Parish: 'the thought' - July 6, 2020

July 6, 2020

Click on video above: Pastor's Corner - July 6, 2020

On "White Fragility" and why it's so hard for white people to talk about racism.

University of Washington professor Dr. Robin DiAngelo reads from her book White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism. She explains the phenomenon and discusses how white people can develop their capacity to engage more constructively on race.

Click on video above to view: "White Fragility: Why It's So Hard

for White People to Talk About Racism.”

Next Sunday's Gospel Reading

Editor's Note: This next weekend's Gospel reading is Matthew 13:1-23 – "The Parable of the Sower and the Seed." I've spent decades revisiting this parable, reading different people's thoughts about it. This I know.....There is not a lot to be learned about the sower, or the seed, other than the sower “broadcasts" the seed everywhere, on every kind of soil. That's the way it was done in the biblical agricultural society – unlike our practice of carefully placing seeds in neat little rows of prepared soil. The seed was just thrown everywhere, and there was nothing wrong with the seed – it was all good! Of course the seed is the Word of God, the intentions of God towards us, what he would like to see occur with us, to us, and through us. It's broadcast/sown on us – and we are the soil...and the soil is what is really worth pondering here. There are four kinds of soil, and the issue is whether the soil prepares itself to receive what has been broadcast onto it, cooperates with it, as it were. So with that I give you Peter Amsterdam's take on what could better be called "The Parable of Four Soils."

Director of Media and Communications

By Peter Amsterdam

The parable of the sower is one of four parables told in all three Synoptic Gospels. It can be found in Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 8. While there are some wording differences in the three different versions, they all make the same points. I will use the version told in Matthew as the basis for the explanation, and pull in some points from Mark and Luke as we go along.

This parable is unique in that Jesus told it to a large crowd and did not offer any interpretation at the time. He was later asked a question regarding the parable by His disciples, to which He responded with a rather difficult-to-understand answer, and then He explained the meaning of this parable to His disciples.

Let’s take a look at the parable as told in Matthew 13:

"A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear." READ MORE

Connecting with Jesus...

By Becky Eldredge

On more occasions than I care to count, people will comment to me, “Ignatian spirituality does not have enough to do with Jesus. All you hear about is finding God in all things.” While in my head I am thinking of all the things I really would like to say in response to that comment, I typically take a deep breath and ask them, “Have you ever gone through the Spiritual Exercises? They are all about Jesus and a relationship with him!”

Here are the top five things the Spiritual Exercises taught me about Jesus.

1. Jesus was human.

This understanding deepened within me during the Second Week of the Exercises as I prayed with the nativity Scriptures, holding a six-month-old in my arms. It was really Mary who showed me Jesus’ humanity, as a mother nurturing her infant son. Mary carried, birthed, and loved a child. I carried, birthed, and loved a child. The infant Jesus went through all the phases of growing up that my own children go through.

2. Jesus discerned his Father’s will.

Praying through the Exercises helped me understand that Jesus grew in wisdom and understanding. Jesus asked his Father, “What is my next right step?” I, too, am called to ask God, Jesus’ Father, what is my “next right step”?

3. Jesus gets suffering.

At times Jesus’ discernment of his Father’s will led him to some challenging situations: mockery by family and friends, unwelcome in his home town, betrayal by friends, and physical pain. Walking alongside Jesus and praying with Jesus’ experiences of suffering , especially during the Third Week of the Exercises, showed me how Jesus, a human (see #1), felt pain. Jesus gets our suffering because he experienced his own share in his life.

4. Jesus remained rooted in his Father.

Through all of the challenging times Jesus faced, he trusted in his Father and turned to him in time of need for strength on his journey. With his Father’s help, Jesus entered Jerusalem and faced his death. What does Jesus’ dependence on his Father teach me? That when my own discernment leads me to face challenging situations, I, too, can lean on God, and God will walk with me through the journey.

5. Jesus was hopeful.

Jesus’ hope came from his trust in God. Jesus understood that his Passion was necessary for God to complete the rest of the plan—the Resurrection. Because Jesus was hopeful, I have a reason for hope in my own life. Because of Jesus’ trust in God, I have a reason to believe that in tough times, light will eventually come.

What have the Spiritual Exercises taught you about Jesus?

The Lord Bless You and Keep You...

These verses are called the “priestly benediction “ and are among the oldest words in the Bible. “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24‭-‬26) . How beautiful that this benediction is sung over the frontline COVID-19 health care workers.

Click on video above to view: "The Lord Bless You and Keep You (John Rutter) - Virtual Choir by Batavia Madrigal Singers"

Justice & Peace....

Faith In Action:

Jesuit Parish Advocacy Day on Migration with Ignatian Solidarity Network

On Tuesday, June 23 ^rd , members of the Immigration Subcommittee from the St. Ignatius Justice & Peace Committee, joined with the Ignatian Solidarity Network in the first ever Jesuit Parish Advocacy Day on Migration.

Members Vonetta Edwards, Emily Bruce, Isabelle Garcia, Candra Healy, and Nikki Porter Sappington met with representatives from both Senator Van Hollen and Senator Cardin’s offices.

Members advocated for just and humane immigration policies, including: considering asylum-seeking essential travel, including mixed status families in economic stimulus packages, automatic DACA and TPS extensions and renewals, protection for migrant agricultural farm workers. They met with representatives from both Senator Van Hollen and Senator Cardin’s offices. Members were met with support from their representatives and were further reminded that it is crucial for citizens to be involved with their local governments. Representatives from Senator Cardin’s office left members with an ask: to keep broadening and building the coalition of justice and faith.

On behalf of the St. Ignatius Catholic Community, members also asked the Senators for advocacy and support on police reform and just policing policies. In early June , Senator Cardin , an original cosponsor of the Justice in Policing Act and lead sponsor of the End Racial and Religious Profiling Act (S. 2355) and Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act (S. 3063), called on Republicans to join Democrats in finally passing comprehensive criminal justice reform legislation.

To get involved with the Ignatian Solidarity Network, you can register for the annual Ignatian Teach-In for Justice - held virtually this year. Contact Candra Healy at candrahealy@st-ignatius.net for more registration details.

Please visit our individual committee pages, found here , to learn more about the Justice & Peace Committee.

Upcoming Events...

JOIN US!

St. Ignatius Justice & Peace Committee Meeting

Thursday, July 9, 2020

6-7:30 PM

on Zoom

The Justice & Peace Committee of Saint Ignatius Catholic Community is dedicated to the service of faith and the promotion of justice. As a parish we are called and challenged to articulate, advocate, and act upon critical social, economic, cultural and political issues that affect us, our city and our world. We are also called to be a resource to provide parishioners with opportunities to live out their faith through justice.

Contact Candra Healy at candrahealy@st-ignatius.net to attend.

An Online Dialogue on

Friday, July 10, 2020

12:00 p.m. EDT

Livestreamed Online

RSVP

The day of the discussion, all who have RSVP’d will receive an email with a link and step-by-step instructions on how to join the livestream.

The 2020 presidential campaign is being reshaped by the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic crisis it created, and the national focus on racism in the aftermath of the killings of George Floyd and other African-Americans at the hands of law enforcement officers. These challenges are testing our faith, our politics, our religious communities, and our nation.

This online dialogue will focus on how the social and economic costs of the pandemic and the moral and human costs of racism may be affecting religious communities and voters in advance of the November elections. How are our leaders and communities responding? What are our obligations and opportunities in this time of crisis as citizens and as believers? How will recent United States Supreme Court decisions affect the views and choices of religious voters and the dynamics of the campaign?

In this volatile context, the attitudes of evangelical, Catholic, and other religious voters may be shifting dramatically, with old alignments losing ground to new realities. What do we know now? What are the implications of potential shifts for religious communities, U.S. politics, and the November 2020 elections?

The role of religion, racism, and the COVID-19 crisis will be addressed by a panel of respected journalists and political leaders who bring differing religious, racial, generational, and political perspectives and backgrounds:

Michael Gerson is a Washington Post columnist and a policy fellow with the ONE Campaign. He was a speechwriter for President George W. Bush and a former senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Justin Giboney is an attorney and a political strategist in Atlanta, Georgia. He is also the president and co-founder of the AND Campaign, a Christian civic organization that focuses on asserting the compassion and conviction of Jesus Christ in the public square.
Jeanné Lewis is running as an independent candidate for Washington, DC City Council. She is also the vice president and chief engagement officer at the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy.
Gabby Orr is a White House reporter for POLITICO and has been covering Donald Trump since the day he announced his 2016 presidential campaign. She covers social issues, religion, the vice president, and the 2020 campaign.
John Carr, director of the Initiative, will moderate the online conversation.

This online conversation is a Public Dialogue and Salt and Light Gathering for young leaders in public life and is co-sponsored by Georgetown’s Institute of Politics and Public Service . It is part of the Faith and the Faithful series organized by the Initiative and is supported by the Democracy Fund.

Saturday, July 18, 2020 (1:30 PM - 3:30 PM)

Take some time to connect with your story as an

LGBTQ+ Individual or Ally…

Workshop Includes:

*Opportunity to Prayerfully Reflect *Free Admission

*Writing Prompts & Optional Group Sharing

This will be a ZOOM meeting event so please RSVP to

Embracing God’s Gifts at themissionbridge@yahoo.com

and you will be sent sign-in instructions.

Sunday, July 19, 2020

Noon – 2 PM

A Zoom Event in Celebration of the

Feast of St. Mary Magdalene

Featuring: Alice McDermott, National Book Award-winning novelist.

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