As Joseph was a-walking
He heard an Angel sing:
‘This night there shall be born
Our gracious Heav’nly King;
He neither shall be born
In housen nor in hall,
Nor in the place of Paradise,
But in an ox’s stall.’
‘He neither shall be christen’d
In white wine nor in red;
But with the fair spring water,
With which we were christened.’
As Joseph was A-walking,
Thus did the Angel sing;
And Mary’s Child at midnight
Was born to be our King.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Prayer: Didache (Teaching of the Twelve Apostles)
Give to everyone that asks you, and do not refuse for God's will is that we give to all from the gifts we have received. - 2nd Century
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Spirituality: Text of the Deliberations of the First Fathers (three of five)
Having decided and solved the first problem, we faced another more difficult one worthy of no less reflection and foresight. Having already pronounced perpetual vows of chastity and poverty before the most reverend legate of His Holiness when we were working in Venice, we now asked whether we should pronounce a third vow, namely to obey one of us in order that we might carry out the will of our Lord God more sincerely and with greater praise and merit and, at the same time, carry out the will and command of His Holiness to whom we had most willingly offered our will: will, understanding, strength, and the rest.
After many days of reflection and prayer, nothing had transpired to fill our souls with peace in solving this problem. Hoping in the Lord, we began to discuss mutually some means to solve the problem. First of all, we asked whether it might be good for all of us to withdraw to some hermitage and to remain there for thirty or forty days, spending all our time in meditations, fasting, and penances to the end that God might respond to our desires and deign to impress upon our minds the solution of the problems. Then, we asked whether three or four in the name of all should retire in this way for the same purpose. Or whether – although no one would go to a hermitage, all remaining in the city – we should devote ourselves to this one affair, so that we might give a larger and more ample place to meditation, reflection, and prayer, spending the rest of the day in our usual works of preaching and hearing confessions.
Finally, after discussing and examining these proposals, we decided that all would remain in Rome for two reasons especially: first, so as not to cause rumors and scandals in the city and among the people who, since men are so inclined to rash judgment, might conclude and suppose that we had taken flight or begun to work at something new or had little stability and perseverance in carrying out what we had begun; secondly, so that through being absent we would not in the meantime lose the great results we were seeking in hearing confessions, preaching, and other spiritual exercises, the demands for which were so great that if we were four times our number we could not satisfy all, as we cannot do at present.
After many days of reflection and prayer, nothing had transpired to fill our souls with peace in solving this problem. Hoping in the Lord, we began to discuss mutually some means to solve the problem. First of all, we asked whether it might be good for all of us to withdraw to some hermitage and to remain there for thirty or forty days, spending all our time in meditations, fasting, and penances to the end that God might respond to our desires and deign to impress upon our minds the solution of the problems. Then, we asked whether three or four in the name of all should retire in this way for the same purpose. Or whether – although no one would go to a hermitage, all remaining in the city – we should devote ourselves to this one affair, so that we might give a larger and more ample place to meditation, reflection, and prayer, spending the rest of the day in our usual works of preaching and hearing confessions.
Finally, after discussing and examining these proposals, we decided that all would remain in Rome for two reasons especially: first, so as not to cause rumors and scandals in the city and among the people who, since men are so inclined to rash judgment, might conclude and suppose that we had taken flight or begun to work at something new or had little stability and perseverance in carrying out what we had begun; secondly, so that through being absent we would not in the meantime lose the great results we were seeking in hearing confessions, preaching, and other spiritual exercises, the demands for which were so great that if we were four times our number we could not satisfy all, as we cannot do at present.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Spirituality: Lectio Divina
Opening prayer:
“Lord Jesus, you who are the Son of the Living God, teach me to listen to what you tell me in the holy Scriptures, and to discover your face there.” (Guigo III)
Reading: Getting to know the text
• Take in all the elements of the text.
• Be aware of context, related texts, quotes.
• Note the key characters; what are the key words?
• Do not choose anyone thing to work with at this stage.
• You are becoming familiar with the text: gathering food for thought.
Meditation: Engaging with the text, making it my own
• Here, faith life and the Word interact and seek integration.
• What does the text tell me about the God who speaks?
• What does it tell me about responding to that God?
• What does the text teach me about my faith life?
• What do I need to do to transform my life?
• We cannot do it alone; we are humbled, we turn to God in prayer.
Prayer: Let prayer emerge from your working with the text
• This prayer emerges from our reading/meditation.
• It is shaped by our personal prayer practice.
• We seek the grace to achieve what emerged from meditation.
• Prayer commits us to transformation of life.
• All that we can do in prayer is done here.
Contemplation: God’s response
• What happens here, only God can give
• Do not expect this to happen: go with it if it does.
• God does not wait but breaks in and runs to meet us.
• There is no need to be silent to let God speak.
Action: throughout the day
• Now choose a word, phrase, sentence.
• Bring it to mind frequently during the day.
• Let it recapture the experience of your lectio.
• Use it especially in situations relating to your lectio.
• Daily and hourly till the soil of the heart with the Gospel plow.
From Joseph Sobb, S.J. of the Australian province
“Lord Jesus, you who are the Son of the Living God, teach me to listen to what you tell me in the holy Scriptures, and to discover your face there.” (Guigo III)
Reading: Getting to know the text
• Take in all the elements of the text.
• Be aware of context, related texts, quotes.
• Note the key characters; what are the key words?
• Do not choose anyone thing to work with at this stage.
• You are becoming familiar with the text: gathering food for thought.
Meditation: Engaging with the text, making it my own
• Here, faith life and the Word interact and seek integration.
• What does the text tell me about the God who speaks?
• What does it tell me about responding to that God?
• What does the text teach me about my faith life?
• What do I need to do to transform my life?
• We cannot do it alone; we are humbled, we turn to God in prayer.
Prayer: Let prayer emerge from your working with the text
• This prayer emerges from our reading/meditation.
• It is shaped by our personal prayer practice.
• We seek the grace to achieve what emerged from meditation.
• Prayer commits us to transformation of life.
• All that we can do in prayer is done here.
Contemplation: God’s response
• What happens here, only God can give
• Do not expect this to happen: go with it if it does.
• God does not wait but breaks in and runs to meet us.
• There is no need to be silent to let God speak.
Action: throughout the day
• Now choose a word, phrase, sentence.
• Bring it to mind frequently during the day.
• Let it recapture the experience of your lectio.
• Use it especially in situations relating to your lectio.
• Daily and hourly till the soil of the heart with the Gospel plow.
From Joseph Sobb, S.J. of the Australian province
Monday, April 26, 2010
Prayer: Peter Canisius
See, O merciful God, what return
I, your thankless servant, have made
for the innumerable favors
and the wonderful love you have shown me!
What wrongs I have done,
what good left undone!
Wash away, I beg you,
these faults and stains
with your precious blood,
Most kind Redeemer,
and make up for my poverty
by applying your merits.
Give me the protection I need
to amend my life.
I give and surrender myself wholly to you,
and offer you all I possess,
with the prayer that you bestow
your grace on me,
so that I may be able to devote and employ
all the thinking power of my mind
and the strength of my body
in your holy service,
who are God blessed for ever and ever.
Amen.
Memorial: April 27
I, your thankless servant, have made
for the innumerable favors
and the wonderful love you have shown me!
What wrongs I have done,
what good left undone!
Wash away, I beg you,
these faults and stains
with your precious blood,
Most kind Redeemer,
and make up for my poverty
by applying your merits.
Give me the protection I need
to amend my life.
I give and surrender myself wholly to you,
and offer you all I possess,
with the prayer that you bestow
your grace on me,
so that I may be able to devote and employ
all the thinking power of my mind
and the strength of my body
in your holy service,
who are God blessed for ever and ever.
Amen.
Memorial: April 27
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Prayer: Pope John Paul I
Commonplace love. Often it is the only kind possible. To help others as best you can, to avoid losing your temper, to be understanding, to keep calm and smiling on these occasions (as much as possible!) is loving your neighbor, without fancy talk, but in a practical way.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Spirituality: Text of the Deliberations of the First Fathers (two of five)
We began, therefore, to use all our human efforts and to bring forward our common problems deserving of careful and mature consideration and planning. Our custom was to reflect and meditate and pray over the questions throughout the day. In the evening each man proposed to rest what he judged to be more correct and more expedient, in order that all might unanimously embrace the opinion that was truer and that had been examined and proved by stronger reasons and by the votes of the majority.
The first evening we came together, this question was proposed: after we had offered and dedicated ourselves and our lives to Christ our Lord and to His true and legitimate vicar of earth, so that he might dispose of us and send us wherever he might judge we could be most effective – whether to the Indies, the heretics, or among any of the faithful or among the non-Christians – would it be better for us to be so joined and bound together in one body that no physical dispersal, however great, could separate us? Or perhaps would this be inexpedient?
A clear example of the problem was the Pope’s sending two of us to Siena. Should we have concern and mutual comprehension for those going there, and they for us? Or should we perhaps have no greater concern for them than for persons outside our Company? Finally, we decided affirmatively, namely, that since the most kind and loving Lord had deigned to unite us to one another and to bring us together – weak men and from such different places and cultures – we should not sever God’s union and bringing together, but rather every day we should strengthen and more solidly ground it, forming ourselves into one body. Everyone should have concern for and comprehension of the others for greater apostolic efficacy, since united strength would have more power and courage in confronting whatever challenging goals were to be sought than if this strength were divided into many parts.
Now, in all that has been recounted and yet will be, we wish it to be understood that we adopted nothing at all from our own “spirit” and subjective notions, but only (whatever it might be) what the Lord inspired and the Apostolic See confirmed and approved.
The first evening we came together, this question was proposed: after we had offered and dedicated ourselves and our lives to Christ our Lord and to His true and legitimate vicar of earth, so that he might dispose of us and send us wherever he might judge we could be most effective – whether to the Indies, the heretics, or among any of the faithful or among the non-Christians – would it be better for us to be so joined and bound together in one body that no physical dispersal, however great, could separate us? Or perhaps would this be inexpedient?
A clear example of the problem was the Pope’s sending two of us to Siena. Should we have concern and mutual comprehension for those going there, and they for us? Or should we perhaps have no greater concern for them than for persons outside our Company? Finally, we decided affirmatively, namely, that since the most kind and loving Lord had deigned to unite us to one another and to bring us together – weak men and from such different places and cultures – we should not sever God’s union and bringing together, but rather every day we should strengthen and more solidly ground it, forming ourselves into one body. Everyone should have concern for and comprehension of the others for greater apostolic efficacy, since united strength would have more power and courage in confronting whatever challenging goals were to be sought than if this strength were divided into many parts.
Now, in all that has been recounted and yet will be, we wish it to be understood that we adopted nothing at all from our own “spirit” and subjective notions, but only (whatever it might be) what the Lord inspired and the Apostolic See confirmed and approved.
Fourth Sunday (Good Shepherd) of Easter
April 25, 2010
Many people in the world are now looking at the spiritual shepherds of the Catholic Church and concluding that some have not been caring, protective shepherds to the flock. The sexual abuse scandal and its subsequent response by bishops are not isolated to the U.S. as some thought. Since last fall, three Irish bishops have resigned; a Belgian and a German bishop just offered their resignation and some suggest that others throughout the world should probably follow suit. This week theologian Hans Kung wrote an open letter to the bishops urging them to consider his six points including calling for a council who could address the problematic issues of the day. Theologian Gerald O’Hanlon wrote a similar letter in February that was published in Furrow magazine. Many are impatiently waiting for the Church leaders to respond as Jesus, the Good Shepherd, would. The media and the church’s critics will keep their focus of the pastoral response of bishops, including the Bishop of Rome who promises to take action in this matter.
We have to be careful not the throw the baby out with the bath water. We do have many good bishops and religious leaders who care for their flock and we need to affirm those who are providing good ministry. We also know that there is a widening gap between some bishops and their people because complicated social and moral issues are not allowed to be discussed in conversation. Dialogue is essential for understanding another’s viewpoints and for enriching one’s own conscience. We all have an obligation to develop and form our conscience and in this fast-paced, ever-changing world, we need dialogue to help us maneuver through this rugged terrain. True dialogue is often a loving response because one is able to listen attentively and also feel heard by the other. It is satisfying even if it does not solve any problems. Notice the style of one’s way of proceeding. It can say much about their openness and generosity.
Being besieged by forces within or outside the church ought not to bother us. It has always been there and always will be. In the Acts of the Apostles, Paul and Barnabas preaches the grace of God in raising Jesus from the dead to both the Jews and the Gentiles. The Gentiles gratefully receive the message, but many Judaizers become violent towards the disciples who leave joyfully because the word of God was being spread to many others. The first reading and the Gospel remind us to keep our eyes fixed on the joy of knowing Christ who is our ultimate Good Shepherd. He will give us the protection we need. We need not be afraid of the forces of the world because he will give us eternal life, and we might want to notice all the good people who are with us in the flock – lay people, priests, religious and bishops. We are all in this together because Christ has called us to himself. In this entire maelstrom, we have to return to the voice of the Shepherd and first and foremost listen to what he has to say, and we have to tell him what is on our mind as well, including what we deeply feel. He will take care of us for sure, but he is showing us remarkable love when he converses with us. Let’s find some time to dialogue with our true Shepherd in prayer this week. It can make all the difference in the world.
Quote for the Week
From Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus, December 18, 2005:
The silence of Saint Joseph is given a special emphasis. His silence is steeped in contemplation of the mystery of God in an attitude of total availability to divine desires. It is a silence thanks to which Joseph, in unison with Mary, watches over the Word of God, known through the Sacred Scriptures, continuously comparing it with the events of the life of Jesus; a silence woven of constant prayer, a prayer of blessing of the Lord, of the adoration of His holy will and of unreserved entrustment to his providence. It is no exaggeration to think that it was precisely from his "father" Joseph that Jesus learned -- at the human level -- that steadfast interiority which is a presupposition of authentic justice.... Let us allow ourselves to be "filled" with Saint Joseph's silence! In a world that is often too noisy, that encourages neither recollection nor listening to God's voice.
Themes for this Week’s Masses
First Reading: We see how the church begins to move outward from Jerusalem as Peter visits the house of uncircumcised Gentiles and eats with them. Peter realizes that it is the same Holy Spirit that falls upon the Gentiles and Jews, so they all glorified God. During the persecution that followed because of Stephen, the new Christians were scattered and began to talk with Greeks and they proclaimed the good news to them. While in Antioch, Paul and Barnabas are set aside to bring the word of God to the Gentiles. Paul tells the story of the Jews culminating in the life of Jesus and the promise that God fulfilled among them.
Gospel: From Good Shepherd Sunday, we continue with John 10 as he describes the good care that a true shepherd provides his flock. Jesus is the gate for the sheep and he gives eternal life. His statements end with his proclamation that he and the Father are one. He came in to the world as light and whoever receives and believes in Jesus believes in the Father. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and all who come to him will have eternal life with the Father.
Saints of the Week
Monday: Mark, the Evangelist is celebrated on April 25th, which falls on the Lord ’s Day this year. Mark is regarded as the author of the first Gospel and is associated with Peter whom he heard preach. Mark was originally a companion of Paul, but is later associated with Peter’s ministry. He was sent to Alexandria and formed a church that is now known as the Coptic Orthodox Church.
Tuesday: Peter Canisius, S.J., priest and Doctor, is attributed to have stopped the spread of Protestantism in Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, and the Czech Republic. The restoration of Catholicism in Germany after the Restoration is attributed to his work. Declared a doctor of the church in 1925, his feast day was moved to December 21st, the date of his entry into eternal life.
Wednesday: Peter Chanel, priest, missionary, martyr, is the first martyr of the Pacific South Seas. Originally a parish priest in rural France, he joined the Society of Mary to become a missionary in 1831. At first the missionaries were well-received in the New Hebrides as they recently outlawed cannibalism. When the king’s son wanted to be baptized, his anger erupted and Peter was clubbed to death in protest.
Thursday: Catherine of Siena, Doctor, had mystical visions as a girl that continued during her 3rd Order of Dominican profession at age 16. She persuaded the Pope to go back to Rome from Avignon in 1377 in order to heal the great Western Schism. She is said to have a brilliant theological mind. When she died at age 33, she was found to have the stigmata.
Friday: Pius V, Pope, led the church through the Reformation (1566-1572). He was ordained a Dominican priest and taught in seminaries, became master of novices and a prior to several houses, and eventually became the General of the Inquisition. His excessive zeal led to his publication of Trent’s decrees on the Roman catechism, breviary, and missal. His alignment with European monarchical forces stopped the decline of Islamic advances by the Turks in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 in the gulf of Patras in the Ionian Sea.
Saturday: Joseph the Worker, was honored by Pope Pius XII in 1955 in an effort to counteract May Day, a union, worker, and socialist holiday. Many Catholics believe him to be the patron of workers because he is known for his patience, persistence, and hard work as admirable qualities which believers should adopt.
This Week in Jesuit History
• Apr 25, 1915. Pierre Rousselot, Professor at the Institute Catholique in Paris, is wounded and taken prisoner during World War I.
• Apr 26, 1935. Lumen Vitae, center for catechetics and religious formation was founded in Brussels.
• Apr 27, 1880. On the occasion of the visit of Jules Ferry, French minister of education, to Amiens, France, shouts were raised under the Jesuit College windows: "Les Jesuites a la guillotine."
• Apr 28, 1542. St Ignatius sent Pedro Ribadenaira, aged fifteen, from Rome to Paris for his studies. Pedro had been admitted into the Society in l539 or l540.
• Apr 29, 1933. Thomas Ewing Sherman died in New Orleans. An orator on the mission band, he was the son of Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman. He suffered a breakdown, and wanted to leave the Society, but was refused because of his ill health. Before his death he renewed his vows in the Society.
• Apr 30, 1585. The landing at Osaka of Fr Gaspar Coelho. At first the Emperor was favorably disposed towards Christianity. This changed later because of Christianity's attitude toward polygamy.
• May 1, 1572. At Rome, Pope St. Pius V dies. His decree imposing Choir on the Society was cancelled by his successor, Gregory XIII.
Plans for the Week
I am heading to Hervey Bay, a four-hour drive north of Brisbane, Australia to give a three-week retreat called the Exercises in Daily Life. Please pray for the Xavier Catholic College participants who will make this retreat and please pray for their director that I may stay out of the ways of God’s communication with them.
Prayers for Chile and Haiti
Let’s continue our prayers and generosity to the people of Chile and Haiti who are still recovering from earthquakes and natural disasters. While the world’s cameras may have turned their lenses to other news, let’s remember those who silently reconstruct their lives amid great hardship.
Many people in the world are now looking at the spiritual shepherds of the Catholic Church and concluding that some have not been caring, protective shepherds to the flock. The sexual abuse scandal and its subsequent response by bishops are not isolated to the U.S. as some thought. Since last fall, three Irish bishops have resigned; a Belgian and a German bishop just offered their resignation and some suggest that others throughout the world should probably follow suit. This week theologian Hans Kung wrote an open letter to the bishops urging them to consider his six points including calling for a council who could address the problematic issues of the day. Theologian Gerald O’Hanlon wrote a similar letter in February that was published in Furrow magazine. Many are impatiently waiting for the Church leaders to respond as Jesus, the Good Shepherd, would. The media and the church’s critics will keep their focus of the pastoral response of bishops, including the Bishop of Rome who promises to take action in this matter.
We have to be careful not the throw the baby out with the bath water. We do have many good bishops and religious leaders who care for their flock and we need to affirm those who are providing good ministry. We also know that there is a widening gap between some bishops and their people because complicated social and moral issues are not allowed to be discussed in conversation. Dialogue is essential for understanding another’s viewpoints and for enriching one’s own conscience. We all have an obligation to develop and form our conscience and in this fast-paced, ever-changing world, we need dialogue to help us maneuver through this rugged terrain. True dialogue is often a loving response because one is able to listen attentively and also feel heard by the other. It is satisfying even if it does not solve any problems. Notice the style of one’s way of proceeding. It can say much about their openness and generosity.
Being besieged by forces within or outside the church ought not to bother us. It has always been there and always will be. In the Acts of the Apostles, Paul and Barnabas preaches the grace of God in raising Jesus from the dead to both the Jews and the Gentiles. The Gentiles gratefully receive the message, but many Judaizers become violent towards the disciples who leave joyfully because the word of God was being spread to many others. The first reading and the Gospel remind us to keep our eyes fixed on the joy of knowing Christ who is our ultimate Good Shepherd. He will give us the protection we need. We need not be afraid of the forces of the world because he will give us eternal life, and we might want to notice all the good people who are with us in the flock – lay people, priests, religious and bishops. We are all in this together because Christ has called us to himself. In this entire maelstrom, we have to return to the voice of the Shepherd and first and foremost listen to what he has to say, and we have to tell him what is on our mind as well, including what we deeply feel. He will take care of us for sure, but he is showing us remarkable love when he converses with us. Let’s find some time to dialogue with our true Shepherd in prayer this week. It can make all the difference in the world.
Quote for the Week
From Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus, December 18, 2005:
The silence of Saint Joseph is given a special emphasis. His silence is steeped in contemplation of the mystery of God in an attitude of total availability to divine desires. It is a silence thanks to which Joseph, in unison with Mary, watches over the Word of God, known through the Sacred Scriptures, continuously comparing it with the events of the life of Jesus; a silence woven of constant prayer, a prayer of blessing of the Lord, of the adoration of His holy will and of unreserved entrustment to his providence. It is no exaggeration to think that it was precisely from his "father" Joseph that Jesus learned -- at the human level -- that steadfast interiority which is a presupposition of authentic justice.... Let us allow ourselves to be "filled" with Saint Joseph's silence! In a world that is often too noisy, that encourages neither recollection nor listening to God's voice.
Themes for this Week’s Masses
First Reading: We see how the church begins to move outward from Jerusalem as Peter visits the house of uncircumcised Gentiles and eats with them. Peter realizes that it is the same Holy Spirit that falls upon the Gentiles and Jews, so they all glorified God. During the persecution that followed because of Stephen, the new Christians were scattered and began to talk with Greeks and they proclaimed the good news to them. While in Antioch, Paul and Barnabas are set aside to bring the word of God to the Gentiles. Paul tells the story of the Jews culminating in the life of Jesus and the promise that God fulfilled among them.
Gospel: From Good Shepherd Sunday, we continue with John 10 as he describes the good care that a true shepherd provides his flock. Jesus is the gate for the sheep and he gives eternal life. His statements end with his proclamation that he and the Father are one. He came in to the world as light and whoever receives and believes in Jesus believes in the Father. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and all who come to him will have eternal life with the Father.
Saints of the Week
Monday: Mark, the Evangelist is celebrated on April 25th, which falls on the Lord ’s Day this year. Mark is regarded as the author of the first Gospel and is associated with Peter whom he heard preach. Mark was originally a companion of Paul, but is later associated with Peter’s ministry. He was sent to Alexandria and formed a church that is now known as the Coptic Orthodox Church.
Tuesday: Peter Canisius, S.J., priest and Doctor, is attributed to have stopped the spread of Protestantism in Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, and the Czech Republic. The restoration of Catholicism in Germany after the Restoration is attributed to his work. Declared a doctor of the church in 1925, his feast day was moved to December 21st, the date of his entry into eternal life.
Wednesday: Peter Chanel, priest, missionary, martyr, is the first martyr of the Pacific South Seas. Originally a parish priest in rural France, he joined the Society of Mary to become a missionary in 1831. At first the missionaries were well-received in the New Hebrides as they recently outlawed cannibalism. When the king’s son wanted to be baptized, his anger erupted and Peter was clubbed to death in protest.
Thursday: Catherine of Siena, Doctor, had mystical visions as a girl that continued during her 3rd Order of Dominican profession at age 16. She persuaded the Pope to go back to Rome from Avignon in 1377 in order to heal the great Western Schism. She is said to have a brilliant theological mind. When she died at age 33, she was found to have the stigmata.
Friday: Pius V, Pope, led the church through the Reformation (1566-1572). He was ordained a Dominican priest and taught in seminaries, became master of novices and a prior to several houses, and eventually became the General of the Inquisition. His excessive zeal led to his publication of Trent’s decrees on the Roman catechism, breviary, and missal. His alignment with European monarchical forces stopped the decline of Islamic advances by the Turks in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 in the gulf of Patras in the Ionian Sea.
Saturday: Joseph the Worker, was honored by Pope Pius XII in 1955 in an effort to counteract May Day, a union, worker, and socialist holiday. Many Catholics believe him to be the patron of workers because he is known for his patience, persistence, and hard work as admirable qualities which believers should adopt.
This Week in Jesuit History
• Apr 25, 1915. Pierre Rousselot, Professor at the Institute Catholique in Paris, is wounded and taken prisoner during World War I.
• Apr 26, 1935. Lumen Vitae, center for catechetics and religious formation was founded in Brussels.
• Apr 27, 1880. On the occasion of the visit of Jules Ferry, French minister of education, to Amiens, France, shouts were raised under the Jesuit College windows: "Les Jesuites a la guillotine."
• Apr 28, 1542. St Ignatius sent Pedro Ribadenaira, aged fifteen, from Rome to Paris for his studies. Pedro had been admitted into the Society in l539 or l540.
• Apr 29, 1933. Thomas Ewing Sherman died in New Orleans. An orator on the mission band, he was the son of Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman. He suffered a breakdown, and wanted to leave the Society, but was refused because of his ill health. Before his death he renewed his vows in the Society.
• Apr 30, 1585. The landing at Osaka of Fr Gaspar Coelho. At first the Emperor was favorably disposed towards Christianity. This changed later because of Christianity's attitude toward polygamy.
• May 1, 1572. At Rome, Pope St. Pius V dies. His decree imposing Choir on the Society was cancelled by his successor, Gregory XIII.
Plans for the Week
I am heading to Hervey Bay, a four-hour drive north of Brisbane, Australia to give a three-week retreat called the Exercises in Daily Life. Please pray for the Xavier Catholic College participants who will make this retreat and please pray for their director that I may stay out of the ways of God’s communication with them.
Prayers for Chile and Haiti
Let’s continue our prayers and generosity to the people of Chile and Haiti who are still recovering from earthquakes and natural disasters. While the world’s cameras may have turned their lenses to other news, let’s remember those who silently reconstruct their lives amid great hardship.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Prayer: Dios te salve, Maria (Hail Mary) in Spanish
Dios te salve, Maria.
Llena eres de gracia:
El Señor es contigo.
Bendita tú eres entre todas las mujeres.
Y bendito es el fruto de tu vientre:
Jesús.
Santa María, Madre de Dios,
ruega por nosotros pecadores,
ahora y en la hora de nuestra muerte.
Amén.
Llena eres de gracia:
El Señor es contigo.
Bendita tú eres entre todas las mujeres.
Y bendito es el fruto de tu vientre:
Jesús.
Santa María, Madre de Dios,
ruega por nosotros pecadores,
ahora y en la hora de nuestra muerte.
Amén.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Spirituality: Text of the Deliberations of the First Fathers (one of five)
Near the end of Lent the time was drawing near when we would have to be dispersed and separated from one another. We were very eager for this, recognizing it as necessary in order to reach the goal we had already fixed upon and thought about with intense desire.
We decided to come together for some days before separating to discuss with one another our vocation and manner of life. After doing this for several days, we were divided by different ideas and opinions concerning our state of life, some of us being French, others Spanish, others Savoyards or Portuguese. There was unity of mind and purpose: to seek the gracious and perfect will of God according to the scope of our vocation; but there were various opinions concerning the more effective and more successful means both for ourselves and for our fellowmen.
It should surprise no one that this difference of opinion occurred among us weak and frail men, since even the Apostles, princes and pillars of the most holy Church, as well as many most perfect men with whom we are unworthy to be even remotely compared, had points of view which were different and at times in direct contradiction, and they have left these contrary opinions in writing. Since we judged matters differently, we therefore we anxious to seek and find some truly open way that we could follow in offering ourselves as a holocaust to our God, to whose praise and honor our all might be surrendered.
Finally, we decided and determined unanimously to give ourselves to prayers and sacrifices and meditations with greater than usual fervor and, after using all our resources, to cast all our concerns upon the Lord, hoping in Him who is so good and generous that He denies His good spirit to no one who asks with a humble and single heart. Indeed, He gives with largesse to all men disappointing no one. Certainly, He would not fail us; but so great is His goodness, He would help us beyond our desires and understanding.
We decided to come together for some days before separating to discuss with one another our vocation and manner of life. After doing this for several days, we were divided by different ideas and opinions concerning our state of life, some of us being French, others Spanish, others Savoyards or Portuguese. There was unity of mind and purpose: to seek the gracious and perfect will of God according to the scope of our vocation; but there were various opinions concerning the more effective and more successful means both for ourselves and for our fellowmen.
It should surprise no one that this difference of opinion occurred among us weak and frail men, since even the Apostles, princes and pillars of the most holy Church, as well as many most perfect men with whom we are unworthy to be even remotely compared, had points of view which were different and at times in direct contradiction, and they have left these contrary opinions in writing. Since we judged matters differently, we therefore we anxious to seek and find some truly open way that we could follow in offering ourselves as a holocaust to our God, to whose praise and honor our all might be surrendered.
Finally, we decided and determined unanimously to give ourselves to prayers and sacrifices and meditations with greater than usual fervor and, after using all our resources, to cast all our concerns upon the Lord, hoping in Him who is so good and generous that He denies His good spirit to no one who asks with a humble and single heart. Indeed, He gives with largesse to all men disappointing no one. Certainly, He would not fail us; but so great is His goodness, He would help us beyond our desires and understanding.
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