Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Memorial of Saint Ignatius Loyola, priest (Jeremiah 14:22-27; Matthew 13:36-43) The Catholic Church in the sixteenth century may be compared to Jerusalem as Jeremiah sees it in the first reading today. The revolts by Luther in Germany, Calvin and Zwingli in Switzerland, and Henry VIII in England left the Church reeling. Ecclesiastical structures were abolished in places with Church possessions confiscated. Religious monasteries, convents and other institutions were devastated. The system may have completely broken down without the emergence of the Society of Jesus under the wise leadership of St. Ignatius Loyola whom the Church celebrates today. Ignatius formed a body of men to respond to the challenges of the times. Their minds were acutely formed to meet Protestant intellectual critiques. Their wills were also fortified to suffer deprivation if necessary for the sake of the Church. Certainly the Jesuits more than any other religious congregation are responsible for the Church’s renewal and indeed prominence in the last five hundred years. We recognize a Jesuit by the initials “S.J.” which stand for the “Society of Jesus.” But Jesuits themselves often refer to their fraternity as the “Company of Jesus.” This name rings of the military discipline with which St. Ignatius instilled them. But it more poignantly connotes the intimacy that each member feels with the Lord Jesus who, like many of them, gave up the glory of heaven to raise humanity from sin and death.

Thursday, May 31, 2012

The Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Zephaniah 3:14-18a; Luke 1:39-56) The sportswriters were frustrated. They wanted the star athlete to talk about himself, but he continually deferred to others. His teammates’ play allowed him to stand out. His family’s support was instrumental in making him who he was. The dialogue resembled, in a way, Mary’s speech in the gospel today. In visiting her kinswoman, Mary is given a supreme compliment. Elizabeth calls her the “most blessed …among woman” for bearing Jesus inside her womb. At this point one would expect Mary to return the compliment or to explain what she did to merit such an honor. But her eyes are fixed on God. Rather than speak of her own virtue or anyone else’s, she gives all the credit to the Lord. He “has looked with favor on his lowly servant.” He “has done great things” for her. He always “has mercy on those who fear him.” Most of us enjoy talking about our achievements so much that often enough we slip into vanity. Mary, the model disciple, reminds us that God is the source of every good deed we do. To sing His praises, not our own, is our role as agents in the new evangelization.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Tuesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time (I Peter 1:10-16; Mark 10:28-31) In his novel The Shack, William Young describes the Holy Spirit as a young Asian woman who like an electron in an atom seems to be everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Young’s Spirit differs remarkably from his portraits of the Father, a joyful hulk of a woman, and the Son, the classical Jewish carpenter. No doubt, the Spirit as a wispy maiden, as well as the Young’s conceptualization of the Father will offend sensibilities. But there is no way to adequately describe the central mystery of faith. Today’s reading from the First Letter of Peter twice mentions the Holy Spirit. The Spirit inspires Old Testament prophets with indications of Christ’s paschal event. The Spirit also moves the apostles to preach the gospel to the people with insight into their needs. The reading might have added, but didn’t, that the Spirit enables Christian holiness by illuminating the world’s allurements. We are wise to develop a habit of daily prayer to the Holy Spirit. The Father may seem distant at times, and the Son perhaps too righteous to approach with our persistent faults. But the Spirit, as sure to come as the morning sun, will see us through any trial.