Prayer: Daniel Lord, S.J.

 O God, let me have too deep a sense of humor ever to be proud. Let me know my absurdity before I act absurdly. Let me realize that when I am humble I am most human, most truthful, and most worthy of your serious consideration. Amen. 

Poem: "Memory of Cape Cod" by Edna St. Vincent Millay

The wind in the ash-tree sounds like surf on the shore at Truro. 

I will shut my eyes . . . hush, be still with your silly bleating, sheep on Shillingstone Hill . . . 

They said: Come along! 

They said: Leave your pebbles on the sand and come along, it’s long after sunset! The mosquitoes will be thick in the pine-woods along by Long Nook, the wind’s died down! 

They said: Leave your pebbles on the sand, and your shells, too, and come along, we’ll find you another beach like the beach at Truro. 

Let me listen to wind in the ash . . . it sounds like surf on the shore.

Video: Youtube Columbus, Georgia, Video with Fr. Predmore, S.J.

This is an online interview about my paintings in a Youtube video. 

Columbus, Ohio Coffee and Conversation 

Prayer: Augustine of Hippo

The Church, then, begins its reign now, with Christ, in the living and the dead. For, as the apostle says, ‘To this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and the living’ (Rom 14:9) …But we should take part for the whole and understand this passage to include all others who belong to the Church, which is the kingdom of Christ. 

Poem: Joy Harjo, "Eagle Poem"

To pray you open your whole self
To sky, to earth, to sun, to moon
To one whole voice that is you.
And know there is more
That you can't see, can't hear;
Can't know except in moments...
...we must take the utmost care
And kindness in all things.
Breathe in, knowing we are made of
All this, and breathe, knowing
We are truly blessed because we
Were born, and die soon within a
True circle of motion,
Like eagle rounding out the morning
Inside us.
We pray that it will be done
In beauty.
In beauty.

Prayer: Bernard of Clairvaux

I will love you, O Lord, my strength, my stony rock and my defense, my savior, my one desire and love. I will love you with all the power you have give me – not as much as you deserve to be loved, for that can never be, but as much as I am able. The more power to love you give me, the more I will love you.

Spirituality: Oscar Wilde, "De Profundis"

 Speaking of his interchange with a woman "for whom Beauty and Sorrow walk hand in hand...
" I said to her that there was enough suffering in one narrow London lane to show that God did not love humans." "Now it seems to me that Love of some kind is the only possible explanation of the extraordinary amount of suffering that there is in the world. I cannot conceive any other explanation. I am convinced that there is no other and that if the worlds have indeed as I have said, been built out of sorrow, it has been by the hand of Love, because in no other way could the soul of a human for whom the worlds are made reach the full stature of its perfection. Pleasure for the beautiful body, but pain for the beautiful soul."

It is love, and the capacity for it, that distinguishes one human being from another.

Reglas instead of Rules The Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time 2021

                                                  Reglas instead of Rules

The Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time 2021

August 29, 2021

www.johnpredmoresj.com | predmore.blogspot.com

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Daniel 4:1-8; Psalm 15; James 1:17-27; Mark 7:1-23

 

A question about the relevancy of the rules comes up in today’s readings. Moses, the great Law-giver, tells the people that following the Laws will give them life, security, and happiness, which is the whole purpose for community standards. Jesus gets trapped by the Pharisees because he did not follow a long-standing religious and dietary custom, thereby violating the tradition of the elders. Jesus states that God’s commandments come from within an love-informed heart, and that the attitudes we nourish and feed within our hearts are the source of evil. Therefore, when we discern the judgments we make, we have to examine the fundamental attitudes we are feeding. 

 

As a Christian, we can know our thoughts and attitudes are right if we are practicing patience, refraining from making quick judgments, increasing our levels of understanding, informing our conscience, and working towards unity, especially with people who share differing viewpoints so that we can understand their reasoning better. It comes down to creating a culture of having a heart and mind that is open to learning and understanding and generating compassion. We seek the effects of creating peace, establishing harmony, loving the person next to us, and contributing to the common good. If we do this, we are coming nearer to the call God extends to us. These conditions create a well-informed heart that produces our Christian attitudes. In the opposite vein, if we find our hearts are set for battle, are quick to condemn, separate ourselves from others, allege superiority, then these are the hearts that do not understand the Law and create attitudes that are harmful to society. 

 

Ignatius of Loyola chooses a wisdom way of moving forward as his teachings help people discern life’s choices in free will. We enjoy free will and in all the decisions we make, we exercise free will. Ignatius presents a way of dealing with our freedom that is both psychological, dealing with hopes and the dreams we long for, and religious, dealing with God and how God enters our lives. He calls them reglas, which has a different interpretation than rules (do’s and don’ts) , and these reglas are helps to guide the decisions of the heart that we make. These choices are to be acts of love guided by the spirit of wisdom. 

 

A person who stands without God makes oneself the center of the universe, and that person because the ultimate authority over goodness and badness. For Ignatius, though, he invites people into the world of his vision of God. He asks who God is, and how God approaches us, and how God invites us to respond to God’s promptings. This process brings us into a relationship with Jesus, who then says, “Come follow me.” Rather than hearing about do’s and don’ts of the law, God speaks in the language of words, dreams, visions, symbols. In Ignatian language, God also speaks in emotions, affections, or feelings. God’s voice speaks in that small, still voice, and what is prayer? Patching a few words together in thanks so that it leads to a silence in which another voice may speak. 

 

Scripture for Daily Mass

 

Monday: (1 Thessalonians 4) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

Tuesday: (1 Thessalonians 5) For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night. When people are saying, “Peace and security,” then sudden disaster comes upon them, like labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

 

Wednesday: (Colossians 1) We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the holy ones because of the hope reserved for you in heaven.

 

Thursday: (Colossians 1) From the day we heard about you, we do not cease praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will
through all spiritual wisdom and understanding to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.

 

Friday (Colossians 1) Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him.

 

Saturday (Colossians 1) You once were alienated and hostile in mind because of evil deeds; God has now reconciled you in the fleshly Body of Christ through his death,
to present you holy, without blemish, and irreproachable before him.

 

Gospel: 

Monday: (Luke 4) Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” And all spoke highly of him
and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.

 

 

Tuesday: (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!” 

 

Wednesday (Luke 4) Simon’s mother-in-law was afflicted with a severe fever, and they interceded with him about her. He stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her.

 

Thursday (Luke 5) He saw two boats there alongside the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore.

 

Friday (Luke 5) The scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, “The disciples of John the Baptist fast often and offer prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same; but yours eat and drink.”

 

Saturday (Luke 6) While Jesus was going through a field of grain on a sabbath, his disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them. Some Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?”

 

Saints of the Week

 

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. 

 

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

 

• August 29, 1541: At Rome the death of Fr. John Codure, a Savoyard, one of the first 10 companions of St. Ignatius. 
• August 30, 1556: On the banks of the St. Lawrence River, the Iroquois mortally wounded Fr. Leonard Garreau, a young missionary. 
• August 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. 
• September 1, 1907. The Buffalo Mission was dissolved, and its members were sent to the New York and Missouri Provinces and the California Mission. 
• September 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. 
• September 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. 
• September 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.

Reglas en lugar de reglas El Vientidos Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario 2021

                                                   Reglas en lugar de reglas

El Vientidos Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario 2021

29 de agosto de 2021

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predmoresj@yahoo.com | 617.510.9673

Daniel 4: 1 - 8 ; Salmo 15 ; Santiago 1 : 17-27 ; San Marcos 7: 1-23

 

Una pregunta sobre la relevancia de las reglas surge en las lecturas de hoy . Moisés, el gran legislador, le dice a la gente que seguir las leyes les dará vida, seguridad y felicidad, que es el propósito de las normas de la comunidad. Jesús queda atrapado por los fariseos porque no siguió una costumbre religiosa y dietética de larga data, violando así la tradición de los ancianos. Jesús declara que los mandamientos de Dios provienen de un corazón informado por el amor, y que las actitudes que alimentamos y alimentamos dentro de nuestro corazón son la fuente del mal. Por lo tanto, cuando discernimos los juicios que hacemos, tenemos que examinar las actitudes fundamentales que estamos alimentando.

 

Como cristianos, podemos saber que nuestros pensamientos y actitudes son correctos si practicamos la paciencia, nos abstenemos de hacer juicios rápidos, aumentamos nuestros niveles de comprensión , informamos nuestra conciencia y trabajamos hacia la unidad, especialmente con personas que comparten diferentes puntos de vista para que podamos puede entender mejor su razonamiento. Todo se reduce a crear una cultura de tener un corazón y una mente abiertos al aprendizaje, la comprensión y la generación de compasión. Buscamos los efectos de crear paz, establecer armonía, amar a la persona que está a nuestro lado y contribuir al bien común. Si hacemos esto, nos acercamos al llamado que Dios nos extiende. Estas condiciones crean un corazón bien informado que produce nuestras actitudes cristianas. En el sentido contrario, si encontramos que nuestros corazones están listos para la batalla, somos rápidos para condenar, separarnos de los demás, alegar superioridad, entonces estos son los corazones que no entienden la Ley y crean actitudes que son dañinas para la sociedad.

 

Ignacio de Loyola elige una forma sabia de avanzar, ya que sus enseñanzas ayudan a las personas a discernir las opciones de la vida con libre albedrío. Disfrutamos del libre albedrío y en todas las decisiones que tomamos, ejercemos el libre albedrío. Ignacio presenta una forma de lidiar con nuestra libertad que es a la vez psicológica, que trata con las esperanzas y los sueños que anhelamos, y religiosa, que trata con Dios y cómo Dios entra en nuestras vidas. Él las llama reglas , que tienen una interpretación diferente a las reglas (lo que se debe y no se debe hacer), y estas reglas ayudan a guiar las decisiones del corazón que tomamos. Estas elecciones deben ser actos de amor guiados por el espíritu de sabiduría.

 

Una persona que permanece sin Dios se convierte a sí misma en el centro del universo, y esa persona es la máxima autoridad sobre la bondad y la maldad. Para Ignacio, sin embargo, invita a las personas al mundo de su visión de Dios. Pregunta quién es Dios, cómo se acerca Dios a nosotros y cómo nos invita a responder a los impulsos de Dios. Este proceso nos lleva a una relación con Jesús, quien luego dice: "Ven, sígueme". En lugar de escuchar sobre lo que se debe y no se debe hacer en la ley, Dios habla en el lenguaje de las palabras, los sueños, las visiones y los símbolos. En lengua ignaciana, Dios también habla a través de emociones, afectos o sentimientos. La voz de Dios habla con esa voz suave y tranquila, y ¿qué es la oración? Uniendo algunas palabras en agradecimiento para que conduzca a un silencio en el que otra voz pueda hablar.

 

Escritura para la misa diaria

 

Lunes: ( 1 Tesalonicenses 4 ) Porque si creemos que Jesús murió y resucitó, así también Dios, a través de Jesús, traerá consigo a los que durmieron.

 

Martes: ( 1 Tesalonicenses 5 ) Porque ustedes mismos saben muy bien que el día del Señor vendrá como ladrón en la noche. Cuando la gente dice: "Paz y seguridad", entonces les sobreviene un desastre repentino, como los dolores de parto de una mujer embarazada, y no escaparán.  

 

Miércoles: ( Colosenses 1 ) Siempre damos gracias a Dios, el Padre de nuestro Señor Jesucristo, cuando oramos por ustedes, porque hemos oído de su fe en Cristo Jesús y del amor que tienen por todos los santos debido a la esperanza reservada para ti en el cielo.

 

Jueves: ( Colosenses 1 ) Desde el día en que nos enteramos de ti, no dejamos de orar por ti y pedir que seas lleno del conocimiento de la voluntad de Dios a través de toda sabiduría espiritual y entendimiento para caminar de una manera digna del Señor .

 

Viernes ( Colosenses 1 ) Cristo Jesús es la imagen del Dios invisible, el primogénito de toda la creación. Porque en él fueron creadas todas las cosas en el cielo y en la tierra, lo visible y lo invisible, sean tronos o dominios o principados o potestades; todas las cosas fueron creadas por él y para él.

 

Sábado ( Colosenses 1 ) Una vez fuiste alienado y hostil de mente a causa de malas acciones; Dios ahora te ha reconciliado en el Cuerpo carnal de Cristo a través de su muerte, para presentarte santo, sin tacha e irreprochable ante él .

 

Evangelio: 

Lunes: ( Lucas 4 ) Enrollando el rollo, se lo devolvió al asistente y se sentó, y los ojos de todos en la sinagoga lo miraron intensamente. Él les dijo: "Hoy se cumple este pasaje de la Escritura a sus oídos". Y todos hablaban muy bien de él y se maravillaban de las palabras llenas de gracia que salían de su boca.

 

Martes: ( 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! " 

 

Miércoles ( Lucas 4 ) La suegra de Simón estaba afligida con una fiebre severa, e intercedieron ante él por ella. Se paró junto a ella, reprendió la fiebre y la abandonó.

 

Jueves ( Lucas 5 ) Vio dos barcas junto al lago; los pescadores habían desembarcado y estaban lavando sus redes. Subiendo a uno de los botes, el de Simón, le pidió que zarpara a poca distancia de la orilla.

 

Viernes ( Lucas 5 ) Los escribas y fariseos le dijeron a Jesús: “Los discípulos de Juan el Bautista ayunan a menudo y ofrecen oraciones, y los discípulos de los fariseos hacen lo mismo; pero los tuyos comen y beben ".

 

SÁBADO ( Lucas 6 ) Mientras Jesús estaba pasando por un campo de trigo en un día de reposo, sus discípulos arrancaban espigas de trigo, frotándolos en sus manos, y comerlos. Algunos fariseos decían: "¿Por qué hacen lo que es ilícito en sábado?"

 

Santos de la semana

 

29 de agosto : El martirio de Juan el Bautista recuerda los tristes acontecimientos de la decapitación de Juan por parte de 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, Salomé, la hija de Herodías, bailó bien y se ganó el favor de Herodes, quien le dijo que le daría casi todo lo que quisiera.

 

SEPTIEMBRE 3 : Gregorio Magno (540-604) fue el primer magistrado en 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

 

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

·                30 de agosto de 1556: A orillas del río San Lorenzo, los iroqueses hieren 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 una reciente tortura, 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 ya 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 encontrarla nuevamente como prisionera, traída 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.

Prayer: John Neumann

O my God, I thank you for the love you have planted in my heart. I will cultivate this precious flower. I will guard it night and day that nothing may injure it. O Lord, water it with the dew of your grace.

Invitation to an Online Book Review

 Beginning September 7^th, we will be offering a book review by Zoom on Jesuit Fr. John O’Malley’s book, “What Happened at Vatican II.” We meet by Zoom every Tuesday morning from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. E.D.T. 

 

Fr. John O’Malley, S.J. as he writes about the events at Vatican II. There is an introduction and a conclusion with seven main chapters, so we could take this over a nine week period. I remember how good the book was when I read it a decade ago. Here is the Amazon description of the book. 

 

What Happened at Vatican II 

 

John W. O’Malley is University Professor in the Department of Theology at Georgetown University and the author of many books, including Four Cultures of the West, Trent, Vatican I, What Happened at Vatican II, and The First Jesuits (all from Harvard); The First Jesuits has been translated into twelve languages. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a member of the American Philosophical Society, and a recipient of the Harvard Centennial Medal as well as Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Society for Italian Historical Studies, the Renaissance Society of America, and the American Catholic Historical Association. O’Malley is a member of the Society of Jesus and a Roman Catholic priest.

Pages: 400       Paperback: 21.94

 

During four years in session, Vatican Council II held television audiences rapt with its elegant, magnificently choreographed public ceremonies, while its debates generated front-page news on a near-weekly basis. By virtually any assessment, it was the most important religious event of the twentieth century, with repercussions that reached far beyond the Catholic church. Remarkably enough, this is the first book, solidly based on official documentation, to give a brief, readable account of the council from the moment Pope John XXIII announced it on January 25, 1959, until its conclusion on December 8, 1965; and to locate the issues that emerge in this narrative in their contexts, large and small, historical and theological, thereby providing keys for grasping what the council hoped to accomplish.

What Happened at Vatican II captures the drama of the council, depicting the colorful characters involved and their clashes with one another. The book also offers a new set of interpretive categories for understanding the council’s dynamics―categories that move beyond the tired “progressive” and “conservative” labels. As we approach the fiftieth anniversary of the calling of the council, this work reveals in a new way the spirit of Vatican II. A reliable, even-handed introduction to the council, the book is a critical resource for understanding the Catholic church today, including the pontificate of Benedict XVI.

 

 

Here is the link for the meeting, which will be the same link for the semester:

 

Invite a friend, or send this link to someone you know who may be interested in it. The class meets every Tuesday from 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. – E.D.T. If a person cannot make every meeting, that’s okay. We know schedules are variable and we do our best to adapt.

 

The zoom link is below.

 

Join Zoom Meeting

https://bchigh.zoom.us/j/81168224605?pwd=UlA0VFpKZyttRmxSU1QzSnpvN2kvQT09

 

Meeting ID: 811 6822 4605

Passcode: 866898

Prayer: Teresa of Calcutta

Lord, open our eyes that we may see you in our brothers and sisters. Lord, open our ears that we may hear the cries of the hungry, the cold, the frightened, the oppressed. Lord, open our hearts that we may love each other as you love us. Renew in us your spirit. Lord, free us and make us one.

Prayer: My Daily Prayer

My prayer these days begin with hearing the suffering of the people of Haiti, who are often the victims of earthquakes, storms, and political instability. With over 2,000 already dead and many others injured, we cannot forget the souls of those who are working to restore the people's livelihood and return to good health.

My prayer reaches to the frightened people of Afghanistan as political turmoil ensues. May God be merciful to those who helped the Allied forces and give them safe passage to a land that will ensure their freedom and safety. May God give compassion to the new government so that human rights are protected and promoted. 

May God keep the world safe from the variants of the Coronavirus and may no more variants mutate. I pray that the world come together to rally around a common purpose - to eradicate the virus through whatever means possible. May God change the hearts of people to give them hearts of compassion, hearts that care for others, and hearts that are concerned for the common good.

May God unite the Church, that we may find beauty in diversity, but that we unite around the Lord in joy and discover each other's innate goodness. May we focus upon the Lord who unites us rather than our differences. May we become a church that dances because we live in the joy of the Resurrection.

May God give us all an understanding heart that we may bear with one another in charity and goodwill. 

Spirituality: A single act of love, Fratelli Tutti, par. 195

Consequently, if I can help at least one person to have a better life, that already justifies the offering of my life. It is a wonderful thing to be God’s faithful people. We achieve fulfilment when we break down walls and our hearts are filled with faces and names!” The great goals of our dreams and plans may only be achieved in part. Yet beyond this, those who love, and who no longer view politics merely as a quest for power, “may be sure that none of our acts of love will be lost, nor any of our acts of sincere concern for others. No single act of love for God will be lost, no generous effort is meaningless, no painful endurance is wasted. All of these encircle our world like a vital force”.

Spirituality: Yohji Yamamoto

Creation is lifework, creation is how...you spend your life, you cannot divide life and the creation, it's impossible.

A Hard Choice The Twenty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time 2021

A Hard Choice

The Twenty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time 2021

August 22, 2021

www.johnpredmoresj.com | predmore.blogspot.com

predmoresj@yahoo.com | 617.510.9673

Joshua 24:1-2, 15-18; Psalm 34; Ephesians 5:21-32; John 6:60-69

 

Jesus and his disciples have an honest conversation about the hard saying he just made – the He is the Bread of Life and that we are to consume his flesh and drink his blood if we are to inherit eternal life. It is a scene in which you can easily imagine the emotions – the anxiety of the disciples, the rejection that Jesus faces from many people, and the hesitancy that even his closest friends might leave. For some people, it is too much. Finally, he can exhale as they profess that he is the one who has the words of eternal life. Even though the choice is hard, and we are not faced with the same choices, they decide to stay, even though they do not yet understand the Eucharist. 

 

Jesus is the heart of the Eucharist. Even though each of us bring a different worldview and shares different opinions about the faith, what unites us in the Mass is the Lord himself. From the Baroque and Gothic cathedrals of Europe to the barrios of Brazil, the house chapels in Indonesia, the makeshift village church in South Sudan, our mass has unity even though there is remarkable diversity of expression. I think of masses on coffee tables in rooms of the sick or dying, the folk masses with guitars and drums, the grand organs with majestic choirs, and services with the imprisoned, with orphans, or those with intellectual or emotional disabilities. Each mass has meaning that cannot be explained.

 

The beauty in our worship at mass is beyond comprehension. The smells and bells matter, the rubrics and form contribute to a good service, artful environmental décor and practiced choral songs help, worthwhile preaching is a gift, but it never replaces the mystery that we are drawn into – that we are asked by Christ if we want to join him in the dance that leads to eternal life. We seek beauty, and we get that in Christ’s faithfulness in the Eucharist. We search for meaning, and Christ reminds us that his presence is enough for us. 

 

As we come to communion today, let’s be mindful that across the world – in diverse languages and places, the mass is offered so that we may be one with Jesus, and in turn, one with others, especially those who think, act, and speak differently than us, but it is still the same Lord that unifies us and keeps us as loving people. It is both awesome and beautiful. We recognize our place of privilege as we have fundamentally made our choice. We said to Christ: We will go where you go, for you have the words of eternal life. 

 

Scripture for Daily Mass

 

Monday: (1 Thessalonians 1) We give thanks to God always for all of you, remembering you in our prayers, unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father.

Tuesday: (Revelation 21) “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. It gleamed with the splendor of God.

 

Wednesday: (1 Thessalonians 2) You recall our toil and drudgery. Working night and day in order not to burden any of you, we proclaimed to you the Gospel of God.
You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers.

 

Thursday: (1 Thessalonians 3) What thanksgiving, then, can we render to God for you, for all the joy we feel on your account before our God? Night and day we pray beyond measure to see you in person and to remedy the deficiencies of your faith. 

 

Friday (1 Thessalonians 4) We earnestly ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that,
as you received from us how you should conduct yourselves to please God–and as you are conducting yourselves–you do so even more.

 

Saturday (1 Thessalonians 4) Nevertheless we urge you, brothers and sisters, to progress even more, and to aspire to live a tranquil life, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your own hands, as we instructed you. 

 

Gospel: 

Monday: (Matthew 23) Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves. 

 

Tuesday: (John 1) Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” But Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” 

 

Wednesday (Matthew 23) Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. Even so, on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.

 

Thursday (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. 

 

Friday (Matthew 25) While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked.
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.’  

 

Saturday (Matthew 25) A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one–to each according to his ability. Then he went away.

 

Saints of the Week

 

August 22: The Queenship of Mary concludes the octave of the principal feast of Mary as she celebrates her installation as queen and mother of all creation. This feast was placed on our calendar in 1954 following the dogmatic proclamation of the Assumption. 

 

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.

 

This Week in Jesuit History

 

• August 22, 1872: Jesuits were expelled from Germany during the Bismarckian Kulturkampf. 
• August 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. 
• August 24, 1544: Peter Faber arrived in Lisbon. 
• August 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. 
• August 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. 
• August 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. 
• August 28, 1628: The martyrdom in Lancashire, England, of St. Edmund Arrowsmith.

 

Un duro Elección El Vientiuno Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario 2021

                                                        Un duro Elección

El Vientiuno Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario 2021

22 de agosto de 2021

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Josué 24: 1-2, 15-18 ; Salmo 3 4 ; Ephes IANS 5: 2 1 - 3 2 ; Juan 6: 60-69

 

Jesús y sus discípulos tienen una conversación honesta sobre el duro dicho que acaba de decir: Él es el Pan de Vida y que debemos consumir su carne y beber su sangre si queremos heredar la vida eterna. Es una escena en la que puedes imaginar fácilmente las emociones: la ansiedad de los discípulos, el rechazo que Jesús enfrenta por parte de muchas personas y la vacilación de que incluso sus amigos más cercanos podrían abandonar. Para algunas personas, es demasiado. Finalmente, puede exhalar mientras profesan que él es quien tiene las palabras de vida eterna. Aunque la elección es difícil y no nos enfrentamos a las mismas opciones, ellos deciden quedarse, aunque todavía no entienden la Eucaristía.

 

Jesús es el corazón de la Eucaristía. Aunque cada uno de nosotros trae una cosmovisión diferente y comparte diferentes opiniones sobre la fe, lo que nos une en la Misa es el Señor mismo. Desde las catedrales barrocas y góticas de Europa hasta los barrios de Brasil, las capillas de las casas en Indonesia, la iglesia de aldea improvisada en Sudán del Sur, nuestra misa tiene unidad aunque hay una notable diversidad de expresión. Pienso en misas en las mesas de café en las habitaciones de los enfermos o moribundos, las misas folclóricas con guitarras y tambores, los grandes órganos con coros majestuosos y los servicios con los presos, con los huérfanos o con discapacidades intelectuales o emocionales. Cada masa tiene un significado que no se puede explicar.

 

La belleza de nuestro culto en la misa está más allá de la comprensión. Los olores y las campanas importan, las rúbricas y la forma contribuyen a un buen servicio, la decoración ambiental ingeniosa y los cantos corales practicados ayudan, la predicación que vale la pena es un regalo, pero nunca reemplaza el misterio en el que nos sentimos atraídos, que Cristo nos pregunta si queremos unirnos a él en el baile que conduce a la vida eterna. Buscamos la belleza y la obtenemos en la fidelidad de Cristo en la Eucaristía. Buscamos sentido y Cristo nos recuerda que su presencia es suficiente para nosotros.

 

Al llegar hoy a la comunión, tengamos en cuenta que en todo el mundo, en varios idiomas y lugares, la misa se ofrece para que podamos ser uno con Jesús y, a su vez, uno con los demás, especialmente aquellos que piensan, actúan. , y habla de manera diferente a nosotros, pero sigue siendo el mismo Señor el que nos unifica y nos mantiene como personas amorosas. Es a la vez asombroso y hermoso. Reconocemos nuestro lugar de privilegio ya que fundamentalmente hemos hecho nuestra elección. Le dijimos a Cristo: Iremos a donde tú vayas, porque tienes palabras de vida eterna.

 

Escritura para la misa diaria

 

Lunes: ( 1 Tesalonicenses 1 ) Siempre damos gracias a Dios por todos ustedes, recordándonos en nuestras oraciones , recordando sin cesar su obra de fe y labor de amor y perseverancia en la esperanza de nuestro Señor Jesucristo, ante nuestro Dios y Padre .

 

Martes: ( Apocalipsis 21 ) “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. Brillaba con el esplendor de Dios.

 

Miércoles: ( 1 Tesalonicenses 2 ) Recuerda nuestro trabajo y fatiga. Trabajando día y noche para no agobiar a ninguno de ustedes, les anunciamos el Evangelio de Dios. Ustedes son testigos, y Dios también, de cuán devota, justa e irreprensiblemente nos comportamos con ustedes, los creyentes.

 

Jueves: ( 1 Tesalonicenses 3 ) ¿Qué acción de gracias, pues, podemos dar a Dios por ustedes, por todo el gozo que sentimos por ustedes ante nuestro Dios? Noche y día oramos sin medida para verte en persona y remediar las deficiencias de tu fe.

 

Viernes ( 1 Tesalonicenses 4 ) W e pide seriedad y exhortamos en el Señor Jesús que,
como habéis recibido de nosotros cómo debe conducirse para agradar a Dios - y como se está llevando a cabo a sí mismos - lo hace aún más.

 

Sábado ( 1 Tesalonicenses 4 ) No obstante, hermanos y hermanas, los exhortamos a progresar aún más y a aspirar a vivir una vida tranquila, a ocuparse de sus propios asuntos y a trabajar con sus propias manos, como les instruimos.

 

Evangelio: 

Lunes: ( Mateo 23 ) ¡Ay de ustedes, escribas y fariseos, hipócritas! Atraviesan el mar y la tierra para hacer un converso, y cuando eso sucede, lo convierten en un hijo del Gehena dos veces más que ustedes.

 

Martes: ( Juan 1 ) Felipe encontró a Natanael y le dijo: "Hemos encontrado a aquel de quien Moisés escribió en la ley, y también a los profetas, Jesús hijo de José, de Nazaret". Pero Natanael le dijo: "¿Puede salir algo bueno de Nazaret?"

 

Miércoles (Mateo 2 3 ) ¡Ay de ustedes, escribas y fariseos, hipócritas! Aun así, por fuera pareces justo, pero por dentro estás lleno de hipocresía y maldad.

 

Jueves ( Mateo 2 4 ) ¿Quién, pues, es 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 a quien su amo a su llegada encuentra haciéndolo.

 

Viernes ( Mateo 2 5 ) Mientras iban a comprarlo, llegó el novio y los que estaban listos entraron con él al banquete de bodas. Entonces se cerró la puerta. Después vinieron las otras vírgenes y dijeron: '¡Señor, Señor, ábrenos la puerta!' Pero él respondió: "En verdad, les digo que no los conozco".  
   

 

S ÁBADO ( Mateo 2 5 ) Un hombre que va en un viaje llamó a sus siervos y les entregó sus bienes. A uno le dio cinco talentos; a otro, dos; a un tercero, uno, a cada uno según su capacidad. Luego se fue. 

 

Santos de la semana

 

22 de agosto : El Reinado de María concluye la octava de la fiesta principal de María mientras celebra su instalación como reina y madre de toda la creación. Esta fiesta fue incluida en nuestro calendario en 1954 tras la proclamación dogmática de la Asunción.

 

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 Nataniel, 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: José Calasanz , sacerdote (1556-1648), era un español que estudiaba 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.

 

Esta semana en la historia de los jesuitas

 

·                22 de agosto de 1872: los jesuitas fueron expulsados ​​de Alemania durante la Kulturkampf de Bismarck .

·                23 de agosto de 1558: En la Primera Congregación General, se discutió la cuestión de la trienalidad del cargo del General 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, 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: Regreso del P. Diego Laynez de Francia a Trento, los Padres del Concilio deseaban escucharlo hablar sobre el Santo Sacrificio de la Misa.

·                27 de agosto de 1679: El martirio en Usk , Inglaterra, de San 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 St. Edmund Arrowsmith.