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Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Photo: Is it Cold Enough to Go?


 

Prayer: Augustine

O God, it is you alone I love, you alone I follow, you alone I seek, you alone I am ready to serve. Heal and open my ears that I may hear your voice. Heal and open my eyes that I may see your will. Tell me where to look that I may see you, and I will place my hope in doing your will.

Monday, February 17, 2025

Photo: A nearby resident


 

Spirituality: Thomas Aquinas

We must love them both—those whose opinions we share, those whose opinions we don't share. They've both labored in the search for truth and have helped us in finding it.

Sunday, February 16, 2025

Photo: Let it snow, snow, snow


 

Spirituality: Tomas Halik, on Pope Francis

Pope Francis is the great prophet of our time, on of the greatest popes in Church history. No one is doing more to build bridges between cultures than Pope Francis. His encyclical "Fratelli Tutti" could play a role in the twenty-first century similar to that played by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the twentieth century. His call for synodal renewal of the Church can mean much more than the transformation of the Chursch from a rigid clerical bureaucratic organization into a flexible network of mutual communication. Synodality is a common journey; it is meant to renew, revive, and deepen communication, and not only within the Church. It is also about the Church's ability to communicate with other system in society, with other cultures and religions, with the whole human family, an with the planet we inhabit: to perceive the ongoing symphony of creation. It can also inspire the transformation of the process of globalization into a process of sharing and solidarity.

Saturday, February 15, 2025

Poem: “How Do I Love Thee?” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

 How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.

I love thee to the level of every day’s

Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.

I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;

I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.

I love thee with a passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints, – I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life, – and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.

 

Friday, February 14, 2025

Photo: Looking Down


 

Poem: Rumi, Odes - One Whisper of the Beloved

Lovers share a sacred decree -
to seek the Beloved.
They roll head over heels,
rushing toward the Beautiful One
like a torrent of water.

In truth, everyone is a shadow of the Beloved -
Our seeking is His seeking,
Our words are His words.

At times we flow toward the Beloved
like a dancing stream.
At times we are still water
held in His pitcher.
At times we boil in a pot
turning to vapor -
that is the job of the Beloved.

He breathes into my ear
until my soul
takes on His fragrance.
He is the soul of my soul -
How can I escape?
But why would any soul in this world
want to escape from the Beloved?

He will melt your pride
making you thin as a strand of hair,
Yet do not trade, even for both worlds,
One strand of His hair.

We search for him here and there
while looking right at Him.
Sitting by His side we ask,
"O Beloved, where is the Beloved?"

Enough with such questions! -
Let silence take you to the core of life.

All your talk is worthless
When compared to one whisper
of the Beloved.

 

Thursday, February 13, 2025

Poem: "may my heart always be open to little" by e. e. cummings

 may my heart always be open to little

birds who are the secrets of living
whatever they sing is better than to know
and if men should not hear them men are old

may my mind stroll about hungry
and fearless and thirsty and supple
and even if it's sunday may i be wrong
for whenever men are right they are not young

and may myself do nothing usefully
and love yourself so more than truly
there's never been quite such a fool who could fail
pulling all the sky over him with one smile

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

A Prophetic Stand: The Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time 2025

                                                       A Prophetic Stand:

The Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time 2025 

February 16, 2025

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Jeremiah 17:5-8; Psalm 1; 1 Corinthians 15:12-20; Luke 6:17-26

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AI-generated content may be incorrect.  To Donate to Boston Marathon – Healthcare for Homeless

 

Luke gives us his version of the Sermon that outlines the moral lives of his disciples through a series of blessings and woes. Unlike Matthew’s Beatitudes, this sermon is given on the plains to indicate the balanced life for the one who follows God’s laws. He models his words after Jeremiah who likewise speaks of blessings and curses, and the Psalmist who puts trust in the Lord God. These readings say that the one who is blessed is the one who knows God’s teachings and puts them into practice. 

 

A Christian today finds oneself in a precarious situation as one balances political ideology versus the content of Scripture. Many Christians develop a religious ideology that is not based upon our Church teachings. Earlier this week, Pope Francis wrote to the bishops in the United States because he is alarmed at the actions and words of mass deportations within the current administration. Pope Francis is reminding the Church that political ideologies are not in line with Scripture and Tradition. It is important for us to hear the skillful way he reminds the church to care for its poor. He writes: 

 

 “The rightly formed conscience cannot fail to make a critical judgment and express its disagreement with any measure that tacitly or explicitly identifies the illegal status of some migrants with criminality. At the same time, one must recognize the right of a nation to defend itself and keep communities safe from those who have committed violent or serious crimes while in the country or prior to arrival. That said, the act of deporting people who in many cases have left their own land for reasons of extreme poverty, insecurity, exploitation, persecution or serious deterioration of the environment, damages the dignity of many men and women, and of entire families, and places them in a state of vulnerability and defenselessness.”

 

He is saying that we must educate ourselves and form our consciences well by trying to understand the root causes of migration and to refrain from making conclusive judgments. The Pope gets that this is a complicated political issue and that there are no easy answers. He is asking us to collectively and compassionately keep our minds and hearts open to the complicated scenario of many migrants. From our Christian teachings, we can do better as a faithful community to preserve the dignity of individuals. He writes

 

“I exhort all the faithful of the Catholic Church not to give in to narratives that discriminate against and cause unnecessary suffering to our migrant and refugee brothers and sisters. With charity and clarity, we are all called to live in solidarity and fraternity, to build bridges that bring us ever closer together, to avoid walls of ignominy and to learn to give our lives as Jesus Christ gave his for the salvation of all.”

 

This is our faith. It is in the Old Testament, the Psalms, our Wisdom books, and the teachings of Jesus and the saints. Many U.S. Cardinals and Bishops have already spoken to their dioceses to remind them of our social teachings. How we care for the least in society defines who we are as a people. How do we want to be known and judged? The Pope is helping us construct a society that has greater solidarity, less polarity, more connections and encounters, one that is more inclusive and respectful of the dignity of all. It is what our faith demands. Our response to the poor, the disadvantaged, and those with the least opportunities among us reveals how well we know God. 

 

Scripture for Daily Mass

First Reading: 

Monday: (Genesis 4) The man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have produced a man with the help of the LORD.” Next, she bore his brother Abel.

 

Tuesday: (Genesis 6) When the LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on earth was,
and how no desire that his heart conceived was ever anything but evil, he regretted that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was grieved.

 

Wednesday: (Genesis 8) At the end of forty days Noah opened the hatch he had made in the ark, and he sent out a raven, to see if the waters had lessened on the earth. It flew back and forth until the waters dried off from the earth.

 

Thursday: (Genesis 9) God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them: “Be fertile and multiply and fill the earth. Dread fear of you shall come upon all the animals of the earth
and all the birds of the air, upon all the creatures that move about on the ground and all the fishes of the sea; into your power they are delivered. 

 

Friday (Genesis 11) The whole world spoke the same language, using the same words.
While the people were migrating in the east, they came upon a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there. They said to one another, "Come, let us mold bricks and harden them with fire."

 

Saturday (1 Peter 5) Tend the flock of God in your midst, overseeing not by constraint but willingly, as God would have it, not for shameful profit but eagerly. Do not lord it over those assigned to you but be examples to the flock.

 

Gospel: 

Monday: (Mark 8) The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said,
“Why does this generation seek a sign?

 

Tuesday: (Mark 8) The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. Jesus enjoined them, “Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 

 

Wednesday (Mark 8) When Jesus and his disciples arrived at Bethsaida, people brought to him a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. Putting spittle on his eyes he laid his hands on the man and asked, “Do you see anything?”

 

Thursday (Mark 8) Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages of Caesarea Philippi.
Along the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” They said in reply,
“John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets.

 

Friday (Mark 8) Jesus summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake
and that of the Gospel will save it.

 

Saturday (Mark 16) He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

 

Saints of the Week

 

February 17: The Seven Founders of the Servites (Thirteenth Century) were from Florence, and they joined the Confraternity of the Blessed Virgin, who were also known as Praisers. They devoted their apostolate to prayer and service and withdrew to a deserted mountain to build a church and hermitage. After adopting a rule and gaining recruits, they changed their name to the Servants of Mary. 

 

February 21: Peter Damian, bishop and Doctor (1007-1072) was orphaned and raised by his brother, Damian, a priest in Ravenna. He began as a hermit monk and was then made abbot and cardinal. He became a reformer in the church often speaking out against clerical laxness. 

 

February 22: The Chair of Peter is celebrated on this day. Previously, both Peter and Paul were remembered until their feast was transferred to June 29th. As the custom was ingrained in practice, Christians continued to honor the contributions Peter made to the church as the first of the apostles in continuous succession.


This Week in Jesuit History

 

  • February 16, 1776. At Rome, the Jesuit prisoners in Castel S Angelo were restored to liberty. Fr. Romberg, the German assistant, aged 80, expressed a wish to remain in prison. 
  • February 17, 1775. The French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Neapolitan Ambassadors in Rome intimate to the newly elected Pope Pius VI the will of their respective sovereigns that the Jesuits imprisoned in Castel S Angelo should not be released. 
  • February 18, 1595. St Robert Southwell, after two and a half years imprisonment in the tower, was removed to Newgate and there thrust into a dungeon known as "Limbo." 
  • February 19, 1581. The election of Fr. Claude Acquaviva as fifth general in the Fourth General Congregation. He was only 37 years of age and a Jesuit for only 14 years. He was general under eight popes. He had been a fellow novice with St Stanislaus. 
  • February 20, 1860. Pope Pius IX visits the rooms of St Ignatius. 
  • February 21, 1595. At Tyburn, the martyrdom of Robert Southwell after he had suffered brutal tortures in Topcliffe's house and in prison. He embraced the jailer who brought him word that he was to be executed. As he breathed his last, Lord Mountjoy, who presided over the execution, exclaimed: "May my soul be one day with that of this man." 
  • February 22, 1599. By order of Pope Clement VIII, the superiors general of the Jesuits and the Dominicans, assisted by others, met to settle, if possible, the controversies about grace. Nothing came of the meeting, since the Dominicans insisted on the condemnation of the writings of Fr. Molina.

Una postura profética: Sexto Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario 2025

                                                    Una postura profética:

Sexto Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario 2025

16 de febrero de 2025

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Jeremías 17:5-8; Salmo 1; 1 Corintios 15:12-20; Lucas 6:17-26

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Lucas nos da su versión del Sermón que describe la vida moral de sus discípulos a través de una serie de bendiciones y aflicciones. A diferencia de las Bienaventuranzas de Mateo, este sermón se da en la llanura para indicar la vida equilibrada de quien sigue las leyes de Dios. Toma como modelo sus palabras a Jeremías, que también habla de bendiciones y maldiciones, y al salmista, que pone su confianza en el Señor Dios. Estas lecturas dicen que el bienaventurado es aquel que conoce las enseñanzas de Dios y las pone en práctica.

 

Hoy en día, el cristiano se encuentra en una situación precaria cuando tiene que sopesar la ideología política con el contenido de las Escrituras. Muchos cristianos desarrollan una ideología religiosa que no se basa en las enseñanzas de nuestra Iglesia. A principios de esta semana, el Papa Francisco escribió a los obispos de los Estados Unidos porque está alarmado por las acciones y palabras de deportaciones masivas dentro de la actual administración. El Papa Francisco está recordando a la Iglesia que las ideologías políticas no están en línea con las Escrituras y la Tradición. Es importante que escuchemos la forma hábil en que le recuerda a la Iglesia que cuide a sus pobres. Escribe:

 

“La conciencia rectamente formada no puede dejar de emitir un juicio crítico y manifestar su desacuerdo con cualquier medida que identifique tácita o explícitamente la situación irregular de algunos migrantes con la criminalidad. Al mismo tiempo, se debe reconocer el derecho de una nación a defenderse y a mantener a las comunidades a salvo de quienes han cometido delitos violentos o graves durante su estancia en el país o antes de su llegada. Ahora bien, el acto de deportar a personas que en muchos casos han abandonado su propia tierra por razones de extrema pobreza, inseguridad, explotación, persecución o grave deterioro del medio ambiente, lesiona la dignidad de muchos hombres y mujeres, y de familias enteras, y las coloca en un estado de vulnerabilidad e indefensión”.

 

Dice que debemos educarnos y formar bien nuestras conciencias, tratando de comprender las causas profundas de la migración y abstenernos de emitir juicios concluyentes. El Papa entiende que se trata de una cuestión política complicada y que no hay respuestas fáciles. Nos pide que, colectivamente y con compasión, mantengamos nuestras mentes y corazones abiertos al complicado escenario de muchos migrantes. Desde nuestras enseñanzas cristianas, podemos hacerlo mejor como comunidad fiel para preservar la dignidad de las personas. Escribe:

 

“ Exhorto a todos los fieles de la Iglesia Católica a no ceder a los relatos que discriminan y causan sufrimientos innecesarios a nuestros hermanos migrantes y refugiados. Con caridad y claridad, todos estamos llamados a vivir la solidaridad y la fraternidad, a construir puentes que nos acerquen cada vez más, a evitar los muros de la ignominia y a aprender a dar la vida como Jesucristo dio la suya por la salvación de todos”.

 

Ésta es nuestra fe. Está en el Antiguo Testamento, los Salmos, nuestros libros de Sabiduría y las enseñanzas de Jesús y los santos. Muchos cardenales y obispos de Estados Unidos ya han hablado con sus diócesis para recordarles nuestras enseñanzas sociales. La forma en que cuidamos a los más desfavorecidos de la sociedad define quiénes somos como pueblo. ¿Cómo queremos ser conocidos y juzgados? El Papa nos está ayudando a construir una sociedad con mayor solidaridad, menos polaridad, más conexiones y encuentros, una sociedad que sea más inclusiva y respetuosa de la dignidad de todos. Es lo que exige nuestra fe. Nuestra respuesta a los pobres, los desfavorecidos y los que tienen menos oportunidades entre nosotros revela lo bien que conocemos a Dios.

 

Escritura para la misa diaria

Primera lectura: 

Lunes: (Génesis 4) El hombre tuvo relaciones con su esposa Eva, y ella concibió y dio a luz a Caín, y dijo: «Por voluntad del Señor he engendrado un varón.» Después dio a luz a su hermano Abel.

 

Martes: (Génesis 6) Y vio Jehová que la maldad de los hombres era mucha en la tierra, 
y que ningún deseo que su corazón concibiera era sino el mal; y se arrepintió de haber hecho al hombre en la tierra, y se dolió en su corazón.

 

Miércoles: (Génesis 8) Al cabo de cuarenta días, Noé abrió la escotilla que había hecho en el arca y envió un cuervo para ver si las aguas habían disminuido sobre la tierra. El cuervo voló de un lado a otro hasta que las aguas se secaron sobre la tierra.

 

Jueves: (Génesis 9) Dios bendijo a Noé y a sus hijos y les dijo: “Sean fecundos y multiplíquense y llenen la tierra. Un terror terrible vendrá sobre todos los animales de la tierra 
y sobre todas las aves del cielo, sobre todos los animales que se mueven sobre la tierra y sobre todos los peces del mar; en su poder son entregados.

 

Viernes (Génesis 11) Todo el mundo hablaba el mismo idioma y usaba las mismas palabras. 
Mientras el pueblo emigraba hacia el este, llegaron a un valle en la tierra de Sinar y se establecieron allí. Se dijeron unos a otros: "Venid, moldeemos ladrillos y endurezcámoslos con fuego".

 

Sábado (1 Pedro 5) Apacentad el rebaño de Dios que está entre vosotros, no por obligación, sino voluntariamente, como Dios quiere que lo hagamos; no por ganancia vergonzosa, sino con afán. No os enseñoreéis de los que os han sido asignados, sino sed ejemplos para el rebaño.

 

Evangelio:

Lunes: (Marcos 8) Los fariseos se acercaron y comenzaron a discutir con Jesús, pidiéndole una señal del cielo para ponerlo a prueba. Suspiró desde lo profundo de su espíritu y dijo: 
“¿Por qué esta generación pide una señal?

 

Martes: (Marcos 8) Los discípulos se habían olvidado de traer pan y solo tenían un pan en la barca. Jesús les ordenó: “Tengan cuidado, cuídense de la levadura de los fariseos y de la levadura de Herodes”. 

 

Miércoles (Marcos 8) Cuando Jesús y sus discípulos llegaron a Betsaida, le trajeron un ciego y le rogaron que lo tocara. Jesús tomó al ciego de la mano y lo sacó del pueblo. Le puso saliva en los ojos, impuso las manos sobre el ciego y le preguntó: “¿Ves algo?”

 

Jueves (Marcos 8) Jesús y sus discípulos se pusieron en camino hacia los pueblos de Cesarea de Filipo. 
En el camino, Jesús preguntó a sus discípulos: “¿Quién dice la gente que soy yo?”. Ellos respondieron: 
“Juan el Bautista, otros, Elías, y otros, uno de los profetas.

 

Viernes (Marcos 8) Jesús convocó a la multitud con sus discípulos y les dijo: "El que quiera venir en pos de mí, debe negarse a sí mismo, tomar su cruz y seguirme. 
Porque el que quiera salvar su vida, la perderá; pero el que pierda su vida por causa de mí 
y del Evangelio, la salvará.

 

Sábado (Marcos 16) Él les dijo: «Y vosotros, ¿quién decís que soy yo?» Simón Pedro respondió: «Tú eres el Cristo, el Hijo de Dios vivo».

 

Santos de la semana

 

17 de febrero: Los siete fundadores de los Servitas (Siglo XIII) Eran de Florencia y se unieron a la Cofradía de la Santísima Virgen, también conocida como Alabadoras . Dedicaron su apostolado a la oración y al servicio y se retiraron a una montaña desierta para construir una iglesia y una ermita. Después de adoptar una regla y ganar adeptos, cambiaron su nombre por el de Siervas de María.

 

21 de febrero : Pedro Damián, obispo y doctor (1007-1072), quedó huérfano y fue criado por su hermano Damián, sacerdote en Rávena. Comenzó como monje eremita y luego fue nombrado abad y cardenal. Se convirtió en un reformador de la Iglesia y a menudo se manifestó en contra de la laxitud clerical.

 

22 de febrero: En este día se celebra la Cátedra de Pedro . Anteriormente, se recordaba tanto a Pedro como a Pablo hasta que su festividad se trasladó al 29 de junio . Como la costumbre se arraigó en la práctica, los cristianos continuaron honrando las contribuciones que hizo Pedro a la iglesia como el primero de los apóstoles en sucesión continua.


Esta semana en la historia de los jesuitas

 

  • 16 de febrero de 1776. En Roma, los jesuitas prisioneros en Castel S. Angelo fueron restituidos a la libertad. El padre Romberg, asistente alemán, de 80 años, expresó su deseo de permanecer en prisión.
  • 17 de febrero de 1775. Los embajadores de Francia, España, Portugal y Napolitano en Roma comunican al recién elegido Papa Pío VI la voluntad de sus respectivos soberanos de que los jesuitas encarcelados en Castel S. Angelo no sean liberados.
  • 18 de febrero de 1595. San Roberto Southwell, después de dos años y medio de prisión en la torre, fue trasladado a Newgate y allí encerrado en un calabozo conocido como "Limbo".
  • 19 de febrero de 1581. Elección del P. Claude Acquaviva como quinto general de la Cuarta Congregación General. Tenía sólo 37 años y sólo catorce de jesuita. Fue general bajo ocho papas. Había sido compañero de noviciado de San Estanislao.
  • 20 de febrero de 1860. El Papa Pío IX visita las habitaciones de San Ignacio.
  • 21 de febrero de 1595. En Tyburn , martirio de Robert Southwell, después de haber sufrido brutales torturas en casa de Topcliffe y en prisión. Abrazó al carcelero que le comunicó que iba a ser ejecutado. Al exhalar su último suspiro, Lord Mountjoy, que presidía la ejecución, exclamó: "Que mi alma esté un día con la de este hombre".
  • 22 de febrero de 1599. Por orden del Papa Clemente VIII, los superiores generales de los jesuitas y de los dominicos, ayudados por otros, se reunieron para arreglar, si era posible, las controversias sobre la gracia. La reunión no tuvo resultado, pues los dominicos insistieron en la condena de los escritos del P. Molina.

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Spirituality: Rabbi Harold Kushner in When Bad Things Happen to Good People

Can you see the holiness in those things you take for granted—a paved road or a washing machine? If you concentrate on finding what is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.

Monday, February 10, 2025

Spirituality: How can the church get ahead?

 We need a change in theological anthropology. We need to replace the medieval static understanding of "unchanging human nature" with a dynamic understanding of human existence as being in relationship. This will have implications for political and sexual ethics. The doctrine of the Trinity needs to be taken seriously - God is relational and created humans to live in relationships, to undertake the task of maturing and transforming ourselves by living with and for others. 

Tomas Halik, Commonweal interview by Zechariah Mickel, January 2025

Sunday, February 9, 2025

Spirituality: Tomas Halik, on Ecumenism

 If the Church is to be truly catholic (universal), it must be ecumenical. I distinguish it from "Catholicism"' (denominational close-mindedness) and authentic catholicity. I look forward to the moment when all Christians meet at the Eucharistic table of Jesus. In my pastoral practice, I respect the rules of the Catholic Church. These rules allow the Eucharist to be served to non-Catholics "in exceptional cases" when there is a "serious pastoral reason" to do so. I have asked my bishop for permission to judge when there is a "serious pastoral reason." Experienced old priests can balance the paragraphs of ecclesiastical law with "pastoral reasons." Studying textbooks on morals and canon law is helpful, but we must not forget the most important principle: the salvation of souls is the supreme law. 

Saturday, February 8, 2025

Spirituality: Fred Rogers

The older I get, the more convinced I am that the space between people who are trying their best to understand each other is hallowed ground.

Friday, February 7, 2025

Photo: A Touch of Snow


 

Spirituality: Tomas Halik, answering the question of doctrine

Tomas Halik, in the January 2025 issue of Commonweal, answered the question about the importance of doctrine without sufficient attention to both spiritual and ethical conversion.

The Church is to be a community of pilgrims that contributes to the transformation of the world and the whole human family into a community of the journey, helping to deepen the dynamics of sharing. The Church also has a political, prophetic, therapeutic, and transformative mission in the world. Church is a sacrament, a symbol, and an instrument of the unity to which all humanity is called in Christ. This unity is an eschatological goal that can only be fully realized at the "Omega Point" at the end of history, but for which we must continue to work throughout history. 

Thursday, February 6, 2025

Photo: A Humble Abode


 

Spirituality: Dorothy Day

"Last night I sat next to some of the Bowery men, living on relief in lodging houses or sleeping in doorways. They were as poor, as destitute, as down and out as a man can get. How close they are to our Lord!

Christ was a man so much like other men that it took the kiss of a Judas to single Him out, Mauriac wrote.

He was like that man in the pew beside me. He was as like him as his brother. He was His brother. And I felt Christ in that man beside me and loved him.

Every morning I break my fast with the men on the breadline. Some of them speak to me, many do not. But they know me and I know them. And there is a sense of comradeship there. We “know each other in the breaking of bread.”  

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

The Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time 2025 February 9, 2025

 Putting Out into the Deep:

The Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time 2025 

February 9, 2025

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Isaiah 6:1-8; Psalm 138; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11


 

Today we hear the readings of the call to discipleship. The prophet Isaiah is commissioned in the first reading, and Paul talks about his unusual call in the second reading, while the Gospel illustrates the calls of Peter, James, and John. By extension, we are supposed to see ourselves as ones who are called into discipleship. Jesus never asked that we worship him, but that we follow him. When we are invited into the community of faith, we are in touch with the ways we do not measure up or ready to accept the call. However, Jesus does not stop.

 

The Gospel also shows us the weariness of Peter and his partners who completed their night of fishing only to come up with empty nets. When Jesus begins to speak about the riches of God’s kingdom, he asks them to try again – hopefully with new insight. Simon Peter does not yet understand what Jesus is conveying, and he reluctantly agrees to do as Jesus asks only to be astounded with the bounty of his catch. The morals of the story are: (1.) God creates new possibilities. (2.) We must try new ways, just as God does. It ought to be obvious to us that the old ways are not working, and the Church must be quite creative and prophetic about bringing people to Christ.

 

As the Roman Catholic Church examines its own history, it realizes that it has grown out of medieval, monastic Europe. Parish structures were built from within feudal territories and became one model of devotional life. The priest and bishop assumed particular levels of authority over the lives of the people. We also see today that life is no longer geographically based as people are mobile and selective and enjoy a new network of support, and the territorial parish no longer fits into the current model. Rather than trying to hold onto and retain what may be a relic of the past, is there another way to re-imagine church live and one’s own vocation? Can the church be prophetic in its ways of engagement with the world, including its own people, people of other faiths, and the secular world this is filled with spiritual seekers?

 

Tomas Halik, a prominent Czech priest and theologian recently remarked in January’s edition of Commonweal about Pope Francis. He wrote, “Pope Francis is the great prophet of our time, on of the greatest popes in Church history. No one is doing more to build bridges between cultures than Pope Francis. His call for synodal renewal of the Church can mean much more than the transformation of the Church from a rigid, clerical, bureaucratic organization into a flexible network of mutual communication. Synodality is a common journey; it is meant to renew, revive, and deepen communication, and not only within the Church. It is also about the Church's ability to communicate with other systems in society, with other cultures and religions, with the whole human family, and with the planet we inhabit: to perceive the ongoing symphony of creation. It can also inspire the transformation of the process of globalization into a process of sharing and solidarity.”

 

“The Church is to be a community of pilgrims that contributes to the transformation of the world and the whole human family into a community of the journey, helping to deepen the dynamics of sharing. The Church also has a political, prophetic, therapeutic, and transformative mission in the world. Church is a sacrament, a symbol, and an instrument of the unity to which all humanity is called in Christ.”

 

When I read this, I am inspired. I see that the Church is doing something new. Pope Francis is helping the Church do something new – and necessary. Like the motto of Boston’s new archbishop, and like Simon Peter, the church is putting out into the deep. No doubt, the church will be astounded with the new life, vitality, and abundance it catches. God is indeed doing something new. Alleluia. Alleluia. 

 

Scripture for Daily Mass

First Reading: 

Monday: (Genesis 1) Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw how good the light was. God then separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.”

 

Tuesday: (Genesis 1) "Let the water teem with an abundance of living creatures, and on the earth let birds fly beneath the dome of the sky." and so it happened: God created the great sea monsters and all kinds of swimming creatures with which the water teems, and all kinds of winged birds.

 

Wednesday: (Genesis 2) At the time when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens -- while as yet there was no field shrub on earth and no grass of the field had sprouted, for the LORD God had sent no rain upon the earth and there was no man to till the soil.

 

Thursday: (Genesis 2) "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him." So the LORD God formed out of the ground various wild animals and various birds of the air, and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them.

 

Friday (Genesis 3) Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals that the LORD God had made. The serpent asked the woman, “Did God really tell you not to eat
from any of the trees in the garden?”

 

Saturday (Genesis 3) The LORD God called to Adam and asked him, "Where are you?"
He answered, "I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself."

 

Gospel: 

Monday: (Mark 6) Jesus and his disciples came to land at Gennesaret and tied up there.
As they were leaving the boat, people immediately recognized him. They scurried about the surrounding country and began to bring in the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.

 

Tuesday: (Mark 7) When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem
gathered around Jesus, they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands.

 

Wednesday (Mark 7) “Hear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.”

 

Thursday (Mark 7) Jesus went to the district of Tyre. He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it, but he could not escape notice. Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him. She came and fell at his feet.

 

Friday (Mark 7) Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis. And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him.

 

Saturday (Mark 8) "My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance."

 

Saints of the Week

 

February 10: Scholastica (480-543) was the twin sister of Benedict, founder of Western monasticism. She is the patroness of Benedictine nuns. She was buried in her brother's tomb; they died relatively close to one another. 

 

February 11: Our Lady of Lourdes is remembered because between February 11 and July 16, 1858, Mary appeared to Bernadette Soubirous in a cave near Lourdes, France eighteen times. The site remains one of the largest pilgrim destinations. Many find healing in the waters of the grotto during the spring.

 

February 12: Mardi Gras is your last chance to eat meat before Lent. This is the last day of Carnival (Carne- meat, Goodbye – vale). Say goodbye to meat as we begin the fasting practices tomorrow.

 

February 14: Cyril, monk, and Methodius, bishop (Ninth Century), were brothers who were born in Thessalonica, Greece. They became missionaries after they ended careers in teaching and government work. They moved to Ukraine and Moravia, a place between the Byzantium and Germanic peoples. Cyril (Constantine) created Slavonic alphabet so the liturgy and scriptures could be available to them. Cyril died during a visit to Rome and Methodius became a bishop and returned to Moravia.

 

February 15: Claude La Colombiere, S.J., religious (1641-1682), was a Jesuit missionary, ascetical writer, and confessor to Margaret Mary Alocoque at the Visitation Convent at Paray La Monial. As a Jesuit, he vowed to live strictly according to the Jesuit Constitutions to achieve utmost perfection. Together, they began a devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

 

This Week in Jesuit History

 

  • February 9, 1621. Cardinal Ludovisi was elected Pope Gregory XV. He was responsible for the canonization of St. Ignatius and St. Francis Xavier. 
  • February 10, 1773. The rector of Florence informed the general, Fr. Ricci, that a copy of the proposed Brief of Suppression had been sent to the Emperor of Austria. The general refused to believe that the Society would be suppressed. 
  • February 11, 1563. At the Council of Trent, Fr. James Laynez, the Pope's theologian, made such an impression on the cardinal president by his learning and eloquence, that cardinal decided at once to open a Jesuit College in Mantua, his Episcopal see. 
  • February 12, 1564. Francis Borgia was appointed assistant for Spain and Portugal. 
  • February 13, 1787. In Milan, Fr. Rudjer Boskovic, an illustrious mathematician, scientist, and astronomer, died. At Paris he was appointed "Directeur de la Marine." 
  • February 14, 1769. At Cadiz, 241 Jesuits from Chile were put on board a Swedish vessel to be deported to Italy as exiles. 
  • February 15, 1732. Fr. Chamillard SJ, who had been reported by the Jansenists as having died a Jansenist and working miracles, suddenly appeared alive and well!

Navegando hacia lo profundo: V Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario 2025

                                           Navegando hacia lo profundo:

V Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario 2025

9 de febrero de 2025

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Isaías 6:1-8; Salmo 138; 1 Corintios 15:1-11; Lucas 5:1-11

 

Hoy escuchamos las lecturas del llamado al discipulado. El profeta Isaías recibe el encargo en la primera lectura, y Pablo habla de su llamado inusual en la segunda lectura, mientras que el Evangelio ilustra los llamados de Pedro, Santiago y Juan. Por extensión, se supone que nos veamos a nosotros mismos como aquellos que están llamados al discipulado. Jesús nunca nos pidió que lo adoráramos, sino que lo siguiéramos. Cuando somos invitados a la comunidad de fe, nos ponemos en contacto con las formas en que no estamos a la altura o listos para aceptar el llamado. Sin embargo, Jesús no se detiene.

 

El Evangelio también nos muestra el cansancio de Pedro y sus compañeros, que terminaron su noche de pesca y encontraron las redes vacías. Cuando Jesús comienza a hablar de las riquezas del reino de Dios, les pide que lo intenten de nuevo, con la esperanza de que con una nueva perspectiva. Simón Pedro todavía no entiende lo que Jesús le está transmitiendo, y acepta a regañadientes hacer lo que Jesús le pide, pero queda asombrado por la abundancia de su pesca. Las moralejas de la historia son: (1) Dios crea nuevas posibilidades. (2) Debemos probar nuevos métodos, tal como lo hace Dios. Debería ser obvio para nosotros que los viejos métodos no funcionan, y la Iglesia debe ser bastante creativa y profética a la hora de llevar a la gente a Cristo.

 

Al examinar la Iglesia Católica Romana su propia historia, se da cuenta de que ha surgido de la Europa medieval y monástica. Las estructuras parroquiales se construyeron desde territorios feudales y se convirtieron en un modelo de vida devocional. El sacerdote y el obispo asumieron niveles particulares de autoridad sobre la vida de las personas. También vemos hoy que la vida ya no se basa geográficamente, ya que las personas son móviles y selectivas y disfrutan de una nueva red de apoyo, y la parroquia territorial ya no encaja en el modelo actual. En lugar de tratar de aferrarse y retener lo que puede ser una reliquia del pasado, ¿hay otra manera de reimaginar la vida de la iglesia y la propia vocación? ¿Puede la iglesia ser profética en sus formas de compromiso con el mundo, incluyendo su propia gente, personas de otras religiones y el mundo secular que está lleno de buscadores espirituales?

 

Tomas Halik , un destacado sacerdote y teólogo checo, comentó recientemente en la edición de enero de Commonweal sobre el Papa Francisco: “ El Papa Francisco es el gran profeta de nuestro tiempo, uno de los papas más grandes de la historia de la Iglesia. Nadie está haciendo más para construir puentes entre culturas que el Papa Francisco. Su llamado a la renovación sinodal de la Iglesia puede significar mucho más que la transformación de la Iglesia de una organización rígida, clerical y burocrática en una red flexible de comunicación mutua. La sinodalidad es un camino común; está destinada a renovar, revivir y profundizar la comunicación, y no solo dentro de la Iglesia. También se trata de la capacidad de la Iglesia de comunicarse con otros sistemas de la sociedad, con otras culturas y religiones, con toda la familia humana y con el planeta que habitamos: para percibir la sinfonía continua de la creación. También puede inspirar la transformación del proceso de globalización en un proceso de compartir y solidaridad”.

 

“La Iglesia debe ser una comunidad de peregrinos que contribuya a la transformación del mundo y de toda la familia humana en una comunidad en camino, ayudando a profundizar la dinámica del compartir. La Iglesia también tiene una misión política, profética, terapéutica y transformadora en el mundo. La Iglesia es un sacramento, un símbolo y un instrumento de la unidad a la que toda la humanidad está llamada en Cristo”.

 

Cuando leo esto, me siento inspirado. Veo que la Iglesia está haciendo algo nuevo. El Papa Francisco está ayudando a la Iglesia a hacer algo nuevo y necesario. Como el lema del nuevo arzobispo de Boston, y como Simón Pedro, la Iglesia está remando mar adentro. Sin duda, la Iglesia quedará asombrada con la nueva vida, vitalidad y abundancia que recoja. Dios está haciendo algo nuevo. Aleluya. Aleluya.

 

Escritura para la misa diaria

Primera lectura: 

Lunes: (Génesis 1) Entonces dijo Dios: «Sea la luz». Y la luz fue hecha. Dios vio que la luz era buena. Entonces separó la luz de la oscuridad. A la luz la llamó «día» y a la oscuridad la llamó «noche».

 

Martes: (Génesis 1) “Que las aguas proliferen con una multitud de seres vivientes, y sobre la tierra haya aves que vuelen bajo la expansión del cielo.” Y así sucedió: Dios creó los grandes monstruos marinos y toda clase de criaturas nadadoras con las que abunda el agua, y toda clase de aves aladas.

 

Miércoles: (Génesis 2) En el tiempo en que Jehová Dios hizo la tierra y los cielos, cuando aún no había arbusto en la tierra, ni hierba del campo había brotado, porque Jehová Dios no había enviado lluvia sobre la tierra, ni había hombre para que labrase la tierra.

 

Jueves: (Génesis 2) " No es bueno que el hombre esté solo. Voy a hacerle una compañera adecuada." Entonces el Señor Dios formó de la tierra varios animales salvajes y varias aves del cielo, y los trajo al hombre para ver cómo los llamaría.

 

Viernes ( Génesis 3) La serpiente era el más astuto de todos los animales que el Señor Dios había hecho. La serpiente le preguntó a la mujer: “¿De verdad les dijo Dios que no comieran 
de ningún árbol del jardín?”

 

Sábado (Génesis 3) El Señor Dios llamó a Adán y le preguntó: "¿Dónde estás?" 
Él respondió: "Te escuché en el jardín, pero tuve miedo, porque estaba desnudo, así que me escondí".

 

Evangelio:

Lunes: (Marcos 6) Jesús y sus discípulos llegaron a tierra en Genesaret y amarraron allí. 
Al bajar de la barca, la gente lo reconoció de inmediato. Corrieron por los alrededores y comenzaron a traer a los enfermos en camillas a donde oían que estaba.

 

Martes: (Marcos 7) Cuando los fariseos con algunos escribas que habían venido de Jerusalén 
se reunieron alrededor de Jesús, observaron que algunos de sus discípulos comían con manos inmundas, es decir, sin lavar.

 

Miércoles (Marcos 7) “Escúchenme todos y entiendan: nada de lo que entra en el hombre desde afuera puede contaminarlo; lo que contamina es lo que sale de adentro.”

 

Jueves (Marcos 7) Jesús fue al distrito de Tiro . Entró en una casa y no quería que nadie lo supiera, pero no pudo pasar desapercibido. Pronto una mujer cuya hija tenía un espíritu inmundo oyó hablar de él. Ella fue y se postró a sus pies.

 

Viernes (Marcos 7) Jesús salió de la región de Tiro y se dirigió por Sidón hacia el mar de Galilea, a la región de Decápolis. Allí le trajeron a un hombre sordo y con problemas de habla, y le rogaron que le pusiera la mano encima.

 

Sábado (Marcos 8) "Mi corazón se conmueve de compasión por la multitud, porque ya hace tres días que están conmigo y no tienen qué comer. Si los mando hambrientos a sus casas, se desmayarán en el camino, y algunos de ellos vienen de muy lejos."

 

Santos de la semana

 

10 de febrero: Scholastica (480-543) fue la hermana gemela de Benito, fundador del monacato occidental. Es la patrona de las monjas benedictinas. Fue enterrada en la tumba de su hermano; murieron relativamente cerca uno del otro.

 

11 de febrero: Se recuerda a Nuestra Señora de Lourdes porque entre el 11 de febrero y el 16 de julio de 1858, María se le apareció a Bernadette Soubirous en una cueva cerca de Lourdes, Francia, dieciocho veces. El lugar sigue siendo uno de los principales destinos de peregrinación. Muchos encuentran curación en las aguas de la gruta durante la primavera.

 

12 de febrero: Carnaval Es tu última oportunidad de comer carne antes de la Cuaresma. Este es el último día de Carnaval (Carne- carne, Adiós- vale). Dile adiós a la carne mientras comenzamos las prácticas de ayuno mañana.

 

14 de febrero : Cirilo, monje, y Metodio, obispo (siglo IX), eran hermanos que nacieron en Tesalónica, Grecia. Se convirtieron en misioneros después de terminar sus carreras en la enseñanza y el trabajo gubernamental. Se mudaron a Ucrania y Moravia, un lugar entre los pueblos bizantinos y germánicos. Cirilo (Constantino) creó el alfabeto eslavo para que la liturgia y las escrituras pudieran estar disponibles para ellos. Cirilo murió durante una visita a Roma y Metodio se convirtió en obispo y regresó a Moravia.

 

15 de febrero: Claude La Colombiere, SJ, religioso (1641-1682), fue un misionero jesuita, escritor ascético y confesor de Margarita María Alocoque en el Convento de la Visitación en Paray La Monial. Como jesuita, hizo voto de vivir estrictamente de acuerdo con las Constituciones jesuitas para alcanzar la máxima perfección . Juntos, comenzaron una devoción al Sagrado Corazón de Jesús.

 

Esta semana en la historia de los jesuitas

 

  • 9 de febrero de 1621. El cardenal Ludovisi fue elegido Papa Gregorio XV. Fue el responsable de la canonización de San Ignacio y San Francisco Javier.
  • 10 de febrero de 1773. El rector de Florencia informó al general, padre Ricci, que se había enviado una copia del proyecto de Breve Supresión al Emperador de Austria. El general se negó a creer que la Compañía fuera suprimida.
  • 11 de febrero de 1563. En el Concilio de Trento, el padre Jaime Laynez , teólogo del Papa, causó tal impresión en el cardenal presidente por su erudición y elocuencia, que éste decidió inmediatamente abrir un colegio jesuita en Mantua, su sede episcopal.
  • 12 de febrero de 1564. Francisco de Borja fue nombrado asistente para España y Portugal.
  • 13 de febrero de 1787. Fallece en Milán el padre Rudjer Boskovic, ilustre matemático, científico y astrónomo. En París es nombrado " Director de la Marina ".
  • 14 de febrero de 1769. En Cádiz, 241 jesuitas procedentes de Chile fueron embarcados en un barco sueco para ser deportados a Italia como exiliados.
  • 15 de febrero de 1732. ¡El Padre Chamillard SJ, de quien los jansenistas habían informado que había muerto jansenista y que obraba milagros, apareció de repente vivo y bien!