REFLECTION Sunday´s Gospel

“Deliver the fruit of the harvest at the proper time” Mt 21, 41 (Fr. James McTavish)

In the gospel of today (Mt 21, 33-43) Jesus tells us of a vineyard leased out to tenants. The vineyard produces its harvest and the owner sends his servants to collect the fruits. The tenants kill the servants so the owner sends his own beloved son who meets with the same fate. What will the owner do? The listeners respond “Kill the tenants!” filled with a sense of rough justice and indignation. But they then add, “And the owner will then lease the vineyard to other tenants who will be able to deliver the fruit of the harvest at the proper time.” The fruit of the vineyard is so precious that the show must go on. So the owner of the vineyard entrusts the harvest to “other tenants.” Who are these other tenants? You guessed it, you and I! It is our turn now. But how can we be trustworthy tenants who can produce the fruit of the harvest at the proper time.

Perhaps it helps us to remind ourselves what is a tenant. A tenant is not the owner and does not own the produce of the vineyard although the tenant can enjoy the benefit of a fruitful harvest. We are tenants in that we are called to collaborate, to be co-labourers, in the Lord’s vineyard. In the Eucharist we offer the bread to be consecrated as “fruit of the earth and work of our hands.” There is a col-laboration with God here, a working together in harmony with the Creator. God has given each one of us certain gifts and talents, he has given us a heart capable to love and a mind which can be creative in searching for solutions to problems. All that we have received including our time and our very lives are urgently needed to participate in building the Kingdom. A mentality prevalent today is that what I have is mine and I can do with it whatever I want. But what do we have that we have not received? It is good to examine if we use what we have in function of the Kingdom. For example our time - sometimes we find “no time” to pray but it is amazing how time flies when we are watching television or surfing the net!

The prophet Isaiah in the first reading (Isaiah 5, 1-7) laments that the vineyard has produced no fruit - “What more was there to do for my vineyard that I had not done? Why, when I looked for the crop of grapes, did it bring forth sour ones?” Sometimes we can mount the defensive and plead that “Well I am not a bad person. At least I haven’t killed anyone.” If we were living in the 16^th century perhaps we could get away with this. In that era, the moral life of the Christian was seen by many as merely to avoid sin. To not do evil. We are now in the 21^st century. The focus is not simply to avoid evil but to do good! The second Vatican council spoke of the moral obligation of Christians to do good in the world in a document called Optatam totius when it explained that the followers of Christ are called to assume the challenge and vocation “to bear fruit in charity for the life of the world.” Not simply to avoid bad things but to love. And not merely to think at an individual level but for the life of the world. When we see the great challenges of the world of today who cannot feel moved to respond fully to the call of Jesus to help out?

Sometimes we are too stressed to think much about the Kingdom. In fact, our minds can be so full of anxiety and negative thoughts that we think that our lives will never produce good fruit. It is a reality of our modern lives that sometimes we get very stressed by our work. We idolize it too much. It is well known that countries with a developed economy also have developed high levels of stomach ulcers! Or even in the Western world we can boast of increased levels of technology but also increased levels of depression. Of course our work can contribute to the Kingdom but we must only give to Caesar, or our boss, what belongs to him, but give to God what belongs to God. Many today will make great sacrifices for their work. In pagan times harsh sacrifices were often demanded to appease the false Gods but even today, for the sake of a career, many will sacrifice their maternity and paternity by delaying childbearing or having too few children. Others sacrifice their health, others their marriage.

In the second reading of today (Philippians 4, 6-9) St Paul gives us all some healthy advice for not get too caught up in the rat race and keep things in perspective. A healthy tree produces good fruit so what is needed is a healthy inner life, or life of prayer. We know that our lives are like the iceberg – 10% is visible and above water but the main part, 90% of it, is submerged. Externally we see a small fraction of the expression of a person. The battle is won and lost inside, in the so-called hidden life. Sometimes we are so disturbed by a comment or situation. How different when our stability lies in our inner life, in our relationship and friendship with Jesus. Herein lies our stability. For this reason St Paul advises: “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). What is lacking many times in the busy world of today? Go to the essential. In the days of exploring the high seas, the dreaded disease on long sea voyages was scurvy, a condition that caused the gums to bleed, the teeth to come out and the skin to fall away. What was lacking in the diet? A vital amine, later known as vitamin C. What is lacking in the lives of many Christians today? Vitamin P. What is that? Vitamin Prayer! Man cannot live on work alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. It is only in prayer that we discover that the owner of the vineyard is actually our loving Father telling us, “I love you and I need your help in the vineyard.” We discover a Jesus who does not call us servants but calls us friends. And we get to know this Holy Spirit who is not a spirit of timidity but of love and energy. Phew! We can breathe and relax a bit. All the strength does not need to come from us but from God. This is the secret of bearing fruit. It is our intimate relationship with the Trinity, a simple loving dialogue with them. This is why St Paul tells us to share all our worries with them. We need to speak to God like he is our best friend and most intimate companion. This is the advice of all the praying Saints. St Alphonsus Ligouri says our intimacy with God must be greater than that with our closest friend, and St Teresa of Avila describes prayer as an intimate dialogue with the person who loves us the most. We don’t need to think that “this is impossible for me as I cannot spend all day in the monastery.” Let us listen to the advice of St John Chrysostom - “It is always possible to pray. When we are walking along and even when we are in the marketplace.” So we can pray when we are at work as well and make our work part of our mission, a place where we can sow seeds of the Kingdom. A little Word here and there and we do our bit planting little seeds of love and humility. God will make them grow.

So let us ask for the gift to be good tenants, to grow in our loving, prayerful relationship with God so that we can “deliver the fruit of the harvest at the proper time.”

REFLEXION Evangelio Semanal

No, pero Si...

P. Luis J. Tamayo

En aquel tiempo, dijo Jesús a los sumos sacerdotes y a los ancianos del pueblo: «¿Qué os parece? Un hombre tenía dos hijos. Se acercó al primero y le dijo: "Hijo, ve hoy a trabajar en la viña." Él le contestó: "No quiero." Pero después recapacitó y fue. Se acercó al segundo y le dijo lo mismo. Él le contestó: "Voy, señor." Pero no fue. ¿Quién de los dos hizo lo que quería el padre?» Contestaron: «El primero.» Mateo 21, 28-32

Recuerdo que en un pueblo donde estuvimos de misión había un pastor que nos contaba que tenía una cabra que era muy tozuda y obstinada y si la quería conducir y llevar hacia la derecha, la tenía que empujar en sentido contrario hacia la izquierda. Siempre que tiraba de ella, se ponía tan terca que tiraba hacia atrás para el lado contrario.

Esta imagen me recuerda un poco a ese espíritu rebelde que nos caracteriza a todos… solo falta que nos empujen o nos pidan una cosa para no hacerla. ¿quién no ha vivido algo así alguna vez en su vida? Cuantas veces una madre le pide a su hijo tirado en el sofá sin hacer nada: “¿Hijo. Puedes ir al supermercado un momento a comprar el pan?” y el chaval responde: “Mama… ahora voy!”… para nunca ir. O lo contrario, uno se encuentra una prohibición, y tu padre te dice: no te bañes en ese río… y uno responde: “no me bañaré”, para cuando el padres se despista uno ya se está bañando. El primero… si, si ahora voy, para nunca ir; o el segundo, no, no lo hago, para luego hacerlo. Cuantos de nosotros lo hemos vivido así. Esto es el evangelio de hoy: El padre le dijo al segundo hijo: "Hijo, ve hoy a trabajar en la viña." Él le contestó: "Voy, señor." Pero no fue. Sin embargo le dijo al primero: "Hijo, ve hoy a trabajar en la viña." Él le contestó: "No quiero." Pero al final si fue.

Jesús hace la pregunta final: ¿Quién de los dos hizo lo que quería el padre? Obviamente ellos contestaron que el primero. Por lo que se deduce, el interés primordial en Jesús es resaltar el “hacer” y no tanto la “intención”. Hay un dicho que dice: EL infierno está lleno de cristianos con buenas intenciones. Lo que cuenta es el ‘hacer’, el ‘poner por obra’, el ‘practicar’ o ‘vivir’ según el deseo de Dios y no tanto al intención y al final nada. "Hijo, ve hoy a trabajar en la viña." Él le contestó: "No quiero." Pero al final si fue.

La pregunta es: ¿qué es lo que pudo pasar en el hijo para hacerle cambiar de parecer? ¿qué es lo que pasó para decir que no lo hacía y acabar haciéndolo? Es muy sencillo, lo explico con un ejemplo: antes del verano, cuando yo invitaba a los jóvenes a participar de la JMJ algunos decían que no sabían y tuve que llevarles a rastras… y sólo cuando hicieron la experiencia de la alegría que allí vivimos es cuando no hizo falta empujar… cada día los tenía a primera hora donde hiciera falta.

El paso de tener buena intención a la puesta en practica está en que el primer hijo tuvo la experiencia del amor del padre, pues sólo cuando uno se para y descubre que hay una experiencia de alegría y de amor… entonces es cuando aunque uno reniegue, al final acaba cediendo y lo hace.

Al final a todos nos pasa que la asistencia a un grupo parroquial de fe, a una eucaristía, a una formación, hay momentos en los que uno dice que no… pero luego si te paras y descubres que participar de ello te lleva a vivir una experiencia profunda de la alegría de Dios, entonces ya no se hace una obligación sino que aunque uno reniegue acaba haciéndolo. Cuantas veces he escuchado: “Que pereza ir a misa... pero luego se que si voy me va a hacer mucho bien”. La experiencia de la alegría, la paz, el amor, el gozo, la serenidad es lo que al final debe mover nuestra vida cristiana y no un cristianismo de la obligación, puesto que éste al final se hace una carga.

REFLECTION Sunday´s Gospel

Yes, Lord!

Fr. James McTavish

In the gospel of this Sunday Jesus gives us the interesting example of the two sons. When asked by their father to go and work in the vineyard the first one replies “I will not,” but afterwards he changed his mind and went. The other son was also asked to go and work in the vineyard and replied, “Yes, sir,” but did not go. Jesus then asks the question, “Which of the two did his father's will?” We would all agree, as did the listeners 2000 years ago, that it was only the first son who did the will of his father. Jesus uses this example to explain that many people such as tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the Kingdom of heaven because they changed their ways. They believed in the gospel that they heard and had a change of heart and mind. In this sense, by their lives they first said no to God but later changed their ways and said yes, like the first son in the parable. However the so called righteous ones are those that say yes to God with their lip service but their heart is far from God and in their lives they give a big no to his presence and to his love. Like the man who sang in the choir every Sunday, “Yes Lord!” but away from the Church his life was big no to the Lord.

God does not just want a blind yes from us, a yes given out of fear, a yes out of conformism. Many times today the yes of we Christians is very mediocre. It is a Christianity of “cheap grace,” a yes that does not cost anything. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German protestant pastor who was executed by the Nazis in World War II, wrote about the grace offered to Christians. It is a grace so powerful that it enables the Christians to grow in faith and love, even to the point of living exemplary and holy lives, to live a life that stands out in the crowd. This grace has been bought at a price – the cost of the life of Christ. When we modify our following of the Lord and water down our options, we are living a life of cheap grace. Our yes does not cost us anything. Very soon that yes will become a maybe and then a no. Jesus wants us to be sincere with him. It is more honest to say no to the Lord if we really feel that what he asking seems beyond our strength at that moment. How many play with the idea of a vocation for example, talk about it, gain admiration from interested listeners, but deep down there is no real commitment? Better to be honest with Jesus and say, “Lord, if you don’t make me more in love with you I cannot follow what you are asking me.” The word in Greek for sincerity is translated as: “not to be a hypocrite.” Many people say they are searching for God. But there are many types of searching. One can search for a new jumper on a leisurely shopping trip, one can search for a lost key with a bit more urgency or one can search for a lost child with all one’s heart and strength.

Jesus criticizes those who did not believe the example of John the Baptist. They see but they do not believe or change their ways. Often what they see can make them lose faith. Many today lose faith in the Church because they say it is rich. Once I came to mass on my bicycle to serve as deacon. There was a man standing outside the church and I asked him if he was going to the service. “No” he said, “I don’t have faith anymore. How can I believe when the Church is so rich?” He then proceeded to tell me a friend had heard that a Bishop was leaving the Vatican in a sports car! I started to laugh because instead of noticing the bicycle in front of him he had decided to believe this story. Often we believe what we want to believe, and many times it is to justify our own mediocrity! He could also believe in many examples of religious men and women who leave everything behind and dedicate their whole lives to the poor such as the brothers and sisters of Mother Teresa who have as their specific charism to go to the poorest of the poor.

It is true that it is not easy for us to change. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks! But Jesus is patient. His patience is our opportunity for salvation. Even if we say no at first, with the help of his Spirit we can give a big yes. In many quiz shows they announce, “I’m sorry. We can only accept your first answer.” Luckily for us Jesus gives us a second chance and our initial no can change when we see it is not the right answer, when we see that the way of life we have chosen is not making us happy. We don’t need to be stuck in a rut or complain that God is not fair. Like in the first reading of today: “You say, ‘The LORD'S way is not fair!’ Hear now, house of Israel: Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?” (Ezekiel 18,25). God’s grace makes it possible for us to live a truly Christian life. Jesus became man, emptying himself of his divinity so that we could become divine! (see Philippians 2, 1-11). This is an admirable exchange. Perhaps we can only become holy little by little. This is our hope that each day our little options can make us grow more in love with Jesus and our neighbour. We try to live our ordinary lives in extraordinary ways. Let us give thanks this day for the opportunity offered to us in Christ to grow. Let us put our roots deep in Christ and remain united to him and we shall bear much fruit. Let us ask Mary to strengthen us, to help us when we say no, and to make our yes a real “YES Lord!”

REFLEXION Evangelio

"Cadena de favores" Mateo 20, 1-16

P. Luis J Tamayo

«El reino de los cielos se parece a un propietario que al amanecer salió a contratar jornaleros para su viña. Después de ajustarse con ellos en un denario por jornada, los mandó a la viña. Salió otra vez a media mañana, vio a otros que estaban en la plaza sin trabajo, y les dijo: "Id también vosotros a mi viña, y os pagaré lo debido." Ellos fueron. Salió de nuevo hacia mediodía y a media tarde e hizo lo mismo. Salió al caer la tarde y encontró a otros, parados, y les dijo: "¿Cómo es que estáis aquí el día entero sin trabajar?" Le respondieron: "Nadie nos ha contratado." Él les dijo: "Id también vosotros a mi viña."»

Lo que sorprende de este evangelio es la cantidad de veces que sale el propietario a la calle a contratar jornaleros: al amanecer, a media mañana, a mediodía, a media tarde e incluso al caer la tarde. Y lo curioso es que siempre que sale no duda en contratar… La pregunta que uno se pudiera hacer no es ¿cómo debe ser la viña de grande para necesitar tantos jornaleros?, sino más bien, ¿cuánta necesidad debe haber en la viña para necesitar de tanto jornalero? El gran problema es la necesidad, es la situación de nuestro mundo.

Al leer este pasaje resuena en mi mente otra palabra de Jesús: “La mies es mucha y los obreros son pocos, rogad al dueño de la mies que envíe obreros a su mies”. (Lc 10,2)

El tema de hoy es la misión de los fieles en la Iglesia. Juan Pablo II escribe laexhortación apostólica
Christifideles Laici
sobre la vocación y misión de los laicos
en la iglesia y en el mundo; y el texto empieza desde este mismo Evangelio de hoy.

Cuando Jesús dice en el evangelio a los hombres de la plaza: “Id también vosotros”, JP II dice: “La llamada no se dirige sólo a los Pastores, a los sacerdotes, a los religiosos y religiosas, sino que se extiende a todos: también los fieles laicos son llamados personalmente por el Señor, de quien reciben una misión en favor de la Iglesia y del mundo.” Y concluye: “La Iglesia ruega en el Señor a todos los laicos que respondan con ánimo generoso y prontitud de corazón a la voz de Cristo, que en esta hora invita a todos con mayor insistencia”.

Delante de la gran necesidad que tiene nuestro mundo hay también gran necesidad de cristianos comprometidos con la misión de la Iglesia en sus diversos campos, y viendo la poca respuesta de los mismos cristianos… surge la misma pregunta del dueño de la vid:¿Porqué estáis aquí ociosos todo el día? Hombre! yo no creo que ociosos, pues sería injusto decir que nos tocamos la barriga… yo creo que todo el mundo tiene un montón de responsabilidades… pero si que es verdad que a veces quedamos demasiado encerrados en nuestras cuatro paredes y no somos capaces de mirar que ocurre más allá. Nos asfixiamos con un pequeño problema… que cada uno ponga su ejemplo...

La pregunta, yo la plantearía de otra forma: ¿Porqué tan preocupados por cosas que no llevan a nada? ¿por qué tanto tiempo o tanta energía en cosas que no son de importancia? Horas delante del televisor, horas delante de un armario para decidir que me pongo, horas haciendo un drama de una cosa muy sencilla, horas discutiendo por cosas sin sentido… Y yo no digo que no haya que ver la tele, vestirse bien, preocuparse por las cosas o discutir los asuntos de la familia… Lo único que digo es que implicándose en el servicio a los otros uno simplifica mucho su vida… si uno pusiera en la mente, como una prioridad diaria, la de hacer actos de amor y servicio a los otros viviría más descomplicado…

Recordad la película “Pay it forward”, en español, “Cadena de favores”… Toda la mente del protagonista está en como hacer el bien a los demás y como eso genera una cadena de favores que se expande. Al final de la película se ve la repercusión de tantas personas beneficiadas.

El Concilio dice: «Dentro de la Iglesia, la acción de los laicos es tan necesaria, que sin ella, el mismo apostolado de los Pastores no podría alcanzar, la mayor parte de las veces, su plena eficacia». La misión no es sólo cosa de curas…

Esta pregunta debiera ser una clara invitación a la acogida por parte de los fieles laicos del llamamiento de Cristo a trabajar en su viña, a tomar parte activa, consciente y responsable en la misión de la Iglesia.

REFLECTION Sunday´s Gospel

“No one hired us”

Fr. James McTavish

There is a well known verse from the Old Testament that runs “God ways are not our ways and his thoughts are not our thoughts.” It comes from the prophet Isaiah and happens to be the first reading today (Is. 55, 6-9). The verses continue with the Lord telling the prophet that as high as the heavens are above the earth so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts. Once an F-15 fighter pilot was recounting his testimony. He was a lay member of our Verbum Dei community. He said that on one flight he was pushing his F-15 plane to its limits. The move he was doing was the vertical climb. He was going vertically upwards, higher and higher. As he was leaving the earth behind and entering the upper atmosphere he remembered the verses from Isaiah about heaven being so high above earth and God’s ways being higher. As he gained height he asked the Lord “And are your ways higher than this?” It was as if in the silence of the stratosphere God was giving his answer indeed that his ways and thoughts are higher. The F-15 pursued relentlessly on and it reached its limit but the pilot experienced the infiniteness of God, that he goes beyond limits, and that his ways are truly higher!

We see an example of God’s ways being different from our ways in the Gospel of today. It is the parable of the workers in the vineyard. A landowner goes out at dawn to hire workers and agrees with them the daily wage. The owner then goes out at 9am, midday, 3pm and then again at 5pm. In the evening they all get the same wage even though the last ones had only worked one hour! The workers who had grafted the whole day complain about this. The owner replied “My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what is yours and go. Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?”

There are some interesting applications of this challenging parable. Sometimes you meet people who feel they are responding only to God’s call rather late in their life. Often they have a sense of regret at having squandered so much time in not responding. Somehow the parable is good news as those who joined later received the same reward at the end. Just imagine the good thief! He only responded it seems in the last hours yet Jesus promised him that he would be in paradise with Jesus that very day. Wow, he really was a good thief because he ‘stole’ the heart of Jesus with his humility. Of course it does not mean we should just leave our salvation until the last minute. One reason why is that our only concern is not merely our individual salvation but also how many people we can bring along with us. As the line from the song goes “We all go together.”

Another reading of the parable puts us as the landowner. As Christians we all have received a great inheritance and are asked to multiply the talents we have received. One way is by getting others involved in the gathering of the harvest and like the landowner to invite others to help. Once I was looking at a group of youth standing around doing nothing. My first reaction was a kind of sadness, wondering why they were not making good use of their time. The next day a community worker asked them to help repaint a wall of the school. They all joined in so enthusiastically, working the whole day in the heat of the sun to finish the task in time. When I reflected on why they had been standing around it was the same situation in today’s gospel. When the owner say the men standing around idle he said to them “Why do you stand here idle all day? They answered “Because no one has hired us.” How many more people would be involved in their community or Church if only they were asked.

There was a very famous poster in wartime Britain aimed at recruitment. There was a picture of Lord Kitchener with a finger pointing to the reader of the poster. The slogan was “Your country needs you!” The reality is that Jesus is the one pointing at each one of us saying “The Church needs you, it needs your response. I need you.” Why are we standing idle? There is work to be done. Let us roll up our sleeves, like the hard working St Paul in the second reading today. That man was totally committed to the mission, ready for anything - “Whether I live or die it does not matter as long as Christ is glorified” (See Phil 1, 20-24. 27). May we be inspired by St Paul to work for the building up of the Kingdom and to recruit labourers for this great task.

REFLEXION Evangelio Semanal

Como yo tuve compasión de ti

P. Luis J. Tamayo

Pedro preguntó a Jesús: «Señor, si mi hermano me ofende, ¿cuántas veces le tengo que perdonar? ¿Hasta siete veces? Jesús le contesta: «No te digo hasta siete veces, sino hasta setenta veces siete”. El tema que nos presenta el evangelio de hoy es el del perdón.

Este tema tiene toda su importancia al inicio de este curso. Si nos damos cuenta al comienzo de la misa hacemos el rito del perdón: “yo confieso que he pecado mucho de pensamiento, palabra y omisión…” ¿Con que fin? El fin de vivir el resto de la celebración reconciliado. Uno presenta su corazón débil y frágil pide perdón por las faltas de amor y una vez renovado, restaurado se dispone a recibir a la Fuente del Amor siempre nueva y siempre pura.

¿Por qué no pensar que el Señor nos invita a hacer lo mismo al inicio del año? Iniciar el curso desde el perdón y la reconciliación para afrontar el año con renovadas fuerzas, sin arrastrar lastres.

La lección de este evangelio tiene una clave muy clara para meditar y se resumen en una de las frases de la parábola que cuenta: “Toda aquella deuda te la perdoné porque me lo pediste. ¿No debías tú también tener compasión de tu compañero, como yo tuve compasión de ti?".

Perdonar no es fácil… Cuantas veces escuchamos: “Si, yo perdono pero no olvido”. La realidad es que cuando nos hacen daño algo se rompe en el corazón que genera un resentimiento, una ira, un deseo de venganza, una carga que no deja al corazón libre. La reacción pronta que nos sale es la de echar la culpa al otro… “Mira lo que me ha hecho”. Y lo último que nos sale es el perdón.

Una pregunta que me hacen muchas veces en el acompañamiento espiritual: “Padre, ¿de donde sacar amor para perdonar? Esto es muy difícil…” Nadie ha dicho que perdonar sea fácil, pero como Jesús lo sabe, como Jesús sabe que nos cuesta entonces aquí nos da una clave, un camino para facilitarnos el camino del perdón: “Toda aquella deuda te la perdoné porque me lo pediste. ¿No debías tú también tener compasión de tu compañero, como yo tuve compasión de ti?".

Tu puedes tener compasión de tu hermano porque yo la tuve antes de ti; tu puedes perdonar por que has sido perdonado previamente. La fuente de un amor que perdona y de un amor que reconcilia no está en mi… Uffff! Menos mal!! La fuente del Amor está en Dios. El Evangelio dice: como yo tuve compasión de ti, tu debías tener compasión de tu compañero…

La invitación de Jesús es la de contemplar, reflexionar, pensar cuantas veces nos ha perdonado en la vida… si uno pusiera en una balanza lo que ha sido perdonado, si fuera cuantificable se desbordaría la balanza… Si no… que levante la mano aquel que jamás ha roto un plato… Darse cuenta de esto es fuente de tanta gratitud que brota la compasión para perdonar a otros: si Dios me ha perdonado aquí, aquí, aquí… ¿cómo no voy yo a perdonar a este compañero?

El problema está en la falta de humildad para reconocer que tengo faltas que ya me han sido perdonadas… siempre echamos el balón fuera.

En una Cuaresma se me acercó un matrimonio mayor y me piden que les confiese: entra primero la mujer y me dice: Padre me confieso de que mi marido me ha hecho esto, me ha hecho lo otro, es un cabezón, tiene orgullo y no me deja vivir… Yo le dije… pare!! La confesión es para mirar yo mi parte… No es para echar el balón fuera… deje a su marido hacer su propia confesión y usted haga la suya… a ver y usted ¿qué?. Me dice: Uff! Que difícil! Cuando entra el marido otro tanto de lo mismo… Padre me confieso de que mi mujer es una pesada, no me deja en paz… Yo le dije lo mismo… pare!! La confesión es para mirar yo mi parte…

¿Sabes lo grande que es la experiencia de la misericordia de Dios? No te pierdas la alegría de saberte perdonado, no te pierdas la alegría de experimentar la compasión de Dios por tu vida. Es la fuente de un amor que restaura tu corazón y te da la fuerza para amar y perdonar…

REFLECTION Sunday´s Gospel

For - GIVE - ness

Fr. James McTavish

John Lennon sang a well known song called “Imagine.” Imagine all the people living life as one, yoo hoo ooohh! Imagine if really there was more forgiveness. For sure that would lead to more unity.

Often we believe that forgiveness is very difficult. Is this really true? I remember meeting one lady in Manila. She was telling me “Oh, the teaching of Jesus on forgiveness is very hard. To forgive your enemy is very difficult.” She then went on to tell me how she was so angry with her enemy. I asked her who it was and she told me it was her own brother. He had not paid a debt to her for many years. The woman was grinding her teeth and admitted that she could not sleep but told me that the situation was not really bothering her. Of course I was surprised on asking her how long it had been going on for and she said more than 5 years. What is more difficult? To forgive another or to experience 5 years of hatred, grinding your teeth and not sleeping? What is actually hard is not the teaching of the Gospel but our heads! Our hearts! That is what is hard. We are hard headed and hard of heart.

What is needed often is to lower pride and admit we are wrong. It reminds me of an archery competition in Medieval England. The first archer had to shoot a water melon off a man’s head at 50 yards. He was successful and announced “I am Robin Hood.” Round two was more difficult – an apple. The successful archer declared “I am William Tell” another famous archer. For the third and final round and a prize of 50 gold coins the winner had to shoot a grape off of man’s head. A contestant came forward and reassured all that his vision was fine despite his thick glasses. His arrow ended up in the eye of the man. “I am sorry” he declared. It is not easy to admit our mistakes even when we are obviously wrong. Often we can try to justify and defend. This can be the sin of pride.

Jesus really challenges Peter in the gospel of today to be more forgiving (see Matt 18, 21-35). Peter approaching asked him, "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” In other words we have to be people who are good at forgiving others. Now obviously this is not so easy if we do not experience being forgiven ourselves. Jesus makes a strong point in the parable he tells his disciples about forgiveness. A King decided to settle the accounts of his servants. One of them owed him a fortune. Unable to pay he would have to be sold along with his wife, children and all his property. At this the debtor fell down and begged for mercy “Be patient with me and I will pay you back in full.” The King was moved with compassion and forgave him the debt.

When that servant left, he found a fellow servant who owed him a small amount and started to throttle him. He would not accept his pleas of mercy and instead had him thrown in prison. The other servants complained to the King who was furious. He called our man back and said “'You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?' Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt.” Then Jesus delivers the punch line or killer blow to Peter! “So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart."

It is a call to each one of us to live forgiveness. Are you holding a grudge against someone or are we living with rancor in our hearts? The first reading from the book of Sirach gives us some good advice and words to ponder over: “Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight. The vengeful will suffer the Lord’s vengeance, for he remembers their sins in detail. Forgive your neighbor's injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. Should a man nourish anger against his fellows and expect healing from the Lord? Should a man refuse mercy to his fellows, yet seek pardon for his own sins? If he who is but flesh cherishes wrath, who will forgive his sins? Remember your last days, set enmity aside; remember death and decay, and cease from sin! Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbor; of the Most High's covenant, and overlook faults. Avoid strife and your sins will be fewer, for a quarrelsome man kindles disputes, commits the sin of disrupting friendship and sows discord among those at peace” (Sirach 27:30 - 28:9)

As we pray the ‘our Father’ this day, let us pray for the grace to put the words we say into practice: “Our Father...forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” Amen.

REFLEXION Evangelio Semanal

Reunidos en mi nombre, allí estoy Yo

P. Luis J. Tamayo

En aquel tiempo, dijo Jesús a sus discípulos: «Si tu hermano peca, repréndelo a solas entre los dos. Si te hace caso, has salvado a tu hermano. Si no te hace caso, llama a otro o a otros dos, para que todo el asunto quede confirmado por boca de dos o tres testigos (…) Os aseguro, además, que si dos de vosotros se ponen de acuerdo en la tierra para pedir algo, se lo dará mi Padre del cielo. Porque donde dos o tres están reunidos en mi nombre, allí estoy yo en medio de ellos.» (Mateo 18, 15-20)

El tema clásico que evoca este evangelio es el de la corrección fraterna, un tema muy trabajado a lo largo de la historia de la espiritualidad cristiana. Pero al final de este evangelio encontramos un párrafo de tres líneas que son un pequeño tesoro que no se puede desperdiciar y que es fuente de alimento para nuestra fe:“Os aseguro, además, que si dos de vosotros se ponen de acuerdo en la tierra para pedir algo, se lo dará mi Padre del cielo. Porque donde dos o tres están reunidos en mi nombre, allí estoy yo en medio de ellos.”

Nuestro punto de partida en esta reflexión es que la Palabra de Jesús son promesas de fe que se basan en la esperanza. Son promesas cargadas de verdad. Si Jesús dice: donde dos o tres están reunidos en mi nombre, allí estoy yo en medio de ellos… No es sólo un tópico, no es sólo algo que dijo hace 2,000 años, no es algo que veamos a ver si realmente se cumple… Lo que Jesús dice en su Palabra es verdad, es un hecho fehaciente.

Para el creyente, las verdades de fe implican un acto de fe personal: “yo me creo que esto que dices en tu Palabra es verdad”. Es un acto muy sencillo pero consciente que debe hacer cada persona: “Señor, si tu dices esto, yo creo que tú estas presente en nuestra comunidad, en medio de nuestra asamblea”. Al acto de fe le debe acompañar un gesto de vida como la veneración o el recogimiento para buscar a Cristo en mi corazón. Por ejemplo, en el momento de la consagración de la Misa no me pongo de rodillas por que “toca”, por que otros lo hacen, sino por que creo que es un momento de adoración delante de la presencia real de mi Señor.

¿Cuál es el problema? El problema está en que nuestro concepto de la palabra “VERDAD” ha cambiado influido por un ambiente en el que nos falta la confianza: “Lo que para ti es verdad, puede que para mi no lo sea…” Hoy no se cree en una verdad absoluta y válida para todos, y menos que esta vedad sea la del Evangelio… eso suena a impositivo, más que a libertad. Hoy se aboga por verdades relativas… “Si eso lo crees tu… a mi no me lo impongas”. Pero, antiguamente habían verdades que lo eran para todos… por ejemplo, los contratos se firmaban con lo que se llamaba “palabra de honor” y un dar de manos; esto era suficiente. En el ambiente eso era lo común, uno se fiaba de que esa palabra dada se cumpliría.

La pregunta que surge ya no es para uno que es creyente, sino para todo este mundo que no cree que Dios está presente, o si cree en la existencia de Dios, no cree que la Iglesia lo haga presente. ¿Cómo puede ser creíble la verdad que hoy proclama el Evangelio en medio de un mundo tan escéptico? ¿Cómo pueden ser creíbles las palabras de Cristo cuando dice: donde dos o tres están reunidos en mi nombre, allí estoy yo en medio de ellos? Esto sólo se hace creíble mediante el testimonio de una Iglesia que lo hace así visible.A esto quería yo llegar.

El testimonio, no sólo de la presencia del Papa, sino de una Jornada Mundial de la Juventud en Madrid, en el que la Iglesia universal estaba presente en sus casi dos millones de jóvenes, sacerdotes, religiosos y religiosas, matrimonios jóvenes, adolescentes… Ahí estábamos todos reunidos en nombre de Jesús… y los múltiples gestos lo hacían presente. Para nuestro mundo escéptico no ha hecho falta muchos argumentos, sino que los hechos, los gestos, las actitudes que veías por la calle eran el argumento evidente e indiscutible. Incluso aquellos periódicos distantes de la Iglesia cambiaron de un tono más agresivo antes de la JMJ a un tono más amigable y evidente de que algo estaba pasando en Madrid… Cristo estaba presente, pues dos o más estábamos reunidos en su nombre.Acabo con algunos gestos muy sencillos de que hablaban de la presencia de Cristo: El primer día vamos a la oración de Taize en la Iglesia de la Basílica 2,500 jóvenes en silencio… Una tarde en el metro, lleno de jóvenes italianos cantando alegremente, entra una señora con su bebe, el niño se asusta y se pone a llorar, todos los jóvenes se callan y en el silencio brota unos jóvenes cantando una nana (canción de cuna) para bebes… Viernes, fiesta del perdón en el Retiro. 200 confesionarios no eran suficientes para confesar las largas colas de jóvenes que buscaban reconciliarse… Me giro y veo multitud de curas confesando debajo de un árbol, en un banco, sentado en el césped… Vigilia, momento de la adoración eucarística: más de 1,5 millones de jóvenes en silencio delante de Cristo en su cuerpo eucarístico… y tantos otros testimonios de fe que se han visto y que vosotros habéis vivido.

Muy duro de corazón (Salmo 94) uno ha de ser para no creer en que cuando "dos o tres están reunidos en mi nombre, allí estoy yo en medio de ellos".