A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 21, n. 34)
Week 15 in Ordinary Time: July 16-22, 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: July 9-15, 2023 please go to ARCHIVES Series 21 and click on “Ordinary Week 14”.
Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY:
July 16-22, 2023.)
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July 16, 2023: FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Sows the Living Word”
BIBLE READINGS
Is 55:10-11 // Rom 8:18-23 // Mt 13:1-23
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 13:1-23): “A sower went out to sow.”
The Gospel reading (Mt 13:1-23) is part of the series of parables on the Kingdom, which comprise Jesus’ third major discourse in the Gospel of Matthew (13:1-53). Jesus’ Kingdom parables are the following: the parable of the sower (v. 1-9), the parable of the darnel (v. 24-30), the parable of the mustard seed (v. 31-32), the parable of the yeast (v. 33), the parable of the treasure and of the pearl (v. 44-46), and the parable of the dragnet (v. 47-50). Parables are similes or metaphors drawn from everyday life or from nature.
The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 4, explain: “The parables speak of the highest realities of faith, beginning with the mystery of Jesus’ own person and of God. Parables unveil some of these realities but in halftone or in a subdued light. It takes time to understand exactly what Jesus means when he teaches in parables … In order to understand parables, hearers must be attentive and open to the things of God. Besides – and this is not their least original trait – parables are aimed at hearers who accept confrontation and questioning. Often, the story leads hearers to bare the depths of their hearts.”
The first part of the parables’ discourse (Mt 13:1-35) depicts Jesus as sitting in the boat, with the crowds standing on the shore (v. 1-3). The eager crowds of country folks are not incorrigible in their unbelief and have the potential of opening their hearts to the words of Jesus. To them he addresses the parable of the sower and the seed. Some of the seed sown by the sower falls on a footpath, on rocky ground, among thorns and on good soil. In the first three cases nothing occurs, but in the last case an abundant harvest is produced.
The heart of Jesus’ message is the coming of God’s reign. And that reign means the abundance of all good. Jesus is the generous sower who throws his word, a seed of highest quality all kinds of terrain … to the four winds. The seed of the living Word is lavishly sown because the kingdom of God is for all. St. John Chrysostom remarks: “The sower does not make distinctions between different soils; he simply throws the seed. Similarly, Jesus does not distinguish between rich and poor, learned and unschooled, careless and fervent, courageous and timid. His word concerns everybody.”
Though the parable underscores the inherent fecundity of the seed of God’s kingdom, it also emphasizes the responsibility and the positive response to be given by the recipients of the seed of the divine word. The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 4, comment: “Thanks to the generous manner in which the seed is sown, we see the extraordinary fecundity of a single seed encountering a bit of good soil; it gives fruit a hundred or sixty or thirty fold. Are these different yields due to chance or luck? Absolutely not, for it is in the human heart that the word is sown. Stones and thorns allude to the hardness of heart and the cares of the world that encumber it. If the seed remains on the surface, abandoned to the appetite of the birds of the sky, it is because we do not let it enter our beings. Therefore, if the word is not fruitful, it is due to the listeners’ poor dispositions. This urgent appeal to each one’s responsibility must be welcomed with immense hope.”
The biblical scholar, Eugene Maly exhorts: “God’s word is limited only by the closed ear and hardened heart. If we are not open to the word, how will it have its effect? It must find a resting place within us so that it can do its work. If we are like the hardened footpath, or the patch of rock, or the unfriendly briers, the word remains a stranger to us. To help us be more open to God’s word we should reflect on its power. If we do not really believe in the word’s power, then it is powerless to help us. But if we believe, we will become, with increasing fruitfulness, the good soil. We will have the conviction and the confidence of Jesus himself.”
The following story gives insight into how Scripture can shape our life (cf. Ashley Wiersma in Daily Guideposts 2015, p. 357).
“Do everything without grumbling …” (Phil 2:14)
I’m generally an upbeat, lighthearted, optimistic gal. I like sunny days, happy hearts, “yes” smiley faces, and big laughs. Which is why it was so unsettling to me that I’d slipped into a funk and that my funkiness had lasted two days before I detected that my attitude stank. I had fired off a snippy e-mail to a business associate and was inhaling to holler for the eighteenth time for Prisca to come eat her lunch – “Now!” – when a tiny hologram of me floated just above my shoulder and saw the scene unfolding with fresh eyes. She took in my words, my actions, my reactions, and then descended to whisper something into my ear: “Um, Ash? Helloooo! Who exactly have you become?”
I hung my head. This clearly was not my best me.
Remembering that God is a fan of the covenants, I pledged to Him then and there: “No more grumbling, Father. Deal? You’ve got my word on that.” I missed the mark, and yet at least there was a mark.
This is what Scripture does for me: it reminds me of the mark. It reminds me that with God’s power and protection in and around me, I really can live grumble-free.
B. First Reading (Is 55:10-11): “The rain makes the earth fruitful.”
In the Old Testament reading (Is 55:10-11) the prophet Isaiah uses the image of the rain and snow that do not dissipate till they have nourished the earth as a symbol of the efficacious power of God’s word. Indeed, the beautiful nature image of the rain and snow coming down from heaven to bring forth new life enables us to perceive the all-embracing providence of God and to trust in the fruitfulness and vitalizing power of his saving word.
The biblical scholar Eugene Maly comments: “Chapters 40 to 55 of the book of Isaiah (our reading is taken from this last chapter) are referred to as the work of Second Isaiah, because his oracles are preserved with those of the historical Isaiah. This anonymous prophet wrote during the Babylonian exile (587-538 B.C.). His words speak of comfort and hope to refugees in a strange land. He was convinced that what he wrote, God’s words, would achieve their goal. In the beginning of his work, in chapter 40, we see how often he mentions or suggests the presence of the word: “… says your God … a voice cries out … the mouth of the Lord has spoken … a voice says … cry out at the top of your voice …” The words are all words of encouragement, of good news, of freedom from exile. Now, at the end of his book, in our reading, he reminds his readers that these words of God will be fulfilled.”
In the context of the yearning of the Jewish exiles to return to their homeland and their longing for freedom that is as intense as a parched land, the word of God promising their return to Judah and the city of Jerusalem has a vitalizing power and tremendous efficacy that can be compared to the rain and snow watering the earth: “So shall my word be …” (Is 55:10b) The prophet’s poetic image of the rain and snow making the earth fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the sower and bread to the hungry affirms the benevolence of God and the divine saving plan that efficaciously unfolds.
The following humorous experience illustrates how the word of God is alive and active in our life and reminds us that openness to the divine grace should be our basic stance (cf. Rosanne McDowell in “Everyday Miracles”, Country Woman, June/July 2008, p. 57).
Some years ago, I was brushing my teeth and discovered a cavity in my wisdom tooth. In those days, my menus included more peanut butter than steak, so my budget simply had not room for a trip to the dentist. I trusted the Lord would help, but hoped He’d do it before my tooth became an emergency.
Wistfully, I opened my Bible and read a passage at random. It was Palm 81:10: “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” Thanks to an unexpected gift, I was soon able to visit the dentist. That experience taught me that God not only meets our needs, He does it with a sense of humor!
C. Second Reading (Rom 8:18-23): “Creation awaits the revelation of the children of God.”
In the Second Reading (Rom 8:18-23), we glean an important insight on what responding to the saving word of God entails: our connectedness with the entire creation in the experience of destruction and sin and in our vocation to redemption and glory. Harold Buetow remarks: “Paul sees all of creation as joined to humankind in being wounded by sin and in its present misery. We are God’s representatives in his marvelous creation, and human destiny is intricately interwoven with the world we live in: its sufferings, corruption and agony. That means that we carefully nurture not only our personal moral growth, but also that of nature. (…) At present, though, both humanity and nature suffer. This suffering is a sign of how much all creation is damaged by sin. Even so, we have received help: redemption by Jesus and the Holy Spirit is the principle of our new life.”
The present time, which is pregnant with glory, is a painful birthing moment. The integration of creation will be achieved and our glorious destiny fully revealed. But we need to continue to sow and nurture laboriously the seeds of God’s kingdom. Likewise, we need to promote the integrity of creation, care for the earth and be careful stewards of all God-given gifts and resources in the here and now.
The following newspaper article gives us a glimpse of how to promote the integration of creation and to make the living word of God fruitful through loving concern for others (cf. Tovin Lapan, “Organic Farm Gives Back, Aids Hundreds of Groups” in San Jose Mercury News, December 18, 2010, p. 2 of the SV Life: Home and Garden Section).
When UC Santa Cruz graduate Drew Goodman and his wife, Myra, took over a 2½ acre raspberry farm in Carmel Valley in 1984, they were too busy learning how to farm to think about ways of giving back to the community. “Once we got to the farm, we got a one-day tutorial from the owner, who was moving on, and we woke up the next morning as farmers”, Goodman says. “Other than knowing how to drive the tractor, we didn’t have any skills nor experience growing anything … We had to figure it out from scratch. You couldn’t just log on to Google and learn about growing organic raspberries.
Today, Earthbound Farm is the largest grower of organic produce in the United States, with 150 growers farming 35,000 acres, and the Goodmans have set up a variety of ways to give back to the community as the company has grown. In recognition of their charitable work, Earthbound Farm was named the Central Coast’s 2010 philanthropic organization of the year. The company supports a wide array of charities, including more than 350 non-profits a year, ranging from a monthly donation to an employee nominated charity. It has helped offset its carbon emissions by planting 50,000 trees with American Forests. Earthbound Farms sponsors student scholarships, including a graduate student fellowship in environmental studies at UC Santa Cruz.
“The business emerged with no concrete plan and no upfront capital”, Goodman says. “We wanted to pay employees as much as we could afford, and a lot of the philanthropy started out with offering the employee-influenced programs. We started out with scholarships for children of our employees, and then also scholarships for UCSC and CSUMB (Cal State Monterey Bay). Now we have the program where employees nominate a charity monthly, and a donation is made in their name to something they support.”
By growing organically, the farm avoids the use of more than 338,000 pounds of toxic pesticides and over 11.2 million pounds of synthetic fertilizers. In his book, “Omnivore’s Dilemma”, Michael Pollan said Earthbound Farm “arguably represents industrial organic farming at its best.”
Drew, who got a degree in environmental studies, and Myra, who studied political economy of industrial societies at UC Berkeley, both grew up in Manhattan. After some time with their hands in the soil cultivating raspberries, they decided to start growing salad greens. Every day they worked dusk to dawn on what, at first, was supposed to be a one-or-two-year venturous experiment. “We were growing great organic food outside of the house and we weren’t eating it ourselves. Our diet was frozen pizza or anything we could heat up after a long day of work”. Drew Goodman said. “Every Sunday we would harvest and wash greens so we could have salads for the whole week.”
They noticed how well the greens were keeping, which eventually led to selling pre-washed salad in a bag. Soon, the markets for organic produce and pre-prepared salad would take off, and Earthbound Farm grew as well.
The company kept an eye on sustainable practices the whole way, using recycled materials for packaging and converting to bio-diesel fuel in the majority of its farming machinery.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Are we thankful for the goodness and generosity of Jesus the Sower, who casts the seed of the Kingdom everywhere and brings the Good News to all? Do we truly believe in the inherent power of God’s Kingdom? Do we listen to Jesus’ parables with a receptive heart? Do we invest time and energy to internalize the message of the Kingdom parables and translate it into our lives?
2. Do we allow the word of God to carry out its life-giving action in us in the same way that the rain and snow from the heavens make the earth fertile and fruitful?
3. Do we cherish the first fruits of the Spirit and unite ourselves with the entire creation awaiting the revelation of the children of God? What do we do personally and as a community to promote the care of the earth and the integration of God’s creation?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
we thank you for the life-giving rain and snow that water the earth,
which is a symbol of your benevolence
and the efficacious power of your Word.
In sending us your Son Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word,
you have watered the created world with life and love
that it may be fruitful.
Enable us to be receptive to your Word
and make our hearts a “good soil”
that will allow the seed of the Word to be bountiful.
Grant that like St. Paul
we may gather the “first fruits of the Spirit” with joy
and allow them to transform our lives in Jesus Christ,
the divine Sower and the Seed of the Word of God sown.
We adore you and love;
we thank you 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 week. Please memorize it.
“A sower went out to sow … Some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.” (Mt 13:4, 8)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the AC
Pray for the apostolate of Christian preachers that they may sow the seed of the Word of God effectively and bring about a harvest of goodness and conversion. By your deep spirituality and sense of mission, especially to the poor and the needy, allow the seed of the Word of God to bear abundant fruits.
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July 17, 2023: MONDAY – WEEKDAY (15)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us the Way of Peace … He Was Persecuted”
BIBLE READINGS
Ex 1:8-14, 22 // Mt 10:34-11:1
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 10:34-11:1): “I have come to bring not peace, but the sword.”
I was in my third year of high school when I came across Leo Tolstoy’s novel, “War and Peace”. It was irresistible. I did not go to school for three days to read it from cover to cover. I love the works of Tolstoy. I am fascinated by this Russian “prophet”. I am awed by his commitment to Christ’s teaching on love, compassion and non-violence. Peter White’s article, “The World of Tolstoy”, in the June 1986 edition of the National Geographic (cf. p. 758-791) contains interesting insights which I share here.
Count Tolstoy was deeply inspired by Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, especially his moral exhortation, “Resist not evil” (cf. Mt 5:39), but instead, “Return good for evil”. This would be at the heart of Tolstoy’s doctrine on universal love, moral self-improvement and non-violence, as eventually expressed in his work, “The Kingdom of God Is Within You”. India’s Mahatma Gandhi was greatly influenced by Leo Tolstoy. He avowed that, when he read Tolstoy’s work, “The Kingdom of God Is Within You”, he was overwhelmed. Having exchanged correspondence with Tolstoy, Gandhi was cured of his skepticism and became a firm believer in ahimsa, nonviolence. Through Gandhi’s program of nonviolent struggle, India would later be free from British rule.
Leo Tolstoy, however, was a “sign of contradiction”. His radical view on non-violence was greatly opposed. While praising Tolstoy as a genius who drew incomparable pictures of Russian life and castigated social falsehood and hypocrisy, the communist leader Lenin considered his advocacy of nonresistance to evil as “crackpot preaching” and deplored his inability to understand the class struggle – that a better life could be achieved through the violent overthrow of capitalism by the proletariat.
In his novel, “Resurrection”, Tolstoy indicted the tsarist courts and prison system. The Russian Orthodox Church was angered by his comments in this book against the state religion. The Holy Synod declared Count Tolstoy a false prophet, accusing him of undermining the faith. He was excommunicated, but there was an outpouring of sympathy from other segments of Russian society.
Conscience-stricken and upset by the plight of the poor, Count Tolstoy opted for a simplified life and dedicated more greatly his literary pursuits to socio-religious themes. His wife Sonya did not share his zeal for reform and for his new lifestyle that was simple and austere – for example, making himself a brew of barley and acorns because coffee was a luxury! She was chagrined that he chose to work on pugnacious tracts that put people off, when he could be producing wonderful novels that would bring in lots of money. Tolstoy did not care about money, but she had to, otherwise what would become of their children? Unable to bear any longer the divisive and oppressive situation at home, and detesting the luxury found in his estate, Yasnaya Polyana, the 82-year-old Tolstoy, left home on November 10, 1910, accompanied only by his doctor. He fell ill on a southbound train and died at a stationmaster’s house on November 20, 1910. Indeed, Leo Tolstoy is a fascinating figure – a modern day example of a prophet of contradiction.
Today’s Gospel reading (Mt 10:34-11:1) presents the divisions that Jesus’ mission creates, even in families. His way catalyzes separations and provokes conflicts between those who have made a radical choice for him and those who have not. Jesus’ gift of peace comes from God. It is a result of his immersion into the bloodbath of paschal sacrifice and is therefore not a facile kind of peace. The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 6, explicate: “To welcome the peace of the kingdom which Jesus gives and which is only attained through the cross, places believers in a situation where they are sometimes set in conflict with others. For this peace rests on faith, the choice for Christ and the kingdom, which necessarily involves detachment from, if not rejection of, all that is opposed to Christ and the Gospel or that is incompatible with the choice one makes for it … Every human life is confronted, at some point or another, with choices that in some instances demand real heroism. The situation becomes particularly distressing when one finds oneself torn between faithfulness to God, faith, and the gospel, and on the other hand, to family, friends, and country.”
B. First Reading (Ex 1:8-14, 22): “Come, let us deal shrewdly with them to stop their increase.”
For the following three weeks the Old Testament reading is taken from the Book of Exodus. This is about the “exodus” or departure of the people of Israel from Egypt, where they have been slaves. God chooses Moses to lead his people from Egypt. Today’s reading (Ex 1:8-14, 22) tells us what brought about the misery experienced by the Israelites in Egypt. In the previous years, through the good graces earned by Joseph, the governor of Egypt, toward his father Jacob and the entire clan from the reigning Pharaoh, the Israelite nation had flourished in Egypt. The growth of the Israelites in Egypt, where they were once treated as special guests and bestowed special privileges by Joseph’s sympathetic Pharaoh-friend, fulfils the divine promise to the patriarchs to make of them a great nation. Many years later, a new king, who knows nothing about Joseph, comes to power in Egypt. The prolific Israelites seem a political threat to him and he tries to subjugate them through slave labor. But the cruel imposition of slave labor is not able to contain the population growth of the Israelites. The Pharaoh then resorts to infanticide. He orders his subjects to throw every newborn Hebrew boy into the Nile river, but to let the girls live. It is ironic that from “the river of death” will be drawn forth Moses, the Hebrew boy who will lead the Israelites through the Red Sea towards the Promised Land.
The population control that the Pharaoh uses in his attempt to subjugate and oppress the Israelites is a brutal tactic that modern people likewise employ. The following newspaper article illustrates the irony of it all (cf. Alive! March 2013, p.2).
Israel didn’t want black immigrants having babies: Israel has admitted that it has been injecting Ethiopian Jewish immigrants with a dangerous, long-lasting contraceptive without their consent. The practice is said to have been going on for years. Women in transit camps waiting to emigrate to Israel were told the injection was obligatory, or that it was simply for immunization, according to a report in Haaretz.
“We said we won’t have the shot”, one woman told the Israeli newspaper. “They told us, if you don’t, you won’t go to Israel. And also you won’t get aid or medical care.” The woman who left Ethiopia eight years ago added: “We were afraid. We didn’t have a choice. Without them and their aid we couldn’t leave there. So, we accepted the injection.”
The scandal was revealed by an investigative program on Israel Educational TV, and was at first denied by Israel’s Health Ministry. Journalist Hedva Eyal, who wrote the report, commented, “We believe it is a method of reducing the number of births in a community that is black and mostly poor.”
Since the story broke, the Health Ministry has ordered an end to the injections. Doctors have been told “not to renew prescriptions for Depo-Provera for women of Ethiopian origin if there is concern that they might not understand the ramifications of the treatment.” A civil rights activist noted that “findings from investigations into Depo-Provera are extremely worrisome, raising concerns of harmful health policies, with racist implications.” Numerous studies have linked the controversial drug with osteoporosis, increased risk of blood clots, breast cancer, cervical cancer and heart disease. Pushed by Western agencies, it also causes abortions by preventing implantation of the newly-conceived human being in the womb.
According to a LifeSiteNews.com report, Israeli schools have, in recent years, refused to enroll Ethiopian children, and the government has engaged in mass deportations of African immigrants.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Why does the peace that Jesus brings lead to division? Do we welcome the peace of Christ and his example of total commitment to the kingdom? Are we willing to embrace the detachment, renunciation and opposition that the peace of Christ entails? Are we willing to be fully united with Christ and become, in him, a “sword of division” in today’s world?
2. How do the cruel decisions of the Egyptian Pharaoh to subjugate the Israelites impact us? What do we do when civil authorities impose policies that are contrary to the right to life and the dignity of the human person?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus Christ,
you said to your apostles:
“I leave you peace, my peace I give you.”
Look not on our sins,
but on the faith of your Church,
and grant us the peace and unity of your kingdom.
Jesus, sword of division,
you take away the sins of the world:
have mercy on us.
Make us walk in the ways of peace
and help us to worship in spirit and in truth.
We love and praise you, now and forever.
Amen.
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All-powerful God,
you are the author of life and the defender of life.
The destiny of the Israelite nation is in your hands.
We too are in your hands.
Protect us from those who violate the sanctity of life.
Give us the wisdom and strength
to promote the right to life
and the dignity of every person
created lovingly in your image.
Bless us and grant us the gift of eternal life.
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.
“I have come to bring not peace but the sword.” (Mt 10:34) //“Look how numerous and powerful the people of the children of Israel are growing.” (Ex 1:9)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
While avoiding facile compromises and easy tradeoffs, endeavor to bring the peace of Christ to a distressing situation that needs healing and reconciliation. Be courageous to be a “sword of contradiction” when the situation calls for it. // By word and action, promote the Church’s social teaching on the right to life and the dignity of a human person.
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July 18, 2023: TUESDAY – WEEKDAY (15); SAINT CAMILLUS DE LILLIS, Priest (USA)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Reproaches Them for Their Unbelief … He Cares for His People”
BIBLE READINGS
Ex 2:1-15a // Mt 11:20-24
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 11:20-24): “It will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon and for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”
Today’s Gospel (Mt 11:20-24) teaches us that repentance is a key dimension of Christian discipleship. Those who hear Jesus’ words and witness his mighty deeds, but do not repent, will suffer the same fate as those of Tyre, Sidon and Sodom, the epitome of lack of repentance. The mission of Jesus in Galilee produces only a few disciples. Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum are recipients of his teachings and miracles. But there are those unmoved by his proclamation. Those with hardened hearts refuse to respond to the miracles that reveal his tender solicitude and compassion. Like the inhabitants of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum, we are free to make choices and respond to God’s word. But we are ultimately responsible for what we are: our sins, failures, shortcomings, imperfections, the dismal acts that precipitate us to destruction. Jesus calls us to conversion. We must open up to the grace of repentance. Those who have been gifted with much have greater liability and accountability on judgment day.
The words of Mother Teresa contain a tinge of reproach for those who have received much spiritual enlightenment, but fail to respond fully to the gift (cf. Mother Teresa: Her Essential Wisdom, ed. Carol Kelly-Gangi, New York: Barnes and Noble, 2006, p. 117-118).
How is it that nowadays, all over the world, so many priests and nuns abandon their calling? Did they not commit themselves to follow him after long and mature reflection? How then can a nun pronounce perpetual vows, and some years later give up the religious life? Are married people not bound to remain faithful to each other until death? Then, why should the same rule not apply to priests and nuns?
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Many congregations have discarded this vow of obedience. They don’t have superiors anymore. Each member makes her own decisions. They have discarded obedience completely. Do you know what has happened because of that? In the United States alone fifty thousand nuns have left the religious life. The destruction of religious life comes mainly from the lack of obedience. Sheer negligence destroys religious life completely.
B. First Reading (Ex 2:1-15a): “She called him Moses for she said, ‘I drew him out of the water’. After Moses had grown up, he visited his people.”
Today’s Old Testament reading (Ex 2:1-15a) underlines God’s providential care for the future Exodus leader, who was rescued from the Nile River by Pharaoh’s daughter. She adopts him as her own son and calls him Moses because, according to her, “I drew him out of the water.” The boy’s name “Moses” (based on the Hebrew root “msh” meaning “to draw up”) is related to the word “Hebrew”, which means “the people from across the river”. Although brought up in the Egyptian royal society, his heart belongs to his people, the Hebrews. After Moses has grown up, he visits his people one day and sees how they are oppressed with hard labor. Feeling an affinity for his people, Moses takes vengeance against an Egyptian who kills a Hebrew. Unfortunately, his defense of the oppressed is misconstrued and would be wrongly used to reject his peace-making effort involving two Hebrews. The culprit resists him with the accusation: “Who has appointed you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” When the Pharaoh hears of the affair, he seeks to put Moses to death. Moses flees to the land of Midian, a desert area in the Sinai Peninsula where a kindred Semitic tribe welcomes him.
The sympathy and concern of Moses for his own people prefigures the ultimate love and saving intervention of Jesus Christ, who visits and dwells among us, his own people. The following story will help us appreciate what it means to have concern for one’s own people (cf. “Missionary Sister, 52, uses unusual background to help the Poorest of the Poor in Haiti” in Our Sunday Visitor, December 2, 2012, p. 6).
Sr. Irene Clare Duval knew she wanted to be a nun since she was 8 years old, but it wasn’t until she was 48 that she joined the Missionaries of the Poor Sisters. During the four decades in between she served in the U.S. military, went to college and worked for the New York City police department as a drug chemist.
Though she still isn’t sure why God told her to wait so long, she knows now that the things she learned while she was waiting help her serve the poor in Haiti better. “I could ask why for the rest of my life”, says Sr. Irene in something between a Haitian and Brooklyn accent. “But the way I see it, God’s timing is perfect and he had me go through what I have for a reason. Besides, I figure I’ll live until about 112, so I have lots more life to give to God”, the 52-year-old says with a broad smile.
Sr. Irene is known now as the dynamic Catholic sister who transformed the lives of hundreds of families in Viloux, a small, remote village in the mountains of southern Haiti. She began important social programs where none existed.
Sr. Irene was born in Haiti but moved with her family to New York when she was in sixth grade. In Haiti she had always attended Catholic school – where she first realized she wanted to be a nun – but in New York her parents could only afford to send her and her siblings to public school. “I used to get beat up every day at school because I looked and talked different from everyone in my class”, Sr. Irene says. “I quickly learned how to deal with bullies – a skill that still serves me well today.”
After graduating high school, she considered joining a convent, but she was shy and says “it just didn’t feel like the right time”. Instead she joined the U.S. army reserves and went to Prait University in Brooklyn to study chemical engineering. After graduating, she made a pact with God, promising to join an order and help the poor after she paid off her student loans – a task that took more than 15 years. In the meantime, she worked for the City of New York’s Department of Environmental Protection and then for the New York Police Department’s drug testing lab.
“My classmates and coworkers always used to ask why I’d want to give up my great job and become a nun. They asked how I’d have money to live,” Sr. Irene recalls. I just smiled and told them that I had the ultimate sugar daddy – Jesus.”
Finally at age 48, Sr. Irene joined the Missionaries of the Poor Sisters. Just two years later she was sent to Haiti to begin the outreach work she had promised God she would do. And she kept her promise in a big way. She started a school feeding program that provides meals to 121 children, most of whom were going days without food before she arrived. She opened up the local government school to more children by hiring additional teachers and launched a dispensary, doling out medicine and care to families who had nowhere to turn when they got sick. (…)
“Everything I’ve done in my life has come into play in my mission. I’m not working as an engineer, but it’s like my studies – it all comes into play”, Sr. Irene says. “People are always coming to me with some need. I’m able to help because of the varied experiences I’ve had. I think that was God’s plan.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we respond fully to the grace of God in our lives? Are there times when we are unrepentant and unresponsive to the word of God and his miracles in our life?
2. Do we feel a deep affinity with God’s people and are we willing to defend the oppressed? Do we look upon Moses as a model to imitate?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Jesus,
our disobedient hearts merit your reproach.
Forgive our wicked ways.
Help us to be receptive to your grace
so that we may rejoice in your benediction.
Teach us to be responsible in making life choices
that we may no longer deserve your just reproach.
Give us the grace to be firm in faith.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
God our Father,
you surround Moses with care and protection.
You guided Pharaoh’s daughter
to draw him out of the water and save him.
The young man, Moses, visits his own people
and sees them subjected to oppression.
On account of the Hebrews,
Moses suffers persecution.
Grant us the grace to imitate Moses
in his care for the suffering and the oppressed.
We 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.
“Jesus began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, since they had not repented.” (Mt 11:20) //“Moses visited his kinsmen and witnessed their forced labor.” (Ex 2:11)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Spend quiet moments with the Scriptures and/or the Blessed Sacrament. Examine your conscience and see what in your life deserves Jesus’ just reproach. // In words and in deeds, do what you can to alleviate the suffering of God’s chosen people today.
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July 19, 2023: WEDNESDAY – WEEKDAY (15)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Comes for the Little Ones … He Is God’s Burning Bush”
BIBLE READINGS
Ex 3:1-6, 9-12 // Mt 11:25-27
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 11:25-27): “Although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.”
Today’s Gospel reading (Mt 11:25-27) reinforces the truth that the meek and humble Messiah comes for the “little ones”. Jesus Christ, who exemplifies the anawim, or the lowly ones of God, invites us to assume his basic stance as the meek Servant-Son of Yahweh. He exhorts us to participate in his intimate and loving relationship with God the Father. Those who are childlike and trusting, like Jesus, become the recipients of divine revelation. They are able to relish deeper intimacy with God. Indeed, Christ’s saving message about the Father, the Lord of heaven and earth, could only be grasped by “the childlike” and not by “the wise and the learned”. In order to receive fully the refreshing peace and the restoration of soul that Jesus brings, we need to follow him who is the Servant-Son. We need to learn from him the humble ways of the anawim and the “little ones”. Jesus Christ teaches us how to be receptive to grace and submit to the benevolent plan of God. Through his compassionate ministry we are filled with divine wisdom and experience the joy of being God’s children.
The following story illustrates that the grace of God and his benevolent hand surround the “little ones” (cf. “An Extraordinary Daughter” by Mary Kay Kusner in St. Anthony Messenger, January 2008, p. 23-26).
I knew that something was wrong when I first laid eyes on my newborn daughter. Anna’s tiny forehead looked misshapen, and she was listless. As I held her and scanned her with my eyes, I noticed that her skin looked ashen. Minutes later, she was taken from me, rushed to the intensive care unit and put on a breathing machine. Within four days, the genetic tests were back: Anna had a chromosome abnormality … The doctors weren’t sure what this meant for Anna’s development but told us not to expect much. They predicted her I.Q. would be low – between 30 and 70. I was devastated. God had betrayed me. How could I ever believe again? Through all the sleepless nights and tears, I questioned: “Why? Why would God have kept nudging me to have a disabled child?” It made no sense. Just when I thought I had my life back under control, the rug was pulled out. I felt like a fool. All my life, I had been faithful, trusting. I thought Anna would be an answer to my prayer. Now none of that mattered. (…)
When Anna was about six weeks old, a strange incident occurred. She was lying on her back on our bed while I gently massaged her after her bath. Suddenly, I felt as if we were not alone. Anna looked past me, over my shoulder, to Someone who clearly adored her. My daughter smiled and I became almost bashful in the face of such love. I couldn’t see anything but felt the presence melt through me as I realized that Anna was seeing more than I did, that she was inviting me to see more too. After about a minute, the presence left and Anna looked right at me as if to say, “Why do you doubt, Mom?” I promised her to try to be more open after that.
Our boys adored their new sister from the start. They loved to make her laugh. David taught her how to burp and Jon wrestled with her on the floor. Matthew insisted that I never cut her curly hair. They didn’t notice her differences. When others stared at Anna, the boys got annoyed. “How do they know she’s different?” they asked me. Even though her eyes bulge and her forehead is flat, they don’t see it themselves. But I did. I was painfully aware of how different Anna looked. Sometimes I was embarrassed to take her out in public. Once, while riding in the van with the boys, I said out loud, “I wonder why God made Anna like she is.” After a few moments of silence, Matthew, who was almost 11, said, “Well, Mom, if God didn’t make her like she is, then she wouldn’t be Anna.” It took my breath away. “You’re right,” I said. “Thank you, Matthew.” It was a lesson of faith that made me begin to think twice. I loved Anna, but not as freely as a mom should. My boys were teaching me how unconditional love can be. (…)
One day at church, the fuller meaning of Anna finally hit home. Lorraine, a longtime friend, spotted us and waved from her pew. Anna, who was almost three, waved back, and I saw Lorraine laugh. When church ended, we were walking down the aisle toward the door. Lorraine was making her way toward us. “Hi, Anna, I saw you waved at me,” she said to Anna. Anna smiled and said, “Hi. Hi,” over and over. Then Lorraine looked at me and said with such directness, “Thank you for having Anna for all the rest of us.” Her comment brought tears to my eyes. I realized that Anna is a gift to others. She is her own person with her own worth, her own way of contributing to the world … Anna had taught me to be more open, to allow life to become what it can be, not to force it to be what I think it should be.
B. First Reading (Ex 3:1-6, 9-12): “The angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in the burning bush.”
Today’s Old Testament reading (Ex 3:1-6, 9-12) is about Moses’ experience of the “burning bush”. While tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, the fugitive Egyptian-bred Moses, who has found a refuge among a Semitic tribe in the land of Midian and has married Zipporah, encounters a strange phenomenon: a “burning bush” that is never consumed. In this awesome “theophany” on Mount Sinai or Mount Horeb, God reveals himself to Moses as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God likewise manifests to him his firm resolve to deliver the Israelites from their oppressors. Moreover, the divine plan is revealed to make Moses the instrument of deliverance. Moses is deeply overwhelmed, but the loving God says to him: “I shall be with you.” The Lord God assures Moses of his presence and the grace he needs to carry out a mission that is beyond his natural powers.
Jesus Christ is God’s “burning bush” in that in his Son the divine nature as compassionate love is fully revealed to us. In Jesus and in the events of our daily life God continues to reveal himself to us. We too like Moses continue to experience the “burning bush” phenomenon, but we need to be sensitive to the revelation of divine grace. The following account gives an insight into this (cf. Elizabeth Sherill, “Beauty” in Daily Guideposts 2010, p. 238).
The bedroom windows here face east. Through them come the sound of the surf, the salt air of the sea and, of course, around 5:00 AM, the light of the rising sun. Usually I groan and reach for my eye mask.
Today, though, a Carolina wren sang so urgently somewhere nearby that I threw off the covers, dressed and headed down the road to my favorite vantage point at the water’s edge.
On the dunes the rugosa roses were in bloom. I caught their fragrance before I saw them – white, pink, maroon. The tide was ebbing, leaving behind a carpet of glistening stones. I sat on a flat-topped rock and watched the incoming waves rise, curl, spill over. For an instant, as each wave crested, the early sun shining through it turned it translucent emerald green.
Beauty – the sheer, extravagant beauty of God’s creation is what the ocean is calling me to see today. Tomorrow we have to leave this house by the shore, and I’ve wondered how I can bear to say good-bye to the salt air and blue water. The ocean is speaking to me about just that. Open your eyes! it says. See the beauty of a raindrop as well as the beauty of a wave, a chipmunk as well as a whale, the potted plant in your kitchen as well as a wild dune rose. You’ve learned to look keenly here by the sea; look as keenly back home.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we trust in Jesus as the true revelation of the Father? Are we the “little ones” who are willing to savor the rich and life-giving revelation of Jesus?
2. Did we ever experience a “burning bush” divine manifestation in our life? What is our response to it?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
you reveal your great love for Jesus, the anawim
and the other “little ones”
who are meek and humble.
In your Servant-Son,
teach us the way of “littleness”
and complete surrender to your saving will.
Help us to be humble instruments of your saving plan.
We praise and bless you, now and forever.
Amen.
***
Almighty God,
you revealed yourself to Moses in the “burning bush” on Mount Sinai
as the faithful and benevolent God of the patriarchs.
And you reveal yourself radically to us
through your Son Jesus Christ,
the ultimate “burning bush” experience of our life.
Moreover, you continue to manifest your beauty and grace
in every aspect of our life.
Help us to be sensitive
to the light of truth and your saving grace.
Give us the eyes to see the wonders of creation
and the marvels of your love.
We bless and thank you.
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.
“You have revealed them to the childlike.” (Mt 11:25) //“God called out to him from the bush.” (Ex 3:4)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray meditatively the thanksgiving prayer of Jesus to the Father and make it your own. Alleviate the suffering of a person who is deeply afflicted and ease the burden of the poor and destitute in the local and world community. // Today be sensitive to the divine manifestation in your life and welcome this “burning bush” experience with joy.
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July 20, 2013: THURSDAY – WEEKDAY (15); SAINTAPPOLINARIS, Bishop, Martyr
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Comes for the Weary and Heavily Burdened … He Is the Ultimate Moses”
BIBLE READINGS
Ex 3:13-20 // Mt 11:28-30
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 11:28-30): “I am meek and humble of heart.”
In today’s Gospel (Mt 11:28-30) we hear that Jesus is meek and humble of heart. He fulfills the Father’s saving plan by “humbly” and “meekly” undergoing the paschal mystery of his passion and death and glorious resurrection. By his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, as the meek and humble Messiah, Jesus inaugurates God’s kingdom of justice and peace. He offers to all – especially to the poor and the lowly - the radical salvation he merited on the cross. Jesus, who comes for the “little ones” to reveal the truth about the compassionate Father, also comes to refresh the labor-weary and heavily burdened. “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” is his compassionate cry. To turn to him is true consolation. Jesus assures us that his “yoke” is easy and his “burden” light. The “yoke” of love that he puts upon our obedient heart becomes “easy”. He gives us the grace and strength to bear it. The “burden” that faithful Christian discipleship entails becomes “light”. He fills us with the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit to follow him through the way of the cross to eternal glory.
When my father was diagnosed with terminal cancer when I was a teenager, my mother responded fully to Jesus’ invitation, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest”. She turned to Jesus in trusting prayer. Her favorite praying stance was kneeling - arms outstretched in the form of a cross. Her eyes were closed to focus more intently on Christ crucified. In Jesus, meek and humble of heart, she found solace and strength to cope with life’s trials. My father eventually recovered and lived thirty more years.
In the Prayer Notes series published by the Abbey Press (St. Meinrad, Indiana), Joel Schorn has an article entitled “Comforting Prayers for Times of Pain and Suffering”. He writes: “For Christians, the life, death and resurrection of Jesus testify to the fact that God knows your pain and suffering and promises you relief from your fears.” From the Book of Common Prayer (1979), he cites the following comforting prayer.
Lord Jesus Christ, by your patience in suffering you hallowed earthly pain and gave us the example of obedience to your Father’s will. Be near me in my time of weakness and pain. Sustain me by your grace that my strength and courage may not fail. Heal me according to your will. And help me always to believe that what happens to me here is of little account if you hold me in eternal life, my Lord and my God. Amen.
B. First Reading (Ex 3:13-20): “I AM WHO AM. I AM has sent me to you.”
Today’s Old Testament reading (Ex 3:13-20) continues to depict Moses’ experience of theophany at Mount Sinai. God reveals his name to Moses as “I AM WHO AM”. God’s name means “He causes to be what comes into existence”. Moreover, “I AM” sounds like the Hebrew name “YAHWEH”. It is a name that is not properly a name and thus affirms God’s transcendent otherness. Nonetheless, by revealing himself to Moses as “Yahweh”, God manifests a desire to enter into an intimate and personal relationship with his creature. It implies that God is always there for us and is deeply involved and actively present in our life. Indeed, Yahweh is deeply committed to act on behalf of his people. Hence, after revealing his name, God elaborates the mission of his newly chosen instrument. He chooses Moses to be his prophet and liberator. Moses is the one who will speak on God’s behalf to the people of Israel and the one who will lead the Israelites out of the misery in Egypt into the Promised Land, “a land flowing with milk and honey”. The invitation that God extends to the Israelites through Moses is a promise of rest – of deliverance from oppression and fruitless toil. To Moses’ doubt about his reception among the people and his fear of the Pharaoh’s violent resistance, the Lord God gives an assurance of divine protection and a promise of divine marvels.
Jesus Christ is the ultimate Moses – the “I AM” has sent him to us. Like Moses and Jesus Christ, the “I AM” has also sent us to do our part in the divine saving plan. The following story gives us a glimpse into our mission as human agents of the liberating and healing God (cf. Marion Bond West, “December 15 Reflection” in GUIDEPOSTS 2010, p. 392).
I didn’t want my son Jeremy to lose one inch of hard-gained ground. A recovering addict who struggles with bipolar disorder, he’s come so far in the last year. But when he received a much-needed hip replacement, he couldn’t attend his daily AA meetings.
Then one dreary December day, the mail brought a small, heavy package from Texas. Someone named Betty wrote, “Marion, I’ve been praying for Jeremy daily. I’m sending him a few of the smooth stones I’ve been painting and giving away.”
At the hospital Jeremy lit up like a Christmas tree when I put the stones on his bed. Betty had neatly printed a slogan on each stone, familiar messages from AA and Celebrate Recovery, like “One day at a time” and “Let go and let God”.
After Jeremy wrote to Betty to thank her, she sent him another heavy box. The accompanying note said, “Jeremy, this time I’m sending blank stones with paints and brushes. You paint them, okay?”
When Jeremy returned to his meetings, he brought stones with encouraging phrases he’d painted on them and handed them out to his buddies. “You should have seen how excited the guys were to get the stones, Mom. I’m going to paint some more.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we give heed to Jesus’ invitation: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest”? Are we ready to take up the yoke of the Father’s saving will and learn from him, who is “meek and humble of heart”? Do we relish and look forward to the gentle promise: “you will find rest for yourselves”?
2. What is our response to the divine revelation “I AM WHO AM”? What is our response to his commission “I am sending you …”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Jesus Lord, meek and humble of heart,
we turn to you with trusting hearts.
We bring to you the world’s afflictions.
Restore our weary souls.
Raise us up from the grave of sin and despair.
My Lord and my God,
you love us beyond death.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
Lord God,
you reveal to us the meaning of your name
as a creative and saving presence.
How wonderful are you and great is your name!
We love and praise you.
Like Moses and your beloved Son Jesus,
you are sending us to the world of today
as human agents of your liberating power and healing love.
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.
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Mt 11:28) //“I AM sent me to you.” (Ex 3:14)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
That we may appreciate more deeply the promise of comfort of Jesus, the meek and humble of heart, make an effort to spend some moments of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. // Be sensitive to the people around you who are in distress and are in need. See how you can bring the saving presence of God into their life so that you may be able to say: “I AM has sent me to you.”
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July 21, 2023: FRIDAY – WEEKDAY (15); SAINT LAWRENCE OF BRINDISI, Priest, Doctor of the Church
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is Lord of the Sabbath … He Is Our Passover”
BIBLE READINGS
Ex 11:10-12:14 // Mt 12:1-8
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 12:1-8): “The son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath.”
The Gospel (Mt 12:1-8) tells us that seeing Jesus’ disciples plucking heads of grain on a Sabbath and eating them, the Pharisees raise the issue of lack of Sabbath observance. According to them, the disciples are harvesting on a holy day and transgressing the law of Sabbath rest. Jesus’ defence of the disciples manifests his compassionate stance. For him, human need takes precedence over the law. People are more important than rigid legal observance. In a case of proportionate necessity, positive law may be rightly dispensed with. The Pharisees have wrongly hedged the Sabbath law with unnecessary prohibitions. Those who have God’s law in their hearts know how to act with compassion, even on the Sabbath. Jesus is the supreme interpreter of the Law and he does so in humanitarian terms. As Lord of the Sabbath, he calls for steadfast love rather than ritualism or false sacrifice.
An ex-seminarian committed suicide by hanging himself in the shower room using a bandanna. The parish priest denied him a Christian burial. He belongs to an old tradition that interprets rigidly the canon law concerning “those to whom ecclesiastical funeral rites are to be granted or to be denied”. A priest from the seminary, together with a group of seminarians, went to visit the grieving family and celebrated the Funeral Mass before the coffin of the deceased. He did so in the compassionate spirit of Jesus, Lord of the Sabbath.
B. First Reading (Ex 11:10-12:14): “It shall be slaughtered during the evening twilight. Seeing the blood I will pass over you.”
Today’s Old Testament reading (Ex 11:10-12:14) depicts the rite of Jewish Passover. What is ritually commemorated is the Lord’s Passover, that is, the saving event when his angel of destruction “passes over” the Israelite households whose doorposts and lintels have been marked by the blood of the sacrificial lamb. When the Lord goes through Egypt to kill the first-born of the Egyptians in the last and final plague, he prevents the angel of death from entering the Israelite households. God commands the Israelites to celebrate this experience of salvation through a religious festival to remind them of what the Lord has done for them. God enjoins them to celebrate it for all time to come.
The following story gives us an insight into what a “memorial of salvation” means (cf. Cookie Curci, “The Secret of Grandma’s Sugar Crock” in Chicken Soup for the Soul, ed. Jack Canfield, et. al., Cos Cob: CSS, 2008, p. 190-193).
During World War II, a government-issued flag, imprinted with five blue stars, hung in the front window of my grandparents’ old farmhouse. It meant five of their sons were off fighting in the war. (…)
As darkness fell on the ranch, we’d all gather together on the cool, quiet veranda of the front porch, Grandpa would settle comfortably into his rocker, under the dim glow of a flickering moth-covered light bulb, and there he’d read the latest war news in his newspaper, trying to track the whereabouts if his five young sons.
Grandma always sat nearby on the porch swing, swaying back and forth and saying her perpetual rosary. The quiet squeak of Grandma’s swing and the low mumbling of her prayers could be heard long into the night. The stillness of the quiet ranch painfully reflected the absence of the five robust young men. This was the hardest part of the day for Grandma; the silence of the empty house was a painful reminder that her sons were far, far away, fighting for her country.
On Sunday morning, Grandma was back out on the porch again, repeating her rosary before going into the kitchen to start cooking. Then she and Grandpa sat at the kitchen table, counting out ration slips for the week ahead and what little cash there was to pay the bills. Once they were finished, Grandma always took a portion of her money and put it in the sugar crock, placing it high on the kitchen shelf. I often asked her what the money in the jar was for. She would simply say, “A very special favor.”
Well, the war finally ended, and all five of Grandma’s sons came home, remarkably safe and sound. After a while, Grandma and Grandpa retired, and the family farm became part of a modern expressway.
I never did find out what the money in the sugar crock was for until a week or so before last Christmas. Completely on impulse, perhaps feeling the wonder of the Christmas season and the need to connect with its spiritual significance, I stopped at a little church I just happened to be driving past. I’d never been inside before, and as I entered the church through the side door, I was stunned to come face-to-face with the most glorious stained-glass window I’d ever seen.
I stopped to examine the intricate beauty of the window more closely. The magnificent stained glass depicted the Holy Mother and child. Like an exquisite jewel, it reflected the glory of the very first Christmas. As I studied every detail of its fine workmanship, I found, to my utter amazement, a small plague at the base of the window that read, “For a favor received – donated in 1945 by Maria Carmela Curci-Dinapoli.” I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was reading Grandma’s very words! Every day that Grandma had said her prayers for her soldier-sons, she’d also put whatever money she could scrape together into her sacred sugar crock to pay for the window.
Her quiet donation of this window had been her way of saying thank you to God for sparing the lives of her beloved five sons. The original church in which the window was placed had long ago been torn down. Through the generations, the family had lost track of its existence. Finding this window at Christmastime, more than half a century later, not only brought back a flood of previous memories, but also made me a believer in small but beautiful miracles.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. What is our attitude in regard to the law? Do we try to live by the letter of the law or by its spirit? Do we follow the compassionate stance of the Lord of the Sabbath? Do we allow the spirit of love to permeate our legal and religious observance?
2. Do we appreciate the importance of rituals and memorial celebrations? What do we do to keep alive the saving events we have experienced in our life?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
O merciful Jesus,
you are Lord of the Sabbath.
Your compassionate ways and fidelity
inspire us to live by the divine law.
Deliver us from false piety
and teach us to walk by your ways.
You, likewise, are the font of healing.
Free us from our infirmities
and restore us to good health.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
O loving God,
how wonderful are your works!
Israel’s experience of Passover in Egypt
is a saving event that prefigures Christ’s Passover
from death to life.
Help us be thankful and grateful.
Help us to celebrate fittingly your might deeds
and be faithful to you always.
We adore and bless 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.
“For the Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath.” (Mt 12:1-8) //“This day shall be a memorial feast for you.” (Ex 12:14
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Reflect on the meaning of law in the Church. Try to perceive its significance and abide by the spirit of the law, and not by the letter. // Resolve to participate in the Mass with greater consciousness and appreciation of it as a memorial of Christ’s Passover.
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July 22, 2023: SATURDAY – SAINT MARY MAGDALENE
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Makes Us Messengers of His Resurrection”
BIBLE READINGS
Sg 3:1-4a or 2 Cor 5:14-17 // Jn 20:1-2, 11-18
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene. The Gospel reading (Jn 20:1-2, 11-18) presents her as the first witness of the resurrection and as the first one commissioned by Jesus to proclaim the Easter message to his disciples. Mary Magdalene, who ministered to Jesus in his public ministry and stood by him at his crucifixion, is now depicted as weeping by the tomb and seeking for the dead body of Jesus whom she thought had been taken away. She fails to recognize the Risen Lord who appears to her, but like one of his sheep, she recognizes him when she hears him calling her name. Mary clings to him, but Jesus makes her understand that he must not be hindered from completing the full extent of his glorification. The Risen Lord assures her that from now on he and his disciples are inseparable. Through his glorification, they have become children of the one Father and God, begotten by his own blood, shed on the cross. Jesus commissions her to bear the good news of the Easter event – though she is a woman. Mary Magdalene, therefore, has the honor of being the “apostle to the apostles”.
In his apostolic letter, Mulieris Dignitatem (“On the Dignity and Vocation of Women”), Saint John Paul II wrote: “The Gospel of John also emphasizes the special role of Mary Magdalene. She is the first to meet the Risen Christ … Hence she came to be called the apostle to the apostles. Mary Magdalene was the first eyewitness of the Risen Christ and for this reason she was also the first to bear witness to him before the apostles. This event, in a sense, crowns all that has been said previously about Christ entrusting divine truths to women as well as men.” Indeed, Mary Magdalene becomes a significant part of the “new creation” that springs forth in the Easter morn. The glorification of Christ ushers in a “Christological creation” in which there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, between slaves and free men, between men and women (cf. Gal 3:28).
Tradition and fancy have developed regarding the ministry of Mary Magdalene, a privileged witness of Christ’s resurrection. The following Wikipedia article, circulated on the Internet, gives an example.
For centuries, it has been the custom of many Christians to share dyed and painted eggs, particularly on Easter Sunday, to represent new life, and Christ bursting forth from the tomb. Among Easter Orthodox Christians this sharing is accompanied by the proclamation "Christ is risen!”
One tradition concerning Mary Magdalene says that, following the death and resurrection of Jesus, she used her position to gain an invitation to a banquet given by the Roman Emperor Tiberius. When she met him, she held a plain egg in her hand and exclaimed, "Christ is risen!" The Emperor laughed, and said that Christ rising from the dead was as likely as the egg in her hand turning red while she held it. Before he finished speaking, the egg in her hand turned a bright red, and she continued proclaiming the Gospel to the entire imperial house.c
Another version of this story can be found in popular belief, mostly in Greece. It is believed that after the Crucifixion, Mary Magdalene and the Virgin Mary put a basket full of eggs at the foot of the cross. There, the eggs were painted red by the blood of the Christ. Then, Mary Magdalene brought them to Tiberius Caesar.
The First Reading proposed for the Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene (Sg 3:1-4a or 2 Cor 5:14-17) underlines the poignant love of Mary Magdalene for the Lord Jesus. Like the bride seeking for her lost lover as portrayed in the Song of Songs, Mary Magdalene, on the Easter morn, is depicted as passionately seeking “the one whom her heart loves”, that is, the Lord Jesus. And like Saint Paul in 2 Cor 5:14-17, Mary Magdalene can truly proclaim that it is the love of Christ that counts. What an inspiring thought to enkindle our love for Jesus, who has loved us to the end and has risen to life to lead us to God’s kingdom of love, justice and peace!
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Like Mary Magdalene are we willing to stand by the cross of Christ and at the tomb of his resurrection? Are we willing to proclaim the joyful news of his resurrection?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
(Cf. Opening Prayer, Mass: Memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene)
Father,
your Son first entrusted to Mary Magdalene
the joyful news of his resurrection.
By her prayers and example
may we proclaim Christ as our living Lord
and one day see him in glory,
for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, 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.
“Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’.” (Jn 20:18)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Make an effort to bring God’s forgiving love and the good news of Christ’s resurrection to them.
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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