Hello Friends,

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to accompany our youth group to Tucson, Arizona to attend a Steubenville West retreat at the University of Arizona. There were twenty nine of us from our parish who attended. It was an awesome weekend where hundreds of young men and women came together from different states to learn about God and to worship our God. The theme was "Belong" This shows that we belong to God, that we belong to a community of faith, that we belong to each other since we are all parts of one Body of Christ.

It was my first experience and I really enjoyed being able to be apart of this weekend with our youth. I think that it is very important, as a priest, to journey with the youth in their discovery of the goodness of the good Lord. Throughout the weekend, I had the opportunity to come back to the Lord to receive the mercy and love from God. I was deeply moved to see the hunger and thirst there is for God. Let us continue praying of our youth, the future of our church.

Estimados Amigos,

El fin de semana pasado estuve fuera. Tal Vez algunas de ustedes se preguntaran si estuve de vacaciones, pero la respuesta es no. Ese fin de semana lleve a un grupo de jovenes a un retiro a Tucson, Arizona. Eramos 29 de nosotros representando a nuestra parroquia. El retiro se llama Steubenville Weest al cual asistieron cientos de juenos de diferentes estados. Fue un fin de semana lleno de alabanza, platicas, confesiones, mases, y muchas cosas mas.

Esta fue mi primera experiencia en este tipo de retiros. Verdaderamente lo disfrute. Durante el retiro me pidieron que ayudara con confesiones y hacer la exposicion del Santimsimo para la adoracion. Creo que fue una experiencia inolvidable para nuestros juvenes. Pude mirar el hambre y la sed que hay de Dios. Y que bueno que esta comuniddad puede ofrecer estasoportunidades para ellos de ir y paricipar de estos eventos para aumentar su fe en nuestro Senor. Yo creo que el futuro de nuestra comunidad y  de nuestra iglesia en general es bueno. Veo el entusiasmo de estos jovenes y me alegra mirar que aun hay hambre y sed de Dios. Continuemos orando por nuestros jovenes.

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 Dear Friends,

Martha versus Mary? The idea of Martha versus Mary turns this Gospel story into an either/or situation. We can be either  or contemplative, but not both. But, in reality seeking to be both increases our spiritual life and does not detract from it. Here is what a few spiritual masters have said.
Aelred of Rievaulx a Cisterian Father in one of his sermons said: "By no means should you neglect Mary for the sake of Martha, nor again Martha for the sake of Mary. For, if you neglect Martha, who will feed Jesus? If you neglect Mary, what benefit will it be to you that Jesus entered our house since you will have tasted nothing of his sweetness? Realize, sisters and brothers, that never in this life should these two women be separated." (The Liturgical Seasons").

Teresa of Avila says something similar in her spiritual masterpiece, The Interior Castle: "Both Martha and Mary must entertain our Lord and keep Him as their Guest, nor must they be so inhospitable as to offer Him no food. How can Mary do this while she sits at His feet, if her sister does not help her?" Service and prayer go together. Not only do they go together, but they are reciprocal feeding one another. 

Saint Ignatius of Loyola,the founder of the Society of Jesus is referred to as being a "contemplative in action," and this was his vision for who the Jesuits are to be. (Ignatius of Loyola: The Spiritual Exercises and Selected Works)

Not either/or, but both/and, Let's hear the words of these spiritual masters and take them to heart. Instead of having a dichotomy that leaves us interiorly separated, we can be both active and contemplative if we let these both flow into one another.

Dear friends,

The lawyer in today's Gospel story raises a good question, one that is worthy of more than usual consideration on the part of each one of us. He says to Jesus, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Notice the answer to this question features the notion of neighbor- who is your neighbor? How do you treat your neighbor? You might be familiar with the document: The Rule of Saint Benedict that appeared in the early part of the sixth century. One important feature is talk about the unique and stunning vision of hospitality. The treatment of the guest is so important that anyone, no matter who that person may be, is to be treated as Christ himself. 
The question "Who is my neighbor?" invites us to ponder just how far the limits of hospitality really extend. Relatives? Even the ones we have quarreled with? Friends? Those who have hurt us? Neighbors? Even those who disagree with us? The men who passed the beaten Samaritan on the road had already made their decision about the limits of love. The have chosen to live in a tiny world. Perhaps, it was because they were too "religious" to get their hands dirty. We all have our reasons for not welcoming others, and the best ones often come wrapped with righteousness. Patriotism can be an excuse for whatever aggression we please. A popular saying in the 1960's during the Vietnam War was "My country right or wrong." It helps if we think God is on our side of the road. One thing to remember is that Christ passes no on on the roadside