Monthly Archives: May 2022

Reflection on the Trinity

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 “Jesus said to His disciples:’ Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name He will give you.’ ”

     How many of us dare to go directly to the Father with our prayers and pleas? We have this ingrained idea that the Father, Our Father, is beyond our reach. I am one of these individuals. I always reach out to Jesus, our Savior! I know He loves me. I also reach out to the Holy Spirit because Jesus sent Him to us and I believe that the Spirit is on my side and is there to lead me where the will of God is taking me, Eternity with Him! Why is it that the Father eludes my attention?

     Jesus in John’s Gospel 16:25-27 tells us the following: “ …..I will tell you clearly about the Father. On that day you will ask in my name and I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you. For The Father Himself loves you, because you have loved me and have come to believe that I came from God.”

     Yes, I have come to truly believe that God the Father loves me; why else would He have sent His Son to free us from ourselves? Why would He have sent His Holy Spirit to accompany and guide us throughout our lives?

     In my own little way I have come to understand that when I pray to Jesus, or reach out to the Holy Spirit, I am also praying to and pleading to God the Father. I truly believe, at this moment in my life that it is the One God listening! Our Triune God accompanies us always. Our Triune God suffers and cries over our hurts, over our sicknesses, over our loneliness, over our confusion. Our Triune God wants to bring relief to our pain and our suffering.

     How do we hear and see His mercy? How do we actually understand His help and love? I believe He is leading us to where we need to go. I believe He is whispering words of love. I believe that He is filling us with His Holy Spirit! I believe He is using others to help us!!!!

     What must we do? We must have faith in Him. We must follow where He leads without fear or reservations. We must listen and open ourselves to His presence! We must love!!! We must love as strongly as Jesus did when He gave His life for His friends. And who are His friends? Look around. Look at your neighbor. Look at the stranger passing by on your street. Look at the homeless person sleeping in the subway. Look at the poor trying to feed their family and in trying to do so they find no hope. Look finally at yourself. We are all God’s children. We are all His friends!

     Because I have faith in my Triune God, I dare to pray for the end of war. I dare to ask for the end of senseless killings. I plead that I may see my neighbor not as an enemy, but as a child of God thus seeing him/her as my sister or brother. Let us all pray to our Triune God for a new beginning. A new world full of God’s peace, love and compassion between all of us, God’s children .

Berta Hernandez

Daily Readings, Daily Bread

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Reading the scriptures daily and on Sundays in the lectionary and the Liturgy of the Hours is one of the great reforms begun by the Catholic Church after the Second Vatican Council. It’s an effort to seek renewal through the Word of God, yet after 60 or so years we’re still getting used to it. Not too many individuals or parishes or other groups in the Catholic Church focus on it, in my view.

Early Christianity saw the scriptures as daily bread. Today we may think the scriptures old and and not up to offering wisdom to our age. More than ever, we have to trust if we search for “the face of God” in scripture we will find it there.

“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” The daily scriptures are daily bread, but they may not be easy to digest. We go from Matthew, preoccupied with the tensions of his church with Pharisaic Judaism,  to Luke preoccupied with an outreach to the gentiles, to the other New Testament writings, each with its own purpose.

Then there are the various readings of the Old Testament. They can be hard to understand, but the church wisely keeps them side by side with the New Testament. They hold a treasure all their own. We need to understand them better.

We need help to appreciate this daily bread, this varied diet served up. We need people like those hosts on the cooking shows on television who not only  tell you what to eat but make those strange dishes appetizing and appealing. We need good homilists and good catechists.

We need a “lamp, shining in a dark place.” So we ask: Come, Holy Spirit, fill our hearts with your light.”

6th Sunday of Easter c.

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For this week’s homily, please watch the video below.

Mary Garden Prayers

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You may wish to print out these prayers we use for visits to our Mary Garden for your own prayers at your garden, small or large. They take us to the origins of the Mary Garden, in the Book of Genesis. The psalm and canticle attune our eyes and hearts to God’s creation, which we’re called to cherish and care for.

The hymn is a version of Mary, the Dawn, by Father Justin Mulchahy. Passionist, who taught sacred music for many years. Music available online.

For more on the Mary Garden: http://www.ourmarygarden.com

The 5th Week of Easter: Readings

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MAY 16 Mon Easter Weekday, St. Gemma, Acts 14:5-18/Jn 14:21-26 

17 Tue Easter Weekday Acts 14:19-28/Jn 14:27-31a 

18 Wed Easter Weekday [St John I, Pope and Martyr] Acts 15:1-6/Jn 15:1-8 

19 Thu Easter Weekday Acts 15:7-21/Jn 15:9-11 

20 Fri Easter Weekday [St Bernardine of Siena, Priest] Acts 15:22-31/Jn 15:12-17 

21 Sat Easter Weekday [St Christopher Magallanes, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs]

Acts 16:1-10/Jn 15:18-21 

22 SUN SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

Acts 15:1-2, 22-29/Rv 21:10-14, 22-23/Jn 14:23-29

 

The gospel readings for the remainder of the Easter season are from the Farewell Discourse of Jesus from John’s gospel. He is going to the Father, Jesus says. What does that mean his disciples wonder?

“I will not leave you orphans,” Jesus says, yet he will not be with them as he was before, but he will be with them as God is always with them. The Paraclete, the Spirit of truth, will teach them all things. Jesus will be present to them in signs.

“I will not leave you orphans,” Jesus says to them– and to us. 

The Acts of the Apostles continue to describe  the church’s journey in time. This week’s readings describe the successful missionary efforts of Paul and Barnabas among the gentiles in the Asia Minor cities of Lystra, Derbe, and Pisidia. Their success raises question among some in Jerusalem. Are the gentiles taking over? To meet what some consider a threat and others an opportunity,  a council was called in Jerusalem, which has  enormous consequences for the church. (Wednesday-Friday)

Councils are important in the church. Can we say the Second Vatican Council has enormous consequences too?

Conflict causes the church to grow, Pope Francis commented some time ago: “But some in Jerusalem, when they heard this, became ‘nervous and sent Barnabas on an “apostolic visitation”: perhaps, with a little sense of humor we could say that this was the theological beginning of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: this apostolic visit by Barnabas. He saw, and he saw that things were going well.”

Recent changes in the Roman Curia approved by Pope Francis indicate where Pope Francis himself might stand in conflicts like this. The curial body on evangelization, headed by the pope himself, appears before the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The pope is looking for a synodal Church, “ a Church, that is, of mutual listening, in which everyone has something to learn: the faithful people, the college of bishops, the Bishop of Rome: each listening to the other, and all listening to the Holy Spirit…to hear what the Spirit is saying to the Churches.”

Morning and Evening Prayers Week 1 here.

Lamp for a Dark Place

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Spring Lake even

The sky over the boardwalk at Spring Lake, New Jersey, is sometimes swept with colors before nightfall. Then, a lamp becomes the only light till dawn.


“I came into the world as light,” Jesus says in today’s gospel” so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness.( John 12:44-50)


The sun will rise again and the great Sun will also rise again, Augustine says in one of his sermons. Then  “lamps will no longer be needed. When that day is at hand, the prophet will not be read to us, the book of the Apostle will not be opened, we shall not require the testimony of John, we shall have no need of the Gospel itself. Therefore all Scriptures will be taken away from us, those Scriptures which in the night of this world burned like lamps so that we might not remain in darkness.”

Darkness is temporary; we are meant for light.

“I implore you to love with me and, by believing, to run with me; let us long for our heavenly country, let us sigh for our heavenly home, let us truly feel that here we are strangers. What shall we then see? Let the gospel tell us: In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. You will come to the fountain, with whose dew you have already been sprinkled.

“Instead of the ray of light which was sent through slanting and winding ways into the heart of your darkness, you will see the light itself in all its purity and brightness. It is to see and experience this light that you are now being cleansed. Dearly beloved, John himself says, we are the sons of God, and it has not yet been disclosed what we shall be; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

“I feel that your spirits are being raised up with mine to the heavens above; but the body which is corruptible weighs down the soul, and this earthly tent burdens the thoughtful mind. I am about to lay aside this book, and you are soon going away, each to his own business. It has been good for us to share the common light, good to have enjoyed ourselves, good to have been glad together. When we part from one another, let us not depart from him.”

Barnabas and Paul

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St. Barnabas, Anonymous. 18th century

Today’s reading from Acts of the Apostles (Acts 11: 19-26) describes the beginning of Paul’s work as missionary to the gentiles. He was sponsored by Barnabas.

After his dramatic conversion, Paul preached in Damascus, but was forced out of the city and returned to Jerusalem, but the disciples of Jesus there received him warily. They “were all afraid of Paul” because he persecuted the followers of Jesus. Barnabas believed in him and “took charge of him and brought him to the apostles.” (Acts 9, 26-30) He gained acceptance for Paul.

Later, as great numbers came to believe in Antioch, Barnabas was sent there by the Jerusalem church. Convinced the Spirit was at work, Barnabas went to Tarsus to get Paul. Together they spent a whole year teaching a large number of people. (Act 11, 26) Barnabas was the first to recognize Paul’s gifts.

Then, commissioned by the church at Antioch, Barnabas and Paul went to bring the gospel to other places. Their missionary journey took them to Cyprus (Barnabas’ birthplace) and a number of cities in Asia Minor. They preached in Jewish synagogues with mixed results, but increasingly gentile hearers accepted their message.

The Acts of the Apostles highlights Paul’s preaching, but the ministry involved the two of them. Barnabas, in fact, is initially mentioned before Paul .“They appointed presbyters … in each church” and returned to Antioch. (Acts 14, 21-23)

A dispute arose between them: “After some time, Paul said to Barnabas, ‘Come, let us make a return visit to see how the brothers are getting on in all the cities where we proclaimed the word of the Lord.’ Barnabas wanted to take along John Mark, but Paul refused to take him, because he deserted them at Pamphylia. So sharp was their disagreement that they separated. Barnabas took John Mark and sailed to Cyprus. But Paul chose Silas and traveled through Syria and Cilicia “bringing strength to the churches.” Acts 15, 36-41

Why “sharp disagreement?” Two strong personalities can’t get along? Paul’s vision against Barnabas’ vision? A clash like this reminds us that God’s plan advances even as humans disagree.

I also find it strange that Paul never mentions Barnabas in his later descriptions of his work. Barnabas, humanly speaking, got him his start.

How Does the Church Grow?

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Suppose we were asked how to bring the gospel to the world today. What might we suggest? How about buying Twitter? Or some big newspaper or media chain, as a number of wealthy figures in our society have done ?

If we look at our readings from the Acts of the Apostles for the next couple of days, we might see another way evangelization takes place. “There broke out a severe persecution of the Church in Jerusalem, and all were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria…Now those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.” (Acts 8) 

The first great persecution of the church after the death of Stephen when Greek-speaking Jews were banished from Jerusalem is not a unique event; it indicates how the gospel will always be spread– through persecution, through immigrants who must leave their own lands because of religious or economic pressures and are scattered throughout the world.

“Now those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.” Luke mentions Philip the Deacon in his account, but he doesn’t omit those others who were scattered and preached the word. Immigrants, people who have suffered from persecution or economic dislocation are always important preachers of the word. They have experienced the Passion of Jesus.

It’s one reason the church has always cared for immigrants, victims of war and persecution. 

You may be interested in this story I narrated recently on YouTube. Later on today, I’m posting the story of the ancient church in Rome dedicated to St. Stephen, which was built to encourage Christians at the time threatened with dislocation and war.