According to my resources, the name Carmen is a derivation of Carmel which is one of the titles given to Our Blessed Mother, namely, Our Lady of Mount Carmel. This is the patronal feast of the Carmelites. The Order of Carmelites takes its name from Mount Carmel, which was the first place dedicated to the Blessed Virgin and where a chapel was erected in her honor before her Assumption into Heaven. July 16 is also the feast of the “Scapular of Mount Carmel”. On that day in 1251, pious …
Author: WebDept ParishAdmin
A Parent’s Prayer for Their Children: Prayer of the Day for Saturday, July 16, 2022
O Father of mankind,
who hast given unto me these my children,
and committed them to my charge to bring them up for Thee,
and to prepare them for everlasting life:
assist me with Thy heavenly grace,
that I may be able to fulfil this most sacred duty and stewardship.
Teach me both what to give and what to withhold;
when to reprove and when to forbear;
make me gentle, yet firm;
considerate and watchful;
and deliver me equally from the weakness of indulgence,
and the excess …
Have You Never Read This? / ¿Nunca has Leído Esto?
“Have you never read this?” There is a touch of irony in Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel as he responded to the Pharisees who rebuked his disciples for plucking grain on the Sabbath. Jesus began his response to the Pharisees with the words “Have you never read this?” precisely because these leaders prided themselves upon their knowledge of the Scriptures.
“Have you never read this?” They had read, Jesus intimated, but had not read to understand. They had not read with soft hearts. They, perhaps unconsciously, had read to verify their own positions, their already determined conclusions. They had understood, or misunderstood, the Word of the Lord to confirm their own word to their own benefit.
How many times Jesus could say these words to me, “Kathryn, have you never read this? Have you not yet understood my heart? Are you still so undiscerning of what truly gives me joy, what pleases me the most?”
I remember as a young sister that being on time for meals, which meant arriving early and waiting prayerfully to say the meal blessing, was an important custom and expectation in our community. There are many values enshrined in this practice: respect for the community, obedience to the will of God as indicated by the schedule, taking one’s rest prayerfully. However, one day on my way to dinner I noticed a sister forty years my senior unloading a car by herself. I hesitated because to assist her would mean that I would arrive late to dinner. Making a quick decision, I stopped to assist her. There were two goods, two values at stake: punctual obedience and generous service. I chose the value of generous service at that moment, regardless of what others would think of my walking in late to dinner.
This certainly was a decision of little consequence, and doubtless you have been faced with many situations of more grave import in your own life. But this Gospel helps us sift through our options more selflessly, honestly, obediently.
Let’s look more closely at the Gospel. The Pharisees objected to Jesus that his disciples by plucking the grain were “working,” a kind of reaping, and therefore it should be avoided as it was considered working on the sabbath day. Jesus responded to the Pharisees: Have you not read how David and his followers went to the tabernacle at Nob near Jerusalem and asked for bread from the priests there. There was no bread available there except for the twelve old loaves of showbread which were prescribed to be eaten only by the priests. The priests, in mercy, gave this bread to the hungry men, as Jesus himself in his mercy did not stop his disciples from plucking the grain along the side of the path. And have you not read, Jesus continues, that on the Sabbath, the busiest day of the week for the priests, they themselves break the rules of the Sabbath in order to carry out the functions of worship in the Temple. The commandment of God to keep holy the Sabbath didn’t refer to all work universally, Jesus intimated, but work for worldly gain.
“I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” Jesus says at the end of this reading. In this Gospel passage today it is clear that Jesus was not using this phrase to justify behavior that was wrong. Instead he used Scripture itself to show the Pharisees how their understanding of the Law in its more complex and cohesive sense was inadequate. He called them to a greater and more inward sense and assimilation of the heart of the Law not to a lesser one. And, indeed, he called his own disciples to such higher standards in the Sermon on the Mount. “You have heard it said…but I say to you.”
Jesus makes it clear that he didn’t come to relax the commandments of the Law, to negate them in favor of something new that would make it easier for his disciples. Rather, he pointed out on a number of occasions that the teachers of the Law had missed the point. And that is what we need to be attentive to. Often the phrase “it is mercy God desires, not sacrifice” is thrown out in a conversation to justify not keeping God’s law. God understands and has mercy. He doesn’t really expect us to keep his law. After all, he is so merciful…. So let’s not expect someone to obey the call to discipleship with all its consequences. That clearly is not what God in his mercy expects of us. That, however, is clearly not what Jesus was saying in the context of this Gospel passage. Jesus loved each one who came to him, with great patience and mercy, and at the same time invited them to become “perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48).
“Have you never read this?” Or if you have, have you missed the point? We don’t want to miss the point. Going back to my example above, communion of life and charity is the point of community life. At that moment, communion and charity was greater served by my stopping to help a sister unload a car than by my walking past her to be with my sisters at prayer before the meal. Though I “broke,” so to speak, one rule, I lived it inwardly in my service to the sister who needed assistance. If instead, I had stopped to offer assistance because I thought it was stupid to have to keep rules and I had been looking for a chance to act as a free agent and to cherish my own self-importance or greater enlightenment, even if I had justified my action with the words of the Lord himself: “it is mercy I desire and not sacrifice,” I would have missed the point. I would have misused the words of Wisdom itself to justify my own selfish autonomy and resistance to authority. And in the end, it would be I myself who would have suffered from my own self-will, my hardened positions, even if justified by the words of the Lord himself.
“¿Nunca has leído esto?” Hubo un poco de ironía en las palabras de Jesús en el Evangelio de hoy cuando respondió a los fariseos que reprendieron a sus discípulos por arrancar el grano en sábado. Jesús comenzó su respuesta a los fariseos con las palabras “¿Nunca han leído esto?” precisamente porque estos líderes se enorgullecían de su conocimiento de las Escrituras.
“¿Nunca has leído esto?” Habían leído, insinuó Jesús, pero no habían leído para entender. No habían leído con corazones abiertos. Ellos, quizás inconscientemente, habían leído para justificar sus propias posiciones, sus conclusiones ya determinadas. Habían entendido, o malinterpretado, la Palabra del Señor para confirmar su propia palabra para su propio beneficio.
¿Cuántas veces Jesús podría decirme estas palabras, “Kathryn, nunca has leído esto? ¿Aún no has entendido mi corazón? ¿Sigues con tan poco discernimiento de lo que realmente me da alegría, lo que más me agrada?
Cuando era una hermana joven recuerdo lo que significaba llegar a tiempo para las comidas, llegar temprano y esperar en oración para bendecir de la comida, era una costumbre y expectativa importante en nuestra comunidad. Son muchos los valores incluidos en esta práctica: el respeto a la comunidad, la obediencia a la voluntad de Dios indicada en el horario, y incluyendo la oración en tiempos de descanso.
Sin embargo, un día, en camino a la cena, noté que una hermana cuarenta años mayor que yo estaba descargando un vehículo sola. Dudé porque ayudarla significaría que llegaría tarde a la cena. Tomando una decisión rápida, me detuve para ayudarla. Estaban en juego dos bienes, dos valores: la obediencia puntual y el servicio generoso. Elegí el valor del servicio generoso en ese momento, independientemente de lo que otros pensaran de mi al llegar tarde a la cena.
Esta fue ciertamente una decisión de poca importancia, y sin duda han enfrentado a muchas situaciones de mayor importancia en sus propias vidas. Pero este Evangelio nos ayuda a examinar nuestras opciones de manera más desinteresada, honesta y obediente.
Miremos más de cerca al Evangelio. Los fariseos se opusieron que los discípulos de Jesús estaban “trabajando” al arrancar el grano, una especie de siega, y por lo tanto debería evitarlo ya que se consideraba trabajar en el día de reposo. Jesús respondió a los fariseos: ¿No han leído cómo David y sus seguidores fueron al tabernáculo de Nob, cerca de Jerusalén, y pidieron pan a los sacerdotes que estaban allí? No había pan disponible, excepto los doce panes viejos de muestra que deberían ser comidos solo por los sacerdotes. Los sacerdotes, en su misericordia, dieron este pan a los hambrientos, como el mismo Jesús en su misericordia no impidió que sus discípulos arrancaran el grano al borde del camino. Y no han leído, sigue Jesús, que el sábado, el día más ocupado de la semana para los sacerdotes, ellos mismos quebrantan las reglas del sábado para cumplir las funciones de culto en el Templo. Jesús dio a entender que el mandamiento de Dios de santificar el sábado no se refería a todo el trabajo universalmente, sino al trabajo para obtener ganancias mundanas.
“Deseo la misericordia, no el sacrificio”, dice Jesús al final de esta lectura. En este pasaje del Evangelio de hoy, está claro que Jesús no estaba usando esta frase para justificar un comportamiento mala. En cambio, usó las mismas Escrituras para mostrar a los fariseos cómo su comprensión de la Ley, en su sentido más complejo y cohesivo, era inadecuada. Los llamó a asimilar la Ley con un sentido del corazón mayor y más interior. Y, de hecho, llamó a sus propios discípulos a estándares muy elevados en el Sermón del Monte. “Han oído decir… pero yo les digo”.
Jesús deja claro que no vino a suavizar los mandamientos de la Ley, a negarlos en favor de algo nuevo que facilitara las cosas a sus discípulos. Más bien, señaló en varias ocasiones que los maestros de la Ley no habían entendido. Debemos estar atentos a eso. A menudo, la frase “Dios desea la misericordia, no el sacrificio” se usa en una conversación para justificar no guardar la ley de Dios. Dios entiende y tiene misericordia. Él realmente no espera que guardemos su ley. Después de todo, él es tan misericordioso… Así que no esperemos que alguien obedezca el llamado al discipulado con todas sus consecuencias. Eso claramente no es lo que Dios en su misericordia espera de nosotros. Sin embargo, eso claramente no es lo que Jesús quería decir en el contexto de este pasaje del Evangelio. Jesús amaba con gran paciencia y misericordia a cada uno de los que acudían a él, y al mismo tiempo los invitaba a ser “perfectos como su Padre celestial es perfecto” (Mt 5,48).
“¿Nunca has leído esto?” O si lo has leído, ¿has perdido el punto? No queremos perder el punto. Volviendo al ejemplo anterior, la comunión de vida y la caridad es el propósito de la vida comunitaria. En ese momento, era mejor comunión y caridad detenerme a ayudar a una hermana a descargar un vehículo que pasar de largo para estar con mis hermanas en oración antes de la comida. Aunque “rompí”, por así decirlo, una regla, la viví interiormente en mi servicio a la hermana que necesitaba ayuda. Si, en cambio, me hubiera detenido a ofrecer ayuda porque pensé que era estúpido tener que seguir las reglas y hubiera estado buscando una oportunidad de actuar como un agente libre y apreciar mi propia importancia personal o una mayor iluminación, incluso si tenía justificado mi acción con las palabras del mismo Señor: “deseo la misericordia, no el sacrificio”, me habría equivocado. Habría abusado de las palabras de la Sabiduría misma para justificar mi propia autonomía egoísta y mi resistencia a la autoridad. Y al final, sería yo mismo quien habría sufrido por mi propia voluntad, mis posiciones endurecidas, incluso si estuvieran justificadas por las palabras del mismo Señor.
Kathryn James Hermes, FSP, is the author of the newly released title: Reclaim Regret: How God Heals Life’s Disappointments, by Pauline Books and Media. An author and spiritual mentor, she offers spiritual accompaniment for the contemporary Christian’s journey towards spiritual growth and inner healing. She is the director of My Sisters, where people can find spiritual accompaniment from the Daughters of St. Paul on their journey. Website: www.touchingthesunrise.com Public Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/srkathrynhermes/ For monthly spiritual journaling guides, weekly podcasts and over 50 conferences and retreat programs join my Patreon community: https://www.patreon.com/srkathryn.
Feature Image Credit: Loli Casaux, www.cathopic.com/photo/16117-tus-pies-arde-mi-corazon
St. Bonaventure: Saint of the Day for Friday, July 15, 2022
St. Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Feast day-July 15) St. Bonaventure, known as “the seraphic doctor,” was born at Bagnoregio, in the Lazio region of central Italy, in 1221. He received the name of Bonaventure in consequence of an exclamation of St. Francis of Assisi, when, in response to the pleading of the child’s mother, the saint prayed for John’s recovery from a dangerous illness, and, foreseeing the future greatness of the little John, cried out “O Buona …
Act of Charity: Prayer of the Day for Friday, July 15, 2022
O my God, I love you above all things with my whole heart and soul because you are all good and worthy of all my love.
I love my neighbor as myself for the love of you.
I forgive all who have injured me and ask pardon of all whom I have injured. Amen.
My Yoke Is Easy / Mi Yugo es Suave
When I was a kid I always thought this verse was talking about egg yolks and it made no sense to me. Maybe Jesus could make a mean omelet? I wasn’t sure. I have seen lots of different ways people interpret this verse, but the most helpful I have heard is looking at the words quite literally.
The picture I chose today is of a yoke. This was an instrument that would attach two bulls together so they have double the strength to pull something like a cart. This was a really effective way of plowing that saved a lot of time and effort, until one of the bulls didn’t want to play well with the other.
Think about it, if one of those bulls decided to move differently or get angry or just do a cold hard stop, it would throw off the entire method. Whoever is being the shepherd, so to speak, would have to stop everything and get them both back in step so that they could accomplish the task at hand. The ease and efficiency is entirely dependent on who you are attached to and whether or not they have the same mindset of the task at hand.
So how does this apply to our spiritual lives? Well, we are all attached to something. We have allowed something into our lives that pushes or pulls us, makes us stop in our tracks or makes us run faster. Whether it’s a job, a vice, an addiction, or just the struggle of everyday life, these things make us exhausted if we let them take the lead. Our yoke becomes heavy. I can look back on areas of my life where I struggled with certain sins and how they affected every part of my life and made me feel burdened. Bottom line, when we attach ourselves to these things and let them lead, we get into trouble.
Have you ever broken down into an ugly cry and screamed out for rest? I am pretty sure that has happened a few times since I became a dad. All I need is just another twenty minutes of sleep. We all want to rest even though we have convinced ourselves that if we ever stop then we lose our worth or waste time. But deep down we want to be unburdened. Jesus reminds us in the Gospel today that he is the one who comes to unburden us, to let us rest, to set us free. Who doesn’t want that?
Imagine Jesus taking whatever it is you are attached to, and detaching it so that he can take its place and start to guide and direct your life. I think this is the purpose of him telling us that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. This is not to say that problems and struggles won’t ever come up, but we will have the divine navigator who will help us through them and give us peace. Let’s all pray for the grace to let go of the things we let lead us, and allow Jesus to take the wheel.
From all of us here at Diocesan, God bless!
Cuando era niño, siempre pensaba que este versículo hablaba de las yemas de huevo y no tenía sentido para mí. Tal vez Jesús podría hacer un omelet increíble. No estaba seguro. He oído muchas formas diferentes de interpretar este versículo, pero la más útil que he escuchado es interpretar las palabras literalmente.
La imagen que escogí es un yugo. Era un instrumento que unía a dos toros para que tuvieran doble fuerza para jalar algo como una carretilla. Era una forma efectiva de arar que ahorraba mucho tiempo y esfuerzo, hasta que uno de los toros no quería trabajar bien con el otro.
Piénselo, si uno de los toros decidiera moverse de manera diferente o enojarse o simplemente pararse en seco, arruinaría todo el método. El pastor or el granjero tendría que detener todo y volver a ponerlos al paso para que pudieran cumplir la tarea en cuestión. La facilidad y la eficiencia dependen completamente de a quién esté vinculado y si tienen o no la misma mentalidad sobre la tarea en cuestión.
Entonces, ¿cómo se aplica esto a nuestra vida espiritual? Bueno, todos estamos vinculados a algo. Hemos permitido que algo entre en nuestras vidas que nos empuja o nos jala, nos hace parar en seco o nos hace correr más rápido. Ya que sea un trabajo, un vicio, una adicción o simplemente la lucha de la vida cotidiana, estas cosas nos agotan si dejamos que tomen la iniciativa. Nuestro yugo se vuelve pesado. Recuerdo ciertas áreas en mi vida donde luchaba con ciertos pecados y cómo afectaron cada parte de mi vida y me hicieron sentir agobiado. En pocas palabras, cuando nos apegamos a estas cosas y dejamos que nos dirijan, nos metemos en problemas.
¿Alguna vez has llorado sin parar pidiendo a gritos el descanso? Estoy seguro de que me ha sucedido algunas veces ahora que soy padre de familia. Solo necesito dormir veinte minutos más. Todos queremos descansar aunque nos hayamos convencido de que si nos detenemos vamos a perder nuestro valor o perder el tiempo. Pero en el fondo no queremos estar cargados. Jesús nos recuerda en el Evangelio de hoy que él viene a descargarnos, a dejarnos descansar, a liberarnos. ¿Quién no quiere eso?
Imagina a Jesús tomando esa cosa a la cual te apegas y apartándola para que él pueda venir y tomar su lugar y comenzar a guiar y dirigir tu vida. Creo que es por eso que nos dice que su yugo es suave y su carga es ligera. Esto no quiere decir que no vayan a surgir problemas y batallas, pero tendremos al navegante divino que nos ayuda a superarlos y nos da la paz. Oremos todos por la gracia de dejar esas cosas que permitimos guiarnos, para permitir que Jesús tome el volante.
De parte de todos nosotros aquí en Diocesan, ¡Dios los bendiga!
Tommy Shultz is a Business Development Representative for Diocesan. In this role he is committed to bringing the best software to dioceses and parishes while helping them evangelize on the digital continent. Tommy has worked in various diocese and parish roles since his graduation from Franciscan University with a Theology degree. He hopes to use his skills in evangelization, marketing, and communications, to serve the Church and bring the Good News to all. His favorite quote comes from St. John Paul II, who said, “A person is an entity of a sort to which the only proper and adequate way to relate is love.”
Feature Image Credit: Paul Jai, unsplash.com/photos/Pt9JWmvHbGw
St. Kateri Tekakwitha: Saint of the Day for Thursday, July 14, 2022
St. Kateri Tekakwitha is the first Native American to be recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church. She was born in 1656, in the Mohawk village of Ossernenon. Her mother was an Algonquin, who was captured by the Mohawks and who took a Mohawk chief for her husband.
She contracted smallpox as a four-year-old child which scarred her skin. The scars were a source of humiliation in her youth. She was commonly seen wearing a blanket to hide her face. Worse, her entire family died during the …
St. Michael, For Personal Protection: Prayer of the Day for Thursday, July 14, 2022
St. Michael, the Archangel! Glorious Prince, chief and champion of the heavenly hosts; guardian of the souls of men; conqueror of the rebel angels! How beautiful art thou, in thy heaven-made armor. We love thee, dear Prince of Heaven!
We, thy happy clients, yearn to enjoy thy special protection. Obtain for us from God a share of thy sturdy courage; pray that we may have a strong and tender love for our Redeemer and, in every danger or temptation, be invincible against the enemy of our …
The Lord our Defender / El Señor es Nuestro Defensor
Today’s readings were a bit difficult for me to comprehend at first and I had to research a bit to better understand what God was saying to me. I believe one of the main messages is that God will never abandon those who belong to him. We are born in His image and likeness and taught compassion and patience.
As Psalm 94 notes, “Shall he who shaped the ear not hear or he who formed the eye not see?” At the same time, today’s Gospel gives particular reference to little ones, those who with childlike faith are humble, those who rely on God to provide for their needs. By saying “yes” to the Father, Christ epitomizes perfect submission to the Father’s will.
In the First Reading I believe another one of the main messages is that God can take anything bad and turn it into something good. Assyria is an example in contrast to that of Israel, highlighting the dangers of what may happen when we do not always follow God’s ways.
In Psalm 94 God recognizes the rebellion of the wicked through their ignorance and arrogance in word and action. The wicked attack the weak and disadvantaged. G. Campbell Morgan states, “In this song we see how the very things which assault faith, and threaten to produce despair, may be made the opportunity for praise, in the place and act of worship.” Let us forever recognize The Lord as our Defender.
Al principio las lecturas de hoy me resultaron un poco difíciles de comprender y tuve que investigar un poco para comprender mejor lo que Dios me estaba diciendo. Creo que uno de los mensajes principales es que Dios nunca abandonará a los que le pertenecen. Nacemos en Su imagen y semejanza y nos enseñan compasión y paciencia.
Como dice el Salmo 94: “¿No oirá el que formó el oído, ni verá el que formó el ojo?” Al mismo tiempo, el evangelio de hoy hace una referencia particular a los pequeños, a los que con la fe de los niños son humildes, a los que confían en Dios para proveer sus necesidades. Al decir “sí” al Padre, Cristo personifica la sumisión perfecta a la voluntad del Padre.
En la Primera Lectura creo que otro de los mensajes principales es que Dios puede tomar cualquier cosa mala y convertirla en algo bueno. Asiria es un ejemplo de eso, en contraste con el de Israel, que nos demuestra los peligros que pueden suceder cuando no siempre seguimos los caminos de Dios.
En el Salmo 94 Dios reconoce la rebeldía de los impíos por su ignorancia y arrogancia de palabra y acción. Los malvados atacan a los débiles y desfavorecidos. G. Campbell Morgan afirma: “En esta canción vemos cómo las mismas cosas que atacan la fe y puedan producir desesperación, pueden convertirse en una oportunidad de alabar, en el lugar y acto de adoración”. Reconozcamos siempre al Señor como nuestro Defensor.
Dr. Alexis Dallara-Marsh is a board-certified neurologist who practices in Bergen County, NJ. She is a wife to her best friend, Akeem, and a mother of two little ones on Earth and two others in heaven above.
Feature Image Credit: Luis Ca, www.cathopic.com/photo/3071-jesus-orando-padre
St. Henry: Saint of the Day for Wednesday, July 13, 2022
St. Henry, son of Henry, Duke of Bavaria, and of Gisella, daughter of Conrad, King of Burgundy, was born in 972. He received an excellent education under the care of St. Wolfgang, Bishop of Ratisbon. In 995, St. Henry succeeded his father as Duke of Bavaria, and in 1002, upon the death of his cousin, Otho III, he was elected emperor. Firmly anchored upon the great eternal truths, which the practice of meditation kept alive in his heart, he was not elated by this dignity and sought in all …