Oct
31
Honor to celebrate of all the Saints of this holiday in of a the one of the Gentleman of THE ONE of in of Alegremonos all. Solemnity and of Los Angeles the Son of God of the one is glad of this praise an a.
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Oct
31
God is the glory and the joy of all saints, whose memory we celebrated today. May its blessing is with you always. Amen. May the prayers of the saints give to him badly of the present one; its example of the return can santa of the life its thoughts to the service of God and of the neighbor. Amen. The church God santa enjoys that God chidren is one with the saints peacefully lasting. You can you come to share with them in all the joys of the house of our father. Amen. Blesss all-powerful of May God you, the father, + and the son, and the Spirit Santo. Amen.
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Oct
31
The faith, in its best one, is a way to know, a way to be trusting to the world and a recognition way that the human people we are not single. In fact, never we were. To be human it is to be in dialogue. Adrian Lyons of imagines believing
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Oct
30
October 31, 2010 The infamous tax collector, Zacchaeus, is regarded as the type of man who would never be allowed into God’s kingdom. He is a toll collector, which puts him at odds with the faithful Jews who want to overthrow Roman rule, and he is dishonest because he has defrauded many in his craft. Also, he is a wealthy man and Jesus makes it clear that it is difficult for one who is rich to enter God’s kingdom. Despite wealth, he is eager to see Jesus. He does not fear the judgment Jesus may have about his wealth. Luke’s Gospel shows that God’s kingdom is inclusive. Many people who are discarded by this world’s ruling elite are welcome in this kingdom. The wealthy are invited too, but a rich person who struggles with attachments to possessions finds it difficult to accept the invitation. Zacchaeus is free from those attachments and is open to the message of salvation Jesus brings. The moral here is the outcast (ironically, a rich man) is not outside the pale of God’s chosen people. The extent of this inclusivity shakes up even the closest followers of Jesus, as it once did the religious leaders. Ironically, the name “Zacchaeus” means “clean.” His name reveals his changed nature. He is a man who used to be a sinner, but he resolves to change his ways. He is not a sinner in the present tense because he is now living in the manner God wants him to live: as a man who is generous and just. This new way of living increases his desire to see Jesus. He is happy because his true self has now emerged into reality. Jesus announces to Zacchaeus that salvation has come to his house. This statement makes the claim that the presence of Jesus makes possible what is humanly impossible. Paul affirms this in his letter to the Thessalonians when he tells people that the Christ within us will help us powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose and that Christ will be glorified in us. We are to be like Zacchaeus who is open to the possibilities that Jesus offers. We can let the presence of Jesus turn our lives around just as it did with Zacchaeus. This involves great risk – because we can lose all we gained in life. This involved great trust – because we primarily rely upon our own resources and we haven’t struggled enough with our own attachments to possessions. It would be good if we could place ourselves in the hands of God just as the author of Wisdom does in the first reading. He recognizes God’s mission of mercy and is filled with wonder and gratitude. God’s mercy is shown with Zacchaeus because we see Jesus acting once again as the good shepherd – as the one who seeks out the lost and brings him home. God does not place obstacles in our path. God removes them. We keep putting them back in our way. God’s invitation has no limits or boundaries. Tell Christ what it would take for you to take one step beyond a boundary that still binds you. Let his presence do something you might not expect. Quote for the Week Prayer: Pope John XXIII True peace is born of doing the will of God, and bearing with patience the sufferings of this life, and does not come from following one’s own whim or selfish desire, for this always brings, not peace and serenity, but disorder and discontent. Themes for this Week’s Masses First Reading: The week begins with reflections on the faithful departed and then continues with Paul’s letter to the Philippians when he tells the people to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. The mark of a believer is joy. He tells the people that circumcision is no longer the sign of God’s elect – the possession of the Holy Spirit is the real sign. One’s citizenship is in heaven and one is to conform one’s action to this reality. We do this when we imitate Christ. In all circumstances, we are to rejoice because of the wondrous event God has done for us in Christ. Go spel: The journey of Jesus heads to the cross. He tells disciples that they may have to turn away from family to join his new family. One is to prepare oneself for this new life. Jesus tells two parables of finding what was once lost to illustrate the joy God feels when a sinner repents. He illustrates in parables the importance of safeguarding the words of Jesus in a way similar to a master who entrusts his steward with his wealth. The believer is to prove himself trustworthy, even if it is with dishonest wealth, so he can be seen as trustworthy by others. Saints of the Week Monday: The Solemnity of All Saints honors the countless faithful believers – living and dead – who have helped us along in our faith. We have a liturgical calendar filled with canonized saints; we have a list of blesseds and those minor saints who no longer appear on the calendar. We have particular saints for each part of the world. We also have the many people in our lives who live out the Gospel values, as emphasized in the Beatitudes, who we appreciate and imitate. Tuesday: All Souls Day is the commemoration of all the faithful departed. November is known as All Souls Month as we take the entire month to remember those who have died as we hasten towards the end of the liturgical year and the great feast of Christ the King. As a tradition, we have always remembered our dead as a way of keeping them alive to us and giving thanks to God for their lives. Wednesday: Rupert Mayer, priest , was a Jesuit who resisted the Nazi Third Reich government. In 1937, he was placed in protective custody. He was eventually released when he agreed that he would no longer preach. He died while saying Mass in 1945 of a stroke. Martin de Porres, Religious , was a Peruvian born of a Spanish knight and a Panamanian Indian woman. Because he was not pure blood, he lost many privileges in the Spanish ruling classes. He became a Dominican and served the community in many menial jobs. He was known for tending to the sick and the poor and for keeping a rigorous prayer life. Thursday: Charles Borromeo lived in the 16th century and at age 22 was made the Bishop of Milan as he was the nephew of Pope Pius IV. He was a leading Archbishop in the Catholic Reformation that followed the Council of Trent. During a plague epidemic, Borromeo visited the hardest hit areas so he could provide pastoral services to the sick. Friday: Jesuits set aside a special day, All Saints and Blessed of the Society of Jesus , to remember specifically all the deceased Jesuits who make it onto our own liturgical calendar. We remember not only the major saints on the calendar, but also those who are in the canonization process and hold the title Blessed, like Peter Faber. We pray for the souls of all deceased Jesuits during the month in our province listing of the dead (necrology.) This Week in Jesuit History • Oct 31, 1602. At Cork, the martyrdom of Dominic Collins, an Irish brother, who was hanged, drawn, and quartered for his adherence to the faith. • Nov 1, 1956. The Society of Jesus was allowed in Norway. • Nov 2, 1661. The death of Daniel Seghers, a famous painter of insects and flowers. • Nov 3, 1614. Dutch pirates failed to capture the vessel in which the right arm of Francis Xavier was being brought to Rome. • Nov 4, 1768. On the feast of St Charles, patron of Charles III, King of Spain, the people of Madrid asked for the recall of the Jesuits who had been banished from Spain nineteen months earlier. Irritated by this demand, the king drove the Archbishop of Toledo and his Vicar General into exile as instigators of the movement. • Nov 5, 1660. The death of Alexandre de Rhodes, one of the most effective Jesuit missionaries of all time. A native of France, he arrived in what is now Vietnam in 1625. • Nov 6, 1789. Fr. John Carroll of Maryland was appointed to be the first Bishop of Baltimore. Jesuit Vocation Day November 5th is set aside each year in the Jesuit calendar to promote vocations. We do so because it is the Feast of All Jesuit Saints and Blesseds. We remember all the priests and brothers who have served the church faithfully and who are part of our Jesuit Institute. We sincerely want to invite men who believe they have a call from God to serve the church in the footsteps of Ignatius and his first companions. It is a good life. It is a difficult vocation at times, but nothing in life is every really easy. It is amazing to see all the good that is done in the world by Jesuits and their faithful companions. To Young Men: Please contact a Jesuit if you want to explore God’s promptings in your life. To Mothers: You are invaluable in sponsoring your son’s vocation. Please strengthen the church by guiding your son into the priesthood or religious life. You will never lose him. You will gain more companions that you ever thought possible. You, your son, and the church will receive fine gifts.
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Oct
29
Luke uses food symbolism a lot in his Gospel. Today we have another dinner scene in which Luke emphasizes the inclusive nature of the banquet one finds in the Kingdom of heaven. This is set in contrast to the leading Pharisees meal to which Jesus is invited. We doubt the man with dropsy was invited. Luke answers questions his community faces: should they eat with the unclean? what renders one clean? who is to be invited to Christian meals? We know that Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath and calls many to his eschatological banquet, but in the time of Jesus, many understood that the lame, sick, lepers, the blind, and other categories of people were unfit for the kingdom. Thankfully, the teachings of Jesus transcends those boundaries. It comes as no surprise that Jesus boldly makes his point in the home of a leading Pharisee – a high-ranking religious figure. Through his actions, Jesus is showing these authorities how wrong they are in interpreting the reign of God. The kingdom on earth will reveal the true nature of God – as one who is merciful with a preferential option for the poor and the marginalized. God’s vision respects the dignity of all human beings and is not bound by the laws that God gave to the Jews. Most importantly, God is not like the religious leaders who, though they see the suffering of others, will sit back in a clamoring silence when someone does the good and the right – at the expense of the laws. Jesus transgresses these very boundaries when the man with dropsy appears before all these high-powered men gathered at table. The atmosphere must have been emotionally charged as he appears before the Pharisees and Jesus. It must have been awkward for him. I would feel self-conscious. Was he brought there as an example? Did he appear by chance? Or did he appear on his own in a desperation attempt to be healed? Regardless, he is interrupting an important dinner conversation. All eyes are on him. He is a man reduced to his illness – no longer regarded as fully human, but a man with dropsy. And as he is there, they discuss him as if he is not – like two doctors would discuss clinically an illness in front of a patient as if he is not there. Perhaps he was very courageous, but it seems more likely that he was stripped of his dignity. It could have been humiliating for him to intrude into this elite dinner party. Jesus is moved to heal the man though he is aware of the social consequences. And as the scholars and Pharisees see this as a gross disregard for the Sabbath observance, I imagine they were extremely curious to see the way in which Jesus heals. What is it like? Does he use magic words? Is there a prescribed formula? Is it a healing touch? Is the man’s body transformed immediately like we see in the movies? Where does his power come from? Healing someone has to pull forth powerful emotions from Jesus. It seems as if it is a great personal moment of intimacy. Then as now, we don’t like intimacy shown in public at all. We sometimes read Gospel accounts matter-of-factly, but I would be certain this man returns a great display of affection to Jesus.. The emotions of Jesus probably were riding high because he just eased the suffering of a man in need. Whenever we do good, we feel satisfied and contented. From our personal experience, we know we face unexpected opposition when we try to do the good and the right. I doubt Jesus felt welcomed when he returned to that dinner table. The eating and drinking must have stopped. You could cut the hostile silence with a knife. Did some men get up and leave? Was Jesus even welcome to sit at the table and continue his meal or was it too awkward for him to sit and stay? You cannot sit and eat at table with someone with whom you are angry or don’t like. Eating with another is a display of intimacy and friendship. These reactions remind us of the difficulties we face in our healing. Notice the great opposition that confront us when we want to change. Many people really don’t want us to change. We are to always remain that person with such and such a illness, or disability, or addiction. We are defined by our conditions. And people around us build dependencies around our conditions – and after a while – these are comfortable. To be healed means we will no longer need those dependencies. The fundamental relationship between people is fundamentally altered. Few people want you or expect you to be healed. And sometimes we don’t even want our own healing. Our self-defeating ways keep us bound by our conditions. We become attached to them as they are all we know. We depend on them as explanations for our behavior. They define us essentially. While we may speak the language of healing, we too often say “no” to advice or references or recommendations. We say “no” to the loving intentions of others. We reject their love for us and we reject God’s loving reach out towards us. We remain bound through our own volition. In whatever manner the man with dropsy was brought to that dinner, we have to be more like him. He risks personal embarrassment and shame to stand before such high profile men to petition for his healing. We have to be open to the healing that Jesus offers us. We want to look primarily at his compassionate gestures and turn aside from the hostile, yet curious stares of the scholars and Pharisees in our lives. We are to be open to the intimacy that Jesus extends to us – for we know Jesus is revealing the heart and attitude of God to us. We know that his dinner invitation includes everyone – regardless of condition – including you – even when the passive-aggressive, hostile silence of the religious leaders or anyone who holds authority over you stares you down. Live in the mercy of God. Let Christ heal you and set you free. Imagine how much richer that food will taste when you eat at the Lord’s banquet free from the shackles of this life. Many liberated and healed people are anxiously waiting for you to join them. Accept Christ’s invitation.
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Oct
29
Jesus, love of my soul, center of my heart! Why I am not more eagerto I hold pains and love of the tribulationsfor of you.when you, my God, has undergone so much for me? Coming, then, each class of test in the world, for this is my pleasure, to suffer for Jesus.This is my joy, to follow rescuing, and to find my consolationwith my to consoler in the cross. This one is my happiness, this my pleasure: in order to live with Jesus, to walk with Jesus, to talk with Jesus, to suffer with and for him: this one is my treasure. Monument: 31 of October
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Oct
28
Which is love? ““The total absence of fear,” said the master. “Which is he fears” The “love,” said the master.
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Oct
25
From century XIX, European Literature has been frequented by the silence of overwhelming form of a world in which ninguÌ n partner of the dialogue exists, able to meet us in the depths where we length to be known. In the divine companion it is discovered, we requested or we tyrannized our companions more considered to realise that miracle for us, and laceramos, and we ourself, when they lack. The God rediscovery can in fact render less liabl to us to twist relations with which we loved, and it comes up to us that they demand more of others than they can give. Adrian Lyons, imagines believing
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Oct
24
This afternoon I took a leisurely seven mile walk as I had some free time on my schedule. A weekend retreat for women in recovery was ending and a pervading quiet was settling in at the retreat house. The gusty winds of the past few days have ceased and the outside temperature warmed up to 57 degrees (14 C.) The clouds over the ocean appear as if a fog covers it. The clouds are evenly white with gentle curves. It looks like a mid-November sky although it is much warmer day. I can smell the moisture in the air. Precipitation will be light if there is any at all. The moisture allows me to notice the earthy soil as decaying leaves form a blanket or browns and fading reds on the ground. The pine trees’ fragrance has a steady scent. The stillness from above makes me notice the overlooked aspects of creation below. I listen to the Estonian computer, Arvo Part, on my IPod and set out for my daily exercise. My mind does its usual wanderings as I spend part of my time in prayer and some time noticing the beauty of the land. I tell Christ about what has happened with my family during the past week and then spend some time telling him about my Jesuit life. The graces I received in Australia are still strong and I continue to offer my thanks to Christ for rewarding me generously. I tell Christ about the events of my week and the people who have moved me or are in need of prayers. Walking while praying helps me get everything out. It does not replace my contemplative prayer; it helps me clear out the cobwebs so my prayer in stillness can be more focused upon Christ. Somehow these forward physical steps assist my spiritual steps. People bring beauty into their lives. The great mansions of Gloucester and the small houses alike do well to keep up their properties and these seasonal decorations describe the houses’ and owners’ personalities. Most of these decorations are flowers, gourds, stalks, or other natural products that make for tasteful seasonal displays. I find it incredible the variety of late-autumn flowers that appear so fresh and at the height of their lifespan. I would have thought that any cold would have diminished their growth and beauty. Beauty seems to bring up in less than favorable conditions. While I admire the beauty of these houses and properties, I am past the point of dreaming of having my own place. I have lived in many places and met some truly good people along the way. I like staying in touch with them and letting them know I still care about them, but I feel like I am more truly living for Christ. No place seems like home and yet everyplace seems like home. It seems natural to want to feel rooted, to have permanence, and to feel secure. Right now, I would feel hampered by possessing my own property. While I do like to maintain and care for the houses where I am assigned, I no longer feel as if I want to build a home. On the contrary, I want to give away much of what I do have. Perhaps it is the season we are in when the daylight leaves us more quickly than we want and we think about the cycle of life more intensely. I also care less for building my own status or honor. I feel freer to let my life be more about living it for Christ. I consider how much death is a part of life. I am praying for many people who are sick or in need of surgery or are merely having a difficult time with some aspect of their lives. I feel for them and want them to do well and to thrive. I want them to be healthy and happy and to know how much the Lord cares for them. I realized the sadness a person feels when a loved one has died. The memories of these people remain with us and always will, especially as we advance towards our own death. Life will continue without us and we have to choose each day how we will best live it. Death does not need drama. I want to be ready for it whenever it comes and I want to live a long life with good health and caring friends. I want to make the best choices I can for my happiness each day and want to live and die well. I want to take the words of the preacher Qoheleth in Ecclesiastes to heart: enjoy life, recreate well, choose your own happiness. I want to live in the freedom God extends to us. I want to be true to the Creator’s hope for me. To do anything otherwise would be to act falsely. Death comes to us all. I choose to live for Christ and to bring his message to anyone who wants to hear it. At this stage in my life, I realize my efforts and activities are not worth all that much. I have diminishing illusions about the great work I can do. I am settling into the reality that Christ merely wants to be with me and that he wants me to live as joyfully as I can. That’s all. If I can notice the ways God gives us so much and gives us each other and I live in gratitude for people and their gifts, then I am doing rather well and I will be content in life. Give me only your grace. That’s enough for me. I enjoyed my walk today.
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Oct
24
Of the many promises our Mr. Jesus Christ revealed Santa Margarita Maria in favor of the souls dedicated to his sacred heart that are the main ones as it follows: 1. I will give all the necessary tolerances them for its state of the life. 2. I will give peace in its families. 3. I will console them in all hardships. 4. I will be its refuge while still alive and especially in death. 5. Abundant I will bless all companies. 6. The sinful ones will find in my heart the source and the infinite ocean of the mercy. 7. The lukewarm souls will get to be fervent. 8. The fervent souls will rise express to the great perfection. 9. I will bless those places where the image of my sacred heart will be set out and venerated. 10. I will give to the priests the energy to touch the hard hearts. The 11 people who propagate this dedication will have their names eternally written in my heart. 12. In the excess of the mercy of my heart, I promise to him that my all the long-range love will grant to all those that receive the communion the first Friday, by nine months consecutive, the tolerance of the final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without the reception of the sacraments; and my heart will be its safe refuge on that past hour.
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Oct
23
October 24, 2010 The parable Jesus tells to people convinced of their own righteousness gives us a chance to reflect on our own righteous presumptions. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus compares two people praying in the temple: a self-important Pharisee and a traitorous tax collector. The Pharisee counts his blessings and tells the Lord God about the ways he tries to be faithful. He tries to be a good man. The tax collector assumes a different posture and attitude – he realizes he depends upon the mercy of God. He knows this mercy is undeserved because of the egregious sins he committed. Consider first the direction of each man’s prayer. The Pharisee addresses God but talks only about himself and his efforts to be good. He wants God to know the good he has done and he spews forth a litany of good works. He is proud of himself because he lives nobly. Although his actions are laudable, he is not a virtuous man. His effort to be righteous merely does not go the whole distance. The tax collector similarly addresses God and simply asks for mercy. He needs mercy because he did not meter it out to others. His prayer focuses on what God has done and can do for him. He knows he is dependent upon God for mercy because left to his own, he will fail. His heart pleads for God’s intervention in his life because of the shame and guilt he carries. He wants to feel better connected to God and he waits for God’s next move. If we consider the ways in which the two relate to others we see a dramatic difference. The Pharisee pulls himself away from those people with whom he does not want to associate. This is not a fruit of real prayer. Prayer connects us to others and draws us together into a unified whole. Prayer makes us want to be closer to others and helps us to see the humanity and divinity in each other. The tax collector realizes he has been separated by his own actions and desires to be brought back into a community. Of course, this parable exaggerates the two men and we do not want to get caught up in particulars of their characterization. We want to see that we are like each of them at times. We have to examine with the Lord those situations in our lives when we distance ourselves from others; we have to examine those situations when we are separated and want a healing reconciliation. The key to it is to allow the Lord to help us see what is stirring in each of us. Notice God before you dwell upon yourselves. Prayer is healthy when we address the Lord and ask him to help us see the dynamics present within us. We will flip back to our Pharisee-like behavior and tell God about our actions. When we do that, we turn our attention back to God to contemplate his abiding presence. True Ignatian contemplation will bring up the stuff of our present lives as we meditate upon God’s life, but our focus remains on God’s presence to us. When we do this, we are like the poor tax collector who learns to depend upon God’s incomparable mercy. We become grateful to God who helps us deepen our trust in him. We all want to develop a more secure basis for greater trust in the Lord. Quote for the Week Prayer: Socrates Our prayers should be for blessings in general, for God knows best what is good for us. Themes for this Week’s Masses First Reading: In Ephesians, Paul addresses the?believers’ moral life urging them to imitate God who has forgiven everyone their sins and has shown patience and steadfastness. Each person is to respect and honor the other in imitation of the ways Christ has honored God. All are to be treated with kindness for God resides in the soul of each believer. We belong to a community. We are heirs to God’s promise. We are in the household of God with Christ as the head. In Philippians, Paul prays in the gratitude for the partnership in remaining steadfast to the Gospel. He rejoices that the proclamation of the Gospel will continue, even during his imprisonment. Paul longs to be with Christ and he realizes Christ wants him to remain in the flesh for the church’s benefit. Gospel: Jesus heals a woman suffering from an 18-year long crippling infirmity and is rebuked because he does it on a Sabbath. Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a mustard seed and baking yeast. He tells the crowds to enter the narrow gate because many who presume they will enter the kingdom of heaven will not be allowed. Only those who Jesus knows well will be invited. Foreigners from all lands will be invited before many of the Israelites. The actions of Jesus incur wrath at a Sabbath meal in a leading Pharisees’ home when he cures a man of his dropsy. He then tells the invited guests not to jostle for the best seats but to choose the lowest so the host may elevate him in stature. Anyone who humbles himself before God will be exalted. Saints of the Week Thursday: Simon and Jude, Apostles , are mentioned twice by the Evangelist Luke, but little is known about them. Simon is thought to be the Zealot – to distinguish him from Simon Peter – and Jude (Judas) is distinguished from Iscariot. Simon is thought to have association with the Zealot nationalistic movement that wanted to overthrow Roman authority. Jude is also called Thaddeus and is the patron for hopeless causes. Both were martyred. I find it astounding that we know so little of the Apostles upon whose faith the church was built. This Week in Jesuit History • October 24, 1759: 133 members of the Society, banished from Portugal and put ashore at Civita Vecchia, were most kindly received by Clement XIII and by the religious communities, especially the Dominicans. • Oct 25, 1567. St Stanislaus Kostka arrived in Rome and was admitted into the Society by St Francis Borgia. • Oct 26, 1546. The Province of Portugal was established as the first province in the Society, with Simao Rodriguez as its first provincial superior. • Oct 27, 1610. The initial entrance of the Jesuits into Canada. The mission had been recommended to the Society by Henry IV. • Oct 28, 1958. The death of Wilfrid Parsons, founder of Thought magazine and editor of America from 1925 to 1936. • Oct 29, 1645. In the General Chapter of the Benedictines in Portugal, a statement published by one of their order, that said St Ignatius had borrowed the matter in his Spiritual Exercises from a Benedictine author, was indignantly repudiated. • Oct 30, 1638. On this day, John Milton, the great English poet, dined with the Fathers and students of the English College in Rome. Halloween Halloween is the third most commercialize holiday following Christmas and Valentine’s Day. It has taken on a completely secular character. It is associated with violent horror movies or witchcraft on the one hand or with funny costumes, candy, and harvest themes on the other. Lost is the association with the holy day that follows it on the calendar – All Saints Day. For Christians, Halloween serves as a good reminder that our souls are battlegrounds for the evil spirits and the Holy Spirit. Let us take seriously that we are to pray to the Lord God to dispel the darkness brought about by these evil spirits so we can be a people who walk in the light of Christ who sanctifies all who believe in him.
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Oct
22
Seeing therefore that they are all our hardships, pains, lodgings, and afflictions but the means to remember our state to us and the dangers of our profession, and only the seeds of the eternal glory, how much they can absolutely seem covers and corrupted here in the Earth, left solace we ourself us in hope of our glad harvest. We are only the pilgrims here; we do not have ninguÌ n place of the address, but we looked for a future place of the rest. If the way had been filled of pleasures, with true pleasures, we must be separated easily in our trip towards sky, salary attracted and to be retained by the pleasant view and the desire of these temptations. God therefore has made our, uncomfortable trip and distressing boring, that we can accelerate to our rest, and works quickly with above the course of this life. Those are the two dominant meditations that help to obtain me with the day.
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Oct
21
Last night, I attended a lecture at Boston College’s School of Theology and Ministry given by Roger Haight, S.J. on providing the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola to contemporary seekers. His lecture was based on his work at Union Theological College in New York City where he offered a course on the Spiritual Exercises to students of diverse religious backgrounds. Students are Buddhists, Unitarians who self-define themselves as non-Christians, and nominal Christian without any formal religious experience. Haight defined seeker as one who does not feel settled within a definite faith community, wants more coherence, greater direction, or a comprehensive meaning to the questions in life. One seeks answers to large questions of meanings and purpose. The seeker is a broad and inclusive term and does not refer to everyone even though a seeking component exists in all of us. He chose to offer this class as the seeker is becoming normative in society as many people are secular or schooled in a religious faith, but is not moved by the system in which they stand. Spirituality is defined as the way people live – in light of a horizon of dealing with ultimate questions to human existence. Spirituality is not only lifestyle. It is the way in which one makes decisions and finds one’s compass in life. Within this context, Haight maintains that everyone can imaginatively enter into the story of Jesus – highlighting Jesus as a human being. The humanity of Jesus is key to universal relevance. We need to find a language that accommodates two audiences – the transcendent divine and the fellow human traveler (that was ratified during the Council of Chalcedon.) In his talk, Haight outlined three exercises within the Spiritual Exercises as a point of reference: 1.) Seeking Principles and a Foundation, 2.) The Call of the King, and 3.) Finding God in all Things (Contemplation to attain Love.) In Seeking Principles and a Foundation, Haight stresses human existence is freedom. He notes that we must seek those actions that nurture freedom in self and others, that freedom is most itself when it is not weighed down with attachments, and that we find meaning and purpose in existence when we choose. In The Call of the King, he says that for Christians, the only place to find transcendence in the world is in the person of Jesus; for a non-Christian, it is in some other place, but one can appeal to Jesus as a leader who appeals to human freedom with a divine cause. The actions of Jesus represent what God is like. The actions of Jesus provide a template for complete human freedom. In Find God in All Things, Haight refers to creation spirituality as it is transformed in the context of a personal God revealed by Jesus. Creation an existence become personal gifts that call for gratitude. One’s action is motivated by the fundamental moral attitude of gratitude. Haight’s motivation is to reach out to those who are seeking and are not finding much connection with institutionalized religion. He roots spirituality within the story of creation with a cosmic personalism mediated by Jesus. One sees a radical commitment to the world and the people in it as responses of love to the Creator. Eschatology is the complete personal freedom within the Creator’s freedom.
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Oct
21
By Thomas J. Reese, S.J., senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center, Georgetown University . With the appointment of 20 cardinal electors, Pope Benedict XVI continues to put his mark on the College of Cardinals, which will eventually elect his successor. Benedict has now appointed 40% of the college, with the rest chosen by his predecessor. Granted his age, these could easily be the cardinals who will choose the next pope. The appointments will be made official at a Vatican consistory on November 20, which will bring the college up to 121 electors under the age of 80, one more elector than the rules allow. The pope dispensed himself from the rules. In the unlikely chance the pope died before the consistory, the cardinal designates would not be cardinals and could not enter the conclave. Change in the College of Cardinals is always incremental. As cardinals die or turn 80, they create vacancies in the college that the pope can fill. This pope, like his predecessor, continues to appoint men who reflect his own views on theology and other issues facing the church. The likelihood of these conservative cardinals electing someone who would institute radical change in the church is extremely unlikely. A major difference between the cardinals appointed by the two popes is that while John Paul reduced the percentage of Italian and curial cardinals in the college, and Benedict is bringing them back into prominence. After the November consistory, curial cardinals will make up about 28% of the college, up from 24% when Benedict was elected. In fact, half of the new appointees were from the Vatican curia. Increasing the number of curial cardinals would help guarantee the election of a conservative candidate. More Italians increases the likelihood of the election to the papacy of an Italian pope. One of John Paul’s major goals in appointing cardinals was to increase the number of cardinals from Eastern Europe , from which he came. The percentage of the college from Eastern Europe went up to 10.4% at the end of his reign, from 6.1% when he was elected. He reduced the size of the Italian bloc in order to get red hats for Eastern Europe . When John Paul died, the Italians were only 16.5% of the college, while at his election they were 23.7%. After the November consistory, Italians will make up 20.7% of the College of Cardinals, a number equal to all of the rest of Western Europe and greater than all of Latin America . Also increased by Benedict is the representation of the United States from 9.6% at the 2005 conclave to 10.7% after the November consistory. In order to increase the number of Italians and Americans, Benedict had to reduce slightly the percentage from Latin American, Asia, Oceania, Canada and other parts of Europe . The percentage from Africa has remained stable under Benedict. Most of the appointments were not surprising. For example, heads of major curial offices, like Archbishop Raymond Burke, were expected to get red hats. But did the pope really have to promote the heads of the offices for culture, economic affairs, Cor Unum, St. Paul ’s Outside the Walls and the patron of the Knights of Malta? Some of them, perhaps, but all of them? (Elsewhere I have argued that no curial officials should be made cardinals.) There were few surprises among the new cardinals from archdioceses. With Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington over 80 years of age, it was time to make Archbishop Donald Wuerl a cardinal. Nor was it a surprise that Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York did not get a red hat since his predecessor is alive and under 80 years of age. Cardinal Edward Egan will turn 80 in April 2012, soon after which Dolan will be made a cardinal. Even though the pope exceeded by one the number of vacancies to be filled, the pope still had to pass over archbishops in archdioceses like Dublin, Florence, Utrecht, Toledo, Minsk-Mohilev, Toronto, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Ouagadougou, Antananarivo, Abuja, and Tokyo. They will have to wait until next time. Many felt Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin should have been rewarded with a red hat for his work cleaning up the sex abuse crisis in Ireland . Since he is only 65, he still has time to become a cardinal in the future. On the other hand, people were surprised that two retired residential archbishops got the nod. If an archbishop does not become a cardinal while he is in office, he usually never gets it. The College of Cardinals is not a young group. The average age of the electors is 71, even though they are booted out at 80. Another 10 cardinals will turn 80 next year, followed by another 13 in 2012. Thus it is likely that a new flock of cardinals will be appointed while the U.S. is in the midst of another election.
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Oct
21
Its vision will be only shown when you watch in his heart… who sight outside, soña. Who sight inside, wakes up.
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Oct
19
“How I help the world” “Understanding it,” the master said. “And I will understand how it” “Separating from him.” “How then I serve the humanity” “Being understood.”
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