Author: Deacon Rudy Villarreal

I am a public speaker, Roman Catholic deacon, husband, father, amateur philosopher-theologian, and missionary disciple. I am also interested in studying that place where all the facets of life intersect – the public square. In this blog and podcast, I intend to share my reflections on life, politics, religion and culture. I invite you to join me on this journey. I am not sure where it will lead, but I for one intend to enjoy the ride. Peace!
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06 Our Lady of Guadalupe Episode 1

Facsimile of an engraving of Our Lady of Guadalupe

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Mass Readings
Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe  
Reading 1 – Zechariah 2:14-17 
Or
Reading 1 – Revelation 11:19A; 12:1-6A, 10AB 
Psalm – Judith 13:18BCDE, 19 
Gospel – Luke 1:26-38 
Or
Gospel – Luke 1:39-47 

Peace be with you on this Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe!

Today’s celebration is not just an important religious celebration. For Mexico, it’s a national celebration. Our Lady of Guadalupe is a huge part of Mexican culture and identity. I’m going to break this topic into 3 episodes:

  • In this episode, we’ll reflect on the religious dimension.
  • In Part 2, we’ll recount the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
  • In Part 3, we’ll reflect on cultural and political dimension.

Before we get started, why are we celebrating a feast honoring Mary? Ok, let’s clear a few things up.

First, we never worship the saints. We never worship Mary.

Second, the Church does not make saints. All believers in heaven are saints. The Church has a process of lifting some of those saints up – heroes of the faith – to inspire us and to draw us closer to Jesus. I think if you could ask a saint if they wanted to be declared a saint, I suspect they’d say no. They would not want to call attention to themselves.

Third, in the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mary asks that a church be built. Ok, why are churches named after saints? Probably for the same reason we name buildings after people. The saints are heroes of the faith, so we name churches for these heroes of Jesus Christ.

Now, what happens in a church? Well, people have many opportunities to have an encounter with Jesus. In the mass for example, during the Liturgy of the Word, we witness the Word made flesh (John 1:14). And during the Eucharist, we do as Jesus commanded us to, see Luke 22:18-20. Jesus doesn’t say, hey, when you get a chance, could you do this? No! He says do this and remember! Remembering is a powerful tool in the Jewish tradition. Rabbi Zaslow tells us that the function of remembering is to make the past come to life. It’s not about letting ideas and emotions float around in your head. Remembering is about connecting with the past in a real way. Why is this important? Because when we participate in the Eucharist, we enter in to that heavenly liturgy described in the Book of Revelation. This mass is a connection with Jesus Christ. So regardless of the name on the door, Jesus Christ the focus.

Ok, there are two possible Gospel readings for today. The first is Luke 1:26-38, which we heard proclaimed on Saturday to celebrate the Immaculate Conception and I discussed in Saturday’s podcast. I invite you to check it out. The other Gospel reading is a continuation of this chapter, Luke 1:39-47. Let’s briefly reflect on that second option. In this reading, Mary visits her cousin, Elizabeth. What happens? The child in Elizabeth’s womb, John the Baptist, leaps. That must have been some leap, because Elizabeth is moved to tell Mary, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb,” (42).

The example of John the unborn is so inspiring! When we’re in the presence of our Lord and King, what else can we do except leap for joy!

That’s really what the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe all about – spreading the joy of Jesus Christ. Isn’t it amazing that God can put two very different people together, a poor Native American and a bishop, who represents the power and wealth of his time, and use them to build up His kingdom on earth, especially during such a turbulent time in history? But here’s the catch: both Juan Diego and the Bishop had to be open to listening to God through Mary and be willing to respond to God’s call. That remains today like then a great challenge of our faith. Do we trust more in God’s will or in those things we can control?

Homework. There are just two things I suggest we do. Hopefully you’ve had a chance to go to mass today to be nourished by the Jesus in the Word proclaimed and in the Eucharist, but either way ask yourself:

  1. Do I listen to God? In my prayer life, do I do all the talking, or do I spend some time in quiet to give God a chance to speak to me?
  2. Do I discern God’s will for my life? Do I take time to try to prayerfully understand what God is asking of me in consultation with my pastor, my family and my friends?

I think if we do our homework this Advent season, we will be more likely to hear and respond to God’s call in our lives, to that voice crying out from the desert, to prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus Christ at Christmas.

Don’t forget, part 2 in this series tells the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe and part 3 reflects on the cultural and political dimensions of Our Lady of Guadalupe. As always, you find a copy of today’s podcast and other helpful information on our website. The link will appear in the notes on your podcast player, but here’s the link just in case: https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/

I hope you were inspired by today’s podcast. But let me ask you, are you going to do your homework? Well good! Through the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe, may we all come to know and to love Jesus Christ. In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. +Amen!

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05 Friends of Los Ninos

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Hello! I’d like to thank you for listening to this new podcast. Today I’d like to share with you a special request.

As many of you know, Katrina and I have been volunteering in Honduras for almost 15 years Over the years, many of our family and friends have traveled with us on mission trips. We couldn’t do this work without the love, prayers and financial support of many people. This Holiday season, I’d like to ask you to consider making a special one-time gift to support our ministry in Honduras and to help us make up a $4,500 shortfall.

Why do we help?

I want to share a story with you – a story that’s haunted me since the first time I heard Sr. Teresita Gonzalez tell this story. Sr. Teresita is a School Sister of Notre Dame. She founded an organization called COPPROME and a very special orphanage. Their philosophy is to try to break the cycle of poverty through education.
One day the police came upon a shot up car on the backroads. As they investigated, they found the dead bodies of a man and a woman. Clearly it was a drug deal gone bad, but they also found a young boy who was still alive. He’d apparently spent the night with the bodies of his dead parents.

The police brought the child to the orphanage at COPPROME. Sr. Teresita asked him if he’d like to go to the boys’ dormitory to pick out a bed and he said, “No! Today is my birthday and my dad is coming for me and with a big cake.” Later in the day, it was clear the little boy was getting tired, so Sr. Teresita asked him if he wanted to take a nap in one of the beds in the boys’ dormitory. He said, “No! Today is my birthday and my dad is coming for me with a big cake.”

After dinner his eyes got really big and as he stared out in the distance, he told Sr. Teresita, “My dad isn’t coming for me, is he?”

Sometimes there are just no words! Can we save everyone? No. But we can help to provide these children with a safe place to live, food to eat, a staff to love them, and an education. We never want any of our children to hear, “There’s no room at the inn.”
Unfortunately, our donations will fall about $4,500 short this year. Won’t you help us by making a special one-time gift. Head over to www.friendsoflosninos.org, the link will be in the notes for this podcast. Once you’re there, click on “Help A Child” and then scroll down to “Make A One-Time Donation” and you’ll be able make safe online donation using PayPal.

I’d like to thank you for your prayers and your support! Here’s how to make a donation:

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04 Second Sunday of Advent

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Mass Readings

Second Sunday of Advent 
Reading 1 – Baruch 5:1-9
Psalm – Psalm 126: 1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6
Reading 2 – Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11
Gospel – Luke 3:1-6

In today’s Gospel, Luke 3:1-6, we hear about John the Baptist. The reading tells us that he is the voice crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord…”

Why does God send John the Baptist ahead of Jesus?

Well, I think it ties well to what we discussed in last week’s episode, where sometimes Jesus is knocking on our door, but for whatever reason we don’t respond. So Jesus will try to come to us through other people. That helps me understand why John the Baptist was necessary then and why he so important to us today.

Who was John preaching to? Well, he wasn’t just talking to the establishment Jews who tolerated the Roman authorities and were tolerated by the Roman authorities. He was also speaking to the everyday person, people who were perhaps caught up in their own lives, going about their everyday routine. But he also preached to people who were caught up in their pious devotions. You know, sometimes it’s easy to get lost in pious devotion that we forget why we are praying. So John the Baptist was trying to get through to people by saying it’s God we’re supposed to be worshipping and it’s the Messiah we’re waiting for.

That’s a similar trap that I think many Christians fall into. I have experienced people so immersed in a particular devotion, but who clearly aren’t convicted as disciples of Jesus. Maybe you know the type. Perhaps that person is a real grouch or just plain mean or totally focused on themselves. In other words, there is no real transformation in their lives. Pious devotion isn’t about loading up your holy roller disco card. No, it’s about deepening your relationship with Jesus Christ. It’s about making a connection; having an encounter with Jesus, and that encounter should change the way we live our lives. If I’m not changing or growing in discipleship through pious devotions, then perhaps my acts of piety are a distraction. Maybe the voice calling out in the desert is trying to remind us that my piety should be oriented to Jesus – that it is Jesus who saves.

For others, perhaps it’s not piety that distracts us, but the busyness of our lives. What do I mean? Well, certainly, we can get caught up in our everyday lives and in the world around us. We wake up in the morning, and it’s all go, go, go, go! Then at the end of the day, we sit down and think, “Where did the day go?” Perhaps the voice crying out in the desert is trying to say slow down and appreciate the gifts God has given us. You can find Him in nature all around us; in the people we see every day; and in our friends and family. Maybe the voice calling out in the desert is trying to remind us that the rat race can’t save us. Only Jesus saves.

Perhaps others get too caught up in the world they build for themselves. Society tells us that we are kings of our own castles. Being a king means I should ask, “what’s in it for me?”

This is a great challenge especially for Christians living in the United States. For example, someone might say, as people have said to me, “Well, the tax law has changed, so I’m not getting the same tax benefit for my donation. I will not be able to give money to support your ministry helping orphans in Honduras through Friends of Los Niños.” Or they try to justify themselves and say, “I’m really upset about the scandal rocking the Church today so I’m not going to give to my parish and I’m not going to give to the diocesan capital campaign.” But our Christian faith tells us we are not supposed to be kings dripping with wealth, but stewards. We’re supposed to take care of our gifts and wealth for the building up of God’s kingdom, not to own wealth for our exclusive benefit.

Perhaps the voice crying out in the desert is saying don’t get so caught up in the world, don’t stubbornly try to control the world around you. My 401k, my bank account, my stock portfolio can’t save. Only Jesus saves.

Homework: Nourished by the Eucharist and by the Word of God proclaimed, ask yourself:

  1. How attached am I to my possessions? Am I too quick to make excuses why I can’t make a donation to charitable causes this year?
  2. Is my faith the best kept secret, a private devotion, or am I willing to share my faith with others?

I think by doing our homework this Advent season, we might be better able to hear the voice crying out in the wilderness and recognize the opportunity to have an encounter with Jesus Christ, an encounter that leads to transformation, transformation that leads to salvation.

Ok, does everyone understand the homework? So, are you going to do your homework? Well, good! For a copy of today’s reflection, head over to our website, https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/. May each of us this Advent season come to know the grace and peace of our Lord, Jesus Christ. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. +Amen