Today’s Gospel takes the dwelling of God on earth to a deeper level. He is not just among us. He is within us. He is within us as a worshiping Body, the Church. He is within us in the union of all believers into the Mystical Body of Christ. He is all this and much more. He is within each of us. We can speak to God all day, not addressing ourselves to some being “out there somewhere,” not even addressing ourselves to “the man upstairs.” We can speak to God within us. The founders of our country were mostly Deists. They believed in a God who is removed from the ordinary events of human life. For them God was only involved if there was something significant going on. They saw the Revolution as a significant event and called upon God to help free the colonies from the British and form a new country where people would govern themselves. That’s why they put “In God We Trust,” on our currency. But Washington, Franklin, Hamilton and Jefferson, among others, did not really believe that God would be concerned with the affairs of their personal lives. Perhaps that might explain the lack of morality displayed by many of the men who so piously made “In God we trust,” the motto of our country. Prayer for them was… only a matter of a community worship, a formal event #Sad They did not view prayer as a daily communication with God. They professed to be Christian, but they did not recognize Christ in their daily lives. Big deal. The Gospel tells us that Jesus is the Good Shepherd, the One who cares for each of us. He dwells within us. He nurtures us with the Eucharist. God is not out there. He is in here. Wherever we go, we bring God with us. Whatever we do, we do together with Him. He is not just “the man upstairs.” He is “the presence within.” There are many ways that God is present in the world. Some ways that God is present are deeper, more intense than other ways. The deepest, most intense presence of the Lord is in the Eucharist, the Blessed Sacrament. We need this presence. We take this presence within us, at least once a week. We pray before this presence when we enter into Eucharistic adoration here at St. Dominic. We offer this presence as the sacrificial victim to the Father every time we celebrate and attend Mass. We need this presence to sustain the other ways that the Lord is present in our lives. The second deepest, intense presence of God in the world is in the Word of God, Sacred Scripture. The bible is not just a book (even though the word bible means book). Deep within the words of the Bible is the Word of God. That is why we read the Bible and are changed and molded by the words on which we meditate[1]. In short: We, Christians, have been chosen by our Savior to be people of the new presence of God. This presence exists in many ways in the world and in many degrees of intensity. It’s greatest intensity is in the Eucharist and then in all the sacraments. Next is the Word of God in the Bible. There is a deep presence also in the Church, and in the Mystical Body of Christ. There is also a presence within each of us. This is the presence our Gospel for today, sixth Sunday of Easter, proclaims. This presence is the indwelling of God. May we cherish and nourish this presence ever day of our lives and may we give a real testimony of our love relationship with Jesus • AE

[1] Hebrews 4:12

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

Saturday May 21, 2022

9.30 a.m. Sacrament of Baptism for Luca R. Corcoran

11.00 a.m. Marriage preparations sessions.

3.30 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confessional)

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

Sunday May 22, 2022

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

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

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VI Domingo de Pascua (Ciclo C)

Siguiendo la costumbre judía, los primeros cristianos se saludaban deseándose mutuamente la paz. Pax, era el saludo cordial. No era un saludo rutinario y convencional. Para ellos tenía un significado más profundo. En una carta que Pablo escribe hacia el año 61 a una comunidad cristiana de Asia Menor, les manifiesta su gran deseo: “Que la paz de Cristo reine en vuestros corazones”. Esta paz no hay que confundirla con cualquier cosa. No es una ausencia de conflictos y tensiones. Tampoco una sensación de bienestar o una búsqueda de tranquilidad interior. Según san Juan, es el gran regalo de Jesús, la herencia que ha querido dejar para siempre en sus seguidores. Así dice Jesús: “La paz les dejo mi paz les doy”[1]. Sin duda, recordaban lo que Jesús había pedido a sus discípulos al enviarlos a construir el reino de Dios: En la casa en que entréis, decid primero: paz a esta casa[2]. Para humanizar la vida, lo primero es sembrar paz, no violencia; promover respeto, diálogo y escucha mutua, no imposición, enfrentamiento y dogmatismo. Así, ¿Por qué es tan difícil la paz? ¿Por qué volvemos una y otra vez al enfrentamiento y la agresión mutua? Hay una respuesta primera, tan elemental y sencilla, que desafortunadamente no tomamos en serio: sólo los hombres y mujeres que poseen paz pueden ponerla en la sociedad. No cualquiera puede sembrar paz. Con el corazón lleno de resentimiento, intolerancia y dogmatismo se puede movilizar a la gente, pero no es posible aportar verdadera paz a la convivencia. Nos ayuda a acercar posturas y a crear un clima amistoso de entendimiento, mutua aceptación y diálogo. ¿Quién tiene la paz de Cristo? Aquel que busca el bien de todos, no excluye a nadie, que respeta las diferencias, no alimenta la agresión, que fomenta lo que une. Hoy, desde la Iglesia de Cristo ¿Qué estamos aportando? ¿Concordia o división? ¿Reconciliación o enfrentamiento? Si quienes nos llamamos cristianos no llevamos la paz en el corazón, ¿qué llevamos? ¿Miedos, intereses, ambiciones, irresponsabilidad? • AE

[1] Cfr Jn 14, 27 [2] Cfr Lc 10, 5.

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Behold, I make all things New,” the One who sits on the Throne said in the second reading from the Book of Revelations. The old order has passed away. There will be a new heaven, a new earth, a new Jerusalem. This theme of newness is continued in today’s Gospel where Jesus says, “I give you a new commandment: love one another.” There is to be a new relationship with God, and a new relationship with each other. Who do we think that we are that we can just talk to the Almighty Creator of the Universe every day and that He will hear us and respond to us? Who do we think we are? Well, we are who He made us to be. We are His Daughters and Sons! Daughters of God, Sons of God, we are sacred, holy to God. He loves us as a Father loves his children. Of course we can talk to Him all day! And just as good parents love it when their children confide in them, God loves us when we confide in Him. We all feel that we are not good enough. But God makes us good enough. He makes us better than we are, infinitely better than we are. He makes all things new. There is also a new way of living experienced in the way we Christians treat each other and reach out to those in the world around us. “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” So, the greatest proof of our faith is not a theological or philosophical argument that can be made to defend the faith or some individual dogma, or belief of the faith. The greatest proof of our faith is found in the way we treat each other and the way that we reach out to all others. The vast majority of the people whom I have witnessed coming into the faith, have done so because they want to be part of this Community of Love. The Eucharist is certainly a great draw for them because they want to share this special presence of God with the Catholic community, but the sacramental presence only makes sense to them when they experience the sacrificial love of the Lord in the way that Christians treat each other. Before he gave them the Eucharist, Jesus washed the feet of His disciples and then told them to do the same thing. People experience others being kind, loving and good and say, “I want to be part of that.” This type of love is not the way of the world. It is the Way of Jesus Christ, the Way of the One who has made all things new. Our faith is ever ancient and ever new. It began 2,000 years ago when the Holy Spirit of the Father and the Son, empowered the disciples on Pentecost Sunday to proclaim the Gospel of Christ to the whole world. It is renewed every time each of us renews our relationship with God and lives this relationship in the way we treat others. “See, I make all things new.” in our personal prayer this morning we could say to the Lord: «Thank you, Lord, for making us your Daughters and Sons. Thank you, Lord, for making us sacred, holy. Thank you, Lord, for leading us to make your love real in the world by loving one another. Thank you, Lord, for Easter. Thank you, Lord, for making all things new» • AE

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

Saturday May 14, 2022

2.30 p.m. Sacrament of Baptism for Guillermo Salcedo, Jr.

4.00 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confessional)

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

Sunday May 15, 2022

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

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

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V Domingo de Pascua (Ciclo C)

Los cristianos empezaron a crecer en número en medio de una sociedad en la que había distintos términos para expresar lo que nosotros llamamos hoy amor. La palabra más usada era philia que designaba el afecto hacia una persona cercana y se empleaba para hablar de la amistad, el cariño o el amor a los parientes y amigos. Se hablaba también de eros para designar la inclinación placentera, el amor apasionado o sencillamente el deseo orientado hacia quién produce en nosotros goce y satisfacción. Los primeros cristianos abandonaron prácticamente esta terminología y pusieron de moda otra palabra casi desconocida: ágape, a la que dieron un contenido nuevo y original. No querían que se confundiera con cualquier cosa el amor inspirado en Jesús. De ahí su interés en formular bien el mandamiento nuevo, el del amor: «Os doy un mandato nuevo: que os améis unos a otros como yo os he amado». El estilo de amar de Jesús es inconfundible. No se acerca a las personas buscando su propio interés o satisfacción, su seguridad o bienestar. Sólo parece interesarse en hacer el bien, acoger, regalar lo mejor que él tiene, ofrecer amistad, ayudar a vivir. Lo recordarán así años más tarde en las primeras comunidades cristianas: «Pasó toda su vida haciendo el bien». El amor de Jesus -y por ende el de los cristianos- tiene un carácter servicial. Jesús se pone al servicio de quienes lo pueden necesitar más. Hace sitio en su corazón y en su vida a quienes no tienen sitio en la sociedad ni en la preocupación de las personas. Defiende a los débiles y pequeños, a los que no tienen poder para defenderse a sí mismos, a los que no son grandes o importantes para nadie. Se acerca a quienes están solos y desvalidos, los que no tienen a nadie. Entre nosotros, hoy, lo habitual es amar a quienes nos aprecian y quieren de verdad, ser cariñosos y atentos con nuestros familiares y amigos y al mismo tiempo ¡ay! vivir indiferentes hacia quienes sentimos como extraños y ajenos a nuestro pequeño mundo de intereses. O quienes no piensan como nosotros. Es más, parecería que lo políticamente corrrecto es vivir rechazando y excluyendo a quienes nos rechazan o excluyen. Sin embargo -y este es el punto en el que quiza podríamos detenernos un momento el día de hoy hoy en nuestro momento de oración personal- lo que le distingue al cristiano, al verdadero seguidor de Jesús, no es cualquier amor, sino precisamente ese tipo de amor que consiste en saber acercarse a quienes nos pueden necesitar y que, además, no lo van a agradecer o valorar. Es ahi donde podemos medir la calidad de nuestro amor • AE

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday May 8, 2022

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

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

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

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IV Domingo de Pascua (Ciclo C)

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

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Francisco de Zurbarán, Agnus Dei (1635), oil on canvas, Museo Nacional del Prado (Madrid)

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength, honor and glory and blessing. Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, everything in the universe, cry out: «To the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor, glory and might, forever and ever.» The four living creatures answered, «Amen, «and the elders fell down and worshiped.

After a fruitless night with nothing to show, they suddenly had a huge number of fish. This happened before when Peter and Andrew, James and John were first called. The One who was Worthy was calling them again. The Beloved Disciple calls out, «It is the Lord,» and Peter swims out from his boat to the shore. Once more Peter finds himself by a fire being asked questions about his loyalty to Jesus. The first time this happened was around that fire in the courtyard of the Sanhedrin on Good Friday when Peter denied the Lord three times. This time he reaffirms the Lord three times. But that is not enough. He has to do something about his faith. He has to feed the Lord’s sheep. Later on in the chapter we hear about Peter’s eventual death, being made to stretch out his arms and go where he did not want to go. After that there is going to be a few comments about the Beloved Disciple, most probably John, who had been entrusted with Mary under the cross. John and Peter, Peter and John. One the ideal disciple, the other a disciple constantly at war with his own humanity. John was the ideal disciple. He was the only one of the twelve who did not desert the Lord at the Passion. He was the first of the Twelve to believe in the Resurrection. He was loving, trusting and faithful. Peter was the disciple who said one thing and then did another. He was full of bravado until his fear kicked in. He was a leader, but a flawed leader. Still, he made the decision to turn back to the Lord and was willing to accept all sorts of hardship and death to proclaim the Gospel. Peter would eventually journey to Rome, the center of the then known world. He would be arrested there and killed. Tradition says that Peter was crucified with his head down. We would all like to be disciples like John, always faithful and true, so full of love that we recognize the Lord wherever he is, so courageous that we are willing to risk our lives to stand beneath his cross. In reality, though, we are all more like Peter rather than John. At least we are more like Peter when we are at our best. Peter had to struggle with his own humanity, his fear, his impetuousness, but still, he was a true disciple. We continually struggle with our own humanity. We have many temptations to sin. We give in sometimes and then hate what we become. But with the compassion and love of the Lord, we can turn away from all that is black and turn to the Lord. We have to turn to the Lord. He calls us to feed his sheep. We need to eliminate the unrealistic expectations we thrust upon ourselves and others. We grow up having everyone tell us that we are so good, and as little children we might believe that, but when reality kicks in at adolescence and throughout our lives, we tend to get so negative about ourselves that we consider giving up.

So we don’t stand for the Lord because we don’t see ourselves as good enough. We forget, He makes us good enough. He makes us infinitely better than we can imagine. He makes others infinitely better too. When we were little, we were convinced that our parents were perfect. Then, somewhere in adolescence, we realized that they were not perfect. For many that was hard to take. The loss of their ideals blinded them to their parents’ virtues. Many young people act as though their parents are the most imperfect people in the world. Maybe we all did that when we were kids. Mark Twain said, as you know, when he was young he was convinced that his father was a fool, but when he became an adult he marveled at how wise his father had become. The change was not in his father, it was in Mark Twain’s recognition of his father’s virtues over his flaws. Applying this to the spiritual life, there are times that we see the imperfections of individuals and are blinded to their virtues. We think that others should be like John, when we should be pleased that they are like Peter. We think we should be like John, when we should thank God for the times that we are like Peter. Peter’s threefold affirmation of the Lord wasn’t just to renounce his three denials of the Lord. He was asked to live his faith by feeding the Lord’s flock. Jesus does not call us to affirm His Presence in our lives for ourselves. He calls us to give witness to His Presence for others. When we recite the Creed, we proclaim that we are members of one, holy, Catholic and apostolic church. We are called to be apostles. Yes it would be wonderful if we could be ideal apostles like John, but we are real people like Peter. And like Peter, despite our limitations, we can feed the Lord’s sheep • AE

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Third Sunday of Easter (2022) @ St. Dominic Catholic Church

Saturday April 30, 2022

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

Sunday May 1, 2022

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

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

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

3.00 p.m. Holy Mass (Misa en Español @ Main Church)

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III Domingo de Pascua

Konrad Witz, La pesca milagrosa, (1444), temple sobre tabla, Museo de arte e historia de Ginebra (Suiza).

Después de comer con los suyos a la orilla del lago, Jesús inicia una conversación con Pedro. El diálogo es importante: entre los seguidores de Jesús sólo está capacitado para ser guía y pastor quien se distingue por su amor a él. No ha habido ocasión en que Pedro no haya manifestado su adhesión absoluta a Jesús por encima de los demás. Sin embargo, en el momento de la verdad es el primero en negarlo. ¿Qué hay de verdad en su adhesión? ¿Puede ser guía y pastor de los seguidores de Jesús? Antes de confiarle su rebaño, Jesús le hace la pregunta fundamental: ¿Me amas más que estos? No le pregunta: ¿Te sientes con fuerzas? ¿Conoces bien mi doctrina? ¿Te ves capacitado para gobernar a los míos? No. Es el amor a Jesús lo que capacita para animar, orientar y alimentar a sus seguidores como lo hacía él. Pedro le responde con humildad y sin compararse con nadie: Tú sabes que te quiero. Pero Jesús le repite dos veces más su pregunta de manera cada vez más incisiva: ¿Me amas? ¿Me quieres de verdad? La inseguridad de Pedro va creciendo. Cada vez se atreve menos a proclamar su adhesión. Al final siente tristeza. Ya no sabe qué responder: Tú lo sabes todo. A medida que Pedro va tomando conciencia de la importancia del amor, Jesús le va confiando su rebaño para que cuide, alimente y comunique vida a sus seguidores, empezando por los más pequeños y necesitados: los corderos. Con frecuencia se relaciona a jerarcas y pastores sólo con la capacidad de gobernar con autoridad o de predicar con garantía la verdad. Sin embargo, hay adhesiones a Cristo, firmes, seguras y absolutas que, vacías de amor, no capacitan para cuidar y guiar a los seguidores de Jesús. Pocos factores son más decisivos para la conversión de la Iglesia que la conversión de aquellos que somos pastores. Los sacerdotes somos los primeros que hemos de escuchar su pregunta: ¿Me amas más que éstos? ¿Amas a mis corderos y a mis ovejas? • AE

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Anonymus artist, The Incredulity of Saint Thomas, from the Tabernacle of Cherves (1220–30), Champlevé enamel and copper, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

On this Second Sunday of Easter, we hear the Gospel of Doubting Thomas. This Gospel leads me pondering two main questions: «Why do we have doubts?» and, «Why do we have faith?» doubting is part of being a human being, but I am still shocked when I read that not only did the disciples doubt the Lord during His ministry on earth and during His Passion, but they also even doubted Him after the Resurrection[1]. Why did they doubt? Well, most probably, their doubts were simply part of being human beings. We are always going to have doubts until we see God face to face, However, the point is in thinking things always positive. We have faith because we have experienced the Love of God in our lives as individuals and as a people. We have faith because we have felt His Love within us at various times in our lives, usually when we least expect it. We have faith when we reflect on how pointless life would be if Jesus had not Risen from the Dead and given us His Life, gifted us with the Spiritual. At the end of today’s Gospel we heard: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name”[2]. We have faith because Jesus has given us life. The tomb is empty, but our lives are full. Jesus Christ is our deepest love. His presence makes all life worthwhile. His presence is a guarantee of eternal life. His presence is a guarantee of eternal love. This Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday. The Lord knows us better than we know ourselves. He sees what is going on inside of us and calls us to trust in Him. We live under the mercy of God • AE

[1] And it was not just Thomas. Look at Matthew 28:16-20. As the disciples gathered on the Mount of the Ascension, Jesus appeared again to them, but, the scripture says, «some still doubted. [2] Jn 20:19-31

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Fr. Agustin Schedule for the Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday 2022)

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

3.00 p.m. Holy Mass (Misa en Español @ Main Church)

5.00 p.m. Divine Mercy Chaplet with Eucharistic Adoration & Benediction (@ Main Church)

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II Domingo de Pascua (Domingo de la Divina Misericordia)

Ulyana Tomkevych, La Duda de Tomás, tempera sobre madera, Contemporary Sacred Art Gallery.

La figura de Tomás como discípulo que se resiste a creer es muy popular entre los cristianos. Sin embargo, el relato evangélico dice mucho más. Jesús resucitado se dirige a él con unas palabras que tienen mucho de llamada apremiante, pero también de invitación amorosa: «No seas incrédulo, sino creyente». Tomás, que lleva una semana resistiéndose a creer, responde a Jesús con la confesión de fe más solemne que podemos leer en los evangelios: «Señor mío y Dios mío»[1]. ¿Qué ha experimentado este discípulo en Jesús resucitado? ¿Qué es lo que ha transformado a aquel que dudaba? ¿Qué recorrido interior lo llevó del escepticismo a la confianza? A lo largo de estos años, hemos cambiado mucho por dentro. Nos hemos hecho más escépticos, pero también más frágiles. Nos hemos hecho más críticos, pero también más inseguros. Cada uno hemos de decidir cómo queremos vivir y cómo queremos morir. Cada uno hemos de responder a esa llamada que, tarde o temprano, de forma inesperada o como fruto de un proceso interior, nos puede llegar de Jesús: «No seas incrédulo, sino creyente». Tal vez, necesitamos despertar más nuestro deseo de verdad. Desarrollar esa sensibilidad interior que todos tenemos para percibir, más allá de lo visible y lo tangible, la presencia del Misterio que sostiene nuestras vidas. Ya no es posible vivir como personas que lo saben todo. No es verdad. Todos, creyentes y no creyentes, ateos y agnósticos, caminamos por la vida envueltos en tinieblas. A Dios lo buscamos a tientas, como nos recuerda el libro de los Hechosecho[2].

¿Por qué no enfrentarnos al misterio de la vida y de la muerte confiando en el Amor como última Realidad de todo? Ésta es la invitación decisiva de Jesús. Más de un creyente siente hoy que su fe se ha ido convirtiendo en algo cada vez más irreal y menos fundamentado. Tal vez, ahora que no podemos ya apoyar nuestra fe en falsas seguridades, estamos aprendiendo a buscar a Dios con un corazón más humilde y sincero. No podemos olvidar que una persona que busca y desea sinceramente creer, para Dios es ya creyente. Muchas veces, no es posible hacer mucho más. Y Dios, que comprende nuestra impotencia y debilidad, tiene sus caminos para encontrarse con cada uno y ofrecerle su salvación • AE

[1] Jn 20,19-31 [2] 17, 27.

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