Our Lady of Sorrows
    info@oladyofsorrows.org
    956-686-0251
    • Home
    • News
      • Weekly Bulletin
    • Homilies
      • Msgr. Gustavo Barrera
      • Dcn. Ray Thomas
      • Dcn. Johnny Gonzalez
      • Dcn. Crawford Higgins
    • About Us
      • Office Directory
      • Worship & Liturgy Schedule
      • Our Pastor
      • Photo Gallery
    • Sacraments
      • Baptism
      • Matrimony
      • CCD
      • RCIA
    • Donate
    • Capital Campaign
    • Ministries
      • Adoration
      • Altar & Rosary Society
      • Altar Servers
      • Asamblea de Oracion de Matrimonios (AOM)
      • Catholic Daughters of the Americas
      • Homebound Ministry
      • JCDA
      • Choir
      • Knights of Columbus
      • Legion of Mary
      • Readers of the Word (Lectors)
      • Serra Club
      • Star of Hope
    • Faith & Spirituality Groups
      • Bereavement Support
      • Centering Prayer Group
    • Become a Parishioner
    • Funeral Information
    • Quinceañera Information
    • OLS YouTube Channel
    • School
    • Diocese of Brownsville
    • Contact Us

    6th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, CYCLE A

    2/16/2020

     
    Mass Readings from February 16, 2020:
    Sirach 15:15-20
    Psalm 112:4-9
    1 Corinthians 2:6-10
    Matthew 5:17-37

                                                                    Homily:
           We are not good for God to love us, we are good because God loves us.


    People who take the words of Jesus literally end up with a lot of guilt feelings—the last thing that Our Lord would have wanted.  There are several levels of meaning in the Bible—the least to be trusted is the literal meaning.
     
    A hint that folks take the meaning literally is that they confess evil thoughts, bad thoughts, having had sexual desires.  All those are temptations.  Temptations are not sins.  Jesus was confronted by a popular attitude, especially among the teachers, the idea that the law is the way to salvation.  Remember that in the Hebrew Scriptures—the Old Testament—Moses was the hero because He gave the people the 613 Commandments from God.  The 10 Utterances or summary statements are the ones most of us memorized as children.  For the longest time people were convinced, some still are, that by following the Commandments they were going to be saved.  When Jesus came, we didn’t need a mediator like Moses to tell us what God wants because Jesus is God.  He came to tell us that we can do nothing to make God love us more and we can do nothing to make God love us less.  God already loves us, just because.  Jesus tried to initiate a paradigm shift—which has still not become a reality.  We are not good in order for God to love us, we are good because God loves us.  The majority of humanity does not know how to respond to unconditional love.  We want to earn, to merit, to prove ourselves worthy.  That’s what we’ve been taught—the system of punishments and rewards.  “God is watching”, was what we were told if our parents had to step away.  We didn’t dare misbehave because the almighty eye was upon us.  Somewhere, far, far away, in a chair, with a long white beard, sat an ancient God who had nothing better to do than to watch us and write down every time we messed up.  At the end of our life—“Boy were we going to get it!”  All the stuff that Mom and Dad never saw—but God saw!  The teacher never knew—but God knows!  Didn’t even told the priest in confession—but one day—the truth will come out—and are we going to be embarrassed!
     
    Unfortunately, that’s were countless of people are in their spiritual journey.  Many are afraid of God, and consequently afraid to die, because they fear punishment.  The Good News—which is what Gospel means—is that we are not going to pay for our sins.  The debt has already been paid by the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ.  We do not owe anything.  We get a free ride, regardless of what we’ve done. 
     
    So, before any of us go plucking our eyes out, or cutting off body parts—consider that God loves us just the way we are—with all our sins. Fact is that our sins bring us closer to God.  We are humbled because we realize that our life is not about getting things right, but just that we participate, even in our weaknesses.  Doesn’t mean we stop trying to improve.  Just remember, we are not punished for our sins.  We are punished by our sins.  Consider the consequences of the unhealthy behavior under the pretext of having a “good time”—the so called “friends” whom we have allowed to influence us with addictive substances—the stuff we have watched on social media.  We are responsible for the choices we have made, can’t blame anyone else.  When we do what we are not supposed to, we usually look for someone or something to blame.  “The devil made me do it.”  The challenge is to know our strengths and avoid moments which we lead us into temptation.  Our strength comes from doing what God wants.  There can be no resentments in our soul, especially the ones against ourselves.  Forgiveness is the gateway to freedom.  The way out of the madness is to accept who we are and to accept others just the way they are.  Obviously, forgiveness is more important than worship.  Leave the gift—get out of Church and first be reconciled. 
     
    Bring the hurts, all the mistakes, the bad choices and God offers us healing.  At the Table of the Lord we can already receive the One who has paid for our sins and will receive us without question when we die.




    Comments are closed.
      Picture
      Msgr. Gustavo Barrera,
      ​celebrated his first Holy Mass as pastor on September 15, 2007, the feast day of Our Lady of Sorrows. With his enthusiasm and spiritual guidance, OLS continues to serve our Catholic family in a way that challenges us to grow as an evangelizing community.

      Archives

      May 2023
      April 2023
      March 2023
      February 2023
      January 2023
      December 2022
      November 2022
      October 2022
      September 2022
      August 2022
      July 2022
      June 2022
      May 2022
      April 2022
      March 2022
      February 2022
      January 2022
      November 2020
      October 2020
      September 2020
      August 2020
      July 2020
      June 2020
      May 2020
      April 2020
      March 2020
      February 2020
      January 2020
      December 2019
      November 2019
      October 2019
      September 2019
      July 2019
      June 2019
      May 2019
      April 2019
      March 2019
      February 2019
      January 2019
      December 2018
      November 2018
      October 2018
      September 2018
      August 2018
      July 2018
      June 2018
      May 2018
      April 2018
      March 2018
      February 2018
      January 2018
      December 2017
      November 2017
      October 2017
      September 2017
      August 2017
      June 2017
      May 2017
      April 2017
      March 2017
      February 2017
      January 2017
      December 2016
      November 2016
      October 2016
      September 2016
      August 2016
      July 2016
      June 2016
      May 2016
      April 2016
      March 2016
      February 2016
      January 2016
      December 2015
      November 2015
      October 2015
      September 2015
      August 2015
      July 2015
      June 2015
      May 2015
      April 2015
      March 2015

      Msgr. Gustavo Barrera, Pastor.

      Categories

      All

      RSS Feed

    About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Office Directory
    • Stewardship
    • Pastor
    • Our History
    Sacraments
    • Baptism
    • First Reconciliation
    • First Communion
    • Confirmation
    • Marriage
    • Anointing of the Sick
    Parish Life
    1. Become a Parishioner
    2. Bulletin & Newsletters
    3. Planning Center Log-in​
    Worship and Liturgy
    • Daily Readings
    • Liturgy of Hours
    • Mass & Reconciliation
    • Eucharistic Adoration
    Faith Formation
    • CCD
    • RCIA​
    Links & Resources
    • CDOB
    • USCCB
    • Vatican: Holy See
    • American Catholic
    More
    • Homilies
    • Online Giving
    • OLS School
    • OLS on YouTube
    Our Lady of Sorrows Parish
    1108 W Hackberry Ave.
    McAllen, Texas 78501-4370
    Telephone
    : (956) 686-0251
    Picture
    Picture

    Website Development by The Parish Solutions Company
    Our Lady of Sorrow Image Copyright Cromo NB permission to use by CNB Basevi.
    Back to top