EVANGELIO DEL DÍA

sábado, 21 de agosto de 2010

"Reclining at table in the kingdom of God"

DAILY GOSPEL: 22/08/2010
«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68


Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time


Book of Isaiah 66:18-21.
I come to gather nations of every language; they shall come and see my glory.
I will set a sign among them; from them I will send fugitives to the nations: to Tarshish, Put and Lud, Mosoch, Tubal and Javan, to the distant coastlands that have never heard of my fame, or seen my glory; and they shall proclaim my glory among the nations.
They shall bring all your brethren from all the nations as an offering to the LORD, on horses and in chariots, in carts, upon mules and dromedaries, to Jerusalem, my holy mountain, says the LORD, just as the Israelites bring their offering to the house of the LORD in clean vessels.
Some of these I will take as priests and Levites, says the LORD.

Psalms 117:1.2.
Praise the LORD, all you nations! Give glory, all you peoples!
The LORD'S love for us is strong; the LORD is faithful forever. Hallelujah!

Letter to the Hebrews 12:5-7.11-13.
You have also forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons: "My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord or lose heart when reproved by him;
for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines; he scourges every son he acknowledges."
Endure your trials as "discipline"; God treats you as sons. For what "son" is there whom his father does not discipline?
At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.
So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees.
Make straight paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be dislocated but healed.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 13:22-30.
He passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem.
Someone asked him, "Lord, will only a few people be saved?" He answered them,
Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.
After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, 'Lord, open the door for us.' He will say to you in reply, 'I do not know where you are from.'
And you will say, 'We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.'
Then he will say to you, 'I do not know where (you) are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!'
And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out.
And people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God.
For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last." 
 Lc 13,22-30
Commentary of the day 
Saint Anselm (1033-1109), monk, bishop, doctor of the Church
Proslogion, 25 (trans.©Benedicta Ward)
"Reclining at table in the kingdom of God"
       Where there is such and so great a good as the Kingdom of God, how rich and great must be the joy! If man abounded in all these things, how great would be the joy of his heart, that needy heart, well-versed in, indeed overwhelmed by, suffering... But surely if another whom you loved in every way as yourself, had that same bliss, your joy would be double, for you would rejoice no less for him  than for yourself. And if two or three or many more had this same blessedness, you would rejoice for each of them as much as you do for yourself, if you loved each one as your self.

So in that perfection of charity of countless blessed angels and men, where no one loves another any less than he loves himself, they will all rejoice for each other as they do for themselves. If the heart of man can scarcely hold the joy that comes to him from so great a good, how will it hold so many and such great joys? In so far as each one loves another, so he will rejoice in the other's good; and as in that perfection of happiness, each one will love God incomparably more than he loves either himself or others, so he will rejoice more and more and without regard in the happiness of God.


Sunday, 22 August 2010

The Queenship of Mary - Memorial



THE QUEENSHIP OF MARY
Memorial
        According to ancient tradition and the sacred liturgy the main principle on which the royal dignity of Mary rests is without doubt her Divine Motherhood. In Holy Writ, concerning the Son whom Mary will conceive, We read this sentence: "He shall be called the Son of the most High, and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father, and he shall reign in the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end,"[Lk I, 32, 33] and in addition Mary is called "Mother of the Lord"; from this it is easily concluded that she is a Queen, since she bore a son who, at the very moment of His conception, because of the hypostatic union of the human nature with the Word, was also as man King and Lord of all things. So with complete justice St. John Damascene could write: "When she became Mother of the Creator, she truly became Queen of every creature." Likewise, it can be said that the heavenly voice of the Archangel Gabriel was the first to proclaim Mary's royal office.
        But the Blessed Virgin Mary should be called Queen, not only because of her Divine Motherhood, but also because God has willed her to have an exceptional role in the work of our eternal salvation.
        Now, in the accomplishing of this work of redemption, the Blessed Virgin Mary was most closely associated with Christ; and so it is fitting to sing in the sacred liturgy: "Near the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ there stood, sorrowful, the Blessed Mary, Queen of Heaven and Queen of the World." Hence, as the devout disciple of St. Anselm (Eadmer, ed.) wrote in the Middle Ages: "just as . . . God, by making all through His power, is Father and Lord of all, so the blessed Mary, by repairing all through her merits, is Mother and Queen of all; for God is the Lord of all things, because by His command He establishes each of them in its own nature, and Mary is the Queen of all things, because she restores each to its original dignity through the grace which she merited.
        For "just as Christ, because He redeemed us, is our Lord and king by a special title, so the Blessed Virgin also (is our queen), on account of the unique manner in which she assisted in our redemption, by giving of her own substance, by freely offering Him for us, by her singular desire and petition for, and active interest in, our salvation."
        From these considerations, the proof develops on these lines: if Mary, in taking an active part in the work of salvation, was, by God's design, associated with Jesus Christ, the source of salvation itself, in a manner comparable to that in which Eve was associated with Adam, the source of death, so that it may be stated that the work of our salvation was accomplished by a kind of "recapitulation,"[49] in which a virgin was instrumental in the salvation of the human race, just as a virgin had been closely associated with its death; if, moreover, it can likewise be stated that this glorious Lady had been chosen Mother of Christ "in order that she might become a partner in the redemption of the human race";[50] and if, in truth, "it was she who, free of the stain of actual and original sin, and ever most closely bound to her Son, on Golgotha offered that Son to the Eternal Father together with the complete sacrifice of her maternal rights and maternal love, like a new Eve, for all the sons of Adam, stained as they were by his lamentable fall,"[51] then it may be legitimately concluded that as Christ, the new Adam, must be called a King not merely because He is Son of God, but also because He is our Redeemer, so, analogously, the Most Blessed Virgin is queen not only because she is Mother of God, but also because, as the new Eve, she was associated with the new Adam.
        Certainly, in the full and strict meaning of the term, only Jesus Christ, the God-Man, is King; but Mary, too, as Mother of the divine Christ, as His associate in the redemption, in his struggle with His enemies and His final victory over them, has a share, though in a limited and analogous way, in His royal dignity. For from her union with Christ she attains a radiant eminence transcending that of any other creature; from her union with Christ she receives the royal right to dispose of the treasures of the Divine Redeemer's Kingdom; from her union with Christ finally is derived the inexhaustible efficacy of her maternal intercession before the Son and His Father.
        All, according to their state, should strive to bring alive the wondrous virtues of our heavenly Queen and most loving Mother through constant effort of mind and manner. Thus will it come about that all Christians, in honoring and imitating their sublime Queen and Mother, will realize they are truly brothers, and with all envy and avarice thrust aside, will promote love among classes, respect the rights of the weak, cherish peace. No one should think himself a son of Mary, worthy of being received under her powerful protection, unless, like her, he is just, gentle and pure, and shows a sincere desire for true brotherhood, not harming or injuring but rather helping and comforting others.
        Earnestly desiring that the Queen and Mother of Christendom may hear these Our prayers, and by her peace make happy a world shaken by hate, and may, after this exile show unto us all Jesus, Who will be our eternal peace and joy, to you, Venerable Brothers, and to your flocks, as a promise of God's divine help and a pledge of Our love, from Our heart 

«Se sentarán a la mesa en el Reino de Dios»

EVANGELIO DEL DÍA: 22/08/2010
 Señor, a quién iremos?. Tú tienes palabras de vida eterna. Jn 6, 68

XXI Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario


Libro de Isaías 66,18-21.
Entonces, yo mismo vendré a reunir a todas las naciones y a todas las lenguas, y ellas vendrán y verán mi gloria.
Yo les daré una señal, y a algunos de sus sobrevivientes los enviaré a las naciones: a Tarsis, Put, Lud, Mésec, Ros, Tubal y Javán, a las costas lejanas que no han oído hablar de mí ni han visto mi gloria. Y ellos anunciarán mi gloria a las naciones.
Ellos traerán a todos los hermanos de ustedes, como una ofrenda al Señor, hasta mi Montaña santa de Jerusalén. Los traerán en caballos, carros y literas, a lomo de mulas y en dromedarios -dice el Señor- como los israelitas llevan la ofrenda a la Casa del Señor en un recipiente puro.
Y también de entre ellos tomaré sacerdotes y levitas, dice el Señor.

Salmo 117,1.2.
¡Alaben al Señor, todas las naciones, glorifíquenlo, todos los pueblos!
Porque es inquebrantable su amor por nosotros, y su fidelidad permanece para siempre. ¡Aleluya!

Carta a los Hebreos 12,5-7.11-13.
Ustedes se han olvidado de la exhortación que Dios les dirige como a hijos suyos: Hijo mío, no desprecies la corrección del Señor, y cuando te reprenda, no te desalientes.
Porque el Señor corrige al que ama y castiga a todo aquel que recibe por hijo.
Si ustedes tienen que sufrir es para su corrección; porque Dios los trata como a hijos, y ¿hay algún hijo que no sea corregido por su padre?
Es verdad que toda corrección, en el momento de recibirla, es motivo de tristeza y no de alegría; pero más tarde, produce frutos de paz y de justicia en los que han sido adiestrados por ella.
Por eso, que recobren su vigor las manos que desfallecen y las rodillas que flaquean.
Y ustedes, avancen por un camino llano, para que el rengo no caiga, sino que se cure.

Evangelio según San Lucas 13,22-30.
Jesús iba enseñando por las ciudades y pueblos, mientras se dirigía a Jerusalén.
Una persona le preguntó: "Señor, ¿es verdad que son pocos los que se salvan?". El respondió:
"Traten de entrar por la puerta estrecha, porque les aseguro que muchos querrán entrar y no lo conseguirán.
En cuanto el dueño de casa se levante y cierre la puerta, ustedes, desde afuera, se pondrán a golpear la puerta, diciendo: 'Señor, ábrenos'. Y él les responderá: 'No sé de dónde son ustedes'.
Entonces comenzarán a decir: 'Hemos comido y bebido contigo, y tú enseñaste en nuestras plazas'.
Pero él les dirá: 'No sé de dónde son ustedes; ¡apártense de mí todos los que hacen el mal!'.
Allí habrá llantos y rechinar de dientes, cuando vean a Abraham, a Isaac, a Jacob y a todos los profetas en el Reino de Dios, y ustedes sean arrojados afuera.
Y vendrán muchos de Oriente y de Occidente, del Norte y del Sur, a ocupar su lugar en el banquete del Reino de Dios.
Hay algunos que son los últimos y serán los primeros, y hay otros que son los primeros y serán los últimos". 
 Lc 13,22-30
Leer el comentario del Evangelio por 
San Anselmo (1033-1109), monje, obispo, doctor de la Iglesia
Proslogion, 25-26
«Se sentarán a la mesa en el Reino de Dios»
     ¡Qué gran dicha poseer el Reino de Dios! ¡Qué gozo para ti, corazón humano, pobre corazón acostumbrado al sufrimiento y aplastado por los males, si tú rebosaras de una dicha tal!... Y sin embargo, si alguno a quien amaras como a ti mismo, participara de una idéntica dicha, tu gozo sería doble, porque no te gozarías por él menos que por ti mismo. Y si dos o tres, o aunque fueran muchos más, poseyeran esta misma felicidad,  experimentarías en ti mismo tanto gozo por cada uno como por ti mismo porque amarías a cada uno como a ti mismo.

     Así pues, en esa plenitud de amor que unirá a los innumerables bienaventurados, y en la que nadie amará al otro menos que a sí mismo, cada uno gozará de la dicha de los demás tanto como de la suya propia. Y el corazón del hombre, a penas capaz de contener su propio gozo, se sumergirá en el océano de tan grandes y numerosas dichas. Ahora bien, sabéis que se goza de la felicidad de alguien en la misma medida en que se le ama; así, en esa perfecta bienaventuranza en la que cada uno amará a Dios incomparablemente más que a sí mismo y que a todos los otros, la felicidad infinita de Dios será para cada uno fuente de gozo incomparable. 



domingo 22 Agosto 2010

Santísima Virgen María



La Santísima Virgen María, Reina  
Mucho se ha escrito referente a la Santísima Virgen y siempre se la ha reconocido como Reina.   
 La Iglesia la proclama Reina doce veces: Reina de los ángeles, de los patriarcas, de los profetas, de los apóstoles, de los confesores, de las vírgenes, de los mártires, de todos los santos, del Santísimo Rosario, de la paz, concebida sin pecado original y llevada a los cielos.
La Virgen de Guadalupe tiene el título de emperatriz. También los santos hablan de ella como Reina:  San Atanasio: Si el Hijo es Rey, la madre debe ser llamada Reina y estimada como tal, opinión que comparte San Ruperto.
San Bernardino: Por haber dado su consentimiento para ser Madre del Redentor, mereció ser constituida Reina del mundo y de todas las criaturas.    María es llamada Reina de Misericordia pues su labor es ejercer la compasión y alcanzar el perdón de Dios para los hombres.
Pareciera que tiene el encargo de repartir los tesoros de la misericordia de Dios.





Himno (laudes)

Viene del trono de David profeta

Y, radiante de luz, gloriosa brillas

Y, en carro de querubes, te levantas,             

 Virgen María. 

Recibes en tu seno inmaculado

Al Hijo de quien eres sierva e hija;

Dios en tu vientre virginal se humana,              

Virgen María.  

Tú misma adoras, en tu casto seno,

A quien el cielo adora de rodillas

Y a quien pedimos la celeste gloria.            

Virgen María.  

Danos, Señor y Padre de las luces,

Que vives en eternas alegrías,

Habitar con la Reina de los cielos,             

 Virgen María. Amén

Señor,  Dios nuestro, que nos has dado como madre y como reina a la Madre de tu Hijo, concédenos que, protegidos por su intercesión, alcancemos la gloria que tienes preparada a tus hijos en el reino de los cielos. Por nuestro Señor Jesucristo, tu Hijo.



Himno (vísperas) 


De hermosas contradicciones

Te vemos, Reina, adornada,

Muy mujer para divina,

Muy celestial para humana.

Con admiración, en ella

Se ve la ley derogada,

Muy humilde para Reina,

Muy exenta para esclava.

Por su caudillo la tienen

Las celestiales escuadras,

Para combatir muy tierna,

Para niña muy armada.

La dignidad de que goza

Con su modestia batalla,

Para mandar muy pequeña,

Para humillarse muy alta.

Une en sus divinos ojos

Al temor la confianza,

Muy terrible para hermosa,

Para espantar muy amada.

Colocada en el empíreo,

En la celestial morada,

Corto solio a su grandeza,

A su humildad mucho alcázar. Amén



Señor, Dios nuestro, que nos has dado como madre y como reina a la Madre de tu Hijo, concédenos que, protegidos por su intercesión, alcancemos la gloria que tienes preparada a tus hijos en el reino de los cielos. Por nuestro Señor Jesucristo, tu Hijo.