In this brief section of Mark’s Gospel we find four separate pieces of story and teaching that Mark splices together to again confront the readers with the strict and all- encompassing demands of discipleship. The section begins as “someone” ran up to Jesus, “knelt before him,” and questioned him, “Good teacher, what do I have to do to inherit eternal life” (Mark 10:17)? More famously in Matthew and Luke, this “someone becomes “a ruler,” hence the more familiar designation, “the rich young ruler.” The fact that Mark suggests that he is simply a man with money perhaps makes him out to be a better representative of the teaching goal of the gospel that includes not only rulers and leaders, but anyone who would follow Jesus.

The man’s question is interesting in at least three ways. He calls Jesus, “good teacher,” and Jesus’s immediate reply that “no one is good but God alone,” may indicate that the man begins his query with a patent attempt to flatter Jesus the teacher. After all, his desire for eternal life appears urgent and nearly desperate. Also, the posture of kneeling before Jesus demonstrates that the man imagines Jesus to be little less than divine in his teaching, the fully appropriate one to answer his burning question. Lastly, he desires certainty in this matter of inheriting eternal life. READ MORE

You are invited to view and listen to the presentation, World Day of Immigrants and Refugees, Discussion and Prayer below presentation by Kathleen Leslie, Esq.

Kevin Marshall spent the summer visiting National Parks out West, continuing a passion he traces to an eighth-grade immersion experience in the Grand Tetons.

DeJonna Farmer puts her degree from Stevenson University to use as marketing coordinator for the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore.

Farmer went to Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Fells Point. Marshall is one of three alumni on the faculty of St. Ignatius Loyola Academy in Federal Hill, the middle school for boys which broadened his horizons.

Both came through a Jesuit educational “ecosytem” in Baltimore City that is the inspiration of Jesuit Father William J. Watters. READ MORE

Editor's Note: I came across this article recently. It drew my interest because the raspberry preserves from Bonne Maman is my favorite! I was really thrilled to learn the story of some of this company's history...I couldn't help but share it with you. – JCO

by Michael Perino

At the supermarket today, I found a small, elderly woman standing in front of a high shelf holding Bonne Maman preserves. She was having trouble finding the flavor she wanted because the jars were set back on the shelf.

She couldn’t read the labels. She could barely reach them. I offered to help.

After I handed her the raspberry preserves, she thanked me, paused, and then asked, “Do you know why I buy this brand?”

I laughed and replied, “Because it tastes good?”

“Yes, it tastes good.” She paused again. “I am a Holocaust survivor.”

This was not the conversation I expected on a Sunday grocery run. “During the war, the family that owns the company hid my family in Paris. So now I always buy it. And whenever I go to the store, my grandkids remind me, ‘Bubbe, don’t forget to buy the jelly.’”

I told her that that was the best reason I ever heard to buy any company’s product. And then we both smiled behind our masks and went our separate ways.”

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Someone else on Twitter looked into the story and indeed, the town that Andros Company, the makers of Bonne Maman, comes from, hid and saved Jewish families in WW2. It was called Biars sur Cere, which then had about 800 villagers.

From an article, “You have to understand what it was like then. There were posters on the walls, from the Nazis and from the collaborators, and they said that if you are found to help a Jew, a freemason, a communist, a socialist, or a pervert, you will be shot on sight.” Despite the great danger in which helping them put the villagers in, still they kept the children safe.”

A good reason to buy Bonne Maman products. And a poignant reminder that when we look out for each other it can change lives, and that there are good and selfless people in the world. ♥️Bonne Maman! 🇫🇷

This week, members of Congress continued debating what to include in the federal budget, a decision that could have a major impact on our country for the next 10 years. Traditionally, this is a fraught process that involves rounds of negotiations — and often, under-the-wire stopgaps to prevent government shutdowns — to determine what our country prioritizes and how to pay for it. This year, that budget could offer historic support to U.S. families. READ MORE

In “A Joint Message for the Protection of Creation,” Pope Francis, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, and Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury stressed that Christians need to take part in mitigating climate change. The statement urged individuals and public leaders to play their part in “choosing life” for the future of the planet, and warned of the urgency of environmental sustainability, its impact on poverty, and the importance of global cooperation. READ MORE

Parish: 'the thought' is a publication of St. Ignatius Catholic Community-Baltimore. Each edition contains articles and news feeds that are included for awareness of current topics in our world today. The positions expressed by outside authors and news feeds are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of St. Ignatius Catholic Community or its staff.