Photo: The Four Seasons

 

Prayer: Eusebius

May I be no one’s enemy, and may I be the friend of that which is eternal and abides. May I never quarrel with those nearest me, and if I do, may I be reconciled quickly. May I never devise evil against another. May I love, seek, and attain only that which is good.

 

Photo: The First Eucharist

 

Prayer: Teresa of Avila

Govern all by your wisdom, O Lord, so that I may always be serving you as you desire and not as I choose. Do not punish me, I ask, by granting what I wish or ask, if it offends your love that always lives in me. Let me die to myself that I may serve you. Let me live to you who in yourself are the true life.

 

Photo: Busy Creatures

 

Prayer: The Venerable Bede

Perfect love is that by which we are ordered to love the Lord with our whole heart, our whole soul, and our whole strength, and our neighbor as ourselves. Neither of these two kinds of love is capable of being perfect without the other, because God cannot be loved apart from our neighbor, nor our neighbor apart from God.

 

Photo: The Lush Public Gardens

 

Prayer: “Late Have I Loved You” by St. Augustine

Late have I loved you, O beauty ever ancient, ever new!
Late have I loved you!

And behold, you were within, and I without,
and without I sought you.

And deformed, I ran after those forms of beauty
you have made.

You were with me, and I was not with you,
those things held me back from you,
things whose only being was to be in you.

You called; you cried;
and you broke through my deafness.

You flashed; you shone;
and you chased away my blindness.

You became fragrant;
and I inhaled and sighed for you.

I tasted, and now hunger and thirst for you.
You touched me; and I burned for your embrace.

Photo: George Washington

 

Prayer: Ephrem the Syrian

Lord Jesus Christ, you have power over life and death. You know what is uncertain and obscure, and our thoughts and feelings are no secret from you. Cleanse me from my hidden faults, for I have done evil and you have seen it. You know how frail I am, in soul and in body. Give me strength, Lord, in my weakness, and uphold me in my sufferings.

 

Speaking God-like Words The Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time 2020

                                                          Speaking God-like Words

The Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time 2020

www.johnpredmoresj.com | predmore.blogspot.com

predmoresj@yahoo.com | 617.510.9673

August 30, 2020

Jeremiah 20:7-9; Psalm 63; Romans 12:1-2; Matthew 16:21-27

 

 

Peter is like the rest of us in that we do not want to embrace suffering or mortality. Jesus revealed to his friend the completion of his mission, one that will end in his death, and Peter turns away from the subject as quickly as he can. We all do. We want to offer an encouraging word, give the other person hope, put on a positive spin, look to the best advances in science to help the person live and beat their condition, but our words can take us away from the pain and grief that someone might feel. In this case, Jesus tells his closest friends that he is going to die, knowing that it will be a humiliating, painful death, and that there is a terrible finality to his mission. The disciples are not able to hear Jesus or give him what he needs – comfort and consolation – and they miss an opportunity to learn how Jesus feels in his suffering. Because the disciples could not fully hear, Jesus was unable to share fully the extent of his anguish. To avoid being like Peter, we have to be wise and slow with the words we speak.

 

Jeremiah also feels unheard – by God and by the people to whom he has been sent. The mission from God has not gone as planned because it is more difficult than expected. People do not respect Jeremiah and they certainly do not listen to him. He feels that God is not even listening to his woes. To feel misunderstood is terribly lonely. Jeremiah realizes though, that as much as he would rather walk away from his mission, he cannot. Near-term suffering is his fate, but his words cannot betray God. Something fundamental in the relationship keeps him bound to God. Jeremiah learns to be wise and slow with the words he speaks.

 

Much of our suffering is caused by the words people speak to us or the way we ineffectively deal we communications in our closest relationships. They may not understand what we are trying to say and they may take us for granted by finishing our sentences for us. They may divert the conversation in another direction, as Peter did, rather than dealing with the substance of what you are saying. It increases our feelings of loneliness and isolation, which further enhances our suffering. Suffering is often brought about by the wrong words we speak, whether they are unkind, untruthful, or violent, whether they lack openness or understanding, whether they are devoid of compassion or attempts to reconcile with one another. Absent the right words we can speak, we will suffer even more. This is what Jesus was telling Peter when he said, “You are speaking as human beings do.” Peter became an obstacle to him, and Jesus needs him to speak as God does. We need to speak as God does, because, as we look around, our families and our nation is filled with the type of human speech that causes division and suffering.

 

Peter would not have been rebuked by Jesus if he tried to listen to him better. Staying nearby in a stance of openness and silence would have given Peter a better chance to understand what Jesus was saying. At times like these, our needs and concern take second place to the one in greater need. That is losing one’s life for another. That is forfeiting one’s life for the sake of another. After listening to Jesus, Peter could have then spoken God-like words that conveyed insight and understanding. When we speak rightly, we are healed, and we heal the one in need. The one who hears these words of compassion know that they are really loved, really heard, really understood, and this becomes a moment of great happiness.

 

Scripture for Daily Mass

 

First Reading:

Monday: (Jeremiah 20) You duped me, O LORD, and I let myself be duped; you were too strong for me, and you triumphed. All the day I am an object of laughter; everyone mocks me.

 

Tuesday: (1 Corinthians 2) I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom.
For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.

 

Wednesday: (1 Corinthians 2) The Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand the things freely given us by God.

 

Thursday: (1 Corinthians 3) I could not talk to you as spiritual people, but as fleshly people, as infants in Christ. I fed you milk, not solid food, because you were unable to take it. Indeed, you are still not able, even now, for you are still of the flesh.

 

Friday (1 Corinthians 3) If anyone among you considers himself wise in this age,
let him become a fool, so as to become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God, for it is written: God catches the wise in their own ruses, and again:
The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.

 

Saturday (1 Corinthians 4) It does not concern me in the least that I be judged by you or any human tribunal; I do not even pass judgment on myself; I am not conscious of anything against me, but I do not thereby stand acquitted; the one who judges me is the Lord.

 

Gospel: 

Monday: (Matthew 16) Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. 

 

Tuesday: (Luke 4) Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.

 

Wednesday (Luke 4) In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out in a loud voice, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are–the Holy One of God!”

 

Thursday (Luke 4) At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases
brought them to him. He laid his hands on each of them and cured them. And demons also came out from many, shouting, “You are the Son of God.”

 

Friday (Luke 5) When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said,
“Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon.

 

Saturday (Luke 5) Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined. Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins.

 

Saints of the Week

 

September 3: Gregory the Great (540-604) was the chief magistrate in Rome and resigned to become a monk. He was the papal ambassador to Constantinople, abbot, and pope. His charity and fair justice won the hearts of many. He protected Jews and synthesized Christian wisdom. He described the duties of bishops and promoted beautiful liturgies that often incorporated chants the bear his name.

 

This Week in Jesuit History

 

·      Aug. 30, 1556: On the banks of the St. Lawrence River, the Iroquois mortally wounded Fr. Leonard Garreau, a young missionary.

·      Aug. 31, 1581: In St. John's Chapel within the Tower of London, a religious discussion took place between St. Edmund Campion, suffering from recent torture, and some Protestant ministers.

·      Sep 1, 1907. The Buffalo Mission was dissolved, and its members were sent to the New York and Missouri Provinces and the California Mission.

·      Sep 2, 1792. In Paris, ten ex-Jesuits were massacred for refusing to take the Constitutional oath. Also in Paris seven other fathers were put to death by the Republicans, among them Frs. Peter and Robert Guerin du Rocher.

·      Sep 3, 1566. Queen Elizabeth visited Oxford and heard the 26-year-old Edmund Campion speak. He was to meet her again as a prisoner, brought to hear her offer of honors or death.

·      Sep 4, 1760. At Para, Brazil, 150 men of the Society were shipped as prisoners, reaching Lisbon on December 2. They were at once exiled to Italy and landed at Civita Vecchia on January 17, 1761.

·      Sep 5, 1758. The French Parliament issued a decree condemning Fr. Busembaum's Medulla Theologiae Moralis.

Hablar palabras divinas Vigésimo Segundo Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario 2020

 Hablar palabras divinas
Vigésimo Segundo Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario 2020
www.johnpredmoresj.com | predmore.blogspot.com
predmoresj@yahoo.com | 617.510.9673
30 de agosto de 2020
Jeremías 20: 7-9; Salmo 63; Romanos 12: 1-2; Mateo 16: 21-27

Peter es como el resto de nosotros en que no queremos abrazar el sufrimiento o la mortalidad. Jesús le reveló a su amigo el cumplimiento de su misión, una que terminará con su muerte, y Pedro se aparta del tema lo más rápido que puede. Todos lo hacemos. Queremos ofrecer una palabra de aliento, darle esperanza a la otra persona, darle un giro positivo, buscar los mejores avances en la ciencia para ayudar a la persona a vivir y superar su condición, pero nuestras palabras pueden alejarnos del dolor y la pena que alguien podría sentir. En este caso, Jesús les dice a sus amigos más cercanos que va a morir, sabiendo que será una muerte humillante, dolorosa, y que su misión tiene una finalidad terrible. Los discípulos no pueden escuchar a Jesús ni darle lo que necesita, consuelo y consuelo, y pierden la oportunidad de aprender cómo se siente Jesús en su sufrimiento. Debido a que los discípulos no pudieron oír completamente, Jesús no pudo compartir plenamente la magnitud de su angustia. Para evitar ser como Pedro, tenemos que ser sabios y lentos con las palabras que hablamos.

Jeremías también se siente ignorado, por Dios y por la gente a la que ha sido enviado. La misión de Dios no ha salido según lo planeado porque es más difícil de lo esperado. La gente no respeta a Jeremías y ciertamente no lo escucha. Siente que Dios ni siquiera escucha sus aflicciones. Sentirse incomprendido es terriblemente solitario. Sin embargo, Jeremías se da cuenta de que, por mucho que prefiera alejarse de su misión, no puede. El sufrimiento a corto plazo es su destino, pero sus palabras no pueden traicionar a Dios. Algo fundamental en la relación lo mantiene unido a Dios. Jeremías aprende a ser sabio y lento con las palabras que habla.

Gran parte de nuestro sufrimiento es causado por las palabras que la gente nos dice o la forma en que manejamos de manera ineficaz las comunicaciones en nuestras relaciones más cercanas. Puede que no comprendan lo que estamos tratando de decir y pueden darnos por sentado al terminar nuestras oraciones por nosotros. Pueden desviar la conversación en otra dirección, como hizo Peter, en lugar de ocuparse de la esencia de lo que está diciendo. Aumenta nuestros sentimientos de soledad y aislamiento, lo que aumenta aún más nuestro sufrimiento. El sufrimiento a menudo es provocado por las palabras equivocadas que decimos, ya sean descorteses, falsas o violentas, si carecen de franqueza o comprensión, si carecen de compasión o intentan reconciliarse entre sí. Sin las palabras adecuadas que podamos pronunciar, sufriremos aún más. Esto es lo que Jesús le estaba diciendo a Pedro cuando dijo: "Hablas como lo hacen los seres humanos". Pedro se convirtió en un obstáculo para él, y Jesús necesita que hable como lo hace Dios. Necesitamos hablar como Dios lo hace, porque, al mirar a nuestro alrededor, nuestras familias y nuestra nación están llenas del tipo de habla humana que causa división y sufrimiento.

Pedro no habría sido reprendido por Jesús si hubiera tratado de escucharlo mejor. Permanecer cerca en una postura de apertura y silencio le habría dado a Pedro una mejor oportunidad de entender lo que Jesús estaba diciendo. En momentos como estos, nuestras necesidades e inquietudes pasan a un segundo plano frente al más necesitado. Eso es perder la vida de uno por otro. Eso es perder la vida por el bien de otro. Después de escuchar a Jesús, Pedro pudo haber dicho palabras parecidas a las de Dios que transmitían perspicacia y comprensión. Cuando hablamos correctamente, somos sanados y sanamos al necesitado. Quien oye estas palabras de compasión sabe que realmente son amadas, realmente escuchadas, realmente comprendidas, y este se convierte en un momento de gran felicidad.

Escritura para la misa diaria

Primera lectura:

Lunes: (Jeremías 20) Me engañaste, oh SEÑOR, y yo me dejé engañar; eras demasiado fuerte para mí y triunfaste. Todo el día soy objeto de risa; todos se burlan de mí.

Martes: (1 Corintios 2) No vine con sublimidad de palabras ni de sabiduría. Porque resolví no saber nada mientras estaba con ustedes, excepto Jesucristo, y este crucificado. Vine a ti con debilidad, temor y mucho temblor, y mi mensaje y mi proclamación no fueron con palabras persuasivas de sabiduría, sino con una demostración de espíritu y poder, para que tu fe no se basara en la sabiduría humana, sino en el poder de Dios.

Miércoles: (1 Corintios 2) El Espíritu escudriña todo, incluso las profundidades de Dios. No hemos recibido el espíritu del mundo, sino el Espíritu que viene de Dios, para que comprendamos las cosas que Dios nos ha dado gratuitamente.

Jueves: (1 Corintios 3) No podría hablarles como personas espirituales, sino como personas carnales, como niños en Cristo. Te di leche, no comida sólida, porque no pudiste tomarla. De hecho, todavía no puedes, incluso ahora, porque todavía eres de la carne.

Viernes (1 Corintios 3) Si alguno de ustedes se considera sabio en esta época, que se vuelva insensato para hacerse sabio. Porque la sabiduría de este mundo es necedad a los ojos de Dios, porque escrito está: Dios atrapa a los sabios en sus propios trucos, y otra vez: El Señor conoce los pensamientos de los sabios, que son vanos.

Sábado (1 Corintios 4) No me importa en lo más mínimo que yo sea juzgado por ti o por cualquier tribunal humano; Ni siquiera me juzgo a mí mismo; No soy consciente de nada en mi contra, pero por ello no quedo absuelto; el que me juzga es el Señor.

Evangelio:

Lunes: (Mateo 16) Jesús comenzó a mostrar a sus discípulos que tenía que ir a Jerusalén y sufrir mucho por los ancianos, los principales sacerdotes y los escribas, y ser muerto y resucitar al tercer día.

Martes: (Lucas 4) Jesús vino a Nazaret, donde se había criado, y entró según su costumbre en la sinagoga el día de reposo. Se puso de pie para leer y le entregaron un rollo del profeta Isaías.

Miércoles (Lucas 4) En la sinagoga había un hombre con el espíritu de un demonio inmundo, y gritó a gran voz: “¿Qué tienes que ver con nosotros, Jesús de Nazaret? ¿Has venido a destruirnos? Sé quién eres: ¡el Santo de Dios! "

Jueves (Lucas 4) Al atardecer, todos los que tenían personas enfermas de diversas enfermedades

se los trajo. Puso sus manos sobre cada uno de ellos y los curó. Y los demonios también salieron de muchos, gritando: "Tú eres el Hijo de Dios".

Viernes (Lucas 5) Cuando Simón Pedro vio esto, cayó de rodillas a Jesús y dijo: "Apártate de mí, Señor, porque soy un hombre pecador". Porque el asombro por la pesca que habían hecho se apoderó de él y de todos los que estaban con él, y también de Jacobo y Juan, los hijos de Zebedeo, que eran socios de Simón.

Sábado (Lucas 5) Asimismo, nadie echa vino nuevo en odres viejos. De lo contrario, el vino nuevo romperá los odres, se derramará y los odres se arruinarán. Más bien, el vino nuevo se debe verter en odres nuevos.

Santos de la semana

3 de septiembre: Gregorio el Grande (540-604) fue el magistrado principal de Roma y renunció para convertirse en monje. Fue embajador papal en Constantinopla, abad y papa. Su caridad y justicia justa ganaron los corazones de muchos. Protegió a los judíos y sintetizó la sabiduría cristiana. Describió los deberes de los obispos y promovió hermosas liturgias que a menudo incorporaban cánticos que llevan su nombre.

Esta semana en la historia de los jesuitas

• 30 de agosto de 1556: A orillas del río San Lorenzo, los iroqueses hirieron de muerte al p. Leonard Garreau, joven misionero.

• 31 de agosto de 1581: en la Capilla de San Juan dentro de la Torre de Londres, tuvo lugar una discusión religiosa entre San Edmund Campion, que sufría de tortura reciente, y algunos ministros protestantes.

• 1 de septiembre de 1907. La Misión Buffalo se disolvió y sus miembros fueron enviados a las provincias de Nueva York y Misuri y la Misión de California.

• 2 de septiembre de 1792. En París, diez ex jesuitas fueron masacrados por negarse a prestar juramento constitucional. También en París, otros siete padres fueron ejecutados por los republicanos, entre ellos los PP. Peter y Robert Guerin du Rocher.

• 3 de septiembre de 1566. La reina Isabel visitó Oxford y escuchó hablar a Edmund Campion, de 26 años. Iba a encontrarse con ella nuevamente como prisionero, llevado para escuchar su ofrecimiento de honores o muerte.

• 4 de septiembre de 1760. En Para, Brasil, 150 hombres de la Sociedad fueron enviados como prisioneros, llegando a Lisboa el 2 de diciembre. Fueron inmediatamente exiliados a Italia y desembarcados en Civita Vecchia el 17 de enero de 1761.

• 5 de septiembre de 1758. El Parlamento francés emitió un decreto condenando al P. Medulla Theologiae Moralis de Busembaum.

Photo: Arthur Fielder

 

Prayer: On Rights and Responsibilities, from Rosa Parks

I realized we should all be free people and we should have the same rights as other people. In the South, at that time, there was legally enforced segregation. There were places black people couldn’t go, and rights we did not have. This was not acceptable to me. A lot of other people didn’t disobey the rules because they didn’t want to get into trouble. I was willing to get arrested — it was worth the consequences.

Photo: Light and Dark

 

Poem: “What Have We Done Today?” By Nixon Waterman

I

We shall do much in the years to come,

But what have we done today?

We shall give out gold in a princely sum,

                                     But what did we give today?

We shall lift the heart and dry the tear,

We shall plant hope in the place of fear,

We shall speak the words of love and cheer,

                                     But what did we speak today?

II

We shall be so kind in the after while,

But what have we been today?

We shall bring to each lonely life a smile,

                                    But what have we brought today?

We shall give to truth a grander birth,

And to steadfast faith a deeper worth,

We shall feed the hungering souls of earth,

                                    But whom have we fed today?

III

We shall reap such joys in the by and by,

                                    But what have we sown today?

We shall build us mansions in the sky,

                                    But what have we built today?

“Tis sweet in the idle dreams to bask;

But here and now, do we our task:

Yet, this is the thing our souls must ask,

                                    ;:What have we done today?

Book: "A State of Mind: Faith and the CIA"

A CIA officer, a friend that I met in Amman, Jordan, wrote a book about his story of coming to the faith.

 "A State of Mind: Faith and the CIA" is a memoir of the life and work of a CIA officer. It is also a journey of faith. During the Cold War, the art of handling and recruiting spies was the focus of intelligence work. In those days, the practice of espionage raised serious moral and ethical issues, but it was a well-established and universally accepted form of statecraft. The shocking 9/11/2001 terrorist attack on America forced a fundamental reassessment of the purpose of intelligence and its role in safeguarding a nation. US intelligence, the military, and their allies waged a global war against terrorism using extraordinary means that raised unprecedented moral and ethical issues. Spies were joined by drones. Extreme measures were developed to kill, capture and interrogate terrorists. A reluctant witness to history was compelled to answer the call from God and country.

https://www.amazon.com/State-Mind-Faith-CIA-ebook/dp/B089DL3B77

Photo: Boston at Twilight

 

Prayer: William of St. Thierry

Loving you, O God, brings its own reward here on earth, as well as the eternal reward of heaven. By becoming mirrors of your love, by wearing the mask of your likeness, and my allowing you to make us perfect, we can know the joy of heaven, even while we abide here on earth.

 

Photo:Scituate Harbor

 

Prayer: Orthodox Liturgy of Saint Basil

O Lord, helper of the helpless, the hope of those who are past hope, the savior of the tempest-tossed, the harbor of the voyagers, the physician of the sick. You know each soul and our prayer, each home and its need. Become to each one of us what we most dearly desire. Pour on us your peace and love.

 

Photo: Folds

 

Prayer: Alphonsus Liguori

Jesus Christ, I adore you and thank you for all the graces you have given me this day. I offer you my sleep and all the moments of this night, and I ask you to keep me from sin. Let your holy angels stand about me and keep me in peace, and let your blessing be upon me.

Photo: The Harbor at Dawn

 

Prayer: Pope Clement of Rome

Let all nations come to know you, the one God, with your Son, Jesus Christ. Do not keep count of the sins of your servants, but purify us through the bath of your truth and direct our steps. Help us to walk in holiness of heart and to do what is good and pleasing in your eyes. Let your face shine upon us to grant us every good in peace, protect us by your powerful hand, and deliver us from every evil.

 

Who am I to You? The Twenty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time 2020

Who am I to You?

The Twenty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time 2020

www.johnpredmoresj.com | predmore.blogspot.com

predmoresj@yahoo.com | 617.510.9673

August 23, 2020

Isaiah 22:19-23; Psalm 138; Romans 11:33-36; Matthew 16:13-20

 

 

The question Jesus asks, “Who do you say that I am?” is the matter at the heart of our faith, and like Peter, our response will dictate how we show our belief. We are gathered here because Jesus is central to our lives, and we each meet Jesus in different ways. How did Peter know him? as a Galilean carpenter, as an enlightened preacher and teacher, as a wise thinker who reflected upon the moral dilemmas of the day, as an observant Jew who sometimes challenged the status quo, as a man who loved the God of their ancestors, as one who ate and drank with them and told stories, but his response to Jesus was more than all that: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

 

As we see Jesus than more than all that he has done for us; he sees us as more than all we have done as well. This is the fruit of the Spiritual Exercises. The most intense prayers of the Exercises have us observing Jesus. That’s it. We just watch and take notes. We observe how and with whom he speaks. We pay attention to the tone of his voice, his facial gestures, his body language, and we look for the emotion that he conveys during his interactions. We notice what he does and does not do. We pay attention to the style of the man for he always chooses the high road. The miracles and healings are important, but the greater importance are the conversations we have with him to unpack why he did what he did.

 

Jesus is interested in how our friendship matures, which means that the choice to go deeper is squarely with us. As we learn more fully who Jesus is, we have to decide whether to invest more fully into it. He invites and asks us what we can do. That’s it. He does not pressure us to go deeper. He reveals and then asks us to respond. Some people need to keep it at a superficial level. It is all they can do. People respond to varying degrees, and we do enough self-reflection to figure out how far we can go. We’ve all had human friendships that we wished could have evolved, but for other reasons, they remained only at a certain point. With reason, he will go as deep as we allow. If we agree to follow, we will discover deeper realities, and if we say yes, we are given a place of privilege at the Cross. The Cross is where we learn to give compassion and consolation. It is the formative aspect of our response as disciples.

 

When we behold the human enterprise of the life of Jesus, we see that he is God. What happens though when Jesus beholds us? What does he see? He sees so much more than the things we have said or done. He sees us in our workplace, in our strivings, in our prayers, in the kind words we have uttered, in the generosity we’ve given to others. He is honored when he sees us because we have stood by him and stood by those who are also important to him. The question is both, “Who do you say that I am and let me tell you who are you are me.” In this dynamism of affection, we form greater bonds of friendship and mystery, and through it all, we see God more clearly.

 

Scripture for Daily Mass

 

First Reading:

Monday: (Isaiah 22) I will thrust you from your office and pull you down from your station. On that day I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah; I will clothe him with your robe, and gird him with your sash, and give over to him your authority.

 

Tuesday: (Revelation 21) The angel spoke to me, saying, “Come here. I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” He took me in spirit to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.

 

Wednesday: (2 Thessalonians 2) We ask you, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling with him, not to be shaken out of your minds suddenly, or to be alarmed either by a “spirit,” or by an oral statement, or by a letter allegedly from us to the effect that the day of the Lord is at hand. Let no one deceive you in any way.

 

Thursday: (2 Thessalonians 3) For you know how one must imitate us. For we did not act in a disorderly way among you, nor did we eat food received free from anyone. On the contrary, in toil and drudgery, night and day we worked, so as not to burden any of you.

 

Friday (1 Corinthians 1) I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, that in him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge, as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Saturday (1 Corinthians 1) Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the Gospel, and not with the wisdom of human eloquence, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.

 

 

Gospel: 

Monday: (Matthew 16) And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.

 

Tuesday: (John 1) Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”

 

Wednesday (Matthew 23) “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup,
so that the outside also may be clean.”

 

Thursday (Matthew 23) You build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the memorials of the righteous, and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’ Thus you bear witness against yourselves that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets.

 

Friday (Matthew 24) Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so.

 

Saturday (Matthew 25) Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

 

Saints of the Week

 

August 23: Rose of Lima (1586-1617) was the first canonized saint of the New World. She had Spanish immigrant parents in Lima. Rose joined the Dominicans and lived in her parents' garden to support them while she took care of the sick and the poor. As a girl, she had many mystical experiences as she practiced an austere life. She also had many periods of darkness and desolation.

 

August 24: Bartholomew (First Century), according to the Acts of the Apostles, is listed as one of the Twelve Disciples though no one for sure knows who he is. Some associate him with Philip, though other Gospel accounts contradict this point. John's Gospel refers to him as Nathaniel - a Israelite without guile.

 

August 25: Louis of France (1214-1270) became king at age 12, but did not take over leadership until ten years later. He had eleven children with his wife, Marguerite, and his kingship reigned for 44 years. His rule ushered in a longstanding peace and prosperity for the nation.  He is held up as a paragon of medieval Christian kings.

 

August 25: Joseph Calasanz, priest (1556-1648), was a Spaniard who studied canon law and theology. He resigned his post as diocesan vicar-general to go to Rome to live as a pilgrim and serve the sick and the dying. He used his inheritance to set up free schools for poor families with children. He founded an order to administer the schools, but dissension and power struggles led to its dissolution.

 

August 27: Monica (332-387) was born a Christian in North Africa and was married to a non-Christian, Patricius, with whom she had three children, the most famous being Augustine. Her husband became a Christian at her urging and she prayed for Augustine's conversion as well from his newly adopted Manichaeism. Monica met Augustine in Milan where he was baptized by Bishop Ambrose. She died on the return trip as her work was complete.

 

August 28: Augustine, bishop and doctor (354-430),  was the author of his Confessions, his spiritual autobiography, and The City of God, which described the life of faith in relation to the life of the temporal world. Many other writings, sermons, and treatises earned him the title Doctor of the church. In his formative years, he followed Mani, a Persian prophet who tried to explain the problem of evil in the world. His mother’s prayers and Ambrose’s preaching helped him convert to Christianity. Baptized in 387, Monica died a year later. He was ordained and five years later named bishop of Hippo and defended the church against three major heresies: Manichaeism, Donatism, and Pelagianism.

 

August 29: The Martyrdom of John the Baptist recalls the sad events of John's beheading by Herod the tetrarch when John called him out for his incestuous and adulterous marriage to Herodias, who was his niece and brother's wife. At a birthday party, Herodias' daughter Salome danced well earning the favor of Herod who told her he would give her almost anything she wanted.

 

This Week in Jesuit History

 

·      Aug. 23, 1558: In the First General Congregation, the question was discussed about the General's office being triennial, and the introduction of Choir, as proposed by Pope Paul IV, and it was decreed that the Constitutions ought to remain unaltered.

·      Aug. 24, 1544: Peter Faber arrived in Lisbon.

·      Aug. 25, 1666: At Beijing, the death of Fr. John Adam Schall. By his profound knowledge of mathematics and astronomy, he attained such fame that the Emperor entrusted to him the reform of the Chinese calendar.

·      Aug. 26, 1562: The return of Fr. Diego Laynez from France to Trent, the Fathers of the Council desiring to hear him speak on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

·      Aug. 27, 1679: The martyrdom at Usk, England, of St. David Lewis, apostle to the poor in his native Wales for three decades before he was caught and hanged.

·      Aug. 28, 1628: The martyrdom in Lancashire, England, of St. Edmund Arrowsmith.

·      Aug. 29, 1541: At Rome the death of Fr. John Codure, a Savoyard, one of the first 10 companions of St. Ignatius.

¿Quién soy yo para ti? Vigésimo primer domingo del tiempo ordinario 2020

¿Quién soy yo para ti?

Vigésimo primer domingo del tiempo ordinario 2020

www.johnpredmoresj.com | predmore.blogspot.com

predmoresj@yahoo.com | 617.510.9673

23 de agosto de 2020

Isaías 22: 19-23; Salmo 138; Romanos 11: 33-36; Mateo 16: 13-20

La pregunta que hace Jesús: "¿Quién decís que soy?" es el tema central de nuestra fe y, como Pedro, nuestra respuesta dictará cómo demostramos nuestra fe. Estamos reunidos aquí porque Jesús es central en nuestras vidas, y cada uno de nosotros conoce a Jesús de diferentes maneras. ¿Cómo lo conoció Peter? como un carpintero galileo, como un predicador y maestro ilustrado, como un pensador sabio que reflexionó sobre los dilemas morales del día, como un judío observante que a veces desafió el status quo, como un hombre que amaba al Dios de sus antepasados, como uno quien comió y bebió con ellos y contó historias, pero su respuesta a Jesús fue más que todo eso: Tú eres el Cristo, el Hijo del Dios viviente.

Como vemos a Jesús, más que todo lo que ha hecho por nosotros; él también nos ve como más que todo lo que hemos hecho. Este es el fruto de los Ejercicios Espirituales. Las oraciones más intensas de los Ejercicios nos hacen observar a Jesús. Eso es. Simplemente miramos y tomamos notas. Observamos cómo y con quién habla. Prestamos atención al tono de su voz, sus gestos faciales, su lenguaje corporal y buscamos la emoción que transmite durante sus interacciones. Notamos lo que hace y lo que no hace. Prestamos atención al estilo del hombre porque siempre elige el camino principal. Los milagros y las curaciones son importantes, pero lo más importante son las conversaciones que tenemos con él para desentrañar por qué hizo lo que hizo.

Jesús está interesado en cómo madura nuestra amistad, lo que significa que la elección de profundizar más está de lleno en nosotros. A medida que aprendemos más plenamente quién es Jesús, tenemos que decidir si invertir más plenamente en él. Nos invita y nos pregunta qué podemos hacer. Eso es. No nos presiona para que profundicemos. Él revela y luego nos pide que respondamos. Algunas personas necesitan mantenerlo en un nivel superficial. Es todo lo que pueden hacer. Las personas responden en diversos grados, y nos auto-reflexionamos lo suficiente para descubrir hasta dónde podemos llegar. Todos hemos tenido amistades humanas que deseamos que pudieran haber evolucionado, pero por otras razones, se mantuvieron solo en cierto punto. Con razón, irá tan profundo como le permitamos. Si aceptamos seguirlo, descubriremos realidades más profundas, y si decimos que sí, se nos dará un lugar de privilegio en la Cruz. La Cruz es donde aprendemos a dar compasión y consuelo. Es el aspecto formativo de nuestra respuesta como discípulos.

Cuando contemplamos la empresa humana de la vida de Jesús, vemos que él es Dios. Sin embargo, ¿qué sucede cuando Jesús nos contempla? ¿Qué ve él? Ve mucho más que las cosas que hemos dicho o hecho. Nos ve en nuestro lugar de trabajo, en nuestros esfuerzos, en nuestras oraciones, en las amables palabras que hemos pronunciado, en la generosidad que hemos brindado a los demás. Se siente honrado cuando nos ve porque lo hemos apoyado y apoyado a quienes también son importantes para él. La pregunta es a la vez: "¿Quién dices que soy y déjame decirte quién eres?" En este dinamismo del afecto formamos mayores lazos de amistad y misterio y, a través de todo ello, vemos a Dios con mayor claridad.

Escritura para la misa diaria

Primera lectura:

Lunes: (Isaías 22) Te echaré de tu oficina y te bajaré de tu puesto. En ese día llamaré a mi siervo Eliaquim, hijo de Hilcías; Lo vestiré con tu manto, lo ceñiré con tu cinturón y le entregaré tu autoridad.

Martes: (Apocalipsis 21) El ángel me habló y me dijo: “Ven aquí. Te mostraré la novia, la esposa del Cordero ". Me llevó en espíritu a una montaña grande y alta y me mostró la ciudad santa de Jerusalén que descendía del cielo de Dios.

Miércoles: (2 Tesalonicenses 2) Les pedimos, con respecto a la venida de nuestro Señor Jesucristo y nuestra reunión con él, que no se arrebaten de repente ni se alarmen por un "espíritu" o por una declaración oral, o una carta supuestamente nuestra en el sentido de que el día del Señor está cerca. Que nadie te engañe de ninguna manera.

Jueves: (2 Tesalonicenses 3) Porque sabéis cómo hay que imitarnos. Porque no actuamos desordenadamente entre ustedes, ni comimos comida recibida gratis de nadie. Al contrario, en el trabajo y el trabajo penoso trabajábamos día y noche para no agobiar a ninguno de ustedes.

Viernes (1 Corintios 1) Doy gracias a mi Dios siempre por tu cuenta por la gracia de Dios que te ha sido otorgada en Cristo Jesús, porque en él fuiste enriquecido en todo, con todo discurso y todo conocimiento, como testimonio de Cristo. fue confirmado entre ustedes, para que no les falte ningún don espiritual mientras esperan la revelación de nuestro Señor Jesucristo.

Sábado (1 Corintios 1) Cristo no me envió a bautizar sino a predicar el Evangelio, y no con la sabiduría de la elocuencia humana, para que la cruz de Cristo no se vacíe de su significado.

Evangelio:

Lunes: (Mateo 16) Y por eso te digo, tú eres Pedro, y sobre esta roca edificaré mi iglesia, y las puertas del inframundo no prevalecerán contra ella. Te daré las llaves del reino de los cielos.

Martes: (Juan 1) Natanael le dijo: "¿Cómo me conoces?" Jesús respondió y le dijo: "Antes de que Felipe te llamara, te vi debajo de la higuera". Natanael le respondió: “Rabí, tú eres el Hijo de Dios; tú eres el Rey de Israel ”.

Miércoles (Mateo 23) “¡Ay de vosotros, escribas y fariseos, hipócritas!

Limpias el exterior de la taza y el plato, pero por dentro están llenos de botín y autocomplacencia. Fariseo ciego, limpia primero el interior de la copa,

para que también por fuera esté limpio. "

Jueves (Mateo 23) Construyes las tumbas de los profetas y adornas las memorias de los justos, y dices: "Si hubiéramos vivido en los días de nuestros antepasados, no nos habríamos unido a ellos para derramar la sangre de los profetas". Así dan testimonio contra ustedes mismos de que son hijos de los que asesinaron a los profetas.

Viernes (Mateo 24) ¿Quién es, pues, el siervo fiel y prudente, a quien el amo ha puesto a cargo de su casa para distribuirles la comida a su tiempo? Bienaventurado el siervo al que su amo a su llegada encuentra haciéndolo.

Sábado (Mateo 25) Después vinieron las otras vírgenes y dijeron: '¡Señor, Señor, ábrenos la puerta!' Pero él respondió: 'En verdad, te digo que no te conozco'. Por lo tanto, mantente despierto. porque no sabéis ni el día ni la hora.

Santos de la semana

23 de agosto: Rosa de Lima (1586-1617) fue la primera santa canonizada del Nuevo Mundo. Tenía padres inmigrantes españoles en Lima. Rose se unió a los dominicanos y vivió en el jardín de sus padres para mantenerlos mientras cuidaba a los enfermos y los pobres. De niña tuvo muchas experiencias místicas mientras practicaba una vida austera. Ella también tuvo muchos períodos de oscuridad y desolación.

24 de agosto: Bartolomé (siglo I), según los Hechos de los Apóstoles, aparece como uno de los Doce Discípulos, aunque nadie sabe con certeza quién es. Algunos lo asocian con Felipe, aunque otros relatos de los evangelios contradicen este punto. El evangelio de Juan se refiere a él como Natanael, un israelita sin engaño.

25 de agosto: Luis de Francia (1214-1270) se convirtió en rey a los 12 años, pero no asumió el liderazgo hasta diez años después. Tuvo once hijos con su esposa, Marguerite, y su reinado reinó durante 44 años. Su gobierno marcó el comienzo de una paz y prosperidad duraderas para la nación. Se le presenta como un modelo de los reyes cristianos medievales.

25 de agosto: Joseph Calasanz, sacerdote (1556-1648), era un español que estudió derecho canónico y teología. Renunció a su cargo de vicario general diocesano para ir a Roma a vivir como peregrino y servir a los enfermos y moribundos. Usó su herencia para establecer escuelas gratuitas para familias pobres con niños. Fundó una orden para administrar las escuelas, pero la disensión y las luchas por el poder llevaron a su disolución.

27 de agosto: Mónica (332-387) nació cristiana en el norte de África y se casó con un no cristiano, Patricio, con quien tuvo tres hijos, el más famoso fue Agustín. Su esposo se convirtió al cristianismo a instancias de ella y oró por la conversión de Agustín también de su maniqueísmo recién adoptado. Mónica conoció a Agustín en Milán, donde fue bautizado por el obispo Ambrosio. Murió en el viaje de regreso cuando su trabajo estaba completo.

28 de agosto: Agustín, obispo y médico (354-430), fue el autor de sus Confesiones, su autobiografía espiritual y La ciudad de Dios, que describía la vida de fe en relación con la vida del mundo temporal. Muchos otros escritos, sermones y tratados le valieron el título de Doctor de la Iglesia. En sus años de formación, siguió a Mani, un profeta persa que trató de explicar el problema del mal en el mundo. Las oraciones de su madre y la predicación de Ambrose lo ayudaron a convertirse al cristianismo. Bautizada en 387, Monica murió un año después. Fue ordenado y cinco años después nombrado obispo de Hipona y defendió a la iglesia contra tres herejías principales: maniqueísmo, donatismo y pelagianismo.

29 de agosto: El martirio de Juan el Bautista recuerda los tristes acontecimientos de la decapitación de Juan por Herodes el tetrarca cuando Juan lo llamó por su matrimonio incestuoso y adúltero con Herodías, que era su sobrina y esposa de hermano. En una fiesta de cumpleaños, la hija de Herodías, Salomé, bailó bien y se ganó el favor de Herodes, quien le dijo que le daría casi todo lo que quisiera.

Esta semana en la historia de los jesuitas

• 23 de agosto de 1558: En la Primera Congregación General, se discutió la cuestión de que la oficina del General fuera trienal y la introducción del Coro, como lo propuso el Papa Pablo IV, y se decretó que las Constituciones debían permanecer inalteradas.

• 24 de agosto de 1544: Peter Faber llega a Lisboa.

• 25 de agosto de 1666: En Beijing, la muerte del P. John Adam Schall. Por su profundo conocimiento de las matemáticas y la astronomía, alcanzó tal fama que el Emperador le confió la reforma del calendario chino.

• 26 de agosto de 1562: El regreso del P. Diego Laynez de Francia a Trento, los Padres del Concilio deseando escucharlo hablar sobre el Santo Sacrificio de la Misa.

• 27 de agosto de 1679: El martirio en Usk, Inglaterra, de St. David Lewis, apóstol de los pobres en su Gales natal durante tres décadas antes de ser capturado y ahorcado.

• 28 de agosto de 1628: El martirio en Lancashire, Inglaterra, de San Edmund Arrowsmith.

• 29 de agosto de 1541: En Roma, la muerte del P. John Codure, un saboyano, uno de los primeros 10 compañeros de San Ignacio.

Photo: The North End

 

Prayer: John Vianney

Life is short. If you defer changing your ways until the hour of your death, you are blind, for you do not know either the time or the place where you will die. If we desire a good death, we must lead a Christian life And the way to prepare for a good death is to model our deaths on the death of Jesus.

 

Photo: Red Roses

 

Poem: Refugees. (Brian Bilston)

They have no need of our help
So do not tell me
These haggard faces could belong to you or me
Should life have dealt a different hand
We need to see them for who they really are
Chancers and scroungers
Layabouts and loungers
With bombs up their sleeves
Cut-throats and thieves
They are not
Welcome here
We should make them
Go back to where they came from
They cannot
Share our food
Share our homes
Share our countries
Instead let us
Build a wall to keep them out
It is not okay to say
These are people just like us
A place should only belong to those who are born there
Do not be so stupid to think that
The world can be looked at another way

(Now we read it from bottom to top)

The world can be looked at another way
Do not be so stupid to think that
A place should only belong to those who are born there
These are people just like us
It is not okay to say
Build a wall to keep them out
Instead let us
Share our countries
Share our homes
Share our food
They cannot
Go back to where they came from
We should make them
Welcome here
They are not
Cut-throats and thieves
With bombs up their sleeves
Layabouts and loungers
Chancers and scroungers
We need to see them for who they really are
Should life have dealt a different hand
These haggard faces could belong to you or me
So do not tell me
They have no need of our help

Photo: Antibodies

 

Prayer: Doris Donnelly

The formidable power of forgiveness enables us to acknowledge that the decisions of human life, even when they turn out badly, are not above repair.

 

Photo: Yellow Roses

 

Photo: Come sit.

 

Prayer: “A Daily Prayer” by St. Teresa of Calcutta

Dear Jesus,

May I see you today and every day in the person of your sick, and, while nursing them, minister unto you.

Though you hide yourself behind the unattractive guise of the irritable, the exacting, the unreasonable, may I still recognize you, and say, “Jesus, my patient, how sweet it is to serve you.”

Lord give me this seeing faith, then my work will never be monotonous. I will ever find joy in humoring the fancies and gratifying the wishes of all poor sufferers.

O beloved sick, how doubly dear you are to me when you personify Christ; and what a privilege is mine to be allowed to tend you.

Sweetest Lord, make me appreciative of the dignity of my high vocation and its many responsibilities. Never permit me to disgrace it by giving way to coldness, unkindness, or impatience.

And, O Lord, while you are Jesus my patient, deign also to be to me a patient Jesus, bearing with all my faults, looking only to my intention, which is to love and serve you in the person of each one of your sick.

Lord, increase my faith, bless my efforts and work, now and forever more.

Amen.

Photo: Bue Hydrangea Lace

 

Spirituality: Cornel West

To accept your country without betraying it, you must love it for that which shows what it might become. America--this monument to the genius of ordinary men and women, this place where hope becomes capacity, this long, halting turn of 'no' into the 'yes'--needs citizens who love it enough to re-imagine and re-make it.