The Feast of Saint Andrew

 On this feast of St. Andrew, I reflect upon the work of our community that mirrors the work of Andrew, for the Romans passage asks: How can people believe if they cannot hear? How can they hear without someone to preach? The church intends to call out this feature of Andrew’s ministry as a responsibility of discipleship.

 

I pondered the work of the Four Apostolic Preferences in our community and the mysterious way that we point others to Christ in our interactions and relationships. For instance, our parish work offers alternatives to standard diocesan ministry, and the words we hear from parishioners is often, “You bring us hope. You bring us an essential message about Christ that we don’t get from our priests.” In our work with the deaf, we bring the light that tells all people that no one is forgotten and all are cherished in unique ways and is visited by God. In our work of spiritual direction and counseling, we show people that those unrevealed places of woundedness can meet the compassionate touch of healing. In our vocation work, we remind both our youth and adults that the Lord is calling each person to something greater, something deeper. In our work of administration, we hold delicately threads of communal life together so that the bonds of fraternity are strengthened. In our works of healing, education, the arts, and sacred conversation, we bring to others renewed energy and strength in their resolve to change the world for the better, to bring about a more merciful justice, a call to holiness for all people of goodwill. The work of each is the work of all, and collectively we point the world to a God, who is desperate for a fuller, deepening relationship with each person we send to God.

 

From our community, the collective work is exponential, and our Preferences remind us that there are many other lives that need to be told of God. As we are in each corner of our ministry, we recognize that there are scores of other populations that we are not yet reaching, not yet touching. We are assured that, regardless of our efforts, God is in their midst, but we are asked to live up to Andrew’s call to bring others to Christ. If not us, then who? We need to continually challenge ourselves to go beyond our Catholic world in order to encounter those who need to glimpse the face of God through human features. We need to take that step beyond our customs and traditional works to say, “You are welcome. Come meet Christ.” Before we act, we need to speak. Before we speak, we need to form ideas. Before we form ideas, we might need to let Christ help us imagine new possibilities and expand our consciousness, so that we are free enough to follow where He wants us to “be.” Wherever we are, we will find Christ, and there will be someone nearby who needs us to introduce him or her to our friend.

Prayer: Dietrich Bonhoeffer, "I want to live these days with you."

In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.

Poem: “Credo,” Edwin Arlington Robinson

I cannot find my way: there is no star
In all the shrouded heavens anywhere;
And there is not a whisper in the air
Of any living voice but one so far
That I can hear it only as a bar
Of lost, imperial music, played when fair
And angel fingers wove, and unaware,
Dead leaves to garlands where no roses are.
No, there is not a glimmer, nor a call
For one that welcomes, welcomes when he fears,
The black and awful chaos of the night;
For through it all – above, beyond it all –
I know the far-sent message of the years,
I feel the coming glory of the Light.

Poem: “If You Have Nothing” by Jessica Powers

The gesture of a gift is inadequate.
If you have nothing: laurel leaf or bay,
no flower, no seed, no apple gathered late,
do not in desperation lay
the beauty of your tears upon the clay.

No gift is proper to a Deity;
no fruit is worthy for such power to bless.
If you have nothing, gather back your sigh,
and with your hands held high, your heart held high,
lift up your emptiness.

Poem: Yahia Lababidi from "Breath" in Barely There

Beneath the intricate network of noise
there's a still more persistent tapestry
woven of whispers, murmurs and chants

It's the heaving breath of the very earth
carrying along the prayer of all things:
trees, ants, stones, creeks and mountains alike

All giving silent thanks and remembrance
each moment, as a tug on a rosary bead
while we hurry past, heedless of the mysteries

And, yet, every secret wants to be told
every shy creature to approach and trust us
if we patiently listen, with all our senses.

Poem: Wendell Berry, "Two Questions," in Entries

If you provided a marriage feast
and the thankless guests crowded
at the table, gobbling the food
without tasting it, and shoving
one another away, so that some ate
too much and some ate nothing,
would you not be offended?

Or if, seated at your bountiful table,
your guests picked and finicked
over the food, eating only a little,
refusing the wine and the dessert,
claiming that to fill their bellies
and rejoice would impair their souls,
would you not be offended?

The Calmed Heart The First Sunday of Advent 2021

                                                         The Calmed Heart

The First Sunday of Advent 2021

November 28, 2021

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Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25; 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2; Luke 21:25-28,34-36

 

The Gospel paints a frightening picture of the end-times in the natural world, and the author urges patience to all believers in God to retain hope. In our current world, we are surrounded by frightening news every day, and it has a bewildering effect upon us, if we let it because some of us cannot find a way to escape the effects of this news upon our consciousness. 

 

We have little control over the actions those who do not believe or trust in God, and our task is to keep ourselves rooted and grounded in God’s mercy. We cannot let us become like those who lose hope, like those who search for different gods, like those who place their values in the world of false pleasures. We are to view the world through a different lens. We are to paint an image on canvas of the world that God sees, not the world that many humans see, and we need to feed our awareness with this type of beauty. 

 

Many in the world have become impatient in many things. Many exhibit poor social and interpersonal behaviors, they lack respect for others and themselves, and they seek to get what they want first, and yet they know their behaviors are unsatisfying and they ultimately do not feel good about the style and methods of their actions. We believers have to be known for our patience and understanding, our care for the needs of others, and to put the common good in front of our own needs because ultimately, we all win when we are more concerned for others over ourselves. 

 

St. Paul tells the Thessalonians that when they see these negative circumstances, believers must increase their love for others, which can be difficult in the face of hostility and poor upbringing, but that love must endure because this love defines us. Our conduct will reveal to the world what we believe. We are responsible for one another by making sure our hearts first are in a good place, so we can strengthen others who might not have this hope, who might be caught in the system of negativity. 

 

Love wins the world over one heart at a time. Let’s allow Jesus to calm our hearts this Advent, one day at a time, so we can see the beauty in the world that he sees, and so that we can be that example of love that others look to and see worlds of promise. 

Scripture for Daily Mass

 

Monday: (Isaiah 2) The mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills. All nations shall stream toward it; many peoples shall come and say: “Come, let us climb the LORD’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob.

Tuesday: (Romans 10) If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.

 

Wednesday: (Isaiah 25) On this mountain the LORD of hosts will provide for all peoples. A feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.
On this mountain he will destroy the veil that veils all peoples.

 

Thursday: (Isaiah 26) A strong city have we; he sets up walls and ramparts to protect us. Open up the gates to let in a nation that is just, one that keeps faith. A nation of firm purpose you keep in peace; in peace, for its trust in you.

 

Friday (Isaiah 27) But a very little while, and Lebanon shall be changed into an orchard, and the orchard be regarded as a forest! On that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book; And out of gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see.

 

Saturday (Isaiah 30) O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem, no more will you weep; He will be gracious to you when you cry out, as soon as he hears he will answer you. The Lord will give you the bread you need and the water for which you thirst.

 

Gospel: 

Monday: (Matthew 8) When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.”  He said to him, “I will come and cure him.”

 

 

 

Tuesday: (Matthew 4) As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

 

Wednesday (Matthew 15) Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, went up on the mountain, and sat down there. Great crowds came to him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute, and many others. They placed them at his feet, and he cured them. 

 

Thursday (Matthew 7) Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

 

Friday (Matthew 9) When he entered the house, the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I can do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they said to him. Then he touched their eyes and said, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.”

 

Saturday (Matthew 9) At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.”

 

Saints of the Week

 

November 29: Bernardo Francisco de Hoyos, S.J., religious (1711-1735) was the first and main apostle to the devotion of the Sacred Heart. He entered the novitiate in Spain at age 14 and took vows at 17. He had mystical visions of the Sacred Heart. He was ordained in January 1735 with a special dispensation because he was not old enough. A few weeks after celebrating his first mass, he contracted typhus and died on November 29^th. 

 

November 30: Andrew, apostle (first century) was a disciple of John the Baptist and the brother of Simon Peter. Both were fishermen from Bethsaida. He became one of the first disciples of Jesus. Little is known of Andrew's preaching after the resurrection. Tradition places him in Greece while Scotland has incredible devotion to the apostle.  

 

December 1: Edmund Campion, S.J., (1540- 1581), Robert Southwell, S.J., (1561-1595) martyrs, were English natives and Jesuit priests at a time when Catholics were persecuted in the country. Both men acknowledge Queen Elizabeth as monarch, but they refused to renounce their Catholic faith. They are among the 40 martyrs of England and Wales. Campion was killed in 1581 and Southwell’s death was 1595.

 

December 3: Francis Xavier, S.J., priest (1506-1552) was a founding members of the Jesuit Order who was sent to the East Indies and Japan as a missionary. His preaching converted hundreds of thousands of converts to the faith. He died before reaching China. Xavier was a classmate of Peter Faber and Ignatius of Loyola at the University of Paris.

 

This Week in Jesuit History

 

• November 28, 1759: Twenty Fathers and 192 Scholastics set sail from the Tagus for exile. Two were to die on the voyage to Genoa and Civita Vecchia. 
• November 29, 1773: The Jesuits of White Russia requested the Empress Catherine to allow the Letter of Suppression to be published, as it had been all over Europe. "She bade them lay aside their scruples, promising to obtain the Papal sanction for their remaining in status quo. 
• November 30, 1642: The birth of Br Andrea Pozzo at Trent, who was called to Rome in 1681 to paint the flat ceiling of the church of San Ignacio so that it would look as though there were a dome above. There had been a plan for a dome but there was not money to build it. His work is still on view. 
• December. 1, 1581: At Tyburn in London, Edmund Campion and Alexander Briant were martyred. 
• December. 2, 1552: On the island of Sancian off the coast of China, Francis Xavier died. 
• December. 3, 1563: At the Council of Trent, the Institute of the Society was approved. 
• December. 4, 1870: The Roman College, appropriated by the Piedmontese government, was reopened as a Lyceum. The monogram of the Society over the main entrance was effaced.

El corazón calmado El primer domingo de Adviento 2021

                                                         El corazón calmado

El primer domingo de Adviento 2021

28 de noviembre de 2021

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Jeremías 33: 14-16; Salmo 25; 1 Tesalonicenses 3: 12-4: 2; Lucas 21: 25-28,34-36

 

El Evangelio pinta un cuadro aterrador del fin de los tiempos en el mundo natural, y el autor insta a todos los creyentes en Dios a tener paciencia para mantener la esperanza. En nuestro mundo actual, estamos rodeados de noticias aterradoras todos los días, y tienen un efecto desconcertante sobre nosotros, si lo dejamos porque algunos de nosotros no podemos encontrar una manera de escapar de los efectos de estas noticias en nuestra conciencia.

 

Tenemos poco control sobre las acciones de aquellos que no creen o no confían en Dios, y nuestra tarea es mantenernos arraigados y cimentados en la misericordia de Dios. No podemos dejarnos ser como los que pierden la esperanza, como los que buscan dioses diferentes, como los que ponen sus valores en el mundo de los falsos placeres. Debemos ver el mundo a través de una lente diferente. Debemos pintar una imagen en el lienzo del mundo que ve Dios, no el mundo que ven muchos humanos, y debemos alimentar nuestra conciencia con este tipo de belleza.

 

Muchos en el mundo se han impacientado en muchas cosas. Muchos exhiben comportamientos sociales e interpersonales deficientes, carecen de respeto por los demás y por ellos mismos, y buscan obtener lo que quieren primero y, sin embargo, saben que sus comportamientos son insatisfactorios y, en última instancia, no se sienten bien con el estilo y los métodos de sus acciones. Los creyentes debemos ser conocidos por nuestra paciencia y comprensión, nuestro cuidado por las necesidades de los demás y por anteponer el bien común a nuestras propias necesidades porque, en última instancia, todos ganamos cuando nos preocupamos más por los demás que por nosotros mismos.

 

 San Pablo les dice a los tesalonicenses que cuando ven estas circunstancias negativas, los creyentes deben aumentar su amor por los demás, lo que puede ser difícil ante la hostilidad y la mala educación, pero ese amor debe perdurar porque este amor nos define. Nuestra conducta revelará al mundo lo que creemos. Somos responsables unos de otros asegurándonos primero de que nuestros corazones estén en un buen lugar, para que podamos fortalecer a otros que podrían no tener esta esperanza, que podrían estar atrapados en el sistema de la negatividad.

 

El amor gana al mundo en un corazón a la vez. Permitamos que Jesús calme nuestros corazones en este Adviento, un día a la vez, para que podamos ver la belleza en el mundo que él ve, y para que podamos ser ese ejemplo de amor que otros miran y ven los mundos prometedores.

Escritura para la misa diaria

 

Lunes: (Isaías 2) El monte de la casa del SEÑOR se establecerá como el monte más alto y se elevará sobre los collados. Todas las naciones correrán hacia ella; Vendrán muchos pueblos y dirán: “Venid, subamos al monte del SEÑOR, a la casa del Dios de Jacob.

 

Martes: (Romanos 10) Si confiesas con tu boca que Jesús es el Señor y crees en tu corazón que Dios lo levantó de entre los muertos, serás salvo. Porque uno cree con el corazón y así se justifica, y uno confiesa con la boca y así se salva.

 

Miércoles: (Isaías 25) En este monte el SEÑOR de los ejércitos proveerá para todos los pueblos. Un festín de comida rica y vinos selectos, comida rica y jugosa y vinos puros y selectos.
En este monte destruirá el velo que cubre a todos los pueblos.

 

Jueves: (Isaías 26) Ciudad fuerte tenemos; levanta muros y murallas para protegernos. Abran las puertas para dejar entrar a una nación que es justa, que mantiene la fe. Mantienes en paz una nación de firme propósito; en paz, por su confianza en ti.

 

Viernes (Isaías 27) ¡ Pero dentro de poco, el Líbano se convertirá en un huerto, y el huerto se considerará un bosque! Aquel día los sordos oirán las palabras de un libro; Y de las tinieblas y las tinieblas, los ojos de los ciegos verán.

 

Sábado (Isaías 30) Pueblo de Sion, que habitas en Jerusalén, no llorarás más; Él tendrá misericordia de ti cuando grites, tan pronto como lo escuche, te responderá. El Señor te dará el pan que necesitas y el agua por la que tienes sed.

 

Evangelio: 

Lunes: (Mateo 8) Cuando Jesús entró en Capernaum, un centurión se le acercó y le suplicó: "Señor, mi criado yace en casa paralizado, sufriendo terriblemente". Él le dijo: "Vendré y lo curaré". 

 

 

 

Martes: (Mateo 4) Mientras Jesús caminaba junto al mar de Galilea, vio a dos hermanos, Simón, que se llama Pedro, y su hermano Andrés, que echaban una red al mar; eran pescadores. Les dijo: "Venid en pos de mí, y os haré pescadores de hombres".

 

Miércoles (Mateo 15) Jesús caminó junto al mar de Galilea, subió al monte y se sentó allí. Se le acercaron grandes multitudes, trayendo consigo cojos, ciegos, deformes, mudos y muchos otros. Los pusieron a sus pies y él los curó.   

 

Jueves (Mateo 7) No todo el que me dice: Señor, Señor, entrará en el Reino de los cielos, sino el que hace la voluntad de mi Padre que está en los cielos.

 

Viernes (Mateo 9) Cuando entró en la casa, los ciegos se le acercaron y Jesús les dijo: "¿Creen que puedo hacer esto?" “Sí, Señor”, le dijeron. Luego les tocó los ojos y dijo: "Hágase en ustedes según su fe".  

 

Sábado (Mateo 9) Al ver las multitudes, su corazón se compadeció de ellas porque estaban atribuladas y abandonadas, como ovejas sin pastor. Luego dijo a sus discípulos: "La mies es mucha, pero los obreros pocos".

 

Santos de la semana

 

29 de noviembre: Bernardo Francisco de Hoyos, SJ, religioso (1711-1735) fue el primer y principal apóstol de la devoción al Sagrado Corazón. Entró en el noviciado en España a los 14 años y tomó los votos a los 17. Tuvo visiones místicas del Sagrado Corazón. Fue ordenado sacerdote en enero de 1735 con una dispensa especial porque no tenía la edad suficiente. Unas semanas después de celebrar su primera misa, contrajo el tifus y murió el 29 de noviembre ^XX .

 

30 de noviembre: Andrés, apóstol (siglo I) fue discípulo de Juan el Bautista y hermano de Simón Pedro. Ambos eran pescadores de Betsaida. Se convirtió en uno de los primeros discípulos de Jesús. Poco se sabe de la predicación de Andrés después de la resurrección. La tradición lo ubica en Grecia, mientras que Escocia tiene una devoción increíble por el apóstol. 

 

1 de diciembre: Edmund Campion, SJ, (1540-1581), Robert Southwell, SJ, (1561-1595) mártires, eran nativos ingleses y sacerdotes jesuitas en un momento en que los católicos eran perseguidos en el país. Ambos hombres reconocen a la reina Isabel como monarca, pero se negaron a renunciar a su fe católica. Se encuentran entre los 40 mártires de Inglaterra y Gales. Campion fue asesinado en 1581 y la muerte de Southwell fue en 1595.

 

3 de diciembre: Francis Xavier, SJ, sacerdote (1506-1552) fue un miembro fundador de la Orden de los Jesuitas que fue enviado a las Indias Orientales y Japón como misionero. Su predicación convirtió a la fe a cientos de miles de conversos. Murió antes de llegar a China. Xavier fue compañero de Peter Faber e Ignatius de Loyola en la Universidad de París.

 

Esta semana en la historia de los jesuitas

 

· 28 de noviembre de 1759: Veinte padres y 192 escolásticos zarpan del Tajo para el exilio. Dos iban a morir en el viaje a Génova y Civita Vecchia .

· 29 de noviembre de 1773: Los jesuitas de la Rusia Blanca solicitaron a la emperatriz Catalina que permitiera la publicación de la Carta de Supresión, como se había hecho en toda Europa. "Les pidió que dejaran a un lado sus escrúpulos, prometiendo obtener la sanción papal por permanecer en el status quo.

· 30 de noviembre de 1642: Nacimiento del H. Andrea Pozzo en Trento, quien fue llamado a Roma en 1681 para pintar el techo plano de la iglesia de San Ignacio de modo que pareciera que hubiera una cúpula arriba. Había un plan para una cúpula, pero no había dinero para construirla. Su trabajo aún está a la vista.

· Diciembre. 1 de enero de 1581: en Tyburn en Londres, Edmund Campion y Alexander Briant fueron martirizados.

· Diciembre. 2 de diciembre de 1552: en la isla de Sancian frente a las costas de China, Francisco Javier murió.

· Diciembre. 3, 1563: En el Concilio de Trento, se aprobó el Instituto de la Sociedad.

· Diciembre. 4, 1870: El Colegio Romano, apropiado por el gobierno piamontés, fue reabierto como Liceo. Se borró el monograma de la Sociedad sobre la entrada principal.

Poem: The Artist’s Paintbrush by Elaine Coyne

A simple sweep 

or staccato-like shower 

bring forth the power

of my creative ardor.

 

An urgent stroke renders 

the fleeting light passing into the night,

as the horizon line swallows 

the crimson sky and bids its goodnight.

 

Comma-like bursts, bold movements

blocky and stubby-- evening stars in the making…

my brush leaves its mark and my hands

           Shaking…

hoping to create something breathtaking.       

 

 

My line: “the horizon line swallows the crimson sky and bids its good night” was inspired by the following “Sunset” poem by Effie Lee Newsome:

 

Sunset 

Effie Lee Newsome, 1885-1979 (published 1923)   from Poets.org email, 8/8/21  

Since Poets have told of sunset,

What is left for me to tell?

I can only say that I saw the day

Press crimson lips to the horizon gray,

And kiss the earth farewell.

Poem: Mary Oliver, "One or Two Things"

The god of dirt
came up to me many times and said
so many wise and delectable things, I lay
on the grass listening

to his dog voice,
crow voice,
frog voice; now,
he said, and now,
and never once mentioned forever...

Poem: “Christ in the Universe” by Alice Meynell

 With this ambiguous earth

His dealings have been told us. These abide:

The signal to the maid, the human birth,

The lesson, and the young Man crucified.

 

But not a star of all

The innumerable host of stars has heard

How he administered this terrestrial ball.

Our race have kept their Lord’s entrusted Word.

 

Of his earth-visiting feet

None knows the secret, cherished, perilous,

The terrible, shamefast, frightened, whispered, sweet,

Heart-shattering secret of his way with us.

 

No planet knows that this

Our wayside planet, carrying land and wave,

Love and life multiplied, and pain and bliss,

Bears, as chief treasure, one forsaken grave.

 

Nor, in our little day,

May his devices with the heavens be guessed,

His pilgrimage to thread the Milky Way

Or his bestowals there be manifest.

 

But in the eternities,

Doubtless we shall compare together, hear

A million alien Gospels, in what guise

He trod the Pleiades, the Lyre, the Bear,

 

O, be prepared, my soul!

To read the inconceivable, to scan

The million forms of God those stars unroll

When, in our turn, we show to them a Man.

Poem: “The Oak” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Live thy Life, 

Young and old, 

Like yon oak, 

Bright in spring, 

Living gold; 

Summer-rich 

Then; and then 

Autumn-changed, 

Soberer-hued 

Gold again. 

All his leaves 

Fall’n at length, 

Look, he stands, 

Trunk and bough 

Naked strength.

Poem: "The Harvest Moon" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

It is the Harvest Moon! On gilded vanes 

 And roofs of villages, on woodland crests
And their aerial neighborhoods of nests
Deserted, on the curtained window-panes
Of rooms where children sleep, on country lanes
And harvest-fields, its mystic splendor rests!
Gone are the birds that were our summer guests,
With the last sheaves return the laboring wains!
All things are symbols: the external shows
Of Nature have their image in the mind,
As flowers and fruits and falling of the leaves;
The song-birds leave us at the summer's close,
Only the empty nests are left behind,
And pipings of the quail among the sheaves.

Poem: "When Giving Is All We Have," by Alberto Ríos

        We give because someone gave to us.

We give because nobody gave to us.

We give because giving has changed us.
We give because giving could have changed us.

We have been better for it,
We have been wounded by it—

Giving has many faces: It is loud and quiet,
Big, though small, diamond in wood-nails.

Its story is old, the plot worn and the pages too,
But we read this book, anyway, over and again:

Giving is, first and every time, hand to hand,
Mine to yours, yours to mine.

You gave me blue and I gave you yellow.
Together we are simple green. You gave me

What you did not have, and I gave you
What I had to give—together, we made

Something greater from the difference.

Christ the King The Thirty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time 2021

                                                              Christ the King

The Thirty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time 2021

November 21, 2021

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Daniel 7:13-4; Psalm 93; Revelation 1:5-8; John 18:33-37

 

Today is a reminder that we live in two worlds – the world that is here and now, and the world that is to come. A Christian must be comfortable living in both worlds, and to find goodness in each world, even though there will be conflict. Pilate represents an aspect of the passing world that searches for its own truth; Jesus presents believers with a truth that endures. We believers must make peace with both worlds so that our choices align for today’s common good and tomorrow’s eternal blessings.

 

Jesus instructs us to be in harmony with the world around, including civic leaders and politicians, and urges us to love our enemies. Paul later urged us to co-exist in harmony with influential rulers so that we preserve the bonds of friendship among the faithful. In the face of mob opposition that handed Jesus over to Pilate, he largely remained silent, knowing that God sees the truth that does not always have to be spoken.

 

Christians need to be clever to exist in this world with an eye to the next. We do so by developing our friendship with Jesus in prayer, wrestling with his teachings, and remaining in communion with his friends. It is not helpful to adopt a hostile tone to those with whom we disagree. That is not loving. It does not serve any good to stand against the culture of the world for we live in it and can transform it through our good lives. We are to make friends with the rulers of this world because showing kindness and compassion will do far better than divisive, harsh words or rigid stances.

 

Today’s message is to stay close to Jesus and to realize he is the one who makes sense and gives meaning to our lives. No one on this earth can save us, but Jesus. We cannot save ourselves from ourselves. Jesus is the one we can turn to because he understands human suffering and the love of God at the same time. He wants to show us God’s love, a love that is more remarkable than we can imagine, a love that can transform our lives, a love that will bring close to our loved ones for eternity, a love that we all seek. Only in Jesus is our soul at rest.

 

Scripture for Daily Mass

 

Monday: (Daniel 1) King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came and laid siege to Jerusalem. The Lord handed over to him Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and some of the vessels of the temple of God; he carried them off to the land of Shinar, and placed the vessels in the temple treasury of his god.

 

Tuesday: (Daniel 2) Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar: “In your vision, O king, you saw a statue, very large and exceedingly bright, terrifying in appearance as it stood before you.

 

Wednesday: (Daniel 5) Under the influence of the wine, he ordered the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar, his father, had taken from the temple in Jerusalem,
to be brought in so that the king, his lords, his wives and his entertainers might drink from them.

 

Thursday: (Sirach 50) And now, bless the God of all, who has done wondrous things on earth; May he grant you joy of heart and may peace abide among you.

 

Friday (Daniel 7) In a vision I, Daniel, saw during the night, the four winds of heaven stirred up the great sea, from which emerged four immense beasts, each different from the others.

 

Saturday (Daniel 7) These four great beasts stand for four kingdoms which shall arise on the earth. But the holy ones of the Most High shall receive the kingship, to possess it forever and ever.

 

Gospel: 

Monday: (Luke 21) When Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins.

 

 

Tuesday: (Luke 21) Jesus said, “All that you see here–the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.”

 

Wednesday (Luke 21) “They will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors
because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony.

 

Thursday (Luke 17) They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.”

 

Friday (Luke 21) Consider the fig tree and all the other trees. When their buds burst open, you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near; in the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near.

 

Saturday (Luke 21) Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.

 

Saints of the Week

 

November 21: The Presentation of Mary originated as a feast in 543 when the basilica of St. Mary's the New in Jerusalem was dedicated. The day commemorate the event when Mary's parent brought her to the Temple to dedicate her to God. The Roman church began to celebrate this feast in 1585.

 

November 22: Cecilia, martyr (2nd or 3rd century), is the patron saint of music because of the song she sang at her wedding. She died just days after her husband, Valerian, and his brother were beheaded for refusing to sacrifice to the gods. She is listed in the First Eucharistic prayer as an early church martyr.

 

November 23: Clement I, pope and martyr (d. 99) is also mentioned in the First Eucharistic prayer. He is the third pope and was martyred in exile. He is presumed to be a former slave in the imperial court. He wrote a letter to the Corinthians after a revolt and as pope he restored ordered within the ministries.   

 

November 23: Columban, abbot (d. 615) was an Irish monk who left Ireland for France with 12 companions to found a monastery as a base for preaching. They established 3 monasteries within 10 years. Columban opposed the king's polygamy and was expelled. He set up monasteries in Switzerland and Italy before he died. Though he was expelled, the monasteries were permitted to remain open.

 

November 23: Miguel Pro, S.J., martyr (1891-1927) lived in Guadalupe, Mexico before entering the Jesuits. Public worship was forbidden in Mexico so Miguel became an undercover priest often wearing disguises. He was arrested and ordered to be shot in front of a firing squad without benefit of a trial. Before he died she shouted out, "Long live Christ the King."

 

November 24: Andrew Dung-Lac and companion martyrs (1785-1839) were missionaries to Vietnam during the 17th through 19th centuries. Over 130,000 Christians were killed, including priests, sisters, brothers, and lay people. Many of these were Vietnamese citizens.

 

Fourth Thursday: Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. is derived from a mix of European and Native American traditions. Joyous festivals were held in Europe to give thanks for a good harvest and to rejoice with others for their hard work. It is a day to give thanks for the many blessings we have received through God's generosity throughout the year.

 

November 25: Catherine of Alexandria, martyr, (d. 310) is said to have been born in Egypt to a noble family. She was educated and converted to Christianity because of a vision. She refused to marry a man arranged to be her husband by the emperor, and she denounced him for persecuting Christians. She was arrested, tortured, and killed.

 

November 26: John Berchmans, S.J., religious (1599-1621), was a Jesuit scholastic who is the patron saint of altar servers. He was known for his pious adherence to the rules and for his obedience. He did well in studies, but was seized with a fever during his third year of philosophy and died at the age of 22.

 

This Week in Jesuit History

 

·      November 21, 1759. At Livorno, the harbor officials refused to let the ship, S Bonaventura, with 120 exiled Portuguese Jesuits on board, cast anchor. Carvalho sent orders to the Governor of Rio de Janeiro to make a diligent search for the supposed wealth of the Jesuits.

·      November 22, 1633. The first band of missionaries consisting of five priests and one brother, embarked from England for Maryland. They were sent at the request of Lord Baltimore. The best known among them was Fr. Andrew White.

·      November 22, 1791: Georgetown Academy opened with one student, aged 12, who was the first student taught by the Jesuits in the United States.

·      November 23, 1545: Jeronimo de Nadal, whom Ignatius had known as a student at Paris, entered the Society. Later Nadal was instrumental in getting Ignatius to narrate his autobiography.

·      In 1927: the execution of Fr. Michael Augustine Pro, SJ, by leaders of the persecution of the Church in Mexico.

·      November 24, 1963: The death of John LaFarge, pioneer advocate of racial justice in the United States.

·      November 25, 1584: The Church of the Gesu, built in Rome for the Society by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, was solemnly consecrated.

·      November 26, 1678: In London the arrest and imprisonment of St Claude la Colombiere. He was released after five weeks and banished.

·      November 27, 1680: In Rome the death of Fr. Athanasius Kircher, considered a universal genius, but especially knowledgeable in science and archeology.