Click on video above: "St. Ignatius from Who Cares About The Saints" with Fr. James Martin, S.J. | |
More Than an Afterthought: Six Reasons Jesus’s Ascension Matters | |
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by Brian Tabb – Academic Dean, Bethlehem College & Seminary
As per the New Testament in the Bible, after Jesus Christ’s crucifixion on Good Friday, he was resurrected from the dead in three days, on the day we know as Easter Sunday. For 40 days after this, he stayed with his Apostles (the primary disciples of Christ) to instruct them on how to carry out his teachings. As the Bible says, at the end of day 40, Jesus Christ and his disciples went to Mount Olivet (or the Mount of Olives), near Jerusalem. After asking them to stay, Christ then ascended to heaven to take his seat at the right hand of God, under the gaze of his disciples. To Christians, the ascension signifies that Christ completed his work on Earth and allowed him to prepare a place for his followers in heaven.
Ascension Day this year falls on Thursday, May 26th. Therefore we observe it on Sunday, May 29th. How many of us have thought through the significance of Ascension Day? It is impossible to overstate the importance of Good Friday, when Jesus died for our sins, and Easter Sunday, when he was raised from the dead — but Jesus’s earthly ministry did not stop there. READ MORE
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Editor's Note: Next weekend's gospel reading is John 17:20-26 a section of scripture that is part of what is commonly known as Jesus' High Priestly Prayer - the longest recorded prayer of Jesus Christ. It is magnificent as we see the intimacy and relationship between the Son and the Father, and the heart of Jesus for his followers. Here's a reflection on the whole High Priestly Prayer. Enjoy! | |
The High Priestly Prayer of Jesus | |
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John 17 contains the longest recorded prayer of Jesus Christ, which he said right after the Last Supper. Jesus, the Eternal High Priest, is in direct conflict with Caiaphas, the Jewish High Priest in the Jerusalem Temple for that year. The Romans had taken over appointing the High Priest from the Jewish Nation, as part of their conquest, and Caiaphas was their puppet priest for the year that Christ died. Today, this would be like the President of Italy yearly appointing a Pope in the Catholic Church. Let’s take a look at these two High Priests, Jesus and Caiaphas, and how they differ.
Before we begin our analysis, let’s see exactly what it says. READ MORE
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What "Jesuit" is all about... | |
Jesuit 101: Ignatian Contemplation, Encountering God Through Our Imagination | |
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by Tucker Redding, SJ
What would it be like to encounter Jesus face to face?
To witness the moment of his birth?
To hear his voice as he calls Peter?
To feel the joy of Mary Magdalene at the Resurrection?
Ignatian contemplation is a method of prayer that involves using our imagination to bring scripture to life. St. Ignatius promotes and instructs retreatants how to engage in this form of prayer in his Spiritual Exercises. You may have seen the term “contemplation” used in a variety of different ways, but in the Ignatian tradition, it specifically refers to this method of imaginative prayer. Ignatian contemplation allows us to see stories that we may have heard countless times with new eyes. We might notice different details, ask new questions, and find ways that God is speaking directly to us. READ MORE
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Hearts, Eyes and Prayers toward Ukraine
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"I will not leave you as orphans" | |
A thought...by John C. Odean | |
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When Russia first began their invasion of Ukraine I shared with you an article I had published about my work over the years in Ukraine called "The Fields of the Fatherless" - it was about Ukrainian orphans and it was about starting Ukrainian Churches. These days I find my heart daily wandering over to my friends that have had to flee Ukraine, and to my friends that have stayed to fight. Who's alive? Who's not? I get updates, and yet there are just so many that I have no idea what's become of them. A scripture that has given me comfort these months actually has to do with orphans.
Jesus said: “I will not leave you as orphans” (John 14:18). Well, I knew hundreds and hundreds that actually were orphans. But it’s the next thing Jesus said that made the difference in that state of ‘all aloneness’ – he said “I will come to you.” It’s a complete thought and assurance - “I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you.”
There are so many differing kinds of orphans in this world - the forsaken, the lost, the lonely – at all levels of society. God's promise to them is that they will not be forgotten. And I am holding onto the hope and knowledge that Jesus will personally come to all who are open to his outreaching love and presence in real orphanages, in battle blasted cities, or in the city and home in which you live – wherever or however you feel orphaned and abandoned you're not. He will find you.
The following video, while not specifically about Jesus, certainly is a picture of the intervening love that God has, when we are feeling abandoned and at our wits end. That love that intercedes on our behalf at life's most traumatic and faithless moments can become the crucible through which life transforms and we end up with fulfillment and purpose. Enjoy this video from Thailand...and realize, as Corrie ten Boom so beautifully said; "There is no pit so deep that God is not deeper still."
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Click on video above to view: "Giving" | |
An Event For Us All To Get Behind! | |
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Concert for the Children of Ukraine
June 5 @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
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POOR BOX
This week's collection: "Ignatian Spirituality Project"
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HOW TO GIVE
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PRAYER LIST
Pray for those who are sick
and on our Prayer List.
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Overturning Roe would not be a pro-life win | |
Back when I was involved in the anti-abortion movement, a common complaint was that Republican politicians never made good on their promises to overturn Roe v. Wade. The pledge to make abortion illegal again, some suspected, was the "carrot on a stick" that Republican candidates dangled in front of pro-life voters, to keep getting their votes. As William Saletan put it in a 2018 Slate piece: "They don't want the court to overturn Roe. They want to keep Roe as a punching bag and as a sandbag. Roe protects them from having to deliver on their promises to pro-life voters." READ ARTICLE | |
More Catholics behaving badly: Texas Gov. Abbott, CUA's business school dean | |
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Time for another edition of Catholics behaving badly, a regular feature of my column, in which we refrain for calling anyone a "bad Catholic" but nonetheless note the way they behave badly, especially when the badness reflects a decision to engage in the culture wars rather than to follow Catholic doctrine.
Why is it that Catholics in Texas always seem to lead the list? If it isn't one of their zany bishops, it is often the governor of the Lone Star State, Greg Abbott. Last week, after President Joe Biden announced plans to address the shortfall in baby formula that has resulted from supply chain issues, Abbott joined with National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd to denounce giving formula to the children of undocumented migrants. READ MORE
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Buffalo makes it clear: Racism and gun violence are a Christian problem | |
In this age of pandemic we have become accustomed to discussions about viruses, their persistence, and their life-threatening mutations. Upon hearing news of the horrific and racially motivated mass shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, on May 14, I was reminded of a line from Pope Francis' 2020 encyclical letter "Fratelli Tutti, On Fraternity and Social Friendship." In it, Francis writes: "Racism is a virus that quickly mutates and, instead of disappearing, goes into hiding, and lurks in waiting." READ MORE | |
READER NOTIFICATION:
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.
- This e-zine was designed and compiled by John C. Odean
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