Rembrandt, The Parable of the Talents (c. 1652),  Reed-pen and bistre, Louvre (Paris)

In today’s second reading, St. Paul tells the people of Thessalonika that the day of the Lord, the end of time, will come like a thief in the night when people least expect. Some of these people took Paul so seriously that they quit working and caring for their families. They expected everyone else to take care of them as they braced themselves for the end. Paul had to write a second letter to Thessalonika and tell the people there that those who refused to work, should not eat. Perhaps time will not end before we die, but when we die our own personal time comes to an end.

We spend the month of November praying for our loved ones and all the souls of the faithful departed who have died. Death is a reality everyone has to face. How then, should we prepare for the Lord to come whether it is at the end of all time or the end of our own personal time? Instructions are available throughout the Bible, but particularly in today’s Gospel, which comes in the section of the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus is speaking about the end of time.

Today’s Gospel is the Parable of the Talents.  All our talents, all our gifts flow from God. None of us have the right to take credit for them. We emphasize this at the end of the Eucharistic Prayer when the priest holds up the Body and Blood of Christ and says, Through Him, and with Him, and in Him, O God Almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, for ever and ever. Our talents came from God and must be developed to serve God. He is the focus, not us. His is the glory, not ours. We share in His Glory only to the extent that we have allowed Him to be seen in our efforts. Nothing that we do should be about us. All our gifts should be seen as just that, gifts from God. So, the Lord tells us in the parable that the Master will come for an accounting of how we used the particular talents He has given each of us. We cannot be concerned with worrying about the exact day or hour. What we have to be concerned with is doing our part to prepare for the Lord’s coming, either at the end of all time or the end of our personal time. If we develop the talents he has entrusted to us, the day will come when the Father will say to us, «Well done, good and faithful servants. Well done»

There is a wonderful story about Ludwig van Beethoven in this regard. The famous composer was well aware that he had few social skills. He found talking to people not just burdensome, but beyond his abilities. He just couldn’t do it, even if he had to speak to someone. The story is that one day he heard that a dear friend of his had suddenly lost his son. Beethoven rushed over to his friend’s house, but he just couldn’t find the words to comfort the dead boy’s father. So he used the gifts he had been given. Beethoven went to the piano and for a full thirty minutes he played a beautiful elegy. It is believed that he composed it on the spot. He used his talent to console the grieving • AE

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Music for the soul

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St. Dominic Catholic Church

Weekend Schedule

Saturday November 18, 2023

12.00 p.m. XV Mass – Fr. Jaime P.

2.00 p.m. XV Mass – Fr. Jaime P.

3.00 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confessional) – Fr. Agustin E.

5.00 p.m. Holy Mass – Fr. Agustin E.

Sunday November 19, 2023

7.30 a.m. Holy Mass – Fr. Agustin E.

10.00 a.m. Holy Mass – Fr. Agustin E.

12.30 p.m. Holy Mass – Fr. Jaime P.

3.00 p.m. Santa Misa – Fr. Jaime P.

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XXXIII Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario (Ciclo A)

V. Palmaroli y Gonzalez, El martirio de santa Cristina de Bolsena (1895), oleo sobre tela, Museo Nacional del Prado (Madrid)

La parábola de los talentos es un relato que podria interpretarse de muchas formas, de hecho comentaristas y predicadores la han interpretado con frecuencia en diferentes direcciones. En este penúltimo domingo del Tiempo Ordinrio podríamos centrar la atención en el tercero de los siervos. Su conducta es… extraña. Mientras los otros siervos se dedican a hacer fructificar los bienes que les ha confiado su señor, a él no se le ocurre otra cosa que esconder bajo tierra el talento recibido para conservarlo seguro. Cuando el amo llega, lo condena como siervo negligente y holgazán que no ha entendido nada. ¿Cómo enteder su comportamiento? Este siervo no se siente identificado con su señor, ni con los intereses de su señor. Podriamos decir que no actúa movido por el amor. En realidad tiene miedo. Y es precisamente ese miedo el que lo paraliza y medio lo lleva a actuar buscando su propia seguridad. El mismo lo dice: «Tuve miedo y fui a esconder mi talento bajo tierra». Este siervo no comprendió en que consistía actuar con responsabilidad; pensó que estaba respondiendo a las expectativas de su señor, conservando su talento seguro, aunque improductivo; tampoco se implicó en proyecto alguno. Vivía como aburrido.

Cuando los cristianos pensamos que en nuestra fe lo unico que importa es conservar, dejando a un lado el buscar con coraje y confianza en el Señor caminos nuevos para acoger, vivir, y anunciar el proyecto del reino de Dios, estamos olvidando algo importante. Si no nos sentimos llamados a seguir las exigencias de Cristo más allá de lo enseñado y mandado; si no arriesgamos nada por hacer una Iglesia más fiel a Jesús y al evangelio, si nos mantenemos ajenos a cualquier conversión que nos pueda complicar la vida; si no asumimos la responsabilidad del reino como lo hizo Jesús, buscando vino nuevo en odres nuevos, quizá llegó el momento de re-aprender (sic) la fidelidad activa, creativa y arriesgada a la que nos invita la preciosa parábola de éste domingo y el testimonio de tantos mártires, misioneros y santos como los tenemos en la historia de nuestra querida la Iglesia. Como siempre, tenemos mucho qué reflexionar • AE

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+ Lecturas para Otoño

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I. Demchuk, Parable about wise and unwise virgins, oil on canvas, particular collection.

There were five wise virgins and five foolish ones. The five foolish virgins squandered their time. The five wise virgins made the best use of every moment. The wise virgins entered into the banquet of the Master’s love. The foolish virgins were too busy wasting time to be ready for their Master’s return. They were locked out of the celebration. How much time do you and I have left? We really don’t know! In our American denial of death, we all like to think that sudden death happens to other people and that this could not happen to any of us. But it does. The proper Christian attitude is not to deny death, but to prepare for it. This is the wisdom behind the five bridesmaids who were prepared to enter the wedding reception. They didn’t know when the bridegroom was coming, but they were ready. So how do we prepare? Well, survivalists prepare secret places. These methods are all wrong. We do not prepare for the end by saving a lot of stuff, or by doing a lot of things. We prepare for the end by nurturing the proper disposition, the Christian attitude. Some of the most important words in scripture are two verses from Paul’s Letter to the Romans: Be transformed by renewal of mind. Paul tells us to take an attitude of life that is completely different from the attitude of the world. Throughout the Gospels, particularly in Matthew where today’s gospel is taken, Jesus emphasizes the need for inner transformation. His complaint against the Pharisees was that they were hypocrites. They behaved one way but were another way. He called them whiten sepulchers. On the outside, they looked nice and clean. On the inside they were rotten. The tax collectors and prostitutes who turned to Jesus transformed their lives. So, how do we form and nourish the Christian attitude of life? On the negative, we cannot give ourselves over to that which destroys the presence of the Lord. We live in a materialistic society. To the vast majority of society success is counted in the number of possessions a person accumulates. Pleasure, even fleeting pleasure, is the goal of life. The glorification of sex is just one of the many ways that this is expressed. We, you and I, have to fight against the forces outside of us and, particularly, within us that are drawing us into materialism and away from the Christian disposition of life. On the positive, we can form and nourish the Christian disposition by continually communicating with the Lord. We need to pray daily. We need to find a time, even if it is brief, but still a time when we can be with the Lord and freed of the distractions of life. If we have a family, then we have the additional responsibility to pray as a family every day. Today’s first reading speaks about wisdom. Wisdom is a way of life. The wise are always ready for the Lord because they are always united to him. The gospel lesson is simple for this Sunday. Be like the wise virgins. Be ready to celebrate the banquet of the Lord’s love • AE

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Music that feeds the soul

November is the month that the Catholic Church dedicates entirely to praying for the eternal rest of the souls of the faithful deceased. In 1791 the German composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed a beautiful Requiem Mass. There is a wonderful version by the French National Orchestra. We hope that this beautiful piece of music will be helpful in having a moment of prayer • AE

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St. Dominic Catholic

Church Weekend Schedule

Saturday November 11, 2023

3.00 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confessional) – Fr. Agustin E.

5.00 p.m. Holy Mass – Fr. Agustin E.

Sunday November 12, 2023

7.30 a.m. Holy Mass – Fr. Agustin E.

10.00 a.m. Holy Mass – Fr. Agustin E.

12.30 p.m. Holy Mass – Fr. Jaime P.

3.00 p.m. Santa Misa – Fr. Jaime P.

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XXXII Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario (Ciclo A)

La primera generación cristiana vivió convencida de que Jesús, su Señor resucitado, volvería pronto. No fue así. Poco a poco, los seguidores de Jesús se tuvieron que preparar para una larga espera. No es difícil imaginar las preguntas que se despertaron entre ellos. ¿Cómo mantener vivo el espíritu de los comienzos? ¿Cómo vivir despiertos mientras llega el Señor? ¿Cómo alimentar la fe sin dejar que se apague? Un relato de Jesús sobre lo sucedido en una boda les ayudaba a pensar la respuesta. Diez jóvenes, amigas de la novia, encienden sus antorchas y se preparan para recibir al esposo. Cuando, al caer el sol, llegue a tomar consigo a la esposa, los acompañarán a ambos en el cortejo que los llevará hasta la casa del esposo donde se celebrará el banquete nupcial. Hay un detalle que el narrador quiere destacar desde el comienzo. Entre las jóvenes hay cinco sensatas y previsoras que toman consigo aceite para impregnar sus antorchas a medida que se vaya consumiendo la llama. Las otras cinco son necias, digamos descuidadas que se olvidan de tomar aceite con el riesgo de que se les apaguen las antorchas. Pronto descubrirán su error. El esposo se retrasa y no llega hasta medianoche. Cuando se oye la llamada a recibirlo, las sensatas alimentan con su aceite la llama de sus antorchas y acompañan al esposo hasta entrar con él en la fiesta. Las necias no saben sino lamentarse. Ocupadas en adquirir aceite, llegan al banquete cuando la puerta está cerrada. Demasiado tarde. Muchos han tratado de encontrar un significado secreto al símbolo del aceite. ¿Está Jesús hablando del fervor espiritual, del amor, de la gracia bautismal? Quizá sea más sencillo recordar su gran deseo: «Fuego he venido a traer a la tierra, y ¿qué he de querer sino que se encienda?» ¿Hay algo que pueda encender más nuestra fe que el contacto vivo con él?

¿No es una insensatez pretender conservar una fe gastada sin reavivarla con el fuego de Jesús? ¿No es una contradicción creernos cristianos sin conocer su proyecto ni sentirnos atraídos por su estilo de vida? Necesitamos más que nunca renovar nuestra alianza de amor con Él, cuidar todo lo que nos ayude a centrar nuestra vida en Él, sin gastar energías en lo que nos distrae, o nos enfría, o nos desvía del Evangelio. Hemos de encender domingo a domingo fe, rumiando sus palabras, recibiéndolo con amor y sencillez en la Eucaristía. Nadie puede transformar nuestras comunidades como Jesús • AE

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Lecturas de Otoño (2023)

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Francisco de Goya, The Burial of the Sardine (1819), oil on canvas, Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando (Madrid)

The Pharisees… well, they were the masters of seeing and being seen. That’s all they really wanted. They were just putting on a show. They knew how to hold their arms up in prayer. They knew what proper pious platitudes they should say. They pretended to be holy. But they were not really holy. They spoke about following God. They demanded that others live holy lives. But they did not live as people committed to God. They just dressed the part. Jesus called them… hypocrites. Harsh word that came from the Greek word for actor. God saw them. And God sees us. He looks at us and sees some of us putting on a show. He sees some religious leaders wearing costumes and saying all the proper things, but carrying on immoral actions that could not emanate from the soul of a holy person. He sees some people who proclaim their Christianity, but in reality are not open to God in their lives. He sees some people who pretend to be kind, but who are really carrying years of hate within their hearts. God also sees those who are really trying to live their commitment to Him. He sees us at our best not just when we are at our worst. He knows how we are trying to be better, to do better. He knows how we are fighting against any tendency we might have to be hypocrites ourselves. Today we are told that we cannot be satisfied with the outward appearance of religion. We are told to fight against our own hypocrisy. So, how can we do this? For one thing, we cannot demand more from others than we demand from ourselves. As a priest, I cannot demand that others fulfill their worship obligations if I do not fulfill mine. I cannot stand here and tell you that you need to say prayers at home every day if I am not faithful to saying the Liturgy of the Hours. I cannot demand that you fight against immorality if I partake in immorality. You also cannot not demand that others be kind and caring, if you are mean to that daughter-in-law or son-in-law you’ve never liked. We have to avoid playing dress up. Our lives cannot be an act. We have to fight against our own hypocrisy.

We also have to avoid masking our Christianity. We do this when we just go along with the group, being more concerned with being a member of that group instead of a member of God’s group, His family. And we have to take responsibility for our own lives rather than just join a crowd that entrusts their lives to others. We cannot be followers of other people, be they religious or political, to such an extent that we allow them to determine our actions, or even our lives. We cannot allow the mob mentality to take over our lives. We have the ability to set the course of our own lives. We must take responsibility for our faith lives. Call no man «father» or «rabbi» or «teacher» means “call no man guru.” If we have a guru, then we don’t take responsibility for what we do. We call our priests father in that they are the head of our faith family in our parishes, but we do not give our priests the position of guru, entrusting them with the responsibility for our lives. We entrust our lives to God and God only. Only Christ can be our guide. If we, you and I, can find the courage to let Jesus be our guide, if every aspect of our lives reflects the presence of Jesus in the world, then we will not wear masks. Then we would really and truly be followers of Christ. Last Tuesday was Halloween. Halloween is for children. Following Jesus is the serious work of people who have no need for masks. Following Jesus is the serious work of those who are willing to expose their faces and their lives to the world. People admire us Catholics with our determination to worship God and to live for Him. They see how we are united in our faith, and how our Church is universal. And they to look us to live lives that are wholesome, sincere, and genuine. May the have the courage to be Catholic • AE

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St. Dominic Catholic Church

Weekend Schedule

Saturday November 4, 2023

8.00 a.m. -5.00 p.m. Archdiocesan Eucharistic Congress (St. Mary´s University)

3.00 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confessional) – Fr. Agustin E.

5.00 p.m. Holy Mass – Fr. Jaime P.

Sunday October 29, 2023

7.30 a.m. Holy Mass – Fr. Jaime P.

10.00 a.m. Holy Mass – Fr. Jaime P.

12.30 p.m. Holy Mass – Fr. Agustin E.

3.00 p.m. Santa Misa – Fr. Agustin E.

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XXXI Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario (Ciclo A)

Muchos se han marchado escandalizados o decepcionados por la actuación de una Iglesia que pareciera no ser fiel al evangelio de Jesús, o que no actúa en coherencia con lo que ella misma predica. También Jesús criticó con fuerza a los líderes religiosos, lo escuchamos en el evangelio de hoy, sólo que Jesús no se quedó ahí. Siguió buscando y llamando a todos a una vida más digna y responsable ante Dios. Todos hemos visto actuaciones de la Iglesia poco coherentes con el evangelio. Nos hemos escandalizado e incluso nos han hecho daño, sin embargo hay que mirar más allá: la mediocridad de la Iglesia no podría justificar nunca la mediocridad de nuestra fe cristiana.

En la Iglesia tendríamos que cambiar, sí, pero lo importante es que personalmente reavivemos nuestra fe, que aprendamos a creer de manera diferente, que no vivamos eludiendo a Dios, que sigamos con honestidad las llamadas de la propia conciencia, que cambie nuestra manera de mirar la vida, que descubramos lo esencial del evangelio y lo vivamos con gozo.

En la Iglesia tendríamos que  superar el miedo a anunciar el evangelio en el mundo contemporáneo; debemos seguir al Señor de manera personal y sincera, sin falsos apoyos sociales y sin rutinas religiosas. Cada uno debemos de aprender a vivir de manera evangélica el trabajo y el amor, la actividad y el silencio, sin dejarnos modelar por el mundo, sin perder nuestra identidad en medio de tanta frivolidad y tanto ruido.

En la Iglesia tendríamos que revisar a fondo nuestra fidelidad a Cristo, la calidad de nuestra adhesión el Señor. Cada uno hemos de cuidar nuestra fe en el Dios revelado en Jesús. El pecado y las miserias de la institución eclesial no nos dispensan ni nos quitan la persona responsabilidad. La decisión de abrirnos a Dios o de rechazarlo es personal. En la Iglesia tendríamos que liberarnos de cobardías y recelos que le impiden contagiar esperanza en el mundo actual; somos responsables de nuestra alegría interior, alimentando la esperanza, acudiendo a la verdadera fuente: Jesús • AE

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The heart of Christian morality is the desire to love God fully, completely, and to love others as unique reflections of God’s love. We can see an analogy in the love we must have in the love that good parents have for their children. Parents do not try to find the minimal amount of love they must have to be good parents. Parents continually give their love because they know their children need their love. Parents do not love their children because they are afraid that if they do not love their children God will punish them. Parents love their children because they are their children. Parents love their children for whom they are, expressions of love, loving them back. Parents do not love their children due to their looks, talents, or intelligence. They love them because they are their children. God loves us because we are His children!

In today’s gospel the Lord is not calling us to be minimalists. He is calling us to love God and neighbor completely, without counting the cost. God wants us to love him with our whole mind, our whole heart, and our whole soul. So, we are invited (invited, never forced) to consider that the only love that is real is the love that gives. This is the love where He is present. This is the love that God wants us to have for each other. Loving God with our whole heart is really loving our neighbors as ourselves because it is loving as God loves. God wants our whole soul. God wants all those qualities that distinguish us from animals. He wants our ability to love and to think, but also our ability to imagine, our ability to choose, our ability to express ourselves as individuals, our ability to be who we are, created in his image and likeness.

So, if we want to have meaning in our lives, if we want to die knowing that we have been faithful to the whole reason we have been created, then we have to give all we have back to God. In his encyclical on love, Deus Caritas Est, God is Love, Pope Benedict XVI noted the three words for love used by the ancient Greeks: eros, philia, and agape. Eros refers to physical love without any spiritual qualities. Philia refers to the love of friendship. This is the love people have for each other. Agape refers to love that is the heart of the relationship with God. Agape is the love that wants others to join us in a relationship with God. Christian love should be shared with everyone, regardless of our feelings. It is the kind of love which Jesus commanded that we show even to those who continue to hurt us. It means following the one who on the cross forgave his executioners, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” • AE

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St. Dominic Catholic Church

Weekend Schedule

Saturday October 28, 2023

8.00 a.m. -5.00 p.m. Rise Up Women´s Day Retreat– Fr. Agustin E.

11.30 a.m. Sacrament of Baptism for Elias Robinson

3.00 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confessional) – Fr. Agustin E.

5.00 p.m. Holy Mass – Fr. Jaime P.

Sunday October 29, 2023

7.30 a.m. Holy Mass – Fr. Jaime P.

10.00 a.m. Holy Mass – Fr. Jaime P.

12.30 p.m. Holy Mass – Fr. Agustin E.

3.00 p.m. Santa Misa – Fr. Agustin E.

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XXX Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario (Ciclo A)

Shema Israel en la Menorá de la Knesset, en Jerusalén

La escena del evangelio de este domingo tiene como trasfondo una atmósfera religiosa en la que maestros de la ley y gente que conocía bien la Escritura clasifican cientos de mandatos de la Ley en fáciles y difíciles, graves y leves, pequeños y grandes, al final ¡Qué difícil moverse con un corazón sano en una red así!

Cuando olvidamos lo esencial, fácilmente caemos en mediocridad piadosa o en una casuística moral insoportable, que no sólo nos incapacitan para una relación sana con Dios, sino que podrían desfigurar y hasta destruir la vida espiritual.

La pregunta que plantean a Jesús busca recuperar lo esencial, descubrir el espíritu perdido: ¿Cuál es el mandato principal?, ¿Qué es lo esencial?, ¿Dónde está el núcleo de todo? La respuesta de Jesús, como la de Hillel y otros maestros judíos, recoge la fe básica de Israel: «Amarás al Señor, tu Dios, con todo tu corazón, con toda tu alma, con todo tu ser». Que nadie piense que se está hablando aquí de emociones o sentimientos hacia un Ser Imaginario, ni de invitaciones a rezos y devociones. «Amar a Dios con todo el corazón» es reconocer humildemente el Misterio último de la vida; orientar confiadamente la existencia de acuerdo con su voluntad: amar a Dios como fuerza creadora y salvadora, que es buena y nos quiere bien. Todo esto marca decisivamente la vida, pues significa alabar la existencia desde su raíz; tomar parte en la vida con gratitud; optar siempre por lo bueno y lo bello; vivir con corazón de carne y no de piedra; resistirnos a todo lo que traiciona la voluntad de Dios negando la vida y la dignidad de sus hijos e hijas. Por eso el amor a Dios es inseparable del amor a los hermanos. Así lo recuerda Jesús: «Amarás a tu prójimo como a ti mismo». No es posible el amor real a Dios sin descubrir el sufrimiento de sus hijos e hijas. ¿Qué religión sería aquella en la que el hambre de los desnutridos o el exceso de los satisfechos no planteara pregunta ni inquietud alguna a los creyentes? No cabe duda: el cristianismo es pasión por Dios y compasión por la humanidad • AE

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pAra lEer en oToño

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In today’s gospel Jesus was not going to let the Herodians declare that he was an enemy to Caesar by refusing to pay taxes, nor was he going to let the Pharisees declare that he was an enemy to the Hebrew people by paying taxes. The phrase “Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s,” has deeper implications, particularly to us here in the United States.

First of all, “render to Caesar what is Caesar’s.” We have a responsibility to be good citizens of our country. That means participating in protecting our country from those who would destroy it by joining the military and by supporting those in the military. If we, as Catholics, want the laws of our country to be based on principals of Catholic morality and social justice, we have to take part in the government, not be bystanders. Yes, we need to vote, but more than vote, we need to be actively engaged in the working of our government. This is how we can lead our country to develop and expand our democracy. Of course, the least we can do is vote, not just in presidential elections but in every election. Our voice needs to be heard. Finally, we need to support our government by each of us paying our fair share in taxes. No one likes taxes, but all of us want to know that our country is going to protect us and, when we are sick and or elderly, care for us. We need to pay our soldiers and sailors and fund our department of defense. We need to be sure that our towns, cities, counties and states have the resources they need to govern us correctly. We need to pay our first responders, police and fire, and all who work in our school system, water department, motor vehicle system, etc. etc. All of us who pay taxes, from local to federal, are invested in our government, and are proud of our government.

Infinitely more important is the second dictate of the Lord, “Render to God what is God’s.” Our citizenship is in heaven. The main goal of each of our lives must be to spread the Kingdom of God. We must spread the Good News, the Gospel, that Jesus Christ has reunited us to our Heavenly Father. When we live his life in our own lives, he gives beauty and purpose and meaning to our lives. We were not created for the material world. We were created for love. To serve Him. God is greater than us. He created us and sustains us in being. In serving Him, we serve ourselves as well, in the sense that each of us becomes that unique person that God wishes us to be. We are meant to live for God. That is service. And to be Happy with Him forever.

When God made me and you and everyone else, He intended for us to be drawn into the very life of the Trinity and to enjoy eternal happiness. But He gave us the freedom to make that choice. This is what love is. Love is a choice. We choose to be with Him forever. We choose to reject all that is not Him. We fight against sin. Our reward is union with God. We can have a glimpse of this union in our life while we are in the physical world. There are times, sometimes just fleeting moments, when we feel completely at peace with ourselves and with God. How wonderful life will be when we are completely united to God. That is heaven. Render unto God what is God’s. What is God’s? “The world is the Lord’s and its fullness thereof,” we hear in Psalm 24. Other people are the Lord’s. We are the Lord’s. He has given Himself to us so that we can live for Him. We belong to Him. When we care for others, particularly those who reach out to us in their need, we care for his Presence within them. So can an American be a good Catholic? Can a good Catholic be an American? Of course, on both counts. A good Catholic cares for his country because he loves God and wants his country to continue to reflect the love of God in every aspect of national life. By serving his country properly, as a committed Catholic, he will be serving God. Our prayer today is for God to help us render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s • AE

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St. Dominic Catholic Church

Weekend Schedule

Saturday October 21, 2023

7.00 a.m. Mass for ACTS Retreat (Cordi Marian Retreat Center) – Fr. Agustin E.

2.30 p.m. Sacrament of Matrimony for Ezequiel & Mayra – Fr. Agustin E.

3.30 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confessional) – Fr. Agustin E.

5.00 p.m. Holy Mass – Fr. Agustin E.

Sunday October 22, 2023

7.30 a.m. Holy Mass – Fr. Agustin E

10.00 a.m. Holy Mass – Fr. Agustin E.

12.30 p.m. Holy Mass – Fr. Jaime P.

3.00 p.m. Santa Misa – Fr. Jaime P.

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XIX Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario (Ciclo A)

La trampa que tienden al Señor está bien pensada: «¿Es lícito pagar tributos al César o no?». Si responde negativamente, lo podrán acusar de rebelión contra Roma. Si acepta la tributación, quedará desacreditado delante de quienes viven en la miseria, exprimidos por los impuestos; esos a los que él tanto quiere y defiende. Jesús les pide que le enseñen una moneda. Él no la tiene, vive como un vagabundo itinerante, sin tierras ni trabajo fijo; hace tiempo que no tiene problemas con los recaudadores. Después les pregunta por la imagen que aparece en aquel denario de plata. Representa a Tiberio y la leyenda decía: «Tiberius Caesar, Divi Augusti Filius Augustus». En el reverso se podía leer: «Pontifex Maximus». El gesto de Jesús es ya clarificador. Sus adversarios viven esclavos de un sistema pues al utilizar aquella moneda acuñada con símbolos políticos y religiosos, están reconociendo la soberanía del emperador. No es el caso de Jesús, que vive de manera pobre pero libre, dedicado a los pobres y excluidos del imperio. Jesús añade entonces algo que nadie le ha planteado. Le preguntan por los derechos del César, y él responde recordando los derechos de Dios: «Den al César lo que es del César, y a Dios lo que es de Dios». La moneda lleva la imagen del emperador, pero el ser humano, como lo recuerda el libro del Génesis, es imagen de Dios. Por eso, nunca ha de ser sometido a ningún emperador. Jesús lo había recordado muchas veces. Los pobres son de Dios. Los pequeños son sus hijos predilectos. El reino de Dios les pertenece. Nadie ha de abusar de ellos. Jesús no dice que una mitad de la vida, la material y económica, pertenece a la esfera del César, y la otra mitad, la espiritual y religiosa, a la esfera de Dios. Su mensaje es otro y es muy concreto: si entramos en el reino, no hemos de consentir que ningún César sacrifique lo que sólo le pertenece a Dios: los hambrientos del mundo, los abandonados, los inmigrantes. Que ningún César cuente con nosotros • AE

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A propósito del Evangelio

B. Manfredi, El Tributo a César (1610), óleo sobre tela, Galería de los Uffizi (Florencia)

Bartolomeo Manfredi (Ostiano, 1582-Roma, 1622) fue un pintor italiano y alumno de Cristoforo Roncalli ­Pomarancio que debió de llegar a Roma en los primeros años del siglo XVII, y pudo encontrarse en 1603 al lado de Ca­ravaggio. Fue uno de los más cercanos seguidores del pintor lombardo, poblando sus obras de personajes populares que se mueven en escenarios interiores de fondos oscuros, incidiendo en el estudio de los fuertes contrastes lumínicos que aplica a las figuras y objetos. Su estilo obtuvo un gran éxito y fue muy imitado, llegando a ser denominado, un tanto frívolamente, «Manfrediana ­Methodus», como si se tratase de una divulgación un poco superficial del primer Caravaggio romano, y que utilizaron numerosos artistas, tales como Tournier, Regnier o Valentin.

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