November 15: Preparing to Celebrate Sunday’s Mass / Preparándonos para Celebrar la Misa Dominical

As we draw near to the final Sunday of the Church’s Year (next Sunday), Jesus states this Sunday, in Luke 21, 5-19, that there will be an “end time,” when the Son of Man will come as judge, but we cannot determine when that will be. The Lord’s advice is that there is really only one way for people of faith to live with this reality – and we can recognize those who do, by the way they live: always in the present moment, always full of life and joy. 

There is something spontaneous about people who live in the present moment. We never hear them say: “One of these days I’m going to……”  If we find ourselves saying that, we might need to let Luke 21, 5-19 sink a little deeper into our souls. 

The evidence seems readily apparent: people of real, living faith never put off to tomorrow what they can, should, and will do today. It’s not a matter of how much we can do in day, but how we prioritize what we do each day, because we never know if it is the last. 

This is the way disciples of Jesus live: if someone is in need, we don’t wait until tomorrow to help them; if there is a word of thanks, a compliment, or some encouragement we want to offer, we don’t wait till tomorrow. Saving something for a great day, for a special day, or for just the “right moment” might mean nothing ever happens at all. When we come to Mass this weekend, let’s be sure to be ready to hear what Jesus would have us understand: that every day is a special day, every day is a great day, and every day is an opportunity for us to assume our role in the building of His Kingdom.

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Muchas cosas están cambiando hoy – algunas para mejor, otras para peor. Parece que estamos en un punto crítico y crucial de la historia, tanto en la Iglesia como en el mundo y en nuestro país. La gente siente mucha ansiedad., con razón. Pero la cuestión no es: ¿Es esto ya el fin del mundo? Deberíamos dejar eso confiadamente en las manos de Dios. La cuestión, más bien, es: ¿Qué hacemos nosotros para volver este mundo más humano, más habitable, y más conforme al mensaje del Evangelio?

Oremos. “Oh Dios, creemos que tus planes sobre nosotros son de paz, y no de desastre y temor. Mantén abiertos nuestros ojos a los signos de la constante venida de Jesús, tu Hijo. Ayúdanos a comprometernos plenamente en el crecimiento del Reino entre nosotros llevando a cabo tus planes de paz y de amor. Ayúdanos a hacer de este “nuestro mundo” más “tu mundo” y el camino hacia tu promesa de paz eterna en el Cielo. Te lo pedimos por Cristo nuestro Señor. Amén.”