Readings
Reading I: Jeremiah 23:1-16 |
Preaching TipPromise and Fulfillment is a great Homily Device A central theme to recent biblical scholarship is the theological theme of “Promise and Fulfillment” (for example John Bergsma’s book “Jesus and the Old Testament Roots of the Priesthood” from Emmaus Road Publishing 2021). In this view of Scripture, the many promises that God makes to Israel are all fulfilled in the New Testament. And what’s more, the promises are still continuing today through the Church and the Sacraments. Thus, “promise and fulfillment” spills over into the daily life of a Christian. Often our parishioners will only have the most basic biblical understanding. They will know some of the more colorful stories, such as the Ark of Noah, the Crossing of the Red Sea, or Jesus’ Resurrection. Yet they don’t know how to put it all together, or realize that the Bible is a very hyperlinked text! A great delivery device for a homily is to use the “promise and fulfillment” framework. In this, the homilist has a three-step process that starts in the Old Testament (for example, the Mannah in the Desert), goes to the New Testament fulfillment (the institution of the Eucharist), and then the third step is to bring the stories to life in our day: God is also feeding me with the Eucharist, and so I am part of a sacramental continuation of this same story! Using this framework over time will allow our parishioners to have a greater appreciation for the Bible, recognize its divine authorship, and understand better what the Bible is telling us today.
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B To 16
TERAPIA DEL SILENCIO
El episodio que narra el Evangelio nos describe las peripecias de unos apóstoles presionados por la urgencia pastoral hasta el punto de que "no tenían tiempo ni para descansar ni para comer". Cristo, buen pastor, conduce a sus ovejas a lugares tranquilos. Cuando los ve agotados por el trabajo apostólico los lleva en la barca a un sitio tranquilo y apartado para descansar un poco.
Hermanas y hermanos:
1. Una de las mayores victorias del maligno es la de habernos atrapado en un mundo de ruidos e inquietudes que todo lo invade. Vivimos en la edad de la prisa; todos vamos corriendo en masa por el cauce tormentoso de la vida moderna. La contaminación acústica de las ciudades llega hasta nuestro cerebro con altos decibeles. La enfermedad del activismo lleva al individualismo, a la intransigencia, al nerviosismo, a la impaciencia. Hoy nadie quiere estar solo y, sin embargo, es necesario detenerse, retirarse, estar a solas en algunas ocasiones.
2. En lenguaje médico se llama "cronopatía" a la enfermedad del tiempo. El no tener un momento de reposo y de silencio para el descanso o la meditación ha creado una verdadera patología corporal y espiritual. La medicina atribuye a este vértigo del trabajo y el ajetreo una amplia gama de trastornos orgánicos y de neurosis; la teología ve también en ello la causa del paganismo, del enfriamiento religioso y del antropologismo.
El hombre está buscando la felicidad donde no está. No está en el mundo de la carretera, de la fábrica, del club y del estadio o los negocios. Para encontrarla tenemos que buscarla en otra parte y aprender a escuchar la voz del silencio.
3. "No huye el que se retira", ha escrito Cervantes. La soledad con Dios es la más fecunda, es la soledad de dos en compañía. Es necesario que callen las cosas para que Dios hable. No tengamos miedo de retirarnos de vez en cuando para hacer cálculos sobre nuestra vida espiritual. El silencio es el elemento en donde se fraguan las grandes cosas.
Hagamos un alto en el camino. Necesitamos ese descanso que nos ayude a liberarnos de la tensión, el desgaste y la fatiga acumulada a lo largo de los días. Esta evasión a las zonas de paz será la mejor terapia para nuestros insomnios, astenias, síndromes cardiovasculares. Descanso, soledad y silencio que impongan un ordenamiento de nuestros sentimientos, afectos y pensamientos e incluso de nuestros problemas y preocupaciones.
Pero más importante que todo esto es el hecho de que Dios sigue esperándonos en el desierto para entregarnos la revelación de sí mismo y para decirnos cual es nuestra misión. Con Jesús vayamos a un lugar desierto para descansar, pero sobre todo para estar con Él, ahora y siempre.
16th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)
Silence Therapy
The Episode narrated by the Gospel describes the vicissitudes of some apostles so pressured by the urgency of the mission that “they did not have time to rest or eat”. Christ, the good shepherd, leads his sheep to restful places. When he sees them worn out by apostolic work, he takes them in the boat to a peaceful and secluded place to rest for awhile.
Brothers and sisters,
1. One of the greatest victories for the evil one is trapping us in a world of noise and uncertainties that pervade everything. We live in an age of rush, rush, rush. We run around in a mass along the grueling highway of modern life. The noise pollution of cities reaches our ears at the highest decibels. The sickness of activism leads us to individualism, intolerance, anxiety and impatience. Today, no one wants to be alone, yet at times it is necessary to stop, retreat, and be by yourself.
2. In medical language, the sickness of time is called “cronopathy”. Not having a moment’s rest or a minute of silence or meditation has created a truly physical and spiritual pathology. Medicine ascribes this occupational dizziness and hustle and bustle to a wide range of organic disorders and neuroses; theology sees in it the root of paganism, religious indifference and man-centeredness.
Man is looking for happiness in all the wrong places. It can't be found in the world of highways, factories, clubs, stadiums or businesses. In order to find it we need to look elsewhere and learn to listen to the voice of silence.
3. Cervantes once wrote, “He who retreats does not flee.” Solitude with God is a most fruitful experience; it is the solitude of two in company with each other. Silence is necessary for God to speak. We must not fear retreating once in awhile in order to take stock of our spiritual life. Silence is the place where great things are forged.
Let us stop and smell the roses. We need that rest which will help free us from tension, wear and tear, and the fatigue accumulated over time. This retreat to restful places will be the best therapy for our insomnias, stress, and heart problems. Rest, solitude and silence will put order to our thoughts, feelings, emotions and even our problems and worries.
But more important than all this is the fact that God continues to wait for us in the desert to reveal himself to us and tell us what are mission in life is. Let us go to a deserted place with Jesus to rest, but moreover to be with him, now and always.