SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER –   2022

«  The Church celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus   during 8 days  as if it were Easter Sunday itself.

«  And each Sunday of the Easter Season is called FIRST SUNDAY OF EASTER, SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER, THIRD…

¡ALLELUIA,  JESUS, THE LORD IS RISEN!!!! 

FIRST READING . Acts of the Apostles 5, 12-16    

As we have said last week, during the liturgical season of Easter the first Reading is taken from the book of the Acts. 

Today’s reading describes what the apostles were doing and how the people looked at them:   

Ø  They did wonderful things and they healed the people. This is what all of us seek, we are vulnerable, limited, and we do not like to suffer.  

Ø  The reading says that they were all together under one of the porticoes of the Temple

Ø  That nobody wanted to join them, probably the author means while they were at the temple. 

Ø  Because a little bit, further it says that everyday more followers were joining them.  

Ø  People put their sick on the street wishing that, at least, the shadow of Peter may cover them and so be healed.  

Ø  What a wonderful description of Peter, like his Master and Lord, his shadow does well to people.  

Ø  As it happened when Jesus lived among us, people brought from everywhere their sick ones to be cured, now they do the same with the vicar of Christ, Peter to whom Jesus has given the keys of the Church.  

RESPONSORIAL PSALM   Ps. 118 2-4; 13-15; 22-24

«  We continue the Reading of Psalm 118. 

«  It is a thanksgiving hymn to the God of Israel, we sing it in the liturgy to give thanks and praise to Jesus, victor over death and hell.   

R. Alleluia.
Let the house of Israel say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
Let the house of Aaron say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
Let those who fear the LORD say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
 R. Alleluia.
I was hard pressed and was falling,
but the LORD helped me.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
The joyful shout of victory
in the tents of the just:
 R. Alleluia.
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.
R. Alleluia.

 SECOND READING  Rv  l,9-11a. 12-13. 17-19

ü  The book of the Apocalypse is called also Book of Revelation. Revelation of the glorified  Christ, Lord and King of Kings    

ü  The Gospels are books that tell us about Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ and Messiah, during the days of his earthly life among us.  

ü  The book of Revelation tells us about the risen Lord Jesus, the glorified Christ, who is God, the Second Person of the Trinity.  

ü  This book does not speak of the future as the seers do, but using symbols and images the author wants to help us understand the meaning of today’s  history. 

ü  Thus, it is called Revelation, which means to lift up the curtain.  Through the different chapters, our brother John inspired by God removes little by little the curtain so that we may be able to see what is behind it. Thus, we may be able to understand the meaning of history.   

ü  I read once an author who said that this book was written to give hope to the people who suffer.  

ü  That one of its messages, probably the most important one, is that we find God in the events of history, not beyond them. Let us think for a moment on this sentence and it will probably help us to deepen our faith, as Jesus asked Thomas to do “doubt no more, believe”.

 

LET US SEE THE MESSAGE FROM THIS SUNDAY’S READING

      The author introduces himself as John, our brother, who shares with us the events of life and the persecution because of his fidelity to Jesus.  

       Because he has chosen to be faithful, he is exiled in the isle of Patmos.  

       There he has a revelation of the heavenly Christ. Jesus, risen and glorified, introduces himself and speaks to him to give a message for him and for all his brothers.   

       This happens on a Sunday, the day of the Lord, from the Latin  dominus = Lord. It is the first time that this Word is used in the New Testament.   

       Jesus presents himself as a “son of man” name that Jesus used many times during his earthly life among us. This Word comes from the book of Daniel, where the son of man is someone with authority. 

      This son of man dresses priestly vestments, and is among seven golden chandeliers, symbol of the Church.   

      John is terrified on seeing this majestic being, but Jesus touches him and says, “do not be afraid.” 

      And continues saying :  

o   I am the First and the Last   

o   The Living one, I was dead, but now I live forever.  

o   He has the keys of death and life. Paul will tell us that the Father has given him a name above every other name, thus at the name of Jesus every knee shall bend on earth and under the earth and in the netherworld.

o   Christ orders John to write what he sees now and will see in the future. 

  GOSPEL OF JOHN 20:19-31

      On this second Sunday of Easter, the liturgy puts before the eyes of our faith the manifestation of the Risen Lord to the eleven.   

      Jesus comes in their midst suddenly; all can see him.   

o   He says his usual greeting “Shalom=Peace” The Risen Christ is our peace, his presence fills us with an overwhelming joy and we experience a deep peace that nobody can take from us.  

o   Jesus tells them that they have to continue the work he began with the Incarnation; they are called to be his visible presence in the world.  

§  What is that work, that mission? With the strength of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus they will receive the strength and also the mission to forgive, to bind and unbind with the same authority of Jesus, who will accept what they bind or unbind here on earth.  

o   One of them, Thomas, is not with the others. He left the community, why? Probably because he is disappointed and sad.  He has left the community when he needed it most, when he needed to share with his friends their sadness, their fear, their disappointment.        

      Jesus comes back 8 days later; he does not want to leave one of his intimate friends without seeing him. 

o   Jesus, who continues to love without limits, is going to give to Thomas a wonderful gift which will be a gift for us also.   

o   Thomas, look at me, I am Jesus, the one you love, with whom you were ready to go to Jerusalem to die. 

o   Do not allow the temptation of sadness   overcome you, do not go away from the community of your friends, who suffer like you.   

o   Touch my hands; enter my wounded side that will always be open for you. 

o   You know, that now by the power of the resurrection, we are brothers, not only friends, or disciple and teacher.  

o   “My Lord and my God.” I love you my Lord, forgive my unbelief, my lack of trust.

§  HAPPY THOSE WHO WILL BELIEVE WITHOUT SEEING.  Thank you, Lord, for your words, because we belong to the group of those who struggle day by day   

·         To believe without seeing.   

·         To seek you in the midst of our darkness.  

·         To allow your love to find us, your love who always forgets and forgives our lack of trust.   

·         WE BELIEVE LORD, BUT HELP OUR UNBELIEF, INCREASE OUR FAITH.  

	CLARETIAN CORNER

 

One day, our Lord showed me the beauty of his most Holy Law. He showed me a beautiful scene of a vast and beautiful meadow full of the most beautiful flowers of all kind; they had the most varied and exquisite fragrance. I saw that they all had stain, some more than the others. Some had only a little stain but it disfigured the beauty that exquisite scenery. Our Lord told me: “do you see my daughter the beauty of the flowers are breaking of my holy law. I had nobody to observe it, because there is no one who keeps the precept of charity. Venerable María Antonia París, Foundress of the Claretian Missionary Sisters, Autobiography 27.

 

I couldn't stand for anyone to make fun of them [older people], as young boys often wont to do.  

Moreover I remember that when I was seated in church and an old man would come in, I would stand up gladly and give him a seat. I would always greet old people on the street, and if I had the pleasure of talking with one of them, I enjoyed it immensely. God grant that I have known how to use the advice of these elderly gentlemen to advantage.

My God, how good you are! How rich in mercy you have been to me! If you had given others the graces you have given me, they would have cooperated with them so much more. Mercy, Lord: I'll begin to be good from now on, with the help of your grace.  Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Founder of the Claretian Missionary Sisters, Autobiography 20-21.

 

EASTER SUNDAY – CYCLE C – 2022

v  The resurrection is the high point of Jesus’ earthly life among us. 

v  The Lord has been faithful to his mission until the end, he has loved us and continues to love with an unfathomable love, too great and too selfless for us to understand. 

v  The Lord lives! He is risen as he said! 

v  Karl Rahner said once “God has become the eternal unrest of the world.”

FIRST READING

Ø  The reading is taken from the book of the Acts of the Apostles, whose author is the same as the author of the Gospel, Saint Luke. 

Ø  The book is about the history of the nascent Church, small, humble, sometimes afraid, sometimes courageous, sometimes faithful, sometimes unfaithful.   

Ø  Church persecuted.  From the very beginning of the book we read about the martyrdom of Deacon Stephen, and of James the son of Zebedee. Jesus called him one of the first and he promised him that he would drink from his same chalice.   

Ø  The book has many chapters about Paul, the great apostle. At the end of the book, Paul is in home arrest in Rome, he teaches freely, in spite of the chains that keep him in the house.

Ø  He is the image of what the church will be over the centuries. Persecuted but evangelizing.  

Acts 10:34.37-43

      Peter speaks at Cornelius home, a pagan soldier, in whose house Peter has come in response to the petition of Cornelius, who wants to know about Jesus.   

      He explains the events that have happened, not only in the last days, but since  John’s baptism.  

      He tells them that Jesus, anointed by the Spirit, went about doing good.
How good would it be if they can say that about each one of us! We still have time.    

      Afterwards Peter reminds them, how Jesus was condemned to death, how he was raised on the third day and how only some chosen witnesses saw him.  

      Jesus has been appointed by God, judge of the living and of the dead. Jesus has power over all, he is the Lord.  

      Whoever believes in him, will receive forgiveness of his/her sins.   

      To believe it is not only to say “I believe”, it is to live saying with our life, our choices, our actions… “I believe in you Lord” and I want to be like you, going about doing good  to all without distinction.   

RESPONSORIAL PSALM   Ps 118

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Israel say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
 “The right hand of the LORD has struck with power;
the right hand of the LORD is exalted.
I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the LORD.”
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
 

ü  Today it is the day of the Lord’s triumph, the most wonderful day that the Lord has made.

ü  We sing his mercy and we repeat some phrases from Scripture about Jesus, the Lord, the Messiah.   

ü  Jesus can say “I will not die, I will continue living to sing what the Lord has done for me.”  

ü  He is the stone rejected by the builders.  The religious and political leaders of his people rejected him; they did not consider him useful.   

ü  How often we make mistakes, sometimes in good faith, others with ill intentions.   

ü  This rejected stone is the cornerstone of the church, the salvation, God’s work.   

ü  The psalmist exclaims:  This is wonderful, a real miracle!  

ü  So many miracles, wonderful works God does every day before our eyes, with the little ones, the despised, those considered a burden or non-useful: sick, older people, poor of all sorts,  foreigners, migrants, babies destroyed in their mother’s womb because they do not fit in our plans, prisoners tortured, abused women and children. With all of them and in all of them God does wonderful things, that confronts our self-sufficiency, our power, our knowledge…    

Below I put the paschal sequence and a reflection on it. I will omit the second reading and the Gospel.  

SEQUENCE

 

Christians, to the Paschal Victim Offer your thankful  praises!    A lamb the sheep redeems: Christ who only is sinless Reconcile sinners to the Father.   Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous The Prince of life who died reigns immortal.   Speak Mary declaring  what you saw wayfaring “The tomb of Christ, who is living. The glory of Jesus resurrection,

Bright angels attesting, the shroud and napkin resting Yes, Christ my hope is arisen!   To Galilee he goes before you.” Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining    Have mercy, victor King ever reigning!   Amen, alleluia.

 In the great solemnities, the Church has a sequence, which is recited or sung before de Reading the Gospel. 

v  They are a masterpiece of poetry and music.  

v  As we read this sequence of Easter we realize that it tells us the mystery of our redemption.  

v  Mary Magdalene is asked about her experience on the road, what she has seen on the way.   

v  She confesses her faith in the resurrection, I have seen the Risen Lord who invites his own to meet him in Galilee.

v  Galilee  

o   Concrete geographical place, but also a place in the geography of the spirit. 

o   Place of the first encounter.   

o   They have to go back there to encounter anew the enthusiasm, the joy, the energy and the strength to proclaim what eye has not seen and ear has not heard. 

o   Encounter that will  make them able to proclaim that our God has saved us, that he is in our midst, that he walks with each one of us and will be with us until the end of history. 

o   Galilee, place where Peter will be able to confess his love to his friend and Lord, after having experienced the depth of human misery denying to know the one he loved so much. 

v  Yes, let us also go back to our own Galilee, the place where we met the Lord for the first time. Hope, joy   and enthusiasm will come back into our life, our first experience will be renewed.  (Luis Alonso Schökel, comentario en La Biblia de nuestro Pueblo, 2015.)

HAPPY EASTER!!!!

 

PALM SUNDAY – CYCLE C  2022

Palm Sunday is the beginning of Holy Week, the holiest week of the year, that will lead us to the glory and joy of Easter Sunday. During this week Jesus will live his paschal mystery, his Passover from this world to the Father, from humiliation to glory,

In the first reading on Palm Sunday and on Good Friday, we read from the Book of Isaiah two of the Servant Poems.

THE SERVANT POEMS

In the book of the Second or Deutero-Isaiah we find a series of Poems about a Servant.

1.      42,1-4

2.      49,1-7

3.      50,4-11

4.      52,13-53,12

Many identities have been proposed for this Servant:

-          Historical Israel

-          Ideal Israel

-          An Old Testament historical character, maybe the Prophet itself

-          In the New Testament the Church has seen in Jesus the fulfillment of what is said about the Servant.

The words used  “hear and speak,” refer to the prophetic mission of the Servant.

First Reading Is 50,4-11.  

Third Poem of the Servant

-          He hears because the Lord has opened his ears

-          And has given him a well-trained tongue to speak to the weary

-          The servant is obedient, does not refuse to accomplish his mission

-          He endures whatever comes to his life because of his willingness to obey God

-          His trust is in the Lord

o   God is his help

o   God is near and upholds his right

-          The Servant invites those who fear the Lord to

o   Listen to the voice of the Servant

o   To put their trust in God

o   Those who do not follow the Lord will suffer.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24

R.  My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
All who see me scoff at me;
they mock me with parted lips, they wag their heads:
“He relied on the LORD; let him deliver him,
let him rescue him, if he loves him.”

R. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Indeed, many dogs surround me,
a pack of evildoers closes in upon me;
They have pierced my hands and my feet;
I can count all my bones.

R. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
They divide my garments among them,
and for my vesture they cast lots.
But you, O LORD, be not far from me;
O my help, hasten to aid me.

R. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
I will proclaim your name to my brethren;
in the midst of the assembly I will praise you:
“You who fear the LORD, praise him;
all you descendants of Jacob, give glory to him;
revere him, all you descendants of Israel!”
R. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

 

«  This psalm is a lamentation

«  Of someone close to his death

«  God, who in former times was experienced as close, is now experienced as faraway. 

«  In the last verses the situation changes, because God intervenes and this gives way to joy, praise and thanksgiving

 SECOND READING   Phl 2:6-11

      Paul invites the community of Philippi to have the same attitude of Christ   

o   contrary to what Adam who was not God did,  Christ who is God,  did not regard equality with God  something to be grasped at,   but took on the form of a slave (the Word’s incarnation) 

o   Slave because every man is a slave before God, God is our Master and Lord, and even if we consider ourselves important, we are only slaves, and to become like us the Word had to humiliate himself. 

o   However, God does not look at us as slaves, but as adopted children in his only son Jesus.

o   The Word made flesh, obeyed, the opposite to what Adam, the first man, did. Jesus became obedient; he opened his ears and opened his mouth to proclaim his acceptance of the Father’s will.     

o   He accepted the most humiliating death, the cross.   

o   The consequence of all of this is that the Father has glorified him, giving him a name above every other name, an absolute authority, thus everything is submitted to him because JESUS IS LORD FOR THE GLORY OF GOD THE FATHER.  

o   Wonderful fragment of the letter of Paul to the Philippians, in this letter Paul presents Christ Jesus, as true God and at the same time as true man. This is the belief we profess in the creed.    

PASSION OF THE LORD ACCORDING TO LUKE

-          The Lucan passion narrative is read in the same liturgical year C in which the Gospel of Luke has supplied the readings on Sundays of the Ordinary time. During Easter, we will read from the Acts of the Apostles, the other half of the Lucan two-volume work. The total setting is necessary to understand the passion message:

o   The Jesus accused before Pilate by the chief priests of “perverting the nation” is one whose infancy and upbringing was totally in fidelity to the Law of Moses (2:22, 27,39,42)

o   The Jesus who is accused of forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar” is the Jesus who had declared concerning the tribute “Give to Caesar… 20:25)

o   This casts light on the declaration of some characters in the passion, that Jesus is innocent 23:4,14,22,41,47)

o   The Jesus who calmly faces death is the one who had already set face to go to Jerusalem (9:51),  affirming that no prophet should perish away from Jerusalem (13:33)

o   During his ministry Jesus showed tenderness, forgiveness, compassion (widow of Nain, the prodigal son, the good Samaritan) In his passion he shows forgiveness for those who crucified him

o   We read in the temptations that the devil left until the opportune time, the time is now (22:53)

o   He has always presented the disciples in a very delicate way; never mentions now in the passion that they abandoned the Lord.

o   Luke is the only evangelist who presents a post-resurrection picture where all the appearances of Jesus are in the Jerusalem area, as if the disciples had never fled back to Galilee.

o   The Jesus accused before the chief priest, the Roman Governor and King  Herod   prepares the way for  a Paul brought before the same cast of adversaries (Acts 21:27-25:27)

o   The innocent Jesus who dies asking forgiveness for his enemies and commending his soul to God the Father prepares the way for the first Christian martyr Stephen (Acts 7:59-60)

 .CLARETIAN CORNER

 One night while praying and in bitter tears, pleading to our Lord that by the merits of His Passion and death to have mercy on the necessities of His church which at that time were many, our Lord told me and pointing at Mgr. Claret as if I saw him between our Lord and me.” This, my daughter, is the apostolic person whom you have asked me for so many years and with so much tears”.

His Divine Majesty showed me the grace He poured on that holy soul for the preaching of the gospel, and our Lord told me that there was no other remedy for the peace of the church. I did not know that person. Only a few days before I heard that a   certain chaplain by the name of Monsen Claret began preaching with much zeal about the honor due to God and the salvation of souls. It seems to me that have been at least eleven or twelve years ago.[1]   

If a son had a very kind father and saw that he was being maltreated for no reason at all, wouldn't the son defend the father? If the son saw that this good father was being led to execution, wouldn't he do all that he could to set him free? Well, then, what should I be doing for the honor of my Father, who is offended with such indifference and who, though innocent, is being led to Calvary to be, as St. Paul says, crucified anew by sin? Wouldn't it be a crime to remain silent? What would be the sense of not doing everything we could? My God, my Father! Help me to prevent all sins, or at least one sin, even if I should be cut to pieces in the attempt.[2]   

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[1] PARIS, Venerable María Antonia, Autobiography, 19.

[2] CLARET, Saint Anthony Mary, Autobiography, 17.