The Good Word

Fiesta de Santo Tomás de AquinoHoy celebramos la Fiesta de San Tomás de Aquino. Esa música es el primer verso de un himno Pange Lingua que habla de la Eucaristía, de la Presencia Real de Jesucristo el El Santo Sacramento. Antes de poner el último verso de Pange Lingua les quiero compartir unas cosas que Santo Tomás nos dice sobre esta Parábola del Sembrador que acabamos de oir. El Sembrador, claro, es Jesús mismo. Jesús salió de la casa de su Madre María para sembrar entre nosotros semillas de amor. Tomás cita el profeta Isaías porque dice: Jesús salió para sembrar a gente rica al igual que gente pobre, y a gente sabia al igual que gente necia. Porque al igual que había dicho el Profeta Isaías Jesús nos dice: Mis amados ¿Que mas podia yo haber hecho y no he hecho para Uds.?” Sobre la semilla pisoteada por el camino San Tomás nos dice es porque cayó en mentes llenas de pensamientos malos. Sobre la semilla caída sobre la roca San Tomás dice que es porque a veces gente deja que su corazón se endurezca. Pero es hermoso como San Tomás describe lo que es la tierra buena que produce abundancia de buenas frutas.  Tomás dice que es la gente que tiene su mente dulce y obediente a la palabra de Dios. Y sobre el calor del sol que seca y daña la palabra de Dios, San Tomás dice que son las persecuciones duras que la gente tristemente no resisten. San Tomás interpreta la profundidad de la tierra siendo mentes de personas que saben cuándo fuera necesario sufrir y resistir la maldad. La frase final de Jesús es para nosotros prestar la atención para poder ser esa buena tierra. Jesús dice: El que tenga oídos para oír, que escuche. Ahora escuchemos el verso final de Canta Lengua Gloriosa que es Pange Lingua en español. Si me quieren hacer comentario:tdeely7352@hotmail.com

This reflection was originally published in 2024. While the Redemptorist’s title, location, and the specific days and dates mentioned may no longer align, the reading and reflection remain just as relevant today!

This reflection was originally published in 2023. While the Redemptorist’s title, location, and the specific days and dates mentioned may no longer align, the reading and reflection remain just as relevant today!

Wednesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time IIJanuary 21, 2026 – Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr  Hello and welcome to the Word, bringing you the Good News of Jesus Christ every day from the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province. I am Fr. Karl Esker from the Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn, NY. Today is Wednesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time and the Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr. Our reading today is taken from the holy gospel according to Mark. Jesus entered the synagogue. There was a man there who had a withered hand. They watched Jesus closely to see if he would cure him on the sabbath so that they might accuse him. He said to the man with the withered hand, "Come up here before us." Then he said to the Pharisees, "Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" But they remained silent. Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart, Jesus said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him to put him to death.The gospel of the Lord. Homily At the center of today’s gospel is Jesus’ question to the Pharisees: "Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" The question concerned the man with the withered hand. He was someone Jesus could help and to not help him, even on the sabbath, would be to do evil. The whole purpose of the sabbath was to take time to give glory and praise to God. The whole purpose of Jesus’ life and ministry was to give glory and praise to God through his preaching and life-giving acts of healing, forgiveness and reconciliation. At his baptism by John, God had declared Jesus his beloved Son in whom he was well pleased. By healing the man with the withered hand, Jesus was being faithful to whom he was and gave glory to God. The Pharisees probably had not witnessed Jesus’ baptism or heard the voice from heaven. They did not recognize Jesus as the beloved Son of God; they simply saw him as a miracle worker doing forbidden work on the sabbath. Their dedication to the law and their power of interpreting the law blinded them to the law of charity. In the end their sense of dedication and power made them unfaithful to the very law they were trying to protect. In today’s first reading we hear the story of David’s defeat of the Philistine giant Goliath. In facing Goliath, David remained true to himself as a shepherd and to his faith in the God of Israel. By the grace of God, his sling and stone became more powerful than Goliath’s armor and sword. David’s defeat of the braggart Goliath is thrilling, as is Jesus’ put-down of the smug Pharisees, but victory on the side of God often comes with a price. David would run afoul of king Saul’s jealousy and the Pharisees would take counsel with the Herodians to put Jesus to death. Nevertheless, Jesus remained faithful to God his Father all the way to the cross and resurrection. We see the same in the life of St. Agnes, whose memory we celebrate today. She was a Virgin in the early Church who had pledged her life to Jesus Christ and believed in his promise of the resurrection. She preferred to serve the poor and attend to the widows and orphans in the Church than to get married. When the governor’s son proposed marriage to her, she replied that Jesus Christ was her only spouse. The young man denounced her to his father for being a Christian. She was true to herself and cheerfully accepted being beheaded rather than betray her spouse Jesus Christ. Her example is remembered and honored to this day. Hopefully, none of us will have to face death for our faith in Jesus Christ, but there come moments in our lives when we have to choose between being true to ourselves as children of God by attending the needs of others or to give in to social pressure by excluding them from consideration. We celebrate the fact that the victory belongs to God who is always at our side and we ask St. Agnes to intercede for us that in those moments we place our trust in the God of mercy. May God bless you.   Fr. Karl E. Esker CSsR Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help Brooklyn, NY

This reflection was originally published in 2023. While the Redemptorist’s title, location, and the specific days and dates mentioned may no longer align, the reading and reflection remain just as relevant today!

Esta reflexión se publicó originalmente en 2023. Aunque el título del Redentorista, su ubicación y los días y fechas específicos de ya no coincidan, ¡la lectura y la reflexión siguen siendo igual de relevantes hoy en día!