Antiracism is a Ministry of Peace and Reconciliation: I imagine I am a disciple in the locked room with the others. Having prayed last week with false narratives about Jesus and about racism, I ask if I have any fears about my experience.
I have a kind of remote cousin, Gerry Moore, in Ireland (County Waterford) who e-mails lots of news about relatives in Ireland or other Irish events. He sent me a review in the Irish Times of the recent book by Derek Scally, The Best Catholics in the World: The Irish, the Church And the End of a Special Relationship Penguin, 2021. I decided to buy and read the book and it was a stunning and very interesting read.
Acting Together as Ignatian Ministries: Jesuits West CORE: Today’s newsletter focuses on the recent work of the Jesuits West Province (the province of Jesuits St. Ignatius Parish is part of), specifically an initiative called Collaborative Organizing for Racial Equity (CORE), a program that all ministries of Jesuits West are invited to participate in.
False Narratives Around Racism Continue to Surround Us: Last week, our Wednesday reflection invited us to notice how celebrating the Resurrection can be confusing. One reason for this confusion, highlighted in Matthew’s Gospel, is the fact that not everyone agrees about the Resurrection; others tell false stories or narratives that discount the Resurrection of Jesus and the Gospel message he came to share.
Truth and Healing with Indigenous Communities: On Holy Thursday, we were invited to reflect on narratives we learned about the first Thanksgiving, false narratives that painted Indigenous Peoples in a way that justified the colonization of what would become the United States.
Restoring Our Relationship with Christ Who is Risen: Unlike Christmas, celebrating the Resurrection can be confusing. In a matter of days, Jesus goes from being praised like a king as he enters into Jerusalem and enjoying the Passover meal with his disciples, to being condemned, abandoned, and murdered by the Empire.
I have admired the writings of James Martin S.J. for many years. But his new book is the one I have found most helpful and, at times, deeply moving spiritually. It is long at 400pages,but Martin is such a clear-cut and available writer, that it does not seem so long. I really can’t recommend the book highly enough. It consists of 18 chapters and insists that prayer is something everyone can do and learn about.
Reconciling the Sale of 272 Enslaved People by the Society of Jesus: As noted last Monday, during the Fourth Week of the Spiritual Exercises, we will be focusing our first newsletter each week on ways in which work to advance racial justice and equity is enacted in our church and society.
Easter Morning at the Tomb: As we engage the Fourth Week of the Exercises, we will enter into many of the Gospel passages focused on the Easter season.
The Joy of Easter: Entering the “Fourth Week” of Our Discernment Series: Having just celebrated Easter Sunday yesterday, our newsletter now turns to what St. Ignatius of Loyola calls “The Fourth Week” of the Spiritual Exercises.
Lamenting Racial Injustice: What might it have been like to be the women who had waited at the cross watching Jesus die a slow excruciating death? How about John, the disciple, who stayed with them, and cared for them once Jesus had died?
Solemn Intercessions of the Day of Our Lord’s Passion: During the Good Friday Liturgy, following the readings and the homily, the Church prays the Solemn Intercessions together. In this newsletter, we invite you to pray a Solemn Prayer for the church and our country, that we may no longer turn a blind eye to Christ’s suffering in the world, but stand with he who is crucified every day in our nation.
Crucified Christ Among Us Today: Indigenous Peoples: It is important to note that when we speak of Indigenous peoples, we are not speaking about a monolithic group of people who share the same experience and culture. Today, there are over 500 federally recognized Indigenous communities in the United States of America.
What the Resurrection of Jesus promises is that things can always be new again. It is never too late to begin anew. No sin is unforgiven. No betrayal is final. Grief, anger and bitterness can give way to surprise, good humor and delight. Every form of death can be overcome.