Fr. Bassols Imo Donald

Called to be co-laborers

Jesus’ humanity and sensibility are exposed in today’s Gospel when he experiences his heart being moved by the reality that the crowds live. But can any of us be laborers of God when we ourselves are in so much need of him?

When we open our hearts and let ourselves be moved by the lives of our sisters and brothers, we will recognize our own fragility and weakness. Only then can we find ways of sharing our lives and faith with others. Who does God call to be laborers of his harvest? He calls those who recognize themselves in need of his mercy, and whose eyes share the way Jesus looked at others with compassion; people whose words are filled with the mercy of God, who make others feel accompanied and loved because they have experienced it themselves in their own hearts. The laborers Jesus asks his father for are ordinary, humble, and free. They are people whose hearts deeply desire to look, to feel and to love the same way Jesus did.

Tuesday 7th July 2020, 14th Week in Ordinary Time.

“Your faith has saved you”

Today, the liturgy of the Word invites us to admire two splendid manifestations of faith. So splendid were they that they deserved to move Jesus Christ’s heart —immediately!— provoking his reaction. Our Lord does not allow himself to be won over in generosity!

«My daughter has just died, but come and place your hands on her, and she will live» (Mt 9:18). We could almost say that a strong faith as such can “oblige” God. But, He likes that kind of obligation. The other testimony of faith of today’s Gospel is also equally impressive: «If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed» (Mt 9:21). Both Jesus’ reaction and the end result of this dialogue of faith are quite radical: «Courage, my daughter, your faith has saved you» (Mt 9:22).

We could even affirm that God gladly lets our good faith to “manipulate” him. What, instead, He does not admit is that we try to tempt him with our mistrust. This was the case with Zechariah, who asked evidence from Gabriel, the archangel: «Then Zechariah said to the angel, ‘How shall I know this?’» (Lk 1:18). The Archangel did not shrink an inch: «And the angel said to him in reply, ‘I am Gabriel, who stand before God (…). But now you will be speechless and unable to talk until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time’» (Lk 1:19-20). And so it was.

It is He who wants to “oblige and commit himself” with our faith: «So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened» (Lk 11:9). He is our Father and He does not want to refuse anything that is convenient for his children.

But we must entrust our petitions to him with confidence; confidence and naturalness with God require treatment: to trust somebody we must know him; and to know him we must treat him. Thus, «faith provokes prayer, and when prayer arises it makes faith strong» (St. Augustine). Let us not forget the praise the Virgin Mary deserved: «Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!» (Lk 1:45).

Monday 6th July 2020, 14th Week in Ordinary Time

“Your faith has saved you”

The feast of St Maria Goretti (1890 – 1902). Italian. Virgin and Martyr. Maria was barely twelve years old when she was attacked by Alessandro Serenelli, a 19 years old man who tried to rape her. Maria resisted fiercely Alessandro stabbed her to death.

Maria forgave him in her death bed. Alessandro spent 27 of 30 years in prison. Maria appeared to him in a dream and brought him flowers. Alessandro Serenelli was in the audience at the Vatican when Maria was canonized in 1950. He later joined the Capuchin monastery.
St Maria Goretti is the patron saint of purity, young women, rape victims and youth.

Saturday 4th July 2020, 13th Week in Ordinary Time

“Time will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them”

Today, we see how Jesus brought new times with him and a new doctrine, which He taught with authority; and we also realize how, as usual with new things, they clash with prevailing praxis and environment. Thus, in the pages preceding today’s Gospel, we see Jesus forgiving the paralytic of his sins and healing his disease while the scribes are shocked; or, Jesus telling Matthew, a tax collector, to follow him, and eating with him and other publicans and sinners, while the Pharisees were “going up the walls”; and, in today’s Gospel, John’s disciples are the ones to approach Jesus, because they do not understand that He and his disciples do not fast.

Jesus, who never leaves anyone without an answer, replies: «How can you expect wedding guests to mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? Time will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, then they will fast» (Mt 9:15). Fasting was, and still is, a penitential practice «which prepares us for the liturgical feasts and help us acquire mastery over our instincts and freedom of heart» (Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2043) and requests the Divine Mercy. But in those moments, God’s infinite mercy and love was amidst them with Jesus’ presence, the Incarnated Verb. How could they fast? There was only one possible attitude: joy, while enjoying the presence of God made man. How could they fast when Jesus had discovered for them a new way to relate to God, a new spirit that was breaking all those old manners and customs?

Today Jesus is here: «And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age» (Mt 28:20), and He is not because He went back to his Father, and thus, we cry out: Come, O Lord Jesus!.

We are living times of expectation. This is why it is convenient to renew ourselves every day with the new spirit of Jesus, to give up our old routines, to abstain from what may prevent us from advancing towards a full identification of Christ, towards sanctity. «Fair is our crying —our fasting— if we have a burning desire to see him» (St. Augustine).

We pray the Virgin Mother to grant us the grace we need to live the joy of knowing we are her beloved children.

3rd July 2020

St Thomas, Apostle

“You are my Lord and my God”

Today, the Church celebrates the festivity of St. Thomas. After describing the apparition of Jesus on Easter Sunday, evangelist John, tell us that the apostle Thomas was not with them, and when the Apostles —who had seen the Lord— were bearing witness of him, Thomas replied: «Until I have seen in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe» (Jn 20:25).

Jesus is good and meets Thomas. Eight days later, Jesus appears once more and tells Thomas: «Put your finger here and see my hands; stretch out your hand and put it into my side. Resist no longer and be a believer» (Jn 20:27).

These words were Thomas’ reaction: «You are my Lord and my God!» (Jn 20:28). How beautiful these words are! Thomas calls him “Lord” and “God”. He makes an act of faith in the divinity of Jesus. When seeing him resurrected, Thomas sees not only Jesus, the man, who was with the Apostles and ate with them, but his Lord and his God.

Jesus reprimands him and tells him not to be incredulous but a believer, and He adds: «Happy are those who have not seen and believe» (Jn 20:28). We have not seen the crucified Christ or have we seen the resurrected Christ either, nor has He appeared to us, but we are happy because we believe in this Jesus Christ that has died and has resurrected for us.

The Apostle Thomas’ case is important to us for at least three reasons.
-First, because it comforts us in our insecurity;
-second, because it shows us that every doubt can lead to an outcome brighter than any uncertainty;
-third, because the words that Jesus addressed to him remind us of the true meaning of mature faith and encourage us to persevere along our journey of adhesion to him.

St. Thomas the Apostle, Pray for us.

Thursday 2nd July 2020, 13th Week in Ordinary Time.

The worldwide pandemics have created the most intense philosophical and spiritual questioning since the Enlightenment. What is the cause? Who is the cause? Why is it happening? The religious narrative was greatly weakened in the society after the experience of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center in New York. Now many pastors are wary of sharing their true reflections openly and publicly. Listen to the bland and meaningless chatters on public media on the pandemics.

The word of God cannot be chained. “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.”
Sin causes suffering and suffering leads to repentance and salvation.
Jesus can forgive sins. Jesus wants to forgive sins. If we say we have no sins, we call God a liar. (1 John 1: 10). Therefore we must confess our sins of thought, word, deed and omission.

“Stand up! Take your stretcher and go home”

Today, we find one of the many evangelic manifestations evidencing the merciful goodness of the Lord. They all show many aspects, rich in details. Jesus’ compassion, mercifully exerted, goes from resurrecting the dead or healing a leper to forgive a public woman sinner and going through the healing of many ailments and acceptance of repented sinners. The latter can also be found in parables, as the lost sheep, the lost drachma or the prodigal son.

Today’s Gospel is another instance of the Saviour’s mercy, in two different aspects at the same time: the illness of the body and the sickness of the soul. And, the soul being more important Jesus starts with it. He knows the sick man has repented of his faults, He sees his faith and that of those bringing him, and says: «Courage, my son! Your sins are forgiven» (Mt 9:2).

Why does He start like this without his having been asked to do so? He is, of course, aware of what the paralytic is thinking and He knows this is what he will appreciate the most, for when facing the sanctity of Jesus, the paralytic might feel confused and ashamed of his own faults and scared that they may hamper his healing. So the Lord wants to calm him first. Jesus does not care whether some teachers of the law murmur in their hearts. Not only, but a part of his message is to prove He has come to show his mercy towards sinners, and He now proclaims it.

And so, it happens that, while those blinded by their pride, think of themselves as if they were the only just ones and cannot accept Jesus’ claim, those that sincerely consider themselves as sinners, do take Him in. It is towards those God condescends to forgive them. As St. Augustine says: «Great misery is a proud man, but a humble God’s mercy is even greater». And, in this case, the divine mercy goes even further: as an additional complement of his forgiveness He heals the paralytic too: «Stand up! Take your stretcher and go home» (Mt 9:6). Jesus wants the sinner’s joy to be complete.

We must reaffirm our confidence in him. But, we should remember we are also sinners, so let us not close ourselves to his Grace.

Wednesday 1st July 2020, 13th Week in Ordinary Time

“They begged him to leave their area”

Today, we are given to contemplate a sad contrast. “Contrast” because we admire the power and divine majesty of Jesus Christ, whom the demons submit voluntarily to (a signal that the Kingdom of the Heavens has reached us). But, at the same time, we deplore the narrowness and stinginess which the human heart is capable of, when refusing the bearer of Good News: «The whole town went out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their area» (Mt 8:34). And “sad” because «He himself, who is the true light (…) came to his own, and his own did not receive him» (Jn 1:9-11).

More contrast and more confusion when we pay attention to the fact that man is free and this freedom has the “power to halt” God’s infinite power. Or we can put it another way: the infinite divine powers reach as far as our “powerful” freedom allows it. And this is so because God mainly loves us with a Father’s love. As a Father, we should not be surprised that He is so respectful of our freedom: He does not impose his love upon us, He just proposes it to us.

God, with infinite wisdom and goodness, providentially rules the Universe while respecting our freedom; even when this freedom turns its back on him and does not want to accept his will. Contrary to what it may seem, He does not let the world out of his hands: God always brings everything to a good conclusion, despite all hindrances we can raise against him. In fact, these hindrances are, first of all, turning against us.

However, we can affirm, «in the face of human freedom God has wanted to become “impotent”. And it can be said God pays for the great gift [our freedom] given to a being created in his image and likeness [man]» (John Paul II). God pays!: if we throw him out, He obeys and goes away. He pays, but we lose. On the other hand, we do well when we respond like the Virgin Mary: «I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said» (Lk 1:38).

30th June 2020

The First Martyrs of the See of Rome

When the city of Rome had been devastated by fire in the year 64, the Emperor Nero launched a persecution against the Christians, who were thrown to the wild beasts in the arena or soaked in tar and used as living torches. Their deaths are documented in the writings of the Roman historian Tacitus and in Pope St Clement’s letter to the Corinthians. Their feast was celebrated the day after the feast of Saints Peter and Paul.

“Then he stood up and ordered the wind and sea; and it became completely calm”

Today, Tuesday 13th in ordinary time, the liturgy offers us one of the most shocking fragments of our Lord’s public life. The scene shows a great vivacity that contrasts radically with the disciples’ attitude and Jesus’ behavior. We can imagine how frightened they must have been on the boat when «without warning a fierce storm hit the lake, with waves sweeping the boat» (Mt 8:24), though their distress was not enough to awake Jesus, who was sleeping. It was up to the disciples in despair to wake up the Master! «Lord save us! We are lost!» (Mt 8:25).

The evangelist, taking advantage of these dramatic events, reveals us the true essence of Jesus. The storm was still raging and the disciples full of fear and confusion, when Jesus, simply and calmly, «stood up and ordered the wind and sea; and it became completely calm» (Mt 8:26). Jesus’ conjuring Word brought the calm over the waters; but this calm was not meant to affect only the turbulent winds and waters of the lake: Jesus’ Word, above all, was addressed to appease his disciples’ fearful hearts. «Why are you so afraid, you of little faith?» (Mt 8:26).

And from embarrassment and fear the disciples shifted to admiration and astonishment, for they had witnessed this prodigy, unheard of until then. The surprise, the admiration, the wonder of such a drastic change in a situation they were living arose in them a central question: «What kind of man is he? Even the winds and the sea obey him» (Mt 8:27). Who can assuage storms on earth and skies and, at the same time, those in men’s hearts? Only He, who «sleeping as a man in a boat, can command the wind and the sea as God» (Nicetas of Remesiana).

Whenever we may be afraid the earth is collapsing under our feet, let us not forget that our Savior is God himself made man, and that He is always close to us.

29th June 2020

Solemnity of Sts Peter and Paul

Today, and since ancient times, the Roman Catholic Church celebrates the solemnity of these two great apostles —masters of the faith— as a single festivity. Peter was the “rock” on which the Church was built; Paul, the given voice to the Gospel in his stay among the gentiles (the non Jews).

You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God»

Apostles of the Lord, witnesses of the first hour, they lived those initial moments of expansion of the Church and sealed with their blood their loyalty to Jesus. Let us hope that we, Christians of the 21st century, also know how to be reliable witnesses of the love of God in the midst of men, as these two Apostles were, along with so many others of our fellow citizens.

In one of his first interventions addressing the Cardinals, Pope Francis told them that we must ‘walk, build and confess’. That is, we must move forward in our way of life, by building up our Church and by confessing the Lord. But the Pope warned: “we can walk as much as we want, we can build many things, but if we do not confess Jesus Christ, nothing will avail. We will become a compassionate NGO but not the Church, the Bride of Christ»

We have heard in the Mass Gospel a central fact for the life of Peter and the Church. Jesus asks that fisherman of Galilee an act of faith in his divine status and Pedro does not hesitate to say: “You are the Christ, the son of the living God” (Mt 16:16). Immediately, Jesus institutes the Primacy, by telling Peter that he will be the firm rock upon which the Church, throughout the ages, will be built (cf. Mt 16:18) and by giving him also the power of the keys of the Kingdom, the Supreme authority.

Although Peter and his successors are assisted by the force of the Holy Spirit, they still need our prayers, because their mission is of great significance for the life of the Church: they must be a strong foundation for all Christians throughout the ages; we must, therefore, also pray, every day, for the Holy Father, for his person and for his intentions.

Paul, too, a persecutor of the Church is changed by his encounter with the Risen Christ. He now becomes a fearless preacher of the Good News. He writes to Timothy in a victorious tone, “I am being poured out as a libation… I have completed the race, I have kept the faith. Now all that awaits me is the crown of righteousness.” He also confesses that the “Lord gave me strength”.

We, too, have known the Risen Christ. How has that changed our lives?

26th June 2020

Faith is a confident entrustment to a “You”, who is God

The first reading tells us about the Babylonian Exile which completes the destruction of the identity of Israel. The three pillars of Israel’s identity – land, Temple and king – are all brought to naught. Israel always believed that they were God’s Chosen People – and indeed they were – but forgot that to be ‘chosen’ implied a mission and a job to be done. The destruction of Jerusalem was a reminder of how far removed they were from their calling as a Chosen People.

The Exilic Psalm – “May my tongue cleave to my mouth if I do not place Jerusalem ahead of my joys” – refocuses on what matters

Today, what does believing mean? We need a renewed education in the faith that includes, of course, knowledge of its truths and of the history of salvation, but that is born above all from a true encounter with God in Jesus Christ, from loving him, from trusting him, so that the whole of our life becomes involved.

Today, together with so many signs of goodness a certain spiritual desert is also developing around us. At times, the very ideas of progress and wellbeing have shadows too. A certain kind of culture, moreover, has taught people to move solely within the horizon of things, of the feasible, to believe only in what they can see and touch with their own hands. In this context certain fundamental questions reemerge: What is life’s meaning? What awaits us beyond the threshold of death?

—Faith is a confident entrustment to a “You”, who is God, who gives me a different certitude, but no less solid than that which comes from precise calculation or from science.