Photo: A Contemporary Ignatius

 

Prayer: Ignatius of Loyola

He who died in place of us is the one object of my quest. He who rose for our sakes is my one desire.

Prayer: Happiness, Unknown

"And when you make a mistake, start over. Because only then will you be in love with life. You'll discover that being happy isn't having a perfect life. But use tears to irrigate tolerance. Use your defeats to train your patience. "

Use your mistakes with the serenity of the sculptor. Use pain to tune into pleasure. Use obstacles to open the windows of intelligence. Never give up ... Above all never give up on the people that love you. Never give up on being happy because life is an incredible spectacle. ".

Mass in Honor of St. Ignatius

     Solomon utters a most edifying prayer when he asks for an understanding heart to govern well. Solomon set the standard in becoming a person for others whose goal was to build up the common good. God rewards him with the gift of discernment to choose what is best for one’s soul. He is given the gift of discernment and the confidence to do the right thing in complex situations. That’s often what we want. 

We can replace Solomon’s name for Ignatius because his life’s work was to help people discern what is best for their souls. His Spiritual Exercises is a guide to help people become more loving people daily by helping them to clarify how God is acting through each person and each difficult situation. He helps us to deepen a friendship with God who calls us into a living communion of saints. God wants us to always act lovingly with a discerning heart, and Ignatius set forth a methodology that has healed people for five centuries. Because of his constant healing, Ignatius needs to be considered a Church Doctor. 

The Gospel concludes its parables on the reign of God by claiming that when a person gets a glimpse of God’s world, it offers immeasurable promises that nothing else can provide and one can only treasure it as one’s highest priority. This is what God revealed to Ignatius as he sat daydreaming on the banks of the River Cardoner after his period of prayer. His mind and imagination were filled so thoroughly with God’s love for the world that he had to share it through the Exercises. This is the point of the Exercises – to be able to see and love and know the world that way that God sees and loves it. Think about it. This reign of God means that we are loved so radically, forgiven so wholeheartedly, reconciled so thoroughly, that we know deep down in our soul that this love is personal and profound. It is meant for you. We are meant to know it with certitude. With God’s acceptance, with God’s inclusivity, with God’s magnanimous mercy and respect for human dignity, we fully know that we are in a good place with God even if there are times when church does not accept us. No human judgment, no human exclusion, no human derision or hurtful words, or no human-created categories of being can ever separate us from God’s mercy and saving work. God wants us most deeply to know of God’s already affectionate care for us. God calls us into deep friendship.

God granted Solomon an understanding heart and Ignatius with spiritual wisdom because God freely shares what God has: a living compassionate wisdom. God understands your suffering – and your joys. God knows human suffering better than we know it, and God also knows the badness that a human heart can do. We hurt people so much that we nearly break them. We are the cause of so much suffering and loneliness, and sometimes the church is the cause, and the effects are long-lasting and indelible, but fortunately, we have a treasure that erases that suffering and reconciles us to God and to one another.

Our God makes sense of what we need. This is a God who abides and saves. This is a God who brings us joy even when the world seems dark. This is a God of hope and optimism and wants us to celebrate what’s right with the world. This God gave us Jesus as the one to follow and to imitate because he holds the same understanding heart as God. This God gave us Ignatius so that we have a pathway to develop a friendship with Jesus and to teach us to trust in him as he did in God. This God gave us friends and companions who share the joy of God’s vision, and this God gave us ourselves as a gift to cherish and to share with others. This God gave us the Resurrection of Jesus to be confident of God’s closeness. 

When we recognize the undeserved gift before us, we rejoice, and we celebrate with those who likewise have found this gift and treasure it. Together, we hold onto it tenderly and reverently as it nourishes us with the compassion, care, and understanding that are signs and proof that we believe. Our treasure is the work that God is doing with and for us. Ignatius helps us to see this clearly in the Contemplation to Love as God loves. Any increase of mercy, any increase of hope, any increase of acceptance shows that God is at work in the human heart, in our hearts. For this, we rejoice, and we celebrate that God has called us to be companions to one another and to a world that wants to know God as we do. May the Spirit of Ignatius bless us today. May the Holy Spirit continue to lead us deeper to a place we call home – into the heart of our all-loving God. 

Prayer: Happiness, Unknown

“Being happy is letting the creature that lives in each of us live, free, joyful, and simple. You have the maturity to be able to say: "I've made mistakes". It's having the courage to say I'm sorry. It's having the sense to say, "I need you". Is having the ability to say, "I love you". May your life become a garden of opportunities for happiness... that in spring he may be a lover of joy and in winter a lover of wisdom.

Photo: Entrance of St. Mary of the Assumption, Brookline

 

Prayer: Happiness, Unknown

“To be happy is to stop feeling like a victim and become the author of your own fate.” It's walking through deserts but being able to find an oasis deep in the soul. Is thanking God every morning for the miracle of life. It’s kissing your children, cuddling your parents, having poetic moments with your friends, even when they hurt us.

Photo: Joseph and Jesus

 

Prayer: Anonymous

You can have flaws, be anxious and even be angry, but do not forget that your life is the greatest enterprise in the world. Only you can stop it from failing. You are appreciated, admired and loved by so many. Remember that being happy is not having a sky without storm, a road without accidents, a job without effort, a relationship without disappointments.

Hold it Tightly: The 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time

                                                            Hold it Tightly:

The 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time

July 30, 2023

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1 Kings 3:5-12; Psalm 119; Romans 8:28-30; Matthew 13:44-52

 

Solomon utters a most edifying prayer in Scripture when he asks for an understanding heart in order to govern well. How we wish this was the prayer of politicians and leaders of all types. Solomon set the standard in becoming a person for others whose goals was to contribute to the common good. God rewards him with the gift of discernment to be able to choose what is best for one’s soul. He is given what we often want: the ability to have confidence that we are doing the right thing when we are doing our best.

 

The Gospel concludes its sayings on the reign of God by claiming that when a person gets a glimpse of this reign, it offers promises that nothing else in the world can provide and one can only regard it as one’s highest priority. Think about it. This reign of God means that we are loved so radically, forgiven so wholeheartedly, reconciled so thoroughly that we know deep down in our soul that this love is personal and profound, and it is meant that we know it with certitude. With God’s acceptance, with God’s inclusivity, we fully know that we can be quite fine even if the church does not accept us. No human judgment, no human exclusion, no human derision, or no human-created categories of being can ever separate us from God’s mercy and saving work. God wants us most deeply to know that God desires a really tight relationship based upon affection and care for each other. 

 

God can grant Solomon an understanding heart filled with wisdom because God first has that compassionate wisdom that God wants to share. God understands your suffering – and your joys. God knows human suffering better than we know it, and God also knows the badness that a human heart can do to others, whether it is harsh condemning words, our demonizing people who hurt us, or the ways we put people on the outside of our lives because another person is not living or choosing as we would like them to live. We hurt people so much that we nearly break them. Sometimes we do so by accident. We are the cause of so much suffering in other people; sometimes the church is the cause of this suffering, and the effects are long-lasting and indelible, but fortunately, we have a treasure that erases that suffering.

 

Our God makes sense of what we need. This is a God who saves. This is a God who can bring us joy even when the world around us seems to be dark. This is a God of hope and optimism, and yet we know our work is challenging. This God gave us Jesus as the one to follow and to imitate because he holds the same understanding heart as God. He is the one who keeps urging us in so many ways to accept his friendship and to put our trust in him as he did in God. When we recognize what a gift we have, we can only rejoice, and then celebrate with those who always realize that they have found this gift and treasure it. Just holding onto it provides us with the compassion, care, and understanding that reveals to others that we believe. Our treasure is the work that God is doing with and for us. Any increase of mercy, any increase of hope, any increase of acceptance shows to us that God is at work in the human heart. For this, I rejoice, and I want to hold onto the joy of knowing God, Jesus, the Spirit, and you, God’s companions.

 

Scripture for Daily Mass

 

Monday: (Exodus 32) Moses turned and came down the mountain with the two tablets of the commandments in his hands, tablets that were written on both sides, front and back; tablets that were made by God, having inscriptions on them that were engraved by God himself.

 

Tuesday: (Exodus 33) The tent, which was called the meeting tent, Moses used to pitch at some distance away, outside the camp. Anyone who wished to consult the LORD would go to this meeting tent outside the camp.

 

Wednesday: (Exodus 16) The children of Israel set out from Elim, and came into the desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt. Here in the desert the whole assembly of the children of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron.

 

Thursday: (Exodus 40) On the first day of the first month of the second year
the Dwelling was erected. It was Moses who erected the Dwelling. He placed its pedestals, set up its boards, put in its bars, and set up its columns. He spread the tent over the Dwelling and put the covering on top of the tent.

 

Friday (Levitiucs 23) When you come into the land which I am giving you, and reap your harvest, you shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest, who shall wave the sheaf before the LORD that it may be acceptable for you.

 

Saturday (Leviticus 25) This fiftieth year you shall make sacred by proclaiming liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when every one of you shall return to his own property, every one to his own family estate.

 

Gospel: 

Monday: (Matthew 13) Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds. "The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants.

 

Tuesday: (Matthew 13) He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom. The weeds are the children of the Evil One, and the enemy who sows them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.

 

Wednesday (Matthew 13) The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

 

Thursday (Matthew 13) The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea,
which collects fish of every kind. When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away. 

 

Friday (Matthew 13) Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?
Is he not the carpenter's son? Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Are not his sisters all with us? Where did this man get all this?

 

Saturday (Matthew 14) Herod the tetrarch heard of the reputation of Jesus and said to his servants, "This man is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why mighty powers are at work in him."

 

Saints of the Week

 

July 30: Peter Chrysologus, bishop and doctor (406-450), was the archbishop of Ravenna, Italy in the 5th century when the faithful became lax and adopted pagan practices. He revived the faith through his preaching. He was titled Chrysologus because of his 'golden words.'

 

July 31: Ignatius of Loyola, priest (1491-1556), is one of the founders of the Jesuits and the author of the Spiritual Exercises. As a Basque nobleman, he was wounded in a battle at Pamplona in northeastern Spain and convalesced at his castle where he realized he followed a methodology of discernment of spirits. When he recovered, he ministered to the sick and dying and then retreated to a cave at Manresa, Spain where he had experiences that formed the basis of The Spiritual Exercises. In order to preach, he studied Latin, earned a Master’s Degree at the University of Paris, and then gathered other students to serve Jesus. Francis Xavier and Peter Faber were his first friends. After ordination, Ignatius and his nine friends went to Rome where they formally became the Society of Jesus. Most Jesuits were sent on mission, but Ignatius stayed in Rome directing the rapidly growing religious order, composing its constitutions, and perfecting the Spiritual Exercises. He died in 1556 and the Jesuit Order was already 1,000 men strong. 

 

August 1: Alphonsus Liguori, bishop and doctor(1696-1787), founded a band of mission priests that became the Redemptorists. He wrote a book called "Moral Theology" that linked legal aspects with kindness and compassion for others. He became known for his responsive and thoughtful way of dealing with confessions.

 

August 2: Peter Faber, S.J., priest and founder (1506-1546), was one of the original companions of the Society of Jesus. He was a French theologian and the first Jesuit priest and was the presider over the first vows of the lay companions. He became known for directing the Spiritual Exercises very well. He was called to the Council of Trent but died as the participants were gathering.

 

August 2: Eusebius of Vercelli, bishop (d. 371), was ordained bishop after becoming a lector. He attended a council in Milan where he opposed the Arians. The emperor exiled him to Palestine because he contradicted secular influences. He returned to his diocese where the emperor died.

 

August 2: Peter Julian Eymard, priest (1811-1868) left the Oblates when he became ill. When his father died, he became a priest and soon transferred into the Marists but left them to found the Blessed Sacrament Fathers to promote the significance of the Eucharist.

 

August 4: John Vianney, priest (1786-1859) became the parish priest in Ars-en-Dombes where he spent the rest of his life preaching and hearing confessions. Hundreds of visitors and pilgrims visited him daily. He would hear confessions 12-16 hours per day. 

 

August 5: Dedication of the Basilica of Mary Major in Rome is celebrated because it is the largest and oldest of the churches in honor of Mary. The veneration began in 435 when the church was repaired after the Council of Ephesus in 431 when Mary was proclaimed the Mother of God. This is the church where Ignatius of Loyola said his first Mass and where Francis of Assisi assembled the first crèche. 

 

 

This Week in Jesuit History

 

• July 30, 1556. As he lay near death, Ignatius asked Juan de Polanco to go and obtain for him the blessing of the pope. 
• July 31, 1556. The death in Rome of Ignatius Loyola. 
• August 1, 1938. The Jesuits of the Middle United States, by Gilbert Garrigan was copyrighted. This monumental three-volume work followed the history of the Jesuits in the Midwest from the early 1820s to the 1930s. 
• August 2, 1981. The death of Gerald Kelly, moral theologian and author of "Modern Youth and Chastity." 
• August 3, 1553. Queen Mary Tudor made her solemn entrance into London. As she passed St Paul's School, Edmund Campion, then a boy of thirteen delivered an address. 
• August 4, 1871. King Victor Emmanuel signed the decree that sanctioned the seizure of all of the properties belonging to the Roman College and to S. Andrea. 
• August 5, 1762. The Parliament at Paris condemned the Society's Institute as opposed to natural law. It confiscated all Jesuit property and forbade the Jesuit habit and community life.

Sostenlo fuerte: El 17 Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario

                                                            Sostenlo fuerte:

El 17 Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario

30 de julio de 2023

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predmoresj@yahoo.com | 617.510.9673

1 Reyes 3:5-12; Salmo 119; Romanos 8:28-30; Mateo 13:44-52

 

Salomón pronuncia una oración muy edificante en las Escrituras cuando pide un corazón comprensivo para gobernar bien. Cómo deseamos que esta fuera la oración de políticos y líderes de todo tipo. Salomón estableció el estándar para convertirse en una persona para los demás cuyas metas eran contribuir al bien común. Dios lo premia con el don del discernimiento para poder elegir lo mejor para su alma. Se le da lo que a menudo queremos: la capacidad de tener la confianza de que estamos haciendo lo correcto cuando hacemos lo mejor que podemos.

 

El Evangelio concluye sus dichos sobre el reino de Dios afirmando que cuando una persona vislumbra este reino, ofrece promesas que nada más en el mundo puede proporcionar y uno solo puede considerarlo como la máxima prioridad. Piénsalo. Este reino de Dios significa que somos amados tan radicalmente, perdonados de todo corazón, reconciliados tan profundamente que sabemos en el fondo de nuestra alma que este amor es personal y profundo, y significa que lo sabemos con certeza. Con la aceptación de Dios, con la inclusión de Dios, sabemos plenamente que podemos estar muy bien incluso si la iglesia no nos acepta. Ningún juicio humano, ninguna exclusión humana, ninguna burla humana, o ninguna categoría de ser creada por el hombre puede jamás separarnos de la obra misericordiosa y salvadora de Dios. Dios quiere que sepamos profundamente que Dios desea una relación realmente estrecha basada en el afecto y el cuidado mutuo.

 

Dios puede otorgarle a Salomón un corazón comprensivo lleno de sabiduría porque Dios primero tiene esa sabiduría compasiva que Dios quiere compartir. Dios entiende tu sufrimiento y tus alegrías. Dios conoce el sufrimiento humano mejor que nosotros, y Dios también conoce la maldad que un corazón humano puede causar a los demás, ya sean palabras duras de condena, nuestra demonización de las personas que nos lastiman, o la forma en que ponemos a las personas fuera de nuestro vive porque otra persona no está viviendo o eligiendo como nos gustaría que viviera. Lastimamos tanto a las personas que casi las rompemos. A veces lo hacemos por accidente. Somos la causa de tanto sufrimiento en otras personas; a veces la iglesia es la causa de este sufrimiento, y los efectos son duraderos e imborrables, pero afortunadamente tenemos un tesoro que borra ese sufrimiento.

 

Nuestro Dios da sentido a lo que necesitamos. Este es un Dios que salva. Este es un Dios que puede traernos alegría incluso cuando el mundo que nos rodea parece estar oscuro. Este es un Dios de esperanza y optimismo y, sin embargo, sabemos que nuestro trabajo es desafiante. Este Dios nos dio a Jesús como el que debemos seguir e imitar porque tiene el mismo corazón comprensivo que Dios. Él es quien nos sigue instando de tantas maneras a aceptar su amistad ya poner nuestra confianza en él como él lo hizo en Dios. Cuando reconocemos el regalo que tenemos, solo podemos regocijarnos y luego celebrar con aquellos que siempre se dan cuenta de que han encontrado este regalo y lo atesoran. Solo aferrarnos a ella nos brinda la compasión, el cuidado y la comprensión que revela a los demás que creemos. Nuestro tesoro es la obra que Dios está haciendo con y para nosotros. Cualquier aumento de misericordia, cualquier aumento de esperanza, cualquier aumento de aceptación nos muestra que Dios está obrando en el corazón humano. Por esto me alegro y quiero aferrarme a la alegría de conocer a Dios, a Jesús, el Espíritu, ya vosotros, compañeros de Dios.

 

Escritura para la misa diaria

 

Lunes: (Éxodo 32 ) Moisés se volvió y bajó del monte con las dos tablas de los mandamientos en sus manos, tablas que estaban escritas por ambos lados, por delante y por detrás; tablas que fueron hechas por Dios, que tenían inscripciones grabadas por Dios mismo.

 

Martes: (Éxodo 33) La tienda, que se llamaba la tienda de reunión, la montaba Moisés a cierta distancia, fuera del campamento. Cualquiera que deseara consultar al SEÑOR iría a esta tienda de reunión fuera del campamento.

 

Miércoles: (Éxodo 16) Los hijos de Israel partieron de Elim y llegaron al desierto de Sin, que está entre Elim y Sinaí, el día quince del segundo mes después de su salida de la tierra de Egipto. Aquí en el desierto toda la asamblea de los hijos de Israel se quejó contra Moisés y Aarón.

 

Jueves: (Éxodo 40 ) El primer día del primer mes del segundo año 
se erigió la Morada. Fue Moisés quien erigió la Morada. Colocó sus pedestales, levantó sus tablas, colocó sus barras y levantó sus columnas. Extendió la tienda sobre la Morada y puso la cubierta encima de la tienda.

 

Viernes ( Levíticos 23) Cuando entréis en la tierra que yo os doy, y sigáis vuestra mies, traeréis una gavilla de los primeros frutos de vuestra siega al sacerdote, el cual la mecerá delante de Jehová para que os sea aceptable.

 

Sábado (Levítico 25) Este año cincuenta lo haréis sagrado proclamando libertad en la tierra para todos sus habitantes. Será un jubileo para vosotros, cuando cada uno de vosotros volverá a su propiedad, cada uno a su propiedad familiar.

 

Evangelio: 

Lunes: (Mateo 13 ) Jesús propuso una parábola a la multitud. "El reino de los cielos es como una semilla de mostaza que una persona tomó y sembró en un campo. Es la más pequeña de todas las semillas, pero cuando está completamente desarrollada es la más grande de las plantas.

 

Martes: ( Mateo 13 ) El que siembra la buena semilla es el Hijo del Hombre, el campo es el mundo, la buena semilla los hijos del Reino. La cizaña son los hijos del Maligno, y el enemigo que la siembra es el Diablo. La cosecha es el final de la era, y los segadores son los ángeles. Así como se recoge la cizaña y se quema con fuego, así será al final de la era.

 

Miércoles (Mateo 13 ) El Reino de los cielos es como un tesoro enterrado en un campo, que una persona encuentra y vuelve a esconder, y lleno de alegría va y vende todo lo que tiene y compra ese campo.

 

Jueves (Mateo 13 ) El Reino de los cielos es como una red echada en el mar, 
que recoge peces de todas clases. Cuando está lleno , lo sacan a tierra y se sientan a poner lo bueno en baldes. Lo que es malo lo tiran.

 

Viernes (Mateo 13 ) ¿De dónde sacó este hombre tanta sabiduría y proezas? 
¿No es el hijo del carpintero? ¿No se llama su madre María y sus hermanos Santiago, José, Simón y Judas? ¿No están todas sus hermanas con nosotros? ¿De dónde sacó todo esto este hombre?

 

Sábado (Mateo 14 ) Herodes el tetrarca oyó hablar de la reputación de Jesús y dijo a sus siervos: "Este hombre es Juan el Bautista. Ha resucitado de entre los muertos; por eso grandes poderes actúan en él".

 

santos de la semana

 

30 de julio: Pedro Crisólogo , obispo y médico (406-450), fue arzobispo de Rávena, Italia en el siglo V, cuando los fieles se relajaron y adoptaron prácticas paganas. Reavivó la fe a través de su predicación. Fue titulado Chrysologus debido a sus 'palabras de oro'.

 

31 de julio: Ignacio de Loyola, sacerdote (1491-1556) , es uno de los fundadores de los jesuitas y autor de los Ejercicios Espirituales. Como noble vasco, fue herido en una batalla en Pamplona en el noreste de España y convaleció en su castillo donde se dio cuenta de que seguía una metodología de discernimiento de espíritus. Cuando se recuperó, atendió a los enfermos y moribundos y luego se retiró a una cueva en Manresa, España, donde tuvo experiencias que formaron la base de Los Ejercicios Espirituales. Para predicar, estudió latín, obtuvo una maestría en la Universidad de París y luego reunió a otros estudiantes para servir a Jesús. Francis Xavier y Peter Faber fueron sus primeros amigos. Después de la ordenación, Ignacio y sus nueve amigos fueron a Roma donde se convirtieron formalmente en la Compañía de Jesús. La mayoría de los jesuitas fueron enviados en misión, pero Ignacio se quedó en Roma dirigiendo la orden religiosa en rápido crecimiento, redactando sus constituciones y perfeccionando los Ejercicios Espirituales. Murió en 1556 y la Orden de los Jesuitas contaba ya con 1.000 hombres. 

 

1 de agosto: Alfonso de Ligorio, obispo y médico ( 1696-1787), funda un grupo de sacerdotes misioneros que se convierten en Redentoristas. Escribió un libro llamado "Teología moral" que vinculaba los aspectos legales con la bondad y la compasión por los demás. Se hizo conocido por su forma receptiva y reflexiva de lidiar con las confesiones.

 

2 de agosto: Peter Faber, SJ, sacerdote y fundador (1506-1546), fue uno de los primeros compañeros de la Compañía de Jesús. Fue un teólogo francés y el primer sacerdote jesuita y presidió los primeros votos de los compañeros laicos. Se hizo conocido por dirigir muy bien los Ejercicios Espirituales. Fue llamado al Concilio de Trento pero murió mientras se reunían los participantes.

 

2 de agosto: Eusebio de Vercelli, obispo (m. 371) , es ordenado obispo después de convertirse en lector. Asistió a un concilio en Milán donde se opuso a los arrianos. El emperador lo exilió a Palestina porque contradecía las influencias seculares. Regresó a su diócesis donde murió el emperador.

 

2 de agosto: Pedro Julián Eymard , sacerdote (1811-1868) deja los Oblatos cuando se enferma. Cuando murió su padre, se convirtió en sacerdote y pronto se transfirió a los maristas, pero los dejó para fundar los Padres del Santísimo Sacramento para promover el significado de la Eucaristía.

 

4 de agosto: John Vianney, sacerdote (1786-1859) se convierte en párroco en Arsen - Dombes , donde pasa el resto de su vida predicando y confesando . Cientos de visitantes y peregrinos lo visitaban diariamente. Oía confesiones de 12 a 16 horas por día.

 

5 de agosto: Se celebra la Dedicación de la Basílica de María Mayor en Roma por ser la más grande y antigua de las iglesias en honor a María. La veneración comenzó en el año 435 cuando la iglesia fue reparada después del Concilio de Éfeso en el año 431 cuando María fue proclamada Madre de Dios. Esta es la iglesia donde Ignacio de Loyola dijo su primera Misa y donde Francisco de Asís montó el primer pesebre.

 

 

Esta semana en la historia jesuita

 

• 30 de julio de 1556. Al borde de la muerte, Ignacio le pide a Juan de Polanco que vaya a buscarle la bendición del Papa.
• 31 de julio de 1556. La muerte en Roma de Ignacio de Loyola.
• 1 de agosto de 1938. Los jesuitas del centro de los Estados Unidos, de Gilbert Garrigan , tenían derechos de autor. Esta monumental obra de tres volúmenes siguió la historia de los jesuitas en el Medio Oeste desde principios de la década de 1820 hasta la década de 1930.
• 2 de agosto de 1981. Fallece Gerald Kelly, teólogo moral y autor de "Modern Youth and Chastity".
• 3 de agosto de 1553. La reina María Tudor hace su entrada solemne en Londres. Al pasar por St Paul's School, Edmund Campion, entonces un niño de trece años, pronunció un discurso.
• 4 de agosto de 1871. El rey Víctor Emmanuel firma el decreto que sanciona la incautación de todos los bienes pertenecientes al Colegio Romano ya S. Andrea.
• 5 de agosto de 1762. El Parlamento de París condenó el Instituto de la Sociedad como opuesto a la ley natural. Confiscó todas las propiedades de los jesuitas y prohibió el hábito jesuita y la vida comunitaria.

 

Photo: Shadows on a door frame

 

Prayer: Prayer to the Pilgrim

St. James, you are the first pilgrim disciple to go to the ends of the earth to proclaim the name of Jesus to those who did not know him. Thank you for your courage. We are pilgrims too on our journey of faith and, like you, we do not know where our steps will lead. We need your courage to step into a future that is unknown. The church founded by Jesus Christ is evolving rapidly and it causes some anxiety for some. Help us to embrace the new directions in which the church is moving with joy, courage, and energy. You know that the journey is more enjoyable when it is filled with companions who seek God's presence and mercy. Help us to encounter those who cause our hearts to burn with desire as we tell stories of faith, hope, and love. These are the moments that make life meaningful. Walk with us as we encounter new companions on our journey. Let's celebrate all the blessings we have.  

Photo: Harbor Passage

 

Prayer: Thomas Merton

It is not dutiful observance that keeps us from sin, but something far greater: It is love. And this love is not something which we develop by our own powers alone. It is a sublime gift of the divine mercy 

Photo: The Summer Day

 

Prayer: Prayer in the fullness of summer

 Loving Creator God,

Help us to enjoy the fullness of these summer days. Guide us so that we are able to take the time to slow down our impulse to work and to get things done. Help us to relax for a few minutes to take a break in the shade of your trees or by dipping our feet into the coolness of water. We know there is much to do and we feel that if we keep plugging ahead, our schedules will be easier in the future. That may be, but then we miss out on the present moment. Help us to take deep breaths as refreshment within You. Help us to appreciate the moment we are in, a moment to enjoy with you, without the need to do anything. Help us just to be today. It is a very good day.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. 

Prayer: St. Patrick

Whatever will come my way, whether good or bad, may I accept it calmly, and always give thanks to God, who has ever shown me how I should believe in God, unfailing and without end.  

Photo: Two Women grooming

 

Prayer: Teresa of Avila

 Authentic prayer changes us, unmasks us, strips us, indicates where growth is needed. Authentic prayer never leads to complacency, but needles us, makes us uneasy at times. It leads to true self-knowledge, to true humility.

Photo: The Discuss Thrower

 

Prayer: John Chrysostom

No act of virtue can be great if it is not followed by advantage for others. So, no matter how much time you spend fasting, no matter how much you sleep on a hard floor and eat ashes and sigh continually, if you do no good to others, you do nothing great.  

Poem: Mary Oliver, "Some Questions You Might Ask"

 Is the soul solid, like iron?

Or is it tender and breakable,

like the wings of a moth in the beak of the owl?

Who has it, and who doesn’t?

I keep looking around me.

The face of the moose is as sad

as the face of Jesus.

The swan opens her white wings slowly.

In the fall, the black bear

carries leaves into the darkness.

One question leads to another.

Does it have a shape? Like an iceberg?

Like the eye of a hummingbird?

Does it have one lung, like the snake and the scallop?

Why should I have it, and not the anteater who loves her children?

Why should I have it, and not the camel?

Come to think of it, what about the maple trees?

What about the blue iris?

What about all the little stones, sitting alone in the moonlight?

What about roses, and lemons, and their shining leaves?

What about the grass?

Reign over Me: The 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time

 Reign over Me: 

The 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time 

July 23, 2023

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Wisdom 12:13-19; Psalm 86; Romans 8:26-27; Matthew 13:24-43

 

Matthew gives us sayings about what the reign of God is like in these three parables. The point is that God’s reign is all around you, it is mysteriously incomprehensible, it is barely noticeable at first, and it is growing more rapidly than we can explain. Another point is: You cannot control it. The reign of God is beyond your grasp, and it comes in unpredictable ways. You can add yeast to flour and you cannot explain the steady growth; you can plant the tiniest of seed and it becomes a large bush disproportionate to the size of its seed. Science can yield clues, and we cannot conclusively figure out how this growth occurs. Another point is: Since you cannot control it or tame it or subjugate it, sit back in amazement at the work God is doing.

 

The Psalmist tells us that for some reason, God is good and forgiving, though we do not deserve what God offers. The author of Wisdom tells us attributes of God, like God’s use of justice and clemency, that God is lenient to our shortcomings and poor choices, and that kindness and understanding are divine virtues that we are to imitate. Then, Matthew tells us that God will sort out the righteous from the weeds at the end of time. It reminds us that we are not the judges, but that we grow alongside those who stand in righteousness and those who lack it. Our job as Christians is just to grow and flourish as best we can no matter our circumstances. 

 

We are not to judge in condemnation. What is a common refrain priests hear in the Reconciliation Room? “Father, I don’t like my attitude around my negative judgments.” Now, that awareness is a start. If we refrain from speaking judgmentally against another person, then we find we are calmer and more accepting and more willing to cut someone some slack. We find we are closer to what the first reading says: a good person who is kind and forgiving and less apt to want to control the behavior and actions of others. Life would be much easier if we did not try to control so often. We are more accepting of God’s reign around us. 

 

If these parables are what the reign of God is like, then I want to be part of it. I want my mistakes to be forgiven when I do something dumb. I want God to be lenient to me when I should be called on my actions and pay the fine. I want to be reconciled with someone I hurt because I still care about the person and I want our relationship restored to what it once was. When I’m grumpy and not at my best, I want to experience the kindness of another person. When I hold a misperception, I want someone to gently teach me that my perception needs to be viewed from a different angle. I want to be able to grow in wisdom and grace and goodness. I want to be able to develop in ways that are inexplicable and mysterious so that I marvel at what has happened to me and to others. I want to be able to stand before God at the end of my time and say, “Thank you for doing what I never could have done without your help. I am grateful and still unfinished.”

 

And as I ponder how God has blessed me, I know the measure of my life will be how I have blessed others. If I’ve been forgiven, I want to abundantly forgive. If I have received undeserved mercy, I want to extend mercy to others as widely as I can. If someone has been kind to me, I want to give it exceedingly to others. I do not yet comprehend God’s reign, but I like what I see, and I want to sit back in amazement and watch the unfolding of the mystery that I cannot explain. I watch in worship and be as articulate as I can, as I say, “wow.”

 

Scripture for Daily Mass

 

Monday: (Exodus 14) When it was reported to the king of Egypt that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his servants changed their minds about them. They exclaimed, "What have we done! Why, we have released Israel from our service!"

 

Tuesday: (2 Corinthians 4) We hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.

 

Wednesday: (Exodus 16) The children of Israel set out from Elim, and came into the desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt. Here in the desert the whole assembly of the children of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron.

 

Thursday: (Exodus 19) In the third month after their departure from the land of Egypt, on its first day, the children of Israel came to the desert of Sinai. After the journey from Rephidim to the desert of Sinai, they pitched camp.

 

Friday (Exodus 20) I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. You shall not have other gods besides me. You shall not carve idols for yourselves in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; you shall not bow down before them or worship them.

 

Saturday (Exodus 24) When Moses came to the people and related all the words and ordinances of the LORD, they all answered with one voice, "We will do everything that the LORD has told us." Moses then wrote down all the words of the LORD.

 

Gospel: 

Monday: (Matthew 12) "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." He said to them in reply, "An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it
except the sign of Jonah the prophet.

 

Tuesday: (Matthew 20) Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?" They said to him, "We can." He replied, "My chalice you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."

 

Wednesday (Matthew 13) On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down,
and the whole crowd stood along the shore. And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow.

 

Thursday (Matthew 13) You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall indeed look but never see. Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and be converted and I heal them.

 

Friday (Matthew 13) The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away. The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit.

 

Saturday (John 11) Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother [Lazarus, who had died]. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home.

 

Saints of the Week

 

July 23: Bridget of Sweden, religious (1303-1373), founded the Bridgettine Order for men and women in 1370, though today only the women’s portion has survived. She desired to live in a lifestyle defined by prayer and penance. Her husband of 28 years died after producing eight children with Bridget. She then moved to Rome to begin the new order.

July 24: Sharbel Makhuf, priest (1828-1898), joined a monastery in the Maronite tradition and lived as a hermit for 23 years after living fifteen years in the community. He became known for his wisdom and devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.

 

July 25: James, Apostle (1st century), is the son of Zebedee and the brother of John. As fishermen, they left their trade to follow Jesus. They occupied the inner circle as friends of Jesus. James is the patron of Spain as a shrine is dedicated to him at Santiago de Compostela. He is the patron of pilgrims as many walk the Camino en route to this popular pilgrim site. 

 

July 26: Joachim and Anne, Mary's parents (1st century) are names attributed to the grandparents of Jesus through the Proto-Gospel of James. These names appeared in the Christian tradition though we don't know anything with certitude about their lives. Devotion of Anne began in Constantinople in the 6th century while Joachim gained acclaim in the West in the 16th century. He was revered in the Eastern churches since the earliest times. 

 

July 29: Martha (1st century), is the sister of Mary and Lazarus of Bethany near Jerusalem. Martha is considered the busy, activity-attentive sister while Mary is more contemplative. Martha is known for her hospitality and fidelity. She proclaimed her belief that Jesus was the Christ when he appeared after Lazarus had died. 

 

This Week in Jesuit History

 

• July 23, 1553. At Palermo, the parish priests expressed to Fr. Paul Achilles, rector of the college, indignation that more than 400 persons had received Holy Communion in the Society's church, rather than in their parish churches. 
• July 24, 1805. In Maryland, Fr. Robert Molyneux was appointed the first superior by Father General Gruber. 
• July 25, 1581. In the house of the Earl of Leicester in London, an interview occurred between Queen Elizabeth and Edmund Campion. The Queen could scarcely have recognized the worn and broken person before her as the same brilliant scholar who had addressed here at Oxford 15 years before. 
• July 26, 1872. At Rome, the greater part of the Professed House of the Gesu was seized and appropriated by the Piedmontese government. 
• July 27, 1609. Pope Paul V beatifies Ignatius. 
• July 28, 1564. In a consistory held before twenty-four Cardinals, Pope Paul IV announced his intention of entrusting the Roman Seminary to the Society. 
• July 29, 1865. The death in Cincinnati, Ohio of Fr. Peter Arnoudt, a Belgian. He was the author of The Imitation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.