I also wish to greet in a particular way the representatives of other Christian communities as well as non-Christian religious communities present here in the Valley. I want to gratefully acknowledge the local political and civil leaders present with us. Thank you for joining us on this occasion.

Enfocandonos ahora sobre el sentido del Evangelio de la misa, podemos gustar que la fiesta de hoy tenga sabor navideño. Nos recuerda de las alegrias asociadas con La vida familiar alrededor del Niño Jesus. Uno puede imaginar La alegria de Maria y Jose cuando presentaron al Niño, encontrando a Simon y Ana, como representantes de La comunidad y como portadores de La sabiduria de los años. Maria y Jose comparten la misma alegria que sienten los nuevos papas hoy en dia cuando llegan al templo de la parroquia local para la presentación de un niño. Es una ocasión de agradecimiento que conservamos en nuestra cultura Católica.

Tantas veces en Detroit pude compartir este gozo familiar y eclesial con las familias presentando sus hijos al terminar la misa. Son momentos de comunion intima entre la vida familiar y la vida de la iglesia local. La comunidad cristiana participa en recibir al niño; esto significa que toman responsabilidad por el bien del niño. Los papas son los primeros responsables, pero no viajan solos en el camino de criar sus hijos.

A la vez, es un momento de esperanza, porque todos los adultos en el templo parroquial miran con atencion la presentacion de un niño que un dia tomara su propio lugar como adulto en la comunidad. En este sentido es un momento de esperanza para los adultos. La fiesta de la Candelaria, como se nombra entre nosotros, es la fiesta de Jesus presentado como esperanza y luz de las naciones. La luz de los hombres, ... la luz que brilla en las tinieblas, como nos dice San Juan en su Evangelio. Luz y esperanza, alegria y comunion.

Forty days since the celebration of the Birth of the Savior, and a mere two weeks until the beginning of Lent, the Church focuses upon this event in the life of the Child Jesus. But even though it is a feast with a Christmas flavor, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord directs us toward the mysteries of Lent and Easter. By the light of grace, Simeon recognizes the Child Jesus as the light of revelation to the nations. Simeon knows that the fate of this Child will affect the lives of all men and women, that indeed our destiny as a people who live so often in darkness, is tied to the arrival of this light. For this reason, on this day we bring candles to church to be blessed, giving vivid testimony of the arrival of Christ, the light of hope for the world.

The presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple is a moment of joy and communion. Mary and Joseph experience the joyful occasion to return to the Temple to give thanks to God for the gift of this Child. They lived a family life that was rooted in a common understanding that the life of the family is not complete unless it is connected to the mystery of the One True God. To go to the Temple was not merely an obligation binding them to do something they did not really understand. On the contrary, they understood that their family life was a gift from the Father, and they joyfully went to the Temple to fulfill the prescriptions of the Law. They offered a humble sacrifice of thanksgiving. It was a joy for them, because the thanksgiving was in their hearts before they made the trip to the Temple.

It reminds me of when I was a little boy, and my Mother and Grandmother would take us to church to visit the Blessed Sacrament and to light a candle. They took us because they knew very well that the life of the home draws life from its connection with the House of God. As the new Bishop of Brownsville, I give particular thanks today for the presence of this Basilica Shrine of Nuestra Senora de San Juan del Valle in the heart of the Diocese. This is a place where families can come to offer their prayers of petition and thanksgiving to the Lord, and seek in a special way the prayerful support of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Although the presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple is a moment of communion between family life and the mystery of the Living God, so too is this event a moment of communion between the family and the rest of the community. Simeon and Anna are there. These were older members of the community, seasoned and made wise by the combination of long experience and deep faith. They represent a community of those who live in the hope that the light that was coming into the world would indeed come in their lifetime. Mary and Joseph received encouragement in their mission from both Simeon and Anna.

The communion of life we see reflected in this Gospel is so important for us to contemplate and to put into practice. We, too, must acknowledge that family life cannot grow strong unless it has a strong link to the House of the Lord. As believers, we know that we rely on the constant help of heaven to move forward in a difficult world. We come to the House of God because we believe that God hears our prayers for the help we need to raise our children. Parents, mothers and fathers, come to the House of God because they need for the Lord to look after their children in ways they cannot. We ask Him to inspire their hearts with goodness and justice; we ask Him to protect them from all harm; and we adults ask Him to give us the wisdom and strength to make wise decisions for the good of the
children.

We know that Mary and Joseph received support from the older members of the community, Simeon and Anna. We see the image of the Church reflected in this exchange: A communion of the family with God the Father, with Christ Jesus at the Center; and a communion of the whole community of faith with Jesus, Mary and Joseph, happy to be together in the House of the Lord. This is an image we can imitate. Our young families, with their children, seek the grace of heaven in the Church,' and they seek the wider community of believers, especially those experienced in the mystery of life lived in faith,' united in communion with the Child and His parents.

Quisiera enfocarme un poco sobre esta imagen de los ancianos Simeón y Ana asistiendo en el Templo, listos para recibir a Maria y Jose y el niño Jesus. La fuerza de la comunidad local impacta muchisimo el desarrollo de la vida de un niño. Los papas tienen sus propias responsabilidades, pero tambien las tienen los otros miembros de la comunidad de fe. Nuestras comunidades Fronterizas han sobrevivido las tempestades de la historia por medio de una cultura inter-generacional, una cultura a la vez del buen consejo. Por generaciones, los hijos recibieron los consejos de los grandes sobre lo que significa vivir una vida buena y honesta. Los papas, los abuelos, los tios y las tias formaban parte integral del ámbito local informando las vidas de los jóvenes. Así como Simeón y Ana dieron el consejo a Maria y Jose en ese momento singular en la vida de la Sagrada Familia, asi nosotros hemos disfrutado de la herencia de los ancianos para preparar a los niños.

Hay que apreciar que la cultura del buen consejo requiere nuestra presencia y tiempo. Si los papas no estan presentes con sus hijos en la niñez, si los niños nunca tienen tiempo para visitar a los abuelos y los tios, la trasmisión de la sabiduria por medio del buen consejo pierde su fuerza. Y sin los consejos de los adultos de confianza, la formación de los jóvenes viene siendo sólo cosa del televisor y del Internet.

La formación en lo que significa la vida de un ser humano, el por que y el como de nuestras vidas, no se deben dejar só1o a la tecnologia. Los valores se trasmiten en la comunión y en el contacto personal entre miembros de familias y entre una comunidad de fe y esperanza. Lo que necesitan nuestros jóvenes es la atención y el tiempo de sus padres y de sus familiares, especialmente los grandes de edad. Los ancianos Simeon y Ana muestran esta relación inter-generacional. Se trata, mis hermanos, de la formación de las almas, y eso merece la mayor atención posible, empezando con la trasmisi6n del sentido de la palabra amor.

As we seek to put into practice the communion of life Mary and Joseph shared with the child Jesus, together with the wider community represented by Simeon and Anna, it is good to recall that the best way to hand on an authentic sense of what human life is about, is by way of personal contact. Parents and grandparents, uncles and aunts, teach the next generation by how they speak and how they act. We must spend time with our young people, giving them the good counsel that comes from a life of familiarity with the Gospel. What we seek to hand on is the true meaning of the word love. In the Gospel of Christ, love is a gift and an offering.

Now, let us speak of love; for the Lord Jesus came to give and show us the mystery of God's love poured into our hearts. Love is not so much about possessing or controlling, as the world would have us believe; rather" it is about what we give to God and to one another. Mary and Joseph went to the Temple to offer a gift, and their offering anticipates the perfect gift of love that Jesus Himself will give to the Father and to us when He gives Himself on the Cross. As Saint Thomas Aquinas used to say, Christ Jesus redeemed the world not so much because of what He suffered" but because of how much He loved us while He suffered. We participate in the gift of this love whenever we participate in the mystery of the Lord's Body and Blood, whenever we receive it gratefully, and then live what this Blood gives to us. It gives us the real life of love that Jesus Himself offered to the Father on our behalf. Jesus' words in the Gospel of John compel us to love one another as Christ has loved us (Jn 13:34). He invites us to share in the power of the Love we eat and drink in the most holy Eucharistic sacrifice.

La Presentación del Niño Jesus en el Templo anticipa el sacrificio perfecto que ofreceria en la Cruz de su amor. Amor, ofrecimiento, sacrificio: cada palabra implica la otra. Cristo ofreció su propia sangre para la liberación del mundo; por medio de su sacrificio triunfó sobre las tinieblas del pecado y de la muerte.

Hay que entender el por qué de la Sangre de Cristo: Como nos enseña el gran doctor de la Iglesia, Santo Tomas de Aquino, Cristo redimió el mundo no tanto porque sufrio, sino porque amó tanto en su sufrimiento. El amor salva, y el amor es una entrega en bien de los demás. La Presentacion en el Templo figura de antemano el amor con que Jesucristo se entregara en las manos de su Padre, por nuestra saltiacion. Nuestra redencion, como tambien lo dice Santo Tomás, consiste en saber como participar en la entrega de amor ofrecida por Jesucristo.

En esto sabemos lo que significa llamarle a Jesucristo la luz del mundo. La luz se revela a las naciones por medio de la manifestación del Dios que tanto ama al mundo que se entrega completamente a lo que necesitamos: "Que necesitamos? Necesitamos saber amar a Dios con todas nuestras fuerzas y amar a nuestro projimo así como Dios nos ha amado en Cristo Jesus.

Everyone has a part to play in this sharing in the grace of Christ's love. Parents, love your children, spend time with them, and give them good advice about what is truly important in life. We work to provide for our children, but our children are the ones we truly treasure. To the older members of our communities, you have so much to offer our society: your experience, your hope, your wisdom. Now is the time for us to strengthen our resolve to love one another, especially our children, even as Christ loves us. Because this is a work of love, it will require a spirit of sacrifice; but because it is a work of love, it is a work of hope in the power of love to overcome all difficulties, all obstacles.

One of the great encouragements in our.diocese is the presence of so many yeung adults, many single, many who are married, all trying to find their way in this world. You may be asking, "What does this Gospel have to say to me and about how I live my life?" To that question, I would say: the Child Jesus we see in today's Gospel grows in wisdom, age and grace to become the Young Adult whose mission it was to save us by the perfect manifestation of His love in every thing He said and did, culminating with His total self giving on the Cross. All vocations find their source and significance in the life of the Lord Jesus, but in a 'particular way, the Young Adult in the modern world can find in the Lord the encouragement to view life as a mission to advance the influence of grace and peace, justice and mercy. Christ shows us that we are meant to choose consciously to do good and to act justly, to serve others, particularly those who are suffering. Seek light and strength from the Lord, choose to live generously, and He will fill your heart with a joy the world can neither offer nor take away ..

Quisiera dirigir una invitación particular, en palabras directas, a los hombres de nuestra comunidad: se que a veces se dice entre nosotros que la formación de los niños, especialmente en cuestiones de religión, pertenece mas a las mujeres. Ciertamente hemos recibido una formación contundente en los valores de la vida por medio de los ejemplos y la enseñanza de nuestras madres y abuelas. Sin embargo, hermanos, nuestros hijos necesitan el ejemplo de valores cristianos y humanos de parte de varones virtuosos. Les recomiendo en particular el ejemplo de San Jose. Las escrituras no citan palabra alguna pronunciada por los labios de San Jose. Habló por medio de sus acciones. Se dedicó completamente a su misián de proteger y proveer para la Virgen Madre, y el Niño Jesus. Su fidelidad y su justicia abrieron el camino para Jesucristo. Los hombres cristianos, los padres de familia, tienen una sublime vocación en nuestros tiempos: la vocación de abrir el camino de la justicia y de las virtudes autenticas a las generaciones futuras. Si no lo hacemos, arriesgamos la perdida de las próximas generaciones a la violencia, la venganza y las drogas.

As I assume today my responsibility to serve as the sixth bishop of Brownsville, I would like to describe briefly the challenges that we all assume together. First, the principal mission of the Church is to announce Christ as the Light and Hope of the nations. To invite all men and women to the light of Christ is to invite them to participate in the mystery of his love poured out for us as nourishment in the Eucharistic sacrifice. This is our highest call as members of the body of Christ.

Secondly, we all hear the call that the Lord gives to us to live together in a community that is truly connected. This is the meaning of the word communion. Because our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ links our lives to the very life and generous love of God, we also live in a communion with one another. Parents connected to children, families connected to other families, and all of us connected to one another in the life of the parish church, in the wider communion of faith that is the Diocese of Brownsville. We must be patient with one another, bear with one another, and support one another. The grace of Christ always expresses itself in a call to live in a true communion of mutual concern. What happens to one, matters to all. Lo que Ie afecta a uno, afecta a todos.

As a strong community of faith, we offer our service for the good of. all society. We want to work whole heartedly with men and women of good will. We want to uphold human life in the face of multiple affronts to the dignity of our brothers and sisters. Our children are at risk, and we re-dedicate ourselves to doing all that is in our power to secure for them a brighter future. We work to build up a community that respects life at all stages" life in the womb, the lives of our youngsters and teenagers, and the lives of our beloved elders. To promote this culture of life, we work and sacrifice so that all may know that, as Christians, we cherish all human beings, for all are endowed with a unique dignity in the likeness of the Creator.

Thirdly, the challenge of Christ's love is to believe and teach the word He speaks to us: I have come to give you joy, and to give it abundantly. Jesus comes to show us that the true joy of the human heart is to give itself generously as a gift in the service of others" for the glory of God. His grace inspires this desire in our hearts in an effective way. Husbands and wives do this when they care for each other. Parents do this when they dedicate themselves to the daily tasks of raising their children. Priests and religious" deacons and bishops do this when they give themselves generously to the flock entrusted to their pastoral concern.

I am convinced that the whole Church must work to promote a culture of vocations; this means we work to teach our children the joy that . comes from serving others in the name of the Lord. If we promote this spirit of generosity, we will have a future of stronger marriages and families, and a future with abundant religious and priestly vocations. In a particular way, so that the Church may always rejoice in the Eucharistic Mystery, we must all work to promote priestly vocations. A priest is a gift God gives to the Church, inspiring the man called to the priesthood to give himself completely, so that the Gospel might be preached, and so that the Eucharistic Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus may be ever present. Pray for your priests, and pray that many will answer the challenge to shepherd and feed God's people.