A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 21, n. 30)
Week 11 in Ordinary Time: June 18-24, 2023
(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: June 11-17, 2023 please go to ARCHIVES Series 21 and click on “Corpus – Week 10 Ordinary”.
Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY:
June 11-17, 2023.)
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June 18, 2023: ELEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
FATHER’S DAY (USA)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Calls Us to Ministry”
BIBLE READINGS
Ex 19:2-6a // Rom 5:6-11 // Mt 9:36-10:8
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 9:36-10:8): “Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and sent them out.”
The Eli Lilly & Co. is a global pharmaceutical research, development and manufacturing giant. Three Lilly family members have created the Lilly Endowment, which has given $176 million to 88 U.S. colleges and universities to encourage Church-related vocations. Its generous funding has led to remarkably creative programs that inspire and assist college and university students who feel called to Church ministries of all kinds. Carol Ann Morrow, in her article “Vocations: New Encouragement on Campuses” (cf. St. Anthony Messenger, May 2005 issue, p.22-27), reports the comments of three recipients of the Lilly Endowment.
· “I was always hearing that the Church needs vocations, but I never felt that I was being helped on my journey to see what I could do. When I heard about Marian’s San Damiano scholars, I knew this college was actually doing something that would help me achieve my goals.” – BETH
· “I didn’t think I was being called to be a religious, but I do want to help people and act on my faith beliefs. I wasn’t sure how to achieve that goal. Then I heard about this scholarship and applied.” – KATHLEEN
·
“God is at work in this.” – ANNIE
The Lilly Endowment recognizes the need for new vocations, new blood to work in the Church. Though the Endowment’s initiatives will not suffice to replenish the supply of clergy and other Church vocations, the spokesperson of the Lilly Endowment asserts: “We just want to have ministry be considered and be thought of as vocation and calling.”
This Sunday’s Gospel reading (Mt 9:36-10:8) helps us to reflect on the vocation to ministry, the origin of this ministry, and our responsibility to promote the call to service in the Church and society. The source of the vocation to service is Jesus Christ, the compassionate Shepherd and the Lord of the Harvest. As the ultimate Shepherd and Harvest Master, Jesus needs the cooperation of those who have accepted his call to discipleship.
The first part of today’s Gospel reading (Mt 9:36-37) depicts the reaction of Jesus to the plight of those yearning for his ministry: “At the sight of crowds, Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few, so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.’”
Harold Buetow comments: “Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for the crowds, a pity that went to the depths of his being. Jesus has been moved like this before: for the sick, for the blind, for those in the power of demons, for lepers whose life was a living death of isolation, for the widow mourning the death of her only son. Now he is moved by the sight of the crowds, who were exhausted from poor people’s thousand petty persecutions. Jesus sees in these people all the marginalized: the tired, the abused, the sad, and the abandoned. The Pharisees’ idea of leadership was to deal only with those who are profitable. Jesus saw the poor in a completely different way. These people are persons, and they are worthwhile.” Hence, Jesus responded with love and mercy to the helpless and vulnerable crowds who were like sheep without a shepherd. The genesis of his commitment to pastoral ministry was his direct experience of the people’s need for healing and spiritual leadership.”
Jesus’ compassionate, pastoral ministry to the people in distress has an end-time character and was marked with an urgency depicted in the imagery of an abundant harvest. The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 4, explain: “There is so much to do, and the time is so short. The image of the harvest spontaneously evokes the reaping of grain that must be done rapidly. But in the Bible this image classically designates God’s great judgment. The task Jesus speaks of must therefore be seen against the background of the imminent end-times that give to the present time its character of extreme urgency.”
Matthew’s Gospel episode also underlines the importance of prayer in the reaping of God’s harvest. A community that nourishes its faith through fervent prayer is apt to receive and to generate more pastoral workers for Church ministry and for greater service in society. In a mysterious way, God prepares the hearts of those called to work more intimately with Jesus, the Master Harvester, in the beckoning, rich field of God’s kingdom. Moreover, the ministry of prayer of the Christian community enables the hearts of those called to see the immensity of the ministerial task and to realize the urgency of the call to work in the Lord’s spiritual harvest.
The second part of the Gospel reading is about the call and mission of the Twelve Apostles (Mt 10:1-8). The mission of the disciples is initially limited to the people of Israel and only after the death and resurrection of Christ would the mission to the non-Jews and Samaritans formally begin. In the divine saving plan, Israel has the first place as the “beacon-people” and the “witness-people”. After Christ’s resurrection, the apostolic mandate is to preach the Gospel to all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (cf. Mt 28:16-20). The mission of the disciples and, in a special way, the Twelve Apostles is to incarnate the compassionate mercy of Jesus to the people who were like sheep without a shepherd.
The Belgian biblical scholar, Lucien Cerfaux offers an insight on the need of the apostles to be in deep communion with Christ, the font of all vocations to ministry and service: “It is neither the surface nor the length nor the width that counts. It is the depth. The apostolate is measured by the plumb line, not the tape measure. Jesus chose the twelve that they might be always with him and that he might send them out to preach. An apostle is truly an apostle only when he remains united to our Lord. Contemplation and action should not be separated … The apostolate is just the glow of sanctity. Apostles should be doubly holy, once for themselves, and once for others.”
B. First Reading (Ex 19:2-6a): “You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.”
In the Old Testament reading (Ex 19:2-6a), we hear of God’s choice of Israel as his covenant people and his “special possession”. Challenged to be attentive to the divine voice, the people of Israel – rescued from slavery in Egypt by Yahweh who bore them up on “eagle’s wings” – are summoned to an intimate and exclusive covenant relationship with him. Today’s passage contains the preamble to the great covenant-making event on Sinai whereby Israel becomes God’s people. The Lord God calls Israel to be a “kingdom of priests” and a “holy nation” dearer to him than all other peoples.
The biblical scholar Eugene Maly comments: “The Exodus reading speaks of Israel, under the leadership of Moses, coming to Sinai after having left Egypt, the land of bondage. Here the Lord was to establish a special relationship between himself and them; it was called a covenant, meaning a treat or pact. Our passage indicates how God looked upon his new covenant partner. But first there is recorded what God had done for Israel. This is always a presupposition in the biblical concept of vocation. God acts first and acts out of love. Here he is said to have borne his people to him “on eagle wings” to himself. Eagles are referred to often enough in the Hebrew Scriptures to suggest that the people were greatly impressed by their strength, speed and concern for their young. Thus they are an apt figure for the Lord’s action on behalf of his own.”
Israel’s experience of being borne up by God on “eagle wings” – that is, of his benevolent and mighty saving action on their behalf - is the basis of their positive response to the divine initiative. God’s covenant plan is not imposed, but so totally benevolent and gratuitous that it deserves a loving response of acceptance and fidelity. Indeed, the covenant life that the Israelites have freely embraced is a constant challenge to ongoing fidelity. The Lord God graciously wills to make of them a “kingdom of priests”, that is, a people set apart to give glory and praise to God, to pray and intercede, to offer spiritual sacrifices, and to make the Lord’s kindness known. Moreover, the Lord also destines them to be a “holy people”, set apart from what is ungodly and consecrated to love and serve him alone.
Against the backdrop of Israel’s covenant vocation to be a “kingdom of priests” and to be a “holy nation”, the call of the twelve apostles narrated in this Sunday’s Gospel reading (Mt 9:36-10:8) takes on a deeper meaning. The naming of the twelve apostles is a first phase in the constitution of the Church, the new Israel and the number “twelve” evokes the constitution of the twelve tribes of ancient Israel as God’s covenant people. Just as Israel has been summoned to be a “kingdom of priests” and a “holy nation”, God summons the Church and wills it to be a kingly people, a priestly people and a holy people, witnessing the divine benevolence before the nations.
The community of Christian disciples is in a state of mission and is continually being summoned to listen to the voice of the Lord and to serve him. My experience of an ordination ceremony gives insight into the meaning of the vocation to Christian ministry
On May 31, 2008 (Saturday), the feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was a joyful event in the life of the Church in Los Angeles. Twelve men from an array of ages, cultural backgrounds and life experiences have responded to God’s summons and were ordained to the priesthood. The presence of these twelve newly ordained priests is a testimony of God’s loving initiative to pastor the Church and gather in the harvest. Moreover, the filial, faithful and trusting response of these men to the divine call for a more intimate relationship with God and priestly ministry is an assurance that the love of God continues to be incarnated in the Church and in the world.
One of the newly ordained is Fr. Leo Ortiga, who was born in the Philippines on January 23, 1961. He studied at the Manila Science High School and obtained a B.S. in Occupational Therapy from the University of the Philippines and an M.A. in Occupational Therapy from the University of Southern California. He remarked: “I found the seeds of my vocation in my work among people with disabilities. As an occupational therapist, I had the privilege of working with people from all backgrounds – from Hollywood directors and actors to CEOs, from undocumented immigrants to gang members. I came to realize that regardless of background, people are essentially good; we all share a deep hunger to be loved and our needs ministered to. I came to appreciate the ‘holiness’ of my work in helping rehabilitate people to physical wholeness, yet I never was able to touch the deepest hunger and brokenness of their souls. That is the privileged role of the priest by the nature and exercise of his office. With this realization I entertained the possibility that I might have a calling to the priesthood.”
C. Second Reading (Rom 5:6-11): “If we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more will he be saved by his life.”
The Second Reading (Rom 5:6-11) is a meditation on God’s gratuitous and ineffable love for us. God has shown how much he loves us by the death and rising of his Son Jesus Christ. It is God’s love that is poured out “through the Spirit” and is now radically revealed in the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross. The death of Jesus brings about reconciliation, which is the restoration of estranged and sinful man to union and companionship with God. We were God’s enemies, but God has made us his friends through the death of his Son. The love of God, moreover, enables us to share in the risen life of Christ and to experience the gift of salvation. Reconciled and redeemed through the death and rising of Jesus Christ, we can rejoice at the very thought of God – for all what he has done for us!
The martyrdom of persecuted Christians is not a tragedy. The modern day Christian martyrs continue to manifest that the blood of Christ brings about reconciliation and salvation. The following article is insightful (cf. Manuel Nin, “An Ecumenism of Blood: The Power of the Name” in L’Osservatore Romano, February 27, 2015, p. 1).
One afternoon, strolling through Rome, I was searching for a flower vender. I have always loved the cactus, that lovely sober plant; adapted to an ascetic life on the desert. This plant is austere even in its flowering, which is few and far between but whose flowers are uniquely beautiful. The search led me to a florist from the Middle East. A tattoo on the back of his hand caught my attention. It was a small cross. So I asked him if he was a Christian. He told me he was an Orthodox Copt and his name was Shenute.
After the martyrdom of the 21 Copts in Libya, the Pope has once again raised his voice to proclaim, almost as it were a profession of faith, the ecumenism of blood: “They said only: ‘Jesus help me’. They were assassinated for the sole fact of being Christian.” In this way Francis has again set forth the path of Christians of different confessions, not centered around one bread and one chalice but on the blood poured out for Christ, in order to bear witness to the one Lord.
The Pope recalled that the only words on the martyrs’ lips, at the moment of their witness, were “Jesus, help me”. These words echo the prayer that stands at the heart of many traditions, a prayer that has been repeated ceaselessly through the centuries and is continued by Christian men and women, nuns and monks, pilgrims and martyrs: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner”. (…)
And new martyrs like these, from Iraq and from Syria, from Asia to Africa, write their names with blood in the Synaxarium and martyrology of all who invoke the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the life and salvation of martyrs.
A few days after the attack in Libya, having finished Lenten Matins at the Greek College, I went to find that florist Shenute to tell him that I was close to him in spirit. Sharing with him the ecumenism of blood, I gave him the words of Pope Francis: “blood is one” and “it bears witness to Christ”.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Are our hearts moved with pity to the sad plight of today’s troubled and abandoned crowds, who are like sheep without a shepherd? Do we imitate Jesus’ compassionate response? Do we pray to obtain vocations?
2. Do we believe that Jesus calls us anew and gives us “authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and illness” (Mt 10:1)? How do we make use of this God-given power to alleviate the world’s afflictions?
3. Do we fully embrace the Christian vocation to ministry and service? Do we regard with value the role of today’s Church-related vocations? How do we take heed of Jesus’ exhortation: “Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give” (Mt 10:8)?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
(Prayer to Obtain Vocations, composed by Blessed Alberione)
Jesus, Divine Master, who said:
“The harvest indeed is great, but the laborers are few”,
we lovingly accept your invitation:
“Pray the Heavenly Father to send forth laborers into his harvest.”
Inspire a devout crusade for vocations:
“All the faithful for all vocations.”
More priests!
May they be salt of the earth,
the light of the world,
the city placed on the mountaintop
for the salvation of humanity redeemed by your Blood.
More religious, both men and women,
to fill the earth with religious houses which welcome your favored children,
and which will be centers of light and warmth,
sources of piety, gardens of saints,
singing “glory to God and peace to men and women of good will”.
Mary, “God’s chosen one”,
Mother and guardian of holy vocations,
pray with us, pray for us, and for all those called by God.
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.
“Then he summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness.” (Mt 10:1)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Do a kind deed on behalf of a priestly or religious vocation and offer an encouraging word to one whose vocational response to service is waning. That we may appreciate more deeply the mercy and compassion of God who calls us to service, make an effort to spend some quiet moments of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.
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June 19, 2023: MONDAY – WEEKDAY (11); SAINT ROMUALD, Abbot
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Counters Evil with Good … His Apostle Paul Is a True Minister of God”
BIBLE READINGS
2 Cor 6:1-10 // Mt 5:38-42
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 5:38-42): “But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.”
The law of retaliation contained in the Old Testament (that is, “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”) is meant to moderate vengeance and to keep violence within limits. It restricts the punishment inflicted by the avenger to injury proportionate to the damage done by the aggressor. In today’s Gospel reading (Mt 5:38-42), we hear Jesus’ radical teaching on non-retaliation, which seeks to break the cycle of revenge. The righteous man is called not just to respond with proportionate vengeance to an injury inflicted by an aggressor, but to take no vengeance at all. Jesus teaches us “to offer no resistance to one who is evil”. The Divine Master’s teaching of non-resistance to an evildoer is not an invitation to suicide, or to let true justice be trampled upon, but a call to counter evil with good, hatred with love, vengeance with forgiveness. Love, though vulnerable and paradoxical, is the only force capable of overcoming evil. By his passion and death on the cross, Jesus showed how forgiving love can overcome the ugly forces of evil and sin that lead to violence. With his life of non-retaliation and reconciliation, a new world order has begun.
The following story gives us insight into the ways of the non-vengeful who seek to overcome evil with good (cf. Anthony de Mello, Taking Flight: A Book of Story Meditations, New York: Image Books, 1988, p. 65).
A traveler was walking along the road one day when a man on horseback rushed by. There was an evil look in his eyes and blood on his hands. Minutes later a crowd of riders drew up and wanted to know if the traveler had seen someone with blood on his hands go by. They were in hot pursuit of him. “Who is he?” the traveler asked. “An evil-doer”, said the leader of the crowd. “And you pursue him in order to bring him to justice?” “No”, said the leader, “we pursue him in order to show him the way.”
Reconciliation alone will save the world, not justice, which is generally another word for revenge.
B. First Reading (2 Cor 6:1-10): “In everything we commend ourselves as ministers of God.”
Today’s First Reading (2 Cor 6:1-10) gives us a beautiful insight into Saint Paul’s experience as an apostle. He recognizes that the Corinthians and he are working together with God in fulfilling the saving plan. He also exhorts them not to receive the grace of God in vain, but instead to claim the “now” as a moment of salvation. Paul’s primary work is to spread the saving Gospel and he absolutely avoids anything that will jeopardize his ministry. Indeed, Paul proves himself a minister of God by his way of life. In his Gospel ministry, he shows patient endurance through every kind of trial. He manifests himself as God’s true servant through a life of purity, knowledge, patience and kindness - in the love of the Spirit and by the power of God. Indeed, God equips him with “weapons of righteousness” which he uses in all circumstances - through glory and dishonor, insult and praise. His life as an apostle is challenging and fascinating, mysterious and paradoxical: treated as a liar though he speaks the truth, unrecognized but acknowledged, given up for dead but he lives on, punished but not killed, saddened but always rejoicing, poor but enriching many, having nothing but possessing all things.
Like Saint Paul, we need to conduct ourselves as servants of the Gospel. The following story, entitled “A Quarter for Jesus” and circulated on the Internet, gives us an idea of what it means to be a true “minister of God” today.
Several years ago, a preacher from out-of-state accepted a call to a church in Houston, Texas. Some weeks after he arrived, he had an occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change. As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, “You’d better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it.” Then he thought, “Oh, forget it. It’s only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? Anyway, the bus company gets too much fare. They will never miss it. Accept is as a gift from God and keep quiet.”
When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, and then he handed
the quarter to the driver and said, “Here, you gave me too much change.” The
driver, with a smile, replied, “Aren’t you the new preacher in town?”
Yes”, he replied. “Well, I have been thinking a lot lately about going
somewhere to worship. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you
too much change. I’ll see you at church on Sunday.”
When the preacher stepped off the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, held on, and said, “Oh, God, I almost sold your Son for a quarter.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do I strive to conquer vengeful instincts and to overcome evil with good? Do I practice the ethic of non-violence and the Christian way of forgiving love?
2. Like Saint Paul the Apostle, can we present ourselves to the people of today as true “ministers of God”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
your example transcends the ugly ways of the violent.
By your life of forgiving love and reconciliation,
you show us how to break the cycle of vengeance in this world.
Give us the grace to be peaceful.
Let your love be upon us
that we may respond to evil with good,
to hatred with love.
Lead us on the path of true justice and peace.
We give you glory and praise, now and forever.
Amen.
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Almighty God,
help us to live the Gospel to the full
and become your true servants
through trials and adversities.
Let us proclaim the Gospel of Christ
in the love of the Holy Spirit.
Sustain us by your power.
We believe that our poverty is our wealth
for we know that even though we seem to have nothing,
yet in Jesus we possess all things.
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 week. Please memorize it.
“Offer no resistance to one who is evil.” (Mt 5:39) //“In everything we commend ourselves as ministers of God.” (2 Cor 6:4)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
If someone offends you, put into practice the teaching of Jesus of non-retaliation and reconciliation through the power of good. // Today make a special effort to conduct yourself with kindness, patience and unfeigned love toward the people around you and thus help them recognize you as a “minister of God”.
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June 20, 2023: TUESDAY – WEEKDAY (11)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us to Love Our Enemies … He Became Poor for Our Sake”
BIBLE READINGS
2 Cor 8:1-9 // Mt 5:43-48
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 5:43-48): “Love your enemies.”
Today’s Gospel reading (Mt 5:43-48) contains the Divine Master’s radical teaching on magnanimous love even of enemies. Harold Buetow comments: “Jesus teaches largeness of heart and mind … Our love for our enemies – those we do not like or who do not like us – is not of the heart but of the will. Therefore, to love them need not be an emotional experience, but must be a decision to commit ourselves to serve the best interests of all other people … We see that the apex of God’s kind of perfection is compassion, a willingness to suffer for others. Those who love in such an unconditional and non-selective way are true children of the God of limitless love … In our dealings with other people, both friends and enemies, we are to be magnanimous: large-minded, wide open, generous – and holy.”
The Amish community’s compassionate act to reach out to the family of Charles Roberts, the suicide-attacker of 10 Amish girls, illustrates the grandiose love that forgives and embraces all (cf. Internet article of Daniel Burke, Religion News Service).
It was October 2, 2006, and Charles Carl Roberts IV had just shot 10 Amish schoolgirls before turning the gun on himself. Five girls died. Five others were seriously wounded. The shooting shocked this quiet, rural county and horrified countless outsiders glued to the nonstop media coverage. “Not only was my son not alive, he was the perpetrator of the worst crime anyone could ever imagine”, Terri Roberts said. After the shooting, the world was riveted by the remarkable display of compassion shown by the Amish, as the quiet Christian sect embraced the Roberts family and strove to forgive the troubled sinner. (…)
On the day of the shooting, Terri crawled into a fetal position, feeling as if her insides were ripped apart. Her husband Chuck, a retired policeman, cried into a tea towel, unable to lift his head. He wore skin off his face wiping away his tears. Family and friends poured into the Roberts’ home in Strasburg, Philadelphia, a small town about six miles from Nickel Mines, where the shooting occurred. No one knew what to say. “What do you say, ‘At least it’s not as bad as so-and-so’? There was nothing that anyone could imagine that would have been worse than that day”, she said.
Later that evening, an Amish neighbor named Henry, whom Terri calls her “angel in black” arrived at their house. Chuck had begun a second career as an “Amish taxi”, driving families to destinations farther away than horses and buggies could carry them. After the shooting, Chuck feared he could never face the Amish again. “Roberts, we love you”, Henry insisted and continued to comfort Chuck for nearly an hour. Finally, Chuck looked up. “Thank you, Henry”, he said. “I just looked at that and said, ‘Oh Lord, my husband will heal through this.’ I was just so thankful for Henry that day”, Terri said.
B. First Reading (2 Cor 8:1-9): “Christ became poor for your sake.”
In today’s First Reading (2 Cor 8:1-9), Paul proposes to the Corinthians a collection to alleviate the suffering of the poor of the Mother Church in Jerusalem. The apostle feels obliged to instruct the skittish Corinthians on this delicate but important issue. The collection for the poor is, for Paul, of special importance for it signifies acceptance of the Gospel and of self-donation to God. The apostle therefore urges them to emulate what God’s grace has accomplished in the churches in Macedonia, that is, in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Beroea. Though living in poverty and undergoing severe trials, they abound in joy, simplicity and generosity. The Christians in Macedonia give as much as they can and even more than they can. For them it is a privilege to take part in helping God’s people. Acknowledging the spiritual riches of the Corinthians, Paul exhorts them to be likewise generous in this service of love for the Jerusalem faith community. The apostle then provides a spiritual foundation for his mission appeal: Christ’s kenosis. Rich as he is, the Lord Jesus makes himself poor for our sake in order to make us rich by his poverty.
The model of Christian giving that Saint Paul underlines in his second letter to the Corinthians is an inspiration for all. The following story illustrates that the spirit of self-giving lives on in the here and now (cf. Marion Smith, “Drawn to the Warmth” in Chicken Soup for the Soul, ed. Jack Canfield, et. al. Cos Cob: CSS, 2008, p. 226-227).
Factoring in the wind chill, I knew the temperature was below zero. The bitter cold cut through my Californian sensibilities, as well as my enthusiasm as a tourist, so I ducked through the nearest door for warmth … and found myself in Washington, D.C.’s Union Station. I settled onto one of the public benches with a steaming cup of coffee – waiting for feeling to return to my fingers and toes – and relaxed to engage in some serious people-watching.
Several tables of diners spilled out into the great hall from the upscale American Restaurant, and heavenly aromas tempted me to consider an early dinner. I observed a man seated nearby and, from the longing in his eyes, realized that he, too, noticed the tantalizing food. His gaunt body, wind-chapped hands and tattered clothes nearly shouted, “Homeless, homeless!” I wondered how long it had been since he had eaten. Half expecting him to approach me for a handout, I almost welcomed such a plea. He never did. The longer I took in the scene, the crueler his plight seemed to be. My head and heart waged a silent war, the one telling me to mind my own business, the other urging a trip to the food court on his behalf.
While my internal debate raged one, a well-dressed young couple approached him. “Excuse me, sir”, the husband began. “My wife and I just finished eating, and our appetites weren’t as big as we thought. We hate to waste good food. Can you help us out and put this to use?” He extended a large Styrofoam container. “God bless you both. Merry Christmas”, came the grateful reply.
Pleased, yet dismayed by my own lack of action, I continued to watch. The man scrutinized his newfound bounty, rearranged the soup crackers, inspected the club sandwich and stirred the salad dressing – obviously prolonging this miracle meal. Then, with a slow deliberateness, he lifted the soup lid and, cupping his hands around the steaming warm bowl, inhaled. At last he unwrapped the plastic spoon, filled it to overflowing, lifted it toward his mouth and – with a suddenness that stunned me – stopped short.
I turned my head to follow his gaze. Entering the hall and shuffling in our direction was a new arrival. Hatless and gloveless, the elderly man was clad in lightweight pants, a threadbare jacket and open shoes. His hands were raw, and his face had a bluish tint. I wasn’t alone in gasping aloud at this sad sight, but my needy neighbor was the only one doing anything about it. Setting aside his meal, he leaped up and guided the elderly man to an adjacent seat. He took his icy hands and rubbed them briskly in his own. With a final tenderness, he draped his worn jacket over the older man’s shoulders. “Pop, my name’s Jack”, he said, “and one of God’s angels brought me this meal. I just finished eating and hate to waste good food. Can you help me out?” He placed the still-warm bowl of soup in the stranger’s hands without waiting for an answer. But he got one. “Sure, son, but only if you go halfway with me on that sandwich. It’s too much for a man my age.”
It wasn’t easy making my way to the food court with tears blurring my vision, but I soon returned with large containers of coffee and a big assortment of pastries. “Excuse me, gentlemen, but …” I left Union Station that day feeling warmer than I had ever thought possible.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do I strive to conquer the vengeful instincts and to overcome evil with good? Do I practice the ethic of non-violence and the Christian way of forgiving love?
2. In our self-donation and care for the poor, do we imitate Jesus Christ, who became poor although he was rich, so that by his poverty we might become rich? Do we thank God for the many generous souls who follow the spirit of Christian giving and allow ourselves to be inspired by them?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
in you mercy and justice have embraced.
thank you for the gift of your Son Jesus Christ.
Through his self-giving,
we realize that Christian holiness demands compassion.
It challenges us to love our neighbor as ourselves.
Give us the strength to love unconditionally
and to learn the ways of justice and peace
Let us draw courage from the truth that we belong to Christ
and that he leads us on the right path.
You live and reign, now and forever.
Amen.
***
God our Father,
we thank you for the spirit of self-giving
that Jesus Christ has shown in his kenosis:
he became poor for our sake.
Help us to imitate his total self-donation.
Let our poverty overflow in a wealth of generosity.
Make us generous in caring for the needs of the poor.
You are a loving and provident God.
We love and praise 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.
“Love your enemies.” (Mt 5:44) // “He became poor although he was rich, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” (2 Cor 8:9)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
By an act of kindness and compassion to a needy person or an offensive person, or by a forgiving stance to an injury suffered personally, enable the Gospel of saving love to spread. // In a spirit of self-giving and in imitation of the generous Macedonians, make an effort to alleviate the suffering of today’s poor.
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June 21, 2023: WEDNESDAY – SAINT ALOYSIUS GONZAGA, Religious
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us to Do Good Deeds … He Is a Cheerful Giver and Jubilant in Serving”
BIBLE READINGS
2 Cor 9:6-11 // Mt 6:1-6, 16-18
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 6:1-6, 16-18): “And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”
From today’s Gospel reading (Mt 6:1-6, 16-18), we realize that doing the right deed for selfish reasons is “phony” and not commendable. Jesus takes up three traditional Jewish good deeds: almsgiving, prayer and fasting. While encouraging his disciples to practice them, he warns about the manner of practicing them. These traditional acts of righteousness are meaningless when done hypocritically and in view of self-seeking. Jesus criticizes pious self-display and not the pious actions themselves. Almsgiving, prayer and fasting are meaningful only when they are motivated by a sincere and faithful relationship with God and one’s fellow human beings. The Father of Jesus – our own Father too – who sees acts hidden from human sight will surely reward good deeds done for the glory of God and the good of others. God the Father rewards good deeds, both those done in secret and those carried out in public witnessing, as long as they are properly motivated, i.e. to secure God’s glory and to promote the well-being of our brothers and sisters. While teaching his disciples not to be hypocrites and self-seeking, Jesus Christ also encourages them to let their light shine before others so that those who see their good deeds may glorify the heavenly Father (cf. Mt 5:16).
After the 8:00 A.M. Easter Sunday Mass at our parish of St. Christopher in San Jose (CA-USA), our community of three, plus a friend, went for breakfast at a nearby restaurant in our Willow Glen neighborhood. We enjoyed freshly brewed coffee and placed our order. Mine was a bowl of fresh fruit and Eggs Benedict. Easter joy was in the air as we shared the meal. When we asked for the bill, the waiter told us that an “Easter bunny” took care of it. We greatly appreciated the kindness of our secret benefactor. We prayed that God the Father, who sees good deeds done in secret, may reward and fill him with Easter blessings.
B. First Reading (2 Cor 9:6-11): “God loves a cheerful giver.”
In today’s First Reading (2 Cor 9:6-11), Saint Paul underlines the blessings of generosity using the image of a sower. The one who sows many seeds will have a large crop. God, who supplies seed for the sower and bread to eat, will also supply all the seed we need and help produce a rich harvest. Indeed, God will bring forth a bounty from our generous and kind hearts. He will always make us rich enough to be generous at all times. Therefore, we should not fear that generosity will impoverish us. God is infinite in his gifts. There is no need to covet or hoard. Our role as Christian disciples is to reflect the richness of God and his concern for the poor. We must have unlimited trust in divine providence. Our sharing must be motivated by a desire to proclaim God’s name. Our generous giving must inspire people to thank God for the many gifts he showers upon us.
The apostle Paul likewise asserts that God loves a cheerful giver. Like Jesus Savior, we too must be cheerful givers and jubilant in serving. The following story gives a glimpse into this (cf. Carol Knapp in Daily Guideposts 2010, p. 281).
I received a surprising faith boost through my job selling baked goods at the farmers’ market. I had a tent and tables to set up, heavy racks of bread to load and unload, long hours standing in the weather-of-the-day and waves of people eager to hear me explain my wares.
Mothers came with children to buy their favorite cookies. Men stopped by on their lunch breaks to pick up pepperoni rolls. Summer customers wanted sweet breads for the cabin or buns for the outdoor grill. Autumn shoppers purchased scones to go with morning coffee and savory loaves to have with the soup. One woman preparing a Greek dinner for friends bought the spinach feta; a man on a bicycle liked his granola with raisins; a curmudgeonly man counted on his sourdough.
Somewhere in the middle of my job, the joy hit me; the unexpected joy of serving people, matching the right breads to their needs and watching them walk away satisfied.
I formed a new picture of the Son of Man, exuberant in sharing God’s message, excited to serve others: Jesus providing wine for the wedding guests in Cana, touching the hand of Peter’s mother-in-law so that the fever left her, giving sight to a man born blind, restoring life to a twelve-year-old, welcoming children into his arms.
How Jesus must have celebrated with the recipients of these wonderful works! What joy he must have felt every morning, anticipating the great things he would do, the words of life he must teach!
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we do our “good deeds” with proper motivation, or do we carry them out as an occasion for self-seeking? Do we believe that God the Father who sees in secret will reward us for all good deeds done for his glory and the salvation of his people?
2. Are we generous in self-giving? Are we cheerful givers?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Heavenly Father,
we praise and thank you
for you see all our humble efforts to love and serve you.
You search the secrets of our heart
and all our actions are known to you.
Teach us always to work with supernatural intentions.
Deliver us from self-seeking and hypocrisy.
May our prayer, fasting and almsgiving
be done always for your greater glory
and the good of souls.
Grant us the prophetic power of Elijah and Elisha.
You live and reign,
forever and ever.
Amen.
***
God of love,
help us to be generous sowers and bountiful reapers.
Please give us the grace we need
to be of service to your kingdom.
Let your provident hand
make a bounty of our generosity.
Help us to imitate Jesus
who is cheerful in giving and jubilant in serving.
Let our good works give you glory 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 day. Please memorize it.
“Your Father who sees in secret will repay you.” (Mt 6:4) // “God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor 9:7)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
In every good you do and in your pain and suffering, give glory and praise to God and seek the salvation of souls. // In accomplishing your daily tasks and ministry, do it with a joyful heart and in a spirit of self-giving.
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June 22, 2013: THURSDAY – WEEKDAY (11); SAINT PAULINUS OF NOLA, Bishop; SAINT JOHN FISHER, Bishop, AND SAINT THOMAS MORE, Martyrs
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us to Pray … His Apostle Paul Preaches the Gospel without Charge”
BIBLE READINGS
2 Cor 11:1-11 // Mt 6:7-15
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 6:7-15): “This is how you are to pray.”
When I was a postulant, we had a retreat with an Irish Carmelite priest. To help us understand better the meaning of prayer, he narrated a story about two hermits. Each one planted a papaya and took care that it should grow well and be fruitful. They even prayed for the papaya. One hermit tried to make God understand what needs to be done for the papaya: “Lord, please send some rain today for the papaya”; “The sun is too hot; please send some cool breeze for the papaya;” etc. But his papaya was unhealthy and scrawny. When he visited his friend, he noticed that the papaya he planted was sturdy and extremely fruitful. “What is your secret?” he asked. The other hermit responded, “I prayed and asked God, Please take care of the papaya!”
In today’s Gospel (Mt 6:7-15), Jesus teaches us the true meaning of prayer and how to pray. God our Father knows our needs even before we make our request. But he wants us to ask in confidence and trust. In prayer we do not so much inform God of some situation or micromanage him, as express our dependence and faith in him. The “Lord’s Prayer” that Jesus teaches us is a model of total surrender to God: “Your will be done …” Mother Teresa of Calcutta remarks: “Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at his disposition, and listening to his voice in the depths of our hearts.”
B. First Reading (2 Cor 11:1-11): “I preached the Gospel of God to you without charge.”
In today’s First Reading (2 Cor 11:1-11), we see the apostle Paul constrained to do some boasting. His detractors think he is not on par with the “super apostles”. He contends that he may not have the rhetorical skills that their so-called “apostles” have, but certainly he is not lacking in knowledge. Saint Paul is absolutely not inferior to anyone in the knowledge of the true Gospel. Moreover, he has used every means at his command to preach Jesus and his Gospel to the Corinthians. Indeed, he has done more than the other “apostles” to further the work of Christ. Another foolish accusation hurled at the apostle Paul is that he does not seek recompense for his preaching simply because he is too insignificant to merit any payment. Paul refutes them by asserting that other churches do esteem him and support him in his apostolic ministry. With condescension, he uses his critics’ own foolish expression and says that he is “paid by other churches”. The Christian believers in Macedonia, in fact, have brought Paul everything he needs, while he proclaims the Gospel in Corinth without charge. He resolves to continue to be financially independent and to proclaim the Gospel gratuitously so as not to burden the Corinthians. This is to prevent his critics from maligning his ministry and to avoid being accused of preaching the Gospel for money. At the end, the ever-conciliatory Paul reaffirms his love for the people he is trying to evangelize: “God knows I love you!”
The following charming story, entitled “How Much Is a Miracle?” and circulated on the Internet, gives a glimpse into what it means “to preach the Gospel without charge”.
Tess was a precocious eight-year-old when she heard her mom and dad talking about her little brother Andrew. All she knew was that he was very sick and they were completely out of money. They were moving into an apartment complex next month because Daddy didn’t have the money for the doctor bills and their house. Only a very costly surgery could save Andrew now and it was looking like there was no one to loan them the money. She heard Daddy say to her tearful Mother with whispered desperation, “Only a miracle can save him now.”
Tess went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet. She poured all of the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Three times, even. The total had to be exactly perfect. No chance here for mistakes. Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall’s Drug Store with the biggest red Indian Chief sign above the door.
She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention but he was too busy at the moment. Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise. Nothing. She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster. No good. Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it!
“And what do you want?” the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice. “I’m talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven’t seen in ages”, he said without waiting for a reply to his question. “Well, I want to talk to you about my brother”, Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. “He’s really, really sick … and I want to buy a miracle.” “I beg your pardon”, asked the pharmacist. “His name is Andrew, and he has something bad growing inside his head, and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?” We don’t sell miracles here, little girl. I’m sorry but I can’t help you”, the pharmacist said, softening a little. “Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn’t enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs.”
The pharmacist’s brother was a well dressed man. He stooped down and
asked the little girl, “What kind of miracle does your brother need?”
I don’t know”, Tess replied with eyes welling up. “I just know he’s really
sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But, my Daddy can’t pay for it,
so I want to use my money.” “How much do you have?” asked the man from
Chicago. “One dollar and eleven cents”, Tess answered barely audibly. “And
it’s all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to.
“Well, what a coincidence”, smiled the man. “A dollar and eleven cents – the exact price of a miracle for little brothers.” He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her mitten and said, “Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let’s see if I have the kind of miracle you need.”
The well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon specializing in neuro-surgery. The operation was completed without charge. And it wasn’t long until Andrew was home again and doing well. Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place.
“That surgery”, her mother whispered, “was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?” Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost … one dollar and eleven cents … plus the faith of a little child.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. What is the significance of prayer for me personally? What are my experiences of prayer? Do I try to glean the true meaning of the “Lord’s Prayer”?
2. How do we respond to the criticisms and trials we encounter in our apostolic ministry? Do we proclaim the Gospel gratuitously or do we allow money, or the lack of it, to inhibit the work of evangelization?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
***
God our Father,
we trust in your protection and providence.
Defend us from our adversaries.
Help us to proclaim the Gospel without charge
for you have given us gratuitously the gift of salvation
that your Son won for us at the price of his blood.
We love 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.
“This is how you are to pray.” (Mt 6:9) //“I preached the Gospel of God to you without charge.” (2 Cor 11:7)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
When you pray the Lord’s Prayer, mean what you say. // When you do something nice and beautiful for someone, let that person feel that it is done freely, gratuitously and joyfully on his/her behalf.
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June 23, 2023: FRIDAY – WEEKDAY 11
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us to Seek True Treasures … His Apostle Paul Boasts of His Weakness”
BIBLE READINGS
2 Cor 11:18, 21-30 // Mt 6:19-23
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 6:19-23): “For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”
In today’s Gospel (Mt 6:19-23), Jesus gives instructions on choosing between God and earthly treasures. Jesus Master counsels us not to store up treasures on earth because “earthly treasures” are fragile, alienable and perishable. There is nothing on earth that is worth putting our heart into in an absolute way. Only the Lord God is the eternal and absolute treasure. Our heart should be placed in him. He should be the object of our love, self-surrender and sacrifice. In view of this fundamental option, our principal concerns and interests are to store up treasures in heaven. Jesus also talks about the “eye” as the “lamp of the body”. In the ancient world the term “eye” is understood as expressing a person’s attitude. To say that “the eye is the lamp of the body” means that one’s attitude controls what one does or says. A healthy “eye” means that one’s personal attitude is sincere and open to God’s guidance. Hence, to make wise choices for the heavenly treasures would require a healthy “eye”, that is, a personal attitude that is enlightened by the wisdom of God. Storing up treasures in heaven needs true insight and perspective that is enlightened by the Spirit of God.
The following story, “The Seven Jars of Gold” illustrates the tragedy and misery of hoarding false treasures as well as the possibility of being “enlightened” and of rectifying our dismal acts and unfortunate choices (cf. Anthony De Mello, The Song of the Bird, New York: Image Books, 1984, p. 134-135).
A barber was passing under a haunted tree when he heard a voice say, “Would you like to have the seven jars of gold?” He looked around and saw no one. But his greed was aroused, so he shouted eagerly, “Yes, I certainly would.” “Then go home at once”, said the voice. “You will find them there.”
The barber ran all the way home. Sure enough, there were the seven jars – all full of gold, except for one that was only half full. Now the barber could not bear the thought of having a half-filled jar. He felt a violent urge to fill it or he simply would not be happy.
So he had all the jewelry of his family melted into coins and poured them into half-filled jar. But the jar remained as half-filled as before. This was exasperating! He saved and skimped and starved himself and his family. To no avail. No matter how much gold he put into the jar it remained half-filled.
So one day he begged the king to increase his salary. His salary was doubled. Again the fight to fill the jar was on. He even took to begging. The jar devoured every gold coin thrown into it but remained stubbornly half-filled.
The king now noticed how starved the barber looked. “What is wrong with you?” he asked. “You were so happy and contented when your salary was smaller. Now it has been doubled and you are so worn out and dejected. Can it be that you have the seven jars of gold with you?”
The barber was astonished. “Who told you this, Your Majesty?” he asked.
The king laughed. “But these are obviously the symptoms of person to whom the ghost has given the seven jars. He once offered them to me. When I asked if this money could be spent or merely hoarded, he vanished without a word. That money cannot be spent. It only brings with it the compulsion to hoard. Go and give it back to the ghost this minute and you will be happy again.”
B. First Reading (2 Cor 11:18, 21-30): “Apart from these things, there is the daily pressure upon me of my anxiety for all the churches.”
In today’s First Reading (II Cor 11:18, 21-30), Saint Paul continues “to boast” in the Lord. Challenged by his detractors, he is impelled to respond to them in their own terms. He exposes to them his ethical and religious credentials: “Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So I am …” The most substantial part of his “boasting”, however, is based on his profound understanding of himself as a “minister of Christ”. He is a minister of Christ even more than the others, for he has done more in the service of the Gospel. If others gain recognition on account of their sufferings for the Gospel, their trials would seem insignificant in comparison to Paul’s. The apostle then enumerates the adversities he suffered: imprisonments, floggings, shipwrecks, attacks from fellow Jews and from Gentiles, dangers in the wilderness, dangers from false friends, etc. Above all, he cannot refrain from adding his anxiety over the churches he founded. The daily trials of caring for the churches are without end and the conscientious Paul cannot find rest from these. He suffers intensely when others sin and the problems of everyone deeply concern him. Indeed, the great “boast” of Saint Paul is his own “weakness” which manifests the power of God at work in him. The great apostle does not exalt his own work in any way, but in God’s protection.
In a way, Paul’s apostolic sufferings for the sake of the Gospel are replicated in the life of Pope Pius XII. The following excerpt gives insight into this (cf. Alive! May 2012, p. 13).
New York Jew Gary Krupp grew up hating Pius XII for what he was told was the Pope’s anti-Semitism and unwillingness to help Jews during the Holocaust. Then he discovered that the indoctrination which he, like many of his generation, had received was a lie. Krupp became a passionate defender of Pius, determined to dig up all the information that would show the true greatness of the war time Pope.
In six years of research Krupp and his “Pave the Way Foundation” have uncovered over 76,000 pages of original material, plus eyewitness accounts and testimonies from various international scholars. His research has forced Yad Vashem museum in Jerusalem to significantly modify its section on Pius. Krupp believes that as the evidence emerges, the bid to blacken Pius’ name and destroy his reputation is coming to an end. “We’re definitely winning, absolutely no question”, he said. “Every time we do more research, we find a diamond. It’s incredible, but there’s nothing on the other side because there’s no documented foundation for any of their accusations.”
Some of the documents brought to light by “Pave the Way” show that more than 20 years before he became a Pope, Pius favored the creation of a Jewish state. Krupp also unearthed a letter written by the then Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli shortly before he was elected Pope on 2nd March 1939. The letter was an attempt to obtain visas to Brazil for 200,000 Jews still in Germany after Kristalnacht. “He wasn’t able to obtain the visas, but he tried”, said Krupp. “The point is, he didn’t do it from the safety of Washington DC or London. He did it while surrounded by hostile forces and infiltrated by spies. And yet he still managed to save more Jews than all the other world leaders combined.”
Through his nephew, Carlo Pacelli, Pius helped prevent the arrest of Roman Jews in 1943. Some 12,000 found refuge in convents, monasteries, and Catholic homes.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do I truly seek to store up treasure in heaven? What are my priorities, interests and choices? Do I strive to keep the “eye” – the “lamp of my body” healthy? Do I cultivate true insight and a supernatural perspective in life?
2. What sufferings do we experience, or are we willing to undergo, for the sake of the Gospel and for the faith community?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
O Jesus Divine Master,
we thank you for teaching us where to put our hearts
and where to store up treasure.
Help us to seek God as the only and absolute good.
Let us not be tantalized
by the false treasures of this earth.
Give light to the “eye” of our soul.
Grant us true insight
that we may seek the eternal treasure in heaven
with love, devotion and sacrifice.
Give us the wisdom, grace and strength
to fight evil and to do good.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
(From the prayer “To Obtain Patience” by Blessed James Alberione)
Glorious Saint Paul,
from a persecutor of Christianity,
you became a very ardent and zealous apostle,
and suffered imprisonment, scourging, stoning, shipwreck
and endured persecutions of every kind,
in order to make the Savior Jesus Christ known
to the farthest bounds of the world.
In the end you shed your blood to the last drop.
Obtain for us the grace to accept
the infirmities, afflictions and misfortunes of the present life
as favors of divine mercy,
so that the vicissitudes of this our exile
may not make us grow cold in the service of God,
but may make us ever more faithful and more fervent.
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.
“For where your treasure is, there also your heart will be.” (Mt 6:21) // “I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” (2 Cor 11:40)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Get rid of superfluous goods and strive to share more fully your earthly and supernatural goods with the needy. // When sufferings and trials come your way as you carry out your task as “servant of the Gospel”, think of Saint Paul and the sufferings he endured.
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June 24, 2023: SATURDAY – THE NATIVITY OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST
“JESUS SAVIOR: John the Baptist Is His Precursor”
BIBLE READINGS
Is 49:1-6 // Acts 13:22-26 // Lk 1:57-66, 80
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 1:57-66, 80): “John is his name.”
This happened on June 24th – a hot sunny day - many years ago. I was riding in a “jeep”, the most popular form of public transportation in the Philippines. I was on my way to visit my parents and have lunch with them. The route of the “jeep” would take me through San Juan, in Metro Manila, which was celebrating the feast of its patron saint. The town has a unique fiesta tradition – water dousing! When I boarded the “jeep”, I noticed that the plastic window curtains to protect passengers from rain were rolled down. The driver explained: “I don’t want you to get wet. It’s fiesta in San Juan.” When we were there, the “jeep” got stuck in the traffic. We saw some teenagers by the road ready with water ammunition, but they were totally ignoring us. Their attention was focused on passersby. When the vehicle started to move, there was a vigorous splash through the door. An abundant douse of water hit us. After the initial shock, we started to laugh. Thank God! It was clean water. We were wet, but it was fun. The water dousing steeped us in the fiesta spirit – we felt that John the Baptist had baptized us!
The universal Church celebrates today the nativity of John the Baptist, the Messiah’s precursor. The Gospel (Lk 1:57-66, 80) describes the marvelous circumstances surrounding the birth of John the Baptist. Elizabeth, the wife of the temple priest, Zechariah, gives birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives hear how the good Lord wonderfully has bestowed his mercy upon her. They all rejoice with Zechariah and Elizabeth. The joy is even greater on account of Elizabeth’s lifelong barrenness and the advanced age of the couple. In the biblical mentality, fecundity is a sign of divine blessing and childlessness a disgrace or a curse. The name given to the child by God and announced to Zechariah by the angel at the temple is truly significant: “JOHN” – which means “Yahweh has shown favor” … “Yahweh is gracious”. Indeed, the joy brought about by Elizabeth’s motherhood is a foretaste of the messianic joy that the birth of Jesus will bring to the world.
The following story gives a glimpse into the joy that motherhood entails (cf. Shawnelle Eliasen in Daily Guideposts 2015. P. 180).
“I have a surprise”, my son Samuel said. “What’s that?” I asked. His hand came forward, and his fingers uncurled. In his palm lay a few wadded, crumpled dollar bills and an assortment of change. “Wow!” I said. “What are you going to do with it?”
“What I’d like to do is take you for a ride on that.” A street fair had come to our small town, and Samuel turned toward the Ferris wheel curving just over the trees in our front yard.
“But that’s your Tooth Fairy and birthday money, Samuel. Are you sure you want to spend it like that?”
“I’m sure”, he said, but as we waited in line, I began to feel guilty. Maybe I should have offered to pay.
“C’mon up!” the man on the platform called. We headed straight for the sky. Around and around we went, in and out of the blue. We held our breath on the way up and giggled like mad on the way down.
“Are you having fun, Mon?” Samuel asked the final time we went around. “I am”, I said. “Thank you for the gift.”
Samuel nodded. His hand wrapped around min. His smile came straight from his heart. I didn’t need to feel guilty. My little boy was learning to give.
B. First Reading (Is 49:1-6): “I will make you a light to the nations.”
The liturgy’s First Reading (Is 49:1-6) comes from the Second Servant Song, which describes the commissioning of a mysterious personage - the Servant of God - as a prophet. The identity of the Servant is not specified and since the reference is open-ended, it is easily appropriated. On account of the versatility of its image, the figure of the Servant has been applied to various personages in salvation history, foremost of whom is Jesus Christ, the ultimate Servant of Yahweh. Today’s liturgy, however, applies the Second Servant Song to John the Baptist, whose birthday we commemorate today. Called from birth and given a name from his mother’s womb, the remarkable child will grow and be honed into a “sharp-edged sword”. He will be transformed into an effective prophetic instrument of God’s word. Like a “polished arrow” hidden in God’s quiver, John is to become an incisive weapon to be used at the right time to proclaim the judgment of God. Concealed for a time, the prophet John will appear in the desert to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom and prepare the way for the public ministry of the Messiah. An enigmatic ascetic and a compelling figure in the wilderness of Judea, the Precursor will exhort the people tensed with messianic expectation: “Turn away from your sins and be baptized, and God will forgive your sins.”
In bearing witness to the person of the Jesus Christ, the true Light that enlightens the world, and in upholding the integrity of moral truth against the malice of King Herod and his partner Herodias, John suffers martyrdom. His death is an intimate participation in the paschal destiny of the Messiah, of which he is a precursor. In sharing intimately the universal work of salvation of Jesus Christ, the words of Yahweh in the Second Servant Song, could also be applied not only to Jesus but also to John: “I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth” (Is 49:6).
In sharing Christ’s saving work in the “here and now” we continue to incarnate the Word of God and make his love real and tangible. In doing so, we too become a “light to the nations”. Here is a modern-day example (cf. Pam Kidd in Daily Guideposts 2015, p. 201).
Years ago, I was called to Zimbabwe on assignment to write about the street children. I didn’t plan on becoming involved beyond that, but it became abundantly clear that God’s call was for my family to get involved, and soon the children of this AIDS-ravaged country became our passion. Village Hope was born.
Now, standing amidst pots boiling on open fires and the delicious smell of bread baking in cast-iron ovens, I see children, once orphaned and alone, working alongside the local couple we partnered with, Alice and Paddington. They’ve been up since dawn, preparing for guests. Today is the dedication of their new church.
But for me, the anticipated visit by an important official of Zimbabwe’s presbytery touches the day with apprehension. Church executives can be stuffy and self-important, and I didn’t want to see the enthusiasm over this happy event dampened.
At the appointed hour, a big black car drove through the gates and an immaculately dressed man emerged. I kept my distance, waiting for Alice and Paddington to meet the dignitary and take him on a tour of the little farm. Finally, they appeared in the cooking hut, and I was surprised to see the tears in the man’s eyes. He looked at us and what he said melted our worries, clarified our struggles, and opened our eyes: “The Word made flesh”.
C. Second Reading (Acts 13:22-26): “John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance.”
The Second Reading (Acts 13:22-26) contains Paul’s speech to the Israelites and other worshippers in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia. In this apostolic preaching, he underlines the mission of John with regards to the Messiah. According to Saint Paul, Jesus is the Savior whom God has brought to Israel from David’s posterity. The prophet John heralds the coming of the Savior by proclaiming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. The baptism of repentance performed by John at River Jordan is a powerful call and an intense symbol of turning to God and reconciliation with him, a saving event to be completely achieved in the paschal sacrifice of the Messiah Jesus Christ.
Like John the Baptist we can be instruments of conversion and “heralds” of Christ’s coming into the life of a person. The following personal testimony is insightful (cf. Mike McGarvin, Papa Mike, Fresno: Poverello House, 2003, p. 59-60, 64).
Like Father Simon, Brother Kurt was a mystery to me, but in a different way. Father Simon was a pillar of strength, a wise, loving example, and very much a loner. I marveled at his energy, his intelligence, and the depth of his sacrifice, and I wondered how he did it, day after day, year after year.
Brother Kurt impressed me in many of the same ways. However, I saw more of his flaws up close, and it made him very accessible. Father Simon taught me that God is love, and that loving people directly translated into loving people. Brother Kurt taught me that God loves us just as we are, warts and all. Perhaps more than anything, his humanity endeared him to me. (…)
Kurt was just as tenacious in the various tasks he performed as a Franciscan. He loved people, and he kept plugging along in his difficult lonely vocation of service. God had called him to the Franciscans, and he was there to obey the call. He was full of human frailty, but he knew it and didn’t let his imperfections deter his dedication to his calling.
In some ways, he was the perfect friend for me at the time. Even thought I was big and rough, I was emotionally and spiritually fragile. Christianity was new and in many ways frightening, and Kurt put me at ease. He had many shortcomings, but I wouldn’t felt comfortable with someone who had it all together, or who was spiritually lofty.
Without Father Simon, I might have eventually destroyed myself. His life reflected the shining light of Jesus, and guided me out of a terrible darkness. Without Kurt, I might have fallen away from the faith in despair, because I would have become so discouraged about my sins and inadequacies. Each man reflected a different aspect of the Christian faith, and I neede both to continue being healed of my past. (…)
God was transforming my life through Poverello. Joining the Catholic Church gave me a new outlook, and my life had new meaning now. (…)
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. How does the vocation and consecration of John the Baptist inspire us? Do we believe that we too have been called by God from birth and entrusted with a prophetic mission in today’s world?
2. What is the meaning of the birth of John the Baptist and the name “JOHN” given to him by God from his mother’s womb? How did the neighbors and relatives respond to the saving event experienced by Elizabeth and Zechariah? Like them do we allow ourselves to be filled with joy in the Lord?
3. Do we contemplate devoutly the meaning of the Lord’s baptism and the role of John the Baptist as the precursor of the Messiah? Do we imitate John the Baptist in his mission to point to the Messiah and to bear total witness on his behalf, even to the point of death?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
We bless and praise you, O Lord, the God of Israel.
As we give you thanks for Jesus, the Day Spring,
we also thank you for his cousin John,
the prophet of the Most High.
He prepares the Messiah’s way
and disposes our hearts for the forgiveness of sins.
O loving God,
help us to imitate John’s faithful messianic ministry
and his personal integrity.
As we celebrate today his marvelous birth,
grant us the grace to imitate him
in his courageous witnessing on behalf of truth.
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.
“The hand of the Lord was with him.” (Lk 1:66)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that the Christian disciples of today may truly understand the great role of John the Baptist in preparing the way and in bearing witness to Jesus Christ. In the surroundings where you live, endeavor to be like the Baptist in giving witness to truth and in your prophetic stance against the culture of death and falsehood of today’s society.
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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