Christ The King (Cycle C)

    To Catholics the image of Jesus nailed to the cross is very familiar. In a sense we are saturated with this image, every rosary ends with a crucifix, every church is required to have one in their sanctuary, and if you come from a Hispanic culture like mine, every man who calls himself a good Catholic wears one of this around their necks.
    This image is so familiar that we have been desensitized to the horror it presents: a human being nailed to a piece of wood. Think about it, only dead things, inanimate objects are made to be attached to trees. In our culture any animal treated in this way would evoke indignation and disgust, so to witness a human being treated in this way should horrify and outrage us.    

    In our collective social conscience we know humans are not to be treated in this way. We sense how dehumanizing this act really is. The one condemned to die in this shameful way is degraded to such extent that it is no longer a person; it’s not even at the level in which irrational animals deserve to be treated.
So, since today we are celebrating the feast of Christ the King, and the gospel takes us back to Good Friday and to our Lords final hours. I think it is fair to ask: Why would the church select this specific image to celebrate the Kingship of Jesus?
    This feast was instituted as an antidote against specific trends in human history which aimed at the complete eradication from every human endeavor of anything which had to do with God. Back in 1925 Pope Pious XI was worried about the way governments and societies were trying to eliminate any thought of God from art, science, ethics, and morality. So created this feast, a day in which the Church boldly proclaims Christ kingship not only over nature but over all of history and time; and especially over the lives of every men, woman and child which has ever lived on this planet. This feast culminates the liturgical year, after today; there is nothing else to celebrate, until the beginning of the new Church year next weekend with the First Sunday of advent.
    So, if the Church wants us to acknowledge Christ supreme power over “all things, visible and invisible”, why wouldn’t the Church, present Jesus at one of his most powerful moments? Maybe feeding thousands, or silencing his critics.
    The reason why, the Church today, gives us Jesus Crucified is so that we understand this; Christ, Our King is different than any other kings that has ever existed. If you have ever visited the great palaces of Europe, like Buckingham and Versailles you will know that human kings are defined by what they posses. We are used to see kings surrounded by luxury and wealth.  For human kings these things mean power and respect, their Royal status is defined by what they have. But Christ the King, Christ our King has nothing, he is a rejected man, abandoned by all, nailed to across, left to die, while the on lookers jeer and insult him. He leaves this world in the same way he came, poor and humble, with just His mother by his side. From where, then does Christ Royal status comes?  It comes not from what he has but from what he can do, from the authority He, as the Son of God, posses. It is His divine nature what makes him a powerful king. He has nothing and yet he has the power to do anything, and power over everything and everyone. He even has the power to open the gates of heaven closed to us by the sin of Adam and Eve. And he has the power to welcome anyone he wants into his kingdom, even to the lowest of criminals.  Human kings might have hundreds of thousands of soldiers at their disposal, the might have palaces and honor, but they have no authority over the eternal souls of their subjects. Only Jesus can forgive, only Jesus can take on our sins and offer himself as an acceptable sacrifice for our guilt, for all the offenses we commit against God’s perfect justice, only Jesus can break open the doors of paradise to us.
    For the son of God, status and material powers mean nothing, even dying in the horrendous way he did was nothing compared to the “kingdom, the power and the Glory” he shares with the Father and the Holy Spirit, a kingdom, a power and a glory he wants to share with us.
    In this feast of Christ our King we are to recognize Him in his true self, humble and meek; unlike the Kings we are all used to see. We are reminded of how He was willing to sacrifice His own self so that we can have abundant life with him in heaven for all eternity.
    There, my brothers and sisters here is our King. Blessed be Holy name of Jesus, Lord of Lord and King of Kings, forever and ever, Amen.

"Viva Cristo Rey!!"

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28th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

This morning I was visiting with some of the CCD classes, talking about the role of deacons in the parish. I explained to them that one of the things I do is taking communion to the sick at the Howard County General Hospital.

I bring this up today because I will like to share something that happened to me a few weeks ago in one of these visits. That day I entered a room in which a group of nurses were attending to an older gentleman. I greeted him and waited quietly until they left to ask if he would like to receive the Eucharist. As it is my custom, after praying and giving him communion I spent some time in his room just talking. I asked him why he was in the hospital, how long had he been there, if he had any family or friends around and how was he feeling. The answer he gave to this last question left me speechless. With tears in his eyes he simply said: “How am I? I am well, now that I have Jesus in me”.

I got to tell you my brothers and sisters in the two years I have been visiting the sick in this hospital I have never experienced such a display of faith and trust in the Lord. It was not what he said but how he said it that left me without anything to say; this man who a few minutes ago had a medical team hovering all over him because his high blood pressure, this man who was in serious risk of a stroke or a heart attack, revealed onto me the very image of hope, peace, and trust.  That day I was reminded of a very important lesson: When we encounter Jesus, there is a big difference between been healed from our infirmities and been made well by this encounter. It all depends in our interior disposition and in how we see the Lord. 
Today’s Gospel shows this distinction, after the ten lepers followed Jesus command and took off to present themselves to the priests, after their bodies had been healed, after what they had prayed for so long was finally granted , only one returned glorying God to thank the Lord. At this Jesus wanders out loud: “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine?”…

 Ten were healed, ten were made whole, and to ten sick men everything leprosy had taken away, their families, their friends, and their lives in the community were given back again. Only one returned to thank Jesus. For only one of them the healing experienced was the cause of a transformation of the soul, and It is because of this transformation that Jesus exclaims "Stand up and go; your faith has saved you."
It was not the healing power of Jesus who saved this man, but what he did with this gift of health. How this gift made him realize that more important than getting his life back was the returning to the Lord to thank him.  This encounter with Jesus transformed him so that he was not just healed, he was made well.

Like I said I visit many people in the hospital and I have seen the power and consolation the Eucharist brings to the sick. But what I saw a few weeks back, the encounter of a sick man with Jesus in the Eucharist, made me realize that more important than any miraculous healing we might think we need for us or for our loved one, been made well by God should be the goal of every Christian, a goal which can only be accomplished through an encounter with the resurrected Lord.

The beauty of it all is that one does not need to be sick, or in a hospital for this encounter, Jesus is always calling on us to recognize him in those who surround us. And the best way to have this encounter is in the reception of the Eucharist. In this sacrament Jesus is present body, blood soul and divinity. By feeding us with his body and blood he unites with us, he becomes part of who we are; part of how we think and how we act. He opens the door for a deep encounter with us in every mass. When we truly recognize him in the sacrament of the altar we, like the leper in the gospel, would proclaim the Glory of God, and only then we would be able to say with certainty, “How can we be not well, when we have Jesus in us".

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Katy Perry and the Use of Sacred Images by Secular Icons

    I'm no fan of Katy Perry. I don't care about her music.  I couldn't recognize her even if she were to walk right up to me and say "hi!". I however have an eagle eye (my kids call it an obsession) for all things Catholic in the secular media, specially when these things are our Sacred Images...Specially when these Sacred Images are the images of Our Blessed Mother. This is why when this article flashed  for a couple of seconds in my Yahoo news-feed it caught my attention.  I can not describe my reaction when I saw Katy Perry (yes, the same Katy Perry who has recorded songs like "I kissed a Girl" and "U R so Gay") displaying an image of the Blessed Mother on her shirt.

    I often wander if the Church should trademark all things Catholic, you know like the rosary (used by rapers and gang members as jewelery), the sign of the cross (most often seen in horror movies and shows like "Ghost Hunters" when things start getting "really scary") or even the word "Catholic" (nowadays used by many "less than Catholic" universities and hospitals). At the least this would protect our beloved sacred objects from been profaned and desecrated; at the most it would create some badly needed royalties income to pay for more pro-life and pro-family media content. One can only dream...  

Anyway, here are some pictures of Ms. Perry appearance at Jimmy Fallon's Late night show, reducing the image of the Theotokos to a mere name brand product.




















 This one made me wander...

 What will Ms. Perry say when The Good Lord asks her "Soooo...What did you do with that image of mom I sent you???"

"Viva Cristo Rey!!"

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Book Review:The Church and the New Media: Bloggers, Online Activists and Bishops Who Tweet

Here is a book review I wrote. It was published in the Archdiocese of Baltimore Deacon's Newsletter

  “Today in particular, the pressing pastoral task of the New Evangelization calls for the involvement of the entire People of God and requires a new fervor, new methods, and a new expression for the announcing and witnessing of the Gospel”   Blessed John Paul II , Pastoral Exortation Pastores Dabo Vobis

On the day of our diaconal ordination each one of us was handed a copy of the Book of the Gospels while we listened to the bishop’s words: “Receive the book of the Gospels, whose herald you have become”.  This short rite is unique to diaconal ordinations. It emphasizes the deacon’s exceptional character as communicators of the Good News of Jesus Christ.  Throughout our ministries, every Sunday, we strive to fulfill this important office through the reading of the Gospels and our preaching at mass. But, in a world of instant communications, 30 seconds news clips, and the ability to touch millions of lives by the pressing of a single key on our cell phones, is our Sunday service enough? How can we extend the reach of our ministry to not only the people who come to mass on Sunday but the ones that stay away? What about the millions out there who hunger for the good news that have never been exposed to the Catholic truth?

These were the questions I found myself asking while browsing the book stacks at last March’s Mid-Atlantic Congress in Baltimore,  when I came across this little book:  “The Church and the New Media: Bloggers, Online Activists and Bishops Who Tweet” By Brandon Vogt  (Amazon $11.17)

This read is a great point of departure to find the answers to these questions. The book is divided into 11 chapters; each written by a New Media personality; each bringing their unique perspective and particular experience of online pastoral and lay ministries. Some names will sound familiar, Fathers Robert Barron and Dweight Longenecker, Mr. Mark P. Shea; others might be less easy to recognize, but all engage you in a direct and simple manner. You do not need an Information Systems degree to understand what each writer is saying.

In here you will find advice ranging from how to engage people and perform online apologetics, to how to use social media and collaboration tools to reach the people of your parish beyond their Sunday mass experience. The beauty of this little book is that each chapter stands on its own, but each is part of the overall idea that “the church belongs where the people are, and in this day and age the people are online”.

The only critique I give to this work is this: If you are looking for help creating a blog for your homilies or a mailing list for your CCD class, you will be better served by consulting some other book. The Church and the New Media assumes you either have the knowledge to do this or you can find someone who will help you; however once you are up and running, this is the definite source for making the greatest impact in the least amount of time.

On a personal note, the most helpful chapters to my ministry have been Scott Landry’s “Innovative Shepherding: New Media in the Diocese” and “High Tech Community: New Media in the Parish”. Both gave me great ideas for adding a “New Media dimension” into my own ministry by helping me with placing my homilies online and creating my own personal blog.

In short, I think every priest, deacon or bishop who is serious about expanding the reach of their ministries, should make reading this book a priority.

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21st Sunday of Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

   The other day I was watching one of those Discovery Channel programs which had Norman Freedman talking about how big the universe is. He was saying that just within our galaxy, the Milky Way, there are about 300 billion stars, and in the whole universe there are about 500 billion galaxies. The farthest galaxy we have been able to see with the Hubble Telescope is so far away that it takes 13.5 billion years for its light to reach us here in planet earth.
   As mind boggling as these numbers might sound, we Christians understand that our God is bigger than this, not in the sense of size, but in the sense of its power and influence. It was King David who after experiencing the divine presence said in psalm 147 that God, the creator of this almost inconceivable number of starts knows each one of them by name!  Not only has he known all these since their creation, but nothing that happens in this vast expanse happens without Him noticing and allowing it, even to the smallest events. The average person might have trouble imagining how big the universe is, but it is infinitely easier to understand the depth and size of the universe than to wrap our minds around how magnificent and powerful our God is.

   Our Lord Jesus lived a life of poverty and simplicity, but not only this, he spent a big part of his ministry teaching about how the true heirs of the kingdom of God are those who are humble either by choice or by situation. In the example of His life we see how Jesus felt most comfortable with the children, the poor, the sick, the ones who live without false pretenses and pride. The ones who were humbled not by choice but by circumstance. In the Gospels we also see how many times Jesus gives his apostles advice about how to be humble. Today’s Gospel reading is a good example.
   I have to admit that when I read today’s Gospel I found it strange that Jesus, the Son of God, the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity,  instead a revealing to the Pharisees some great mystery, like the true nature of the divine persons, instead takes this time to teach the proper sitting arrangements in a banquet. Why? In a universe this big, does it really matters that much where do I sit at a table or who do I invite over to diner?  
   My brothers and sisters, the fact is humility is an act of the will. The average person has to make a conscious decision to embrace it. It does not come naturally to us. We have to be taught how to speak and behave humbly, and even when our parents teach us, it is a personal choice we all make. Jesus knowing the importance of been humble, takes every opportunity he has to teach his disciples about how to live a life of simplicity.
   There is a reason why Jesus spent so much energy teaching and preaching about humility. We tend to think that the best way to encounter God is through prayer, and prayer does help but the fact is, the easiest way of encountering God in a personal way is with a heart full of humility. It is when we recognize our own lowliness when confronted with the infinite God, creator and sustainer of this universe, that we can experience the divine presence.  It is only when we lower ourselves that we make enough spiritual space for God to enter into our lives.
   We live in a world in which humility has no value.  We live in a world in which we are encouraged to be the biggest, the best, and the most powerful; in a world in which selfishness and self-centerness is praised and rewarded.  That is not the way of our God; His way is self-sacrifice, and meekness. 
   Today’s readings are a reminder of how important it is to act humbly under any circumstance and that, If we want to encounter God, if we want to experience His divine presence, we must start by following  Jesus example and embrace a life of simplicity and humility. Amen.

  And yet, as powerful and magnificent as He is, He has decided to reveal Himself in complete humility.  We don’t have to look far to prove this point; from His birth to the moment of His death our Lord Jesus is the image of God’s absolute humbleness. In one of my most favorite passages in the bible, St Paul in the Letter to the Philippians puts it in very simple terms: “Jesus who, though he was in the form of God, did not deem equality with God something to be grasped, took the form of a slave, born in the likeness of men, and humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” It is as if the one thing that can only match God’s greatness is his meekness.

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Crikey: The Australian Spanish Speaking Kookaburra

   So there is this bird, his name is Crikey. He lives at the San Diego zoo. Crikey is a Kookaburra which I believe is Australian for "Hilariously loud small bird". You can find lots of Kookaburra videos on line, no big deal. What is particular about Crikey is that you can make him laugh by "rolling your r's" like in the Spanish word "Arroz". Apparently, Crikey reacts to this most unique Spanish sound. I'm not sure if all Kookaburras do this, but to me this could only mean that Crikey has a special affinity to "La lengua de Cervantes". Here is Crikey in all his glory, Notice how his handler tells people to "roll your r's like in Spanish". 

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What Should Deacons/Priests do When Attending Mass While on Vacation?

A few years back I found this article about Bishop Tobin (RI) "sneaking" into mass in his "civies" while on vacation. At the time I wrote a short post in my old blog. Since I think this is a question every recently ordained deacon asks, I figure I will include it in my new blog.

Here is part of the good bishop's article.

During vacation this summer I followed my normal practice of attending Sunday Mass as a “private citizen,” that is, in secular attire, with the congregation, in the pews. Even though I truly cherish the privilege of leading the liturgy as I do almost every Sunday, it’s also refreshing once in awhile to be on the other side of the altar.

Doing so allows me to avoid the public spotlight, eliminates the pressure of having to prepare a homily, and helps me to return to the ministry relaxed and ready to go.

Whenever I join the rank-and-file, it’s amazing how quickly I assume the characteristics of what might be considered the “typical Catholic.” I planned my schedule so I wouldn’t arrive at church too early. I sat toward the back of the church to avoid special involvement. I complained, at least mentally, about the length of the sermon. I was dismayed to learn there would be a second collection – and yes, I did pry open my wallet to contribute to both! And I was appropriately irritated by the log jam of traffic in the parking lot after Mass.

Forget my need for “full, active and conscious participation.” I was on vacation. I wanted something short, sweet and to the point, just enough to fulfill my Sunday obligation.

I'm willing to bet my lunch money that the question of "What to do when attending mass while on vacation" has crossed the minds of many if not all  Catholic clergy. Should we identify ourselves as clergyman that are just "passing by"? I imagine that for priests and bishops this is not that pressing since they can celebrate mass privately. Deacons however, like every other good Catholic, depend on finding a mass to fulfill their Sunday obligation. As ordained clergy our place is at the altar, as family man,  it is nice to sit side by side with wife and children while visiting a strange parish.

Before I was ordained I did some checking on this question and found out that the Church has no specific rule about what to do in these situations. During my research I found out a wide variety of opinions about this dilemma. Some said that you should identify yourselves to the celebrant and give them a chance to invite you to serve. Others say that it is best to follow bishop Tobin example and just stay quiet about our clerical state. I was not able to find consensus on what to do. So I came up with this rule for myself wich I apply when ever I find myself in this situation. 

 It is a proper and respectful to identify yourself to the celebrant as clergy. However when to do this is up to you, it could be done before or after the mass.

You might think identifying yourself is not a big deal but, like I had experienced a couple of times, if you approach the celebrant BEFORE mass you are running the risk of being asked to vest and serve. Perhaps the celebrant was trying to be polite but it put me in a very difficult position for: how can a deacon say no to the opportunity to serve at the altar of God?  On the other hand by identifying ourselves as deacons at the end of the mass we avoid this potentially embarrassing problem.

I wander if Bishop Tobin followed this rule, Or if he just sneaked out of the sanctuary "incognito" and followed the congregation to the fellowship hall for some donuts and coffee.

When I found this article, a few years back, I was impressed by bishop Tobin sincerity and openness refreshing. I also made a mental note to start paying more attention at who is sitting in the back of the Church when I'm preshing a homily. You never know.


Viva Cristo Rey!!

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