These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 24)
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Lift up, O gates, your lintels; reach up, you ancient portals, that the king of glory may come in!
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/012726.cfm
The Scriptures remind us that in a world of dictators, it is the Lord who is the King of Glory. Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which honors all the victims of the Holocaust of Nazi Germany. The day recalls the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp by the Red Army in 1945. After World War II, the world said, "Never again!” As the old song says, the Nazis have never really vanished, they come out of the woodwork in every generation, and the struggle to protect our vulnerable brothers and sisters continues. https://youtu.be/j1VL-y9JHuI?si=izdLX7uWpMMhxFwH
I yearn to see you again, recalling your tears, so that I may be filled with joy, as I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and that I am confident lives also in you. (2 Tim 1:1-8)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/012626.cfm
As the faith of Timothy’s grandmother and mother is recalled, I remember the faith of my own grandmother and mother. They were my first and best teachers in the faith. Thanks to their teaching and example, I am celebrating 48 years as a priest. https://youtu.be/WLdPoQnylnA?si=zmN_XMKtNZJOe2Wk
Jesus went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people. (Mt 4:12-23)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/012526.cfm
Today we celebrate the Word of God. As Jesus calls the first disciples, the Lord calls us in the middle of our daily lives to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom and to bring healing to others. We are not angels, we are not saints, but we are on the Way with Christ. I remember meeting Peruvian Father Gustavo Gutierrez who asked the challenging question: How do we preach the gospel of life to people who only know death? https://youtu.be/nXcKJdOD6yY?si=urRm2d1jpCSMiNIf
Saul and Jonathan, beloved and cherished, separated neither in life nor in death, swifter than eagles, stronger than lions! I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother! most dear have you been to me; more precious have I held love for you than love for women. How can the warriors have fallen, the weapons of war have perished! (2 Sam 1:1-4, 11-12, 19, 23-27)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/012426.cfm
David’s lament for Saul and Jonathan arises from the heart. Laments give us the words to mourn our loses. Surprisingly, Scripture helps us to express the feelings that we generally bury deep inside. Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622) is known as the “gentle saint.” His Introduction to the Devout Life has been a guide for many souls. https://youtu.be/RF4NxxxaO3A?si=7zOxkDmNQred_6Ae
Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him. He appointed Twelve, that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach and to have authority to drive out demons: He appointed the Twelve: Simon, whom he named Peter; James, son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, whom he named Boanerges, that is, sons of thunder; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus; Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him. (Mk 3:13-19)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/012326.cfm
The choosing of the Twelve, the Lord chooses us that we might be with him, and of course, he sends us out to preach and to heal. https://youtu.be/XrHmgGJrMI8?si=CnOflKD3hWj6q12Q
