Merry Christmas!

 

May the birth of Jesus illuminate the shadows of your life and his peace reign in your heart.

The Two Donkeys - Don Bruno Ferrero

 

 They arrived at the cave of Bethlehem with difficulty, even two donkeys.

They were tired and annoyed. 

Their back was torn by the heavy bags that the miller, their master, carried daily and by the blows of the cane that he did not spare. 

They had heard the shepherds speak of the King of Kings who came from Heaven, and they too had gone. They followed that star and, before the cave, they stayed to contemplate the Child. 

They adored him, prayed like everyone else, and placed at his feet as a gift the only thing they had: their lives. And their pain, their sorrows... 

As they left, the ruthless miller was waiting for them, and the two donkeys set off with their heads down, the heavy staff on their backs. "It's no use," said one, "I begged the Messiah to take the burden away from me, and he didn't." 

"I, on the other hand," replied the other, who was trotting with some vigor, "asked him to give me the strength to carry him!"

And if someone tells you, "Life is hard," ask them, "Compared to what?"

- Don Bruno Ferrero - 

Heaven

 

There is a heaven,

Many rooms

And God illuminates everything

I only know that it's beautiful

Where the angels and saints

They praise God,

Where Jesus sits 

at the right hand of the Father,

Next to the Holy Spirit.

Where Mary is,

the Most Holy Virgin.

A heaven

That even though I wanted it

I couldn't imagine

Because

No eye has seen

And no ear has listened

From what awaits us,

Where love reigns,

the tears dry.

What did Jesus do for me?

He left Eternity and lived in Time so that I could leave

Time and live in Eternity.

He left the Eternal Father in all His Glory to become man and reveal

the Father's supremacy over all humanity.

He came as a humble servant to repair the damage done by those who say,

"I will not serve." He was meek of heart and gave all the credit to the Father

for everything He did, offering His voluntary humiliation as

atonement for my pride and independent spirit.

He was the Master of all, yet He never forced anyone to follow Him.

His humility was so great that He understood the hatred of His enemies and

asked His Father to forgive them.

He ruled all creation, yet He submitted to Joseph and Mary

like an obedient son.

He was happy to be considered an  uneducated carpenter , even though He

had created the entire world.

He placed Himself in the hands of two people He had created because He saw

His Father's will in their commands. He was the Splendor of the Father, yet He concealed all that distinguished Him

from the rest of the children of men.

He was  uncreated Wisdom  , yet He did not disdain the study of the

most mundane things of others.

He was happy to advance in wisdom and age before men, so that

I, patiently, might advance in holiness before God.

He accepted hatred, jealousy, and persecution with calm, seeing only in

the Father's will His Plan of Redemption.

He was not ashamed to eat with sinners, even though in doing so, He was

so despised by the gaze of others.

He saw those whom He had come to redeem abandoned Him in His hour of need,

without bitterness or resentment. He cast

a merciful glance upon Peter even when the Apostle was

aware of his sin.

He did not breathe His Spirit until He had endured every

possible torment, to demonstrate His love for me.

He rose from the tomb  and appeared first to Mary Magdalene, a

repentant sinner, then to Peter, who had denied him, and finally to the disciples

on the road to Emmaus, whose faith was weak, to show that he understood their

weaknesses and would not crush the bent reed.

His love for me is so profound that he could not deserve to leave

me alone. Therefore, he humbled himself completely and gave me His

precious body and blood in the Holy Eucharist as food for my

soul. 

Mother Angelica. (In his sandals)

Published by EWTN Español

(Translated from Spanish,

Might not be the same as the original Mother Angelica wrote)

And God Was There

I wrote down what I heard in a video on Instagram. I also translated it:

And God was there,

In my beginnings

And in my finals.

God was there

In every process,

He perfected me

He was there

At the center of every storm,

He hugged me

Because he was the only one

Who is not afraid of my failures.

But that was there

To help me stand up.

He does not wait for me

At the end of the road.

He takes my hand,

He pulls me out of the mud

And we walk together

To a new destination.

God was there

At every stage of my life,

The Creator of the universe,

He who takes care of me. 

Third Sunday of Advent

 Yesterday was the Third Sunday of Advent, called Gaudete Sunday, which means joy or gladness for the imminent return of Christ. On this day, priests wear pink, which represent this joy in Jesus. The priest tells us that we must distance ourselves from everything that takes away this joy in Jesus, such as worldly pleasures that are only fleeting, money, sex, fame, drugs, and anything else that robs us of this joy. Instead, let us rejoice in Christ!

Be Happy

 

One can be happy in pain.

I know it's possible.

We must leave our hearts open.

And let Divine love

Live there.

We have to open the door 

To hope.

Knowing that God exists

And that in Jesus,

You find everything  That your heart longs for.

Well, there is no pain

That is not comforted

If you approach

Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

And it is in the Eucharist

Where you already enjoy the fullness

Of the heavens.

And so within your pain

You will understand:

That  you are loved 

With sublime love.

I sense You

 

Yes, I sense You

In the murmur

From the voice of the wind

In the aroma

From the flower that opens

In the beam of light

Even in the rain

You are present

In the smile

From the one who is next to me

In the homily

From Sunday at mass

And in my life

You are always present .

The Divine Motherhood of the Virgin Mary

  

In Eastern traditions, the Virgin Mary is known in Greek as "Theotokus," which literally translates to "Mother of God." Yesterday, I read an explanation on EWTN about this. It explains that any mother's motherhood encompasses our entire being; that is, even though we are both body and soul, we don't have one mother for our body and another for our soul. Similarly, Mary, having given birth to the Son of God, who is both true God and true man, Jesus, is the mother of his entire being, and consequently, she is the Mother of God.

Here is a translation of the explanation given by James Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore from 1877 to 1921. It was published by EWTN in English in an email message about a novena that I received (this is a version translated back from the translation in Spanish and may differ from the original):

When we call the Blessed Virgin Mary the Mother of God, we affirm our belief in two things: First, that her Son, Jesus Christ, is truly man; otherwise, she would not be a mother. Second, that He is truly God; otherwise, she would not be the Mother of God.



In other words, we affirm that the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, the Word of God, who in His divine nature is eternally begotten of the Father and consubstantial with Him, was begotten again in the fullness of time by being born of the Virgin, thus taking upon Himself, from her womb, a human nature of the same substance as His own.


But it can be said that the Blessed Virgin Mary is not the Mother of the Divinity. She had no part, and could not have had any part, in the generation of the Word of God, because that generation is eternal; her motherhood is temporal. He is her Creator; she is His creature. Make of her, if you will, the Mother of the man Jesus or even of the human nature of the Son of God, but not the Mother of God.


I will answer this objection by posing a question. Did the mother who bore us have any part in the production of our soul? Was this noblest part of our being not the work of God alone? Yet, who would for a moment dream of saying "the mother of my body" and not "my mother"?


The comparison teaches us that the terms father and son, mother and child, refer to persons and not to the parts or elements of which persons are composed. Therefore, no one says, "the mother of my body," "the mother of my soul"; but in every respect, "my mother," the mother of me who lives and breathes, thinks and acts, one in my personality, even though uniting in her a soul created directly by God and a material body derived directly from the maternal womb.

Likewise, insofar as the sublime mystery of the Incarnation can be reflected in the natural order, the Blessed Virgin, under the shadow of the Holy Spirit, communicating to the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, as mothers do, a true human nature of the same substance as her own, is therefore truly and genuinely His Mother. It is in this sense that the title of Mother of God, denied by Nestorius, was reclaimed for her by the General Council of Ephesus in 431; in this sense, and in no other, has the Church called her by that title.

The Blessed Virgin Mary and Jesus

 

God is love. From the beginning of time, He had a plan for humanity, a plan for our salvation. And in that love, God thought of Mary, the Virgin Mother, Mother of God and our Mother, and of course, of salvation through Jesus, our Lord. We cannot speak of Mary without thinking of Jesus. Already in Genesis, God gives us hope when He says to the serpent in Genesis 3:15, “        I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head.”   This new woman is the Virgin Mary, and her offspring is Jesus.   Thus, God promises us a new mother and a savior, a new Eve and a new Adam.   And just as through Eve's disobedience we find death, it is through Mary's obedience that God gives us the hope of eternal life through Jesus.  For without the Virgin Mary's "yes," the life of Jesus would not have been possible.   And it is this Jesus who brings life to humanity, new life through grace.   Therefore, the Virgin Mary occupies a very important place in God's plan of salvation.   I recently heard on an EWTN program that the Virgin Mary can be compared to the Ark of the Covenant, because just as the Ark of the Covenant represented God's presence among the people of Israel, the Virgin Mary is the ark, the virginal womb that carried within her God the Son, Emmanuel, God with us.   Isaiah 7:14 tells us, “ Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign:   The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Emmanuel.”  This young woman could be none other than the Virgin Mary,  the Most Holy and Chaste Virgin before, during, and after childbirth.   This is a dogma of faith, but this ark that carried within her God the Son, this Mother of God, could not be stained by sin; therefore, she is a Virgin and was conceived without original sin.   I don't remember the saint's name because I heard it several years ago, but this is what he said about the Virgin Mary's virginity: "God willed it, He could, and He did it."   The God of creation willed to create the Virgin Mary to be the Mother of Jesus, and He chose her  from the beginning.   The mystery of the Incarnation of Jesus is undoubtedly the greatest miracle of all time.   Through Mary, the prophecies are fulfilled, and God Himself is present in our lives through Jesus, God the Son, who shows us His humility and His love and dwells among us.

Saint John the Baptist

You leaped for joy in the womb

Feeling Jesus near you

In the Immaculate Womb of Mary

To whom she is received with humility.

Saint John the Baptist, for you baptized

And you announced that He would come soon

You said not to baptize with water:

The Holy Spirit would descend.

And Jesus asked you to baptize Him,

You refused, you felt unworthy

But Jesus told you it was right.

And the prophecy was fulfilled.

The Holy Spirit was a dove

That confirmed it was who you came for

And you heard a voice from heaven

That confirmed what you already knew.

The Lamb of God, that's what you call him

The one you were paving the way for.

Once baptized, He began His journey:

By proclaiming God's good news.

It was your zeal for God for which you lived

You didn't care about the danger you were in.

And you died for denouncing what

That the eyes of God did not consent.

And so you gave your life for Him.

And on a silver platter, your head

Announced that the last prophet

Suffered martyrdom for love of his faith.

That faith which accepts everything for God,

On the value of giving one's life for God,

Of humility, of respect, and of prowess that

Asks for repentance, and God delivers.

May God confirm us in His faith and may we accept

Jesus, Man and God in our lives,

And let us not hesitate to tell the world

Jesus is life lived through love.  

The song of a little bird (January 8, 2023)

 

I confess that my favorite animals are birds. Especially the little birds that sing among the trees. They sing to their creator, I know. But they remind me of God for another reason. I feel that God speaks to us in different ways: in the scriptures, in nature, in a child's smile, in the wise voice of an elder, in the eyes of someone who has no roof to shelter them from the cold, the heat, and the rain, and also in the song of a little bird. The little birds remind me of God because I can hear them and yet I cannot see them. They hide among the branches of the trees, concealed from my view, like God. Except for winter mornings. I just went out to have a coffee in my backyard and I could hear their song. However, because the trees were bare, they were exposed to my eyes. And I thought that's how life is sometimes. God tries to speak to us, to make Himself present in our lives, but through the leafy canopy of our life's tree, we cannot see Him and we pass Him by, ignoring His call. However, it is in our winter days that we can clearly see the Lord, that we feel Him closer, that we pay closer attention, as when we face a difficulty, an illness, a problem. It is then that we realize that God has always been by our side, perhaps hidden by our own spiritual blindness. Yes, I love the leafy trees of summer and spring, but the leafless trees have reminded me how, during my own illness, God revealed Himself to me in a book, in a Bible, in a journal, in some drawings. But thank God my illness is behind me; I only hope that I never lose sight of Him. As a popular song says: "You can see Him if you look at the one next to you; you can feel Him deep within your heart."

Wind

 Almost intervening

God comes and saves you

From the hand of the wind

That was taking you far away

Now God stops you

And the wind caresses you.

Second Sunday of Advent (December 4, 2022)

 Today is the Second Sunday of Advent. Today's Gospel speaks to us about Saint John the Baptist, who calls us to repent of our sins to prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus, for the Kingdom of Heaven. The priest told us that we must not confuse remorse with repentance. Remorse makes us feel bad about our sins, but it doesn't last long. On the other hand, if we are truly repentant, we will experience a change in our way of thinking, a true conversion of heart. And we will change our behavior, turning away from our sins. This is why Saint John the Baptist calls us to repentance. We must then, in repentance, approach the source of grace, who is Jesus Christ, and confess our sins in the confessional. Let us also remember what we declare in the Act of Contrition, where we promise: "to avoid occasions of sin, to confess my sins, and to do penance..." And thus we will receive Jesus with a heart worthy of Him.

Today it was also my turn to read the first reading, where the prophet Isaiah speaks of a beautiful promise when Jesus comes, among other things, that the lion and the horse will graze together. This represents the peace that can only come in the presence of Jesus. With the hope of this peace, I share with you a small painting I did a few years ago, which exemplifies the peace that can come to our hearts if we have a true conversion and allow Jesus to reign in our lives: it is a lamb beside a lion, under a star, which could well be the Star of Bethlehem.

Second Sunday of Advent

 Today, Saint John the Baptist invites us to repent of our sins and demonstrate it through our actions. For what is faith without works? We must therefore attend to the poor, comfort the afflicted, visit the sick, and so on. 

Today, Isaiah also tells us that a shoot will spring from Jesse, who was the father of David. This shoot is none other than Jesus, who is a descendant of David through Joseph. The Gospel of Luke shows us Jesus' entire genealogy back to Adam, if you'd like to read it. I believe it's in chapter 3.

Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, December 8

 Already celebrated by the 11th century, this solemnity is inserted in the context of Advent-Christmas, uniting the messianic expectation and the glorious return of Christ with the admired memory of the Mother.

In this sense, this liturgical period should be considered a particularly suitable time for the worship of the Mother of the Lord.

Mary is the all-holy one, immune from all stain of sin, almost formed by the Holy Spirit and made a new creature. Already prophetically foreshadowed in the promise made to the parents of the victory over the serpent, Mary is the Virgin who will conceive and give birth to a son whose name will be Emmanuel.

 The dogma of the Immaculate Conception was proclaimed by Pius IX in 1854.

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who truly is full of grace and blessed among women, in view of the birth and saving death of the Son of God, was from the first moment of her conception, by a singular privilege of God, preserved immune from any stain of original sin, as solemnly defined by Pope Pius IX, on the basis of a doctrine of ancient tradition, as a dogma of faith, precisely on the day that is celebrated today.

Not the memory of a Saint, we commemorate today: but the highest and most precious solemnity of Her who is called Queen of the Saints. The Immaculate Conception of Mary was proclaimed in 1854 by Pope Pius IX.

But the history of devotion to Mary Immaculate is much older. It predates the proclamation of the dogma by centuries, even millennia, which, as always, has not introduced anything new, but has simply crowned a very long tradition. Even the Fathers of the Eastern Church, in extolling the Mother of God, had used expressions that placed her above original sin.

They had called her: "Ashamed, guilty, beauty of innocence, purer than the Angevins, purest lily, unpoisoned seed, cloud more splendid than the sun, immaculate."

In the West, however, the theory of the Immaculate Conception encountered strong resistance, not out of aversion to the Virgin, who remained the most sublime of creatures, but to uphold the doctrine of Redemption, accomplished solely through the sacrifice of Jesus. If Mary had been immaculate, that is, if she had been conceived by God outside the law of sin, the doctrine would have been incompatible with the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Original sin, common to all the children of Eve, meant that she would not have needed Redemption, and therefore Redemption could no longer be called universal. The exception, in this case, did not confirm the rule, but rather destroyed it. The Franciscan John Duns Scotus, called Scotus because he was a native of Scotland, and known as the "Subtle Doctor," managed to overcome this doctrinal obstacle with a subtle but convincing distinction. The Virgin Mary, too, had been redeemed by Jesus, but with a preventive Redemption, before and after time. She was preserved from original sin in anticipation of the merits of her divine Son. This was fitting, it was possible, and therefore it was done. John Duns Scotus died at the beginning of the 14th century. After him, the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception made great progress, and devotion to her spread ever more widely.

From 1476 onwards, the feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary was introduced into the Roman calendar. In the squares of Italy, celebrated preachers wove praises of the Immaculate Virgin: among them, Saint Leonard of Port Maurice and Saint Bernardino of Siena, who with his witty and moving voice said to the Sienese: "Now tell me: what shall we say of the knowledge of Mary being filled with the Holy Spirit, having been born without any sin, and thus remaining always clean and pure, always serving God?"

In 1830, the Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Catherine Labouré, who then promoted a "miraculous medal" bearing the image of the Immaculate Conception, that is, the one "conceived without sin." This medal sparked intense devotion, and many bishops petitioned Rome for the official definition of this dogma, which was already in the hearts of almost all Christians.

Thus, on December 8, 1854, Pius IX proclaimed the "woman clothed with the sun" exempt from original sin, all pure, that is, Immaculate. It was an act of great faith and extreme courage, which aroused joy among the faithful of the Virgin and indignation among the enemies of Christianity, because the dogma of the Immaculate Conception was a direct denial of the naturalists and materialists. But four years later, the apparitions of Lourdes appeared as a wondrous confirmation of the dogma that had proclaimed the Virgin "all beautiful," "full of grace," and without any stain of original sin. A confirmation that seemed like an expression of gratitude for the abundance of graces that flow from the heart of the Immaculate Conception upon humanity. And from the devotion to the Immaculate Conception came the immediate spread, in Italy, of the feminine name Concetta, in Spain that of Concepción: a name that repeats the highest attribute of Mary, "sine labe originali concepta", that is, conceived without stain of sin, and, therefore, Immaculate.

Source: (Parish Archives)

Humility

 

Humility, according to the definition of the Royal Spanish Academy, is the virtue that consists of knowing one's own limitations and weaknesses and acting in accordance with this knowledge

It could be said that being humble is about allowing oneself to be loved by God and recognizing that everything we have, whether material or spiritual, comes from Him, acknowledging that the only thing that is truly ours is our misery, our weaknesses. By recognizing our misery, we can recognize our need for God and seek Him. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains (2733), “The humble person is not surprised by his misery; it leads him to greater confidence, to remain steadfast in perseverance.” By giving thanks and glory to God for what we have received, we avoid vain glory and can open ourselves to receive His gifts and use them to serve others. By being humble, we accept not only joy but also sorrow, and we can offer both to God in thanksgiving and rejoice in Christ.   

In Jesus our Lord, we find true humility, for being the Son of God, he came into the world and became man like us, sharing our human nature and using his life in service to others.   He accepted the will of his Father, our God, in everything, even giving his life to obtain eternal life for us.

Our Mother, the Virgin Mary, is also an example of humility, for she not only accepted what God asked of her, but called herself "the handmaid of the Lord," becoming nothing in order to be everything in God.

By being humble, we can stop thinking about ourselves and start thinking about others.   Only through humility can we stop relying on our own strength and start trusting more in God, our Father and Creator.

Humility, a virtue that leads us to follow you closely, Jesus, to let ourselves be molded by your hand, to accept the cross with your joy.

Mary's Advent

 

I've been wondering how Mary experienced Advent. And since writing helps me think, I started writing here. First, Mary had trust, and more than trust, faith in the words the angel communicated to her, words that came from God. She believed she would be the mother of Emmanuel, God with us. She believed and offered her fiat, which changed the course of history. So, to await Jesus, to await Christmas, we must first believe that God became man. And we must have trust in God despite everything. Mary trusted despite what her "yes" implied; she didn't stop to think about what would happen. She trusted and said "yes" to the Lord's will. Mary, the Virgin Mary, was not passive. Despite her pregnancy, she went to visit her cousin Elizabeth to help her. And she was able to transmit her joy to the baby in Elizabeth's womb. Likewise, we must not remain unmoved by the coming of Jesus. We must share our Christian joy with others, bring Jesus to those who need him, offer help, comfort, advice, and joy. It seems the Bible doesn't tell us much about Mary, but the angel called her "full of grace." Perhaps we won't reach Mary's level of grace, who was conceived without original sin, but we should still aspire to a state of grace to receive Jesus this Christmas. The purple color we see in churches this Advent season is a sign of penance. And many parishioners, as well as priests, often wear purple vestments to Mass. Let us then do penance for our sins, go to confession, and prepare ourselves to worthily receive Jesus this Christmas and celebrate his birth with renewed faith, joy, and acceptance of God's will, which at this time is that Jesus be born and remain in our hearts, not only during Christmas, but throughout our lives.

The Gift (December 25, 2018)

 

Among the Christmas tree ornaments, I have one that my dad gave me when I was a teenager. It's a small, hollowed-out pumpkin with a nativity scene inside, featuring Joseph, Mary, a donkey or horse, and of course, Jesus. On top of the pumpkin is a gold star and a small pendant for hanging it on the tree. It's a very simple ornament, but I treasure it because my dad gave it to me, and I think it's beautiful. The photo above shows the ornament on the tree. I confess that years ago, my sister and I used to fight when it came to decorating the Christmas tree because I wanted it to be perfect, or rather, exactly to my liking. We don't fight anymore, although we used to argue about the nativity scene of the Christ Child as well. It wasn't until I understood that Jesus doesn't ask for a spectacular tree or nativity scene, until I grasped the humility of his birth, in a manger, among farm animals, he being the Son of God. And this morning at Mass, while I was looking at the Holy Family in front of the altar, I noticed they had placed a gift there. Being human, the first thought that came to mind was, "What if it's for me?" It was a white gift with a large silver bow. Curious, I imagined what it might contain and even felt like opening it. The gift was placed right in front of the Christ Child, the baby Jesus. And suddenly, I felt like I had fallen in love—yes, I am in love! What God inspired in me at that moment was that this gift was Jesus himself, who had been born to save me, as a non-religious song says, "the greatest gift." Yes, Jesus is the best gift of Christmas; he is born for you, for me, for everyone, and he is God!  Then I felt a great sadness, and I cried, because we celebrate his birth, but where is his gift? And He, being God the Son, through whom the universe was created, as I read in the second reading, what could He possibly lack? He who is surrounded by glory and majesty in heaven and who reigns for eternity. My tears welled up in my eyes again. "What can I give you?" I wondered. And God inspired me once more. At that moment, I decided to give Him my heart, which is the most precious thing I have and which I believe is what He truly desires from us: a heart that He can mold and that loves Him. I don't know if I was already in love with Jesus, but today, with tears in my eyes, I fell in love with Him all over again. I hope my gift pleases Him. I hope many hearts will let Him into them and that He can make His home there, as He did more than two thousand years ago in that manger in Bethlehem.

Hope

  Hope is one of the three theological virtues, along with faith and love. And like them, it is a gift from God. Christian hope makes us wait on God's promises. Among them, that He would send a Savior to His people. And Jesus promises us that He will be with us until the end of time. Sometimes it is difficult to feel hopeful when everything seems to be against us. However, we have a Father God who loves us and accompanies us in those difficult moments. How can we doubt God's love if He was capable of giving His own Son for us? Or of God the Son, who was able to become man and present Himself to us as a baby, as a Child God, small and defenseless out of love for us, through the work of the Holy Spirit? Let us not lose heart and let us remember that Jesus came to die on a cross, but was later glorified in the resurrection. God had a plan to save us from ourselves. He also has a plan for our lives and a plan for our salvation. Let us fix our minds and hearts on the hope of Jesus' birth and remember that nothing can separate us from God's love. Let us trust in God's mercy in our lives and await Jesus with joy.

First Sunday of Advent

 

Today we begin the Advent season. The deacon explained that Advent comes from the Latin word "aventus," which means coming. This means that Advent prepares us for the coming of Jesus this Christmas. The deacon told us that when we await the visit of a relative we haven't seen in a long time, we are very happy, but we also prepare the house so that when they arrive, they will find it clean and tidy. Likewise, we must prepare our souls and our hearts for the coming of Jesus. We should go to confession and avoid occasions of sin, and read the scriptures. I realized something: the Gospel of Saint Luke has 24 chapters. If we start reading one chapter a day, beginning on December 1st, we will arrive at Christmas knowing whom we are celebrating. I also read something on Facebook today that might be helpful for this Advent season; it's a quote from Saint Augustine: "Live your life in such a way that you are not afraid to die." In other words, if we live like this, we will be prepared to receive Jesus this Christmas and also for the Second Coming of Christ.

Jesus Christ - King of the Universe

 This Sunday the priest told us something that made me think: he said that our faith in Jesus Christ is not personal, meaning that we must share our faith with others and always put it first, as the first commandment says: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. He gave us the example of Saint Thomas More, the patron saint of politicians. Saint Thomas More held a high position in the English court during the reign of Henry VIII, but when the king proclaimed himself head of the Anglican Church and separated from the Catholic Church, Saint Thomas More resigned. That same year he was imprisoned, and the following year he was beheaded. The priest told us that for Saint Thomas More, his faith was not personal. He also reminded us of Saint José Sánchez del Río, who was shot while shouting "Long live Christ the King!" during the Cristero War in Mexico; for him, too, his faith was not a personal matter. We must always proclaim that Christ is the king of our lives and bring this faith to others, that the kingdom of Jesus is not of this world, and in his kingdom he has already prepared a place for us where there will be no more tears, where he reigns forever and ever.

Near-Death Experiences

   I confess that I enjoy watching videos of NDE testimonies (Near-Death Experiences). What I love most is the common thread they all share: the feeling of being embraced by divine love, the sense of being loved above all else. Two days ago, I saw one that deeply moved me. In it, the woman giving the testimony recounted how Jesus himself told her that we are all "chosen," but not all of us respond to that call, even though God is constantly calling us. I also appreciated hearing how a small act of kindness can change someone's life, and not only that person's life, but how it has effects beyond what we can imagine. Another thing I liked hearing was how we all have a purpose in this life. Nothing I didn't already know, but it's always beautiful to hear, especially if it's supposed to come from the lips of Jesus. And it got me thinking that there are also so many personal revelations to the saints from which we can learn about God's love and... How should we live this purpose in life? Reading the lives of the saints is a good example for our own lives because they show us that it is possible to follow Jesus in this life. It reminded me of the words God conveyed to us through Jeremiah: "I have loved you with an everlasting love." And also, "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to give you hope and a future." I translated these last words from what I remember of the English text. But you see, all that love of God that those who die and return feel has already been revealed to us by God in His word. We are never alone; God loves us, and that is why He sent Jesus to give us the hope of a better future, as long as we accept Jesus as our Savior. God loves us much more than all our sins. He does not judge; we ourselves are the ones who turn away from Him. Let us return to Him, to Jesus, with the help of the Holy Spirit, because as the Bible says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

“I BELIEVE IN LIFE EVERLASTING” - Catechism of the Catholic Church

 “I BELIEVE IN LIFE EVERLASTING”

207. What is life everlasting?

1020 

1051

Eternal life is that life which begins immediately after death. It will have no end. It will be preceded for each person by a particular judgment at the hands of Christ who is the Judge of the living and the dead. This particular judgement will be confirmed in the final judgment.

208. What is the particular judgment?

1021-1022

1051

It is the judgment of immediate retribution which each one after death will receive from God in his immortal soul in accord with his faith and his works. This retribution consists in entrance into the happiness of heaven, immediately or after an appropriate purification, or entry into the eternal damnation of hell.

209. What is meant by the term “heaven”?

1023-1026

1053

By “heaven” is meant the state of supreme and definitive happiness. Those who die in the grace of God and have no need of further purification are gathered around Jesus and Mary, the angels and the saints. They thus form the Church of heaven, where they see God “face to face” (1 Corinthians 13:12). They live in a communion of love with the Most Blessed Trinity and they intercede for us.

“True and subsistent life consists in this: the Father, through the Son and in the Holy Spirit, pouring out his heavenly gifts on all things without exception. Thanks to his mercy, we too, men that we are, have received the inalienable promise of eternal life.” (Saint Cyril of Jerusalem)

210. What is purgatory?

1030-1031

1054

Purgatory is the state of those who die in God’s friendship, assured of their eternal salvation, but who still have need of purification to enter into the happiness of heaven.

211. How can we help the souls being purified in purgatory?

1032

Because of the communion of saints, the faithful who are still pilgrims on earth are able to help the souls in purgatory by offering prayers in suffrage for them, especially the Eucharistic sacrifice. They also help them by almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance.

212. In what does hell consist?

1033-1035 

1056-1057

Hell consists in the eternal damnation of those who die in mortal sin through their own free choice. The principal suffering of hell is eternal separation from God in whom alone we can have the life and happiness for which we were created and for which we long. Christ proclaimed this reality with the words, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire” (Matthew 25:41).

213. How can one reconcile the existence of hell with the infinite goodness of God?

1036-1037

God, while desiring “all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9), nevertheless has created the human person to be free and responsible; and he respects our decisions. Therefore, it is the human person who freely excludes himself from communion with God if at the moment of death he persists in mortal sin and refuses the merciful love of God.

214. In what does the final judgment consist?

1038-1041 

1058-1059

The final or universal judgment consists in a sentence of happiness or eternal condemnation, which the Lord Jesus will issue in regard to the “just and the unjust” (Acts 24:15) when he returns as the Judge of the living and the dead. After the last judgment, the resurrected body will share in the retribution which the soul received at the particular judgment.

215. When will this judgment occur?

1040

This judgment will come at the end of the world and only God knows the day and the hour.

216. What is the hope of the new heavens and the new earth?

1042-1050

1060

After the final judgment the universe itself, freed from its bondage to decay, will share in the glory of Christ with the beginning of “the new heavens” and a “new earth” (2 Peter 3:13). Thus, the fullness of the Kingdom of God will come about, that is to say, the definitive realization of the salvific plan of God to “unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth” (Ephesians 1:10). God will then be “all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28) in eternal life.

Open Your Eyes

 

Last Sunday (November 25, 2019) I went to Mass, despite having a cold or the flu. I still can't decide what I'm sick with. It happened that while the priest was giving the homily, my eyes closed, and almost immediately I heard him say, "I assure you that today you will be with me in paradise." I opened my eyes surprised, but interested in what the priest would say, and he said, "Those are the words we all long to hear." I confess that, as far as I'm concerned, he's right. Who wouldn't want to die in the hope of eternal life? If only we truly knew what we lose each time we sin, each time we deny the Lord, each time we choose evil for good. We need to be humble like the good thief and recognize Jesus as the only king of our lives, the only true God. The priest said that the good thief at the foot of the cross asked for nothing more than to be remembered by Jesus when he came to his kingdom, but not before acknowledging himself as a sinner. It takes humility to recognize that we are not perfect and that Jesus is the only one who can lead us to that heavenly dwelling. I think we must be prepared at all times for the end. Acknowledge our sins, confess them, and declare at all times that Jesus reigns in our lives. Declare this by saying "no" when someone offers us drugs or any other easy escape from reality. Say "no" when we ourselves seek other false "gods" like money or sex, easy ways to get ahead or to create a false sense of self-worth. Recognize and share the gospel with our fellow human beings as the only truth. Always say "yes" to God, a God who, as the Father reminded us, is a king with a crown of thorns and a cross as his throne. He didn't say the latter, but that's how it seems to me. Our King Jesus Christ is the only one who can lead us to the Father. Let us acknowledge him as king of our little universe, and may we hear in that hour when our eyes close in this life and open in eternal life that we will be with him in paradise. Because there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 who don't need to repent. Let's make it a celebration in heaven! Long live Christ the King!

Prayer for Peace

Lord, we ask you to enlighten those responsible for resolving conflicts between nations and social groups, so that they may use means that do not cause destruction and death. Strengthen those who fight so that they respect civilians and do not destroy themselves psychologically. Accompany those who fight, encourage them in their frustrations, support them in their pain, and make them sensitive to friends and enemies. Help those who care for the injured, so that they may bring comfort to the wounded and your peace to the dying. Comfort and show your providence to orphaned children and widowed women. Impel all of us—young, old, and children—to work together so that peace may reign. Amen.

  The above prayer is taken from "La Biblia Católica para Jóvenes".