Tag: Christine Hanus

Wow. As I was reflecting on the gospel reading for today, it struck me how phenomenal it must have been for the parents in Jesus’ time to be able to bring their children to Christ “in person.” 

How can we replicate that kind of encounter when Jesus is no longer preaching at a nearby synagogue or eating dinner in a neighbor’s home? When Jesus left the earth, He knew He would have to provide a way for us to come into relationship with Him and remain in relationship with Him. He actually said at the Last Supper, “It is better for you that I go.” (Jn 16:7) How could Christ leaving be better than Christ staying? Jesus had a plan.

Christ makes himself available to us and to our children the same way he made himself available to the earliest Christians. The Holy Spirit, the second person of the Trinity, comes to live inside of us and transform us through the sacraments, through prayer, and through communion with others. It always comes back to the basics!

So how do we bring our kids to Christ through the sacraments? By bringing them to the Catholic Church to be baptized and confirmed and by continually helping them understand and live out their baptismal promises. We bring them to Mass at least every Sunday and Holy Day and teach them how to receive Holy Communion worthily. As a parent, I have found frequent use of the sacrament of reconciliation to be a game changer for kids to live out their faith. No amount of church-going and do-gooding can bring us close to Jesus when we have barriers of sin that we have put in place. 

How do we bring our children to Christ through prayer? Children are automatically inclined to God and they learn to pray easily, but they need to be taught. As far as rote prayer goes, their memory is remarkable! When my own children were young, we often prayed a family rosary, and my children could all lead the rosary to some degree by the time they were three. Slowly, they learned to pray with and memorize Scripture. But the best way to teach our children to pray is to pray ourselves, often and from the heart, with them and in front of them.

How do we bring our children to God through communion with others? It is difficult for children to create meaningful interpersonal connections when their eyes are continually fixed on a screen. Beside this, many children are so busy with school and “activities” that they have no time or interest in talking to Grandpa or singing in the church choir. Making connections with others, and especially serving others, is a primary way to encounter Christ, but in today’s society, it doesn’t “just happen.” Parents must intentionally help their children make connections with others and become less focused on themselves.

Imagine if the parents in today’s Gospel story had stayed at home, saying, “Oh, we will visit Jesus tomorrow. The baby is sleeping, the kids are playing quietly, and I have so many chores to finish.” Maybe they realized tomorrow might be too late.

We must bring our children to Christ today. He is waiting to show the “little ones the mystery of the Kingdom.”

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¡Que increíble! Mientras reflexionaba sobre la lectura del evangelio de hoy, me llamó la atención cuán fenomenal debe haber sido para los padres en el tiempo de Jesús poder llevar a sus hijos a Cristo “en persona”.

¿Cómo podemos replicar ese tipo de encuentro cuando Jesús ya no está predicando en una sinagoga cercana o cenando en la casa de un vecino? Cuando Jesús dejó la tierra, sabía que tendría que proporcionarnos una manera de entrar en una relación con Él y permanecer en una relación con Él. De hecho, dijo en la Última Cena: “Es mejor para ti que yo me vaya”. (Jn 16,7) ¿Cómo podría ser mejor que Cristo se fuera que que Cristo se quedara? Jesús tenía un plan.

Cristo se pone a disposición de nosotros y de nuestros hijos del mismo modo que se puso a disposición de los primeros cristianos. El Espíritu Santo, la segunda persona de la Trinidad, viene a vivir dentro de nosotros y nos transforma a través de los sacramentos, de la oración y de la comunión con los demás. ¡Siempre vuelve a lo básico!

Entonces, ¿cómo llevamos a nuestros hijos a Cristo a través de los sacramentos? Trayendolos a la Iglesia Católica para ser bautizados y confirmados y ayudándolos continuamente a entender y vivir sus promesas bautismales. Los llevamos a Misa al menos todos los domingos y días festivos y les enseñamos cómo recibir la Sagrada Comunión dignamente. Como padre, he descubierto que el uso frecuente del sacramento de la reconciliación cambia las reglas del juego para que los niños vivan su fe. Ninguna cantidad de ir a la iglesia y hacer el bien puede acercarnos a Jesús cuando tenemos barreras de pecado que hemos puesto en su lugar.

¿Cómo llevamos a nuestros hijos a Cristo a través de la oración? Los niños se inclinan automáticamente hacia Dios y aprenden a orar fácilmente, pero necesitan que se les enseñamos. Con respecto a la oración de memoria, ¡su memoria es notable! Cuando mis propios hijos eran pequeños, a menudo rezábamos un rosario en familia, y todos mis hijos podían dirigir el rosario hasta cierto punto cuando tenían tres años. Lentamente, aprendieron a orar y memorizar las Escrituras. Pero la mejor manera de enseñar a orar a nuestros hijos es orar nosotros mismos, a menudo y de corazón, con ellos y delante de ellos.

¿Cómo llevamos a nuestros hijos a Dios a través de la comunión con los demás? Es difícil para los niños crear conexiones interpersonales significativas cuando sus ojos están continuamente fijos en una pantalla. Además de esto, muchos niños están tan ocupados con la escuela y las “actividades” que no tienen tiempo ni interés en hablar con el abuelo o cantar en el coro de la iglesia. Hacer conexiones con los demás, y especialmente servir a los demás, es una forma principal de encontrar a Cristo, pero en la sociedad actual, no es algo que “sucede de la nada”. Los padres deben ayudar intencionalmente a sus hijos a establecer conexiones con los demás y a centrarse menos en sí mismos.

Imagínese si los padres en la historia del Evangelio de hoy se hubieran quedado en casa, diciendo: “Oh, visitaremos a Jesús mañana. El bebé está durmiendo, los niños están jugando tranquilamente y tengo muchas tareas que terminar”. Tal vez se dieron cuenta de que mañana podría ser demasiado tarde.

Debemos llevar a nuestros hijos a Cristo hoy. Está esperando para revelar “los misterios del Reino a la gente sencilla”.

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The First Reading today can be a little confusing for those of us who haven’t been reading the book of Isaiah in context. Isaiah is a prophet of God who is constantly calling God’s people to repent of their wicked ways and return to the Lord.

In this excerpt, Isaiah is sent by God to speak to Ahaz, the King of Judah. Ahaz and his people are fearful because their land is under attack. Their hearts  trembled, “as the trees of the forest tremble in the wind.” But God sends Isaiah to tell the King and his people to be courageous and remain tranquil. Through the words of Isaiah, God reveals to Ahaz that their enemies will not triumph over them, but stipulates that Ahaz must be faithful to God. “Unless your faith is firm,” Isaiah tells him, “you will not be firm.”  The book of Isaiah goes on to show that Ahaz and the people of Judah are not faithful to the Lord! Judah is eventually conquered by the Babylonians and taken into captivity.

In the New Testament, God the Father sends not just a prophet, but his only son Jesus Christ to make it clear to all of us that we can be delivered from all of our fears—we can experience safety and freedom—if only we will respond with faith. Not the kind of faith that merely says, “I believe,” but the kind of faith that God wanted from Ahaz. A faith that demonstrates our willingness to forsake our own misguided ways and faithfully follow the One, true God.

In today’s Gospel passage from the book of Matthew, we see that Jesus is clearly expecting a radical response to the miracles he has performed which so often accompany His invitation to repentance and salvation. “Jesus began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, since they had not repented. ‘Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!… I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.'” 

Jesus couldn’t be more clear. Life and death are hanging in the balance for the people of Chorazin and Bethdsaida. The same choice is given to us. What do we want? Life or death? Will we repent? Will we demonstrate that we believe by returning to the worship and service of the One true God? 

It is God’s mercy that speaks to us in these passages of scripture. Let’s truly repent of our sin, while there is yet time, and allow the Holy Spirit to renew us and change us. By choosing God’s ways over our own ways we can live in freedom from fear and experience authentic peace and eternal salvation.

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La Primera Lectura de hoy puede ser un poco confusa para los que no han estado leyendo el libro de Isaías en contexto. Isaías es un profeta de Dios que llama constantemente al pueblo de Dios a arrepentirse de su maldad y volver al Señor.

En este pasaje, Dios lo envia a Isaías a hablar con Acaz, el Rey de Judá. Acaz y su pueblo tienen miedo porque su tierra está bajo ataque. Sus corazones temblaron, “como los árboles del bosque se estremecen con el viento”. Pero Dios envía a Isaías a decirle al Rey y a su pueblo que sean valientes y permanezcan tranquilos. A través de las palabras de Isaías, Dios le revela a Acaz que sus enemigos no triunfarán sobre él, pero estipula que Acaz debe ser fiel a Dios. “Si tu fe no es firme”, le dice Isaías, “no serás firme”. El libro de Isaías continúa mostrando que Acaz y el pueblo de Judá no son fieles al Señor. Al final, los babilonios conquistan a Judá y lo llevan al cautiverio.

En el Nuevo Testamento, Dios Padre envía no a un profeta, sino a su único hijo Jesucristo para dejarnos claro a todos que podemos ser liberados de todos nuestros temores, podemos experimentar seguridad y libertad, si tan solo lo respondamos con fe. No el tipo de fe que simplemente dice: “Creo”, sino el tipo de fe que Dios quería de Acaz. Una fe que demuestra nuestra disposición de abandonar nuestros propios comportamientos equivocados y seguir fielmente al Único Dios verdadero.

En el pasaje evangélico de hoy del libro de Mateo vemos claramente que Jesús espera una respuesta radical de los milagros que ha realizado que frecuentemente acompañan su invitación al arrepentimiento y a la salvación. “Jesús comenzó a reprochar a los pueblos donde había hecho la mayor parte de sus grandes obras, ya que todavía no se habían arrepentido. ‘¡Ay de ti, Corazín! ¡Ay de ti, Betsaida!… Te digo que será más tolerable para la tierra de Sodoma en el día del juicio que para ustedes.'”

Jesús habla muy claramente. La vida y la muerte penden de un hilo para la gente de Chorazin y Bethdsaida. Nos da la misma decisión a nosotros. ¿Qué queremos? ¿la vida o la muerte? ¿Nos arrepentiremos? ¿Demostraremos que creemos volviendo a la adoración y al servicio del Único Dios verdadero?

Es la misericordia de Dios la que nos habla en estos pasajes de las Escrituras. Arrepintámonos verdaderamente de nuestro pecado, mientras aún haya tiempo, y permitamos que el Espíritu Santo nos renueve y nos cambie. Al elegir los caminos de Dios sobre los nuestros, podemos vivir libres del temor y experimentar la paz auténtica y la salvación eterna.

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Today is Trinity Sunday. The First and Second Reading, as well as the Gospel, all speak to the reality of the Trinity. The First Reading foreshadows what we will come to understand more deeply through the person of Christ and his apostles in the New Testament. Namely that the Trinity is three persons in one God…existing from all eternity. 

“Wisdom” in Proverbs 8:30-31 it says: “I [was] beside [the Lord] as his craftsman, and I was his delight day by day, playing before him all the while, playing on the surface of his earth; and I found delight in the human race.” 

Wisdom foreshadows the Holy Spirit. The phrase “…playing on the surface of the earth” brings to mind the “wind” referred to in Genesis 1:1, which at the dawn of creation “swept over the waters.” 

This personification of wisdom also foreshadows the second person of the Trinity, Jesus, the Word made flesh: “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…All things came to be through him, and without Him nothing came to be.” 

The concept of the Trinity, three persons in one God, who has no beginning and no end, is mind-boggling. If you have ever tried to explain the triune God to a young person or a person who has never heard of it, you will know how intimidating such a task can be. There is no easy way to explain the Trinity. Maybe that’s because there is no way to explain it, period! We can explore it intellectually, but we will always fall short. The Godhead is simply too big for our finite minds to comprehend. 

When one of my children was 7 years old, I heard her talking out loud to herself while she was slowly raking leaves into a huge pile in our front yard. “The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” she said meditatively, “Three persons in one God.” 

Yes, the doctrine of the Trinity is a great mystery! But even little ones can be sure that it is true, because it has been revealed to us by Christ Himself and, for 2000 years, has been taught by His Church. Happy Trinity Sunday!

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Today’s Responsorial Psalm is taken from Psalm 119 which repeatedly mentions the commands of God, the statutes of God, the Word of God. So often we want to have God in our lives, but we aren’t too fond of his teachings, or at least not all of them. In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus and his apostles are utterly exhausted, unable to even find the time to eat, but when Jesus observes the crowd that has gathered to see him, “…his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.”

Sometimes Jesus healed bodies, but he always wanted to heal souls. One of the primary ways he did this healing work was to teach and to preach. To explain to his friends and to the crowds how the commandments were to be lived out in their everyday lives. Jesus knew that if the people of his time could only understand that God’s laws were designed to help them to thrive, they could find the healing they craved and avoid destructive pitfalls. The same pitfalls we modern day folk create for ourselves by doing things our way instead of God’s way. 

And good, kind Jesus didn’t pull any punches. He set the bar high, exhorting his listeners to forgive enemies, to honor God’s purpose and plan for marriage and sexuality, to serve the poor and the needy. Sometimes they were even asked to leave everything behind and literally follow him. Knowing their weakness, he promised to send them the Holy Spirit so that they could do what he commanded them to do! (Aka without the Holy Spirit, it is impossible!) 

From the time my four sons were very young, I had them learn and recite the first line of the Responsorial Psalm from today’s Mass readings, (RSVRC translation), “How can a young man keep his way pure, by guarding it according to your word.” I wanted my sons to internalize the concept that fidelity to the teachings of Christ brings a purity of heart and mind that empowers them to avoid selfishness, lust, and greed. A freedom that fosters health in mind, body, and spirit. I wanted them to recognize what is good when they see it and to have the desire to be good themselves. 

Jesus Christ, the very Word of God made flesh, is moved with pity for us and wants to teach us how to live out his commandments. When we follow his commandments—when we follow him and do whatever he tells us to do—we live in Him and He in us.

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The Responsorial Psalm at Mass today reminds us that “a sacrifice of praise” is integral to the worship of God. 

In Psalm 116, the speaker is praising God particularly because God has listened to his prayers and saved him when he was in great need and distress. How often do  we remember the fate that would await us if it wasn’t for the salvific act of Christ on the Cross? And do we give praise to God for our deliverance? How often do we take a moment to praise God for our health, for our loved ones? Even the little blessings we experience, like a hug from a friend or a warm bed, are occasions to praise God.

But beyond what God has done for us, he deserves our prayer simply because he is God! The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that “Praise is the form of prayer which recognizes most immediately that God is God.” (2639) Though the psalmist in today’s readings has gone through hard times, he does not rail against God. He realizes that God is God, and he deserves worship; a “sacrifice of praise.”

The little vexations in our daily lives can be useful when it comes to developing an attitude of praise to God, especially when things don’t go our way.

This morning, after coming in from the frosty January chill, I made homemade hot chocolate. After whipping the ingredients into a frenzy, I popped a mug of the mixture into the microwave to heat it and to create a nice, thick topping of foam. Distracted for a moment, I turned back to the microwave to see that my cup runneth over! Hot chocolate foam was boiling all over the inside of my microwave. 

Moments of frustration like this one can train us to become people of praise! When things go awry, we can curse, we can complain, or we can say, “Praise God!” 

When my cocoa was ruined, praising God was not my first impulse! I was ticked off. I felt betrayed. I was hungry and cold, and-it-was-such-a-gloomy-day-and-I-just-went-to-Mass; aren’t I virtuous; don’t I deserve a reward!? But in situations like this, when we choose to speak out the simple words, “Praise you Lord!” with as much sincerity as we can muster, our attitude changes. We remember that, actually, we don’t “deserve,” and that we are called to love and serve God whether things go our way or not.

When we practice praising God during these seemingly insignificant moments of frustration, this kind of spiritual exercise eventually translates into life-long faithfulness and a docility to the will of God. In other words, it makes us like Christ, who, “though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.” (Philippians 2:6)

The Catechism says that we owe God honor and glory “simply because HE IS,” (emphasis added by author) not because he has behaved in a way that we think God should. No matter what happens in our day, or in our life, God is God and he deserves our praise.

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