June 28, 2020
13th Sunday in Ordinary Time
When we were baptized, we were baptized into Christ’s death. Take a moment to ponder these profound words. We were baptized into death. In every sense of the word, we are asked to die. This is not just about our final death but about daily deaths due to inconvenience, discomfort, pain, loss, or others’ needs. This is an incredible epiphany given the way we very often approach our lives. We do everything to avoid death, let alone encounter it! Many avoid pain, discomfort, inconvenience, uneasiness, change, interference, and suffering of any kind. We put a lot of energy into finding the easiest and least inconvenient way through many things. Even holding the door open for a stranger or saying hello to someone in the store can be major undertakings.
We are called to die. One of the biggest wake-up calls we can have is realizing that life is not about us! There are millions of other people sharing life on this planet with whom I have a relationship. Does my life celebrate those relationships? The most distracting question we can ask is, “What do I want to do?” The more focused, faith-filled question is, “What do I need to do?” What I need to do may not be what I want to do. However, asking this question more frequently will teach us how to more purposefully and intentionally live so we can be a life giving vessel for others. When we learn to live more sacrificially, to put the needs of others before our own, and to not always seek our own self-interest, we become aware of what baptism into Christ’s death is really all about. These are the roots of virtue and the seedbed for justice, tolerance, solidarity, love, and peace.
Learning how to accept all the “small deaths” and sacrifices life calls us to teaches us how to approach our final death. All deaths ask us to empty ourselves into something or someone else. Whether we empty ourselves into the heart and soul of another human being or empty ourselves into God at the moment of our final death, new life is always received and nurtured. A heart that exclusively seeks its own interest is a heart that is closed to love. A heart that pours itself out to others and is content with being emptied is a heart that has been touched by and open to mercy. It is a heart that overflows with joy.
©LPi
MEDITACIÓN EVANGÉLICO
28 de junio de 2020
13º Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario
Por experiencia sabemos que dar un regalo siempre implica alguien que lo recibe. Dar y recibir está relacionado, están a la par, al dar se extienden los brazos y al recibir el regalo es lo mismo, implica una acción de movimiento. Cuando Jesús es el centro de nuestra vida, el dar y recibir no se queda ahí, tiene por compromiso principalmente la acción. Al recibir, por ejemplo, la gracia de Dios no es para uno mismo, hay que darla a los que nos rodean. En este Evangelio existe una regla a seguir para comprender el juego de palabras. Hay palabras claves en el mensaje para obtener la respuesta que nos ayude a perseverar en la vida cristiana. Amar, cargar, vivir, recibir, recompensa, dar, discípulo, agua fresca, por mencionar algunas.
Sin embargo, ¿Qué es lo que te pide Jesús que hagas? ¿Al cumplirlo cuál es la promesa de Jesús? Cargar con su cruz y seguirlo para ser dignos de él. Recibir a Jesús como centro de nuestra vida implica de inmediato recibir a los que nos rodean. Es decir, en otras palabras, conversión radical, dar agua de vida que lleve a vivir mejor. El Papa Francisco nos da una pauta para reflexionar mejor en las lecturas de este domingo. “Es tanto el amor de Dios, es tan feo el pecado, que Él nos salva así, con esta identidad en la Cruz. No se puede entender a Jesucristo Redentor sin la Cruz. ¡No se puede entender! Podemos llegar a pensar que es un gran profeta, hace cosas buenas, es un santo, pero el Cristo Redentor sin la cruz no se puede entender”. (Radio Vaticano | Septiembre 26, 2014).
©LPi