Photo: Catholic Coffee, Which blend is for you?

 

Poem: Death, by Kahlil Gibran

Then Almitra spoke, saying, We would ask now of Death.

And he said:

You would know the secret of death.
But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heart of life? …

For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one.
In the depth of your hopes and desires lies your silent knowledge of the beyond;
And like seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring.

Trust the dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity …
For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?

And what is it to cease breathing but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?
Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing.
And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.

And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance. 

Photo: A Light

 

Spirituality: Joseph Campbell

You must have a room, or a certain hour or so a day, where you don't know what was in the newspapers that morning, you don't know who your friends are, you don't know what you owe anybody, you don't know what anybody owes to you. This is a place where you can simply experience and bring forth what you are and what you might be. This is the place of creative incubation. At first you may find that nothing happens there. But if you have a sacred place and use it, something eventually will happen.

Prayer: William of St. Thierry

 We were created for You by yourself,

and towards You our face is set.
We acknowledge You,
our maker and creator;
we adore your wisdom and pray
that it may order all our life.
We adore your goodness and mercy, and
beg them ever to sustain and help us.

Photo: Stairs

 

Poem: Joyce Rupp, “Poem for Lent”

The cosmos dreams in me
while I wait in stillness,
ready to lean a little further
into the heart of the Holy.

I, a little blip of life,
a wisp of unassuming love,
a quickly passing breeze,
come once more into Lent.

No need to sign me
with the black bleeding ash
of palms, fried and baked.
I know my humus place.

This Lent I will sail
on the graced wings of desire,
yearning to go deeper
to the place where
I am one in the One.

Oh, may I go there soon,
in the same breath
that takes me to the stars
when the cosmos dreams in me.

Photo: Dried Flowers

 

Spirituality: Robert Blakesly

Sometimes there would be a rush of noisy visitors and the silence of the monastery would be shattered. This would upset the monks; not the Master who seemed just as content with the noise as with the silence. To those protesting he said one day, "Silence is not the absence of sound, but the absence of self. "

An Accessible Love: The Fourth Sunday of Lent 2025

                                                       An Accessible Love:

The Fourth Sunday of Lent 2025 

March 30, 2025

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Joshua 5:9-12; Psalm 34; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Luke 15:1-32

 

Luke gives us a difficult Gospel passage in response to the criticism Jesus faced when he ate with sinners and tax collectors violating the customs and laws of Moses. Jesus focused upon the nature of the Kingdom of God through examining a central family relationship. It tugs at our heartstrings and resurfaces many family tensions. Jesus silences his critics by showing that God will positively judge the person who returns. God’s love is so magnanimous that the father forgives the sinner even before the sinner considers returning home.

 

Far too many families experience estrangement and they long for nothing more than the relationship’s restoration. Family members would welcome back the estranged one right away without judgment and with no further questions, but often the estranged person wants to be heard and to see behaviors corrected as a precondition. Often, a person is not aware of the reasons for separation or how to change so that the relationship is nourished, and the source of estrangement is removed. It is a confusing, perplexing quandary for one party and all one can do is to pray for a restoration or for a change of heart. Because the two parties cannot reconcile, broken hearts prevail, and each side suffers.

 

We understand that God wants the union of hearts and minds and welcomes back to one who has taken an alternative path. God will always do that. In our families and friendships, we need to hear the stories of sufferings so we can understand each other better and lessen that pain. In the end, the estranged want the same thing. They yearn for the love they need and want and do not know how to get it or to create the circumstances in which they see a path forward. It takes more than returning home. It takes a commitment on both sides to understand more about each other. In most relationships, each wants to commit to a healthy, harmonious, mutual respect for the other. At the root, fundamental care and concern exists. The dilemma is how to get there and then to maintain mature engagement.

 

The parable does not end with reconciliation between the brothers, and yet, we do have a merciful parent who has a relationship with each and tries to reason with each of them to see a greater value. Because of our faith, we know that the story continues and there is hope for reconciliation for a restored relationship made stronger because of mutual understanding. This is difficult but necessary work. 

 

Theologically, Jesus shows that God has a universal love accessible to everyone. God is not just for those who claim their own righteousness, so it tells us that we ought to be cautious about making absolute, discriminatory judgments. We must be careful about whom we put on the outside of our safe categories. We tend to be loyal to our tribes – generous, accepting, protective, nurturing to those within our tribe, and exacting to those on the outside. God is the father of the just and the unjust, and God is going to be protective of all and therefore, we ought to be less certain of our reasonings. Let’s give God a chance. 

 

The foundation of this parable is the magnanimous love of God. It will win out when we see that it is a far better choice. This love had incredible power because mercy remains mysterious. May this love heal us and bring us all to union and communion.

 

Scripture for Daily Mass

Monday: (Isaiah 65) The Lord is about to create new heavens and a new earth; the things of the past shall not be remembered; there will always be rejoicing and happiness.

 

Tuesday: (Ezekiel 47) The angel brought the prophet to the entrance of the temple where life-giving water flowed forth and bringing life to all.

 

Wednesday: (Isaiah 49) The Lord finds favor with Israel and promises help on the day of salvation. The Lord will help Israel keep the commandments because He cannot forget her beauty.

 

Thursday: (2 Samuel 7) The Lord said to David: Your house shall endure forever; your throne shall stand firm forever.  

 

Friday: (Wisdom 2) The wicked said, “Let us beset the just one because he is obnoxious to us. Let us revile him and condemn him to a shameful death.” 

 

Saturday: (Jeremiah 11) Jeremiah knew their plot, but like a trusting lamb led to slaughter, had not realized they were hatching plots against him.   

 

Gospel: 

Monday: (John 4) Jesus returned to Galilee where he performed his first miracle. Some believed in him. A royal official approached him as his child lay dying, but at the hour Jesus spoke to him, his son recovered. 

 

Tuesday: (John 5) Jesus encountered an ill man lying next to a healing pool, but when the water is stirred up, no one is around to put him in. Jesus heals him and he walks away. The Jews protest that Jesus cured on the Sabbath. The Jews began to persecute Jesus. 

 

Wednesday: (John 5) Jesus explains that he is the unique revealer of God and cannot do anything on his own. He judges as he hears and his judgment is just because he does not seek his own will.

 

Thursday: (Matthew 1) The birth of Jesus came about through Mary, betrothed to Joseph. In his dream, the angel tells Joseph to take the pregnant Mary as his wife.

 

Friday: (John 7) Jesus did not wish to travel around Judea because the Jews were trying to kill him, but he went up during the feast of Tabernacles where he was spotted. He cried up in the streets, “You know me and you know where I am from.”

 

Saturday: (John 7) Some in the crowd said, “This is the prophet.” Some said, “This is the Christ.” A division occurred because of him because they could not settled how he fit into Scripture. Nicodemus interjected, “Does our law condemn a man before it first hears him and finds out what he is doing?” The crowd dispersed to their homes.

 

Saints of the Week

 

No Saints are Celebrated this week.

This Week in Jesuit History

 

• March 30, 1545: At Meliapore, Francis Xavier came on pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Thomas the Apostle. 
• March 31, 1548: Fr. Anthony Corduba, rector of the College of Salamanca, begged Ignatius to admit him into the Society so as to escape the cardinalate which Charles V intended to procure for him. 
• April 1, 1941. The death of Hippolyte Delehaye in Brussels. He was an eminent hagiographer and in charge of the Bollandists from 1912 to 1941. 
• April 2, 1767. Charles III ordered the arrest of all the Jesuits in Spain and the confiscation of all their property. 
• April 3, 1583. The death of Jeronimo Nadal, one of the original companions of Ignatius who later entrusted him with publishing and distributing the Jesuit Constitutions to the various regions of the early Society. 
• April 4, 1534. Peter Faber (Pierre Favre) ordained a deacon in Paris. 
• April 5, 1635. The death of Louis Lallemant, writer and spiritual teacher.

Un amor accesible: El cuarto domingo de Cuaresma de 2025

                                                           Un amor accesible:

El cuarto domingo de Cuaresma de 2025

30 de marzo de 2025

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Josué 5:9-12; Salmo 34; 2 Corintios 5:17-21; Lucas 15:1-32

 

Lucas nos presenta un difícil pasaje del Evangelio en respuesta a las críticas que Jesús enfrentó al comer con pecadores y recaudadores de impuestos, violando las costumbres y leyes de Moisés. Jesús se centró en la naturaleza del Reino de Dios al examinar una relación familiar fundamental. Esto nos conmueve profundamente y reaviva muchas tensiones familiares. Jesús silencia a sus críticos mostrando que Dios juzgará positivamente a quien regrese. El amor de Dios es tan magnánimo que el padre perdona al pecador incluso antes de que este considere regresar a casa.

 

Demasiadas familias experimentan distanciamiento y solo anhelan la restauración de la relación. Los familiares acogerían de inmediato al distanciado, sin juzgarlo ni hacer preguntas, pero a menudo la persona distanciada desea ser escuchada y ver corregidos sus comportamientos como condición previa. A menudo, una persona desconoce las razones de la separación ni cómo cambiar para que la relación se nutra y se elimine la causa del distanciamiento. Es un dilema confuso y desconcertante para una de las partes, y lo único que se puede hacer es orar por una restauración o un cambio de actitud. Como ambas partes no pueden reconciliarse, prevalecen los corazones rotos y ambas partes sufren.

 

Entendemos que Dios desea la unión de corazones y mentes, y da la bienvenida a quien ha tomado un camino alternativo. Dios siempre lo hará. En nuestras familias y amistades, necesitamos escuchar las historias de sufrimiento para comprendernos mejor y aliviar ese dolor. Al final, quienes se distancian desean lo mismo. Anhelan el amor que necesitan y desean, y no saben cómo obtenerlo ni crear las circunstancias que les permitan ver un camino a seguir. Se necesita más que regresar a casa. Se requiere el compromiso de ambas partes para comprenderse mejor. En la mayoría de las relaciones, cada uno desea comprometerse con un respeto mutuo, sano y armonioso. En la raíz, existe un cuidado y una preocupación fundamentales. El dilema es cómo lograrlo y luego mantener una relación madura.

 

La parábola no termina con la reconciliación entre los hermanos; sin embargo, tenemos un padre misericordioso que tiene una relación con cada uno y trata de razonar con cada uno para que vean un valor mayor. Gracias a nuestra fe, sabemos que la historia continúa y que hay esperanza de reconciliación para una relación restaurada y fortalecida gracias al entendimiento mutuo. Esta es una labor difícil, pero necesaria.

 

Teológicamente, Jesús demuestra que Dios tiene un amor universal accesible a todos. Dios no es solo para quienes se atribuyen su propia justicia, por lo que nos dice que debemos ser cautelosos al emitir juicios absolutos y discriminatorios. Debemos tener cuidado con quiénes excluimos de nuestras categorías seguras. Tendemos a ser leales a nuestras tribus: generosos, tolerantes, protectores y cariñosos con quienes pertenecen a nuestra tribu, y exigentes con quienes no lo son. Dios es el padre de justos e injustos, y será protector de todos; por lo tanto, debemos ser menos cautelosos con nuestros razonamientos. Démosle una oportunidad a Dios.

 

El fundamento de esta parábola es el amor magnánimo de Dios. Triunfará cuando veamos que es una opción mucho mejor. Este amor tuvo un poder increíble porque la misericordia permanece misteriosa. Que este amor nos sane y nos lleve a todos a la unión y la comunión.

 

Escritura para la misa diaria

Lunes: (Isaías 65) El Señor está a punto de crear nuevos cielos y una nueva tierra; las cosas del pasado no serán recordadas; siempre habrá regocijo y felicidad.

 

Martes: (Ezequiel 47) El ángel llevó al profeta a la entrada del templo donde brotó agua que daba vida a todos.

 

Miércoles: (Isaías 49) El Señor halla favor en Israel y promete ayuda en el día de la salvación. El Señor ayudará a Israel a cumplir los mandamientos porque no puede olvidar su belleza.

 

Jueves: (2 Samuel 7) El Señor le dijo a David: Tu casa permanecerá para siempre; tu trono permanecerá firme para siempre.

 

Viernes: (Sabiduría 2) Los malvados dijeron: «Acosemos al justo porque nos resulta odioso. Injuriémoslo y condenémoslo a una muerte vergonzosa».

 

Sábado: (Jeremías 11) Jeremías conocía su complot, pero como un cordero confiado llevado al matadero, no se había dado cuenta de que estaban tramando complots contra él.

 

Evangelio:

Lunes: (Juan 4) Jesús regresó a Galilea, donde realizó su primer milagro. Algunos creyeron en él. Un funcionario real se le acercó mientras su hijo agonizaba, pero a la hora en que Jesús le habló, su hijo se recuperó.

 

Martes: (Juan 5) Jesús se encontró con un hombre enfermo que yacía junto a una piscina de aguas curativas, pero cuando el agua se agitó, no había nadie para sumergirlo. Jesús lo sanó y él se marchó . Los judíos protestaron porque Jesús curaba en sábado. Los judíos comenzaron a perseguir a Jesús.

 

Miércoles: (Juan 5) Jesús explica que él es el único revelador de Dios y que no puede hacer nada por sí mismo. Juzga según lo que oye y su juicio es justo porque no busca su propia voluntad.

 

Jueves: (Mateo 1) El nacimiento de Jesús se produjo a través de María, prometida de José. En su sueño, el ángel le dice a José que tome a María, que estaba embarazada, como su esposa.

 

Viernes: (Juan 7) Jesús no quería recorrer Judea porque los judíos intentaban matarlo, pero subió durante la Fiesta de los Tabernáculos, donde fue visto. Gritó en las calles: «Ustedes me conocen y saben de dónde vengo».

 

Sábado: (Juan 7) Algunos entre la multitud decían: «Este es el profeta». Otros decían: «Este es el Cristo». Se produjo una división a causa de él, pues no lograban comprender cómo encajaba en las Escrituras. Nicodemo intervino: «¿Acaso nuestra ley condena a un hombre sin antes oírlo y averiguar lo que hace?». La multitud se dispersó a sus casas.

 

Santos de la semana

 

Esta semana no se celebran santos.

Esta semana en la historia jesuita

 

• 30 de marzo de 1545: En Meliapore , Francisco Javier llegó en peregrinación a la tumba del Apóstol Santo Tomás.
• 31 de marzo de 1548: El padre Antonio Corduba , rector del Colegio de Salamanca, ruega a Ignacio que lo admita en la Compañía para evitar el cardenalato que Carlos V pretendía procurarle.
• 1 de abril de 1941. Falleció Hippolyte Delehaye en Bruselas. Fue un eminente hagiógrafo y estuvo a cargo de los bolandistas entre 1912 y 1941.
• 2 de abril de 1767. Carlos III ordenó la prisión de todos los jesuitas en España y la confiscación de todos sus bienes.
• 3 de abril de 1583. Muere Jerónimo Nadal, uno de los compañeros originales de Ignacio, quien más tarde le confió la publicación y distribución de las Constituciones jesuitas en las diversas regiones de la primitiva Compañía.
• 4 de abril de 1534. Pedro Fabro ( Pierre Favre) es ordenado diácono en París.
• 5 de abril de 1635. Muere Louis Lallemant , escritor y maestro espiritual.

Photo: Savannah at Night

 

Spirituality: Gerhard Lohfink, God Restores Order

God brings things back into balance, restores the order of law in the world. God heals the injustice done to the poor and oppressed, and helps them to attain justice.

Is This All There Is? page 167

Photo: Boston's City Lamps

 

Poem: Rainer Maria Rilke, "Let Everything Happen" in Rilke's Book of Hours

God speaks to each of us as he makes us,

then walks with us silently out of the night.

These are the words we dimly hear:
You, sent out beyond your recall,
Go to the limits of your longing.
Embody me.

Flare up like flame
And make big shadows I can move in.

Photo: Irish Blessings to you

 

Prayer: Irish Blessing

May the blessing of light be on you,
light without and light within.
May the blessed sunshine beam on you
and warm your heart till it glows like a great peat fire,
so that the stranger may come and warm himself at it,
and also a friend.

Poem: Rumi, A World Dense With Greeting

The world comes every day at dawn. "Good
to see you again, my friend. The peace

of God be with you." No matter where
you are or what you're doing, talking,

silent, asleep, soul comes and greets
you like that. Your soul sees your

purity. Body sees your pretensions and
deceit. You are a rose that heals

woundedness. "Hello again," call out
the thorns. I go to the village chief.

I say, "God be with you." He gives me
a glass of wine. "Hold this carefully.

Keep it safe." "The peace of God," I tell
him. "But did you know that I am crazy?"

I like to sit in the fire with Abraham."
Then I turn and thank God. Salaam

Aleichem. I walk out. The world is
dense with greeting. I respond in kind,

then back into the cave with my Beloved.
Subtle artwork appears everywhere.

It's so fine to be with you. 

Photo: A Mighty Horse

 

Spirituality: Rowen White, from "Sowing Seeds"

                                                                   An expression of faith

In life Herself

Is to sow seeds into dark soil

Not knowing what awaits.

Returning to the patience

Reverence

Grace

Humility

Practiced by our ancestors...

Reminding me to wake up amidst the confusion

To do what must be done to feed the children.

To tuck vibrant seeds into fertile soil

And patiently tend the garden,...

The garden that our ancestors left for us is beautiful.

May we water it well with our tears and our laughter, our stories, and our songs.

Today I choose to plant seeds of hope into the winds of an unknown future...

It's a New dawn.

The time to be those ancestors our grandchildren are waiting for is upon us.

What seeds are you sowing?

Spirituality: Parker Palmer

Memo to Self: Stay close to nature, and to your own creaturely instincts. It's a cold, hard winter out there, but underneath the ice and snow, nature is preparing for an uprising. There's underground work to be done for and with your family and friends, your community, your country, your soul.

A Proper Posture Before God: The Third Sunday of Lent 2025

                                               A Proper Posture Before God:

The Third Sunday of Lent 2025 

March 23, 2025

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Exodus 3:1-15; Psalm 103; 1 Corinthians 10:1-12; Luke 13:1-9

 

The readings speak to us of our proper attitude before God. Moses approaches the burning bush to learn that God is revealing a central characteristic to him – that God is a living God and cannot be adequately named. Moses takes off his shoes and bows down before the presence of God. We, therefore, are also to take off our shoes, take down our masks, forget about our roles and self-perceptions, and to realize who we are before this infinite being, the ground of our being. 

 

Jesus also speaks about our posture before God. He tells us that we ought not to see God as one who intervenes in human events or human choice and freedom. God does not cause accidents or bring about woes or suffering, but that God is present in the suffering and daily events. He tells us that when we consider who God is and what God does, we must repent of our failings and realize that we are one part of God’s created world, and that God wants to experience life in its fullness and to realize we are subject to natural laws. If we do not understand what God is doing, then be patient and wait. We are not to make hasty judgments, and we are to see God’s long-approach over time. The fruitless fig tree may not blossom this year, but perhaps in the year to come. 

 

Moses learned that God was not merely the one who historically created the world but continued to exist. God was relating to Moses the same way God related to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God is the one who called everything into life and is continuing to create, continuing to become, and all creation moves forward into a future reality. We often do not understand the value of time and patience, for we do not have the ability to see the future with God’s perspective. We must not be hasty in making judgments.

 

All life is in flux. Today, we are a snapshot of ourselves. We are not the same person as we were years ago, and we will continue to evolve through our choices and experiences. We do not see how much we change. At Mass, we may receive the consecrated host and not feel any different, but when we look back on how we have changed over five years of consuming the Body and Blood of Christ, we may find a remarkable difference. Throughout our life’s history, we continue to strive and to move forward, to be a better person, and we must not be too hasty in judging ourselves. 

 

God is alive and at work in us, the same way God worked with Moses. We are a people who are becoming, a pilgrim people who are moving forward in faith, a people who know that we are mortal and subject to the laws of nature, but our life is also a future life with God. The God who lives in us now is the God who will keep us in eternal life. In this God, physical death does not lay claim to eternal life. We will be with a God who burns within us, and like the bush, will not consume us, but will remain the life force of goodness and hope. It is to this God that we bow down, take off our shoes and garments, show our real selves, acknowledge our humility, and then, almost in disbelief, we can sit back and watch how God raises us up and lives fully within our souls. 

 

Scripture for Daily Mass

Monday: (2 Kings 5) Naaman, the king of Aram, contracted leprosy. A captured girl wanted him to present himself to the prophet in Samaria. Naaman was instructed to wash seven times in the Jordan River and his flesh became again like the flesh of a little child.

 

Tuesday: (Daniel 3) Azariah asked for the Lord’s deliverance. He asked that the Lord deal with them in kindness and with great mercy.

 

Wednesday: (Deuteronomy 4) Moses spoke to the people asking them to hear and heed the statutes and decrees he received from the Lord. Do not forget the things the Lord has done.

 

Thursday: (Jeremiah 7) They walked in the hardness of their evil hearts and turned their backs, not their faces, to me.  

 

Friday: (Hosea 14) Return to God, who forgives all iniquity. The Lord will heal their defection and love them freely for his wrath is turned away from them.  

 

Saturday: (Hosea 6) Come, let us return to the Lord. It is love that I desire, not sacrificed, and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.  

 

Gospel: 

Monday: (Luke 4) Jesus reminded people that a prophet is without honor in his own land and he called the mind the story of Naaman, the foreigner from Syria, who was cured.

 

Tuesday: (Matthew 18) Peter asked Jesus about forgiveness. He said to forgiven seventy-seven time because unless each person forgives from the heart, he will not be forgiven. 

 

Wednesday: (Matthew 5) Jesus did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. Each commandment is to be observed; the one who does it will be the greatest in the Kingdom.

 

Thursday: (Luke 11) Jesus drove out a demon that was mute and was then accused of being in league with Beelzebul. Jesus explained to them how that does not make much sense. 

 

Friday: (Mark 12) A scribe asked Jesus to declare which is the first commandment. Love the God with you whole soul and your neighbor like yourself. The scribe was well pleased.  

 

Saturday: (Luke 18) Jesus told a parable about prayer to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. The one who is humble is favored by God.  

 

Saints of the Week

 

March 23: Toribio of Mogrovejo, bishop (1538-1606) was a Spanish law professor in Salamanca who became the president of the Inquisition in Granada. As a layman, he was made the Archbishop of Lima, Peru and became quickly disturbed at the treatment of the native populations by the European conquerors. He condemned abuses and founded schools to educate the oppressed natives. He built hospitals and churches and opened the first seminary in Latin America.

 

March 25: The Annunciation of the Lord celebrates the announcement that God chose to unite divinity with humanity at the conception of Jesus. God sent the angel Gabriel to Mary to inform her of God’s intentions to have her conceive the future Messiah. The boy’s name was to be Jesus – meaning “God saves.” This date falls nine months before Christmas Day. 

 

This Week in Jesuit History

 

• March 23, 1772: At Rome, Cardinal Marefoschi held a visitation of the Irish College and accused the Jesuits of mismanagement. He removed them from directing that establishment. 
• March 24, 1578: At Lisbon Rudolf Acquaviva and 13 companions embarked for India. Among the companions were Matthew Ricci and Michael Ruggieri. 
• March 25, 1563: The first Sodality of Our Lady, Prima Primaria, was begun in the Roman College by a young Belgian Jesuit named John Leunis (Leonius). 
• March 26, 1553: Ignatius of Loyola's letter on obedience was sent to the Jesuits of Portugal. 
• March 27, 1587: At Messina died Fr. Thomas Evans, an Englishman at 29. He had suffered imprisonment for his defense of the Catholic faith in England. 
• March 28, 1606: At the Guildhall, London, the trial of Fr. Henry Garnet, falsely accused of complicity in the Gunpowder Plot. 

March 29, 1523: Ignatius' first visit to Rome on his way from Manresa to Palestine.

Una postura adecuada ante Dios: El tercer domingo de Cuaresma de 2025

                                          Una postura adecuada ante Dios:

El tercer domingo de Cuaresma de 2025

23 de marzo de 2025

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predmoresj@yahoo.com | 617.510.9673

Éxodo 3:1-15; Salmo 103; 1 Corintios 10:1-12; Lucas 13:1-9

 

Las lecturas nos hablan de nuestra actitud correcta ante Dios. Moisés se acerca a la zarza ardiente para aprender que Dios le revela una característica central: que Dios es un Dios vivo y que no se le puede nombrar adecuadamente. Moisés se quita los zapatos y se inclina ante la presencia de Dios. Nosotros, por lo tanto, también debemos quitarnos los zapatos, quitarnos las máscaras, olvidarnos de nuestros roles y autopercepciones, y reconocer quiénes somos ante este ser infinito, la base de nuestro ser.

 

Jesús también habla de nuestra postura ante Dios. Nos dice que no debemos ver a Dios como alguien que interviene en los acontecimientos humanos, ni en la elección y la libertad humanas. Dios no causa accidentes ni aflicciones ni sufrimiento, sino que está presente en el sufrimiento y en los acontecimientos cotidianos. Nos dice que, al considerar quién es Dios y lo que hace, debemos arrepentirnos de nuestras faltas y reconocer que somos parte de su creación, y que Dios desea experimentar la vida en su plenitud y comprender que estamos sujetos a las leyes naturales. Si no entendemos lo que Dios hace, seamos pacientes y esperemos. No debemos hacer juicios precipitados, y debemos ver la perspectiva de Dios a largo plazo. La higuera estéril quizá no florezca este año, pero tal vez el año venidero.

 

Moisés aprendió que Dios no fue simplemente quien creó el mundo históricamente, sino que continuó existiendo. Dios se relacionaba con Moisés de la misma manera que se relacionó con Abraham, Isaac y Jacob. Dios es quien dio vida a todo y continúa creando, continúa siendo, y toda la creación avanza hacia una realidad futura. A menudo no comprendemos el valor del tiempo y la paciencia, porque no tenemos la capacidad de ver el futuro con la perspectiva de Dios. No debemos apresurarnos al emitir juicios.

 

Toda la vida está en constante cambio. Hoy, somos una imagen de nosotros mismos. No somos la misma persona que hace años, y seguiremos evolucionando a través de nuestras decisiones y experiencias. No vemos cuánto cambiamos. En la misa, podemos recibir la hostia consagrada y no sentirnos diferentes, pero al recordar cómo hemos cambiado a lo largo de cinco años de consumir el Cuerpo y la Sangre de Cristo, podemos encontrar una diferencia notable. A lo largo de nuestra vida, seguimos esforzándonos y avanzando, para ser mejores personas, y no debemos apresurarnos al juzgarnos.

 

Dios está vivo y obra en nosotros, de la misma manera que obró con Moisés. Somos un pueblo en transformación, un pueblo peregrino que avanza en la fe, un pueblo que sabe que es mortal y está sujeto a las leyes de la naturaleza, pero que nuestra vida también es una vida futura con Dios. El Dios que vive en nosotros ahora es el Dios que nos guardará en la vida eterna. En este Dios, la muerte física no nos reclama la vida eterna. Estaremos con un Dios que arde en nuestro interior y, como la zarza, no nos consumirá, sino que seguirá siendo la fuerza vital de la bondad y la esperanza. Es ante este Dios que nos inclinamos, nos quitamos los zapatos y las vestiduras, mostramos nuestro verdadero ser, reconocemos nuestra humildad y luego, casi con incredulidad, podemos sentarnos y observar cómo Dios nos eleva y vive plenamente en nuestras almas.

 

Escritura para la misa diaria

Lunes: (2 Reyes 5) Naamán, rey de Siria, contrajo lepra. Una joven capturada le pidió que se presentara ante el profeta en Samaria. Naamán recibió instrucciones de lavarse siete veces en el río Jordán y su piel volvió a ser como la de un niño pequeño.

 

Martes: (Daniel 3) Azarías pidió la liberación del Señor. Le pidió que los tratara con bondad y gran misericordia.

 

Miércoles: (Deuteronomio 4) Moisés habló al pueblo pidiéndoles que escucharan y obedecieran los estatutos y decretos que recibió del Señor. No olviden las obras del Señor.

 

Jueves: (Jeremías 7) Caminaron en la dureza de su malvado corazón y me dieron la espalda, no la cara.

 

Viernes: (Oseas 14) Regresen a Dios, quien perdona toda iniquidad. El Señor sanará su deserción y los amará generosamente, pues su ira se ha apartado de ellos.

 

Sábado: (Oseas 6) Venid, volvamos al Señor. Quiero amor, no sacrificios, y conocimiento de Dios más que holocaustos.

 

Evangelio:

Lunes: (Lucas 4) Jesús recordó que un profeta no es honrado en su propia tierra y recordó la historia de Naamán, el extranjero de Siria, que fue curado.

 

Martes: (Mateo 18) Pedro le preguntó a Jesús sobre el perdón. Él le respondió que perdonara setenta y siete veces, porque si cada persona no perdona de corazón, no será perdonada.

 

Miércoles: (Mateo 5) Jesús no vino a abolir la ley, sino a cumplirla. Cada mandamiento debe ser observado; quien lo cumpla será el mayor en el Reino.

 

Jueves: (Lucas 11) Jesús expulsó a un demonio mudo, al que acusaron de estar en complicidad con Beelzebul. Jesús les explicó que eso no tenía mucho sentido.

 

Viernes: (Marcos 12) Un escriba le pidió a Jesús que explicara cuál era el primer mandamiento: amar a Dios con toda el alma y a tu prójimo como a ti mismo. El escriba quedó muy complacido.

 

Sábado: (Lucas 18) Jesús contó una parábola sobre la oración a quienes estaban convencidos de su propia justicia y despreciaban a los demás. El humilde es favorecido por Dios.

 

Santos de la semana

 

23 de marzo: Toribio de Mogrovejo, obispo (1538-1606), fue un profesor de derecho español en Salamanca que llegó a ser presidente de la Inquisición en Granada. Como laico, fue nombrado arzobispo de Lima, Perú, y pronto se indignó por el trato dispensado a las poblaciones indígenas por los conquistadores europeos. Condenó los abusos y fundó escuelas para educar a los indígenas oprimidos. Construyó hospitales e iglesias y abrió el primer seminario de Latinoamérica.

 

25 de marzo: La Anunciación del Señor celebra el anuncio de que Dios decidió unir la divinidad con la humanidad en la concepción de Jesús. Dios envió al ángel Gabriel a María para informarle de su intención de que concibiera al futuro Mesías. El nombre del niño sería Jesús, que significa "Dios salva". Esta fecha cae nueve meses antes del día de Navidad.

Esta semana en la historia jesuita

 

• 23 de marzo de 1772: En Roma, el cardenal Marefoschi visitó el Colegio Irlandés y acusó a los jesuitas de mala gestión. Los destituyó de la dirección de dicho establecimiento.
• 24 de marzo de 1578: En Lisboa, Rudolf Acquaviva y trece compañeros se embarcaron rumbo a la India. Entre ellos se encontraban Matthew Ricci y Michael Ruggieri.
• 25 de marzo de 1563: La primera Congregación de Nuestra Señora, Prima Primaria, fue fundada en el Colegio Romano por un joven jesuita belga llamado Juan Leunis (Leonius).
• 26 de marzo de 1553: La carta de Ignacio de Loyola sobre la obediencia fue enviada a los jesuitas de Portugal.
• 27 de marzo de 1587: En Messina murió el padre Thomas Evans, inglés, a los 29 años. Había sufrido prisión por su defensa de la fe católica en Inglaterra.
• 28 de marzo de 1606: En el Guildhall de Londres, se celebra el juicio del padre Henry Garnet, falsamente acusado de complicidad en la Conspiración de la Pólvora.
• 29 de marzo de 1523: Primera visita de Ignacio a Roma en su camino de Manresa a Palestina.