Jesuit Collaborative

I bow my knee in prayer before the Father who made me, before the Son who purchased me, before the Spirit who cleansed me, in friendship and love.

Lord, through your anointed, give us the fullness we long for: for love and affection, for our God, the smile and wisdom of our God, the grace of God.

So may we live on earth as saints and angels in heaven; each shade and light, each day and night, through every moment we draw our breath, God give us your Spirit.

Words - adapted from "Carmina Gaedilca"

 Traditionally, the four Gospel writers have been represented by the following symbols: St. Matthew, a divine man; St. Mark, a winged lion; St. Luke, a winged ox; and St. John, a rising eagle.

These symbols are taken first from the Prophet Ezekiel (1:1-21):

“In the 30th year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was among the exiles by the river Chebar, the heavens opened, and I saw divine visions. ... As I looked, a storm wind came from the North, a huge cloud with flashing fire, from the midst of which something gleamed like electrum. Within it were figures resembling four living creatures that looked like this: their form was human, but each had four faces and four wings, and their legs went straight down; the soles of their feet were round. They sparkled with a gleam like burnished bronze. Their faces were like this: each of the four had a face of a man, but on the right side was the face of a lion, and on the left side the face of an ox, and finally each had the face of an eagle ....”

In the Book of Revelation (4:6-8), we find a similar description:

“Surrounding this throne were 24 other thrones upon which were seated 24 elders; they were clothed in white garments and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightening and peals of thunder; before it burned seven flaming torches, the seven spirits of God. The floor around the throne was like a sea of glass that was crystal-clear. At the very center, around the throne itself, stood four living creatures covered with eyes front and back. The first creature resembled a lion; the second, an ox; the third had the face of a man; while the fourth looked like an eagle in flight. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and eyes all over, inside and out. Day and night, without pause, they sing: ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, He who was, and who is, and who is to come!’”

These images in both the Old Testament and the New Testament prompted St. Irenaeus (140-202) to liken them to the four Gospel writers because of the content of their Gospels and their particular focus on Christ.

Irenaeus came up with the first living creature designations, but the ones from Jerome finally stuck.

Matthew:  the winged human to symbolize humanity and reason. The theme of the Gospel is the personhood of Christ and the Gospel begins with the genealogy of Jesus from Abraham through Joseph. 


Mark: the winged lion to symbolize royalty, courage, resurrection. The theme of the Gospel is Christ as the Son of God and the Gospel begins with John the Baptist roaring like a lion in the wilderness.


Luke: the winged ox to symbolize sacrifice, strength. The theme of the Gospel is Christ as the healer, priest and sacrifice and the Gospel begins with the temple duties of Zacharias.


John: the eagle to symbolize the heavens, sky, and spirit. The theme of the Gospel is Christ's divine nature and the Gospel begins with Christ as the Eternal Logos, the enduring Word of God. 

The wings on all of the symbols of the gospels are to symbolize their connection to the divine, like eagle wings or angels (who were the messengers of God) they deliver this story and good news.

When we are present in the moment
wherever we be
on the way, at table, ‘round a campfire
time pauses, opens out, lingers a while
for us to come home to ourselves
delight in the company of each other
share and give thanks.

We become patient
wildly patient
letting go of yesterday, tomorrow
open, vulnerable to the Sacred Now
firing, inspiring, spiriting all
delighting in all
moving us to reverence each other
as we are reverenced
by the Beloved of All.

Noel Davis, Australia

Simeon and Anna, a man and woman of advanced age, greeted the Lord with the devoted services of their professions of faith. As they saw him, he was small in body, but they understood him to be great in divinity.

February 5, 2012Job 7:1-7; Psalm 147;1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23; Mark 1:29-39
          Job'sspeech reminds us that life is filled with heavy burdens and drudgery. Futilityand hopelessness surround him and he can see no relief from his life of misery.His life is fleeting like the wind and he declares confidently that he will notsee happiness again. Job raises for us the eternal question: If God isall-powerful and all-knowing, why do the innocent suffer? It reminds us thatsuffering isolates a person and puts one on the fringe of society. People donot want to look at someone who is suffering because it raises somethinginstinctual within us to flee from the horror of pain.
          TheGospel shows us the first actions of Jesus after he leaves the synagogue wherehe taught with unparalleled authority. He immediately went with his friends, Jamesand John, into Simon and Andrew's house where he met Simon's mother-in-law who laysick with a fever. The fever left her when Jesus grasped her by the hand. Wordspread throughout the town that Jesus has an amazing gift of preaching andhealing the sick. Many were brought to him in the early evening to be cured oftheir illnesses. He was inundated with their pleas.
          Thedisciples misunderstand the ministry of Jesus. Peter and the others look forJesus early in the morning because there are more people to be healed. Theyfigure that this is surely his mission because God does not want anyone tosuffer, but Jesus tells them that they are to move on. Their true mission is topreach the kingdom of God to all the people of Israel. Preaching is the key. Ifpeople learn in their hearts that the kingdom is in their midst, then God'spower will be made manifest. Healing is secondary to the mission, but throughit we learn the mind and heart of God.
          The narrativesraise some questions about who, why, and when Jesus healed people. Is it God'schoice that some people are cured and others are left to suffer? Are thehealings only to illustrate a point Jesus is trying to make? Are there somepeople that Jesus was unable to cure? Surely, he was gifted with some power tofashion miracles. We never get a clue about how those who were cured lived therest of their lives. We hope they were able to hear the message that Jesusproclaimed to them and that they were not only concerned with their owninterests. It seems right that preaching the kingdom of God was central to hismission. Everyone has the ability to hear and accept his offer of salvation. Tothis mission, he knew to be faithful.
          Jesuspreached a kingdom-centered theology that showed that God cared intimately foreach person. It revealed that God's presence was everywhere and was not morespecially present in the Temple or other religious-based buildings. The kingdomof God was among the people. This theology conflicted with the Temple-basedtheology that showed the primacy of worship was in the Temple and thatreligious authority rested with the elders, chief priests, and templeauthorities. In this theology, the rites, liturgy, and laws are sacrosanct andobedience to the law means life. The human person is valued if he or sheupholds the law and teachings. Otherwise, the individual is not considered animportant aspect of the faith. These are the types of rules Jesus wascontinually challenging. This conflict ultimately led to his death. Take forinstance, the event when he upset the money-changers and challenged templeauthority.
          Inparallel ways, the church of Jesus struggles with the same dichotomy today.Many who suffer and look for moral guidance seek Christ in the ordinariness oftheir day and wrestle with their experiences of faith against the developeddoctrine that has endured for centuries. In this scenario, the person'sexperience matters greatly. Others will hold tightly to the letter of the lawor declared teachings because they have persisted and withstood the challengesof time. Here, the person is not considered to be a major factor. Differingphilosophies still compete. A classicist worldview is pitted against anhistorical minded one.
          Whilethis conflict occurs, we take heart from this passage. Jesus moved on toproclaim the kingdom of God is in our midst. We are to do the same. Ourpreaching about the kingdom is to be central to every aspect of our lives.Christ cares about our suffering and struggles. He begs us to come to his Abba,to the one who will wipe away every tear from our eyes, to the one who hasconquered sin and death, to the one who wants to pull us close to his heart.
Themes for this Week’s Masses
FirstReading:  The eldersand leaders of Israel came to King Solomon in Jerusalem to bring up the ark ofthe covenant to Zion, the City of David. The community assembled for thesacrifice and when everyone left, the glory of the Lord settled upon the holyplace. Before the people, Solomon prays to God asking that the covenant beremembered. God will be the protector of the people. The queen of Sheba heardof Solomon's fame and wisdom. She visited him and asked subtle questions andshe was quite impressed. She offered him abundant gifts the likes that had notbeen seen before. In his old age, Solomon turned his heart away from the Lord.As retribution, the Lord told Solomon that he would deprive his son of thekingdom. Only one of the tribes would inhabit Jerusalem. When Jeroboam leftJerusalem, Israel went in rebellion. They tore cloaks into twelve pieces. Onetribe would remain in tribute to David. Jeroboam persisted in sin as he orderedshrines to be built in Bethel and Dan.
Gospel:Jesus returns to Galilee after healing the demoniac. People recognize him andbring all their sick to him. Pharisees and scribes observe that the disciplesof Jesus do not customarily wash their hands before meals. He tells them thatthey disregard God's commandments but cling to human tradition. He then remindsthem that keeping the commandments mean honoring your father and mother. Heconcludes that what is in the inside of a person defiles them, not outwardcustoms. Jesus declares all foods clean and focuses upon the attitudes thatcorrupt. He travels to the northwest territory of Tyre where he meets aSyrophoenician woman. She begs him to drive a demon out of her daughter. Afteroriginally resisting her, he accedes to her wishes and realizes his missionexpands beyond the boundaries of Israel. He then travels back to the Decapoliswhere he heals a deaf, mute man. He opens the mouth of the man. His heart ismoved with pity for the people as they gather to hear him speak. Hemiraculously feeds over 4,000 people with a scant quantity of fish and bread.
Saints of the Week
Monday: PaulMiki and Companions, martyrs (d. 1597), were martyred in Nagasaki, Japanfor being Christians. Miki was a Jesuit brother and a native Japanese who waskilled alongside 25 clergy, religious, and laypeople. They were suspended oncrosses and killed by spears thrust into their hearts. Remnants of theChristian community continued through baptism without any priestly leadership.It was discovered when Japan was reopened in 1865.
Wednesday: JeromeEmiliani (1481-1537), was a Venetian soldier who experienced a call to be apriest during this imprisonment as a captor. He devoted his work to theeducation of orphans, abandoned children, the poor and hungry. He founded anorder to help in his work, but he died during a plague while caring for thesick.
JosephineBakhita (1869-1947) was a Sudanese who was sold as a slaveto the Italian Consul, who treated her with kindness. She was baptized in Italyand took the name Josephine. Bakhia means fortunate. She was granted freedomaccording to Italian law and joined the Canossian Daughters of Charity whereshe lived simply as a cook, seamstress, and doorkeeper. She was known for hergentleness and compassion.
Friday: Scholastica(480-543) was the twin sister ofBenedict, founder of Western monasticism. She is the patroness of Benedictinenuns. She was buried in her brother's tomb; they died relatively close to oneanother.
Saturday:Our Lady of Lourdes is remembered because between February 11 and July 16,1858, Mary appeared to Bernadette Soubirous in a cave near Lourdes, Franceeighteen times. The site remains one of the largest pilgrim destinations. Manyfind healing in the waters of the grotto during the spring.
This Week in Jesuit History
·        Feb 5, 1833. The first provincial ofMaryland, Fr. William McSherry, was appointed. ·        Feb 6, 1612. The death of ChristopherClavius, one of the greatest mathematicians and scientists of the Society. ·        Feb 7, 1878. At Rome, Pius IX died. Hewas sincerely devoted to the Society; when one of the cardinals expressed surprisethat he could be so attached to an order against which even high ecclesiasticsbrought serious charges, his reply was: "You have to be pope to know theworth of the Society." ·        Feb 8, 1885. In Chicago, Fr. IsidoreBourdreaux, master of novices at Florissant, Missouri, from 1857 to 1870, died.He was the first scholastic novice to enter the Society from any of thecolleges in Missouri. ·        Feb 9, 1621. Cardinal Ludovisi waselected Pope Gregory XV. He was responsible for the canonization of St.Ignatius and St. Francis Xavier. ·        Feb 10, 1773. The rector of Florenceinformed the general, Fr. Ricci, that a copy of the proposed Brief ofSuppression had been sent to the Emperor of Austria. The general refused tobelieve that the Society would be suppressed. ·        Feb 11, 1563. At the Council of Trent,Fr. James Laynez, the Pope's theologian, made such an impression on thecardinal president by his learning and eloquence, that cardinal decided at onceto open a Jesuit College in Mantua, his Episcopal see. 

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          As we come to the end of a month wherewe've heard about David's successes and failures as a man and a king, I have tosay I have come to admire him and hold a warm place in my heart for him. It touchesme deeply that even though his son, Absalom, has risen against him inrebellion, he grieves uncontrollably at his unfortunate death by hanging in atree. Death is final. As we stare into death's face, the brutality of it shakesus to our core.           Death comes to us again in the Gospel.Jesus returns to Jewish lands after getting kicked out of the Decapolis wherehe met the once out of control demoniac. The crowd waits for him. Among thosewho wanted his attention was Jairus, a synagogue official, who believed Jesuswas powerful enough to restore his ailing daughter to good health. She was only12 years old. I'm sure to the disappointment of Jairus, Jesus gets sidetracked.His attention is pulled away from the concerns of Jairus because he felt powerleave him because someone forgotten by society reached out to touch his hem.          The woman with the 12-year hemorrhage isa lot like the Gerasene demoniac. She is shunned, neglected, pushed aside,largely ignored, and she has used up all her capital. She has now become abother to her family, friends, and the religious society. She is a festering wound.While some may sympathize with her, many become frustrated because she nevermakes improvements. She becomes a bother to them because she remains just whoshe is. They tolerate her, sometimes treat her with kindness, but they havegiven up on her. She has lost hope and the society around her has lost hopethat she will ever stop complaining about her condition.          We may know someone like this whosepain is chronic. Perhaps, we identify with this nameless woman because we havesomething inside us that is so disordered we cannot change. All the drugs,therapy, retreats in the world cannot ever make us whole as we once were anddesire to be again. We carry an internal system of dysfunction, disorder, andchaos that puts us on the outside of a society whose care we need. We may wantto give up because this is our fate. We will never be right again. In ourprayers, all we can do is reach invisibly, desperately to touch the cloak's hemof Jesus.          We each carry our own crosses and onething is clear: we have to gaze upon the cross to find meaning in it. It is notsomething we can escape or avoid. We will deal with it at some point in life.The question that arises is: What is our disposition and attitude by which weapproach the cross?          I am learning to be real in prayer. Itis important for me to express my raw, unfiltered desires and feelings to God andto see that anger is good. Expressing it well is healthy and it is somethingthat we learn to do through triumphs and failures. I have shouted at God withtremendous anger. I have been so angry with God I would not even talk to himfor stretches of time and I derided God for his lack of power and his lack ofconcern. I have poured out my heart far from the kindest of ways because Iwanted to let God know of my supreme frustration and my utter doubt in God'scare of me and my loved ones. How could God treat me this way if God is allloving and all powerful and all just. When I let him have it good, I feelbetter.           This passage reminds me of my oldestsister's life. I watched her die an excruciating death after years of pain and,like the woman in the Gospel, hemorrhages. She was born with mental retardationand had a difficult life. My family cared for her as best we knew how. Early inmy life I got so angry with God for allowing this dreadful condition to inhabita sweet little girl. As a young boy, I recall screaming at God for making her aperson with retardation. At age six, I recall steaming in frustration that Godchose this and allowed this to happen. I pleaded with God to give me hercondition so my innocent sister can be set free. I wanted her to live well. Herillness was undeserved.           I felt such tenderness for my parents.This was their firstborn child and they were struggling to start their new lifetogether. I was frustrated because I wished my parents had more information sothey could protest more directly to the doctors as my sister was still in thewomb. I wished they spoke for their own needs and desires more vehemently. Myhemorrhaging mother during her last month of pregnancy was told to go homebecause she was in false labor. My parents obediently followed the doctor'sprofessional advice though they knew better. All the while, the umbilical cordwrapped around my sister's neck depriving her of needed oxygen. 
          At the end of her 43 years oflife she stayed at home amidst seven long years of pain and suffering - theworst I've ever seen. I came close to cursing Jesus for he had only been on thecross for three hours; my sister's suffering was much more awful. Wheelchairbound and constricted in a physical prison, a tube inserted to feed her and atube to catch her waste, she was stung with pain. We would hold her in our armseach day and look into her catatonic eyes wondering if she knew we were there.How we wished she could speak and tell us how she felt. She cried cry herselfto sleep and immediately awoke from her chronic, ceaseless pain. Sleep couldnot soften her fatigue. Hospitals sent her back to us because her pain wasunbearable for nurses and other patients to hear. It caused everyonediscomfort. Even loving care-givers did not want to hear her moans.     We fear suffering. Fear and psychic pain aroseand we tried to reach her to let her know we were there for her, though we wereunable to help her. We were inexhaustibly powerless. We could provide norelief. We were stripped of any choice - utterly without any control or power.
          After further groaning andmoaning to God while caressing my sister's tormented face, my gaze penetrateddeeply into my sister's blank, catatonic eyes. She could not fully see me backbut I had to continue to look. I wanted to find her, to have her recognize me,to stand by her, and I could not give up. I gazed into a dark infinity throughher eyes. Exhausted, despairing, and hopeless, I was drawn in to see the sad,sorrowful eyes of Jesus looking back at me. He was there on the cross, weeping,weeping deeply for my sister. I finally came to a place of stillness andsilence. I gazed upon him on the cross as he beheld my sister on hers. He waswith her in her suffering and with me in mine. He writhed in anguish because wewere in anguish as life slipped out of his body. He was so sad for us and hecould not get off the cross because he needed to be there for us.          My sister's pain continued a few moremonths before she died. I don't know how my mother made it through a single day,but she was lovingly faithful to her daughter. All we have is love andfidelity. I solidly knew that Jesus was with my sister and she seemed consoledby that. It was only by looking deeply into that dark pit of suffering thatJesus was able to gently reach me and show me his heart. He said, "I wantto share my heart with you." At this gruesome place, the desires of myheart met his - and he was gracious.
          I encountered a gentle God - aGod who cannot act violently. Jesus gives us the greatest gift he can - bybeing in vulnerable solidarity with his people as he hangs on the cross, withthose who hang on the cross. Ironically, if we look deeply into our suffering,we will undoubtedly find the broken, disabled, disfigured Christ, imprisoned onhis Cross, and he will gently be present to us. No greater gift exists. Theworld changes.
          At some point in our lives, wehave to confront death. David did it with his beloved Absalom, Jairus with hisdaughter, the nameless woman of chronic hemorrhages looks at her own impendingmortality, my mother with her firstborn. It is at our weakest - when we arewith someone in his or her suffering - that we find intimacy with Jesus in oursuffering. It is the point where he consoles me and tells me I am not alone. Hedoes not want suffering. This is the reason he brings the daughter of Jairusback to life and turns to the poor woman to give her a name and a chance tolive again. He wants to give you life as well. Christ took on powerlessnessbecause of our powerlessness. He wants to die on the Cross for you - so you canhave life with him.

Werecognize that the person whom we have encountered speaks to our innermostbeing, supplies our needs, satisfies our desires. We recognize that this persongives life meaning. I do not say a new meaning simply, for we realize thatbefore we encountered this person life had no real meaning. We recognize thatthis person has revealed to us not only himself, but our own true self as well.We recognize that we cannot be our own true self except by union with thisperson. In him, the obscure is illuminated, the uncertain yields to thecertain, insecurity is replaced by a deep sense of security. In him, we find wehave achieved and understanding of many things which baffled us. We recognizein his person strength and power which we can sense passing from him to us.Most certainly, if most obscurely, we recognize that in this person we haveencountered God, and that we shall not encounter god in any other way.

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Thatperson is truly humble who converts humiliation into humility.

Godis the only master of our hearts; God alone can give solid peace.

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Itis not reserved for those who are well-known mystics or for those who dowonderful things for the poor... [It is for those] poor enough to welcomeJesus. It is for people living ordinary lives and who feel lonely. It is forall those who are old, hospitalized or out of work, who open their hearts intrust to Jesus and cry out for his healing love.

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Whenthe story of Jesus is truly our story, when we have caught his fire, when hisgood news shapes our lives individually and as a church, his influence will befelt far beyond our church.

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God is the most lovable of all things, and meditations on God's nature is the strongest incentive there is to love and devotion; but because our minds are not strong in themselves, we need to be led by knowledge, and so to love God by way of the world we sense, and above all by thinking of Christ the man, so that by seeing God with our eyes we can be lifted up to love what we cannot see.

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Weshould not want to see or do anything that could not be done in the presence ofGod... and we shall then imagine that we are always in God's presence.