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Rosary: Every Sunday after the 12 PM Mass we pray the Holy Rosary in front of Our Lady's statue, to your right as you go out of the Main Chapel.
Every 1st Friday of the month is a day of prayer for vocations. Let us offer our prayers for more priestly and religious vocations. And let us also drop our generous donation for the activities of the School of Theology in Tokyo and Fukouka. For your donations, kindly use the blue envelopes which are at the back door of the main chapel.
March 14th, 2010
12 PM English Mass St. Ignatius Church Main Chapel
11:45 PM - 1 PM Confession in English & Tagalog - Fr. Resty Ogismer, CS
1:30PM - 3 PM Lenten Reflection/Prayer (This will be in English.)
Kibe Hall Conference Room 404.
Spiritual Director: Fr. Resty Ogismer, CS
3 PM Stations of the Cross with the Blessed Virgin Mary (Xavier Chapel)
English-speaking Group Meeting: Every third Sunday of the month, the English-speaking Community gathers to plan and to think of better ways to serve St. Ignatius Church. 1:30 PM at Room 301-B (Arrupe Hall). You are most welcome!
Catechism for Adults Every Sunday except the 3rd Sunday
1:30 PM - 3 PM Room 305 c/o Fr. Barry, SJ (Japanese)
2 PM - 3:30 PM Kibe Hall Room 402 c/o Sr. Mila, FMM (English)
Sunday Japanese Language Classes
Academic Year 2010
January 10th - March 28th
1:10 PM - 2:40 PM
Kibe Hall Rooms 304,307,403
Please bring your own notebooks and pencils.
To inquire, please contact: the John De Britto English Center (St. Ingatius Church)
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QUOTES |
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"Conversion to Christ, believing in the Gospel, ultimately means this: to exit the illusion of self-sufficiency in order to discover and accept one's own need - the need of others and God, the need of His forgiveness and His friendship."
"Dear brothers and sisters, Lent culminates in the Paschal Triduum, in which this year, too, we shall celebrate divine justice - the fullness of charity, gift, salvation. May this penitential season be for every Christian a time of authentic conversion and intense knowledge of the mystery of Christ, who came to fulfill every justice. With these sentiments, I cordially impart to all of you my apostolic blessing".
- Pope Benedict XVI
Contemplation is nothing else than a secret, peaceful, and loving infusion of God, which if admitted, will set the soul on fire with the Spirit of love.
- St. John of the Cross
Life is a tapestry:
We are the warp; angels, the weft; God, the weaver.
Only the Weaver sees the whole design.
-Eileen Elias Freeman
What we are is God's gift to us.
What we become is our gift to God.
-Eleanor Powell
In the cross there is salvation; in the cross there is life; in the cross there is protection from your enemies; in the cross there is infusion of heavenly sweetness; in the cross there is strength of mind; in the cross there is spiritual joy; in the cross there is the compendium of virtue; in the cross there is the perfection of sanctity. There is no health for the soul nor hope of eternal life, except in the cross.
- Thomas A. Kempis
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The person who was to become Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was born in Wales about AD 385. His given name was Maewyn, and he almost didn't get appointed bishop of Ireland because he lacked the required scholarship. Far from being a saint, until he was 16, he considered himself a pagan. At that age, he was sold into slavery by a group of Irish marauders that raided his village. During his captivity, he became closer to God.
He escaped from slavery after six years and went to Gaul where he studied in the monastery under St. Germain, bishop of Auxerre for a period of twelve years. During his training he became aware that his calling was to convert the pagans to Christianity. His wishes were to return to Ireland, to convert the native pagans to Christianity. But his superiors instead appointed St. Palladius. But two years later, Palladius was transferred to Scotland. Patrick, having adopted that Christian name earlier, was then appointed as second bishop to Ireland.
Patrick was quite successful at winning converts. And this fact upset the Celtic Druids. Patrick was arrested several times, but escaped each time. He traveled throughout Ireland, establishing monasteries across the country. He also set up schools and churches which would aid him in his conversion of the Irish country to Christianity.
His mission in Ireland lasted for thirty years. After that time, Patrick retired to County Down. He died on March 17 in AD 461. That day has been commemorated as St. Patrick's Day.
One traditional icon of the day is the shamrock. And this stems from a more bona fide Irish tale that tells how Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the Trinity. He used it in his sermons to represent how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could exist as separate elements of the same entity. His followers adopted the custom of wearing a shamrock on his feast day.
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After the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph is our most powerful intercessor before God. St. Joseph faithfully cared for his little family, Jesus and Mary. No sacrifice was too great for him. Now Jesus shows him His gratitude by granting our requests through St. Joseph's intercession. Pope Pius IX proclaimed him patron of the universal Church in 1870.
Let us go to St. Joseph in all our needs and especially ask him for the grace of a holy death.
The Great Silent One
Joseph is called the man of deep silence. He came and went, did his work, and gave orders in his home in a kindly way, with a purpose which had matured in him after he had learned the divine will, after he tried to study what the Lord wanted. His way of giving orders was to make a slight sign, to give a slight hint of what seemed to him to be the will of God. This man of deep silence occupies the first place among the saints, and what an amount of wisdom his mind contained.
In an inexpressible manner, St. Joseph was and is a faithful cooperator in the redemption of the world. He is the foster father of Jesus and His provider, the defender of the Virgin Mother of God, the rescuer of the threatened life of the Savior, the protector of the universal Church, the confidant and hope of innumerable souls who have recourse to him. Let us feel ourselves as living and active members in the Mystical Body of the Church, which Jesus Christ conquered with His blood. As the Father sent His beloved Son into the world as an apostle, so we were appointed to the apostolate. Everyone should feel the responsibility of saving souls.
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Today the Church celebrates the greatest event in the history of mankind: the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. This feast is celebrated on March 25th to correspond to December 25th, nine months later-- the birthday of the Word made flesh.
Let us thank the Blessed Virgin for her fiat: "Let it be done to me as you say" (Lk. 1:38), for at that moment began our salvation. Let us also imitate her in her humble and generous service of God.
The Day of the Annunciation
Let us have profound gratitude for the happiest day for humanity: reparation was about to be made for sin and heaven reopened to mankind. The Incarnation of the Word was fulfilled. God came to live among us; Mary was exalted as the true Mother of God.
The recitation of the Angelus, besides reminding us of the great mystery of the Annunciation, should also remind us that there is a paradise awaiting us. We must live in a way that we may reach it; take the road leading to a happy eternity, to eternal glory.
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Today's liturgy combines both a sense of triumph and tragedy. Very importantly, we are reminded at the beginning, that we commemorate the triumph of Christ our King. We do this through the blessing of palms, the procession and the joyful singing. This is further emphasized by the celebrant wearing red vestments.
The second part of the story gives us the long tale of the sufferings and indignities to which Jesus was subjected. As we listen to the passion story unfolding, let us keep in mind the Hosannas as Jesus our King entered Jerusalem, his city. Soon it will be difficult to recognize our King in the battered, scourged, crowned-with-thorns, crucified remnant of a human being.
Why did Jesus have to undergo such a terrible fate? Basically, there were two reasons. One was political. Jesus had become the object of hate and prejudice by people who saw in him a threat to their religious authority and political standing. He had to be gotten rid of one way or another.
But secondly, what happened was all in accordance with the Father's will. That is not to say, as some people seem to imply, that God wanted to kill Jesus and engineered everything to happen that way. There are perfectly understandable reasons why Jesus' behavior led to his suffering and death.
Jesus' behavior was the result of Jesus' unconditional love for every person he met-- including his enemies. And Jesus' love for everyone was a mirror of the same love of the Father. It was a love so intense that Jesus was ready to sacrifice his own life for it. "Greater love than this no one has than to lay down one's life for one's friends." In doing so, Jesus identified with his Father's will, namely, that all come to be aware of God's unconditional love for them.
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Sometimes we meet people who touch us by their vision, their way of being human, people who intrigue us by their power. Jesus never claims to be the origin of the power that shows itself in his ministry. He tells people to give praise to God for what they have experienced or witnessed: "Go home to your people and tell them all that God in his mercy has done for you" (Mk 5:19).
In his dealings with other people, in the surface events of every day, Jesus opens up another dimension, that people cannot see, namely his relationship to God whom he calls Abba. Both dimensions of Jesus' life - the horizontal and the vertical - are open to others.
Many people, especially Jesus' religious critics, want to know by what authority Jesus does what he does and says what he says. Who is the author of this power? Jesus claims that God was the source of his liberating power. "If it is by the finger of God that I cast out devils, then the kingdom of God has overtaken you" (Lk 11:20).
Jesus leads his disciples to the source of his power and strength. Not surprisingly, his disciples want to be in touch with that same source, which is why they ask Jesus to teach them to pray. Jesus teaches them to connect to his Abba (Father), who is also theirs: "When you pray say this: "Father....."
Early in the Gospel of John the disciples ask Jesus; "Where do you live?" And his reply is, "Come and see." The place where Jesus lives is no secret; it is a home to be shared with others. Going to see is the initial movement into discipleship.
The essence of discipleship is an introduction to the power the master has, so that the disciples can live in the same power. The eyes of the apprentice must be opened, the ears unstopped, the heart educated to the power that makes the master the master.
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Traditionally, Lenten devotions in parish churches have drawn attention to the suffering and death of Jesus. The most popular one is known as the Stations of the Cross. During the time of the crusades (1095~1270), it became popular for pilgrims to the Holy Land to walk in the footsteps of Jesus to Calvary. In the next two centuries, after the Moslems recaptured the Holy Land, pilgrimages were too dangerous. A substitute pilgrimage, the Stations of the Cross, became a popular outdoor devotion throughout Europe during the Middle Ages. They represented critical events from Scripture or tradition of Jesus' journey to Calvary and varied in number from five to 20 until the 18th century when Pope Clement XII fixed the number at 14. In the mid-18th century, Stations were allowed inside churches. The Stations became a familiar feature in Catholic Churches. In the 1960's it became popular to add a fifteenth Station representing the end of the journey: the resurrection.
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(A Reflection on the Ninth Station of the Cross)
A man stumbles and falls to the ground. He is so weak and filled with pain that he cannot get back on his feet without help. As he lies there powerless, he reaches out and opens his hands, hoping that another hand will grasp his and help him to stand again. A hand waits for the touch of another hand. The human hand is so mysterious. It can create and destroy, caress and strike, make welcoming gestures and condemning signs, it can bless and curse, heal and wound, beg and give. A hand can become a threatening fist as well as a symbol of safety and protection. It can be most feared and most longed for.
One of the most life-giving images is that of human hands reaching out to each other, touching each other, interconnecting and merging into a sign of peace and reconciliation. In contrast, one of the most despairing images is that of a hand stretched open, waiting to be touched with care, while people walk heedlessly by. This is not an image of the loneliness of the individual person, but of loneliness of a divided humanity. The hand of the poor world reaches out to be touched by the hand of the rich world, but the preoccupations of the rich prevent them from seeing the poor, and humanity remains broken and fragmented.
When Jesus falls for the third time, he lived in his body all the loneliness of a despairing humanity. He could not get up again without help. But there was no one reaching out to him and offering him the support to stand again. Instead, his open hands were struck with a lash, and cruel hands pulled him back to a standing position.
Jesus, God-made-human, falls so that we can bend over to him and show him our love and compassion, but we are too busy with other things even to notice. The hands of the poor begging for food, the hands of the lonely calling for simple presence, the hands of children, the sick, the unskilled-- the hands of the fallen Jesus waiting for our love and compassion.
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(A Reflection on the Eleventh Station of the Cross)
A Sudanese man is dying. He is alone. He has no name. He is one of the many dying in a large hospital. He is number 42. The intravenous tube is like his last lifeline. But, it won't save him. All his strength is gone. His thin arms and emaciated shoulders reveal how far spent he is. Everyone around him knows that his last hours have come. He, too, knows it, but he is not afraid. Life has not been easy for him. It has been a life of poverty, many battles, and few victories. He was afraid of sickness and pain. But he is at peace with the knowledge that it soon will all be over.
People are dying every day, every hour, every minute. They die suddenly or slowly. They die on the streets of big cities or in comfortable homes. They die in isolation or surrounded by friends and family. They die in great pain or as if falling asleep. They die in anguish or in peace. But all of them die alone, facing the unknown. Dying is indeed a reality of daily life. And yet, the world generally goes about its business disowning this reality. Dying is often a hidden event, something to ignore or deny. The Sudanese man, however, expresses the truth of life. All of life comes to an end. Dying belongs to living.
Jesus was nailed to the cross, and for three hours he was dying. He died between two men. One of them said to the other: "We are paying for what we did. But this man has done nothing wrong." Jesus lived his dying completely for others. The total exhaustion of his body, the abandonment of his friends, and even of his God, all became the gift of self. And as he hung dying in complete powerlessness, nailed against the wood of a tree, there was no bitterness, no desire for revenge, no resentment. Nothing to cling to! All to give!
As we look at the dying Jesus, we see the dying world. Jesus, who on the cross drew all people to himself, died millions of deaths. He died not only the death of the rejected, the lonely, and the criminal, but also the death of the high and powerful, the famous and the popular. Most of all, he died the death of all the simple people who lived their ordinary lives and grew old and tired, and trusted that somehow their lives were not in vain.
As Jesus hangs stretched out between heaven and earth, he asks us to look our mortality straight in the face and trust that death does not have the last word. We can look at the dying in our world and give them hope; we will know that God's arms will receive them and give them peace.
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Traditional Daily Offering of the Apostleship of Prayer |
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O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world. I offer them for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart: the salvation of souls, reparation for sin, and the reunion of all Christians. I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all Apostles of Prayer, and in particular for those recommended by our Holy Father this month.
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POPE BENEDICT XVI'S MONTHLY PRAYER INTENTIONS
- March 2010 |
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POPE BENEDICT XVI'S MONTHLY PRAYER INTENTIONS 2010
World Economy
"That the world economy may be managed according to the principles of justice and equality, taking into account the real needs of peoples, especially the poorest."
Churches in Africa
"That the Churches throughout Africa may be signs and instruments of reconciliation and justice."
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