A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 22, n.2)
Advent Week 2: December 10-16, 2023
(The pastoral tool BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD: A LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY & WEEKDAY LITURGY includes a prayerful study of the Sunday liturgy from various perspectives. For the Lectio Divina on the liturgy of the past week: December 3-9, 2023 please go to ARCHIVES Series 21 and click on “Advent Week 1”.
Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY:
December 10-16, 2023.)
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December 10, 2023: SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR B
“JESUS SAVIOR: We Prepare for His Coming”
BIBLE READINGS
Is 40:1-5, 9-11 // 2 Pt 3:8-14 // Mk 1:1-8
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mk 1:1-8): “Make straight the paths of the Lord.”
In November 2002, the second grade students from St. Anthony of Padua Parish School visited our convent in Fresno and entertained the Sisters with a special All Saints presentation. Thirty-five youngsters dressed as saints presented a brief biography of the various personages they represented. After the delightful program we served the miniature "saints" some hot chocolate and cookies. I greeted a young "St. John the Baptist" dressed in a violet tunic and light colored headgear and enthused: "John the Baptist, congratulations! You're very important! You tell people about Christ. You prepare the way of the Lord." The little “John the Baptist” nodded with delight, his eyes sparkling.
In today’s Gospel reading (Mk 1:1-8), the figure of John the Baptist carries out a very important ministry, the ministry of a precursor. As a voice crying out in the wilderness, he heralds the coming of the mighty one who is to come. His task is to focus the yearning of the people on the coming Messiah. John the Baptist, in the Gospel of Mark, is depicted as "clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist." His clothing is reminiscent of the prophet Elijah (cf. II Kgs 1:8). In this way, the evangelist Mark is presenting him as the new Elijah, the precursor who would pave the way for the coming of the Messiah.
John the Baptist is a very important figure that accompanies the Church's preparation for the coming of Christ. As we continue on our spiritual journey in the Advent season, the prophetic exhortation of the one who cries out in the wilderness resounds anew in the depths of our heart: "Prepare the way of the Lord."
Indeed, "Prepare the way of the Lord" is the living Word of God addressed to us today through the precursor John's prophetic cry. What does it mean for us? According to A. Tessarolo: "The message of God's Word coming to us today is twofold: to convert ourselves first to the Lord who comes and then, to dedicate ourselves to the missionary task of witnessing. In the first place, the committed task of preparing the Lord's way within us: in our hearts, in our lives. Before thinking of converting others, we should first be converted to the Lord, seek him in our prayer, serve him in our brothers and sisters, and follow him in the eventful scandal of the cross." The Advent programmatic cry "Prepare the way of the Lord" is therefore a call to personal conversion as well as a vocation to proclaim the message of consolation.
B. First Reading (Is 40:1-5, 9-11): “Prepare the way of the Lord.”
Today’s Old Testament reading (Is 40:1-5, 9-11) is a beautiful message of hope and consolation. It is taken from a section of the book of Isaiah (chapters 40-55), called the Second Isaiah or Deutero-Isaiah. Also known as the Book of Consolation, it was written by an unknown author approximately 150 years after the first 39 chapters, which carry the message of the historical prophet Isaiah himself. The Book of Consolation was composed when the Exile in Babylon is about to end and the people of Israel would be allowed by King Darius of Persia to return to their beloved Jerusalem. To capture the joy and excitement of the moment, the Second Isaiah writer tries to rekindle the messianic vision and to relive the ecstatic experience of the first Exodus.
The Second Isaiah writer speaks of “Jerusalem, herald of glad tidings” (Is 40:9). Jerusalem here does not refer to a place, which at the time is actually in shambles, but to the chosen people in Exile. Having been purified in the crucible of suffering as a captive nation in Babylon, the “Jerusalem, herald of glad tidings” refers to the people of Israel, who are enjoined to prepare the way of the Lord and tread it with converted and renewed hearts. The author of the Book of Consolation has introduced us to one of the richest expressions of the Bible: “the way of the Lord” (Is 40:3). The “way” is a manner of life for the people of Israel.
The prophetic ministry of John the Baptist is to announce “the way of the Lord”. Jesus declares himself to be “the Way”, and Christian disciples are therefore those who follow “the Way”. “To prepare the way of the Lord” entails total conversion and utmost receptivity to the redeeming presence of the compassionate God. It involves an intimate and loving relationship with him. It means to tread joyfully on the paths of justice, goodness and love.
In this Advent season, we are being called to prepare the way of the Lord and to make straight his paths. The following Advent reflection of Elma, our former PDDM novice in the Philippines, is insightful.
William Simpson has always been someone who likes to explore out of the way places, having lived and worked on three continents and traveled through four. He arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in late July 1998 to work as a marketing consultant for that country’s Industrial Development Fund. With a PhD in biochemistry, an MBA and experience in the pharmaceutical industry, he has been contracted to assess the potential viability of pharmaceutical and other chemical manufacturers in the Saudi kingdom.
For Westerners, life in Saudi Arabia can be extremely comfortable. The majority lives in large, walled compounds with air-conditioned housing, sports facilities and pools. He could have afforded to live in one of the housing compounds, but he chose to rent a house in northern Riyadh.
As it turned out, it was just a few kilometers from the prison where, two years later, he would be interrogated and tortured. He was accused of setting off three car bombs. He has been given clemency, but was not pardoned. He is still considered a convicted murderer. What he now sees as achievement has been markedly changed. He looks at the desperate manner in which people try to climb on top of one another and realize what a waste it is. He has no wish to move back to that way of life.
John’s urgent warning: prepare for the Lord’s coming at Christmas, but prepare also for his return on the last day. “Let not our preoccupation with the present task hinder us from going to meet your Son, but give us an understanding heart that will prepare us to welcome him and enter into his life” (Opening Prayer). Preparing for the Lord’s coming is preparing a new world, new earth. Conversion is a turning to God, leaving everything else and advancing toward God.
According to his promise, we await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells (Second Reading). Each of us, however, must do his part and make continual progress in true understanding and in that clarity of mind that enables us “to approve what is excellent”. At a time when the world is being renewed, and one civilization is coming to an end and another, it seems, is beginning, we are well aware that it is no simple matter to discern what is really important as we live our lives. And yet it is absolutely necessary that we advance upright and without stumbling toward the Day of Christ.
C. Second Reading (2 Pt 3:8-14): “We await new heavens and a new earth.”
In the Second Reading (2 Pet 3:8-14), the apostle directs the attention of the pilgrim Advent people to “new heavens and a new earth”. Our destiny is the “new creation” where righteousness resides, but not for those who have set themselves in this world’s corruption. They have erroneously conceived that this passing world is all and everything. Hence, they expect nothing further from God and do not put their trust in him.
Aelred Rosser comments: “The author of this letter is energetically appealing to logic. Peter is asking, ‘Since the world as we know it is going to come to an end, and since we do not know when this will happen’, is it not obvious that we should live in readiness and with devout attention? (…) The second coming is the final phase of the one great divine intervention, which is Jesus Christ. Are you growing impatient for the new heaven and the new earth? The writer tells us we can hasten the coming of this glorious event by leading holy lives. The Jews have a saying that if Israel lived God’s law perfectly for just one day, the kingdom would be restored … We Christians can hasten the second coming of Christ by leading holy lives … Or impatience with ourselves can be a very healthy motivation toward holiness. We become weary and intolerant of weakness and sin only when we forget that in eternity, the will of God to save the world has already been fulfilled and has always been fulfilled.”
The following article, “Five Important Lessons in Life”, circulated through the Internet, gives an idea on how to promote and hasten the advent of the kingdom of God.
First Important Lesson: “Cleaning Lady”
During my second month of college, our
professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed
through the questions until I read the last one: "What is the first name of
the woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. I had
seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her
50's, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last
question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last
question would count toward our quiz grade. "Absolutely", said the
professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are
significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is
smile and say "hello." I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her
name was Dorothy.
Second Important Lesson: “Pickup in the Rain”
One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960's. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached. It read: "Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away... God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Nat King Cole
Third Important Lesson: “Always Remember Those Who Serve”
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked. "Fifty cents," replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. "Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. "Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied. The little boy again counted his coins. "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish were two nickels and five pennies. You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.
Fourth Important Lesson: “The Obstacle in Our Path”
In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the King's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand! Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.
Fifth Important Lesson: “Giving When It Counts”
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will save her." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away". Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood to save her.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. How does the prophecy of Isaiah impact us? How do we respond to words of hope spoken on our behalf?
2. How do we respond to John the Baptist’s cry: “Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight his paths”?
3. How do we prepare ourselves for “new heavens and the new earth” and how do we hasten the definitive advent of the kingdom of God?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
we thank you for the refreshing season of Advent
with its promise of fresh beginnings and newness.
We gratefully welcome your message of hope and consolation,
of peace and reconciliation.
We thank you too for heralds of good news
and all the prophets who prepare the way
for the coming of your Son Jesus Christ, our Savior.
We yearn for salvation
and dream visions of “new heavens and a new earth”.
These are fulfilled in Christ Jesus
by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Help us to live holy lives
that we may hasten the advent of your glorious kingdom,
especially in troubled hearts,
in today’s fragmented world and unjust society,
and in convulsed creation that needs integration.
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours,
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.
“Prepare the way of the Lord!” (Is 40:3; Mk 1:3)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Spend some quiet moments contemplating the miracle of “newness” and thanking God for the gift of “new beginnings” in your personal life. By your acts of justice, charity and compassion to the poor and needy, let the people around you experience our promised destiny of “new heavens and a new earth”. That we may work more efficaciously for the advent of the heavenly kingdom make an effort to spend some quiet time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.
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December 11, 2023: MONDAY – ADVENT WEEKDAY (2); SAINT JOHN DAMASUS, Pope
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Does Incredible Things”
BIBLE READINGS
Is 35:1-10 // Lk 5:17-26
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 5:17-26): “We have seen incredible things today.”
The Gospel reading (Lk 5:17-26) presents Jesus as healer of soul and body. The Lord’s advent brings something beautiful and yearned for: complete healing. Today’s episode depicts a packed house, with all kinds of people eager to hear what Jesus will say. An extremely enterprising group of friends bring in through the roof of the house a paralytic on a stretcher. Their faith in the healing Lord and their compassionate concern for their friend evoke Jesus’ statement of forgiveness. Instead of carrying out physical healing, Jesus forgives the sins of the paralyzed man. The scribes and Pharisees are stunned and remark with indignation: “Who is this who speak blasphemies? Who but alone God alone can forgive sins?” Jesus uses the occasion to prove that he – the Son of Man – has divine authority to forgive sins by effecting physical healing. Indeed, the power of the Lord is with him for healing. Jesus awes the people with “incredible things”: forgiveness of sins and physical healing. The healed and forgiven paralytic goes home liberated from both spiritual and physical maladies, glorifying God. The people who have witnessed the “incredible things” likewise give glory to God. Indeed, in Jesus we experience the advent of a healing that is total and integral, not partial and superficial.
The following story about a top-rate ER nurse whose son was killed in an accident gives insight into what true healing entails (cf. Robert Leslie, MD, “Miracles in the ER” in Guideposts, May 2015, p. 54-55). The seventeen-year-old drunk driver named Bobby Green provoked the senseless accident.
Charlotte was devastated. For the next year she couldn’t seem to recover from her anger at the young drunk driver. We had to assign her to the minor trauma department, treating patients with sprained ankles, small cuts, respiratory infections and the like. It saddened me to see her struggling, unable to do the work that was her true calling. I was a doctor, but I had no idea how to help her heal.
One day I was in minor trauma, stitching the finger of a teenage boy, making small talk as the final suture was being knotted. He had been sharpening a lawnmower and the blade had slipped.
“So what are your plans after you graduate?” I asked. But he didn’t respond. He was staring at someone behind me. I turned to see Charlotte. My eyes went to the chart beside the patient. Bobby Green. How had I not remembered that name? I kept tying knots in that last suture, desperately trying to think of what to do, what to say.
“Mrs. Turner …” Bobby’s voice broke. “I want you to know that …” Charlotte stepped around me. She looked Bobby in the eye. They stayed like that for a long moment, motionless, until finally she reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay”, she said softly. “It’s okay, Bobby.”
He put his hand on hers. His body shook with sobs. It was done. With those few, simple words she had forgiven him, released him. And she had released herself. A most incredible healing.
B. First Reading (Is 35:1-10): “God himself will come and save you.”
I was assigned at our convent in San Jose (CA-USA) from 2009-2012. One beautiful memory that I cherish is the volunteer work at the San Jose Rose Garden, judged in 2010 as the “Nation’s Best”. My friends, Sou and Nancy, and I would go there on Thursdays to deadhead the roses and pull out the weeds. Every time I enter the 5.5 acre garden, ablaze with color and beauty from 4000 roses, I feel an incredible sense of peace and well-being. The words of prophet Isaiah come into my mind: “They will bloom with abundant flowers, and rejoice with joyful song.” The rescue of the once disheveled garden by the Friends of San Jose Rose Garden, co-founded in 2007 by Terry Reilly, and its transformation into the “Nation’s Best Rose Garden”, are a modern day feat that gives us a glimpse into God’s marvelous works in the messianic age. Moreover, with the rose considered as the most “perfect” of all flowers, we are able to behold “the glory of the Lord” and contemplate more deeply Jesus as the “Rose of Sharon” and the “Rose of Judah”.
Today’s Old Testament reading (Is 35:1-10) is one of the most consoling passages in the Scriptures. Its message of hope and liberation is achieved by the evocative images of blooming flowers, water springing forth in the desert, the healing of the blind, the deaf, the mute and the lame, etc. God will bring about a new “exodus” in favor of his enslaved people. The divine saving intervention will cause the barren desert to bloom and broken people to exult for joy. Moreover, God will open a “holy way” in which the redeemed and ransomed will walk.
The “glory of the Lord” and the “splendor of our God” depicted in Isaiah’s prophecy underline the “incredible things” that the power of God effects through Jesus: healing the disabled, forgiveness of sins and fullness of life. The advent of the Messiah and the total liberation he brings call for rejoicing. The marvelous works of Jesus Christ invite us to journey in the “holy way” of the ransomed and the redeemed. Indeed, for the Church, the new people of God, Advent is a season of hope and rejoicing.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
How do the Advent images of abundant flowers, water gushing in the desert, healing of the infirm, etc. move us? How do the “incredible things” that Jesus accomplishes affect us?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
God our Father,
we thank you for the water gushing in the desert,
for the abundant flowers and their beauty,
for the healing of the blind, the deaf, the mute and the lame
and for your wonderful works in Jesus Savior.
Let your divine visitation transform us
and help us to journey on the “holy way”
of the ransomed and the redeemed.
We give you glory and praise
for your marvelous deeds,
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.
“We have seen incredible things today.” (Lk 5:26) // “They will bloom with abundant flowers and rejoice with joyful song.” (Is 35:1)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
By your compassionate acts for the poor, the hungry, the enslaved, etc., let them experience the message of comfort and hope that the prophet Isaiah and Jesus Christ bring to a broken world.
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December 12, 2023: TUESDAY – OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE (USA)
“JESUS SAVIOR: The Woman Clothed with the Sun Foretells His Final Advent”
BIBLE READINGS
Zec 2:14-17 or Rv 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab // Lk 1:26-38 or Lk 1:39-47
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today’s First Reading from the Book of Revelation (11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab) depicts a “great sign in the sky” – a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. The image of a woman in childbirth is used to describe creative acts that involve time and sacrifice in order to be brought to full maturity. The heavenly vision of the woman in labor in the Book of Revelation evokes the painful and challenging process of the birth of Christ in the hearts of the faithful, as well as Mary’s vital role in the birthing of the Church. Moreover, the vision of “the woman clothed with the sun” foretells the final and victorious conflict and the glorious Advent of Jesus Savior at the end time.
The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 7, remark: “Because of her role in relationship to her Son, the faithful, and the community, Mary is the image of the Church that is still giving faithful birth to believers, and which is already in glory in heaven with God … The joy of the Virgin of Bethlehem is inseparable from the pain of the mother who watched her Son die on the cross at Calvary. She followed a path that led to the paschal climax quite similar to that of her Son.”
Today in the countries of the Americas, we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe which recalls the apparitions of Mary at the hill of Tepeyac from December 9-12, 1531, to Juan Diego, a native convert. The image of an expectant mother, “clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars” was miraculously impressed in the cloak of Juan Diego. The following account is from a report by Don Antonio Valeriano, a Native American author of the 16th Century.
At daybreak one Saturday morning in 1531, on the very first days of the month of December, an Indian named Juan Diego was going from the village where he lived to Tlatelolco in order to take part in divine worship and listen to God’s commandments. When he came near the hill Tepeyac, dawn had already come, and Juan Diego heard someone calling him from the very top of the hill: “Juanito, Juan Dieguito”.
He went up the hill and caught sight of a lady of unearthly grandeur whose clothing was as radiant as the sun. She said to him in words both gentle and courteous: “Juanito, the humblest of my children, know and understand that I am the ever virgin Mary, Mother of the true God through whom all things live. It is my ardent desire that a church be erected here so that in it I can show and bestow my love, compassion, help, and protection to all who inhabit this land and to those others who love me, that they might call upon and confide in me. Go to the Bishop of Mexico to make known to him what I greatly desire. Go and put all your efforts into this.”
When Juan Diego arrived in the presence of the Bishop Fray Juan de Zumarraga, a Franciscan, the latter did not seem to believe Juan Diego and answered: “Come another time, and I will listen at leisure.”
Juan Diego returned to the hilltop where the Heavenly Lady was waiting and he said to her: “My Lady, my maiden, I presented your message to the Bishop, but it seemed that he did not think it was true. For this reason I beg you to entrust your message to someone more illustrious who might convey it in order that they might believe it, for I am only an insignificant man.”
She answered: “Humblest of my sons, I ask that tomorrow you again go to see the Bishop and tell him that I, the ever virgin holy Mary, Mother of God, am the one who personally sent you.”
But on the following day, Sunday, the Bishop again did not believe Juan Diego and told him that some sign was necessary so that he could believe that it was the Heavenly Lady herself who sent him. And then he dismissed Juan Diego.
On Monday Juan Diego did not return. His uncle, Juan Bernardino, became very ill, and at night asked Juan to go to Tlatelolco at daybreak to call a priest to hear his confession.
Juan Diego set out on Tuesday, but he went around the hill and passed on the other side, toward the east, so as to arrive quickly in Mexico City to avoid being detained by the Heavenly Lady. But she came out to meet him on that side of the hill and said to him: “Listen and understand, my humblest son. There is nothing to frighten and distress you. Do not let your heart be troubled, and let nothing upset you. Is it not I, your Mother, who is here? Are you not under my protection? Are you not, fortunately, in my care? Do not let you uncle’s illness distress you. It is certain that he has already been cured. Go up to the hilltop, my son, where you will find flowers of various kinds. Cut them, and bring them into my presence.”
When Juan Diego reached the peak, he was astonished that so many Castilian roses had burst forth at a time when the frost was severe. He carried the roses in the folds of his tilma (mantle) to the Heavenly Lady. She said to him: “My son, this is the proof and the sign which you will bring to the Bishop so that he will see my will in it. You are my ambassador, very worthy of trust.”
Juan Diego set out on his way, now content and sure of succeeding. On arriving in the Bishop’s presence, he told him: “My lord, I did what you asked. The Heavenly Lady complied with your request and fulfilled it. She sent me to the hilltop to cut some Castilian roses and told me to bring them to you in person. And this I am doing, so that you can see in them the sign you seek in order to carry out her will. Here they are; receive them.”
He immediately opened up his white mantle, and as all the different Castilian roses scattered to the ground, there was drawn on the cloak and suddenly appeared the precious image of the ever Virgin Mary, Mother of God, in the same manner as it is today and is kept in her shrine of Tepeyac.
The whole city was stirred and came to see and admire her venerable image and to offer prayers to her; and following the command which the same Heavenly Lady gave to Juan Bernardino when she restored him to health, they called her by the name she herself had used: “the ever virgin holy Mary of Guadalupe”.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
How does the sign of “a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet and wearing a crown of twelve stars” affect you? What message can you glean from the image of a woman in labor to give birth to a child? What Marian image do you find most significant?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
(Pope John Paul II’s Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe)
O Immaculate Virgin, Mother of the true God and Mother of the Church!
You, who from this place revealed your clemency and your pity
to all those who ask for your protection:
hear the prayer that we address to you with filial trust,
and present it to your Son Jesus, our sole Redeemer.
Mother of Mercy, Teacher of hidden and silent sacrifice,
to you, who come to meet us sinners,
we dedicate on this day, all our being and all our love.
We also dedicate to you
our life, our work, our joys, our infirmities, and our sorrows.
Grant peace, justice and prosperity to our peoples;
for we entrust to your care all that we have and all that we are,
our Lady and Mother.
We wish to be entirely yours
and to walk with you along the way
of complete faithfulness to Jesus Christ in His Church:
hold us always with your loving hand.
Virgin of Guadalupe, Mother of the Americas,
we pray to you for all the bishops,
that they may lead the faithful
along paths of intense Christian life,
of love and humble service of God and souls.
Contemplate this immense harvest,
and intercede with the Lord
that He may instill a hunger for holiness in the whole People of God,
and grant abundant vocations of priests and religious,
strong in faith and zealous dispensers of God’s mysteries.
Grant to our homes
the grace of loving and respecting life in its beginnings,
with the same love with which you conceived in your womb
the life of the Son of God.
Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Fair Love,
protect our families, so that they may always be united,
and bless the upbringing of our children.
Our hope, look upon us with compassion,
teach us to go continually to Jesus
and, if we fall, help us to rise again, to return to Him,
by means of the confession of our faults and sins
in the Sacrament of Penance, which gives peace to the soul.
We beg you to grant us a great love for all the holy Sacraments,
which are, as it were, the signs that your Son left on earth.
Thus, Most Holy Mother,
with the peace of God in our conscience,
with our hearts free from evil and hatred,
we will be able to bring to all true joy and true peace,
which comes to us from your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,
who with God the Father and the Holy Spirit,
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.
“A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” (Rv 12:1)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
By our acts of charity and sacrifice for the poor and vulnerable, let us participate with Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, in the ongoing mystery of the “birthing of the Church”.
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December 13, 2023: WEDNESDAY – SAINT LUCY, Virgin, Martyr
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Renews Our Strength”
BIBLE READINGS
Is 40:25-31 // Mt 11:28-30
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 11:28-30): “Come to me, all you who labor.”
In today’s Gospel reading (Mt 11:28-30), Jesus addresses a tender invitation to the weary and heavily burdened: “Come to me, all of you …” He assures them that they would find rest if only they submit themselves to the gentle yoke of God’s saving will. Indeed, those who welcome the “meek and humble” Jesus experience the immense peace and serenity of the Kingdom of heaven. Those who imitate his heart that is totally given to God find comfort and salvation. The Advent of the saving Lord Jesus renews our strength. As we keep our hope and faith in him, we soar as with eagles’ wings.
The devastation brought by the super-typhoon Haiyan to the Filipino people in 2013 is tragic, but it also underlines that “faith in the almighty God gives strength to the fainting” (cf. Michelle Martin, “Faith Sustains Filipinos after Typhoon Haiyan” in Our Sunday Visitor, December 1, 2013, p. 5).
Even before Typhoon Haiyan made its first landfall in the Philippines on Nov. 8, the prayers started going up to heaven. Prayers came from the Philippines, of course, but also from Filipinos in the United States and around the world. (…)
Indeed, Haiyan – known locally as Yolanda – broke all kinds of storm records. When it surged through the Philippines, it was 370 miles wide with sustained winds of 195 mph and gusts of 235 mph. It brought 27 inches of rain and a storm surge of 17 feet at Tacloban, the biggest city in the hard-hit central Philippines. The death toll was still fluctuating as reports from outlying areas came in, but on Nov. 14, the United Nations was reporting 4,200 dead and more than 3 million displaced. (…)
Meanwhile, people in the Philippines were gathering to pray for the dead and to give thanks to God for their survival. It is what they have done over the centuries after all kinds of disasters. While Typhoon Haiyan might be unprecedented in its scope, it is one of the many disasters the archipelago nation has endured. “In times of crisis like this, after a typhoon or an earthquake, people say, “Thank God we survived”, said Stephanie Savillo of Chicago. “They don’t blame God for the misfortune. They don’t blame God for the typhoon.”
Father Leoncio Santiago, a priest originally from the Philippines who is now a chaplain at Hines VA Hospital in Illinois, said that hope is a defining characteristic of Filipino faith. “When push comes to shove, it is our faith that sustains us”, he said. “Otherwise, we would be hopeless in the face of destruction. The Filipinos have always been very resilient.”
For example, Father Santiago’s home island of Bohol suffered severe damage from an earthquake in October, damage from which it will take years to recover. The church in his hometown, built by Spaniards in the 18th century, was flattened. The only thing left standing was the statue of Mary. “The focus of the people was not the destroyed church, but the surviving statue”, Father Santiago said. “You look up to your faith to give you hope. We will not be able to carry on if we don’t have hope.”
The Philippines are a primarily Catholic country, with thousands of people attending weekday as well as Sunday Masses and crowded prayer services and novena services, according to Filipinos living in the United States. They address the Blessed Virgin as “Mama Mary”, Savillo said, and understand that she will take care of them because she is their mother. “When I went there, I went to church on a Wednesday, and I was like, ‘What is going on?’” she said. “Is there some big festival I don’t know about?” It was a regular novena service for Santo Nino, the Holy Child, a very popular devotion in the island nation.
In the week after the typhoon, Savillo had been in contact with her niece, who lives two islands north of the primary area of destruction. Before the typhoon hit, she said, her niece and her niece’s neighbors were all praying that God would spare them. After the storm passed, “she sent an email again, saying God is good.”
Now Filipinos from the areas that were not affected are trying to take boats and get to friends and loved one whose homes were destroyed. Organized relief efforts took time to get off the ground because, in the affected areas, roads, airports, communications services and other infrastructure was also in ruins.
Teresita Nuval, the director of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office for Asian Catholics, shared an email from a Chicago-area woman whose family lives in Guiuan, the first area of the Philippines hit by the storm. The woman wrote of watching footage on the Internet.
“I could hear screams and cries for help as I watched the videos. The hardest part was getting word if my family survived the ordeal. I was not sure if any of our people and my family could have survived in the lashings of Yolanda”, she wrote. “I did not fall sleep from Thursday through Monday trying to get a word that all of them are safe. Unfortunately, just as Haiyan made its landfall, Guiuan was isolated and unreachable … All Sunday and Monday, I was crying because they haven’t located my immediate family. It was dreadful not knowing what had happened to them … I resigned my family’s fate to God’s intervention at the end of Day 4. Monday … Prayers are more powerful than any typhoons! As soon as I woke up on Tuesday, the message that I have been waiting for in the last four most difficult days of my life was inbox. My mom, my sister-in-law and her daughter, and my sister and her family had been found ALIVE.
B. First Reading (Is 40:25-31): “The Lord God is almighty and gives strength to the fainting.”
Today’s Old Testament reading (Is 40:25-31) contains the poignant reproach that God addresses to the Israelites exiled in Babylon. The exiles doubt God’s love for them. Feeling abandoned, they complain that the Lord does not know their troubles and does not care if they suffer injustice. The prophet Isaiah responds to their despair by assuring them that the all-powerful God truly cares for them. The everlasting God, who never grows tired or weary, strengthens those who are weak and tired. Those who trust in the Lord for help find their strength renewed. Indeed, the Creator God is the source of renewed power for those who are attentive to the divine will.
The following can give insight into what it means to find strength in the Lord (cf. “Priest Brings Stadium to Its Feet with the Story of ‘True Hero’” in Alive! March 2015, p. 5).
At a Mass for about 15,000 young people, gathered in Washington D.C. for the annual March for Life, a priest brought the full stadium to its feet with a homily about a woman he described as “a true hero”. Fr. Mario Majano explained that for him a hero is “something, however big or small, get in the way of defending what they know to be true, of defending what they know comes directly from God.”
He then told the story of a woman, Rosa, whom he knew and who “against all obstacles, against all trials, stood firm, and would not budge, would not move from her beliefs, when everything else in her life seemed to sway.”
The first of three major obstacles came for this woman when, as a teenager, she was raped and became pregnant. “Her family just let her be. She felt totally alone, with nowhere to go. She was practically disowned”, said Fr. Majano. A friend told her that “she didn’t deserve this”, that her situation was impossible. “Just take the practical solution”, advised the friend. “Abort.” But the teenager replied she could not face the rest of her life, knowing she had taken her baby’s life.
At the age 23 the woman faced a new trial, single and pregnant by a man she loved but who would not commit to marriage. Her family urged her to abort, offering to pay for everything. “For a second time”, said the priest, “she was forced to look at this reality, look at her life and say: ‘It’s still not perfect. I’m not sure what the future holds. But …’ Once again she said ‘Yes” to the life growing within her.”
Thirteen years later the woman, then happily married, faced yet another trial, finding herself pregnant during an intensive course of chemotherapy for cancer. Doctors told her that because the medication was so strong, there was “zero chance that this child will be born normally”. Again the woman refused to abort the baby. “Against every setback that she experienced, this woman stood firm”, said Fr. Majano. “I find that heroic. This type of heroism is largely unsung inour society. And so we sing it today.”
Then stunning everyone in the stadium, the priest continues: “To this woman, for her valiant effort, for constantly staying firm and focusing on her steadfast love for what life is, I simply say: ‘Thank you Mom! Thank you very much!’”
As the whole stadium rose to give her a standing ovation his mother, Rosa, stood with tears streaming down her face … Rosa, 53, later told LifeSiteNews that Fr. Majano was her second baby. The face she faced was either going to college or having the baby. “He’s my college degree, right there”, she said, all smiles. With four other children, all girls, she now sees that God always had a plan for her son. (…)
To a woman facing a crisis pregnancy she would say: “Do not give up. God has a plan … always. God will never leave you alone.” Fr. Majano recalled that “from an early age my mother’s go-to place in times of need was the church. By her example she always showed that God was essential to our lives whatever the situation.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do we despair and curse God in moments of intense suffering and severe trials, or do we trust in his loving care? How do we respond to Christ’s invitation to rest in him? Do we allow his advent in our life to give peace to our troubled hearts?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
we are troubled – loss of a job, financial strain,
sickness, death of loved ones, global insecurity, etc.
We experience the devastation of wars and natural calamities.
Help us to trust in the almighty Father
and strengthen our hope.
Teach us to make you the center of our life.
We entrust to you all our cares.
Grant us the peace that the world can never give.
Maranatha! Come, O Christ the Lord!
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened.” (Mt 11:28) // “They that hope in the Lord will renew their strength.” (Is 40:31)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for those who are heavily burdened that they may have the inner strength and consolation they need. Do what you can to alleviate the pain and sufferings of the people around you by your charitable deeds and by sharing with them the bread of the Word.
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December 14, 2013: THURSDAY – SAINT JOHN OF THE CROSS, Priest, Doctor of the Church
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is Our Redeemer”
BIBLE READINGS
Is 41:13-20 // Mt 11:11-15
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 11:11-15): “None greater than John the Baptist has been born.”
In the reading (Mt 11:11-15) Jesus describes the identity of John the Baptist and his place in salvation history. John the Baptist is the fulfillment of the Malachi 4:5 prophecy that God would send Elijah from heaven before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. Indeed, John the Baptist is “the one who is to come”. He is the returning Elijah who prepares the way of the Lord – the way into the promised kingdom. John is the last and the greatest of the prophets – “among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist”. But for all his greatness, his prophetic ministry is merely a preparatory phase for the messianic work of Jesus Christ who inaugurates in a radically new era of salvation history. John the Baptist has lived fully his mission as the Messiah’s precursor as to suffer violence and martyrdom for the messianic kingdom. The same violence suffered by John for the sake of the kingdom of Heaven now builds up against Jesus himself. Only those who have “the ears of faith” understand the words of Jesus about John the Baptist and the messianic kingdom.
The prophetic mission of John the Baptist lives on in the heart of the Church. The Christian disciples of today are called to bring about the advent of God’s kingdom. The following gives insight into how to prepare the way of the Lord (cf. Katherine Scott, “The Value of a Smile” in Shalom Tidings, August/September 2014, p. 35).
Now that I have been back in Canada for a while, I have had some time to reflect on my time in India. I have one lesson I learned that I want to share with you – it is the value of a smile.
I arrived in Kolkota and quickly felt inadequate in being able to communicate with people since I knew no Hindi or Bengali and many of the Indian people did not speak English. I was overwhelmed with the challenge of trying to love the people I was serving without using my usual way of portraying love with words. So I smiled, laughed, and did small actions such as trimming and painting nails, massaging and feeding meals. (…)
I began to get to know the women at Prem Dan better as time went on and learned more individual ways of showing them love – knowing who liked to be tickled, have a ride on the merry-go-round, or have her hair braided of who liked to have a certain spoon for eating or who liked bouncier songs. I loved being able to discover these little ways of bringing joy to the women’s lives. Ultimately, seeing them joyful ended up bringing me more joy to my days. (…)
Through this experience God taught me my smile is a gift that opens the gateway from which greater love will pour. Smiling intentionally with love at another can change a life in an instant and let him or her know he or she is loved. The language of love conquers all verbal language barriers and is the greatest language of all.
B. First Reading (Is 41:13-20): “I am your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.”
Today’s Isaiah text (41:13-20) presents the Lord God as grasping his people Israel with his “right hand”. Israel is the Lord God’s chosen Servant no matter how despised the people were. In their Exile in Babylon, they were considered as despicable as a worm or maggot, but the Lord God assures them: “Fear not, I will help you.” The Lord God is their Redeemer who binds himself to them with a bond of tenderness and obligation. The Lord God’s plan of salvation for the afflicted and the needy is expressed in images of exquisite beauty: the barren desert gushing with water, the growth of cedar, acacia, olive, and pine trees in the wasteland. God’s intervention on behalf of the exiles is a “new creation” that all may see and know … that all may observe and understand. Against this backdrop, we see the figure of John the Baptist as an instrument of salvation, and Jesus Christ as the personification of God’s redeeming hand for us all.
The following story, “Daddy’s Hand”, circulated on the Internet, gives insight into the saving character of “the hand of the Lord”.
When I was six years old we lived in Oklahoma City in a neighborhood where we always kept the doors locked and bolted at night. To get out the backdoor, Daddy had a special key that opened the dead bolt from the inside.
One night I was awakened suddenly by the sound of thunder, lightning and a torrential downpour. I rushed down the hall toward my parents’ room, but was stopped by billowing smoke and flames coming from the living room. Our house had been struck by lightning. I had to get out, but how? I couldn’t reach the front door because of the flames, and the backdoor was locked.
On the verge of panic, I was relieved when in the darkness I felt Daddy’s warm hand leading me down the hall and out of the backdoor to our backyard. As I stood in the pouring rain, his hand let me go of mine and he was gone. Frightened, I turned back to the house. There was Mom calling my name, “Macy! Macy!” “Out here”, I said. She ran out to me, and together we went around to the front, where we found Daddy with Kent, the baby, and my three-year-old sister, Amy.
“You’re safe, Macy”, he said, sighing with relief. Daddy told me that he had tried to get to me, but couldn’t cross the flames. He had not guided me down the hall. He had not unlocked the dead bolt on the backdoor.
That was twelve years ago, and all these years I’ve never forgotten the warmth of the Hand that led me then, and leads me now, through the dark.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do we give witness to truth and prepare the way of the Lord in imitation of the precursor John the Baptist? Do I trust in the help of our redeeming God and welcome his exhortation: “Fear not, I will help you”? Do I allow myself to be led by “the hand of the Lord”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
you bind us with a bond of tenderness.
You assure us: “Fear not, I will help you.”
We entrust ourselves to you.
Lead us and guide us.
Let your saving hand bring forth
the miracle of a barren desert gushing with water
and filled with flourishing trees.
We thank and praise you for Jesus,
the personification of your redeeming hand.
We thank you for John the Baptist,
the precursor of the Messiah.
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.
John the Baptist is Elijah, the one who is to come.” (Mt 11:14) // “I am the Lord, your God, who grasp your right hand.” (Is 41:13)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
By your word and deed, prepare the way of the Lord in imitation of John the Baptist. // Study the Catechism of the Catholic Church and enable the people around you to appreciate the meaning of our Catholic faith. Be instruments of “the hand of the Lord” in leading people to the light of truth.
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December 15, 2023: FRIDAY – ADVENT WEEKDAY (2)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us the Way to Go”
BIBLE READINGS
Is 48:17-19 // Mt 11:16-19
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 11:16-19): “They listened to neither John nor the Son of Man.”
Jesus Master exhorts the people to listen to his words and follow his commands that they may have life and prosperity. However, they disappointingly refuse to listen to him and the Good News of God’s kingdom. They are indecisive and reluctant to receive the message of neither Jesus nor John the Baptist. Like capricious children in the market place who call for dances to their flute playing and weeping to their funeral songs, the Jews demand that Jesus and John the Baptist square up to their standard. They demand conformity to their false stereotypes. John the Baptist suffers death because his message is piercing and unsettling. The advent of Jesus as the suffering Servant-Messiah is rejected because his means of salvation is through the way of the cross.
Like the contemporaries of the prophet Isaiah and of Jesus and John the Baptist, we too are called to listen to the life-giving word of God and follow the path that leads to life. We should not vacillate. And especially this Advent season, we should allow the word of God to invigorate us. Indeed, the advent of our Lord Jesus Christ invites us to make a radical choice for him
The conversion of Megan Hodder is an example of a modern day response to Jesus Christ who invites us to make a core decision for him (cf. “Walking on Water ‘an Entirely Sensible Thing to Do’” in Alive! November 2013, p. 5).
Megan Hodder was brought up as atheist, but earlier this year was baptized into the Catholic Church. Megan is one of a growing band of educated young adults who are questioning the whole reason for their existence and finding answers in the Church. As a teenager she avidly read Dawkins & Co, and found their ideas close to her own. Besides, what reasonable alternative was there for atheism?
Then she decided she need to be better informed, to research “the ideas of the most egregious enemies of reason, such as Catholics, to properly defend my world view.” She first read Pope Benedict’s Regensburg address, expecting it to be illogical and bigoted attempt to reconcile faith and reason. This led her to Benedict’s short book On Conscience. “It was a far more subtle, humane and credible perception of faith than I had expected”, said 29-year-old Megan.
“It didn’t lead to any dramatic, spiritual epiphany, but it did spur me to look further into Catholicism, and to re-examine some of the problems I had with atheism with a more critical eye.” She began with morality. Secularist attempts to defend morality, she soon realized, just did not add up. (…) She was infuriated to discover how coherent Catholic teaching was: “once you accept the basic conceptual structure, things fall into place with terrifying speed.” This was true even in matters of sexuality, once a person grasped the “beauty and authenticity” of Catholic doctrine. Seen in context, sexual ethics were not just a series of prohibitions, but “essential components in the intricate body of the Church’s teaching.” (…)
One problem remained for Megan, she was not familiar with Catholicism as a lived faith, and reluctant to step into this wholly alien experience. At this point a passage from George Weigel’s Letters to a Young Catholic struck her forcibly. “In the Catholic view of things, walking on water is an entirely sensible thing to do. It’s staying in the boat, hanging on tightly to our own sad little securities, that’s rather mad”, wrote Weigel. This and friendships with practicing Catholics finally convinced her to take a decisive step, to leave the boat and walk towards Christ.
B. First Reading (Is 48:17-19): “If only you would hearken to my commandments.”
In the reading (Is 48:17-19), the prophet Isaiah depicts the Lord God as Israel’s teacher who teaches what is good for them and leads them on the way they should go. He promises that blessings would flow upon them unceasingly, that victory would come upon them like waves that roll on the shore, that their descendants would be numerous as grains of sand and that they would be safely secure in the Lord forever. But all this is conditional: if they would hearken to the Lord’s commands and follow his ways.
The following testimony is very touching and inspiring (cf. Jake Stanwood [pseudonym] in Shalom Tidings, August/September 2014, p. 15).
“We love you no matter what sexual orientation you choose to live out.” These are the words of a father to me, his fifteen-year-old son, ten years ago. Umm … awkward? Until that point my dad never talked to me about sex and the topic was never again mentioned. I remember every little detail about the conversation: the sweaty palms, cold freezing office space, and the awkwardness created by the long wooden desk separating us from talking like normal people. How did I respond? I said nothing. Absolutely nothing. I stared at him with a blank face and ran back into my room crying and thinking about how I ever got into this mess.
“Great, even my parents think I’m gay.” “That person at school thinks I’m gay too, maybe it’s because of the way I talk.” “Wait, maybe I should change the way I talk? That will make me look manlier.” “Crap, that person is totally staring me and thinks I’m gay.” These are just a few of the crazy thoughts that constantly ruminated in my head. Talk about feeing paranoid. It always felt as if I was split in between two worlds. One side was telling me, “Just come out of the closet, hook up with someone, embrace the fact that you’re gay!” The other (far less appealing) side said, “If anyone ever finds out, you’re dead! Don’t ever talk about this to anyone.”
Praise God, He created a Church that has given me a third option, one that does not seem like it is going to drown me in lust or turn me into a stoic who is being internally destroyed by his desires. I have chosen chastity – the path toward authentic love and sexual self-control.
Is this easy? NO. (…)
I have chosen to never engage in a sexual relationship with another guy and remain celibate, despite the fact that there are times I feel the ache of this desire. This may seem like a total fail in the eyes of the world, but am I really missing out on much? Chastity gives me so much more. It gives me the ability to live out healthy and loving relationships with both men and women. It is giving me the opportunity to bring healing to areas of my masculinity that have been gravely wounded. It respects me for who I am, allows me to appreciate beauty and recognize the dignity in every person. This has involved a lot of wrestling with God. Many people think wrestling with God is a bad thing. FALSE. You can only wrestle with someone who is close to you, so in a way wrestling with these attractions has drawn me closer to God. It is a cross, but with every cross the Lord is always right beside us.
Yes, I realize that I will not always get what I want. I cannot tell you about the hundreds of days I felt I just wanted someone to hold me and be intimate with. Sometimes I look at happy couples and wonder if I am missing out. But, I understand that fulfillment goes much deeper than wanting someone around. I find fulfillment by being in relationship with God who created me to be fulfilled by Him and in community. (…)
I am incredibly fortunate! I have many friends in the Church who know about my struggle and are there to support and encourage me along the way. I have a choir of saints and angels who are constantly interceding for me, a mother in heaven that deeply loves me and a God who bears His very self in the Eucharist each and every day. If you ask me … I have hit the jackpot.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
In this Advent season, do I make an effort to listen and put into practice the commands of the Lord and walk in his way? Do I fully respond with radical commitment to the Advent of Jesus in our life?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
many times we are feckless and full of caprices.
We fail to focus on you
and commit ourselves to you.
Give us a new perspective in life
and the eagerness to work for the advent of your kingdom.
Maranatha! Come, O Christ the Lord!
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“He is a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” (Mt 11:19) // “I, the Lord, your God, teach you what is for your good.” (Is 48:17)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for a grace-filled vision of life. Today, consider the people and events around you. Be thankful for the “gifts” you have received through them. In moments of difficulties, renew your fundamental option for Jesus Christ.
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December 16, 2023: SATURDAY – ADVENT WEEKDAY (2)
“JESUS SAVIOR: His Advent Is Prepared by John the Baptist”
BIBLE READINGS
Sir 48:1-4, 9-11 // Mt 17:9a, 10-13
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
In the Gospel (Mt 17:9a, 10-13), Jesus identifies John the Baptist as the “Elijah” who must come first before the advent of the Messiah. Today’s Old Testament reading from the Book of Sirach (48:1-4, 9-11) helps us understand and appreciate better the figure of John the Baptist as the “Elijah” who prepares the way of the Lord. Elijah was an Old Testament fiery prophet, whose words blazed like a torch, calling abusive authorities in Israel to accountability. He spoke in the name of the Lord and manifested its power by keeping the rain from coming and bringing forth famine in the land. At the end of his ministry, Elijah was taken up to heaven in a fiery whirlwind, a chariot drawn by fiery horses. But at the designated time, he is destined to return to carry out a mission of conversion and reconciliation. To his disciples who posed the question, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” Jesus affirms that Elijah has come indeed in the person of John the Baptist.
The prophetic witnessing of Elijah and John the Baptist continues to live on in our world today as the following account shows (cf. Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan, Testimony of Hope, Boston: Pauline Books and Media, 2000, p. 114-115).
“I saw my father go up to Heaven.” A small book by this title won the UNESCO prize. In it the author, a Russian who lives in Paris, describes the life of his father with moving words. His father was an Orthodox priest, a pious and passionate pastor who made countless sacrifices in the midst of persecution. One day during the war he was arrested because he was wearing a pair of shoes that one of his sons, a soldier, had given him. He was condemned to death because the law forbade civilians to wear military shoes. This was of course merely a pretext to conceal the real motive for his condemnation: his religious activity.
The whole village was convened around the pastor in an open field. The captain declared the sentence, and the priest’s response was to kneel down and pray. All the people knelt with him and prayed aloud. “Fire”, commanded the captain. But the soldiers stood motionless. “Fire”, he cried again. No one fired. Finally, defeated, the captain could do nothing other than to allow the priest to return on horseback to his home with his people.
Some months later, while on a pastoral journey, this Orthodox priest “vanished”. No one ever heard any more about him, but everyone understood his fate. His people said that he had gone to heaven on his horse.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do we imitate the spirit of Elijah and John the Baptist in being totally at the service of God’s prophetic word and in preparing the people for the day of the Lord? Do we ask the Lord for the grace of prophetic witnessing?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Father,
we thank you for the fiery zeal of Elijah and John the Baptist
in calling forth people to conversion.
Help us to imitate their courage in speaking your word.
Make us respond fully to our prophetic vocation
and be blessed with the Elijah experience
of being brought to heaven in a “chariot of fire”.
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.
“Like a fire there appeared the prophet Elijah whose words were as a flaming furnace.” (Sir 48:1)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
By your words and actions, endeavor to make a courageous prophetic witnessing in today’s increasingly hostile and secularized world in the spirit of Elijah and John the Baptist.
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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