THE PASTOR'S BENCH

Renewed effort to change the HHS imposed mandate

2012-02-28T12:17:00.000-08:00

St.Vincent de Paul Catholic Church

ThePastor

My dear brothers and sisters, with the help and ideas of ReginaAune, who works with me as president of the Pastoral Council of the parish, Iwanted to write these lines to reflect again on an issue that directly affects theCatholic Church in the USA.

Several weeks ago, a letter from Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Sillerconcerning the Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate requiring religiousinstitutions to provide contraceptives, abortifacient drugs, and sterilizationin their insurance plans was read at all the Sunday Masses. Because this is a serious andsignificant issue of the violation of all Americans’ religious liberties, Iwant to provide you with an update on further developments regarding themandate. Although there was a supposed “accommodation” by President Obama andHHS regarding this mandate, there was in fact no change to the originalmandate. The United StatesConference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) lists six (6) things that everyoneshould know about the mandate. These six things are:

1. The mandate does not exempt Catholiccharities, schools, universities, or

hospitals.

2. The mandate forces these institutions andothers against their conscience, to pay

for thingsthey consider immoral.

3. The mandate forces coverage of sterilizationand abortion-inducing drugs and

devices as well as contraception.

4. Catholics of all political persuasions areunified in their opposition to the mandate.

5. Many other religious and secular people andgroups have spoken out strongly

against the mandate.

6. The federal mandate is much stricter thanexisting state mandates.

In a letter to all U.S. Bishops sent on 21 February, CardinalDolan, President of the USCCB, and Bishop Lori, Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committeefor Religious Liberty, said:

“Religious freedom is a fundamental right of all. This right does not depend on anygovernment’s decision to grant it: it is God-given, and just societiesrecognize and respect its free exercise. Recent actions by the Administrationhave attempted to reduce this free exercise to a ‘privilege’ arbitrarilygranted by the government as a mere exemption from an all-encompassing, extremeform of secularism. In the United States, religious liberty does not depend onthe benevolence of who is regulating us. It is our ‘first freedom’ and respect for it must be broad andinclusive—not narrow and exclusive. Catholics and other people of faith and good will are not second-classcitizens. And it is not for thegovernment to decide which of our ministries is ‘religious enough’ to warrantreligious freedom protection. Thisis not just about contraception, abortion-causing drugs andsterilization—although all should recognize the injustices involved in makingthem part of a universal mandated health care program. . . This is first andforemost a matter of religious liberty for all. Much remains to be done. We cannot rest when faced with so gravea threat to the religious liberty for which our parents and grandparentsfought. In this moment of historywe must work diligently to preserve religious liberty and to remove all threatsto the practice of our faith in the public square. This is our heritage as Americans. President Obama should rescind the mandate, or at the veryleast, provide full and effective measures to protect religious liberty andconscience.”

As Cardinal Dolan states, this is a religious liberty issue forall Americans. On 22 February, theNew Hampshire House of Representatives passed House Resolution 29, whichcondemned the HHS mandate by a vote of 227-121. Seven states—Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma,South Carolina, and Texas--have filed suit to overturn the mandate. Additionally, EWTN, Priests for Life,Ave Maria University, Belmont Abbey College, and Colorado Christian Collegehave filed suit to overturn the mandate. The group Evangelicals and Catholics Together has issued a statement, InDefense of Religious Freedom, signed by evangelical Protestants andCatholics. In addition toCatholics who have been outspoken in defense of religious liberty, all theOrthodox bishops in the United States, Jewish groups, Mormons, Protestants ofall denominations, and people of no particular religious beliefs have beenoutspoken in the call for repeal and rescission of the mandate.

Charles Kadlec, in Forbes magazine, wrote the following: “In one of the boldest, most audaciousmoves ever made by a President of the United States, President Barack Obama ison the brink of successfully rendering moot the very first clause of the FirstAmendment to the Constitution: ‘Congress shall make no law respecting anestablishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.’”

Additional and current information is provided on the USCCBwebsite (www.usccb.org), at thissite, information regarding the fight against the mandate is updated frequentlywith suggestions about how to work to rescind the mandate. The only way in which this mandate willbe rescinded is if the American people demand it. One way to ensure the rescission of the mandate is to letour representatives in Congress know that we want action on this mandate. The congressmen can be contactedthrough their web and/or email sites on the Internet. Additionally, letters can be sent to the two state senatorsat their Washington offices. To contact the senators, use the followingaddresses:

Senator John Cornyn Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison

517 Hart Senate Office Bldg. 284 Russell Senate Office Bldg

Washington DC 20510 Washington DC 20510

202-224-2934 202-224-5922

Go to the Internet to find the addresses of the Houserepresentative for the district in which you live. Legislators can be contacted in support of the Respect forRights of Conscience Act through the action alert on the USCCB web site, www.usccb.org/conscience

And, to quote again from Archbishop Garcia-Siller’s letter ofseveral weeks ago, “as a community of faith we must commit ourselves to prayerand fasting that wisdom and justice may prevail. Without God we can do nothing;with God nothing is impossible. . .”

Our actions must be prayer, fasting, and contacting ourlegislators to rescind this unconstitutional mandate. May the Lord give us allthe strength we need to raise our voices together in defense of our rights,defending the teachings of our Mother, the Catholic Church, in defense of life!

Fraternally yours in Christ,

Fr. Agustin Estrada.

Second Sunday of Lent 2012 (B)

2012-02-28T12:13:00.000-08:00

Why Forty Days? Well, wefind in the Old and New Testament a lot of examples for this time frame ofprayer and fasting. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, which is actually forty-sixdays before Easter. We say that Lent is forty days in number because the sixSundays are excluded from the rigors of Lent in order to afford the faithful atime to pause and rejuvenate, gathering new strength. Since the restructuringof the Liturgical Year after Vatican II, the Easter Triduum, which begins onHoly Thursday, is not included in the Lenten season, so the actual days ofrigorous Lenten observance are approximately forty days. The number forty isfound frequently in the Holy Scripture to signify a time of penitential preparation sent from God. The Old Testamentis replete with examples of the use of forty: God punished mankind by sending aflood over the earth that lasted forty days and forty nights[1];the people of Ninevah repented with forty days of fasting when Jonah preachedthe destruction of Ninevah[2];Moses and the Hebrew people wandered in the desert for forty years[3];the Prophet Ezekiel had to lie on his right side for forty days as a figure ofthe siege that was to bring Jerusalem to destruction[4];the Prophet Elijah fasted and prayed on Mount Horeb for forty days[5];and finally, Moses fasted forty days and forty nights while on Mt. Sinai[6].In the New Testament we find Our Lord fasting and praying for forty days andforty nights in the desert in preparation for the public ministry that wouldend in his redeeming death[7].He is the new Adam who overcomes thetemptations of the devil and remains faithful to God; the new Israel, whoreveals himself as God’s Servant by his total obedience to the divine will, incontrast to those who provoked God in the desert. The Church sets aside the forty days of Lent in order that wemight imitate Our Lord by our fasting, prayer, self-denial and good works, andthereby prepare our hearts for an Easter renewal. “By the solemn forty days ofLent the Church unites herself each year to the mystery of Jesus in thedesert.”[8]■ Fr. Agustin, Pastor.

[1] Gen 7:12

[2] Jonah 3:4

[3] Num 14:34

[4] Ez 4:6

[5] 1 Kings 19:8

[6] Ex 34:28

[7] Luke 5:35

[8] Catholic Catechism, #540

II Domingo de Cuaresma 2012

2012-02-28T12:10:00.001-08:00

Queridos hermanos en el Señor, estosdias de Cuaresma son muy buenos para practicar el silencio y la meditación, poreso quiero traer nuevamente aquí unos pocos párrafos del Mensaje del papa parala Jornada Mundial de las Comunicaciones Sociales. «Si Dios habla al hombre también en el silencio, el hombre igualmentedescubre en el silencio la posibilidad de hablar con Dios y de Dios.Necesitamos el silencio que se transforma en contemplación, que nos hace entraren el silencio de Dios y así nos permite llegar al punto donde nace la Palabra,la Palabra redentora. Al hablar de la grandeza de Dios, nuestro lenguajeresulta siempre inadecuado y así se abre el espacio para la contemplaciónsilenciosa. De esta contemplación nace con toda su fuerza interior la urgenciade la misión, la necesidad imperiosa de comunicar aquello que hemos visto yoído, para que todos estemos en comunión con Dios[1].La contemplación silenciosa nos sumerge en la fuente del Amor, que nos conducehacia nuestro prójimo, para sentir su dolor y ofrecer la luz de Cristo, suMensaje de vida. En la contemplación silenciosa emerge asimismo, todavía másfuerte, aquella Palabra eterna por medio de la cual se hizo el mundo, y sepercibe aquel designio de salvación que Dios realiza a través de palabras ygestos en toda la historia de la humanidad. Este plan de salvación culmina enla persona de Jesús de Nazaret, mediador y plenitud de toda la Revelación. Élnos hizo conocer el verdadero Rostro de Dios Padre y con su Cruz y Resurrecciónnos hizo pasar de la esclavitud del pecado y de la muerte a la libertad de loshijos de Dios. La pregunta fundamentalsobre el sentido del hombre encuentra en el Misterio de Cristo la respuestacapaz de dar paz a la inquietud del corazón humano. Es de este Misterio de dondenace la misión de la Iglesia, y es este Misterio el que impulsa a loscristianos a ser mensajeros de esperanza y de salvación, testigos de aquel amorque promueve la dignidad del hombre y que construye la justicia y la paz.Palabra y silencio. Aprender a comunicar quiere decir aprender a escuchar, acontemplar, además de hablar. Silencio y palabra son elementos esenciales eintegrantes de la acción comunicativa de la Iglesia, para un renovado anunciode Cristo en el mundo contemporáneo ■ Benedicto XVI.

[1] cf. 1 Jn 1,3

2012-02-15T16:07:00.002-08:00

Lent 2012

2012-02-15T16:07:00.000-08:00

My brothers and sisters in Christ, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, the 40 days ofpreparation for the Easter season when Christians are called to renew theircommitments to spiritual practices like Fasting,Prayer and Almsgiving. The season is intended as a time for personalconversion leading up to Easter. The belief is that our consistentparticipation in these practices—like exercise we do for our physical health—isa form of purification that improves our spiritual well-being by stripping awayall that is unnecessary and by becoming more mindful of our ultimate dependenceon God in our lives. In his beautiful LentenMessage for 2012, Pope Benedict XVI calls attention to the duty ofChristians to admonish and correct one another, stressing that such fraternalcorrection is an important form of charity. Lent begins this year with AshWednesday on February 22. The theme of the papal message is taken from the Letterto the Hebrews 10:24: Let us be concerned for each other, to stira response in love and good works. To “be concerned” for others, thePope writes, means first to “beattentive” to the activities of our neighbors. All too often, however, ourattitude is just the opposite: an indifference and disinterest born ofselfishness and masked as a respect for ‘privacy.’ This exaggerated concernwith privacy is at odds with the Christian understanding that we are allbrothers in Christ. The great commandment of love for one another demands thatwe acknowledge our responsibility toward those who, like ourselves, arecreatures and children of God. Concern for others entails desiring what is goodfor them from every point of view: physical, moral, and spiritual. Also HisHoliness reminds us that Christians have a duty to recognize and attend to theneeds of others, particularly those who are in special need of help: “That dutyapplies also to those who are in spiritual need. An aspect of the Christian life,which I believe, has been quite forgotten: fraternal correction in view ofeternal salvation. It is important to recover this dimension of Christiancharity. We must not remain silent before evil. I am thinking of all thoseChristians who, out of human regard or purely personal convenience, adapt tothe prevailing mentality, rather than warning their brothers and sistersagainst ways of thinking and acting that are contrary to the truth and that donot follow the path of goodness. Authentic fraternal correction should not bemotivated by a spirit of accusation or recrimination but by genuine love forothers and concern for their welfare. Christians should be prepared to acceptfraternal correction, recognizing that we are all sinners and need constantreminders and encouragement to avoid sin. This custody of others is in contrastto a mentality that, by reducing life exclusively to its earthly dimension,fails to see it in an eschatological perspective and accepts any moral choicein the name of personal freedom. A society like ours can become blind tophysical sufferings and to the spiritual and moral demands of life. This mustnot be the case in the Christian community!”

Benedict XVI reminds us that the Church is acommunity, in which the welfare of one member affects the welfare of all, so beingconcerned for the good of others advances the overall mission of the Church,and that charity teaches us that we are responsible not only for the materialwell being of others, but also for their moral and spiritual good. PopeBenedict says, “We cannot overlook the fact that a certain ideology whichexalts the rights of the individual can have the consequence of creatingisolation and solitude. When the call tocommunion is denied in the name of individualism it is our humanity thatsuffers, deceived by the impossible mirage of happiness obtainable alone. The Church is moved by a sincere concernfor mankind and for the world. Her activities are not moved by a desire tocondemn or recriminate, but by a justice and mercy which must also have thecourage to call things by their name. Only in this way can we expose the rootsof evil, which continue to intrigue the mind of modern man. This task of theChurch is called prophetic mission”. Finally he adds: “In a world which demandsof Christians a renewed witness of love and fidelity to the Lord, may all of usfeel the urgent need to anticipate one another in charity, service and goodworks[1].This appeal is particularly pressing in this holy season of preparation forEaster. As I offer my prayerful good wishes for a blessed and fruitful Lentenperiod, I entrust all of you to the intercession of the Mary Ever Virgin”

In this edition ofThe Pastor's Bench I've only puta few ideas of the Pope's message for Lent of 2012. I highly recommend you toread the full text and you pray that after reading it, so that the ideas ofGod's Vicar on earth reach deep within your heart. The entire message can readit here: http://www.zenit.org/article-34255?l=english

■Fr. Agustin, Pastor.

[1] Cf. Heb 6:10

Cuaresma 2012

2012-02-15T15:32:00.000-08:00

Preparándonos para iniciar el tiempo de Cuaresma

2012-02-15T15:20:00.000-08:00

Queridos hermanos y hermanas enel Señor, durante este tiempo especial de purificación que empezamos el próximomiércoles –Miércoles de Ceniza- loscatólicos contamos con una serie de medios concretos que la Iglesia nos proponey que nos ayudan a vivir la dinámica cuaresmal. Ante todo, la vida de oración,condición indispensable para elencuentro con Dios. En la oración, si el creyente ingresa en el diálogoíntimo con el Señor, deja que la gracia divina penetre su corazón y, asemejanza de Santa María, se abre la oración del Espíritu cooperando a ella consu respuesta libre y generosa[1].También debemos intensificar la escuchay la meditación atenta a la Palabra de Dios, la asistencia frecuente alSacramento de la Reconciliación y la Eucaristía, lo mismo la práctica delayuno, según las posibilidades de cada uno. La mortificación y la renuncia en las circunstancias ordinarias denuestra vida, también constituyen un medio concreto para vivir el espíritu deCuaresma. No se trata tanto de crear ocasiones extraordinarias, sino más bien,de saber ofrecer aquellas circunstancias cotidianas que nos son molestas, deaceptar con humildad, gozo y alegría,los distintos contratiempos que se nos presentan a diario. De la misma manera,el saber renunciar a ciertas cosas legítimas nos ayuda a vivir el desapego ydesprendimiento. De entre las distintas prácticas cuaresmales que nos proponela Iglesia, la vivencia de la caridad ocupa un lugar especial. Así nos lorecuerda San León Magno: "Estos días cuaresmales nos invitan de maneraapremiante al ejercicio de la caridad; si deseamos llegar a la Pascuasantificados en nuestro ser, debemos poner un interés especialísimo en laadquisición de esta virtud, que contiene en si a las demás y cubre multitud depecados". Esta vivencia de la caridad debemos vivirla de manera especialcon aquél a quien tenemos más cerca, en el ambiente concreto en el que nosmovemos. Así, vamos construyendo en el otro "el bien más precioso yefectivo, que es el de la coherencia con la propia vocación cristiana"[2].Pero, Father ¿Cómo vivir la Cuaresma? Bueno, aquí hay algunos puntos muysencillos: 1. Arrepintiéndome de mis pecados y confesándome. Pensar en qué mehe apartado de, si realmente estoy arrepentido. Éste es un muy buen momento delaño para llevar a cabo una confesión preparada y de corazón. Revisa losmandamientos de Dios y de la Iglesia para poder hacer una buena confesión.Ayúdate de un libro para estructurar tu confesión. Busca el tiempo parallevarla a cabo. 2. Luchando por cambiar. Analiza tu conducta para conocer enqué estás fallando. Hazte propósitos para cumplir día con día y revisa en lanoche si lo lograste. Recuerda no ponerte demasiados porque te va a ser muydifícil cumplirlos todos. Hay que subir las escaleras de un escalón en un escalón,no se puede subir toda de un brinco. Conoce cuál es tu defecto dominante y hazun plan para luchar contra éste. Tu plan debe ser realista, práctico y concretopara poderlo cumplir. 3. Haciendosacrificios. La palabra sacrificio viene del latín sacrum-facere, que significa "hacer sagrado". Entonces,hacer un sacrificio es hacer una cosa sagrada, es decir, ofrecerla a Dios poramor. Hacer sacrificio es ofrecer a Dios, porque lo amas, cosas que te cuestantrabajo. Por ejemplo, ser amable con el vecino que no te simpatiza o ayudar aotro en su trabajo. A cada uno de nosotros hay algo que nos cuesta trabajohacer en la vida de todos los días. Si esto se lo ofrecemos a Dios por amor,estamos haciendo sacrificio. 4. Haciendooración. Aprovecha estos días para orar, para platicar con Dios, paradecirle con mucha sencillez que lo quieres y que quieres estar con Él. Tepuedes ayudar de un buen libro de meditación para Cuaresma, de las lecturas delos domingos, de las oraciones que se usan en la Liturgia de las Horas ¡detantas cosas! Te dejo aquí una de las oraciones más bonitas que, por cierto,tiene la Liturgia de las Horas para que te acompañe a lo largo de éstos 40 díasen que nos preparamos para celebrar con muchísima alegría la Pascua del Señor:

Nome mueve, mi Dios, para quererte el cielo que me tienes prometido, ni me mueveel infierno tan temido para dejar por eso de ofenderte.

Túme mueves, Señor; muéveme el verte clavado en la Cruz y escarnecido, muévemever tu cuerpo tan herido muévanme tus afrentas y tu muerte.

Muéveme,en fin, tu amor, y de tal manera, que aunque no hubiera cielo yo te amara, yaunque no hubiera infierno, te temiera.

Nome tienes que dar porque te quiera; pues aunque lo que espero no esperara, lomismo que te quiero te quisiera.

■ P. Agustín, Párroco.

[1] Cfr Lc 1,38

[2] Juan Pablo II.

American Bishops Renew Call To Legislative Action On Religious Liberty

2012-02-14T08:06:00.000-08:00

February 10, 2012

The Catholic bishops have long supported access to life-affirming healthcare for all, and the conscience rights of everyone involved in the complex process of providing that healthcare. That is why we raised two serious objections to the "preventive services" regulation issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in August 2011.

First, we objected to the rule forcing private health plans — nationwide, by the stroke of a bureaucrat's pen—to cover sterilization and contraception, including drugs that may cause abortion. All the other mandated "preventive services" prevent disease, andpregnancy is not a disease. Moreover, forcing plans to cover abortifacients violates existing federal conscience laws. Therefore, we called for the rescission of the mandate altogether.

Second, we explained that the mandate would impose a burden of unprecedented reach and severity on the consciences of those who consider such "services" immoral:insurers forced to write policies including this coverage; employers and schools forced to sponsor and subsidize the coverage; and individual employees and students forced to pay premiums for the coverage. We therefore urged HHS, if it insisted on keeping the mandate, to provide a conscience exemption for all of these stakeholders—not just the extremely small subset of "religious employers" that HHS proposed to exempt initially.

Today, the President has done two things.

First, he has decided to retain HHS's nationwide mandate of insurance coverage of sterilization and contraception, including some abortifacients. This is both unsupported in the law and remains a grave moral concern. We cannot fail to reiterate this, even as so many would focus exclusively on the question of religious liberty.

Second, the President has announced some changes in how that mandate will be administered, which is still unclear in its details. As far as we can tell at this point, the change appears to have the following basic contours:

·It would still mandate that all insurers must include coverage for the objectionable services in all the policies they would write. At this point, it would appear that self-insuring religious employers, and religious insurance companies, are not exempt from this mandate.

·It would allow non-profit, religious employers to declare that they do not offer such coverage. But the employee and insurer may separately agree to add that coverage. The employee would not have to pay any additional amount to obtain this coverage, and the coverage would be provided as a part of the employer's policy, not as a separate rider.

·Finally, we are told that the one-year extension on the effective date (from August 1, 2012 to August 1, 2013) is available to any non-profit religious employer who desires it, without any government application or approval process.

These changes require careful moral analysis, and moreover, appear subject to some measure of change. But we note at the outset that the lack of clear protectionfor key stakeholders—for self-insured religious employers; for religious and secular for-profit employers; for secular non-profit employers; for religious insurers; and for individuals—is unacceptable and must be corrected. And in the case where the employee and insurer agree to add the objectionable coverage, that coverage is still provided as a part of the objecting employer's plan, financed in the same way as the rest of the coverage offered by the objecting employer. This, too, raises serious moral concerns.

We just received information about this proposal for the first time this morning; we were not consulted in advance. Some information we have is in writing and some is oral. We will, of course, continue to press for the greatest conscience protection we can secure from the Executive Branch. But stepping away from the particulars, we note that today's proposal continues to involve needless government intrusion in the internal governance of religious institutions, and to threaten government coercion of religious people and groups to violate their most deeply held convictions. In a nation dedicated to religious liberty as its first and founding principle, we should not be limited to negotiating within these parameters. The only complete solution to this religious liberty problem is for HHS to rescind the mandate of these objectionable services.

We will therefore continue—with no less vigor, no less sense of urgency—our efforts to correct this problem through the other two branches of government. For example, we renew our call on Congress to pass, and the Administration to sign, the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act. And we renew our call to the Catholic faithful, and to all our fellow Americans, to join together in this effort to protect religious liberty and freedom of conscience for all.

Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller issues a letter protesting HHS Mandate.

2012-02-08T14:27:00.000-08:00

Our beloved Archbishop the Most Rev Gustavo Garcia-Sillerhas issued a letter to the Catholics of the Archdiocese of San Antonio. In the letter the archbishop forcefullyprotests the recent federal mandate requiring virtually all private healthplans to include coverage for all FDA-approved prescription contraceptives, andfemale sterilization procedures. In his letter, the archbishopwrites, "The recent disturbing decision in Washington represents a real threatto all Americans’ right to religious freedom…We cannot be silent in the face ofthis unjust edict.” The archbishop also urges the faithful to “contact Congressin support of legislation that would reverse the Administration’s decision.” You can read the letter in English or Spanish, and you can learn more about this issue.

Six Things Everyone Should Know About the HHS Mandate

2012-02-08T13:45:00.000-08:00

1. The mandate does not exempt Catholic charities, schools,universities, or hospitals. These institutions are vital to the mission of theChurch, but HHS does not deem them "religious employers" worthy ofconscience protection, because they do not "serve primarily persons whoshare the[ir] religious tenets." HHS denies these organizations religiousfreedom precisely because their purpose is to serve the common good ofsociety—a purpose that government should encourage, not punish.

2. The mandate forces these institutions and others, againsttheir conscience, to pay for things they consider immoral.Under the mandate,the government forces religious insurers to write policies that violate theirbeliefs; forces religious employers and schoolsto sponsor and subsidizecoverage that violates their beliefs; and forces religious employees andstudents to purchase coverage that violates their beliefs.

3. The mandate forces coverage of sterilization andabortion-inducing drugs and devices as well as contraception. Though commonlycalled the "contraceptive mandate," HHS's mandate also forcesemployers to sponsor and subsidize coverage of sterilization.And, by includingall drugs approved by the FDA for use as contraceptives, the HHS mandateincludes drugs that can induce abortion, such as "Ella," a closecousin of the abortion pill RU-486.

4. Catholics of all political persuasions are unified intheir opposition to the mandate. Catholics who have long supported thisAdministration and its healthcare policies have publicly criticized HHS'sdecision, including columnists E.J. Dionne, Mark Shields, andMichael SeanWinters; college presidents Father John Jenkins andArturo Chavez; and Daughterof Charity Sister Carol Keehan, president and chief executive officer of the CatholicHealth Association of the United States.

5. Many other religious and secular people and groups havespoken out strongly against the mandate. Many recognize this as an assault onthe broader principle of religious liberty, even if they disagree with theChurch on the underlying moral question. For example, Protestant Christian,Orthodox Christian, and Orthodox Jewish groups--none of which opposecontraception--have issued statements against the decision. The WashingtonPost, USA Today,N.Y. Daily News, Detroit News, and other secular outlets, columnists,and bloggers have editorialized against it.

6. The federal mandate is much stricter than existing statemandates. HHS chose the narrowest state-level religious exemption as the modelfor its own. That exemption was drafted by the ACLU and exists in only 3 states(New York, California, Oregon). Even without a religious exemption, religiousemployers can already avoid the contraceptive mandates in 28 states byself-insuring their prescription drug coverage, dropping that coveragealtogether, or opting for regulation under a federal law (ERISA) that pre-emptsstate law. The HHS mandate closes off all these avenues of relief.

Sister Mary Ann Walsh, RSM: Director of Media Relations, USCCB

Obama Care and Religious Freedom

2012-02-08T13:37:00.000-08:00

Religious freedom is thelifeblood of the American people, the cornerstone of American government. Whenthe Founding Fathers determined that the innate rights of men and women shouldbe enshrined in our Constitution, they so esteemed religious liberty that theymade it the first freedom in the Bill of Rights. In particular, the FoundingFathers fiercely defended the right of conscience. George Washington himselfdeclared: "The conscientious scruples of all men should be treated withgreat delicacy and tenderness; and it is my wish and desire, that the laws mayalways be extensively accommodated to them." James Madison, a key defenderof religious freedom and author of the First Amendment, said: "Conscienceis the most sacred of all property." Scarcely two weeks ago, in itsHosanna-Tabor decision upholding the right of churches to make ministerialhiring decisions, the Supreme Court unanimously and enthusiastically reaffirmedthese longstanding and foundational principles of religious freedom. The courtmade clear that they include the right of religious institutions to controltheir internal affairs. Yet the Obama administration has veered in the oppositedirection. It has refused to exempt religious institutions that serve thecommon good—including Catholic schools, charities and hospitals—from itssweeping new health-care mandate that requires employers to purchasecontraception, including abortion-producing drugs, and sterilization coveragefor their employees. Last August, when the administration first proposed thisnationwide mandate for contraception and sterilization coverage, it alsoproposed a "religious employer" exemption. But this was so narrowthat it would apply only to religious organizations engaged primarily in servingpeople of the same religion. As Catholic Charities USA's president, the Rev.Larry Snyder, notes, even Jesus and His disciples would not qualify for theexemption in that case, because they were committed to serve those of otherfaiths. Since then, hundreds of religious institutions, and hundreds ofthousands of individual citizens, have raised their voices in principledopposition to this requirement that religious institutions and individualsviolate their own basic moral teaching in their health plans. Certainly many ofthese good people and groups were Catholic, but many were Americans of otherfaiths, or no faith at all, who recognize that their beliefs could be next onthe block. They also recognize that the cleverest way for the government to erodethe broader principle of religious freedom is to target unpopular beliefsfirst. Now we have learned that those loud and strong appeals were ignored. OnFriday, the administration reaffirmed the mandate, and offered only a one-yeardelay in enforcement in some cases—as if we might suddenly be more willing toviolate our consciences 12 months from now. As a result, all but a fewemployers will be forced to purchase coverage for contraception, abortion drugsand sterilization services even when they seriously object to them. All whoshare the cost of health plans that include such services will be forced to payfor them as well. Surely it violates freedom of religion to force religiousministries and citizens to buy health coverage to which they object as a matterof conscience and religious principle. The rule forces insurance companies toprovide these services without a co-pay, suggesting they are"free"—but it is naïve to believe that. There is no free lunch, andyou can be sure there's no free abortion, sterilization or contraception. Therewill be a source of funding: you. Coercing religious ministries and citizens topay directly for actions that violate their teaching is an unprecedentedincursion into freedom of conscience. Organizations fear that this unjust rulewill force them to take one horn or the other of an unacceptable dilemma: Stopserving people of all faiths in their ministries—so that they will fall underthe narrow exemption—or stop providing health-care coverage to their ownemployees. The Catholic Church defends religious liberty, including freedom ofconscience, for everyone. The Amish do not carry health insurance. Thegovernment respects their principles. Christian Scientists want to heal byprayer alone, and the new health-care reform law respects that. Quakers andothers object to killing even in wartime, and the government respects thatprinciple for conscientious objectors. By its decision, the Obamaadministration has failed to show the same respect for the consciences ofCatholics and others who object to treating pregnancy as a disease. This latesterosion of our first freedom should make all Americans pause. When thegovernment tampers with a freedom so fundamental to the life of our nation, oneshudders to think what lies ahead ■ His Excellency, the most Reverend Timothy M. Dolan, tenthArchbishop of New York and president of the U.S. Conference of CatholicBishops.

Proper Church Etiquette: A Public Witness of Faith (I)

2012-01-26T07:26:00.000-08:00

Duringthe summer of last year, Bishop Arthur Serratelli[1]published an article that I think can be very useful for our parish. The titleis: Proper Church Etiquette: A PublicWitness of Faith. As it is a little long, so it will be presented in twoparts. This is the first one.

•••

«The 15th century Council of Basel drew the comparison between the way weare expected to behave in the presence of our civil rulers and the way weshould behave in the presence of God. The Council stated, “A person who isabout to make a request to a secular prince takes pains to compose himself andhis words by decent dress, becoming gesture, regulated speech and closeattention of mind. How much more careful ought he to be in all these thingswhen he is about to pray to almighty God in a sacred place!” Coming into thepresence of God requires a proper etiquette on our part. Yet, we seem to beless and less aware of this in our day. Today, a very casual attitude pervadesall our social interactions. Proper church etiquette, like all civil behavior,suffers greatly in our day. The way that we dress for church is casual.Sometimes more suited for the sports field or beach! Our observance of silenceis casual as well. Not infrequently people chew gum in church, keep their cellphones on and talk during the liturgy. The way that we behave in the presenceof Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament has changed much in the last two generations.Genuflecting when coming before the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle israrely done. At funerals and weddings, as some come to receive Holy Communion,they stop and chat with others instead of approaching the Lord in prayerfulrecollection. In some places, reverence to the Eucharist is withheld when themandated rituals of purification of the sacred vessels after Communion are laidaside for a more casual disposal of the fragments of the Eucharist and theremains of the Precious Blood. To begin, when we come to church, we are not comingto just an ordinary building. We are entering a sacred place. Yes, the churchis, first of all, the People of God “made one as the Father, the Son and theHoly Spirit are one and … the temple of God built with living stones, in whichthe Father is worshiped in spirit and in truth”[2]. Nonetheless, the church building ismade holy not simply by the worshiping community, but by the very Presence ofGod ■

[1] Arthur Joseph Serratelli(born April 8, 1944) is the current bishop of the Diocese of Paterson innorthern New Jersey.

[2] Order of the Dedication of a Church, ch. II, 1.

2012-01-26T07:23:00.001-08:00

Nuevos ministros extraordinarios de la Sagrada Comunión en nuestra parroquia

2012-01-26T07:22:00.000-08:00

Querida comunidad latina de St. Vincentde Paul, los hermanos y hermanas que vamos a instituir el domingo (1.29.2012) como ministros extraordinarios de la SagradaComunión formarán parte de un ministerio laical de la Iglesia Católica y estipuladoen el Canon 230 del Código de Derecho Canónico que dice: “Donde lo aconseje lanecesidad de la Iglesia y no haya ministros, pueden los laicos, aunque no seanlectores ni acólitos, suplirles en algunas de sus funciones, es decir,ejercitar el ministerio de la palabra, presidir las oraciones litúrgicas,administrar el bautismo y dar la sagrada Comunión según la prescripción delderecho”. Y en el canon siguiente establece que para ejercer este ministeriolaical se requiere de la debida formación, conciencia y generosidad. De estamanera los laicos pueden ayudar en una forma activa a los párrocos en ladistribución de la Comunión, tanto en la misa como fuera de ella. Con ésteministerio podemos estar seguros de que la Iglesia siempre mira por lasnecesidades de sus hijos. Y de esta manera, bien sea por criterios depracticidad o ante la falta de sacerdotes o personas idóneas como en el caso delas misiones, la Iglesia vela por hacer accesible el Cuerpo de Cristo a quienlo necesite. Para recibir este ministerio se pide que el laico –hombre o mujer-que será instituido como ministro extraordinario de la Sagrada Comunión, debaestar adecuadamente instruido y ser recomendable por su vida familiar yprofesional, por su fe y por sus costumbres; por su amor hacia la Iglesia y susnormas y costumbres.

Una vez más te hago la pregunta:¿quieres ayudar a la parroquia en éste ministerio? ¿Alguna vez haz pensadocuántas personas dejan de recibir al Señor en los hospitales, en las cárceles,en los asilos de ancianos o en sus casas –enfermos o discapacitados- porque elpárroco no tiene personas que le ayuden? Quizás tú puedas ser un ministroextraordinario de la Sagrada Comunión. Pregúntaselo al Señor en tu oraciónpersonal y si Él y tu corazón te dicen que éste es un ministerio en el quepuedes participar, entonces acércate al párroco, ponte a su disposición y empieza la preparación ■ P. Agustín, párroco.

2012-01-24T06:29:00.001-08:00

New priest!

2012-01-23T15:42:00.000-08:00

Archbishop García-Siller ordains Father Oscar Tello a priest of the Archdiocese of San Antonio.

El Sr. Arzobispo, Mons. García-Siller,

ordenó a Oscar Tello sacerdote para la Arquidiócesis de San Antonio.

The Lord hath sworn,

and he will not repent:

Thou art a priest for ever

according to the order of Melchisedech.

(Psalm 109:4)

Juravit, Dominus,

et non poenitebit eum,

Tu es Sacérdos in aeternum

secundum ordinem Melchisedech.

(Psalmus 109, 4)

Roe v Wade Memorial Procession, Mass & Rally 2012

2012-01-20T08:55:00.000-08:00

1/28/2012

8:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Massat St. Mary Magdalen Parish 1710 Clower Procession following Mass to PlannedParenthood

The Mass will be celebrated by Bishop Oscar Cantu at 8 a.m.followed by a procession & rosary to Planned Parenthood. Following thatwill be a departure from St. Mary Magdalen Church to Austin for the Roe v. Wadepro-life rally.

Contact:

MattSchima 210-734-2620

matt.schima@archsa.org

http://www.archsa.org/documents/roe_v_wade_2012.pdf

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

2012-01-20T08:52:00.000-08:00

Dear brothers andsisters in the Lord, this weekend we have in the parish the Assumption SeminaryChoir or Schola cantorum. Pope Hilary(d. 438) is sometimes credited with having inaugurated the first Schola cantorum, but it was Gregory theGreat, as we are told in his life wrote by John the Deacon, who established theschool on a firm basis and endowed it. With these lines I want to publiclythank them for their presence and of course Gilbert Aldrete, our 3musical director,and Mrs. Amy Zuberbueler for making this event possible. I would like also to quotea text of Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict. I'm sure that these ideas willhelp us to appreciate sacred music, to give thanks to God for the presence ofthese young seminarians in our parish community and to raise our voices inpraise to God ■ Fr. Agustin.

«The importance of music in biblical religion is shownvery simply by the fact that the verb "to sing" (with related wordssuch as "song", and so forth) is one of the most commonly used wordsin the Bible. It occurs 309 times in the Old Testament and thirty-six in theNew. When man comes into contact with God, mere speech is not enough. Areas ofhis existence are awakened that spontaneously turn into song. Indeed, man's ownbeing is insufficient for what he has to express, and so he invites the wholeof creation to become a song with him: Awake,my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! I will give thanks toyou, O Lord, among the peoples; I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among thepeoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast loveis great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds[1]. We find the first mention of singing in the Bible after the crossing ofthe Red Sea. Israel has now been definitively delivered from slavery. In adesperate situation, it has had an overwhelming experience of God's savingpower. Just as Moses as a baby was taken from the Nile and only then reallyreceived the gift of life, so Israel now feels as if it has been "takenout of the water": it is free, newly endowed with the gift of itself fromGod's own hands. Year by year at the Easter Vigil,Christians join in the singing of this song, because they know that they havebeen "taken out of the water" by God's power, set free by God forauthentic life. Liturgical singing is established inthe midst of this great historical tension. For Israel, the event of salvationin the Red Sea will always be the main reason for praising God, the basic themeof the songs it sings before God. For Christians, the Resurrection of Christ isthe true Exodus. He has stridden through the Red Sea of death itself, descendedinto the world of shadows, and smashed open the prison door. In Baptism thisExodus is made ever present. To be baptized is to be made a partaker, acontemporary, of Christ's descent into hell and of his rising up therefore, inwhich he takes us up into the fellowship of new life. The man who believes inthe Resurrection of Christ really does know what definitive salvation is. Herealizes that Christians, who find themselves in the "New Covenant",now sing an altogether new song, which is truly and definitively new in view ofthe wholly new thing that has taken place in the Resurrection of Christ. The definitively new song has been intoned, but still all the sufferingsof history must be endured, all pain gathered in and brought into the sacrificeof praise, in order to be transformed there into a song of praise. Here, then, is the theological basis for liturgical singing. We need tolook more closely at its practical reality. With regard to the singing of theChurch, we notice the same pattern of continuity and renewal that we have seenin the nature of the liturgy in general, in church architecture, and in sacredimages. The Holy Spirit is love, and it is he who produces the singing. He is the Spirit of Christ, theSpirit who draws us into love for Christ and so leads to the Father. In themusical sphere, biblical faith created its own form of culture, an expressionappropriate to its inward essence, one that provides a standard for all laterforms of inculturation. The question of how far inculturationcan go soon became a very practical one for early Christianity, especially inthe area of music. The Christian community had grown out of the synagogue and,along with the christologically interpreted Psalter, had also taken over thesynagogue's way of singing. Very soon new Christian hymns and canticles cameinto being: first, with a wholly Old Testament foundation, the Benedictusand Magnificat, but then christologically focused on texts, preeminentlythe prologue of Saint John's Gospel[2],the hymn of Christ in the epistle to the Philippians[3],and the song of Christ in the first epistle to Timothy[4]» ■ Music and Liturgy. How does music express the Word ofGod, the Vision of God? by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger.

[1] Psalm 57:8f

[2] 1:1-18

[3] 2:6-11

[4] 3:16

III Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario (B)

2012-01-20T08:46:00.000-08:00

Queridos hermanos en el Señor, lapresencia del coro de Assumption Seminaryéste domingo en las misas en inglés y la pregunta que me hacía uno de ustedesel otro día de por qué cantamos al celebrar la santa Misa, me lleva a escribiresto para dar algunas razones. San Pablo nos invita a cantar juntos salmos,himnos y cánticos inspirados, mientras esperamos la venida del Señor, y quémejor momento para hacerlo en la asamblea eucarística. El Misal Romano noshabla del canto como "una señal de euforia del corazón; san Agustín nosdice que "Cantar es propio de quien ama", y un antiguo proverbioafirma que: "Quien bien canta, dos veces ora". Hace unos años elcardenal Ratzinger, antes de ser elegido como Benedicto XVI, señalaba que «laimportancia que la música tiene en la religión puede deducirse sencillamente deun dato: la palabra cantar (junto a sus derivados correspondientes: canto,etc.) es una de las más utilizadas en la Biblia. En el Antiguo Testamentoaparece en 309 ocasiones, en el Nuevo Testamento 36. Cuando el hombre entra encontacto con Dios, las palabras se hacen insuficientes. Se despiertan esosámbitos de la existencia que se convierten espontáneamente en canto». Y es queel canto expresa y realiza nuestras actitudes interiores, expresa las ideas ylos sentimientos, las actitudes y los deseos. Es un lenguaje universal con unpoder expresivo que muchas veces llega a donde no llega la sola palabra. En laliturgia el canto tiene una función clara: expresa nuestra postura ante Dios(alabanza, petición) y nuestra sintonía con la comunidad y con el misterio quecelebramos. El canto también hacecomunidad, es decir pone de manifiesto de un modo pleno y perfecto que somos unsolo pueblo. Cantar en común une: nuestra fe no es un asunto meramenteindividual sino que la celebramos y vivimos: somos comunidad, el canto es entoncesuno de los mejores signos del sentir común. Por otro lado el canto hace unambiente de fiesta, y la Eucaristía es eso: la gran fiesta del encuentro deDios con sus hijos. El valor del canto es el de crear un clima más festivo ysolemne, ya sea expresado con mayor delicadeza la oración o fomentando launidad. El coro es realmente un ministerio,es decir, un servicio. El coroenriquece el canto del pueblo y lo ayuda a que se acerque a los misterios quecelebramos. «La música en la Iglesia –nuevamente es la voz del cardenalRatzinger- surge como un carisma, como un don del Espíritu, es la nueva“lengua” que procede del Espíritu. En menos palabras: La música forma parteintegral de la vida del pueblo de Dios. Cuando cantamos juntos como Iglesia,pueblo de Dios, ya no solo soy yo o tú quienes cantamos"individualmente", sino que cantamos como cuerpo místico de Cristo,como la Novia del Cordero. Y es que el lenguaje del corazón es la música, loscristianos hoy en día no podemos darnos el lujo de descuidar el cantolitúrgico. No podemos “cantar cualquier cosa” para salir del paso. Debemos cantar lo que creemos. Nopodemos solamente adornar la eucaristía con música de fondo como en los malls. Tampoco podemos convertir lasolemne celebración de la muerte y resurrección de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo enun recital. Sentimos y aprendemos lo quecantamos. El canto es la leche materna del corazón creyente. Como la melodíaque entonaba la abuelita para hacer dormir al niño, lo que cantamos en lacelebración litúrgica no se olvida jamás. El canto será el último recuerdo enla hora de nuestra muerte. Desde luego que la santa Misa es válida sin elcanto, es decir, no pierde su coherencia doctrinal, ni su autenticidadsacramental, sin embargo, en medio del silencio no se involucra el ser de lamisma manera. Es un desperdicio imperdonable. Sin el canto, la eucaristía dejade “contagiar” a la comunidad la alegría, y no conmueve ni inspira; no alimentade la misma manera.

Hoy quiero hacer nuevamente unaalegre invitación a toda la comunidad parroquial a que forme parte delministerio del coro. No es necesario tener una gran voz (hay ensayos), tampocoes necesario saber tocar un instrumento. Lo que pedimos es actitud y ganas deservir a Dios a través del canto. Para empezar a formar parte del coro bastacon acercarse cualquier domingo a Jhonny Marroquín o Paulo Calvillo o acualquiera de los otros miembros. Quiero recordar una vez más que aunque elsacerdote es el que preside, la Eucaristía la confeccionamos todos porque todosformamos parte del cuerpo de Cristo. Espero, pues una buena respuesta y que elcoro crezca poco a poco. Con la bendición para todos y sus familias ■ P.Agustín, párroco.

Many thanks!

2012-01-09T12:00:00.000-08:00

The bond between priest and parish, between theflock and the pastor, is determined by the level of spiritual life in theparish. The priest is first of all an officiant performing the services andsacraments of the Church, the spiritual guide of the flock, which is entrustedto him by God. Therefore, the position of a priest, rector of a parish andpastor of souls, is different from the position of a president, manager,administrator or boss. It is different because a priest's duties are of adifferent kind. The priest must keep in touch with all aspects of parish life:charity, social work and even finances. His goal is not to gain power, but tokeep a spiritual control over the worth of all these expressions of parish lifeand to constantly inspire his parishioners to spiritualize all thesemanifestations. Every member of the parish shares with the priest hisresponsibility for the spiritual future of the parish and of the whole Church.The priest's responsibility is greater and heavier, because he stands closer tothe heart of Church life, the holy altar. The priest is responsible for hisparish to the Archbishop. He is even more responsible to God for the soulsentrusted to his care. The parish cares for the pastor's welfare; the pastorresponds by taking prayerful care of the parishioners' spiritual life. Theparish looks after the decoration and the good repair of the church; the pastorstrives to fill the church with people aspiring to salvation. A full church isthe first proof of success of pastoral work, it is the joy of any priest'sheart. His deepest sorrow is an empty church. The priest has a part in allaspects of parish life, but his trueplace is at the altar. Here is his strength, the source of his inspiration,the center and essence of his office. He awaits for his spiritual children, hisflock, to join him there, to lead them to the evergreen pastures of the Kingdomof Heaven.

I write all this because once again my officemailbox has been filled with cards, gifts and tokens of affection of and loveof my parishioners, and I am verygrateful. I had a very busy weeks but I was greatly assisted by the love ofyou all, the people of my parish. On Christmas Eve, the Archbishop invited usto some of the priests to eat with him; it was a very good experience. There wetalked about all this that I write today. Once again thank you for your giftsand affection, I am very fortunate to have a good and generous parish! So, fromthe bottom of my heart, again ■ Fr. Agustín, Pastor.

¡Gracias!

2012-01-09T11:57:00.000-08:00

Hace algunos años, en 1982 para serexacto, Juan Pablo II resumía la identidad de nosotros los sacerdotes en trespalabras: “llamados, consagrados,enviados”. Esta triple dimensión explica y determina la identidad del yasacerdote, y perfila la del seminarista camino a las sagradas órdenes. Sí,somos –y debemos decirlo con humildad pero con buen y sano orgullo-depositarios de la salvación para los hombres, testigos de un Reino que seinicia en este mundo, pero que llegará a su perfección en el más allá. No debemos olvidar nunca que lo que se nospide a los sacerdotes en estos tiempos tan difíciles por los que atraviesa elmundo y la Iglesia es que demos a Jesucristo, con nuestras palabras y sobretodo con el ejemplo de nuestra fe. ¿Qué significa ser sacerdote hoy? Comosiempre, ser sacerdote es aceptar el compromiso de vivir completamente alservicio de Dios, extendiendo su Reino en el mundo. Pueden cambiar lascircunstancias, lo que no cambia es la elección que Cristo ha hecho de nosotrosdesde la eternidad. Somos los mensajerosde un anuncio que el mundo necesita. Nuestro trabajo es ante todo de ordenespiritual y seremos tanto más eficaces cuanto más estemos unidos a la Vidverdadera, que es Cristo, Sumo y Eterno Sacerdote.

Escribo esto porque quiero darlas gracias a cada uno de los miembros de la comunidad parroquial por la gran cantidadde muestras de cariño y regalos en éstos días de Navidad y año nuevo. Gracias.Gracias sinceras y de todo corazón. Y una vez más les pido la ayuda de susoraciones para que su servidor y todos los sacerdotes del mundo –especialmentelos de San Antonio y Aguascalientes- renovemos el deseo de una vida santa paraGloria de Dios y bien de las almas; que los seminaristas renueven su deseo deseguir caminando, firme y decididamente hacia sacerdocio y que los jóvenes dela parroquia se animen a mirar a los ojos a Jesucristo, quien los llamará vivirla más apasionante de todas las aventuras: la de dejarlo todo para seguirlo aÉl. Muchas gracias por su cariño y el gran apoyo que le brindan a su párroco,el P. Agustín ■

New Year resolutions!

2012-01-02T10:49:00.000-08:00

A friend who is a permanent deacon has publisheda few days ago this excellent resolutions in his parish bulletin, and it seemedappropriate to also publish it in ours, so there you have it, along with thedesire of your pastor that you all have a year full of joy, peace and grace ofGod ■ Fr. Agustín.

Catholic New Year’s Resolutions

• I resolve toarrive at Mass early, and read the readings at home, to understand better.

• Beforearriving for Mass, I resolve to turn off my cell phone, or put it on “vibrate.”I'm not texting in church, or to check my twitteror facebook or my videos on YouTube.

• I resolve togo to the bathroom before I leave home, so I don’t have to stand outside therestroom for most of Mass, hopping from foot to foot.

• I resolve notto wear shorts to Sunday Mass unless I’m under the age of five.

• I will notfeed my children cookies during Mass.

• I will notleave empty juice boxes in the pews.

• I resolve not tosnore during the homilies.

• I resolve tosing. Loudly.

• When the ushercomes by with the collection basket, I will not put in a five-dollar bill andtake out four ones.

• I resolve toactually shake hands with those around me during the Sign of Peace, and reallymean it.

• When the commentatorannounces that there is no second collection, I resolve not to cheer orapplaud.

• I will notbolt for the door after the announcements.

• I will stay inmy pew to sing the recessional hymn.

•I gladly willdevote my time in ministry in the parish: I'll be reader or commentator orusher.

• I resolve toplace my missal on the shelf at the entrance to make less work for theushers. A tidy church is a happychurch.

•When I am in mycar, waiting to get out of the parking lot after Mass, I resolve to use allfive fingers when I wave at my fellow parishioners. And I will smile at them.

•I will takehome and cut out these resolutions and tape them to my refrigerator, so I don’tforget them ■

Solemnidad de la Epifanía del Señor 2012

2012-01-02T10:47:00.000-08:00

Dice el refrán que “año nuevo, vidanueva”. Hoy que celebramos la solemnidad de la Epifanía del Señor y que tenemossu luz con nosotros, hagamos examen de conciencia, demos gracias y hagamospropósitos. La costumbre de hacerlos en estos primeros días del año es algo muybueno y muy querido por nuestra Madre la Iglesia, pero hay que “aterrizar” bienésos propósitos, es decir, hacerlos en cosas que podamos cumplir.

El primero que podríamos hacersería mejorar en el amor, hacia Dios,hacia los demás y –rectamente- hacia uno mismo. ¿Por qué no nos proponemos mejorar espiritualmente,nutrir el más alma, ejercitar el corazón, acercarnos a Dios a través delsacramento de la Confesión? Si nos hiciéramos todos este propósito lograríamoscualquier cosa que nos dispusiéramos a realizar.

¿Por que no nos proponemos serfieles a nuestros sueños, no dejarlos abandonados, ir por ellos y volverlosrealidad? ¿Por qué no ser más sensibles al dolor humano, mejorar las relacionesfamiliares, integrarnos en algún apostolado de la parroquia –Jóvenespara Cristo, por ejemplo- orar más a la santísima Virgen o visitar alSantísimo Sacramento? ¿Por qué no disfrutar más la vida que Dios nos Da?

Ya basta de quejarnos de todo. Eshora de dejar de encontrarle a todo su lado malo y aceptar, por el contrario, con gozo, todo lo que Dios nosda, agradeciéndolo y alabando al Señor por su bondad. Encontremos la mano deDios en todo lo que tenemos y somos. Alabemos a Dios por cada mañana, por lafrescura del agua que corre en la regadera, por el desayuno, por el sol quecalienta, por la taza de café que devuelve el buen ánimo, por la galleta dulceque lo acompaña, por quienes nos hacen compañía, ¡por todo! Y disfrutemos “perderel tiempo” con la familia, con los amigos.

Hermano mio, hermana mía ¿cuál estu propósito para éste año 2012? Detodo corazón que todo lo que emprendas, lo consigas, y que la paz de Cristoreine en tu corazón. Feliz año nuevo y la bendición ■ P. Agustín, párroco.

Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God 2012

2011-12-29T13:23:00.000-08:00

My dear brothers and sisters, a few days ago one ofthe members of my pastoral council sent me the following letter, and although afew days ago we celebrated Christmas Eve, I think that Jesus continues to speakto the heart of each. I hope this text will be useful for our time of prayerwith the Lord. Peace and blessings,

. . .

Brothers and Sisters loved by my Father, it has come to MY attention thatmany of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season. How I personally feel about thiscelebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who havebeen blessed with children of your own. I don't care what you call the day. Ifyou want to celebrate My birth, just GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Now, having said that let Me go on. If itbothers you that the town in which you live doesn’t allow a scene (in thepublic square) depicting the Nativity then place one on your own front lawn. Ifenough people did that, there wouldn’t be a need to have such a scene in thepublic square, because there would be many of them all around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people arecalling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who madeall trees. You can remember Me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vineif you wish: I actually spoke of that one in a teaching, explaining who I am inrelation to you and what each of our tasks were. If you have forgotten thatone, look up John 15: 1 - 8.

If you want to give Me a present in remembranceof My birth here is my wish list. Choose something from it:

1. Instead of writing protest letters objectingto the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope tosoldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year.I know, they tell Me all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don'thave to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares aboutthem.

3. Instead of writing the President complainingabout the wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don't youwrite and tell him that you'll be praying for him and his family at Mass thisyear. Then follow up... It will be nice hearing from you again.

4. Instead of giving your children a lot ofgifts you can't afford and they don't need, spend time with them. Tell them thestory of My birth and My Mother, and why I came to live with you down here.Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them.

5. Pick someone that has hurt you in the pastand forgive him or her.

6. Did you know that someone in your town willattempt to take their own life this season because they feel so alone andhopeless? Since you don't know whothat person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile; it could make thedifference.

7. If you really want to make a difference,support a missionary-- especially one who takes My love and Good News to those whohave never heard My name.

8. Here's a good one. There are individuals andwhole families in your town who not only will have no "Christmas"tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or receive. If you don'tknow them, buy some food and a few gifts and give them to the Friendship Houseor some other charity that believes in Me and they will make the delivery foryou.

9. Finally, if you want to make a statementabout your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don't dothings in secret that you wouldn't do in My presence. Let people know by your actionsthat you are one of mine that you belong to Me.

Don't forget; I am God and can take care ofMyself. Just love Me and do what I have told you to do. I'll take care of allthe rest. Check out the list above and get to work; time is short. I'll helpyou, but the ball is now in your court. And do have a most blessed end of theyear with all those whom you love and remember

And remember: I LOVE YOU,

Jesus of Nazareth

Santa María, Madre de Dios 2012

2011-12-29T13:20:00.000-08:00

Queridos hermanos en el Señor, el primer día del año la Iglesia fija sumirada gozosa en Santa María, Madre de Dios, y la saluda así: ¡Salve, Madre Santa!, VirgenMadre del Rey, que gobierna el cielo y la tierra por los siglos de los siglos.Una bella y tierna expresión que nos lleva a adorar al Niño, Rey eterno del universo, enbrazos de la Madre. La fiesta de éste domingo –Santa María Madre de Dios- es laproclamaciónde MaríaMadre del Hijo de Dios y Madre de la Iglesia. Trascendental afirmación de fe sobre la realidad del Verbohecho carne. Actitud espiritual de los creyentes que, de la mano de la Virgen,son conducidos al Salvador. Hoy, tenemosuna buena oportunidad para interiorizar el misterio del nacimiento del Señor, al lado de María, su Madre. Esta mujer, la más grande de todas las que ha habidoy habrá,da un vigor impresionante a la fe. Su aceptación del designio de Dios, pronta y lúcida, da la talla de la personalidadhumana y espiritual de María. Penetramos en el misterio de la Navidad, junto a María y con María. Sintamos una profunda ternurapor ella: acaba de ser Madre de Dios y también es nuestra Madre. La saludamos y,como pecadores, le pedimos confiadamente su auxilio: ruega por nosotros, pecadores, ahora y en la hora de nuestra muerte.

Santa María, Madre de Dios. Porque realmente el Verbo se ha hecho carne.¡Gran misterio! El que habita en lo alto, el que es Dios, ha querido penetraren la historia humana para compartir todo lo que es el grosor de nuestra vida.Dios se humaniza, se hace hombre. Así sabrá de nuestros gozos y de nuestras lágrimas… ¡Qué belleza espiritual la de estamujer! Lo recordarán los padres de la Iglesia: María, era tan fiel y tan santa, vivía tan atenta a la Palabra, queantes que concibiera a Cristo en su seno, ya lo había concebido en su corazón.

La maternidad de María ilumina el camino de la vidacristiana y nos descubre el gozo del sí a Dios sin condiciones. Abre las ganas de entregarnosconfiadamente al Señor para contribuir a la salvación de la historia.

Hoy recibiremos el consuelo de la bendición que se lee en la primera lecturade la Misa: El Señor te bendiga y te proteja, ilumine su rostro sobre ti y teconceda su favor; el Señor se fije en ti y te conceda la paz. Decimos Amén, porque tenemos la seguridad deque es así.Ponemos el añoiniciado en manos del mismo Señor que nos lo regala. Lo dejamos en buenas manos. Y, confiados,estamos dispuestos a santificarnos, a vivir nuestra filiación divina, a madurar las virtudesteologales. Un año nuevo es otro don de Dios. Una oportunidad que no debe serdesechada. Nos felicitamos deseándonos lo mejor. No esanticristiano querer la prosperidad material. Pero, como todo tiempo, tendrá su cara y cruz, su gozo y sudolor. Lo que importará, en definitiva, será que vivamos el tiempo que Dios nospresta con el deseo de realizar su querer. Aunque cueste. Es actual y útil la súplica del salmista: "Enséñanos a calcular nuestros años, para que adquiramos un corazón sensato" .

Vamos a rezar hoy conespecial cariño a la Virgen María, para interiorizar el gozo de la Navidad ytener la disponibilidad que ella tuvo para con Dios a favor nuestro. Vamos a pedira Dios el saber sentir la alegría en esta fiesta que nosconecta con los inicios de la salvación. Vamos a suplicar quelo que Dios ha comenzado en nosotros obtenga plenitud en la vida definitivajunto a Él. Vamos a ofrecer a Diosel nuevo año y orar por el bien, lapaz y la fe por todos los hombres del mundo, puesto que por todos murió el Señor ■ P. Agustín, Pastor.

Sacerdotes y Nochebuena

2011-12-26T12:53:00.000-08:00

Leía hace unos días en un libro de Michel Rondet e Yves Raguin algo que se volvió vivo y cálido el sábado a medio día: «Si la tentación de las parejas es la de encerrarse en los límites de su amor compartido, la nuestra (se refiere a los sacerdotes) es la disolvernos en una filantropía sin rostro, incapaz de reconocer a nadie personalmente. Se ha podido decir que la familia es el espacio de lo social-privado; pues bien, la fraternidad sacerdotal es el espacio de lo universal-personalizado. Universal, porque ninguno de nosotros ha escogido al hermano o hermana con los que comparte su vida»...

...Mons. Gustavo García-Siller (Arzobispo de San Antonio) nos invitó a comer a su casa a algunos de sus sacerdotes, los que no tenemos familia en San Antonio (es un decir, claro que la tenemos: la comunidad parroquial; él pensó en los papás, hermanos, etc).

Entendí entonces que la fraternidad es un regalo, un don que se ha de suplicar al Señor como fuente de renovación humana permanente; como un apoyo que nos ayuda a seguir adelante, a buscar ser mejores en la entrega.

Ese día cantamos junto, nos reímos mucho, y al cabo de un rato cada uno regresamos a nuestras parroquias preparar la Nochebuena. No fue nada complicado ni nada formal; fue, sin más, compartir la mesa, el vino y las risas; el encuentro de un grupo de hombres que luchan con todas sus fuerzas por hacer felices a los demás; hombres de carne y hueso escogidos por Dios para llevar Su amor y Su presencia a los demás, hombres que ayudados por sus hermanos son tan fuertes como una ciudad amurallada ■ ae

2011-12-19T12:54:00.001-08:00

Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord 2011

2011-12-19T12:53:00.000-08:00

I amhappy to share with you, my brothers in the Lord, some thoughts of my greatfriend Fr. John A. Hardon, of the Society of Jesus, thoughts that can help usmake our prayer in the day we celebrate the nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Andspeaking of the Eucharist, I would like to invite you to view a video thatexplains well the presence of the Lord among us, you can see here:

http://youtu.be/4bxQ9MVTkuQ

Of the many subjects that we could talk abouton Christmas day, I thought the most appropriate would be to speak on Christmasand the Eucharist. There are many aspects to their relationship, but I believethat there are mainly three: (1) both Christmas and the Eucharist are facts;(2) both reveal a mystery; and (3) both are meant to teach us a profound andnot easily learned lesson. Christmas, first of all, is a fact of history. In apoint of time and at a definable place the God of heaven and earth was born ofa woman, and came to live among us as man. It is a fact that the infinite Godbecame, unexplainably, a finite creature. It is a fact to which historiansattest but which we know is no mere statistic of history; it is, rather, a factplanned by God from all eternity. This is the fact of Christmas: the Word actually became Flesh. What is the fact of the Eucharist?It is that the same Jesus Who was born on earth not only became man but remainsman. He not only came into the world, He is in the world. In a word, He came to stay. The Eucharist isChristmas prolonged, because faith tells us that once God became man, Hedecided to remain man. ButChristmas and the Eucharist are not only facts, they are also mysteries. Whatis the mystery of Christmas? The mystery is the humanly incredible reality ofwhy God became man. He did not have to. God did not even have to make theworld, and within the world, He did not have to make us. Except for the love ofGod, we are all empty unoccupied spaces on earth. But, having decided to makethe world and to make us, God also decided that once man had sinned, He wouldredeem man. God might have redeemed man by an act of His divine Will; He chosenot to do so. He chose, rather, to become man, so that as man He might notonly, by some fiat of His humanfreedom redeem us, but might have a mortal flesh and a soul capable ofsuffering. In a word, the mystery ofChristmas is the mystery of God's love that chose to take on our human form inorder to show His love for us by suffering. The only ultimate reason forBethlehem is Jerusalem; the only reason in God's mind for becoming a Child wasso that He might, as man, die on the Cross. In a word, the mystery of Christmasis the mystery of God's unfathomable love that wants to suffer. God took onhuman flesh so that He might be able to endure pain. That is the mystery ofChristmas, the mystery of God's love, in order that loving, He might endure theCross. What is the mystery of the Eucharist? It is the same. You would thinkthat God's love would have been satisfied with His becoming man and as manliving, suffering and dying for our sins. And having once died, rising from thedead and returning as man to the Father from whom He came. But no, the mystery of God's love is that Heinvented a way of showing His love for us not only by being with us and near usbut God even invented a way of being inside of us. All of this tells us a lot about whatlove means. Love wants to show that it loves. It is not satisfied withsentiments or words. Love wants to prove its love in deeds; better, it wants toshow its love in pain. Love wants to be near the one it loves, to be unitedwith the one it loves. All of this is hidden behind the mystery of theEucharist, made possible by the mystery of Christmas, because these twomysteries are really one. The Eucharistis merely an extension, a continuation, of what happened 2000 years ago inBethlehem. Because Mary gave birth to the Son of God, we now have the Fleshof the Son of God near us, with us, and when we receive Him in Communion,within us. Finally, what is the lesson? The lesson of Christmas and theEucharist must be obvious by now. God does nothing in vain. He did not chooseto become man nor does He remain man in our midst except that He wants to evokefrom us something of the same kind of love that He showed during His life onearth and still shows us in His life in the Eucharist. Jesus Christ gives usHis Flesh and Blood to adore, worship and nourish our souls on, so that wemight live with His life. What He wants us to do therefore, and this is the lesson,is to love Him as He has been loving us. How has He been loving us? First ofall, He loves us in simplicity. Is there anything more simple than a child, oranything more simple than the round wafer of the Eucharist? God wants us tolove Him in simplicity. Above all, we must have no duplicity with God. He wantsour whole heart, not just part of it. We are to love Him, therefore, simply,unqualifyingly, totally. God wants us to love Him humbly. Is there anythingmore lowly than a baby? They are speechless, helpless; they must be fed andcarried from place to place. And is there anything more unpretentious than whatseems to be a piece of bread and a sip of wine? Yet as we know, real humilityis always greatness hiding itself out of love. What a hard lesson for us tolearn, to love this God of ours humbly ■

2011-12-19T12:48:00.001-08:00

Solemnidad de la Natividad del Señor

2011-12-19T12:44:00.000-08:00

Queridos hermanos y hermanas en el Señor: ¿Qué esverdaderamente la Navidad para nosotros, los cristianos? Tal vez ustedes merespondan que son los días de la ternura, de la alegría, de la familia. Peroyo, entonces, volvería a preguntarles: ¿Por qué en estos días nuestra alma sealegra, por qué se llena de ternura nuestro corazón? La respuesta la sabemostodos, aunque con frecuencia no la vivamos. Yo diría que la Navidad es laprueba, repetida todos los años, de dos realidades formidables: que Dios estácerca de nosotros, y que nos ama. Nuestro mundo moderno no es precisamente elmás capacitado para entender esta cercanía de Dios. Decimos tantas veces queDios está lejos, que nos ha abandonado, que nos sentimos solos... Parece queDios fuera un padre que se marchó a los cielos y que vive allí muy bien,mientras sus hijos sangran en la tierra. Pero la Navidad demuestra que eso noes cierto. Al contrario. El verdadero Dios no es alguien tonante y lejano,perdido en su propia grandeza, despreocupado del abandono de sus hijos. Esalguien que abandonó él mismo los cielos para estar entre nosotros, ser comonosotros, vivir como nosotros, sufrir y morir como nosotros. Éste es el Dios delos cristianos. No alguien que de puro grande no nos quepa en nuestro corazón.Sino alguien que se hizo pequeño para poder estar entre nosotros. Éste es elmismo centro de nuestra fe. ¿Y por qué bajó de los cielos? Porque nos ama. Todoel que ama quiere estar cerca de la persona amada. Si pudiera no se alejaría niun momento de ella. Viaja, si es necesario, para estar con ella. Quiere viviren su misma casa, lo más cerca posible. Así Dios. Siendo, como es, elinfinitamente otro, quiso ser el infinitamente nuestro. Siendo la omnipotencia,compartió nuestra debilidad. Siendo el eterno, se hizo temporal. Y, si esto esasí, ¿por qué los hombres no percibimos su presencia, por qué no sentimos suamor? Porque no estamos lo suficientemente atentos y despiertos. ¿Se han dadoustedes cuenta de que con los fenómenos de la naturaleza nos ocurre algoparecido? Oímos el trueno, la tormenta. Llegamos a escuchar la lluvia y elaguacero. Pero la nieve sólo se percibe si uno se asoma a la ventana. Cae lanieve sobre el mundo y es silenciosa, callada, como el amor de Dios. Y nadienegará la caída de la nieve porque no la haya oído. Así ocurre con el amor deDios: que cae incesantemente sobre el mundo sin que lo escuchemos, sin que lopercibamos. Hay que abrir mucho los ojos del alma para enterarse. Porque,efectivamente, como dice un salmo «la misericordia de Dios llena la tierra»,cubre las almas con su incesante nevada de amor. Navidad es la gran prueba. Enestos días ese amor de Dios se hace visible en un portal. Ojala se haga tambiénvisible en nuestras almas. Ojala en estos días la nevada de Dios, la paz deDios, la ternura de Dios, la alegría de Dios, descienda sobre todos nosotroscomo descendió hace dos mil años sobre un pesebre en la ciudad de Belén.

Pues bien: la Navidad es como el tiempo en el queesa misericordia de Dios se reduplica sobre el mundo y sobre nuestras cabezas.Es como si, al darnos a su Hijo, nos amase el doble que de ordinario. Duranteestos días de Navidad, todos los que tienen los ojos bien abiertos se vuelvenmás niños porque es como si fuesen redobladamente hijos y como si Dios fuera enestos días el doble de Padre.

Pero ¿cuántos se dan cuenta de ello? ¿Cuántos estántan distraídos con las fiestas familiares que en estos días no se acuerdan desu alma?... Por eso yo quisiera invitarles, amigos míos, a abrir sus ventanas ysus ojos, a descubrir la maravilla de que Dios nos ama tanto que se vuelva unode nosotros. Y que vivan ustedes estos días de asombro en asombro. Que se haganustedes las grandes preguntas que hay que hacerse estos días y que descubranque cada respuesta es más asombrosa que la anterior. La primera pregunta es: ¿Quépasa realmente estos días? Y la respuesta es que Alguien muy importante viene avisitarnos.

¿Quién es elque viene?Nada menos que el Creador del mundo, el autor de las estrellas y de toda carne.¿Y cómo viene? Viene hecho carne,hecho pobreza, convertido en un bebé como los nuestros. ¿A qué viene? Viene a salvarnos, a devolvernos la alegría, a darnosnuevas razones para vivir y para esperar. ¿Paraquién viene? Viene para todos, viene para el pueblo, para los más humildes,para cuantos quieran abrirle el corazón. ¿Enqué lugar viene? En el más humilde y sencillo de la tierra, en aquél dondemenos se le podía esperar.

¿Y por quéviene? Sólopor una razón: porque nos ama, porque quiere estar con nosotros. Y la últimapregunta, tal vez la más dolorosa: ¿Ycuáles serán los resultados de su venida? Los que nosotros queramos. Pasaráa nuestro lado si no sabemos verle. Crecerá dentro de nosotros si le acogemos. Dejemos,pues que crezcan estas preguntas dentro de nuestro corazón y sentiremos mucha alegría.Descubriremos que no hay gozo mayor que el de sabernos amados, cuando quien nosama —iy tanto!— es nada menos que el mismo Dios ■ P. Agustín, Párroco.

2011-12-13T12:43:00.001-08:00

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT

2011-12-13T12:40:00.000-08:00

My brothers andsisters, in the week before Christmas, I invite all of you to consider abeautiful tradition in the Catholic Church: The O Antiphons. It refers to theseven antiphons that are recited (or chanted) preceding the Magnificat duringVespers of the Liturgy of the Hours. They cover the special period of Adventpreparation known as the Octave before Christmas, Dec. 17-23, with Dec. 24being Christmas Eve and Vespers for that evening being for the Christmas Vigil.The exact origin of the “O Antiphons” is not known. Boethius (c. 480-524) madea slight reference to them, thereby suggesting their presence at that time. Atthe Benedictine abbey of Fleury (now Saint-Benoit-sur-Loire), these antiphonswere recited by the abbot and other abbey leaders in descending rank, and thena gift was given to each member of the community. By the eighth century, theyare in use in the liturgical celebrations in Rome. The usage of the “OAntiphons” was so prevalent in monasteries that the phrases, “Keep your O” and“The Great O Antiphons” were common parlance. One may thereby conclude that insome fashion the “O Antiphons” have been part of our liturgical tradition sincethe very early Church. The importance of “O Antiphons” is twofold: Each onehighlights a title for the Messiah: O Sapientia (O Wisdom), O Adonai(O Lord), O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse), O Clavis David (O Keyof David), O Oriens (O Rising Sun), O Rex Gentium (O King of theNations), and O Emmanuel. Also, each one refers to the prophecy ofIsaiah of the coming of the Messiah. Let’s now look at each antiphon with justa sample of Isaiah’s related prophecies:

O Sapientia: “O Wisdom, O holy Word of God, you govern allcreation with your strong yet tender care. Come and show your people the way tosalvation.” Isaiah had prophesied, “The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him:a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, aspirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear ofthe Lord.” (11:2-3), and “Wonderful is His counsel and great is His wisdom.”(28:29).

O Adonai: “O sacred Lord of ancient Israel, who showedyourself to Moses in the burning bush, who gave him the holy law on Sinaimountain: come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free.” Isaiah hadprophesied, “But He shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright forthe land’s afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth,and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be theband around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.” (11:4-5); and“Indeed the Lord will be there with us, majestic; yes the Lord our judge, theLord our lawgiver, the Lord our king, he it is who will save us.” (33:22).

O Radix Jesse: “O Flower of Jesse’s stem, you have beenraised up as a sign for all peoples; kings stand silent in your presence; thenations bow down in worship before you. Come, let nothing keep you from comingto our aid.” Isaiah had prophesied, “But a shoot shall sprout from the stump ofJesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom.” (11:1), and A On that day, theroot of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, the Gentiles shall seek out,for his dwelling shall be glorious.” (11:10). Remember also that Jesse was thefather of King David, and Micah had prophesied that the Messiah would be of thehouse and lineage of David and be born in David’s city, Bethlehem (Micah 5:1).

O Clavis David: “O Key of David, O royal Power of Israel controlling at your will thegate of Heaven: Come, break down the prison walls of death for those who dwellin darkness and the shadow of death; and lead your captive people into freedom.”Isaiah had prophesied, AI will place the Key of the House of David on Hisshoulder; when he opens, no one will shut, when he shuts, no one will open.”(22:22), and “His dominion is vast and forever peaceful, from David’s throne,and over His kingdom, which he confirms and sustains by judgment and justice,both now and forever.” (9:6).

O Oriens: “O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light,sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow ofdeath.” Isaiah had prophesied, “The people who walked in darkness have seen agreat light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown.”(9:1).

O Rex Gentium: “O King of all the nations, the only joy ofevery human heart; O Keystone of the mighty arch of man, come and save thecreature you fashioned from the dust.” Isaiah had prophesied, “For a child isborn to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name himWonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.” (9:5), and “Heshall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples. They shallbeat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; onenation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for waragain.” (2:4).

O Emmanuel: “O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver, desire of thenations, Savior of all people, come and set us free, Lord our God.” Isaiah hadprophesied, “The Lord himself will give you this sign: the Virgin shall be withchild, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.” (7:14). Remember“Emmanuel” means “God is with us.” Probably the Benedictine monks arrangedthese antiphons with a definite purpose. If one starts with the last title andtakes the first letter of each one - Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai,Sapientia- the Latin words ero crasare formed, meaning, “Tomorrow, I will come.” Therefore, the Lord Jesus, whosecoming we have prepared for in Advent and whom we have addressed in these sevenMessianic titles, now speaks to us, “Tomorrow, I will come.” So the “O Antiphons”not only bring intensity to our Advent preparation, but bring it to a joyfulconclusion ■ Fr. Agustin, Pastor.

IV DOMINGO DE ADVIENTO

2011-12-13T12:35:00.000-08:00

Mis queridoshermanos y hermanas en el Señor, ya muy cerca de la Solemnidad de la Natividaddel Señor, y para calmar el la impaciencia de nuestro espíritu, la Iglesia, quees Madre y Maestra, nos regala la alegre fiesta de la Expectación del parto ola espera del divino alumbramiento. Esta fiesta fijada en el 16 de diciembre, continúahasta Navidad, sin embargo a partir de éste día la Iglesia canta en lasVísperas las grandes antífonas. Se llaman popularmente antífonas de la O, o las Ode Navidad, porque principian con esta invocación. Estas antífonasexpresan por su variedad las diferentes cualidades del Mesías y las diversasnecesidades del linaje humano.

El hombre está,desde la caída de Adán y Eva, privado casi de razón y sin gusto hacia losverdaderos bienes; su conducta inspira compasión y necesita la sabiduría, asíla Iglesia la pide para él con la primera antífona: O Sapientia: ¡Oh Sabiduríaque saliste de la boca del Altísimo, que alcanzas tu fin con fuerza, y disponestodas las cosas con dulzura! Ven a enseñarnos la senda de la prudencia”.

El hombre esdesde su caída esclavo del demonio, y tiene necesidad de un poderosoLibertador. La Iglesia lo pide para él con la segunda antífona: OAdonai: "¡Oh Dios poderoso y guía de la casa de Israel, que temostraste a Moisés en la zarza encendida y le diste a ley del Sinaí!"Ven arescatarnos con el poder de tu brazo”.

El hombre desdesu caída necesita un Redentor. La Iglesia lo pide para él en la terceraAntífona: O radix Jesé: “¡Oh raíz de Jesé, que está expuesta como unabandera a los ojos de las naciones, ante la cual guardarán silencio los reyes,y a la que ofrecerán los gentiles sus oraciones! ven a rescatarnos, no tardes”.

El hombre es desde su caída preso delerror y de la muerte, y necesita una llave para salir. La Iglesia la pide conla cuarta antífona: O clavis David: “¡Oh llave de David, que abres y nadie cierra,que cierras y nadie abre! Ven y saca al preso de la cárcel, al desgraciado queyace en las tinieblas a la sombra de la muerte”.

El hombre estáciego desde su caída, y necesita un sol que le ilumine. La Iglesia lo pide paraél con co la quinta antífona: O Oriens; ¡Oh Oriente, esplendor dela luz eterna y sol de justicia! Ven y alumbra a los que yacen en las tinieblasy en la sombra de la muerte.”

El hombre desdesu caída necesita un santificador, un fuego que lo purifique. La Iglesia lopide por él con la sexta antífona: O Sancte Sanctorum: ¡Oh Santo de los Santos,espejo sin mancha de la majestad de Dios e imagen de su bondad! Ven a destruirla iniquidad y traer la justicia eterna”.

El hombre desdesu necesita un restaurador, alguien que lo restañe. La Iglesia lo pide para élcon la séptima antífona: O Rex gentium: ¡Oh Rey de las naciones,Dios y Salvador de Israel, piedra angular que unes en un solo edificio a losJudíos y a los gentiles! Ven y salva al hombre que has formado del barro de latierra”.

El hombre desdesu caída ha doblegado la cabezabajo el yugo de todas las tiranías, y tiene necesidad de un legislador equitativo.La Iglesia lo pide para él con le octava antífona: O Emmanuel: “¡Oh Emmanuel,nuestro rey y Legislador, expectación de las naciones y objeto de sus deseos!Ven a salvarnos, Señor Dios nuestro”.

El hombre desdesu caída es una oveja expuesta al furor de los lobos, y necesita un Pastor quele defienda y le guíe a buenos pastos. La Iglesia lo pide para él con la novenaantífona: O Pastor Israel: “¡Oh Pastor y dominador de la casa de David!Tú que eras en el principio desde el día de la eternidad, ven a apacentar a tupueblo en toda la extensión de tu poder, y reina sobre él en la justicia y lasabiduría!”

Una de lasmejores preparaciones para la fiesta de Navidad es el repetir con frecuenciaestas bellas antífonas, empapándonos en los sentimientos que expresan. Siqueremos pasar santamente el tiempo del Adviento, unamos nuestros suspirosa losde la Iglesia, los Patriarcas, los Profetas y justos d la antigua Ley;adoptemos alguna de sus ardientes palabras; que sea nuestra oración jaculatoriade cada día, y si es posible, de cada hora del día. Unamos a la oración u recogimiento mayor, una vigilancia mascontinua; descendamos con más frecuencia al fondo de nuestra alma, a fin depurificarla y embellecerla pensando que debe ser la cuna del Niño divino. Sinembargo, la gran preparación es renunciar al pecado, al pecado mortalespecialmente, pues ¿qué puede haber de común entre el Hijo de María y uncorazón manchado de iniquidades?

Escuchemos a sanCarlos exhortando a su pueblo a santificar el Adviento, y apropiémonos de laspalabras del gran Arzobispo: “Durante el Adviento debemos prepararnos pararecibir al Hijo de Dios que abandona el seno de su Padre para hacerse hombre, yplaticar nosotros; es preciso destinar un poco del tiempo que consagramos anuestras ocupaciones a meditar en silencio sobre las preguntas siguientes: ¿Quién es el que viene? ¿De dónde viene?¿Cómo viene? ¿Cuáles son los hombres para los que viene? ¿Cuáles son losmotivos y cuál debe ser el fruto de su venida? Cifremos en él nuestrasaspiraciones todas a imitación de los justos y Profetas del Antiguo Testamentoque por tanto tiempo le esperaron, y para abrirle el camino de nuestro corazónpurifiquémonos por medio de la confesión, el ayuno y de la comunión”.

Con la esperanzaalegre de la venida de nuestro Señor les envío un cálido abrazo y la bendiciónpara cada uno y sus familias ■Fr. Agustín, Párroco.

2011-12-06T12:04:00.001-08:00

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

2011-12-06T11:57:00.001-08:00

We celebrate one of the most splendid mysteries of theChurch, and one that has been the topic of much controversy over the centuries:the feast of the Immaculate Conceptionof the Blessed Virgin Mary.

I am not so sure that I have the necessary skills to proveby Scripture the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, as your parish priest Ijust invite you to look on the purity of Mary with admiration, with a sincereheart. We have a lot to learn from her: she is the first believer in Jesus, sheis the first Christian. We look on Mary as a model for our spiritual life andus. The virgin is not far away in time to be an example for each one of us, atleast I feel her presence very close, and I am convinced that in this parish welove her very much. You know, every day we struggle against temptation and sin,or because of events in the past that have hurt us, so we can and we should pray to Mary to help us on our journey, tohelp us fight temptation and sin.

In our first reading we heard about Eve leading Adam intosin[1].Today we see that our blessed Mother is the New Eve because at the Annunciationand through her whole life she restored therelationship broken by the first Eve. Today we wee that she is the New Evebecause she is the mother of all those born into new life through the grace inChrist. This is a joyous occasion; this is a reason to thank her for her lifeand her obedience to God the Father.

[So] Today we celebrate the Eucharist in honor of Our Lady’sImmaculate Conception, and not just because of this special grace given to herbut also because we regard Mary in a special way a mother to all of us, amother whom we love and a mother who loves us, a mother to whom we can telleverything, a mother who wants what is best for us. The Virgin is alwayspresent. Our blessed mother cares for the children of the Church at all times.Are we aware of this?

Our blessed Mother is honored by the Church and has beensince the beginning, but not worshipped, asked for her prayers, but not prayedto, recognized as having a special relationship with Christ, but never taking Hisplace. Mary’s role is to point the way to her Son. We have to be very clear onthis point.

Our blessed mother is important because of her humanity andher proximity to the divine. St Alphonsus Ligouri in his great book The Glories of Mary[2]suggested a great metaphor that could help us to understand the Immaculate Conception.That metaphor is the consecration of an Altar: Mary is consecrated by her ImmaculateConception to become a sanctuary fitting for the incarnate God. A stone tableor an empty building becomes a holy place through sanctification[3],trough grace, trough the anointing.

So, in celebrating the feast, we do two things: firstly, we recognize God’s goodnesstowards Mary, his saving work of Grace on her life from the moment of herconception, and secondly, it is anexample to us of God’s Grace intended for us, and which we will surely inheritbecause it was bought for us by the blood of the Lamb. We must be aware of thisand be very grateful. So today we celebrate the Mass, because we are gratefuland want to say this to God.

Already very close to Christmas we need to be attentive onthe presence and protection of our blessed Mother, and to wait in hope andprayer. Let us be sure that our Lady waits with us this Advent Season for theredemption of all humankind. This is a big consolation, a big reason for joy, areason to celebrate, and a time to keep silence and give thanks to God. Amen ■

[1] Gn 3:9-15, 20.

[2] http://www.archive.org/details/thegloriesofmary00liguuoft

[3] Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) was an ItalianCatholic bishop, spiritual writer, scholastic philosopher and theologian, andfounder of the Redemptorists, an influential religious congregation. He wascanonized in 1839 by Pope Gregory XVI.

La Inmaculada Concepcion de la Santísima Virgen María

2011-12-06T11:56:00.001-08:00

En los escritos de los Padres se encuentrauna gran riqueza cultural, espiritual y apostólica. Predicaban o escribían conla mirada puesta en las necesidades de los fieles, que en gran medida son lasmismas ayer que hoy; por eso se nos muestran como maestros de vida espiritual yapostólica. Resulta impresionante comprobar cómo los Santos Padres supieronfecundar con el mensaje evangélico la cultura clásica (griega y latina), cómoen algunos casos fueron creadores de culturas (en Armenia, en Etiopía, enSiria, por ejemplo) y cómo sentaron las bases para el esplendor de la épocamedieval, pues prepararon la plena inserción de los pueblos germánicos,pertenecientes a una tradición cultural completamente diversa, en la raíz delEvangelio. Por estas y más razones es que hoy,fiesta de la Inmaculada Concepción de la Santísima Virgen María, dejamos quesea San Agustín, obispo de Hipona[1],quien nos ayude a reflexionar en éste misterio ■

«Tanto a Zacarías como a María se lespromete un hijo, y ella repite casi las mismas palabras que Zacarías ¿Qué habíadicho Zacarías? ¿De dónde me viene esto a mí? Yo soy anciano, y mi mujerentrada en años (Lc 1,18) ¿Qué dijo también santa María? ¿Cómo sucederá esto?Parecidas las palabras, pero muy distinto el corazón. Escuchemos lasexpresiones semejantes al oído, pero averigüemos la distinta disposición delcorazón ante las palabras del ángel. Pecó David y, corregido por el profeta,confesó: He pecado, e inmediatamente se le dijo: Se te ha perdonado el pecado(2 Re 12,13). Pecó Saúl, y, reprendido por el profeta, dijo: He pecado, pero nose le perdonó el pecado, sino que la ira del Señor quedó sobre él. ¿Qué vemosaquí, sino que a palabras iguales corresponde un corazón distinto? El hombreoye las palabras, pero Dios escruta el corazón. Al quitarle el habla condenandosu incredulidad, el ángel vio que en aquellas palabras de Zacarías no había fe,sino duda y desesperación.

En cambio, María dijo: ¿Cómo sucederáeso, pues, no conozco varón? (Lc 1,34). Reconoced aquí el propósito de lavirgen. Si hubiese pensado yacer con varón, ¿hubiese dicho: Cómo sucederá esto?No hubiese dicho esas palabras en el caso de nacer su hijo como suelen hacerlolos demás niños. Pero ella se acordaba de su propósito y era consciente de suvoto. Porque sabía lo que había prometido y porque sabía que los niños lesnacen a las mujeres casadas que yacen con sus maridos, cosa que estaba fuera desu intención, su pregunta ¿cómo sucederá eso?, se refería al modo, sin queincluyese duda alguna sobre la omnipotencia de Dios. ¿Cómo sucederá eso? ¿Dequé manera tendrá lugar tal acontecimiento? Me anuncias un hijo, y me dejas envilo; dime, pues, el modo. Pudo, en efecto, la virgen santa temer o ignorar losdesignios de Dios, como si el querer que tuviese un hijo significase desaprobarsu voto de virginidad.

¿Qué pasaría si le hubiese dicho:«Cásate y únete con tu esposo»? Dios no hablaría nunca así, pues en cuanto Dioshabía aceptado el voto de la virgen, y recibió de ella lo que él le habíadonado. Dime, pues, mensajero de Dios: ¿Cómo sucederá eso? Ella advierte que elángel lo sabe y le pregunta sin dudar lo más mínimo. Como vio que ellapreguntaba sin dudar del hecho, no rehusó instruirla. Escucha cómo: «Tuvirginidad se mantendrá; tú no tienes más que creer la verdad; guarda lavirginidad y recibe la integridad, puesto que tu fe es íntegra, quedará intactatambién tu integridad. Finalmente, escucha cómo sucederá eso: El Espíritu Santovendrá sobre ti y el poder del Altísimo te cubrirá con su sombra, porqueconcibes mediante la fe, creyendo, no yaciendo con varón, quedarás encinta: Poreso lo que nacerá de ti será santo y será llamado Hijo de Dios» (Lc 1,35).

¿Qué es lo que vas a dar a luz? ¿Cómolo has merecido? ¿De quién lo recibiste? ¿Cómo va a formarse en ti quien tehizo a ti?

¿De dónde, repito, te ha llegado tangran bien? Eres virgen, eres santa, has hecho un voto; pero es muy grande loque has merecido; mejor, lo que has recibido. ¿Cómo lo has merecido? Se formaen ti quien te hizo a ti; se hace en ti aquel por quien fuiste hecha tú; másaún, aquel por quien fue hecho el cielo y la tierra, por quien fueron hechastodas las cosas; en ti la Palabra se hace carne recibiendo la carne, sin perderla divinidad. Hasta la Palabra se junta y une con la carne, y tu seno es eltálamo de tan gran matrimonio; vuelvo a repetirlo: tu seno es el tálamo de tangran matrimonio, es decir, de la unión de la Palabra y de la carne; de él saleel mismo esposo como de su lecho nupcial (Sal 18,6). Al ser concebido teencontró virgen, y, una vez nacido, te deja virgen. Te otorga la fecundidad,sin privarte de la integridad. ¿De dónde te ha venido? ¿Quizá parezca insolenteal interrogar así a una virgen y pulsar como inoportunamente con estas mispalabras a sus castos oídos. Mas veo que ella llena de rubor, me responde y mealecciona: «¿Me preguntas de dónde me ha venido todo esto? Me ruborizo alresponderte acerca de mi bien; escucha el saludo del ángel y reconoce en mí tusalvación. Cree a quien yo he creído. Me preguntas de dónde me ha venido eso.Que el ángel te dé la respuesta». -Dime ángel, ¿de dónde le ha venido eso aMaría? -Ya lo dije cuando la saludé: Salve, llena de gracia (Lc 1,28)»[2].

[1] Agustín de Hipona (en latín: Aurelius AugustinusHipponensis) (Tagaste, 354 – Hippo Regius 430) es, junto con Jerónimo deEstridón, Gregorio Magno y Ambrosio de Milán, uno de los cuatro más importantesPadres de la Iglesia latina.

[2] Sermón 291, 4-6

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT

2011-12-06T11:50:00.001-08:00

Silence restores and recognizes themissing contemplative dimension. Silence refreshes language and restoresprecision. Without silence even sacred words can become noise, babble. Silencein the Eucharist does not threaten emptiness or denote absence but exposespresence and invites responsiveness. The places in the Eucharist where silencesare especially useful and enhancing have already been identified. Manycelebrants begin with a few moments of silence in the sacristy with theacolytes before processing in. Whenever the celebrant calls the community topray, Let us pray demands a moment ofsilence and reflexion. The penitential rite then invites people to reflect interiorly so that they can prepare oursoul and body –our whole being- to experience the Eucharist as a healing andforgiving celebration. The readings especially call for silent pauses, beforethe responsorial psalm or the gospel acclamation rush us on. The readings mustbe proclaimed with preparation and devout attention and meditative silence thatenable the Word of God to touch people’s minds and hearts in order that thewords of the disciples will be ours: ManeNobiscum Domine, Stay with us, Lord.

A living silence will arouse or,better perhaps, identify the deeper hunger that is at the heart of the Churchand our world. Learning to pray at the contemplative level will teach us tolive better in the spirit, because the way we pray is the way we live and theway we pray is the way we celebrate the Holy Eucharist.

This hunger for contemplation,then, is our greatest hope. It is vital to rediscover the value of silence»[1]It is in silence where God speaks to us. Do not fear the silence! ■

Fr. Agustín, Pastor.

[1] Published by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops on theirweb site: http://www.cccb.ca

III DOMINGO DE ADVIENTO

2011-12-06T11:48:00.001-08:00

Queridos hermanos en el Señor, yamuy cerca de Navidad quiero mencionar brevemente las hermosísimas Antífonasde la O. Estas antífonas son siete y la Iglesia las canta junto con el Magnificat –el cántico de la VirgenMaría- en el Oficio de Vísperas desde el día 17 hasta el día 23 de diciembre.Son un llamado al Mesías y nos recuerdanlas ansias con que Él era esperado por todos los pueblos ya antes de su venida.También son una manifestación del sentimiento con que todos los años la Iglesiaespera el Nacimiento del Salvador. Se llaman así porque todas empiezan en latíncon la exclamación «O», en castellano «Oh». También se llaman «antífonas mayores».Fueron compuestas entre los siglos VII y VIII, y se puede decir que son unmagnífico compendio de la cristología más antigua de la Iglesia, y a la vez, unresumen expresivo de los deseos de salvación de toda la humanidad, tanto del pueblode Israel en el Antiguo Testamento como de la Iglesia en el Nuevo Testamento. Lasantífonas son unas breves oraciones dirigidas a Cristo y condensan el espíritudel Adviento y de la Navidad, la admiración de la Iglesia ante el misterio deun Dios hecho hombre; todo esto se expresa con un profundo «Oh», y con lasúplica urgente: «ven». Cada antífona empieza por una exclamación «Oh», seguidade un título mesiánico tomado del Antiguo Testamento pero entendido con laplenitud del Nuevo Testamento. Estas son las antífonas:

O Sapientia = sabiduría, Palabra

O Adonai = Señor poderoso

O Radix = raíz, renuevo de Jesé (padre de David)

O Clavis = llave de David, que abre y cierra

O Oriens = oriente, sol, luz

O Rex = rey de paz

O Emmanuel = Dios-con-nosotros.

Que la riquísima tradiciónlitúrgica de la Iglesia nos ayude a prepararnos en éstos días a la venida delSalvador, que nuestro corazón esté expectante y nuestra alma encendida y listapara recibir al Redentor de la humanidad. Podemos recitar día con día éstasantífonas en el silencio de nuestro corazón y así mantenernos encendidos ypreparados para el encuentro con Él ■P. Agustín, Párroco.

2011-11-27T05:44:00.001-08:00

ADVENT 2011

2011-11-26T09:34:00.001-08:00

People, look east. The time is near

Of the crowning of the year.

Make your house fair as you are able,

Trim the hearth and set the table.