdadera grandeza y su gloria.

Probablemente nadie comprendió bien. Pero Jesús, pensando en la forma de muerte que le espera, insiste: «Cuando yo sea elevado sobre la tierra, atraeré a todos hacia mí». ¿Qué es lo que se esconde en el crucificado para que tenga ese poder de atracción? Sólo una cosa: su amor increíble a todos.

El amor es invisible. Sólo lo podemos ver en los gestos, los signos y la entrega de quien nos quiere bien. Por eso, en Jesús crucificado, en su vida entregada hasta la muerte, podemos percibir el amor insondable de Dios. En realidad, sólo empezamos a ser cristianos cuando nos sentimos atraídos por Jesús. Sólo empezamos a entender algo de la fe cuando nos sentimos amados por Dios. Para explicar la fuerza que se encierra en su muerte en la cruz, Jesús emplea una imagen sencilla que todos podemos entender: «Si el grano de trigo no cae en tierra y muere, queda infecundo; pero si muere, da mucho fruto». Si el grano muere, germina y hace brotar la vida, pero si se encierra en su pequeña envoltura y guarda para sí su energía vital, permanece estéril. Esta imagen nos descubre una ley que atraviesa misteriosamente la vida entera. No es una norma moral. No es una ley impuesta por la religión. Es la dinámica que hace fecunda la vida de quien sufre movido por el amor. Es una idea repetida por Jesús en diversas ocasiones: Quien se agarra egoístamente a su vida, la echa a perder; quien sabe entregarla con generosidad genera más vida. No es difícil comprobarlo. Quien vive exclusivamente para su bienestar, su dinero, su éxito o seguridad, termina viviendo una vida mediocre y estéril: su paso por este mundo no hace la vida más humana. Quien se arriesga a vivir en actitud abierta y generosa, difunde vida, irradia alegría, ayuda a vivir. No hay una manera más apasionante de vivir que hacer la vida de los demás más humana y llevadera. ¿Cómo podremos seguir a Jesús si no nos sentimos atraídos por su estilo de vida? • AE

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Lecturas para la Semana Santa y el Triduo Pascual

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