En este Domingo de Ramos, mientras se bendicen las palmas cantamos con gusto: “¡Hosanna al Hijo de David! ¡Bendito sea el que viene en nombre del Señor! ¡Hosanna en lo más alto de los cielos! (Mateo 21:9). Toda la ciudad estaba de fiesta, estaba alborotada por Jesús. La alegría de esta celebración queda también plasmada en la liturgia de hoy. La oración de la bendición de las palmas ayuda y aumenta el gozo en nuestros corazones: “Aumenta, Señor Dios, la fe de los que esperan en ti, escucha con bondad las suplicas de quienes te invocan, para que, al presentar hoy nuestros ramos a Cristo victorioso, demos para ti en él frutos de buenas obras. Él, que vive y reina por los siglos de los siglos. Amén.

Jesús dijo: “Desátenlo y déjenlo caminar” (Juan 11:44). Ya estamos al umbral de la Pasión del Señor. A lo largo de la Cuaresma, hemos escuchado el amor de Dios por nosotros en cada mensaje del Evangelio. Desde las tentaciones de Jesús en el desierto, la transfiguración, la samaritana, el ciego de nacimiento, y hoy, la liturgia que nos sitúa en la resurrección de Lázaro, el Evangelio es de amor y vida. De estar atado de pies y manos, ha desatado, caminando libremente. Hoy el Señor nos desata de nuestros pecados, si lo deseamos. La promesa del Padre sigue viva en su Hijo Amado. Jesús lo afirma con sus palabras: Yo soy la resurrección y la vida. El que cree en mí, aunque muera, vivirá. El que vive, el que cree en mí, no morirá para siempre” (Juan 11:25-26).

“Despierta, tú que duermes, levántate de entre los muertos y la luz de Cristo brillará sobre ti” (Efesios 5:14). Este domingo nos invita a pasar de inmediato de la ceguera a la luz. De la falta de fe a creer. “Mientras estoy en el mundo, soy la luz del mundo” (Juan 9:5). Jesús vino al mundo para que los ciegos puedan ver la luz que es su camino. Ojalá, que abramos nuestros ojos a los acontecimientos que estamos viviendo y veamos las cosas como el Señor las ve. Lo cierto es que solo Dios nos ayuda a ver la realidad cotidiana. Tanta cosa pasa y seguimos de cabeza, duros de creer. Necesitamos la humildad del ciego, quien ante la pregunta de Jesús sobre si creía en el Hijo del Hombre, contestó sin titubear: “Creo, Señor, se arrodilló ante el” (Juan 9:38).

Anybody remember the old rap song by the Fresh Prince, aka Will Smith, “Parents Just Don’t Understand?” As we grow up, it is sometimes a struggle for us to imagine that our parents understand us. It can seem impossible that Mom and Dad remember the stress of exam week or peer pressure. We never saw them as children; we never saw their disappointed faces when they weren’t invited to a party, or their dashed hopes at a bad test grade. We never saw them homesick their first week of college or nervous to ask their crush to Homecoming.

A pregnant woman was walking in the store and met an old friend. Her friend exclaimed, “You are absolutely beaming!” The new life God placed in her womb radiated throughout her body. It was brightly visible on her face and in her eyes. Transformation and change usually happen from the inside out. It is very rare that simply imposing structure from the outside does any good. Yes, it is true that routines and habits can change when things are done differently. But, for this change to last there has to be an interior renewal and metamorphosis as well. Simply regulating behavior and bringing someone into conformity with accepted protocols doesn’t mean their heart and soul come with them.

St. Oscar Romero said, “Aspire not to have more, but to be more.” These powerful words provide the perfect framework for a conversion oriented Lenten experience. God is giving us this Lenten sign to stop being concerned about what you have and focus on who you are. This requires that we create a desert space and listen more attentively for God to reveal His presence. It is all so wonderfully simple on the one hand and so incredibly challenging on the other. The message is simple: love God, neighbor, and self. Those simple words make great sense, but we struggle translating them into reality. Our attachments, compulsions, obsessions, addictions, routines, and busyness all anchor us to the “idol of the self,” keeping us mired in our compulsive need for self-aggrandizement. It’s not about us!

Quizá ha tenido la experiencia de ser ministro de Eucaristía y llevar la comunión a los enfermos en su casa. Ha visto el dolor de cerca y su deseo es darles la mano y que se levanten de su lecho. Sí, ahora nos duele el no poder llevar la comunión por razón de la pandemia, aún existen muchas restricciones. Sin embargo, el Evangelio narra cómo Jesús visita a la suegra de Pedro que estaba enferma. Jesús le da la mano, la cura y ella se levanta y se dice que de inmediato se puso a servir. Claramente, se ve que enfermos no podemos hacer ministerio. Sanar, para servir.

It was a normal day by all accounts, but John just wasn’t feeling himself. He was a little lightheaded and out of sorts. Later in the afternoon, he experienced a sharp pain in his chest and arm. Quick thinking and action brought John to the emergency department with a diagnosis of a significant heart attack. Surviving this ordeal, he found himself face to face with his cardiologist, having an honest conversation about things that needed to change. “I came close to death,” John found himself thinking. Then came the remorse. He was a young man with a loving wife and children who were very close to facing life without him. John found himself with intense sorrow for living an unchecked and self-indulgent life that almost brought him to his demise. He wanted to change.

Our faith is not just about ideas. It’s really about having an encounter with God and, in particular, the Risen Christ! Once we give ourselves over to the notion of God’s presence, we have to train ourselves to listen for God’s voice and be attentive to God’s call. Having companions on our faith journeys is so incredibly important as they can help us fine-tune our listening skills and discern God’s voice from others we may be hearing. Faith is all about having these profound encounters not only with God but with our brothers and sisters, and creation itself. Anyone or anything that is alive with God’s presence becomes an occasion for God to speak and call us to deeper graces and experiences. “Come, and you will see.”