Experience is a myriad richness.
We think more than we can say.
We feel more than we can think.
We live more than we can feel...
...and there is still much more.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Prayer: Prayer for September 11th
Loving God,
Today is a sobering reminder of the violence in this world. We remember our brothers and sisters who died in the tragedy of the September 11th attacks. Our national consciousness is forever changed. The memories are painful and our wounds that may never heal will be a reminder of all the suffering that exists among people of every nation.
Help us to be aware of the ways you build up your kingdom on this earth. Help us to live for your truth, firm in the hope of your salvation. May we live for you in imitation of your Son, so that we may be an example to our friends and family, and the family of nations.
May we find deeper meaning in our suffering, for we know that your death makes sense of all our suffering. We need courage in our times of trial and tribulation. May your Spirit console us and strengthen us so that we may point others to you who are our true hope.
Shape us to become better people and to make the world a better place because of our experience of this tragic event. Thank you for the lives of our national heroes. May we learn from their courage and valor. But mostly, I want my life to be worthy of you so that you may use my gifts and talents for what you most desire.
Remind us that the darkness of our suffering will cause us to do more good works on this Earth so that we can help others see your light in the darkness. Increase our belief in you. May we help engineer a peace in this world that is lasting. May we create a world that knows no more war, hatred, violence, or inequitable distribution of our finite world’s resources. May we learn to love our brothers and sisters in a manner like you love them.
Amen.
Today is a sobering reminder of the violence in this world. We remember our brothers and sisters who died in the tragedy of the September 11th attacks. Our national consciousness is forever changed. The memories are painful and our wounds that may never heal will be a reminder of all the suffering that exists among people of every nation.
Help us to be aware of the ways you build up your kingdom on this earth. Help us to live for your truth, firm in the hope of your salvation. May we live for you in imitation of your Son, so that we may be an example to our friends and family, and the family of nations.
May we find deeper meaning in our suffering, for we know that your death makes sense of all our suffering. We need courage in our times of trial and tribulation. May your Spirit console us and strengthen us so that we may point others to you who are our true hope.
Shape us to become better people and to make the world a better place because of our experience of this tragic event. Thank you for the lives of our national heroes. May we learn from their courage and valor. But mostly, I want my life to be worthy of you so that you may use my gifts and talents for what you most desire.
Remind us that the darkness of our suffering will cause us to do more good works on this Earth so that we can help others see your light in the darkness. Increase our belief in you. May we help engineer a peace in this world that is lasting. May we create a world that knows no more war, hatred, violence, or inequitable distribution of our finite world’s resources. May we learn to love our brothers and sisters in a manner like you love them.
Amen.
Poem: Das Stundenbuch by Rainer Maria Rilke
You see, I want a lot.
Perhaps I want everything
the darkness that comes with every infinite fall
and the shivering blaze of every step up.
So many live on and want nothing
and are raised to the rank of praince
by the slippery ese of their light judgments.
But what you love to see are faces
that do work and fell thirst.
You love most of all those who need you
as they need a crowbar or a hoe.
You have not grown old, and it is not too late
to dive into your increasing depths
where life calmly gives out its own secret.
Perhaps I want everything
the darkness that comes with every infinite fall
and the shivering blaze of every step up.
So many live on and want nothing
and are raised to the rank of praince
by the slippery ese of their light judgments.
But what you love to see are faces
that do work and fell thirst.
You love most of all those who need you
as they need a crowbar or a hoe.
You have not grown old, and it is not too late
to dive into your increasing depths
where life calmly gives out its own secret.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Memorial of Peter Claver, S.J.
Jesuits celebrate the memorial of St. Peter Claver, S.J.(1581-1654) on September 9th. Claver left his native Spain forever in 1610 to be a missionary in the colonies of the New World. He first ministered in Cartagena, Colombia and was ordained there in 1615.
The slave trade had been established in the Americas fornearly 100 years, and Cartagena was a chief center for it. Ten thousand slaves poured into the port each year from West Africa under conditions so foul and inhuman that an estimated one-third of the passengers died in transit. Although slave-trading was condemned by Pope Paul III, it continued to flourish.
As soon as a slave ship entered the port, Peter Claver ministered to the ill-treated men and women by providing them with medicine, food, bread, brandy, lemon and tobacco. Slaves were often herded in nearby yards like chained animals to be gazed at by the crowds. With the help of interpreters he gave basic Christian instruction and assured his brothers and sisters of their human dignity and God's saving love. During his 40 years ofministry, Claver baptized over 300,000 slaves.
Claver became a moral force in Cartagena. He preached in the city square, gave missions to sailors and traders. When he gave missions to the planters and property owners in the country, he lodged in the slave quarters.
He died on September 8th 1654 after a lengthy illness from his tireless work. The city magistrates, who had previously frowned at his solicitude for the African-born outcasts, ordered that he should be buried at public expense and with great pomp. He was canonized in 1888,and Pope Leo XIII declared him the worldwide patron of missionary work among black slaves.
Peter Claver often said, "We must speak to them with our hands before we try to speak to them with our lips."
The slave trade had been established in the Americas fornearly 100 years, and Cartagena was a chief center for it. Ten thousand slaves poured into the port each year from West Africa under conditions so foul and inhuman that an estimated one-third of the passengers died in transit. Although slave-trading was condemned by Pope Paul III, it continued to flourish.
As soon as a slave ship entered the port, Peter Claver ministered to the ill-treated men and women by providing them with medicine, food, bread, brandy, lemon and tobacco. Slaves were often herded in nearby yards like chained animals to be gazed at by the crowds. With the help of interpreters he gave basic Christian instruction and assured his brothers and sisters of their human dignity and God's saving love. During his 40 years ofministry, Claver baptized over 300,000 slaves.
Claver became a moral force in Cartagena. He preached in the city square, gave missions to sailors and traders. When he gave missions to the planters and property owners in the country, he lodged in the slave quarters.
He died on September 8th 1654 after a lengthy illness from his tireless work. The city magistrates, who had previously frowned at his solicitude for the African-born outcasts, ordered that he should be buried at public expense and with great pomp. He was canonized in 1888,and Pope Leo XIII declared him the worldwide patron of missionary work among black slaves.
Peter Claver often said, "We must speak to them with our hands before we try to speak to them with our lips."
Monday, September 7, 2009
Sp. Exx.: Colloquy with Jesus on the Cross
St. Ignatius realized that we cannot talk about God’s abundant mercy and unconditional love for us without having us sit or stand or kneel before Jesus on the cross. This is the love that transcends all sin. “What greater love does one have than to lay down his life for his friends?” In the presence of such love, in the presence of Jesus on the cross, we talk with him as a friend talks to a friend.
Paragraphs 53 and 54 from the Spiritual Exercises
Imagine Christ our Lord suspended on the cross before you, and converse with him in a colloquy: How is it that he, although he is the Creator, has come to make himself a human being? How is it that he has passed from eternal life to death here in time, and to die in this way for my sins?
In a similar way, reflect on yourself and ask:
What have I done for Christ?
What am I doing for Christ?
What ought I to do for Christ?
In this way, too, gazing on him in so pitiful a state as he hangs on the cross, speak out whatever comes to your mind
A Colloquy is made, properly speaking, in the way one friend speaks to another, or a servant to one in authority – now begging for a favor, now accusing oneself of some misdeed, now telling one’s concerns and asking counsel about them. Close with an Our Father.
Turn the questions around if that helps:
What has Christ done for me?
What is Christ doing for me?
What ought Christ to do for me?
Paragraphs 53 and 54 from the Spiritual Exercises
Imagine Christ our Lord suspended on the cross before you, and converse with him in a colloquy: How is it that he, although he is the Creator, has come to make himself a human being? How is it that he has passed from eternal life to death here in time, and to die in this way for my sins?
In a similar way, reflect on yourself and ask:
What have I done for Christ?
What am I doing for Christ?
What ought I to do for Christ?
In this way, too, gazing on him in so pitiful a state as he hangs on the cross, speak out whatever comes to your mind
A Colloquy is made, properly speaking, in the way one friend speaks to another, or a servant to one in authority – now begging for a favor, now accusing oneself of some misdeed, now telling one’s concerns and asking counsel about them. Close with an Our Father.
Turn the questions around if that helps:
What has Christ done for me?
What is Christ doing for me?
What ought Christ to do for me?
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Twenty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time 2009
September 6, 2009
Labor Day is upon us and the new academic year begins in earnest once again. The fresh faces, whether of schoolchildren or hardworking adults returning with vigor to their jobs, bring excitement and renewed energy to our lives. The fullness of summer is behind us and we have good work to do. We settle into the ordinariness of life with a keen attitude of hope in new beginnings.
We see that most clearly in Mark’s Gospel passage when Jesus heals a man with a hearing and speech impediment. We marvel at the new beginning for this man who can now take in the audible world and can speak of the goodness that he has encountered. I can only imagine the amazing stories he has to tell.
Notice that Jesus takes the impeded man away from the crowd for a brief moment together before the healing. So many voices assault our sensibilities and Jesus wants this man to hear clearly his own voice first. This is a remarkable display of compassion for it is Jesus’ voice that matters most to him. We have to likewise get to know the sound of Jesus’ voice so we can tune out those many voices that compete for our attention. By caring for this man in a most personal way, Jesus is able to pray that the man be opened (Ephphatha) to God’s power and benevolence.
We need that very openness if we are to understand the meaning of James’ letter that tells us that God has no partiality. James’ words are difficult to hear because he reminds us that our nature is to favor the wealthy and influential; it is just customary for us to do. We favor those we like or are like us and we judge those who are different from us and we seldom realize that we make natural judgments that James labels as “evil designs.” No one likes to be imputed with dark motives. When we read the Gospel in light of James’ letter, we see that we need to be opened to God’s view of the world in order to adjust our human tendencies that often hurt another or place someone on the outside of our inner circle. No, we are not evil, but we could stand to become more aware of the ways or choices affect others.
Think of the ways this week that you would like Jesus to pull you aside and give you the same cura personalis (good individual pastoral care) that he gave the man with the hearing and speech impediment. Consider the ways that Jesus would like you to be opened to God’s possibilities for you in relation to your neighbors. Let the words from Isaiah’s first reading stick in your consciousness: “Be strong. Fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you.”
Quote for the Week
Since Mary is celebrated twice in the liturgical calendar this week, it seems fitting to remember one of the most famous prayers to her – her Memorare.
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession, was left unaided.
Inspired with this confidence, I fly to you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother; to you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
Themes for this Week’s Masses
Paul suffers greatly for the people of Colossae so that they may be encouraged and brought to love in Christ and he exhorts them to seek those things that are from above. The test of the love of Christ that binds them together is how well they show their unity amidst their differences. As one Body in Christ, they are to practice moral perfection to show their gratitude for the magnificent gift of God to them – the faithfulness of Jesus that brought about their redemption and calls them to become a new community.
In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus cures the man with the withered hand on a Sabbath day and he raises his eyes to God and declares the Beatitudes, which also contains “woes” to those who do not follow the way of righteousness. His Sermon on the Mount contains the golden rule and teachings on forgiveness. The people are to mirror the ways of Jesus whose good works testify to the power of God present within him.
Saints of the Week
Monday is Labor Day, the unofficial beginning of a new academic year and the end of summer. It is celebrated on May 1st in most of the world as International Workers’ Day. It is still a day to remember the economic and social achievements of workers and it founding date coincides with the advent of the eight-hour work day.
Tuesday is the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, as you would expect, nine months after the Immaculate Conception on December 8th. In the readings from Matthew’s genealogy, Mary’s holiness and purity is upheld as the virtues that lead to her vocation as mother of Jesus and Mother of God.
Wednesday is the memorial of Peter Claver, S.J., a Spanish-born Jesuit who volunteered for the missions in the New World where he worked among the newly arrive African slaves in Cartagena, Columbia. Because of his incredibly humane treatment of the slaves, the townspeople raised funds to give him a proper burial though most of his religious brothers shunned him because of his work with the most neglected in their society.
Saturday is the day in which Mary received her name a few days after her birth. The Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary was probably taken from the Egyptian name ‘mry,’ which means beloved.
This Week in Jesuit History
· Sep 6, 1666. The Great Fire of London broke out on this date with the Jesuits and the Papists receiving the blame. King Charles II banished all Catholic priests from England.
· Sep 7, 1773. King Louis XV wrote to Clement XIV expressing his heartfelt joy at the suppression of the Society.
· Sep 8, 1600. Fr. Matteo Ricci set out on his journey to Peking experiencing enormous difficulties in reaching the royal city, getting stopped on his way by one of the powerful mandarins.
· Sep 9, 1773. At Lisbon, Carvalho, acting in the king's name, ordered public prayers for the deliverance of the world from the "pestilence of Jesuitism."
· Sep 10, 1622. Charles Spinola and his companions were martyred at Nagasaki, Japan.
· Sep 11, 1681. At Antwerp, Fr. Geoffry Henschen, a man of extraordinary learning, died. He was Fr. Jan von Bolland's assistant in compiling the Acts of the Saints.
· Sep 12, 1744. Benedict XIV's second Bull, Omnium Sollicitudinum, forbade the Chinese Rites, ushering in a period of persecution in China.
Book Recommendations
Left to Tell: Discovering God amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza with Steve Irwin is an autobiographical story about survival during the 1994 Rwandan massacres. Immaculee tells of her struggle as a University student who watched her friends and neighbors get caught up in evil and hatred of their ethnic rivals. She is a Tutsi, whose party was the ruling elite, that was being exterminated by the Hutus, the overwhelming majority of the people. Despite the incredible thirst for blood and unbridled hatred, Immaculee trusted in God and was able to forgive those who took the lives of her countrymen, family and friends – all for a cultural distinction imposed upon them by the Belgian colonizers. This book is disturbing because we see both the human potential for good and evil.
Prayers
Happy Labor Day to you all. May it be a day of rest and relaxation in honor of the good work that you do throughout the year. Also, let us remember and pray for the victims and their families of the September 11th attacks on the U.S. eight years ago. Let us pray for a lasting peace that maintains harmony and good will throughout the world.
Labor Day is upon us and the new academic year begins in earnest once again. The fresh faces, whether of schoolchildren or hardworking adults returning with vigor to their jobs, bring excitement and renewed energy to our lives. The fullness of summer is behind us and we have good work to do. We settle into the ordinariness of life with a keen attitude of hope in new beginnings.
We see that most clearly in Mark’s Gospel passage when Jesus heals a man with a hearing and speech impediment. We marvel at the new beginning for this man who can now take in the audible world and can speak of the goodness that he has encountered. I can only imagine the amazing stories he has to tell.
Notice that Jesus takes the impeded man away from the crowd for a brief moment together before the healing. So many voices assault our sensibilities and Jesus wants this man to hear clearly his own voice first. This is a remarkable display of compassion for it is Jesus’ voice that matters most to him. We have to likewise get to know the sound of Jesus’ voice so we can tune out those many voices that compete for our attention. By caring for this man in a most personal way, Jesus is able to pray that the man be opened (Ephphatha) to God’s power and benevolence.
We need that very openness if we are to understand the meaning of James’ letter that tells us that God has no partiality. James’ words are difficult to hear because he reminds us that our nature is to favor the wealthy and influential; it is just customary for us to do. We favor those we like or are like us and we judge those who are different from us and we seldom realize that we make natural judgments that James labels as “evil designs.” No one likes to be imputed with dark motives. When we read the Gospel in light of James’ letter, we see that we need to be opened to God’s view of the world in order to adjust our human tendencies that often hurt another or place someone on the outside of our inner circle. No, we are not evil, but we could stand to become more aware of the ways or choices affect others.
Think of the ways this week that you would like Jesus to pull you aside and give you the same cura personalis (good individual pastoral care) that he gave the man with the hearing and speech impediment. Consider the ways that Jesus would like you to be opened to God’s possibilities for you in relation to your neighbors. Let the words from Isaiah’s first reading stick in your consciousness: “Be strong. Fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you.”
Quote for the Week
Since Mary is celebrated twice in the liturgical calendar this week, it seems fitting to remember one of the most famous prayers to her – her Memorare.
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession, was left unaided.
Inspired with this confidence, I fly to you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother; to you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
Themes for this Week’s Masses
Paul suffers greatly for the people of Colossae so that they may be encouraged and brought to love in Christ and he exhorts them to seek those things that are from above. The test of the love of Christ that binds them together is how well they show their unity amidst their differences. As one Body in Christ, they are to practice moral perfection to show their gratitude for the magnificent gift of God to them – the faithfulness of Jesus that brought about their redemption and calls them to become a new community.
In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus cures the man with the withered hand on a Sabbath day and he raises his eyes to God and declares the Beatitudes, which also contains “woes” to those who do not follow the way of righteousness. His Sermon on the Mount contains the golden rule and teachings on forgiveness. The people are to mirror the ways of Jesus whose good works testify to the power of God present within him.
Saints of the Week
Monday is Labor Day, the unofficial beginning of a new academic year and the end of summer. It is celebrated on May 1st in most of the world as International Workers’ Day. It is still a day to remember the economic and social achievements of workers and it founding date coincides with the advent of the eight-hour work day.
Tuesday is the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, as you would expect, nine months after the Immaculate Conception on December 8th. In the readings from Matthew’s genealogy, Mary’s holiness and purity is upheld as the virtues that lead to her vocation as mother of Jesus and Mother of God.
Wednesday is the memorial of Peter Claver, S.J., a Spanish-born Jesuit who volunteered for the missions in the New World where he worked among the newly arrive African slaves in Cartagena, Columbia. Because of his incredibly humane treatment of the slaves, the townspeople raised funds to give him a proper burial though most of his religious brothers shunned him because of his work with the most neglected in their society.
Saturday is the day in which Mary received her name a few days after her birth. The Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary was probably taken from the Egyptian name ‘mry,’ which means beloved.
This Week in Jesuit History
· Sep 6, 1666. The Great Fire of London broke out on this date with the Jesuits and the Papists receiving the blame. King Charles II banished all Catholic priests from England.
· Sep 7, 1773. King Louis XV wrote to Clement XIV expressing his heartfelt joy at the suppression of the Society.
· Sep 8, 1600. Fr. Matteo Ricci set out on his journey to Peking experiencing enormous difficulties in reaching the royal city, getting stopped on his way by one of the powerful mandarins.
· Sep 9, 1773. At Lisbon, Carvalho, acting in the king's name, ordered public prayers for the deliverance of the world from the "pestilence of Jesuitism."
· Sep 10, 1622. Charles Spinola and his companions were martyred at Nagasaki, Japan.
· Sep 11, 1681. At Antwerp, Fr. Geoffry Henschen, a man of extraordinary learning, died. He was Fr. Jan von Bolland's assistant in compiling the Acts of the Saints.
· Sep 12, 1744. Benedict XIV's second Bull, Omnium Sollicitudinum, forbade the Chinese Rites, ushering in a period of persecution in China.
Book Recommendations
Left to Tell: Discovering God amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza with Steve Irwin is an autobiographical story about survival during the 1994 Rwandan massacres. Immaculee tells of her struggle as a University student who watched her friends and neighbors get caught up in evil and hatred of their ethnic rivals. She is a Tutsi, whose party was the ruling elite, that was being exterminated by the Hutus, the overwhelming majority of the people. Despite the incredible thirst for blood and unbridled hatred, Immaculee trusted in God and was able to forgive those who took the lives of her countrymen, family and friends – all for a cultural distinction imposed upon them by the Belgian colonizers. This book is disturbing because we see both the human potential for good and evil.
Prayers
Happy Labor Day to you all. May it be a day of rest and relaxation in honor of the good work that you do throughout the year. Also, let us remember and pray for the victims and their families of the September 11th attacks on the U.S. eight years ago. Let us pray for a lasting peace that maintains harmony and good will throughout the world.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Prayer: Jesuit Constitutions
The contemporary mission of the Society of Jesus
is the service of faith and the promotion in society
of that justice of the Gospel that is the embodiment
of God's love and saving mercy.
General Congregation #34, decree 2, number 3
We should recall that mediocrity has no place in Ignatius'
world view; he demads leaders in service to others in
building the Kingdom of God in the market place of
business and ideas, of service, of law and justice,
of economics, theology and all areas of human life.
He urges us to work for the greater glory of God
because the world desperately needs men and
women of competence and conscience who generously
give of themselves for others.
Peter-Hans Kolvenback, S.J., former Superior General
is the service of faith and the promotion in society
of that justice of the Gospel that is the embodiment
of God's love and saving mercy.
General Congregation #34, decree 2, number 3
We should recall that mediocrity has no place in Ignatius'
world view; he demads leaders in service to others in
building the Kingdom of God in the market place of
business and ideas, of service, of law and justice,
of economics, theology and all areas of human life.
He urges us to work for the greater glory of God
because the world desperately needs men and
women of competence and conscience who generously
give of themselves for others.
Peter-Hans Kolvenback, S.J., former Superior General
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Poem: The Avowal by Denise Levertov
As swimmers dare
to lie face to the sky
and water bears them,
as hawks rest upon air
and air sustains them,
so would I learn to attain
freefall, and float
into Creator Spirit's deep embrace,
knowing no effort earns
that all-surrounding grace.
to lie face to the sky
and water bears them,
as hawks rest upon air
and air sustains them,
so would I learn to attain
freefall, and float
into Creator Spirit's deep embrace,
knowing no effort earns
that all-surrounding grace.
Song: Amazing Grace by Il Divo
Il Divo performed "Amazing Grace" in the beautiful arena in Pula, Croatia.
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1785324681?bclid=1338935106&bctid=1913313052
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1785324681?bclid=1338935106&bctid=1913313052
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Prayer: A Prayer by Thomas Merton
My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think that I am following your will
does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road
though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore I will trust you always
though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever with me,
and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think that I am following your will
does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road
though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore I will trust you always
though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever with me,
and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
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