Photo: Fall Arrives

 

Poem: An excerpt from the poem "Storage" by Mary Oliver

As I grew older the things I cared

about grew fewer, but were more
important. So one day I undid the lock
and called the trash man. He took everything.
I felt like the little donkey when
his burden is finally lifted. Things!
Burn them, burn them! Make a beautiful
fire! More room in your heart for love,
for the trees! For the birds who own
nothing—the reason they can fly.

Prayer: Fisherman’s prayer

Big Sea, Little Boat, 

Dear God, be good to me; 

The sea is so wide, 

And my boat is so small.

Photo: The Oud

 

Prayer: Six Recognitions of the Lord (Mary Oliver)

I know a lot of fancy words. 

I tear them from my heart and my tongue. 

Then I pray.

Prayer: Celtic Prayer

Alone with none but thee, my God, 

I journey on my way. 

What need I fear, when thou art near 

O king of night and day? 

More safe am I within thy hand,

Than if a host did round me stand.

Photo: The Pasture

 

Prayer: Could it be?

God, could it be that I am called to bring the light of day into the shadowlands of life?

Could it be that I am called to comfort those who mourn and dry the tears of those who cry?

Could it be that I am called to mend a life that's torn with hopeful, helpful, healing hands?

Could it be that I am called to give rest to the worn and guide those who have lost their way? 

Could it be that I am called to forgive as you forgive and to be your generous love in the world?

O God, in your great compassion, lead me, that I might be your presence somewhere between heaven and earth.

Inspired by the Book of Esther 4:14; John A Dalles

Photo: Jesuit Jubilarians

 

Presidential Scholars Mass

                                                        Presidential Scholars Mass

We belong to each other

 

 

            Yesterday, the Church celebrated the pride we have in the reverencing the Cross of Jesus, and today we honor Mary, his mum, for the sorrow she had in his crucifixion and death. Glory and sorrow are connected. The Cross that we venerate was once a symbol of shame and defeat. Today, we see it as the moment in which God tells us that God knows and understands human suffering and that God will remain with us. 

            We are here today to honor the Presidential Scholars who promise continued excellence in academics, the development of curiosity, and attainment of Ignatian values. These students are called to reach for the Magis. What exactly is the Magis? It is a Latin word that means “more,” and it can be wrongly interpreted to mean doing more, fitting more into one’s schedule, accepting all invitations that come one’s way. Ignatius meant something else. The Magis means to deepen the relationship with Christ, and it appears in The Second Week of the Spiritual Exercises when one is tested in friendship before Jesus goes to his trial and death. Magis is more about “being with” Jesus and his companions than it is about doing something. So, what does that mean for us?

            Look at the Gospel. Near his death, Jesus entrusts his mother to John, the Beloved Disciple, and he entrusts his disciples to Mary. They belong to one another, and our discipleship means to “be with” one another. The Magis is about belonging. The reading from Corinthians also means that we all belong. We share our gifts as we are given them. That means, there is no FOMO – fear of Missing out. We are called to enhance and contribute our gifts uniquely. It means that we are to applaud someone else’s achievements and contributions. Magis becomes a way of life. We build up one another as we are all parts of the Body of Christ. It is almost like that definition of FAMILY that we see on our grandmother’s holy cards: FAMILY- Forget about me, I love you.

            It is certainly right that we honor your individual achievement. Congratulations. This time together is about the promise that is to come through your scholarship, leadership, and example. Learn how to be with one another, which means to share what one is feeling with another person. The Gospel tells us about the Beloved Disciples and the mother of Jesus. They are given to one another. Our invitation is to deepen our conversations with our parents and to let them know what we are thinking and feeling. Our parents have to do the same with us. When we share what is most important to us, we forge a deep bond, and we see each other in new and meaningful ways.

            Within the classroom, the common areas, and the fields, it means that we make sure to include someone who might feel on the outside or on the margins. Through our advisories, we might take a moment outside of the group to sit with someone who is in pain and to listen to his story. We all want to be understood. We express ourselves by talking, but deep, meaningful listening precedes it. We listen without interruption or correcting the other person. When we listen with compassion, we do not get caught in judgment. Deep listening has the power to help us create a moment of joy. You have to take the time to look and see the suffering in the other person.

The foundation of love is understanding, which means to understand suffering. If you really want to love someone and make the person happy, you have to understand the person’s suffering. With understanding, your love will deepen and become true love. When we do not have enough understanding and love, we suffer. Happiness is the capacity to understand and to love. We cannot venerate the Cross without understanding suffering.

This is the magis to which you are called. You have demonstrated your leadership in unique and certain ways, and now you are called to greater understanding, more profound compassion, and finding creative and innovative ways to “be with” one another. We are in this together. As the Body of Christ, let us dedicate our time at BC High to journey with one another and simply to “be with” one another.

A Curious Standard: The Twenty-Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time 2026

                                                      A Curious Standard:

The Twenty-Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time 2026 

September 20, 2026

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Isaiah 55:6-9; Psalm 145; Philippians 1:20-27; Matthew 20:1-16

 

 

This Gospel is certainly challenging because God’s justice is larger than our sense of fairness. Our human justice tells us that it is unfair to give the late arrivers the same reward as those who toiled long and hard already. We build laws around such matters so that equality is built into our practices rather than a sense of equity. We get incensed when someone gets something free when we have earned all that we have achieved through sweat and toil. These matters split people into different political parties. We did things the right way; others should put in the same effort as we did. We hear the same with immigration. When someone is seeking asylum because their lives are endangered, we say, “They should apply for citizenship the way that we did. We did it the right way. They should not get a free pass, or it they do, what do I get?” We fall into the trap: If we compare, we despair.

 

Notice that the landowner did not cheat anyone. His generosity did not diminish what the first laborers received. We make comparison because our human justice is about limited resources, but this landowner tells us that his generosity is without limits. God does not become less generous to me because God is being generous to you. We think that equality is God’s way, but what God gives to each person is equitable, equity not equality. Instead, God asks us to consider, “What does love require?” In this case, the workers are not cheated because they have been cheated. They are angry because someone else has been treated generously, and we might not understand that someone else’s blessing does not mean we have lost something.

 

The question moves away from justice when we frame it in a new way. God’s actions are about restoring life. God may know that someone needs to eat or provide for one’s family. God is telling the person that they deserve to eat tonight. Our justice tells us that the other person has not made right choices and is therefore hungry. God's justice is not about rewarding achievement and punishing wrongdoing. God seeks to put things right—to restore people to dignity, relationship, community, and life.

 

Our hearts are big enough to think like God. We can ask ourselves if we can rejoice because God is generous to others. We have to learn to participate in God’s generosity. God’s generosity is about giving people what they need to be fully alive in restored dignity. Can I allow God to be generous even when that generosity does not seem fair to me? Does a blessing for someone who is different from me make me feel uncomfortable? Does someone receive forgiveness that I do not think is deserved? These are questions that Jesus puts before us in this parable. 

When we come to the Eucharistic table, we presume that we are all the same, that we all think alike and share the same values. We stand before our God who is ready to feed us. Some have been here for a long time; others are newer; some receive more than they deserve; still more have wandered and are now returning. We do not know each person’s story but we do know that God will feed each one according to what is needed. When we come to the Eucharistic table, we all receive the same Christ. Let him be generous. Celebrate and rejoice. He alone is enough for us. 

 

Scripture for Daily Mass 

Monday: (Ephesians 4) I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace

 

Tuesday: (Proverbs 21) Like a stream is the king’s heart in the hand of the LORD;
wherever it pleases him, he directs it. All the ways of a man may be right in his own eyes,
but it is the LORD who proves hearts.

 

Wednesday: (Proverbs 30) Two things I ask of you, deny them not to me before I die:
Put falsehood and lying far from me, give me neither poverty nor riches; provide me only with the food I need

 

Thursday (Ecclesiastes 1) Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities!  All things are vanity! What profit has man from all the labor which he toils at under the sun? One generation passes and another comes, but the world forever stays.

 

Friday (Ecclesiastes 3) There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every thing under the heavens. A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant. A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to tear down, and a time to build.

 

Saturday (Ecclesiastes 11) Rejoice, O young man, while you are young and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart, the vision of your eyes; Yet understand that as regards all this God will bring you to judgment.

 

Gospel: 

Monday: (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.

 

Tuesday: (Luke 8) The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd. He was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and they wish to see you.”

 

Wednesday (Luke 9) Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority
over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God
and to heal the sick. He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic.

 

Thursday (Luke 9) Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying, “John has been raised from the dead”;
others were saying, “Elijah has appeared”; still others, “One of the ancient prophets has arisen.”

 

Friday (Luke 9) Once when Jesus was praying in solitude, and the disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” They said in reply, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’”

 

Saturday (Luke 9) While they were all amazed at his every deed, Jesus said to his disciples, “Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.” But they did not understand this saying.

 

Saints of the Week

 

September 20: Andrew Kim Taegon, priest, martyr, Paul Hasang, martyr, and companion martyrs (19th century),were Korean martyrs that began to flourish in the early 1800’s. The church leadership was almost entirely lay-run. In 1836, Parisian missionaries secretly entered the country and Christians began to encounter hostility and persecutions. Over 10,000 Christians were killed. Taegon was the first native-born priest while the rest were 101 lay Christians.

 

September 21: Matthew, evangelist and Apostle (first century), may be two different people, but we have not historical data on either man. Since Matthew relies heavily upon Mark’s Gospel, it is unlikely that the evangelist is one of the Twelve Apostles. The Apostle appears in a list of the Twelve and in Matthew’s Gospel he is called a tax collector. The Evangelist is writing to Jewish-Christians who are urged to embrace their Jewish heritage and to participate in their mission to the Gentiles. To Matthew, Jesus is the fulfillment of the hopes of Jews and the inaugurator of a new way to relate to God.

 

September 22: Tomas Sitjar, S.J. and the martyrs of Valencia (1866-1936), were killed in the Spanish Civil War just a week after the war broke out. Sitjar was the Rector of Gandia and was formerly the novice director and metaphysics professor. The Jesuit Order was suppressed at the beginning of the war, which sent the men to disperse into apartments, but since they were known to the community, they were sought out, imprisoned, and later executed because of their belief in God. 

 

September 23: Pio of Pietrelcina, priest (1887-1968) was affectionately named Padre Pio and was a Capuchin priest who received the stigmata (wounds of Christ) just as Francis of Assisi did. He founded a hospital and became the spiritual advisor to many at a monastery at San Giovanni Rotondo.

 

September 26: Cosmas and Damian, martyrs (d. 287), were twins who became doctors. They were noted because they never charged anyone a medical fee. They died in the Diocletian persecution. Great miracles have been attributed to them and the Emperor Justinian is claimed to be healed through their intercession. 

 

This Week in Jesuit History

 

• September 20, 1990. The first-ever Congregation of Provincials met at Loyola, Spain, on the occasion of the 450th anniversary of the approval of the Society and 500th anniversary of the birth of St Ignatius. 
• September 21, 1557. At Salamanca, Melchior Cano wrote to Charles V's confessor, accusing the Jesuits of being heretics in disguise. 
• September 22, 1774. The death of Pope Clement XIV, worn out with suffering and grief because of the suppression of the Society. False stories had been circulated that he was poisoned by the Jesuits. 
• September 23, 1869. Woodstock College of the Sacred Heart opened. With 17 priests, 44 scholastics, and 16 brothers it was the largest Jesuit community in the United States at the time. 
• September 24, 1566. The first Jesuits entered the continental United States at Florida. Pedro Martinez and others, while attempting to land, were driven back by the natives, and forced to make for the island of Tatacuran. He was killed there three weeks later. 
• September 25, 1617. The death of Francisco Suarez. He wrote 24 volumes on philosophy and theology. As a novice he was found to be very dull, but one of his directors suggested that he ask our Lady's help. He subsequently became a person of prodigious talent. 
• September 26, 1605. At Rome, Pope Paul V orally declared St Aloysius to be one of the "Blessed." The official brief appeared on October 19.

Un estándar curioso: Vigésimo quinto domingo del tiempo ordinario de 2026

                                                           Un estándar curioso:

Vigésimo quinto domingo del tiempo ordinario de 2026

20 de septiembre de 2026

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predmoresj@yahoo.com | 617.510.9673

Isaías 55:6-9; Salmo 145; Filipenses 1:20-27; Mateo 20:1-16

 

 

Este Evangelio es sin duda un desafío, porque la justicia de Dios es mayor que nuestro sentido de equidad. Nuestra justicia humana nos dice que es injusto dar a los recién llegados la misma recompensa que a quienes ya han trabajado arduamente. Creamos leyes en torno a estos asuntos para que la igualdad se incorpore a nuestras prácticas en lugar de un sentido de equidad. Nos indignamos cuando alguien recibe algo gratis mientras que nosotros nos hemos ganado todo lo que hemos logrado con sudor y esfuerzo. Estos asuntos dividen a la gente en diferentes partidos políticos. Nosotros hicimos las cosas bien; los demás deberían esforzarse igual que nosotros . Oímos lo mismo con la inmigración. Cuando alguien busca asilo porque su vida corre peligro, decimos: «Deberían solicitar la ciudadanía como lo hicimos nosotros. Nosotros lo hicimos bien. No deberían recibir un trato preferencial, o si lo reciben, ¿qué gano yo?». Caemos en la trampa: si comparamos, nos desesperamos.

 

Nótese que el terrateniente no engañó a nadie. Su generosidad no disminuyó lo que recibieron los primeros trabajadores. Hacemos comparaciones porque nuestra justicia humana se basa en recursos limitados, pero este terrateniente nos dice que su generosidad no tiene límites. Dios no se vuelve menos generoso conmigo porque Dios sea generoso contigo. Pensamos que la igualdad es el camino de Dios, pero lo que Dios da a cada persona es equitativo, equidad, no igualdad. En cambio, Dios nos pide que consideremos: "¿Qué exige el amor?". En este caso, los trabajadores no son engañados porque lo hayan sido. Están enojados porque alguien más ha sido tratado con generosidad, y tal vez no entendamos que la bendición de otro no significa que hayamos perdido algo.

 

La cuestión se aleja de la justicia cuando la planteamos de una manera diferente. Las acciones de Dios tienen como objetivo restaurar la vida. Dios puede saber que alguien necesita comer o proveer para su familia. Dios le está diciendo a esa persona que merece comer esta noche. Nuestra justicia nos dice que la otra persona no ha tomado las decisiones correctas y, por lo tanto, tiene hambre. La justicia de Dios no consiste en recompensar los logros ni castigar las malas acciones. Dios busca enmendar las cosas , restaurar la dignidad de las personas, sus relaciones, su comunidad y su vida.

 

Nuestros corazones son lo suficientemente grandes como para pensar como Dios. Podemos preguntarnos si podemos alegrarnos porque Dios es generoso con los demás. Debemos aprender a participar de la generosidad de Dios. La generosidad de Dios consiste en dar a las personas lo que necesitan para vivir plenamente y con dignidad restaurada. ¿Puedo permitir que Dios sea generoso incluso cuando esa generosidad no me parezca justa? ¿Me incomoda una bendición para alguien que es diferente a mí? ¿Recibe alguien un perdón que yo no creo merecer? Estas son las preguntas que Jesús nos plantea en esta parábola.

Cuando nos acercamos a la mesa eucarística, partimos de la premisa de que todos somos iguales, que todos pensamos igual y compartimos los mismos valores. Nos presentamos ante nuestro Dios, dispuesto a alimentarnos. Algunos llevan mucho tiempo aquí; otros son nuevos; algunos reciben más de lo que merecen; otros más se han extraviado y ahora regresan. Desconocemos la historia de cada persona, pero sabemos que Dios alimentará a cada uno según sus necesidades. Al acercarnos a la mesa eucarística, todos recibimos al mismo Cristo. Que sea generoso. Celebremos y regocijémonos. Él solo nos basta.

 

Lecturas bíblicas para la Misa diaria

Lunes: (Efesios 4) Yo, prisionero por causa del Señor, les ruego que vivan de una manera digna del llamamiento que han recibido, con toda humildad y mansedumbre, con paciencia, soportándose unos a otros con amor, esforzándose por mantener la unidad del Espíritu mediante el vínculo de la paz.

 

Martes: (Proverbios 21) Como un arroyo es el corazón del rey en la mano del Señor; 
adonde le place, él lo dirige. Todos los caminos del hombre pueden parecerle rectos, 
pero es el Señor quien prueba los corazones.

 

Miércoles: (Proverbios 30) Dos cosas te pido, no me las niegues antes de que muera: 
Aleja de mí la mentira y el engaño; no me des pobreza ni riqueza; solo dame el alimento que necesito.

 

Jueves (Eclesiastés 1) Vanidad de vanidades, dice Qohelet, vanidad de vanidades. ¡Todo es vanidad! ¿Qué provecho obtiene el hombre de todo el trabajo que realiza bajo el sol? Una generación pasa y otra viene, pero el mundo permanece para siempre.

 

Viernes (Eclesiastés 3) Hay un tiempo para todo, y un tiempo para cada cosa bajo el cielo. Tiempo de nacer, y tiempo de morir; tiempo de plantar, y tiempo de arrancar la planta. Tiempo de matar, y tiempo de sanar; tiempo de destruir, y tiempo de construir.

 

Sábado (Eclesiastés 11) Alégrate, joven, mientras eres joven y regocíjate en los días de tu juventud. Sigue los dictados de tu corazón, la visión de tus ojos; pero ten presente que, en todo esto, Dios te juzgará.

 

Evangelio: 

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

 

Martes: (Lucas 8) La madre de Jesús y sus hermanos fueron a verlo, pero no pudieron acompañarlo debido a la multitud. Le dijeron: «Tu madre y tus hermanos están afuera y quieren verte».

 

Miércoles (Lucas 9) Jesús llamó a los Doce y les dio poder y autoridad 
sobre todos los demonios y para curar enfermedades, y los envió a proclamar el Reino de Dios 
y a sanar a los enfermos. Les dijo: «No lleven nada para el camino, ni bastón, ni bolsa, ni comida, ni dinero, y que nadie lleve una segunda túnica.

 

El jueves (Lucas 9), Herodes el tetrarca oyó hablar de todo lo que estaba sucediendo y quedó muy perplejo porque algunos decían: «Juan ha resucitado de entre los muertos»; 
otros decían: «Elías ha aparecido»; y otros más: «Ha resucitado uno de los antiguos profetas».

 

Viernes (Lucas 9) Un día, mientras Jesús oraba a solas, acompañado por sus discípulos, les preguntó: «¿Quién dice la gente que soy yo?». Ellos respondieron: «Juan el Bautista; otros, Elías; y otros, “Ha surgido uno de los profetas de la antigüedad”».

 

Sábado (Lucas 9) Mientras todos se maravillaban de cada una de sus obras, Jesús les dijo a sus discípulos: «Presten atención a lo que les digo: el Hijo del Hombre será entregado a los hombres». Pero ellos no entendieron estas palabras.

 

Santos de la semana

 

20 de septiembre: Andrew Kim Taegon, sacerdote y mártir, Paul Hasang, también mártir, y sus compañeros mártires (siglo XIX) fueron mártires coreanos que comenzaron a proliferar a principios del siglo XIX. La dirección de la iglesia estaba compuesta casi en su totalidad por laicos . En 1836, misioneros parisinos entraron clandestinamente en el país y los cristianos comenzaron a sufrir hostilidad y persecuciones. Más de 10 000 cristianos fueron asesinados. Taegon fue el primer sacerdote nacido en Corea, mientras que los otros 101 eran laicos.

 

21 de septiembre: Mateo, evangelista y apóstol (siglo I), podría tratarse de dos personas distintas, pero carecemos de datos históricos sobre ambos. Dado que Mateo se basa en gran medida en el Evangelio de Marcos, es improbable que el evangelista sea uno de los Doce Apóstoles. El apóstol aparece en una lista de los Doce y en el Evangelio de Mateo se le describe como recaudador de impuestos. El evangelista escribe a judeocristianos, a quienes exhorta a abrazar su herencia judía y a participar en su misión entre los gentiles. Para Mateo, Jesús representa el cumplimiento de las esperanzas de los judíos y el inicio de una nueva forma de relacionarse con Dios.

 

22 de septiembre: Tomás Sitjar, S.J., y los mártires de Valencia (1866-1936) murieron en la Guerra Civil Española apenas una semana después de su estallido. Sitjar era rector de Gandía y anteriormente había sido director de novicios y profesor de metafísica. La Compañía de Jesús fue suprimida al comienzo de la guerra, lo que obligó a los jesuitas a dispersarse en apartamentos, pero como eran conocidos en la comunidad, fueron buscados, encarcelados y posteriormente ejecutados por su fe en Dios.

 

23 de septiembre: Pío de Pietrelcina , sacerdote (1887-1968) , conocido cariñosamente como Padre Pío, fue un sacerdote capuchino que recibió los estigmas (las llagas de Cristo) al igual que Francisco de Asís. Fundó un hospital y se convirtió en consejero espiritual de muchos en un monasterio de San Giovanni Rotondo.

 

26 de septiembre: Cosme y Damián, mártires (fallecidos en 287), eran gemelos que se convirtieron en médicos. Se distinguieron por no cobrar nunca a nadie por sus servicios médicos. Murieron durante la persecución de Diocleciano. Se les atribuyen grandes milagros y se dice que el emperador Justiniano fue sanado por su intercesión.

 

Esta semana en la historia jesuita

 

• 20 de septiembre de 1990. La primera Congregación de Provinciales se reunió en Loyola, España, con motivo del 450 aniversario de la aprobación de la Compañía de Jesús y del 500 aniversario del nacimiento de San Ignacio.
• 21 de septiembre de 1557. En Salamanca, Melchor Cano escribió al confesor de Carlos V, acusando a los jesuitas de ser herejes disfrazados.
• 22 de septiembre de 1774. Fallece el papa Clemente XIV, agotado por el sufrimiento y el dolor a causa de la supresión de la Compañía de Jesús. Se habían difundido rumores falsos de que había sido envenenado por los jesuitas.
• 23 de septiembre de 1869. Se inauguró el Colegio del Sagrado Corazón de Woodstock. Con 17 sacerdotes, 44 seminaristas y 16 hermanos, era la comunidad jesuita más grande de los Estados Unidos en aquel entonces.
• 24 de septiembre de 1566. Los primeros jesuitas entraron en territorio continental estadounidense por Florida. Pedro Martínez y otros, al intentar desembarcar, fueron rechazados por los nativos y obligados a dirigirse a la isla de Tatacarán . Allí murió tres semanas después.
• 25 de septiembre de 1617. Fallece Francisco Suárez. Escribió 24 volúmenes sobre filosofía y teología. Durante su etapa de novicio, se le consideró muy torpe, pero uno de sus directores le sugirió que pidiera la intercesión de la Virgen María. Posteriormente, se convirtió en una persona de talento prodigioso.
• 26 de septiembre de 1605. En Roma, el Papa Pablo V declaró oralmente a San Luis Gonzaga como uno de los «Beatos». El comunicado oficial se publicó el 19 de octubre.

Photo: Within these walls

 

Prayer: Benedict XVI

Our lives do not exist by accident. It is not an accident. My life is willed by God from eternity. I am loved. I am necessary. God has a plan specifically for me. Eternal love has created me in profundity and awaits me.

Photo: Entrance to the Abbey Retreat House

 

Spirituality: Lectio and Other Divinas

 Before every prayer, I petition that God behold me. I pray, "that you, O God, see me, feel me, hear me, and know what I am feeling." or "You, O Lord, know what is going on with me. I'm in your presence. Know what has happened with me today." I let God gaze upon me - in wonder and honor.

 

We are familiar with Lectio Divina, the study of sacred texts. We limit ourselves to silence and headwork. We are not monks. We live in contemporary circumstances. Divina requires intention and attention. Get your whole self involved.  

 

The Power of the Gaze: Eye contact: Adoration: Bonding, eyes and touch.

We cannot look at God without being transformed. We become what we behold. The soul needs to be free to follow the Sermon on the Mount. The free soul seeks the Kingdom of God.

 

Imagination and desires: We are cautious, but… we have been told desire is bad.

Nothing that happens in prayer will contradict what we learn from Scripture.

Tradition, the authority of the church, The Spirit will be your guide.

Our gift of reason aids discernment. We discern as part of a community.

God is not going to turn you into a fortune teller.

 

Various Divinas

 

Lectio Divina: deep listening to the words of Scripture

            Quiet, attentive, reverent listening – to the still, small voice

            Some commit Scriptures to memory; let a phrase, a word take deep root.

            Prayer: we talk to God about whatever is in our hearts; dialogue. Open ourselves.

            Contemplation: we cease all activity and simply rest in God’s presence.

 

Visio Divina: Imagine. Picture the Sermon on the Mount or any other biblical scene.

Pilgrimage: Being in a physical location, you make the life of Jesus or a saint real. 

            Films and theater: Can you see the movements of The Spiritual Exercises in them?

            Guided meditations

 

Camino Divina: walk, run, paddle a kayak, sit on a beach, visit a garden, making pastry

            Gazing with the Body

 

Dance Divina: Sometimes we need drums, rhythm, and energy; other times we need 

Smooth, slow, and flowing. How do you offer to God through movement? This relationship is tangible.

 

Audio Divina: Music touches the soul uniquely and powerfully.

It focuses our attention and drives away distractions. We live in the present moment. Songs are designed to move us. Songs mark particular times and events: a wedding song, our first dance, our third grandchild.

I'm singing this note 'cause it fits in well with the way I'm feeling
There's a symphony that I hear in my heart, sets my head a reeling

Do you have an earworm? Does some message need you to look at it?

            What is your theme song or a song that animates your life story?

            Baldovin: The Congregation doesn’t go home humming the homily.

            What is your prayer playlist? What lifts my spirits?

 

Setting the Scene: Be like a film producer. Does Christ have a face? Can you see it?

Where would you like to meet today? A favorite place, a beach, a garden? In a pew at St. Ignatius church?

            Be where you are. You do not have to go back to Biblical Palestine.

If you are sick in bed, have Jesus meet you there. Jesus does not have to dress in robes and sandals.

 

The Healing Gaze        

            The responses of Jesus to you: Feel his warmth, solidarity, and affection for you

            You are invited into your own transfiguration; transformation

 

Other ways: Icons, Crucifixes, Holy Cards, gardens, gazing at the faces of the people 

around us, visits to cemeteries.

 

 

 

 

• The more we are transformed by the Spirit of Love, the more we will be ourselves.
• God is committed to my healing and freedom. Continue the process of becoming and evolving.
• Love begins with right seeing. Continues through right analysis and takes us to right action.
• We are called to live in right relations with others.

 

 

• We seek intimacy and meaning. We want to be meaningful to someone.
• Be Yourself. Live authentically. Live from the authentic self.
• To love God is to love what God loves.
• Radiating light and warmth to a world that needs them in order to survive.

Photo: Joseph and his son

 

Spirituality: The Divine Milieu, Teilhard de Chardin, S.J.

We must try to penetrate our most secret self, and examine our being from all sides. Let us try, patiently, to perceive the ocean of forces to which we are subjected and in which our growth is, as it were, steeped ... And so, for the first time in my life perhaps (although I am supposed to meditate every day!), I took the lamp and, leaving the zone of everyday occupations and relationships where everything seems clear, I went down into my inmost self, to the deep abyss whence I feel dimly that my power of action emanates. But as I moved further and further away from the conventual, I became aware that I was losing contact with myself. At each step of the descent, a new person was disclosed within me of whose name I was no longer sure, and who no longer obeyed me. And when I had to stop my exploration because the path faded from beneath my steps, I found a bottomless abyss at my feet ... and, if someone saved me, it was hearing the voice of the Gospel speaking to me from the depth of the night: ego sum, noli timere ... It is I, be not afraid!

Spirituality: Madeleine L’Engle in Glimpses of Grace

We have to say "Thank you” whenever possible even if we are not able to reconcile the human creatures’ free will with the Maker’s working out of a pattern. Thanks and Praise are, I believe, some of the threads with which the pattern is woven.

Photo: Pray for peace

 

Poem: ~ Jan Richardson in Circle of Grace

 Blessed are you who bear the light

 

Blessed are you
who bear the light
in unbearable times,
who testify
to its endurance
amid the unendurable,
who bear witness
to its persistence
when everything seems
in shadow
and grief.
Blessed are you
in whom
the light lives,
in whom
the brightness blazes—
your heart
a chapel,
an altar where
in the deepest night
can be seen
the fire that
shines forth in you
in unaccountable faith
in stubborn hope
in love that illumines
every broken thing
it finds.

Photo: They Abbey Church

 

Spirituality: Six Recognitions of the Lord (Mary Oliver)

6. Every summer the lilies rise and open their white hands until they almost cover the black waters of the pond. And I give thanks but it does not seem like adequate thanks, it doesn't seem festive enough or constant enough, nor does the name of the Lord or the words of thanksgiving come into it often enough. Everywhere I go I am treated like royalty, which I am not. I thirst and am given water. My eyes thirst and I am given the white lilies on the black water. My heart sings but the apparatus of singing doesn't convey half what it feels and means. In spring there's hope, in fall the exquisite, necessary diminishing, in winter I am as sleepy as any beast in its leafy cave, but in summer there is everywhere the luminous sprawl of gifts, the hospitality of the Lord and my inadequate answers as I row my beautiful, temporary body through this water-lily world. (Thirst, pp.26-28)

The Courage to Forgive: The Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time 2026

                                                    The Courage to Forgive:

The Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time 2026 

September 13, 2026

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Sirach 27:30-28:7; Psalm 103; Romans 14:7-9; Matthew 18:21-35

 

 

The first line of the first reading is jarring, “Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet we hug them tight.” With the Gospel imperative, we are not in a place to forgive until we tend to the open wound that will not heal. For each person this wound is different. Something happens to violate us whether it is rejection, betrayal, humiliation, injustice, abandonment, loss, or being treated as insignificant. We have to see that the wound is painful and it is caused by someone else’s actions. Some measure of balance or stability has been taken from us. 

 

What are some of the fears that we deal with when we are wounded? We fear being hurt again or more deeply. We fear losing control or being disregarded or discarded. We fear being fundamentally rejected or exposed as weak or vulnerable, or we fear losing something or someone important. What is our response? We act out in anger. We nurture anger.

 

We can see anger as a positive indicator. It tells us that there is an imbalance in the status quo, that something is wrong, or something needs to be corrected. Anger is not sinful. It is not evil. It is our soul’s way of telling us that we need to pay attention and act to restore balance. Experiencing anger is good or at least neutral. Nurturing anger is where the problem arises.

 

We do we do in our mind? We replay the injury or rehearse what happened or we think about what we should have said or done. We build a case against the person who hurt us. This injury becomes part of our identity. We build resentment and we move from a statement like, “You hurt me,” to “You are a person who deserves to suffer.” Your anger moves towards wrath and rage. You are now saying, “You must pay for what you have done.” This is where we lose sight of the larger goals of justice, compassion, or truth. We seek retribution or revenge. We then demonize the person and no longer see the person as human. The person is the personification of “wrong itself.”

 

Isn’t this what we do in our political world too? We no longer look at what one needs or how one is hurt. We want to hurt the other person and treat them as an enemy to be vanquished. The human heart has great power. If I can make you less than human, I do not have to feel again the pain that happened to me. Hate provides an illusion of power and it protects us from being vulnerable. 

 

Beneath it all is a person who does not know how to carry the hurt. What does Jesus tell Peter? He says explore the hurt underneath the anger. He wants his disciples to deal with human hurt and suffering. He calls them to name the wound they have experienced and face the associated fear. He wants them to acknowledge the injustice and release the person for the desire for revenge. Forgiveness recovers the humanity of the one who hurt you and allows God to heal what anger was trying to protect. Forgiveness never says the wound did not matter. It does. It hurts badly. Forgiveness tells us that the wound will not heal unless we examine it with Christ. Forgiveness tells us that the wound will not be allowed to determine the kind of person I want to become. 

 

Christian love requires vulnerability. Forgiveness and reconciliation require vulnerability. Justice requires us to remain open enough to see the other person as a human. It recognizes that both of us are remarkably fragile and need each other’s mercy. This work is not easy. We are called to forgive from the heart. Courage my friends. We can reshape the world if we have the courage to forgive.  

 

Scripture for Daily Mass 

Monday: (Numbers 21) With their patience worn out by the journey, the people complained against God and Moses, "Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert, where there is no food or water? We are disgusted with this wretched food!"

 

Tuesday: (1 Corinthians 12) As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.

 

Wednesday: (1 Corinthians 12) Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts. But I shall show you a still more excellent way. If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.

 

Thursday (1 Corinthians 15) I am reminding you, brothers and sisters, of the Gospel I preached to you, which you indeed received and in which you also stand. Through it you are also being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

 

Friday (1 Corinthians 15) If Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then neither has Christ been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then empty too is our preaching.

 

Saturday (1 Corinthians 15) Someone may say, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come back?” You fool! What you sow is not brought to life unless it dies.

 

Gospel: 

Monday: (John 3) Jesus said to Nicodemus: "No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up.

 

Tuesday: (Luke 2) “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted and you yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

 

Wednesday (Luke 7) For John the Baptist came neither eating food nor drinking wine, and you said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’

 

Thursday (Luke 7) A certain Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him, and he entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. Now there was a sinful woman in the city who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee.

 

Friday (Luke 8) Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God. Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities.

 

Saturday (Luke 8) But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance.”

 

Saints of the Week

 

September 13: John Chrysostom, bishop and doctor (347-407) was a gifted homilist and was called "Golden Mouth" because his words inspired many. He was raised in Antioch and joined a community of austere hermits but the lifestyle damaged his health. He became the archbishop of Constantinople where he introduced many conservative and unpopular reforms. He fled to escape an uprising from the people and on the way to exile he died.

 

September 14: The Triumph of the Holy Cross remembers the finding of the true cross by the Emperor Constantine's mother, Helen in early 4th century. Two churches were dedicated in the name of the cross on this day in the 4th century. Therefore, the feast was applied to this day. In the 7th century, the feast was renamed, "The Triumph." The Church of the Holy Sepulcher in 335 was also dedicated on this day.

 

September 15: Our Lady of Sorrows was once called the Seven Sorrows of Mary as introduced by the Servite Friars. After suffering during his captivity in France, Pius VII renamed the devotion that encapsulates: Simeon's prophecy, the flight into Egypt, searching for Jesus at age 12 in the Temple, the road to Calvary, the crucifixion, the deposition, and the entombment.

 

September 16: Cornelius, pope and martyr (d. 253) and Cyprian, bishop and martyr (200-258) both suffered in the Decian persecutions. Cornelius was being attacked by Novatian, but since Novatian's teachings were condemned, he received the support of the powerful bishop, Cyprian. Cyprian was a brilliant priest and bishop of Carthage who wrote on the unity of the church, the role of bishops, and the sacraments. Cyprian died under Valerius after supporting his church in exile by letters of encouragement.

 

September 17: Robert Bellarmine, S.J., bishop and doctor (1542-1621) became a Jesuit professor at the Louvain and then professor of Controversial theology at the Roman College. He wrote "Disputations on the controversies of the Christian faith against the Heretics of this age," which many Protestants appreciated because of its balanced reasoning. He revised the Vulgate bible, wrote catechisms, supervised the Roman College and the Vatican library, and was the pope's theologian. 

 

September 19: Januarius, bishop and martyr (d. 305), was bishop of Benevento during his martyrdom during the Diocletian persecution. He was arrested when he tried to visit imprisoned Christians. Legend tell us that a vial that contains his blood has been kept in the Naples cathedral since the 15^th century liquefies three times a year.

 

This Week in Jesuit History

 

• September 13, 1773. Frederick II of Prussia informed the pope that the Jesuits would not be suppressed in Prussia and invited Jesuits to come. 
• September 14, 1596. The death of Cardinal Francis Toledo, the first of the Society to be raised to the purple. He died at age 63, a cardinal for three years.
• September 15, 1927. Thirty-seven Jesuits arrived in Hot Springs, North Carolina, to begin tertianship. The property was given to the Jesuits by the widow of the son of President Andrew Johnson. 
• September 16, 1883. The twenty-third General Congregation opened at Rome in the Palazzo Borromeo (via del Seminario). It elected Fr. Anthony Anderledy Vicar General with the right of succession. 
• September 17, 1621. The death of St Robert Bellarmine, bishop and doctor of the Church. 
• September 18, 1540. At Rome, Pedro Ribadeneira, aged fourteen, was admitted into the Society by St Ignatius (nine days before official papal confirmation of the Society). 
• September 19, 1715. At Quebec, the death of Fr. Louis Andre, who for 45 years labored in the missions of Canada amid incredible hardships, often living on acorns, a kind of moss, and the rind of fruits.