A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 22, n. 1)
Advent Week 1: November 3-9, 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: November 26 – December 2, 2023 please go to ARCHIVES Series 21 and click on “Ordinary Week 33”.
Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY:
December 3-9, 2023.)
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December 3, 2023: FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR B
“JESUS SAVIOR: We Long for His Advent”
BIBLE READINGS
Is 63:16-17,19; 64:2-7 // 1 Cor 1:3-9 // Mk 13:33-37
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mk 13:33-37): “Be watchful! You do not know when the lord of the house is coming.”
My 82-year-old dad, who immigrated to the States, was diagnosed with liver cancer in July 1997. It was his wish to die in his native Philippines. We brought him from California to the island of Cebu, hoping that the sea breeze and the loving presence of family and friends would make things easier for him. But cancer caused a lot of agony and pain. As we tenderly hovered over him, he prayed with tears in his eyes: "Dear, Lord! Please come and take me with you." Shortly after his Advent invocation, the Lord came to end his suffering. The moment my dad breathed his last, we lit a candle at his bedside and commended his soul to God. The Lord's coming was, for my dad, an experience of liberation and salvation. My dad’s own paschal mystery was complete!
Like a dying person waiting for the Lord's definitive coming, Christians are called to be in a state of vigil. Our life is a long Advent expectation as we wait for the Lord to be revealed in all his glory. In the Gospel reading of today's liturgy (Mk 13:33-37), the Lord Jesus exhorts his disciples: "Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come." The authors of the Days of the Lord comment: "Keeping watch is one of the most important activities of the human heart, a focusing of energy that endeavors to rid the night of the evil spirits that hold back the dawn in the world. Watching in prayer gives our full attention to God and to others... The great vigil of Advent prefigures the vigil of Easter, and the splendid dawn of the new time."
The liturgy of the Advent season, which begins the liturgical year, is replete with Christian hope and laden with grace. This Church season is essentially to keep hope in the future definitive coming of the saving God. The hope that the season of Advent generates entails, however, accountability for the present moment. Every moment has an eternal significance and we are therefore held accountable for it. Christians live in the time between the now of Jesus’ victory over sin and death and the not-yet of his return in glory. The challenge of the Advent season is to see how we live creatively and dutifully as God’s children in this in-between time.
The following prayer reflections illustrate the positive stance of the people of hope, who make the best of “this very day” (cf. Phyllis McKinley, “This Very Day” in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Count Your Blessings, ed. Jack Canfield, et. al., Cos Cob: CSS Publishing, 2009, p. 350-351).
It would take many pages to explain the challenges my husband and I have faced. I have kept a journal for thirty years to help me keep my perspective. Recently I wrote this:
Lord, this very day I awoke, alive, here, now – this day. This day I will treat my body with respect. Nourish it well, clean it, protect it. A warm shower, a healthy meal, fastening my seat belt, wearing comfortable shoes … these will be my little acts of respect for this body You gave me – this body You breathed life into at birth and each day including this very day.
This very day I awoke, not alone, but unique as I am, a part of all mankind, each single person is also unique. Let me respect the body of humanity and treat each single member as well as I treat my hands, my face, my feet. As I nourish my body let me nourish also the greater body. As I pour milk on my breakfast cereal, let me remember also to pour the milk of kindness on my family, my neighbors and colleagues, the stranger in traffic and souls in distant lands with prayers of compassion and thoughts of understanding.
This very day Lord, I will no doubt feel grains of irritation. Let me, with my degrees, my skills, my “knowledge of life”, not overlook the simple wisdom of the oyster. Let me turn those parasites that would invade my attitude with bitterness or despair into pearls to shimmer in my world, gems to offer others proof that life and hope can conquer depression and fear.
This very day Lord, let me remember to smile, to laugh, to sing, to dance, even if my knees hurt. Let me remember to watch the doves winging past my window, to see the coppery glint of sun on a squirrel’s tail, to listen to the puppy lapping water from his dish. Let me notice the bright vermillion blossom in the ditch even if it is just a “weed”. Let me be amused by bumper stickers on trucks decked in shiny chrome and fat backpacks on skinny teens. Let me, as I walk to the post office, be delighted by babies cooing in strollers and fussing matrons in flowered frocks and the aroma of hot cinnamon buns from the local bakery.
Since I am alive this very day, let me love it!
B. First Reading (Is 63:16-17, 19: 64:2-7): “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down.”
Against the backdrop of the Old Testament reading (Is 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7), the Advent expectation of the Church is enriched by past experiences of mercy and redemption. The Lord’s coming is redemptive for those who trust in him. For the people of hope, the Advent invocation that comes forth from their lips is “Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down!” Today’s passage from the prophet Isaiah contains the thoughts that he gave to his dispirited people around the end of their exile in Babylon and echoes the need for a Redeemer on account of the human race’s sinfulness.
The people who have been chastised and purified by God in the crucible of the Exile-experience, notwithstanding their pain and suffering, were able to hold on to their hope. The biblical scholar, Eugene Maly reflects: “What is the source of this hope? How, in the face of crises, frustrations, and disappointments can it have such power? The reason is an equally strong faith in the past, a belief in what God has already done to prove his love. The reasoning is that, if he has done so much already, how much more must he have in store for us! Thus, in Advent hope and faith are expressed equally; we can hope because we believe.”
Here is another example of how the people of hope can cope with life’s vicissitudes (cf. Sharon Foster in Daily Guideposts 2014, p. 310).
I watch my son rushing to check his luggage. Chase will soon board a plane for Oman after singing at a prayer breakfast at the United Nations and performing in Cooperstone, New York.
It is exciting and a joy to watch and listen to him, but it was not always so. Once upon a time, he was unhappy, his grades were slipping, he didn’t want to talk. We had survived the death of his father in a motorcycle accident when Chase was five, but I suspected the loss was now haunting him. “I don’t know how to help him become a man, God. Please help us.”
The most unlikely idea came to me: Share the story of King David. So we sat next to each other on the sofa, evening after evening, sharing the story of David’s life – from lonely shepherd boy to warrior to singer, poet, dancer, husband, father, and king. We talked about manhood and God.
Though Chase still had some challenges, he seemed to relax, into becoming. Now, he spreads encouragement to others, flying all over the world to sing for God.
C. Second Reading (1 Cor 1:3-9): “We wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Advent expectation of the Church for the definitive revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ in the end time (eschaton) is filled with grace. According to St. Paul in the Second Reading (1 Cor1:3-9), we are not lacking in any spiritual gift for we have been enriched in every way. He will keep us firm to the end and irreproachable on the great day of the Lord. In our loving vigil for the final advent of the Lord, we are encouraged to trust in God who is faithful. Today’s Advent message is very encouraging and optimistic. The apostle Paul reminds us of the wondrous grace God has bestowed upon us in Christ Jesus. In union with Christ, we have become enriched and endowed with every blessing.
The following shared personal experience illustrates that in this “ad interim” time, each one has received a gift from God (cf. Marion Bond West in Daily Guideposts 2010, p. 296).
When I was in high school, I longed to be a majorette like my friends. But the rules stipulated that majorettes must play a band instrument. The long-suffering band director finally suggested, “Try the triangle, Marion. Anyone can play it.” Not me.
So I went out for basketball. Of the thirty who wanted to play, only two of us didn’t make it.
I tried cheerleading next – until I discovered I couldn’t smile and cheer at the same time.
An observant English teacher asked, “What’s wrong, Marion?” “I can’t be a majorette, a basketball player or a cheerleader. I’m a … nothing.” He sat down in the empty seat in front of me. “You’ve gotten A’s on all your essays, despite your spelling. Maybe your gift is simply different. What do you really enjoy?”
I was always delighted when he assigned an essay, beamed when everybody else moaned. I’d waited on the cold granite steps for the library to open each summer morning. Books had become the brothers and sister I didn’t have, keeping me company while my mother worked. Sometimes I would lie in bed, thinking about words I enjoyed, like tapestry, September, pristine and pensive, and authors I adored: Pearl S Buck, W. Somerset Maugham, Edgar Allan Poe, Sinclair Lewis, Emily Dickenson. Tiny Tim, Heidi, Nancy Drew, Tom Sawyer and Lassie were cherished friends.
The batons, musical instruments, basketballs and pom-poms are long gone. My own gift from God remains alive.
Oh, Father, here’s a long, overdue, deep-down thank You for knowing, even way back then, the gift for me!
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. When feeling wretched and distressed, do we turn to our loving God and utter the Advent cry: “Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down”?
2. How do we respond to Jesus’ Advent exhortation: “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come”?
3. Do we eagerly await the definitive revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ? Do we respond to the saving initiative of our ever-faithful God who will keep us firm to the end and blameless on the day of the Lord?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
we thank you for the beauty and rhythm of the changing seasons.
With the Advent season,
we celebrate the manifold “coming” of your Son Jesus Christ.
In him you bestow upon us grace and peace.
Through him you fill us with every spiritual gift
that is beyond our imagining.
You are ever faithful and infinitely good.
Make us ready and blameless
for the glorious coming of our Lord Jesus Christ
at the end time.
As a people of Advent expectation,
help us to work tirelessly to bring hope.
Adveniat regnum tuum! Thy kingdom come!
Great is your love and we 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 week. Please memorize it.
"Jesus said to his disciples: Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come." (Mk 13:33)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for a salutary and meaningful celebration of the Advent season. Be deeply aware of the gifts received from God and endeavor to use them on behalf of the poor and the needy, and thus promote the coming of the heavenly kingdom. In view of making the Advent cry, “Adveniat regnum tuum” a reality, make an effort to spend some quiet time in Eucharistic Adoration.
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December 4, 2023: MONDAY – ADVENT WEEKDAY (1); SAINT JOHN DAMASCENE, Priest, Doctor of the Church
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Heals Our Infirmities and He Gathers All the Nations”
BIBLE READINGS
Is 2:1-5 // Mt 8:5-11
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 8:5-11): “Many will come from the east and the west into the Kingdom of heaven.”
This is a true story. A small Jewish boy realized that his teenage nanny, a Catholic, wishes him well. She even accompanies him to the synagogue when his daddy is not around. There she would encourage him to get into the serious business of praying. One day his dear nanny became seriously ill. She was in the hospital dying of pneumonia. The boy requested his dad to accompany him to her parish church so that he could pray there for her healing. The Jewish dad shook his finger at him, but finally relented. They went to the Catholic parish church. The boy knelt in a pew and poured out his heart to God in prayer. The beloved nanny recovered. She continued to serve at that Jewish household for many, many years.
Today’s reading (Mt 8:5-11) depicts one of the most lovable figures in the Gospel: the Roman centurion who approached Jesus saying, “Lord, my servant is lying home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.” He is a person of immense compassion for he pleaded for a suffering servant. He is mighty in military power but humble and gentle of heart. He is a foreigner, but sympathetic to the Jews. He is respectful of the Jewish culture for he does not wish Jesus to be defiled by going into his house – the house of a Gentile. Great is his faith in Jesus’ healing power for he humbly said to Jesus: “Lord, I am not worthy to have you under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.” Jesus expressed surprise and delight at his request. He healed his suffering servant and praised his great faith. The Lord Jesus reminds us that faith – expressed in goodness, compassion and humility - entitles us to share in the promises God made to the patriarchs. In this Advent season, let us turn to Jesus who comes to heal us of all our infirmities.
B. First Reading (Is 2:1-5): “The Lord will gather all nations into the eternal peace of the Kingdom of God.”
Today’s Old Testament reading (Is 2:1-5) reminds me of something very inspiring that I found in the comics section of a daily newspaper. I cut it out and kept it in a folder to keep me upbeat. Bill Keane’s “Family Circus” cartoon shows the Mom looking out of the window and the Dad sitting in an armchair with a newspaper. Probably upset by grim news reports, the Dad remarks: “Sometimes I worry about the future of this country.” The Mom answers, “I don’t!” as she gazes at a vision of harmony and peace in the backyard while her children play with other kids: the eldest son is carrying piggyback a delighted black kid; the daughter and a Hispanic friend are doting over the baby doll in the baby carriage; the daughter’s twin brother is giving a lecture on space rockets to a enthusiastic brown-skinned friend; an Oriental little girl is reading a book to the attentive toddler; and a bird perched on a kid’s telescope is singing a happy song.
The vision of harmony and the spirit of hope presented in the cartoon, “Family Circus”, are offered to us more intensely by the liturgy of the Advent season. Today’s readings present the healing not only of the centurion’s servant, but the healing of relationships and of the nations. In the First Reading (Is 2:1-5), the prophet Isaiah presents the Lord as gathering all nations into the eternal peace of the kingdom of God. In the days to come, all nations will make their way to the mountain of God, and Jerusalem will become the center of instruction for all nations. In the mind of Isaiah, the recognition of Jerusalem as the goal of the nations is tantamount to recognizing the Lord God as sovereign. Above all, the recognition and acceptance of the Lord’s instructions are the keys to world peace, when swords will be beaten into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks. We too are called to “walk in the light of the Lord” that we may be able to radiate the light of salvation to all. With all the nations, we are called to make our way back to the new Jerusalem, the city of God.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Like the centurion, do we have the faith, trust and love to seek healing from our Lord Jesus? Do we welcome his transforming Advent into our life? What do we do to promote the healing of the sick, the healing of relationships, and the healing of nations? Do we look forward to the coming of the Messiah and rejoice in the joy given by God to the “redeemed”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
we thank you for the season of Advent,
a season of new beginning and a time to seek healing.
It is a season of joy for the “redeemed”.
Please come into our life with your healing power.
Make us whole in mind, body and soul.
Bring healing to the nations and to all creation.
We rejoice in the joy that your advent brings.
Maranatha! Come, O Christ the Lord!
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.
“I will come and cure him.” (Mt 8:7) // “Let us walk in the light of the Lord.” (Is 2:5) // “The branch of the Lord will be luster and glory for the survivors of Israel.” (Is 4:2)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray not only for healing, but also to be a healer. Do something kind and comforting for a sick relative or friend. Do what you can to promote justice and peace in your family and in the family of nations and thus hasten the definitive coming of God’s kingdom on earth.
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December 5, 2023: TUESDAY – ADVENT WEEKDAY (1)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us to Be Childlike and He Is Filled with the Spirit”
BIBLE READINGS
Is 11:1-10 // Lk 10:21-24
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 10:21-24): “Jesus rejoices in the Holy Spirit.”
Jesus, the longed for Messiah, “rejoices in the Spirit”. He shares the joy of the seventy-two disciples returning from a successful healing and evangelizing mission to the various towns of Israel. Jesus thus blesses the heavenly Father for these “little ones”. Because of their “childlike” quality of humility, simplicity and great openness to the Holy Spirit, they have perceived supernatural truths and have become efficacious promoters of God’s kingdom. These disciples, having welcomed the mysteries of God revealed by Jesus, are now ministers of salvation in Jesus. Moreover, they are “blessed” because they have personally experienced, seen, heard and touched what prophets and kings had longed for. Because of their “childlike” stance with regards to Jesus, the advent of the Messiah has become a reality for them.
The following excerpt from Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Emperor’s New Clothes” gives an insight into the ability of the “little ones” to perceive truly and to act truly.
Many years ago, there was an Emperor who was very fond of new clothes that he spent all his money on them. (…) One day, two fellows calling themselves weavers came to town. They said that they knew how to weave cloth of the most beautiful colors and patterns. The clothes made from this wonderful cloth would be invisible to everyone who was unfit for the joy, or who was very simple in character. (…) The Emperor walked under his high canopy in the midst of the procession, through the streets of his capital. All the people standing by, and those at the windows, cried out, “Oh! How beautiful are our Emperor’s new clothes!” (…) No one would admit these much admired clothes could not be seen because, in doing so, he would have been saying he was either a simpleton or unfit for his job. “But the Emperor has nothing at all on!” said a child. “Listen to the voice of the child!” exclaimed his father. What the child had said was whispered from one to another. “But he has nothing at all on!” at last cried out all the people. (…)
B. First Reading (Is 11:1-10): “The Spirit of the Lord God shall rest upon him.”
Today’s Old Testament reading (Is 11:1-10) is from the prophet Isaiah who lived in Jerusalem in the latter part of the 8th century B.C., when there was terrible socio-political turmoil caused by the Assyrian Empire’s threat and invasion. Many kingdoms were crushed. Judah’s kinsmen in the northern Kingdom of Israel were routed by the Assyrians and sent into exile in 722 B.C. Despite the disaster experienced by the northern Kingdom, the prophet Isaiah predicted that the Kingdom of Judah would be spared. Isaiah envisioned a future when Judah and Israel, kingdoms of the North and South, would be reunited. The enemy siblings, Judah and Israel, would finally be reconciled through the saving work of a Spirit-filled messianic king, a shoot sprouting from the “stump of Jesse”. This future Davidic king would reign with a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and strength, a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord. He would judge the poor with justice and defend the rights of the helpless. The ideal King would be after God’s own heart. His Kingdom would be a reign of harmony, peace and reconciliation – reconciliation among the members of God’s creation and creation’s reconciliation with its Creator. The prophet Isaiah’s idyll of animal enemies living together serenely and harmoniously is a beautiful portrait of God’s benevolent plan and the glorious destiny he meant for his people and the entire creation.
However, the prophecy of the ideal Davidic King announced by Isaiah would not be fulfilled in his lifetime. That prophecy is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the “anointed one” and consecrated by the Spirit of Yahweh for the mission of universal salvation. In the fullness of time would be the advent of the Messiah and the definitive realization of the divine redemptive plan through the paschal sacrifice of that messianic King.
Finally, today’s Advent liturgy invites us to consider the shadows and pain in today’s world that do not correspond to the messianic idyll of peace and harmony announced by the prophet Isaiah. The Benedictine liturgical scholar, Adrian Nocent remarks: “How can we see the golden age in a world that is adrift, a world in which virtue and vice are so mingled? We can only respond by pointing to the fact that the Good News is being preached to the poor, the blind see, and the dead rise – since the Church accomplishes all these miracles in the spiritual order. The outlook of faith and a hope grounded in faith – these alone can enable us to see the presence of the golden age in its beginnings. Advent is the season of Christian optimism.”
The following article, “There’s No Place Like Home” about a hapless victim (cf. Poverello News, September 2007 issue) illustrates how some people of goodwill endeavor to hasten in today’s wounded world the advent of God’s kingdom. By their works of justice for the poor and needy, Papa Mike and the staff of the Poverello House remind us that the promotion of the messianic idyll is our task and challenge.
Like millions before him, he saw California as the Promised Land, a place abounding in hope and prosperity. For some reason, Little Rock, Arkansas had become a dead end. Maybe he had his own problems that made it hard for him to make it in his hometown, or maybe home had grown too small for him. Whatever the reason, he wanted to get away from failure or pain, so he looked westward with longing and naïve dreams of success. He was going to hook up with some distant relatives when he got to Fresno, live with them temporarily, and find a job. Not the most practical plan, but one that is all too familiar to us at Poverello House. Arriving at the bus station, he set out to get the lay of the land, and almost immediately, was mugged and robbed. Everything, including the names and phone numbers of relatives he’d never met, was stolen. He was savagely beaten, and ended up in the hospital with a broken wrist and cracked ribs. He was released, hurting, penniless, and depressed, and somehow made his way to Poverello House. Word on the street was that he could find help there.
At lunchtime, homeless people pointed out Mike McGarvin to him. He approached and asked Mike for help. What did he want? Just to go back home, where he knew people, where he wouldn’t be assaulted and robbed within ten minutes of arriving. Mike doesn’t do much “Greyhound therapy” anymore; more often than not, people are stuck in town because they’ve blown their money on drugs. However, something about this sad man in his late twenties appealed to Mike. As he does with anybody asking for a bus ticket, Mike told the man he could be on his way home if he passed a drug test. The test came out clean, so Mike bought him a ticket, loaded him with enough food for the trip, and put him on the bus for home.
Unlike so many who have been able to find a new life in the Golden State, this man instead discovered how mean the streets of California can be. As with so many others we assist, we will never know if our efforts to help this man will enable him to find his way in the world. However, Mike sent him off with a silent prayer for his safety. He left with the assurance that on the hardscrabble streets of Fresno, there is a place of refuge called Poverello House, and a big man with an equally big heart, known on those streets as Papa Mike.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we act as Spirit-filled people of God? Are we like children in the hands of God? Are we able to trust God and rely on him with childlike simplicity?
2. How does the messianic vision of peace and harmony impact you? How do you resolve to make the vision of messianic peace and harmony a lived possibility and reality?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
the Spirit of the Lord is upon you.
Together with you, we rejoice in the Spirit.
We love God the Father with childlike trust.
With your grace, help us to surrender to his saving will.
Maranatha! Come, O Christ the Lord!
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.
“Jesus rejoices in the Holy Spirit.” (Lk 10:21) //“The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him.” (Is 11:2)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for a more childlike trust as God’s presence mysteriously unfolds in our life. Do something kind and comforting for a needy “little one” in your midst. To be more open to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, spend some quiet moments in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament.
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December 6, 2023: WEDNESDAY – ADVENT WEEKDAY (1); SAINT NICHOLAS, Bishop
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Healing and Feeding Good Shepherd”
BIBLE READINGS
Is 25:6-10a // Mt 15:29-37
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 15:29-37): “Jesus heals many and multiplies the bread.”
In Jesus Christ is the advent of the messianic banquet. In him is the grace of healing and wholeness. As Savior-Redeemer sent by the heavenly Father, Jesus not only feeds the hungry, but makes the lame walk and the mute speak. He opens the eyes of the blind, heals the sick and makes the deformed whole. The people rejoices and glorifies God for in Jesus is their beautiful experience of nourishment and healing. Indeed, in today’s Gospel reading, we feel the exuberance of the people celebrating the advent of od’s kingdom. The center of it all is Jesus!
On December 6 we celebrate the optional memorial of a 4th century saint, Saint Nicholas, bishop of Myra in Asia Minor, a model pastor noted for charity. Like Jesus, he heals, nourishes and saves. He is popularized as Santa Claus, patron of children. He is also patron of bankers, pawnbrokers, sailors, perfumers, brides, unmarried women, travelers, fishermen, dock workers, brewers, poets, and prisoners, as well as of Russia, Greece, Sicily, Lorraine and Apulia in Italy, where his relics are enshrined in Bari. The life of charitable Saint Nicholas is filled with the healing compassion of Christ. In celebrating Saint Nick we too share in that joy. The following personal account is heartwarming (cf. Nadine N. Doughty, “Season Started with St. Nick” in Country, December/January 2009, p. 61).
I wasn’t quite asleep, after all. A tiny sound of crackling cellophane roused me, and I opened my eyes. There, in the living room, I saw a plump figure – doing what, exactly? I shut my eyes quickly. It was St. Nicholas at work, and if he saw me awake, he might vanish!
No, it wasn’t Christmas Eve. In our family, we observed St. Nicholas’ Day weeks earlier. Every December 6, the generous saint of giving would celebrate his feast day by filling children’s stockings with goodies. My parents, who had German and Austrian roots, referred to the day as Nicolo, and every year they had my three brothers, my sister and me hang stockings on the old fieldstone fireplace. They’d even driven special nails into the mortar between the stones, just for that purpose.
Ready and Waiting: My red knee sock, my sister’s green one and my brothers’ white crew socks all made for a cheerful display. But it was nothing to the sight we knew would greet us the next morning! During the night, our parents said, good St. Nick would come to fill those stockings with delightful small surprises, and we’d see them as soon as we woke up. It made it almost impossible for us to fall asleep that night.
Sure enough, the next morning, the sight of those bulging stockings had us so excited that we usually didn’t wait until our parents were awake to raid them! What caused us such excitement? Living during the Great Depression was enough to make us see just about anything he’d leave as a genuine treat. So we’d exclaim over such riches as a pocket comb, or the notebooks we each got, every one with a cover in a different color. The older kids might get a penknife. I still recall fondly the colored pencils I got, and a blue velvet hair ribbon that I kept for years.
Sweet Treats: We’d all be thrilled to find apple and banana-shaped marzipan, a delectable almond-and-sugar candy that was a rare treat for us. And at the very bottom of each stocking were tucked a traditional orange and some nuts we could crack and crunch. We didn’t usually eat those oranges right away, but kept them so we could savor the anticipation of the rare and delicious flavor! After we showed everyone our treasures, the Christmas season was officially on. There’d be projects to sew, carve, draw or paint as gifts for every family member. Some had already been started, but now we knew we had to hurry to finish them in time for Christmas.
As we grew older, we’d start to give more elaborate Christmas gifts, often ones that required special shopping trips. Nicolo, though, remained our family’s simple, fun and special way to begin the Christmas season.
B. First Reading (Is 25:6-10a): “The Lord invites us to his feast and will wipe away the tears from all faces.”
Today’s Old Testament reading (Is 25:6-10a) depicts the definitive triumph of God’s kingdom at the end time. The fulfillment of God’s saving plan is imaged as a “feast of rich food and choice wines”. On that day of great feasting, the people redeemed would exclaim: “Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us! This is the Lord for whom we looked; let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us” (Is 55:9). This bountiful banquet on the mountain of God is a symbol of eternal salvation, companionship and joy – of the delightful sharing in the riches of God and intimate communion in his delectable life.
The biblical scholar Eugene Maly comments: “One of the most pleasant of human activities is the family or community meal. In its ideal form, it is a time when those who love one another not only share the food they eat, but also share with one another their hopes and fears, their experiences and future plans. The love that already binds them is made stronger. The Scripture attests to the fact that a meal is expressive of a wide range of human attitudes and emotions … All mankind seems to be aware of the fact that a shared meal creates or strengthens a community of life among the participants. That is why this most human of activities would also be used to symbolize a community of life between human and divine participants … The Isaiah reading describes in rich imagery what is commonly referred to as the eschatological or end-time meal. In his description of this meal, the author is trying to bring home to the people the exquisite joy of that final day when they would be united with the Lord forever. A common life and common love are symbolized.”
Moreover, all peoples are invited to this grandiose banquet. The end-time feast is for all peoples, with God himself as the gracious host. He is the Lord of the banquet who satisfies our deepest longings. In Jesus Christ is the advent of the messianic banquet. In Jesus, God not only feeds the hungry but he also acts to make the lame walk, open the eyes of the blind, heal the sick. In him is total nourishment and healing.
As children of God and as disciples of Jesus, we are called to be instruments to respond to the needs of the world’s poor. The following story illustrates how God uses us to feed the hungry (cf. Carol Ermo, “Mysterious Ways” in Guideposts, September 2013, p. 39).
Brr. I hugged the warm Crockpot I was carrying as I walked to the building site. We’re hardy folks here in Wisconsin, but that fall day was beyond brisk. The women in my church group were bringing lunch to some Habitat for Humanity volunteers building a house in a working-class neighborhood. We’d made brownies, sandwiches and, most important, a huge batch of chili. Nearing the site, I wondered if chili would be enough to warm the bellies of the hungry crew.
Except there was no activity. No hammering. No saw buzzing. No drills whirring. No one working inside or out. Only one car was parked on the street. A man climbed out, pulling his jacket tight. “Didn’t anyone tell you ladies?” he said. “There’s no build today.” “No build? Why” I asked. “Windows didn’t come in”, the man explained. There’s not much to do without them. It’s so cold, we figured we’d hold off until they’re delivered.”
The pot of chili felt heavy. All that work we’d put in, chopping onions, browning the beef, mixing in the spices and waiting for it to cook. Now we had this enormous batch and no one to eat it. Maybe we’d split it up. My family would have supper for weeks. Then a thought popped into my head that didn’t seem to come from me. Take it to the homeless shelter.
The shelter? They planned way ahead and I was sure they already had a meal for the day. Then again, they could freeze the chili and serve it some other time. The women and I piled back into the car and drove to the shelter. A crowd of people huddled outside the cafeteria doors. “What’s going on?” I asked the shelter coordinator. “The group that was supposed to fix the meal today didn’t come in”, she said. “We’ve got all these people and nothing to feed them.” “You have something now”, I said.
There was enough chili for everyone … even for two stragglers who arrived after I thought the pot was empty. I shouldn’t have been surprised. This crew wasn’t the one we’d been planning to serve, but the Master Builder had a greater plan.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
What is your response to the divine offer of total participation at the “banquet of salvation”? How do you prepare yourself for the heavenly feast? How do you image the compassionate Jesus who heals the sick and feeds the hungry?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
O loving God,
you are the Lord of the banquet.
We thank you
for the “feast of rich food and choice wines”
you have prepared for us on your holy mountain.
The “banquet of salvation” at the end time
celebrates the definitive triumph of your kingdom
and the glory of your Paschal Lamb.
In our daily celebration of the Eucharist,
the supper of the Lamb,
we have a foretaste of the eternal joy
and the bounty of that heavenly feast.
Help us to imitate the compassionate Jesus,
who heals the sick and feeds the hungry.
Grant us the grace to live in charity and integrity
that we may participate fully and joyfully
in the eternal “banquet of salvation”.
You live and reign, 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.
“On this mountain the Lord of hosts will provide for all people.” (Is 25:6) // They all ate and were satisfied.” (Mt 15:37)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that the Christian disciples may be heartened by the “banquet of salvation” prepared for us by the Lord at the end time and prefigured in the Eucharist. By your small acts of charity and good deeds, prepare to participate fully at the heavenly feasting. Endeavor to alleviate the hunger of the world’s poor and to satisfy their need for a nourishing and bountiful meal. Show your compassionate care to the sick.
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December 7, 2013: THURSDAY – SAINT AMBROSE, Bishop, Doctor of the Church
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is Our Rock and Foundation”
BIBLE READINGS
Is 26:1-6 // Mt 7:21, 24-27
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 7:21, 24-27): “Whoever does the will of my Father will enter the Kingdom of heaven.”
Advent is a grace-filled time to search the innermost recesses of our lives and to build a strong foundation. When our life is firmly grounded on faith, nothing can detract us in our discipleship. In this season of grace, the Divine Master challenges his followers to make faith-filled choices by acting upon his saving word. The biblical scholar Mary Ehle remarks: “The sturdiness of one’s house in the face of life’s tribulations (the rains, floods, and winds) will be determined by one’s choice to listen and act on Jesus’ words. For Jesus, consistency between what a disciple hears and how a disciple lives is essential … The blessing of being Jesus’ disciple is the blessing of a relationship with him. This relationship buoys us for the suffering we might experience, teaches us how to align our words and actions with him, and prepares us to receive the gift of eternal life.”
The following Missioner Tale gives an insight into how a Christian can make faith-filled choices and thus build a house on a rock foundation (cf. Sia Temu, M.M. in Maryknoll Magazine, Spring 2022, p. 9).
In Nairobi, I serve as a member of a peacebuilding team. We organize “Conversations for Social Change” for men and women from Kenya’s diverse ethnic and religious groups. One man’s story shows the importance of this work. This man lived among neighbors of another tribe on a plot of land he had purchased. When ethnic conflicts flared in the region, he was brutally beaten and left to die. Treated at a hospital, he then went to live in an internally displaced people’s camp until relative calm returned.
Moving back home, he noticed that a neighbor had taken possession of one of his cows! Having learned to speak up in our conversations groups, he very humbly and courageously asked the man how they could share the “fruit” of his cow. “What I want is a good relationship with you”, he told his neighbor. “Now that the cow has a calf, you can choose to give me the calf and you remain with the mother, or you give me the mother and you keep the calf.” The neighbor responded that it would be good for the man to take the calf and he would keep the cow. It was arranged as simply as that. In fact, the aggrieved man thanked the other for looking after his cow during the time of violence.
B. First Reading (Is 26:1-6): “Let in a nation that is just, one that keeps faith.”
Advent is a propitious time to build our lives on Christ, our Rock Foundation. That we may be solidly founded on Christ, “he who comes in the name of the Lord”, we need to live by his words and follow his heavenly Father’s will. Our lives must correspond to the truth of faith that we profess. Today’s Old Testament reading (Is 26:1-6) undergirds the Christian call for integrity in our faith. The prophet Isaiah speaks of God’s promise of a “fortified city”, built in response to the hope of the “poor”. The gates of his “strong city” are open to the just and those who keep faith in him, but not to the proud and the tyrants. Isaiah refers to the Lord as an eternal “Rock”, which is a metaphor for total dependability. Indeed, the Lord God will always protect the humble and those who trust in his saving word.
The following account illustrates how a sterling modern woman built a house, put her trust in God, built her family life on the Rock Foundation and drew strength from the word of God (cf. Elizabeth Sherill, “The Glory of Ruth” in Guideposts, October 2007, p. 101-104).
It was on a radio newscast on June 15, 2007, that I heard about the death of my friend Ruth: “Mrs. Billy Graham, wife of the well-known evangelist, died yesterday at eighty-seven.” Ruth had been ill for a long time, her face in their Christmas card photo a little thinner each year, until all I recognized were those lively and compassionate eyes. In my desk I found the file of our correspondence. Here were dozens of letters in Ruth’s bold, energetic handwriting, the words slanting backward till they almost lay on their sides. Embossed above them on each sheet was Little Piney Cove, North Carolina.
I saw myself driving for the first time up that steep mountain road to a rustic cabin nestled in the shelter of a cliff, seemingly the home of long-ago pioneers. Hand-hewn chestnut beams, rough plastering, an immense fireplace. In fact, on that first visit in the 1950s, the house was brand-new, designed cellar to roof by Ruth herself. Over the years the house came, for me, to stand for the woman herself: a woman for whom imagination often took the place of money. Because Bill took only a modest salary, a tight budget for the new house was her first challenge. “I wanted it to look”, she told me, “as though it had stood here forever.” But where would she find massive chestnut timbers like the pioneers used? From old abandoned cabins she tracked down in the hills and hollows. (…)
Imagination, love, humor – all were present in that house on the mountain.
But the chief thing the house reflected was a woman’s hourly, moment-by-moment reliance on God. In large German script on the broad wooden mantel above the fireplace six words were incised in gold: Eine Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott. These opening words of Martin Luther’s great hymn, “A mighty fortress is our God”, explained the confidence with which Ruth met the never-ending challenge of being a wife and a mother. God was the secure place from where she was able to fight all of the daily battles with dishes and disruptions and the differing needs of husband and children.
I don’t think Ruth’s Bible ever saw a shelf. It was open constantly, whatever room she was in, not just as an aid to prayer, but as a practical guide to every problem the day presented. Worship and daily living were, for Ruth, not separate things. Chores, games, school work, nature, study – she wove all of it into the fabric of faith.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do we seek protection in the fortified “city of God” and strength from the Lord, the “eternal Rock”? Do we truly seek the will of the Father and his kingdom by building our life upon Christ, the foundation Rock?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
You are the rock-foundation of our life.
Instill our day-to-day options with your wisdom.
Make us firm in our choices for you.
Help us as we work for the advent of your kingdom.
Maranatha! Come, O Christ the Lord!
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“The Lord is an eternal Rock.” (Is 26:4)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
When buffeted with challenges and difficulties in life, seek the protection of God and draw strength from his life-giving word. Share the inner strength of God with the people around you whose faith seems to be weak.
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December 8, 2023: FRIDAY – THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
“JESUS SAVIOR: His Mother Was Immaculately Conceived”
BIBLE READINGS
Gn 3:9-15, 20 // Eph 1:3-6, 11-12 // Lk 1:26-38
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Mary accompanies us with her maternal and sanctifying presence in this season of grace and messianic waiting. But our Advent with Mary is marked with a “sign” – her Immaculate Conception, the sign that the coming Messiah, fruit of her virginal womb, is conqueror of evil. Mary most holy was kept sinless from the first moment of her conception, sharing beforehand in the salvation her Son Christ would bring by his death and resurrection. Indeed, Mary’s Immaculate Conception is a “sign” that in Christ, God’s love prevails and that in him, we are saved and redeemed from the power of sin.
Our Founder, Blessed James Alberione, remarks: “The dogma of Mary’s Immaculate Conception was defined on December 8, 1854 by Pope Pius IX, surrounded by hundreds of bishops and an impressive crowd of believers. Mary is the first and marvelous fruit of redemption. (…) Why these privileges? Why the supreme and most abounding grace of her Immaculate Conception? All these are due to the foreseen merits of her Son, the future Messiah. Mary is the first and marvelous fruit of Christ’s redemption. His passion and death bore beforehand its most abundant fruit in Mary who would accompany him in his death and resurrection … God’s gift of Mary’s Immaculate Conception is marvelous and unique. The Church defined this exceptional privilege as a dogma of faith to proclaim to the world the marvels God wrought in Mary when her soul came forth from the Father’s creative hands.”
On this blessed day, we celebrate the first moment of Mary’s existence – her conception in the womb of her mother, St. Anne, as a wonderful springtime of grace. As we celebrate the marvelous work God has wrought in her life, we inevitably remember her important role in salvation history as giving life to the true life-giver. Conceived sinless in her mother’s womb, Mary’s “YES” to the loving plan of God for her cooperation in sending the Messiah to free the world from its sins is a cause for rejoicing. Mary’s openness to grace overcame the hopeless struggle of Genesis. Her assent to be the Mother of God made it possible for the riches of God’s grace to flow upon us abundantly.
The following beautiful story circulated on the Internet illustrates how Mary continues to be active in salvation history.
A little six-year-old Protestant boy had often heard his Catholic companions reciting the prayer “Hail Mary”. He liked it so much that he copied it, memorized it, and would recite it every day. “Look, Mommy, what a beautiful prayer”, he said to his mother one day. “Never again say it”, answered the mother. “It is a superstitious prayer of Catholics who adore idols and think Mary is a goddess. After all, she is a woman like any other. Come on, take this Bible and read it. It contains everything that we are bound to do and have to do.”
From that day on the little boy discontinued his daily “Hail Mary” and gave himself more time to reading the Bible instead. One day, while reading the Gospel, he came across the passage about the annunciation of the Angel to Our Lady. Full of joy, the little boy ran to his mother and said: “Mommy, I have found the ‘Hail Mary’ in the Bible which says: ‘Hail full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou amongst women.’ Why do you call it a superstitious prayer?” On another occasion he found that beautiful salutation of St. Elizabeth to the Virgin Mary and the wonderful canticle Magnificat in which Mary foretold that “the generations would call her blessed”.
He said no more about it to his mother but started to recite the “Hail Mary” every day as before. He felt pleasure in addressing these charming words to the Mother of Jesus, our Savior.
One day, when he was fourteen, he heard a discussion on Our Lady among the members of his family. Every one said that Mary was a common woman like any other woman. The boy, after listening to their erroneous reasoning could not bear it any longer and, full of indignation, he interrupted them saying: “Mary is not like any other children of Adam, stained with sin. No! The angel called her FULL OF GRACE AND BLESSED AMONG WOMEN. Mary is the Mother of Jesus Christ and consequently Mother of God. There is no higher dignity to which a creature can be raised. The Gospel says that the generations will proclaim her blessed and you are trying to despise her and look down on her. Your spirit is not the spirit of the Gospel or of the Bible which you proclaim to be the foundation of the Christian religion.”
So deep was the impression which the boy’s talk had made that his mother many a time cried out sorrowfully: “Oh, my God! I fear that this son of mine will one day join the Catholic religion, the religion of the Popes!” And indeed, not very long afterwards, having made a serious study of both Protestantism and Catholicism, the boy found the latter to be the only true religion and embraced it and became one of its most ardent apostles.
Sometime after his conversion, he met his married sister who rebuked him and said indignantly: “You little know how much I love my children. Should any one of them desire to become a Catholic, I would sooner pierce his heart with a dagger than allow him to embrace the religion of the Popes!” Her anger and temper were as furious as those of St. Paul before his conversion. However, she would change her ways, just as St. Paul did on his way to Damascus. It so happened that one of her sons fell dangerously ill and the doctors gave up hope of recovery. Her brother then approached her and spoke to her affectionately, saying: “My dear sister, you naturally wish to have your child cured. Very well, then, do what I ask you to do. Follow me; let us pray one ‘Hail Mary’ and promise God that if your son recovers his health, you would seriously study the Catholic doctrine, and should you come to the conclusion that Catholicism is the only true religion, you would embrace it no matter what the sacrifices may be.”
His sister was somewhat reluctant at the beginning, but as she wished for her son’s recovery, she accepted her brother’s proposal and recited the “Hail Mary” together with him. The next day her son was completely cured. The mother fulfilled her promise and she studied the Catholic doctrine. After long preparation she received Baptism together with her whole family, thanking the brother for being an apostle to her.
This story was related during a sermon by the Rev. Fr. Tuckwell. “Brethren”, he went on and said, “The boy who became a Catholic and converted his sister to Catholicism dedicated his whole life to the service of God. He is the priest who is speaking to you now! What I am I owe to Our Lady. You, too, my dear brethren, be entirely dedicated also to Our Lady and never let a day pass without saying the beautiful prayer, ‘Hail Mary’ and your Rosary. Ask her to enlighten the minds of Protestants who are separated from the true Church of Christ founded on the Rock (Peter) and ‘against whom the gates of hell shall not prevail’.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do we believe that Mary’s Immaculate Conception is a sign that in Christ, God’s love prevails and that in him, we are saved and redeemed from the powers of sin? How do we express this belief in our personal life?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Father most holy,
you have given us the Blessed Virgin Mary
as a radiant “sign” in our pilgrimage of faith
as Church on earth.
Through her loving intercession,
strengthen our faith and inspire our hope
so that nothing can ever sway us
from the path that leads to eternal life.
We ask 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 day. Please memorize it.
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers.” (Gen 3:15)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Support the movement to protect and promote every person’s right to life and especially the right to life of the unborn. In your acts of charity and in the challenges of daily living, manifest the life-giving “Yes” of Mary.
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December 9, 2023: SATURDAY – ADVENT WEEKDAY (1); SAINT JUAN DIEGO CUAUHTLATOATZIN
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Merciful One”
BIBLE READINGS
Is 30:19-21, 23-26 // Mt 9:35-10:1, 5a, 6-8
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 9:35-10:1, 5a, 6-8): “At the sight of the crowds, Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them.”
During this Advent season, Jesus is incisively depicted as Teacher and Healer, with the compassionate heart of a Shepherd and the energy of a Harvest Master. As the “Merciful One”, he engages his disciples to participate in the messianic mission of salvation. The kingdom of God is at hand. The time has come to send out workers to gather in the harvest. The time has come to shepherd the lost sheep. The time has come to cure every disease and every illness. Jesus gives his disciples power and authority so that they may be able to replicate and extend his saving mission through time and space. Their mission is geared towards the fulfillment of God’s kingdom: “Adveniat regnum tuum!”
Pope Francis illustrates how to carry out the “Advent mission” entrusted to us by “the Merciful One” (cf. Nicole Winfield, “Pope Bolsters Charity Office to Be Near Needy” in Fresno Bee, November 29, 2013, p. A20).
When he was archbishop of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis was known to sneak out at night and break bread with the homeless, sit with them literally on the street and eat with them, as part of his aim to share the plight of the poor and let them know someone cared.
That’s not easy to do now that he’s a pope. But Francis is still providing one-on-one doses of emergency assistance to the poor, sick and aged through a trusted archbishop. Konrad Krajewski is the Vatican Almoner, a centuries-old job of handling out alms – and Francis has ramped up the job to make it an extension of his own personal charity.
As Americans gathered for Thanksgiving on Thursday, Krajewski described how Francis has redefined the little known office of papal almoner and explained the true meaning of giving during a chat with journalists over coffee and pastries a few steps from the Vatican gates. “The Holy Father told me at the beginning: ‘You can sell your desk. You don’t need it. You need to get out of the Vatican. Don’t wait for people to come ringing. You need to go out and look for the poor’,” Krajewski said.
He gets his marching orders each morning: a Vatican gendarme goes from the hotel where Francis lives to Krajewski’s office across the Vatican gardens, bringing a bundle of letters the pope has received from the faithful asking for help. On top of each letter, Francis might write “You know what to do” or “Go find them”.
And so Don Corrado, as he likes to be called, hits the streets of Rome and beyond. He visits homes for the elderly in the name of the pope, writes checks to the needy in the name of the pope – even traveled to the island of Lampedusa in the name of the pope after a migrant boat capsized, killing more than 350 people.
Over four days on Lampedusa, Krajweski brought 1,600 phone cards so the survivors could call loved ones back home in Eritrea to let them know they had made it. He also prayed with police divers as they worked to raise the dead from the sea floor. “This is the concept: Be with people and share their lives, even for 15, 30 minutes, an hour”, he said.
The existence of the Vatican Almoner dates back centuries: It is mentioned in a papal bull from the 13th-century. Pope Innocent III, and Pope Gregory X, who ruled from 1271-1276, organized it into an official Holy See office for papal charity. Until Krajewski came along, the almoner was typically an aging Vatican diplomat who was serving his final years before being allowed to retire at age 75.
B. First Reading (Is 30:19-21, 23-26): “The Merciful One will show you mercy when you cry out.”
Today’s First Reading (Is 30:19-21, 23-26) is one of the most comforting texts in the Sacred Scriptures. It assures us that the Merciful One will show mercy when we cry out to him. He will be gracious to those who trust in him. He will guide and show us the way and will be the Teacher to counsel us. He will give us the bread we need and the water we thirst for. Nature will produce abundantly and there will be prosperity. Above all, on the day of great distress and judgment, God will be a healer for those who have recourse to him. He will bind up the wounds of his people and heal the bruises brought about by his just punishment. The Advent figure of “the Merciful One” is fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
In October 2019 I was prescribed a cholesterol pill which I took regularly. After two weeks, I felt a strange sensation on my right eye. There were white solid particles forming in it. Soon my right eye was very red and filled with mucus. I was having a negative reaction to the cholesterol pill. For one year and three months, I suffered terribly. My allergic conjunctivitis was not responding to regular treatments and therapies. I prayed intensely to the Lord to have pity on me and to heal me. Finally, I was referred to Dr. Hinton who, after doing a first-aid treatment on the infected eye, referred me to Dr. Waldop, an ophthalmic neurologist and a plastic surgeon. On February 11, 2021, Dr. Waldrop of Eye-Q did various curettages on my right eye. He also did a minor surgery on my canaliculitis. I was healed on that very day when the Church was celebrating the Our Lady of Lourdes and the World Day of Prayer for the Sick. Soon after, I was able to undergo a cataract extraction and lens implant surgery. Now I can see better than when I was a teenager! Through the instrumentality of good eye doctors, I have experienced anew the healing power of God, the Merciful One. I rejoice in the Lord and freely proclaim the marvelous healing he has done for me.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Are our hearts like that of Jesus, filled with compassion for others? What do we do to live fully our “Advent mission” as instruments of “the Merciful One”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
in you is the advent of “the Merciful One”.
You bind our wounds
and heal the bruises caused by our sinful offenses.
You nourish us with the food of eternal life
and make us drink at the font of salvation.
You have lightened our hearts with the Gospel you preach.
Now you dispatch us on an “Advent mission” to the nations.
Be with us and help us mirror to them your divine mercy.
Maranatha! Come, O Christ the Lord!
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.
“He was moved with pity for them.” (Mt 9:36)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for all missionaries in the world. By your kind words and charitable deeds to the people around you, especially the poor, the sick and the needy, let them experience the saving power of the Gospel and the compassionate heart of “the Merciful One”.
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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