Thursday, May 16, 2013

5/19/2013 – Pentecostés – Juan 20:19-23; Salmo 104; 1 Corintios 12,3b-7, 12-13


        Hoy, terminamos nuestro camino en el tiempo de Pascua con la celebración de Pentecostés.  El Espíritu Santo está en el centro de esta celebración.  Podemos preguntarnos: ¿Qué es el Espíritu Santo?  ¿Es una fuerza ventosa o una presencia adentro de nosotros?  ¿Es un ser personal o un fantasma misterioso?  Me recuerdo que una vez un prisionero me preguntó: Padre, yo oro a Dios Padre y a Jesucristo, pero nunca oro al Espíritu Santo – ¿es un pecado? Recientemente, leí en un estudio que 60% de los cristianos en los Estados Unidos miran al Espíritu Santo como un símbolo del poder de Dios o un símbolo de su presencia, pero no miran como un ser vivo. 
         El Papa Benedicto hablaba mucho sobre el Espíritu Santo.  Decía que todos los cristianos deben utilizar el Espíritu Santo en nuestra vida de oración, especialmente cuando no podemos encontrar las palabras para orar.  Según Benedicto, el Espíritu Santo es la fortaleza en nuestras oraciones débiles, la luz en nuestras oraciones lejanas, y el foco de nuestras oraciones secas.       El Espíritu Santo puede enseñarnos en nuestra oraciones, y puede asegurarnos que siempre tenemos la presencia de Dios con nosotros. 
          El Papa Francisco también habla mucho sobre el Espíritu Santo en nuestra vida, diciendo que muchas veces, resistimos el trabajo del Espíritu en nuestra vida, especialmente cuando el Espíritu nos empuja afuera nuestra zona de confort.  El Papa dice – necesitamos tener el hábito de preguntarnos al fin de día: ¿Qué hizo el Espíritu Santo en mi hoy día?  El Papa Francisco mira al Espíritu Santo como la presencia divina en nuestra vida que puede avanzarnos como Cristianos.  Sin la presencia del Espíritu con nosotros, no podemos entender nuestra vida.
         En nuestro Evangelio de hoy, se presentó Jesús en medio de sus discípulos en la casa con sus puertas cerradas.  En este momento, los discípulos no se daban cuenta sobre las ramificaciones de su muerte y resurrección.  En la mitad del miedo de los discípulos, Jesús llevó su paz y el Espíritu Santo también, para quedar con ellos.  En este Espíritu, nació nuestra Iglesia.  Y podemos llamar al Espíritu para guiarnos y dirigirnos en nuestro Camino.
         En nuestro salmo, dice: “Envía tu Espíritu Señor, y repuebla la faz de la tierra.”  El Espíritu es una realidad en el mundo hoy.  Tiene su existencia propia y su función propia en la vida de Dios y en nuestro plan de salvación.  El Espíritu está aquí para facilitar la unidad de la raza humana en el cuerpo de Cristo.  Pero, con el Espíritu, tenemos diversidad en nuestra unidad también.  San Pablo, en su carta a los corintios, habla sobre los dones del Espíritu, las formas diferentes del servicio – y todo de eso es una parte del mismo Dios.
         Nuestra celebración de Pentecostés termina oficialmente el tiempo de Pascua, pero cada uno de nosotros necesita utilizar la presencia del Espíritu Santo que está con nosotros y vivir el mensaje de Cristo resucitado en nuestra vida.  El Espíritu de Pascua, el Espíritu de Cristo resucitado, está vivo y activo en nosotros.  Cristo ha resucitado y se fue a los cielos en la Ascensión.   
         

Monday, May 13, 2013

Oración a Cristo, Nuestro Rey


Señor Jesús, te doy mis manos para hacer tu trabajo,
Te doy mis pies, para seguir tu camino,
Te doy mis ojos para ver como tu ves.
Te doy mi lengua para hablar tus palabras,
Te doy mi mente para que puedas pensar en mí,
Te doy mi espíritu para que puedas orar en mí.
Por encima de todo, te doy mi corazón, así que en mi, tu puedas amar a tu padre y a toda la gente.
Te doy todo mi ser para que puedas crecer en mí, hasta que tú, Señor, que vivas, trabajes y ores en mí. AMEN

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Prayer in the spirit of the Ascension


I received a lot of requests for the prayer I had at the end of my homily for the Solemnity of the Ascension.  It was originally given to me by Kolbe Alsobrooks, a young man who is a member of St Richard Catholic Church in Jackson, Mississippi. It comes from Reino Christi.  Here it is:

Lord Jesus, I give you my hands to do your work,
I give you my feet, to follow your path,
I give you my eyes to see as you do.
I give you my tongue to speak your words,
I give you my mind so that you can think in me,
I give you my spirit so that you can pray in me.
Above all, I give you my heart, so in me you can love your father and all people.
I give you my whole self so you can grow in me, until it is you, Lord, who lives, works, & prays in me.  AMEN

Candles - Devotions to the Divine Mercy and to Our Lady of Guadalupe - St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church - New Albany, Mississippi



Crucifix - located in the sacristy of St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church - New Albany, Mississippi


5/19/2013 – Pentecost – John 20:19-23, 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13, Psalm 104


         We have come to the end of our Easter journey.  We are not in the traditional Easter color of white today, but rather have the liturgical color of red, symbolizing the Holy Spirit.  Yes, the celebration of Pentecost is all about the Holy Spirit.  But, we might ask ourselves:  Who or what is the Holy Spirit?  Is it a breezy force or a presence within us?   Is it a personal being or a mysterious ghost?  I remember one of the prisoners in the prison remarking to me once that although he prays regularly to Jesus and to God the Father, he doesn’t really comfortable praying to the Holy Spirit, and he asked me if that was a sin.  I read an article recently that stated the following statistic: In a recent poll, almost 60% of Christians in the United States see the Holy Spirit as "a symbol of God's power or presence but is not a living entity." 
        Yet, in the midst of this, our last two popes have spoken out a great about the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives and in the world.  Last year, Pope Benedict asserted that all of us as Christians should avail ourselves of the Holy Spirit in prayer, especially when we cannot find the words to pray.  Benedict saw the Spirit as the strength in our weak prayers, the light of our dimmed prayers, and the focus of our dry prayers.  He said that the Spirit will inspire in us our inner freedom and will teach us to pray in times of trial, assuring us that we are never alone and always have the presence of the Spirit with us. 
         Pope Francis recently stated that many of us tend to resist the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, especially when the Spirit tries to push us beyond our comfort zones into something new.  Francis said that we should get into the habit of asking ourselves before the end of each day: What did Holy Spirit do in me? What witness did he give me? Francis sees the Holy Spirit as the divine presence in our lives that helps us move forward as Christians. He asserts that without the presence of the Spirit with us, our Christian lives cannot be understood.
         In our Gospel today, we hear how Christ appeared to his disciples in the locked room after his death, where they still didn’t understand the ramifications of his resurrection, where they were huddled in fear of the unknown.  Christ brought them a message of his peace, then he breathed the Holy Spirit upon them to be with them and to empower them.  That is the Spirit that gave birth to our Church, that accompanies us today as we call upon that Spirit to lead us and guide us on our journey of faith.
          Our psalmist today cries out to our Lord – “Come, Lord Jesus, send us your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.”  The Spirit is a reality in our world today.  It has its own existence and own function in the inner life of God and in God’s plan  of salvation.  The Spirit is here to bring about the unity of the human race in the Body of Christ.  But, the Spirit also imparts diversity in the midst of our unity.  Thus, we hear St Paul in his letter to the Corinthians talk about the different spiritual gifts of the Spirit, the different forms of service, and the different workings of the Spirit that are all a part of the same God. 
          Yesterday, we experienced a special working of the Holy Spirit here at St James with the Sacrament of Confirmation that some of our Catholic youth received from the many different parishes throughout Northeast Mississippi.  I see in so many of those youth a great joy and enthusiasm for living out our Catholic faith.  They enjoy helping others and reaching out to those in need as an essential element of their faith.  Many of our youth will be going on Catholic Heart Workcamp trips to Jamaica and St Louis this summer, they will be bringing Vacation Bible School to children in a couple of rural areas in our state who would not have access to it, and will be traveling to the Mississippi Delta for outreach in our own diocese.  The Spirit will help kindle within us a joy and energy of faith, and will push us past our comfort zone and through barriers we would be afraid to cross.
         As I mentioned, our celebration of Pentecost officially ends of our Easter season, but it is up to each of us to utilize the presence of the Holy Spirit that is with us and to live the message of the risen Christ in our lives.  The spirit of Easter, the spirit of Christ’s resurrection, is to be alive and active for us.  Jesus is resurrected and he ascended into heaven.  Those events did not just happen 2,000 years ago in ancient Israel – they are very much a reality for us in modern America as well.  May we never forget that reality.  

Saturday, May 11, 2013

5/17/2013 – Friday of 7th week of Easter – Psalm 103


        The story of St Dymphna was recorded in Ireland in the 13th century, based upon longstanding oral tradition.  It was said that there was a girl named Dymphna born of a Christian princess and a pagan Irish king.  When the princess died, the king was so distraught that he wanted a new wife who was much like his old one; he soon desired his own daughter Dymphna to be his new wife.  She fled to Belgium, where the king pursued her and struck her dead in a fit of rage.  Tradition holds that after Dymphna’s remains were found, those who suffered from epilepsy and other forms of mental illness were cured by her.  Dymphna has become the patron saint of those suffering from mental illness and neurological disorders.  Even today, we see so many in own modern society who cannot get adequate access to treatment for mental illness. 
         Dymphna is a saint that is celebrated in the month of May.  We hear today in the psalm – “Bless the Lord, my soul, and all my being, bless his holy name.  The Lord blesses us in so many ways, and in return, we wish blessings to him as well.  The story of Dymphna is a tragic one, but out of that story comes a message of fidelity, chastity, and perseverance, as well as a message of hope and healing for those suffering from mental illness.  We can find blessings from the Lord in many different situations in life, situations both good and bad.  May we bless the Lord today, no matter what our circumstance.