1 – FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT – CYCLE C – 2021 

Ø  With the time of Advent, we begin a new liturgical year, a new liturgical cycle.

Ø  During the time of Advent, we prepare ourselves to welcome, give thanks and celebrate the coming among us of the Son of God, to be one of us

Ø  During this new liturgical year we will use the Gospel of Luke. The church in her liturgical reformation, after the Council Vatican II, offered to us the opportunity to read the 3 synoptic gospels in three years. The purpose is to help us to know Christ better through the eyes of those evangelists who had known the first witnesses or someone who had known them.   

Ø  The Jesus Luke describes is full of proximity, mercy, accepting everyone with great freedom.  He is the Good Shepherd who rejoices to find the lost coins, who goes out  to  meet his prodigal son that returns home… 

Ø  It has been said that Luke besides bien a physician was a painter. We do not know if this is true but he painted with his words. 

Ø  Luke with few strokes offers us a wonderful picture of Mary, as a woman of an incomparable beauty, who  being a teenager knew how to say yes to God.  

Ø  Let us see what the liturgy offers in this first Sunday of Advent.  

FIRST READING  – Jer 33:14-16

·         This reading from the prophet Jeremiah has a tone of fulfillment and hope.  

·         In those days, what days? The people of Israel and the Church have always understood “those days” as the end of time of history. 

·         God will fulfill his promises of joy to the houses of Israel and Judah, to the Church.  

·         And God will make a germinate a germ in the midst of his people.

·         This germ in Jesus who came as King of the truth, who has done justice to the sin of mankind in his own body.  

·          In this way he has saved us. The reading ends saying that this germ will be called "The Lord-is-our-righteousness"

·         Jesus elsewhere in this Gospel of Luke will tell us to "go and do the same."

·         Yes, let us go and do the same as our pastor has done, let us do justice in and with our lives.  

RESPONSORIAL PSALM – Ps 25

R. To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
   teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
   for you are God my savior,
   and for you I wait all the day. 
R. To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
Good and upright is the LORD;
   thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
   and teaches the humble his way. 
R. To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
All the paths of the LORD are kindness and constancy
   toward those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
The friendship of the LORD is with those who fear him,
   and his covenant, for their instruction. 
R. To you, O Lord, I lift my soul. 

v Lord show us the way

v We want to walk in your path, Lord.

v  Now that we are preparing for the Synod: “For a Synodal Church: communion, participation and mission" we say from the bottom of our hearts "discover us Lord your ways”.

SECOND READING – 1 Thes 3:12-4,2

      The apostle asks that the Lord give us such a love for God and for our brothers and sisters   

      That it strengths our heart,

      make us irreproachable on the day of the Lord's coming 

      And then Paul invites us to lead a holy life, following the indications that he himself gave to his community of Thessalonica. 

      This invitation is also addressed to us.  Let us see how we can live, more and more every day, according to those who believe and hope. It is not about doing things; it is about loving and thus being more free in ourselves every day and letting others be free.

GOSPEL -  Lk 2:25-28.34-36

§  Luke says that Jesus told his people of his second coming, that is, the end of history.  

§  This text has an apocalyptic style and therefore uses natural phenomena to explain something much deeper, which is the encounter of the human being with his Creator. Like those servants who had to give an account of what their master gave them before leaving; when the master asks them to explain how they have used the talents they had received,  they start worrying.   Giving accounts always puts us in tension even if we have not done anything wrong. 

§  The strong natural phenomena such as hurricanes, volcanoes, thunder, and lightning always appear in the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments to describe the coming of God (Exodus, the death of Jesus on the cross…).

§  In this gospel we encounter again the mysterious character of Daniel's book the "Son of Man.” He is always a figure of authority; he is someone with power and strength.

§  The evangelist says, transmitting to us what Jesus said, that when we see these events, we should raise our heads because our salvation has arrived. What events? 

o   Everything that is described as signs in the stars, in the sky, on earth can be everything that happens to us, not only of natural phenomena, but  wars and struggles between us humans. Not only wars between nations but also  between the members of the same family and in our hearts.

§  We are invited to be awake, that is, to be alert and do not let sin seduce us and destroy us.

§  To be awake to wait for him as the bride of the Song of Songs awaits the groom who comes illuminating the darkness, that is, giving joy and a fullness that we cannot even imagine.

§  Let us repeat what the first communities, full of enthusiasm and love, said Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!

	CLARETIAN CORNER

 

 

 

To Anthony Mary Claret, Archbishop of Santiago de Cuba

Your Most Illustrious Excellency,

María Antonia París, María Josefa Caixal, María Rosa Gual y María Encarnación Gual from the convent of the School Sisters of the Company of Mary, located in the City of Tarragona, to Your Most Illustrious Excellency, with due respect, we make present: that after having spent some of them several years of novitiate in that Monastery from which they come, admitted to religious profession as some of their companions did, they preferred to move to this Great Antilles as most in need of the spiritual help of religious education, taking part, in their own way, in the Holy Mission that brought Y.M.I.E.. to these shores with your companions.

Communicated the thought and consulted with its worthy and zealous spiritual directors the wise and virtuous Rv. José Caixal, Canon,  and the Reverend Father Master Tomás Gatell of the Order of Preachers; after  mature examination and repeated tests, they believed that our desire was nothing, but a special vocation of the Lord to which we should correspond on our part: Y.M.I.E.  was consulted, and your opinion of weight in this matter, corroborated the thought.  (the rest of   letter 2, next week) 

BIBLIOGRAPHY2

PARIS, María Antonia París. Epistolario. Presentación, introducciones a las cartas y notas por P. Juan Manuel Lozano cmf. 1993.

   34 - SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME -  B - 2021

CHRIST KING OF THE UNIVERSE 

«  We have reached the last Sunday of the liturgical year, the 34th Sunday in ordinary time. In this Sunday the liturgy of the church celebrates Jesus as King of the Universe. 

«  On the first Sunday in Ordinary time, we have celebrated the Baptism of the Lord Jesus. After his baptism in the Jordan River, the voice of the Father said to Jesus “You are my beloved Son.” 

«  Jesus has healed, taught, forgiven, and discussed with the religious authorities of his people, in a word, Jesus has lived a full human life, showing the unconditional love of the Father for all of us.   

«  During the 33 Sundays in Ordinary time, we have seen Jesus vulnerable on many occasions, and now the Church presents him as King and Lord.   

«  Even being king and Lord, he has not abandoned his tenderness, his compassion; on the contrary his kingship is of love, justice, and kindness for all.  

FIRST READING: Daniel 7:13-14 

Ø  Last week, we explained some interesting details of this book. Today we will concentrate in the message in chapter 7. 

Ø  The reading introduces the character of the “Son of man” title, which Jesus will apply to himself on many occasions.  

Ø  It is a title of sovereignty, of authority because to this character in the book of Daniel 

o   Royal power and dominion   will be given     

o   All the peoples and languages will respect him and will bow down before him.

o    I transcribe here the commentary of Luis Alonso Schökel:  

§  In our time, the believer cannot just simply wait for a heavenly being, which will come to judge the oppressors and the oppressing structures.  

§  In and from faith, the Christian person, who is convinced of the liberating, consoling, and encouraging value of the Word and of Jesus Project, must transform his struggles and sweats into current prophecy.  

§  Time has not changed the way God thinks.

§   It is up to us to do works of justice, solidarity, and fraternity amid a divided world, which is governed by the forces of evil.  

RESPONSORIAL PSALM – Ps.  93   

R.  THE LORD IS KING; HE IS ROBED IN MAJESTY
The LORD is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.
R. THE LORD IS KING; HE IS ROBED IN MAJESTY
And he has made the world firm,
not to be moved.
Your throne stands firm from of old;
from everlasting you are, O LORD.
R. THE LORD IS KING; HE IS ROBED IN MAJESTY
Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed;
holiness befits your house,
O LORD, for length of days.
R. THE LORD IS KING; HE IS ROBED IN MAJESTY

      This psalm belongs to the IV book of psalms (psalms 90-106.) 

      It is a hymn to the divine kingship 

      His power gives firmness to creation   

      The decrees of the Lord are faithful and true.   

      His house is adorned with holiness     

      The kingship and power of God is his holiness, his love, his kindness, his tenderness toward his creation.  

GOSPEL OF JOHN 18:33-37

§  John narrates the encounter between Jesus and Pilate through a series of seven scenes.  

§  The one we will read this Sunday is the second.  

§  It takes place inside the palace of Pilate.

§  During the interrogation Jesus declares himself king, but a king who does not belong to this world, in a word he declares himself God.  

§  He has come to give witness to the truth. What truth? The truth of God and, the truth of the human being.    

Only the one, who accepts the truth, can listen to his voice, the voice of the Master.   

SECOND READING: Rv 1:5-8

ü  This Reading is taken from the first chapter of the book of Revelation.   

ü  After the introduction and the greeting to the churches, the author of the book describes, in a poetic way, who Jesus is:  

o   He is the faithful witness  

o   He is the first among the dead and the King of the kings of the world.  

o   He loves us and has liberated us from our sins with his blood.  

o   He has made of us a kingdom of priests for God his Father.  

ü  He comes upon the clouds; this reminds us the son of man of the vision of the book of Daniel.  

ü  All even those who killed him will see him.  

ü  And after that Jesus introduces himself saying:   

o   I am the alpha and the omega    

o   The one who is, was and will come, the all-powerful 

CLARETIAN CORNER  

To Mother Antonia París 

Fontfroide, August 29, 1870 

My dear Mother in J.C., I have received your letter from the 23rd of the present month, after reading it I respond.  

The weather of Rome has not done good to me, besides this year there have been many special circumstances, like a very hot weather; having to go through the streets of Rome from half past seven to two in the afternoon, and many days I had to walk because I could not find a car to rent. Finally, the very serious business of the Council on the pope’s infallibility, all these things have affected me; thus, on May 23 I had a cerebral affection. I resisted and suffered much, my friends were alarmed, the remedies provided by the Physicians were practiced and are practiced.   

After the Superior of the Congregation knew it, he went to find me and took me to Prades so that with the change of climate and the other circumstances I could be remedied, because I was quite bad with a headache that did not leave me day and night less, that did not let me sleep or rest. 

Fifteen days after I was in Prades, I was notified that the French Government commanded and obliged that all newly arrived Spaniards had to be interned; and so, I had to go to this town called Fontfroide of the Diocese of Carcassonne, in which I am.  The name Fontfroide means cold fountain.   It is a monastery of very good Trappist Religious and they treat me very well; and since I am in this Monastery I feel much better, thank God.

This is in substance what has happened; you know that the Bishops of Lleida, Huesca, Barcelona, and Tarragona died. 

            The Bishops of Spain have been persecuted by our countrymen; but God has exalted us on the other hand, for all have celebrated the Spanish Episcopate for their costume, morality, doctrine, union. May God be blessed and praised.

  My kind regards to the sisters and to you 

Antonio María, arzobispo de Trajanópolis. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

RAVASI, Gianfranco. Según las Escrituras-Año B. San Pablo 2005.

RR. DE MARÍA INMACULADA MISIONERAS CLARETIANAS. Cartas de los Orígenes. Madrid 2009.

SCHÖKEL, LUIS ALONSO. La Biblia de nuestro Pueblo.

CONFERENCIA EPISCOPAL ESPANOLA. Sagrada Biblia. Versión oficial.

 

 

 

 

33 SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – B – 2021 

The readings for this coming Sunday have an apocalyptic tone and color.  

THE BOOK OF DANIEL

Ø  This prophetic book has traits of the apocalyptic literature. 

Ø  It has several peculiarities:   

o   The first and second chapters are written in Hebrew. 

o   Then from 2,4b to 7,27 they are written in Aramaic.  

o   And afterwards it continues in Hebrew .

o   The Greek version includes passages not included in the Hebrew Scriptures, probably these are episodes that circulated around the Jewish communities and were added to the original book: the three young men prayer in the furnace   3,24-90, the judgement of Susana    c.13 , and the story of Daniel and the idols    c. 14

Ø  In this book we discover the following structure:  

o   A series of stories about Daniel and the three companions in the court of the king of Babylon (cc. 1-6.)

o   Revelations that Daniel receives through heavenly visions  cc. 7-12

o   Intervention of Daniel in the judgement of Susana and the fall of the idols   cc. 13-14.

o   Each one of these sections presents a different structure:  

§  The first one describes the life of the Jewish community in the diaspora, the good relationships with the civil authorities.    

§  The second pictures the persecution suffered by the Jews under the kingship of Antiochus Epiphanes IV. Daniel speaks of 4 kingdoms and the coming of the Kingdom of God after the death of the king. 

§  The third part shows an undetermined historical concept, signals the triumph of justice and the nonsense of idolatry.  All of this can happen in any historical moment.  

Ø  The leading thread which gives unity to the book is:  

o   The person of Daniel  

o   The  exile  in Babylon  

o   But overall “God who has the power over the kingdoms of the earth will establish his kingdom sometime in the future.”  

Ø   Composition  of the Book

o   The book is written in  several languages   

o   The central point is the vision of the 4 kingdoms and  the Son of Man

Ø  The Message of the Book of Daniel  

o   Hope in the coming of a new situation in which, those who are faithful to God will reign, where evil or sin will be no more, and which will be eternal.  

FIRST READING  Dn 12,1-3

ü  This Reading is taken from the second part of the book, when the Jews were suffering persecution for their faithfulness to their faith.  

ü  Michael the angel who takes care of the humans will rise up to take action.   

ü  From the People of God all those whose names are written in the book will be saved.  

ü  This is similar to  what happens in the nations and in the cities, those who belong there have their names written in the civil registries.  

ü  The reading speaks of resurrection for life or for death.  

ü  The wise, not those who accumulate intellectual knowledge, but the true wise men, those who savor the truth, the beauty, the goodness of God, those who discover his footprints everywhere around them, and who learn from his inner whisper. 

ü  Those who taught others justice, that is the truth of God, the knowledge of God, the love.

ü  All of them will shine in the firmament like the stars for all eternity, forever.  

ü  What a wonderful image, so full of meaning! 

RESPONSORIAL PSALM   Ps  16

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!
O Lord, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
I set the Lord ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!
Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence;
because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord! 

v  We repeat over and over “You are my inheritance, O Lord.”   

v  Yes, the Lord is our inheritance, our joy, our delight, the cup of our happiness, our portion.   

v  He will never abandon us; he will not allow us to suffer corruption. 

v  He shows us the way to Him, towards life where joy is eternal.  

 

GOSPEL  Mk  13:24-32

§  The situation that the communities lived at the beginning, especially the community of Mark was of suffering due to persecution.  

§  Persecution which led to physical death, but also another type of persecution “to be considered of lower status in society, to be like people who do not count…” How many human beings still now continue to suffer the same situation!  

§  The temptation of tiredness is a reality.  

§  And Mark wants to encourage his community, to remind them some of the words of Jesus that could enlighten them, give them courage, give them strength.  

§  In that day… what day? The end of history, when God will be all in all.   

§  When the falsehood and the truth of our history will be manifested, because all that distract us now: sun, moon, stars, human and nature powers will be no more.  

§  Time will be no more either, the sun, the moon and the stars which signal now the years and stations will no longer shine   

§  Space will disappear also, “the stars will fall…” the distance between the sky and the earth will be eliminated  

§  And then without obstacles caused by the things which surround us, we will be able to see the presence of the Son of man, Jesus, the Lord of history.  

§  Jesus who has said to us that he will come, he has also said to us that he is in every human being who comes to us in his or her need and asks for our help.  He has also said that he will be with us in our evangelizing mission, until the end of history.  

§  This Jesus who will come, is already here and walks with us.   Remember the two from Emmaus they walked with him (Jesus)  “but they did not recognize him, they did not see him, until they were  able to forget  themselves, their sadness, their worries and think about the stranger  whom they welcomed into their home, only then they were able to see him. 

§  Towards the end of this segment of the Gospel of Mark, it seems as if Mark changes the scenario from the end of history to the end of Jerusalem, of the temple “ this generation will not pass away…”     

§  Mark also invites us to look at nature, which warns us about the times, the phenomena, In the same way we are invited to look at history with the eyes of Jesus and discover its meaning.  

§  The Lord has come, the Lord is already here, the Lord will come. Mark does not speak about judgement, because the presence of the Lord which will illumine our lives, our history, will uncover our truth and our lie as well.  

§  Let us not await until the end to ask the Lord for his help, to allow him to illumine us, and thus we will not fear that our lie be uncovered by Him. He is the only one who can change our lie into his truth.  

§  Come Lord Jesus! And give us the strength to allow your love and your presence   transform us.    

SECOND READING  Heb 10:11-14. 18

      The author of this letter continues sharing with us his thoughts about the priesthood of Jesus.  

      The priest of the old law offered repeatedly the sacrifice asking for forgiveness, but these sacrifices could not take away sin.   

       Jesus has offered only one sacrifice to take away the sins of the world, and he is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. To be seated at the right hand means to have power, means equality with the one seated on the throne. In the earthly kingdoms the person seated at the right hand of the king is the most important person in the kingdom after the king.    

      And it ends saying “when there is forgiveness, sin is eliminated.”     

      This reflection of the author of the letter to the Hebrews is an invitation to trust, to truly believe that we have been forgiven, saved, redeemed.   That when I repent and I approach the sacrament of forgiveness my sins are eliminated, they do not exist anymore, because Jesus has destroyed them forever, and this is made visible and real for me through the sacramental  ministry which Jesus has given to the church.   

      Thank you Lord for your forgiveness, teach us to forgive in the same way, to forgive the offenses instead of nurturing them with our bitterness. Make us like you!    

JMJ

 

To Mother Antonia París de S. Pedro  

Rome, June 17 1870

 

My dear Mother in J.C., I have received your letter of the 8th of the present month with which you congratulate me on the day of my Patron Saint, I congratulate you on your Patron Saint Anthony and also on St. Peter. May both Saints Peter and Anthony do what we, men, have not been able to achieve, which is the Approval of the Constitutions; I believe that it is convenient to work and wait at the same time in the Lord. Be good Religious and you will see how the Lord and the Virgin Mary will fix everything, I hope so. 

            On my part I have done everything I known I had to do, either in Cuba, or in Rome. Caixal has also done, and is currently doing, what he can.  I have given him the little card that you sent me. Since he is currently the Ordinary of the Convent that you have in Tremp, he is in a better position to help you than me, because I am not currently Ordinary of Cuba as I was before. Here they which they pay more attention to the Prelate when he asks something for the Nuns of his Diocese. 

            I, however, am pricking Caixal to present his request and frequently; in addition to the trips to the Congregation of Bishops and Regulars, I have made many so far. The work and fatigue of the Council keep me  very busy in upholding and defending the rights of the Church and of the Holy Father. 

              In the middle of the Council, in front of all the Cardinals and all the Patriarchs, Archbishops and Bishops, from the pulpit I said: that I was ready and prepared to give my blood and my life. My words made a lot of impression; the same can be said of the other Spanish bishops, they all behave very well. 

               An English archbishop came to see me and said: the Spanish Bishops can be said to be "the imperial guard of the Pope".  May all be for the greater glory of God. My health is a little affected. 

Pray for me to God and count on your most affectionate servant. 

Kind regards to the Sisters

Anthony Mary Claret Archbishop of Trajanópolis

 BIBLIOGRAPHY 

PAGOLA, José A. El camino abierto por Jesús. 2 Marcos.

DIARIO BÍBLICO 2018. Claret Publishing Group.

RR. MARY IMMACULATE CLARETIAN MISSIONARY SISTERS. Cartas de los Orígenes. Madrid 2009

SAGRADA BIBLIA, versión oficial de la Conferencia Episcopal Española.