Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

I Domingo de Adviento (A)

Queridos hermanos y hermanas en el Señor, os anunciamos que comienza el Adviento. Alzad la vista, restregaos los ojos, mirad hacia el horizonte. Daos cuenta del momento. Aguzad el oído. Captad los gritos y susurros, el viento, la vida... Empezamos el Adviento, y una vez más renace la esperanza en el horizonte. Al fondo, clareando ya, la Navidad. Una Navidad sosegada, íntima, pacífica, fraternal, solidaria, encarnada, también superficial, desgarrada, violenta...; mas siempre esposada con la esperanza. Es Adviento esa niña esperanza que todos llevamos, sin saber cómo, en las entrañas; una llama temblorosa, imposible de apagar, que atraviesa el espesor de los tiempos; un camino de solidaridad bien recorrido; la alegría contenida en cada trayecto; unas huellas que no engañan; una gestación llena de vida; anuncio contenido de buena nueva; una ternura que se desborda... Estad alerta y escuchad. Lleno de esperanza grita Isaías: "Caminemos a la luz del Señor". Con esperanza pregona Juan Bautista: "Convertíos, porque ya llega el reino de Dios". Con la esperanza de todos los pobres de Israel, de todos los pobres del mundo, susurra María su palabra de acogida: "Hágase en mí según tu palabra". Alegraos, saltad de júbilo. Poneos vuestro mejor traje. Perfumaos con perfumes. ¡Que se note! Viene Dios. Avivad alegría, paz y esperanza. Preparad el camino. Ya llega nuestro Salvador. Viene Dios... y está a la puerta. ¡Despertad a la vida! Procuremos orar juntos, en familia, a lo largo de éstos domingos de Adviento: Dios todopoderoso, aviva en tus fieles en este tiempo de Adviento, el deseo de salir al encuentro de Cristo, que viene acompañado por las buenas obras, para que colocados un día a su derecha, merezcamos poseer el reino eterno ■ P. Agustín, Párroco. 

First Sunday of Advent (A)

Advent, from the Latin adventus ("coming"), marks the beginning of the Church year comprising the four weeks before Christmas. In recent years, Advent has been viewed as forming the first part of the three-part season of Christmas: (1) Advent; (2) Christmas; (3) Epiphany. The season of Advent, my brothers and sisters, appears to have originated in Gaul (modern day France), in the second half of the Fourth Century A.D. At this time it was a three-week fast before Christmas. We do not find the first mention of Advent in Rome, however, until the late Sixth Century. From the beginning, Advent has been a season of preparation for Christ's coming. When Advent observances first began, Christians living in the West (the western part of the Roman Empire) emphasized preparation for the Second Coming of Christ. Christians in the East stressed preparation for the celebration of Christ's birth. Our Scripture readings for the next weeks focus on three comings of Christ in reversed chronological order: (1) His Second Coming at the end of time; (2) His Messianic Coming, as announced by John the Baptist, to begin His official work as Messiah; (3) His First Coming in Bethlehem, as our newborn King. Featured in each of these three comings is a very important fourth coming, of course, the coming of Christ to each believer. If Christ hasn't come to you through baptism and faith, none of His other comings will benefit you! For many centuries Advent's overall tone was one of sorrow for sin and penance. But in keeping with the tone of the Scripture readings for the season, in our day the tone of Advent is one of anticipation and hope, as well as one of repentance, so Advent is a marvelous opportunity for spiritual growth. The spirit of Advent is expressed well in the parable of the bridesmaids who are anxiously awaiting the coming of the Bridegroom[1]. There is profound joy at the Bridegroom’s expected coming. And yet a warning of the need for preparation echoes through the parable. But even then, the prayer of Advent is still: Come, O Come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel! ■ Fr.  Agustin, Pastor

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[1] Matt 25:1-13

Welcome Padre Archbishop Gustavo!!

Holy Spirit, we give you thanks for having given Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro the grace to live and die for love of neighbor and the greater glory of God.  We ask you to prepare our new shepherd, Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, and the People of God of the Archdiocese of San Antonio to be true disciples and missionaries of Jesus Christ.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, and Blessed Miguel Pro, pray for us. 

¡Viva Cristo Rey!

Espíritu Santo, te damos gracias por haber concedido al Padre Miguel Agustín Pro vivir y morir buscando tu mayor gloria y amor al prójimo.  Te rogamos que prepares a nuestro nuevo pastor, el Arzobispo Gustavo Garcia-Siller y al Pueblo de Dios en la Arquidiócesis de San Antonio para ser verdaderos discípulos y misioneros de Jesucristo.

Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe y Padre Pro, rueguen por nosotros. 

¡Viva Cristo Rey!

Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

One of the greatest joys people have is selecting a gift for someone they love. The excitement builds as the person opens the gift and shows in word or action appreciation of the time and effort spent in selecting that gift. One of the most disappointing moments is when the gift is not appreciated but put away in a closet or drawer for another time. My brothers and sisters in Christ, stewardship is the response we are asked to make to the gifts we have received from God. All of us have been given various talents or gifts. Each of us receives twenty-four brand new hours each day, and each of us is able to support our families by using our time and talent. As we acknowledge that all we have is a gift from God, we are asked to give back some of our time, talent and financial resources to help continue the work of Christ in the world. Until recently, stewardship is a word that hasn’t been part of our Catholic vocabulary. Basically, much of our faith has been seen as a private, personal relationship with God. People chose to become involved in church work or to give in the weekly collection generally based on their own good will or some sense of obligation to the Church. Why the change? Stewardship has many references in the New Testament. Jesus speaks of the “good steward” the one who cares for the household when the master is away. It also speaks of a relationship to God and to our world that is more accurate in terms of our dependence on God for everything. Stewardship comes from the concept that all we are and have comes from God, who has gifted us with talents and abilities, through which we are able to relate to others, earn a living and interact in our daily life. Just as in life, we show our appreciation for gifts that we receive by using them and sharing them, God asks us to use the talents that have been given us, not just for ourselves but in service of others and the Church, whose mission it is to proclaim God’s reign in the world. This attitude requires a change of heart and mind, as we recognize that all we have is a gift coming not through our own efforts but because God has gifted us. We are so used to believing that we have earned anything we have. It requires a new way of thinking to acknowledge that all is gift. God, through stewardship, asks us to give back to others; to share some of what we have been given, our time, talent and treasure ■ Fr. Agustin

XXXIII Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario

Queridos hermanos y hermanas en el Señor, quizá se han preguntando últimamente qué es eso de corresponsabilidad (stewardship) que con tanta frecuencia se menciona en la parroquia. Bien, pues de acuerdo a una Carta Pastoral que publicaron hace tiempo los obispos de los Estados Unidos, corresponsabilidad es precisamente la respuesta del discípulo a los dones que recibe de su creador. En otras palabras: alguien que es corresponsable se define como un discípulo de Jesús quien "recibe los dones de Dios agradecidamente, los cultiva responsablemente, y los comparte con amor en justicia con otros y se los regresa al Señor multiplicados."

La persona verdaderamente corresponsable es activo –con alegría y sencillez- en su comunidad parroquial. Como bautizados estamos llamados a profundizar tanto en la diaria conversión como en nuestro compromiso de seguir a Jesús. La corresponsabilidad es, pues, verdaderamente un estilo de vida, una opción que se hace en determinado momento: el discípulo se motiva a compartir su tiempo, talento y tesoro con la parroquia y con otros con un sentido profundo de agradecimiento y en un espíritu de sacrificio. Cuando tomamos los primeros pasos en el camino Cristiano plena y corresponsablemente, descubrimos que es una experiencia que libera y que nos hace más felices y más plenos. El mes de Noviembre es, pues, un mes que nos invita a experimentar el gozo de dar gracias (fiesta de Thanksgiving) pero también de compartir con Dios los frutos de las muchas bendiciones que ha derramado en nuestras vidas.

La corresponsabilidad y su hermano gemelo el apostolado, están basados en el reto que Jesús nos propone de vivir de acuerdo al plan de Dios, y de devolverle con generosidad algo como muestra de agradecimiento hacia Dios Padre de la generosidad de quien recibimos todo lo que somos y tenemos. No podemos olvidar, como nos dice el libro de los Hechos de los apóstoles, que en Él nos movemos y existimos (17, 28).  Pidamos a Dios un corazón generoso hoy y siempre ■ Fr. Agustín, Párroco.