Holyrood Church 715 West 179 Street, Upper West side Manhattan, USA, 212-923-3770 holyroodsantacruznyc@gmail.com

The Red Corner of Fr. Luis

The empty tomb

Submitted by holyroodchurch on December 27, 2019 - 11:46

First, the Gospel tells us that a woman, Mary Magdalene, was the first witness of the resurrection of Jesus because when the rest of the disciples hid because they were afraid or too entertained with the affairs of the daily life , she did not lose faith and went out to meet the risen Jesus. And here the invitation for today is that we don't lose faith, that is, don't let them discourage us. That is why today I want to find the resurrection of finding heaven here on earth. That is, to live this transformation you don't have to die, you just have to learn to live.

 

Compassion over pain and shame

Submitted by holyroodchurch on December 21, 2019 - 16:48

Good morning, happy Saturday and blessings my dear Holyrood family. I remind you that tomorrow Sunday we will have our Community Masses and Eucharist ‪at 10:00 am‬ in English & ASL and in Spanish ‪at 12:00 pm‬. 
 
During the sermon I want to take a moment to consider the faithfulness of Joseph. We hear a lot about Mary, and rightly so. She was, after all, the mother of Jesus, the only person constant in the life of Jesus from the cradle to the grave. But what do we know about Joseph? So, in the sermon we are going to take just a moment to give Joseph his due.
 

Mary dissipates

Submitted by holyroodchurch on December 20, 2019 - 10:18

In the Gospel of Luke 1:35-38 we will be reflecting on the humility, in particular, the submission in Mary's spirit when she responded to the angel in this way: Behold the servant of the Lord; be done with me according to your word. For example; Are you currently facing an unexpected situation that you don't know how to solve? Are you going through economic problems? Do you suffer anguish and fear for having to leave your home country? Have you experienced the immense pain of losing a loved one?

Belen's Path

Submitted by holyroodchurch on December 19, 2019 - 20:59

Today's Biblical narrative is in the Gospel of Matthew (2: 1) and tells us: After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the time of King Herod, behold, some magicians from the east came to Jerusalem. On the road to Belen we meet Jesus the Christ.  But also… On that road to Bethlehem we must ask God: That our Church fight firmly and tenaciously against all forms of injustice and oppression, exposing the social mechanisms that generate them.

Be the difference

Submitted by holyroodchurch on December 19, 2019 - 20:54

Today I woke up thinking about what we can learn from the life of Zacchaeus. The Bible says in Luke 19: 3-4: Zacchaeus was trying to see who Jesus was, but he was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature. So, he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
 

How is your trust in God today?

Submitted by holyroodchurch on December 16, 2019 - 07:40

How is your trust in God today? Psalm 56: 3 says: When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

Trust is a state of mind that takes most of us a significant amount of time to develop but is easily broken with words and actions. With trust being so hard to develop between people, how much harder is it for us to trust in a God we cannot see or touch? 

God uses problems to MATURE US

Submitted by holyroodchurch on December 16, 2019 - 07:36

God uses problems to MATURE US.

 Without a doubt, the truth is that maturity is achieved through the problems solved with responsibility.  Our character is built when we respond correctly to the adversities of life.  Did you know that God is more interested in building character in your life, than in your comfort and convenience?

 The apostle Paul writing to the church in Rome tells them:  And not only that, but we[a] also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope (Romans 5:3-4).

The ghost of discouragement

Submitted by holyroodchurch on December 11, 2019 - 14:39

 

 

In the Gospel of Luke 24 (13-35) we are told; That same day two of them were heading to a town called Emmaus. Emmaus's is a very clear example of the mood of the majority on the day of resurrection. They have lost hope and return to their homes, because their faith was insufficient. They are sad and disenchanted. When, on that terrible Friday, Jesus, instead of

climbing David's throne, was raised on the cross, his disciples felt the collapse of much of their hopes.

 

The Faith

Submitted by holyroodchurch on December 10, 2019 - 15:11

Last night I participated inone of the most painful meetings - emotionally, spiritually and physically -that I have experienced in my life as a priest. And I've been through many. I realized the pain that I have caused in some people and what they have caused me. But this experience that also had its positive actions reminded me of a Biblical scripture which I learned when I was only 6 years old: And my righteous ones will live by faith. (Hebrews 10:38)

 

The Repetance

Submitted by holyroodchurch on December 7, 2019 - 17:43

Tomorrow it is our Second Sunday of Advent and during the sermon we will make a reflection and I will be arguing that in order to unite opposite people, true repentance is needed if we want to get along. I am in search of that true repentance; what about you?

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