By Berta Hernandez

In the “Word Among Us” there is a reflection for Wednesday, September 12, 2018, that leaves us with the question: “What would you do if you knew Jesus was coming today?”. That question comes from Paul’s concern in 1 Corinthians: “I tell you brothers, the time is running out. For the world in its present form is passing away.” (1 Cor: 29,31) Paul would like all of Jesus’ followers to be ready for the coming of our Lord. He was convinced that Judgement Day was just around the corner.
I decided to pray on that question today. As I sat in my own “Secret Place” I relaxed and started imagining what my reaction would be to the question of Judgement Day. How would I act? What would I do?
I would be very excited, nervous, happy, and somewhat fearful! But I think I would also be singing His praises, I would be dancing and rejoicing while also thanking Him for finally bringing Heaven here on earth! If I had the chance I would go directly to the Passionist Monastery in Jamaica, NY and try to find a priest that I could confess to, but I imagine they would have known the Good News and be out there singing and rejoicing with everyone else! In the case there is no priest or if I have no time to see one, I would just ask for forgiveness and repent for all I’ve done that has not been pleasing to Him. I would renounce Satan, all the evil spirits and their works! I want nothing blocking me from my Lord Jesus, my Savior, my King, my Light!
I would go out in the street and yell out the Good News to every passer-by! I would visit all my friends, if possible, or call them on the phone! But I would also like to sit quietly in prayer and anticipation. So many things to do, but all of them good!
But You know what, my Lord Jesus? I really don’t know how I would react! The thought of You finally coming to get us is really overwhelming!
I want to thank You, my Lord Jesus and Your Holy Spirit, for the beautiful message that I received from You through my readings today and through my prayer. There’s nothing and nobody like You! May I be ready when it really happens in my time on earth or when my time comes . I love You! I adore You! God, the Father, God, the Son, God, the Holy Spirit!
Are you ready? What would you do?

I would like to share a prayer by Fr. Richard Rohr titled “Trinity Prayer” that I find brings me very close to our God . It might help you get ready. Read and ponder!
“God for us, we call you Father.
God alongside us, we call you Jesus.
God within us, we call you Holy Spirit.
You are the eternal mystery that enables, enfolds, and enlivens all things,
Even us and even me.

” Every name falls short of your goodness and greatness.
We can only see who you are in what is.
We ask for such perfect seeing—
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be.
Amen. (So be it.)”

A very solid scientific consensus indicates that we are presently witnessing a disturbing warming of the climatic system. In recent decades this warming has been accompanied by a constant rise in the sea level and, it would appear, by an increase of extreme weather events, even if a scientifically determinable cause cannot be assigned to each particular phenomenon. Humanity is called to recognize the need for changes of lifestyle, production and consumption, in order to combat this warming or at least the human causes which produce or aggravate it.

A rise in the sea level, for example, can create extremely serious situations, if we consider that a quarter of the world’s population lives on the coast or nearby, and that the majority of our megacities are situated in coastal areas.

Some studies warn that an acute water shortage may occur within a few decades unless urgent action is taken. The environmental repercussions could affect billions of people; it is also conceivable that the control of water by large multinational businesses may become a major source of conflict in this century.23

Pope Francis. Laudato SI 24, 31.

The “extreme weather” the pope describes not only calls for getting evacuation plans ready, but we need to do something more: “Humanity is called to recognize the need for changes of lifestyle, production and consumption, in order to combat this warming or at least the human causes which produce or aggravate it.”

The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, said recently we have reached a critical point and called on the leaders of nations to address climate change as the overriding issue we face.

September 9 SUNDAY TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Is 35:4-7a/Jas 2:1-5/Mk 7:31-37 (128)

10 Monday
1 Cor 5:1-8/Lk 6:6-11 (437)

11 Tuesday
1 Cor 6:1-11/Lk 6:12-19 (438)

12 Wednesday
[The Most Holy Name of Mary]
1 Cor 7:25-31/Lk 6:20-26 (439)

13 Thursday Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Memorial
1 Cor 8:1b-7, 11-13/Lk 6:27-38 (440)

14 Friday The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Feast
Nm 21:4b-9/Phil 2:6-11/Jn 3:13-17 (638)

15 Saturday Our Lady of Sorrows
Memorial
1 Cor 10:14-22 (442)/Jn 19:25-27 or Lk 2:33-35 (639)

Two celebrations this week, the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and Our Lady of Sorrows are closely connected celebrations.

The feast of the Exaltation, celebrated by churches of the east and west, originated in the Basilica of the Resurrection in Jerusalem (Church of the Holy Sepulcher) in the 5th century where the wood of the cross was exposed for veneration by the faithful. Its complicated history should not prevent us from seeing the essence of this feast: the One who died and was buried, rose from the dead. His Passion and Resurrection are celebrated in this one feast.

Similarly, the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows sees Mary following her Son, “who emptied himself” in coming among us, even to the point of dying on the Cross, but God exalted him.
Through her life, Mary embraced the “emptying “ sorrows of her Son”, finally sharing in his death as she stood by his Cross. But she saw her sorrows–her “seven sorrows”– turned into joy.

“O Lady Mary, thy bright crown is no mere crown of majesty, for with the reflex of his own resplendent thorns, Christ circled thee.” (Thompson)

For this week’s homily please play the video below.

by Orlando Hernandez

A few years back, at the Passionist Spiritual Center in Florida, I heard something I have always kept in my heart. Fr. Paul Wierichs CP, said to us, “ The more that you get to know Jesus, the deeper that you will get to know yourself.” It sounded delightful but also rather daunting. There are many times when I unfortunately do not like this person that I am. I know that I am a beloved child of God, but I once confessed to a priest that I felt as if I had this cesspool, this dark pond deep within myself, where snakes and scaly monsters would swim and slither, and curse my very life. Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the Lord, like Hercules in the myth, diverts mighty rivers of cleansing water and purifies this inner space. But, within days, the lake begins to gradually become polluted again, and dark creatures begin to lurk in the bottom; my inner enemies return.

My three beloved psalms speak of this. Psalm 23 says, “ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” I realize that even at Mass, inappropriate, sinful thoughts can try to come up, even if no match for the searing Light of the Eucharistic Christ. Psalms 63 and 139 bring me to prayer in such delightful intimacy with the Living God, but even these psalms turn dark toward the end. The psalmist asks for God’s help in the destruction of these “enemies” (that I see as living within me). In the Gospel for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary time (Mk 7:21-23) our Lord does not fool around: “From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.”

How can I keep on fighting against this Enemy that after all these years still defiles me, and torments me, along with every one of us? In my heart I believe that the only answer is to look past this darkness towards the Light of God, who is so much more, infinitely, powerful than any created thing! His Gift of Self, His Holy Spirit guides us. In this Tuesday’s first reading, from the 3rd chapter of 1 Corinthians, St. Paul tells us :
“Brothers and Sisters: the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God. Among men, who knows what pertains to the man except his spirit that is within? Similarly, no one knows what pertains to God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand the things freely given us by God.” These gifts include our very selves, our souls, and our salvation from evil and death by our Lord Jesus. Do we truly believe that we are saved? Do we trust in God’s word? I humbly believe that only through surrender to this Spirit of God that Paul talks about can we have this knowledge. St. Paul goes on to say that “ we have the mind of Christ.” This wonderful saying is in so many ways beyond my understanding, but it gives me a great deal of confidence in facing these inner demons. I am not alone; Jesus is with me.

The Gospel for this Tuesday (Lk 4: 38-44) illustrates how this Light of God both exposes our sins and frees us. We read the story of Jesus at the synagogue in Capernaum. A certain man entered the service quietly, probably the same way he would go in every week, without any problem. But this day, suddenly, in the presence of Jesus, the evil forces within him come out in recognition of the Power before him (“I know who You are–the Holy One of God! )”. Jesus does not waste any time ridding this man of the demon that possesses him. Our Lord’s “authority and power” work to expose the evil within us and to free us from it. All we have to do is present ourselves before Him.

Again I am reminded of the wonderful analogy that (then) Fr. Robert Barron would give on his TV show. He tells us that it is as if you are driving around in your car early in the morning. You haven’t washed it in weeks, but you can still see OK out of your windshield, no problem. Suddenly your car rounds a corner and you find yourself before a huge rising sun that exposes every bit of filth, every flaw in that windshield . You are blinded and filled with fear due to this great Light. Our Lord can do this to us in prayer. We can call this the Prayer of Contrition. It leads us to want to “clean up,” repent!

We know of a great “car-wash” that we can go to. Windshield, wheels, hood, roof, everything will be left shining. It is called the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The service includes top-quality detailing of the inside too! The Mighty Jesus commands those nasty voices within us to “Be quiet! Come out of him [her] !” Thank you for Your mercy and patience, Beloved.

Orlando Hernandez

SEPTEMBER 2  TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Dt 4:1-2, 6-8/Jas 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27/Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 (125)

3 Monday Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church
Memorial
1 Cor 2:1-5/Lk 4:16-30 (431)

4 Tuesday
1 Cor 2:10b-16/Lk 4:31-37 (432)

5 Wednesday
1 Cor 3:1-9/Lk 4:38-44 (433)

6 Thursday
1 Cor 3:18-23/Lk 5:1-11 (434)

7 Friday
1 Cor 4:1-5/Lk 5:33-39 (435)

8 Saturday The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Feast
Mi 5:1-4a or Rom 8:28-30/Mt 1:1-16, 18-23 or 1:18-23 (636)

St.Gregory the Great (September 3) is one of 15 popes placed in the Roman calendar approved in 1969 by Pope Paul VI following the Second Vatican Council. Paul VI himself, to be canonized October 15th, will be added to that calendar joining Popes John XXIII and John Paul II, popes canonized since the Council.

Gregory’s celebration is an important memorial; the universal church honors and learns from him. His title “the Great” indicates his importance among the popes; he helped define the meaning of that office in the church. The eastern churches, the Anglican church and some Protestant churches honor him as a spiritual teacher.

As a teacher, Gregory pondered and commented on the scriptures, which he loved. He promoted the church’s liturgy as a school that forms us into the image of Christ. He was  a missionary who sought to bring the gospel to the ends of the earth.

Gregory is an important figure in the history of our church, particularly in the history of the papacy.

From now till the beginning of Advent we’ll be reading from Luke’s gospel at daily Mass, starting with chapter 4, the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee. Good readings to accompany Paul’s 1st Letter to the Corinthians, which describes that  young, troubled church. We’ill be reading Paul’s letter for the next few weeks.

On Saturday we celebrate The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, an important ecumenical feast that we share with the eastern churches since the 5th century.

For this week’s homily please play the video file below.