Photo: A Harvest

 

Poem: I am praying again, Awesome One by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926) English version by Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy

 I am praying again, Awesome One.

You hear me again, as words
from the depths of me
rush toward you in the wind.

I've been scattered in pieces,
torn by conflict,
mocked by laughter,
washed down in drink.

In alleyways I sweep myself up
out of garbage and broken glass.
With my half-mouth I stammer you,
who are eternal in your symmetry.
I lift to you my half-hands
in wordless beseeching, that I may find again
the eyes with which I once beheld you.

I am a house gutted by fire
where only the guilty sometimes sleep
before the punishment that devours them
hounds them out into the open.

I am a city by the sea
sinking into a toxic tide
I am strange to myself, as though someone unknown
had poisoned my mother as she carried me.

It's here in all the pieces of my shame
that now I find myself again.
I yearn to belong to something, to be contained
in an all-embracing mind that sees me
as a single thing.
I yearn to be held
in the great hands of your heart--
oh let them take me now.

Into them I place these fragments, my life,
and you, God -- spend them however you want.

Photo: The Cross and its Shadow

 

Spirituality: Mirabai Starr in "Wild Mercy"

The Sabbath is not just a day of rest, but a day of reconnection. It is a time to reconnect with ourselves, with each other, and with the divine. By setting aside time to pause and reflect, we can recharge our spirits and renew our sense of purpose. We can remember what is truly important in life and let go of the distractions that pull us away from our true selves.

Spirituality: Joan Chittister in Wisdom Distilled from the Daily

It is in community that we come to see God in the other. It is in community that we see our own emptiness filled up. It is community that calls me beyond the pinched horizons of my own life, my own country, my own race, and gives me the gifts I do not have within me.

Photo: Ice Cream

 

Spirituality: Cynthia Bourgeault in THE WISDOM JESUS, "the Practice of Stopping"

The practice of stopping, of coming back to ourselves and the present moment, is a way of connecting with the divine within us and around us. It is a way of cultivating a deeper sense of presence, awareness, and gratitude for the gift of life... The simple act of pausing, of taking a conscious breath and a step back from our habitual reactivity, can be a powerful tool for awakening. In that moment of pause, we open a space for self-awareness and self-observation to arise. We become more conscious of our thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations, and we can choose how to respond, rather than simply reacting out of habit.

Photo: The Crucifix

 

Spirituality: Patricia Jabbeh Wesley, from “What You Need to Know About Me”; in Praise Song for My Children

 What you need to know about me

is not that I survived the war

or that I write poetry

or that I am African,

but that I live in this world

just like you.

 

That I wake up every morning

to get the children ready for school,

that I comb my hair

and worry about its gray,

that I love my strong coffee

in the morning…

That I listen to music

and laugh out loud

when the mood is right,

that I cry when I read the news…

 

What you need to know about me

is not what country I am from

or how many languages I speak

or how I pronounce my name,

but that I believe

we are connected

by the simplest thread—

the need to be seen,

to be held,

to be heard.

The Beginnings of Spiritual Conversations: Saints Peter and Paul 2025

The Beginnings of Spiritual Conversations:

Saints Peter and Paul 2025 

June 29, 2025

www.johnpredmoresj.com | predmore.blogspot.com

predmoresj@yahoo.com | 617.510.9673

Acts 12:1-11; Psalm 34; 2 Timothy 4:6-18; Matthew 16:13-19

 

This feast day is important to Jesuits worldwide because it is the day that Ignatius of Loyola’s fever broke and he began his recovery. Ignatius was wounded in May 1521 at the battle against the French in Pamplona, Spain. A cannonball shattered his leg, and, because of his valor, the French brought him to his castle in Loyola in the Basque region to recuperate. His legs have been ill set, and the doctors found it necessary to break his legs again to heal properly. A violent fever set in, and the doctors declared that he would not live beyond a few days. He received the last rites on this feast day expecting that he would not survive the night. Ignatius always had a great devotion to Peter and confidently implored his intercession. During the night, in a dream, he thought he saw the Apostle touch him and cure him. When he awaked he found himself out of danger; his pains left him, and his strength began to return, so that he saw this recovery as miraculous. The story of the pilgrim Ignatius was just beginning.

 

The story of Peter and Paul were beginnings as well. Peter was chosen to build the church in memory of Jesus, and Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles and the church’s first theologian. Ignatius offered a type of friendship with Christ that made the faith accessible to the ordinary person. When the family of Ignatius visited him in his sickroom, they noticed a new character forming within Ignatius. He began to speak to them of the things of God, and he began to have a defining hallmark of Ignatian ministry: spiritual conversations. He realized these skillful conversations helped souls. The more he helped souls, the more he felt within himself an impulse to serve the Lord. 

 

This feast celebrates the relationship between Peter and Paul, which was built on having sacred conversations with one another. Through their conversations, the saints were able to make the faith a universal one with the criterion for membership in this new community as belief in the Lord Jesus. Anyone who called upon the name of Jesus was treated with mercy and welcome into the community as brother, sister, and friend. Anyone who had an encounter with the Risen Jesus was accepted as an equal and could share a meal of friendship and communion.

 

We need this feast today because the spiritual conversations between Peter and Paul, and the ones Ignatius advocated for, are needed more than ever. We can have difficult but necessary conversations. It begins with a desire to help souls. We must first see people who are suffering and then be filled with a desire to lessen their pain and to provide for them a way forward. We need people today who are going to show us that there is a path to future healing, reconciliation, and wholeness. We must believe it is possible. Peter and Paul argued and listened to one another and were able to bring the Gentiles and Jews together into one expression of faith. They learned how to respect and hear each other’s points and to be bolstered by stories of genuine faith. Ignatius learned how to listen to stories to heal and reform the Church and to show people they could be in friendship with a loving, caring God. Today, we need our everyday saints to show us what is possible through spiritual conversations and trust in one another. The way forward is bright if we take these radical steps of collegiality and friendship. People are seeking a way forward, and they need your saintly work of helping souls today. Great work is done through our everyday work of helping another person suffer less.

 

Scripture for Daily Mass

Monday: (Genesis 18) Abraham and the men who had visited him by the Terebinth of Mamre set out from there and looked down toward Sodom; Abraham was walking with them, to see them on their way. The LORD reflected: "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, now that he is to become a great and populous nation, and all the nations of the earth are to find blessing in him?

 

Tuesday: (Genesis 19) As dawn was breaking, the angels urged Lot on, saying, "On your way! Take with you your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of Sodom." When he hesitated, the men, by the LORD's mercy, seized his hand and the hands of his wife and his two daughters and led them to safety outside the city.

 

Wednesday: (Genesis 21) Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Isaac grew, and on the day of the child's weaning Abraham held a great feast. Sarah noticed the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham playing with her son Isaac; so she demanded of Abraham: "Drive out that slave and her son!

 

Thursday: (Ephesians 2) You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.

 

Friday (Genesis 23) The span of Sarah's life was one hundred and twenty-seven years. She died in Kiriatharba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham performed the customary mourning rites for her. Then he left the side of his dead one and addressed the Hittites: "Although I am a resident alien among you, sell me from your holdings a piece of property for a burial ground, that I may bury my dead wife."

 

Saturday (Genesis 27) When Isaac was so old that his eyesight had failed him, he called his older son Esau and said to him, "Son!" "Yes father!" he replied. Isaac then said, "As you can see, I am so old that I may now die at any time. Take your gear, therefore–your quiver and bow–and go out into the country to hunt some game for me.

 

Gospel: 

Monday: (Matthew 8) A scribe approached and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”

 

Tuesday: (Matthew 8) As Jesus got into a boat, his disciples followed him. Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves; but he was asleep. They came and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us!  We are perishing!"

 

Wednesday (Matthew 8) When Jesus came to the territory of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met him. They were so savage that no one could travel by that road. They cried out, "What have you to do with us, Son of God?
Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?"

 

Thursday (John 20) Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord." But Thomas said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."

 

Friday (Matthew 9) As Jesus passed by, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, ""Follow me."" And he got up and followed him.
While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples.

 

Saturday (Matthew 9) The disciples of John approached Jesus and said, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?" Jesus answered them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?

 

Saints of the Week

 

June 29: Peter and Paul, apostles (first century) are lumped together for a feast day because of their extreme importance to the early and contemporary church. Upon Peter's faith was the church built; Paul's efforts to bring Gentiles into the faith and to lay out a moral code was important for successive generations. It is right that they are joined together as their work is one, but with two prongs. For Jesuits, this is a day that Ignatius began to recover from his illness after the wounds he sustained at Pamplona. It marked a turning point in his recovery.

 

June 30: The First Holy Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church (c. 64) were martyrs under Nero's persecution in 64. Nero reacted to the great fire in Rome by falsely accusing Christians of setting it. While no one believed Nero's assertions, Christians were humiliated and condemned to death in horrible ways. This day always follows the feast of the martyrs, Sts. Peter and Paul.

 

July 1: Junipero Serra, priest, was a Franciscan missionary who founded missions in Baja and traveled north to California starting in 1768. The Franciscans established the missions during the suppression of the Jesuits. San Diego, San Francisco, and Santa Clara are among the most famous. Serra’s statue is in the U.S. Capitol to represent California.

 

July 2: Bernard Realino, John Francis Regis, Francis Jerome, S.J. are known for their preaching skills that drew many to the faith, including many French Hugeunots. Regis and his companions preached Catholic doctrine to children and assisted many struck by the plague in Frances. Regis University in Denver, Colorado is named after John Regis. 

 

July 3: Thomas, apostle, is thought to have been an apostle to India and Pakistan and he is best remembered as the one who “doubted” the resurrection of Jesus. The Gospels, however, testify to his faithfulness to Jesus during his ministry. The name, Thomas, stands for “twin,” but no mention is made of his twin’s identity.

This Week in Jesuit History

 

• June 29, 1880. In France the law of spoliation, which was passed at the end of March, came into effect and all the Jesuit Houses and Colleges were suppressed. 
• June 30, 1829. The opening of the Twenty-first General Congregation of the order, which elected Fr. John Roothan as General. 
• July 1, 1556. The beginning of St Ignatius's last illness. He saw his three great desires fulfilled: confirmation of the Institute, papal approval of the Spiritual Exercises, and acceptance of the Constitutions by the whole Society. 
• July 2, 1928. The Missouri Province was divided into the Missouri Province and the Chicago Province. In 1955 there would be a further subdivision: Missouri divided into Missouri and Wisconsin; Chicago divided into Chicago and Detroit. 
• July 3, 1580. Queen Elizabeth I issued a statute forbidding all Jesuits to enter England. 
• July 4, 1648. The martyrdom in Canada of Anthony Daniel who was shot with arrows and thrown into flames by the Iroquois. 
• July 5, 1592. The arrest of Fr. Robert Southwell at Uxenden Manor, the house of Mr Bellamy. Tortured and then transferred to the Tower, he remained there for two and a half years.

 

Los inicios de las conversaciones espirituales: Santos Pedro y Pablo 2025

Los inicios de las conversaciones espirituales:

Santos Pedro y Pablo 2025

29 de junio de 2025

www.johnpredmoresj.com | predmore.blogspot.com

predmoresj@yahoo.com | 617.510.9673

Hechos 12:1-11; Salmo 34; 2 Timoteo 4:6-18; Mateo 16:13-19

 

Esta festividad es importante para los jesuitas de todo el mundo porque es el día en que a Ignacio de Loyola se le borró la fiebre y comenzó su recuperación. Ignacio fue herido en mayo de 1521 en la batalla contra los franceses en Pamplona, España. Una bala de cañón le destrozó la pierna y, debido a su valor, los franceses lo llevaron a su castillo en Loyola, en el País Vasco, para que se recuperara. Sus piernas estaban mal curadas, y los médicos tuvieron que fracturárselas de nuevo para que sanara bien. Le sobrevino una fiebre intensa, y los médicos declararon que no viviría más que unos pocos días. Recibió la extremaunción en esta festividad, pensando que no sobreviviría a la noche. Ignacio siempre tuvo una gran devoción a Pedro e imploró con confianza su intercesión. Durante la noche, en un sueño, creyó ver al Apóstol tocarlo y curarlo. Al despertar, se encontró fuera de peligro; los dolores lo abandonaron y comenzó a recuperar las fuerzas, por lo que consideró esta recuperación como un milagro. La historia del peregrino Ignacio apenas comenzaba.

 

La historia de Pedro y Pablo también marcó un comienzo. Pedro fue elegido para edificar la iglesia en memoria de Jesús, y Pablo fue el apóstol de los gentiles y el primer teólogo de la iglesia. Ignacio ofreció una amistad con Cristo que hizo accesible la fe a la gente común. Cuando la familia de Ignacio lo visitó en su habitación de enfermo, notaron que se estaba formando un nuevo carácter en él. Empezó a hablarles de las cosas de Dios y a desarrollar un sello distintivo del ministerio ignaciano: las conversaciones espirituales. Se dio cuenta de que estas hábiles conversaciones ayudaban a las almas. Cuanto más ayudaba a las almas, más sentía en su interior el impulso de servir al Señor.

 

Esta fiesta celebra la relación entre Pedro y Pablo, cimentada en conversaciones sagradas. A través de sus conversaciones, los santos lograron universalizar la fe, con la creencia en el Señor Jesús como criterio de pertenencia a esta nueva comunidad. Todo aquel que invocaba el nombre de Jesús era tratado con misericordia y acogido en la comunidad como hermano, hermana y amigo. Todo aquel que tenía un encuentro con Jesús Resucitado era aceptado como igual y podía compartir una comida de amistad y comunión.

 

Necesitamos esta fiesta hoy porque las conversaciones espirituales entre Pedro y Pablo, y las que Ignacio promovió, son más necesarias que nunca. Podemos tener conversaciones difíciles pero necesarias. Comienza con el deseo de ayudar a las almas. Primero debemos ver a las personas que sufren y luego sentir el deseo de aliviar su dolor y brindarles un camino hacia adelante. Necesitamos personas hoy que nos muestren que existe un camino hacia la sanación, la reconciliación y la plenitud futuras. Debemos creer que es posible. Pedro y Pablo discutieron y se escucharon mutuamente, y lograron unir a gentiles y judíos en una sola expresión de fe. Aprendieron a respetar y escuchar los puntos de vista del otro y a sentirse fortalecidos por historias de fe genuina. Ignacio aprendió a escuchar historias para sanar y reformar la Iglesia y para mostrar a las personas que podían tener amistad con un Dios amoroso y bondadoso. Hoy, necesitamos que nuestros santos de cada día nos muestren lo que es posible mediante las conversaciones espirituales y la confianza mutua. El camino a seguir es prometedor si damos estos pasos radicales de colegialidad y amistad. La gente busca una salida y necesita tu santa labor de ayudar a las almas hoy. Realizamos una gran labor a través de nuestro trabajo diario de ayudar a otra persona a sufrir menos.

 

Escritura para la misa diaria

Lunes: (Génesis 18) Abraham y los hombres que lo habían visitado junto al Terebinto de Mamré partieron de allí y miraron hacia Sodoma; Abraham caminaba con ellos para acompañarlos en su camino. El SEÑOR reflexionó: "¿Ocultaré a Abraham lo que estoy a punto de hacer, ahora que se convertirá en una nación grande y numerosa, y todas las naciones de la tierra hallarán bendición en él?

 

Martes: (Génesis 19 ) Al amanecer, los ángeles animaron a Lot, diciendo: "¡Vete! Lleva contigo a tu esposa y a tus dos hijas que están aquí, o serás arrastrado por el castigo de Sodoma". Cuando dudó, los hombres, por la misericordia del SEÑOR, tomaron su mano, la de su esposa y la de sus dos hijas, y las llevaron a un lugar seguro fuera de la ciudad.

 

Miércoles: (Génesis 21 ) Abraham tenía cien años cuando nació su hijo Isaac. Isaac creció, y el día del destete, Abraham celebró un gran banquete. Sara vio al hijo que Agar la egipcia le había dado a Abraham jugando con su hijo Isaac; así que le exigió a Abraham: "¡Echa fuera a esa esclava y a su hijo!

 

Jueves: (Efesios 2 ) Ya no sois extranjeros ni peregrinos, sino conciudadanos de los santos y miembros de la familia de Dios, edificados sobre el fundamento de los apóstoles y profetas, siendo Cristo Jesús mismo la piedra angular.

 

Viernes (Génesis 23) La vida de Sara fue de ciento veintisiete años. Murió en Quiriatarba (es decir, Hebrón), en la tierra de Canaán, y Abraham celebró el duelo habitual por ella. Luego se apartó de su difunta y se dirigió a los hititas: «Aunque soy un forastero residente entre ustedes, véndanme de sus propiedades una propiedad para sepultura, para que pueda enterrar a mi difunta».

 

Sábado (Génesis 27) Cuando Isaac era tan viejo que le fallaba la vista, llamó a su hijo mayor, Esaú, y le dijo: "¡Hijo!". "¡Sí, padre!", respondió. Isaac entonces dijo: "Como puedes ver, soy tan viejo que puedo morir en cualquier momento. Toma tus cosas, pues —tu carcaj y tu arco—, y sal al campo a cazar para mí.

 

Evangelio: 

Lunes: ( Mateo 8 ) Un escriba se acercó y le dijo: «Maestro, te seguiré adondequiera que vayas». Jesús le respondió: «Las zorras tienen guaridas y las aves del cielo nidos, pero el Hijo del Hombre no tiene dónde reposar la cabeza».

 

Martes: (Mateo 8 ) Mientras Jesús subía a una barca, sus discípulos lo seguían. De repente, se desató una violenta tormenta en el mar, de modo que la barca se hundía entre las olas; pero él dormía. Vinieron y lo despertaron, diciendo: «¡Señor, sálvanos! ¡Perecemos!».

 

Miércoles (Mateo 8) Cuando Jesús llegó a la tierra de los gadarenos, dos endemoniados que salían de los sepulcros lo encontraron. Eran tan feroces que nadie podía pasar por ese camino. Gritaron: "¿Qué tienes que ver con nosotros, Hijo de Dios? 
¿Has venido aquí a atormentarnos antes de tiempo?"

 

Jueves (Juan 20 ) Tomás, llamado el Dídimo, uno de los Doce, no estaba con ellos cuando Jesús llegó. Así que los otros discípulos le dijeron: «Hemos visto al Señor». Pero Tomás les respondió: «Si no veo la señal de los clavos en sus manos y meto mi dedo en el lugar de los clavos y la mano en su costado, no creeré».

 

Viernes (Mateo 9 ) Al pasar, Jesús vio a un hombre llamado Mateo sentado en el puesto de aduanas. Le dijo: «Sígueme». Y se levantó y lo siguió. 
Mientras estaba sentado a la mesa en su casa, muchos publicanos y pecadores vinieron y se sentaron con Jesús y sus discípulos.

 

Sábado (Mateo 9) Los discípulos de Juan se acercaron a Jesús y le dijeron: "¿Por qué nosotros y los fariseos ayunamos mucho, pero tus discípulos no ayunan?" Jesús les respondió: "¿Acaso pueden los invitados a la boda estar de luto mientras el novio está con ellos?

 

Santos de la Semana

 

29 de junio: Pedro y Pablo, apóstoles (siglo I), son reunidos en una festividad debido a su gran importancia para la iglesia primitiva y contemporánea. Sobre la fe de Pedro se edificó la iglesia; los esfuerzos de Pablo por atraer a los gentiles a la fe y establecer un código moral fueron importantes para las generaciones posteriores. Es justo que estén unidos, ya que su obra es una sola, pero con dos vertientes. Para los jesuitas, este es el día en que Ignacio comenzó a recuperarse de su enfermedad tras las heridas sufridas en Pamplona. Marcó un punto de inflexión en su recuperación.

 

30 de junio: Los primeros santos mártires de la Santa Iglesia Romana (c. 64) fueron mártires durante la persecución de Nerón en el año 64. Nerón reaccionó al gran incendio de Roma acusando falsamente a los cristianos de provocarlo. Aunque nadie creyó las afirmaciones de Nerón, los cristianos fueron humillados y condenados a muerte de forma horrible. Este día siempre sigue a la festividad de los mártires, san Pedro y san Pablo.

 

1 de julio: Junípero Serra, sacerdote , fue un misionero franciscano que fundó misiones en Baja California y viajó al norte, a California, a partir de 1768. Los franciscanos establecieron las misiones durante la represión de los jesuitas. San Diego, San Francisco y Santa Clara se encuentran entre las más famosas. La estatua de Serra se encuentra en el Capitolio de los Estados Unidos para representar a California.

 

2 de julio: Bernard Realino , John Francis Regis y Francis Jerome, SJ, son conocidos por sus habilidades de predicación que atrajeron a muchos a la fe, incluyendo a muchos hugounotes franceses . Regis y sus compañeros predicaron la doctrina católica a los niños y ayudaron a muchos afectados por la peste en Frances. La Universidad Regis en Denver, Colorado, lleva el nombre de John Regis.

 

3 de julio: Se cree que Tomás, apóstol , fue apóstol en India y Pakistán, y se le recuerda principalmente como quien "dudó" de la resurrección de Jesús. Sin embargo, los Evangelios dan testimonio de su fidelidad a Jesús durante su ministerio. El nombre Tomás significa "gemelo", pero no se menciona la identidad de su gemelo.

Esta semana en la historia jesuita

 

• 29 de junio de 1880. En Francia entró en vigor la ley de expoliación, aprobada a fines de marzo, y todas las casas y colegios jesuitas fueron suprimidos.
• 30 de junio de 1829. Apertura de la XXI Congregación General de la orden, que eligió al P. Juan Roothan como General.
• 1 de julio de 1556. Comienzo de la última enfermedad de San Ignacio. Vio cumplidos sus tres grandes deseos: la confirmación del Instituto, la aprobación papal de los Ejercicios Espirituales y la aceptación de las Constituciones por toda la Compañía.
• 2 de julio de 1928. La provincia de Misuri se dividió en la provincia de Misuri y la provincia de Chicago. En 1955, se produjo una nueva subdivisión: Misuri se dividió en Misuri y Wisconsin; Chicago se dividió en Chicago y Detroit.
• 3 de julio de 1580. La reina Isabel I emitió un estatuto que prohibía a todos los jesuitas entrar en Inglaterra.
• 4 de julio de 1648. Martirio en Canadá de Anthony Daniel, quien fue acribillado a flechazos y arrojado a las llamas por los iroqueses.
• 5 de julio de 1592. Arresto del padre Robert Southwell en Uxenden Manor, casa del señor Bellamy. Torturado y luego trasladado a la Torre, permaneció allí dos años y medio.

Photo: A Glass Snail

 

Spirituality: Wendell Berry, "Sabbaths 1999 VI" in GIVEN

We travelers, walking to the sun, can't see
Ahead, but looking back the very light
That blinded us shows us the way we came,
Along which blessings now appear, risen
As if from sightlessness to sight, and we,
By blessing brightly lit, keep going toward
That blessed light that yet to us is dark.

Photo: The road and the sky

 

Poem: The Road Home, Michael Dennis Browne

 Tell me, where is the road

   I can call my own,

That I left, that I lost,

   So long ago?

All these years I have wandered,

   Oh, when will I know

There's a way, there's a road

   That will lead me home?

 

After wind, after rain,

   When the dark is done.

As I wake from a dream

   In the gold of day,

Through the air there's a calling

   From far away,

There's a voice I can hear

   That will lead me home.

 

Rise up, follow me,

   Come away, is the call,

With the love in your heart

   As the only song;

There is no such beauty

   As where you belong:

Rise up, follow me,
   I will lead you home.

Photo: We Create

 

Spirituality: Mystical Hope, Cynthia Bourgeault, page 23.

Helen Luke, in her book “Old Age,” offers what may be the key to this riddle, discovered of all places and the American Heritage Dictionary. The word mercy, she explains, derives from the ancient Etruscan word merc; The words “commerce” and “merchant” share the same root. And so, at heart, mercy means some kind of exchange or transaction. It is a connection word. 

 

It's deeper meaning come through the French word merci, a grateful response and kindness of heart, and finally compassion and forgiveness, which includes all of our shades of darkness, whereby we can open ourselves to the Mercy. This is the optimum exchange, that when we come to a final letting go, may reveal to us the Whole.

Spirituality: Virginia Woolf in "To the Lighthouse"

What is the meaning of life? That was all—a simple question; one that tended to close in on one in years. The great revelation had never come. The great revelation perhaps never did come. Instead, there were little daily miracles, illuminations, matches struck unexpectedly in the dark.

Poem: “Wisdom” by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater

 On January first 

I asked my dog 

What is your New Year’s Resolution?

 

She looked at me 

with that furry face of hers 

and without saying a word 

my dog answered.

 

More walks

More naps.

I think I’ll be friends 

with the cat.

 

She wagged her tail 

closed her eyes

and that was that.

Photo: The Ties that Bind

 

Poem: Countee Cullen, Simon the Cyrenian Speaks

 He never spoke a word to me,

    And yet He called my name;
He never gave a sign to me,
    And yet I knew and came.

At first I said, "I will not bear
    His cross upon my back;
He only seeks to place it there
    Because my skin is black."

But He was dying for a dream,
    And He was very meek,
And in His eyes there shone a gleam
    Men journey far to seek.

It was Himself my pity bought;
    I did for Christ alone
What all of Rome could not have wrought
    With bruise of lash or stone.

The Table of Plenty: The Body and Blood of Christ 2025

                                                         The Table of Plenty:

The Body and Blood of Christ 2025 

June 22, 2025

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Genesis 14:18-20; Psalm 110; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Luke 9:11-17

 

As the day was coming to an end, Jesus told the disciples to feed the crowd who was with them all day. Realizing they did not have enough food to go around, they urged Jesus to send them home. They did not think they could be hospitable. Jesus told them they had enough resources to nourish everyone. They most likely thought they did not have enough food to feed themselves. Jesus intervenes with a blessing. Whatever the miracle was, sufficient food was available to satisfy everyone and to have plenty of food left. 

 

With the surplus food we produce, it is unconscionable that we have people who live with food scarcity. We have all the resources to feed ourselves well and to care for those who are food insecure. In a society with food regulations and legal liability, we know we have far too much food waste. Some companies are thrifty in dealing with appropriate portions and others donate food at day’s end so that others may eat without violating health mandates. Still, we waste too much food, and we charge too much. 

 

We ought to take the words of Jesus to heart. We have enough resources to resolve our own problems and to satisfy everyone’s hunger. The Eucharist is about sharing what we have with the community so that everyone is nourished. It is no surprise that the Eucharistic meal has a social dimension. St. Paul admonished the Corinthians for having two meals – a spiritual one and a gourmet meal. He has adamant that there was meal that was to be shared and those who were invited were any persons who called upon the name of the Lord. It cannot be any other way. We cannot partake of the Eucharist and leave others without nourishment and sustenance. 

 

The Eucharist must be the meal that reconnects. The Eucharist is about community and sharing one’s resources with others. In a land of plenty, we have the resources to balance the scarcity that exists, and we can be creative in finding new ways to solving long-standing problems. Today, we contend with mental wellness issues, free will of persons to make their own choices, those who prey upon the goodwill of others to support them, and those who are beset by hard times. The Eucharist is there so we can discern together how to care for those in need. These are not individual decisions made by generous, caring people. These are opportunities to come together in prayer, at the table of plenty, and figure out how we can take care of those who need special attention, more stringent guidance, and thoughtful education. 

 

The Eucharist is all about caring so that all who come to table are satisfied. At this table, we are the Body and Blood of Christ for the world. We are the ones who are blessed who are to pass along those blessings to others. We never eat as individuals. We eat at a table that reconnects. We share the One Christ and become satisfied.

 

Scripture for Daily Mass

Monday: (Genesis 12) Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk and from your father's house to a land that I will show you. "I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the communities of the earth shall find blessing in you."

 

Tuesday: (Jeremiah 1) “Ah, Lord GOD!” I said, “I know not how to speak; I am too young.” But the LORD answered me, Say not, “I am too young.” To whomever I send you, you shall go; whatever I command you, you shall speak. Have no fear before them, because I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.

 

Wednesday: (Genesis 15) He then said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as a possession.” “O Lord GOD,” he asked,
“how am I to know that I shall possess it?”

 

Thursday: (Genesis 16) Abram's wife Sarai had borne him no children. She had, however, an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar. Sarai said to Abram: "The LORD has kept me from bearing children. Have intercourse, then, with my maid; perhaps I shall have sons through her."

 

Friday (Ezekiel 34) I myself will look after and tend my sheep. As a shepherd tends his flock when he finds himself among his scattered sheep, so will I tend my sheep. I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered when it was cloudy and dark.

 

Saturday (Genesis 18) The LORD appeared to Abraham by the Terebinth of Mamre, as Abraham sat in the entrance of his tent, while the day was growing hot. Looking up, he saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them.

 

Gospel: 

Monday: (Matthew 7) Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you. Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?

 

Tuesday: (Luke 1) Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him.
But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.

 

Wednesday (Matthew 7) Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing,
but underneath are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Just so, every good tree bears good fruit,
and a rotten tree bears bad fruit.

 

Thursday (Matthew 7) Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?'

 

Friday (Luke 15) 'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance."

 

Saturday (Matthew 8) "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully."
He said to him, "I will come and cure him." The centurion said in reply, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.

 

Saints of the Week

 

June 22: Paulinus of Nola, bishop (353-431) was a prominent lawyer who married a Spaniard and was baptized. Their infant son died while in Spain. He became a priest and was sent to Nola, near Naples, where he lived a semi-monastic life and helped the poor and pilgrims. 

 

June 22: John Fisher, bishop and martyr (1469-1535) taught theology at Cambridge University and became the University Chancellor and bishop of Rochester. Fisher defended the queen against Henry VIII who wanted the marriage annulled. Fisher refused to sign the Act of Succession. When the Pope made Fisher a cardinal, the angry king beheaded him. 

 

June 22: Thomas More, martyr (1478-1535) was a gifted lawyer, Member of Parliament, scholar, and public official. He was reluctant to serve Cardinal Woolsey at court and he resigned after he opposed the king’s Act of Succession, which would allow him to divorce his wife. He was imprisoned and eventually beheaded. 

 

June 24: Nativity of John the Baptist (first century) was celebrated on June 24^th to remind us that he was six months older than Jesus, according to Luke. This day also serves to remind us that, as Christ is the light of the world, John must decrease just as the daylight diminishes. John’s birth is told by Luke. He was the son of the mature Elizabeth and the dumbstruck Zechariah. When John was named, Zechariah’s tongue was loosened and he sang the great Benedictus.

 

June 27: Cyril of Alexandria, bishop and doctor (376-444), presided over the Council of Ephesus that fought Nestorian the heresy. Cyril claimed, contrary to Nestorius, that since the divine and human in Jesus were so closely united that it was appropriate to refer to Mary was the mother of God. Because he condemned Nestorius, the church went through a schism that lasted until Cyril's death. Cyril's power, wealth, and theological expertise influenced many as he defended the church against opposing philosophies. 

 

June 28: Irenaeus, bishop and martyr (130-200) was sent to Lyons as a missionary to combat the persecution the church faced in Lyons. He was born in Asia Minor and became a disciple of Polycarp who was a disciple of the Apostle John. Irenaeus asserted that the creation was not sinful by nature but merely distorted by sin. As God created us, God redeemed us. Therefore, our fallen nature can only be saved by Christ who took on our form in the Incarnation. Irenaeus refutation of heresies laid the foundations of Christian theology.

This Week in Jesuit History

 

• June 22, 1611. The first arrival of the Jesuit fathers in Canada, sent there at the request of Henry IV of France. 
• June 23, 1967. Saint Louis University's Board of Trustees gathered at Fordyce House for the first meeting of the expanded Board of Trustees. SLU was the first Catholic university to establish a Board of Trustees with a majority of lay members. 
• June 24, 1537. Ignatius, Francis Xavier, and five of the companions were ordained priests in Venice, Italy. 
• June 25, 1782. The Jesuits in White Russia were permitted by the Empress Catherine to elect a General. They chose Fr. Czerniewicz. He took the title of Vicar General, with the powers of the General. 
• June 26, 1614. By a ruse of the Calvinists, the book, "Defensio Fidei" by Francis Suarez was condemned by the French Parliament. In addition, in England James I ordered the book to be publicly burned. 
• June 27, 1978. Bernard Lisson, a mechanic, and Gregor Richert, a parish priest, were shot to death at St Rupert's Mission, Sinoia, Zimbabwe. 
• June 28, 1591. Fr. Leonard Lessius's teaching on grace and predestination caused a great deal of excitement and agitation against the Society in Louvain and Douai. The Papal Nuncio and Pope Gregory XIV both declared that his teaching was perfectly orthodox.