Framing Prayer 23 Jesuits-God's Glory

Interestingly, all orders have a "character" which means the prayer of the order has a certain characteristic.

For me, for example, character of the Salesians is the love for youth, and the prayers reflect purity of heart.

For the Carmelites, as we have recently seen, the character is the embracing of the Cross, and the prayer is one of joining with Christ in His Passion.

For the Benedictines, the character is humility, a practical humility, and the prayer is one of humble discipline and simplicity.

I see the character of the Jesuits as primarily one of honesty,and the prayer reflects honesty regarding the self, and regarding others. How one is honest with others is through forgiveness.

For me, the Jesuit spirituality moves from the stark honesty of the awareness of one's sins, to the glory of the Resurrection. Even the order's motto, "Ad maiorem Dei gloriam" indicates this self-knowledge of sin, forgiveness and service pointing to giving all things to God for His glory, not for self, not vainglory.

One reason there are so many Jesuit martyrs has to do with this focus on God's glory in the world--one chooses suffering and death for Christ, forgiving others, moving on to glory.

 

The Resurrection reveals God's glory and service to others, as Christ commanded us to go forth and teach all nations, baptizing, saving souls. This stark commission of Christ may be clearly see in Jesuit spirituality and history.

The list of martyrs includes men from almost every nation. The glory of God is to fill the Earth, if not in peace, than in martyrdom.

Our prayers today could reflect this desire for honesty, forgiveness, service, God's glory.

Ignatius' great but simple prayer could be our own.

Can we laity make this our prayer as well daily in these hard times, and the worst to come?

A good prayer to teach your children, homeschoolers....

Suscipe

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding,
and my entire will,
All I have and call my own.

You have given all to me.
To you, Lord, I return it.

Everything is yours; do with it what you will.
Give me only your love and your grace,
that is enough for me.

What Dies Can Come Alive Again After a Moral Winter

If the life of Christ teaches us anything, it is that we are all destined for the Resurrection of the Dead.

The Resurrection of Christ opened the door of Hell, which we call the Harrowing of Hell, and Christ led the faithful captives into glory. We affirm this in the Creed, "He descended into hell".

"Releasing the captives" as a theme resounds again and again in the psalms. We find this psalm in today's Office of Readings.

Psalm 9 Douay-Rheims 

9 Unto the end, for the hidden things of the Son. A psalm for David.

2 I will give praise to thee, O Lord, with my whole heart: I will relate all thy wonders.

3 I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing to thy name, O thou most high.

4 When my enemy shall be turned back: they shall be weakened and perish before thy face.

5 For thou hast maintained my judgment and my cause: thou hast sat on the throne, who judgest justice.

6 Thou hast rebuked the Gentiles, and the wicked one hath perished: thou hast blotted out their name for ever and ever.

7 The swords of the enemy have failed unto the end: and their cities thou hast destroyed. Their memory hath perished with a noise.

8 But the Lord remaineth for ever. He hath prepared his throne in judgment:

9 And he shall judge the world in equity, he shall judge the people in justice.

10 And the Lord is become a refuge for the poor: a helper in due time in tribulation.

11 And let them trust in thee who know thy name: for thou hast not forsaken them that seek thee, O Lord.

12 Sing ye to the Lord, who dwelleth in Sion: declare his ways among the Gentiles:

13 For requiring their blood he hath remembered the: he hath not forgotten the cry of the poor.

14 Have mercy on me, O Lord: see my humiliation which I suffer from my enemies.

15 Thou that liftest me up from the gates of death, that I may declare all thy praises in the gates of the daughter of Sion.

16 I will rejoice in thy salvation: the Gentiles have stuck fast in the destruction which they have prepared. Their foot hath been taken in the very snare which they hid.

17 The Lord shall be known when he executeth judgments: the sinner hath been caught in the works of his own hands.

18 The wicked shall be turned into hell, all the nations that forget God.

19 For the poor man shall not be forgotten to the end: the patience of the poor shall not perish for ever.

20 Arise, O Lord, let not man be strengthened: let the Gentiles be judged in thy sight.

21 Appoint, O Lord, a lawgiver over them: that the Gentiles may know themselves to be but men.

22 Why, O Lord, hast thou retired afar off? why dost thou slight us in our wants, in the time of trouble?

23 Whilst the wicked man is proud, the poor is set on fire: they are caught in the counsels which they devise.

24 For the sinner is praised in the desires of his soul: and the unjust man is blessed.

25 The sinner hath provoked the Lord according to the multitude of his wrath he will not seek him:

26 God is not before his eyes: his ways are filthy at all times. Thy judgments are removed from his sight: he shall rule over all his enemies.

27 For he hath said in his heart: I shall not be moved from generation to generation, and shall be without evil.

28 His mouth is full of cursing, and of bitterness, and of deceit: under his tongue are labour and sorrow.

29 He sitteth in ambush with the rich in private places, that he may kill the innocent.

30 His eyes are upon the poor man: He lieth in wait in secret like a lion in his den. He lieth in ambush that he may catch the poor man: to catch the poor, whilst he draweth him to him.

31 In his net he will bring him down, he will crouch and fall, when he shall have power over the poor.

32 For he hath said in his heart: God hath forgotten, he hath turned away his face not to see to the end.

33 Arise, O Lord God, let thy hand be exalted: forget not the poor.

34 Wherefore hath the wicked provoked God? for he hath said in his heart: He will not require it.

35 Thou seest it, for thou considerest labour and sorrow: that thou mayst deliver them into thy hands. To thee is the poor man left: thou wilt be a helper to the orphan.

36 Break thou the arm of the sinner and of the malignant: his sin shall be sought, and shall not be found.

37 The Lord shall reign to eternity, yea, for ever and ever: ye Gentiles shall perish from his land.

38 The Lord hath heard the desire of the poor: thy ear hath heard the preparation of their heart.

39 To judge for the fatherless and for the humble, that man may no more presume to magnify himself upon earth.

A human being's greatest fear may be to be subjected to slavery and death. We all face these possibilities, and for those of us who were held captive by sin, and were freed from eternal death, we are grateful forever for God's graces.

At this time of great sadness in America, we must keep our eyes on the truth that the Resurrected Christ will come again into our lives--into each one's life at the particular judgement, and at the end of time, when He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

In the meantime, we have two jobs to do: first, to cooperate with grace in order to save our own souls' second, to save the souls of others around us. I pray daily for dead souls. This is part of my vocation as a contemplative in the world. I have a list of dead souls I hold up to Our Lady and God daily.

I pray for my own soul, never forgetting that the grace of final perseverance is a grace, indeed, not to be assumed.

Another psalm from today's Office speaks to how many of us feel today. Where are the saints? Where are those who love God first?

In a few minutes, I shall be off to daily Mass, which today is followed by a rosary and adoration. Only a few, four old ladies, in fact, stay for the rosary, Fewer stay for adoration. Christ in the midst of the city, as this church lies smack-dab in the downtown, is ignored. 

He is the Hidden God and few want to find Him. Where are the saints?

Yet, what dies can come alive again, with prayer, fasting, penance.

I live in penance daily, I have chosen this way, but first, God chose this way for me. The way of penance brings great joy. Sitting in this storage room cum bed, I find the Hidden God, Who gave His life for us so that we may live. 

Pray for the dead souls of those who are celebrating sin. Pray for the confused dead souls. Pray for me, as we all head into a moral winter. But, no life will come without suffering, penance, prayer. 

This is my job directly, and yours, perhaps directly, but indirectly as well. Do not waste grace in this moral winter to come.

Psalm 11 Douay-Rheims 

11 Unto the end; for the octave, a psalm for David.

2 Save me, O Lord, for there is now no saint: truths are decayed from among the children of men.

3 They have spoken vain things every one to his neighbour: with deceitful lips, and with a double heart have they spoken.

4 May the Lord destroy all deceitful lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things.

5 Who have said: We will magnify our tongue; our lips are our own; who is Lord over us?

6 By reason of the misery of the needy, and the groans of the poor, now will I arise, saith the Lord. I win set him in safety; I will deal confidently in his regard.

7 The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried by the fire, purged from the earth refined seven times.

8 Thou, O Lord, wilt preserve us: and keep us from this generation for ever.

9 The wicked walk round about: according to thy highness, thou hast multiplied the children of men.

Jesus and the Fish

Fish stories come to my mind today, because in the Gospel for the Thursday After Easter, one sees Christ helping the apostles come to terms with His Risen Body by eating "grilled fish". 

By this small act, Christ reveals His Risen Body, as not merely that of a spirit, but of flesh renewed. The multiplication of the loaves and fishes will not be discussed in this post.





from Luke 24:

33 And rising up, the same hour, they went back to Jerusalem: and they found the eleven gathered together, and those that were staying with them,

34 Saying: The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.

35 And they told what things were done in the way; and how they knew him in the breaking of the bread.

36 Now whilst they were speaking these things, Jesus stood in the midst of them, and saith to them: Peace be to you; it is I, fear not.

37 But they being troubled and frightened, supposed that they saw a spirit.

38 And he said to them: Why are you troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?

39 See my hands and feet, that it is I myself; handle, and see: for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as you see me to have.

40 And when he had said this, he shewed them his hands and feet.

41 But while they yet believed not, and wondered for joy, he said: Have you any thing to eat?

42 And they offered him a piece of a broiled fish, and a honeycomb.

43 And when he had eaten before them, taking the remains, he gave to them.

Christ shows the apostles, and us, that the risen body of those in glory at the end of time will be a real body and not merely an image of the person in a "ghostly form".

Something new is being revealed which only Christ could reveal. In the Old Testament, and in the New, we see people being raised from the dead, such as Lazarus of Bethany, the Daughter of Jairus, and the Son of the Widow of Nain. In the Old Testament, Elijah raised the son of the widow of Zarephath, which was an old town very near Nain. In fact, Jesus's raising of the son of the widow would have brought to mind Elijah's miracle to the faithful Jews, who knew their Scripture.

But, the bodies of these people were not "glorified". Christ is the First Person on earth to be resurrected in the form in which all at the Second Coming who go to heaven will experience. Those who will go to hell have their bodies, but not in "glory", of course.

Another fish story comes to my mind, but in this Old Testament story, highlighted many times on this blog, that of Tobit and Raphael,  wherein a fish is caught and used to repel a demon.

Raphael eats in front of Tobit and others, but when he reveals himself, not as a second-cousin once removed, but as the great Archangel of Healing, he states this:

from Tobit 12:

5 So the father and the son, calling him, took him aside: and began to desire him that he would vouchsafe to accept of half of all things that they had brought.

6 Then he said to them secretly: Bless ye the God of heaven, give glory to him in the sight of all that live, because he hath shewn his mercy to you.

7 For it is good to hide the secret of a king: but honourable to reveal and confess the works of God.

8 Prayer is good with fasting and alms more than to lay up treasures of gold:

9 For alms delivereth from death, and the same is that which purgeth away sins, and maketh to find mercy and life everlasting.

10 But they that commit sin and iniquity, are enemies to their own soul.

11 I discover then the truth unto you, and I will not hide the secret from you.

12 When thou didst pray with tears, and didst bury the dead, and didst leave thy dinner, and hide the dead by day in thy house, and bury them by night, I offered thy prayer to the Lord.

13 And because thou wast acceptable to God, it was necessary that temptation should prove thee.

14 And now the Lord hath sent me to heal thee, and to deliver Sara thy son's wife from the devil.

15 For I am the angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord.

16 And when they had heard these things, they were troubled, and being seized with fear they fell upon the ground on their face.

17 And the angel said to them: Peace be to you, fear not.

18 For when I was with you, I was there by the will of God: bless ye him, and sing praises to him.

19 I seemed indeed to eat and to drink with you: but I use an invisible meat and drink, which cannot be seen by men.

20 It is time therefore that I return to him that sent me: but bless ye God, and publish all his wonderful works.

21 And when he had said these things, he was taken from their sight, and they could see him no more.

22 Then they lying prostrate for three hours upon their face, blessed God: and rising up, they told all his wonderful works.

Raphael, as a spirit, an angel, cannot really eat. But, God allowed him to work with humans in a form which they would accept and understand. Christ's Risen and Glorified Body is not that of an angel, but a man.

Another fish story comes to mind from the Gospel of John 21: 

1 After this, Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias. And he shewed himself after this manner.

2 There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas, who is called Didymus, and Nathanael, who was of Cana of Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples.

3 Simon Peter saith to them: I go a fishing. They say to him: We also come with thee. And they went forth, and entered into the ship: and that night they caught nothing.

4 But when the morning was come, Jesus stood on the shore: yet the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.

5 Jesus therefore said to them: Children, have you any meat? They answered him: No.

6 He saith to them: Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and you shall find. They cast therefore; and now they were not able to draw it, for the multitude of fishes.

7 That disciple therefore whom Jesus loved, said to Peter: It is the Lord. Simon Peter, when he heard that it was the Lord, girt his coat about him, (for he was naked,) and cast himself into the sea.

8 But the other disciples came in the ship, (for they were not far from the land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes.

9 As soon then as they came to land, they saw hot coals lying, and a fish laid thereon, and bread.

10 Jesus saith to them: Bring hither of the fishes which you have now caught.

11 Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land, full of great fishes, one hundred and fifty-three. And although there were so many, the net was not broken.

12 Jesus saith to them: Come, and dine. And none of them who were at meat, durst ask him: Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.

13 And Jesus cometh and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish in like manner.
14 This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to his disciples, after he was risen from the dead.

Yesterday, we heard the Gospel on the disciples meeting Christ on the way to Emmaus and eating with Him.

All these passages may be seen in reference to Christ's Body being Present in the Eucharist, which the Doctors of the Church point out to us. But, Christ is also revealing to us that humans have a body and a soul, and being totally Human, Christ in His Resurrected Body eats. 

We cannot understand the new bodies which those who are faithful will receive on the Day of the Lord, the day of the Final Judgment, but Christ is trying to show us the reality of the resurrection from the dead for all who believe and are saved.

Perhaps today would be a good day to re-read the Baptismal Rite of the Church, in order to understand more the fact that we are, body and soul, destined for heaven, if we conform our wills to Christ's Will.

One may find the Sancta Missa, old version, here. http://www.sanctamissa.org/en/resources/books-1962/rituale-romanum/09-baptism-of-children.html

apologies for the spacing today--there is a gremlin in the google works..

On heaven, an aside

 "After the universal judgment, the righteous will reign forever with Christ, glorified in body and soul"  CCC (No. 1042).

Today's Gospel Noli Me Tangere-One More Indwelling Post-Six

John 20:11-18

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look[a] into the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew,[b] “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

One of the most mysterious sayings of Christ in the entire New Testament occurs when He meets Mary Magdalene in the garden tomb area after His Resurrection.

Christ tell me not to "hold" on to him, not to touch Him, as He has "not yet ascended to the Father."

That is mysterious enough, but Christ goes on to tell Mary that she must carry the message of His ascending "to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God."

Was Christ stating that after the Resurrection He went up to heaven, or is He prophesying His Own Ascension which will happen in forty days?

And, in either case, why cannot Mary touch Him, or "hold" Him?

This passage has nothing to do with the fact that Mary was a sinner, as she has, at this time, been forgiven and witnessed the Crucifixion, thereby earning great merit, with St. John and those who did not run away.

The great sinner, now a holy follower of Christ, is also given the task to be a messenger to the apostles. Christ entrusts her with the news of His Resurrection-a great honor.

Here are a few thoughts on this event.

I see this as a Eucharistic and Priestly revelation.

Mary was told not to hold on to Jesus as Christ was now in His Glorified Body-He is no longer the pre-death Jesus, but the Victor over death and sin, having been to Hell and brought the captive faithful, now freed, to heaven. He is revealing to Mary His Divinity, in a way which before the Resurrection was mostly hidden. Only three apostles witnesses the Transfiguration, a hint of Christ in Glory. Now, many will see Christ Glorified Body.

Christ has not yet ascended into heaven, where He will reign until the Second Coming. We relate to Christ in a different manner, through the Eucharist, through the Church, through grace which leads to Union. Christ will become "universally touchable"-available to all men and women, not just those who knew Him on earth through the Eucharist. Mary is told of a new relationship. 

None of us can claim Christ as "only" our Lover, our Bridegroom, although that is the goal of all Christians who desire an intimate relationship with Christ. Yes, He is a personal Savior, but so much more. He is now the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, the True Messiah Who leads all men and women to God, His God, the Father, and our God. Christ is revealing Himself to Mary as the Second Son of the Blessed Trinity, in Glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Her initial zeal is checked by a new revelation. Christ will now dwell within Mary, and all of us in the Indwelling of the Trinity.

The apostles, especially Thomas, are allowed to touch Jesus-because they are priests. Sharing in the Priesthood of Christ, they have a relation to Him which women do not, not because women are less in honor, but because Christ created the male priesthood at the Last Supper. This "noli me tangere" may very well be Christ's way of explaining to His followers that His Presence must be reverenced in a new way.

Yet, Mary is given the task to tell the apostles Christ is Risen. She is the bearer of the Good News to the men who did not come to the tomb, until John and Peter run back after Mary tells them. The women know first because their love is greater-they were not afraid to bring herbs and spices despite the soldiers being on guard. Christ responds to their love.

Just a few thoughts on this Easter Tuesday morning....

Thoughts on Victory in Christ

Christ's Crucifixion is the culminating event for the Redemption of all the sins of mankind. The Resurrection is the reality and sign of Christ's victory over death and sin. He shares that with us in and through the Catholic Church.

St. Paul's eloquent statement follows:

 O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting? Now the sting of death is sin: and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who hath given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.1 Corinthians 15:55-57 Douay-Rheims 

This victory is over sin and the consequence of sin, which is death. Death is not merely physical, but spiritual. Until Christ's Victory, all humans waited for the release from Original Sin-those alive and those dead.

In our time here on earth and in the Church, we must recognize that sin and death surround us. Most of us can see this in the culture of death, which is growing daily, like a poisonous mist across the globe. 

But, the culture of death which we see is a result of the deaths of so many souls, even those of Catholics who have not been obedient for whatever reason to the call to life.

I pray for my fellow Catholics caught in disobedience and, therefore, in death.

We must allow God to purge us of every rebellion against the Church either in matters of Faith or matters of  Morals.

The greatest danger is spiritual pride. In this sin, one thinks one is holier and more gifted than others.

God cannot work through this clogging of the soul with self-love.

Keep focused on Christ and His Church and avoid any ministry or person who calls you away from obedience. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless You, by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.