Readings
Reading I: Acts 5:27-32, 40-41 |
Preaching TipDilexit Nos and the Renewal of Devotion to the Sacred Heart
Renewing devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus can profoundly enrich parish life. Pope Francis has asked us to make this a priority in our parishes.
In his encyclical Dilexit Nos, the pope highlights not just the divine love of God, but also the human love of God. Because Jesus is fully divine and fully human, his love for us takes on a human element that is symbolized by the Sacred Heart.
He writes in Dilexit Nos:
“In the end, that Sacred Heart is the unifying principle of all reality, since ‘Christ is the heart of the world, and the paschal mystery of his death and resurrection is the centre of history, which, because of him, is a history of salvation’”. (Dilexit Nos 31)
When we preach about God, we must combine theoretical knowledge about him with experiential knowledge of him.
In short, a priest will preach better if he has a real relationship with God through prayer.
A corollary to this is that our parishioners will have a better Christian way of life if they too have more than a theoretical knowledge of Christ.
There are ways to increase this experiential knowledge of Christ through the Sacred Heart devotion in our parishes.
Three cornerstones of Sacred Heart devotion are:
Enthronement of the Sacred Heart: We should encourage families to enthrone an image of the Sacred Heart in their homes, making Christ the center of family life.
First Fridays Devotion: We can promote the practice of attending Mass, confession, and receiving Communion on the first Friday of each month, dedicated to the Sacred Heart.
Adoration and Holy Hours: We can establish regular times for Eucharistic Adoration and thereby encourage parishioners to spend quiet time in prayer, deepening their personal relationship with Christ. |
Third Sunday of Easter, Year C (C 3 Pascua)
EL CRISTIANO ES UN HOMBRE QUE VE AL SEÑOR
Dos semanas después de la resurrección de Jesús, los discípulos deciden volver a lo de antes, a la pesca, al trabajo humano. Abandonan Jerusalén y se van al norte, a su lago. Llevan la impresión de que las apariciones han terminado y ahora hay que sudar para ganarse la vida. ¿Acaso olvidaron ya lo que el Señor les dijo: "Os haré pescadores de hombres"? Parece que sí.
1. Aquellos pescadores experimentados se embarcaron esa noche con la ilusión de llenar las redes. Pero amanece y las redes están vacías. Pedro, ¡Qué pronto olvidaste las palabras de tu Maestro: "Rema mar adentro"! Pronto las volverás a escuchar.
¡Cuántas veces nos pasa lo mismo que a Pedro! Vivimos grandes experiencias al lado de Cristo: nuestro bautismo, nuestra primera comunión, nuestra confirmación, nuestro matrimonio. Escuchamos al Señor mismo que nos dice: "Tira las redes a la derecha y encontrarás peces" pero hacemos como los apóstoles: Volvemos a lo de antes, buscamos un poquito de felicidad precisamente allí donde ya sabemos que no la vamos a encontrar; porque nunca encontraremos mayor felicidad que la que hemos encontrado en el mismo Cristo.
2. Cristo no deja sólo a Pedro. No nos deja solos. Tras la fatigosa noche, Pedro vuelve a encontrar la felicidad. ¡Todo se ilumina! La noche queda atrás cuando el discípulo amado le dice que quien está en la orilla es el Señor. Juan lo ve y Pedro no lo ve. ¿Por qué Pedro no percibe esa presencia si los dos escucharon la misma voz? Todos la escucharon. ¿Acaso se pusieron de acuerdo el discípulo amado y Jesús para ayudar a Pedro? No. Lo que ocurre es que Juan vivía en otra sintonía... más cerca de Cristo. Juan sabe descubrir su presencia porque tiene un "sexto sentido". Le resulta fácil reconocer a su Maestro. En medio de la bruma sabe decir: "¡Es el Señor!".
3. Jesús siempre nos espera en la orilla del lago, observando cómo trabajamos. Hace falta adquirir la buena vista de Juan para descubrir a Jesús que siempre está allí a nuestro lado para cuidarnos, orientarnos, salvarnos. Juan es como aquellos buenos amigos que siempre solucionan nuestros problemas. Un consejo, una palabra, alguna mirada, una noticia... Cuántos cambios realizan en nosotros. Juan le cambió el día a Pedro.
Hagamos el propósito de descubrir a Jesús en todos los acontecimientos de nuestra vida. En lo bueno y en lo malo digamos: "Es el Señor". No corramos el riesgo de trabajar toda la noche y amanecer con las redes vacías. La pureza de intención es esa actitud que nos permite descubrir en todo la Voluntad de Dios y nos ayuda a perseverar en nuestra decisión de hacer siempre y solamente lo que Dios quiere.
Third Sunday of Easter, Year C
CHRISTIANS ARE PEOPLE WHO LOOK AT THE LORD
Two weeks after Jesus' resurrection, the disciples decide to go back to what they used to do, fishing, human labor. They leave Jerusalem and go back up north to their lake. They are under the impression that the apparitions are over, and now they have to sweat it out to earn a living. Could they have already forgotten what the Lord had told them: "I will make you fishers of men"? It seems so.
1. Those experienced fishermen set sail that night with the dream of filling their nets. But at dawn their nets are empty. Peter, how quickly you forgot the words of your Master: "Set out into the deep"! You were to hear them again soon enough.
What happened to Peter so often happens to us! We have had great experiences next to Christ: our Baptism, our First Holy Communion, our Confirmation, our marriage. We hear our Lord himself say to us: "Cast your nets on the right side, and you will find fish," but it seems we do what the Apostles did; we return to what we used to do before, looking for a little happiness right where we know we will not find it, because we will never find greater happiness than what we find in Christ himself.
2. Christ doesn't leave Peter alone. He doesn't leave us alone. After a wearisome night, Peter finds happiness once again. Everything is made clear! Night is over once the beloved disciple tells him that the one on the shore is the Lord. John sees him, yet Peter does not. Why does Peter not recognize him even though they both heard the same voice? They all heard it. Did the beloved disciple and Jesus make a plan together to help Peter? No. The truth us that John was living in another wavelength... closer to Christ. John is able to discover his presence because he has a "sixth sense." It is easy for him to recognize his Lord. Through the mist he is able to say: "It is the Lord!"
3. Jesus always waits for us on the shore, watching how we work. We need to acquire John's good vision to realize that Jesus is always there at our side to take care of us, guide us, save us. John is like those good friends who always find a solution to our problems. A piece of advice, a word, a glance, some news... How they change us! John changed Peter's day.
Let us resolve to find Jesus in everything that happens in our life. In good times and in bad, let us say: "It is the Lord." Let us not run the risk of working all night and waking up with empty nets. Purity of intention is the attitude that enables us to see God's Will in everything, and helps us to persevere in our decision to do always and only what God wants.