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María es Reina del Cielo y de la Tierra

Llamamos a María Reina del Cielo, Reina de los Apóstoles y Reina de todos los que creen en Jesús. Pero ¿qué significa realmente llamar a María Reina y por qué ocupa un lugar tan especial en nuestra fe?

Para los católicos, todo comienza con una verdad sencilla y, al mismo tiempo, extraordinaria: María es la Madre de Dios. Ella no solo dio a luz a Jesús, sino que también fue su primera discípula. Le dijo “sí” al ángel Gabriel, acompañó a Jesús durante toda su vida, permaneció al pie de la Cruz y estuvo con los discípulos después de la Resurrección. Por eso la reconocemos como nuestra Madre: una madre que nos acompaña y nos protege y, sobre todo, que intercede por nosotros ante su Hijo.

Una de las expresiones más hermosas de esta intercesión la encontramos en las apariciones de Santa Catalina Labouré, una joven religiosa de las Hijas de la Caridad de San Vicente de Paúl. En 1830, en la capilla de la casa madre de la congregación en París, Catalina vivió los acontecimientos que dieron origen a la Medalla Milagrosa.

Según el testimonio de Catalina, María se apareció de pie sobre un globo terráqueo, con una serpiente bajo sus pies y las manos extendidas hacia el mundo, de cuyos dedos emanaban rayos de luz. Alrededor de la Virgen aparecía la inscripción: “Oh María, concebida sin pecado, ruega por nosotros que recurrimos a ti.” En otras palabras, los rayos tenían un significado especial. Representaban las gracias que Dios concede a quienes las piden por intercesión de María. Esto nos recuerda algo fundamental: María no es la fuente de la gracia; Dios lo es. María es la intercesora.

Por esta razón, la Medalla Milagrosa no debe entenderse como un talismán, sino como un signo que nos conduce a la fe, a la oración y a Cristo. María no reemplaza a Dios ni posee ningún poder independiente de Él. Como una madre que presenta las necesidades de sus hijos, ella intercede por nosotros y nos conduce hacia su Hijo.

Podemos ver claramente un ejemplo de la misión de María como nuestra intercesora en las bodas de Caná. Cuando María se da cuenta de que se ha acabado el vino, presenta esta necesidad a Jesús y luego les dice a los sirvientes: “Hagan lo que Él les diga.” Estas palabras resumen toda su misión. María no nos pide que la pongamos en el lugar de Cristo; ella nos conduce hacia Él.

Pero ¿por qué llamamos a María Reina?

Para comprenderlo, debemos recordar la tradición del reino davídico. En el antiguo Israel, la madre del rey ocupaba un lugar de honor especial. Como Reina Madre, o Gebirá, la madre del rey participaba de la dignidad de su reinado al interceder por el pueblo. Betsabé, madre de Salomón, fue la primera en ocupar este distinguido papel (1 Reyes 2:19). La tradición católica ve aquí una imagen que nos ayuda a comprender el papel de María: Jesús es el Rey y María, su Madre, participa de una manera única al interceder por el Pueblo de Dios.

Esta comprensión también está relacionada con el dogma de la Inmaculada Concepción. Creemos que Dios preparó a María desde el primer momento de su existencia para ser la Madre del Salvador y para participar de una manera única en la historia de la salvación. Por eso, cuando contemplamos a María como Reina, no debemos imaginarla como una figura distante. Podemos verla como nuestra Madre: aquella que intercede por nosotros, nos acompaña, nos enseña a confiar y nos recuerda continuamente el camino que conduce a Cristo.

María siempre nos conduce a Jesús. En Caná nos dice: “Hagan lo que Él les diga.” A través de la Medalla Milagrosa, nos invita a acudir a ella y pedir su intercesión. En toda auténtica devoción mariana encontramos el mismo mensaje: acercarnos a María significa acercarnos a Cristo. Por eso, al celebrar a María como Reina del Cielo y de la Tierra, podemos orar:

Santa Virgen, Madre de Dios y Reina de los Apóstoles, guárdanos en tu corazón. Intercede por nosotros ante tu Hijo. Ayúdanos a permanecer fieles a Cristo, a caminar con fe y esperanza y, algún día, alcanzar con Él la vida eterna. Amén.

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Christ alone is the Answer!

         I never knew until a few months ago that my father’s maternal grandmother died on Christmas Day when he was only two years old. My grandmother’s (understandable) grief kept her from celebrating Christmas Day for almost fifteen years until my father was in high school (dating my mother) and his two little sisters were born, whereby my grandparents decided it was time to experience the joy of Christmas with their children. I do believe for my father, those earlier Christmases formed him for a life‑long abiding faith for all seasons; he came to know Christ is the only Answer!

         My father eventually came to know that the Christ Child was the answer not only to sorrows and pains, but to the deepest yearnings of the human heart. This became the reason my father and his father would walk to Mass every Sunday together and, eventually, why my father – even in his teen and college years and as a young husband & father – became a lifelong daily Communicant until he could no longer drive to Mass, or eventually walk at all. He truly knew and believed the Christ Child of Christmas was present fully in the Eucharist he received and Adored daily, that Christ alone is the Answer!

         Today, when many Catholic families have slid into a ‘secular’ manner of using Advent toprepare for Christmas with some decorating but more gift shopping, the four weeks of Advent remain an ardent, intentional ‘pause’ for us, a time to slow down; to reflect upon our own life situations; to recognize our pains and sorrows; to even count our losses and begin to consciously turn to the ‘true reason for the Season.’ Christ alone is the Answer!

         Advent is a time to foster a growing yearning for Christ, for a holiness and a state-of-grace in our souls which can receive the fullness of the Christ Child, who dwells no longer in a manger, but in us! Truly, our every sadness and loss is only overcome when Jesus Christ reigns in us.

          If my father’s childhood Christmases lacked celebration it was a reminder that this Christ Child came into the world to bring the hope of eternal life for the living and the dead. Advent need not be a mourning of loved ones as much as an anticipation of new life, it should be a Season of preparing our lives for a freedom from sin – living in a State of Grace through Confession; to have a mind enlightened by the Truths of our Faith – reading daily from the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Holy Scriptures; for a body fit to carry the presence of the Christ Child – perfectly present in the Eucharist.

         Today, when we celebrate the First Sunday of Advent and may think we’re already ‘behind’ in our Christmas preparations, we have another way to prepare. Let us take time to put out the traditional Advent Wreath, Crèche, and colored lights, but let us ‘pause’ on the temptation to fill the silence with more gatherings and dwell upon the truth: Christ alone is the Answer!

         Little Christina Dangond had many pains and losses, but she knew well that Christ alone is the Answer. She received a Divine inspiration that nothing could ever prevent her from having true Christian hope which allowed her to look past the losses of this world and begin to ‘build the faith’ that now literally brings hope to people around the world.

         May this Advent be the best ever and may you – like my Dad, like Christina – tell the whole world that Christ alone is the Answer!

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Become a Son First

The Pope has proclaimed a “Year of Saint Joseph,” a celebration dedicated to the foster father of Jesus. When I found out about this celebration, I immediately thought it was a real gift from the Providence of God. Being a priest who deals with families and young people, I see this clearly every day: no figure in our society is as threatened and constantly bombarded by the devil, as the figure of the father. This is why I think it is important to spend some time contemplating this giant of Faith, St. Joseph, icon of fatherhood.

Just few weeks ago, I was speaking with a man going through a difficult moment because of the sufferings and struggles of his teenage son. As we were talking, two things caught my attention. First, I noticed that he was not really aware of the depths of pain his son was experiencing. The second detail that struck me was that the moment I proposed that he take his son out for a weekend and spend some time alone with him, he immediately told me that he has no money and the little money he has is set aside for an emergency. I looked at him puzzled and asked, “Is this not an emergency?!” As we continued to speak, I came to understand that the problem was not money; the real problem was that he was terrified to be alone with his son because he did not know how to talk to him.  Not knowing what to say to your son…what a suffering! 

I myself, as a priest, sometimes go through this paralysis in front of the sufferings the people pour out on me.  I believe that the root of the problem is this:  no one can ever become a father unless he is a son first.  As this man continued to open up to me about his personal life, I realized the problem was he had never been a son.  He hadn’t developed an authentic relationship with his parents because they were always busy working, but, most importantly, he had never – and this is the legacy left to us by St. Joseph – been taught to “cry out” to God for help, as a son does to his father.

Before becoming a father, Joseph became a son.  St. Joseph became a son the moment he was confronted with an absurd and humiliating event: Mary was pregnant and he was not the father. For Joseph, who was about to marry Mary, this was a tragedy.  At this moment, St. Joseph did not “listen” to his reason or to his feelings. Instead he “cried out” to God, remaining silent and waiting for God to speak to him. St. Joseph entered this tragedy knowing that there – in his pain – His heavenly Father was going to speak. 

Waiting is painful and tiring, but it is precisely in this moment of vulnerability and weakness when we hear the voice of God.  For St. Joseph, it was in his sleep that the words came:  “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.” (Matthew 1:20) The moment in which St. Joseph “listens” to the voice of God, he discovers he is a son because he has a Father who listens to Him.

Though St. Joseph did not know what would happen to him, he did not run away.  He entered into the “absurdity” of the situation and followed God. His trust in God and his obedience to God – his ability to be a son in the moment – enabled him to deal with the ramifications of the pregnancy and made the “absurd” the very place to bear fruit.  From Joseph’s “yes,” as with all crosses, new life was generated; he became the foster father of Jesus. 

So how do we become fathers? How do we learn to speak to our children? By crying out to God in the midst of our “tragedies” and listening to His voice.  The words we hear from God are the words we will tell our children.

St. Joseph, pray for us!

BENDOVER

Testimony of the “Bent-Overs”

In this blog, I want to reflect on two Saints, Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II.  Both were sturdy and robust in their youth but arguably gave their greatest witness when they were old and “bent over.” Their testimony reminds us that Jesus uses the “bent-over” people of this world to accomplish His divine plan. 

Who are the “bentovers?” They are the ones who live life in a “crippled state.” Maybe it’s because of age or illness, or maybe it’s due to addictions, maltreatment or the feelings of shame or regret. For whatever reason, they are “bent over,” searching for hope and inspiration. 

Recently, we heard the Gospel passage of the “bentover” woman who encounters Jesus in the synagogue on the Sabbath. Isn’t that a thought-provoking way for the woman to be identified? She has no other name that we know – history has named her, judged her and labeled her by her appearance.  

The woman has been crippled for eighteen years and has undoubtedly spent a lot of time looking at her dusty sandals. Being “bent over” has affected every aspect of her life. What hope is there for her? She is unnoticed in the eyes of the world.  Not so with Jesus! He sees her and calls out to her, “Woman you are set free from your infirmity.” (Luke 13:12) In other words, “Woman, you are no longer under the power of this thing that has controlled your life for so long… you are free to live in the grace and mercy of the one who loves and cares for you and knows everything you’ve ever experienced.” What did she do? She immediately stood up and praised God! (Luke 13:13) 

God uses the “Bent-overs” in His divine plan!

I stood before Mother Teresa in 1996. She came to Boston to give a talk. She arrived first at St. John’s Seminary where I and about 30 others were waiting to escort her by way of motorcade to a church where thousands were awaiting her presence. When I had my first glance at her, I thought how incredible it was that so many people were waiting for this small, “bent-over” woman. I had a brief moment when I took her hand and we looked at each other face to face. There she was, wrinkled and worn…but oh so beautiful. What was her secret? I got my answer when I heard her speak in the church: “Do small things with great love.” She told stories of the extraordinary gift of the weakest in our society. Those that were “bent over” and learned to stand straight (figuratively speaking) through God’s love and mercy. 

God uses the “bent-overs” in His divine plan.

In 2000, I stood before Pope John Paul II. I had loved him for years and had my first opportunity to go to Rome in the Jubilee year. I had the blessed opportunity to be granted a small audience where maybe 100 or so were invited for just a moment to take his hand and receive his blessing. When he first walked in the room, I thought the same thing I had when I first saw Mother Teresa. Here he is…the Vicar of Christ on earth, frail and “bent over.” It took him a long time to cross the room. When he sat down, it was more like falling into his chair. Then, we each approached him one by one. Finally, it was my turn. I knelt before him and took his hand and looked into his face…a face now worn and frozen with Parkinson’s disease…but oh so beautiful. A few hours later, he would lead a two-hour audience in St. Peter’s Square and his voice would resound before tens of thousands of people. What was his secret? “Totus Tuus”…Totally yours! Every day he relied not on his own strength, but on the strength of Christ. 

God uses the “bent-overs” in His divine plan.

Are you feeling a little bent-over? Maybe its age, sickness, frailty, sin, regret or shame. Maybe you’re feeling unused, misused, abused, forgotten or unloved. Remember, Jesus uses the “bentovers.” Through His strength, you can stand straight, give glory to God and support others. This November, you have two great role model saints…St. Mother Teresa and St. John Paul II.

God uses the “bent-overs” in His divine plan!