News - March 2022 RSS Feed

New possibilities unfold with a new year. Beginning with the first month, it’s as if we could hear January say, “Let’s begin anew.” Or as Venerable Bruno Lanteri, who founded the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, advised, Nunc Coepi — now I begin. Ahora empiezo nuevamente.

God created us out of the great love that He has and out of the great love that He is. Genesis 1:26-28: Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them…

Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, many today feel downcast, distraught and discouraged along the road of uncertainty. The global pandemic we are experiencing has left so many grieving the loss of a loved one and living in fear of getting sick. Watching the news every day is very depressing, hearing the numbers of those testing positive for the virus and death tolls as well as the countless left unemployed.

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In our December edition of the newspaper, we include a Year in Review of 2019. It is helpful to pause before the New Year and give thanks for the graces in our lives, to be aware and express gratitude for each gift the Lord has given us. But it’s not enough. We also need to consider how we are giving of ourselves.

As Lent approaches, we recall that this is a very special time set aside to reflect on Jesus Christ — to consider his suffering and his sacrifice, his life, death, burial, and resurrection. In the Gospel of John 3:16, we are reminded that “… God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Who would have thought a few weeks ago that we would be hearing the words “social distancing,” “self-isolation” or “quarantine”? First, not being able to share the sign of peace at Mass and then not being able to attend Holy Mass, much less not being able to receive the precious Body of our Lord Jesus in the most sacred Eucharist.

February is often viewed as the “month for love.” There is love of God, love of family, love of neighbor, and love of those whom we find difficult to love. There is also love of those we probably most love (like our children) even if we don’t always feel loving towards them because they need to test our love and we need to raise and form them — sometimes with tough love.

Over the past four years, the Church in the United States has journeyed together through the consultation process of the Fifth National Ecuentro for Hispanic/Latino ministry. The Encuentro process has generated many fruits in many of our parishes and dioceses. The whole experience of the Fifth National Encuentro has been described as a “moment of grace” and has given the Church a sense of hope and joy, not only for our Hispanic/Latino brothers and sisters but for the Catholic Church as a whole.

A new calendar year is upon us: 2020 Anno Domini (“in the Year of our Lord”). For most of us it is a time to reflect on this past year 2019 and look forward with hope and anticipation for a new year with new possibilities. As the author and keeper of our lives, God our Heavenly Father has gifted each of us with the same amount of days, hours, minutes and seconds within a year for whatever number of years each of us has in our personal destiny.

There are moments when life makes no sense. When someone dies after suffering due to illness. When someone you know commits suicide and their family still struggles to understand. When you see those coping with depression, trying to survive day by day. At such times, it seems all we can do is pray with them.

Last month I watched the movie A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, with Tom Hanks portraying the beloved Mr. (Fred) Rogers. I must say it was a great movie, very insightful. It was somewhat nostalgic, but at the same time it made me think what a great human being Fred Rogers was and how much he influenced the world with his gentleness and sincerity.

This special season of Advent can be a wonderful time of reflecting on the “light of Christ that lives in each of us.” Our Catholic faith has so many beautiful rituals, prayers, and symbols that can assist us in connecting with those deep desires that each of us have to be in relationship with the Holy Trinity: with God our heavenly Father and with his Son Jesus for whom we await the celebration of that special day we recall his birth — an event that turned the world on its axis and changed the course of history (We even changed the calendar). During this season, we trust the Holy Spirit to lead us into 2020 Anno Domini — In the year of our Lord.

An analysis from The Valley Catholic