ST JOSEPH'S ABBEY, SPENCER MA

St Ignatius holding a book open in left hand, pointing to text with right hand, looking upward. This engraving is a reproduction of a print by Vermeulen after a painting by Nicolas de Largillierre. From The Met Collection – Used with permission Born Inigo Lopez de Loyola in 1491, the man known as Ignatius of Loyola entered the world in Loiola, Spain. At the time, the name of the village was spelled "Loyola," hence the discrepancy. Inigo came of age in Azpeitia, in northern Spain. Loyola is a small village at the southern end of Azpeitia. Inigio was the youngest of thirteen children. His mother died when he was just seven, and he was then raised by Maria de Garin, who was the wife of a blacksmith. His last name, "Loyola" was taken from the village of his birth.  Despite the misfortune of losing his mother he was still a member of the local aristocracy and was raised accordingly. Inigio was an ambitious young man who had dreams of becoming a great leader. He was influ...

The Liturgy of the Word opens this morning with a dream and God’s invitation to Solomon: "Ask something of me and I will give it to you." In other words, “What do you want?” It is surely the question all of us heard deep in our hearts when our search for God’s will in vocation began - “What” better still, “Who are you looking for? Who is grabbing hold of your heart and your deepest desire? Are you willing to give up all things to follow that desire?” It’s what Jesus will ask that blind beggar, Bartimaeus, who keeps shouting out to him. Jesus comes close, leans in and asks him, “What do you want me to do for you?” A question that is almost laughable given the context. For what else could a desperate blind man want but to see? Jesus asks because he wants to hear; “Tell me, let me hear your voice.” And he wants Bartimaeus to hear the depth of his longing. Desperation is crucial. What do you want? It is the question we are meant to hear each time we try to pray, each time we see...

In the household of Bethany the Lord Jesus experienced the family spirit and friendship of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, and for this reason the Gospel of John states that he loved them. Martha generously offered him hospitality, Mary listened attentively to his words and Lazarus promptly emerged from the tomb at the command of the One who humiliated death. ~Congregation for Divine Worship, February 2, 2021 “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus” (John 11:5). This is how John’s Gospel describes Jesus’ relationship with these siblings whom we honor together today. Of course, Jesus loves all people equally with the perfection of divine charity. So why does John’s Gospel single these three out this way? In the Gospel passage, the word “love” does not only mean the perfect charity in the Heart of Christ for all people. It also implies that Jesus had a special relationship with them, perhaps throughout His life, but at least during the time of His public ministry. This fact is helpful t...

Around the third century AD, a movement comprising thousands of people chose to live an austere and holy life in the deserts of Egypt as a precursor to modern Christian monasticism. Alone or in small groups, they pursued God. Some produced words of wisdom that resonate today. On Opening the Heart The nature of water is yielding, and that of a stone is hard. Yet, if you hang a bottle filled with water above the stone so that the water drips drop by drop, it will wear a hole in the stone. In the same way, the word of God is tender, and our heart is hard. So when people hear the word of God frequently, their hearts are opened to the fear of God. —  A bba Poemen On Quieting the Soul Just as it is impossible to see your face in troubled water, so also the soul, unless it is clear of alien thoughts, is not able to pray to God in contemplation.  —  Unattributed Desert Father On Quarreling There were two old men who had lived together for many years, and they never quarreled. Now...

In the Scriptures, Matthew and Luke furnish a legal family history of Jesus, tracing ancestry to show that Jesus is the culmination of great promises. Not only is his mother’s family neglected, we also know nothing factual about them except that they existed. Even the names “Joachim” and “Anne” come from  Catholic legend and the Gospel of James, which is an unsanctioned, apocryphal writing form the second century AD. We do know from scholarship that the Gospel of James was not written by James, the Brother of Jesus, despite its claim to be so authored. The heroism and holiness of these people however, is inferred from the whole family atmosphere around Mary in the Scriptures. Whether we rely on the legends about Mary’s childhood or make guesses from the information in the Bible, we see in her a fulfillment of many generations of prayerful persons, herself steeped in the religious traditions of her people.  The strong character of Mary in making decisions, her continu...

St. James was the son of Zebedee, and was one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus.  He was a son of Zebedee and Salome, and his brother John was also an Apostle.  He is sometimes called James the Greater to distinguish him from James, son of Alphaeus, who is also known as James the Lesser.  James is described as the first disciple to join Jesus.  In Matt. 4:21-22, we learn that James and John were there with their Father by the seashore when Jesus called them to follow him.  James was one of only three Apostles whom Jesus chose to bear witness to his Transfiguration.   James and his brother John wanted to call down fire on a Samaritan town, but were rebuked by Jesus in LK 9:51-6.  We also know that in the Acts of the Apostles 12:1 that Herod had James executed by sword.  He is the only Apostle whose martyrdom is recorded in the New Testament.  That is the reason he is believed to be the first Martyr for his faith, Acts 12:1-2.  He was martyr...

On July 24, the Catholic Church celebrates the life of St. Charbel Makhlouf, a Maronite Catholic priest, monk, and hermit who is known for working miracles both during his life and after his death. On the occasion of his beatification in 1965, the Eastern Catholic hermit was described by Pope Paul VI as “ a new, eminent member of monastic sanctity,” who “through his example and his intercession is enriching the entire Christian people.” Born into humble circumstances in Lebanon during 1828, Yussef Antoun Makhlouf was the youngest of Antoun Zaarour Makhlouf and Brigitta Elias al-Shediyaq's five children. Antoun, who had been taken away from the family and forced into hard labor, died when his youngest son was only three. Yussef studied at the parish school and tended to his family's cow. Engaged in prayer and solitude from a early age, he spent a great deal of time outdoors in the fields and pastures near his village, contemplating God amid the inspiring views of Lebanon's v...

On July 22, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene, one of the most prominent women mentioned in the New Testament.   Her name comes from the town of Magdala in Galilee, where she was born. Scripture introduces her as a woman “who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out” (Lk. 8:2). Some scholars identify Mary Magdalene with the sinful woman who anointed the feet of Christ with oil in the house of Simon the Pharisee (Lk. 7:36-50). Others associate her with Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus (Lk. 10:38-42, Jn. 11). Some believe the three figures to be one person, while others believe them to be three distinct individuals. What the Scriptures make certain about Mary Magdalene is that she was a follower of Christ, who accompanied and ministered to him (Lk. 8:2-3). The Gospels record her as being one of the women present at Christ’s crucifixion. In addition, she was the first recorded witness of the ...