A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 22, n.12)
Lent Week 1: February 18-24, 2024
(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: February 11-17, 2024 please go to ARCHIVES Series 21 and click on “Ordinary Week 6/Lent”.
Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY: January February 18-24, 2024.)
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February 18, 2024: FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT, YEAR B
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is Faithful to the Covenant”
BIBLE READINGS
Gn 9:8-15 // 1 Pt 3:18-22 // Mk 1:12-15
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mk 1:12-15): “Jesus was tempted by Satan, and the angels ministered to him.”
I cannot forget a “Dear Abby” letter I read in the newspaper, Staten Island Sunday Advance, dated January 26, 2003. The letter came from a married woman who cheated on her husband “because it seemed exciting.” When the husband learned about the affair, he became depressed and moved out. He said he “couldn’t do it anymore,” he couldn’t respect her, couldn’t love her, and couldn’t get certain images out of his head. She apologized and begged him to come back, but he was cold as ice. Abby responded to the repentant wife, who wrote under the pen name, “Woke Up Too Late in Little Rock” in the following words: “I’m sorry, but there are no magic words that can turn back the clock. The only magic I can see is that in your hunger for excitement, you made your marriage disappear in a puff of smoke. I hope your sad story serves as a cautionary example to others who are contemplating an affair. There is no such thing as a free love. What you’re paying now is the ‘amusement’ tax.”
Indeed, there are so many sad stories of infidelity to a covenant. As we embark on a renewed spiritual journey in the season of Lent, let us focus our attention on Jesus, the model of covenant fidelity, that we may draw inner strength and grace to resist temptations and be faithful.
The story of Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan precedes the account of his temptation in the wilderness (cf. Mk 1: 9-13) and the beginning of his Galilean ministry (cf. Mk 1: 13-15). The Gospel passage of this Sunday, which is composed of the temptation of Jesus and the proclamation of the Kingdom, should be interpreted in light of the event of his baptism. Mark presents Jesus as the promised Messiah who comes to baptize with the Spirit. He underlines, moreover, the first phases of his activity as already under the influence of that same Spirit. A very striking thought comes out in the episode of Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan. He who submitted himself humbly to John the Baptist is the object of the divine affirmation: “You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased” (Mk 1:11). At the Jordan, God declares his special covenant relationship with Jesus and proclaims him as both “the anointed of the Spirit” and “the Son with whom he is well pleased.”
The formula of sonship, “my beloved Son”, seems puzzling set beside the affirmation, “with you I am well pleased,” which evokes Is 42:1, “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.” The problem is resolved, however, if we take into account that the Greek word, huios in Mark is a version of the word, pais which means “son” or “boy servant.” Jesus, in fact, is both one and the other. He is Yahweh’s chosen Servant because in perfect obedience he would fulfill his messianic mission received at baptism, a mission accomplished through the totality of his life and service which culminated in the paschal mystery of his blessed passion, death on the cross and glorious resurrection. He is at the same time the son in whom the Father delights, this special relationship asserted not only at the Jordan but also at the mount of transfiguration. Indeed, the relationship of the Father with the Son is unique and intimate, we may say, “covenantal.”
To the Father’s avowal of his rapport with Jesus as his own messianic Servant and beloved Son, Jesus responds by acknowledging his filial relationship with the Father and by accepting unreservedly his vocation-mission as Servant-Messiah. The fact that Mark does not report the different types of temptation brings home all the more the following message which the Church wishes to convey: the uncompromising fidelity of the Son to his covenant, or pact, of love with the Father. The continual and unceasing temptation which assails the Messiah throughout the forty days in the wilderness is directed against the “world” whose salvation was entrusted to him by the Father at baptism. The temptation tries to challenge Jesus’ attitude of servanthood and intimate relationship with the Father. It challenges, moreover, his obedient stance to the exigencies of God’s saving will.
Amidst the challenges, Jesus remains undaunted and firm. The Son-Servant, in the experience of struggle and crisis of commitment, emerges loyal and victorious. He remains faithful to the “covenant” or pact of loving service. The totality of his life of ministry and perfect servitude on the cross would confirm the pledge, pact and promise he made at the Jordan. Especially during the Lenten season, the Church rightly presents Jesus as the model of fidelity to our covenant love-service relationship with God. Indeed, Jesus is the icon of the missionary commitment we have avowed at the sacrament of baptism.
B. First Reading (Gn 9:5-15): “God’s covenant with Noah when he was delivered from the flood.”
In its February 2006 issue, Guideposts magazine continues its inspiring report on the heroes of super-hurricane Katrina – ordinary people who did extraordinary things (cf. p. 54-60). Among the heroes mentioned is Bob Ford, from Brandon, Mississippi (just outside Jackson, and about 200 miles north of New Orleans and the site of the worst of the devastation). He is a caterer with plenty of leftovers the night Katrina hit. Guideposts senior editor, Stephen Berg narrates (cf. p. 60):
In the face of the storm, hardly anyone showed up to the gospel concert he’d cooked for. So Bob and his wife, Jocelyn, took turkey legs and corn on the cob to a shelter in Jackson that was housing 1,200 evacuees. All those people made an impression on Bob. “I told myself, ‘I’m in this for the long haul’.” Bob, his wife, their two teenagers and an employee returned the next day. They kept cooking even after the power went out. When provisions ran low, Bob found a reporter so he could get on the local TV news to ask for help. Dozens volunteered. Standard fare from relief organizations was doughnuts and drink boxes. The Ford crew got up every day at 5:00 A.M. to make eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns and, of course, grits for crowds as large as 1,700. “A hot meal is important to folks in distress,” Bob believes.
Bob himself was not untouched by Katrina. His house was smacked by a tree. Still, it didn’t stop him from setting up a wedding feast for a couple who had planned to get married in New Orleans. “We have to focus on what God wants us to do,” says Bob.
Bob and the other laudable heroes of the Katrina aftermath, with their compassionate acts of mercy, have sketched anew across the horizon of human history the beautiful rainbow of God’s benevolent will to bring forth life in the midst of destruction. The rainbow of God’s covenant love is made present, here and now, through the loving works of people who make the reality of neighborly love and compassion triumph over death-dealing situations. Indeed, the life-giving power that manifested itself through the flood and destruction wrought by hurricane Katrina evokes the divine miracle of life and the covenant love that reigned over the cosmic flood at the time of Noah, as narrated in the Book of Genesis (cf. chapters 5-9).
At the beginning of the season of Lent, in which the clarion call to a more intimate covenantal relationship resounds, today’s Old Testament reading (Gn 9:8-15) speaks of God’s covenant with Noah when the latter was delivered from the flood. The basic content of this inchoative covenant is God’s merciful permission to continue the history of humankind. This covenant comes after a period when sin has become universal. It is therefore a covenant of mercy and forgiveness and underlines the divine goodness that is greater than human sins.
God’s primeval covenant with Noah includes a sign of his intent to bring forth life and to continue to care for the earth and its inhabitants - the bow hanging in the sky. The ancient pagans believed in a divine bow used to inflict punishment on man. However, hanging upon the clouds unused and in a peaceable way, the spectacle of the grandiose bow arching majestically in the sky signifies divine appeasement and reconciliation. Arched over the immense horizon, the beautiful rainbow with its iridescent colors becomes a powerful symbol of God holding himself back from destroying his work. The fascinating and consoling sign of the rainbow manifests the Father’s benevolent plan of reconciliation with his beloved creation. The rainbow in the sky is a fitting covenant symbol, a promise of unconditional love, a sign of acceptance and care. The appearance of the rainbow suggests the association of covenant with water. The beautiful rainbow evokes the reality of Christian baptism, which is a supreme covenant with God.
C. Second Reading (I1Pt 3:18-22): “The water of the flood prefigured baptism, which saves you now.”
The Second Reading of this Sunday’s liturgy (1 Pet 3:18-22) depicts the paschal mystery of Jesus Christ in the form of a creed: “Put to death in the flesh, he was brought to life in the Spirit … he also went to preach to the spirits in prison … he is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities and powers subject to him.” The saving event experienced by Noah and his family, made possible by the ark through the floodwaters in the primeval days, is a figure of the sacrament of baptism. Through baptism, a sacred action, the Christian believers are immersed efficaciously into the definitive saving event of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Written late in the first century, probably in the nineties, the First Letter of Peter was addressed to Christians in Asia Minor experiencing persecution and suffering for their faith. Today’s passage (1 Pet 3:18-22) exhorts these suffering Christians to consolation, based on the example of Jesus and the effects of baptism. The sacrament of baptism is a sacred and efficacious sign of our rebirth in Jesus Christ. As Christ died in the flesh and was made alive in the Spirit, we – baptized Christians - likewise rise from the wreckage of sin and the floodwaters of death. Just as we have a share in Christ’s many sufferings, so we too share in his new life and glorious destiny in heaven. We are the recipients of God’s compassionate concern and benevolent plan. Every moment of our life as baptized “in Christ and in the Spirit” is under the guidance of the mighty hand of God the Father, who delivers us from every evil.
The following story, circulated through the Internet, entitled “The Scars of Life”, gives us an insight into the incredible love of our Father in heaven and the strength of his determination to save us. Read during this Lenten season, we baptized Christians – “saved through water” – appreciate the indomitable love of God. He would always be there for us as our loving Father and liberator through his Son-Servant Jesus Christ. When we are tempted and in danger of perishing, God will not let go of us in our struggle for life.
Some years ago, on a hot summer day in south Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore. His father working in the yard saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, he ran toward the water, yelling to his son as loudly as he could.
Hearing his voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his father. It was too late. Just as he reached his father, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the father grabbed his little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the father, but the father was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard his screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator.
Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his father’s fingernails dug into his flesh in his effort to hang on to the son he loved. The newspaper reporter, who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, “But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Dad wouldn’t let go.”
You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, but the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret. But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go. In the midst of your struggle, He’s been there holding on to you. The Scripture teaches that God loves you. You are a child of God. He wants to protect you and provide for you in every way. But sometimes we foolishly wade into dangerous situations, not knowing what lies ahead. The swimming hole of life is filled with peril – and we forget that the enemy is waiting to attack. That’s when the tug-of-war begins – and if you have the scars of his love on your arms, be very, very grateful. He did not, and will not, ever let you go.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
In this Lenten season of grace, do we focus our eyes on Christ’s covenant fidelity to God? Amidst the challenges and temptations against our baptismal vocation, do we imitate Christ who remains faithful to his covenant love with the Father and is totally obedient to his saving will? Do we trust that the divine love and mercy will never fail and that God is ever faithful to the covenant he ratified with us?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
O loving and merciful Father,
in the baptism at the Jordan,
in the faithfulness Jesus showed when tempted in the wilderness,
and in the utmost service of love he offered on the cross,
you gave us examples of commitment.
In Jesus, your Servant-Son,
you renew your covenant with us,
especially when our moral fibers are weakening.
Grant us a listening heart
that we may receive your Word with faith.
Make us a sign of faithfulness
in a broken world that yearns for integrity and wholeness.
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 was tempted by Satan.” (Mk 1:12)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Carry out the Lenten fast, not only with regard to food, but also with the right use of the means of social communication. Reach out to the poor and hungry by contributing the fruit of your fasting to a charitable organization.
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February 19, 2024: MONDAY – LENTEN WEEKDAY (1)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us to Love Our Neighbors”
BIBLE READINGS
Lv 19:1-2, 11-18 // Mt 25:31-46
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 25:31-46): “Whatever you have done to the very least of my brothers you have done to me.”
Today’s weekday liturgy helps us to focus on almsgiving or “works of mercy” as a necessary Lenten practice. In the Gospel (Mt 25:31-46) we hear that we will be judged on what we have done or failed to do for those who were hungry and thirsty, strangers, naked, sick, prisoners, those who, from the beginning of his ministry, Jesus declared blessed (cf. Mt 5:1-12). Just as Jesus has identified himself with the needy, he likewise identifies himself with those who exercise works of mercy on their behalf. He recognizes as his own those who treat his “little ones” with compassion, the badge of belonging to the heavenly kingdom.
Lent is a privileged time to delve into the presence of Christ in the poor and vulnerable and our fraternal duty to care for them. Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, “If sometimes our poor people have had to die of starvation, it is not because God didn’t care for them, but because you and I didn’t give, were not instruments of love in the hands of God, to give them that bread, to give them that clothing; because we did not recognize Christ, when once more Christ came in distressing disguise.”
The works of mercy that are done as an exercise of love can be interpreted literally. But it must also be carried out creatively and with sensitivity to the “here and now” situations. The whole world has more than its share of the homeless and the hungry. We need to go beyond what is obvious. Indeed, there are thousands of ways to be of help and many more inspired efforts of personal giving.
The following article shows how to carry out creatively and sensitively the Lenten practice of almsgiving (cf. Jeanne Hunt, “Cleaning our Spiritual Closets” in St. Anthony Messenger, February 12, 2012, p. 40).
6 Ways to Promote Selfless Giving
1. Volunteer at a nursing home. Take children with you and perhaps even the family pet. Many elderly people are lonely and love company.
2. Make a list of 40 people who would love to hear the sound of your voice. Call them, one person a day, and tell them that you love them.
3. Watch someone’s children so that he or she can have a break.
4. Give 15 percent of your weekly salary to a family that has no income.
5. Gather a group of friends and volunteer to do house repairs for single parents, elderly people or anyone in your parish who needs help.
6. Each day of Lent, practice a random act of compassion: Help someone to his or her car with groceries, give up lunch and give the money to a needy friend, clean up a mess that you did not make.
Service turns us into the hands and heart of Jesus Christ. By turning from self and serving others, we are becoming Christ’s living, breathing presence. This is what St. Augustine meant when he preached, “Become what you have eaten” (the Eucharist).
B. First Reading (Lv 19:1-2, 11-18): “Judge your fellow men justly.”
The living Word proclaimed in the liturgy challenges the faith community on the demands of Christian discipleship. Jesus teaches love for neighbors, which entails serving and caring for them in their need. The Old Testament reading (Lv 19:1-2, 17-18) provides a beautiful background to the Divine Master’s teaching to love our neighbors. True holiness demands that we be holy as God is holy by loving our neighbors in his “magnanimous” way. Listening to the voice of the Lord, we thus realize what holiness entails: overcoming hatred, wholesome fraternal correction, taking no revenge, and loving our neighbor as ourselves. Indeed, the merciful God gently guides his chosen people on the path of holiness.
The liturgical scholar Adrian Nocent explains: “In this passage from the Book of Leviticus, an attempt is probably being made to establish proper social relations between members of the same clan … When all is said and done, we are to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. The point of this saying is not that we are to cultivate similar emotions, but that we are to acknowledge our neighbor’s rights just as we want others to acknowledge ours, to respect others as we want others to respect us. The person who wishes to obey the Lord must be involved with his neighbor and must recognize the bonds that unite him to others.”
The following story gives insight into the meaning of Christian service of love and the social responsibility it entails (cf. Tammy Justice, “Sister” in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Count Your Blessings, ed. Jack Canfield, et. al. Cos Cob: Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, Llc, 2009, p. 1981-1982).
I don’t remember her name and would not recognize her if I were to pass her on the street. I don’t know if she is still living, as she was already elderly when I was a ten-year-old child some thirty years ago. But I do remember the kindness bestowed upon a group of underprivileged children by a stranger and the difference it has made in the life of one of those children. Me.
I remember the first time I saw her standing in the doorway of our small apartment. She was a petite, elderly woman who wore a long skirt, long wool coat and what I thought at the time was a hat reminiscent of the Roaring Twenties with its circular brim that lay flat against the head.
I could not hear what was being said as my stepfather, a man who liked no one, listened to her plead her case with such determination that I knew it had to be something she found of great importance. I was not told what was to happen that following Sunday.
A half hour before she arrived that Sunday, I was told to dress in my best clothes for I was going to church. She smiled brightly as I got into her car, the car of a complete stranger. I did not even know her name, but here I was, along with four others I recognized from our low-income neighborhood, on our way to church.
As we pulled into the parking lot, I remember how beautiful the old stone building was with its tall steeple and stained glass windows. The service seemed long, and not accustomed to the rituals of the Catholic Church, I felt out of place. But even as a child, I held a strong belief in God and felt at peace within those walls.
Once the service had ended, I expected to be taken home, but instead we headed in the opposite direction. We were taken to a small apartment with meager furnishings that portrayed a simple, unspoiled lifestyle. Two tables were set up with large boxes containing puzzles. As she made us hot chocolate, we were instructed to begin working the puzzles. It was a quiet time, free from the turmoil and constant criticism we would encounter when we returned home. And the soft words spoken by the woman we came to know only as “Sister” (I think she may have been a nun at one time) were a welcome comfort.
I came to look forward to Sundays. To hot chocolate, to puzzles that remained where we had left off the week before, and to the love I felt whenever Sister smiled at me.
Once our 1,000-piece puzzles had been completed, Sister no longer came to pick us up on Sundays. I was told she was ill and no longer able to travel. However, I wondered if perhaps it was time for her to “rescue” the next group of children. To give them hope that kindness still exists and can be found within those we call strangers.
I am forty-four years old now and have made it a point to show kindness to strangers when given the chance. I am told I am crazy and too trusting, but I know God will watch over me. I know Sister may not move amongst us now, but I hope she smiles when she sees that her efforts to reach out to those less fortunate continue in those whose lives she touched in that special way.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we make an effort to exercise the Lenten practice of almsgiving more meaningfully and creatively?
2. Do I endeavor to be holy as God is holy? Do I strive to love my neighbor as myself? Do I respond fully to the Christian call to holiness?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
we thank you for the gift of Lent.
This season of grace forms us in the ways of charity
and teaches us the fraternal duty of almsgiving.
Make us sensitive to the needs of our brothers and sisters.
Help us to respond creatively with selfless giving.
Let our works of mercy
radiate in today’s troubled world your compassion,
the badge of nobility in your kingdom.
O loving Lord,
grant us the grace to be holy
in mind, heart, soul and body.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Mt 25:40) // “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.” (Lv 19:18)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that the Christian call to holiness may be fully expressed in the service of love to our neighbors. Resolve to do a work of mercy each day, especially during the season of Lent, and ask the Lord for the grace to carry it out.
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February 20, 2024: TUESDAY – LENTEN WEEKDAY (1)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us to Pray … to Trust in God’s Word”
BIBLE READINGS
Is 55:10-11 // Mt 6:7-15
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 6:7-15): “This is how you are to pray.”
We have memorized the Lord’s Prayer, but many times we pray it by rote. The season of Lent is a privileged time to delve into the meaning of the Lord’s Prayer and translate it into our daily life. In today’s Gospel (Mt 6:7-15), Jesus teaches us the Lord’s Prayer. Prayer is total surrender to his saving will. Saint Thomas Aquinas remarks: “The Lord’s Prayer is the most perfect of prayers … In it we ask, not only for all the things we can rightly desire, but also in the sequence that they should be desired. This prayer not only teaches us to ask for things, but also in what order we should desire them.” The first things we desire and pray for are divine glorification, i.e. the sanctification of the Father’s name, the coming of his kingdom and the accomplishment of his divine will. Only then could our petitions focus on human needs.
The Lord’s Prayer invites us to put absolute trust in the Father. The filial stance proposed by this model helps us to be ready, vigilant and more attuned to the divine will. To pray the “Our Father” is an exercise in self-surrender. It leads to spiritual maturity. The following “Cherokee Legend” gives insight into the complete trust and total vulnerability that the Lord’s Prayer requires in order to grow in faith.
Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youths’ rite of passage? His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone.
Once he survives the night, he is a man. He cannot tell the other boys of his experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own. The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him. Maybe even some human might do him harm. The wind blew the grasses and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man!
Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.
B. First Reading (Is 55:10-11): “My word will do whatever I will.”
The prophet Isaiah uses the image of the rain and snow that water the earth as a symbol of the efficacious power of God’s word. Indeed, the beautiful nature event of the rain and snow coming down from heaven to bring forth new life enables us to perceive the all-embracing providence of God. It inspires us to trust in the fruitfulness and vitalizing power of his saving word. In the context of the yearning of the Jewish exiles to return to their homeland and their longing for freedom that was as intense as a parched land, the word of God promising their return to Judah and the city of Jerusalem has a vitalizing power and efficacy that could be compared to the rain and snow watering the earth.
The following humorous experience illustrates how the word of God is present, alive and active in our life and reminds us that openness to divine grace should be our basic stance (cf. Rosanne McDowell in “Everyday Miracles”, Country Woman, June/July 2008, p. 57).
Some years ago, I was brushing my teeth and discovered a cavity in my wisdom tooth. In those days, my menus included more peanut butter than steak, so my budget simply had no room for a trip to the dentist. I trusted the Lord would help, but hoped He’d do it before my tooth became an emergency. Wistfully, I opened my Bible and read a passage at random. It was Psalm 81:10: “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” Thanks to an unexpected gift, I was soon able to visit the dentist. That experience taught me that God not only meets our needs, He does it with a sense of humor!
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Are we able to pray the Lord’s Prayer and mean what it says, especially the self-surrender?
2. What are the feelings and insights evoked in you by the rain and snow watering the earth to make it fruitful? Do you trust in the providence of God and the efficacy of his saving plan?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Our Father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
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Loving Father,
we thank you for the rain and snow that water the earth.
They are a symbol of your benevolence
and the power of your Word.
In your Son Jesus, the incarnate Word,
you have watered the world with life and love.
Enable us to receive your Word
and make our hearts a “good soil” to make it fruitful.
We adore you and love you;
we thank you and serve you,
now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“This is how you are to pray …” (cf. Mt 6:9) //“Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth making it fertile and fruitful … so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth.” (Is 55:10)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
As you pray the Lord’s Prayer, offer to the heavenly Father the daily trials and difficulties you experience. Pray for the apostolate of Christian preachers that they may sow the seed of the Word of God effectively and bring about a harvest of goodness and conversion. By your service to the poor and the needy, allow the seed of the Word of God to bear abundant fruits.
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February 21, 2024: WEDNESDAY – LENTEN WEEKDAY (1); SAINT PETER DAMIAN, Bishop, Doctor of the Church
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us to Read the Sign of Jonah”
BIBLE READINGS
Jon 3:1-10 // Lk 11:29-32
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 11:29-32): “No sign will be given to this generation except the sign of Jonah.”
In light of the Lords’ Prayer, in which Jesus taught his disciples to pray for the advent of God’s kingdom, the demand of the unbelieving crowd for a “sign” is ironic, devious and out of place. They were asking for an awesome “sign” to confirm that Jesus’ power was coming from God. But no amount of miraculous signs could shed light on an unbelieving heart. The evil generation could not perceive that Jesus himself is the sign par excellence of the power of God. The Gospel reading (Lk 11:29-32) tells us that like Jonah, the person of Jesus is a sign and means of salvation, though Jesus is a much greater sign than Jonah.
The season of Lent is a propitious time to delve into Jesus, the good news of salvation. He calls us to interior conversion and a radical turning away from sin. He destines us for a wondrous transformation through the way of the cross. He desires us to share in his Easter glory. Lent is a time to be more open to grace. The sacred time and space of Lent make us more sensitive and receptive to the wondrous sign of saving love, our Lord Jesus Christ.
The following charming story gives us a glimpse of the positive transforming effect of the Messiah “sign” (cf. Anthony De Mello, Taking Flight: A Book of Story Meditations, Image Books/Doubleday: New York, 1988, p. 51-52).
The Guru meditating in his Himalayan cave opened his eyes to discover an unexpected visitor sitting there before him – the abbot of a well-known monastery. “What is it you seek?” asked the Guru.
The abbot recounted a tale of woe. At one time his monastery had been famous throughout the western world. Its cells were filled with young aspirants and its church resounded to the chant of its monks. But hard times had come on the monastery. People no longer flocked there to nourish their spirits, the stream of young aspirants had dried up, the church was silent. There was only a handful of monks left and these went about their duties with heavy hearts.
Now this is what the abbot wanted to know. “Is it because of some sin of ours that the monastery has been reduced to this state?” “Yes”, said the Guru, “a sin of ignorance.” “And what sin might that be?” “One of your numbers is the Messiah in disguise and you are ignorant of this.” Having said that the Guru closed his eyes and returned to his meditation.
Throughout the arduous journey back to his monastery the abbot’s heart beat fast at the thought that the Messiah – the Messiah himself – had returned to earth and was right there in the monastery. How was it he had failed to recognize him? And who could it be? Brother Cook? Brother Sacristan? Brother Treasurer? Brother Prior? No, not he; he had too many defects, alas. But then, the Guru had said he was in disguise. Could those defects be one of his disguises? Come to think of it, everyone in the monastery had defects. And one of them had to be the Messiah!
Back in the monastery he assembled the monks and told them of what he had discovered. They looked at one another in disbelief. The Messiah? Here? Incredible! But he was supposed to be here in disguise. So, maybe. What if it were so-and-so? Or the other one over there? Or …
One thing was certain. If the Messiah was there in disguise, it was not likely that they would recognize him. So they took to treating everyone with respect and consideration. “You never know”, they said to themselves when they dealt with one another, “maybe this is the one.”
The result of this was that the atmosphere in the monastery became vibrant with joy. Soon dozens of aspirants were seeking admission to the Order – and once again the church echoed with the holy and joyful chant of monks who were aglow with the spirit of love.
B. First Reading (Jon 3:1-10): “The Ninevites turned from their evil ways.”
The Old Testament reading (Jon 3:1-5, 10), about the mission of the reluctant prophet Jonah to the “doomed” Ninevites, provides a meaningful backdrop to better understand Jesus’ messianic ministry. The Bible scholar Jean McGowan comments: “The very structure of the Book brings out the irony of a Prophet who benefits from the Lord’s mercy only to rebel because his mercy is extended to others. In the person of Jonah, the author satirizes those narrow-minded Israelites who, despite their long experience of the Lord’s mercy to themselves, begrudge the extension of his mercy to others. The author writes for those of his own day who yielded to the temptation of a covenanted people to limit God’s freedom. The application to our day is obvious.”
Against the somewhat comic background of the reluctant, obstinate prophet Jonah, the figure of the obedient Jesus as the true prophet, sent by God and anointed by the Holy Spirit to bring good news to the poor, becomes even more appealing. Totally committed to the Father’s will, Jesus Christ - the incarnation of the Gospel of God, is absolutely greater than the protesting Jonah, who was marked with parochialism and exclusivity. Inwardly hoping that the Ninevites would remain in their evil ways and thus receive their just punishment from God’s wrath, the extremely prejudiced Jonah couched his message as a prophecy of doom: “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed” (Jon 3:4) and willfully omitted any reference to God’s mercy in his preaching lest those wicked people repent. In contrast, Jesus, who preached throughout Galilee, is not a bearer of doom, but of “good news” – the fulfillment of the divine saving plan and the coming of the kingdom of God.
The Christian disciples are called to be like the prophet “Jonah”, that is, to be a means of conversion for the “Ninevites” in our midst. The life of Blessed Anne Mary Taigi (1769-1837) shows how she became an instrument of conversion for the people around her (cf. “Blessed Anne Mary Taigi” in Our Sunday Visitor, December 2, 2012, p. 23).
A model woman, Blessed Anne Mary managed a large household in Rome for nearly five decades. She handled finances with little money, patiently cared for a difficult extended family and entertained a constant stream of guests. She did all this full of faith and good cheer.
At age 21, Anne Mary married Domenico Taigi, a servant in a Roman palace. They had seven children, two of whom died at childbirth. Early in her marriage Anne Mary experienced a religious conversion. She simplified her life, initiating practices of prayer and self-denial that she pursued the rest of her life.
Anne Mary took the spiritual lead in her family. The day began with morning prayer and Mass and ended with reading the lives of the saints and praying the Rosary. The Taigis had little of their own, but she always found ways of providing for those who had less. She also took in hard-to-get-along-with parents and her widowed daughter, Sophie, with her six children.
Domenico’s violent temper often disrupted the family. But Anne Mary was always able to calm him and restore peaceful relationships. In his old age, Domenico gave a touching tribute to his wife: “With her wonderful tact she was able to maintain a heavenly peace in our home. And that, even though we were a large household full of people with different temperaments. I often came home tired, moody and cross, but she always succeeded in soothing and cheering me. And due to her, I corrected some of my faults. If I were a young man and could search the whole world for such a wife, it would be in vain. I believe that God has received her into heaven because of her great virtue. And I hope that she will pray for me and our family.”
We may imagine that becoming a saint requires heroics like founding a religious order or converting an aboriginal tribe. But Blessed Anne Mary shows us that the daily faithful care of a family requires more than enough heroism to make us holy.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do I make a real effort to be sensitive, read and perceive the manifold Messiah “sign” around us? Do I welcome his saving presence in my life?
2. How do I assess my prophetic ministry in light of the work of Jonah and that of Christ? How do I share the message of the Gospel with others? What help do I extend to those who are especially dedicated to the ministry of evangelization in today’s world?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
you are the saving “sign” that surpasses Jonah.
You call us to conversion
and offer us the Gospel of salvation.
Your death on the cross is a great sacrament of salvation.
Lead us to Easter glory.
By our lives transformed,
make us limpid signs that point to you.
Give us the grace to help people love and serve you.
We welcome you and the heavenly kingdom you bring.
We love you, Jesus!
We wish to serve you, now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.” (Lk 11:30)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
By your kindness and thoughtfulness to the people around you, enable them to perceive the Messiah “sign” that fills our world with hope. Pray for the conversion of sinners that they may renounce what is evil and turn to God in a spirit of repentance. Be a means of conversion for your family and all the people in your midst.
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February 22, 2024: THURSDAY - THE CHAIR OF SAINT PETER THE APOSTLE
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Cares for God’s Flock”
BIBLE READINGS
1 Pt 5:1-4 // Mt 16:13-19
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 16:13-19): “You are Peter, and to you I will give the keys of the kingdom of heaven.”
The Gospel episode (Mt 16:13-20) is situated in cosmopolitan Caesarea Philippi, a city built by Philip the Tetrarch. A dialogue between Jesus and his disciples ensues. Jesus does not ask for popular speculation, but the disciples’ own assessment of him. Peter, assuming the role of spokesman for the group, declares: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”. Simon Peter’s confession of faith is remarkable. He declares not only that Jesus is the “Messiah”, that is, the long-awaited Son of David who ushers in the reign of God. Above all, he avows that Jesus is the “Son of the living God”, that is, the unique representative of God to all people, possessing God’s Spirit and enjoying an exclusive union with the Father. In today’s terms, Jesus as the “Son of the living God” means that he is divine.
Indeed, Simon Peter’s confession of faith evokes Jesus’ admiration and blessing. There is an investiture and a “nomination”. Jesus calls Simon and surnames him Peter. Simon is designated as the rock upon which Jesus builds his Church. The stone is Jesus himself, the sole foundation. But Simon is, by the solemn designation of the Lord, the stone solidly set upon the unique foundation. He is the visible “rock” joined to it by the mortar of faith that the Father has given Peter.
The following account on the Internet concerning the recently canonized pope John XXIII gives insight into how Jesus continues to guide and build his Church through divinely instituted pastors (cf. Loyola Press Internet Service, James Martin, “My Life with the Saints”).
One night [during retreat], around ten ‘clock, I was exploring the house library, a small, wood-paneled room with the typically motley jumble of old, used, worn and downright ugly furniture that characterizes “Jesuit style”. (In fairness, the little library at Eastern Point has since been spruced up.) Poking through the selves, I came upon a book called Wit and Wisdom of Good Pope John.
Published in 1964, not long after the pope’s death, the book had torn and yellowed pages. Despite [the assistant novice director’s] warning not to lose myself in books, the temptation to peek inside was irresistible. After a few pages I was hooked: who knew John XXIII was so funny? Of course, not all the stories were laugh-out-loud funny. And I had already heard his famous answer to the journalist who asked innocently, “How many people work in the Vatican?” “About half of them,” said His Holiness.
But the passage that made me laugh in the retreat house (and drew pointed glances from more silent retreatants) was one that placed the pope in a Roman hospital called the Hospital of the Holy Spirit. Shortly after entering the building, he was introduced to the sister who ran the hospital. “Holy Father,” she said, “I am the superior of the Holy Spirit.” “You’re very lucky,” said the pope, delighted. “I’m only the Vicar of Christ!”
It was that somewhat frivolous story that drew me to John XXIII. How wonderful to keep his sense of humor, even while holding a position of such authority, when he could easily have become cold or authoritarian. How wonderful to have a sense of humor at all! A requirement of the Christian life, I think.
It reminded me of a story I had heard from a friend about Fr. Pedro Arrupe, the former superior general of the Jesuits, often called “Father General,” or, more simply, “the General.” Once, Father General was visiting Xavier High School in New York City, which has, since its founding, sponsored a military cadet corps for its boys, a sort of junior ROTC. For his visit, the school’s cadets, in full uniform, lined both sides of the street. When Father General emerged from his car, the phalanx of cadets snapped to attention and saluted crisply. He turned to my friend. “Now,” he said, “I feel like a real general!”
Pope John XXIII had a similarly wry sense of humor, and who couldn’t love a pope who had a sense of humor? Who couldn’t feel affection for a man who was so comfortable with himself that he constantly made jokes about his height (which was short), his ears (which were big), and his weight (which was considerable). When he once met a little boy named Angelo, he exclaimed, “That was my name, too!” And then, conspiratorially, “But then they made me change it!”
For his humor, his openness, his generosity, and his warmth, many people loved him: Good Pope John. But to see John XXIII as a sort of papal Santa Claus is to only partly understand him. An experienced diplomat, a veteran of ecumenical dialogue, and a gifted pastor and bishop, he brought a wealth of experience to the office of pope.…
Soon after finishing the long retreat, I decided that I wanted to know more about Angelo Roncalli than just the few funny stories I had read in the retreat house library. So I slowly made my way through Journal of a Soul and Peter Hebblethwaite’s biography John XXIII: Pope of the Century as a way of getting to know him better. In time, I realized that I was drawn to John XXIII not as much for his wit, or his writings, or his love of the church, or even his accomplishments as for something more basic: his love for God and for other people. The gentle old man seemed to be one of the most loving of all the saints: always a loving son, a loving brother, a loving priest, a loving bishop, and a loving pope. John radiated Christian love. Was it any wonder that so many people were drawn to him?
B. First Reading (1 Pt 5:1-4): “I myself am one of your leaders and a witness to the sufferings of Christ.”
The feast of the Chair of Peter, apostle, underlines Peter’s special role among the apostles and in the first generation Church, as well as the pastoral role of his successor, the Pope – the Bishop of Rome. In today’s first reading (1 Pt 5:1-4), Saint Peter presents himself as a fellow elder and as a witness of Christ’s sufferings and sharer in the glory to be revealed. He exhorts his fellow elders to be true shepherds of God’s flock in their midst. Their mission is to give it a shepherd’s care. Their ministry is to be carried out with eager service, with noble and never selfish, mercenary motives. In their exercise of leadership, they should be supportive and not authoritarian. They should be models of devotion, service and generosity so that when the chief Shepherd comes they will share in his eternal glory.
The following article gives us insight into the pastoral ministry of our Holy Father Pope Francis and of the entire Church (cf. “Francis Begins a Revolution” in ALIVE!, December 2013, p. 7).
Pope Francis may yet bring about a far bigger revolution in the Church than any of us even suspect. Until now the media have focused on the pope’s surprising gestures, like his choice of name, his arrival in Lampedusa, his letter to an Italian newspaper. Then there is the watching to see how he may reform Vatican bureaucracy and the silly hope that he may turn out to be, in fact, a Protestant.
But from his first homily as pope, in the Sistine Chapel, he signaled where the real revolution will come. There he raised the question of what the Church and all her institutions are for. And he wants all those institutions, Vatican offices, diplomatic service, relief agencies, Catholic schools, local youth groups, media, hospitals, etc., asking the same question: what are we here for?
And Francis is in no doubt about the answer. “The Church is not a shop, she is not a humanitarian agency, she is not an NGP”, he said repeatedly. Rather, she exists to announce Christ, to proclaim the joy of salvation.
That has to be the primary aim of every Catholic group, be it family, a St. Vincent de Paul society, the Knights of Columbus, a parish bereavement service or a teacher-training college. Mary is the model for each individual and group. When visiting Elizabeth, “she brought not only material help but also Jesus, who was already alive in her womb. Bringing Jesus into the house meant bringing joy, the fullness of joy.”
Were the Church to fail in this regard, “were she not to bring Jesus, she would be a dead Church”. Francis could hardly make the point more bluntly. As groups open up to the Pope’s call and honestly question how they are fulfilling this mission and begin to measure everything in terms of evangelization, then we can expect a true revolution in the Church. Exciting times ahead.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
How do I express my love and respect for the Pope and the other pastors of the Church? Do I pray for them and collaborate with them in caring for God’s flock?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
(Cf. Roman Missal, Opening Prayer of the Mass: Chair of Peter)
All-powerful Father,
you have built your Church
on the rock of St. Peter’s confession of faith.
May nothing divide or weaken
our unity in faith and love.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“God’s flock is in your midst; give it a shepherd’s care.” (1 Pt 5:2)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Let your pains, trials and sacrifices of these days be offered for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the pastoral Church as it embarks on the task of a renewed evangelization.
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February 23, 2024: FRIDAY – LENTEN WEEKDAY (1); SAINT POLYCARP, Bishop, Martyr
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us that God Is Just and Forgiving”
BIBLE READINGS
Ez 18:21-28 // Mk 5:20-26
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mk 5:20-26): “Go first and be reconciled with your brother.”
Jesus, the Divine Master, has a deep perception and comprehensive vision of the covenant law. In the Gospel (Mt 5:20-26) he teaches that one could violate the prohibition, “Do not kill” not only in actual deed, but also in thought and word. The commandment against murder is violated when one inflicts physical, mental or spiritual injury on another. Anger, abusive language, evil thoughts are just as destructive and offensive as evil deeds. Hence, they must be managed, controlled and healed.
Lent is a time to heal and not to kill. We are called to reject violence and overcome sinful attitudes that could degenerate into “acted out” anger. Jesus summons us to spiritual maturity. We must therefore avoid rage, learn to manage our anger and be able to settle differences without violence. We must promote peace and healing by seeking reconciliation. The task of reconciliation is so impelling that it takes precedence over participating in temple worship. Moreover, disputes should be settled amicably to avoid further injury and the horrible punishments imposed by courtroom trials.
The following story illustrates an interior attitude that could result in peacefulness and reconciliation.
Two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey, they had an argument and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand: “TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.”
They kept on walking until they found an oasis where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning. But the friend saved him. After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone: “TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.”
The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, “After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone. Why?” The friend replied, “When someone hurts us we should write it down in the sand, where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it.”
Learn to write your hurts in the sand and to carve your benefits in stone.
B. First Reading (Ez 18:21-28): “Do I derive any pleasure from the death of the wicked and not rejoice when he turns from his evil way that he may live?”
The Old Testament reading (Ez 18:21-28) sheds light on the frustration and bitterness of the people in Israel who are relentlessly suffering from the onslaughts and domination of the Babylonians. Experiencing disaster upon disaster, the people cry out in confusion: “Whose fault is it?” Some of the more cynical may have repeated a proverb about children paying for their parents’ misdeeds: “Fathers have eaten green grapes, thus their children’s teeth are on edge” (Ez 18:1). Indeed, some of them are blaming others and even God for their misfortune. Through the prophet Ezekiel, God declares that his way is just and that each one is personally accountable for his or her actions. Indeed, the Lord’s way is beyond reproach. Today’s reading invites us to focus on the need to mend our sinful ways and to reinforce our personal options for our almighty and loving God.
The conversion of Wilton Wynn, a former TIME journalist, illustrates the life-giving choice of a person to enter into a deeper relationship with God. Wynn’s option for God has been inspired by Pope John Paul II.
After years of covering Pope John Paul II up close and personal, now retired TIME magazine Vatican correspondent Wilton Wynn converted to Catholicism. -The reporter says it was all due to the Pope – who became his friend. Wynn, 84 – the same age as the Pope and once a non-practicing Baptist – recalled that when Pope John Paul II was elected in 1978 he was covering Egypt’s President Anwar Sadat, but he said he had a feeling that the new Pope “would be a real newsmaker … so I abandoned Sadat in favor of John Paul”, he told USA TODAY. (…)
The two became close and during their travels he discovered the Pope was reading his work. After he co-wrote a TIME cover story on the Pope’s visit to England’s Canterbury Cathedral in 1982, the Pope stopped by Wynn’s seat on the papal plane. “He reached out and took both of my hands and said, “You are a good journalist”. Wynn told the newspaper USA TODAY, “I felt like I’d won the Pulitzer Prize.”
In the late summer of 1985, before he retired for health reasons, Wynn took one last trip with the Pope to Liechtenstein. He recalled that the meeting rooms were so small that the reporters divided into teams called “pools” and shared their notes. “I wasn’t in the pool, so I went back to the hotel room to have a siesta. The phone rang. It was one of my colleagues saying, “Wilt, the Pope wants to see you.” I said, ‘Oh sure, and President Reagan called me this morning. And Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev a while ago. Now, the Pope.’ And I hung up and tried to get back to sleep.” Then he said his photographer came banging on the door saying, “Wilt, the Pope wants to see you.”
When Wynn saw the Pope he learned that John Paul II had stopped between meetings to give him a blessing for his retirement. “That was one of those times I just broke down. I wept. I can’t even remember what I said. I was overwhelmed.” Soon after, Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls asked Wynn if he wanted to dine with the Pontiff. According to USA TODAY, Navarro-Valls had worked alongside Wynn as a correspondent and was aware that Wynn was thinking about becoming a Roman Catholic. That fall they had dinner together.
Wynn narrates: “The Pope came into the dining room wearing nothing but a white cassock, no headdress, no belt and he apologized to me for being so informal. The Pope had a few spoonfuls of his soup, and then pushed it aside, absorbed in the conversation. He was just so intense. I could see he was determined to make sure he was understood … He didn’t talk about my becoming a Catholic. He didn’t even ask what religion I was.” Wynn says he was bothered by the church’s opposition to certain kinds of lab research with human material, like embryonic stem cell research. “He said it is all based on the transcendent value of the human person. No human being must ever be treated as an object. That person is created in God’s image and therefore has infinite value.” Wynn says, adding that he left the dinner a changed man: “After dinner with the Pope, I said, ‘I believe’. I don’t care if it looks crazy or irrational. You don’t have to try to enforce this on anybody else, but you accept it and you do it, or you don’t.”
In April 1987, Wynn and his wife, Leila, a Protestant, joined the Church together and a few days later, John Paul invited them to a Mass in his private chapel in the Vatican.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. What does God’s command, “Thou shall not kill” mean to me? Did I ever break this command?
2. Do we endeavor to make our daily choices in life more consistent with the will of God? Are we aware that personal responsibility and the fundamental choice for God are life-giving for us and can inspire others to commit themselves to God?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
O Jesus, Divine Master,
teach us the ways that lead to life.
In you, we learn the meaning of God’s command, “Do not kill”.
You call us to renounce violence
and all attitudes that inflict harm and injury.
Deliver us from evil thoughts, words and deeds.
Give us the grace to be kind and merciful.
Let us be reconciled with God
and with our brothers and sisters.
Help us to be responsible for our choices and our deeds.
We serve you, O loving Lord, 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.
“Go first and be reconciled with your brother.” (Mt 5:24) // “Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?” (Ez 18:25b)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Make a serious effort to deal with explosive anger and rage within you. If needed, seek professional help. By your words, actions and deeds help the people of today to make responsible choices for God.
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February 24, 2024: SATURDAY – LENTEN WEEKDAY (1)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us to Observe the Covenant and Imitate the Father’s Perfect Love”
BIBLE READINGS
Dt 26:16-19 // Mt 5:43-48
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mk 5:43-48): “Be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
In his paschal journey to Easter glory, the Divine Master teaches us that reaching out to people in caring and forgiving love fulfills the covenant and is true righteousness. Jesus interprets the “love of neighbor” command in a radically comprehensive way. In the Gospel (Mt 5:43-48) we hear that the “love of neighbor” imperative includes love of enemies and those outside a traditional group and fellowship. Jesus uses the Father’s universal love and all-embracing providence as the standard and measure of loving. God graciously sends rain and sunshine to all his children, whether good or bad. Jesus exhorts us to imitate the Father’s perfect love. This love is said to be “perfect” because it is complete, whole, entire, undivided – and therefore includes even our “enemies” and “outsiders” or “foreigners”. Indeed, the “perfect” love of God is all-inclusive.
We are the children of God. We prove our family belonging by imitating the Father’s love for all. The holiness of our lives radiates the wholeness and completeness of his compassion for all. The Father’s perfect love obliges us to pray for our persecutors and treat with forgiving love those who have harmed us. In Jesus Christ, who revealed the deepest meaning of “perfect love” by his death on the cross, we find the healing strength to forgive.
Lent is a propitious time to delve into the Father’s call to perfect love. The following article gives insight into what perfect love entails (cf. Paul Gray, “Finding the Healing Strength to Forgive” in Carenotes Series, St. Meinrad: Abbey Press, 2011, p. 5-6).
On a summer morning in 2002, an armed man with unknown motives entered the quiet monastery of Concepcion Abbey in Missouri. He shot and killed two monks and seriously wounded two others before taking his own life in the abbey’s basilica. A few days later, in his homily during the funeral Mass, Abbot Gregory Polan urged the monastic community and all those present to join him in prayer not only for the dead and injured monks, but also for the gunman.
“When brutal deeds are enacted, it calls for heroic and radical forgiveness”, he said during the homily. “Such acts of violence as happened here … could only have come from someone in desperate need of help. Hatred, anger, and an unwillingness to forgive only keep us crippled and bound by the evils that surround us. If we endure evil and do not allow it to conquer us, we will share in the victory of Jesus Christ, in the hidden resurrection of Jesus.”
Small matter or large, whatever the extent of our hurt, we can be confident that we can forgive because Christ will be present, working in and through us. As we say frequently, “for God all things are possible” (Mt 19:26). That is not to say that forgiving should be quick and easy. It is a process – often long and arduous. The journey of forgiveness begins one day at a time. And it is necessary if we are to move on with our lives. To hold onto our hurts and grievances hurts us. As Bud Welch said, “Vengeance solves no problems.”
B. First Reading (Dt 26:16-19): “You will be a people sacred to the Lord God.”
Today’s Old Testament reading (Dt 26:16-19) is about the covenant relationship that God establishes with his people Israel. A distinguishing element of the covenant is the Chosen People’s wholehearted observance of God’s commandments, statutes and decrees. The Lord and Israel are now bound to each other by a treaty. Israel believes exclusively in the Lord God and the Lord makes Israel as the only treasured people of God, holy to the Lord. The people assert their allegiance to God. Through Moses, God assures them of the blessings that come to the obedient. The Old Testament covenant will be superseded by the New Covenant that Jesus would inaugurate by the sacrifice of his body and the outpouring of his blood on the cross
As Christian disciples, we need to live by the covenant that he has ratified by the Lord Jesus’ life-giving sacrifice. Mary McEvoy, 17, a former Irish Dancing World Champion, shares her experiences of living up to the challenges of the covenant relationship with God (cf. “What God Means to Me!” in Alive! January 2013, p. 13).
I grew up in a Catholic family, learning the virtues and values that came with my faith. Like any other Catholic child, I was baptized, made my First Confession, First Communion and my Confirmation, aged 11. I’d say that my relationship with God began with my birth and was strengthened by these sacraments.
I’d like to think that I am your typical teenager who goes to school and likes to socialize with her friends. However, on the 16th November 2012, I went to Corrymeela in north Antrim with the Search youth organization for a retreat. I really feel my relationship with God came to the forefront of my life with that retreat.
In our secular society, driven by materialism, it is easy to forget God and our faith. With atheism growing and religion being pushed aside, many people, young and old, are disregarding their faith altogether. Unfortunately, I was beginning to do this myself, and so I believe that the Search weekend could not have come at a better time for me. With the help of the leaders and our spiritual director for the weekend, who gave some inspirational talks, my relationship with God was renewed and rejuvenated. I was reminded of how important my faith is to me, especially in this society when God is so easily forgotten. And I did forget him.
With school and my hobby, Irish Dancing, taking up so much time of my life, I drifted away from my faith and forgot the values that were important. During the weekend, I learnt so much. I learnt that being a Catholic is nothing to be ashamed of; that it is a privilege to have religious faith and to be a Catholic, especially in today’s society when those with faith are mocked. Because of this and the anti-faith movement that seems to be developing, I was beginning to lose my faith.
But over the course of the weekend I learnt that we all have a “God-shaped” hole in our hearts and that we have an infinite capacity for joy and happiness that can be filled only by God. I also learnt that faith is knowledge; it is not an alternative to knowledge. Jesus sacrificed his life so that we could live ours to the full, and as my relationship with him has strengthened, I realize this more and more. He is the center of our lives and at the heart of our faith and I now learn from his example of how to live. (…)
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we try to imitate the Father’s perfect and all-inclusive love for all – even our “enemies”? Are we able to forgive them and pray for them?
2. How do we live out our covenant relationship with God? Do we realize that we are a people holy and consecrated to the Lord?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
you teach us the meaning of the covenant
and call us to imitate the Father’s love.
God sends the warming sun and life-giving rain to all.
In the same way, we wish to reach out compassionately to all.
Help us to contemplate the perfect love you revealed
by your sacrificial death on the cross.
And in your sacred passion,
may we find the healing strength to forgive.
Be with us as we journey and grow in divine love, day by day.
We love you and adore 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.
“Love your enemies.” (Mt 5:44) // “You will be a people sacred to the Lord, your God, as he promised.” (Dt 26:19)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Be gracious to anyone who slighted and/or hurt you and pray for the healing of the relationship between you and that person. During this Lenten season, give quality time to meditate on the Ten Commandments so that you may better put them into practice.
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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