Diálogo con el amor - Padre Diego y Gilmer Torres

Palm Sunday, year A

 Accepting that He was prepared to suffer unto death to show us how our God loves us, Jesus reveals his identity as the Messiah and the Son of God, establishing a new kind of kingship based on accepting the will of the Father above all. He is a king who accepts His limitations as human, embraces all people, especially the poor, crippled and marginalized; and makes welcoming, love and tolerance his code of conduct and ruling.

Jesus gives us an example of patient endurance and faithfulness in suffering. Suffering is something we all encounter. It is not something that anyone likes but sometimes we cope with it better than others who do not accept it as part of life.

He bore our pains and sorrows 

If we really consider ourselves followers of Christ, the text of Isaiah should evoke a response deep within us, seeing how they apply to God’s only beloved Son, and how he chose freely to die for all of us. “He was oppressed and was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth” (Is 53:7).

St Peter tells us that without a sincere love of Christ, we are not true followers of Him. 

We cannot say we fully love him, until we appreciate that he suffered for us. 

To strengthen our faith, St Peter reminds us that “without having seen him you have come to believe in him, and so you are filled already with a joy so glorious that it cannot be described” (1 Pet 1:8).  Having heard the Passion narrative it is not necessary to retrace in great detail the events there described. But we must remember that Christ was no stranger to hardship, privation and suffering, long before that final day of his life.  Being in the form of God, as St Paul says, from the moment he came on earth, Jesus emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming as human as us (Phil 2:6). 

He, the highest God, suffered the hardships of the poor, sometimes without a place to lay his head. He endured hunger and thirst, and after long days pressured by crowds seeking a cure, he often spent whole nights at prayer in the hills. Despite his compassion for all who came to him, he was hated and rejected, particularly by Pharisees and priests, who planned to kill him. This hate and rejection must have been very frustrating and painful for him. It was not easy being rejected by the same people he chose, above all others. 

How terrible was the inner struggle of Jesus before facing his death that those drops of sweat became blood at Gethsemane garden falling to the ground. More so, was the knowledge that one of his own circle of twelve will betray him, that most of the others will leave him, and even the loyal St Peter would swear three time that he had never met him. But most terrible of all as the end drew near was feeling abandoned by God His Father. 

His inner spirit was shrouded in a deep darkness foreseeing the murky darkness of Calvary. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Mt 27, 46)  That face so cruelly disfigured was the Son of God. The forehead streaming with blood, the hands and feet nailed to the Cross, the body wounded with scourges, the side pierced with a lance; were the forehead, the hands and feet, the holy side of the body of the eternal Word, made visible in Jesus. 

Why such suffering? We can only say with Isaiah, “It was for our transgressions he was smitten, for our sins he was brought low. On him lay the punishment that brings us healing, through his wounds we are made whole” (53: 5).

PRAYER

Dear Father, 

as I read through the narrative of the Passion 

let me find resonance with your Son´s sacrifice and salvation.

May this Passion story 

speak to me as a revelation of your infinite love for us.

May what I find in it help me 

to cope better with suffering, failure and rejection

and find a life-giving message 

for coping with the difficulties of today´s life.

Beautiful God, our Father, 

grant that your Son’s suffering for us 

may not be in vain.

Amen.

5th Sunday of Lent, Year A

Ez 37 : 12-14: I will put my spirit , and live

The worst misfortune of a displaced person is to die away from the familiar landscape, land and native soil. It hurts more when loved ones die on foreign soil, having to bury them among strangers. Yahweh speaks through the voice of the prophet Ezekiel comforting the suffering exiled Jews. He reassures the exiled in Babylon that He has called them to a whole new existence. 

The Spirit of the Lord will rebuild their reality, will stand up, walk with them in their dreams and projects and will give them peace and greatness only because he loves them dearly. Because of that love, Yahweh will call them out of their graves and give them a new life. 

It is a "resurrection" that moves away from exile. It is hope come true with the return to their homeland. This is a timely message for many of our people today to put our hope in the Lord and walk from suffering to joy. The message is a gift that encourages and strengthens us.

Rom 8: 8-11: The Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you

Paul's letter to the Romans, is considered his spiritual testament. Today’s reading relates to the 1st reading: As Christ disciples, we have the same Spirit that the Lord promised since the days of exile. We don´t belong to the "flesh" sin, selfishness, or unbridled greed; we belong to the Spirit, We live the true life of love, forgiveness and service. Christ gave us his full Spirit, without measure. And if the Spirit raised Jesus from the dead He will also raise us to be partakers of the full life of God, day by day, every day.

Jn 11: 1-45 : I am the resurrection and the life

The gospel presented in the raising of Lazarus ("God helps"), is the last of the seven "signs" worked by Jesus, to show "the glory of God." With his life and works, Jesus reveals His Father to us. His faith is a trusting one, as shown in the prayer addressed to the Father: 

"I thank you, Father, that you have heard me. 

I know that you always hear me". 

He knows that the Father stands by him and He won't disappoint Him. He expressed His confidence even before performing this sign. According to John, before facing death, Jesus reveals himself as the Lord of life, declares publicly that he is the resurrection and the life, faith in Him will give life to all those who believe in Him will, they won´t die forever.

The faith of the disciples, goes through a process of growth. John shows it in the dialogues between the twelve, Mary, Martha and Jesus. By His word and His own faith in the Father, Jesus is driving them from an imperfect faith to a more solid and strong faith. 

The faith of Martha and Mary is more limited, they recognize it and regret it, but Jesus leads them from their limitation to a greater faith. Marta knows his brother will rise again at the end of time, but Jesus shatters all her beliefs by revealing to her that His power it is real, present and acting through him: "I am the resurrection and the life." 

This active and real experience is revealed to all who believe in him, "He who believes in me will live even if he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die." Jesus helps Marta to take the big leap of faith when he asks: "Do you believe this?".

In replying, "Yes, Lord: I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world." John puts on her lips another great confession of faith, highlighting her greater faith. Raising Lazarus, Jesus reveals that "the gift of God" goes beyond any human calculations. It acts even when there seems to be no hope ("Lord, it is smelly, and has been dead four days"). This great "sign" of Jesus pours the last drop that breaks the patience of the enemies of Jesus, and because of that miracle they decide to kill Jesus. This sign anticipates and completes the final and ultimate sign that is the resurrection of Jesus.

For us, "to live is to die". Each day we live is a day that we die, one day less to live, and another day of our lives ending. Confessing our faith in Jesus we become his disciples; and to all disciples who believe in Him, will happen what happened to Lazarus, now and here; we will find life again and again, without waiting until the end of times to rise. Christian faith is a way of life and hope where from Baptism, the Holy Spirit identifies us with Christ who has brought us out of our graves for us to live now as risen, despite not knowing or not being able to express that well what  we believe in.

Prayer

God, universal Father and Mother, 

You always inspire in human beings 

the desire for full happiness that triumphs even over death 

and becomes "eternal". 

We humbly implore you to help us 

to be consistent with this inner strength that dwells in us. 

Work with us to bring happiness to all

by the most honest means and a way most beneficial 

to us and to those around us. 

In union with all men and women of all religions. 

We ask this through Jesus, your son and our brother. Amen.

Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year A

Reading 1 Ez 37: 12-14

Thus says the Lord God: 

O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them, and bring you back to the land of Israel. 

Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and have you rise from them, O my people! 

I will put my spirit in you that you may live, and I will settle you upon your land; thus you shall know that I am the Lord. 

I have promised, and I will do it, says the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm: 130: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8: R/ With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Yahweh; Yahweh, hear my voice! 

Let your ears be attentive to my voice in supplication.

With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

If you, O Yahweh, mark iniquities, Yahweh, who can stand? 

But with you is forgiveness, that you may be revered.

With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

I trust in Yahweh; my soul trusts in his word. 

More than sentinels wait for the dawn, let Israel wait for Yahweh.

R/ With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

For with the LORD is kindness and with him is plenteous redemption; 

and he will redeem Israel from all their iniquities.

R/ With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

Reading 2 Rom 8: 8-11

Brothers and sisters: 

Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

But if Christ is in you, although the body 

is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive because of righteousness.

If the Spirit of the one 

who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead 

will give life to your mortal bodies also, 

through his Spirit dwelling in you.

Gospel Jn 11: 3-7, 20-27, 33b-45

The sisters of Lazarus sent word to Jesus, saying, “Master, the one you love is ill.” When Jesus heard this he said, “This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that he was ill, he remained for two days in the place where he was. Then after this he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home.

Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.

But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.”

Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.” Martha said, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. 

Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”

He became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Sir, come and see.” And Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.” But some of them said, “Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that this man would not have died?”

So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay across it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him, “Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days.” 

Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me.” And when he had said this, He cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.”

Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what he had done began to believe in him.