A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday and Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 10, n. 53)
WEEK 34 IN ORDINARY TIME: November 25 – December 1, 2012 ***
(N.B. The pastoral tool BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD: A LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY LITURGY includes a prayerful study of the Sunday liturgy of Year B from three perspectives. For reflections on the Sunday liturgy based on the Gospel reading, please scroll up to the “ARCHIVES” above and open Series 1. For reflections based on the Old Testament reading, open Series 4. For reflections based on the Second Reading, open Series 7. Please go to Series 10 for the back issues of the Weekday Lectio.
Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY: November 25 – December 1, 2012. The following reflections are based on the weekday liturgy’s Gospel reading.)
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November 25, 2012: OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, KING OF THE UNIVERSE (34th or Last Sunday of Ordinary Time)
“JESUS SAVIOR: His Is a Sacrificial Kingship”
BIBLE READINGS
Dn 7:13-14 // Rv 1:5-8 // Jn 18:33b-37
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
I was flipping through the pages of James Underwood Crockett’s book, “Roses” when I came upon a picture of the fascinating 13th century rose window of the cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. Tinted light glows with beauty as it passes through the stained glass “petals” in the shape of a rose. The glass “petals” radiate from a central figure of Christ the King, seated on his throne. Four small “petals” border the royal image of Christ, forming a fascinating equilateral cross. On this last Sunday of the liturgical year, when we celebrate the royal enthronement of Jesus Savior, who died for us on the cross, we recognize and acknowledge with reverence the sacrificial aspect of his kingship. By his redemptive suffering, Jesus is the center of history and the king of all creation.
The Pauline Family all over the world celebrates tomorrow the feast of their Founder, Blessed James Alberione, who died on November 26, 1971. Blessed Alberione’s apostolic vision is “the reign of the Divine Master, the Way, the Truth and the Life” and “the restoration of all things in Christ”. In the mind of our Founder, the history of nations attends or awaits the great historical event, the Incarnation, through which God came to restore to himself all creatures as head over all. He would lead them on that great day to his kingdom, with the believers and immense heavenly creatures giving glory to the Divine King. In the preaching of Blessed Alberione, the historical saving event of the Incarnation is not limited to the manger in Bethlehem. No, the Lord’s incarnation is his decisive entrance into salvation history, a unique messianic process that culminated in his death on the cross and the glorious event of his resurrection and ascension into heaven. For Blessed Alberione, the movement towards the restoration of all things in Christ, that is, putting all things under his reign, necessarily involves making the Gospel relevant to the specific historical contexts of individuals and peoples, and making it unfold from within their own cultural situations. In his life of holiness and apostolic service, Blessed James Alberione has made his own the Lord’s Prayer for the advent of God’s kingdom: Adveniat regnum tuum.
The biblical readings of this Sunday are meant to help us glean the true meaning of kingship. The idea of kingship has been deepened by Israel’s experience of suffering. Jesus brought to perfection the enigmatic working principle, “Through suffering to kingship”. Reigning from his cross, the messianic King drew all peoples and creation to himself by the power of his self-surrendering love. The Christian disciples who are the object of the Father’s grace are called to participate in Jesus Christ’s sacrificial kingship, by living out in their own lives the mystery of his paschal destiny.
The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 5, exhort us: “The Church and every Christian community must be, according to their possibilities, an image of this kingdom where, in order to become great, one joyfully becomes the servant of all, beginning with the weakest, the most destitute, the lowliest. To follow Christ, King of the Universe, by going against the ways of the world, brings many difficulties … But God gave to the one he made king the nations for an inheritance and the ends of the earth for his possession. We trustfully raise our eyes toward him who, his heart opened on the cross, draws everyone to himself to lead them with him into his kingdom.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do we recognize that redemptive suffering is an important aspect of the kingship of Christ? Do we acknowledge that Jesus’ self-surrendering love is what makes for his effective rule? Do we strive to follow the ways of Christ’s sacrificial kingship that entails accepting the conditions of this fragmented world, with all its suffering and mortality? Do we try to be more receptive to the kingship of Jesus by fulfilling the mystery of his blessed passion, death and resurrection in the witness of our own personal life?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
we thank you for guiding us in our spiritual journey
through the Church’s liturgical year.
The year of grace 2012
is crowned with the Feast of Christ the King.
He is our Master-Shepherd and the Lord of history.
He is the Pantocrator - the almighty Lord of heaven and earth.
As we remember the past with gratitude
and live the present with enthusiasm,
we look forward with confident hope
to the final advent of Jesus your Son,
the sacrificial king ... our Redeemer King.
Bless us and strengthen us.
Form us into a serving, suffering and loving Church.
Help us to be true witnesses
of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom value.
He lives and reigns, 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.
“My kingdom does not belong to this world.” (Jn 18:36)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that today’s Christian disciples may understand more deeply the meaning and the challenge of Christ’s sacrificial kingship. Endeavor to promote the kingship of Christ by acts of justice and peace, and by a personal witnessing of love, service, and joy in the Holy Spirit. As humble participants in his sacrificial kingdom, let us courageously promote the culture of life and resolve to fight the culture of death that takes shape in many violent forms. If possible, take part in a public manifestation of love, honor and reverence for Christ, the King of the universe.
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November 26, 2012: MONDAY – WEEKDAY (34)
(In the Pauline Family: Feast - BLESSED JAMES ALBERIONE)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Father’s TOTUS TUUS”
BIBLE READINGS
Rv 14:1-3, 4b-5 // Lk 21:1-4
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
We are almost at the end of the liturgical year. Through the sacred liturgy, the Church helps us to be thankful for the divine compassion and the providence bestowed on us every moment of our life. Likewise, the bible readings in these days invite us to respond to God with a generous and total love. As we are completing the Church’s year of grace 2012, it is fitting to meditate upon the totus tuus quality of God’s relationship with us, as well as the totus tuus character of the response he demands from us.
The biblical scholar Eugene Maly comments: “Totus tuus … “totally yours” … Such total self-giving is characteristic of biblical religion. It is not to be understood as a purely human initiative. Rather, it is the expected response to the redemptive love of God. It is he who loves first. Then empowered by that love, we can love God and neighbor in turn…God’s initial love is always a presupposition. Our lives are, or should be, one large thank you to a loving God. And the thank you must be expressed wholeheartedly. The Gospel reading exhibits this theme. The widow who gave her two small copper coins gave all that she had to live on. This was her version of totus tuus to God. Because it was that, it was worth much more than the huge donations of the wealthy … The emphasis is on the completeness of the human gift … Jesus is the Father’s totus tuus to us. When we respond, it must also be in the once and for all spirit of totus tuus. In Christianity, God has given his all once and for all. We are asked to respond in the same way … That is why we say right here and now to God: Totus tuus, Lord”.
An example of a priest whose life is totus tuus is Blessed James Alberione (1884-1971), the Founder of the Pauline Family. He has given the Church new instruments to express the Gospel message, new means to invigorate the work of evangelization, new capacities and deep awareness of the importance of the mass media in the Christian mission in the modern world. Here is an account of Blessed Alberione’s definitive totus tuus to the Lord (cf. Luigi Rolfo, JAMES ALBERIONE: Apostle for our Times, New York: Alba House, 1987, p. 400-401).
Pope Paul VI decided to pay a visit to the dying Father Alberione … The Pope appeared around 5:00 p.m., as the sun was setting … “Oh, Father Alberione!” he exclaimed drawing near to his bedside. Sister Judith tried at that time to get the attention of the patient. “Primo Maestro, the Holy Father has arrived.” But he had already lost consciousness some hours earlier and did not react. If his spirit, which had always had the rock of Peter, the Pope, as its supreme point of reference had been alert, it would certainly have been moved in that moment and would have taken in all the extraordinary significance of that visit.
The Holy Father took off his red mantle, recollected himself in silence for some moments, then asked how long he had been in this condition. He was told that his agony had lasted two days, with alternating critical moments and slight improvements and long stationary phases. He turned then to Father Zanoni to ask if he had received all the sacraments. At an affirmative reply, he invited those present to join him in prayer. He knelt alongside the bed and began the “Our Father” and the “Hail Mary”. He got up. ‘Let us give him an absolution yet”, he said, and immediately after, he quietly pronounced the sacramental formula of absolution in Latin, concluding with benediction. He then placed his hand on the head of the dying priest with affection and veneration, while his lips moved in silent prayer. He smiled at the nurse and moved toward the exit passing before the old desk which had followed our Founder in all of his moves since 1936, the year which he definitively established himself in Rome. ( …)
“Is this his study?” the Pope asked. “Yes”, someone replied. And after having observed the old piece of furniture, he wrote this on a blank page of a register opened on it: In nomine Domini, Paulus PP. VI. 26 November 1971 … The Pope wanted to see very quickly the sanctuary of the Queen of the Apostles and left again for the Vatican at 5:30 p.m. To Father Alberione there remained another hour of life on earth … But the manifestation of life became even weaker and uncertain and terminated entirely at 6:25 p.m. on Friday, November 26, 1971. From that moment on, Father Alberione was no longer here: he had passed to the Father’s house.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Why is the donation of the poor widow in the Jerusalem temple most valuable and significant? How does her offering evoke Christ’s total gift of himself? In what does Christ’s totus tuus to the Father consist? Why is Christ himself the Father’s totus tuus gift to us? Do we strive to make of our life a totus tuus gift to God?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
we thank you for creating us in your image,
for redeeming us in your Son,
and for sanctifying us through the power of your life-giving Spirit.
Jesus Christ is your totus tuus gift to us.
On the cross of sacrifice,
he was the Priest and Victim par excellence.
By his passion and death on the cross,
you revealed your unmitigated love and compassionate care for us.
Dear Lord God,
we love you.
Like the widow who offered her last two coins at the Jerusalem temple,
let us learn to give all and everything – our totus tuus –
and be sustained by faith in your providence.
Bless us, loving God.
United with Jesus, the eternal Priest and perfect victim,
make our entire life a totus tuus gift to you,
now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“This poor widow put in more than all the rest” (Lk 21:3)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that our response to God’s compassionate love may be total, generous and wholehearted. By your personal dedication and service to the poor and needy, avow to God the totus tuus character of your love for him and your neighbors.
***
November 27, 2012: TUESDAY – WEEKDAY (34)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Prepares Us for the Last Things”
BIBLE READINGS
Rv 14:14-19 // Lk 21:5-11
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
The setting of today’s Gospel is the Jerusalem Temple, where Jesus is teaching the people and proclaiming the Good News. A beautiful refurbishing of the Temple has begun about forty-six years before Jesus’ birth by Herod the Great. The Temple, though not yet complete, is already one of the wonders of the ancient world. Some of the granite stones in the Temple walls, as big as modern freight cars, are so expertly linked together without mortar that it is hard to see the joints. The magnificence of the Temple with its brilliant white marble and gold ornamentation awes the people. Today’s Gospel passage describes how some people are commenting on the Temple adorned with costly stones and votive offerings. In the midst of this enthused admiration, Jesus grimly utters a prophecy on the destruction of the Temple: “All that you see here – the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down” (Lk 21:6).
At his last appearance at the Temple, Jesus makes a final statement on its destruction. Indeed, there is an intimate connection between the destruction of Jerusalem and the events of the end of the world. The crisis that Jerusalem faces in Jesus’ ministry is a harbinger of the crisis that Jesus and his message, and above all, his coming as the Son of Man, will bring to all. Jesus does not give a definite date for the destruction of the Temple; neither does he give a specific time for the parousia, or his second coming. At the brink of his paschal sacrifice, Jesus asserts the faith reality that God will triumph over all the forces of evil. By predicting the destruction of the Temple and by giving warning signs of cosmic destruction, Jesus prepares his disciples spiritually for what is ahead - for the “last things”.
Harold Buetow remarks: “So what do we do now about our thoughts on the last things? For one thing, within ourselves we ought to develop a deeper spirit of responsibility so that we seek to become dependable rather than dependent, givers rather than takers, generous rather than addicted to self- interest … Outside ourselves, we are to be busy with the calamities around us; not just deplore the world’s trouble spots, but to help their victims.”
The following story is very heartening and encouraging (cf. Tom Price, “The Other Haiti” in AMERICA, October 18, 2010, p. 23-25). It is a modern day example of a responsible and creative stance in a cataclysmic situation. It inspires hope and teaches us how to promote the advent of the kingdom of God in the here and now … with toil and labor!
Try to imagine Haiti, ravaged by a massive earthquake last January, and images of rubble, masonry at crazy angles and huge homeless camps come to mind. Port-au-Prince, the capital, is still dotted with the camps that people spontaneously formed after the quake and white Land Cruisers of the United Nations and other relief agencies. While cleanup is underway, collapsed buildings and debris overwhelm the landscape. In Leogane, west of the capital and close to the center of the quake, barely a building is left standing. To see how the nation is changing and to glimpse its future, you have to take a road out of Port-au-Prince.
I recently traveled to Haiti for Catholic Relief Services to document the plight of rural Haitians. There I observed a number of projects fully or partially funded by C.R.S. that provide short-term jobs, grant micro-loans to small businesses, subsidize daily meals for Catholic schoolchildren and help local communities plant trees and grow food. A small agricultural school teaches men and women farming techniques to enrich the soil, increase crop yields and channel runoff. I also saw how the Haitian countryside has been affected by the quake.
In the southern and western departments (or provinces) island life is beginning to look more normal. The people here are poor, but the buildings are intact. Yet the quake has brought enormous pressures: Some 110,000 internally displaced people live in the Sud Department – more than the 80,000 of whom live in the two largest camps in Port-au-Prince to which the prominent visitors and film crews come. Many of the displaced people now in Sud lost their homes in the capital during the quake and have returned to their rural roots in these provincial towns to stay with family. The two neighboring departments of Grand Anse and Nippes also “host” displaced Haitians from the capital, almost 200,000 of them. With their arrival, household sizes in Sud have swelled by an average of five people. In rural areas like the small coastal town of Carrefour, I met many families who had left Port-au-Prince.
Meprilant Desire is philosophical when he talks about making ends meet with extra mouths to feed. “God gave them to us, so we make do. Some days we get enough, some days we don’t,” he smiles. Desire now supports nine children, four of his own and five who fled the quake. Recently widowed, he is caring for them alone. Straight across the dirt road that runs through the town, his neighbor Frisca Saint Juste, 23, has a similar story. He is sheltering his cousin and his cousin’s three children, plus his mother and father.
Both Desire and Saint Juste have planted seeds they received as part of a church distribution at a seed fair. They are both tending strips of peas and corn. The peas provide vital nitrogen to the soil for the next crop. Saint Juste depends on the crops he grows behind his small house. His cousin helps out, but it is backbreaking work, especially with no nearby water source to irrigate the crops. Saint Juste explains to me how bringing water close to the field, with a community water pump, for instance, would greatly help him and his neighbors. Desire is a man with a heavy weight on his shoulders. He is nevertheless optimistic about the future. He attributes his optimism to the new agricultural venture. “I got seeds at a seed fair, and I know enough not to eat them but to plant them”, he laughs. “I am stronger now, I have more energy, and I have the energy to plant more.” He has ambitions to plant peanuts next.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
What message do the tumultuous events in the world, natural and man-made calamities and the threats of ecological destruction, bring to us? What is our attitude towards the “last things”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
your Son Jesus predicted the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple,
the jewel of the city
and the unique center of worship
for the people of the first covenant.
In his prophecy and revelation,
Jesus assures us
that your victorious saving hand is at work.
Your mighty hand controls the course of our destiny.
Through the paschal mystery of your Son,
your saving hand will be victorious
over the evil that can be imagined in today’s world.
We are attentive to the ongoing coming of Jesus
in the events of our life.
Although we do not know the hour
and the circumstances of the end time,
nor the specific moment
of the ultimate coming of Jesus in his glory,
we resolve to work perseveringly
in the final realization of his Kingdom.
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.
“All that you see here – the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone.” (Lk 21:6)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for the Jewish people and today’s city of Jerusalem in the Holy Land. In the Eucharistic celebration, proclaim the memorial acclamation with devotion and conviction. Allow the assurance of Christ’s coming to brighten your life and encourage you to labor mightily for the Kingdom of God.
***
November 28, 2012: WEDNESDAY – WEEKDAY (34)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Wants Us to Persevere”
BIBLE READINGS
Rv 15:1-4 // Lk 21:12-19
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
The article, “A Tree Grows in Kenya” in GUIDEPOSTS magazine (January 2004) deals with the inspiring effort of Wangari Maathai to fight off ecological destruction in her native land, Kenya. The author, Christopher Davis, narrates the gargantuan feat of this enterprising woman, whose perseverance epitomizes today’s Gospel exhortation: “By your perseverance you will secure your lives”.
In 1960 Wangari won a Kennedy scholarship to study in America. She earned a master’s in biology from University of Pittsburgh, then became the first woman from Kenya ever to earn a Ph.D. Wangari returned to her county in 1966 and was shocked by what she found. The forests had been cut down for lumber. Heavy rains washed most of the good soil away, since there was no longer vegetation to protect it. Rivers were silt-choked, the soil leached of nutrients. Nothing grew and nothing bloomed anymore … Worst was what had happened to Kenya’s most precious resource – people. Men abandoned farms for jobs in overcrowded cities, leaving wives and children behind. Trees in the countryside were so scarce that women walked miles to gather a few sticks for a fire – the center of village life.
“There were so many problems,” Wangari says. “I did not know where to start, except to pray.” Then she remembered what the missionaries said: Every forest begins with a single seed. She planted a tree. Then another. Then hundreds. In 1977 she founded a group called the Green Belt Movement, which promotes tree planting in rural areas and trains farmers in eco-friendly farming methods. Since the group started, it has planted some 20 million trees in Kenya and has changed the way Kenyans look at their environment.
On October 8, 2004, Wangari Maathai was announced the winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize. The patient perseverance of the tree planter, Wangari, who did not allow herself to be overwhelmed by a disastrous situation, but exhibited creative and life-giving attitudes under duress, anticipates the victorious quality of God’s coming at the end time. Indeed, by living out the spirit of stewardship and care of God’s creation, she presents to the world of today the patient endurance that leads to life.
The biblical scholar Carroll Stuhlmueller remarks: “Christians must adjust to a long period of waiting and persecution. In doing so, they are following the sorrowful way of the cross, taken by Jesus to arrive at glory.” Indeed, the basic tone that permeates the Gospel passage concerning the Temple destruction and the end time is the absolute assurance of the Lord’s control of history and his ultimate victory. Despite all the evil that can be imagined, the hand of God that guides our personal and cosmic destiny will emerge victorious.
This Sunday’s Gospel passage concludes beautifully with Jesus’ reassuring words: “Not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your life.” The promise that no harm will come to even one hair of a Christian disciple is simply a graphic statement depicting the ultimate spiritual protection of those who endure persecution for the sake of Jesus. After giving this heartwarming assurance, Christ then exhorted his disciples to manifest the sterling quality of perseverance – the courageous attitude that will help us participate in the ultimate victory of God.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do we endeavor to persevere in the love and service of our Lord Jesus? Do we trust that though we will be hated by all because of his name, “not a hair on our head will be destroyed”? Do we dedicate ourselves, in toil and labor, to promote the advent of the kingdom of God? How do we respond to Jesus’ comforting words and vigorous challenge: “By your perseverance you will secure your lives”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
O loving God, victorious over all,
we reverence your name.
Teach us to love and serve you faithfully
and to trust in your protection.
Help us to act responsibly and compassionately.
Let us be creatively involved
in helping our brothers and sisters
overcome the pain and distress of today’s fragmented world.
Help us promote your kingdom of justice, peace and love.
We eagerly await
the glorious advent of your Son Jesus Christ
at the end time.
We give you thanks and praise.
We adore and glorify you,
now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“By your perseverance you will secure your lives.” (Lk 21:19)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that the Christian disciples may continue to promote God’s kingdom in toil and labor. Assist the victims of natural and man-made calamities to cope with the pain and hardship of their situations.
***
November 29, 2012: THURSDAY – WEEKDAY (34)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Assures Us that Our Redemption Is Near”
BIBLE READINGS
Rv 18:1-2, 21-23 // Lk 21:20-18
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
July 16, 1990: A terrible earthquake jolted the island of Luzon in the Philippines and wrought havoc and misery. People were entombed alive in the collapsed buildings. One young man was buried for two weeks in the basement of a ruined hotel in Baguio City. On the 13th day he lost hope of being rescued and decided to hasten his death. He started to bang his head viciously against a concrete slab, but a pair of invisible hands gently restrained him from killing himself. A serene feeling took hold of him and there was the assurance that redemption was at hand. He relaxed his battered body on the cold slab. On the 14th day the rescuers found him and were able to break through. He was liberated from his tomb of death. As he weakly mouthed his words of thanks (“Salamat! Salamat!”) to the rescuers, his family and friends wept for joy. The young man’s advent yearning for redemption was fulfilled.
Today’s Gospel presents us with apocalyptic images: “There will be signs in the sun, the moon and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and waves …”. These images are not meant to frighten us, but rather, they are an invitation for us to open ourselves to the saving intervention of Christ and the grace of his kingdom. We have nothing to dread, for in his final coming Christ will avow his victory and lordship as redeeming Master. We should look forward with expectation to his message of hope: “Your redemption is near!” In our preparation for the different “advents” of Christ in our life and history, let us strive to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
How do we respond to Christ’s message of hope: “Your redemption is near”? Do we allow its liberating promise to penetrate our lives so that we look critically at our present time, discern what really matters, and engage in our daily work with courage and joy? Do the convulsions of today’s distressed world lead us to dismay and fear; or do we consider them as a prelude to the redemptive final consummation of the salvation worked by Christ, the Son of Man, on the cross?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Father,
you are the wellspring of hope.
Make us realize that the convulsions of your beloved creation
are a prelude to the Son of Man’s final coming.
In the midst of the travails and miseries of today’s world,
help us to trust in his Message:
“Your redemption is at hand.”
We praise and bless you,
now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“Jesus.” (Lk 21:20-18)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
When the world events as presented by today’s mass media daunt you, trust in the Lord’s assurance that our redemption is at hand. Fast from the excessive use of digital media as a way of preparation for his advent.
***
November 30, 2012: FRIDAY – SAINT ANDREW, apostle
“JESUS SAVIOR: Andrew Is His First-Called”
BIBLE READINGS
Rom 10:9-18 // Mt 4:18-22
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
The call of the first disciples (Peter and Andrew, James and John) is part of the prophetic fulfillment of the “great light” dispelling the gloom of darkness. Jesus, the “great light”, offers the gift of ministry to the fishermen by the lake: “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men”. In effect, he invites them to share in his mission of radiating the life-giving light of God. He summons them to follow him who is the light of life and to abide by his light. He calls them to share intimately in his life and messianic mission of being light to the nations. The response of the fishermen is immediate and decisive. They left their nets, boats, and relations to follow Christ. Through the grace of vocation, these disciples are rendered capable of being fishers of men and of spreading the light of Christ to the world.
We too are called to be fishers of men and to spread the light of the Gospel. The apostle Andrew, honored in the Eastern Church with the title “Protoclete” or “First-Called”, is a model of total response to this call. The following biography circulated on the Internet helps us to appreciate the role of Saint Andrew in salvation history.
The name "Andrew" (Gr., andreia, manhood, or valor), like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews from the second or third century B.C. St. Andrew, the Apostle, son of Jonah, or John, was born in Bethsaida of Galilee. He was brother of Simon (Peter). Both were fishermen, and at the beginning of Our Lord's public life occupied the same house at Capharnaum. From the fourth Gospel we learn that Andrew was a disciple of the Baptist, whose testimony first led him and John the Evangelist to follow Jesus. Andrew at once recognized Jesus as the Messiah, and hastened to introduce Him to his brother, Peter. Thenceforth the two brothers were Christ’s disciples. On a subsequent occasion, prior to the final call to the apostolate, they were called to a closer companionship, and then they left all things to follow Jesus.
Finally Andrew was chosen to be one of the Twelve; and in the various lists of Apostles given in the New Testament; he is always numbered among the first four. The only other explicit reference to him in the Synoptics occurs in Mark 13:3, where we are told he joined with Peter, James and John in putting the question that led to Our Lord's great eschatological discourse. In addition to this scanty information, we learn from the fourth Gospel that on the occasion of the miraculous feeding of the five thousand, it was Andrew who said: "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fishes: but what are these among so many?"; and when, a few days before Our Lord's death, certain Greeks asked Philip that they might see Jesus, Philip referred the matter to Andrew as to one of greater authority, and then both told Christ. Like the majority of the Twelve, Andrew is not named in the Acts except in the list of the Apostles, where the order of the first four is Peter, John, James, Andrew; nor have the Epistles or the Apocalypse any mention of him.
From what we know of the Apostles generally, we can, of course, supplement somewhat these few details. As one of the Twelve, Andrew was admitted to the closest familiarity with Our Lord during His public life; he was present at the Last Supper; beheld the risen Lord; witnessed the Ascension; shared in the graces and gifts of the first Pentecost, and helped, amid threats and persecution, to establish the Faith in Palestine.
When the Apostles went forth to preach to the nations, Andrew seems to have taken an important part, but unfortunately we have no certainty as to the extent or place of his labors. Eusebius assigns Scythia as his mission field; while St. Gregory of Nazianzus mentions Epirus; St. Jerome mentions Achaia; and Theodoret mentions Hellas. Probably these various accounts are correct, for Nicephorus (H.E. II:39), relying upon early writers, states that Andrew preached in Cappadocia, Galatia, and Bithynia, then in the land of the anthropophagi and the Scythian deserts, afterwards in Byzantium itself, where he appointed St. Stachys as its first bishop, and finally in Thrace, Macedonia, Thessaly, and Achaia. It is generally agreed that he was crucified by order of the Roman Governor, Aegeas or Aegeates, at Patrae in Achaia, and that he was bound, not nailed, to the cross, in order to prolong his sufferings. The cross on which he suffered is commonly held to have been the decussate cross, now known as St. Andrew's, though the evidence for this view seems to be no older than the fourteenth century. His martyrdom took place during the reign of Nero, on 30 November, A.D. 60); and both the Latin and Greek Churches keep 30 November as his feast.
St. Andrew's relics were translated from Patrae to Constantinople, and deposited in the church of the Apostles there, about A.D. 357. When Constantinople was taken by the French, in the beginning of the thirteenth century, Cardinal Peter of Capua brought the relics to Italy and placed them in the cathedral of Amalfi, where most of them still remain. St. Andrew is honored as their chief patron by Russia and Scotland.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Like Saint Andrew, do you respond positively to the call of Christ to participate in his saving mission as the light of the world? What do you do to spread the Gospel and facilitate the people’s response to Christ, “the light to the nations”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
we thank you for the miracle of vocation
and the grace of faithful response to that call.
We thank you for the prompt and radical response
of Peter and Andrew, James and John
to the call addressed to them by Jesus:
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men”.
Their intimate participation in the saving love of Jesus
transformed them into bearers of light and torchbearers of faith.
O dear Father! Let the light of Christ shine upon us.
Fill us with the warmth of his compassion
and the flame of his apostolic zeal.
Let us replicate in today’s troubled world
the saving event that happened in the Galilee of the Gentiles,
when the people of gloom had seen a great light.
Help us to imitate Saint Andrew, the “First-Called”,
in radiating the light of the Gospel to the nations on earth.
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 week. Please memorize it.
“At once they left their nets and followed him.” (Mt 4:20)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
By your words and example, and by material and spiritual means, promote priestly and religious vocations in the Church. Imitate Saint Andrew in his zeal to spread the Gospel.
***
December 1, 2012: SATURDAY – WEEKDAY (34); BVM ON SATURDAY
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Exhorts Us to Be Vigilant”
BIBLE READINGS
Rv 22:1-7 // Lk 21:34-36
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
I had filed my application for a religious visa at the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Philippines, and was scheduled for an interview on September 3, 2002. At 4:30 A.M. I was on my way to Manila from our convent in Antipolo City. At 6:30 A.M. I was at the gate of the Embassy patiently waiting for what I thought was an 8:30 A.M. interview. I finally realized that I belonged to a group of about 50 applicants whose papers began to be processed at 8:30 A.M. There were several groups ahead of us and other groups waiting behind us. At 10:00 A.M. we were ushered into a big room where American consuls were interviewing the applicants. It was a lengthy period of waiting. We had to stay awake, alert, and ready to be called at any time. I could not afford to doze off or take a break for fear that I would miss my opportunity for the interview. At 2:30 P.M. my name was called. After a three-minute interview my visa was approved. I went home happy and relieved. My patient waiting and vigilant expectation paid off.
The Gospel proclaimed today – the end of the liturgical year - challenges us to prepare for the Lord with vigilance and renewed watchfulness. Jesus instructs his disciples how to live until the closing of the age: “Stay awake … Do not become drowsy … Be vigilant at all times … Pray that you may have the strength to stand before the Son of Man!” The followers of Christ are watchful to receive the Lord’s daily visitation and ready to welcome him at his glorious return in the end time. Creative and forceful vigilance is a vital characteristic of Christian discipleship. It enables us to be ready for the unforeseen but sure advent of the Lord.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Are we intent on living righteously in constant readiness for the coming of the Son of Man? What does our renewed vigilance for the Lord’s coming consist in?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
you want us to be vigilant at all times
that we may be ready for the day of your coming
and may have strength to escape the imminent tribulations.
Give us the grace to make you the center of our life
so that your final advent may be for us a day of salvation.
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.
“Be vigilant at all times and pray.” (Lk 21:36)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
With fraternal solicitude seek to alleviate the various forms of poverty and injustice in our local and world community, e.g. the tragedy of hunger, the plight of the homeless, the loneliness of the elderly, the terror of war and ecological destruction, etc.
***
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