Prayer: "A Prayer," Anonymous

O Lord, 

remember not only the men and women of good will, 

but those of ill will. 

But do not remember all the suffering they have inflicted upon us; 

remember the fruits we have brought thanks to this suffering – 

 our comradeship, our loyalty, our humility, our courage, our generosity, the greatness of heart which has grown out of all of this; 

and when they come to judgment, 

let the fruits which we have borne be their forgiveness. Amen. 

This prayer was found by the side of a dead child at a concentration camp at the end of World War II. It is cited in Michael Leach, et al., The Way of Forgiveness: Readings for A Peaceful Life, page 221.

Spirituality: Hans Urs von Balthasar, Unless You Become Like This Child

In Christ, for the first time, we see that in God himself there exists--within his inseparable unity--the distinction between the Father who gives and the Gift which is given (the Son), but only in the unity of the Holy Spirit.

Spirituality: Mahatma Gandhi

 Let the first act of every morning be to make the following resolve for the day:

- I shall not fear anyone on Earth.
- I shall fear only God.
- I shall not bear ill will toward anyone.
- I shall not submit to injustice from anyone.
- I shall conquer untruth by truth. And in resisting untruth, I shall put up with all suffering.

The Magis Program

 The Magis Program is a structured and creative way for people to engage more deeply in Ignatian spirituality, learn about the Jesuit Mission and Way of Proceeding, and meet other committed lay colleagues on the East Coast. The eighteen-month program consists of four 2-day seminars, one retreat, regular reading, personal reflection and prayer. 

Magis participants are lay women and men who desire to develop a greater familiarity with the Ignatian and Jesuit charism. The program team and seminar presenters are lay and Jesuit colleagues drawn from a variety of ministries.

The four seminars topics are:

• Ignatius the Layman: October 21-23, 2021, Jogues Retreat, Cornwall, NY

• The Christ of the Exercises: March 3-5, 2022, Loyola Jesuit Center, Morristown, NJ

• A Faith that Does Justice: October 20-22, 2022, Jogues Retreat, Cornwall, NY

• Partnership: Life in Community for the Kingdom: March 2-4, 2023, Loyola Jesuit Center, Morristown, NJ

Magis is open to those within the boundaries of the USA East Jesuit Province (East Coast).

The $1,050 program fee covers lodging, meals, and materials for the four seminars. The retreat fee is paid separately and varies based on the retreat.

The application consists of the questions via the button below, your resume/CV (please be prepared to attach as a .pdf) and two references. The form for your references to fill out can be found here.

We will be accepting applications until the cohort is full. If you have questions about the application process or the requirements of the program please don’t hesitate to contact kobrien1@jesuits.org.

https://jesuitseastois.org/magis

Poem: “Had This One Day Not Been” by Emily Dickinson

Had this one Day not been, 

Or could it cease to be 

How smitten, how superfluous, 

Were every other Day! 

Lest Love should value less 

What Loss would value more 

Had it the stricken privilege 

It cherishes before.

It’s all about Love Trinity Sunday 2021

                                                          It’s all about Love

Trinity Sunday 2021

May 30, 2021

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Deuteronomy 4:32-40; Psalm 33; Romans 8:14-17; Matthew 28:16-20

 

We are made by God so that we cannot live, develop, and find fulfillment except as we offer ourselves as genuine gifts to others. We discover who we are when we have an encounter with other persons, and we cannot experience the true beauty of life without relating to others. Relationships are always part of our real existence, and we cannot live fully without others. We experience a vibrant life when there is bonding, communion, and social engagement, and that is what this feast today is about: coming together in relationship with God and with one another. The mystery of the Trinity is explained through the mysteries of human relationships and the advent of love. 

 

We cannot exist without love, even if we don’t feel it at times in our central relationships, but it is the force that draws us out of ourselves, so that we become a ‘people for others.’ God created us for love, so that when we go out of ourselves, we find a fuller expression of who we are. Love impels us to move outwards, and it is within love that we discover more deeply who we are. 

 

As life gets complicated, we may retreat so that we can live a simple, small life that is fairly contained and without demands, but we recognize that we always belong to a much broader network of relationships, and we cannot stay long in a contained world. Our relationships open us to others who expand and enrich us, and this is what makes life interesting, where we find ourselves vitally engaged and open to miracles and mysteries. Authentic, maturing love and true friendship take root in hearts that are open to growth through healthy relationships with others. Our hearts have to keep expanding, even when they are full and there is no room left for more, and it gives us the impulse to embrace others and the possibilities they bring to us. In all things, our hearts must be open so we can welcome others without fear or worry; Openness of heart allows us to find great happiness.

 

Love unites. It brings us to greater communion, and when we find that we are withdrawing from someone or certain situations, we are distancing us from our own ability to love. St. Ignatius of Loyola would tell us to go agere contra, to go against how we feel, so that we can reposition ourselves again within the possibilities of charitable love. This onward and outward movement towards an increase of love calls for our growth in openness and the ability to accept others as part of a continuing adventure that brings all things, even those that are on the margins or frontiers, into a greater sense of mutual belonging.

 

Our spiritual state depends solely upon our movement towards or away from greater love. When we are out of balance, we talk with someone who can help us move back towards a sense of love. It restores us to union of relationships where we can practice a love that respects others for who they are and not for who we want them to be. Our practice of love seeks the best for another person’s life. We want to go to bed each night knowing that we have loved well and received love, and we know we never want to put love at risk, because our greatest danger lies in failing to love. We know from experience that love is stronger than death, and our deepest yearning and our greatest satisfaction is to know we have loved well. 

 

Scripture for Daily Mass

Monday: (Zephaniah 3) The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior; He will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love, He will sing joyfully because of you, as one sings at festivals.

Tuesday: (Tobit 2) On the night of Pentecost, after I had buried the dead, I, Tobit, went into my courtyard to sleep next to the courtyard wall. My face was uncovered because of the heat. I did not know there were birds perched on the wall above me, till their warm droppings settled in my eyes, causing cataracts. 

 

Wednesday: (Tobit 3) At that very time, the prayer of these two suppliants was heard in the glorious presence of Almighty God. So Raphael was sent to heal them both:
to remove the cataracts from Tobit’s eyes, so that he might again see God’s sunlight; and to marry Raguel’s daughter Sarah to Tobit’s son Tobiah, and then drive the wicked demon Asmodeus from her.

 

Thursday: (Tobit 6) “Brother Azariah, ask Raguel to let me marry my kinswoman Sarah.” Raguel overheard the words; so he said to the boy: “Eat and drink and be merry tonight, for no man is more entitled to marry my daughter Sarah than you, brother.

 

Friday (Tobit 11) Raphael said to Tobiah before he reached his father: I am certain that his eyes will be opened. Smear the fish gall on them. This medicine will make the cataracts shrink and peel off from his eyes; then your father will again be able to see the light of day.”

 

Saturday (Tobit 12) I was sent to put you to the test. At the same time, however,
God commissioned me to heal you and your daughter-in-law Sarah. I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who enter and serve before the Glory of the Lord.” 

 

Gospel: 

Monday: (Luke 1) When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”

 

Tuesday: (Mark 12) Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or should we not pay?” Knowing their hypocrisy he said to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius to look at.”

 

Wednesday (Mark 12) Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and put this question to him, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us, ‘If someone’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother.’

 

Thursday (Mark 12) You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

 

Friday (Mark 12) David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said: The Lord said to my lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I place your enemies under your feet.’ David himself calls him ‘lord’; so how is he his son?” The great crowd heard this with delight.

 

Saturday (Mark 12) A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, “Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury.

 

Saints of the Week

 

May 31: Visitation of the Virgin Mary commemorates the visit of Mary in her early pregnancy to Mary, who is reported to be her elder cousin. Luke writes about the shared rejoicing of the two women - Mary's conception by the Holy Spirit and Elizabeth's surprising pregnancy in her advanced years. Elizabeth calls Mary blessed and Mary sings her song of praise to God, the Magnificat.

 

June 1: Justin, martyr (100-165), was a Samaritan philosopher who converted to Christianity and explained doctrine through philosophical treatises. His debating opponent reported him to the Roman authorities who tried him and when he refused to sacrifice to the gods, was condemned to death. 

 

June 2: Marcellinus and Peter, martyrs (d. 304) died in Rome during the Diocletian persecution. Peter was an exorcist who ministered under the well-regarded priest, Marcellinus. Stories are told that in jail they converted their jailer and his family. These men are remembered in Eucharistic prayer I. 

 

June 3: Charles Lwanga and 22 companion martyrs from Uganda (18660-1886) felt the wrath of King Mwanga after Lwanga and the White Fathers (Missionaries of Africa) censured him for his cruelty and immorality. The King determined to rid his kingdom of Christians. He persecuted over 100 Christians, but upon their death new converts joined the church. 

 

June 5: Boniface, bishop and martyr (675-754), was born in England and raised in a Benedictine monastery. He became a good preacher and was sent to the northern Netherlands as a missionary. Pope Gregory gave him the name Boniface with an edict to preach to non-Christians. We was made a bishop in Germany and gained many converts when he cut down the famed Oak of Thor and garnered no bad fortune by the Norse gods. Many years later he was killed by non-Christians when he was preparing to confirm many converts. The church referred to him as the "Apostle of Germany."

 

This Week in Jesuit History

 

• May 30, 1849. Vincent Gioberti's book Il Gesuita Moderno was put on the Index. Gioberti had applied to be admitted into the Society, and on being refused became its bitter enemy and calumniator. 
• May 31, 1900. The new novitiate of the Buffalo Mission, St Stanislaus, in South Brooklyn, Ohio, near Cleveland, is blessed. 
• June 1, 1527. Ignatius was thrown into prison after having been accused of having advised two noblewomen to undertake a pilgrimage, on foot, to Compostella. 
• June 2, 1566. The Professed House was opened in Toledo. It became well known for the fervor of its residents and the wonderful effects of their labors. 
• June 3, 1559. A residence at Frascati, outside of Rome, was purchased for the fathers and brothers of the Roman College. 
• June 4, 1667. The death in Rome of Cardinal Sforza Pallavicini, a man of great knowledge and humility. While he was Prefect of Studies of the Roman College he wrote his great work, The History of the Council of Trent. 
• June 5, 1546. Paul III, in the document Exponi Nobis, empowered the Society to admit coadjutors, both spiritual and temporal.

Esta todo sobre amor Domingo de la Trinidad 2021

                                                     Esta todo sobre amor

Domingo de la Trinidad 2021

De mayo de 3 0 , 2021

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Deuteronomio 4: 32-40 ; Salmo 33 ; Romanos 8: 14-17 ; Mateo 28: 16-20

 

Estamos hechos por Dios de modo que no podemos vivo, desarrollar y encontrar satisfacción con excepción de lo que ofrecemos nosotros mismos como verdadero regalo es para los demás . Nosotros descubrimos lo que somos cuando tenemos un encuentro con otras personas, y no podemos experimentar la verdadera belleza de la vida y sin relacionarse con los demás. Las relaciones son siempre parte de nuestra existencia real y no podemos vivir plenamente sin los demás. Experimentamos una vida vibrante cuando hay unión, comunión y compromiso social, y de eso se trata esta fiesta de hoy: unirnos en relación con Dios y entre nosotros. El misterio de la Trinidad se explica a través de los misterios de las relaciones humanas y el advenimiento del amor.

 

No podemos existir sin amor, incluso si no sentimos que a veces en nuestras relaciones centrales, pero es la fuerza que nos hace salir de nosotros mismos, por lo que llegamos a ser un 'pueblo de los demás'. Dios nos creó por amor, para que cuando salgamos de nosotros mismos, encontremos una expresión más plena de quiénes somos. El amor nos impulsa a movernos hacia afuera, y es en el amor donde descubrimos más profundamente quiénes somos.

 

A medida que la vida se complica, podemos retirarnos para poder vivir una vida simple, pequeña, bastante contenida y sin exigencias, pero reconocemos que siempre pertenecemos a una red de relaciones mucho más amplia y no podemos permanecer mucho tiempo en un mundo contenido. . Nuestras relaciones nos abren a otros que nos expanden y enriquecen, y esto es lo que hace que la vida sea interesante, donde nos encontramos vitalmente comprometidos y abiertos a milagros y misterios. El amor auténtico y maduro y la verdadera amistad se arraigan en corazones que están abiertos al crecimiento a través de relaciones saludables con los demás. Nuestro corazón tiene que seguir expandiéndose, incluso cuando está lleno y no queda espacio para más , y nos da el impulso de abrazar a los demás y las posibilidades que nos brindan. En todas las cosas, nuestro corazón debe estar abierto para que podamos recibir a los demás sin temor ni preocupación; La apertura de corazón nos permite encontrar una gran felicidad.

 

El amor une. Nos lleva a una mayor comunión , y cuando encontramos que nos estamos alejando de alguien o de ciertas situaciones, nos estamos distanciando de nuestra propia capacidad de amar. San Ignacio de Loyola nos diría que vayamos agere contra , que vayamos en contra de cómo nos sentimos, para poder reposicionarnos nuevamente dentro de las posibilidades del amor caritativo. Este movimiento hacia adelante y hacia afuera hacia un aumento del amor requiere nuestro crecimiento en la apertura y la capacidad de aceptar a los demás como parte de una aventura continua que trae todas las cosas, incluso aquellas que están en los márgenes o fronteras, a un mayor sentido de pertenencia mutua. .

 

Nuestro estado espiritual depende únicamente de nuestro movimiento hacia o lejos de un amor mayor. Cuando estamos desequilibrados, hablamos con alguien que pueda ayudarnos a regresar a un sentido del amor. Nos devuelve a la unión de relaciones donde podemos practicar un amor que respeta a los demás por quienes son y no por quienes queremos que sean. Nuestra práctica del amor busca lo mejor para la vida de otra persona. Queremos acostarnos cada noche sabiendo que hemos amado bien y recibido amor, y sabemos que nunca queremos poner en riesgo el amor, porque nuestro mayor peligro es no amar. Sabemos por experiencia que el amor es más fuerte que la muerte , y nuestro anhelo más profundo y nuestra mayor satisfacción es saber que hemos amado bien.

 

Escritura para la misa diaria

Lunes: ( Sofonías 3 ) El SEÑOR, tu Dios, está en medio de ti, poderoso salvador; Él se regocijará por ti con alegría, y te renovará en su amor, cantará con alegría por ti, como se canta en las fiestas.

 

Martes: ( Tobit 2 ) En la noche de Pentecostés, después de haber enterrado a los muertos, yo, Tobit, entré en mi patio para dormir junto al muro del patio. Mi cara estaba descubierta por el calor. No sabía que había pájaros posados ​​en la pared encima de mí, hasta que sus cálidos excrementos se asentaron en mis ojos y me provocaron cataratas.      

 

Miércoles: ( Tobit 3 ) En ese mismo momento, la oración de estos dos suplicantes fue escuchada en la gloriosa presencia del Dios Todopoderoso. Entonces Raphael fue enviado para curarlos a ambos: para quitar las cataratas de los ojos de Tobit, para que pudiera volver a ver la luz del sol de Dios; y casar a la hija de Raguel, Sara, con el hijo de Tobías , Tobías , y luego expulsar al malvado demonio Asmodeo de ella. 

 

Jueves: ( Tobit 6 ) "Hermano Azariah, pídale a Raguel que me permita casarme con mi pariente Sarah". Raguel escuchó las palabras; entonces le dijo al niño: “Come y bebe y diviértete esta noche, porque ningún hombre tiene más derecho a casarse con mi hija Sarah que tú, hermano.

 

Viernes ( Tobit 11 ) Rafael le dijo a Tobías antes de llegar a su padre: Estoy seguro de que se le abrirán los ojos. Unte la hiel de pescado sobre ellos. Este medicamento hará que las cataratas se encojan y se despeguen de sus ojos; entonces tu padre podrá volver a ver la luz del día ".

 

Sábado ( Tobit 12 ) Me enviaron para ponerte a prueba. Al mismo tiempo, sin embargo, Dios me comisionó a curarte a ti y a tu nuera Sara. Soy Rafael, uno de los siete ángeles que entran y sirven ante la Gloria del Señor ”.

 

Evangelio : 

Lunes: ( Lucas 1 ) Cuando Isabel escuchó el saludo de María, el infante saltó en su vientre, y Isabel, llena del Espíritu Santo, gritó en voz alta y dijo: “Bendita tú eres entre las mujeres, y bendito el fruto de tu vientre ".

 

Martes: ( Marcos 1 2 ) ¿Es lícito pagar el impuesto del censo al César o no? ¿Deberíamos pagar o no deberíamos pagar? " Conociendo su hipocresía, les dijo: “¿Por qué me están poniendo a prueba? Tráeme un denario para mirar ".

 

Miércoles ( Marcos 1 2 ) Algunos saduceos, que dicen que no hay resurrección, se acercaron a Jesús y le hicieron esta pregunta, diciendo: “Maestro, Moisés nos escribió: 'Si el hermano de alguien muere y deja esposa pero no hijo, su el hermano debe tomar a la esposa y criar descendientes para su hermano. '  

 

Jueves ( Marcos 12 ) Amarás al Señor tu Dios con todo tu corazón, con toda tu alma, con toda tu mente y con todas tus fuerzas. El segundo es éste: Y ou Amarás a tu prójimo como a ti mismo.  

 

Viernes ( Marcos 12 ) David mismo, inspirado por el Espíritu Santo, dijo: El Señor dijo a mi señor: "Siéntate a mi diestra hasta que ponga a tus enemigos debajo de tus pies". El mismo David lo llama "señor"; entonces, ¿cómo es su hijo? " La gran muchedumbre escuchó esto con deleite.

 

Sábado ( Marcos 12 ) También vino una viuda pobre y puso dos monedas pequeñas por valor de unos pocos centavos. Llamando a sus discípulos para sí, les dijo: “En verdad os digo que esta pobre viuda echó más que todos los demás contribuyentes al tesoro. 

 

Santos de la semana

 

31 de mayo: La Visitación de la Virgen María conmemora la visita de María en su embarazo temprano a María, quien se dice que es su prima mayor. Lucas escribe sobre el regocijo compartido de las dos mujeres: la concepción de María por el Espíritu Santo y el sorprendente embarazo de Isabel en sus años avanzados. Isabel llama a María bienaventurada y María canta su cántico de alabanza a Dios, el Magnificat.

 

1 de junio: Justino, mártir (100-165), fue un filósofo samaritano que se convirtió al cristianismo y explicó la doctrina a través de tratados filosóficos. Su oponente en el debate lo denunció a las autoridades romanas que lo juzgaron y cuando se negó a sacrificar a los dioses, fue condenado a muerte.

 

2 de junio: Marcelino y Pedro, mártires (m. 304) mueren en Roma durante la persecución de Diocleciano. Pedro fue un exorcista que ministró bajo el respetado sacerdote Marcelino. Se cuentan historias de que en la cárcel convirtieron a su carcelero y a su familia. Estos hombres son recordados en la oración eucarística I.

 

3 de junio: Charles Lwanga y 22 compañeros mártires de Uganda (18660-1886) sintieron la ira del rey Mwanga después de que Lwanga y los Padres Blancos (Misioneros de África) lo censuraran por su crueldad e inmoralidad. El rey decidió librar a su reino de cristianos. Persiguió a más de 100 cristianos, pero a su muerte, nuevos conversos se unieron a la iglesia.

 

5 de junio: Bonifacio, obispo y mártir (675-754), nació en Inglaterra y se crió en un monasterio benedictino. Se convirtió en un buen predicador y fue enviado al norte de Holanda como misionero. El Papa Gregorio le dio el nombre de Bonifacio con un edicto para predicar a los no cristianos. Nos nombraron obispo en Alemania y ganamos muchos conversos cuando cortó el famoso Roble de Thor y no cosechó mala fortuna por parte de los dioses nórdicos. Muchos años después fue asesinado por no cristianos cuando se preparaba para confirmar a muchos conversos. La iglesia se refirió a él como el "Apóstol de Alemania".

 

Esta semana en la historia de los jesuitas

 

·                30 de mayo de 1849. El libro Il Gesuita Moderno de Vincent Gioberti se incluyó en el Índice. Gioberti había solicitado ser admitido en la Sociedad, y al ser rechazado se convirtió en su acérrimo enemigo y calumniador.

·                31 de mayo de 1900. Se bendice el nuevo noviciado de la Misión Buffalo, St Stanislaus, en South Brooklyn, Ohio, cerca de Cleveland.

·                1 de junio de 1527. Ignacio fue encarcelado tras haber sido acusado de haber aconsejado a dos nobles que hicieran una peregrinación, a pie, a Compostela .

·                2 de junio de 1566. Inaugurada la Casa de los Profesos en Toledo. Se hizo conocido por el fervor de sus residentes y los maravillosos efectos de sus labores.

·                3 de junio de 1559. Se compró una residencia en Frascati, en las afueras de Roma, para los padres y hermanos del Colegio Romano.

·                4 de junio de 1667. Muerte en Roma del cardenal Sforza Pallavicini, hombre de gran conocimiento y humildad. Mientras era Prefecto de Estudios del Colegio Romano, escribió su gran obra, La Historia del Concilio de Trento.

·                5 de junio de 1546. Pablo III, en el documento Exponi Nobis , faculta a la Compañía para admitir coadjutores, tanto espirituales como temporales.

Spirituality: Oscar Wilde, de Fundis

 Love is fed by the imagination, by which we become wiser than we know, better than we feel, nobler than we are: by which we can see life as a whole; by which, and by which alone, we can understand others in their real as in their ideal situations. 

Prayer: John Paul II

O God, Creator of the universe, renew for us the wonders of your mercy; send forth your Spirit to work in the intimacy of hearts, that enemies may begin to dialogue, that adversaries may shake hands, and that peoples may encounter one another in harmony. May all commit themselves to the sincere search for true peace which will extinguish all arguments, for charity which overcomes hatred, for pardon which disarms revenge.

Prayer: Dionysius of Alexandria

God the Father, source of everything divine, you are good surpassing everything good and just surpassing everything just. In you is tranquility, as well as peace and harmony. Heal our divisions and restore us to the unity of love, which is similar to your divine nature. Let the bond of love and the ties of divine affection make us one in the Spirit by your peace, which renders everything peaceful.

Prayer: Charles de Foucauld

It pleased God to make it easy for us to be saved. God did not attach salvation to knowledge, intelligence, or wealth, nor to long experience or rare gifts that are not given to all. God attached it to something within the reach of everyone. Jesus attaches salvation to humility, to the act of making yourself little. That is all it takes to win heaven.

Prayer: Jerome

What other life can there be without knowledge of the Scriptures, for through these Christ himself, who is the life of that faithful becomes known. What can be more sacred that this mystery? What can be more delightful than the pleasure found in them? What food, what honey can be sweeter than to learn of God’s wise plan, to enter into God’s sanctuary and gaze upon the mind of the creator, and to rehearse the words of your Lord, which, though derided by the wise of this world, are really full of spiritual wisdom.

Poem: T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets

The dove descending breaks the air

With flame of incandescent terror
Of which the tongues declare
The one discharge from sin and error.
The only hope, or else despair
Lies in the choice of pyre or pyre-
To be redeemed from fire by fire.

Who then devised the torment? Love.
Love is the unfamiliar Name
Behind the hands that wove
The intolerable shirt of flame
Which human power cannot remove.
We only live, only suspire
Consumed by either fire or fire.

Words to Live By Pentecost 2021

                                                          Words to Live By

Pentecost 2021

May 23, 2021

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Acts 2:1-11; Psalm 104; 1 Corinthians 12:3-13; John 20:19-23

 

Pentecost brings the Easter season to a conclusion with the sending forth of the Holy Spirit to form our community into one, though it was spread out throughout the known world. Pentecost comes from the 50^th day, which was celebrated at the spring grain harvest when the first crops were offered to God. As one of the three major Jewish feasts, is was associated with the giving of the Law, the Torah, and focused upon the renewal of the covenant. Our celebration echoes that sentiment where the Spirit of Christ resides with us to help us be faithful to the mission God entrusts to us. 

 

The Acts of the Apostles signals that this is a feast of unity where people who believe in Jesus are able to understand each other as they speak in their own distinct language, and it is good for us to remember that Jesus is the Word of God. We may not be able to learn all the languages we need in order to understand others, but we can understand basic principles. We can understand the importance of the words we use. We have seen that words can be used to dominate and gain control over people by spreading despair and discouragement, and words are used to create siloes and walls so that others are separated from us. This is not the spirit or intent of Pentecost, so we have to choose words that are full of meaning and nuance.

 

Pentecost stands in contrast with the temptations of human nature. When there is movement towards individualism and “my world,” it is a movement away from Pentecost’s mission. When our hearts and attitudes do not respect the inherent dignity of another human being, we create a system of “us and them, and there is a temptation to build a culture of walls, to raise walls, walls in the heart, that prevents encounters with other cultures and other people. Pope Francis writes, “those who raise walls will end us as slaves to the very walls they have built. They are left without horizons.” The world becomes deaf and apathetic to words and realities that have real meaning.

 

While someone else’s words can be powerful and hurtful, deep within us we know there is goodness in our human family. When we see that we are part of one human family with many siblings, knowing that siblings don’t always get along well, we recognize that our lives are interwoven, and that we depend upon one another to sustain our ways of life. This past year of COVID has shown us that we depend upon many unseen people to maintain our well-being, and the humanity within us reaches out to the humanity in others. Sometimes a kind word, a word of appreciation, words of comfort or words to ease someone’s worries, can be that force given to us at Pentecost to keep us mindful of our common goodness. 

 

Pentecost is rooted deeply into the human heart and gives us hope, which is really an aspiration (spirit), a longing for a fulfilled life, a desire to achieve greatness for the world’s betterment, a movement of the heart that lifts its eyes toward truth, goodness, beauty, justice, and love. Pentecost opens up the possibilities of life where there are no limits on our frontiers and where our noble ideals make life more beautiful and meaningful. This is a moment for us to cherish because we have a new start to return to our deep abiding goodness and to bring it forth to a world thirsting to receive it. 

 

Scripture for Daily Mass

Monday: (Genesis 3) After Adam had eaten of the tree, the Lord God called to him and asked him, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself.” Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked?

Tuesday: (Sirach 35) To keep the law is a great oblation, and he who observes the commandments sacrifices a peace offering. In works of charity one offers fine flour, and when he gives alms he presents his sacrifice of praise. 

 

Wednesday: (Sirach 36) Come to our aid, O God of the universe, look upon us, show us the light of your mercies, and put all the nations in dread of you! Thus they will know, as we know, that there is no God but you, O Lord. Give new signs and work new wonders.

 

Thursday: (Sirach 42) Now will I recall God’s works; what I have seen, I will describe. At God’s word were his works brought into being; they do his will as he has ordained for them. As the rising sun is clear to all, so the glory of the Lord fills all his works.

 

Friday (Sirach 44) Now will I praise those godly men, our ancestors, each in his own time. But of others there is no memory, for when they ceased, they ceased. And they are as though they had not lived, they and their children after them.

 

Saturday (Sirach 51) When I was young and innocent, I sought wisdom openly in my prayer I prayed for her before the temple, and I will seek her until the end, and she flourished as a grape soon ripe. My heart delighted in her, My feet kept to the level path because from earliest youth I was familiar with her. 

 

Gospel: 

Monday: (John 19) So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately Blood and water flowed out.

 

Tuesday: (Mark 10) Peter began to say to Jesus, ‘We have given up everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age.

 

Wednesday (Mark 10) The disciples were on the way, going up to Jerusalem,
and Jesus went ahead of them. They were amazed, and those who followed were afraid.
Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them what was going to happen to him.

 

Thursday (Mark 10) As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” 

 

Friday (Mark 11) The next day as they were leaving Bethany he was hungry. Seeing from a distance a fig tree in leaf, he went over to see if he could find anything on it. When he reached it he found nothing but leaves; it was not the time for figs. And he said to it in reply, “May no one ever eat of your fruit again!” And his disciples heard it.

 

Saturday (Mark 11) Jesus and his disciples returned once more to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple area, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders approached him and said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things? 

 

Saints of the Week

 

May 24: Our Lady of the Way or in Italian, Madonna della Strada, is a painting enshrined at the Church of the Gesu in Rome, the mother church of the Society of Jesus. The Madonna Della Strada is the patroness of the Society of Jesus. In 1568, Cardinal Farnese erected the Gesu in place of the former church of Santa Maria della Strada.  

 

May 25: Bede the Venerable, priest and doctor, (673-735), is the only English doctor of the church. As a child, he was sent to a Benedictine monastery where he studied theology and was ordained. He wrote thorough commentaries on scripture and history as well as poetry and biographies. His famous work is the "Ecclesiastical History of the English People," the source for much of Anglo-Saxon history. 

 

May 25: Gregory VII, pope (1020-1085), was a Tuscan who was sent to a monastery to study under John Gratian, who became Gregory VI. He served the next few popes as chaplain, treasurer, chancellor and counselor before he became Gregory VII. He introduced strong reforms over civil authorities that caused much consternation. Eventually, the Romans turned against him when the Normans sacked Rome.

 

May 25: Mary Magdalene de'Pazzi (1566-1607), a Florentine, chose to become a Carmelite nun instead of getting married. Her biography, written by her confessor, gives accounts of intense bouts of desolation and joy. She is reputed to have gifts of prophecy and healing.

 

May 26: Philip Neri, priest (1515-1595), is known as the "Apostle of Rome." A Florentine who was educated by the Dominicans, he re-evangelized Roe by establishing confraternities of laymen to minister to pilgrims and the sick in hospitals. He founded the Oratorians when he gathered a sufficient following because of his spiritual wisdom. 

 

May 27: Augustine of Canterbury, bishop (d. 604) was sent to England with 40 monks from St. Andrew's monastery to evangelize the pagans. They were well-received. Augustine was made bishop, established a hierarchy, and changed many pagans feasts to religious ones. Wales did not accept the mission; Scotland took St. Andrew's cross as their national symbol. Augustine began a Benedictine monastery at Canterbury and was Canterbury's first archbishop.

 

This Week in Jesuit History

 

• May 23, 1873. The death of Peter de Smet, a famous missionary among Native Americans of the great plains and mountains of the United States. He served as a mediator and negotiator of several treaties. 
• May 24, 1834. Don Pedro IV expelled the Society from Brazil. 
• May 25, 1569. At Rome Pope St Pius V installed the Society in the College of Penitentiaries. Priests of various nationalities who were resident in Rome were required to act as confessors in St Peter's. 
• May 26, 1673. Ching Wei‑San (Emmanuel de Sigueira) dies, the first Chinese Jesuit priest. 
• May 27, 1555. The Viceroy of India sent an embassy to Claudius, Emperor of Ethiopia, hoping to win him and his subjects over to Catholic unity. Nothing came of this venture, but Fr. Goncalvo de Silveira, who would become the Society's first martyr on the Africa soil, remained in the country. 
• May 28, 1962. The death of Bernard Hubbard famous Alaskan missionary. He was the author of the book Mush, You Malemutes! and wrote a number of articles on the Alaska mission. 

May 29,1991. Pope John Paul II announces that Paulo Dezza, SJ is to become a Cardinal, as well as Jan Korec, in Slovakia.