La Inmaculada Concepcion de la Santísima Virgen María

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

«Tanto a Zacarías como a María se les promete un hijo, y ella repite casi las mismas palabras que Zacarías ¿Qué había dicho Zacarías? ¿De dónde me viene esto a mí? Yo soy anciano, y mi mujer entrada en años (Lc 1,18) ¿Qué dijo también santa María? ¿Cómo sucederá esto? Parecidas las palabras, pero muy distinto el corazón. Escuchemos las expresiones semejantes al oído, pero averigüemos la distinta disposición del corazón 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 no se le perdonó el pecado, sino que la ira del Señor quedó sobre él. ¿Qué vemos aquí, sino que a palabras iguales corresponde un corazón distinto? El hombre oye las palabras, pero Dios escruta el corazón. Al quitarle el habla condenando su incredulidad, el ángel vio que en aquellas palabras de Zacarías no había fe, sino duda y desesperación.

En cambio, María dijo: ¿Cómo sucederá eso, pues, no conozco varón? (Lc 1,34). Reconoced aquí el propósito de la virgen. 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 hacerlo los demás niños. Pero ella se acordaba de su propósito y era consciente de su voto. Porque sabía lo que había prometido y porque sabía que los niños les nacen a las mujeres casadas que yacen con sus maridos, cosa que estaba fuera de su intención, su pregunta ¿cómo sucederá eso?, se refería al modo, sin que incluyese duda alguna sobre la omnipotencia de Dios. ¿Cómo sucederá eso? ¿De qué manera tendrá lugar tal acontecimiento? Me anuncias un hijo, y me dejas en vilo; dime, pues, el modo. Pudo, en efecto, la virgen santa temer o ignorar los designios de Dios, como si el querer que tuviese un hijo significase desaprobar su voto de virginidad.

¿Qué pasaría si le hubiese dicho: «Cásate y únete con tu esposo»? Dios no hablaría nunca así, pues en cuanto Dios había aceptado el voto de la virgen, y recibió de ella lo que él le había donado. Dime, pues, mensajero de Dios: ¿Cómo sucederá eso? Ella advierte que el ángel lo sabe y le pregunta sin dudar lo más mínimo. Como vio que ella preguntaba sin dudar del hecho, no rehusó instruirla. Escucha cómo: «Tu virginidad se mantendrá; tú no tienes más que creer la verdad; guarda la virginidad y recibe la integridad, puesto que tu fe es íntegra, quedará intacta también tu integridad. Finalmente, escucha cómo sucederá eso: El Espíritu Santo vendrá sobre ti y el poder del Altísimo te cubrirá con su sombra, porque concibes mediante la fe, creyendo, no yaciendo con varón, quedarás encinta: Por eso 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? ¿Cómo lo has merecido? ¿De quién lo recibiste? ¿Cómo va a formarse en ti quien te hizo a ti?

¿De dónde, repito, te ha llegado tan gran bien? Eres virgen, eres santa, has hecho un voto; pero es muy grande lo que has merecido; mejor, lo que has recibido. ¿Cómo lo has merecido? Se forma en ti quien te hizo a ti; se hace en ti aquel por quien fuiste hecha tú; más aún, aquel por quien fue hecho el cielo y la tierra, por quien fueron hechas todas las cosas; en ti la Palabra se hace carne recibiendo la carne, sin perder la divinidad. Hasta la Palabra se junta y une con la carne, y tu seno es el tálamo de tan gran matrimonio; vuelvo a repetirlo: tu seno es el tálamo de tan gran matrimonio, es decir, de la unión de la Palabra y de la carne; de él sale el mismo esposo como de su lecho nupcial (Sal 18,6). Al ser concebido te encontró virgen, y, una vez nacido, te deja virgen. Te otorga la fecundidad, sin privarte de la integridad. ¿De dónde te ha venido? ¿Quizá parezca insolente al interrogar así a una virgen y pulsar como inoportunamente con estas mis palabras a sus castos oídos. Mas veo que ella llena de rubor, me responde y me alecciona: «¿Me preguntas de dónde me ha venido todo esto? Me ruborizo al responderte acerca de mi bien; escucha el saludo del ángel y reconoce en mí tu salvación. 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 a María? -Ya lo dije cuando la saludé: Salve, llena de gracia (Lc 1,28)»[2].

---

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

[2] Sermón 291, 4-6

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT

Silence restores and recognizes the missing contemplative dimension. Silence refreshes language and restores precision. Without silence even sacred words can become noise, babble. Silence in the Eucharist does not threaten emptiness or denote absence but exposes presence and invites responsiveness. The places in the Eucharist where silences are especially useful and enhancing have already been identified. Many celebrants begin with a few moments of silence in the sacristy with the acolytes before processing in. Whenever the celebrant calls the community to pray, Let us pray demands a moment of silence and reflexion. The penitential rite then invites people to reflect interiorly so that they can prepare our soul and body –our whole being- to experience the Eucharist as a healing and forgiving celebration. The readings especially call for silent pauses, before the responsorial psalm or the gospel acclamation rush us on. The readings must be proclaimed with preparation and devout attention and meditative silence that enable the Word of God to touch people’s minds and hearts in order that the words of the disciples will be ours: Mane Nobiscum Domine, Stay with us, Lord.

A living silence will arouse or, better perhaps, identify the deeper hunger that is at the heart of the Church and our world. Learning to pray at the contemplative level will teach us to live better in the spirit, because the way we pray is the way we live and the way 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 their web site: http://www.cccb.ca

III DOMINGO DE ADVIENTO

Queridos hermanos en el Señor, ya muy cerca de Navidad quiero mencionar brevemente las hermosísimas Antífonas de la O. Estas antífonas son siete y la Iglesia las canta junto con el Magnificat –el cántico de la Virgen María- en el Oficio de Vísperas desde el día 17 hasta el día 23 de diciembre. Son un llamado al Mesías y nos  recuerdan las 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 Iglesia espera el Nacimiento del Salvador. Se llaman así porque todas empiezan en latín con 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 un magnífico compendio de la cristología más antigua de la Iglesia, y a la vez, un resumen expresivo de los deseos de salvación de toda la humanidad, tanto del pueblo de Israel en el Antiguo Testamento como de la Iglesia en el Nuevo Testamento. Las antífonas son unas breves oraciones dirigidas a Cristo y condensan el espíritu del Adviento y de la Navidad, la admiración de la Iglesia ante el misterio de un Dios hecho hombre; todo esto se expresa con un profundo «Oh», y con la súplica urgente: «ven». Cada antífona empieza por una exclamación «Oh», seguida de un título mesiánico tomado del Antiguo Testamento pero entendido con la plenitud 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 tradición litúrgica de la Iglesia nos ayude a prepararnos en éstos días a la venida del Salvador, que nuestro corazón esté expectante y nuestra alma encendida y lista para recibir al Redentor de la humanidad. Podemos recitar día con día éstas antífonas en el silencio de nuestro corazón y así mantenernos encendidos y preparados para el encuentro con Él ■ P. Agustín, Párroco. 

ADVENT 2011

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.

People, look east and sing today:

Love, the guest, is on the way.

Furrows, be glad. Though earth is bare,

One more seed is planted there:

Give up your strength the seed to nourish,

That in course the flower may flourish.

People, look east and sing today:

Love, the rose, is on the way.

Birds, though you long have ceased to build,

Guard the nest that must be filled.

Even the hour when wings are frozen

God for fledging time has chosen.

People, look east and sing today:

Love, the bird, is on the way.

Stars, keep the watch. When night is dim

One more light the bowl shall brim,

Shining beyond the frosty weather,

Bright as sun and moon together.

People, look east and sing today:

Love, the star, is on the way.

Angels, announce with shouts of mirth

Christ who brings new life to earth.

Set every peak and valley humming

With the word, the Lord is coming.

People, look east and sing today:

Love, the Lord, is on the way.

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

My dear brothers in the Lord, today we celebrate the first Sunday of Advent, a time of silence and reflection, of meditation and self-examination. Let me share with you a text published by the Bishops of Canada, I am sure it will be of great help to all in this time of preparation for Christmas. As you have heard many times, my wish is that our parish will grow ever more in love for the Eucharist.  Peace and blessings, Fr Agustin, Pastor.

 

Advent, Eucharistic presence 

And silence

(I)

«A group of rabbinical students were once arguing about the meaning of a biblical text. They appealed to their teacher who told them to show him the page. “What do you see here?” he asked. “The words we are discussing,” they replied. “These black marks on the page,” the old rabbi said, “contain half the meaning of the passage. The other half is in the white spaces between the words.” This is the margin of silence around any page. It is also the necessary pause between breaths, the stillness between thoughts, the rest between bouts of activity. For a growing number of people today the Eucharist is a ritual whose significance is and has long been hemorrhaging. Let me share with you what I recently heard during a retreat I was giving in Sydney. A pastoral assistant from a parish in New South Wales told me that the priest there has actually done what Pope John Paul II asked priests to do and what the Guidelines of the new edition of the General Instructions of the Roman Missal reinforce. He has restored liturgical silence to the worship of his parish. I was surprised, not at this per se, but by the degree. They have silences after the readings, five minutes after the homily and fifteen minutes at communion. I asked how the people responded and was told that nobody has walked out and many are expressing their approval. I don’t, however, want to reduce this subject to the number of minutes of silence – and for good reason. I think it is significant that an ordinary Sunday parish congregation can be introduced to this degree of silence and enjoy it. Meister Eckart typically said that ‘there is nothing so much like God as silence.’ Mother Teresa, who insisted on the centrality of two hours of silent prayer for the life of her apostolic sisters, typically said that ‘silence is God speaking to us.’ Each of these sayings illustrates a way of understanding the meaning of silence»[1] ■

---

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

I DOMINGO DE ADVIENTO

Queridos hermanos en el Señor: celebramos hoy el primer domingo del tiempo de Adviento, y resuenan las palabras que san Pablo dirige a los cristianos de Roma:  «Ya es hora de despertaros del sueño»[1]. Muchas personas –incluso en nuestra misma familia- viven de noche y duermen de día. Durante la noche se entregan a cosas que no son propias de un cristiano.  Luego, durante el día, están demasiado cansados para pensar en cosas trascendentales, como el sentido de la vida. Curiosamente, esas frenéticas actividades de la noche, realizadas en la oscuridad o entre luces artificiales, son para el apóstol imágenes del sueño que embarga al hombre cuando vive de espaldas a la amistad con Dios. Por eso nos invita a despertarnos y a dejarnos iluminar por Aquél que viene para salvarnos. Si lo pensamos bien, todos vivimos un poco adormilados. También los que pasamos la noche en casa y de día vamos a la Iglesia. ¿Quién puede afirmar que nunca se deja tentar por las comilonas y borracheras, por la lujuria y el libertinaje, por las envidias y rivalidades? A cada uno le aprieta el zapato por un sitio, es decir, ninguno estamos totalmente libres del pecado. San Pablo nos recuerda que «nuestra salvación está ahora más cerca que cuando nosotros empezamos a creer». Esto significa que aún no estamos totalmente redimidos, que la obra de la salvación ya ha comenzado en nosotros, pero aún no ha llegado a su plenitud. Y alguno podrá decir: “Oiga, pero entonces, ¿para qué ha venido Cristo? ¿No decimos que Él ya nos ha salvado, ya ha vencido al pecado y a la muerte, ya nos ha otorgado la vida del cielo?”. Sí. Esto es verdad, Cristo ya nos dio la salvación pero mientras vivimos esta vida, siempre estamos en peligro de equivocar el camino, de permitir que las tinieblas confundan nuestros pensamientos, de perder las ilusiones, de cansarnos de esta luz que siempre nos exige más y nos invita a no darnos nunca por satisfechos.

San Pablo nos recuerda que en nuestra propia vida personal el día está del encuentro definitivo con el Señor está más y más cerca. Si se nos invita a despertarnos del sueño, es para que podamos descubrir la claridad del que nos trae la salvación, para que podamos acoger la Vida que se nos ofrece par poder darnos un abrazo con Él, un abrazo que durará para siempre. Queridos hermamos en el Señor, no desperdiciemos éstas hermosas semanas de preparación. Guardemos silencio y atentamente escuchemos la voz del Señor que ya pronto viene a salvarnos ■ P. Agustín, Párroco.

---

[1] Rm 13, 11-14

Father, all of Creation rightly owes you thanks and praise. Your justice, love and mercy abound. We thank you this day for all that you have given us:

For the Passion and Death of your Divine Son..... we thank you Father....through the Cross, He redeemed the world.

For the Church......... we thank you Father.... it is our beacon for salvation.

For the martyrs and saints who give testimony to your Son......... we thank you Father.....their witness to your Son is our inheritance.

For our loved ones and friends who have died and gone before us..... we thank you Father...their love abides with us forever.

For loving spouses ......we thank you Father......together we seek you.

For the gift of children.....we thank you Father....they are your precious gifts to us and to the world.

For the gift of our families, loved ones and good friends.......we thank you Father....Through them we see the reflection of your Son.

For jobs, our homes and all that we have.....we thank you Father....give us only that which we need, as we seek Your Kingdom.

For the bounty we are about to eat...we thank you through Christ Our Lord.

 Amen ■

THANKSGIVING 2011

Probably you know very well the story about the woman who looked out of her kitchen window on Monday morning to notice her neighbor hanging out her laundry to dry… Well, she noticed that the whites looked gray and the coloreds looked dull. “Such a shame that woman doesn’t know how to wash her clothes clean,” she said to husband. The same thing happened the next Monday. But the third Monday – oh my, what a change! The whites sparkled in the sunlight and the colored clothes were radiant. Finally, the woman thought to herself, that neighbor lady has discovered how laundry should be done. When she told her husband how much better the neighbor’s laundry looked, he said, “Well, it should. Last Tuesday I washed your kitchen window.”

So often the way we see things is conditioned by our own “dirty windows.” What seems to be a problem “out there” is actually a problem “in here” – in us – in the way we perceive the situation.

On this Thanksgiving Day 2011 there appears to be so much “dirty laundry” out there in our economy, in our world. Everyone is calling for “a fix.” But what can effectively “fix” our economy?

Perhaps what is really called for is a window washing of our own consciousness –a different way of seeing— clearing our own lifestyles. Only if we take a good clean look at the ways in which we honestly and credibly make money, spend money, save money and share money can we truly Give Thanks in this difficult year. I firmly believe that we CAN say “thanks a lot” if we hear this financial crisis as a wake-up call from our God[1].

In other words: how can we on this Thanksgiving Day wash the dirt from the windows our own economic perceptions? Well, we MUST reevaluate our economic visions and practices from a spiritual perspective, I mean, we need to see our economy with the clear vision of God’s eyes. And that vision allows us to see and to say: what is best for me, for us, is what is best for all.

Sadly private gain has prevailed over the common good. We’ve lost sight of what the common good is, very often –even in religious activities- we are driven by a self-interest.

The priorities in our economy need to be revised –or perhaps better said, reversed. If we wash the windows of our soul, our priorities would read like this: People, Planet and then Profit. As Catholics we have to be convinced that money must be at the service of people and the planet – not the other way around…

Our gospel today gives us a great teaching: Only one leper came back to thank Jesus for the healing. For him more than his body had been healed. He realized that his very way of seeing and being in the world had been transformed by God’s grace. The other nine healed lepers seem to have returned to business-as-usual. They didn’t realize what had really happened to them. Their vision had not been transformed. They could not acknowledge the One who had worked that wondrous deed. Only the one Giving Thanks had the windows of his vision purified to see the source of his New Life and The Path Ahead. It is Thanksgiving that makes all the difference.

We cannot spend our way out of this crisis. We must transform the ways in which money is made, saved, shared and spent.

Let’s try to see this difficult time as a Gift of God to help to open our eyes toward a more just and impartial and just abundance for all. Then, with Sirach on this 2011 Thanksgiving we can honestly repeat the beautiful words that we just heard at the first reading: Bless the God of all who has done wondrous things on earth Who fosters people’s growth from their mother’s womb, and fashions them according to his will[2] ■

---

[1] Cfr Fr. Patrick W. Collins, Ph.D, THANKSGIVING HOMILY 2008.

[2] Cfr Sir 50:22-24

Benedict XVI, Apostolic Journey to Benin (November 18-20, 2011)

Meeting of His Holiness Benedict XVI with journalists during the flight to Benin 

(Papal Flight, 18 November 2011)

Q: Holy Father, this journey takes us to Benin, but it is a very important trip for the entire African continent. Why did you choose Benin as the country from which to launch your message for all of Africa, today and tomorrow?

A: There are several reasons. The first is that Benin is a country at peace, external and internal peace. Democratic institutions work, in a spirit of freedom and responsibility and thus justice and the common good are possible and guaranteed by a democratic system and a sense of responsibility in freedom. The second reason is that, as in most African countries, there is the presence of different religions and peaceful coexistence between these religions. There are Christians in their diversity, not always an easy one, there are Muslims, and then there are the traditional religions, and these different religions live together in mutual respect and common responsibility for peace, for inner and outer reconciliation. It seems to me that this coexistence of religions and interreligious dialogue as a factor of peace and freedom is an important aspect, just as it is an important part of the Apostolic Exhortation. Finally, the third reason is that this is the country of origin of my dear friend, Cardinal Bernardin Gantin: I have always wanted to one day be able to pray at his tomb. He really was a great friend of mine -- we'll talk about that at the end, perhaps -- and so a visit to the country of Cardinal Gantin, a great representative of Catholic Africa, civilized and human Africa is one of the personal reasons why I wanted to go to this country.

ON DEATH AND LIFE (3)

Let us think for a moment of the scene at Calvary and let us listen once again to the words that Jesus addressed on the Cross to the robber crucified at his right: "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise"[1]. Let us think of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, when –after having travelled a stretch of road with the Risen Jesus- they recognize Him and quickly set out toward Jerusalem to announce the Lord's resurrection[2]. The Master's words come to mind with renewed clarity: "Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?"[3]. God has truly appeared; He has become accessible; He has so loved the world "that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life"[4], and in the supreme act of love - in the Cross- plunging into the abyss of death, He conquered it, He rose and He opened the doors of eternity also to us. Christ sustains us through the night of death, which He himself traversed: He is the Good Shepherd, in whose guidance we can trust without any fear, since He knows well the road, even in obscurity. Each Sunday, in reciting the Creed, we reaffirm this truth. And in visiting cemeteries to pray with affection and love for our dear departed ones, we are invited once again to renew with courage and with strength our faith in eternal life; indeed, we are invited to live out this great hope and to give witness to it in the world: Nothingness is not behind this present moment. And it is precisely faith in eternal life that gives the Christian the courage to love our world even more intensely, and to work to build a future for it, to give it a true and lasting hope»[5] ■ Fr. Agustin, Pastor.

---

[1] Luke 23:43

[2] Cf. Luke 24:13-35

[3] John 14:1-2

[4] John 3:16

[5] Benedict XVI, general audience, Vatican City, 11-02-2011.

Sobre la vida y la muerte (3)

Queridos amigos la conmemoración de los Fieles Difuntos nos dicen que solamente quien puede reconocer una gran esperanza en la muerte, puede también vivir una vida a partir de la esperanza. Si reducimos al hombre exclusivamente a su dimensión horizontal, a lo que se puede percibir empíricamente, la propia vida pierde su sentido profundo. El hombre necesita de la eternidad, y cualquier otra esperanza para él es demasiado breve, demasiado limitada. El hombre puede explicarse sólo si existe un Amor que supera todo aislamiento, también el de la muerte, en una totalidad que trascienda también el espacio y el tiempo. El hombre se puede explicar, encuentra su sentido más profundo, sólo si existe Dios. Y nosotros sabemos que Dios se ha hecho cercano, ha entrado en nuestra vida y nos dice: Yo soy la Resurrección y la Vida. El que cree en mí, aunque muera, vivirá: y todo el que vive y cree en mí, no morirá jamás[1]. Pensemos un momento en la escena del Calvario y volvamos a escuchar las palabras de Jesús, desde los alto de la Cruz, dirigidas al crucificado a su derecha: En verdad te digo, hoy estarás conmigo en el Paraíso[2]. Pensemos en los dos discípulos camino de Emaús, cuando después de haber recorrido un tramo con Jesús Resucitado, lo reconocen y parten sin dudar hacia Jerusalén, para anunciar la Resurrección del Señor[3]. Dios se ha mostrado verdaderamente, se ha hecho accesible, ha amado tanto al mundo que nos ha dado a su hijo Unigénito, para que quien cree en Él no se pierda sino que tenga vida eterna[4]. Cristo nos sostiene a través de la noche de la muerte que Él mismo ha atravesado; es el buen Pastor, bajo cuya guía nos podemos confiar sin temor, ya que Él conoce bien el camino, ha atravesado también la oscuridad. Cada domingo, recitando el Credo, reafirmamos esta verdad y renovamos nuestra fe en la vida eterna. La fe en la vida eterna da al cristiano el valor para amar aún más intensamente esta tierra nuestra y trabajar para construirle un futuro, para darle una esperanza verdadera y segura»[5] ■ P. Agustín, Párroco.

---

[1] Jn 11,25-26

[2] Lc 23,43

[3] Cfr Lc 24,13-35

[4] Jn 3,16

[5] Catequesis de Benedicto XVI en la Audiencia General, Plaza de San Pedro, Noviembre 2 del 2011.

The Decalogue of Pope John XXIII

Only for today, I will devote ten minutes of my time to some good reading, remembering that just as food is necessary to the life of the body, so good reading is necessary to the life of the soul.

Only for today, I will seek to live the livelong day positively without wishing to solve the problems of my life all at once.

Only for today, I will take the greatest care of my appearance: I will dress modestly; I will not raise my voice; I will be courteous in my behavior; I will not criticize anyone; I will not claim to improve or to discipline anyone except myself.

Only for today, I will be happy in the certainty that I was created to be happy, not only in the other world but also in this one.

Only for today, I will adapt to circumstances, without requiring all circumstances to be adapted to my own wishes.

Only for today, I will do one good deed and not tell anyone about it.

Only for today, I will do at least one thing I do not like doing; and if my feelings are hurt, I will make sure that no one notices.

Only for today, I will make a plan for myself: I may not follow it to the letter, but I will make it. And I will be on guard against two evils: hastiness and indecision.

Only for today, I will firmly believe, despite appearances, that the good providence of God cares for me as no one else who exists in this world.

Only for today, I will have no fears. In particular, I will not be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful and to believe in goodness. Indeed, for twelve hours I can certainly do what might cause me consternation were I to believe I had to do it all my life.

To conclude: here is an all-embracing resolution: "I want to be kind, today and always, to everyone."

In this way, we can put Pope John's hope for every Christian into practice: "Every believer in this world must be a spark of light, a core of love, life-giving leaven in the mass: and the more he is so, the more he will live, in his innermost depths, in communion with God."

ON DEATH AND LIFE (2)

Again, we fear death because – when we find ourselves approaching the end of life- we perceive that there will be a judgment of our actions, of how we led our lives, especially of those shadowy points that we often skillfully know how to remove –or attempt to remove- from our consciences. I would say that the question of judgment is what often underlies the care men of all times have for the departed, and the attention a man gives to persons who were significant to him and who are no longer beside him on the journey of earthly life. In a certain sense, the acts of affection and love that surround the departed loved one are a way of protecting him –in the belief that these acts are not without effect on judgment. We can see this in the majority of cultures, which make up human history. Today the world has become, at least apparently, much more rational –or better, there is a widespread tendency to think that every reality has to be confronted with the criteria of experimental science, and that we must respond even to the great question of death not so much with faith, but by departing from experiential, empirical knowledge. We do not sufficiently realize, however, that this way ends in falling into forms of spiritism in the attempt to have some contact with the world beyond death, imagining as it were that there exists a reality that in the end is a copy of the present one. Dear friends, the Solemnity of All Saints and the Commemoration of the faithful departed tell us that only he who is able to recognize a great hope in death is able also to live a life that springs from hope. If we reduce man exclusively to his horizontal dimension, to what can be perceived empirically, life itself loses its profound meaning. Man needs eternity –and every other hope, for him, is all too brief, is all too limited. Man is explainable only if there is a Love that overcomes all isolation – even that of death- in a totality that transcends even space and time. Man is explainable –he finds his deepest meaning- only if God is. And we know that God has gone forth from the distance and has made Himself close; He has entered into our lives and He tells us: I am the Resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die[1]. [2] ■ Fr. Agustin, Pastor.

---

[1] John 11:25-26

[2] Benedict XVI, general audience, Vatican City, 11-02-2011.