Photo: Christmas ornaments

 

Poem: “New Every Morning” by Susan Coolidge

 Every day is a fresh beginning,

Listen my soul to the glad refrain.

And, spite of old sorrows

And older sinning,

Troubles forecasted and possible pain,

Take heart with the day and begin again.

Poem: “Woods in Winter” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 

 

When winter winds are piercing chill,

And through the hawthorn blows the gale,

With solemn feet I tread the hill,

That overbrows the lonely hill.

 

O’er the bare upland, and away

Through the long reach of desert woods,

The embracing sunbeams chastely play

And gladden these deep solitudes.

 

Where, twisted round the barren oak,

The summer vine in beauty clung,

And summer winds the stillness broke,

The crystal icicle is hung.

 

Where, from their frozen urns, mute springs

Pour out the river’s gradual tide,

Shrilly the skater’s iron rings,

And voices fill the woodland side.

 

Alas! how changed from the fair scene,

When birds sang out their mellow lay,

And winds were soft, and woods were green,

And the song ceased not with the day!

 

But still wild music is abroad,

Pale, desert winds! Within your crowd;

And gathering winds, in hoarse accord,

Amid the vocal reeds pipe loud.

 

Chill airs and wintry winds! My ear

Has grown familiar with your song:

I hear it in the opening year.

I listen, and it cheers me long.

Photo: Snow persons

 

Poem: “A New Year’s Day Prayer” by Pope Francis, 2021

May the Virgin Mary, 

who gave birth to the “Prince of Peace,” 

and who cuddles him this way, 

with such tenderness in her arms, 

obtain for us from heaven the precious gift of peace, 

which cannot be fully pursued by human strength alone. 

Human strength alone is not enough 

because peace is above all, 

a gift of God; 

it should be implored with unceasing prayer, 

sustained with patient and respectful dialogue, 

constructed with an open cooperation with truth and justice 

and always attentive to the legitimate aspirations 

of individuals and peoples. 

My hope is that peace may reign 

in the hearts of men and women and in families, 

in places of work and recreation, 

in communities and in nations. 

In families, at work, in nations: peace, peace! 

Now is the time to think that life today 

is organized around war, and enmities, 

by many things that destroy. 

We want peace. 

                                                                        And this is a gift. 

To Places Unknown: The Epiphany, 2024

To Places Unknown:

The Epiphany, 2024 

January 7, 2024

www.johnpredmoresj.com | predmore.blogspot.com

predmoresj@yahoo.com | 617.510.9673

Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72; Ephesians 3:2-6; Mathew 2:1-12

 

 

Epiphany is a crucial moment in Israel’s history because it is the time in which the spiritual searching of the Gentiles meets the faith of Israel. The God of Israel makes the divine presence known to the wider world. Israel remains the center through which salvation is known but it cannot solely possess its claim on God. The God of Israel moves beyond the land of the patriarchs and prophets. It is a faith that is continually expanding. From the time of Isaiah, the faith was to evolve and to become known to every nation. 

 

The liturgical Christmas season ends when the wise travelers bow down before the child and offer their gifts. They have seen the mystery below the star, and they are satisfied that they have met the truth of the prophecy. They protect the child by returning to their homes through a different route and thus avoiding the hatred of Herod. They proved their wisdom by letting the child live.

 

Epiphany must be a model of our current church life because it is always expanding and always inviting others in to meet God, but to do this, we must be able to manage change well, and most people do not like change. The faith of the Jews had to change when Jesus was born and it had to change again when it assented to the inclusion of the Gentiles at Epiphany and then again at the first Jerusalem Council. Change is constant and is inevitable, and the great challenge is how one is to manage change well so that the people are led in trust.

 

For instance, the church of today is changing rapidly and dramatically, and it is much in line with the movement of Epiphany. The faith is still moving outwards so that more people can encounter the God of Jesus Christ. While the church for centuries has grown outward in Europe, it is now moving outward into Asia Pacific, Asia proper, and in African countries. Many should be delighted with this movement, and yet, many lament that it is moving away from its European expression. 

 

As the church moves into new geographical regions, it encounters people of different cultures, languages, and practices, and this changes the composition of the church. For some, there is fear and resentment when actuality, it is a time of discovery and celebration. The church is moving forward in its exploration of space, the human body, the physical world around it and it is discovering new depths to its scientific investigations. At the root of these discoveries lies the God of creation, the God to whom all the nations are seeking, the God who is at the core of all things. The search for God takes on new dimensions. The church is always moving forward, and it is always adapting to the faith experiences of the people. The church has a living tradition because it is animated by the living God. 

 

Epiphany is the forward movement of our life with God. This movement continues forward as life evolves. God will manifest the way forward with the light of life, much as that start lit the way forward in Bethlehem. We must go forward in the light, to places unknown and uncertain, much like the first wise travelers did, so that others may see the light of Christ bringing glory to the world.

 

Scripture for Daily Mass

 

Monday: (Isaiah 42) Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations.

 

Tuesday: (1 Samuel 1) In her bitterness she prayed to the LORD, weeping copiously, and she made a vow, promising: “O LORD of hosts, if you look with pity on the misery of your handmaid, if you remember me and do not forget me, if you give your handmaid a male child, I will give him to the LORD for as long as he lives.

 

Wednesday: (1 Samuel 3) Samuel ran to Eli and said, “Here I am.  You called me.” “I did not call you,” Eli said.  “Go back to sleep.” So he went back to sleep. Again the LORD called Samuel, who rose and went to Eli. “Here I am,” he said. “You called me.”

 

Thursday: (1 Samuel 4) Take courage and be manly, Philistines; otherwise you will become slaves to the Hebrews, as they were your slaves. So fight manfully!” The Philistines fought and Israel was defeated.

 

Friday (1 Samuel 8) Samuel was displeased when they asked for a king to judge them. He prayed to the LORD, however, who said in answer: “Grant the people’s every request. It is not you they reject, they are rejecting me as their king.”

 

Saturday (1 Samuel 9) When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the LORD assured him,
“This is the man of whom I told you; he is to govern my people.”

 

Gospel: 

 

Monday: (Mark 1) One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

 

Tuesday: (Mark 1) In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are–the Holy One of God!” 

 

Wednesday (Mark 1) Simon and those who were with him pursued him and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.” He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also.

 

Thursday (Mark 1) A leper came to him and kneeling down begged him and said,
“If you wish, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,
touched the leper, and said to him, “I do will it. Be made clean.”

 

Friday (Mark 2) They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.
Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him.
After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying.

 

Saturday (Mark 2) Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed Jesus. While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners sat with Jesus and his disciples.

 

Saints of the Week

 

January 7: Raymond of Penyafort, priest (1175-1275), was trained in philosophy and law and was ordained in 1222 to preach to the Moors and Christians. Though he was appointed bishop of Tarragon, he declined the position. Instead he organized papal decrees into the first form of canon law. He was later elected Master of the Dominican Order. 

 

January 13: The Baptism of the Lord is recounted in Mark’s Gospel where the baptism of water is to be replaced by a baptism of fire. God confirms the person of Jesus when he rises from the water and a dove alights on his head. God is well pleased.

 

This Week in Jesuit History

 

• January 7, 1566: Cardinal Ghislieri was elected pope as Pius V. He was a great friend of the Francis Borgia and appointed Salmeron and Toletus as apostolic preachers at the Vatican. He desired to impose the office of choir on the Society and even ordered it. He was canonized as St. Pius V. 
• January 8, 1601: Balthasar Gracian was born. A Spanish Jesuit, he wrote on courtly matters. He is the author of "The Compleat Gentleman" and "The Art of Worldly Wisdom." 
• January 9, 1574: Fr. Jasper Haywood died at Naples. He was superior of the English mission. As a boy he was one of the pages of honor to the Princess Elizabeth. After a brilliant career at Oxford, he renounced his fellowship and entered the Society in Rome in 1570. An able Hebrew scholar and theologians, he was for two years professor in the Roman College. 
• January 10, 1581: Queen Elizabeth signed the fifth Penal Statute in England inflicting heavy fines and imprisonment on all who harbored Jesuits and Seminary priests. 
• January 10, 1567. Two Jesuits arrived in Havana, Cuba, as a base for evangelization. 
• January 11, 1573. At Milan, St Charles Borromeo founded a college (the Brera) and placed it under the care of the Society. 
• January 12, 1544. Xavier wrote a long letter on his apostolic labors, saying he wished to visit all the universities of Europe in search of laborers for our Lord's vineyard. The letter was widely circulated and very influential. 
• January 13, 1547. At the Council of Trent, Fr. James Laynez, as a papal theologian, defended the Catholic doctrine on the sacraments in a learned three-hour discourse.

 

A lugares desconocidos: La Epifanía, 2024

                                                       A lugares desconocidos:

La Epifanía, 2024

7 de enero de 2024

www.johnpredmoresj.com | predmore.blogspot.com

predmoresj@yahoo.com | 617.510.9673

Isaías 60:1-6; Salmo 72; Efesios 3:2-6; Mateo 2:1-12

 

 

La Epifanía es un momento crucial en la historia de Israel porque es el momento en que la búsqueda espiritual de los gentiles se encuentra con la fe de Israel. El Dios de Israel da a conocer la presencia divina al mundo en general. Israel sigue siendo el centro a través del cual se conoce la salvación, pero no puede poseer únicamente su derecho a Dios. El Dios de Israel va más allá de la tierra de los patriarcas y profetas. Es una fe que se expande continuamente. Desde los tiempos de Isaías, la fe iba a evolucionar y llegar a ser conocida por todas las naciones.

 

El tiempo litúrgico navideño termina cuando los sabios viajeros se inclinan ante el niño y le ofrecen sus regalos. Han visto el misterio debajo de la estrella y están satisfechos de haber encontrado la verdad de la profecía. Protegen al niño regresando a sus hogares por una ruta diferente y evitando así el odio de Herodes. Demostraron su sabiduría al dejar vivir al niño.

 

La Epifanía debe ser un modelo de nuestra vida de iglesia actual porque siempre está en expansión y siempre invita a otros a encontrarse con Dios, pero para hacer esto, debemos ser capaces de manejar bien el cambio, y a la mayoría de las personas no les gusta el cambio. La fe de los judíos tuvo que cambiar cuando nació Jesús y tuvo que cambiar nuevamente cuando aceptó la inclusión de los gentiles en la Epifanía y luego nuevamente en el primer Concilio de Jerusalén. El cambio es constante e inevitable, y el gran desafío es cómo gestionar bien el cambio para que la gente sea conducida con confianza.

 

Por ejemplo, la iglesia de hoy está cambiando rápida y dramáticamente, y está muy en línea con el movimiento de la Epifanía. La fe sigue avanzando hacia afuera para que más personas puedan encontrar al Dios de Jesucristo. Si bien la iglesia durante siglos ha crecido hacia afuera en Europa, ahora se está moviendo hacia Asia Pacífico, Asia propiamente dicha y países africanos. Muchos deberían estar encantados con este movimiento y, sin embargo, muchos lamentan que se esté alejando de su expresión europea.

 

A medida que la iglesia avanza hacia nuevas regiones geográficas, se encuentra con personas de diferentes culturas, idiomas y prácticas, y esto cambia la composición de la iglesia. Para algunos, hay miedo y resentimiento cuando en realidad es un momento de descubrimiento y celebración. La iglesia está avanzando en su exploración del espacio, el cuerpo humano, el mundo físico que lo rodea y está descubriendo nuevas profundidades en sus investigaciones científicas. En la raíz de estos descubrimientos se encuentra el Dios de la creación, el Dios a quien todas las naciones buscan, el Dios que está en el centro de todas las cosas. La búsqueda de Dios adquiere nuevas dimensiones. La iglesia siempre está avanzando y siempre se está adaptando a las experiencias de fe de la gente. La iglesia tiene una tradición viva porque está animada por el Dios vivo.

 

La Epifanía es el avance de nuestra vida con Dios. Este movimiento continúa hacia adelante a medida que la vida evoluciona. Dios manifestará el camino a seguir con la luz de la vida, de la misma manera que ese comienzo iluminó el camino a seguir en Belén. Debemos avanzar en la luz, a lugares desconocidos e inciertos, como lo hicieron los primeros viajeros sabios, para que otros puedan ver la luz de Cristo trayendo gloria al mundo.

 

Escritura para la misa diaria

 

Lunes: (Isaías 42) Aquí está mi siervo a quien sostengo, mi escogido en quien me complazco, sobre quien he puesto mi espíritu; él traerá justicia a las naciones.

 

Martes: (1 Samuel 1) En su amargura oró al SEÑOR, llorando copiosamente, e hizo un voto, prometiendo: “Oh SEÑOR de los ejércitos, si miras con piedad la miseria de tu sierva, si te acuerdas de mí y no te olvides de mí, si le das un hijo varón a tu sierva, yo se lo daré al SEÑOR mientras viva.

 

Miércoles: (1 Samuel 3) Samuel corrió hacia Elí y le dijo: “Aquí estoy. Me llamaste." “No te llamé”, dijo Eli. "Vuelve a dormir." Entonces volvió a dormir. Nuevamente llamó Jehová a Samuel, quien se levantó y fue donde Elí. “Aquí estoy”, dijo. "Me llamaste."

 

Jueves: (1 Samuel 4) Anímense y sean varoniles, filisteos; de lo contrario, seréis esclavos de los hebreos, como ellos lo eran vuestros esclavos. ¡ Así que lucha valientemente! Los filisteos pelearon e Israel fue derrotado.

 

Viernes (1 Samuel 8) Samuel se disgustó cuando pidieron un rey que los juzgara. Sin embargo, oró al Señor, quien le respondió: “Concede todo lo que pide el pueblo. No es a ti a quien rechazan, sino a mí como su rey”.

 

Sábado (1 Samuel 9) Cuando Samuel vio a Saúl, el Señor le aseguró: 
“Éste es el hombre de quien te dije; él debe gobernar a mi pueblo”.

 

Evangelio:

 

Lunes: (Marcos 1) Uno más poderoso que yo viene detrás de mí. No soy digno de agacharme y desatar las correas de sus sandalias. Yo os he bautizado en agua; él os bautizará con el Espíritu Santo.

 

Martes: (Marcos 1) En la sinagoga de ellos estaba un hombre con un espíritu inmundo; gritó: “¿Qué tienes que ver con nosotros, Jesús de Nazaret? ¿Has venido a destruirnos? ¡Sé quién eres: el Santo de Dios!

 

Miércoles (Marcos 1) Simón y los que estaban con él lo persiguieron y al encontrarlo le dijeron: “Todos te buscan”. Él les dijo: “Pasemos a las aldeas cercanas para que también predique allí.

 

Jueves (Marcos 1) Se le acercó un leproso y, arrodillándose , le suplicó: 
“Si quieres, puedes limpiarme”. Movido a compasión, extendió la mano, 
tocó al leproso y le dijo: “Yo quiero. Quedad limpios”.

 

Viernes (Marcos 2) Vinieron trayendo a él un paralítico llevado por cuatro hombres. Al 
no poder acercarse a Jesús debido a la multitud, abrieron el techo sobre él. 
Después de atravesarlo, bajaron la camilla sobre la que yacía el paralítico.

 

Sábado (Marcos 2) Jesús le dijo: “Sígueme”. Y se levantó y siguió a Jesús. Mientras estaba a la mesa en su casa, muchos publicanos y pecadores se sentaron con Jesús y sus discípulos.

 

Santos de la semana

 

7 de enero: Raimundo de Penyafort , sacerdote (1175-1275), se forma en filosofía y derecho y es ordenado 1222 para predicar a los moros y cristianos. Aunque fue nombrado obispo de Estragón, declinó el cargo. En cambio, organizó los decretos papales en la primera forma de derecho canónico. Posteriormente fue elegido Maestro de la Orden Dominicana.

 

13 de enero: El bautismo del Señor se relata en el Evangelio de Marcos, donde el bautismo de agua será reemplazado por un bautismo de fuego. Dios confirma la persona de Jesús cuando éste sale del agua y una paloma se posa sobre su cabeza. Dios está muy complacido.

 

Esta semana en la historia jesuita

 

• 7 de enero de 1566: El cardenal Ghislieri es elegido Papa como Pío V. Era un gran amigo de Francisco Borgia y nombró a Salmerón y Toletus predicadores apostólicos en el Vaticano. Deseaba imponer a la Sociedad el oficio de coro e incluso lo ordenó. Fue canonizado como San Pío V.
• 8 de enero de 1601: Nace Baltasar Gracián . Jesuita español, escribió sobre asuntos cortesanos. Es autor de "El caballero completo " y "El arte de la sabiduría mundana".
• de enero de 1574: P. Jasper Haywood murió en Nápoles. Fue superior de la misión inglesa. De niño fue uno de los pajes de honor de la princesa Isabel. Después de una brillante carrera en Oxford, renunció a su beca y entró en la Sociedad de Roma en 1570. Un hábil erudito y teólogo hebreo, fue durante dos años profesor en el Colegio Romano.
• 10 de enero de 1581: La reina Isabel firmó el quinto Estatuto Penal en Inglaterra, que imponía fuertes multas y encarcelamiento a todos los que albergaran a jesuitas y sacerdotes de seminario.
• 10 de enero de 1567. Dos jesuitas llegan a La Habana, Cuba, como base para la evangelización.
• 11 de enero de 1573. En Milán, San Carlos Borromeo funda un colegio (el Brera) y lo pone bajo el cuidado de la Sociedad.
• 12 de enero de 1544. Javier escribe una larga carta sobre sus labores apostólicas, diciendo que deseaba visitar todas las universidades de Europa en busca de trabajadores para la viña de nuestro Señor. La carta tuvo una amplia circulación y fue muy influyente.
• 13 de enero de 1547. En el Concilio de Trento, el P. James Laynez , como teólogo papal, defendió la doctrina católica sobre los sacramentos en un erudito discurso de tres horas.

Photo: The Peace Corps

 

Poem: “To the Immaculate Virgin, On a Winter Night” by Thomas Merton

 

Lady, the night is falling and the dark

Steals all the blood from the scarred west.

The stars come out and freeze my heart

With drops of untouchable music, frail as ice

And bitter as the new year’s cross.

 

Where in the world has any voice

Prayed to you, Lady, for the peace that’s in your power?

In a day of blood and many beatings

I see the governments rise up, behind the steel horizon,

And take their weapons and begin to kill.

 

Where in the world has any city trusted you?

Out where the soldiers camp the guns begin to thump

And another winter time comes down

To seal our years in ice.

The last train cries out

And runs in terror from this farmer’s valley

Where all the little birds are dead.

 

The roads are white, the fields are mute

There are no voices in the wood

And trees make gallows up against the sharp-eyed stars.

Oh where will Christ be killed again

In the land of these dead men?

 

Lady, the night has got us by the heart

And the whole world is tumbling down.

Words turn to ice in my dry throat

Praying for a land without prayer.

 

Walking to you on water all winter

                        In a year that wants more war. 

Photo: The Golden Rule

 

Prayer: Augustine of Hippo

In the psalms, we are urged to sing to the Lord a new song, but make sure that your life is singing the same tune as your tongue. Sing with your voices, sing with your hearts, sing with your lives. Know that the singer himself is the praise contained in the song. Do you want to speak the praise of God? Then be yourselves what you speak. If you lead good lives, you are God’s praises.