Allocution, October 30, XXXI Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Singing)
Today, October 30, the XXXI Sunday of Ordinary Liturgical Time, we hear in all Catholic Churches the gospel according to Saint Luke chapter 19 verses 1 to 10.
(Gospel)
It is probable and achievable to go from bad to good, from average to better, from good to more, and this is demonstrated by the meeting of Jesus and Zacchaeus. To become better we need to seek Jesus, find him, see him, hear him. Zacchaeus, a thief, a swindler, and a traitor to his people, felt bad and was not happy. People immersed in evil of any kind are not happy, because we have been created in the image and likeness of God in the womb and our family has taught us honesty, family harmony, faith in God and the Virgin of the charity.
When the husband abandons his wife, when the father leaves his children, when the children do not take care of their parents, when we do not keep the promises we have made, we feel bad, but at the same time the desire arises to improve, to live differently. way and begins the path of new life, the path of resurrection. Finding Jesus, the Son of God made man, the way of truth and life is to leave the bad behind and start a new life.
This happened to Zacchaeus, he wanted to see Jesus because he was not satisfied with his life and he overcame the difficulties to find Him. The crowd prevented him from seeing Jesus and, furthermore, he was small in stature. He climbed a fig tree to meet Jesus and the Lord sees him, and the Lord himself invites himself to go and stay in that sinner’s house. As Zacchaeus wanted to leave his past life behind, he was very happy, came down from the fig tree and received Jesus into his heart and into his house.
And when we want to be better we find criticism from others. In the Gospel, people commented: “Jesus has entered the house of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus was already on his way and promised the Lord half of his goods to give to the poor, “and if I have stolen I will return four times as much.”
What happiness for the poor! How many congratulations because of the conversion of a bad man into good following Jesus! Today we are invited to seek Jesus, overcoming difficulties, and once we have found Jesus, what happiness is ours! Because sin, evil, unrealized good… is like a fifty-five gallon tank of water on our head and thus we cannot walk in peace. I have found Jesus, forgiven and revived, we will walk happily in our lives, sharing everything we have received and spreading peace in the family and in those around us. What happiness for all and then plenitude in the house of heaven!
(Singing)
Two ill-matched husbands verified every day the great truth that money is not enough to ensure happiness. Everything favored that marriage. The social position, the temporal goods and all kinds of satisfactions, however, were not happy, because neither one nor the other knew how to bear the sacrifice of their divergences of character and tastes that continually soured and divided them, so much so that life in common became made it impossible for them.
One day the woman was leafing through a handwritten book entitled Family Book, in which several generations of relatives had gathered their personal memories, maxims of conduct, and recipes for domestic economy. There she read with surprise the following words written by her great-grandmother’s hand: “A wonderful remedy against upsets and bad moods can be found in the painting of the patient Jesus.”
The woman left the book out of her hand and ran to the place where the painting of the patient Jesus was, she took it down and examined its back, and there she read in one of its corners this recommendation: “Every time the demon of anger tries to attack the soul with restlessness, consider contemplating this sacred image for three minutes, pray three Our Fathers and three Hail Marys and peace will once again enter the heart and reestablish its reign in this house. This advice was given to me by a great priest and for thirty years I have put it into practice with the happiest results. That painting, which in addition to being a family tradition, is called Patient Jesus, represents the passage of Elche Homo, Jesus sitting waiting for the sentence of crucifixion.
The painting had been in a corner for a long time and dust had obscured the sacred image. The woman cleaned the cloth with great care and, putting her great-grandmother’s advice into practice, she felt all the irritation in her heart dissipate and disappear.
Faithful to the resolution made then, as soon as any cause of discord arose between her and her husband, the woman ran to the feet of the image of Elche Homo, the patient Christ, and then returned smiling and courageous to overcome her bad mood. and make the sacrifice of his will. The husband, amazed, as was natural at that change in character, wanted to know the cause. I have discovered, she answered happily, that there is an excellent teacher of patience. “How is that?” he replied, “Come and see,” the wife said again, and a few moments later, both kneeling before the sacred image, they shed two tears of repentance. Since then, when any setback cast its threatening shadow over the home, the husband and wife went to take a lesson in patience at the school of the patient Jesus.
Husband and wife who are in conflict, stand in front of an image of Jesus and pray for each other, and thus peace will return to your heart and a new life of happiness will re-emerge in the home, because you can go from bad to good and From good you can go on to be better.
(Singing)
I went to the Healing Lord’s hospital to have a routine check-up and found out that I was sick. When Doctor Jesús took my blood pressure, he saw that it was low in tenderness; When taking my temperature the thermometer registered forty degrees of selfishness. The healing Lord Jesus gave me an electrocardiogram and the diagnosis was that I needed several love bypasses, because my veins were blocked and did not supply my empty heart. I went to the orthopedic room, I couldn’t walk next to my brother and I couldn’t hug him either, because I had broken my feet when I tripped over my vanity. They also found me short-sighted, as I could not see beyond appearances. When I complained of deafness, Jesus diagnosed me that I was left alone in the empty words of each day. Thank you, Lord, because consultations are free because of your great mercy. I promise when I leave this hospital, to use only the natural remedies that the gospel prescribes. When I get up I will have a glass of gratitude. When you arrive at work, a tablespoon of joy. Every hour a pill of patience and a cup of humility. When I get home, Lord, I am going to give myself a daily injection of love and when I go to bed, two capsules of a clear conscience. Thank my Lord.
(Singing)
Next Tuesday, November 1st, we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints. The Church wants to remind us that there is a multitude in the house of heaven, who lived the ten commandments, lovingly served many people and that the happiness they enjoyed here on earth by doing good, they enjoy today infinitely together with the Father God, who created these people, together with the Son who accompanied them in sorrows and joys together with the Holy Spirit who anointed them to fully live the gospel, and all these people next to the Virgin and next to the multitude of all the saints.
It would be very good to know the life of the saint whose name we bear, and thus be able to imitate that saint who protects us on the path of life. If you do not know his history of sanctity well, ask the Archbishopric of Havana, telephone 78624000.
(Singing)
The Church prays every day for the dead, but especially on November 2. In the chapel of the Risen Christ, which is located in the Colón cemetery, masses for the deceased on the 2nd are celebrated at 8:30 and 11:00 in the morning. At 10:00 in the morning a solemn prayer is held for all the deceased.
Faith affirms that death is not the end of the life of our deceased, but that, their sins forgiven, their souls go to the house of heaven. Christian hope consoles us that one day we will all be together with our deceased eternally singing the praises of our God. Charity is the way to be happy in this life and then in the eternal.
If you look at the top of the façade at the entrance to the Colón cemetery you will see these three images of faith, hope and charity. We take a piece of paper and write on it the virtues and goodness of our deceased, and after writing each virtue or goodness, we sing “we thank you Lord, we thank you Lord.”
We pray for our deceased…into your hands, father of goodness, we entrust the souls of our deceased with the firm hope that they will be resurrected on the last day with all those who have died in Christ… We thank you for all the good they did, that which we knew and that which we did not know, because it is impossible to know all the good that a mother, a good father, a good son, a good friend does. In these kindnesses we recognize a sign of your love. God of mercy accept the prayers that we present to you for our deceased relatives and friends and open the doors of the house of heaven to them and comfort us who have remained in this world with words of faith until the time comes for us to reunite with them again. with you in the joy of your eternal kingdom. Through our Jesus Christ our Lord… Amen.
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. , do not let us fall into temptation and deliver us from evil… Amen.
Hail Mary, full of Grace. Blessed are you among all women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death… Amen…
We receive the blessing of the Lord. We bow our heads to receive the blessing and at the end of each invocation we pray: Amen.
The God of all comfort, who with ineffable love created man and in the resurrection of his Son has given believers the hope of resurrection, pour out his blessing upon you… Amen.
May he grant forgiveness of all guilt to those of us who still live in this world and grant to those who have died the place of light and peace… Amen.
And may we all be granted to live eternally happy with Christ, whom we proclaim risen from the dead… Amen.
And the blessing of Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit descend upon you and be with you always… Amen.
(Singing)