A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 24, n. 26)
Pentecost/Week 8 in Ordinary Time: May 24-30, 2026
(The pastoral tool BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD: A LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY & WEEKDAY LITURGY includes a prayerful study of the Sunday liturgy from various perspectives. For the Lectio Divina on the liturgy of the past week: May 17-23, 2026 please go to ARCHIVES Series 23 and click “Easter Week 7”).
Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY:
May 24-30, 2026)
May 24, 2026: PENTECOST SUNDAY
“JESUS SAVIOR: His Easter Gift Propels the Mission
of the Church”
BIBLE READINGS
Acts 2:1-11 // I Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13 // Jn 20:19-23
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Jn 20:19-23): “As the Father sent me, so I send you: Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Terns are aquatic birds related to sea gulls. They have a more slender body and bill, smaller feet, a long, deeply forked tail, and a more graceful flight. The following experience of Carolyn White, a Maryknoll Sister assigned in the picturesque Marshall Islands, is about these fascinating birds flying over a lagoon at sunset (cf. Maryknoll, November 2003, p. 5) and how they have imaged in her the presence of the Holy Spirit.
On a small island in the Marshalls one evening, I sat looking over the lagoon with the setting sun behind the trees to my left. White fairy terns were diving for their supper. When they rose from the water with a splash, the sun struck their glistening bodies with a blaze of glory. I was stunned. It set me wondering if there had been some original connection between two of the symbols for the Holy Spirit – the white dove or tern and the Pentecostal tongues of fire.
The celebration of the feast of Pentecost helps us delve more deeply into the meaning and presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Today’s liturgy underlines that the Holy Spirit, the Easter gift, is the power that propels the missionary expansion of the Church. According to the biblical scholar, Neal Flanagan: “On the cross, Jesus, manifesting the nature of God, which is love, delivers over the spirit (Jn 19:30), symbolized immediately afterward by the flow of the sacramental symbols of blood and water. And now, at his first encounter with the believing community, he breathes the Spirit again as he celebrates the re-creation of God’s people. Simultaneously, he sends out these disciples just as the Father had sent him (Jn 20:21). His mission becomes theirs; his work is placed in their hands. That mission is to manifest God who is love - in their words and deeds. Through them now, enlivened by the Spirit, will the presence of God become known and seen and felt in the world.”
Indeed, the giving of the Holy Spirit to the Easter community of Christian disciples behind closed doors on the day of the Lord’s resurrection attains a more public and expansive character on the day of Pentecost, the feast that takes place fifty days after Easter. According to the authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 3: “Pentecost is the crowning finale of the celebration of the Lord’s resurrection, which lasts throughout Easter t ime and ends with the pouring out of the Spirit over the apostles and in the Church … At Pentecost, the Spirit made them open the doors, speaking without fear to the people who gathered as a noise like a strong driving wind filled the whole house (cf. Acts 2:1-11). This was a public event … The Church blossoms on Pentecost, and it is quite clear that the fruits of the Lord’s Passover surpass the promise of the buds.”
The marvelous event of the original Pentecost, with its recreating energy and unifying force, should be replicated in our lives and experienced by the peoples, cultures and nations of the here and now. Harold Buetow asserts: “Through the ministry of the Church, whenever we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’s action in our lives we experience a little pentecost. Little pentecosts happen whenever we use the special gifts gently given us by the Spirit to serve all the other members of the community of humankind. They happen whenever we cooperate with God’s inspiration to bring peace, to unify our parish, to do a good deed, to help a needy neighbor, to think kindly thoughts of others, or to allow God to forgive our sins. Only when we cooperate with our little pentecosts can we have the wonderful experiences of the first Christian Pentecost.”
B. First Reading (Acts 2:1-11): “They were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak.”
Today’s First Reading (Acts 2:2-11) is about the Christian Pentecost. It should be seen against the backdrop of the feast of the Jewish Shavuot that commemorates the giving of the law on Mount Sinai, an event accompanied by wind and fire. The feast of Shavuot celebrates the establishment of the Covenant of God with the Israelites, recalling the moment when they were constituted as the people of God. In the Christian Pentecost, as narrated by Luke, the Holy Spirit, the principle of the new law of love, is poured out upon the believers drawn out from all peoples of the earth to constitute the all-inclusive new people of God, the Church. This event is accompanied by stupendous signs: the noise of a strong driving wind, the tongues of fire that rested on the disciples, and the speaking in different tongues.
The Christian Pentecost is a Babel event (cf. Gen 11) in reverse. According to Luke, the Spirit-empowered apostles speak a universal language. The unity lost at Babel, when the one language was confused, is restored. This Pentecostal event of unity symbolizes and anticipates the apostles’ worldwide mission of salvation. In their enduring mission of evangelization, the community of believers is empowered by the Holy Spirit, whose coming and presence in their hearts will never cease. Truly, the Holy Spirit, the principal agent and the protagonist of the Church’s mission, is the principle of the New Covenant ratified by the blood of Christ, poured out by his death on the cross.
In May 2013 I had a beautiful experience of “universal salvation”. It was the second day of my annual retreat in our convent in Staten Island. There were twelve persons celebrating the Eucharist in our small but beautiful convent chapel. Suddenly a heartwarming thought dawned upon me. The Church gathered there was truly representative of the universal Church. The celebrant was a native New Yorker and the assembly came from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds: Italy, Canada, Mexico, Nicaragua, Vietnam, Japan, Korea, India and the Philippines. The Eucharistic community gathered at that moment was a very powerful symbol of the universal salvation brought about by the Holy Spirit, the Easter gift. It was the fulfillment of Christ’s prophetic words before his passion: “When I am lifted up from the earth, I shall draw all people to myself” (Jn 12:32).
C. Second Reading (I Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13): “In one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.”
Today’s Second Reading (I Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13) underlines that those who have responded in faith to the Gospel, with their vast richness of socio-cultural backgrounds and their beautiful gifts, are brought into unity by the Holy Spirit, the font of gifts. The Spirit dwells in and animates those baptized into Christ’s body, the Church. The biblical scholar Eugene Maly comments: “In the reading from Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth we note two characteristics of the Spirit’s work. The first is the bestowing of special gifts on the believer … Anything we do as Christians to help one another is the Spirit’s power working in us; it is his gift. The one major criterion for recognizing the possession of a gift is if it helps others, or, as Paul puts it, if it is for the common good. The Spirit’s gifts are not for chosen elite; they are for all who believe and who act on their belief. That is why Paul says that the greatest gift is love. The other characteristic of the Spirit’s work mentioned here is his unifying power. He makes the most disparate peoples one. That means that in one spirit all of us were baptized into one body. While every Christian around the world has his or her special gifts, they all form one body of Christ. The Holy Spirit is the unifying principle.”
The Church’s celebration of Pentecost is a thanksgiving for the gift of the Spirit. It is also a call to maximize the gifts we have received for the good of others and to build the unity of the one body of Christ, the Church. The following story expresses in a quaint, “colorful” way the “unity in diversity” in the Spirit (cf. La Vita in Cristo e nella Chiesa, May 2011, p. 54, translated by Sr. Mary Eugenia Pia, pddm).
Once upon a time the colors had a terrible fight. All of them were proclaiming themselves the best, the absolute, the favorite.
The green said: “Clearly I am the most important since I am the symbol of life and hope. I was chosen by the grass, by trees and by all the shrubs.”
The blue interrupted: “You think only about the earth, but don’t you consider the sky and the sea? Water is the basis of life. Without me you would be nothing.”
The yellow butted in: “You are all so serious. I bring smiles and warmth throughout the world. The sun is yellow. The sunflowers are yellow. The whole world seems to smile with me.”
The orange exclaimed: “I am the color of health and strength. I am precious because I carry with me the most important vitamins. I am so beautiful that no one thinks about you anymore.”
The red shouted: “I am the king of all of you. I am the color of passion, of love, of a rose.”
The purple stood up in all its height and spoke with pompous voice: “I am the royal and powerful color. The heads have already chosen me because I am the sign of authority. People listen to and obey me!”
Finally the violet said: “Think of me. I am the color of silence. I represent thoughts and peace.”
And so they continued to discuss, each one convinced they were the most beautiful, the most useful and the one preferred by all. They argued and fought more and more. But suddenly a lightning bolt broke the sky. The thunder and the rain which followed scared the colors so much that they pulled together to comfort one another so as not to be afraid.
In the midst of the noise, the rain began to speak: “You foolish colors – fighting among yourselves and each one trying to dominate the other. Don’t you realize that each one of you has a unique, different purpose? Hold each other’s hand and come with me.
After they had reached peace, they took each other’s hand. The rain continued: “From now on when it rains, each one of you will extend yourself throughout the sky as a great arch of color as a reminder that you are all friends and live in peace.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. When the Risen Jesus breathes upon us and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit”, what is our response? Are we receptive to the Holy Spirit, the Easter gift? How does the Easter mandate, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” affect us personally and influence our lives effectively?
2. By the power of the Holy Spirit, do we bear abundant fruit for the good of all and carry out zealously our ministry in the Church and in the world?
3. How do I promote and realize the Pentecost gift of “unity in diversity”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
we thank you for the Holy Spirit,
the power of love that bonds you to your Son Jesus Christ
and the power of life that raised him up from his sacrificial death.
We thank you, dear Father,
for the Risen Lord’s Easter gift of the Holy Spirit
that enabled the disciples to participate in his paschal victory over death.
We thank you again
for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples at Pentecost
and the public inauguration of the missionary Church.
Above all, we thank you
for the blossoming of the Church at Pentecost
and for choosing peoples from all nations and cultures
to be a part of the blooming and fruitful Church.
We love you and serve, almighty God and gracious Father,
now and forever.
Amen. Alleluia.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.” (Acts 2:4)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
By your acts of charity, make a “little pentecost” happen in today’s distressed situation. Pray for those who are preparing to receive and those who have received the sacrament of Confirmation that they may truly experience the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Pray for the healing of all nations and for peace in the world through a renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
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May 25, 2026: MONDAY – THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF THE CHURCH
MEMORIAL DAY (USA)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Gives to Us Mary as
Mother of the Church”
BIBLE READINGS
Gn 3:9-15, 20 or Acts 1:12-14 // Jn 19:25-34
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
In 1994, desiring to deepen our Priestly Apostolate as PDDM Sisters, we presented to Msgr. Protacio Gungon, the Bishop of the Diocese of Antipolo (Philippines), our plan to organize the mothers, fathers, relatives and friends of priests as “prayer warriors”. They would pray especially for priests and for priestly-religious vocations and would also serve as a support group for them. Bishop Gungon blessed our initiative with his approval. Moreover, he suggested that this group of “prayer warriors” be dedicated to “MARY, MOTHER OF THE CHURCH”. Thus, the Mary, Mother of the Church: Prayer Association for Priests started on February 2, 1994 in the Diocese of Antipolo to support and collaborate with the priestly ministry. It was very opportune to be under the patronage of Mary, who is the Mother of Jesus Priest and the Mother of the Church, the community of believers generated by Christ’s priestly sacrifice on the cross. Hence, I received with joy the recent announcement made by Pope Francis on March 3, 2018 that a new memorial entitled, “The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church” would be universally celebrated throughout the Church, on the Monday after Pentecost Sunday.
The Bible Readings assigned for this Marian memorial are well chosen. The Gospel reading (John 19:25-34) depicts the “birthing” of the Church from the wounded side of Christ and the entrusting of the Church, the community of disciples represented by John, to Mother Mary. In the Gospel of John, the attempt to slake his “thirst” with “a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop” evokes the “sprig of hyssop” of Exodus 12:22, that is, the plant used to sprinkle Israelite doors with the saving blood of the Passover lamb. Against this backdrop, we realize that Jesus’ cry: “It is finished”, before he bows his head and hands over his spirit, indicates the fulfillment of the divine plan of salvation. By the outpouring of his blood on the cross, Jesus, the Priest and Victim, accomplishes all he has to do - the Father’s will … the Scriptures … the salvation of humankind! In the mind of the evangelist John, the death of Jesus is a “glorification”. It is the release of his Spirit into the world. By his death, Jesus releases his Spirit to the Father and at the same time, pours it out to believers. Moreover, the evangelist John narrates that a soldier pierces the side of Jesus with a lance and immediately “blood and water” flow out. The “blood and water” from the pierced side of Christ signify Baptism and the Eucharist, by which Christ continues to generate the Church through time and space and to nourish them with his sacramental body and blood. Indeed, Baptism and the Eucharist are the “life sources” of the Church, the “new Eve”, coming forth from the side of Jesus Christ, the “new Adam”.
In the context of the “birthing” of the Church on the cross, Mary plays a prominent role. In the mystery of the Lord’s incarnation, Mary becomes the Mother of Jesus, the Son of God. In the paschal mystery on the cross, Mary becomes the “Mother of the Church”, the community of Christian disciples that is continually generated through the ages. The First Reading (Gn 3:9-15, 20) is about Adam’s wife, Eve, the mother of all the living. Mary, who stood with Jesus by the cross, is another Eve – the “new Eve” – the mother of all those redeemed by her Son Jesus. While Adam’s Eve brought death to the world, Mary – the “new Eve” is life-giving through her intimate participation in Christ’s redemptive work. For us Christian disciples, Mary becomes our Mother and Jesus becomes our brother. We are Mary’s children and, consequently, we are brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus. The biblical scholar Neal Flanagan asserts that Mary, beneath the cross, is “a woman of victory” and indicate Mary’s vital contribution to salvation history.
The alternative First Reading (Acts 1:12-14) depicts Mary as the Mother of the apostles and disciples in the Cenacle, preparing for the “Pentecostal” generation of the Church, that is destined to preach the Gospel to the nations by the anointing of the Holy Spirit. In this biblical text, the evangelist Luke portrays the time between the Ascension of the Lord and the Pentecost as a time of waiting and praying. The disciples of the Lord, as participants in the Easter event, are sharing in the hour of “silent begetting” and are waiting for the Pentecostal hour that will change everything. According to Saint Luke, they “devoted themselves with one accord to prayer”. The community of praying disciples has as its nucleus the apostles who, on the day of Pentecost, would be empowered to become the new leaders of God’s people. Luke narrates that the prototype Church includes “some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers”. Among the women disciples in Jerusalem after the Ascension, Luke names only Mary, the mother of Jesus. She who bore the Savior in her womb is with the apostles when the Holy Spirit descends to bring the missionary Church to birth for the sending out to the nations. The vital role of Mary in Jesus’ birth is beautifully evoked at the birthing of the Church on Pentecost.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do we greatly esteem the role of Mary in the birthing of the Church and in the life of the Church? How do we manifest in daily life our love for Mary?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
(Our Founder Blessed James Alberione has a great devotion to Mary, Queen of the Apostles. In the following prayer he composed, he underlines her animating role in the apostolic and praying Church. Likewise, in this prayer, Blessed Alberione gives Mary the beautiful titles, “Mother of the apostles” and “Mother of the Church”.)
Virgin most pure, noble Queen of Martyrs,
Morning Star, safe Refuge of sinners,
rejoice for the days in which you were Teacher, Comforter
and Mother of the apostles in the Cenacle!
You invoked and received the Divine Paraclete,
the Spirit with the seven gifts,
Love of the Father and of the Son,
Transformer of the Apostles.
With your all-powerful intercession
and your humble and irresistible prayers,
which always move God’s heart,
obtain for me the grace to realize the value
of every human person ransomed from hell
with Jesus’ most precious blood. (…)
Mother of the Church,
Queen of the Apostles, our Advocate,
to you we sigh, mourning in this valley of tears!
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“Behold, your mother!” (Jn 19:27)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Continue to invoke Mary’s intercession that finally we may be liberated from the pandemic calamity. Extend your assistance as the Church community slowly come together for the sacramental celebration.
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May 26, 2026: TUESDAY – SAINT PHILIP NERI, Priest
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Promises Eternal Life … He Calls Us to Holiness”
BIBLE READINGS
1 Pt 1:10-16 // Mk 10:28-31
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mk 10:28-31): “You will receive as much persecution in this present age and eternal life in the age to come.”
The Gospel (Mk 10:28-31) tells us that the rich man who encounters Jesus on the road of discipleship goes away sad. He is a dramatic illustration that selfish attachment makes participation in the Reign of God impossible. The rich man is not able to renounce his possessions for the sake of eternal life. To rely on false security, or one’s ability to obtain eternal life, is like a camel trying to enter the eye of a needle. It cannot happen! But God can free us from enchantments and delusions. Through Jesus, he offers us the grace to renounce a false security or even a “relative good” so as to make a fundamental option for him, the absolute good - the source of all good, including eternal life.
Peter intuits the divine grace at work in the first disciples of Jesus. He asserts: “We have given up everything and followed you.” Jesus assures them and the Christian disciples through all times of the “hundredfold reward”. The “hundredfold reward” is already present in the present age, though its joy is overshadowed by the cross and threatened by the world’s persecution. Eventually those who leave “houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands” for the sake of Jesus will experience in the final age the full reward - eternal life in the bosom of God.
The following thoughts of Mother Teresa of Calcutta give insight into radical discipleship and the Christian disciple’s hundredfold reward (cf. Mother Teresa: Her Essential Wisdom, ed. Carol Kelly- Gangi, New York: Barnes and Noble, 2006, p. 2-7).
I knew that God wanted something for me. I was only twelve years old, living with my parents in Skopje, Yugoslavia (now Macedonia), when I first sensed the desire to be a nun. At that time there were some very good priests who helped boys and girls follow their vocation, according to God’s will. It was then I realized that my call was to the poor.
***
I remember when I was leaving home fifty years ago – my mother was dead set against me leaving home and becoming a sister. In the end, when she realized that this was what God wanted from her and from me, she said something very strange: “Put your hand in his hand and walk all alone with him.” This is exactly our way of life. We may be surrounded by many people, yet our vocation is really ours alone with Jesus.
***
I did my novitiate in Darjeeling and took the vows with the Loreto Sisters. For twenty years, I was at work in education in St. Mary’s High School, which was mostly for middle class children. I loved teaching, and in Loreto I was the happiest nun in the world.
***
In 1948, twenty years after I came to India, I actually decided upon this close contact with the poorest of the poor. It was for me a special vocation to give all to belong to Jesus. I felt that God wanted from me something more. He wanted me to be poor with the poor and to love him in the distressing disguise of the poorest of the poor. I had the blessing of obedience.
***
I was traveling by train to Darjeeling when I heard the voice of God. I was sure it was God’s voice. I was certain he was calling me. The message was clear. I must leave the convent to help the poor by living among them. Thus was a command, something to be done, something definite. The call was something between God and me. What matters is that God calls each of us in a different way. In those difficult, dramatic days I was certain that this was God’s doing and not mine and I am still certain. And it was the work of God. I knew that the world would benefit from it.
***
To leave Loreto was my greatest sacrifice, the most difficult thing I have ever done. It was much more difficult than to leave my family and country to enter religious life. Loreto meant everything to me. In Loreto I had received my spiritual training. I had become a religious there. I had given myself to Jesus in the Institute. I liked the work, teaching the girls.
***
On my first trip along the streets of Calcutta after leaving the Sisters of Loreto, a priest came up to me. He asked me to give a contribution to a collection for the Catholic press. I had left with five rupees, and I had given four of them to the poor. I hesitated, then gave the priest the one that remained. That afternoon, the same priest came to me and brought an envelope. He told me that a man had given him the envelope because he had heard about my projects and wanted to help me. There were fifty rupees in the envelope. I had the feeling, at that moment, that God had begun to bless the work and would never abandon me.
***
One by one, from 1949 on, my former students began to arrive. They wanted to give everything to God, right away. With what joy they put away their colorful saris in order to put on our poor cotton one. They came because they knew that it would be hard. When a young woman of high caste comes and puts herself at the service of the poor, she is the protagonist of a revolution. It is the greatest, the most difficult revolution – the revolution of love.
***
One of the most demanding things for me is traveling with all the publicity everywhere I go. I have said to Jesus if I don’t go to Heaven for anything else, I will be going to Heaven for all the traveling and publicity, because it has purified me and sanctified me and made me truly ready for Heaven.
B. First Reading (1 Pt 1:10-16): “They prophesied about the grace that was to be yours; therefore, live soberly and set your hopes completely on the grace to be borught to you.”
In the reading (1 Pt 1:10-15), Saint Peter underlines the greatness of the Christian gift of salvation and what it entails. The prophets of old foretold it and the angels of heaven look forward to it. Such a great gift requires a special response: so the believers are urged to live a life worthy of their faith. They must live soberly, alert and ready for the blessing that will be given at the final coming and revelation of Jesus Christ. They must not allow their lives to be shaped by those desires that they had when they were still ignorant of Christ. Instead, they must be holy in all they do just as God is holy. To be holy is to be dedicated to God in a loving faithful covenant relationship.
The following account gives insight into what Christian holiness means (cf. Julie Basque, “The Long Good-bye” in Saint Anthony Messenger, March 2014, p. 38-39).
My mother can still find meaning in her dementia, given her history of deep faith. She describes her spiritual life as different now that she has dementia. “I am more detached now”, she says. “I am more detached and looking forward to heaven. I believe God wants to save more people on earth, so he would like to have some redemptive suffering. If my suffering with dementia can help someone, what a wonderful outcome that would be!”
The search for meaning or purpose when one is dealing with dementia can feel futile, yet God’s response is humbling. Her faith is able to give her a context to understand her current situation. “Faith informs us about our lives and how they are in the light of eternity”, she says. Mom believes in uniting her suffering to Jesus’ suffering, thus making it redemptive. She comments further that she feels fortunate that dementia does not hurt. It is not cancer. (…)
My mother shares even more with me regarding how she experiences her relationship with God now. “God is very tender toward me”, she says. “Little problems in my life seem to be solved without my even asking God. I feel as though Jesus is looking out for me. I am closer to God. I am less fearful.”
Her response is indicative of her unwavering faith. My sister Patty often states that Mom’s faith is very childlike and trusting. Ironically, it was trust in herself that she lost once she was diagnosed with dementia. Yet, it is trust in God that seems to be sustaining her now.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Have we left everything in order to follow Jesus? Are we experiencing the hundredfold reward?
2. Do we appreciate the grandiose richness of Christian faith and salvation? Are we ready to live to the full the Christian vocation to holiness?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
O loving Jesus,
you are the absolute good.
To follow you
is to be blessed with the hundredfold reward
and attain the exquisite gift of eternal life.
Give us the grace to renounce false security.
Grant us the wisdom to sacrifice a relative good
and to pursue zealously the eternal good.
Teach us to give up everything to follow you
and the divine saving will.
We adore and serve you.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
O Jesus,
teach us to set our hearts completely
on the grace that your final revelation brings.
Make us holy as God the Father is holy.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“We have given up everything and followed you.” (Mk 10:28) //“He who called you is holy; be holy yourself.” (1 Pt 1:15)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Humbly express your discipleship in the various renunciations and sacrifices that you carry out in daily life in union with Jesus Savior. // When trials and difficulties come your way, trust in the Lord and cast your cares upon him. Let this be an occasion to grow in Christian holiness.
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May 27, 2026: WEDNESDAY – WEEKDAY (8); SAINT AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, Bishop
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Came to Serve … He Ransomed Us with His Precious Blood”
BIBLE READINGS
1 Pt 1:18-25 // Mk 10:32-45
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mk 10:32-45): “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem and the Son of Man will be handed over.”
The Gospel (Mk 10:32-45) tells us that Jesus Christ, the beloved Son-Servant of God, came to serve – his greatest act of servitude was his paschal journey to Jerusalem and his life-offering on the cross. To be a Christian is to be a servant like him. To imitate Christ is to reject such a non-Gospel stance as “lording it over others”, and to refuse to play the world’s power game. The criterion of Christian discipleship is mutual service for the good of others. The path to glory is to serve the needs of others. The Church is a community of loving disciples who take to heart the words of Jesus: “Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.”
In the following account, Mother Teresa of Calcutta gives us beautiful examples of Christian service (cf. Amazing Grace for the Catholic Heart, ed. Jeff Cavins, et. al., West Chester: Ascension Press, 2004, p. 232-233).
One evening we went out and we picked up four people from the street. And one of them was in a most terrible condition. I told the Sisters: “You take care of the other three; I will take care of the one who looks worse.” So I did for her all that my love can do. I put her in bed, and there was a beautiful smile on her face. She took hold of my hand, and she said one thing only: “Thank you.” Then she died.
Then there was the man we picked up from the drain, half-eaten by worms. And after we had brought him to the home, he only said, “I have lived like an animal in the street, but am going to die as an angel, loved and cared for.” Then, after we had removed all the worms from his body, all he said – with a big smile – was: “Sister, I am going home to God.”
B. First Reading (1 Pt 1:18-25): “You were ransomed with the precious Blood of Christ as of a spotless unblemished Lamb.”
Our special Christian vocation to holy living and its foundation are delineated in the reading (1 Pt 1:17-21). The biblical scholar Jose Cervantes Gabarron explains: “The faithful memory of the liberating event carried out through the blood of Christ is the profound reason for the Christians’ change in conduct. They pass from a life without meaning to a life of hope, and also from ignorance to holiness. The liberator is Christ and the way of liberation is the passion sealed with the spilling of his blood. (…) Faith in God and in the paschal mystery of Jesus Christ brings a living hope that must be shaped into a new conduct because it corresponds to regeneration through God the Father.”
The people shaped by the saving event of Christ’s paschal mystery are thus called to act responsibly as the “redeemed” - with a life marked by a “holy living”. However, by their conversion the Christians may have suffered the loss of kin and clan. Alienated from their former culture, they must have lived like sojourners and exiles among their former neighbors. But Christians gain new brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, relatives and kin. Their conversion entails a new birth into a new family animated by a “sincere brotherly love”. Their call is to “love one another intensely from the heart”. They receive strength from the fact that their rebirth comes from an imperishable seed, that is, through God’s word that is living and trustworthy. Unlike the flower that wilts and the grass that withers, the word of God remains forever. And since God is forever faithful, Christian faith will endure.
The following account of how an army officer has saved the life of a suicidal soldier gives insight into what “sincere fraternal love” entails (Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffery Powell, U.S. Army Ret., “All He Wrote was Goodbye” in Guideposts, March 2015, p. 62-63).
Facebook was a great way to stay in touch. I had about 700 friends on the site – mostly soldiers I’d served over the years. A good sergeant major, a good leader, tries to know what’s going on in his people’s lives. I logged on. Right away my eyes went to a gruesome photo in my news feed. What in the world? I enlarged the photo on the screen. A bloody forearm with a two-inch slash on the inside wrist.
It was posted by a sergeant who’d served with me in Iraq in the 2nd Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment. After our tour of duty, we’d both returned to Fort Sill, but it had been eight years since we’d seen each other. He was the quiet type, a great guy and a fine soldier. Above the photo, all he’d written was one word, “Goodbye”. I clicked on a second photo below it: the other arm, also with a long vertical gash on the inside of the wrist. These cuts were deep. The blood was fresh.
I knew the statistics. According to the latest Army report, every 18 hours a soldier commits suicide. More have taken their lives than died in combat. This was more than a grim statistic in some report. This was real. People had commented: “Praying for you!” “Call me if you need to talk.” “Here if you need me!”
Wasn’t anyone doing anything? With wounds like that, he could bleed to death in minutes! I hadn’t spent months in Iraq with this soldier to lose him now. Adrenaline surged through me like I was right back in a war zone. There were no orders. I had to take action. (…)
Somebody gave me the soldier’s camp and division. I hung up with suicide hotline and logged on to the website for the Army camp in Korea. I found the division directory and dialed the number. It was early morning there. Even if I could get to the right person, what if it was too late? I paced around the kitchen. Lord, please let someone else be trying to help him too. Please help this hurting soldier.
I waited on the phone, my anxiety mounting. That’s the thing about reacting in the moment. It is nerve-racking, even for an Army lifer like me. My iPad buzzed. Another Facebook notification. A message from another soldier in the battalion, Robert Piller. He’d served in Iraq with me and the soldier in danger. “We got him, Sergeant Major”, he wrote. “I called the hotline and got EMS en route to him. Sergeant First Class Jones got ahold of him and his unit. He’s on the way to the hospital. They say they got to him in time.” (…)
I checked on the soldier later that evening. His status was stable. I sent him a private message on Facebook. “You have people who love and care for you. I’m one of them. Praying for you. If you need anything at all, let me know.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. How do I emulate Christ’s example of serving love? Do I believe that in service is true greatness?
2. Do we value the sacrifice of Jesus in ransoming us with his precious Blood? On account of what he has done for us, do we love one another sincerely and intensely from a pure heart?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
O Jesus, the Father’s beloved Son-Servant,
you became a slave on the cross.
You did not come to be served, but to serve
and to give your life as a ransom for many.
You teach us the way of serving love.
By your public ministry and paschal sacrifice,
you show us how to serve fully
the saving will of God.
Help us to reject the world’s power game
and not to seek false prestige.
Let us imitate you in serving the needs of others,
especially the weak and vulnerable in today’s society.
We love you, Jesus Savior,
and glorify you, now and forever.
Amen.
***
Lord Jesus,
you have ransomed us with your precious Blood.
Help us to respond to your sacrificial love
through a life of holiness and brotherly love.
We have been reborn through
the living and abiding word of God.
Let our faith be strong
since you are faithful and God is trustworthy.
We adore and glorify you, now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve.” (Mk 10:45) // “You were ransomed … with the precious Blood of Christ.” (1 Pt 1:18-19)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Let the service that you carry out on behalf of others be joyful and replete with love and self-giving. // Pray for hurting soldiers and veterans who have mental-health problems and see in what way you can give help them receive pastoral care.
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May 28, 2026: THURSDAY – WEEKDAY (8)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Makes the Blind See … In Him We Are a Chosen Race, a Royal Priesthood”
BIBLE READINGS
1 Pt 2:2-5, 9-12 // Mk 10:46-52
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mk 10:46-52): “Master, I want to see.”
I met Philip, a ten-year old boy suffering from a malignant brain tumor, at our convent in Cebu Island in the Philippines, in 1977. The malady caused Philip to become blind and his growth was stunted. He had the body of a six-year old, but his face was radiant and beautiful. He was quite good at playing the organ and the guitar. After listening with joy to his improvised concerto, I accompanied Philip to the refectory, located on the second floor of our convent. I held his hand as we went up the flight of steep stairs. When we reached the top, he asked me, “How many steps are there in these stairs?” I had to confess with embarrassment that I never counted them. Philip gamely told me how many steps there were. The Sisters offered Philip fruit juice and cookies, and the usual children’s treats. He gently refused explaining that he had a diet. Philip knew that he would not live very long, but there was no hint of fear or regret in him. His sightless eyes seemed to have more capacity for seeing than our own. The lovable Philip could see beyond and was full of trust in the loving God who would soon bring him to heaven. As I bid him goodbye, I was praying deep in my heart, “Lord, help me to see the way Philip sees!” The blind little boy who made me realize that I needed “to see” and inspired me to pray for spiritual sight died a few years later. I know for certain that Philip is in heaven, “seeing” God face to face.
The need for true spiritual sight is the subject of today’s Gospel (Mk 10:46-51). The reading begins with an interesting geographical reference and a touch of local color: “As Jesus was leaving Jericho, with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging” (v. 46). The main road to Jerusalem runs right through Jericho, which is 15 miles northeast of Jerusalem and 5 miles west of the Jordan River. The messianic journey of Jesus that began in Caesarea Philippi (Mk 8:27-30) is reaching its destination: Jerusalem. The departure of Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, from Jericho evokes the movement of a large group of pilgrims on the way to Jerusalem for the Passover. The crowd that is moving towards Jerusalem, the place of sacrifice, does not, however, comprehend the meaning of Jesus’ paschal destiny. The disciples and the crowd are figuratively “blind” with regards to the destiny of this remarkable man who had declared: “The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mk 10:45). Indeed, it is more convenient to see him as a wonderful miracle worker, a powerful political ruler and a generous breadbasket king. In comparison to the blind beggar Bartimaeus, they seem lucky for they could see with their physical eyes. But there is a deeper reality than physical sight.
Mark portrays Bartimaeus as sitting by the roadside begging. With undaunted hope, the blind beggar resolutely cries out his invocation, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me” (Mk 10:47). Ignoring the rebuke of the many unsympathetic people who try to silence him, he keeps calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me” (Mk 10:48). Bartimaeus’ use of the expression “Son of David” is the first public application of that messianic title to Jesus. The title “Son of David” designates Jesus as the heir of the promise made to David through Nathan (cf. II Sam 7:12-16). The biblical scholar Philip Van Linden remarks: “The title Bartimaeus gives Jesus, ‘Son of David,’ indicates that he, a blind beggar, actually sees who Jesus is more clearly than the disciples and crowd who have been with him all along!”
Today’s Gospel ends with a joyful note of healing and a decisive movement of discipleship. Having received his sight, he follows Jesus on the way of discipleship. Bartimaeus serves as an example of a person with “sight” and such a person follows Jesus into his passion. His response to Jesus’ command, “Go your way” is to embrace the way of the Divine Master, a way that leads from Jericho to Jerusalem, and ultimately – the way of the Cross. His response challenges the community of Christian believers today.
B. First Reading (1 Pt 2:2-5, 9-12): “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, so that you may announce the praises of him who called you.”
The Second Reading (1 Pt 2:2-5, 9-12)) depicts our identity as God’s people. The rich images that we hear in this reading present our dignity as “priestly people, kingly people, holy people chosen by the Lord to sing his praises” as well as the responsibility of holiness resulting from it.
The biblical scholar, Jerome Neyrey explains: “Jesus is the stone which God laid in Zion, a cornerstone, chosen and precious … This Christ-stone is the pattern for the church; like Jesus, we are chosen and precious to God; we are also rejected by pagans and unbelievers. But as Christ is the cornerstone, so we are being made into a household, a holy body of priests … The church is a people of his own and so it is a chosen race, a royal dwelling place, a holy nation (cf. Ex 19:3-6). The church has gone from being not my people to being my people, from not having received mercy to having received mercy. Both the stone and people images speak, then, of our election by God and of our holiness. And they point to what this means in our lives: as a household of priests we offer spiritual sacrifices, that is, a holy life characterized by faithfulness and obedience. And as a holy nation we tell the story of the holy God and his saving deeds. So our priesthood is a way of being called to a holy status before a holy God and an exhortation to do holy things like acting holy and speaking about the holy God. These images, then, do not reject formal worship in the Church, nor do they argue against liturgical leadership for this group. Their sole purpose is to tell the church of its exalted state, as chosen and holy.”
The following prize-winning essay written by a 10th grader at Holy Family High School in Broomfield, Colorado, gives us an insight into our vocation as God’s holy people, called to live out the Gospel message and proclaim the praises of the Lord in today’s world (cf. Kelly Dempsey, “Living Gospel Message” in Maryknoll, May/June 2011, p. 49-50).
Actions speak louder than words. We have all been preached those five words many times throughout our lives, but how many of us truly live by them? In this strange world within which we currently reside, one can easily get caught up in technology such as Facebook, video games and texting. All of these “advancements” in human society make hypocrisy almost effortless. The ability to hide behind a machine greatly facilitates one’s desire to seem as if they are one great, generous person, without any of the inconveniences of actually being one. However, despite our culture of attachment to the many “glowing rectangles” around which our society seems to now revolve – computers, phones, iPods, cameras, televisions – there are the few who rise up despite these distractions and live a life of the Gospels. A wise man known as St. Francis of Assisi once said, “Preach the Gospel always; if necessary, use words.” From the very first time I opened my eyes to now, 16 years later, I have seen and continue to see these words perfectly exemplified through the actions of my older sister and best friend, Erin.
Always strong with her relationship and faith in God, Erin, only three years older than myself, taught me at a very young age that God is always present and will always, no matter what, take care of me. Shortly after she turned 12, my parents finally deemed her old enough to watch over me while they went out, a concept that utterly terrified me. How on earth was my tiny 60-pound sister supposed to protect me when the burglars, who were sure to come in my parents’ absence, broke into our house? However, once I voiced my fears, my sister pulled me into a giant bear hug and softly instructed me to ask God to take away my fears. With that simple prayer, my worries suddenly evaporated into thin air. From that day forth, I viewed my sister as standing in a new light, a light with Christ.
Erin, now a sophomore at Creighton University, a Jesuit school, still stands tall and true to her faith. During her freshman year, a time of trial for many Catholics as to whether they stay true to their faith or convert to sleeping in, Erin not only continued to go to church once a week and pray on a daily basis, but she also upped the ante. Her normal weekly church visit multiplied into going at least three times a week. In addition, she was able to spread the word around campus and single-handedly increased weekday Mass attendance. Furthermore, despite the fact that she rarely is able to hit the sack before four o’clock in the morning, due to her immense workload and jam-packed schedule, Erin miraculously found time to volunteer for many non-profit organizations around Creighton.
Extremely selfless and humble in her actions and never even considering complaining about giving her limited time to those in need around her, Erin can be seen as role model to all those who have witnessed her daily life. Her closeness to God can be witnessed through her gentleness with children, kindness to strangers, and sympathy, comfort and compassion for the less fortunate. Never harsh or slanderous, Erin is a walking example of God’s message in our slightly off-kilter society.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we recognize and identify the blindness within us that needs to be healed? Do we turn to Jesus and say, “Master, I want to see” (Mk 10:51)? In our experience of blindness and hopelessness, do we have the courage and the faith to cry out with Bartimaeus: “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me” (Mk 10:47)? When Jesus sees us by the wayside and calls us to himself, what is our response? Do we throw aside the cloak of our old habits, get up, and run to meet him? Do we follow him on the way?
2. Do we realize the implication of being built like, living stones, into a spiritual house, with Jesus Christ as the foundation? What does it mean to be “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
we are blind.
We are blinded by the visible,
which prevents us from grasping the invisible.
We have closed our eyes to our paschal destiny.
We turn to you for inner healing.
Master, we want to see!
Jesus, Son of David, have pity on us!
We love and adore you, now and forever.
Amen.
***
Loving Father,
Jesus is the living stone-foundation
and we are “living stones” built upon him
to proclaim to the world your praises.
Let our good works glorify you
and testify that you have called us out of darkness into light
In Jesus Christ,
we become “a chosen race, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, a people that is your own”.
For choosing us to be holy
and for your ineffable gifts,
we are filled with gratitude.
We adore and serve you, now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“Master, I want to see.” (Mk 10:51) // “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation.” (1 Pt 2:9)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray in thanksgiving for the many good people who endeavor to relieve the painful and difficult situations of the vision-impaired. Offer some help to various institutions for the blind. // When you celebrate the Eucharist as part of God’s chosen race, be deeply conscious that you are “offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
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May 29, 2026: FRIDAY - WEEKDAY (8); SAINT PAUL VI, Pope
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Calls Us to True Piety … Through Him We Give Glory to God in Service and Suffering”
BIBLE READINGS
1 Pt 4:7-13 // Mk 11:11-26
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mk 11:11-26): “My house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples. Have faith in God.”
In today’s Gospel (Mk 11:11-26), the story of Jesus cleansing the Jerusalem temple is sandwiched between the strange story of him cursing the fig tree. As he leaves Bethany to return to the Jerusalem temple he gets hungry. He goes over to a fig tree. It is covered with leaves but no fruit because it is “out of season”. Jesus curses the fruitless tree. Early in the morning of the following day it is withered. Against the backdrop of Jesus driving the buyers and sellers from the temple area because they have turned what was meant to be “a house of prayer for all peoples” into a “den of thieves”, the withered fig tree symbolizes the barrenness, irrelevance and condemnation of Jewish temple piety. The corruption of temple worship has provoked Jesus’ prophetic ministry and his pronouncement of divine condemnation. The fig tree symbolizes Israel. The cursing of the fig tree and its withering dramatizes God’s judgment against Israel’s perverted temple worship: unfruitful and “out of sync” with the signs of the time - the radical newness of the Reign of God that Jesus brings. The Divine Master then completes the lesson of the withered fig tree by challenging his disciples to a more efficacious prayer-worship that is based on “faith in God” and total surrender to his saving will and forgiving love.
The following story is a modern day example of a piety that is as irrelevant and unfruitful as the cursed fig tree (cf. Anthony de Mello, The Song of the Bird, New York: Image Books, 1984, p. 64).
October 1917: The Russian Revolution is born. Human history takes a new direction.
The story goes that that very month the Russian Church was assembled in council. A passionate debate was in progress about the color of the surplice to be used in liturgical functions. Some insisted vehemently that it has to be white. Others, with equal vehemence, that it had to be purple.
Coming to grips with revolution is more of a bother than organizing a liturgy. I’d rather say my prayers than get involved in neighborhood disputes.
B. First Reading (1 Pt 4:7-13): “Be good stewards of God’s varied grace.”
One of my favorite Bible passages is 1 Pt 4:8-11a, which is used in the Church’s Liturgy of the Hours (cf. Morning Prayer, Week 3). It exhorts us to be good stewards of God’s manifold grace and to use our gifts at the service of one another. I have memorized this passage and when I was asked, in one of our monthly meetings, to lead the prayer of the Worship Committee in Saint Christopher Parish (San Jose, CA-USA), I cited this passage from the heart. My co-members in the Worship Committee were deeply impacted. This favorite text of mine is a part of today’s First Reading at Mass.
The reading (I Pt 4:7-13) underlines that in view of the imminence of the parousia (the end time), the Christians are to live with deep brotherly love for one another, to practice hospitality without complaining and to be generous in using the gifts we have received for the good of all. By this holy living we give glory to God through Jesus Christ. Furthermore, the Christians are called to face the reality of suffering as the testing of gold in the furnace – in which the gold survives! They have optimistic hope because, in sharing the suffering of Christ through persecution and trial, they will share in his great glory and rejoice with him exultantly. The grace to find joy in suffering is made possible through the presence in them of the Spirit of God, the Spirit of glory.
The following article gives insight into the “trial by fire” mentioned by Saint James in his letter as well as how to use our giftedness for the good of others (cf. Joyce Coronel, “In Iraq, displaced Christians losing dignity” In Our Sunday Visitor, June 14, 2015, p. 15).
Sister Diana Momeka is a Dominican Sister of St. Catherine of Siena of Mosul, Iraq. Along with tens of thousands of other refugees, she was forced to flee her native city of Qaraqosh last summer when ISIS forces attacked. The sisters had 30 minutes to prepare for what should have been a one-hour-journey. They left with nothing but their clothes. When they arrived 12 hours later in Erbil – the road was jammed with those trying to escape – they found thousands of fellow Christians sleeping in the streets and in front of churches.
On May 13, nearly a year later, Sister Diana spoke at a congressional committee hearing in Washington, urging help for displaced Christian refugees in Iraq. “We want nothing more than to go back to our lives”, she told the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. “We want nothing more than to go home.”
Our Sunday Visitor recently spoke with Sister Diana by telephone about her order’s work in Erbil and the lives of the refugees living there.
Our Sunday Visitor: What are your day-to-day activities?
Sister Diana: We have a clinic. There’s a lot of people and a lot of great needs there. So the diocese opened a clinic from the beginning, a tent that was serving as a medical tent where we can provide something really simple for patients. Then with the help of the Pontifical Mission (Catholic Near East Welfare Association) and other organizations, we were able to start with the prefab (steel buildings without running water). Now we have a whole clinic that has been operating and has been seeing about 350 to 400 patients per day.
OSV: What are some of the other things you are doing to help the refugees?
Sister Diana: Teaching has always been my passion. Another teacher and I just finished teaching two courses with groups of women on how to deal with their own trauma. We focused on how the women could deal with their bodies, their emotions, with their psychological feelings about the displacement. We encouraged them to have time for themselves because being displaced and being a mom is not something easy, especially now that they lost their privacy. Most of them live in one room with their family and kids, so they lost all their privacy that they had between men and women. We try to accompany them and talk about how to deal with it, to be patient with themselves and to take care of their children in a way that they understand their children also have been traumatized.
OSV: Many refugees saw neighbors killed and children taken. What do you tell them?
Sister Diana: We are people of faith … We always look at the incident when God was accompanying people – it’s through the pillar of fire. So I think our consoling explanation is in God. That’s how we learn to approach each other – that of you go and talk to people, they will tell you, “We’re so grateful that God kept us safe.” Even if they lost someone … I think we are just feeling God’s presence in every minute of our lives. So that’s how I see it – to accompany women or men who have been traumatized. (…)
OSV: What is your message for your fellow Catholics?
Sister Diana: I would say that, everyday, think of us, your brothers and sisters who have been suffering, and see Christ. Living in such a way for his name is an honor for us. I feel that I would say, please keep the faith up wherever you are, because living with Christ in any condition is the amazing thing that we experience. And if you can help those who are suffering, please lessen their pain, please do, and if you can, support the organizations that have been supporting us to maintain our mission.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Is our faith relationship with God manifested in true prayer and fruitful acts of charity? Do we seek to live the spirit of piety and strive for full surrender to the divine saving will?
2. Are we good stewards of God’s manifold grace and in, fraternal love, do we assist those who today are being persecuted for their faith in Christ?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Jesus Divine Master,
you taught us the meaning of prayer and true worship
upon the cross of salvation.
Let our life be focused
on the radical newness of the Reign of God.
Help us work for justice and peace
and promote the advent of his kingdom on earth.
Make our prayer an expression of faith in God
and submission to his saving will.
Do not allow us to degenerate
into a barren and cursed fig tree,
but rather transform us into a vigorous tree
with abundant fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Let us witness the power of prayer in today’s world.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
Loving Father,
we thank you for making us stewards of your manifold grace.
Give us the grace to use the gifts you have given us
for the good of others.
We remember the persecuted Christians in today’s world.
Help us to assist them in any way we can.
May those who suffer in the name of Christ
rejoice with him in the heavenly glory.
We give you honor and praise, now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“Have faith in God.” (Mk 11:22) // “Serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace … Rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ.” (1 Pt 4:10, 14)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Endeavor to live the true meaning of prayer and worship in today’s world. By little acts of charity to the people around you, especially to the poor and vulnerable, let your life be pleasing to God and fruitful. // Pray for today’s persecuted Christians and see in what way you can alleviate their suffering.
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May 30, 2026: SATURDAY – WEEKDAY (8); BVM ON SATURDAY
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Has Messianic Authority … Through Him We Give Praise to God”
BIBLE READINGS
Jude 17, 20b-25 // Mk 11:27-33
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mk 11:27-33): “By what authority are you doing these things?”
The chief priests and scribes are seeking a way to kill Jesus after his drastic cleansing of the temple and on account of his subversive actions and words. Now they are joined by the elders in challenging Jesus by what authority he is doing these things. Jesus counters with a question about John’s authority to baptize. For fear of the crowd, the opponents of Jesus refuse to make a statement about the source of John the Baptist’s authority. What began as a threat to Jesus’ authority ends in the exposure of how little authority and courage his antagonists really have. What was meant to subvert and humiliate Jesus turns into a manifestation of the authoritative wisdom of the Divine Master.
The messianic authority of Jesus continues in the “one, holy catholic and apostolic Church”. In the face of moral-social-political issues that convulse and challenge the faithful today, it is good to assert the authoritative Church teaching. The following are the Seven Key Themes of the Catholic Social Teaching in the Public Square (cf. USCCB, The Challenge of Forming Conscience for Faithful Citizenship, November 2007).
1. The Right to Life and the Dignity of the Human Person: Human life is sacred. Direct attacks on innocent human beings are never morally acceptable. Within our society, life is under direct attack from abortion, euthanasia, human cloning, and destruction of human embryos for research. These intrinsic evils must always be opposed. This teaching also compels us Catholics to oppose genocide, torture, unjust war and the use of the death penalty, as well as to pursue peace and help overcome poverty, racism and other conditions that demean human life.
2. Call to Family, Community and Participation: The family, based on marriage between a man and a woman, is the fundamental unit of society. This sanctuary for the creation and nurturing of children must not be redefined, undermined or neglected. Supporting families should be a priority for economic and social policies. How our society is organized - in economics and politics, in law and public policy – affects the well-being of individuals and of society. Every person and association has a right and a duty to participate in shaping society to promote the well-being of individuals and the common good.
3. Rights and Responsibilities: Every human person has a right to life, the fundamental right that makes all other rights possible. Each of us has a right to religious freedom, which enables us to live and act in accord with our God-given dignity, as well as a right to have access to those things required for human decency – food and shelter, education and employment, healthcare and housing. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities – to one another, to our families, and to a larger society.
4. Option for the Poor and Vulnerable: While the common good embraces all, those who are in greatest need deserve preferential concern. A moral test for society is how we treat the weakest among us – the unborn, those dealing with disabilities or terminal illness, the poor and marginalized.
5. Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers: the economy must serve the people, not the other way around. Economic justice calls for decent work at fair, living wages, opportunities for legal status for immigrant workers, and the opportunity for all people to work together for the common good through their work, ownership, enterprise, investment, participation in unions and other forms of economic activity.
6. Solidarity: We form one human family; whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic and ideological differences. Our Catholic commitment to solidarity requires that we pursue justice, eliminate racism, end human trafficking, protect human rights, seek peace, and avoid the use of force except as a necessary last resort.
7. Caring for God’s Creation: Caring for the earth is a duty of our Catholic faith. We all are called to be careful stewards of God’s creation and to ensure a safe and hospitable environment for vulnerable human beings now and in the future.
B. First Reading (Jude 17, 20b-25): “To the one who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished and exultant in the presence of his glory.”
Today’s reading (Jude 17, 20b-25) is special. Only once in the Sunday/Weekday Lectionary does a text from the Letter of Jude is used. The author Jude, who identifies himself as “the servant of Jesus Christ and the brother of James”, offers some practical wisdom for Christian life as well as warns believers against false teachers. In today’s passage, Saint Jude advises them to remember the words of the Apostles for that would help them be grounded in the faith transmitted by the apostles. He tells them to build themselves up in their holy faith. It is Jude’s original contribution to make the believers both the builders and materials for the faith-building. He likewise urges them to have an intimate relationship with the one-triune God: to pray in the Spirit, to keep themselves in the love of God, and to wait for Jesus Christ who in his mercy will lead us to eternal life. But in the meantime, they have a loving duty to save those “wavering” in their faith and the “others” who have led them astray due to their false teaching. Saint Jude concludes his letter with a formal benediction. God is acclaimed as the one who keeps us from falling and leads us to his glorious presence. To the only God, who is the author of salvation, “glory, majesty, power, and authority” is due through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The following article gives insight into the remarkable exhortation of Saint Jude: “Build yourselves up in your most holy faith” (cf. “I now have more time for prayer” in Our Sunday Visitor, June 28, 2015, p. 10).
Capuchin Father Alexis Luzi has enjoyed gardening since childhood. “I had my brains in books, but my hands were in the soil – both at the same time”, he said. “It’s a good balance.”
This spring, Father Luzi, planted a little garden at St. Fidelis Friary, the Capuchin Province of St. Joseph’s retirement community in Appleton, Wisconsin. There are about 18 residents. He’s growing tomatoes, string beans, celery, carrots nd beets for their meals, and pots of geraniums and a patch of snap dragons to enjoy. It’s his way of keeping physically active and continuing to serve.
Father Luzi joined the province in 1943 and was ordained in 1951. He taught ecclesiology at the Capuchin Seminary St. Anthony in Marathon, Wisconsin, pastured an inner-city church and assisted at another parish in Milwaukee. He published a number of homilies and sermons that are available online (alixisluzi.blogspot.com).
He recently spent five years in Texas taking care of his older sister who has dementia and is now in a nursing home.
“My greatest blessing is to be with my Capuchin religious order, which takes good care of me in my old age”, he said. “I now have more time for prayer. I have had a full life, and I’m happy.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we fully accept the messianic authority of Jesus? Do we promote the truth that Jesus the Divine Master teaches and incarnates in today’s world?
2. Do we “build ourselves up in faith”? Do we pray in the Holy Spirit, endeavor to share the love of God with others, and look forward to the coming of our merciful Jesus Christ who will lead us to eternal life?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
O Jesus Divine Master,
we adore as the Word incarnate sent by the Father
to instruct us in the life giving truth.
You live on in the Church.
Grant us the grace to embrace your authoritative wisdom
that enables us to embrace moral principles,
care for the needs of the weak,
defend the culture of life,
and pursue the common good.
We humbly submit to your messianic authority
for you are the One Sent by God
and anointed by the Holy Spirit for our salvation.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
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Loving Father,
please keep us from stumbling
so that we may stand joyful in your glorious presence.
To you the only God, author of salvation,
is due glory, majesty power and authority,
through Jesus Christ, forever and ever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“By what authority are you doing these things?” (Mk 11:28) // “To the only God, our savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord be glory, majesty, power and authority from ages past, now, and for ages to come. Amen.” (Jude 25)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Make an effort to understand the personal implication for you of the Catholic Teaching in the Public Square and to put it into practice. // Look at the retired men and women religious and see how their endeavors of personal faith-building can inspire you. Find ways to help them in their need.
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Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang PDDM
PIAE DISCIPULAE DIVINI MAGISTRI
SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER
60 Sunset Ave., Staten Island, NY 10314
Tel. (718) 494-8597 // (718) 761-2323
Website: WWW.PDDM.US