The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity (2012)

Holy God, we praise Thy Name;

Lord of all, we bow before Thee!

All on earth Thy scepter claim,

All in Heaven above adore Thee;

Infinite Thy vast domain,

Everlasting is Thy reign.

Hark! the loud celestial hymn

Angel choirs above are raising,

Cherubim and seraphim,

In unceasing chorus praising;

Fill the heavens with sweet accord:

Holy, holy, holy, Lord.

Lo! the apostolic train

Join the sacred Name to hallow;

Prophets swell the loud refrain,

And the white robed martyrs follow;

And from morn to set of sun,

Through the Church the song goes on.

Holy Father, Holy Son,

Holy Spirit, Three we name Thee;

While in essence only One,

Undivided God we claim Thee;

And adoring bend the knee,

While we own the mystery ■

How do I sit quietly before God? (I)

St. Paul encourages us in Eph. 4 to not behave like the rest of the world, and as Catholics we follow a higher standard. He tells us not to get lost in useless thoughts; futile thoughts he calls them. Because God gave us free will, we have total freedom of thought. We can think about anything imaginable. Our mind is continually generating thoughts, some good and some bad. Some thoughts are focused on meaningful things and some are of no value to us. Thoughts can build upon one another, grow and generate into rationalizations. Worthless thinking often leads us to sinful thoughts. Fr. Thomas Keating in one of his book on meditation refers to this continuous motion of thoughts running around in our mind as “the monkey mind.” Picture a cage with monkeys jumping around and screeching. They rush at you, then away from you and then at you again, always chattering and making a ruckus. That is often the state of our mind, an endless commotion. Our minds have almost unlimited creativity and freedom. But if we do not harness the great power of our mind it can cause a mess. We talk with someone while thinking about something else more important to us. We listen with interest to a Psalm, and suddenly drift off to other thoughts. We injure our relationships when we do this! St. Paul refers to still darker thoughts in this Epistle. This futility of our mind draws us to the edge; and we risk stepping off and into a darkness of sin. When we are interested, however, we do focus our thoughts. An exciting movie holds our attention. A good novel can grip our interest. When our interest is not captured though, it often takes great energy and discipline for us to pay attention to a person speaking to us. We allow our mind to wander because we get lazy. But God can work miracles through the great power of the mind. Our weapon of defense against a lazy, undisciplined mind is prayer. During Lent we pray “Lord, take from me the spirit of sloth.” We fight against the lazy, idle mind with “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.” We fill our mind with “Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great goodness. Blot out my transgressions.” (This text will continue next week) ■

For Greater Glory

What price would you pay for freedom? In the exhilarating action epic FOR GREATER GLORY an impassioned group of men and women each make the decision to risk it all for family, faith and the very future of their country, as the film's adventure unfolds against the long-hidden, true story of the 1920s Cristero War ­the daring people¹s revolt that rocked 20th Century North America.

Academy Award® nominee Andy Garcia headlines an acclaimed cast as General Gorostieta, the retired military man who at first thinks he has nothing personal at stake as he and his wife (Golden Globe nominee Eva Longoria) watch Mexico fall into a violent civil war. Yet the man who hesitates in joining the cause will soon become the resistance's most inspiring and self-sacrificing leader, as he begins to see the cost of religious persecution on his countrymen . . . and transforms a rag-tag band of rebels into a heroic force to be reckoned with.  The General faces impossible odds against a powerful and ruthless government.  Yet is those he meets on the journey ­ youthful idealists, feisty renegades and, most of all, one remarkable teenager named Jose ­ who reveal to him how courage and belief are forged even when justice seems lost. Director Dean Wright brings a visual power honed from years as a leading Hollywood effects guru ­ on such blockbusters as TITANIC, THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy and CHRONICLES OF NARNIA ­ to this real-life tale that has never been told on screen before.  The film is written by Michael Love.  The producer is Pablo Jose Barroso.  Garcia and Longoria lead a stellar multinational cast that includes the legendary Peter O¹Toole, rapidly rising star Oscar Isaac (DRIVE), recording star and actor Ruben Blades (SAFE HOUSE), Bruce Greenwood (STAR TREK, SUPER 8), Nestor Carbonell (THE DARK NIGHT RISES), Bruce McGill (LINCOLN), Santiago Cabrera (³Heroes,² CHE), Oscar®-nominated Catalina Sandino Moreno (MARIA FULL OF GRACE) and Eduardo Verástegui (BELLA). Shooting on historic locations throughout Mexico, the equally accomplished behind the scenes team includes director of photography Eduardo Martinez Solares (BAD HABITS), Oscar®-nominated editor Richard Francis-Bruce (THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, SEVEN, HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER¹S STONE), production designer Salvador Parra (VOLVER) and Oscar®-winning composer James Horner (AVATAR, TITANIC, BRAVEHEART).

For theater listings please visit www.forgreaterglory.com

DIOS ESCONDIDO EN NUESTRA INTIMIDAD (I)

Qué tipo de personas consigue hacer una auténtica experiencia de Dios? La respuesta a esta pregunta es sencilla: todas y cada una de las personas normales, independientemente de su carácter, de su grado de cultura, de su condición social tienen capacidad natural para hacer esta experiencia. Mediante un pequeño esfuerzo, todos podemos sumergirnos en nuestra propia intimidad y reflexionar sobre lo que somos delante de Dios y de lo que Dios es para nosotros; es importante recordar que  Dios se manifiesta al alma en esa intimidad. Como sabemos, Él mora ahí y está a nuestra espera. Si no lo percibimos, es porque somos ciegos; si no lo oímos, es porque somos sordos; si no lo encontramos, es porque andamos lejos de ese santuario interior que es nuestra propia alma, nuestra propia conciencia. Cabalgamos a lomos de nuestra propia imaginación; con nuestra fantasía y nuestra atención recorremos el mundo en busca de Él. Vamos de una parroquia a otra, peregrinamos a santuarios famosos, visitamos los lugares de célebres apariciones, viajamos a Tierra Santa... y la realidad es que Él nos espera en un nuestra propia alma. Como decía San Agustín: "Tú estabas dentro de mí y yo fuera, y yo por fuera te buscaba". La palabra meditación no es apropiada para describir ese proceso de sumergirse y adentrarse en el propio interior. "Meditar" significa reflexionar sobre el significado de uno u otro texto del evangelio.  El proceso de adentrarse en la intimidad más profunda de uno mismo tiene lugar por etapas. La primera de ellas consiste en un esfuerzo de recogimiento. Recogerse es retirarse del mundo exterior, el cual percibimos con nuestros cinco sentidos. El Señor describe esta etapa cuando dice: Cuando orares, entra en tu habitación, cierra la puerta y ora a tu Padre en secreto; y tu Padre, que ve en lo más oculto, te recompensará[1]. La habitación es lugar para reunirse con otras personas, pero también puede ser lugar solitario. "Cierra la puerta", es decir, cierra los sentidos externos para que no entre nadie: ni personas, ni animales, ni cosas, ni ruidos... Es preciso crear un clima de secreto, esto es, de silencio, de misterio, de confidencia. Se ha de tomar una postura lo suficientemente cómoda que permita permanecer lo más inmóvil posible, al menos unos diez o quince minutos (Continuará) ■

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[1] Mt 6,6

Veni, Sancte Spiritus!

Come, Holy Spirit,

send forth the heavenly

radiance of your light.

Come, father of the poor,

come giver of gifts,

come, light of the heart.

Greatest comforter,

sweet guest of the soul,

sweet consolation.

In labor, rest,

in heat, temperance,

in tears, solace.

O most blessed light,

fill the inmost heart

of your faithful.

Without your grace,

there is nothing in us,

nothing that is not harmful.

Cleanse that which is unclean,

water that which is dry,

heal that which is wounded.

Bend that which is inflexible,

fire that which is chilled,

correct what goes astray.

Give to your faithful,

those who trust in you,

the sevenfold gifts.

Grant the reward of virtue,

grant the deliverence of salvation,

grant eternal joy.

Pentecost 2012

Credibility!” This is a word we have become very familiar with in recent years. Sadly, the familiarity is the result of the lack of credibility in many of the institutions that touch our daily lives. Business lost credibility because of financial scandals, government lost credibility, our Church, and our Bishops lost credibility because of the scandals. And all of these scandals had one thing in common, the lack of truth. Do you remember Pilate’s question to Jesus: What is truth? Well, it is a question that is still being asked. Where do we find truth? Who are we to believe? Where are we to look for guidance in the great questions that face us as Christians and as citizens? Jesus promised to send the Spirit of Truth. And it is the fulfillment of that promise that we celebrate today, on the solemnity of Pentecost. The one person who has absolute credibility is God. And God gives us the Spirit of Truth so that we may be able to discern what is true. And that Spirit is at work in our Catholic Church. There are times when the Spirit is obscured, cannot be heard. And we may very well be living at such a time at present. But the Spirit blows where it wills and cannot be blocked forever. Truth will out, if only we open up our minds and hearts to God’s Spirit. As the prophet Joel says, I will pour out, pour out my spirit on all people. The Holy Spirit is called “The Advocate.” The word, in Greek meant someone who would go to court with you, sit beside you, and give you support and advice, what we today would call an “attorney.” My brothers and sisters in Christ, we need the Great Attorney, the Holy Spirit sent by God. What can the Spirit give us? Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and the Fear of the Lord... yes, all gifts of the Holy Spirit. We need wisdom and knowledge to find the truth, Understanding to grasp it, Piety and Fear of the Lord to accept it, and Fortitude to live by it. The Holy Spirit freely gives all gifts if only we open up our minds and hearts! May we today open our whole being to this Spirit of Truth, to the fire of the Spirit of Love that we may continue, in Hope, to spread the Good News in our parish and in our world ■ Fr. Agustin.  

Our new priests!

Saturday morning, Archbishop Gustavo García Siller celebrated the Ritual Mass for the Ordination of Priests at 10 a.m. at San Fernando Cathedral in San Antonio, ordaining three men to the Catholic priesthood who come from diverse cultures, education and careers. Archbishop ordained, Deacon Isak Keyman‐Ige from Somalia, with a degree in International Political Affairs. He had hoped to join the diplomatic core for his native country. However, when civil war broke out, that ambition was eliminated. He has lived in San Antonio since 2005 and says, “Instead of becoming ambassador for Somalia, I’ll be an ambassador for Christ.”

Deacon Richard Samour, 48, born in San Miguel, El Salvador, a former computer engineer, was also ordained. Speaking about his ordination, Deacon Samour said, “I believe that God is calling us to do something remarkable in our lives. The priesthood, a gift from God, and is one way of doing this.” 48 year‐old Deacon John Nolan, a native San Antonian, spent 21 years as a realtor. He began to discern his call to the priesthood while making an ACTS Retreat, a spiritual experience founded in the archdiocese of San Antonio. Deacon Nolan said, I believe whole heartedly that my ACTS retreat became the vehicle which the Lord used to instill in my heart the desire to serve Him and the people of God in the Archdiocese of San Antonio.” Father Keyman‐Ige will serve as parochial vicar at St. John the Evangelist parish in San Antonio; Father Nolan is assigned parochial vicar at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Helotes; and Father Samour’s first assignment will be as parochial vicar at the Shrine of St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina Saturday’s ordination brings the total to 4 the number of priests ordained in the archdiocese in 2012. 

Pentecostés 2012

Celebramos éste domingo el final del tiempo Pascual y la hermosísima solemnidad de Pentecostés, la fiesta del Espíritu de Dios, la jornada en la que los cristianos pedimos que se derramen sobre nosotros -¡los necesitamos tanto!- los preciosos dones del Espíritu. Y celebramos también el cumpleaños de nuestra Madre la Iglesia. Nos dicen los santos Padres que Ella nació del costado abierto de Cristo, pero que en Pentecostés recibe el resello del Espíritu y la fuerza para predicar a las naciones el Evangelio. Que nuestra oración de hoy sea en acción de gracias por ésta Madre nuestra amorosa, la Iglesia, la Esposa de Cristo. Ella, que nos amamanta y educa día a día; Ella, que no nos deja ni un instante solos. Con Ella y por Ella digamos juntos:

Ven, Creador, Espíritu amoroso,

ven y visita el alma que a ti clama

y con tu soberana gracia inflama

los pechos que criaste poderoso.

Tú, que abogado fiel eres llamado,

del Altísimo don, perenne fuente,

de vida eterna, caridad ferviente,

espiritual unción, fuego sagrado.

Tú te infundes al alma en siete dones,

fiel promesa del Padre soberano;

tú eres el dedo de su diestra mano;

tú nos dictas palabras y razones.

Ilustra con tu luz nuestros sentidos,

del corazón ahuyenta la tibieza,

haznos vencer la corporal flaqueza

con tu eterna virtud fortalecidos.

Por ti nuestro enemigo desterrado,

gocemos de paz santa duradera,

y siendo nuestro guía en la carrera,

todo daño evitemos y pecado.

Por ti al eterno Padre conozcamos,

y al Hijo, soberano omnipotente,

y a ti, Espíritu, de ambos procedente

con viva fe y amor siempre creamos ■

The Ascension of the Lord 2012

The disciples must have been so stunned when they looked up into the sky and watched Christ being carried away on a cloud. There they were, staring at this most amazing sight and two angels in white appear to say, “Why are you staring?”  And we can be too quick to jump to the conclusion, because they had work to do, spreading the Gospel to all of the nations.  Yes, that’s true.  But if we are too quick to start in on the doing—even doing for the sake of Jesus–, then we can miss the being, the glimpse of who they were that the disciples received when they looked up into the sky. But this glimpsing takes a bit of explanation. A lot of people in our parish, myself included, wear some sort of help for their vision —glasses, contact lenses, or even the long-term correction of laser surgery. Try to recall your very first pair of glasses and what it was like to look around you. The Ascension, for the disciples, was one of these moments of clarity and vision. They saw something that they had never seen before, and it wasn’t just because it was their Lord riding on a cloud. They knew that Jesus had become a human being just like them, that He had skin that bled when it was cut, that He laughed, and ate, and drank, and loved. And they were all amazed when He had been raised from the dead, because no human had done that before. But in the Ascension He adds something new: He takes humanity with him to heaven.  In Jesus’ rising up to heaven on that cloud, he took not only his own, resurrected human body. He took what would be the disciples’; He what will be yours and mine.  Human skin went up to heaven, not just as a soul but as a body too. And for the first time in their lives, the disciples saw their own bodies —their own humanity– as they really are in God’s eyes —worth eternity, beautiful, and groaning for resurrection.  That is a spectacular moment of clarity. No wonder they were looking up at the sky. They had just seen Christ’s body go to heaven; and they knew He would do the same for them on the last day. Today is when we look up at the sky and realize that in watching our Lord rise up in human flesh, that our very vision of salvation is being changed.  We can see more; we can see further; we can see visible signs of invisible grace. And with that vision, most importantly we can see ourselves as in God’s eyes we are. Praise God! ■ Fr. Agustin, Pastor. 

Fortnight For Freedom

On April 12, the Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a document, "Our First, Most Cherished Liberty,” outlining the bishops’ concerns over threats to religious freedom, both at home and abroad. The bishops called for a “Fortnight for Freedom,” a 14-day period of prayer, education and action in support of religious freedom, from June 21-July 4. Bishops in their own dioceses are encouraged to arrange special events to highlight the importance of defending religious freedom. Catholic institutions are encouraged to do the same, especially in cooperation with other Christians, Jews, people of other faiths and all who wish to defend our most cherished freedom.

The fourteen days from June 21—the vigil of the Feasts of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More—to July 4, Independence Day, are dedicated to this “fortnight for freedom”—a great hymn of prayer for our country. Our liturgical calendar celebrates a series of great martyrs who remained faithful in the face of persecution by political power—St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More, St. John the Baptist, SS. Peter and Paul, and the First Martyrs of the Church of Rome.  Culminating on Independence Day, this special period of prayer, study, catechesis, and public action would emphasize both our Christian and American heritage of liberty. Dioceses and parishes around the country could choose a date in that period for special events that would constitute a great national campaign of teaching and witness for religious liberty.

Solemnidad de la Ascención del Señor

Y dejas Pastor santo,

tu grey en este valle hondo, obscuro,

con soledad y llanto;

y tú, rompiendo el puro

aire, te vas al inmortal seguro?

Los antes bienhadados

y los agora tristes y afligidos,

a tus pechos criados,

de ti desposeídos,

¿a dónde convertirán ya sus sentidos?

¿Qué mirarán los ojos

que vieron de tu rostro la hermosura,

que no les sea enojos?

Quien oyó tu dulzura,

¿qué no tendrá por sordo y desventura?

A aqueste mar turbado,

¿quién le pondrá ya freno?

¿Quién concierto al viento fiero, airado, estando tú encubierto?

¿Qué norte guiará la nave al puerto?

¡Ay! Nube envidiosa

aun de este breve gozo, ¿qué te quejas? ¿Dónde vuelas presurosa?

¡Cuán rica tú te alejas!

¡Cuán pobres y cuán ciegos, ¡ay!, nos dejas!

Tú llevas el tesoro

que sólo a nuestra vida enriquecía,

que desterraba el lloro,

que nos resplandecía

mil veces más que el puro y claro día.

¿Qué lazo de diamante,

¡ay, alma!, te detiene y encadena

a no seguir tu amante?

¡Ay! Rompe y sal de pena,

colócate ya libre en luz serena.

¿Que temes la salida?

¿Podrá el terreno amor más que la ausencia de tu querer y vida?

Sin cuerpo no es violencia

vivir; más es sin Cristo y su presencia.

Dulce Señor y amigo,

dulce padre y hermano, dulce esposo,

en pos de ti yo sigo:

o puesto en tenebroso

o puesto en lugar claro y glorioso ■

Fray Luis de León (1527-1591)

May, the month of our Blessed Mother

The month of May is the "month which the piety of the faithful has especially dedicated to Our Blessed Lady," and it is the occasion for a "moving tribute of faith and love which Catholics in every part of the world [pay] to the Queen of Heaven. During this month Christians, both in church and in the privacy of the home, offer up to Mary from their hearts an especially fervent and loving homage of prayer and veneration. In this month, too, the benefits of God's mercy come down to us from her throne in greater abundance" (Paul VI: Encyclical on the Month of May, no. 1).

This Christian custom of dedicating the month of May to the Blessed Virgin arose at the end of the 13th century. In this way, the Church was able to Christianize the secular feasts which were wont to take place at that time. In the 16th century, books appeared and fostered this devotion. The practice became especially popular among the members of the Jesuit Order — by 1700 it took hold among their students at the Roman College and a bit later it was publicly practiced in the Gesu Church in Rome. From there it spread to the whole Church.

The practice was granted a partial indulgence by Pius VII in 1815 and a plenary indulgence by Pius IX in 1859. With the complete revision of indulgences in 1966 and the decreased emphasis on specific indulgences, it no longer carries an indulgence; however it certainly falls within the category of the First General Grant of Indulgences. (A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who, in the performance of their duties and in bearing the trials of life, raise their mind with humble confidence to God, adding — even if only mentally — some pious invocation.

THE MOST CHERISHED OF AMERICAN FREEDOMS

Past and Present

In 1634, a mix of Catholic and Protestant settlers arrived in Southern Maryland from England aboard the Ark and the Dove. They had come at the invitation of the Catholic Lord Baltimore, who had been granted the land by the Protestant King Charles I of England. While Catholics and Protestants were killing each other in Europe, Lord Baltimore imagined Maryland as a society where people of different faiths could live together peacefully. This vision was soon codified in Maryland’s 1649 Act Concerning Religion (also called the “Toleration Act”), which was the first law in our nation’s history to protect an individual’s right to freedom of conscience.

Maryland’s early history teaches us that, like any freedom,religious liberty requires constant vigilance and protection, or it will disappear. Maryland’s experiment in religious toleration ended within a few decades. The colony was placed under royal control and the Church of England became the established religion. Discriminatory laws, including the loss of political rights, were enacted against those who refused to conform. Catholic chapels were closed and Catholics were restricted to practicing their faith in their homes. The Catholic community lived under this coercion until the American Revolution.

By the end of the 18th century our nation’s founders embraced freedom of religion as an essential condition of a free and democratic society. So when the Bill of Rights was ratified, religious freedom had the distinction of being the First Amendment. Religious liberty is indeed the first liberty. This is our American heritage, our most cherished freedom. If we are not free in our conscience and our practice of religion, all other freedoms are fragile. If our obligations and duties to God are impeded, or even worse, contradicted by the government, then we can no longer claim to be a land of the free. 

Is our most cherished freedom truly under threat? Among many current challenges, consider the recent Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate requiring almost all private health plans to cover contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs. For the first time in our history, the federal government will force religious institutions to facilitate drugs and procedures contrary to our moral teaching, and purport to define which religious institutions are “religious enough” to merit an exemption. This is not a matter of whether contraception may be prohibited by the government. It is not even a matter of whether contraception may be supported by the government. It is a matter of whether religious people and institutions may be forced by the government to provide coverage for contraception and sterilization, even when it violates our religious beliefs.

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What can you do to ensure the protection of religious freedom?

To learn more about our first freedom, and to send your message to HHS and Congress telling them to stand up for religious liberty and conscience rights, go to www.usccb.org/conscience today! Thank you for joining the effort to end this unprecedented government coercion of conscience and intrusion in religious affairs. 

Mayo, mes de María Santísima

Bajo tu amparo nos acogemos,

santa Madre de Dios;

no deseches las oraciones

que te dirigimos

en nuestras necesidades,

antes bien

líbranos de todo peligro,

¡oh Virgen gloriosa y bendita!

Amén.

LA MÁS PRECIADA DE LAS LIBERTADES AMERICANAS

 

Pasado y Presente

En 1634 un grupo de colonos católicos y protestantes llegaron de Inglaterra a la isla de St. Clement, en el sur de Maryland, a bordo de los buques Ark y Dove. Habían venido invitados por el católico Lord Baltimore a quien el rey protestante, Charles I de Inglaterra, le había entregado Maryland con el fin de que allí se estableciera una sociedad donde personas de diferentes credos pudieran convivir en paz. Esta idea pronto fue legislada en Maryland en 1649, y conocida como el Decreto sobre la Religión (también llamado Decreto de Tolerancia), y que fue la primera ley que se decretó en nuestra nación para proteger los derechos de libertad de conciencia del individuo.

La antigua historia de Maryland nos enseña que, al igual que cualquier otra libertad, la libertad religiosa requiere vigi- lancia y protección continua, de lo contrario puede desa- parecer. Pero el experimento de tolerancia religiosa de Maryland terminó unas pocas décadas más tarde. La colonia de pobladores fue colocada bajo la autoridad del rey, y la Iglesia de Inglaterra se convirtió en la religión oficial. Se implantaron leyes discriminatorias, incluyendo la pérdida de derechos políticos contra los que se negaran a cumplirlas. Se cerraron las capillas católicas, y los católicos fueron restringidos a practicar su fe solamente en sus hogares. Bajo estas condiciones vivió la comunidad católica hasta la Revolución Americana.

A finales del siglo dieciocho, los fundadores de nuestra nación adoptaron la libertad religiosa como una condición esencial de una sociedad libre y democrática. Por lo tanto, cuando se ratificó la Declaración de Derechos, la libertad religiosa se distinguiera en ser la Primera Enmienda. La libertad religiosa es, indiscutiblemente, la primera de las libertades. Esta es nuestra herencia Americana, nuestra más preciada libertad. Si no tenemos libertad de conciencia para practicar la religión, todas las demás libertades se vuelven frágiles. Si nuestras obligaciones y deberes para con Dios son impedidos, o peor aún, contradichos por el gobierno, entonces no podremos seguir afirmando que ésta es la tierra de la libertad.

¿Está siendo amenazada la más preciada de nuestras libertades? Entre los retos actuales, considere el reciente mandato del Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos (HHS, sigla en inglés) que requiere que casi todos los planes privados de seguros médicos cubran la anticoncepción, la esterilización y las drogas abortivas. Por primera vez en nuestra historia, el gobierno federal obligará a las instituciones religiosas a facilitar y pagar por algo que es contrario a sus enseñanzas morales, pretendiendo definir cuáles instituciones religiosas son “suficientemente religiosas” como para ameritar la protección de su libertad religiosa. Esto no es un asunto de que si el gobierno deba prohibir la anticoncepción. No es siquiera un asunto de que si la anticoncepción deba ser apoyada por el gobierno. Se trata de que si las personas e instituciones religiosas deben ser forzadas por el gobierno a proveer cobertura de anticonceptivos o esterilización, aun cuando estas prácticas violen sus creencias religiosas. 

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¿Qué puede hacer para asegurar la protección de la libertad religiosa?

¡Para más información sobre nuestra primera libertad y enviar una mensaje a HHS y al Congreso pidiéndoles que defiendan la libertad religiosa y los derechos de conciencia, visite www.usccb.org/conscience hoy! Gracias por unirse a los esfuerzos para ponerle fin a este esfuerzo sin precedentes de la coerción de la conciencia y la intromisión en asuntos religiosos por parte del gobierno. 

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,

that never was it known that anyone

who fled to your protection,

implored your help, or sought your intercession,

was left unaided.

Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto you,

O virgin of virgins, my mother.

To you I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful.

O mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions,

but in your mercy hear and answer them. AMEN.

May, month of Mary

Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, with the arrival of May comes the opportunity to venerate more deeply and more public the queen of our parish community: the Blessed Virgin Mary. No. We do not adore her, adoration is reserved for God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We venerate Our Lady with great love; God alone is worthy of worship. I have an Evangelical friend who says: "When I go to a doctor I don't want to talk to his mother."  That is an interesting analogy. However, this friend of mine talks regularly with his pastor and asks the pastor to pray for him. The pastor doesn't turn him away by saying, "Don't talk to me! Don't ask me to pray for you! Go straight to Jesus!" The pastor has compassion and "intercedes" (stands in the gap) for him. He prays for the congregation and for individuals. He has compassion and wants to assist people in their relationship with Christ. This in no way diminishes Jesus' role as the Lord and Savior. We Catholics ask Mary to pray to Jesus for us. She is interceding, kind of in the way a pastor might pray for you or me. In the Rosary we ask Mary to Pray for us sinners, and we think she’s quite good at that. In the movie The Passion of the Christ, I was floored when I saw Mary at the foot of the Cross. I would like to have that woman pray for me. I ask her to do just that, pray for me. I also ask her to pray for you. I feel her prayers and I thank her for spending so much time praying for our world. I hope this month of May, the month of Mary; we all spend more time contemplating the mysteries of the life of the Virgin, and devote more time to pray the Holy Rosary or any other Marian devotion. As Catholics we cannot separate, ever, Jesus of His Mother; she will always lead us to her Son. So, let use as often as possible the beautiful phrase that use to say St. Marcellin Champagnat, the founder of the Marist Brothers: All to Jesus through Mary, all to Mary for Jesus ■ Fr. Agustín, Pastor.