28 de marzo de 2016 | Volumen 91, Número 11
HISPANIC MINISTRY
The Catechesis in Action
Pope Francis’ visit to Mexico last month gave us many moments of reflection. During the tour of his Holiness in the city of Morelia, amidst a hard pull that almost injured a handicapped child, the Pope opened his eyes wide and with a reddened face yelled: “Don’t be selfish!” At that moment the reporters immediately ran to publish this incident in a scandalous way using words and phrases like “punish” and “losing his cool.” At that moment, Pope Francis’ exhortation done on behalf of migrants, the marginalized and prisoners became gossip for social media.
Nevertheless the faithful, observing through different lines of media, got the chance to witness something very transparent and honest about Pope Francis: his humanity. The clearest identification of his time as Pope has manifested itself completely at that minute in both word and action. While the reporters focused on ratings, the faithful caught a glimpse of the Pope’s love and attention for the welfare of a handicapped child. With a simple gesture and a concerned gaze, he checked to see if the child was fine. As a result of this action, the Pope attracted the focus of God’s love and attention, breaking all barriers.
In our current society, we are always running to the laity and the ordained to guide us in the knowledge of the Word via the tradition of the Church. That day in Morelia, the Pope — the supreme leader of all our laity and ordained — gave us a catechesis in action that we will never forget.
How many times do we ask God to fulfill a necessity and then feel deceived because God did not fulfill it in the way we wanted? How many times do we beg and implore God for a hand in our lives but out of desperation foolishly grab His entire arm? How many times do we hold that arm without noticing the person with more need living next to us who gets by with a content smile, confident in the presence of God in their lives?
During Holy Week, let us remember that the necessity of God comes from the spiritual need of being filled with Him, and not the yearning to want more than has already been given to us. Pope Francis, in his catechesis in action, helps us understand that the ego will make us steal something from God that does not belong to us. Thou shall not steal does not only apply to us and our communities, but also between us and the Holy Spirit. This causes us to have a blind and selfish heart, unable to share what the Lord intended we as believers pass along to others. It is the imprisonment of Jesus in our own emptiness instead of freely submitting ourselves to His and our own fulfillment. He will always give us what we need at the moment we need it most, but God’s timeframe is not our own.
Keeping in mind that the Lord will never abandon us, there is no need to be selfish. Through our Lord our heads will always be anointed with oil and our hearts will overflow with His love.
Ciudad | Parroquia | Teléfono | Hora |
Bristol | St. Anne | 276.669.8200 | domingo 2:00 pm |
Charlottesville | Church of the Incarnation | 434.973.4381 | domingo 1:30 pm |
Christiansburg | Holy Spirit | 540.921.3547 | domingo 1:00 pm |
Clarksville | St. Catherine of Siena | 434.374.8408 | domingo 1:00 pm |
Danville | Sacred Heart | 434.792.9456 | domingo 11:30 am |
Hampton | St. Joseph | 757.851.8800 | domingo 2:00 pm |
Harrisonburg | Blessed Sacrament | 540.434.4341 | domingo 1:00 pm y jueves 7:00 pm |
Lovingston | St. Mary | 434.263.8509 | domingo 11:30 am |
Lynchburg | Holy Cross | 434.846.5245 | domingo 2:00 pm |
Marion | St. John | 273.783.7282 | domingo 1:30 pm |
Martinsville | St. Joseph | 276.638.4779 | domingo 11:45 pm |
Newport News | Our Lady of Mount Carmel | 757.595.0385 | domingo 2:00 y jueves 6:30 pm |
Norfolk | Holy Trinity | 757.480.3433 | domingo 1:00 pm |
Onley | St. Peter the Apostle | 757.787.4592 | domingo 12:30 pm |
Prince George | Church of the Sacred Heart | 804.732.3685 | domingo 1:00 pm |
Portsmouth | Holy Angels | 757.485.2142 | domingo 1:30 pm |
Richmond Area | Sacred Heart St. Augustine Our Lady of Lourdes St. John (Highland Springs) |
804.232.8964 804.275.7962 804.262.7315 804.737.8028 |
domingo 11:00 am, 1:00 pm y 5:00 pm domingo 1:00 pm y 6:00 pm domingo 1:00 pm domingo 12:15 pm |
Roanoke | St. Gerard | 540.343.7744 | domingo 12:15 pm |
South Hill | Good Shepherd | 434.447.3622 | sábado 7:15 pm |
Tappahannock | St. Timothy | 804.443.2760 | domingo 12:00 pm |
Virginia Beach | St. Gergory St. Luke |
757.497.8330 757.427.5776 | sábado 7:30 pm domingo 12:00 pm |
Wiliamsburg | St. Bede | 276.229.3631 | domingo 2:00 pm |
Woodlawn | St Joseph | 276.236.7814 | domingo 2:30 pm, no hay misa en español el primer domingo del mes. |