October 12: The Day of the Lord / El Día del Señor

William Shakespeare wrote in King Lear, “How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child.”

The Sunday celebration of the Eucharist (from the Greek word for thanksgiving) is a reminder never to forget God’s greatest gift to us: His own Son, our Savior. Are we truly grateful for that gift?

When we gather around the Table of the Lord, we can certainly be tempted to ask for a great number of things. In fact we can fall into the habit of so frequently asking for things that we reduce the Mass to the level of magical thinking or a way of turning God from His way to our way. How much better would things be if we could get in the good habit of opening our hearts and our lives to whatever God wants for us? We do pray “they will be done,” right? When we utter those words and if they are sincere, we are not demanding to have our own way. We would do well to thank God for sending His Son to show us His way – it is the only way that leads to eternal joy in the Kingdom.

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A story to carry over into the week: “Once there was a traveler who came upon a barn where the devil stored seed which he planned to sow in the hearts of people. There were bags of seeds marked: “Hatred,” “Fear,” “Doubt,” “Despair,” “Pride,” “Unforgiveness,” and so on. The devil appeared and struck up a conversation with the traveler. He gleefully told the man how easily the seeds he sowed sprouted in the hearts of men and women. The traveler asked, “Are there any hearts in which these seeds will not sprout?” The devil looked sad, and he said: “It kills me admit it, but these seeds will not sprout in the heart of a grateful and joyful person.”

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Hay quienes caminan por la vida con aire triste y amargado. Su mirada se fija siempre en lo desalentador. No tienen ojos para ver que, a pesar de todo, lo bueno abunda más que lo malo. No saben apreciar tantos gestos nobles, hermosos, y admirables que suceden todos los días. Otros viven siempre en actitud crítica. Se pasan la vida observando lo negativo que hay a su alrededor. Nada escapa a su juicio. Otros hacen el recorrido de la vida indiferentes a todo. Solo tienen ojos para lo que sirve a sus propios intereses. No se dejan sorprender por nada gratuito. De su corazón no brota nunca el agradecimiento.
Para vivir de manera agradecida (como Jesús nos ha enseñado) es necesario reconocer la vida como buena, mirar el mundo con amor y simpatía, y limpiar la mirada cargada de negativismo para apreciar lo que hay de bueno, hermoso, y admirable en las personas y en las cosas. 

Cuando San Pablo dice que “hemos sido creados para alabar la gloria de Dios,” está diciendo cuál es el sentido y la razón más profunda de nuestra existencia. En el episodio del Evangelio narrado por San Lucas (17, 11-19), Jesús se extraña de que solo uno de los leprosos vuelva “dando gracias” y “alabando a Dios.” Es el único que ha sabido sorprenderse por la curación y reconocerse agraciado.

Oremos. “Señor Jesus, ábrenos a tu vida y a tu amor, concedidos como dones gratuitos y generosos. Danos corazones agradecidos porque queremos aprender de ti a darnos a nosotros mismos graciosamente a nuestras hermanas y hermanos, en tu Santo Nombre. Amén.”