ePriest.com: Your Spanish Homily

Readings

Reading I: Isaiah 61:1-3, 6, 8-9
Psalm: Psalms 89:21-22, 25, 27
Reading II: Revelation 1:5-8
Gospel: Luke 4:16-21

Preaching Tip

Keeping the Reservoir Fresh

If you are a young priest, may I therefore exhort you with all the sincerity and friendliness at my command to cultivate and preserve the habit of reading, to look upon books as friends who will see you safely through many a difficult period in your priestly life and provide an anchorage in many a storm? 

  • Love to let other minds speak to you through books, more especially great minds in the true Christian tradition.
  • Never allow yourself to drift too far from a true appreciation of the liberal arts; and if your mood is too restless to enjoy a quiet hour with great literature and poetry, you have no one to blame but yourself.
  • There are times of course when the business of life presses hard upon us, but I am venturing to remind you that if you have ever refreshed yourself in your leisure moments with good and reflective reading you will know from experience that there are more peaceful, restful pastures in which to laze and graze than the local cinema or indulgence in idle and even frivolous companionship.

Ferdinand Valentine, O.P. The Art of Preaching, p22

Holy Thursday (Years A, B, C)

                                                                                                        JUEVES SANTO

Un día como hoy Jesús, la víspera de su pasión, se reunió con sus discípulos en el cenáculo e instituyó el sacramento de la eucaristía diciendo: "Tomad y comed todos de él, porque esto es mi cuerpo que será entregado por vosotros". Este es el motivo de nuestra gran alegría, hermanos y hermanas.

Cantaremos el "gloria" para agradecer el regalo de aquella primera misa y de los primeros sacerdotes, pero con un gozo contenido, porque también vamos a acompañar esta noche a Jesús en el huerto de los olivos, traicionado, abandonado, maltratado. Podríamos decir que la alegría es por nosotros y el dolor por Él.

1. La Iglesia conserva en su memoria dos gestos de Jesús: el primero es la fracción del pan, el segundo el lavatorio de los pies a sus discípulos. Ambos constituyen la herencia que nos ha legado el Señor. Lo que Jesús hizo en la última Cena es para nosotros los cristianos la expresión del amor de Jesús a los hombres y el mandamiento de amarnos los unos a los otros.

2. El distintivo de los cristianos es el amor: En esto conocerán que somos sus discípulos, en que amamos a nuestros hermanos cuando les damos el pan de la eucaristía y cuando les lavamos los pies en el sacramento del perdón. Comulgar con Jesús es siempre comprometerse con su causa. ¿De qué nos sirve comer juntos un mismo pan en las iglesias, si después nos quitamos el pan los unos a los otros?

Nadie podrá reconocernos en el mundo como discípulos de Jesús, si llegamos a perder nuestras señas de identidad. Nadie dará crédito a nuestras palabras y a nuestra misión, porque seremos como embajadores sin credenciales.

3. Los discípulos, que comieron y bebieron con él, lo abandonaron. ¿Qué hacemos nosotros? ¿Lo abandonamos también apenas concluida la celebración eucarística? No basta ofrecer al Padre el cuerpo y la sangre de Jesús, sino también debemos ofrecernos con Jesús al Padre por amor a todos los hombres. Por eso comulgamos con Jesús y nos unimos a su sacrificio.

Esta tarde él nos vuelve a decir una vez más cuánto nos ama, a pesar de que nuestros pecados sean la causa de su pasión. Acerquémonos al misterio de la pasión como Juan llenos de amor y fidelidad, o como Pedro con lágrimas de arrepentimiento; pero no como Judas con un beso traidor. Ojalá que estos días santos dejen en nuestra alma los frutos de la redención que nos obliguen a hacer un cambio en nuestra vida de entrega a Dios y le digamos: "Señor Jesús: ayúdame a luchar para serte fiel hasta la muerte".

English Translation

  Holy Thursday (Years A, B, C)                                                                       

HOLY THURSDAY

On a day like today, Jesus, on the eve of his Passion, met with his disciples in the Upper Room and instituted the sacrament of the Eucharist, saying: "Take this all of you and eat it; this is my Body that will be given up for you." This is the motive of our great joy, my brothers and sisters.

We sing the "Gloria" in thanksgiving for the gift of that first Mass and of the first priests; but our joy is subdued, because tonight we will also go to the Garden of Olives with Jesus, who is betrayed, abandoned, mistreated. We could say that our joy is for ourselves, but our sorrow is for Him.

1. The Church recalls two symbols of Jesus: first is the washing of the feet of his disciples; second is the breaking of the bread. Both form part of the inheritance the Lord has bestowed on us. What Jesus did in the Last Supper is for us Christians the expression of Jesus' love for men, and the commandment to love one another.

2. The distinctive mark of a Christian is our love: they will know that we are his disciples by our love for our brothers and sisters, when we give them the bread of the Eucharist and we wash their feet in the Sacrament of Penance. To partake of Communion with Jesus always means that we are committed to his cause. What good is it if we eat the one bread together in church, only to go out afterwards and take the bread away from others?

No one in the world will recognize us as disciples of Jesus if we end up losing the signs that identify us. No one will give credit to our words and our mission, because we will be ambassadors without credentials.

3. The disciples, who ate and drank with Jesus, abandoned him. Do we do any better? Do we also abandon him once the Eucharistic celebration is over? It's not enough to offer the Father the Body and Blood of Jesus; we also need to offer our very selves with Jesus to the Father, for love of all men. That is why we partake of Communion with Jesus and unite ourselves to his sacrifice.

This afternoon, he tells us once again how much he loves us, even though our sins are the cause of his Passion. Let us draw near to the mystery of his Passion like John did, full of love and fidelity, or like Peter, with tears of repentance; but not like Judas, with a traitor's kiss. Hopefully these holy days will leave in our soul the fruits of salvation that require us to make changes in our life of commitment to God, so we tell him: "Lord Jesus, help me fight to be faithful to you until death."