Monday, January 4, 2016

The First General Council Meeting in 2016

This morning we began our General council meeting with the Prayer for the year.....2016.....by Billy Graham.....we began the meeting with two councilors absent....Br. Pio Murat is with his ailing parents and his twin brother who is supposed to undergo an heart intervention.....it is a difficult moment for the entire family. Let us keep all of them in our prayers and especially our Br. Pio Murat......




After all festivities we are back to work....the new Guardian Martin is already introduced to the house and slowly inserting himself.....
The Society of Jesus celebrates today its Titular Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus.  The Formula of the Institute of the Society of Jesus originally approved by Pope Paul III on 27 September 1540 begins: “Whosoever would enlist in the cause  of God neath the standard of the cross, to serve the Lord alone and the Roman Pontiff, his Vicar on earth, and wishes to do this in our Society, which we want to be distinguished by the name of Jesus. . .”

This is reiterated at the beginning of the confirmation of the institute of the Society of Jesus by Pope Julius III in 21 July 1550: “Whosoever would enlist in the cause of God neath the standard of the cross, to serve the Lord alone and his bride the Church under the Roman Pontiff, the Vicar of Christ on earth, and wishes to do this in our Society, which we want to be distinguished by the name of Jesus. . . “

The name of a person (or even of a pet animal?) is important and affirms the uniqueness of the person.  

At the core of the religious history of Israel is their liberation from the slavery of Egypt and their journey to the promised land.  When Moses was commissioned by God to lead Israel, Moses asks God: “If I go to the Israelites and say to them: ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ they will ask me: ‘What is his name?’ What shall I answer them?”  God said to Moses, “I AM WHO AM. This is what you will say to the sons of Israel: ‘I AM sent me to you.” (Ex 3:  13 – 14)

The name Jesus came from God himself: at the Annunciation the angel of the Lord tells Mary, “You shall conceive and bear a son and you shall call him Jesus.” (Lk 1: 31)   The angel of the Lord gave the same message to Joseph, Mary’s husband and the foster-father of Jesus, “She has conceived by the Holy Spirit, and now she will bear a son. You shall call him ‘Jesus’ for he will save his people from their sins.” (Mt 1: 20c – 21)

In the second reading from the letter to the Philippians, Paul extols the Name Jesus: “That is why God exalted him and gave him the Name which outshines all names, so that at the Name of Jesus all knees should bend in heaven, on earth and among the dead, and all tongues proclaim that Christ Jesus is the Lord to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil 2: 9 – 11) 

We praise and honor the Name Jesus.  We praise and honor him for saving us from our sins.   We praise, honor and thank God for giving us Jesus as our Savior and brother.

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