Homily of Cardinal Juan de la Caridad García, archbishop of Havana, on the Solemnity of Saint Mary, Mother of God and on the 54th World Day for Peace.

Allocution, August 22, XXI Sunday in Ordinary Time

23 August, 2021 NIDAK 221 Views 0 Comments

Thank you to all those who make this radio broadcast possible, today, August 22, XXI Sunday of Ordinary Liturgical Time. Today the Gospel according to Saint John, chapter 6, verses 55 to 69, is read in all the Catholic churches of the world.

(GOSPEL)

In our lives there are two paths, that of good and that of evil; that of generosity and that of selfishness; that of faithful love and that of unfaithful love; that of forgiveness and revenge; that of Christ and that of the devil. Abel offered as an offering to the Lord God, the firstfruits and the best of his flock. Cain presented the fruits of the soil to the Lord and instead of preserving Abel’s brotherhood, he killed him.

The brothers of Joseph, son of old age and his father Israel, were envious of their beloved brother. And instead of rejoicing at Joseph’s wonders, they wanted to kill him and throw him into a cistern and sold him as a slave.

God chose Moses to save his people. He didn’t want to, but later he decided to do what God asked of him. Joshua, Moses’ successor, asked his people: “Whom to serve? The God who loves us or the false gods? Joshua said, “As for me, my family and I will serve the Lord.” The people responded: “Far be it from us to abandon the Lord to serve other gods, for the Lord is our God. He was the one who brought us out of the slavery of Egypt, the one who performed great wonders before us. He protected us all the way we traveled. We too will serve the Lord.”

Faced with the doubt of many that the body of Jesus could be eaten and his blood drunk, and before others who left Jesus, he himself asked the twelve apostles: “Do you also want to abandon me? Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the Word of eternal life.”

Today the Lord asks us: Do you want to leave me? Do you prefer the path of evil, hatred, vices, family destruction, abandonment of the elderly, the wife, the children… and the path of denying God? Today we also respond: Lord, to whom shall we go? Tú tienes Palabra de vida eterna. You have words of love, peace, harmony, helpfulness, sacrificial dedication to our neighbor, and living these words has made us very happy. We want your paths of happiness, we already know that other paths do not lead us to true happiness. We believe and know that you are the saint of God. My family and I will serve you, our God; and we will walk and live with you now, saying yes to everything good, and saying no to everything bad. Your word shows us the way and your body and blood, present in the Eucharist, in Communion, strengthen us to be happy in the mission of love that you ask of us.

(SINGING)

The Catechism of the Catholic Church continues to teach us what the Eucharist is.

“Who is the Minister of the celebration of the Eucharist? The Minister of the celebration of the Eucharist is the priest, bishop or presbyter, validly ordained who acts in the person of Christ the head and on behalf of the Church. What are the essential and necessary elements to celebrate the Eucharist? The essential and necessary elements are wheat bread and vine wine. In what sense is the Eucharist a memorial of Christ’s sacrifice? In the sense that the sacrifice that Christ has offered to the Father once and for all on the Cross over all humanity becomes present and actual. The sacrificial character of the Eucharist is manifested in the very words of the institution: This is my body, which is given for you. And this chalice is the new alliance of my blood that is shed for you. The sacrifice of the cross and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one sacrifice. The victim and the offeror are identical. And only the way of offering oneself bloodily on the cross and bloodlessly in the Eucharist is different. In what way does the Church participate in the Eucharistic sacrifice? In the Eucharist, the sacrifice of Christ also becomes the sacrifice of the members of his body. The lives of the faithful, their praise, their suffering, their prayer and their work, are united with those of Christ. As a sacrifice, the Eucharist is also offered for all the living and deceased faithful, in reparation for the sins of all men and to obtain spiritual and temporal benefits from God. The Church in heaven is also united to the offering of Christ.

”How is Jesus Christ present in the Eucharist? He is present in the Eucharist in a unique and incomparable way. He is present, in fact, in a true, real and substantial way: with his body and with his blood, with his soul and his divinity. Christ, all whole, God and man, is present in her in a sacramental way. That is, under the Eucharistic species of bread and wine. What does transubstantiation mean? It means the conversion of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ, and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood. This conversion takes place in the Eucharistic prayer, with the consecration, through the effectiveness of the Word of Christ and the action of the Holy Spirit. However, the sensitive characteristics of bread and wine remain unchanged. This is the eucharistic species.

(SINGING)

Lord Jesus Christ, present in the consecrated bread and wine…

Lord Jesus Christ. that you are next to our sorrows and sufferings…

Lord Jesus Christ, Word of eternal life…

Lord Jesus Christ, shepherd who leads us towards true happiness…

Lord Jesus Christ, bread of life and the life of salvation…

Lord Jesus Christ, vine from which we do not want to be separated, we, the branches…

(SINGING)

Lord Jesus Christ, king of Love, in whose kingdom we want to live forever…

Lord Jesus Christ, you have an open heart so that everything, without exception, can enter into it…

Lord Jesus Christ, path by which no one has ever been lost…

Lord Jesus Christ, full truth of our lives…

Lord Jesus Christ, to whom we will go, only you have words of eternal life…

(SINGING)

We pray with Saint John Chrysostom:

“Lord Jesus Christ, you are the bread that gives life; you are the bread that makes us brothers; You are the bread that the Father gives us. You are the path we have chosen; you are the path that leads through suffering; you are the path that leads to joy. It is worthy to sing for you, bless you, praise you, thank you and worship you in every place of your kingdom… Amen.”

Next Monday, August 30, the novena to the Virgin of Charity begins. Pope Francis, last Sunday, August 15, spoke to us about the humility of the Virgin.

VOICE: “Humility is Mary’s secret. It is humility that drew God’s gaze to her. The human eye always seeks greatness and is dazzled by what is ostentatious. God, on the other hand, does not look at appearances. God looks at the heart and loves humility. The humility of hearts delights God. Today, looking at María Assunta, we can say that humility is the path that leads to heaven. The word humility, as we know, comes from the Latin humus, which means earth. It is paradoxical: to reach the top, to heaven, it is necessary to remain low, like the earth. Jesus teaches: he who humbles himself will be exalted. God does not exalt us for our gifts, wealth or abilities, but for humility. God is in love with humility. God lifts up those who lower themselves, lifts up those who serve. In fact, Mary only attributes herself the title of servant, serving is the slave of the Lord. She doesn’t say anything else about herself, she doesn’t seek anything else for herself, only to be the servant of the Lord.

”So, today we can ask ourselves, each of us in our hearts: how is my humility? Do I seek to be recognized by others, to assert myself and be praised, or do I rather think of serving? Do I know how to listen like Maria or do I just want to talk and receive attention? Do I know how to keep silent like Maria or am I always chattering? Do I know how to step back, defuse fights and arguments, or am I just trying to stand out? Let’s each of us think about these questions… How is my humility?

(SINGING)

Let us pray, beloved brothers, to Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for our sick brothers and their families…