Spirituality: Louis Savary, The Christian Phenmenon, the Once and Future Church, p. 68

Look at parents who love their child unconditionally. They do not control the child's every movement. They manage and guide the child's words and behaviors.

What else can loving parents do besides control? Every good parent and every good boss at work could give you a list of ways that love intervenes in and guides the lives of those they love without controlling them.

 

First of all, while parents and bosses cannot control the ones they love, they can manage them. Managing is very different from controlling. Managing one's children or managing a team of workers is quite different from controlling them.

 

Here is a short list of ways you can manage without controlling. You can supervise, encourage, affirm, advise, suggest, protect, guide, teach, govern, moderate, intervene, educate, inspire, bless, introduce, model, demonstrate, console, forgive, prepare situations, connect them with certain others, set limits, and so on and so forth.

Poem: “In Blackwater Woods” by Mary Oliver

Look, the trees 

are turning 

their own bodies 

into pillars 

of light, 

are giving off the rich 

fragrance of cinnamon 

and fulfillment, 

the long tapers 

of cattails 

are bursting and floating away over 

the blue shoulders 

of the ponds, 

and every pond, 

no matter what its 

name is, is 

nameless now. 

Every year 

everything 

I have ever learned 

in my lifetime 

leads back to this: the fires 

and the black river of loss 

whose other side 

is salvation, 

whose meaning 

none of us will ever know. 

To live in this world 

you must be able 

to do three things: 

to love what is mortal; 

to hold it 

against your bones knowing 

your own life depends on it; 

and when the time comes to let it 

go, 

                                           to let it go. 

Spirituality: Annie Dillard in Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

After the one extravagant gesture of creation in the first place, the universe has continued to deal exclusively in extravagances, flinging intricacies and colossi down aeons of emptiness, heaping profusions on profligacies with ever-fresh vigor. The whole show has been on fire from the word go. I come down to the water to cool my eyes. But everywhere I look I see fire; that which isn't flint is tinder, and the whole world sparks and flames.

Photo: Sun and Orange

 

Prayer: from Simply Prayer by Wendy Mary Beckett

Simple prayer is above all a response to God -- a response, not an initiative. Prayer is concerned not so much with me as with God. We are invited to surrender to God even when our instincts rebel. The essential act of prayer is to stand unprotected, vulnerable, before God. That God should take possession of us is the purpose of life. We know that we belong to God; we know, too, if we are honest, that almost despite ourselves, we keep a tight grip on our own autonomy. To truly belong to God means having nothing left for ourselves, to be bound to the will of Another. If you desire to stand surrendered before God, then you are standing there; it needs absolutely nothing else. Whether you are aware of God's presence or not does not matter. Know that God is in you and with you -- now and forever.

Beyond the Coin: The Twenty-Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time 2026

                                                          Beyond the Coin:

The Twenty-Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time 2026 

October 18, 2026

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Isaiah 45:1-6; Psalm 96; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5; Matthew 22:15-21

 

 

In prior weeks, we have heard Matthew’s parables on the Kingdom of God, and as those instructions conclude, the Pharisees plot against Jesus by trying to trip him up with his own words. Jesus responds by showing us that through all of life’s conflicts and stressed situations, we can think expansively and not be forced into one of two choices. He encourages discernment. 

 

Jesus does not ask us to choose between belonging to God and participating in the world. He invites us to understand how these two commitments belong together. We are called to engage, to live fully, in civil society as people who belong to Go, allowing our faith to inform the way we participate. The Pharisees try to trap Jesus between a false choice between religious faithfulness and civic responsibility. The trap is designed to position him as one who either supports Roman occupation and Caesar’s authority or of opposing the Roman government. He does not accept the Pharisee’s terms. Navigating both options is still a choice. How do we live fully in the world without allowing the world’s forces to determine everything we value and believe?

 

Many Christians because of this reading divide their lives into separate compartments and stand over and against the world. They see the world as bad and contrary to God’s plan. Jesus is not saying that. In fact, he challenges that division. Our relationship with God is not meant to be an isolated part of our lives. It influences how we work, how we treat and speak to people, how we exercise authority, and how we contribute to the common good. A Christian does not check one’s faith at the door when entering the workplace, in dealing with political actions or elections, paying taxes, raising a family, or dealing with people whose fundamental beliefs differ for one’s own. These are the places where one’s discipleship becomes visible. Faith does not separate us from the world but asks us to inhabit the world differently. 

 

Jesus acknowledges that Caesar has legitimate claims. Civil society requires people to share responsibilities, support necessary institutions, and contribute to the well-being of the community. Civil authority has a vital place in our lives. Government, institutions, and economic systems serve important purposes and assist the common good. It does not have ultimate authority over our consciences, human dignity, or our moral commitments. Civil society cannot take the place of God. Civic responsibility involves thoughtful participation, respect for legitimate authority, and a conscience formed by the Gospel. Civil governments often support fundamental human values. When laws, practices, or cultural customs conflict with moral responsibilities, we may need to speak, act, and sometimes, civilly refuse to cooperate. 

 

Let’s turn back to the coin for a moment. The image of Caesar is stamped on the coin. Jesus invites us to see beyond the coin itself and ask, “What bears the image of God?” The human person does. We owe God our very selves. Our minds, hearts, talents and relationships are not to be separated from God. Our capacity to love is an extraordinary gift. Our responsibility to God is inseparable from the way we treat others, and we do this is civic society. We cannot claim to know and to honor God while disregarding the dignity of our neighbor. We cannot say we know God and remain indifferent to injustice, discrimination, inequity, or suffering. The way we treat others shows how well we know God. Our commitment to God is concrete when we honor God’s image in one another. 

 

We do not only serve God through individual prayer and worship or practicing liturgy in a particular way. We serve God through the way we build society in which human dignity is respected, in which responsibilities are collegially shared, and in which people can flourish together. The two commitments of that coin are inseparable. We receive our fullness when we come together with shared lives. We are an above and beyond people who unite and integrate our worlds to the honor of God and neighbor.

 

Scripture for Daily Mass 

Monday: (Ephesians 2) You were dead in your transgressions and sins in which you once lived following the age of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the disobedient.

 

Tuesday: (Ephesians 2) You were at that time without Christ, alienated from the community of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world.

 

Wednesday: (Ephesians 3) You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for your benefit, namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly earlier.

 

Thursday (Ephesians 3) I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

 

Friday (Ephesians 4) I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace.

 

Saturday (Ephesians 4) Grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore, it says: He ascended on high and took prisoners captive; he gave gifts to men.

 

 

Gospel:  

Monday: (Luke 12) Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?”

 

Tuesday: (Luke 12) Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.

 

Wednesday (Luke 12) Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour
when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.

 

Thursday (Luke 12) I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.

 

Friday (Luke 12) When you see a cloud rising in the west you say immediately that it is going to rain–and so it does; and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south you say that it is going to be hot–and so it is. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

 

Saturday (Luke 13) Some people told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. He said to them in reply, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? By no means!

 

Saints of the Week

 

October 18: Luke, evangelist (first century) was the author of his version of the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. He is described as a doctor and a friend of Paul. He was a well-educated Gentile who was familiar with the Jewish scriptures and he wrote to other Gentiles who were coming into a faith.

 

October 19: North American Jesuit martyrs: Isaac Jogues, John de Brebeuf, priests, and companions (17th century) were killed between 1642 and 1649 in Canada and the United States. Though they knew of harsh conditions among the warring Huron and Mohawk tribes in the New World, these priests and laymen persisted in evangelizing until they were captured, brutally tortured, and barbarically killed. 

 

October 20: Paul of the Cross, priest (1694-1775), founded the Passionists in 1747. He had a boyhood call that propelled him into a life of austerity and prayer. After receiving several visions, he began to preach missions throughout Italy that mostly focused upon the Passion of the Lord. After his death, a congregation for nuns was begun. 

 

October 23: John of Capistrano, priest, had a vision of Francis of Assisi when he was imprisoned during an Italian civil war at which time he was the governor of Perugia. He entered the Franciscan Friars Minor in 1415 after ending his marriage. He preached missions throughout Europe including a mission to Hungary to preach a crusade against the Turks. After the Christian victory at the Battle of Belgrade in 1456, John died. 

 

October 24: Anthony Claret, bishop (1807-1870) adopted his father's weaving career as a young man but continued to study Latin and printing. After entering seminary, he began preaching retreats and giving missions. He published and distributed religious literature and founded the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. He was appointed archbishop of Cuba but was called back to Spain to be Queen Isabella II's confessor. He resumed publishing until the revolution of 1868 sent him into exile. 

 

This Week in Jesuit History

 

• October 18, 1553: A theological course was opened in our college in Lisbon; 400 students were at once enrolled. 
• October 19, 1588: At Munster, in Westphalia, the Society opens a college, in spite of an outcry raised locally by some of the Protestants. 
• October 20, 1763: In a pastoral letter read in all his churches, the Archbishop of Paris expressed his bitter regret at the suppression of the Society in France. He described it as a veritable calamity for his country. 
• October 21, 1568: Fr. Robert Parsons was elected Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford. He resigned his Fellowship in 1574. 
• October 22, 1870: In France, Garibaldi and his men drove the Jesuits from the Colleges of Dole and Mont Roland. 
• October 23, 1767: The Jesuits who had been kept prisoners in their college in Santiago, Chile, for almost two months were led forth to exile. In all 360 Jesuits of the Chile Province were shipped to Europe as exiles. 
• October 24, 1759: 133 members of the Society, banished from Portugal and put ashore at Civita Vecchia, were most kindly received by Clement XIII and by the religious communities, especially the Dominicans.

Más allá de la moneda: Vigésimo noveno domingo del tiempo ordinario de 2026

                                    Más allá de la moneda:

Vigésimo noveno domingo del tiempo ordinario de 2026

18 de octubre de 2026

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Isaías 45:1-6; Salmo 96; 1 Tesalonicenses 1:1-5; Mateo 22:15-21

 

 

En semanas anteriores, escuchamos las parábolas de Mateo sobre el Reino de Dios, y al concluir esas enseñanzas, los fariseos conspiran contra Jesús intentando hacerlo tropezar con sus propias palabras. Jesús responde mostrándonos que, a pesar de todos los conflictos y situaciones estresantes de la vida, podemos pensar con amplitud y no vernos obligados a elegir entre dos opciones. Él nos anima a discernir.

 

Jesús no nos pide que elijamos entre pertenecer a Dios y participar en el mundo. Nos invita a comprender cómo estos dos compromisos se complementan. Estamos llamados a participar, a vivir plenamente, en la sociedad civil como personas que pertenecen a Dios, permitiendo que nuestra fe guíe nuestra participación. Los fariseos intentan tenderle una trampa a Jesús, obligándolo a elegir entre la fidelidad religiosa y la responsabilidad cívica. La trampa busca posicionarlo como alguien que apoya la ocupación romana y la autoridad del César, o que se opone al gobierno romano. Él no acepta las condiciones de los fariseos. Elegir entre ambas opciones sigue siendo una decisión. ¿Cómo podemos vivir plenamente en el mundo sin permitir que las fuerzas del mundo determinen todo lo que valoramos y creemos?

 

Muchos cristianos, debido a esta interpretación, dividen sus vidas en compartimentos separados y se oponen al mundo. Ven el mundo como malo y contrario al plan de Dios. Jesús no dice eso. De hecho, desafía esa división. Nuestra relación con Dios no debe ser una parte aislada de nuestras vidas. Influye en cómo trabajamos, cómo tratamos y hablamos con los demás, cómo ejercemos la autoridad y cómo contribuimos al bien común. Un cristiano no deja su fe en la puerta al entrar al trabajo, al participar en acciones políticas o elecciones, al pagar impuestos, al criar una familia o al tratar con personas cuyas creencias fundamentales difieren de las suyas. Estos son los ámbitos donde el discipulado se hace visible. La fe no nos separa del mundo, sino que nos invita a habitarlo de una manera diferente.

 

Jesús reconoce que César tiene derechos legítimos. La sociedad civil exige que las personas compartan responsabilidades, apoyen las instituciones necesarias y contribuyan al bienestar de la comunidad. La autoridad civil ocupa un lugar vital en nuestras vidas. El gobierno, las instituciones y los sistemas económicos cumplen funciones importantes y contribuyen al bien común. No tienen autoridad suprema sobre nuestra conciencia, nuestra dignidad humana ni nuestros compromisos morales. La sociedad civil no puede reemplazar a Dios. La responsabilidad cívica implica una participación reflexiva, respeto por la autoridad legítima y una conciencia formada por el Evangelio. Los gobiernos civiles suelen apoyar valores humanos fundamentales. Cuando las leyes, las prácticas o las costumbres culturales entran en conflicto con las responsabilidades morales, puede que necesitemos hablar, actuar y, a veces, negarnos civilizadamente a cooperar.

 

Volvamos un momento a la moneda. La imagen de César está grabada en ella. Jesús nos invita a mirar más allá de la moneda y preguntarnos: "¿Qué lleva la imagen de Dios?". La persona humana. Le debemos a Dios nuestra propia existencia. Nuestras mentes, corazones, talentos y relaciones no deben separarse de Dios. Nuestra capacidad de amar es un don extraordinario. Nuestra responsabilidad para con Dios es inseparable de la forma en que tratamos a los demás, y esto lo hacemos en la sociedad civil. No podemos afirmar conocer y honrar a Dios mientras ignoramos la dignidad de nuestro prójimo. No podemos decir que conocemos a Dios y permanecer indiferentes ante la injusticia, la discriminación, la desigualdad o el sufrimiento. La forma en que tratamos a los demás demuestra cuán bien conocemos a Dios. Nuestro compromiso con Dios se concreta cuando honramos su imagen en los demás.

 

No servimos a Dios únicamente mediante la oración y el culto individual o la práctica litúrgica de una manera particular. Servimos a Dios construyendo una sociedad donde se respete la dignidad humana, donde las responsabilidades se compartan de forma colegiada y donde las personas puedan prosperar juntas. Estos dos compromisos son inseparables. Recibimos plenitud cuando nos unimos compartiendo nuestras vidas. Somos un pueblo que trasciende lo convencional, que une e integra sus mundos para honrar a Dios y al prójimo.

 

Lecturas bíblicas para la Misa diaria

Lunes: (Efesios 2) Estabais muertos en vuestras transgresiones y pecados en los cuales vivisteis en otro tiempo, siguiendo el curso de este mundo, conforme al príncipe de la potestad del aire, el espíritu que ahora opera en los desobedientes.

 

Martes: (Efesios 2) En aquel tiempo estabais sin Cristo, alejados de la comunidad de Israel y ajenos a los pactos de la promesa, sin esperanza y sin Dios en el mundo.

 

Miércoles: (Efesios 3) Ustedes han oído hablar de la administración de la gracia de Dios que me fue dada para su beneficio, a saber, que el misterio me fue dado a conocer por revelación, como he escrito brevemente antes.

 

Jueves (Efesios 3) Me arrodillo ante el Padre, de quien toma nombre toda familia en el cielo y en la tierra, para que os conceda, conforme a las riquezas de su gloria, ser fortalecidos con poder por medio de su Espíritu en el hombre interior, y para que Cristo habite en vuestros corazones por medio de la fe.

 

Viernes (Efesios 4) Yo, prisionero por causa del Señor, les ruego que vivan de una manera digna del llamamiento que han recibido, con toda humildad y mansedumbre, con paciencia, soportándose unos a otros con amor, esforzándose por mantener la unidad del espíritu mediante el vínculo de la paz.

 

Sábado (Efesios 4) A cada uno de nosotros se nos ha dado la gracia conforme a la medida del don de Cristo. Por eso dice: « Ascendió a lo alto y llevó cautivos; dio dones a los hombres».

 

 

Evangelio:  

Lunes: (Lucas 12) Alguien de entre la multitud le dijo a Jesús: «Maestro, dile a mi hermano que comparta la herencia conmigo». Él le respondió: «Amigo, ¿quién me ha puesto por juez y árbitro?».

 

Martes: (Lucas 12) Ceñid vuestros lomos y encended vuestras lámparas, y sed como siervos que esperan el regreso de su amo de una boda, listos para abrirle en cuanto llegue y llame. Dichosos aquellos siervos a quienes su amo encuentre vigilantes a su llegada.

 

Miércoles (Lucas 12) Tengan esto por seguro: si el dueño de la casa hubiera sabido a qué hora 
vendría el ladrón, no habría permitido que entraran a robar en su casa. Ustedes también deben estar preparados, porque a la hora que menos lo esperen, vendrá el Hijo del Hombre.

 

Jueves (Lucas 12) He venido a prender fuego a la tierra, ¡y cómo desearía que ya estuviera ardiendo! Hay un bautismo con el que debo ser bautizado, ¡y cuán grande es mi angustia hasta que se cumpla! ¿Piensan que he venido a establecer la paz en la tierra? 
No, les digo, sino la división.

 

Viernes (Lucas 12) Cuando ven una nube que se levanta en el oeste, dicen inmediatamente que va a llover, y así sucede; y cuando notan que sopla el viento del sur, dicen que va a hacer calor, y así es. ¡Hipócritas! Saben interpretar el aspecto de la tierra y del cielo; ¿por qué no saben interpretar los tiempos presentes?

 

Sábado (Lucas 13) Algunos le contaron a Jesús acerca de los galileos cuya sangre Pilato había mezclado con la sangre de sus sacrificios. Él les respondió: «¿Acaso piensan que por haber sufrido así estos galileos eran mayores pecadores que todos los demás galileos? ¡De ninguna manera!

 

Santos de la semana

 

18 de octubre: Lucas, evangelista (siglo I), fue el autor de su versión del Evangelio y de los Hechos de los Apóstoles. Se le describe como médico y amigo de Pablo. Era un gentil culto, familiarizado con las escrituras judías, y escribió a otros gentiles que se estaban convirtiendo a la fe.

 

19 de octubre: Mártires jesuitas norteamericanos: Isaac Jogues, John de Brebeuf, sacerdotes y compañeros (siglo XVII) fueron asesinados entre 1642 y 1649 en Canadá y Estados Unidos. A pesar de conocer las duras condiciones de vida de las tribus huronas y mohawk, enfrentadas en el Nuevo Mundo, estos sacerdotes y laicos persistieron en su labor evangelizadora hasta que fueron capturados, brutalmente torturados y asesinados con barbarie.

 

20 de octubre: Pablo de la Cruz, sacerdote (1694-1775), fundó los Pasionistas en 1747. Desde niño sintió una vocación que lo impulsó a una vida de austeridad y oración. Tras recibir varias visiones, comenzó a predicar misiones por toda Italia, centradas principalmente en la Pasión del Señor. Después de su muerte, se fundó una congregación de monjas.

 

23 de octubre: Juan de Capistrano, sacerdote, tuvo una visión de Francisco de Asís mientras estaba encarcelado durante la guerra civil italiana, época en la que era gobernador de Perugia. Ingresó en la Orden de los Frailes Menores Franciscanos en 1415 tras divorciarse. Predicó misiones por toda Europa, incluyendo una misión a Hungría para predicar una cruzada contra los turcos. Tras la victoria cristiana en la batalla de Belgrado en 1456, Juan falleció.

24 de octubre: Antonio Claret, obispo (1807-1870), siguió de joven el oficio de tejedor de su padre, pero continuó estudiando latín e imprenta. Tras ingresar en el seminario, comenzó a predicar retiros espirituales y a realizar misiones. Publicó y distribuyó literatura religiosa y fundó los Hijos Misioneros del Inmaculado Corazón de María. Fue nombrado arzobispo de Cuba, pero regresó a España para ser confesor de la reina Isabel II. Retomó su actividad editorial hasta que la revolución de 1868 lo obligó al exilio.

 

Esta semana en la historia jesuita

 

• 18 de octubre de 1553: Se inauguró un curso de teología en nuestro colegio de Lisboa; se matricularon inmediatamente 400 estudiantes.
• 19 de octubre de 1588: En Münster, en Westfalia, la Sociedad abre un colegio, a pesar de la protesta generalizada de algunos protestantes locales.
• 20 de octubre de 1763: En una carta pastoral leída en todas sus iglesias, el arzobispo de París expresó su profundo pesar por la supresión de la Compañía de Jesús en Francia. La describió como una verdadera calamidad para su país.
• 21 de octubre de 1568: El padre Robert Parsons fue elegido miembro del Balliol College de Oxford. Renunció a su cargo en 1574.
• 22 de octubre de 1870: En Francia, Garibaldi y sus hombres expulsaron a los jesuitas de los colegios de Dole y Mont Roland.
• 23 de octubre de 1767: Los jesuitas que habían permanecido prisioneros en su colegio de Santiago de Chile durante casi dos meses fueron llevados al exilio. En total, 360 jesuitas de la Provincia de Chile fueron enviados a Europa como exiliados.
• de octubre de 1759: 133 miembros de la Compañía de Jesús, desterrados de Portugal y desembarcados en Civita Vecchia , fueron recibidos con gran amabilidad por Clemente XIII y por las comunidades religiosas, especialmente los dominicos.

Photo: Blushing

 

Spirituality: Parker Palmer in A Hidden Wholeness

...there are at least two ways to understand what it means to have our hearts broken. One is to imagine the heart broken into shards and scattered about—a feeling most of us know, and a fate we would like to avoid. The other is to imagine the heart broken open into new capacity—a process that is not without pain but one that many of us would welcome. As I stand in the tragic gap between reality and possibility, this small, tight fist of a thing called my heart can break open into greater capacity to hold more of my own and the world’s suffering and joy, despair and hope. 

Photo: Central Massachusetts