The Catholic Community of Northern Columbia County

A man looking a bit downtrodden approached me as I filled my car’s gas tank. He asked, “May I share with you my testimony about how good God is?” “OK,” I skeptically answered. He went on to tell me that he had been an alcoholic and drug addict, and that
God had healed him; now he was four years sober. He said, “I didn’t deserve it, but now I’m a different person. God is so good! Have a
terrific Tuesday!” A few minutes later, as I drove away, I saw him smiling and handing a homeless person some money. I was
confronted with a choice: either he was a total fraud or God had changed him. Something had happened to him, and it didn’t seem fake. Maybe it was God.

When Jesus heals the man born blind, the man becomes a challenge to everyone who meets him. They must decide. Is he the same blind person who they knew before? Who healed him and how? And what is the status of the one who can heal such infirmities? We shouldn’t be surprised at the storm of doubt, hatred and animosity that swirls around the healed man — so it often goes when Jesus heals someone even to this day.

Like we often do, the religious leaders confronting the healed man declare that God is not at work. They ask with mocking superiority and dismissive disdain, “You were born totally in sin, and are you trying to teach us?” (John 9:34). And they cast him out. When Jesus clearly works in our lives, in us or around us, we should accept it, and give praise and thanks for this wonderful manifestation of his goodness. Lenten challenge: Think of one way the Lord has healed you. Perhaps he healed a form of selfishness, a physical ailment, or
something else. This week, find a person to whom you can share that testimony, and share it. Don’t worry if they don’t accept it was God who did it. —Father John Muir ©LPi

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Todos, quizá en algún momento de nuestra vida, hemos tenido la experiencia de jugar el papel de hijos-hijas buenos en la vida familiar. Pero, también hemos jugado el roll de no ser tan buenos como se esperaba. Entonces, esta parábola del hijo pródigo nos
cae como anillo al dedo. ¿Qué sentimientos o recuerdos afluyen a tu mente al escucharla? ¿Sientes que el Padre es injusto con su hijo
mayor? ¿Crees que ha consentido demasiado al menor de sus hijos? Cualquiera que sea nuestra respuesta, nos debe llevar a una reflexión profunda del amor incondicional de Dios para con sus dos hijos. Sin embargo, no perdamos el punto de vista de que Jesús cuenta esta parábola a publicanos y pecadores, y de cómo los fariseos y escribas criticaban a Jesús porque comía con ellos.

“Con la parábola del hijo pródigo Jesús nos cuenta que Dios nos espera siempre, igual que el padre, que espera el regreso de su hijo. Él nos deja libres, deja que nos equivoquemos y aprendamos, y de esta manera volver, al igual que lo hizo el hijo pródigo” (Papa Francisco). El Papa Francisco nos da la clave que debemos de llevar a cabo, aprender a volver cada vez que nos alejemos. No claudicar, seguir adelante y pedir perdón es de valientes. Aprender de los errores vividos y regresar para volver a un nuevo comienzo, pero bien
acompañados de la gracia de Dios. Sentir fortaleza al escuchar: “Tú estás siempre conmigo y todo lo mío es tuyo” (Lucas 15:31). ©LPi