(Obra en un acto./One act play.)
PERSONAJES
- Padre de un niño de cuatro años
- Niño de cuatro años
1ra ESCENA. Un salón comedor. En él, una mesa de comedor y sus cuatro sillas. Sobre la mesa se encuentran un paquete recién abierto de galletas Oreo y otro de cartas UNO con los personajes de Winnie Pu. El padre del niño de cuatro años y el niño de cuatro años han estado jugando a las cartas UNO y devorando sin misericordia las galletas Oreo desde hace un rato. El padre ha ganado todas las partidas hasta el momento. Eso habría de cambiar.
Padre: -Tu turno, hijo.
Niño: -(Con sobrada determinación.) Ahora voy a ganar yo, papá.
Padre: -(Confiado en su racha de victorias hasta el momento.) Muy bien. Te toca, hijo.
Niño: -(Pone la carta de Tigger – “Wild Card”.) Lo cambio a rojo.
Padre: -No tengo rojo. Tendré que coger una carta. (Mirándola.) No es roja. Te toca.
Niño: -(Pone una carta “Draw Two” y le dirige una mirada y sonrisa maliciosas a su padre.)
Padre: -(Cogiendo dos cartas.) Éso no es nada de gracioso, hijo.
Niño: -(Misma mirada y sonrisa maliciosas.)
Padre: -Tu turno, hijo. ¿No te parece que ya has comido demasiadas galletas Oreo?
Niño: -(Asintiendo con la boca llena.) Ujum.
Padre: -Te toca, hijo.
Niño: -(Pone otra carta “Draw Two” y reacciona de la misma manera que la última vez.)
Padre: -(Coge solamente una carta queriéndose pasar de listo.) Te dije que eso no es nada de gracioso, hijo.
Niño: -(Hablando con la boca llena.) Te falta una carta, papá.
Padre: -(Con burla imitadora.) Te falta una carta, papá.
Niño: -(A punto de ganar y más rápido que un rayo.) ¡UNO! (Coge una galleta Oreo y comienza a devorarla con gusto.)
Padre: -(Habiendo terminado él mismo de comerse una galleta Oreo.) Hijo, ¿no te parece que estás comiendo demasiadas galletas Oreo?
Niño: -(Asintiendo con la boca llena.) Ujum.
Padre: -(Su mala suerte es evidente.) No tengo cartas que poner. Tendré que coger una.
Niño: -(Poniendo la carta de Tigger – “Wild Card”.) ¡GANÉ! (Coge otra galleta Oreo. Sonriendo.) ¡Te lo dije, papá, que iba a ganar!
Padre: -(Breve silencio de mal perdedor. Se consuela con otra galleta Oreo.) ¿Sabes qué, hijo? A mamá también le gustan las galletas Oreo. ¿Qué te parece si le dejamos estas cuatro galletas que quedan en el paquete?
Niño: -Está bien, papá.
Padre: -En el próximo juego no vas a tener tanta suerte, hijo.
Niño: -(Con igual determinación que al principio.) Voy a ganar YO, papá.
El padre del niño de cuatro años perdió las próximas cuatro partidas contra el cuatroañero antes de volver a ganar.
24.11.04
11.10.04
Poema
(Para Aixa.)
Te amo con la gravedad de mi voz incandescente.
Con mi vista serena
y sin mi rostro sonriente.
Con el corazón palpitando apaciguado,
sin la euforia del sol quemándonos
y con la brisa de la luna a nuestro lado.
Te amo un día tras otro
con el paso lento de las nubes,
sus lluvias arropadas por la oscuridad.
Sin las muchas palabras de mi mente,
con estas mis ásperas manos
enraizadas muy en mi interior
de donde se nutren para tomar las tuyas,
besarlas y continuar a tu lado.
cspellot1999
Te amo con la gravedad de mi voz incandescente.
Con mi vista serena
y sin mi rostro sonriente.
Con el corazón palpitando apaciguado,
sin la euforia del sol quemándonos
y con la brisa de la luna a nuestro lado.
Te amo un día tras otro
con el paso lento de las nubes,
sus lluvias arropadas por la oscuridad.
Sin las muchas palabras de mi mente,
con estas mis ásperas manos
enraizadas muy en mi interior
de donde se nutren para tomar las tuyas,
besarlas y continuar a tu lado.
cspellot1999
23.9.04
What's in a medal?
(Ensayo/Essay. Note: On 21st October, the CAS ruled the final standings of the All Around event at the Olympics 2004 to remain unchanged. Paul Hamm remains the sole gold medal winner of the event and All Around Olympic champion.)
The Games of the XXVIII Olympiad in Athens, Greece have gone into oblivion save for some important things here and there. As stated in the official Games’ website,
These Games were stamped with a record-breaking zone from day one. It added for an incredibly thrilling Olympiad that showed the caliber of the 21st century athlete and the results of the rigors of training and discipline, but this Olympiad was also filled with not so thrilling moments.
Can we forget the final stretch towards Panathinaiko Stadium and the hopes for Brazilian gold in the men’s marathon being robbed by a lunatic? What about the record-breaking doping scandals and athletes being stripped of medals and kicked out of the Games? Not a pretty picture considering that a trip to the Olympics, besides being a top athlete’s hard earned wage, is a privilege too.
Sadly enough, we’ve also had back to back scandalous Olympics that once promised to be entirely otherwise. Just a couple of years ago, the Winter Games in Salt Lake City reached its peak not out of Olympic joy but right out of the opposite. On the last day of figure skating, eyes were fixed on TVs all over the world to see the high profile final and then, one judge screwed up the numbers! The effects of her actions reverberated like tornados across Midwestern America.
It’s interesting that Athens can be called Salt Lake City’s déjà vu. The president of the IOC claims they are quite distinct situations, but the scandal (he would rather called it controversy), once more, was caused by judging ineptitude. Of course, the judges get a pretty hard slap on the hand, but the spotlight remains on the athletes with the wrong medal on their necks.
Sometimes, Olympic Committees and Federations can solve the problems in a way that satisfies all parties, like in Salt Lake City and even if it’s not the very best of resolutions. At other times they just, plain and dumb, drop the ball, as in Athens. Sometimes (and there is precedent), the athlete intervenes when awarded a medal incorrectly and corrects the mishap. Sportsmanship is served and the athlete grows in estimation before his or her peers not to say the world’s sports-loving community.
Isn’t that what the games should be about? Sportsmanship? Why, yes. But the dreams of Olympic glory are sometimes too recurrent for some athletes and sportsmanship may be laid down at the sacrificial altar of Olympic glory.
The American Paul Hamm, the men’s gold medalist in the Gymnastics All-Around event, proved just that. We can all rightfully blame the judges, but Sportsmanship still belongs to the sportsmen. Mr. Hamm is not even willing to share a gold medal (the USOC did consider it at one point) with whom, had the judges been able to put their act together, would have been, at least, the by-the-numbers gold medalist, the South Korean Yang Tae Young. A very, very sad case of mistaken medal identities that could have been avoided.
At the Olympics, a silver medal (Mr. Hamm’s rightful award) is not bad at all, but don’t make the mistake, my friend, of thinking it’s Olympic glory. While the podium with its 1st, 2nd and 3rd steps signaled Olympic glory not too long ago, nowadays Olympic glory seems to have shifted towards the gold rush.
The glory, however, has come at a high price for Mr. Hamm. The South Korean Olympic Committee has taken the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, always the last resort when disputes among athletes remain unsettled, and it will be heard by the end of this month. I’ll go right ahead and say it is likely the Court will dictate a duplicate gold medal for Mr. Young; something Mr. Hamm is opposed to. What he might not be seriously considering is that the Court may rule that he be stripped of the gold medal in exchange for the silver. No one in the world will be surprised or outraged (except the USOC, of course) because that is what should have happened on the floor the day the All-Around event took place.
Both Mr. Young and Mr. Hamm have left Athens with a common sour experience. So much for Olympic glory. The failure of the organizations in charge, the FIG and the IOC (which in particular moved swiftly towards a resolution at Salt Lake City) to deal with their crass management of this Olympic scandal will be dealt with in time… sometime. Perhaps, the anti-doping entities of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games should submit judges to the same screening athletes undergo. Meanwhile, Mr. Hamm wants to dodge the bullet, and he has reason to dodge it, but the truth is that (on Olympic principle) he can’t. All eyes are on him not on the Koreans or the regulating bodies with jurisdiction.
It is good that values like sportsmanship and magnanimity exist in the field of Athletics as in all other areas of life. In a situation like his, Mr. Hamm would do well to assail himself of these high values and still retain a medal. The former are worth much more than ten gold medals combined; yet, I am afraid those are not the priorities when it comes to the medal count and Olympic glory. Besides, as the situation gets farther removed from the its Olympic scenario, timing starts working against Mr. Hamm.
The South Koreans do have a case against the Americans, as did the Canadians against the Russians in Salt Lake City two years ago. That’s why they have pushed the envelope so far.
Mr. Hamm’s athletic capabilities are not in question here. His comeback in the All-Around event was nothing short of miraculous. He can take credit for being among the best athletes who participated in Athens, but he knows, however reluctantly, that in one particular event he came out on top while not being the very best. It simply prompts the questions, Is Olympic gold really about glory? Or sometimes, like a wolf, does greed come in sheep’s clothing?
The Games of the XXVIII Olympiad in Athens, Greece have gone into oblivion save for some important things here and there. As stated in the official Games’ website,
Great games, indeed. Who can forget Michael Phelps on a world record-setting swimming rampage? We won’t forget the South African swimming team coming out of nowhere and winning the gold in the 4x100 freestyle relay. Can anyone forget Puerto Rico taking the U. S. basketball team to the ISB (International School of Basketball)?“These Games broke many records. Athens hosted 11,099 athletes, the largest number ever and also the most women athletes ever. Representatives of 202 countries took part, more than any other sport event. The Olympic flame traveled for the first time to all continents. Shot Put was held in Olympia and women competed there for the first time.”
These Games were stamped with a record-breaking zone from day one. It added for an incredibly thrilling Olympiad that showed the caliber of the 21st century athlete and the results of the rigors of training and discipline, but this Olympiad was also filled with not so thrilling moments.
Can we forget the final stretch towards Panathinaiko Stadium and the hopes for Brazilian gold in the men’s marathon being robbed by a lunatic? What about the record-breaking doping scandals and athletes being stripped of medals and kicked out of the Games? Not a pretty picture considering that a trip to the Olympics, besides being a top athlete’s hard earned wage, is a privilege too.
Sadly enough, we’ve also had back to back scandalous Olympics that once promised to be entirely otherwise. Just a couple of years ago, the Winter Games in Salt Lake City reached its peak not out of Olympic joy but right out of the opposite. On the last day of figure skating, eyes were fixed on TVs all over the world to see the high profile final and then, one judge screwed up the numbers! The effects of her actions reverberated like tornados across Midwestern America.
It’s interesting that Athens can be called Salt Lake City’s déjà vu. The president of the IOC claims they are quite distinct situations, but the scandal (he would rather called it controversy), once more, was caused by judging ineptitude. Of course, the judges get a pretty hard slap on the hand, but the spotlight remains on the athletes with the wrong medal on their necks.
Sometimes, Olympic Committees and Federations can solve the problems in a way that satisfies all parties, like in Salt Lake City and even if it’s not the very best of resolutions. At other times they just, plain and dumb, drop the ball, as in Athens. Sometimes (and there is precedent), the athlete intervenes when awarded a medal incorrectly and corrects the mishap. Sportsmanship is served and the athlete grows in estimation before his or her peers not to say the world’s sports-loving community.
Isn’t that what the games should be about? Sportsmanship? Why, yes. But the dreams of Olympic glory are sometimes too recurrent for some athletes and sportsmanship may be laid down at the sacrificial altar of Olympic glory.
The American Paul Hamm, the men’s gold medalist in the Gymnastics All-Around event, proved just that. We can all rightfully blame the judges, but Sportsmanship still belongs to the sportsmen. Mr. Hamm is not even willing to share a gold medal (the USOC did consider it at one point) with whom, had the judges been able to put their act together, would have been, at least, the by-the-numbers gold medalist, the South Korean Yang Tae Young. A very, very sad case of mistaken medal identities that could have been avoided.
At the Olympics, a silver medal (Mr. Hamm’s rightful award) is not bad at all, but don’t make the mistake, my friend, of thinking it’s Olympic glory. While the podium with its 1st, 2nd and 3rd steps signaled Olympic glory not too long ago, nowadays Olympic glory seems to have shifted towards the gold rush.
The glory, however, has come at a high price for Mr. Hamm. The South Korean Olympic Committee has taken the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, always the last resort when disputes among athletes remain unsettled, and it will be heard by the end of this month. I’ll go right ahead and say it is likely the Court will dictate a duplicate gold medal for Mr. Young; something Mr. Hamm is opposed to. What he might not be seriously considering is that the Court may rule that he be stripped of the gold medal in exchange for the silver. No one in the world will be surprised or outraged (except the USOC, of course) because that is what should have happened on the floor the day the All-Around event took place.
Both Mr. Young and Mr. Hamm have left Athens with a common sour experience. So much for Olympic glory. The failure of the organizations in charge, the FIG and the IOC (which in particular moved swiftly towards a resolution at Salt Lake City) to deal with their crass management of this Olympic scandal will be dealt with in time… sometime. Perhaps, the anti-doping entities of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games should submit judges to the same screening athletes undergo. Meanwhile, Mr. Hamm wants to dodge the bullet, and he has reason to dodge it, but the truth is that (on Olympic principle) he can’t. All eyes are on him not on the Koreans or the regulating bodies with jurisdiction.
It is good that values like sportsmanship and magnanimity exist in the field of Athletics as in all other areas of life. In a situation like his, Mr. Hamm would do well to assail himself of these high values and still retain a medal. The former are worth much more than ten gold medals combined; yet, I am afraid those are not the priorities when it comes to the medal count and Olympic glory. Besides, as the situation gets farther removed from the its Olympic scenario, timing starts working against Mr. Hamm.
The South Koreans do have a case against the Americans, as did the Canadians against the Russians in Salt Lake City two years ago. That’s why they have pushed the envelope so far.
Mr. Hamm’s athletic capabilities are not in question here. His comeback in the All-Around event was nothing short of miraculous. He can take credit for being among the best athletes who participated in Athens, but he knows, however reluctantly, that in one particular event he came out on top while not being the very best. It simply prompts the questions, Is Olympic gold really about glory? Or sometimes, like a wolf, does greed come in sheep’s clothing?
21.9.04
Anastasia
(Poema escrito en Semana Santa, 2004. Poem written on Holy Week, 2004.)
I will see the Sun after the long end of this night.
My eyes that only see tonight
what seems to be forever darkness.
My skin that slowly yielded
to the cold threat of Time.
My thoughts that are suspended…
My heart that has stopped…
Yet I await the long end of this night.
I await this Sun’s bright rays to waken me.
Then my spirit thawed
Forever I will see the Sun in the long beginning
of the Morning.
cspellot2004
I will see the Sun after the long end of this night.
My eyes that only see tonight
what seems to be forever darkness.
My skin that slowly yielded
to the cold threat of Time.
My thoughts that are suspended…
My heart that has stopped…
Yet I await the long end of this night.
I await this Sun’s bright rays to waken me.
Then my spirit thawed
Forever I will see the Sun in the long beginning
of the Morning.
cspellot2004
19.9.04
Ya sólo duermo, Dios
(Soneto/sonnet)
Ya sólo duermo, Dios, y hace tiempo que no hablamos.
Camino en mi sueño contigo a mis espaldas.
Llevo el pecho abierto y bien no sé cuán cerca estamos
De un corazón también abierto y seco, sin faldas.
Mis ojos abiertos y mis pasos inciertos
Te buscan a tientas bajo las nubes negras.
¡Cuán cerca estamos, Dios, en este mundo de desiertos!
Nosotros los desiertos que Tú, oasis, siempre alegras.
No te importa ir en pos de una veleta, viento eres.
Yo sigo fiel a mi sendero sin horizonte,
Mi paso le dice al otro al pasar, “Lento mueres.”
Y Tú, aún en mi sueño, sigues fiel a tu sendero,
Que ondulando se pierde entre espinos y las rocas…
Hallas lo perdido y dices, “Darte vida quiero.”
cspellot2004
Ya sólo duermo, Dios, y hace tiempo que no hablamos.
Camino en mi sueño contigo a mis espaldas.
Llevo el pecho abierto y bien no sé cuán cerca estamos
De un corazón también abierto y seco, sin faldas.
Mis ojos abiertos y mis pasos inciertos
Te buscan a tientas bajo las nubes negras.
¡Cuán cerca estamos, Dios, en este mundo de desiertos!
Nosotros los desiertos que Tú, oasis, siempre alegras.
No te importa ir en pos de una veleta, viento eres.
Yo sigo fiel a mi sendero sin horizonte,
Mi paso le dice al otro al pasar, “Lento mueres.”
Y Tú, aún en mi sueño, sigues fiel a tu sendero,
Que ondulando se pierde entre espinos y las rocas…
Hallas lo perdido y dices, “Darte vida quiero.”
cspellot2004
13.9.04
Now or death!
(Short story/cuento)
There he was, chilling, when a man came rushing ’round the corner and said panting, “You gotta come. It’s a matter of now or death!” He didn’t give it a thought; he never did when someone else needed help. Focused so intently on the man’s words, everything around him went instantly into slow motion. They both rushed back around the corner. There was a car flipped upside down. It was beginning flare. The increasing flames warned the few bystanders “Keep your distance”. Someone among them had managed to call 911.
“There’s a baby in the back seat,” the man said to him. He was almost certain about what this was all about and said, starting an internal monologue that flavored of denial, “This is just great! One minute I’m cool and the next I’m ‘bout to burn. Oh God! You know I’m not cut out for this kind of thing. In fact, you know I’m actually pretty chicken shit.” Little did he know that many of the bystanders were actually thinking along those lines.
The baby’s cries were getting louder. The car’s tires were on fire now sending darkness into the night sky. A nanosecond went by and within his mind, “How can so much light create so much darkness?” There was no one to be found in the front seats. The windows were rolled down and the seatbelts unfastened. What in the world could have happened?
He thought of a fire extinguisher and turned to the man who had brought him there, but, all of a sudden, he was nowhere to be found. He suddenly realized that the man could have had something to do with the accident, but how could he be certain? The light brought him back. “Anybody has a fire extinguisher?” he asked out loud. No one answered; the car had become a huge nightlight, but the fire had not gotten into the interior of the car yet. Everybody assumed the car was a bomb waiting to explode any second now. They were right and that’s why everybody stayed at bay. The baby’s cries were still being heard quite clearly. The sirens of the Emergency Response Team brought a gleam of hope to all as they were heard in the distance.
As the car burned faster, the baby’s cries elongated in desperation, or was it asphyxia? He hesitated, “Will they get here on time?” He rushed to the car only to jump back. The heat wave coming from the car had hit him hard. He approached the car in a crouching position, got inside it through the front passenger window and started unfastening the baby in what was a very horrendous, and never anticipated, first encounter with a car seat. The speed of his thoughts had rendered the convention of time meaningless. He fought against despair, both his and the baby’s. He fought against fear. Right there, in an upside down car, he fought the hounds of hell and one of them managed to bite him.
When his right arm caught fire, everything transpiring inside his head came to a halt. However, time has gone on, as usual, ignoring the precariousness of the human state.
The pain was to blame when he woke up. He had his right arm wrapped from his fingers all the way up to his shoulder. His head felt like someone was pulling his hair in a constant yanking motion. It was wrapped as well; all third degree burns. After coming to grips with reality, he knew were he was.
As if performing a miracle, he managed to call the nurse and, when she came in, begged her to put him out of his misery. She went out and before a minute had gone by came back with some heavy drug inside a syringe. He didn’t feel the sting of the needle piercing his flesh, but felt the pressure of the drug in the area of the shot. As it spread through his body, images strolled through his mind. The man, the corner, the car, the light, the sirens, the baby… the hounds of hell.
Muttered words came out of his mouth, “The baby?” “The baby’s fine,” said the nurse. “Who else?” was all he could add. The nurse knew better than to keep answering questions, so she let her silence do the talking for a bit. “Let’s get some rest now, honey. It’ll do you good,” she concluded softly. At this, he understood that whoever else was in that car couldn't have possibly made it save by a miracle.
The strolling images were fading past the line between awareness and dream and it seemed that everything was thrown suddenly into a perennial slow motion.
As usual, time went on... The car never exploded... And he dreamed...
cspellot2004
There he was, chilling, when a man came rushing ’round the corner and said panting, “You gotta come. It’s a matter of now or death!” He didn’t give it a thought; he never did when someone else needed help. Focused so intently on the man’s words, everything around him went instantly into slow motion. They both rushed back around the corner. There was a car flipped upside down. It was beginning flare. The increasing flames warned the few bystanders “Keep your distance”. Someone among them had managed to call 911.
“There’s a baby in the back seat,” the man said to him. He was almost certain about what this was all about and said, starting an internal monologue that flavored of denial, “This is just great! One minute I’m cool and the next I’m ‘bout to burn. Oh God! You know I’m not cut out for this kind of thing. In fact, you know I’m actually pretty chicken shit.” Little did he know that many of the bystanders were actually thinking along those lines.
The baby’s cries were getting louder. The car’s tires were on fire now sending darkness into the night sky. A nanosecond went by and within his mind, “How can so much light create so much darkness?” There was no one to be found in the front seats. The windows were rolled down and the seatbelts unfastened. What in the world could have happened?
He thought of a fire extinguisher and turned to the man who had brought him there, but, all of a sudden, he was nowhere to be found. He suddenly realized that the man could have had something to do with the accident, but how could he be certain? The light brought him back. “Anybody has a fire extinguisher?” he asked out loud. No one answered; the car had become a huge nightlight, but the fire had not gotten into the interior of the car yet. Everybody assumed the car was a bomb waiting to explode any second now. They were right and that’s why everybody stayed at bay. The baby’s cries were still being heard quite clearly. The sirens of the Emergency Response Team brought a gleam of hope to all as they were heard in the distance.
As the car burned faster, the baby’s cries elongated in desperation, or was it asphyxia? He hesitated, “Will they get here on time?” He rushed to the car only to jump back. The heat wave coming from the car had hit him hard. He approached the car in a crouching position, got inside it through the front passenger window and started unfastening the baby in what was a very horrendous, and never anticipated, first encounter with a car seat. The speed of his thoughts had rendered the convention of time meaningless. He fought against despair, both his and the baby’s. He fought against fear. Right there, in an upside down car, he fought the hounds of hell and one of them managed to bite him.
When his right arm caught fire, everything transpiring inside his head came to a halt. However, time has gone on, as usual, ignoring the precariousness of the human state.
The pain was to blame when he woke up. He had his right arm wrapped from his fingers all the way up to his shoulder. His head felt like someone was pulling his hair in a constant yanking motion. It was wrapped as well; all third degree burns. After coming to grips with reality, he knew were he was.
As if performing a miracle, he managed to call the nurse and, when she came in, begged her to put him out of his misery. She went out and before a minute had gone by came back with some heavy drug inside a syringe. He didn’t feel the sting of the needle piercing his flesh, but felt the pressure of the drug in the area of the shot. As it spread through his body, images strolled through his mind. The man, the corner, the car, the light, the sirens, the baby… the hounds of hell.
Muttered words came out of his mouth, “The baby?” “The baby’s fine,” said the nurse. “Who else?” was all he could add. The nurse knew better than to keep answering questions, so she let her silence do the talking for a bit. “Let’s get some rest now, honey. It’ll do you good,” she concluded softly. At this, he understood that whoever else was in that car couldn't have possibly made it save by a miracle.
The strolling images were fading past the line between awareness and dream and it seemed that everything was thrown suddenly into a perennial slow motion.
As usual, time went on... The car never exploded... And he dreamed...
cspellot2004
On the gift of parenthood
(Essay/ensayo)
Parenthood raises the level of awe married couples have by virtue of their relationship. Marriage is a wonder in and of itself. The fact that two sinful people decide not to live for themselves anymore but for each other is really admirable, and whether they realize it or not, the type of relationship couples have points to a reality beyond love expressed in human terms. A commitment made “till death do us part” and held until that happens cannot be explained unless God’s grace and love are taken as part of such commitment. The Church has shown great wisdom in holding matrimony as a sacrament. For a couple to ponder about the good, the bad and the ugly as they grow old together will never cease to make them laugh, make them cry and above all amaze them, even if children are not part of it.
However, if the stork decides to pay the couple a visit, the ride they started on their wedding day will simply become more exciting. Married life is wonderful, married life with children is even more, because children bring so much into a marriage. Was there joy before them? There is more with them. Now mom and dad not only have each other to learn from, share, laugh and cry with; they have one or more little ones with whom to do that also. Growing old is a matter of course in life; parenthood makes it well worth it. A child falls nothing short of a miracle continually unfolding before our eyes and if no attention is paid we will simply miss it only to regret it later. And parenthood is one calling where regrets become harder to let go as time goes by.
Many young couples who are having marital problems wrongly assume that becoming parents will solve such problems. Bringing children into a troubled home may serve to buy some short-term peace for a couple; in the long run, children themselves unfortunately end up becoming the victims of problems many parents where not able to solve responsibly when they knew they had the chance. Marriage is wonderful, not easy, and the same applies to parenthood. Children increase responsibilities and considerably shorten the time mommy and daddy had for themselves prior to their arrival; they also get sick and are quite expensive. However, children are a gift of God, not a gift we give to ourselves. We simply don’t have such creativity. With them God gives us one of the greatest blessings anybody can experience, sleepless nights and tears included.
I am not puzzled by the lack of a day in our calendar celebrating marriage. In fact, there should not be any as marriage is to be celebrated it every day. It is nothing but the long run extension of the wedding day. Unfortunately, grown ups can mess up their lives and get divorced, although I don’t endorse nor recommend they do so. Yet, parenthood intensifies a healthy marriage relationship, it makes what is strong, stronger. When we pay tribute to our parents on Mother’s or Father’s Day, we celebrate, or at least we should, not only the issue of motherhood or fatherhood, but also that upon which fatherhood and motherhood are built – marriage. The actual relationship might or might not be there, but those days still celebrate it. In such homage a husband does not only say that the mother of his children is a loving and caring mother, he also says that she is a loving and caring wife to him, and so says the wife too.
Parenthood is God’s gift to Mankind; after all, it is He who has been a Father for eternity. God the Father can take the credit for being the mastermind behind the wonder of parenthood. He, who has given us such great blessings in our children, deserves undivided worship for giving us the greatest blessing in His Son Christ Jesus. The words of Paul the apostle to the Romans give us such a witness, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” Every good bestowed on a marriage is to be enjoyed. Of all, children should be enjoyed the most. That in itself is an act of thanksgiving.
cspellot2004
Parenthood raises the level of awe married couples have by virtue of their relationship. Marriage is a wonder in and of itself. The fact that two sinful people decide not to live for themselves anymore but for each other is really admirable, and whether they realize it or not, the type of relationship couples have points to a reality beyond love expressed in human terms. A commitment made “till death do us part” and held until that happens cannot be explained unless God’s grace and love are taken as part of such commitment. The Church has shown great wisdom in holding matrimony as a sacrament. For a couple to ponder about the good, the bad and the ugly as they grow old together will never cease to make them laugh, make them cry and above all amaze them, even if children are not part of it.
However, if the stork decides to pay the couple a visit, the ride they started on their wedding day will simply become more exciting. Married life is wonderful, married life with children is even more, because children bring so much into a marriage. Was there joy before them? There is more with them. Now mom and dad not only have each other to learn from, share, laugh and cry with; they have one or more little ones with whom to do that also. Growing old is a matter of course in life; parenthood makes it well worth it. A child falls nothing short of a miracle continually unfolding before our eyes and if no attention is paid we will simply miss it only to regret it later. And parenthood is one calling where regrets become harder to let go as time goes by.
Many young couples who are having marital problems wrongly assume that becoming parents will solve such problems. Bringing children into a troubled home may serve to buy some short-term peace for a couple; in the long run, children themselves unfortunately end up becoming the victims of problems many parents where not able to solve responsibly when they knew they had the chance. Marriage is wonderful, not easy, and the same applies to parenthood. Children increase responsibilities and considerably shorten the time mommy and daddy had for themselves prior to their arrival; they also get sick and are quite expensive. However, children are a gift of God, not a gift we give to ourselves. We simply don’t have such creativity. With them God gives us one of the greatest blessings anybody can experience, sleepless nights and tears included.
I am not puzzled by the lack of a day in our calendar celebrating marriage. In fact, there should not be any as marriage is to be celebrated it every day. It is nothing but the long run extension of the wedding day. Unfortunately, grown ups can mess up their lives and get divorced, although I don’t endorse nor recommend they do so. Yet, parenthood intensifies a healthy marriage relationship, it makes what is strong, stronger. When we pay tribute to our parents on Mother’s or Father’s Day, we celebrate, or at least we should, not only the issue of motherhood or fatherhood, but also that upon which fatherhood and motherhood are built – marriage. The actual relationship might or might not be there, but those days still celebrate it. In such homage a husband does not only say that the mother of his children is a loving and caring mother, he also says that she is a loving and caring wife to him, and so says the wife too.
Parenthood is God’s gift to Mankind; after all, it is He who has been a Father for eternity. God the Father can take the credit for being the mastermind behind the wonder of parenthood. He, who has given us such great blessings in our children, deserves undivided worship for giving us the greatest blessing in His Son Christ Jesus. The words of Paul the apostle to the Romans give us such a witness, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” Every good bestowed on a marriage is to be enjoyed. Of all, children should be enjoyed the most. That in itself is an act of thanksgiving.
cspellot2004
28.8.04
Dos cuentos cortos
(Two short stories.)
1
José se detuvo para amarrar el cabete del zapato izquierdo de su hijo de cuatro años. Eñangotado mientras hacía el lazo, vio a una mujer sentada con un pequeño de cuatro meses en sus brazos. Se acercó a ella un hombre, se arrodilló poniendo suavemente sus manos sobre las rodillas de ella y la miró a los ojos. Su mirada le dijo muchas cosas que ella claramente entendió. Para el hombre sobraban las palabras, excepto dos. “Te amo”, le dijo el hombre a la mujer con el pequeño dormido entre sus brazos. El hombre besó al pequeño dormido en los brazos de su madre y le susurró, “Te amo”. Fue como un momento sin tiempo, lleno de luz sin sol.
“¿Papá?”, interrumpió el pequeño de cuatro años. José completó el lazo, levantó su mirada y le sonrió más con sus ojos que con sus labios para tratar de esconder las lágrimas, y siguieron su camino.
cspellot2004
2
Era temprano en la mañana.
Él estaba distraído mirando los árboles y las nubes mientras esperaba sentado en las escaleras. De repente fijó sus ojos en una pequeña ave de largo pico, veloces alas y gracioso vuelo. La pequeña ave se detenía frente a las flores de un cercano árbol y parecía besarlas.
Permaneció estático, pues pensó que al más mínimo movimiento, el ave de veloces alas y gracioso vuelo notaría su presencia y volaría lejos de allí. Para su sorpresa, el ave notó su inmóvil presencia y se acercó a él recelosamente, guardando algo de distancia por aquello de asegurar una huida exitosa en caso de algún movimiento en falso por parte del extraño.
Gracias al movimiento rápido de sus alas, mantenía su cuerpo erguido en el aire como si flotara y, zigzagueando, observó por un breve instante aquella figura y pensó:
- ¡Qué cosa más extraña!
El hombre había guardado la misma posición desde el momento en que miró al ave y sólo con el movimiento de sus ojos podía seguirla. Cuando el ave de veloces alas y gracioso vuelo salió del alcance de su vista, el hombre decidió mover su cabeza para continuar viéndola. En ese preciso instante, ella se alejó tan rápido como pudo para refugiarse entre las ramas de otro árbol cercano. El hombre pensó:
- ¡Qué cosa más extraña!
Y continuó disfrutando del resto del panorama hasta que lo vinieron a buscar.
cspellot2004
1
José se detuvo para amarrar el cabete del zapato izquierdo de su hijo de cuatro años. Eñangotado mientras hacía el lazo, vio a una mujer sentada con un pequeño de cuatro meses en sus brazos. Se acercó a ella un hombre, se arrodilló poniendo suavemente sus manos sobre las rodillas de ella y la miró a los ojos. Su mirada le dijo muchas cosas que ella claramente entendió. Para el hombre sobraban las palabras, excepto dos. “Te amo”, le dijo el hombre a la mujer con el pequeño dormido entre sus brazos. El hombre besó al pequeño dormido en los brazos de su madre y le susurró, “Te amo”. Fue como un momento sin tiempo, lleno de luz sin sol.
“¿Papá?”, interrumpió el pequeño de cuatro años. José completó el lazo, levantó su mirada y le sonrió más con sus ojos que con sus labios para tratar de esconder las lágrimas, y siguieron su camino.
cspellot2004
2
Era temprano en la mañana.
Él estaba distraído mirando los árboles y las nubes mientras esperaba sentado en las escaleras. De repente fijó sus ojos en una pequeña ave de largo pico, veloces alas y gracioso vuelo. La pequeña ave se detenía frente a las flores de un cercano árbol y parecía besarlas.
Permaneció estático, pues pensó que al más mínimo movimiento, el ave de veloces alas y gracioso vuelo notaría su presencia y volaría lejos de allí. Para su sorpresa, el ave notó su inmóvil presencia y se acercó a él recelosamente, guardando algo de distancia por aquello de asegurar una huida exitosa en caso de algún movimiento en falso por parte del extraño.
Gracias al movimiento rápido de sus alas, mantenía su cuerpo erguido en el aire como si flotara y, zigzagueando, observó por un breve instante aquella figura y pensó:
- ¡Qué cosa más extraña!
El hombre había guardado la misma posición desde el momento en que miró al ave y sólo con el movimiento de sus ojos podía seguirla. Cuando el ave de veloces alas y gracioso vuelo salió del alcance de su vista, el hombre decidió mover su cabeza para continuar viéndola. En ese preciso instante, ella se alejó tan rápido como pudo para refugiarse entre las ramas de otro árbol cercano. El hombre pensó:
- ¡Qué cosa más extraña!
Y continuó disfrutando del resto del panorama hasta que lo vinieron a buscar.
cspellot2004
24.8.04
Tú y yo
(Poema para mi esposa. Poem for my wife.)
¿Se cerrarán tus ojos
antes que los míos?
No los cierres
sin antes darme un beso.
Te mirarán los míos
con sus labios en tu pecho.
¿Se cerrarán mis ojos
antes que los tuyos?
Se llevarán tu corazón
que ha sido mío.
Se abrazarán a tu alma
aunque hace frío.
¿Veré la luna
antes que anochezca?
¿Verás al sol
sin que amanezca?
Veremos, tú y yo, a la luna y al sol
tomados de la mano, sin tiempo...
Nos verán, la noche y el día,
tomados de la mano, siguiendo...
cspellot2004
¿Se cerrarán tus ojos
antes que los míos?
No los cierres
sin antes darme un beso.
Te mirarán los míos
con sus labios en tu pecho.
¿Se cerrarán mis ojos
antes que los tuyos?
Se llevarán tu corazón
que ha sido mío.
Se abrazarán a tu alma
aunque hace frío.
¿Veré la luna
antes que anochezca?
¿Verás al sol
sin que amanezca?
Veremos, tú y yo, a la luna y al sol
tomados de la mano, sin tiempo...
Nos verán, la noche y el día,
tomados de la mano, siguiendo...
cspellot2004
15.8.04
Haz esto y vivirás
(Homilía predicada en San Juan de Puerto Rico en la Misión Anglicana de la Resurrección de Jesucristo que pastorea el Rev. Dr. Dennis París. Domingo, 11 de julio de 2004; 6to Domingo después de Pentecostés.)
Nuestra realidad espiritual es tal que con frecuencia divagamos entre lo que sabemos que debemos (y tenemos) que hacer y el hacerlo. Es la lucha en nuestro ser de la que habla San Pablo a los romanos: querer hacer la voluntad de Dios y no poder hacerla, y no querer hacer la voluntad de la carne y ceder a ésta fácilmente. Aunque esta lucha es real y no debemos subestimarla a menudo es una buena excusa para la inacción; inacción que nos coarta de dar los frutos que Dios de muy antemano ha preparado para que diésemos. Las lecturas para hoy, el 6to domingo después de Pentecostés, ilustra esta separación entre la acción y la inacción en hacer lo Dios nos requiere.
Con el complejo de superioridad característico de muchos de los religiosos en tiempos de Jesús, en el evangelio para hoy un religioso más se acerca a Jesús con la siguiente pregunta, “Maestro, ¿haciendo qué cosa heredaré la vida eterna?” Esta hubiese sido una pregunta completamente válida si nuestro hermano fariseo hubiese sido honesto al preguntar. Sin embargo, el pasaje nos dice que el fariseo tenía la intención de “probar” a Jesús, que no es otra cosa sino tentarlo, tenderle una trampa. Cabe decir que la pregunta es completamente innecesaria porque nuestro hermano fariseo que dialoga con Jesús sabe qué hay que hacer para heredar la vida eterna. Él conoce la ley al derecho y al revés, y aún sabe que guardar los mandamientos de Dios encierran el secreto para obtener dicha vida.
Jesucristo, que muy bien sabía por dónde nuestro hermano fariseo venía, lo dirige precisamente a los mandamientos de Dios. El fariseo pensaba escuchar alguna revelación especial extra-escritural de parte de Jesús y así sorprenderlo en un error. El quería constatar que Cristo estaba al margen de las escrituras y por lo tanto sería catalogado como blasfemo.
“¿Qué está escrito en la ley? ¿Cómo lees?”, le pregunta Jesús con naturalidad y humildad. Jesucristo interpone una pregunta como respuesta porque no hay nada nuevo que ofrecer a los oídos del fariseo. No hay nuevas revelaciones especiales y tampoco hay nuevas recetas. Lo que escuchamos ayer como medio para alcanzar la vida eterna sigue siendo hoy el mismo medio resumido en las palabras del interlocutor de Cristo. Jesús hizo la pregunta adecuada para obtener la respuesta adecuada.
“El fariseo respondiendo, dijo: Amarás al Señor tu Dios con todo tu corazón, y con toda tu alma, y con todas tus fuerzas, y con toda tu mente; y a tu prójimo como a ti mismo.” Como bien lo expresa nuestro catecismo, la respuesta del fariseo refleja claramente nuestro deber hacia Dios primeramente y nuestro deber al prójimo. No había mejor respuesta para la pregunta que Cristo le hizo al fariseo. Era tan sencillo como que dos más dos son cuatro. Si nuestro hermano fariseo hubiese sido lo suficientemente humilde hubiese quedado satisfecho con su propia respuesta ya que Cristo le dijo, “Bien has respondido; haz ésto, y vivirás.” ¿Necesitamos algo más cuando Cristo nos reitera el “secreto” de la salvación eterna? No. Pero nuestro amigo fariseo (creo que a estas alturas es conveniente dejar de llamarlo hermano) cree lo contrario y comete el peor error que jamás haya cometido. Insiste en continuar tentando a Cristo justificándose con otra pregunta aún más insignificante que la primera. “¿Y quién es mi prójimo?”, preguntó el fariseo. ¿Y yo me pregunto si acaso se supone que los religiosos desconozcamos quién es nuestro prójimo? ¿Acaso se supone que aquellos a quienes Dios ha querido acercarse y revelar sus evangelio de misericordia y amor al prójimo lo manipulen, lo tergiversen y lo compliquen? ¿Qué establezcamos categorías falsas donde se supone que reine la pura y sencilla verdad de la cruz de Cristo en beneficio nuestro?
El razonamiento del fariseo, descrito en el evangelio como “interprete de la ley” es el resultado de quien ha llegado a dominar la teoría pero está bien lejos de lograr la práctica. Este fariseo, que no tiene la menor idea de que habla con el Dios encarnado, es una bendición para nosotros en esta mañana. Mientras él cree que logrará su objetivo con sus preguntas, le abre la puerta a Cristo para que nos presente una de las mayores enseñanzas del evangelio, “Misericordia quiero y no sacrificio.”
Creo que nuestro Señor miró sin pestañear a los ojos de este fariseo mientras le relataba la parábola del buen samaritano, como queriendo decirle “tú te lo buscaste”.
La parábola del Buen Samaritano presenta cinco personajes de los cuales los ladrones forman uno colectivo. El hombre que es atacado, el sacerdote, el levita y el samaritano son los restantes cuatro. En la travesía de Jerusalén a Jericó en el relato podemos concluir que una vez el hombre es atacado y dejado por muerto en el camino, desciende tras él un sacerdote que sin duda acaba de oficiar en el templo la adoración y los sacrificios a Dios que la ley de Moisés exigía. Descendía de Jerusalén, no se dirigía hacia ella. Su oficio había concluido.
El sacerdote, símbolo del liderato, la santidad y representante de Dios ante el pueblo judío, sigue de largo al ver al moribundo. Obviamente, el concepto “prójimo” es inexistente para él. El siguiente personaje, un levita, cuya clase vivía en el templo y trabaja en el templo, no hace nada distinto a lo que hizo su antecesor en el camino, “pasó de largo”. Esta apatía espiritual de parte de los religiosos de una nación para la cual la religión es lo que la política es para nosotros los puertorriqueños, no deja de sorprendernos. Se puede ser bien religioso y estar bien muerto a la vez.
Si es sorprendente encontrar insensibilidad espiritual en aquéllos de quienes se espera que la espiritualidad y misericordia reinen como virtudes constantes, más sorprendente resulta que la misericordia surgiera de quien culturalmente hablando se suponía que fuese enemigo a muerte de aquel hombre moribundo. Un samaritano, que era considerado como un perro por los judíos, fue el que con sus hechos cumplió la ley de Dios que tiene como resultado la vida eterna. Este samaritano nos enseña que la misericordia de Dios no tiene límites y tampoco tiene agendas.
¿Quién es mi prójimo? ¿Los judíos solamente y nadie más? Eso es lo que pensaba intérprete de la ley que provocó de Jesús esta parábola. ¿Quién es mi prójimo? ¿Mi familia solamente y no los extraños?
En la parábola, el samaritano socorre a alguien en necesidad al grado de exponer su vida a la misma suerte de aquel a quien socorre. El camino a Jericó no dejó de ser peligroso porque el samaritano decidió ser misericordioso, pero en donde reinaba el peligro en primera instancia y la indiferencia en segunda, reinó la misericordia de Dios en última instancia.
¿Quién es tu prójimo? Nos pregunta Cristo en esta mañana de la misma manera que le preguntó al intérprete de la ley. La respuesta es sencilla, como todo el evangelio de Jesucristo es sencillo. No son sólo nuestros hermanos aquí en esta parroquia, hay muchos más a quienes la misericordia de Dios tiene que ser extendida allá afuera. ¿Porque saben qué? Es allá afuera donde yace el camino de Jerusalén a Jericó. Es allá afuera donde yacen los moribundos en el camino y es allá donde hay tantos religiosos que como en el tiempo de Cristo en la tierra pasaron de largo. ¿Quién es mi prójimo? La respuesta a esa pregunta conlleva la vida eterna o la perdición eterna. En cuanto a la misericordia de Dios se refiere no hay puntos medios, Dios quiere misericordia para nuestra sociedad que tanto la necesita. Es una respuesta que está a nuestro alcance.
Cristo le dijo la fariseo, “¿Quién pues de estos tres te parece que fue el prójimo del que cayó en manos de los ladrones?” Nuestro amigo fariseo se halló en una calle sin salida, cuando pensaba él que lograría acorralar a Cristo semejantemente. ¿Cuándo no ha triunfado la misericordia de Cristo en medio nuestro? Aun cuando nos parece que estamos viendo lo contrario, que abundan los moribundos en el camino y no hay suficientes samaritanos que caminen por él, Cristo, como lo hizo con el fariseo arrogante del evangelio de hoy, nos dirige hacia su misericordia de manera que nosotros usemos de misericordia con nuestro prójimo sin distinciones.
Cristo enfatizó su respuesta al fariseo, luego de que este entendiera que la misericordia de Dios no tiene partidos ni razas ni agendas. Cristo le contestó al principio, “Bien has dicho. Haz ésto y vivirás”. Al final, le contestó, “Ve y haz tú lo mismo”. Cristo no deja espacios para excusas. Si aplicamos a nuestras vidas la parábola del buen samaritano, no podemos llegar a otra conclusión sino que nosotros fuimos los moribundos en el camino y Cristo fue ese buen samaritano que nos halló, curó nuestras heridas con vino y aceite, nos montó en su burro y nos trajo a la posada que es la iglesia, la ciudad de Dios. Si nosotros hemos sido bendecidos con el aceite santo, que representa al Espíritu Santo, y el vino, que representa la sangre de Cristo y de la que en breve participaremos para la salud de nuestras almas, no puede haber lugar en nosotros para la falsa dicotomía entre lo que sabemos que tenemos que hacer y el hacerlo. Cristo dijo, “Haz ésto y vivirás.” Sabemos lo que tenemos que hacer y con su gracia, y solamente mediante su gracia, lo haremos.
Cristo no nos exige un aumento de fe. Nuestra pequeña fe es colosal cuando va acompañada de la debida obediencia. En las palabras de Moisés en nuestra primera lección, escuchamos lo siguiente, “Porque este mandamiento que yo te ordeno hoy no es demasiado difícil para ti, ni está lejos. 12 No está en el cielo, para que digas: ¿Quién subirá por nosotros al cielo, y nos lo traerá y nos lo hará oír para que lo cumplamos? 13 Ni está al otro lado del mar, para que digas: ¿Quién pasará por nosotros el mar, para que nos lo traiga y nos lo haga oír, a fin de que lo cumplamos? 14 Porque muy cerca de ti está la palabra, en tu boca y en tu corazón, para que la cumplas.” Cristo nos dice, “Haz ésto y vivirás”. Suena sencillo y lo es. Es imposible de lograr sin él y a través de su gracia que nos es comunicada mediante los sacramentos lo lograremos.
La colecta para el día de hoy nos ayuda en esta empresa de hacer lo que tenemos que hacer.
Oremos,
Oh Señor, atiende, en tu bondad, las súplicas de tu pueblo que clama a ti, y concede que podamos percibir y comprender lo que debemos hacer, y tengamos también la gracia y el poder para cumplirlo fielmente; por Jesucristo nuestro Señor, que vive y reina contigo y el Espíritu Santo, un solo Dios, ahora y por siempre. Amen.
cspellot2004
Nuestra realidad espiritual es tal que con frecuencia divagamos entre lo que sabemos que debemos (y tenemos) que hacer y el hacerlo. Es la lucha en nuestro ser de la que habla San Pablo a los romanos: querer hacer la voluntad de Dios y no poder hacerla, y no querer hacer la voluntad de la carne y ceder a ésta fácilmente. Aunque esta lucha es real y no debemos subestimarla a menudo es una buena excusa para la inacción; inacción que nos coarta de dar los frutos que Dios de muy antemano ha preparado para que diésemos. Las lecturas para hoy, el 6to domingo después de Pentecostés, ilustra esta separación entre la acción y la inacción en hacer lo Dios nos requiere.
Con el complejo de superioridad característico de muchos de los religiosos en tiempos de Jesús, en el evangelio para hoy un religioso más se acerca a Jesús con la siguiente pregunta, “Maestro, ¿haciendo qué cosa heredaré la vida eterna?” Esta hubiese sido una pregunta completamente válida si nuestro hermano fariseo hubiese sido honesto al preguntar. Sin embargo, el pasaje nos dice que el fariseo tenía la intención de “probar” a Jesús, que no es otra cosa sino tentarlo, tenderle una trampa. Cabe decir que la pregunta es completamente innecesaria porque nuestro hermano fariseo que dialoga con Jesús sabe qué hay que hacer para heredar la vida eterna. Él conoce la ley al derecho y al revés, y aún sabe que guardar los mandamientos de Dios encierran el secreto para obtener dicha vida.
Jesucristo, que muy bien sabía por dónde nuestro hermano fariseo venía, lo dirige precisamente a los mandamientos de Dios. El fariseo pensaba escuchar alguna revelación especial extra-escritural de parte de Jesús y así sorprenderlo en un error. El quería constatar que Cristo estaba al margen de las escrituras y por lo tanto sería catalogado como blasfemo.
“¿Qué está escrito en la ley? ¿Cómo lees?”, le pregunta Jesús con naturalidad y humildad. Jesucristo interpone una pregunta como respuesta porque no hay nada nuevo que ofrecer a los oídos del fariseo. No hay nuevas revelaciones especiales y tampoco hay nuevas recetas. Lo que escuchamos ayer como medio para alcanzar la vida eterna sigue siendo hoy el mismo medio resumido en las palabras del interlocutor de Cristo. Jesús hizo la pregunta adecuada para obtener la respuesta adecuada.
“El fariseo respondiendo, dijo: Amarás al Señor tu Dios con todo tu corazón, y con toda tu alma, y con todas tus fuerzas, y con toda tu mente; y a tu prójimo como a ti mismo.” Como bien lo expresa nuestro catecismo, la respuesta del fariseo refleja claramente nuestro deber hacia Dios primeramente y nuestro deber al prójimo. No había mejor respuesta para la pregunta que Cristo le hizo al fariseo. Era tan sencillo como que dos más dos son cuatro. Si nuestro hermano fariseo hubiese sido lo suficientemente humilde hubiese quedado satisfecho con su propia respuesta ya que Cristo le dijo, “Bien has respondido; haz ésto, y vivirás.” ¿Necesitamos algo más cuando Cristo nos reitera el “secreto” de la salvación eterna? No. Pero nuestro amigo fariseo (creo que a estas alturas es conveniente dejar de llamarlo hermano) cree lo contrario y comete el peor error que jamás haya cometido. Insiste en continuar tentando a Cristo justificándose con otra pregunta aún más insignificante que la primera. “¿Y quién es mi prójimo?”, preguntó el fariseo. ¿Y yo me pregunto si acaso se supone que los religiosos desconozcamos quién es nuestro prójimo? ¿Acaso se supone que aquellos a quienes Dios ha querido acercarse y revelar sus evangelio de misericordia y amor al prójimo lo manipulen, lo tergiversen y lo compliquen? ¿Qué establezcamos categorías falsas donde se supone que reine la pura y sencilla verdad de la cruz de Cristo en beneficio nuestro?
El razonamiento del fariseo, descrito en el evangelio como “interprete de la ley” es el resultado de quien ha llegado a dominar la teoría pero está bien lejos de lograr la práctica. Este fariseo, que no tiene la menor idea de que habla con el Dios encarnado, es una bendición para nosotros en esta mañana. Mientras él cree que logrará su objetivo con sus preguntas, le abre la puerta a Cristo para que nos presente una de las mayores enseñanzas del evangelio, “Misericordia quiero y no sacrificio.”
Creo que nuestro Señor miró sin pestañear a los ojos de este fariseo mientras le relataba la parábola del buen samaritano, como queriendo decirle “tú te lo buscaste”.
La parábola del Buen Samaritano presenta cinco personajes de los cuales los ladrones forman uno colectivo. El hombre que es atacado, el sacerdote, el levita y el samaritano son los restantes cuatro. En la travesía de Jerusalén a Jericó en el relato podemos concluir que una vez el hombre es atacado y dejado por muerto en el camino, desciende tras él un sacerdote que sin duda acaba de oficiar en el templo la adoración y los sacrificios a Dios que la ley de Moisés exigía. Descendía de Jerusalén, no se dirigía hacia ella. Su oficio había concluido.
El sacerdote, símbolo del liderato, la santidad y representante de Dios ante el pueblo judío, sigue de largo al ver al moribundo. Obviamente, el concepto “prójimo” es inexistente para él. El siguiente personaje, un levita, cuya clase vivía en el templo y trabaja en el templo, no hace nada distinto a lo que hizo su antecesor en el camino, “pasó de largo”. Esta apatía espiritual de parte de los religiosos de una nación para la cual la religión es lo que la política es para nosotros los puertorriqueños, no deja de sorprendernos. Se puede ser bien religioso y estar bien muerto a la vez.
Si es sorprendente encontrar insensibilidad espiritual en aquéllos de quienes se espera que la espiritualidad y misericordia reinen como virtudes constantes, más sorprendente resulta que la misericordia surgiera de quien culturalmente hablando se suponía que fuese enemigo a muerte de aquel hombre moribundo. Un samaritano, que era considerado como un perro por los judíos, fue el que con sus hechos cumplió la ley de Dios que tiene como resultado la vida eterna. Este samaritano nos enseña que la misericordia de Dios no tiene límites y tampoco tiene agendas.
¿Quién es mi prójimo? ¿Los judíos solamente y nadie más? Eso es lo que pensaba intérprete de la ley que provocó de Jesús esta parábola. ¿Quién es mi prójimo? ¿Mi familia solamente y no los extraños?
En la parábola, el samaritano socorre a alguien en necesidad al grado de exponer su vida a la misma suerte de aquel a quien socorre. El camino a Jericó no dejó de ser peligroso porque el samaritano decidió ser misericordioso, pero en donde reinaba el peligro en primera instancia y la indiferencia en segunda, reinó la misericordia de Dios en última instancia.
¿Quién es tu prójimo? Nos pregunta Cristo en esta mañana de la misma manera que le preguntó al intérprete de la ley. La respuesta es sencilla, como todo el evangelio de Jesucristo es sencillo. No son sólo nuestros hermanos aquí en esta parroquia, hay muchos más a quienes la misericordia de Dios tiene que ser extendida allá afuera. ¿Porque saben qué? Es allá afuera donde yace el camino de Jerusalén a Jericó. Es allá afuera donde yacen los moribundos en el camino y es allá donde hay tantos religiosos que como en el tiempo de Cristo en la tierra pasaron de largo. ¿Quién es mi prójimo? La respuesta a esa pregunta conlleva la vida eterna o la perdición eterna. En cuanto a la misericordia de Dios se refiere no hay puntos medios, Dios quiere misericordia para nuestra sociedad que tanto la necesita. Es una respuesta que está a nuestro alcance.
Cristo le dijo la fariseo, “¿Quién pues de estos tres te parece que fue el prójimo del que cayó en manos de los ladrones?” Nuestro amigo fariseo se halló en una calle sin salida, cuando pensaba él que lograría acorralar a Cristo semejantemente. ¿Cuándo no ha triunfado la misericordia de Cristo en medio nuestro? Aun cuando nos parece que estamos viendo lo contrario, que abundan los moribundos en el camino y no hay suficientes samaritanos que caminen por él, Cristo, como lo hizo con el fariseo arrogante del evangelio de hoy, nos dirige hacia su misericordia de manera que nosotros usemos de misericordia con nuestro prójimo sin distinciones.
Cristo enfatizó su respuesta al fariseo, luego de que este entendiera que la misericordia de Dios no tiene partidos ni razas ni agendas. Cristo le contestó al principio, “Bien has dicho. Haz ésto y vivirás”. Al final, le contestó, “Ve y haz tú lo mismo”. Cristo no deja espacios para excusas. Si aplicamos a nuestras vidas la parábola del buen samaritano, no podemos llegar a otra conclusión sino que nosotros fuimos los moribundos en el camino y Cristo fue ese buen samaritano que nos halló, curó nuestras heridas con vino y aceite, nos montó en su burro y nos trajo a la posada que es la iglesia, la ciudad de Dios. Si nosotros hemos sido bendecidos con el aceite santo, que representa al Espíritu Santo, y el vino, que representa la sangre de Cristo y de la que en breve participaremos para la salud de nuestras almas, no puede haber lugar en nosotros para la falsa dicotomía entre lo que sabemos que tenemos que hacer y el hacerlo. Cristo dijo, “Haz ésto y vivirás.” Sabemos lo que tenemos que hacer y con su gracia, y solamente mediante su gracia, lo haremos.
Cristo no nos exige un aumento de fe. Nuestra pequeña fe es colosal cuando va acompañada de la debida obediencia. En las palabras de Moisés en nuestra primera lección, escuchamos lo siguiente, “Porque este mandamiento que yo te ordeno hoy no es demasiado difícil para ti, ni está lejos. 12 No está en el cielo, para que digas: ¿Quién subirá por nosotros al cielo, y nos lo traerá y nos lo hará oír para que lo cumplamos? 13 Ni está al otro lado del mar, para que digas: ¿Quién pasará por nosotros el mar, para que nos lo traiga y nos lo haga oír, a fin de que lo cumplamos? 14 Porque muy cerca de ti está la palabra, en tu boca y en tu corazón, para que la cumplas.” Cristo nos dice, “Haz ésto y vivirás”. Suena sencillo y lo es. Es imposible de lograr sin él y a través de su gracia que nos es comunicada mediante los sacramentos lo lograremos.
La colecta para el día de hoy nos ayuda en esta empresa de hacer lo que tenemos que hacer.
Oremos,
Oh Señor, atiende, en tu bondad, las súplicas de tu pueblo que clama a ti, y concede que podamos percibir y comprender lo que debemos hacer, y tengamos también la gracia y el poder para cumplirlo fielmente; por Jesucristo nuestro Señor, que vive y reina contigo y el Espíritu Santo, un solo Dios, ahora y por siempre. Amen.
cspellot2004
Why I haven’t seen “The Passion of the Christ” and probably never will
(Essay/Ensayo: Por qué no he visto "The Passion of the Christ" y por qué probablemente nunca la veré)
While corresponding with a friend not too long ago the topic of “The Passion of the Christ” came up. I asked him if he had seen it and added that I wasn’t sure I would ever see it. I said I wasn’t ready; that my gut feeling was telling me, “Don’t go see it.” To this very day, I have heeded my gut feeling unswervingly.
To my surprise, my friend told me, “I’ll never see it. It is sufficient for me to know that Christ suffered unspeakable horrors on our behalf.” Wow! What a powerful answer! It almost made me say, “Yes, sir!” Then he added, “Besides, I’m a little scared of watching it.” I immediately interjected, “Man, I’m scared to death! It’s hard enough when you read the Passion in the Gospels. I don’t think I can stomach Christ’s suffering on the big screen. Not like that.” We then moved on to ponder about the suitability of a medium like film to capture the historical Passion of Jesus Christ.
I’ve read a lot about “The Passion” before and since its premier. I have read good things and bad things, but the numbers don’t lie. As sculpture and painting before it, film’s suitability to portray the Passion of our Lord withstood the test of time with some added perks. So far this year “The Passion” is only second in profits to “Shrek 2,” a fact that in itself is worthy of another article. The movie has accomplished an uncommon feat in cinema- it became an instant classic. “The Passion of the Christ” is the definitive religious motion picture of our time.
Making money, however, was a mere byproduct of a work primarily wrought with love. Granted, many films are wrought with love, but most don’t have such a “happy” ending. There is obviously a business side to movie making. The producer, screenwriter and director of the movie, Mel Gibson, expected to make a fair amount of money out of it; at least more than the $25 million he invested in the project. That the movie ended up making so much more is something I’m sure he didn’t expect.
The DVD of “The Passion” will be released in a few days. I am confronted once more with the dilemma of watching what I consider to be a dreadful movie, maybe not in the worst connotation of the word, but still dreadful. I am a firm believer, mostly through experience, in the maxim “Never say never,” but my gut feeling remains unswerving as the DVD release approaches.
All my friends but one have said that I must see the movie assuring me that it will open opportunities to share the Gospel. I don’t doubt it would. Besides, I have seen many a movie depicting the Passion of our Lord before. So why don’t I arm myself with valor and get done with this one? Well, it’s not that easy, at least for me.
I can give a couple of reasons as to why I haven’t given in to seeing “The Passion.” The first one has to do with Christian maturity; the second one, with Redemption as an act of God the Son and our role in it.
On the first count, I’d like to begin by saying that Christianity is a religion of dogmas, things that must be believed. That Christ suffered, died, was buried and rose again from the dead are the dogmas at the core of Christianity. However, these are not mere dogmas; they are facts in the record of history. Christianity is belief rooted in history, but faith takes precedence over and in spite of the historicity of the facts. None of us where there when the events we believe in happened, but we still have to believe them.
As we continue to participate in the life of the Church, our understanding of these Christian dogmas in view of the Gospel narrative increases and our faith in turn is strengthened. On a spiritual level, the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ grow as a wider and deeper foundation in our lives than they were a year before. The more we understand these dogmas, the greater the impact they will also have on other areas of our lives.
A Christian will find it harder and harder to explain his faith in purely rational or simply emotional terms without any regard for spirituality as he grows in Christ. The dogmas of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ continue to be branded in the heart of the mature Christian with the passing of liturgical time.
A movie like “The Passion” would only serve as a reinforcement of what is already settled in our Christian experience; it will never be first and foremost a moving experience. While it is true that most of us need all the help we can get, and I do not question that “The Passion” is a big help, some of us choose to rely on the apprehension we have already gained from our participation in the Christian religion, in particular dogmas relating to Christ. Dogma gives the members of the Church uniformity of believe (Ephesians 4:5), but each individual member of the Church grasps the dogma in a unique way. Not a new or different reality, but a unique apprehension. Watching “The Passion,” or any other similar movie for that matter, is subservient to the faith of the believer not the other way around. As of today, watching “The Passion” is one thing I can do without.
In fairness, however, I must ask myself how different things would have been for me had I seen “The Passion” by now? And in all honesty, I must answer that very little would have been different. A movie, if it is a good movie such as “The Passion,” has a long lasting effect as far as memory goes. For a movie going generation like ours, nothing can be said against it. But as far as everlasting salvation is concerned, even if “The Passion” had the effect of bringing someone to Christ, there is no way anyone can rely on it for Christian sustenance; much less rely on a daily dose of it to make it through. The Christian walk is a slow walk to maturity. With time the factors that externally helped bring us to Christ are substituted by a great deal of inward Christian pondering. Another friend of mine contends that among its many values, one of the greatest if not the greatest value “The Passion” has, is that it will drive you to reflection; it will make you meditate like you haven’t done it before or, as others say, you will simply be repulsed by it.
I make no claims of being a mature Christian. Maybe, that’s one reason I’m not able to see the movie yet. One thing is certain- the impression of the Christian tenets of the Passion, Death and Resurrection has been so heavy upon my soul I haven’t felt compelled to watch the movie.
On the second count, the Passion of our Lord reveals to us the extreme passivity to which the human race cave into when Christ was attaining the redemption of our souls. This passivity did not characterize humanity alone; even the Father and his angels succumbed to passivity when his beloved Son struggled in the darkest hour of world history. There was no other way. Christ became the spectacle and we, all of us, became the spectators. Christ, activity and we, passivity.
Here lies perhaps our greatest problem, that when it came to the redemption of our souls, we could not do anything to stop it or anything, besides the Fall, to help it come about. “The Passion of the Christ” exposes our so-called self-sufficiency for what it really is – a load of crap.
That’s another thing that’s keeping me from seeing this movie. Every human being enthrones the god of self-sufficiency at one point or another, if not at every moment, during his lifetime. “The Passion of the Christ”, the movie, cries out loud to our movie-going generation that we are a species in need of redemption. This redemption, even when we adhere the most to our self-sufficiency delusions, is an act that took place without our active participation and at the same time is an act done on our behalf. The fact that I, whether I want it or not, will become a spectator of what Dorothy Sayers described as “the greatest drama ever staged” makes us uncomfortable to say the least.
My own sin keeps me from the big screen confrontation with my real spiritual need of redemption. Yet, to sit passively in a movie theater while my eyes soak in the scourging of Christ in proportions I had not quite imagine before unnerves me just the same. It made me realize that what my friend gave as a reason for not watching the movie is also a safeguard not to the fact that Christ suffered and died, but to the fact that the trio of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of our Lord is primarily an issue of faith.
Things pertaining to the realm of believe, a believe that transcends time and space, always try to find expression in the here and the now. That’s why many of the greatest works of art throughout history, including “The Passion of the Christ”, are Christian. This attests to the beauty of Christianity. No Christian can deny the power of art. One way in which we actively strengthen our Faith is through artistic endeavor and contemplation. The Christian drama contained in the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ is something of such huge proportions we would literally explode save by the weekly rehearsal of the Eucharist, the yearly rehearsals of Christmas and Holy Week and the aid of the artistic expression of our Faith. “The Passion of the Christ” adds to this latter one a huge contribution while being quite unapologetic about our need of redemption.
With God’s grace, I will be able to appreciate more and more the dogmas of my Faith as I continue to grow in my Christian walk. Even so, I haven’t seen “The Passion of the Christ” and probably never will.
cspellot2004
While corresponding with a friend not too long ago the topic of “The Passion of the Christ” came up. I asked him if he had seen it and added that I wasn’t sure I would ever see it. I said I wasn’t ready; that my gut feeling was telling me, “Don’t go see it.” To this very day, I have heeded my gut feeling unswervingly.
To my surprise, my friend told me, “I’ll never see it. It is sufficient for me to know that Christ suffered unspeakable horrors on our behalf.” Wow! What a powerful answer! It almost made me say, “Yes, sir!” Then he added, “Besides, I’m a little scared of watching it.” I immediately interjected, “Man, I’m scared to death! It’s hard enough when you read the Passion in the Gospels. I don’t think I can stomach Christ’s suffering on the big screen. Not like that.” We then moved on to ponder about the suitability of a medium like film to capture the historical Passion of Jesus Christ.
I’ve read a lot about “The Passion” before and since its premier. I have read good things and bad things, but the numbers don’t lie. As sculpture and painting before it, film’s suitability to portray the Passion of our Lord withstood the test of time with some added perks. So far this year “The Passion” is only second in profits to “Shrek 2,” a fact that in itself is worthy of another article. The movie has accomplished an uncommon feat in cinema- it became an instant classic. “The Passion of the Christ” is the definitive religious motion picture of our time.
Making money, however, was a mere byproduct of a work primarily wrought with love. Granted, many films are wrought with love, but most don’t have such a “happy” ending. There is obviously a business side to movie making. The producer, screenwriter and director of the movie, Mel Gibson, expected to make a fair amount of money out of it; at least more than the $25 million he invested in the project. That the movie ended up making so much more is something I’m sure he didn’t expect.
The DVD of “The Passion” will be released in a few days. I am confronted once more with the dilemma of watching what I consider to be a dreadful movie, maybe not in the worst connotation of the word, but still dreadful. I am a firm believer, mostly through experience, in the maxim “Never say never,” but my gut feeling remains unswerving as the DVD release approaches.
All my friends but one have said that I must see the movie assuring me that it will open opportunities to share the Gospel. I don’t doubt it would. Besides, I have seen many a movie depicting the Passion of our Lord before. So why don’t I arm myself with valor and get done with this one? Well, it’s not that easy, at least for me.
I can give a couple of reasons as to why I haven’t given in to seeing “The Passion.” The first one has to do with Christian maturity; the second one, with Redemption as an act of God the Son and our role in it.
On the first count, I’d like to begin by saying that Christianity is a religion of dogmas, things that must be believed. That Christ suffered, died, was buried and rose again from the dead are the dogmas at the core of Christianity. However, these are not mere dogmas; they are facts in the record of history. Christianity is belief rooted in history, but faith takes precedence over and in spite of the historicity of the facts. None of us where there when the events we believe in happened, but we still have to believe them.
As we continue to participate in the life of the Church, our understanding of these Christian dogmas in view of the Gospel narrative increases and our faith in turn is strengthened. On a spiritual level, the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ grow as a wider and deeper foundation in our lives than they were a year before. The more we understand these dogmas, the greater the impact they will also have on other areas of our lives.
A Christian will find it harder and harder to explain his faith in purely rational or simply emotional terms without any regard for spirituality as he grows in Christ. The dogmas of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ continue to be branded in the heart of the mature Christian with the passing of liturgical time.
A movie like “The Passion” would only serve as a reinforcement of what is already settled in our Christian experience; it will never be first and foremost a moving experience. While it is true that most of us need all the help we can get, and I do not question that “The Passion” is a big help, some of us choose to rely on the apprehension we have already gained from our participation in the Christian religion, in particular dogmas relating to Christ. Dogma gives the members of the Church uniformity of believe (Ephesians 4:5), but each individual member of the Church grasps the dogma in a unique way. Not a new or different reality, but a unique apprehension. Watching “The Passion,” or any other similar movie for that matter, is subservient to the faith of the believer not the other way around. As of today, watching “The Passion” is one thing I can do without.
In fairness, however, I must ask myself how different things would have been for me had I seen “The Passion” by now? And in all honesty, I must answer that very little would have been different. A movie, if it is a good movie such as “The Passion,” has a long lasting effect as far as memory goes. For a movie going generation like ours, nothing can be said against it. But as far as everlasting salvation is concerned, even if “The Passion” had the effect of bringing someone to Christ, there is no way anyone can rely on it for Christian sustenance; much less rely on a daily dose of it to make it through. The Christian walk is a slow walk to maturity. With time the factors that externally helped bring us to Christ are substituted by a great deal of inward Christian pondering. Another friend of mine contends that among its many values, one of the greatest if not the greatest value “The Passion” has, is that it will drive you to reflection; it will make you meditate like you haven’t done it before or, as others say, you will simply be repulsed by it.
I make no claims of being a mature Christian. Maybe, that’s one reason I’m not able to see the movie yet. One thing is certain- the impression of the Christian tenets of the Passion, Death and Resurrection has been so heavy upon my soul I haven’t felt compelled to watch the movie.
On the second count, the Passion of our Lord reveals to us the extreme passivity to which the human race cave into when Christ was attaining the redemption of our souls. This passivity did not characterize humanity alone; even the Father and his angels succumbed to passivity when his beloved Son struggled in the darkest hour of world history. There was no other way. Christ became the spectacle and we, all of us, became the spectators. Christ, activity and we, passivity.
Here lies perhaps our greatest problem, that when it came to the redemption of our souls, we could not do anything to stop it or anything, besides the Fall, to help it come about. “The Passion of the Christ” exposes our so-called self-sufficiency for what it really is – a load of crap.
That’s another thing that’s keeping me from seeing this movie. Every human being enthrones the god of self-sufficiency at one point or another, if not at every moment, during his lifetime. “The Passion of the Christ”, the movie, cries out loud to our movie-going generation that we are a species in need of redemption. This redemption, even when we adhere the most to our self-sufficiency delusions, is an act that took place without our active participation and at the same time is an act done on our behalf. The fact that I, whether I want it or not, will become a spectator of what Dorothy Sayers described as “the greatest drama ever staged” makes us uncomfortable to say the least.
My own sin keeps me from the big screen confrontation with my real spiritual need of redemption. Yet, to sit passively in a movie theater while my eyes soak in the scourging of Christ in proportions I had not quite imagine before unnerves me just the same. It made me realize that what my friend gave as a reason for not watching the movie is also a safeguard not to the fact that Christ suffered and died, but to the fact that the trio of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of our Lord is primarily an issue of faith.
Things pertaining to the realm of believe, a believe that transcends time and space, always try to find expression in the here and the now. That’s why many of the greatest works of art throughout history, including “The Passion of the Christ”, are Christian. This attests to the beauty of Christianity. No Christian can deny the power of art. One way in which we actively strengthen our Faith is through artistic endeavor and contemplation. The Christian drama contained in the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ is something of such huge proportions we would literally explode save by the weekly rehearsal of the Eucharist, the yearly rehearsals of Christmas and Holy Week and the aid of the artistic expression of our Faith. “The Passion of the Christ” adds to this latter one a huge contribution while being quite unapologetic about our need of redemption.
With God’s grace, I will be able to appreciate more and more the dogmas of my Faith as I continue to grow in my Christian walk. Even so, I haven’t seen “The Passion of the Christ” and probably never will.
cspellot2004
Dicen
(Un soneto que escribí para mi esposa hace unos meses. A sonnet I wrote for my wife a few months back.)
Dicen que ya no hay amores como el de las nubes
y el viento. Que nadie se entrega como ellas, que
nadie ama como él. Que ellas siempre calman su sed,
que de sus manos un ramo vestido de luces
Eternas cada noche sin fin él les entrega.
Que ellas son las ovejas y él es el buen pastor.
Dormidas bajo la luna le sueñan amor
y él despierto bajo las sombras sus sueños vela.
Dicen que ya no hay amores así, transparentes.
Olvidaron que no existen las nubes sin viento
y que no existe en la tierra la vida sin muerte.
En sus mentes sólo queda un idilio en el cielo
pues abajo yacen sus corazones inertes.
¡Mueren! Contra ellos somos tú y yo nubes y viento.
cspellot2004
Dicen que ya no hay amores como el de las nubes
y el viento. Que nadie se entrega como ellas, que
nadie ama como él. Que ellas siempre calman su sed,
que de sus manos un ramo vestido de luces
Eternas cada noche sin fin él les entrega.
Que ellas son las ovejas y él es el buen pastor.
Dormidas bajo la luna le sueñan amor
y él despierto bajo las sombras sus sueños vela.
Dicen que ya no hay amores así, transparentes.
Olvidaron que no existen las nubes sin viento
y que no existe en la tierra la vida sin muerte.
En sus mentes sólo queda un idilio en el cielo
pues abajo yacen sus corazones inertes.
¡Mueren! Contra ellos somos tú y yo nubes y viento.
cspellot2004
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