Father John Jimenez, from San Francisco, California, has served in various capacities for the Archdiocese of San Francisco. In his role as a teacher at Archdiocese Riordan High School (ARHS), Father John Jimenez taught math and religion there. Below is a talk he gave to the students and staff.
"When I first came to Riordan, I sat out in the Marian Courtyard waiting for a meeting, and brought with me to read Mary Shelly's "Frankenstein", a book common to high school literature classes, and a way I could relate with students and teachers. Though I had never read it, I did see Kenneth Branaugh version of the movie that so poignantly showed the significance of the "creator's" narcissism in what they have created, blinded to the monster they have created and the ensuing destruction. yet, pity for the monster, who through study and desire to be a part of humanity, could quote scientists and philosophers, and concludes he must leave society and go live in the lonely, frozen regions of the Swiss Alps. The book, at a deeper level, especially the dialogues between scientist and monster, shows this profoundly. It made me wonder where this young teenager, Shelly, discovered these insights that predicted 20th century calamities? Was it the idealism of the French Revolution that became the despotism and war machine of Napoleon's imperialism, and subsequent European wars, especially amongst the German fiefdoms? The inventions and hope of science converted to constant war and destruction, thus poets Mary and Percy, living beyond convention, lacking trust in institutions, the ethos of the "Romantic Era", becoming the Nihilism of Nietzsche. Shelly does not seem to have an answer to this Nihilism, she describes it's origins well, and certainly questions it, and foretells it's destructive consequences. Was it cynical Nihilism rather than patriotism that drove the British and Zionist, and American and German imperialist war machines that set off WWI and it's consequences throughout the 20th century, and still is the root today of many issues, not only geopolitics, but man's understanding (or lack therof) of himself? Somehow, Dostyevsky foresaw these issues, and finds his answer in Alyosha, the youngest of the Brothers Karamazov. In this story, set in the guise of a murder mystery of the father, Fyodor, seemingly murdered by one of his sons. Yet, each character is a metaphor not only for pre WWI Russian society, but also for modernity. Fyodor is a nihilist, a cynical manipulator living only for his own selfish desire. Dmitry, the oldest son, a military officer, is confused between the nihilism of his father, and sense of duty and honor of Russian tradition. Ivan, the middle son, is an atheist, and asks the essential question about the existence of God, and finding no answer, seeks the way of "science" and "experts" running everything (which we now know became the empty food shelves and Chernobyl of the soviet era, and the pandemic response of governments today), and Alyosha, who chooses to enter a monastery, not fleeing the world, but choosing a way of life that is cooperative, mutually beneficial, and seeks to live in the harmony of God's holy order. Smyrdykov, the serf and "illegitimate" son, represents the working class, the women, the families, who live at the whim of the powerful who create havoc with their power machinations, which are essentially selfish nihilism I will leave it to you to discover who the "murderer" is, it is a good whodunnit mystery. Moreso, Alyosha represents the real response of many after WWI who sought to live a Nazareth, cooperative way of life as a response to the nihilistic wars of globalism of the 20th century, and even now, writers like Dorothy Day, Fr Vincent McNabb, Hillarie Belloc, Wendell Berry, Richard Weaver, EF Schumacker, and Antony Chayonov, a soviet economist who, as a response to the failed soviet 5 year plans that created a mass starvation in Ukraine, promoted a distributist, locally free economic model, was sent to die in a soviet gulag., just as many who speak out against government mandates today are cancelled and censored. It seems we will live with more Frankenstein monsters, and their destructive ways, before we learn the truth of Alyosha
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Father John Jimenez is a long-serving priest and teacher in the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Here is a recent homily at Church of the Visitacion.
On this second sunday of Easter, we encounter three aspects of the mystery of the Resurrection. One is the doubt of Thomas, and our doubt, and how he comes to believe. Second is the peace given to us when we stand in the presence of the Risen Lord. Third is the transformation that the Risen Lord acts in us, as we see in the Acts of the Apostles, where they lived by sharing all things in common. They saw the Risen Lord, especially in those in need, and they shared as sisters and brothers. Our challenge, as we live this eighth day of creation, is, do we really believe that our Lord is risen? How do we respond to those most need, in this our redeemed world? We look to Thomas as one who came to believe after first doubting. Pope John Paul calls Thomas a modern man, because he seeks evidence, he must touch the wounds of Christ before he can believe. We, too, are the same. We want evidence before we love and trust. We won't reconcile until someone else takes the first step. Our relationships are written on a contract in a pound of paperwork, rather than by a handshake and giving our word. For many, it is the wounds and tragedies of life that cause us to doubt the existence of God. How is it that Thomas came to believe by touching the wounds of Christ? There are many wounds that we have, both personal and societal, that we do not touch. Better left unsaid. Yet, without touching them, without trying to heal these wounds, they fester, and bleed in unseen ways. Into this world of doubt and darkness, God has delivered His Divine Mercy, delivering His own Son over to the suffering and wounds caused by sin, and raising Him up to live with us and walk with us when we have to face the trials and tragedies of life. He gives us hope in an ultimate peace. It was a time of darkness and despair in the history of Poland when our Lord appeared to a simple nun, Sr Faustina, assigned to the simple chores of convent life. Why has Poland suffered so much throughout history? There was a time in the Middle Ages when Poland, Lithuania, Hungary and Ukraine were, together, one great catholic kingdom, where power was distributed amongst free, small, family farms and small towns of special crafts and enterprises. They were free because they lived by a moral order and a catholic culture that helped tie the bonds of trust. They were free because they did not have to depend on some emperor, or some corporation or international bank to manipulate markets and force people to immigrate to new lands. They were free because they were not caught up in some social media recording everything they do and making algorithmic calculations of all their behaviors, an internet of things where we are more worried about what people do in virtual reality, leading to envy, vanity driven conflict, rather than helping and caring about people in the real world. For a period of 300 years in the Middle Ages, the people of Catholic Eastern Europe lived a free way of life that did not depend on colonization or enslaving others. They did so because each family and community could sustain themselves by what they produced themselves. This is called Distributism and the Catholic Law of Subsidiarity. Yet, the late Middle Ages and the modern era saw the rise of great international empires, seeking to control international markets through war and oppression. Advances in technology were it's tool. Thus, in the 20th century we hav eth world wars of great powers, and the civil wars in their former colonies And with war comes suffering and tragedy and trauma. And what do soldiers and bombed out communities do to deal with the trauma and tragedy? We drink, we smoke, we live lives of vice and try to forget, try to escape. Yet, our sins become wounds which cut us off from God, in which we wound each other, and pass down generation to generation. On October 5th 1938, The Risen Lord appeared to Sr Faustina, living a simple life of prayer and work in a convent. He told her, "I am sending you with My Mercy to the people of the whole world. I do not want to punish aching mankind, but I desire to heal it, pressing it to my merciful heart" One year later the Germans invaded from the west, and the Soviets invaded from the east. Poland was no more. Millions were forced to work in labor camps in slave like conditions, including Karol Wojtyla (later Pope John Paul). Thousands of priests, nuns and lay leaders were shipped off to soviet prison camps in the frozen gulags of Siberia It was under these desperate conditions that the seed of the Divine Mercy message was planted, of Thomas touching the wounds of Christ and experiencing His healing words, "Peace be with you." On this Divine Mercy Sunday we move from touching the wounds of the Risen Lord, to the healing that Christ brings. To heal the wounds of society, and to heal our personal wounds, we are called to turn to the Merciful Jesus, and hear His healing words "Peace be with you" The prayers of Divine Mercy are very healing. Imagine churches full, and streets full of processions, like waters flowing from the Temple in the prophecy of Ezekiel, praying in rhythm, "Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins, and those of the whole world. For the sake of His sorrowful passion, Have mercy on us, and the whole world" Father John Jimenez is a priest from the Archdiocese of San Francisco. After earning a BA in social work from San Francisco State University, he received his priesthood training at St. Patrick Seminary. In March 2022, Father Jimenez summarized a commentary by Archbishop Vigano showing the connection between globalist powers using Ukraine as a pawn, while censoring information about the covid virus, shutdowns, manipulating elections, and implementation of a techno-socialist global system so that society can "progress", but in reality is an authoritarian social credit system, like the CCP has implemented, of behavior and thought control.
Archbishop Vigano documents how Ukraine has been used as a pawn of globalist powers over the past 20 years, especially concerning gas deposits and what no one else has mentioned, rare materials used to make computer chips. To summarize 1) Zelinsky has been groomed, like Trudeau in Canada, and Macron in France, and other leaders in government positions throughout the world, by the World Economic Forum with the "Reset" Agenda 2) The Soros funding of NGO's (like US based Liberty Institute) of the "Rose Revolution" in Georgia in 2008 (deposing an elected president), with Sacshavillii, supported by Sen McCain, who pushed for NATO expansion, with bases and missiles, the ideas pushed for by Bush/Chaney in 2004, and also Soros funding of the Maidan or Orange Revolution (through NGO"s like the Liberty Institute) in 2014 in Ukraine, replacing an elected president, Yanukovych, who was forging an independent path with the EU and Russia, replaced by Poroshenko, pushed by Obama/Biden (and family of lobbyists for oligarchs who control gas deposits and pipelines)/Nuland, supposedly a more "democratic" government, yet, since 2014 this government has proven simply to be a tool of globalist elites breaking down family and religious traditions, and left Ukraine to be the poorest country of Europe despite the largest gas deposits. Also, since then, the funding of "virology" labs, (like Wuhan?) and militias and weapons fomenting a civil war in the border regions, with 14,000 civilian and militia deaths, atrocities on both sides, and Sakshavalli somehow now on the Ukranian Security Council 3) Archbishop proposes a negotiated peace, some call the Finland Option, of domestic sovereignty, foreign policy neutrality, which has served Finland well since WWII as a bordering neighbor of Soviet Union/Russia, with modern development and freedom. We find out now, information censored, that Germany proposed the same thing days before the invasion Ultimately, we need consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Our Lady's Peace Plan from Heaven Father John Jimenez has served in the Catholic Church for more than 30 years. Having been a priest at two District Parishes and chaplain at San Francisco General Hospital, Father John Jimenez has seen firsthand the consequence of untamed human desire. He urges all people to resist the temptations of desire and embrace responsible freedom and shared cooperation.
When Franklin Foer was pushed out as editor of New Republic in 2014, replaced by those, like almost everywhere else in the media, who turn their publication into clickbait fear mongering propaganda, he wrote a book called, "World Without Mind :The Existential Threat of Big Tech", where in his prologue he points out how tech monopolists desire to shape humanity into their desired image. He calls out, particularly, GAFA, Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon, and shows examples of how they operate. He explains, "the tech companies are destroying something precious, which is the possibility of contemplation. They have created a world in which we are constantly watched and always distracted. Through their accumulation of data, they have constructed portraits of our minds, which they use to guide mass behavior, even individual behavior, to further their financial interests. They have eroded the integrity of institutions--media, publishing--that supply intellectual material that provokes thought and guides democracy. Their most precious asset is our most precious asset, and they have abused it." A graduate of San Francisco State University, Father John Jimenez holds a bachelor of arts in social work. Father John Jimenez is currently a chaplain at the Archdiocese of San Francisco and the Archbishop Riordan High School.
The Archbishop Riordan High School is a catholic school that follows the Marianist tradition and aims to create leaders with deep values of faith. In the 2017-2018 year the high school launched a house program that aims to help students create valuable relationships and work together with mentors in order to win points and win the house cup. With this program, the high school promotes camaraderie and teamwork and inspires the students in healthy and challenging competition. Each student is assigned to one of the four available houses which include the house of Bolts, the house of Pilar, of Cana, and of Russi. To win points, the students participate in a wide range of athletic, academic, and teamwork activities. The house system provides leadership opportunities for many students as there are more roles on the student parliament of the school. The chaplain of Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco, Father John Jimenez recently spoke of his experience working with the mentally ill, learning from what Jesus did to heal a leper as a sign of the Kingdom of God, found in the Gospel of Mark chapter 1.
Jesus manifests some of his most significant signs of the Kingdom in the most unlikely places, like healing a leper living on the fringe of town, in the isolation of a desert. In those days, lepers had to live apart from everyone else because the disease could easily spread upon touch or presence. Yet, Jesus seeks this person out. Today, many who are homeless in our society are also mentally ill. Perhaps they once had a good job, even a family. Then, a nervous breakdown trying to live up to a fast paced society, or live up to an image and peer pressure on social media, or, propagandized to use marijuana and succumbing to its addictive contents, and gateway to smoking heroin, and now recently, fentanyl. Maybe they were depressed, victimized by abuse growing up in a culture of sexual objectification, or perhaps hurt by a profound infidelity, which objectification often leads to, and now living with a deep sense of lack of self-worth. Instability, lack of trust, becomes schizophrenia and inability to connect or find direction or meaning, lost in a sea of cultural and familial breakdown. How do we treat those with mental illness, when their actions and behaviors say, "I'm unclean, I'm unclean!" ? Do we recognize the forces which breakdown the fabric of society, of connection and meaning? Do we recognize the effects of our own sins on other people and how they separate us from God? About 10 years ago when I was chaplain at General Hospital, I met an elderly man in the psychiatric unit named Bill. For years he had lived on the streets, sleeping in doorways, living on handouts. It was hard to say if his mental illness was just from the instability of living on the streets, or from some other trauma that he had suffered, being on the front lines during the war in Korea, bombs going off, the constant tension of always being alert for attacks, the horror of seeing your friend step on a land mine and explode in front of your eyes. After all that he had been through over the years, it was amazing to see the healing effect that the stable, caring environment of the psychiatric unit had on him. Here he did not have to fend for himself against sudden attacks. Here he had people who listened and were interested in his story. Here his own religious upbringing of prayers and devotion could awaken again and bring him again to his relationship with God and our bond with the good that God has created. For those who are displaced by our high tech society, here is a way to work instead for the Kingdom of God Father John Jimenez is a dedicated priest, and teacher. He has been in the field for over 20 years. Here is a recent Christmas Season homily, in light of recent events, based on an article by Robert Morrison in The Remnant Newspaper.
The Holy Family encountered contradictions and trials as soon as they entered Bethlehem. 'They entered the town and wandered through many streets in search of lodging. They knocked on many doors, even of family acquaintances. They were met with harsh words and insults.' Thinking in terms of the Holy Family's search for lodging, this year men and women of good will have been rejected by the various inns of the world more than at any time of our lifetimes. At each door, we knock and say we would like to live our faith fully. What do we hear? The ostensibly Catholic churches tell us their doors are closed and that they cannot provide the sacraments that people need them the most. The Church hierarchy sees our plight, and endorses Joe Biden for president, continues to betray Chinese Catholics, ingratiate themselves with the elite class rather than pastor their people. Worldwide and national medical professionals tell us to take various actions to protect the health of the vulnerable population, all of which have the diminishes everyone's physical and mental health. The medical profession, rather than 'do no harm', has become an untrustworthy tool of tyranny. Our government tells us that our votes no longer count. The globalists tell us that our world will no longer tolerate the practice of devout Christianity. Quite simply, the globalists must require us to reject God because otherwise we might have the sense and grace to resist their initiatives. Yet, moral responsibility requires us to continue to engage in the world as it is. Joseph persevered in the face of contradictions.. Blessed Catherine Emmerich describes St Joseph's distress: 'Joseph came back to her in great distress; he had found no shelter. His friends, of whom he had spoken to the Blessed Virgin, would hardly recognize him. From house to house, he met with even more decided refusals.' Faced with the reality that the people of Bethlehem refused to provide shelter for the Holy Family in their time of great need, St Joseph recognized that God must have a purpose for such contradictions. Though we have some consolation in the consideration that our hardships may have led us closer to virtue, we still have reason to be apprehensive about what comes next. Surely what comes next for each of us will be other opportunities to choose between rejecting God or being rejected by the world. God had chosen from all eternity to lead the Holy Family to the cave which was not deemed worthy for lodging by others. Indeed, St Joseph would not have considered the cave had he not been continuously rejected by all who could provide shelter in Bethlehem. And yet, it is precisely where God wanted the Holy Family to be. Father John Jimenez has spent his entire career serving others. For the last 20 years, Father John Jimenez has been pastor, teacher, and chaplain in the service of the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
Among his many teachings, the lesson of the widow is one that is very appropriate during these trying times. A time when civil conflict and a health crisis ask everyone to reflect on what is important-sacrifice for the greater good. The widow appears in Jesus’ teachings as a person of sacrifice. According to biblical teachings, two of his disciples see the widow placing a very small offering into a plate and comment on the paltriness of this offering to Jesus. Jesus explains that it was not so much the amount she placed in the offering but that her sacrifice was great in giving it. The pastor references the widow in a Veteran’s Day service that was about asking people to sacrifice in the same way that the widow did. The sermon opens with an explanation of the widow’s teachings, which is to reject material comfort, personal vanity, and ambition and replace these desires with freedom and sacrifice. The lesson then compares the sacrifice of the widow with that the soldiers throughout history who have made a sacrifice that would ultimately lead to freedom. Living through the same spirit of poverty as the widow in the Bible, the soldiers exchange the poverty associated with lack of wealth with the poverty associated with comfort-little food, sleep, or rest. The sermon segues into talking about technology and how it feeds into human avarice and exploitation. An “expanding bubble of desire,” technology facilitates the mistreatment of people (eviction of families, mass shootings, and other events), and all of this is through social media and other channels. Of everything he says in honor of the service of veterans, though, he asks that people remember the widow, and her lesson to not worship the things symbolic of power and money. Instead, he asks everyone to seek worship in God’s temple. A former missionary in Sudan, Father John Jimenez has also served as a teacher, pastor, and chaplain for nearly two decades in the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Known for his writings against “the expanding bubble of desire” as described by Rene Girard, Father John Jimenez emphasizes the message of Our Lady of Fatima, including her call for consecration to her immaculate heart.
The word consecration itself refers to the act of making holy. Consequently, the act of consecration indicates a serious commitment to pursuing sanctity. Rather than making yourself holy by that act, however, you give the Lord permission to sanctify you. Pope Pius XII explained consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary as leading to union with Christ through the Blessed Virgin Mary's guidance. By choosing to offer everything to His mother whom He gave to us to be our mother also, you give her permission to form you more perfectly according to the image of Christ. You can make your consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary through one of the solemn prayers written for that intention. Another option involves following the 33-day preparation period for consecration to Jesus through Mary as developed by Saint Louis de Montfort. A longtime clergyman in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, California, Father John Jimenez serves as the chaplain of the city’s Archbishop Riordan High School. In that role, Father John Jimenez counsels students, including those in the school’s new engineering program.
Taking advantage of its proximity to San Francisco’s tech industry, the school has developed a four-year honors curriculum for future programmers, designers, and collaborators. The shape of the program is as follows: - Year One. Computer Programming 1 teaches students the fundamentals as they create apps for iPhones and iPads using Apple’s Swift operating system. Another introductory course demonstrates principles of mechanical engineering and robotics. Year Two: Advanced Engineering students discover how to use microcontrollers and microprocessors to make machines. Computer Programming 2 builds proficiency in JavaScript and enables students to design websites and blogs. Year Three: Advanced Placement Computer Science focuses on developing Android apps while building skills in optimization and algorithms. Computer Programming 3 lets learners create games using the well-known Unity application. Year Four: Participants put their experience into practice with a capstone project. Advanced Computer Science with AI elucidates the theories behind programming. Interested students must pass advanced mathematics and science courses in the seventh and eighth grades. They must also score well on standardized tests and prove they can handle a heavy courseload. |
AuthorFather John Jimenez, Religious and Educational Leader in San Francisco. Archives
January 2023
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