Our Lady of Lourdes

Church and School A Catholic Tradition in the foothills of Los Angeles since 1920

First Reading: Acts 6:1-7 Second Reading: 1 Peter 2:4-9 Gospel: John 14:1-12

5th Sunday

of Easter

May 10, 2020

Pastor Fr. Rolly Astudillo 818-352-3218 x 103 frrolly106@gmail.com

Deacon Dn. Mar Enriquez 818-802-1639

marciano.enriquez@yahoo.com

In Residence Fr. Jiwan Kim

jiwankim@yahoo.com

Mass Schedule Saturday Vigil Mass

5:00 pm Sunday Mass

7:00 am, 8:30 am (Spanish), 10:30 am, 12:30 pm & 6:00 pm

Daily Mass Monday through Thursday:

7:45 am Friday: 8:30 am (School Mass)

Parish Office Hours Monday through Friday

8:30 am - 1:00 pm 2:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Saturday and Sunday 8:00 am - 12:00 pm

ollenriquezy@gmail.com 818-352-3218

Church Location 7315 Apperson St

Tujunga, CA 91042 Office Location

7344 Apperson St Tujunga, CA 91042

OLL School Office Hours Monday through Thursday

8:00 am - 4:00 pm Friday

8:00 am - 1:30 pm officemanager @olltujunga.org

818-353-1106

Adoration First Fridays after 8:30 am Mass

Reconciliation Every Saturday 3:45 pm - 4:50 pm

Rosary After Daily Mass

Baptism and Marriages Please call the Parish Office

818-352-3218

We have beautiful readings today that speak about us, that speak about the Church founded by Jesus on the apostles, the Church which is human and divine, One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic.

In the second reading, Peter compares this Church to a spiritual building. The builder is God and the building material is made up, not of clay bricks, but of living stones, human persons. Peter goes on to say that God started this building by the laying of a cornerstone, that is, a solid stone as foundation. And who is this cornerstone? This stone is Jesus and the building began with the resurrection of Christ. God has continued to lay other living stones on this foundation who are themselves “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own.”

Although the Church is beautifully described, as we read from the letter of St. Peter in the second reading, it is not without problems because of the human nature of its members. It is here where we can put the gospel in context for while it speaks about eternal life with God, it also speaks about how we live our life as a faith community.

Jesus said, “I am going to prepare a place for you, and after I have gone and prepared you a place, I shall come back to take you with me.” This is the first of three farewell speeches Jesus made during the last supper and is addressed to the disciples of all times and the best time to understand them is during this Easter season in these pandemic times. The disciples were perturbed that Jesus would leave them and Thomas, ever-doubting, expressed his separation anxiety and wanted Jesus to remain because without his Master, he would feel lost and would not know the way. It seemed that Thomas did not understand, as many of us cannot understand, what “way” Jesus was referring to. Thomas asked the question for many of us, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” Likewise, Philip argued that if Jesus should leave them, he must first show them the Father, and that will ease all their fears. In these passages, Jesus seems to tell us that the time has come for him to go to heaven and from there, prepare a place for his disciples. But there is a deeper meaning to these words. Jesus says, first of all, that he must travel along a difficult path, the way of suffering and death. Although he had spoken many times about this in the past, it seemed that his disciples had not understood it or were in denial.

Let’s not be like Thomas. We now know the way that Jesus is referring to. It is the path leading to Easter,

a difficult path because it demands pain, suffering and death to one’s life. These times of uncertainty and isolation are painful, and we suffer together. Churches are closed but the Church as God’s people is being strengthened with the sure hope that when we come together in Church, the resurrection and new life in Christ will find greater significance after these harrowing moments.

When we accept to follow the “way” of Jesus, we find ourselves in the house of the Father where there are many rooms. And that house of the Father is the Church, it is the Catholic Church we belong to, it is this community of faith gathered around the risen Christ, the foundation stone. It is the Church where there are so many rooms for getting involved. In getting involved, we also can experience difficulties as we find in any place where there are different peoples, cultures, interests, personalities as it happened in the early Church (first reading). Initially, the early Church had only Jews who became Christians. Then, with the entry of non-Jews, as the Church was growing, problems arose such that the difficulties became thorny and scandalous. The disciples, therefore, held a meeting where they appointed seven men who enjoyed the respect of all and who would be responsible for the distribution of the goods for the poor.

This brings us back to where we are as Church. This Church where we belong and which comes from the apostles, is made up of human beings and not angels. In its long history, it has had to deal with problems caused by envy, jealousy, misunderstandings among people of different cultural backgrounds. Obviously, this is not a good thing. But it was, after all, normal. We shouldn’t then be scandalized or discouraged by problems we encounter in the Church. It reminds us of our sinfulness and of our constant need for conversion.

And if we want to know God more, we do not have to reason around or spend time in elaborate searches. Listen once again to what Jesus has to say in the gospel after Philip asked him, “Master, show us the Father” where Jesus replies, “Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?” To know God then, all we have to do is to look at Christ, see what he does, listen to what he teaches, watch how he behaves, how he loves, what he prefers and with whom he goes, where and with whom he dines, how and whom he reprimands and what kind of people are those he defends . . . because this is what the Father does.❖

May 10, 2020 Our Lady of Lourdes www.ollchurch.us 2

Cast into the Deep (May 10)

Finding Jesus

Nelle Orsburn

It’s coming soon. I can feel it in my bones. And if you thought I meant the cold of winter or the heat of summer, I will give you another chance to guess. Yes! We’re a day closer to the end of the quarantine. I’m sure we all have moments of impatience, longing for the day that we can go out and at will; when we can visit with our friends and our families; when we can congregate in church to celebrate the Eucharist and receive Jesus in the most Holy Sacrament of Holy

Communion.

How we miss the Real Presence of Jesus! How could this possibly happen. Didn’t he promise that he would always be with us? How

could he allow us to be deprived of his presence?

Did you hear him whisper? “I am with you, constantly, you just need to

know where to find me.”

One obvious place to find Jesus is in the Gospels, in Scripture. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) Jesus is the Word of God. Every word in the gospel is Jesus. But it is not enough to just read the Word like reading a newspaper. We need to

live the Word. Then we will realize what Jesus meant when he said, “The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” (John 6:63). What joy we feel when we live His Word! What joy we feel in Jesus’ presence – the joy of being in union with God. For as the gospel reading today tells us, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” When I was in 5th grade, Sr. Alphonsia told us that we should have the gospel in one pocket and the rosary in the other. I always wondered about that because I’m sure I was not expected to pull out the gospel and quote scripture when the chance arose. Much later,I realized that having it close to me was having Jesus close to me and would also

serve to remind me to live His Word in every present moment.

Another place to discover Jesus is in our neighbor, the person next to us. In these days, that person is your spouse, your child, the person at the other end of the phone line or the one you are connected with through cyberspace. Do you remember being told “see Jesus in Him", especially when you are tempted to dislike someone or if that someone is being mean? Yes, Jesus is in each person and if we approach our neighbor of the present moment with the attitude of meeting Jesus, we will find Jesus. This could be as simple as making coffee in the morning for your spouse out of love for Jesus in Him; or responding to your child who is having a meltdown out of love for Jesus in her; or holding off on going to the beach no matter how wonderful the sunny day, out of love for the authorities and for the community that could potentially get infected with the virus through me. Each time you are able to do things out of love for Jesus in your neighbor, don’t you get good feeling? You can even call it joy. It is the presence of Jesus, a deeper union with God. In fact, Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement, said that if we love our neighbor, he is no longer the one whom we have

helped but he becomes our benefactor for he has given us God.

When I was a little girl, probably when we were preparing for our first communion or not much later, our religion teacher told us that Jesus was in us. I imagined that Jesus was in me, from my toes to the ends of my hair, to my fingertips and the tip of my nose. She also said that if we did not love then we were cramming Jesus in a very tiny spot of our soul. As you can see a half century later I still remember it. I’ve also since realized and learned to appreciate that I can nourish his presence in me by loving and by listening to Him. There are so many distractions in our daily life. But maybe in this time of our staying at home, we will have more opportunity for quiet time to listen to Jesus within us. Maybe also in the uncertainty of these days we may have more reason to seek that quiet time to let him speak to us and answer our whys and hows. When we go to him in prayer, let us remember that prayer is a

conversation and that we need to pause and listen to him too.

Finally, when we love one another, then Jesus is in our midst. Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them.” (Mt 18:20) In my name. Therefore, as Jesus would, with a selfless love, ready to give up our lives for one another, ready to suffer for

the common good, ready to offer our ideas and give them up. Jesus in the midst will bring the light and will clarify what needs to be done in a given situation. In these days, I’m sure we have had to make several family decisions and will have some more to do. Let the presence of Jesus in our midst enlighten us. As we prepare for the day that we can worship together again, there will be many protocols to put in place.

Jesus in our midst will inspire us.

I like to think that maybe God allowed us to experience missing Jesus in the Eucharist so that we can find him in all these places. Sure, we always knew he was there but now we have new experiences of reading the scriptures and finding the Will of God in His Word; Being with our family, day in and day out may get on our nerves but loving the other as Jesus loved us brings the family closer even as we have a deeper union with God; For most of us, the hustle and bustle of everyday has diminished and there’s time for more introspection and prayer and thus seek out Jesus within; And if each one of us grows in union with Jesus in these ways, we are guaranteed to find Jesus in our Midst when we come together physically or virtually. Then, we will be more ready to receive him in the Eucharist, in his real presence and let him permeate our being so it is longer we who live but He who lives in

us.

As more and more cities, states and nations are relaxing their stay-at-home directives, Pope Francis reminded us to practice “prudence and obedience”. But if we remember to meet Jesus in the Gospel, in our neighbor, within ourselves, in our Midst, prudence and obedience will come naturally. And once we are able to receive him again, Body and

Blood, our joy will be complete.

May 10, 2020 Our Lady of Lourdes www.ollchurch.us 3

Calendar of Events

Based on the guidelines received from the

Archdiocese of LA and the LA Department of

Catholic Schools, in compliance with the “Safer

at Home” directive to slow the spread of

COVID-19 and out of love and concern for our

parish family :

Please stay in your homes except for

critical tasks.

Effective March 17, all Masses (daily and

Sunday) will be suspended through at

least Sunday, May 15

Schools are closed and have moved to

remote learning effective, March 17th

until further notice

All ministry meetings, prayer group

meetings and other gatherings are

cancelled,

Please note:

*** No Holy Mass all week ***

*** No On site Classes all week ***

*** No RE Classes ***

*** No Parents Meeting ***

*** No Ministry Meetings ***

Parish Office open only for essentials

Our Lady of Lourdes

Pray for us

Road to Centennial News

If you could leave a congratulatory message to O.L.L.,

what would it be?

On October 17, 2020 OLL will celebrate turning 100!

Be a part of the special messages section of the 100-year commemorative book -

a beautiful keepsake capturing OLL’s past, present and future. Reserve your

space now – leave a congratulatory message, highlight your family or ministry or

promote your business.

Books will be distributed in February 2021.

Personal Messages and Ads

Purchase space to leave a message or advertise your business – include photos

too!

Sponsorships

Commemorative Book Title Sponsor – only 1!!

Angel Sponsor

Incentives

Enjoy delightful incentives as a thank you for purchasing an ad or becoming a

sponsor. Contact our Chairperson for details.

Questions: Ads and Sponsorships Chair: Anita Dominquez at

anitamarie.dominguez@gmail.com

All other questions: Giovanna Dottore at DanceItUp127@gmail.com

Our 100 Years History

Did you know?

Did you know that the crucifix that

hangs above the statute of Mary is

actually the crucifix that hung in the

sanctuary of the second church? Our

sanctuary Christ figure combines

the symbolism of the Passion, Res-

urrection and Ascension, very dif-

ferent from a regular cruciform. The

artist was Enrique de la Vega of Sherman Oaks.

May 10, 2020 Our Lady of Lourdes www.ollchurch.us 4

The Lion’s Roar

OLL School Update

Happy Mother’s Day 2020

Darn it! I forgot to make reservations for Sunday! The lines

will be horrendous… never mind. I’ve got to remember to

get that bouquet of flowers… so I can deliver them at a

distance. The logistics of this Mother’s Day may differ from

years past, but, maybe, that’s not all a bad thing.

Use this year to truly reflect on how much your mother

means (meant) to you. Of your many wonderful qualities,

how many can you attribute to her? Think of some of the life

lessons she taught you: your early faith structure—the

prayers and practices; her help with your homework; the

enticing aromas she’d be creating in the kitchen; her frenetic

juggling of schedule to get you to practice / dance class /

playdate / music lesson / doctors’ appointment and home

again for dinner. How does your life today mirror hers in

your relationship with your family—spouse and children,

with friends and co-workers?

Make sure she gets that card and remotely delivered flowers

on Sunday, but take a couple of moments this week and

write (pen and ink) a letter to your mother thanking her for

(fill in the blanks) and send it to her. If your mother is not

with us any longer, write that letter. She’ll read it.

Our 8th grade graduation photo is looking a little different this year.

Congratulations to all of our hardworking students!!

Celebrating Principals Day

Happy Principal Appreciation Day. Thank you for everything you do.

We love you Ms Cortes.

Week 8 of distance learning!

Last Sunday, May 3rd, we celebrated World Day of Prayer for Vocations. On this day, Catholics are invited to promote vocations to the priestly, religious and consecrated life, and to offer special prayers for those nurturing such desires. Amid the challenges of the corona pandemic, we are nevertheless invited to pray in our own homes for vocations.

“Dear friends, on this day in particular, but also in the ordinary pastoral life of our communities, I ask the Church to continue to promote vocations. May she touch the hearts of the faithful and enable each of them to discover with gratitude God’s call in their lives, to find courage to say “yes” to God, to overcome all weariness through faith in Christ, and to make of their lives a song of praise for God, for their brothers and sisters, and for

the whole world.” ~ Pope Francis ~

May 10, 2020 Our Lady of Lourdes www.ollchurch.us 5

Readings for May 11 to May 17, 2020

En este tiempo de prueba debido al brote del virus

Corona, el Arzobispo Gómez nos invita a unirnos a él

para orar la oración que sigue , confiándonos a todos al

cuidado maternal e intercesión de Nuestra Señora de

Guadalupe.

Oración a Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe Santa Virgen de Guadalupe, Reina de los ángeles y Madre de las Américas,

Acudimos a ti hoy como tus amados hijos. Te pedimos intercedas por nosotros ante tu Hijo, así como lo hiciste en las Bodas de Caná. Ora por nosotros, amorosa Madre, y obtén para nuestra nación y para el mundo, y para todas nuestras familias y nuestros seres queridos, la protección de tus santos ángeles, que seamos librados de lo peor de esta enfermedad. Para aquellos que ya están afligidos, te pedimos que obtengas la gracia de la sanación. Escucha el lamento de quienes están vulnerables y temerosos, limpia sus lágrimas y ayúdales a confiar. En este tiempo de prueba, enséñanos en la Iglesia a amarnos unos a otros y a ser pacientes y amables. Ayúdanos a traer la paz de Jesús a nuestra tierra y a nuestros corazones. Venimos a ti con confianza, sabiendo que tú realmente eres nuestra madre compasiva, la sanación de los enfermos y la causa de nuestra alegría.

Danos albergue bajo el manto de tu protección,

mantennos bajo tu abrazo,

ayúdanos siempre a conocer el amor de tu Hijo, Jesús. Amén. Act of Spiritual Communion

My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy

Sacrament of the altar. I love You above all things, and I desire

to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment

receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my

heart. I embrace You as if You were already

there and unite myself wholly to You. Never

permit me to be separated from You. Amen

In this time of trial due to the Corona virus outbreak,

Archbishop Gomez invites us to join him in praying the

prayer below, entrusting us all to the maternal care and

intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe

Holy Virgin of Guadalupe, Queen of the Angels and Mother of the Americas. We fly to you today as your beloved children. We ask you to intercede for us with your Son, as you did at the wedding in Cana. Pray for us, loving Mother, and gain for our nation and world, and for all our families and loved ones, the protection of your holy angels, that we may be spared the worst of this illness. For those already afflicted, we ask you to obtain the grace of healing and deliverance. Hear the cries of those who are vulnerable and fearful, wipe away their tears and help them to trust. In this time of trial and testing, teach all of us in the Church to love one another and to be patient and kind. Help us to bring the peace of Jesus to our land and to our hearts. We come to you with confidence, knowing that you truly are our compassionate mother, health of the sick and cause of our joy. Shelter us under the mantle of your protection, keep us in the embrace of your arms, help us always to know the love of your Son, Jesus. Amen.

Acto de Comunión Espiritual

Creo, Jesús mío,estás realverdaderamente en el

cieloen el Santísimo Sacramento del Altar. Os

amo sobre todas las cosasdeseo vivamente

recibirtede mi alma,no pudiendo hacer lo sacramentalmente, al

menosa mi corazón como si ya os hubiese recibido, abrazo y me

uno del todo a Ti. Señor, no permitas que jamás me aparte de Ti.

Amén

I am the way, the truth and the life, says the Lord;

no one comes to the Father, except through me. John 14:6

Mon

11 Acts 14: 5-18; Ps 115:1-4. 15-16;

Jn 14: 21-26

Tue

12 Acts 14: 19-28; Ps 145: 10-13ab. and 21;

Jn 14: 27-31a

Wed

13 Acts 15: 1-6; Ps 122: 1-5;

Jn 15: 1-8

Thu

14 Acts 1:15-17.20-26; Ps 113: 1-8;

Jn 15: 9-17

Fri

15 Acts 15: 22-31; Ps 57: 8-10 and 12;

Jn 15: 12-17

Sat

16 Acts 16: 1-10; Ps 100: 1b-2. 3. 5;

Jn 15: 18-21

Sun

17 Acts 8: 5-8. 14-17; Ps 66:1-7,16,20

1Pt 3: 15-18; Jn 14: 15-21

Mass Intentions We regret to announce that due to the suspen-

sion of Masses, all mass intentions during this period will

have to be rescheduled.

May 10, 2020 Our Lady of Lourdes www.ollchurch.us 6

Noticias del Centenario

Reserve su espacio hoy en el ...

Libro Conmemorativo del Centenario de Nuestra Señora de Lourdes

Como parte de la celebración del centenario de Nuestra Señora de Lourdes el 17 de octubre de 2020, se producirá un hermoso libro conmemorativo a todo color, de tapa dura, que resaltará el pasado, el presente y el futuro de la parroquia.

Ahora estamos reservando espacio para anunciantes y / o saludos familiares en este libro que se distribuirá el 13 de febrero de 2021. Forme parte de la historia y muestre su apoyo a OLL al incluir su mensaje o anuncio de felicita-ción. Mensajes personales y anuncios Compra espacio para dejar un mensaje personal o anunciar tu negocio.

Mensajes personales y anuncios

Compra espacio para dejar un mensaje personal o anunciar tu negocio.

Patrocinios Patrocinador del título del libro conmemorativo (¡solo 1!) Patrocinadores Angel

Para obtener más información sobre las oportunidades de mensajería, publicidad o patrocinio, recoja un volante o ...

Para preguntas o para suscribirse a un patrocinio o anuncio, Contacte: Giovanna Dottore en DanceItUp127@gmail.com

Feliz día de la madre 2020

¡Caramba! ¡Olvidé hacer reservaciones para esta noche! Las

líneas de espera serán horrendas ... no importa. No debo

olvidar conseguir ese ramo de flores ... para que le llegue a

ella. La logística de este Día de las Madres puede variar con

la de los años pasados, pero, tal vez, eso no es algo malo.

Usa este año para reflexionar realmente sobre lo mucho que

tu madre significa (significaba) para ti. De tus muchas

cualidades maravillosas, ¿cuántas puedes atribuirle a

ella? Piensa en algunas de las lecciones de la vida que te

enseñó: tu formación de fe desde pequeño: las oraciones y las

prácticas; su ayuda con tu tarea; lo rico que olía por lo que

preparaba en la cocina; su frenético malabarismo del

tiempo para conseguir llevarte a tus practicas / clase de

baile / reuniones con los amigos / lección de música / cita

con los médicos y de regreso a la casa para la cena. ¿Cómo

refleja tu vida de hoy la de tu mamá, en tu relación con tu familia: cónyuge e hijos, con amigos y compañeros de

trabajo?

Asegúrate de que reciba esa tarjeta y de que lleguen las flores

hoy, pero dedica tiempo esta semana y escribe una carta a tu

madre agradeciéndole (rellene los espacios en blanco) y

envíala a ella. Si tu madre ya no está con nosotros, escribe

esa carta. Ella la leerá.

JORNADA MUNDIAL

DE ORACIÓN POR LAS

VOCACIONES

El pasado domingo 3 de mayo celebramos el Día Mundial

de Oración por las Vocaciones. En este día, los católicos

están invitados a promover las vocaciones a la vida

sacerdotal, religiosa y consagrada, y a ofrecer oraciones

especiales para aquellos que nutren tales deseos. En medio

de los desafíos de la pandemia de la corona, todavía estamos

invitados a rezar en nuestras propias casas por las

vocaciones.

“Queridos hermanos: Particularmente en esta Jornada,

como también en la acción pastoral ordinaria de nuestras

comunidades, deseo que la Iglesia recorra este camino al

servicio de las vocaciones abriendo brechas en el corazón de

los fieles, para que cada uno pueda descubrir con gratitud la

llamada de Dios en su vida, encontrar la valentía de decirle

“sí”, vencer la fatiga con la fe en Cristo y, finalmente,

ofrecer la propia vida como un cántico de alabanza a Dios, a

los hermanos y al mundo entero. Que la Virgen María nos

acompañe e interceda por nosotros.“

~ Papa Francisco ~

Nuestros 100 años de historia

¿Sabías?

¿Sabías que el crucifijo

que cuelga sobre el estatu-

to de María es en realidad

el crucifijo que cuelga en

el santuario de la segunda

iglesia? Nuestra figura de

Cristo del santuario com-

bina el simbolismo de la

Pasión, la Resurrección y

la Ascensión, muy

diferente de un cruciforme regular. El artista fue Enrique

de la Vega de Sherman Oaks.

Yo soy el camino, la verdad y la vida;

nadie va al Padre si no es por mí, dice el Señor. Jn 14, 6

Las bellas lecturas de hoy hablan de nosotros, de la Iglesia

fundada por Jesús en los apóstoles, la Iglesia que es humana

y divina, Una, Santa, Católica y Apostólica.

En la segunda lectura, Pedro compara esta Iglesia con un

edificio espiritual. El constructor es Dios y el material de

construcción no son ladrillos de arcilla, pero piedras vivas,

personas humanas. Pedro continúa diciendo que Dios

comenzó este edificio colocando una piedra angular, que es,

una fuerte piedra como base. ¿Y quién es la piedra angular?

Esta piedra es Jesús y la construcción comenzó con la

resurrección de Cristo. Dios ha seguido colocando otras

piedras vivas sobre esta base que son “una raza elegida, un

sacerdocio real, una nación santa, su propio pueblo”.

Aunque la Iglesia se describe de una bella forma, como lo

podemos leer en la carta de San Pedro en la segunda lectura,

no está exenta de problemas por la naturaleza humana de sus

miembros. Es aquí donde podemos poner el Evangelio en

contexto porque mientras habla sobre la vida eterna con

Dios, también habla sobre cómo vivimos nuestra vida en

comunidad de fe.

Jesús dijo, “Voy a prepararles un lugar. Cuando me vaya y

les prepare un sitio, volveré y los llevaré conmigo”. Este es

el primero de los tres discursos de despedida que Jesús

pronunció durante la última cena, y está dirigido a los

discípulos de todos los tiempos y el mejor momento para

entenderlos es durante esta Pascua en tiempos de esta

pandemia. Los discípulos estaban preocupados porque Jesús

los dejaría y Tomás, el incrédulo, expresó su ansiedad por la

separación y quería que Jesús se quedara porque sin su

maestro, se sentiría perdido y se perdería. Parecía que Tomás

no entendía, igual que muchos de nosotros, a que “camino”

se refería Jesús. Tomás hizo la pregunta para muchos de

nosotros, “Señor, no sabemos a dónde vas, ¿cómo podemos

saber el camino?” De la misma forma, Felipe argumentó que

si Jesús los dejara, debía primero enseñarles al Padre, y eso

aliviaría todos sus temores. En estos pasajes, Jesús parece

decirnos que llegó el tiempo para ir al cielo y que desde allí,

preparará un lugar para sus discípulos. Pero hay un

significado más profundo para estas palabras.

Jesús dice, en primer lugar, que debe recorrer un camino

difícil, el camino del sufrimiento y la muerte. Aunque ya

había mencionado esto muchas veces en el pasado, parecía

que sus discípulos no lo entendieron o se negaban a

entenderlo.

Evitemos ser como Tomás. Nosotros conocemos el sendero

del que Jesús habla. Es el camino que nos lleva a la Pascua,

un camino muy duro porque exige dolor, sufrimiento y la

muerte de nuestra vida. Este tiempo de incertidumbre y

aislamiento es doloroso, y lo sufrimos juntos. Las iglesias

están cerradas pero la

Iglesia de Dios, de su

gente se está

fortaleciendo con la

segura esperanza de

que cuando nos

unamos en la Iglesia, la

resurrección y la nueva

vida en Cristo

encontrarán un mayor

significado después de

este tiempo de angustia.

Cuando aceptamos seguir el “camino” de Jesús, nos

encontramos en la casa del Padre donde hay muchos cuartos.

Y la casa del Padre es la Iglesia, es la Iglesia Católica a la

cual pertenecemos, una comunidad de fe que está alrededor

de Cristo resucitado, la piedra angular. Es la Iglesia donde

hay muchos salas para involucrarse. Al involucrarnos

también podemos encontrar dificultades como en cualquier

lugar donde hay diferentes personas, culturas, intereses,

personalidades como sucedió en la Iglesia primitiva (primera

lectura). Inicialmente, la Iglesia primitiva solo tenía judíos

que se volvieron cristianos. Después, con la entrada de los

gentiles, a medida que la Iglesia crecía, surgieron problemas

de tal manera que las dificultades se volvieron difíciles y

escandalosas. Los discípulos, por lo tanto, se reunieron y

designaron a siete hombres que contaban con el respeto de

todos y que serían responsables por la distribución de los

bienes entre los pobres.

Esto refleja a nuestro presente como Iglesia. Esta Iglesia a la

que pertenecemos que viene de los apóstoles, está compuesta

de seres humanos y no de ángeles. Durante su larga historia,

ha visto problemas causados por

envidia, celos, malentendidos entre gente de diferentes

culturas. Obviamente, esto no es bueno. Pero era, después de

todo, normal. No nos debemos escandalizar o desanimar por

los problemas que encontramos en la Iglesia. Nos recuerda

que somos gente pecadora y que nuestra necesidad por

conversión es constante.

Y si queremos conocer a Dios más, no necesitamos razones

o pasar tiempo en búsquedas elaboradas. Escuche una ves

más lo que Jesús dijo en el Evangelio después de que Felipe

le preguntó, “Señor, muéstranos al Padre y eso nos basta”

Jesús respondió, “¿No crees que yo estoy en el Padre y que

el Padre está en mí?”. Para conocer a Dios, solo necesitamos

ver a Cristo, ver lo que hace, escuchar lo que enseña, ver

cómo se comporta, cómo ama, que prefiere y con quién se

va, dónde y con quién cena, cómo y a quién reprende y qué

tipo de personas son a las que defiende…porque esto es lo

que hace el Padre.

May 10, 2020 Our Lady of Lourdes www.ollchurch.us 7

5o domingo de Pascua (10 de mayo)

Primera Lectura: Hechos 6:1-7

Segunda Lectura: 1Pedro 2:4-9

Evangelio: Juan 14:1-12