A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 21, n. 35)
Week 16 in Ordinary Time: July 23-29, 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 16-22, 2023 please go to ARCHIVES Series 21 and click on “Ordinary Week 15”.
Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY:
July 23-29, 2023.)
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July 23, 2023: SIXTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
WORLD DAY FOR GRANDPARENTS AND THE ELDERLY
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Sows the Good Seed of the Kingdom”
BIBLE READINGS
Wis 12:13, 16-19 // Rom 8:26-27 // Mt 13:24-43
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 13:24-43): “Let them grow together until harvest.”
The Gospel reading (Mt 13:24-43) contains three parables of the Kingdom: the parable of the weeds among the wheat (v. 24-30), the parable of the mustard seed (v. 31-32), and the parable of the leaven (v. 33). In using these parables, Jesus continues to reveal God’s ineffable ways and the astounding quality of the Kingdom of heaven, thus fulfilling the words of the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables. I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation of the world” (Mt 13:35, cf. Ps 78:2).
The parable of the weeds among the wheat is an agricultural image used by Jesus to explain the lack of universal acceptance of his preaching and to suggest to his disciples the proper attitude concerning the people’s mixed reception to his saving ministry. Jesus’ parable also sheds light on the mystery of good and evil in the world and in the Church of all times. Moreover, it gives an insight into the perplexing human question that is born from despair and frustration: “Has Christianity failed?”
The biblical scholar, Eugene Maly comments: “When we realize that it was almost two thousand years ago that Jesus Christ, through his death and resurrection, redeemed the world, we might wonder what the redemption meant. War, crime, poverty, disease, and disasters continue to plague the human race. Where is the Kingdom of God that Jesus preached? Many responses have been offered. Perhaps the most quoted is that of G.K Chesterton, who said that Christianity has not failed; it just has never been tried. He meant that if enough people lived the Gospel message in its fullness, the difference would be for all to see … Still others say that no matter how powerful, how revolutionary, how radical the message of Christianity is, it will never force the human heart. God wants freedom above all, and that means freedom even to reject his greatest offer of freedom, the freedom of the children of God. If everyone were forced by God’s grace to be another Mother Teresa of Calcutta, there would soon be no one to whom a free and authentic Mother Teresa could minister. The Gospel reading also tells us something about the question … The Kingdom works in a mysterious way, in a way that the human mind cannot comprehend.”
The parable of the weeds among the wheat exhibits a more interesting nuance seen in the light of the parable of the mustard seed and the parable of the leaven, which depict the dynamic energy of the Kingdom and point to its grandiose fulfillment. Daniel Harrington underlines the Christ-centered aspect of the Reign of God: “The activity of God in the ministry of Jesus seems as a small mustard seed or as a little yeast, but its result in the fullness of God’s rule will be very great. These comparisons suggest that in Jesus’ preaching, the Kingdom already has a present dimension and that the process moving toward its fullness has in some way been inaugurated.”
The conclusion of today’s Gospel reading has an eschatological perspective. To the disciples’ request for an explanation of the parable of the weeds among the wheat, Jesus responds with a catalogue of equivalences that serves to decode the parable. Jesus then shifts the focus from patient tolerance in the present situation of good and evil to the spectacular event of the “final” harvest. Indeed, the Kingdom of God that has been sown and has worked as a good leaven to bring about the people’s transformation entails “judgment”, which cannot be ignored. The compassionate God who tolerates the presence of the weeds in his field will sift the evil ones from the good in the day of the final reaping and eternal judgment.
The personal reflection on today’s Gospel by Leland Ronquillo, a Pauline Cooperator – Friend of the Divine Master, is insightful.
Every day we are thrust into temptations. Sometimes, it is difficult to see evil because it can present itself in such complex or beautiful forms. There are too many stimuli around us today via television and the Internet that one gets drawn to the “attractive”, the “interesting” and the pleasurable. We have to distinguish the “weeds” among these. It is an everyday struggle to focus on the path of righteousness or to stay on the side of good. It can be a friend who invites you to take drugs. It can be a woman who flirts with your husband, or your husband who keeps a mistress. It can be the people who want to tear down a government for greed or the officials who cling to government posts to enrich themselves. It can be inside us when we choose to harm, or hurt, or steal, or cheat. Just as “weeds” are around us, so are they also within us, intertwined with our thoughts and influencing our behavior. We have to remain with the Lord and keep him in us to keep the “weeds” from choking the good plant.
I met a sixteen-year old boy in a hospital. He began to have kidney disease when he was four years old. He was in and out of hospitals so often that he never had a chance to go to school. He suffered from complications and was bed-ridden when he was twelve years old. He had infections and bedsores. And yet, in the hospital, this boy was calm and friendly. He exuded a warm, kind heart. He kept his faith strong despite his painful physical condition. The hospital staff was struck by this, including his calmness and humility, a strong contrast to the other sick people who griped and complained. He has an impact on people’s hearts. He is a mustard seed that grows to be a great, welcoming tree! People find solace in his branches!
B. First Reading (Wis 12:13, 16-19): “You give repentance for sins.”
The Old Testament reading (Wis 12:13, 16-19) underlines that God shows his strength more by leniency than by punishment. His power is infinite and his loving concern for all his creation is boundless. Moreover, his justice is unimpeachable and above suspicion. The liturgical scholar Adrian Nocent comments: “History is a long succession of merciful acts on the part of the Lord who is Israel’s leader. God’s righteousness as manifested in history proves to be different from the righteousness of men or the righteousness of the law. God is concerned about everything, and he thus makes it clear that when he judges, he judges with full knowledge of every case. His righteousness has its origins in his power, and his sovereignty over all things makes him patient with all. He has plenty of time at his disposal. Man, because his power is limited, represses those who oppose him. God alone, because he created everything and holds sway over all, can be patient and can judge mercifully.”
The following ministry of the Maryknoll priest, Fr. Joseph Fedora, to the marginalized gives insight into the all-inclusive love of a loving, merciful and patient God (cf. Barbara Fraser, “With Jesus on the Margins” in Maryknoll, May/June 2014, p. 10-15).
In a low-ceilinged room of two-tone gray, Maryknoll Father Joseph Fedora spreads his arms and invites Mass-goers to offer their petitions to God. There are prayers for health, for family, and then one man says, “I pray to God for freedom. I’ve been here for six years and have nine to go.”
At Communion time, a few men approach the table that serves as an altar. But at the end of the liturgy, when Father Fedora offers to administer the sacrament of the sick, a line forms. The men who extend their hands reverently for the blessing are doubly stigmatized. Besides being prisoners in the overcrowded penitentiary known as Lurigancho, in a dusty corner of Lima, Peru’s sprawling capital, they have HIV and live in the prison’s infirmary.
“People on the margin, people who have been discriminated against, people suffering not only from physical ailments, but from poverty and mental ailments, have a lot to teach us”, Father Fedora says. (…)
His ministry is spiritual and physical. On his monthly visit to the prison infirmary, he celebrates Mass with the HIV-positive prisoners, then shares a meal with them. (…)
Each has a story, and Father Fedora remembers them. The souls of his ministry, he says, is “being at the bedside, being present at moments of crisis, being a healing presence, the healing presence of Jesus. My hope is that my attentiveness is a reflection of Jesus for them.”
C. Second Reading (Rom 8:26-27): “The Spirit intercedes with in expressible groanings.”
The Second Reading (Rom 8:26-27), which is a lesson on prayer, teaches us that the intercession of the Spirit is the font of strength. In a distressing world that challenges our limits, the Spirit of Jesus comes to help us in our weakness. He pleads to God on our behalf. In the face of trials and adversity, the Church in prayer – animated by the Spirit – mirrors the divine power and patience that overcome evil.
Mary Ehle comments: “When our hope is not enough, the Spirit helps us wait patiently for that new day when our sufferings will be replaced by the glory of the Resurrection. Paul’s lesson on prayer not only teaches us that the Spirit intercedes for us, but how the Spirit does so. The communion of the Spirit with God – the one who searches hearts – is so deep that God knows the intercessions of the Spirit even before he intercedes for us. The Spirit’s intercession follows God’s plan of salvation … The Spirit draws us into communion with God because the Spirit himself longs with us for that day when we will know the redemption of our bodies and everything will be accomplished according to God’s will for those of us who are his holy ones.”
The ministry of prayer – by the power of the Holy Spirit – is an efficacious way of overcoming adversity and triumphing over sinful situations. The following inspiring story is proof (cf. Mike Cassidy, “Valley’s Jobless: Hear Our Prayer” in San Jose Mercury News, October 5, 2010, p. 1, 5).
At a time when thousands in Silicon Valley are spending months or years looking for work, there are plenty among the unemployed who feel like they don’t have a prayer. And then there are those who gather each week in a small room in a converted industrial building just off the freeway in Mountain View. For them, it’s only a slight exaggeration to say that they feel like maybe a prayer is the only thing they do have.
“We believe that God has a plan”, says Geraldine Hill, who leads a small prayer group for the unemployed at the Abundant Life Fellowship church. Good and bad happen for a reason, she tells those looking for work and salvation simultaneously. “We push that”, she tells me. “Sometimes they hear it and sometimes they don’t.”
Hill, whose title is director of prayer and visitation, oversees the mega-church’s weekly Prayer Works meetings. It’s a group for the downsized and the outsourced, for the weary and the wary, for those who devoutly power their job search with a higher power that has nothing to do with Monster, LinkedIn or Career-Builder.
“For me, this has been the best time of my life”, says Marvin Ewing, a veteran of the first Gulf War, who joined the group after he was laid off from his telecommunications job early in 2009. “I’m closer to God. My prayer life has increased.” And his job prospects? “I know that I’m going to get a job”, Ewing says. “That’s going to come.”
His is the kind of faith that is rarely at the forefront of the conversation in Silicon Valley. This is a place about commerce and invention. It’s a place that puts its faith in science, technology and measurable results. Everything else is slightly suspect.
But it’s a mistake to look at unemployment as only a statistic. Layoffs and unemployment do broad damage. Sure, they drain bank accounts. But they also cause the stress that shatters relationships and inspires the despair that tests the faith of even the most faithful – whether that trust is placed in God, the market economy or one’s self.
Some turn to social mixers or professional networking events to replenish their sense of significance. Some turn to God and to those who believe as they do.
Last week, about a dozen people sat in a circle of chairs in one room in the vast building that serves as Abundant Life’s worship hall. They were a sampling of the misery that the downturn has delivered: Ray Guzman, a 63-year-old trucking dispatcher who was laid off two years ago; Alfred Kennedy, who’s worked some, but mostly looked for work for the past nine years; Tony Waller, who is praying to find forgiveness for the employer that dumped him; Tina Beauchamp, who is intent on leaving her old career behind and starting anew.
Each came with a prayer request and each prayed for the others in the room. Hill offered quiet amens and thank-yous as the prayers went around the circle. She is a woman with the soft eyes of a grandmother and the resolve of a drill sergeant. She tells the group that PrayerWorks, which started during the downturn following 9/11, will always be there for them. But it’s not as simple as that.
“You will get a job”, she says. “God said to Adam and Eve, ‘You gotta get out of here. No more free lunches. You have to work’.” Hill expounds on the point outside the meeting. PrayerWorks is strictly a “God helps those who help themselves” operation. There is no magic potion. This isn’t some sort of Hail Mary pass for the jobless. “You have to do your part”, she says of job seekers. “God doesn’t have a problem doing his part.”
And so she passes around printouts of various job openings during the prayer meetings. Participants trade news of opportunities they’ve heard about. She invites guest speakers to talk about resumes and interviewing techniques. And she asks alumni who have found jobs to come back and offer encouragement. Alumni like Jackie Ellison, who was laid off in 2008, when her payroll manager job was outsourced.
Ellison searched for work for months. (“I did have to say at one point, ‘God, are you still there?’”) And then, about a year ago, she landed a similar job at a similar salary. It turns out Ellison’s former supervisor knew the hiring manager and put in a word for her. “Maybe it was a little guilt”, says Ellison, of San Jose. “Maybe it was God tapping her on the shoulder.”
And maybe what it was depends on whether you’re one who believes you don’t have a prayer or one who believes a prayer is all you have.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. What is our attitude to the presence of good and evil in this world? Do we imitate the patient and benevolent tolerance of God who graciously provides opportunities for healing and conversion to all? Do we accept our humble beginning as a mustard seed and look forward to our grandiose destiny in the fullness of that Kingdom? How do we utilize the power of God given to us believers that we may be a leaven of transformation in today’s society? How does the reality of the eschatological harvest and final judgment impinge upon our feelings, thoughts and actions in daily life? Are we ready to be reaped as God’s wheat and gathered into his barn?
2. What image of God is presented in today’s Old Testament reading? Why is his care and judgment beyond reproach? How does he deal with his children who had sinned?
3. Do you believe in the power of the Holy Spirit at work in you and interceding for the completion of the divine saving plan? Do you look upon St. Paul and learn from him the way to respond to the patient justice of God and to the animating power of the Holy Spirit?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
your judgment is beyond reproach.
You are patient and treat us with great compassion.
In the great field of human history,
you allow the good and the bad to co-exist momentarily.
You temper justice with kindness
and offer us the gift of conversion.
As we gaze onward
to the future reaping of the good wheat at the end time,
we believe in the ultimate victory of the good over evil.
Thank you for the grace of forgiveness
and the chance to grow in your love.
When the final reaping comes,
may we become a part of the fruitful harvest of the Spirit
and be gathered together
into your eternal kingdom of love, justice and peace.
We glorify you, Father,
in Jesus Christ and in the Holy Spirit,
now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field.” (Mt 13:24)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for those who are overwhelmed by the existence of evil in this world and are crushed by their afflictions. Pray for the grace of comfort and conversion needed by those who are on death row. Continue to sow and nurture the good seed of the Gospel by your life of holiness, service and dedication.
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July 24, 2023: MONDAY – WEEKDAY (16); SAINT SHARBEL MAKHLUF, Priest
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Gives the Sign of Jonah … He Is Our Saving Glory”
BIBLE READINGS
Ex 14:5-18 // Mt 12:38-42
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 12:38-42): “At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation and condemn it.”
The Gospel (Mt 12:38-42) tells us that the scribes and Pharisees demand to see a “sign” from Jesus – a flashy miracle that will convince them he is truly the Messiah. The “sign” they want is one that fits their notion of a triumphant political Son of David. Jesus has given enough signs in his public ministry, both in word and deed. But their prejudice prevents them from recognizing Jesus as the Messiah. He obliges by giving them the ultimate sign: Jonah in the belly of the whale three days and three nights. The mind-baffling “sign of Jonah” refers to the paschal event of his death and resurrection. Failure to accept this sign is unfortunate and merits condemnation. The people of Nineveh, who responded with repentance to Jonah’s proclamation, and the Queen of the South, who yearned to hear the wisdom of Solomon, stand in sharp contrast to their unbelief. Indeed, Jesus is “something greater” than Jonah or Solomon. More than Jonah who preaches repentance, Jesus is our peace and reconciliation. More than Solomon and his wisdom, Jesus is the incarnate wisdom of God. He is the fullness of truth - the absolute revelation of the heavenly Father’s love.
Jesus continues to offer the “sign of Jonah”, and those who are sensitive to grace can perceive it. The paschal sign of his death and resurrection enfolds us. We are called to an intimate participation in it. The following story circulated on the Internet gives insight into this.
A sick man turned to his doctor as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, “Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side.” Very quietly the doctor said, “I don’t know.” “You don’t know? You’re a Christian man and don’t know what’s on the other side?” The doctor was holding the handle of the door. On the other side came a sound of scratching and whining. And as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness. Turning to the patient, the doctor said “Did you notice my dog? He’s never been in this room before. He didn’t know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here. And when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death. But I do know one thing … I know my Master is there and that is enough.”
B. First Reading (Ex 14:5-18): “They will know that I am the Lord when I receive glory through Pharaoh.”
The reading (Ex 14:5-18) depicts Pharaoh and his army in pursuit of the Israelites. Pharaoh has changed his mind about the Israelites leaving Egypt. He now regrets letting them go and resents the loss of a significant slave-labor force. The Israelites understandably react to the enemy’s pursuit with fear, and are tempted to prefer the slavery in Egypt to sure death in the desert. To Israel’s cry of despair, Moses responds with the assurance: “Don’t be afraid … You will see what the Lord will do to save you today … The Lord will fight for you!” The Lord then gives directions to Moses to ensure the safe passage of the Israelites through the sea. Moses is to lift his staff, stretch out his hand, and divide the sea in favor of Israel. The consequent defeat of the Egyptians will be an eloquent witness to the power of the Divine Warrior. Thus the Lord God will be extolled and glorified.
The following story gives a glimpse into the fear and danger that the Israelites went through because of the attacks by the Egyptians (cf. Lou McMurray, “A Most Unusual Vacation” in Poverello News, March 2013, p. 3-4 // April 2013, p. 3-5).
Our group was visiting Crown Island off the coast of mainland Papua New Guinea (PNG). The island was populated by several extended families … I took a walk on a trail passing through a small family unit, unkempt gardens and rainforest. After the walk I decided to take a swim … I had swum approximately one fourth mile and was having a nice time looking at all the fish and coral formations.
I suddenly felt something big against my body and something clamped onto my right arm. I looked and saw a big crocodile with my arm in his mouth. I was immediately able to yank my arm out. I felt no pain and my body went into survival mode … This time he started snapping his jaws and caught my left lower leg. I again kicked and yanked my leg out of his mouth. He backed off and swam next to me. I was still at least 100 meters offshore. I didn’t notice the water depth. My only thoughts were to keep my eyes on the crocodile, that I was probably going to die and that I was getting exhausted from swimming and kicking him.
He came at me several more times. I can’t recall how many aggressive moves he made, probably five or six. He caught my other leg in one of the attacks and again I was able to kick free. I was now desperate. I realized that if he kept at me I wouldn’t make it to shore. It was all I could do to keep swimming and kicking at him. The croc was getting wise to my kicks and starting to lower his approach so I couldn’t get my feet under his jaws to kick him. He seemed to have no inclination to leave me.
I lost track of the crocodile and looked under water to see where he was. Before he stayed on top of the water and I could see him. My last view of him was underwater swimming away. But I wasn’t sure he wouldn’t come back, so getting on the boat was a high priority. The problem was that the ramp was narrow and about a foot above the water. I didn’t have the strength to lift myself in. I was totally exhausted. With the help of Dan, the boat hand, I finally got on board.
It was on the short boat ride back to the ship that I realized I was injured. I couldn’t evaluate my situation but could only feel overwhelmed with my good fortune that the rescue boat came when it did. Apparently, Steve, one of the boat hands on shore saw me struggling and splashing. As I was a good one fourth mile away he did not know I was being attacked. Thinking something was wrong Steve called the ship and requested a rescue boat to come to investigate. Had Steve not made that call, it’s doubtful I would have survived.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. What is our response to the “sign of Jonah” that Jesus continues to offer us in our daily life?
2. What do we do when fear assails us and when we are the object of an enemy’s attack? Do we hold on and allow the Lord to defend and fight for us?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus Christ,
we thank you for the paschal “sign of Jonah”.
Please give us the grace to respond in faith
to this “mystery” and revelation of love.
Teach us to make a quest for you,
the eternal wisdom that leads to eternal life.
Loving Lord, help us to do what is required of us:
“to do the right and to love goodness,
and to walk humbly with God”.
We love you and praise you, now and forever.
Amen.
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All-powerful God,
like the Israelites in the desert pursued by the Egyptians,
we too suffer attacks from death-dealing forces.
Let us be comforted by your assurance:
“Do not be afraid … The Lord will fight for you.”
Be our defense and protection.
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.
“No sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.” (Mt 12:39) // “Fear not … The Lord himself will fight for you.” (Ex 14:13-14)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Be receptive to the “sign of Jonah” that surrounds us in daily life. By consciously participating in the paschal sacrifice of Christ, let the people around you realize that the “sign of Jonah” is a sign of salvation. // When assailed by temptation and danger, stand your ground and fear not, believing that the Lord himself will fight for you.
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July 25, 2023: TUESDAY – SAINT JAMES THE APOSTLE
“JESUS SAVIOR: His Apostles Share in His Passion and Are the Earthen Vessels of His Grace”
BIBLE READINGS
II Cor 4:7-15 // Mt 20:20-28
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 20:20-28): “You shall indeed drink my cup.”
The meaning of today’s Gospel account (Mt 20:20-28) can be understood if we consider the prophecy of the passion that precedes it (verses 12-19). The request of James and John to sit at Jesus’ right and left in glory is totally inappropriate in the context of the prediction regarding his imminent passion as the Suffering Servant. The Divine Master responds to their obtuseness by challenging them: “Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?” (Mt 20:22). Since the image of the cup is a symbol of his forthcoming passion and death, we can deduce that Jesus is inviting them to participate in his paschal destiny. Indeed, discipleship is an intimate sharing in his role as the suffering Servant of Yahweh. Through this the Christian disciples share in his glory.
The apostle James, whose feast we celebrate today, has drunk the “cup” of passion and participated in Christ’s paschal destiny. The following notes about this saint, circulated on the Internet, are very interesting.
St. James the Greater was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus, a son of Zebedee. He and his older brother John were called by Jesus while fixing their nets at the Lake of Genesaret. They received from Christ the name "Boanerges," meaning "sons of thunder," for their impetuosity. The gospel relates that James was present for the miracle of Jairo's daughter, the Transfiguration, and later with Jesus during His Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.
The Acts of the Apostles relates that the Apostles dispersed to different regions to take the Good News to the people of God. Sister Maria de Jesus de Agreda was a Franciscan religious who received revelations from Jesus. It was revealed to her that St. James the Greater went to Spain to evangelize. He went first to Galicia, where he established a Christian community, and later to the Roman city of Cesar Augusto, today known as Zaragoza. It is believed that on January 2nd, in the year 40 A.D., St. James and his disciples were resting on the shore of the Egro River when they started to hear sweet voices singing. They saw the sky fill up with light and many angels coming near them. The angels were carrying a throne on which the Queen of Heaven and earth was sitting. This was extraordinary, for Mary was living at that time in Jerusalem, making her appearance to them in Spain a bilocation. The Blessed Virgin told St. James to build a sanctuary where God would be honored and glorified, and gave him a pillar with her image to be placed in the sanctuary. The Blessed Virgin also told St. James that the sanctuary would remain until the end of time and that she would bless all the prayers offered devoutly in this place. At the end of the apparition, Our Lady said to St. James that when the sanctuary was finished, he should return to Palestine where he would die.
St. James fulfilled the desires of the Blessed Virgin Mary and constructed the first Christian Church in the entire world. St. James returned to Palestine, where he was decapitated by order of Herod on the 25th of March during a persecution of the Church in Jerusalem. According to tradition, the accuser of St. James, who led him to judgment, was so moved by St. James’ confession before his death that he converted and was willingly beheaded with the Apostle. His disciples recovered his body and transported it to Galicia without anyone’s knowledge in a miraculous boat guided by God.
In the Old Testament, Jacob constructed an altar for God naming it Bethel, which means "House of God" (Gen. 35:7). Jacob is a Greek name, and translated to Spanish, the name means James. Jacob constructed the "House of God” and St. James parallels his namesake with the construction of the first "House of God” of the New Covenant.
St. James' tomb was forgotten for over 800 years. Under the rule of Alfonso II (789-842), a hermit named Pelagio received a vision revealing the tomb of St. James. On July 25th, 812, the spot where the tomb was revealed to be was filled with a bright light. Because of this, it has since been known as Campostela, which means "Field of Light." The bishop of Iria Flavia, Theodomir, after investigating, declared that these were truly the remains of St. James in the tomb. In 1884 Pope Leo XIII, in a Papal Bull, declared that the remains of St. James were at Campostela.
St. James the Greater is also known as "Matamoros," Spanish for “killer of the Moors.” It is known that his intercession helped the people on various occasions against the threat of the Moors, especially in 1492 when Spain was re-conquered.
B. First Reading (2 Cor 4:7-15): “We carry always in our bodies the death of Jesus.”
In today’s First Reading (2 Cor 4:7-15), Saint Paul underlines the reality of human frailty and weakness and its limpid capacity to manifest the power of God. In the context of his experience with the contentious Corinthian community, the apostle is truly an “earthen vessel” because of his limitations. His critics despise him as not qualified for the apostolic task. Thus Paul, whose qualifications for the apostolate come from God and not from human origin, both concedes his poverty and underlines the divine power at work in that very poverty. He admits he is an “earthen vessel” – yes - but a treasure-bearing “earthen vessel”. In spite of our human limitations, God choose us to be bearers of his spiritual treasure. He wills to manifest through us the supreme power that belongs to him alone.
The apostle Paul then underlines what it means to be a treasure-bearing “earthen vessel”. He was afflicted but not constrained, perplexed but not driven to despair, persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed. Death-dealing situations seek to overwhelm him, but never succeed because he is totally united with Jesus in his life-giving passion. In union with the Christ’s paschal mystery, Paul’s ministry is bearing fruit in the believing Corinthians. Indeed, God the Father who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with him. This will cause thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God.
Like the apostles Paul and James, we are called to be “earthen vessels” of God’s grace. The following personal account is an example of what it means to be Christ’s “earthen vessels” in today’s world (cf. Fr. Emmet Murphy, “The Franciscan Journey” in The Anthonian, Winter 2012-2013, p. 29-30).
Although I was raised at St. Agnes in Arlington, Mass., a parish staffed by diocesan priests, I was one of the nine candidates who joined the Franciscans of Holy Name in 1951. St. Anthony’s Shrine in downtown Boston happened to be my first contact with the friars. Their joy and ministry immediately impressed me. After working for ten years as a salesman in Boston, I entered the Franciscan Brothers training program. (…)
All in all, I spent 13 fruitful and happy years at St. Francis Church, but my journey with the friars was not without its heartaches and pitfalls. Along the way I had neglected my early lessons in discipline and prayer and developed an addiction to alcohol, which completely unraveled my religious life. I was urged to take a leave of absence in order to bring peace to my chaotic life.
After an absence of two years, I was readmitted to the life of a friar and asked to consider entering into a new apostolate to help poor people in Philadelphia with Father Roderic Petrie, OFM. Soon, Father Robert Struzynski, OFM, joined us. After surveying the needs, we searched for a building in the impoverished Kensington section of the city that was to become St. Francis Inn. We bought an old tavern below the Market Frankford elevated train line for $9,000 and immediately set out to renovate the building. The first floor was the kitchen and dining room, the second floor to be rooms for the friars.
On December 16, 1979, the first day we opened this ministry to the poor so dear to the heart of St. Francis, we fed 29 people. Since then St. Francis Inn has been open every day of the year, and last year the permanent staff of four friars, two Franciscan Sisters and three dedicated laywomen plus a host of volunteers served nearly 150,000 hot, nourishing meals to families and to single men and women – some unemployed but most of them retired persons who cannot survive on their fixed incomes – and to others trapped by addictions, as I had been.
It was in Philly that I felt called to priesthood. I enrolled at St. Francis College for philosophy studies and Pope John XXIII for theology. I was ordained to the priesthood in 1986 at the ripe age of 52. Last June, at age 78, I took up residence at St. Anthony Friary in Butler, N.J., after having spent almost four years in the large, very active Franciscan parish in Raleigh, N.C. I served as one of the North Carolina State prison chaplains, ministering to death row and general population inmates. I found the Raleigh’s Catholic community warm and friendly as they opened their homes and hearts to me.
My current priestly ministry has been in the Ministry of the Word; that is, preaching parish missions and leading Twelve Steps retreats. At times, I am also called to help out in neighboring parishes.
As I look back, I consider my life a blessed and incredulous journey … I would do it all over again!
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Are we willing to drink the cup of Christ’s passion that we might have a share in his glory?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Almighty Father,
by the martyrdom of St. James
you blessed the work of the early Church.
May his profession of faith give us courage
and his prayers bring us strength.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who 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.
“Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?” (Mt 20:22)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for the strength to drink the cup of passion and salvation. In today’s secularized world, be ready to give witness to your Catholic faith when you are challenged.
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July 26, 2023: WEDNESDAY – SAINTS JOACHIM AND ANNE, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Sows the Seed of God’s Word … He Is the Bread from Heaven”
BIBLE READINGS
Ex 16:1-5, 9-15 // Mt 13:1-9
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 13:1-9): “The seed produced grain a hundredfold.”
In today’s Gospel reading (Mt 13:1-23), the impressive image of the fruitful seed that yields a hundredfold underlines the mighty power of God’s saving plan. The Word of God, prefigured in the “seed” sown liberally by the sower, is Jesus Christ whose favorable saving action on our behalf is total and efficacious. The fruitfulness of the seed of the Word, however, involves not only the graciousness of the divine initiative but also the receptivity and personal response of the recipient.
The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 4, comment: “The word attests to God’s faithfulness, long patience, and assiduous labor for the unfolding of salvation offered to all humankind. This word comes from God, who created human beings free, and who made with them a covenant of love. Efficacious, indescribably fecund, this word demands from human beings a willing response made of openness, conversion, and ever- renewed trust in him who speaks it … Thanks to the generous manner in which it 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 … If the word is not fruitful, it is due to the listeners’ poor disposition. The urgent appeal to each one’s responsibility must be welcomed with immense hope.”
The following gives insight into the dynamics of the sowing of the Word and the reaping of a fruitful harvest (cf. Harold Hostetler‘s April 15 Reflection in Daily Guideposts 2010, p. 120).
When I was a boy getting ready for school each morning, I often found my mother sitting at the kitchen table, reading her Bible. After seeing my father off to work in a Pennsylvania coal mine, she turned to the Good Book before making breakfast for her three children. I can still visualize her bowing her head over her well-worn King James Bible, eyes closed, chin resting on a half-clenched hand, probably praying for each of us.
It took twenty years from the time I left home before I gave my heart to Jesus, but when I did, the first thing I wanted to do was read the Bible. In nearly four decades since that eye-opening moment I’ve read God’s Word from cover to cover almost every year, in more than a dozen different translations. My favorite is the New International Version, maybe because I spent a year working for the International Bible Society during the time it was producing the NIV Study Bible and I was able to contribute some thoughts for its footnotes.
And today, as I finish yet another reading of Psalm 119, I can’t help but remember one of the reasons I feel do drawn to the Good Book.
Thanks, Mom.
B. First Reading (Ex 16:1-5, 9-15): “I will rain down bread from heaven for you.”
The reading (Ex 16:1-5, 9-15) depicts God’s act of graciousness upon the hard-headed Israelites. It is the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from Egypt and the people wandering in the desert are given to despair. They express a death wish that is tantamount to a rejection of God’s saving plan: “Would that we had died at the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread! But you had to lead us into this desert to make the whole community die of famine!” Their grumblings manifest their lack of trust in the God who desires to lead them into the Promised Land. The Lord God, however, responds to their despair with an act of mercy. To the people’s complaint and hunger pangs, the Lord God promises relief and nourishment. God rains down bread from heaven that they may have their fill. He also sends quails from the sky to provide them with meat to eat. God’s gracious care of the people in the desert prefigures the ultimate care he gives to his people by sending his beloved Son Jesus Christ, the bread of life come down from heaven.
The following story illustrates the enormous care of God, especially for those who trust in him (cf. Lalia Winsett, “Baptist Minister” in Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul, ed. Jack Canfield, at. al. Deerfield Beach: Health Communications, Inc. 1997, p. 197).
I have a cousin who is a Baptist minister. When we were growing up, we only saw each other a couple of times a year. Now we see each other even less.
A few years ago, when I hadn’t seen him for some time, I suddenly began thinking about him and his family. I just couldn’t get them off my mind. And for some reason, I felt compelled to send him a check for $100. I thought about it for a few days and made more than one aborted trip to the post office. I finally mailed it with a letter saying I hope I wasn’t offending him, but I believed the Lord wanted me to do this.
A couple of weeks later I received a reply. My cousin said it never ceased to amaze him how God worked in his life. And now God had once again shown him, through us, that he will always meet our needs. My cousin said the only concern he had was that I sent too much. All he needed was $97.56.
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 endeavor to be the rich, welcoming soil that will make the seed of the Kingdom grow and bear abundant fruit?
2. Do we ever grumble and complain to God about anything? What does this say with regards to our faith relationship with God?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
you have sown the seed of the living Word.
Let it find a fertile ground.
You have called us to broadcast the saving Word.
We trust in the power of your Word.
Let the sown seed produce a hundred-fold.
Make us faithful prophets
and servants of the Word.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
Almighty God,
how gracious you are
and how marvelous is you saving plan!
You responded with care and kindness
to the hunger pangs of the Israelites.
You have provided for their needs.
You rained down bread from heaven
to satisfy their hunger.
We too are hungry for spiritual food
and you send Jesus Christ,
the bread of eternal life.
We thank you for this marvelous gift.
Grant that, in being nourished by this gift,
we may be transformed
and become living “Eucharist”.
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.
“Some seed fell on rich soil.” (Mt 13:8) //“I will now rain down bread from heaven for you.” (Ex 16:4)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
To help appreciate more deeply the generous kindness of Jesus, the Sower of God’s Kingdom, make an effort to spend some moments of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. // Today when you are tempted to complain against God and grumble, keep in mind how good and gracious he is. Resolve to trust him in your deep needs.
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July 27, 2013: THURSDAY – WEEKDAY (16)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Speaks in Parables … He Is God Manifest”
BIBLE READINGS
Ex 19:1-2, 9-11 // Mt 13:10-17
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 13:10-17): “Because knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them t has not been granted.”
In the Gospel (Mt 13:10-17) we see that Jesus uses stories to communicate the kingdom values. He speaks to people in parables to reveal the mysteries of the reign of God. The Gospel message demands a positive response and necessitates openness of heart. The parables and stories are meant to be meditated upon and “interiorized”. Teaching in parables is a compassionate act of the Divine Master to reach out to those in need of salvation. The simple and childlike are able to glean the life-giving wisdom of Jesus’ parables. Those who have deliberately closed their heart to Jesus are untouched by the power of the parables. Since their heart is gross, they look but do not see; they hear but do not understand. They are oblivious to the saving message and are not moved to conversion and transformation. Their lack of understanding results from their prejudice that Jesus does not meet their criteria of the Messiah.
The following story illustrates that to glean the life-giving meaning of stories and parables, the heart must be at work (cf. Anthony de Mello, The Song of the Bird, New York: Image Books, 1984, p. 1).
A disciple once complained, “You tell us stories, but you never reveal the meaning to us.”
Said the master, “How would you like it if someone offered you fruit and masticated it before giving it to you?”
No one can find the meaning for you. Not even the master.
B. First Reading (Ex 19:1-2, 9-11): “The Lord descended on Mount Sinai before the eyes of all the people.”
The reading (Ex 19:1-2, 9-11, 16-20b) depicts the “theophany” or God’s manifestation on Mount Sinai. The people of Israel reach the desert of Sinai on the first day of the third month after leaving Egypt. The Lord commands Moses to prepare the people for the divine encounter by sanctifying themselves and through certain rituals for purification. On the third day of preparation, Moses leads the people out of the camp to meet God and they stand at the foot of the mountain. The Lord then comes down on Mount Sinai. Having summoned Moses to the mountain top, the Lord God speaks to him. In the Sinai theophany that is marked with fire, smoke and the shaking of the mountain, God reveals himself as the Lord of majesty, power and glory. The people of Israel are overawed. God likewise confirms Moses’ unique position as his prophet and the covenant mediator. God stipulates a covenant with the Israelites and fashions them into a “chosen people”, a people dedicated to God alone.
The divine manifestation goes on through time and space. God continues to reveal himself as a “mighty and powerful” God. Our response is awe and adoration. The following lyrics composed by Isaac Watts (1674-1748) underline a very positive response to the display of God’s power and might.
“I Sing the Mighty Power of God”
I sing he mighty pow’r of God that made the mountains rise,
that spread the flowing seas abroad and built the lofty skies.
I sing the wisdom that ordained the sun to rule the day.
The moon shines full at his command and all the stars obey.
I sing the goodness of the Lord that filled the earth with food.
He formed the creatures with his word and then pronounced them good.
Lord, how thy wonders are displayed where’er I turn my eye.
If I survey the ground I tread or gaze upon the sky!
There’s not a plant or flow’r below, but makes thy glories known.
And clouds arise and tempests blow by order from thy throne.
While all that borrows life from thee is ever in thy care.
And ev’ry where that I can be, Thou, God, are present there.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we make a personal effort to deepen our faith by prayerful reflection on the word of God? Do we continue to value the life-giving meaning of Jesus’ parables?
2. What is our response to God who manifests his loving and marvelous presence to us? Are we open to welcome the beauty and miracle of God’s self-revelation as a mighty, strong and immortal God?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Jesus Lord,
you spoke in parables
to reveal to us the mysteries of the kingdom
and to manifest the state of our heart.
Help us to be receptive to your word.
Give us the grace and wisdom we need
to delve into the meaning of your parables.
Let your life-giving message transform us.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
O loving God,
holy, awesome, glorious and powerful are you!
You are our merciful Father.
Your love makes of us your “covenant people”.
Let us be faithful to you.
We will sing your praise all the days of our life
and serve you, now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“Knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you.” (Mt 13:11) // “The Lord will come down on Mount Sinai before the eyes of all the people.” (Ex 19:11).
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pay particular attention to Jesus’ parables, especially when they are proclaimed in the liturgical assembly. Make a special effort to glean their message for you and the community. // Be attentive and responsive to the various “manifestations” of God in our daily life.
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July 28, 2023: FRIDAY – WEEKDAY (16)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Helps Them Understand … He Is the Rule of Life”
BIBLE READINGS
Ex 20:1-17 // Mt 13:18-23
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 13:18-23): “The one who understands the word and understands it will bear much fruit.”
The Gospel (Mt 13:18-23) tells us that without spoon-feeding them, the Divine Master helps his disciples delve into the meaning of the parable of the sower. He underlines that the growth of the seeds of the kingdom depend on various factors. But the clincher is the fruitful result of the seeds that fall into good soil. This refers to authentic disciples of Jesus who hear the word of God, make an effort to understand and glean its personal implication, and let the Gospel bear abundant fruit in their life.
The miracle of the fruitful seeds lives on through the work of Christian disciples who sow and promote the spirit of the Gospel in the here and now. The story of Papa Mike, founder of the Poverello House in Fresno, gives insight into this (cf. Poverello House, May 2012, p. 1-2).
A man named Ed was the victim of growing neighborhood violence. An older man who had been on the streets for many years, he recently got a place to stay. He still comes here to eat, and as he was leaving one day, two young men accosted him not too far from Poverello. They beat him, knocked out a tooth or two, and took his money.
When he told me about it, he was understandably angry. He wanted to get his gun and take his revenge. In his younger days, I have no doubt that Ed would have done just that. However, I was able to talk him down and help him try to see the big picture, how shooting these men would cause him even more grief. Thankfully, Ed listened to me. (…) I believe that I’ve done at least a little of what the Good Lord put me here to do.
B. First Reading (Ex 20:1-17): “The law was given through Moses.”
Maryknoll magazine, published by Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, never fails to inspire me. In its March 2006 issue, Sean Sprague presents the laudable work of Christine Bodewes, a Maryknoll lay missioner in Kenya (cf. “Sowing Seeds in the Slums”, p. 32-34). Eight years ago, Christine left her Chicago law firm and went to the Kenyan capital of Nairobi to run a legal aid clinic. Many of her cases involved defending the slum dwellers’ rights to their land. Four years later, she responded to an invitation from the Mexican Guadalupe Fathers to set up a human rights office in Christ the King Parish, in the heart of Kibera, the largest slum in Nairobi.
Christine narrated, “I spent a year trying to understand the complex ethnic, political, social and economic issues of Kibera. I didn’t have a strategy, but I spent a lot of time listening to people. I saw that human rights education was the key to the ministry.” She therefore networked and pulled together a part-time team of volunteering professional Kenyan lawyers, who created a curriculum to teach civic education to people who were ignorant of their rights. Later she was able to hire four full-time, paid employees, all Kibera residents, and they broadened their civic education curriculum to include the teachings of the Church. The recent addition to the team is a full-time Kenyan lawyer, Dorothy Ombajo.
Christine remarks: “Christ the King office of human rights is one of the best human rights groups in Kenya. The people feel blessed having a lawyer who understands their problems. There has been a huge increase in people coming to the office, especially children, about rape, sodomy and being thrown out of school … I also feel great pride in our human rights team. My goal has been to plant the seeds. These people can change the world.” Christine Bodewes is aglow with joy because, through her ministry as a lawyer, she was able to harness the spirit of the civil law to promote human rights and serve the good of people, especially the poor.
The first reading of today’s liturgy (Ex 20:1-17) is also about the law – the divine law given through Moses. It is about the Decalogue – also called the Ten Commandments - the fundamental law that regulates the moral life of the people of Israel. This rule of life, an expression of Yahweh’s passionate love for his chosen people, is meant to deepen his covenantal relationship with them and protect their identity as a people consecrated to him alone. The purpose of the Ten Commandments is to establish a righteous relationship between God and his people, and between the various members of his people. The God who delivered his people from oppressive slavery in Egypt had given them this moral code as an opportunity to love him and their neighbors, not just in words, but above all, in deeds.
In an astounding revelation of divine love, the new and everlasting covenant would be inaugurated by the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross and by his glorious rising to life. One characteristic of this new covenant in the blood of Christ is the “interiorization” of religion: the Law is no longer to be a code regulating external activity, but an inspiration working on the heart of man, under the influence of the spirit of God, - the spirit of Love - who gives us a “new heart”. Indeed, though the Law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through the incarnate Word of God, Jesus Christ (cf. Jn 1:16) - the ultimate Rule of Life.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do I intend to be good soil that promotes the growth and fruitfulness of the seeds of God’s kingdom?
2. What is our attitude to the Ten Commandments given to us by God? Do we consider it merely as a moral code, or do we treasure it as a gift of covenantal love? What do we do personally to help “interiorize” the spirit of the Ten Commandments? What is our response to Jesus Christ, who has ratified the new and everlasting covenant in his blood? How do we follow and reverence him as the total and ultimate Rule of Life?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
O loving Jesus,
you sow the seeds of God’s kingdom.
Let me be like the good soil
that promotes their growth and fruitfulness.
Teach me to open myself
to the miracle of life that you bring.
Give me true understanding of the message of salvation.
Help me to sow the seeds of your saving word
in the here and now.
We love you and praise you, now and forever.
Amen.
***
Gracious Father,
your commands spring forth from covenant love.
You have the words of everlasting life.
In the death of your Son Jesus Christ,
your definitive saving word,
you have revealed the depths of your love.
Help us to follow unreservedly your Son,
the Rule of Life.
By the gift of his life on the cross,
which brought forth the new covenant,
cleanse us from what draws us away from you.
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.
“But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit.” (Mt 13:21) //“For I, the Lord, your God, bestow mercy down to the thousandth generation on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (Ex 20:6)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Reflect on what you can do to share the word of salvation with the people around you. Do what you can to make the Internet a forum of evangelization. // Pray for the conversion and enlightenment of those who disregard the commandments of God, either willfully or through ignorance. Study the incredibly enriching and inspiring chapters of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the Ten Commandments.
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July 29, 2023: SATURDAY – SAINTS MARTHA, MARY AND LAZARUS
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Living Word and Eternal Life … His Is the Blood of the New Covenant”
BIBLE READINGS
Ex 24:3-8 // Jn 11:19-27 or Lk 10:38-42
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 10:38-42): “Martha, Martha, you worry and fret about so many things.”
One thing I have in common with Sr. Mary Adele, a remarkable Sister born in a small scenic town close to Naples, Italy is a love for pasta. One day as we were enjoying a delicious, hot serving of spaghetti cooked “al dente” and topped with dense rich tomato sauce and grated Parmesan cheese, she narrated to me a modern version of the Gospel story of Martha and Mary.
Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. A plate of pasta and a glass of wine will do.”
In today’s alternative Gospel text (Lk 10:38-42) for the memorial of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus of Bethany, Jesus, in the course of his paschal journey to Jerusalem, stops to rest in their welcoming home. The sisters receive him with solicitude and hospitality. Martha’s type of hospitality, however, is anxious and her intense concern misdirected. Martha’s “over-reacting” hospitality thus provokes a good-natured reproach from Jesus. He cautions her not to be anxious. It is the same advice that Jesus gives to his other disciples as they journey towards the cross and Easter glory. Indeed, Martha’s endeavor to prepare a perfect meal and her preoccupation for the “details of hospitality” detract her from the essential and primordial: to welcome Jesus in his life-giving Word.
B. Alternative Gospel Reading (Jn 11:19-27): “I have believed that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
The missionary tale in Maryknoll magazine (December 2004, p.5) narrated by Joseph G. Healey, M.M. is about a little girl who escaped the clutches of death and lived. This interesting story of a Tanzanian girl’s rescue gives us a glimpse of the marvelous work of Jesus in saving his beloved friend, Lazarus from death and bringing him back to life.
One morning when Father Joseph Brannigan went to say Mass at a mission chapel in Shinyanga, Tanzania, he discovered an inert baby lying in front of the altar. The mother, explaining that the little girl was dead, asked if the priest could say Mass for her. Just then, the bundle moved. “She’s still alive,” Brannigan declared. “But she’s sick and I have no money for medicine. She’ll be dead soon anyway,” the mother replied. Giving the mother 10 shillings, the missionary sent her to the hospital with the baby. Seven years later a woman stopped Brannigan on the road. Breathlessly she explained, “My little girl lived. Here’s your 10 shillings. I’ve spent a long time looking for you.”
Today’s alternative Gospel reading (Jn 11:19-27) is also about the triumph of life over death. The raising of Lazarus from the tomb is a “sign” for it reveals Christ’s messianic and divine identity as the resurrection and life. The theological center of today’s account is found in Jn 11:25-26: “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live; and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Martha, the sister of the deceased Lazarus, responds fully to Jesus’ words and declares: “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” Formerly an over anxious hostess who has no time and leisure to welcome Jesus in his life-giving word, Martha has progressed deeply in her discipleship. Today’s episode shows her as listening to the words of Jesus and responding with full faith to Christ’s offer of eternal life.
***
Today, the memorial of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus, the following poem composed by Angela O’Donnell is meaningful (cf. America, February 9, 2009, p. 35).
ST. MARTHA
“She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word.” (Lk 10:39)
A silly child she ever always was –
our mother said so a thousand times –
her quick eye caught by the flight or buzz
of some pretty creature’s mastering wings.
Lazarus tried to keep her out of sight,
to spare his clever sister women’s tasks.
I hauled the water, rose before first light,
set bread upon the board before they asked.
The day You came to us our prayers were granted.
My hands obeyed the rhythms of my labor
while Mary sat beside You like a man,
embraced within the circle of Your favor.
I stood apart, Your beauty kept from me,
and only when You left us did I see.
B. First Reading (Ex 24:3-8): “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you.”
When I was a student in elementary grades, one of my favorite subjects was Social Studies. I enjoyed Philippine History and was enthralled when I saw a painting entitled, “The Blood Compact”. It showed the Spanish conquistador, Legazpi and a local chieftain, Datu Sikatuna of Bohol seated at a table, with a cup and a knife lying on top of it. Their arms were bleeding. According to the explanation of our teacher, they were having a blood compact. They were sharing a drink, mixed with each other’s blood, from a common cup to ratify a compact or a covenant. They were to treat each other as blood brothers and share a life at the level of intimate friendship. The succeeding events of Philippine history, however, would show that the meaning of the blood compact they had made was not really respected. Spain subjugated the Philippines and made it a colony.
The Church invites us today to focus our attention on the meaning of the new and eternal covenant that Christ ratified with his sacrificial blood. The Old Testament reading (Ex 24:3-8) provides us with a deeper perspective on the meaning of the new, definitive and everlasting covenant in his blood. The biblical scholar, Eugene Maly comments: “This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you … When Moses pronounced those words at the foot of Mt. Sinai, they must have struck an awesome note in the minds and hearts of the Hebrew people standing about. They had just seen Moses splash half of the blood of the young sacrificed bulls on the altar that symbolized God. The rest of the blood he sprinkled on them. That strikes us as a strange rite, indeed. But it had a powerful meaning for those people. The blood, as always in the Scriptures, symbolized life. Sprinkled on the altar and on the people, it symbolized a community of life shared by God and Israel. God, moved only by love, was making a covenant with them. He shared his life; they responded by keeping his law. The religious experience was what constituted Israel as a unique people, God’s special people. Though they did not realize it at the time, that covenant was an anticipation of another and new covenant, whereby a new people of God would be constituted, this time with no restrictions as to race or nationality. Blood was to be a symbol of the new covenant, too. The new covenant is, of course, the one made by God through Jesus Christ with all people. And the blood of Christ, shed on Calvary, symbolizes the new life God shares with us.”
Blood is life in its most elemental form. The Italian-born, liturgical theologian Romano Guardini explains: “Blood belongs to God, the Lord of all life. The flowing of the sacrificial blood in the Old Testament is an acknowledgment of His sovereignty … It is simply the recognition and prayerful acknowledgment that God alone is Lord! Upon the conception of streaming blood as an expression of ultimate obedience, then, God places His covenant … We are Christians because of a covenant. This thought must complement the other, more familiar concept of rebirth and the new creation. Covenant and rebirth: individual dignity and responsibility, and the abundance of the new life. The two great concepts belong together, for they mutually sustain one another.”
Romano Guardini concludes: “Holy Mass is the commemoration of God’s new covenant with men. Awareness of this gives the celebration an added significance that is most salutary. To keep this thought in mind is to remind ourselves that Christ’s sacrificial death opened for us the new heaven and the new earth; that there exists between Him and us a contract based not on nature or talent or religious capacity, but on grace and freedom; that it is binding from person to person, loyalty to loyalty. At every Mass we should reaffirm that contract and consciously take our stand in it.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Are we hospitable like Marta, Mary and Lazarus of Bethany? Why or why not? In what ways are we Martha? In what ways are we Mary? In what ways are we like Lazarus? Is our Christian discipleship characterized by receptivity and true listening to the word of God? // Is our response to Christ’s faith assurance: “I am the resurrection and the life” (Jn 11:25) like that of Martha, the sister of Lazarus? Are we willing to be a “sign” of resurrection in the death-dealing situations of today’s wounded world?
2. Do I try to glean the true meaning of God’s covenant love for us? Do I render praise and thanksgiving for the saving blood of Christ that constituted us into God’s holy people? What are concrete implications for me as a participant in the blood of the new eternal covenant?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
your Son honored Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus
by coming to their home in Bethany as a guest.
By their prayers
may we serve Christ in our brothers and sisters
and be welcomed by you into heaven, our true home.
We love and serve you,
now and forever. Amen.
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Father,
you have brought to fulfillment the work of our redemption
through the paschal mystery of Christ your Son.
May we who faithfully proclaim his death and resurrection
in the sacramental signs
of “bread broken and shared” and of “the cup of eternal covenant”
experience the constant growth of your salvation in our lives.
May the Eucharist be for us
the sign of unity and the bond of charity.
By the body and blood of Christ
join all peoples of all races and diverse cultures in brotherly love.
May we be faithful to your covenant love
and observe your law and commands which lead to everlasting life.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
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.
“Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” (Lk 10:42) // “I am the resurrection and the life … Do you believe this?” (Jn 11:25-26) //“This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you.” (Ex 24:8)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Introduce the laudable practice of Lectio Divina to your family members and friends. Carry out your daily tasks with personal dedication and with a loving spirit drawn out from the love of Jesus. // Endeavor to protect the rights of all people for whom the blood of Christ was poured out. When you receive communion from the cup make an effort to appreciate the covenant dimension of our being the people of God.
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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