Sermón del 16 de agosto, 2020, primero en español, luego en inglés.
Sermon of August 16th, first in Spanish, then in English.
Décimo Domingo después de
Trinidad
16 de agosto, A+D 2020
¿Hoy? ¡Sí, hoy!
https://youtu.be/xRQ3eOH3kdw
!Oh, si también tú conocieses, a lo menos en este tu día, lo que es para tu
paz!
No es que el Diablo quiera persuadirnos que no importa tener una buena
relación con Dios. Él sabe que esta
mentira no tiene mucha credibilidad. Aun
hoy, cuando el prestigio del cristianismo es cada vez más bajo entre los élites
de la cultura, todavía en el corazón de la gran mayoría de la gente queda la
convicción que necesitamos tener un amigo en Dios. No, el Diablo sabe mejor que esto; es más
sutil. No niega la importancia de
arreglar tu relación con Dios. Pero,
mañana.
“No hay prisa,” dice el malvado. “Por supuesto es importante, pero tú
puedes dejarlo a otro día, cuando tengas las cosas de tu vida mejor organizada,
entonces puedas hacer lo necesario para tener una buena relación con Dios,
tranquilamente.” “No te preocupes,”
susurra el enemigo, “mañana.” “Déjalo
para mañana, y el Señor entenderá.”
Es verdad, el Señor entiende.
Entiende muy bien esta mentira de Satanás y cuan agradable es a nuestros
oídos. Y por ende hoy el Espíritu Santo
nos ha provisto lecturas para dispersar y corregir esta mentira, de verdad, las
dos mentiras más feas que quiere proclamar Satanás.
Primeramente, el Diablo quiere persuadirnos que hoy no sea el día, y
segundo, que nosotros podamos hacer lo necesario para arreglar
nuestra relación con Dios.
Hoy es el día. Siempre es el día en
lo cual debemos tener paz con Dios. Cada
día. El día que Jesús lloró por
Jerusalén, en el Domingo de Ramos original; y el día de tu nacimiento; y hoy en
día, en medio de la locura de agosto, 2020.
Fuimos creados para vivir cada día, cada momento, en comunión santa e
íntima con el Señor. Vivir en una alegre
y constante dependencia de Dios es el plan divino para el ser humano. Esto es la única manera duradera de vivir,
porque el Señor Dios es la única fuente de vida.
Cuando nos rebelamos contra nuestro Padre celestial en el jardín, el día
que nos declaramos independientes del Todopoderoso, nuestra muerte y castigo
fueron garantizados. Espiritualmente,
Adán y Eva murieron en el momento de comer.
Se separaron de su íntima comunión con Dios, y su muerte física venía. Solamente por el amor y gracia de Dios fue pospuesto nuestra destrucción eterna, porque Dios todavía nos amaba, a pesar de nuestra rebeldía. Además, ya tenía su plan de salvarnos.
El Señor dio al serpiente la promesa de un Salvador, y luego anunció la
maldiciones de la vida humana, que iban a servir como recordatorios diarios de
nuestra necesidad constante para este Salvador prometido, él que iba a pisar la
cabeza del Diablo. Cada día después,
hasta hoy, el Señor nos llama a confiar en esta Promesa.
Confiar en esta Promesa es la mejor manera de aguantar las dificultades de
vida en este mundo plagado por el pecado, y es la única manera de tener paz con
Dios. Solo viviendo de la Promesa del
Salvador, ya consumado y revelado en Cristo Jesús, solo viviendo así podemos
decir con San Pablo que “el vivir es Cristo, y el morir es ganancia.” Porque viviendo en esta fe, nada puede separarnos
del amor de Dios.
Hoy es el día de las cosas de nuestra Paz.
No importa si pensamos en la vida terrenal, espiritual, o eternal. Hoy es el día en que debemos saber lo que es necesario
para nuestra paz. Vivir de una manera
diferente es continuar en la rebeldía original de nuestra raza humana. El enemigo nos tienta pensar que la vida
según el plan del Señor sea una vida fastidiosa y sin gozo. Pero la verdad es que la vida cristiana es la
vida de amor, la vida de alegría verdadera, sin vergüenza, sin culpa, sin
lágrimas. La perfección de esta vida
queda en el futuro, es verdad, pero también hoy en día es la mejor vida, aun
con las lágrimas y fallos que sufrimos por el pecado. El vivir en Cristo es la vida real y alegre. No dejéis que nadie os diga otra cosa.
La primera mentira es que tener paz con Dios es algo que pueda esperar para
otro día, “mañana.” La segunda mentira
que el Espíritu Santo quiere revelar y corregir es la idea que nosotros podemos
hacer las cosas que son para nuestra paz.
Recordemos que Jesús lloró sobre Jerusalén y oró que ella conociera las
cosas de su paz en el domingo antes del Viernes Santo. El Hijo de Dios estaba entrando en su gran
obra, finalmente pisaría sobre la cabeza del serpiente y así liberar todos los
hijos de Adán y Eva de su esclavitud.
Este contexto debería ayudarnos recordar que el logro de nuestra paz con
Dios no es dentro de nuestro poder. La
solución sólo puede venir de Dios, vino cuando Jesús aceptó y sufrió nuestro
castigo y nuestra muerte. Recibimos esta
victoria, esta paz, cuando creemos y confiamos que esta victoria fue logrado
para nosotros. Jesús y su Cruz y
Resurrección son las cosas que nos ganó paz con Dios. Y siempre las recibimos por la fe.
Satanás suele intentar aprovecharse de nuestra pereza, (Tranquilo,
podemos esperar hasta mañana), y luego de nuestro orgullo, (y entonces tu
podrás hacer lo necesario para agradar al Señor). Cuando pensamos en la salvación, naturalmente
pensamos que debemos y podemos hacer algo para contribuir a la buena relación
que necesitamos con Dios. Si no fuera
así, estuviéramos completamente dependientes de la bondad de Dios.
Y así es. Somos totalmente
dependientes. La Paz con Dios siempre es
un don recibido; viene por la fe, no por causa de nuestras obras. Como dice San Pablo a los Romanos en capítulo
3: Pero ahora, aparte de la ley, la
justicia de Dios ha sido manifestada, …22 es decir, la
justicia de Dios por medio de la fe en Jesucristo, para todos los que
creen; porque no hay distinción; 23 por cuanto
todos pecaron y no alcanzan la gloria de Dios, 24 siendo
justificados gratuitamente por su gracia por medio de la redención que es en
Cristo Jesús.
Y hoy, hablando de su propio pueblo, la nación de Israel, Pablo añade: ¿Qué, pues, diremos? Que los gentiles, que no
iban tras la justicia, han alcanzado la justicia, es decir, la justicia que es
por fe; 31 mas Israel, que iba tras una ley de justicia,
no la alcanzó. 32 ¿Por
qué? Porque iban tras ella no por fe, sino como por obras de la ley, pues tropezaron
en la piedra de tropiezo, 33 como está escrito: He aquí
pongo en Sion piedra de tropiezo y roca de caída; Y el que creyere en él, no
será avergonzado.
Satanás quiere persuadirnos que la salvación viene, al menos en parte, por
nuestras obras. Pensar esto es
precisamente tropezar en la piedra de tropiezo, la cual es Cristo Jesús
crucificado para redimir los pecadores.
Si pudiéramos ganar paz con Dios por nuestras obras, entonces el Hijo de
Dios habría muerto sin necesidad. Pero
no es así. La realidad difícil para
nuestro orgullo es que no tenemos nada para ofrecer a Dios que pudiera
contribuir a la salvación.
Pero, no te preocupes. No mañana,
pero hoy, Dios otra vez te da buenas nuevas: el fin de la ley es Cristo, para
justicia a todo aquel que cree… Porque
la paga del pecado es muerte, pero la dádiva de Dios es vida eterna en Cristo
Jesús Señor nuestro… Por tanto, habiendo sido justificados por la fe,
tenemos paz para con Dios por medio de nuestro Señor Jesucristo, 2 por
medio de quien también hemos obtenido entrada por la fe a esta gracia en
la cual estamos firmes, y nos gloriamos en la esperanza de la gloria de
Dios.
La pandemia del Covid19 nos recuerda, con más fuerza de la que estamos
acostumbrados, que la muerte física está más cercana que solemos pensar. Oremos a Dios que nosotros, y muchos más,
estemos convencidos que hoy es el día.
Porque hoy, Cristo viene a nosotros con su justicia, su gracia, su perdón. Hoy.
Ahora.
Y mañana, cuando, por reconocer de
nuevo tu pecado, te percates que hayas malgastado otro día, entonces, será de
nuevo el día de tu paz. Porque Cristo
Jesús hace cada día nuevo, con su sangre limpiadora y sanadora. Jesús está siempre dispuesto de oír tu
arrepentimiento de nuevo, y quitar de ti tus pecados, y hacerte agradable a su
Padre otra vez. Esto no es una
invitación a pecar. Pero el amor de
Cristo es tan fuerte. A Él le encanta
perdonar el pecador honestamente arrepentido, para así guardarnos dentro de su
rebaño.
Nos reunimos para oír, recibir y celebrar estas verdades, las cosas que son
de nuestra paz. Reunirse en persona o no
todavía durante la pandemia queda una decisión muy difícil. Todos queremos estar juntos, y no es posible
celebrar la Santa Cena a distancia. Al
mismo tiempo, por diferentes niveles de vulnerabilidad, por diferentes
circunstancias, y por toda la duda con que vivimos hoy en día, es entendible
que otros todavía decidan no venir en persona.
Y esto está bien. No somos
cristianos y hermanos por enfrentar riesgos, ni por guardar cauteloso. Somos cristianos solo por la gracia de
Cristo, quien ha tratado a cada uno de nosotros con una gracia inmerecida,
compartiendo con nosotros el amor divino y la vida eterna que nunca pudiéramos
merecer. Por ende, sigamos tratando los
unos a los otros en esta misma gracia, confiando que Él que se encarnó y sufrió
la Cruz para darnos Paz con Dios puede cuidarnos también hoy.
Hoy es el día. Cristo está con
nosotros, y con él, también vienen el Espíritu y el Padre eterno. Entonces hoy tenemos Paz, la Paz de Dios, que
sobrepuja todo entendimiento, y que guardará vuestros corazones y vuestras
mentes, en Cristo Jesús, hasta la vida eterna, Amén.
16 de agosto, A+D 2020
¿Hoy? ¡Sí, hoy!
Se separaron de su íntima comunión con Dios, y su muerte física venía. Solamente por el amor y gracia de Dios fue pospuesto nuestra destrucción eterna, porque Dios todavía nos amaba, a pesar de nuestra rebeldía. Además, ya tenía su plan de salvarnos.
Tenth Sunday after
Trinidad
August 16, A + D 2020
Today? Yes today!
https://youtu.be/xRQ3eOH3kdw
Oh, if you also knew, at least in this your day, what is for your peace!
It's not that the Devil wants to persuade us that itma´s not important to have a good relationship with God. He knows this lie doesn't have much credibility. Even today, when the prestige of Christianity is getting lower and lower among the elites of the culture, still in the hearts of the great majority of people the conviction remains that we need to have a friend in God. No, the Devil knows better than this; he is more subtle. He doesn't deny the importance of fixing your relationship with God. But, tomorrow.
"There is no rush," says the evil one." Of course it´s important, but you can leave it to another day, when you have things in your life better organized, then you can do what it takes to have a good relationship with God, without stress." "Don't worry," the enemy whispers, "tomorrow." "Leave it for tomorrow, and the Lord will understand."
It's true, the Lord understands. He understands very well this lie of Satan and how pleasant it is to our ears. And therefore today the Holy Spirit has provided us with readings to disperse and correct this lie, really, the two ugliest lies that Satan wants to proclaim.
First, the Devil wants to persuade us that today is not the day, and second, that we can do whatever it takes to fix our relationship with God.
Today is the day. It is always the day in which we must have peace with God. Every day. The day that Jesus wept for Jerusalem, on the original Palm Sunday; and the day of your birth; and today, in the midst of the madness of August, 2020. We were created to live each day, each moment, in holy and intimate communion with the Lord. Living in a cheerful and constant dependence on God is the divine plan for human beings. It is the only lasting way to live, because the Lord God is the only source of life.
When we rebelled against our heavenly Father in the garden, the day we declared ourselves independent from the Almighty, our death and punishment were guaranteed. Spiritually, Adam and Eve died at the time of eating. They separated from their intimate communion with God, and their physical death was coming. Only by the love and grace of God was our eternal destruction postponed, because God still loved us, despite our rebellion. Besides, he already had his plan to save us.
The Lord gave the serpent's promise of a Savior, and then announced the curses of the life human, which would serve as daily reminders of our constant need for the promised Savior, he who would crush the head of the Devil. Every day since, down to today, the Lord calls us to trust this Promise.
Trusting in this Promise is the best way to endure the difficulties of life in this world plagued by sin, and it is the only way to have peace with God. Only by living in the promise of the Savior, and consummated and revealed in Christ Jesus, only by living this way can say with St. Paul that "to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Because living in this faith, nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Today is the day of the things of our Peace. It does not matter if we think of earthly, spiritual, or eternal life. Today is the day that we know what that is necessary for our peace. To live in a different way is to continue in the original rebellion of our human race. The enemy tempts us to think that life according to the plan of the Lord is a fastidious and joyless life. But the truth is that the Christian life is the life of love, the life of true joy, without shame, without guilt, without tears. The perfection of this life remains in the future, it is true, but today it is also the best life , even with the tears and failures that we suffer from sin . Living in Christ is real, joyous life. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
Satan´s first lie today is that having peace with God is something that can wait for another day, "tomorrow." The second lie that the Holy Spirit wants to reveal and correct is the idea that we can do the things that are for our peace.
Let us remember that Jesus wept over Jerusalem and prayed that she would know the things of her peace on the Sunday before Good Friday. The Son of God was entering his great work, he would finally step on the head of the serpent and thus free all the children of Adam and Eve from their slavery. This context should help us remember that achieving our peace with God is not within our power. The solution can only come from God, and it came when Jesus accepted and suffered our punishment and our death. We receive this victory, this peace, when we believe and trust that this victory was achieved for us . Jesus and his Cross and Resurrection are the things that won us peace with God . And we always receive them by faith.
Satan often tries to take advantage of our laziness, ( Relax, you can wait until tomorrow ), then our pride ( and then you'll do what it takes to please the Lord ). When we think of salvation, we naturally think that we should and can do something to contribute to the good relationship we need with God. If not, then we would be completely dependent on the goodness of God.
And so it is. We are totally dependent. Peace with God is always a gift received. It comes by faith, not because of our works. As Saint Paul says to the Romans in chapter 3: But now, apart from the law, the justice of God has been manifested,… 22 that is, the justice of God through faith in Jesus Christ, for all those who believe; because there is no distinction; 23 because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
And today, speaking of his own people, the nation of Israel, Paul adds: What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue justice, have achieved justice, that is, justice that is by faith; 31 but Israel, who pursued a justice by the law, did not reach it. 32 Why? Because they pursued it not by faith, but as by works of the law, and so they stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written: Behold , I put in Zion a stumbling block and a stone to fall over; And whoever believes in him will not be ashamed.
Satan wants to persuade us that salvation comes, at least in part, through our works. To think this is precisely to stumble over the stumbling block, which is Christ Jesus crucified to redeem sinners. If we could win peace with God by our works, then the Son of God would have died unnecessarily. But it's not like that. The difficult reality for our pride is that we have nothing to offer God that could contribute to salvation.
But do not worry. Not tomorrow, but today, God again gives you good news: the end of the law is Christ, for justice to all who believe ... Because the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus Lord our ... Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have also obtained entrance by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we glory in hope of the glory of God.
The Covid19 pandemic reminds us, more strongly than we are used to, that physical death is closer than we usually think. Let us pray to God that we, and many more people, are convinced that today is the day. Because today, Christ comes to us with his righteousness, his grace, his forgiveness. Today. Right now.
And tomorrow, when , by recognizing your sin again, you realize that you have wasted another day, then it will be the day of your peace all over again. Because Christ Jesus makes each day new, with his cleansing and healing blood. Jesus is always willing to hear your repentance again, and take away your sins, and make you pleasing to his Father again. This is not an invitation to sin. But the love of Christ is that strong . He loves to forgive the honestly repentant sinner, in order to keep us within his flock.
We come together to hear, receive and celebrate these truths, the things that are of our peace. Meeting in person or not yet during the pandemic remains a very difficult decision. We all want to be together, and it is not possible to celebrate the Lord´s Supper from a distance. At the same time, due to different levels of vulnerability, due to different circumstances, and all the doubts we live with today, it is understandable that some still decide not to come in person. And this is fine. We are not Christians and brothers for facing risks, nor for being cautious. We are Christians only by the grace of Christ, who has treated each of us with undeserved grace, sharing with us the divine love and eternal life we could ever deserve. Therefore, let us continue to treat each other in this same grace, trusting that He who became incarnate and suffered the Cross to give us Peace with God can also take care of us today.
Today is the day. Christ is with us, and with him, the Spirit and the eternal Father also come. So today we have Peace, the Peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, and which will guard your hearts and your minds, in Christ Jesus, until eternal life, Amen.
August 16, A + D 2020
Today? Yes today!
https://youtu.be/xRQ3eOH3kdw
Oh, if you also knew, at least in this your day, what is for your peace!
It's not that the Devil wants to persuade us that itma´s not important to have a good relationship with God. He knows this lie doesn't have much credibility. Even today, when the prestige of Christianity is getting lower and lower among the elites of the culture, still in the hearts of the great majority of people the conviction remains that we need to have a friend in God. No, the Devil knows better than this; he is more subtle. He doesn't deny the importance of fixing your relationship with God. But, tomorrow.
"There is no rush," says the evil one." Of course it´s important, but you can leave it to another day, when you have things in your life better organized, then you can do what it takes to have a good relationship with God, without stress." "Don't worry," the enemy whispers, "tomorrow." "Leave it for tomorrow, and the Lord will understand."
It's true, the Lord understands. He understands very well this lie of Satan and how pleasant it is to our ears. And therefore today the Holy Spirit has provided us with readings to disperse and correct this lie, really, the two ugliest lies that Satan wants to proclaim.
First, the Devil wants to persuade us that today is not the day, and second, that we can do whatever it takes to fix our relationship with God.
Today is the day. It is always the day in which we must have peace with God. Every day. The day that Jesus wept for Jerusalem, on the original Palm Sunday; and the day of your birth; and today, in the midst of the madness of August, 2020. We were created to live each day, each moment, in holy and intimate communion with the Lord. Living in a cheerful and constant dependence on God is the divine plan for human beings. It is the only lasting way to live, because the Lord God is the only source of life.
When we rebelled against our heavenly Father in the garden, the day we declared ourselves independent from the Almighty, our death and punishment were guaranteed. Spiritually, Adam and Eve died at the time of eating. They separated from their intimate communion with God, and their physical death was coming. Only by the love and grace of God was our eternal destruction postponed, because God still loved us, despite our rebellion. Besides, he already had his plan to save us.
The Lord gave the serpent's promise of a Savior, and then announced the curses of the life human, which would serve as daily reminders of our constant need for the promised Savior, he who would crush the head of the Devil. Every day since, down to today, the Lord calls us to trust this Promise.
Trusting in this Promise is the best way to endure the difficulties of life in this world plagued by sin, and it is the only way to have peace with God. Only by living in the promise of the Savior, and consummated and revealed in Christ Jesus, only by living this way can say with St. Paul that "to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Because living in this faith, nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Today is the day of the things of our Peace. It does not matter if we think of earthly, spiritual, or eternal life. Today is the day that we know what that is necessary for our peace. To live in a different way is to continue in the original rebellion of our human race. The enemy tempts us to think that life according to the plan of the Lord is a fastidious and joyless life. But the truth is that the Christian life is the life of love, the life of true joy, without shame, without guilt, without tears. The perfection of this life remains in the future, it is true, but today it is also the best life , even with the tears and failures that we suffer from sin . Living in Christ is real, joyous life. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
Satan´s first lie today is that having peace with God is something that can wait for another day, "tomorrow." The second lie that the Holy Spirit wants to reveal and correct is the idea that we can do the things that are for our peace.
Let us remember that Jesus wept over Jerusalem and prayed that she would know the things of her peace on the Sunday before Good Friday. The Son of God was entering his great work, he would finally step on the head of the serpent and thus free all the children of Adam and Eve from their slavery. This context should help us remember that achieving our peace with God is not within our power. The solution can only come from God, and it came when Jesus accepted and suffered our punishment and our death. We receive this victory, this peace, when we believe and trust that this victory was achieved for us . Jesus and his Cross and Resurrection are the things that won us peace with God . And we always receive them by faith.
Satan often tries to take advantage of our laziness, ( Relax, you can wait until tomorrow ), then our pride ( and then you'll do what it takes to please the Lord ). When we think of salvation, we naturally think that we should and can do something to contribute to the good relationship we need with God. If not, then we would be completely dependent on the goodness of God.
And so it is. We are totally dependent. Peace with God is always a gift received. It comes by faith, not because of our works. As Saint Paul says to the Romans in chapter 3: But now, apart from the law, the justice of God has been manifested,… 22 that is, the justice of God through faith in Jesus Christ, for all those who believe; because there is no distinction; 23 because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
And today, speaking of his own people, the nation of Israel, Paul adds: What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue justice, have achieved justice, that is, justice that is by faith; 31 but Israel, who pursued a justice by the law, did not reach it. 32 Why? Because they pursued it not by faith, but as by works of the law, and so they stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written: Behold , I put in Zion a stumbling block and a stone to fall over; And whoever believes in him will not be ashamed.
Satan wants to persuade us that salvation comes, at least in part, through our works. To think this is precisely to stumble over the stumbling block, which is Christ Jesus crucified to redeem sinners. If we could win peace with God by our works, then the Son of God would have died unnecessarily. But it's not like that. The difficult reality for our pride is that we have nothing to offer God that could contribute to salvation.
But do not worry. Not tomorrow, but today, God again gives you good news: the end of the law is Christ, for justice to all who believe ... Because the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus Lord our ... Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have also obtained entrance by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we glory in hope of the glory of God.
The Covid19 pandemic reminds us, more strongly than we are used to, that physical death is closer than we usually think. Let us pray to God that we, and many more people, are convinced that today is the day. Because today, Christ comes to us with his righteousness, his grace, his forgiveness. Today. Right now.
And tomorrow, when , by recognizing your sin again, you realize that you have wasted another day, then it will be the day of your peace all over again. Because Christ Jesus makes each day new, with his cleansing and healing blood. Jesus is always willing to hear your repentance again, and take away your sins, and make you pleasing to his Father again. This is not an invitation to sin. But the love of Christ is that strong . He loves to forgive the honestly repentant sinner, in order to keep us within his flock.
We come together to hear, receive and celebrate these truths, the things that are of our peace. Meeting in person or not yet during the pandemic remains a very difficult decision. We all want to be together, and it is not possible to celebrate the Lord´s Supper from a distance. At the same time, due to different levels of vulnerability, due to different circumstances, and all the doubts we live with today, it is understandable that some still decide not to come in person. And this is fine. We are not Christians and brothers for facing risks, nor for being cautious. We are Christians only by the grace of Christ, who has treated each of us with undeserved grace, sharing with us the divine love and eternal life we could ever deserve. Therefore, let us continue to treat each other in this same grace, trusting that He who became incarnate and suffered the Cross to give us Peace with God can also take care of us today.
Today is the day. Christ is with us, and with him, the Spirit and the eternal Father also come. So today we have Peace, the Peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, and which will guard your hearts and your minds, in Christ Jesus, until eternal life, Amen.
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