Third Sunday of Lent / First Scrutiny for our Cathecumens!

My brothers and sisters in Christ, this weekend I've had to be away from the parish, while far however I want to convey a message to my parish community. The whole liturgy of the Word but especially the gospel of this second Sunday of Lent brings to my mind a conversation between two young men. One was a cradle Catholic, who later left the Church. The other had been brought up in no religion, a humble guy who joined the Catholic Church when he was in college. The first young man said, "Don't tell me about the Church. I went through twelve years of Catholic schools and had it drummed into me. When I got on my own, I started thinking for myself. It just didn’t make any sense to me. It had nothing to offer me." The second young man said, "Fair enough, but can I ask you a question?" "Sure," the first said. "In your years of Catholic education, did anyone ever tell you the purpose of the Church?" Silence. In his twelve years of Catholic school, either no one told him or he didn't remember the purpose of the Church. Why does the Church exist at all? The young man, who converted to the Catholic faith, did know. Before telling you, let me explain why it is important to know. By way of comparison, suppose I am considering membership in a local gym. I go for a visit and get a full tour. I see all the exercise equipment and they tell about "trainers" who can help develop a good exercise program. After listening to presentation, I say, "Yah, but you don't have a place where I can get my favorite latte and a cinnamon roll!" The gym manager would probably say to me, "That would be nice, but we're here to help people get physically fit. You can get your latte and roll across the street. Our purpose is physical fitness." Now, it's only fair to judge a gym according to its basic purpose. Just so, we need to know the Church's purpose before we can say whether the Church - or any individual parish - is doing a good job. So, what is the purpose of the Church? We see it dramatically in today's Gospel. Jesus receives news of a massacre in Jerusalem. Pilate had murdered a group of Galileans and then compounded his crime with a sacrilege - he mixed their blood with Temple sacrifices. Jesus might have responded in various ways: He could have gone to console the widows and orphans, maybe even taking up a collection for them. He could have spoken out against the outrage, denounced Pilate for his despotism. He could have even announced his supports for the Zealots, who wanted independence from Rome. The Gospel, however, does not record Jesus taking any of those actions. Rather, he turns to his listeners and says: If you do not repent, you will all perish as they did. At first these words seem insensitive, but if you think about it, they show Jesus' basic concern. First, foremost and always, Jesus' concerned himself with the salvation of souls. He knew that in the long run, only one thing matters: where we spend eternity. For that reason, he speaks about repentance - before anything else. In fact the very first word Jesus speaks, in his public ministry, is: repent! Turn away from sin and turn to God. If you listen carefully to Jesus' teaching, you will see that all his parables have that basic concern: the salvation of souls. Jesus founded the Church to continue his mission: to bring people to salvation. Salvation of souls: calling people to turn from the Way of Death and to embrace the Way of Life. That was how the Church understood her purpose since the first century. That continues to be our purpose in the twenty-first century: saving souls, human beings. Perhaps someone has come this Sunday because they saw the Catholics, Come Home commercials (very good campaign, by the way; check it up: http://www.catholicscomehome.org); we welcome you! We want you. We need you. But above all, we love you. Love means to desire the very best for the other person. And the very best we can desire is that you spend eternity, forever, with God in the Communion of Saints. As a parish, as part of the universal Church, as part of the Archdiocese of San Antonio that is our purpose: the salvation of souls.

During Lent we focus more directly on that purpose. We do that by accompanying our catechumens and candidates as they prepare for the Easter Sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. This Sunday our catechumens will participate in the First Scrutiny. In the Scrutiny we will invoke the power of Christ to defend and protect them, and by extension, all of us. This rite underscores the purpose of the Church! By now, you probably know it by heart, and can say it with me: The salvation of souls.  So, my brother, my sister, the Catholic Church exists for the salvation of souls; like Jesus, to call people to repentance. Let us be aware of this and let us be SO grateful!  ■ Fr. Agustin, pastor

Queridos hermanos y hermanas, esta Palabra de Dios la siento de modo especial dirigida a mí, en este momento de mi vida. El Señor me llama a "subir al monte", a dedicarme aún más a la oración y a la meditación. Pero esto no significa abandonar a la Iglesia, al contrario, si Dios me pide esto es justamente para que yo pueda seguir sirviéndola con la misma dedicación y el mismo amor con el que lo he hecho hasta ahora, pero en un modo más adecuado a mi edad y mis fuerzas. Invoquemos la intercesión de la Virgen María: Ella nos ayude a todos a seguir siempre al Señor Jesús, en la oración y en la caridad activa ■ Benedicto XVI 

Letter to Contemplative Monasteries and Convents

Reverend Mother,

Reverend Father,

I write to you as the whole Church anxiously follows the final days of the luminous pontificate of His Holiness Benedict XVI and awaits the arrival of the successor whom the Cardinals gathered in conclave and guided by the Holy Spirit will choose, after discerning together the signs of the times of the Church and the world.

His Holiness Benedict XVI has asked all the faithful to accompany him with their prayers as he commends the Petrine ministry into the Lord’s hands, and to await with trust the arrival of the new Pope. In a particularly urgent way this appeal is addressed to those chosen members of the Church who are contemplatives. The Holy Father is certain that you, in your monasteries and convents throughout the world, will provide the precious resource of that prayerful faith which down the centuries has accompanied and sustained the Church along her pilgrim path. The coming conclave will thus depend in a special way on the transparent purity of your prayer and worship.

The most significant example of this spiritual elevation which manifests the most authentic and profound dimension of every ecclesial action, the presence of the Holy Spirit who guides the Church, is offered to us by His Holiness Benedict XVI who, after having steered the barque of Peter amid the waves of history, has chosen to devote himself above all to prayer, contemplation and reflection.

The Holy Father, with whom I shared the contents of this letter, was deeply appreciative, and asked me to thank you and to assure you of his immense love and esteem.

With affection in Christ I send you greetings, united with you in prayer.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone

Secretary of State

[Original text: Italian]

Thank you, Holy Father, thank You!!

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, someone asked me few days ago why I love so deep Pope Benedict XVI. I would like to write the answer to invite you to a moment of reflection. In 2005, our Holy Father Benedict XVI wrote an entire encyclical on the topic, Deus Caritas Est, (God Is Love) in which he asserted: “Love is the light—and in the end, the only light—that can always illuminate a world grown dim and give us the courage needed to keep living and working.” Too often, Catholic teaching regarding love, sexuality, and marriage is misunderstood as an imposition and restriction on human happiness and freedom, when in fact the opposite is true. It is only in embracing sacrificial love and giving selflessly of ourselves in service to God and to one another that we find our life’s calling and attains lasting happiness. Our modern world, however, is loath to recognize this difficult truth. When it comes to teaching the truth about love, Benedict XVI is not afraid to be counter-cultural. On April 1, 2007, in his message for the 22nd World Youth Day, he challenged young people toward a greater, more selfless love than the world would ever require: “My dear young friends, I want to invite you to ‘dare to love.’ Do not desire anything less for your life than a love that is strong and beautiful and that is capable of making the whole of your existence a joyful undertaking of giving yourselves as a gift to God and your brothers and sisters, in imitation of the One who vanquished hatred and death for ever through love[1].” Pope Benedict XVI understands this kind of commitment to service and self-giving love because he has lived it. The Holy Father’s announcement of his resignation from the papacy earlier this week might have been a surprise to many, but the humble, generous spirit behind the decision is no surprise at all. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was reluctant to take on the overwhelming responsibility of the papacy in the first place. He confessed to praying he would not be elected pope during the 2005 papal conclave: “At a certain point, I prayed to God, ‘Please don’t do this to me,’” he said. “Evidently, this time he didn’t listen.” But Cardinal Ratzinger said yes. Because he knew he was called to serve the Church as pope, even if the very idea overwhelmed him. He never imagined he was born for greatness, but instead humbly accepted his calling to be used for the good of the church as God willed. “Dear brothers and sisters,” he announced on the day of his election, “the cardinals have elected me, a simple, humble worker in God’s vineyard. I am consoled by the fact that the Lord knows how to work and how to act, even with insufficient tools, and I especially trust in your prayers”. For this and many other reasons I dearly love the Pope Benedict XVI! Let us together pray for him! ■ Fr. Agustin, pastor.

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[1] Cf. Rev 5:13. 

¡la Iglesia con el Papa!

Queridos hermanos en el Señor, mi buen amigo Pacho Sánchez me presta su texto sobre nuestro queridísimo padre el Papa Benedicto XVI para publicarlo en nuestro boletín. Lo copio tal cual lo tiene publicado al tiempo que pido oraciones por éste amigo mío... que, aunque vive un poco lejos, también reza con frecuencia por nuestra comunidad parroquial ■ P. Agustín, párroco.

E

ra libre para aceptar y libre para renunciar. Hizo ambas cosas: aceptó en el 2005, con 78 años, y renunció ayer, con 85. Dos decisiones tremendas: dudo que nadie sea capaz de ponerse en la cabeza y en el corazón de un hombre que sueña con retirarse a descansar y escribir, pero de pronto deviene papa, oficio poco compatible con tales aspiraciones, especialmente a los 78 años. Y luego, ya con 85, la duda tremenda de conciencia: «¿Debo seguir?», «¿renuncio porque quiero descansar, porque no puedo más o porque es lo que Dios pide, el mismo Dios ante el que pronto tendré que rendir cuentas?». Benedicto XVI escribió tres encíclicas en siete años: dos sobre el amor y una sobre la esperanza, como si esas dos fueran a la vez las grandes dolencias de nuestro mundo y sus grandes remedios: amor y esperanza contra las plagas de desamor y desesperación. De ahí su empeño en volver a explicar a Jesús de Nazaret, que es Dios y es amor -como dice el título de su primera encíclica- y es hombre. Quizá su pontificado pueda resumirse en esto, en volver a Jesús. Frente a la percepción simplificada de la Iglesia como un conjunto casposo de normas morales, principalmente de carácter sexual, Ratzinger propone al mismo Cristo. Y frente al sentimentalismo relativista, tan inseguro como angustioso, reivindica el papel decisivo de la razón: Caritas in Veritate se titula su tercera encíclica. Joseph Ratzinger pasará a la historia como uno de los más grandes teólogos de nuestra época, pero también como uno de los intelectuales que mejor supo entender y diagnosticar las crisis de nuestro tiempo. Crisis de la inteligencia y del amor. Justo las dos claves que explican la grandeza de su generosa aceptación en el 2005 y de su renuncia ayer ■

Yolanda's Funeral Mass (02.21.2013)

There is a time for everything under heaven, Holy Scripture tells us, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to live, and a time to die[1]...

Well, now is time to pray, to pray for the eternal rest of the soul of Yolanda, who passed away last Saturday…

During the ACTS retreat where Yolanda was before she died, we were talking about heaven, purgatory, eternal life, confession, etc.. None of us imagined that on that evening God would call Yolanda into His presence…

That's life, we know neither the day nor the hour; none of us know when we will be called to account for our lives. Yolanda was given the gift of receiving communion on the day of her death, the gift of the blessing with the Blessed Sacrament, and the opportunity to serve their sisters. In all this we can see the hand of God, a God who takes the life of humans no in a violent way. God called Yolanda at the time He considered more appropriate. None of us can say if Yolanda was ready or not, only God and Yolanda knew her intentions and the state of her soul. What we do know is that she gave us an example of Christian life, and that she was working for God and the Church (and for parish of course) until the last day of her life.

SO, besides our prayers for her soul and for peace for her family, this funeral liturgy is an opportunity that God give us to reflect on the reality of death. We do many things during life that are a waste of time. What really matters in life is putting God first. Jesus said in our Gospel that he is the Way, the Truth and the Life, if we are not living our lives in union with Him, then we are not on the way and if we are not on the way we are lost.

On one occasion Jesus said, Seek the kingdom of God first and all these other things will be given you as well. Well, when we seek the kingdom of God first, when we save time to spend it with our Lord, when we help others, then we are on the way, and not wasting our time.

My brother, my sister in the heart of each one of us there is a longing for God, so we must be extremely careful about what things we are giving to our heart; we might try to satisfy it with all sorts of things instead, like power, control, envy, selfishness, etc. One of the Psalms expresses it beautifully:

O God you are my God, for you I long;

for you my soul is thirsting.

My body pines for you

like a dry weary land without water.

So I gaze on you in the sanctuary

to see your strength and your glory.

Today we say goodbye to Yolanda, we pray for the repose of her soul, we pray for her family, and we make a good examination of conscience:  Am I living in a selfish manner? Am I being envious? Am I living without serving to others? Did I seek the applause and vainglory?

Our dear Yolanda died in a very Christian way: serving others. Today we give thanks for the years that we had her. I especially give thanks to God for the time she served the parish as a reader, as a minister, working at the ACTS Core, etc…

Finally: Yolanda died Saturday, the day on which the Church venerates in a special way the Mother of God. Let us ask the Virgin Mary to grant us such a death: serving others, having received the Holy Communion… May she grant us a great love for Jesus her Son; May our Blessed Mother help us to make Jesus Christ the center of our life, for Him and only for Him all the honor and glory.

Amen ■

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[1] Ecclesiastes 3:1

At the beginning and end!

It’s interesting to revisit Benedict’s first homily at pope, delivered eight years ago, and place it beside his last homily, delivered on Ash Wednesday. 

From the Mass for the Inauguration of the Petrine Ministry, Sunday April 24 of 2015: "The task of the shepherd, the task of the fisher of men, can often seem wearisome. But it is beautiful and wonderful, because it is truly a service to joy, to God’s joy which longs to break into the world. Here I want to add something: both the image of the shepherd and that of the fisherman issue an explicit call to unity. “I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must lead them too, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd” (Jn 10:16); these are the words of Jesus at the end of his discourse on the Good Shepherd. And the account of the 153 large fish ends with the joyful statement: “although there were so many, the net was not torn” (Jn 21:11). Alas, beloved Lord, with sorrow we must now acknowledge that it has been torn! But no – we must not be sad! Let us rejoice because of your promise, which does not disappoint, and let us do all we can to pursue the path towards the unity you have promised. Let us remember it in our prayer to the Lord, as we plead with him: yes, Lord, remember your promise. Grant that we may be one flock and one shepherd! Do not allow your net to be torn, help us to be servants of unity!

From the Mass on Ash Wednesday, February 13 of 2013: This “return to me with all your heart,” then, is a reminder that not only involves the individual but the entire community. Again we heard in the first reading: “Blow the horn in Zion! Proclaim a fast, call an assembly! Gather the people, sanctify the congregation; Assemble the elderly; gather the children, even infants nursing at the breast; Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her bridal tent (vv.15-16). The community dimension is an essential element in faith and Christian life. Christ came “to gather the children of God who are scattered into one” (Jn 11:52). The “we” of the Church is the community in which Jesus brings us together (cf. Jn 12:32), faith is necessarily ecclesial. And it is important to remember and to live this during Lent: each person must be aware that the penitential journey cannot be faced alone, but together with many brothers and sisters in the Church. Finally, the prophet focuses on the prayers of priests, who, with tears in their eyes, turn to God, saying: “Spare your people, Lord! Do not let your heritage become a disgrace, a byword among the nations!” This prayer leads us to reflect on the importance of witnessing to faith and Christian life, for each of us and our community, so that we can reveal the face of the Church and how this face is, at times, disfigured. I am thinking in particular of the sins against the unity of the Church, of the divisions in the body of the Church. Living Lent in a more intense and evident ecclesial communion, overcoming individualism and rivalry is a humble and precious sign for those who have distanced themselves from the faith or who are indifferent / Fr. Agustin, pastor. 

Official Statement

February 11, 2013

I received the announcement ofPope Benedict XVI’s resignation with great surprise, but with the confidence that he reached this difficult decision after much prayer and reflection. The Holy Father’s love for God and the Church, and his unselfish spirit of service to God’s people were clearly deciding factors that led to his decision.

Pope Benedict has been an important force for people of faith and good will around the world. His contributions to the life of the Church will be felt for generations to come. During my participation in the recent Synod on the New Evangelization I was struck by the Pope’s level of constant and effective participation. His spirituality, his wisdom and his unfailing dedication will remain a source of inspiration to me and all Catholics.

Let us pray for a long and peaceful retirement for the Holy Father and call upon the Holy Spirit to once again guide the Conclave as they select a new Pontiff.

+ Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller

Liturgy & Eucharist

I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart (…)

in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;

I will worship at your holy temple

and give thanks to your name.

The beautiful Psalm we have just recited, is a very good summary of our attitude toward the liturgy of the Church and its elements…

in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;

I will worship at your holy temple

and give thanks to your name.

For sure you notice here at SVDP we try to take care of the liturgy as much as possible BECAUSE the liturgy is like the bridge that helps us to communicate with God. The priest, the deacon, the Ladies of the Altar Society and the staff make a very good effort so that when the weekend arrives the parish is clean, the altar is ready, , the sound system to works well, you have a missalettes to follow the readings, etcetera.

An important part of the liturgy is music. Is very important actually. Sometimes I perceive little interest on the assembly, little enthusiasm when we are singing. St. Augustine my great patron saint used to say that “he (or she) who sings prays twice”… Anyway this is not the point of the homily. The point is that for sure you notice the terrible state of our hymnals, I mean, the book we use to follow the lyrics are in very good shape, and we are in need new ones….

 “Oh my Gosh! Here comes the priest asking for money. Again!”

No. For your peace of mind, this time I will not ask for money, on the contrary, first of all, I want to thank you the generosity with which YOU have always responded to my requests.

You know, I do not ask money for me, for my vacation or for a new luxury car, I beg your help ONLY to keep the house of God in good shape!

Once a month I ask your money for our Friendship House which helps so many people. Once a month I ask you for money to help our seminarians that help us with the liturgy on Sundays…in short: we use your money for the house of the Lord…

Very soon we will have some new hymnals, and the new hymnals are a gift from the parish to the parish. Yeah! It’s correct! You have already paid for the new hymnals!

Now I will ask Marisela, who works very hard with another five persons, to explain you a little bit where the money has come to pay for these books.

These new hymnals will help us in the celebration of the Eucharist, BECAUSE the Eucharist is and should be always the center and heart of our parish life.

Our parish will be good ONLY if we deeply value the Eucharist, ONLY if we have the Eucharist as the center of everything.

In other words: “Unless we believe and see Jesus in the appearance of bread on the altar, we will not be able to see him in our brothers and sister around us” ■ Fr. Agustin

Our new readers!

Te damos gracias porque nos llamas

porque nos tienes cerca de Tí

mi vida entera es toda tuya

yo nada quiero, ya soy feliz

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord 

and Conferral of Ministry of Reader for:

Abel Ruiz

Daniel  Villareal

Ricardo Chavez-Flores

Leonel Rodriguez

Victorino Loresca

Cong Vo

Lakkisetti Praveen

Rodolfo Rivera

Rafael Majano

Fidel Rivero

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord (Candlemass)

One purpose of our weekly Pastor’s Bench is to highlight the importance of the liturgical feasts or other liturgical celebrations. The beautiful feast of the Presentation of the Lord is a day of both shadow and light. But it is not limited to today. Shadow and light are the reality of our lives and our world. We could all tell a story of what it was like to live in the shadowy places. Sometimes we go there by our own choices or actions and other times as a result of someone else’s action or simply through the circumstances of life. Sometimes we hide in the darkness avoiding the light because of our shame or guilt. We do not want to admit the truth of our lives to ourselves and we sure do not want another to see that truth about us – our thoughts or the things we have done and left undone. The shadows, we tell ourselves, will hide us. Other times we live in the night of fear not knowing what will come next or how we will handle it. There is s sense of powerlessness and life seems out of control. There are those times when the black hole of sorrow and grief sucks out the life and the light of our world and we seem unable too escape the darkness. Sometimes we experience the darkness of ignorance and confusion. We are blind to our own identity, lost on the path of life, seemingly without meaning or direction. Even when we choose the shadowy places they are always uncomfortable. That discomfort is the light shining in the darkness. No matter how large the shadows or how dark the night the light is still present. It was symbolized on this feast by the candles. That little flickering flame is the reminder that Christ –a light for revelation – is with you. Christ is both the Light we see and the Illumination by which we see. That Light and that Illumination are revelatory. They reveal mercy and forgiveness in the shadows of guilt and shame, presence and courage in the night of fear, compassion and hope in the black holes of sorrow and loss, a way forward in the blindness of ignorance and confusion, and life in the darkness of death. The flame of God’s love consumes the darkness, fills us, and frees us to go in peace just as God promised. We have seen salvation and Simeon’s song now becomes our song for the rest of our lives and for all the eternity! ■ Fr. Agustin, pastor.

Fiesta de la Presentación del Señor en el templo

Aunque la fiesta de la Presentación del Señor en el templo, queridos hermanos, cae fuera del tiempo de navidad, es una parte integrante del relato de navidad, es, digámoslo así, como una chispa de fuego de navidad. Es, pues, una fiesta antiquísima y de origen oriental. La Iglesia de Jerusalén la celebraba ya en el siglo IV. Se celebraba allí a los cuarenta días de la fiesta de la epifanía, el 14 de febrero. La peregrina Eteria, que cuenta esto en su famoso diario, añade el interesante comentario de que se "celebraba con el mayor gozo, como si fuera la pascua misma"'. Desde Jerusalén, la fiesta se propagó a otras iglesias de Oriente y de Occidente. En el siglo VII, si no antes, había sido introducida en Roma. Se asoció con esta fiesta una procesión de las candelas o velas. La Iglesia romana celebraba la fiesta cuarenta días después de navidad. Entre las iglesias orientales se conocía esta fiesta como "La fiesta del Encuentro" (en griego, Hypapante), nombre muy significativo y expresivo, que destaca un aspecto fundamental de la fiesta: el encuentro del Ungido de Dios con su pueblo. San Lucas narra el hecho en el capítulo 2 de su evangelio:  obedeciendo a la ley mosaica, los padres de Jesús llevaron a su hijo al templo cuarenta días después de su nacimiento para presentarlo al Señor y hacer una ofrenda por él. Así, con ésta fiesta, los cristianos tenemos aquí una clara y fuerte llamada a asumir nuestros compromisos de fe, a llevar, a presentar a Jesús a los demás, como María y José, sabiendo que Él es salvación, luz y paz para todos. Compromiso de recibir a Jesús en nuestras vidas con la alegría y la esperanza con que lo recibieron Simeón y Ana, aunque recibirlo nos cueste deponer el orgullo, vencer el egoísmo, abrirnos al amor y a la misericordia de las que Jesús es portador. Hoy giremos nuestros ojos hacia este hombre joven que es Dios, pero quien pasó treinta anos bajo la sumisión de sus padres, José y María. Así, si humildemente se lo pedimos, él nos dará su gracia, la gracia de creer verdaderamente que él es único Todopoderoso, que él puede hacer cualquier cosa, que, a través de su Espíritu, él, la Palabra de Dios, puede hablarnos ■ P. Agustín, párroco.