Category: meditations

  • Preaching to those in Prison

    ✙ JMJ The Readings for the 1st Sunday of Lent (B2) Genesis 9:8-15 I Peter 3:18-22  Mark 1:12-15 In quo et his, qui in carcere erant, spiritibus veniens praedicavit : qui increduli fuerant aliquandont”In which also coming he preached to those spirits that were in prison: Which had been some time incredulous. This passage from St Peter is…

  • Who’s Coming to Dinner?

    ✙ JMJ The Readings for the Saturday after Ash Wednesday (B2) Station at San Augustino Isaiah 58:9B-14 Luke 5:27-32 Et fecit ei convivium magnum Levi in domo sua : et erat turba multa publicanorum, et aliorum qui cum illis erant discumbentes.And Levi made him a great feast in his own house; and there was a…

  • Why We Fast

    ✙ JMJ The Readings for the Friday after Ash Wednesday (B2) Station at Santi Giovanni e Paulo Isaiah 58:1-9a Matthew 9:14-15 Ecce ad lites et contentiones jejunatis, et percutitis pugno impie.  Behold you fast for debates and strife. and strike with the fist wickedly.I have to be fast. It’s far too late for me to be…

  • There’s a better choice…

    ✙ JMJ The Readings for the Thursday after Ash Wednesday Station at San Giorgio  Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Luke 9:22-25 Qui enim voluerit animam suam salvam facere, perdet illam.For whosoever will save his life, shall lose it.There is the most wonderful word play here, in the Greek. Our Lord says, in 3 short verses (from 22-25), that …

  • This week was next week last week.

    ✙ JMJ The Readings for Ash Wednesday (B2) Station at Santa Sabina Joel 2:12-18  II Corinthians 5:20—6:2 Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 Ecce nunc tempus acceptabile, ecce nunc dies salutis.Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.What is your life worth today?What if I told you it is worth an infinity of…

  • The Hunger Games

    Westin St Francis Hotel in SF, 1904 ✙ JMJ The Readings for the 6th Tuesday of Ordinary Time (B2) Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras James 1:12-18 Mark 8:14-21 Nemo cum tentatur, dicat quoniam a Deo tentatur : Deus enim intentator malorum est : ipse autem neminem tentat.Let no man, when he is tempted, say that…

  • I’ve got the joy joy joy joy….

    ✙ JMJ The Readings for the 6th Monday of Ordinary Time (B2) James 1:1-11 Mark 8:11-13 Omne gaudium existimate fratres mei, cum in tentationes varias incideritis : scientes quod probatio fidei vestrae patientiam operatur. Patientia autem opus perfectum habet : ut sitis perfecti et integri in nullo deficientes.My brethren, count it all joy, when you…

  • Soft hands are important…

    ✙ JMJ The Readings for the 6th Sunday of Ordinary Time (B2) Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46  I Corinthians 10:31—11:1 Mark 1:40-45 …et tangens eum… …and touching him… Lepers in ancient Israel were untouchable. We are told in Leviticus that they had to not only avoid other people, but also they had to scare other people away.…

  • And now, the good news

    ✙ JMJ The Readings for the 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time (B2) Job 7:1-4, 6-7 I Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23 Mark 1:29-39 Nam si evangelizavero, non est mihi gloria : necessitas enim mihi incumbit : vae enim mihi est, si non evangelizavero.For if I preach the gospel, it is no glory to me, for a necessity…

  • True Pastor, True Mercy, True Food

    ✙ JMJ The Readings for Saturday, 4th Week of Ordinary Time (B2) I Kings 3:4-13 Mark 6:30-34 Et ait illis : Venite seorsum in desertum locum, et requiescite pusillum. Erant enim qui veniebant et redibant multi : et nec spatium manducandi habebant. And he said to them: Come apart into a desert place, and rest a little.…

  • Secundum Legem Moysi

    ✙ JMJ The Readings Feast of the Purification of the BVM Malachi 3:1-4 Hebrews 2:14-18 Luke 2:22-40 Postquam impleti sunt dies purgationis ejus secundum legem Moysi, tulerunt illum in Jerusalem, ut sisterent eum Domino et ut darent hostiam secundum quod dictum est in lege Domini, par turturum, aut duos pullos columbarum.After the days of her…

  • Solomon, Boxcar Willie, & Gran’pa

    ✙ JMJ The Readings for Thursday, 4th Week of Ordinary Time (B2) I Kings 2:1-4, 10-12  Mark 6:7-13 ἰσχύσεις καὶ ἔσῃ εἰς ἄνδραconfortare, et esto virוְחָזַקְתָּ֖ וְהָיִ֥יתָֽ לְאִֽיש Take Courage and show yourself a man.This is one of those places where the Greek of the LXX, the Masoretic Hebrew, the Latin of Jerome and the…

  • The Prison of Our Minds

    ✙ JMJ The Readings for the Memorial of St John Bosco Wednesday, 4th Week of Ordinary Time (B2) II Samuel 24:2, 9-17 Mark 6:1-6 Et non poterat ibi virtutem ullam facere, nisi paucos infirmos impositis manibus curavit, et mirabatur propter incredulitatem eorum.And he could not do any miracles there, only that he cured a few…

  • Of Bessie’s Butterscotch Pudding and Scriptural Inspiration.

    ✙ JMJ The Readings for Tuesday, 4th Week of Ordinary Time (B2) II Samuel 18:9-10, 14B, 24-25A, 30–19:3 Mark 5:21-43 (Jesu) dixit dari illi manducare.(Jesus) commanded that something should be given her to eat. My late grandmother made this amazing butterscotch pudding. I will ask Jesus for some when I get to the other side. I…

  • Tao of Paul 2

    ✙ JMJ The Readings for the 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time (B2) Deuteronomy 18:15-20  I Corinthians 7:32-35  Mark 1:21-28 Volo autem vos sine sollicitudine esse.I would have you to be without solicitude.This picks up where the Tao of Paul left us last Sunday. I don’t think the Latin does as well with the Greek, though.  Sollicitudine……