| MINUTE MEDITATIONS
St. Katharine Drexel (1858-1955)    She was born in Philadelphia in 1858. She had an excellent education and traveled widely. As a rich girl, she had a grand debut into society. But when she nursed her stepmother through a three-year terminal illness, she saw that all the Drexel money could not buy safety from pain or death, and her life took a profound turn. She had always been interested in the plight of the Indians, having been appalled by what she read in Helen Hunt Jackson's A Century of Dishonor. While on a European tour, she met Pope Leo XIII and asked him to send more missionaries to Wyoming for her friend Bishop James O'Connor. The pope replied, "Why don't you become a missionary?" His answer shocked her into considering new possibilities. Back home, Katharine visited the Dakotas, met the Sioux leader Red Cloud and began her systematic aid to Indian missions. She could easily have married. But after much discussion with Bishop O'Connor, she wrote in 1889, "The feast of St. Joseph brought me the grace to give the remainder of my life to the Indians and the Colored." Newspaper headlines screamed "Gives Up Seven Million!" After three and a half years of training, she and her first band of nuns (Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored) opened a boarding school in Santa Fe. A string of foundations followed. By 1942 she had a system of black Catholic schools in 13 states, plus 40 mission centers and 23 rural schools. Segregationists harassed her work, even burning a school in Pennsylvania. In all, she established 50 missions for Indians in 16 states. Two saints met when Katharine was advised by Mother Cabrini about the "politics" of getting her Order's Rule approved in Rome. Her crowning achievement was the founding of Xavier University in New Orleans, the first Catholic university in the United States for African Americans. At 77, she suffered a heart attack and was forced to retire. Apparently her life was over. But now came almost 20 years of quiet, intense prayer from a small room overlooking the sanctuary. Small notebooks and slips of paper record her various prayers, ceaseless aspirations and meditation. She died at 96 and was canonized in 2000. Comment: Saints have always said the same thing: Pray, be humble, accept the cross, love and forgive. But it is good to hear these things in the American idiom from one who, for instance, had her ears pierced as a teenager, who resolved to have "no cake, no preserves," who wore a watch, was interviewed by the press, traveled by train and could concern herself with the proper size of pipe for a new mission. These are obvious reminders that holiness can be lived in today's culture as well as in that of Jerusalem or Rome. Quote: "The patient and humble endurance of the cross—whatever nature it may be—is the highest work we have to do." "Oh, how far I am at 84 years of age from being an image of Jesus in his sacred life on earth!" (St. Katharine Drexel) Presence"Come to me all you who are burdened FreedomLord, grant me the grace to be free from the excesses of this life. ConsciousnessHelp me Lord to be more conscious of your presence. Teach me to recognise your presence in others. Fill my heart with gratitude for the times Your love has been shown to me through the care of others. The Word of GodReading 11 PT 1:3-9Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith, to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time. In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Although you have not seen him you love him; even though you do not see him now yet you believe in him, you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, as you attain the goal of faith, the salvation of your souls. Responsorial Psalm PS 111:1-2, 5-6, 9 AND 10C R. (5) The Lord will remember his covenant for ever. or: R. Alleluia. I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart in the company and assembly of the just. Great are the works of the LORD, exquisite in all their delights. R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever. or: R. Alleluia. He has given food to those who fear him; he will forever be mindful of his covenant. He has made known to his people the power of his works, giving them the inheritance of the nations. R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever. or: R. Alleluia. He has sent deliverance to his people; he has ratified his covenant forever; holy and awesome is his name. His praise endures forever. R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever. or: R. Alleluia. Gospel MK 10:17-27 As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother." He replied and said to him, "Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth." Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, "You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." At that statement, his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the Kingdom of God!" The disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in reply, "Children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God." They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "For men it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God." ConversationBegin to talk to Jesus about the piece of scripture you have just read. What part of it strikes a chord in you? Perhaps the words of a friend - or some story you have heard recently - will slowly rise to the surface of your consciousness. If so, does the story throw light on what the scripture passage may be trying to say to you? ConclusionGlory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.  Saint Katharine Drexel, Virgin Come, follow me (Mark 10:21) In the fantasy film Labyrinth, a teenager named Sarah tries to rescue her baby brother from the evil Goblin King. To reach him, she must make her way through an enormous labyrinth. At one point she meets a character named the Junk Lady, who distracts her by showing her an exact copy of her room at home. She shows Sarah her toys, saying, "Everything you've ever cared about is here." Then Sarah remembers that she still has to save her brother. "It's all junk!" she cries, throwing one of her toys against her mirror. At that moment, the room dissolves, and she is able to escape. Like Sarah, the rich young man in today's Gospel was faced with a decision about his possessions. But while Sarah saw through the "junk" that trapped her, this fellow could not. We are all faced with the same question that this young man faced: who is Jesus? Is he the eternal Son of God, sent to save us from sin and open heaven for us? Or is he just a good teacher and charismatic leader? Or, to put it another way, is Jesus far more important than our possessions, or is he just one of many equally good things in our lives? This isn't just an issue of money, either. Many other "idols" can compete with the Lord, including our strongly held opinions, our social standing, and the grudges and resentments we choose to hold onto. There is an old hymn that says, when we "look full in his wonderful face," the "things of earth will grow strangely dim." So today, imagine yourself as the rich young man. Go ahead and say to him whatever you want. But then, when he looks into your eyes, stay there for a minute, and look back at him. Imagine the look on his face and the intensity of his gaze. See his love and compassion for you. See how your heart is moved to love him in return. That's the moment when you're ready to give up anything and everything for him. That's the moment when you have escaped. "Lord, help me to find my treasure in you. Come, Jesus, and fill my heart with the fire of your love. Lord, I give everything to you!"
1 Peter 1:3-9; Psalm 111:1-2, 5-6, 9-10 Upon reading today's 5 minutos, it said: "....let us hear these words from St. Ambrose: "You are not making a gift of what is yours to the poor man, but you are giving him back what is his. You have been appropriating things that are meant to be for the common use of everyone. The earth belongs to everyone, not to the rich...You pay, then, a debt, not giving freely what you do not owe". All of this can seem as idealism that is naive, and useless. The laws protect in a n inflexible manner private property of the great potentates, even though inside society there are poor living in misery. It should not estrange us that upon meeting this rich man that has done since childhood all the commandments says to him still 'one thing is missing' to adopt an authentic posture of following Him: stop hoarding and start sharing what he has with the needy. The rich man went away from Jesus full of sadness. Money has impoverished him, it has taken his liberty and generosity. The money impedes him to listen to the call of God to a life more full and more human. <How difficult it will be for the rich to enter the Kingdom of Heaven>. It is not a luck to have money, but a real problem. For money closes the way and impedes in following the true way to life. What is your treasure?" I wonder what we treasure most? Pope Francis keeps sending messages out to the rich to reassess their views and to help the needy. He is only saying again what Holy Scriptures say. Big time donors for St. Patrick's cathedral got offended with the Pope's words and threatened to withdraw their donations because of the "tone" of the Pope. Withdraw from the Lord and we get false gold. Today's Holy Scriptures started with words of St. Peter our first Pope "...the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." There is something more precious than our fake pearls we hold onto so dearly. We have some workers here that have been offered work, and also offered to come to bible study, what have most chosen? Certainly not the better part, money is more important right now. You see, you don't have to be some millionaire to reject Christ. There used to be a time when students would have to miss sporting events at school or big contests because they had to go to church, or a Church related event. Not anymore. We at church have to now tailor our schedule to the world. What is happening? The rich man followed the commandments. I have a cousin that I invited to a Cursillo in Christianity. One of the many times he rejected me, he said he had a hard time with today's Holy Gospel, about the one who would have to give up everything to follow the Lord, sell off all his riches. This cousin is doing well, business has been growing for the last several years. He went away full of sadness, says the Word. Instead of leaving full of Joy, he went sad. And it is our reward for choosing anything else but Jesus in this life. Because we will be proven. So we do have something to prove in this life, and it is not for myself, but the faith. We prayed with the Psalms today " He has given food to those who fear him; | |||||||||
Going4th,
