A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 22, n.38)
Week 20 in Ordinary Time: August 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: August 11-17, 2024 please go to ARCHIVES Series 21 and click on “Ordinary Week 19”.
Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY: August 18-24, 2024.)
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August 18, 2024: TWENTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR B
“JESUS SAVIOR: His Flesh Is True Food
and His Blood Is True Drink”
BIBLICAL READINGS
Prv 9:1-6 // Eph 5:15-20 // Jn 6:51-58
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Jn 6:51-58): “My flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.”
Here is an interesting conversation between a skeptic and a believer in the Eucharist.
A man came to a priest and wanted to make fun of his faith, so he asked, “How can bread and wine turn into the Body and Blood of Christ? “The priest answered, “No problem. You yourself change food into your body and blood, so why can’t Christ do the same?”
But the objector did not give up. He asked, “But how can the entire Christ be in such a small host?” “In the same way that the vast landscape before you can fit into your little eye.”
“But he still persisted, “How can the same Christ be present in all your churches at the same time?”
The priest then took a mirror and let the man look into it. Then let the mirror fall to the ground and broke it and said to the skeptic, “There is only one of you and yet you can find your face reflected in each piece of that broken mirror at the same time.”
Indeed, with the eyes of faith, it is easy to perceive the answer to the “HOW” of salvation and the workings of the miracle of love, the Eucharist. From the point of view of the believer’s heart, everything is possible with God. The principal challenge in today’s Gospel reading (Jn 6:51-18) is faith in the power of God and his beloved Son, Jesus, to give life by the means they choose. According to Teresa Okure, “this believing is the master key that enables one to unlock and tap into God’s life imparted by Jesus, his envoy, through word and sacrament.”
Today’s reading begins with the last verse of the passage proclaimed last Sunday at Mass: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” (Jn. 6:51). Hearing this radical affirmation, the Jews are flabbergasted and start to argue among themselves: “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” (Jn 6:52). The unbeliever’s cynicism unleashes anew its attack.
Jesus does not answer the cynical “HOW” of the unbelievers, but responds to them with more powerful statements about himself and the new presence that he would assume in the sacrament of the Eucharist. He also affirms the necessity of feeding upon his own body and blood as the natural food for the new life that he comes to give in abundance. In Jn 6:53-55, we therefore read Jesus’ challenging statement: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.”
Jesus identifies himself with the “Son of Man”, who in the Book of Daniel, embodies the salvation of Israel. As the new embodiment of salvation, the “Son of Man”, Jesus Christ is made present in the sacrament of the Eucharist and continues to live on in the Church and in the world in the “here and now”. In the holy mystery of the Eucharist, Jesus is the point of encounter between God and his beloved people. He is present in the Eucharist with a “presence” that is not physical, or moral, or spiritual, but “sacramental”. In the Eucharistic species, he is the true FLESH to eat and the true BLOOD to drink. Through a miracle of love and the power of faith, the Eucharistic bread has become the reality of Jesus’ glorified body; the Eucharistic wine has become the reality of Jesus’ sacred blood.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1375-1376, declares: “It is by conversion of the bread and wine into Christ’s body and blood that Christ becomes present in the sacrament. The Church Fathers strongly affirmed the faith of the Church in the efficacy of the Word of Christ and of the action of the Holy Spirit to bring about this conversion … By the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the body of Christ of our Lord and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood.”
The Eucharist brings about a true symbiosis, or in other words, a true “living with” the Lord. The one who feeds on the flesh and blood of Jesus shares intimately in the divine life, thus actualizing his astounding promise: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him” (Jn 6:54). Indeed, the fullness of life that the Father shares with his Son is communicated to us through this marvelous life-giving sacrament, the Eucharist, in accordance with Jesus declaration: “Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me” (Jn 6:57).
B. First Reading (Prv 9:1-6): “Come, eat of my food and drink the wine I have mixed.”
One afternoon while Sr. Mary Martha and I were serving in the sacristy, three young dark-haired beauties came to talk to the priest who would preside at Mass. They were visiting Monrovia and came by chance to the Immaculate Conception church. Since they did not want to miss Sunday worship while far from home, they decided to stay and participate in the Eucharist with our parish community. They explained to the priest that they belong to the Coptic Rite and asked permission to receive communion. The kind-hearted Fr. Cassidy regarded them serenely and asked, “What is your belief in the Eucharist?” The spokesperson answered spontaneously and decisively, “The body and blood of Christ!” The holy priest Fr. Cassidy smiled and, with a twinkle in his eyes, remarked glancing in our direction, “Oh, yes! You may receive communion. And not only that – you will also be able enter the convent.” At the end of the Mass, Fr. Cassidy introduced them to the assembly who welcomed them warmly with a round of applause.
This Sunday’s First Reading (Prv 9:1-6) about the splendid banquet that Lady Wisdom prepares has a sacramental implication. The enticing table of rich, luscious fare to which she invites us all to eat and drink is a figure of the Eucharist, the table to which the Lord Jesus himself welcomes us and gives his very self to us – flesh and blood – as bread and wine. Indeed, at the Eucharistic banquet, the Risen Lord Jesus Christ – the fulfillment of the Old Testament personified Wisdom – offers us not just the wine of wisdom and the bread of the Word – his teaching and revelation, but also his sacrificial flesh and blood, broken and poured out for us in his paschal offering on the Cross.
Lady Wisdom’s invitation, “Come, eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have mixed”, which in its original context summons to a deeper knowledge and wisdom based on the fear of the Lord, is used by the Church this Sunday to resound and intensify Christ’s gracious invitation to his disciples to participate in the Eucharistic feast. In the sacrament of the Eucharist, the Risen Lord Jesus himself is the gracious Host inviting us to his sacred meal - to eat his flesh and drink his blood - in order to obtain eternal life. The effect of this Eucharistic meal is symbiosis, an indwelling and an intimate manner of fulfilling God’s promise of “I am with you!”
C. Second Reading (Eph 5:15-20): “Understand what is the will of the Lord.”
The Second Reading (Eph 5:15-20) gives us an insight into the wise and Spirit-filled behavior of Christian disciples who were immersed into his paschal mystery through baptism and have participated at the altar-table of his Eucharistic communion-sacrifice. The wisdom of God is manifested in their life through prudent action, alertness to God’s inspiration, and an eagerness to follow the will of the Lord Jesus. United intimately with Christ and energized by his Spirit, the believers are able to address one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, to sing and play for the Lord in their hearts, and to give thanks to God the Father always and in everything in the name of Christ.
The following story is beautiful and fascinating. It illustrates a person’s receptivity to the wisdom of God (cf. “Freed to Love” by Alexander Osilalu in The Word Among Us, August 2006, p. 57-59). Alexander Osilalu is a pseudonym used at the request of this Nigerian university student. Nourished by the “bread of wisdom”, this remarkable young man desires to commit himself to Jesus Christ, “the food that endures for eternal life”.
The evidence of my failure was crystal clear. There it was, posted up on the bulletin board for all the world to see: I had flunked Physics 102. As the implications sank in, I went numb. I had missed the cut-off grade by just a point and a half and had done well in all the other medical courses I was taking. It made no difference. Failing second-semester physics meant that I had to withdraw from the program. With a pang, I thought back to my endless hours of study and to all my novenas and prayers for success. The flash back became even more painful as I remembered the morning of my final physics exams. I had refused to sit among my friends, because I knew I would be tempted to ask them for answers to any questions I didn’t know. Now I felt betrayed. I remembered the words of the psalmist: “I have been young, and now I am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken” (Psalm 37:25). They seemed to mock me. I had done the right thing by not cheating – but hadn’t I been forsaken? And I wasn’t even nineteen.
Being asked to withdraw from the most prestigious department at this Nigerian university was a stigma in itself, but there was more. I was active in a fellowship group for Catholic students on campus. We would come together to pray, study Scripture, and discuss the problems we were facing. Now I felt I could no longer hold up my head in the group, much less invite anyone to join. What kind of an example was I? My failure seemed to mark me as someone who was unable to balance his academic, social and spiritual activities.
I hung onto Jesus during this terrible time for one simple reason: I had nowhere else to turn. Since I held him totally responsible for my misfortune, however, our relationship was stormy. I was angry at God for his seeming ineffectiveness and lack of concern. I questioned the purpose of prayer. I even began to wonder whether Karl Marx was right when he said that religion is the opiate of the people. Even if God exists, I asked myself, what difference does it make if he doesn’t intervene to answer prayer?
Things continued in this manner for some time. Then one Sunday during Mass, something happened as I stood praying the Our Father with the rest of the congregation. At the words, “Thy kingdom come”, I was suddenly reminded of the passage in John’s Gospel where Jesus told the crowd that they were following him for the wrong reason – “because you ate your fill of loaves”. The people just wanted Jesus to keep multiplying bread to fill their bellies; they weren’t so interested in his offer of “the food that endures for eternal life” (John 6:26-27).
It hit me that I was like the people in that crowd. I too was focused on my own desires and closed to the far better gifts God had for me. I had not been following Jesus out of real love and desire to keep his commandments. Rather, I was trying to get him to do the things for me, such as help me pass my exams. It wasn’t God’s kingdom I had been seeking, but my own. In this moment of insight, I saw that Christianity is about unconditional love and not about striking bargains with God. I also saw it as a call to trust that the Father will always give me what is best for me.
This experience triggered a conversion that unfolded little by little. As my first response, I decided to stop asking God for things and to concentrate instead on giving myself to others for his sake. This seemed the best approach, as I didn’t yet know how to pray for my needs with real trust that Jesus would provide. Though imperfect, it was my first move to reconciliation with God. I began looking for ways to help people. If someone needed a hand, I was there. I shared my time and the little money I had. I prayed for others, even though I wasn’t feeling especially close to Jesus. And I made a discovery: The more I worked and prayed for others without having an ulterior motive in mind, the happier I became. Stripping away my focus on my own needs was freeing me to know the joy that comes from following Jesus’ command to “love one another”.
One day as I walked home from school, I saw a little boy hawking biscuits. He looked tired and hungry, and I realized that he couldn’t afford to buy and eat the food he was selling. It took all the money I had left on me, but I bought two of the biscuits and gave one to him. The look on that boy’s face was all the reward I needed. My act of kindness cost me so little, but it gave me so much more happiness that I could have imagined. I walked away thinking, “This is what following Jesus is all about – love.”
Gradually the transformation in my life became more obvious. I became stronger, more able to turn to God in trust for my own needs. I went back to my studies and chose a program related to the one I had been pursuing. I did quite well. Currently in my fourth year, I realize that this program is actually what I wanted and was best suited for all along. As I look back, I now see that my failure of three years ago was really the most educational part of my whole academic career. Through it, I developed and grew. I matured from a child who wants things his way no matter what, to an adult who knows that his way is not always the best. Through what I saw as my moment of failure, Jesus helped me to discover the path to happiness and real success. Lord Jesus, thy kingdom come!
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
What is our response to Christ’s awesome revelation: “For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink”? Do we believe that the Eucharist is communion with the life-giving Christ and the fullness of life shared by Christ and his living Father? How does this realization affect us?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
(Prayer composed by Blessed James Alberione, founder of the Pauline Family)
Jesus, eternal Truth,
I believe you are really present in the bread and wine.
You are here with your body, blood, soul and divinity.
I hear your invitation:
“I am the living bread descended from heaven”,
“take and eat; this is my body”.
I believe, Lord and Master,
but strengthen my weak faith.
O Jesus Master,
you assure me: “I am the Life”,
“whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
will have eternal life.”
In baptism and in the sacrament of reconciliation
you have communicated to me this life of yours.
Now you nourish it by making yourself my food.
Take my heart;
detach it from the vain things of the world.
With all my heart I love you above all things
because you are infinite goodness and eternal happiness.
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.
“For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” (Jn 6:55-56)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Before you receive communion at the celebration of the Eucharist, recall with intensity Christ’s declaration that his flesh is true food and his blood is true drink. Make an act of faith in the presence of Christ in the Eucharist. By your acts of charity to the people around you, manifest in your life that you have been truly nourished by the body and blood of Christ.
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August 19, 2024: MONDAY – WEEKDAY (20); SAINT JOHN EUDES
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Challenges Us to Choose the Ultimate Good … He Challenges Us To Be a True Prophet”
BIBLE READINGS
Ez 24:15-23 // Mt 19:16-22
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 19:16-22): “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and you will have treasure in heaven.”
The rich young man in today’s Gospel (Mt 19:16-22) is in pursuit of eternal life. He has kept the commandments. In the Old Covenant, such a response would have been sufficient. But Jesus goes further. He challenges him to sell what he has, give it to the poor and follow him. Christian discipleship involves renunciation. To follow Jesus is to make a radical choice for his very person - the absolute good. It entails leaving behind false security. Jesus therefore invites him to use his possessions to minister to the poor and thus find treasure in heaven. But the rich young man is excessively attached to his possessions. They preempt his priorities and value judgments. They impede him from choosing Jesus as the center of his life. Hence, this would-be disciple fails to respond to Jesus’ invitation and goes away sad. The rich young man’s possessions have actually “possessed” him.
Jesus invites us today to give God our possessions. In her book God Will Provide, p. 36-37, Patricia Treece remarks: “About surrendering possessions: it isn’t what you have; it’s whether it has you. Or to put it another way, it’s what you do with it. [Saint] John XXIII is a great example of not letting what you have, have you. At a certain point in the young priest’s career, he was named to head a student hostel. Suddenly he had to furnish small personal living quarters for himself. John had an artistic bent and discovered he enjoyed ‘decorating’ with the modest financial gift his dad gave him (unlike religious order priests, diocesan clergy take no vow of poverty). But he writes in his Journal that having set up his first home ‘in a suitable manner’, God let him see more than ever the beauty of the spirit of poverty. He then prays that he will always “keep this feeling of detachment from anything that is mine.”
B. First Reading (Ez 24:15-23): “Ezekiel shall be a sign for you: all that he did you shall do when it happens.”
Today’s Old Testament reading (Ez 24:15-23) is filled with pathos. The faithful prophet loses his wife, “the delight of his eyes”. The death of his beloved wife, with its brutal grief, becomes another occasion to deliver a prophetic message to the rebellious Jews. The Lord has ordered the bereaved Ezekiel not to show signs of mourning. The prophet is stripped not only of “the delight of his eyes” but even of the comfort of mourning her loss. The death of the wife and the abstention from mourning foreshadow what the rebellious people will have to go through at the destruction of Jerusalem. Their grief will be too great for mourning. To mourn for the destroyed city is in vain. It is useless to wail, but only to acknowledge one’s sins.
The story of Bernice Bouchet gives insight into “the raw grief that is too great for mourning” over the destruction of Jerusalem. Bernice was born in Rangoon, Burma in 1935 of a Burmese mom and of a French-origin dad. She lost her dad when the Japanese invaded Burma during World War II. To escape the horrors of the Japanese occupation, her mom tried to reach Calcutta with Bernice and her younger brother Brian. The mom died in the jungles of Nagaland. On the day her mom died, Bernice and Brian were taken captive by Naga warriors and separated from each other. She would never see her brother again. Bernice would survive the captivity and would enter the PDDM congregation in Allahabad, India. She is now known as Sr. Maria Lucia, one of the first two PDDM vocations who entered in India. Here is her account (cf. Bernice Bouche, Dall’Irrawaddy a Monte Berico, transcribed from tape-recorded accounts and edited by Domenico Cascasi, 1983, manuscript, p. 60-61).
One of the men took my brother on his shoulder. The other took me on his and we went through the jungle trail. Then the one who was carrying my brother took another trail. I uttered a desperate cry: “My brother! I want my brother!” But I could not do anything. He was on another trail. I cried bitterly. I punched the head of the man carrying me, but what could a seven-year-old do against him? I could no longer see my brother, but I could hear his screams and his voice: “Bernice! Bernice!”
His voice gradually faded in the forest. A sword pierced my heart and my soul. I could no longer hear him. What could I do? What more could I say? I stopped to shout and to cry. From that moment on, more than the shock and fear, the sorrow has rendered me mute. I was not able to speak a word for two years.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. How do we respond to Christ’s radical challenge to make a fundamental option for his person? What do the following words of Christ mean to us personally: “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven”?
2. How does the faithful prophet Ezekiel inspire us? Do we believe that even our human tragedy can be an occasion for proclaiming God’s message?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
like the rich young man
we want to follow you and seek eternal life.
Help us to respond to the challenge of radical discipleship.
Give us the wisdom and courage to “renounce” our possessions
so that they may not control or possess us.
Help us to use all the resources you have given us
to minister to the poor
and promote your kingdom of love, justice, and peace.
Grant that, like Ezekiel, even human tragedy
can be an occasion to proclaim your saving word.
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.
“If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor.” (Mt 19:21) // “Thus you shall know that I am the Lord.” (Ez 24:22)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Take stock of your material possessions. Resolve to share your material resources with the needy and give to the poor. // Pray for the bereaved and for the victims of violence and persecution.
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August 20, 2024: TUESDAY – SAINT BERNARD, Abbot, Doctor of the Church
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Invites Us to Pursue the Kingdom of God … He Invites Us To Depend on God”
BIBLE READINGS
Ez 28:1-10 // Mt 19:23-30
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 19:23-30): “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.”
The kingdom of God is an incomparable treasure that surpasses all earthly goods. It makes everything else relative and secondary. Jesus Master teaches us to discern what is true, just, and good. He comes to reorient our lives toward God and empowers those with receptive hearts to choose the heavenly kingdom. Those who fail to respond to Jesus’ radical challenge to follow him feel despondent, just like the rich young man who walks away sad - impeded by his possessions from pursuing wholeheartedly the heavenly kingdom.
The Danish theologian, Soren Kierkegaard, underlines the meaning of Christian discipleship: “To follow Christ means denying one’s self, and hence it means walking the same way as Christ walked in the humble form of a servant – needy, forsaken, mocked, not loving worldliness and not loved by the worldly-minded … He who in self-abnegation renounces the world and all that is the world’s, forsakes every relationship which otherwise tempts and holds captive … He who, if it becomes necessary, certainly does not love his father or mother or sister or brother less than before, but loves Christ so much more that he may be said to hate those others: he walks absolutely alone, alone in the whole world … Eternity will not ask about what worldly possessions you left behind in the world. But it will ask you what treasure you have accumulated in heaven.”
In today’s Gospel reading (Mt 19:23-30), having seen the rich young man walk away from the offer of heavenly treasure, Jesus exclaims: “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” But he also asserts that with God all things are possible. The Drexel family illustrates what it means to pursue the heavenly kingdom in today’s world (cf. Patricia Treece, God Will Provide, Brewster: Paraclete Press, 2011, p. 38-39).
There are people who live in well-decorated mansions who also never let their enjoyed possessions come between them and God. Consider the parents of St. Katherine Drexel (d. 1958), the American heiress. Katherine’s father, Francis Drexel, and her mother, Emma Bouvier Drexel, were one of the richest couples in America. They used their money to do immense good as philanthropists, while they enjoyed a town mansion (with a chapel), a country estate (where their daughters ran catechism classes for the workers’ children), trips to Europe, and the best teachers for their children’s private education.
Reared to do good, the Drexel girls in turn lived exemplary lives, making praiseworthy use of enormous inherited incomes (to ensure that no one married any of his girls for money, Francis Drexel left all his wealth to charities, allowing his daughters to enjoy the interest on the immense sum during their lifetimes). Katherine, becoming a nun, dedicated herself and her riches to helping raise black and native Americans out of poverty through education. She became so detached from her resources – as the longest-lived she inherited from her sisters, each childless – that she never tried to break her father’s will; that upon his last daughter’s death left the fortune to charities named almost a century earlier, some of which no longer needed help.
Katherine’s order founded several schools – elementary, high, vocational, and even a university – that relied heavily on this money. But if God wanted the schools to continue, she believed, God would provide for them. And he did.
B. First Reading (Ez 28:1-10): “You are a mortal and not God, however you may think yourself like a god.”
Today’s Old Testament reading (Ez 28:1-10) is an oracle of judgment against the city of Tyre, a rival-ally of the kingdom of Judah. Tyre is built on an island very near the coast. At the time of Ezekiel, it is the center and symbol of Phoenician political-economic power. Tyre rejoices at the destruction of Jerusalem, cheering that is does not have any longer a commercial rival. Puffed up with pride for its riches, the king of Tyre claims himself to be a god. Through the prophet Ezekiel, the Lord God condemns Tyre: “You think you are wiser than Daniel … Your wisdom and skill made you rich with treasures of silver and gold … How proud you are of your wealth … Because you think you are as wise as god, I will bring ruthless enemies to attack you.”
Against the backdrop of Tyre’s pride and foolish use of wisdom, the following modern day accounts of humble trust in divine providence becomes more meaningful (cf. Patricia Treece, God Will Provide, Brewster: Paraclete Press, 2011, p. 130-131).
As a young fellow, George Muller (d. 1898) was not particularly devout but eventually he surrendered to God. This German landed in Bristol, England, where – now a Protestant clergyman – he pushed to the maximum the scriptural promise “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you” (Mt 6:33). First he stopped taking a regular salary for his preaching. Then he sold all he had and gave what he received to the poor. With his wife’s agreement, they gave away their household goods and furnishings.
Yet they got along. Muller then felt led to open an orphanage that he ran on the following principles: he made the financial needs known to God, but to no one else. He forbade all his helpers to tell anyone but God as well. He never sought credit or borrowed. He never used money that was donated for anything other than what the giver specified. Thus, if there was no food, but money had been given for coal, for coal it went. It is no exaggeration to claim that the Protestant clergyman spent a lot of time in prayer. Occasionally he was praying right up until the meal the food was needed for. But the meal’s provisions always arrived.
George Muller’s whole life became a witness to the absolute reliability of divine providence – as were the experiences of the earlier Catholic priest St. Joseph Cottolengo (d. 1842), who ran a hospital and a whole complex of shelters in Turin, Italy, for every type of impoverished unfortunate from the blind, insane, deaf, and crippled to wayward girls. Cottolengo called his whole undertaking simply The Little House and, like Muller, looked completely to divine providence to meet the huge and varied needs of such a place. In fact, Cottolengo turned down a subsidy offered by a king because “we are cared for by the King of kings”. Now, if one or two of these two men’s needs were met but not all, and if this happened once or even a few times over a long period, it would be reasonable to cite coincidence or luck. They had huge needs and those needs were indeed met day after day, year after year. Who or what met them? Divine providence.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. How does the Lord’s challenge to the rich young man affect me? Am I willing to renounce earth’s goods for the sake of the kingdom of God? How do I give witness to my fundamental choice for Jesus Christ? Do I believe that with God everything is possible and that with divine grace we gain eternal life?
2. Do we rely on our own powers? Do we believe that our accomplishments are due to our efforts and merits? Do we allow divine providence to enter our life?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
we thank you for the challenge of Jesus Christ,
the wisdom from on high.
Help us to respond fully to Christ’s call
to embrace radically the Kingdom value.
Be with us as we hold on to his words
that with your grace everything is possible.
Never let us trust in our merits and power.
Grant us the gift of eternal life in your kingdom
where 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.
“They will inherit eternal life.” (Mt 19:29) // “You are man, not a god.” (Ez 28:2)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
When you are in crisis with regards to your basic needs, affirm your trust in divine providence. Make an effort to share the gifts and resources God has given you with the poor and the needy.
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August 21, 2024: WEDNESDAY – SAINT PIUS X, Pope
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Reveals God’s Generosity … He Will Shepherd God’s Flock”
BIBLE READINGS
Ez 34:1-11 // Mt 20:1-16
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 20:1-16): “Are you envious because I am generous?”
Today’s Gospel reading (Mt 20:1-16) is about a landowner who went out at various hours of the day to the market place to hire laborers for his vineyard. At the end of the day all the laborers, including those who were hired at the last hour, were paid a full day’s wage. The bible scholar Eugene Maly explains: “Jesus was telling a simple agricultural story whose meaning was not in details but in the story itself. In the Father’s kingdom all are equally loved and human standards are not to be used to measure God’s generosity. God forgives and loves as the world does not know how to forgive and love. The Church must do likewise.”
The following modern day story by Marc Levy and published in Fresno Bee (August 17, 2008, p. A3) gives a glimpse into the immense love of God and his generous stance.
MARIETTA, Pa: A former tough-on-crime Pennsylvania lawmaker has adopted a new and unpopular cause, taking into his home three sex offenders who couldn’t find a place to live – a stand that has angered neighbors, drawn pickets and touched off a zoning dispute. As cities across the nation pass ever-tighter laws to keep out people convicted of sex crimes, Tom Armstrong said he is drawing on his religious belief in forgiveness and sheltering the three men until he can open a halfway house for sex offenders … Nearly 100 Pennsylvania municipalities have ordinances restricting where sex offenders may live. The ordinances generally bar them from moving in next to schools, playgrounds or other places where children might gather.
In early June, Armstrong quietly allowed a rapist and two other sex offenders who had served prison time to move into his 15-room century-old home 75 miles west of Philadelphia after another town blocked his plans for another halfway house … A Republican, Armstrong served 12 years in the Legislature before he was defeated in a primary in 2002. He was known for taking conservative positions on abortion, taxes and crime but also for his role in later years supporting prisoners’ rights. Over the past two decades, he also took in homeless veterans, and more recently he has been a mentor to ex-cons.
B. First Reading (Ez 34:1-11): “I will save my sheep that they may no longer be food for their mouths.”
Today’s Old Testament reading (Ez 34:1-11) is an indictment against false and wicked shepherds. They have failed in their responsibilities to God’s flock: they have not taken care of the weak, healed the sick, bandaged the wounded, and sought the lost sheep. The false shepherds have taken care only of themselves and have cruelly treated the sheep. God will take over the shepherds’ tasks. God himself will be the good shepherd tending the sheep, rescuing the scattered flock, seeking the lost and leading them to green pastures. God will not allow false shepherds to pillage the sheep.
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux is a sterling example of one who follows the heart and the ways of the Good Shepherd. The following notes on Saint Bernard, circulated on the Internet, give insight into his life.
SAINT BERNARD: Born in 1090 at Fontaines, near Dijon, France; died at Clairvaux, 21 August 1153. His parents were Tescelin, lord of Fontaines, and Aleth of Montbard, both belonging to the highest nobility of Burgundy. Bernard, the third of a family of seven children, six of whom were sons, was educated with particular care, because while yet unborn, a devout man had foretold his great destiny. At the age of nine years, Bernard was sent to a much renowned school at Chatillon-sur-Seine, kept by the secular canons of Saint-Vorles. He had a great taste for literature and devoted himself for some time to poetry. His success in his studies won the admiration of his masters and his growth in virtue was no less marked. Bernard’s great desire was to excel in literature in order to take up the study of Sacred Scripture, which later on became, as it were, his own tongue. “Piety was his all”, says Bossuet. He had a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin and there is no one who speaks more sublimely of the Queen of Heaven. Bernard was scarcely nineteen years of age when his mother died. During his youth, he did not escape trying temptations, but his virtue triumphed over them, in many instances in a heroic manner, and from this time he thought of retiring from the world and living a life of solitude and prayer.
St. Robert, Abbot of Molesmes, had founded in 1098 the monastery of Citeaux, about four leagues from Dijon, with the purpose of restoring the Rule of St. Benedict in its rigor. Returning to Molesmes, he left the government of the new abbey to St. Alberic, who died in the year 1109. St. Stephen had just succeeded him (1113) as third Abbot of Citeaux when Bernard, with thirty young noblemen of Burgundy, sought admission into the order. Three years later, St. Stephen sent the young Bernard at the head of a band of monks, the third to leave Citeaux, to found a new house at Vallee d’Absinte, or Valley of Bitterness, in the Diocese of Langres. This Bernard named Claire Valee of Clairvaux on the 25th of June, 1115, and the names of Bernard and Clairvaux thence became inseparable.
The beginnings of Clairvaux were trying and painful. The regime was so austere that Bernard’s health was impaired by it, and only the influence of his friend William of Champeaux and the authority of the General Chapter could make him mitigate his austerities. The monastery, however, made rapid progress. Disciples flocked to it in great numbers, desirous of putting themselves under the direction of Bernard. His father, the aged Tescelin and all his brothers entered Clairvaux as religious, leaving only Humbeline, his sister, in the world. And she, with the consent of her husband, soon took the veil of the Benedictine Convent of Jully. Clairvaux was becoming too small for the religious who crowded there, it was necessary to send out bands to found new houses.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Have we tried to shrink God to our size and wanted to make our thoughts his thoughts and our ways his ways? Do we avail ourselves of the compassionate love of God that transcends our painfully limited ways and thoughts? Do we ever begrudge God’s generosity? Or instead, do we rejoice with God in his infinite goodness for all his people and creation?
2. Do we try to imitate the heart and the ways of the Good Shepherd?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Almighty God,
you are our loving Father.
You showed justice to laborers of the first hour
and kindness to workers of the later hour.
Help us to imitate your benevolence and generosity
so that no one among us would lack the basic necessities of life.
We are laborers in your vineyard
and we need personal dedication as farmhands
in the great field of your kingdom.
In every way and in all our thoughts,
let us live by the spirit of the Gospel
and follow your heart and ways as the Good Shepherd.
We give you praise, now and forever.
Amen.
.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“I am generous.” (Mt 20:15) // “I myself will look after and tend my sheep.” (Ez 34:11).
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for greater personal dedication of all laborers in God’s vineyard and a deeper insight into the infinite mercy of God. By your acts of charity and solidarity with those who are experiencing the various hardships in today’s society (unemployment, poverty, insecurity etc.), let them experience the immense love of the Good Shepherd.
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August 22, 2024: THURSDAY – THE QUEENSHIP OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Invites Us to the Banquet of Salvation … He Gives Us a New Heart”
BIBLE READINGS
Ez 36:23-28 // Mt 22:1-14
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 22:1-14): “Invite to the wedding feast whomever you find.”
Today’s Gospel parable (Mt 22:1-14) underlines the need for a positive and total response to the feast of the kingdom. The banquet of salvation is abundant and gratuitous, but it demands personal commitment and the daily weaving of the “wedding garment” of integrity and holiness by the way we live. The Church, which has a foretaste of the heavenly banquet, must go to the crossroads in order to invite everyone to the wedding feast. The community of believers has the duty to communicate to all peoples the superabundant riches of the banquet of salvation as well as the demands of the kingdom of heaven. Indeed, the Church needs to help unbelievers realize that it is a great misfortune to reject the bounteous feast of God’s kingdom and that it is a great tragedy to willfully exclude oneself from participating at the end-time “banquet of salvation”.
The Eucharist is the celebration and anticipation of the heavenly banquet. The Christian disciples who partake of the Lord’s sacramental meal on earth believe that on “that day” of his definitive coming, they shall take their place at the stupendous banquet of the victorious Lamb. In participating at the Lord’s Supper, they have the serious responsibility of manifesting to others the real nature of the true Church as the Bride of Christ - enrobed in a garment of salvation and covered with a mantle of justice.
The Gospel parable’s lesson on the necessity of wearing a “wedding garment” at the Lord’s banquet of salvation inspires me to do little good deeds with deeper meaning and greater spiritual intention. I was assigned in Los Angeles from 2007-2009. Our convent is located in downtown Los Angeles, which is within walking distance from the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. When I go for the morning mass, I carry a plastic bag and pick up the trash strewn carelessly along the way. It is perplexing why there is so much litter when the city government provides trashcans in strategic places. Moreover, when I use a public restroom, I clean it up and make it ready for the next user. I feel that through these small acts of service, I am building a better world. Indeed, through little good deeds I am slowly weaving the “wedding garment” that enables me to participate more fully at the Eucharist and at the “banquet of salvation” at the end time.
B. First Reading (Ez 36:23-28): “I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you.”
Today’s Old Testament reading (Ez 36:23-28) depicts God’s promise of a regenerated people. Because of their reprehensible idolatry and defilement, the chosen people has been exiled and scattered. But now God intends to demonstrate to the nations the holiness of his great name by recreating his people. He intends to gather them from the nations and bring them back to their own land. He will purify them from all their idols and defilements. And the climax of divine action: God will make them radically new and transform completely his chastised people. He will give them a new heart and a new mind. He will take away their stubborn heart of stone and give them an obedient heart. God will put his spirit in them and it will give them an inner abiding power to follow his life-giving commands. Then Israel will truly be his people, and he will be their God.
The following story of a forty-four-year-old former world champion steer wrestler on the rodeo circuit gives insight into the meaning of a “new heart” … “a new spirit … a “new creation” (cf. John Patterson, “A Heart to Give” in Chicken Soup for the Soul” Stories of Faith, ed. Jack Canfield, et. al. Cos Cob: CSS Publishing, 2008, p. 28-31).
(…) Finally, the doctor recommended a heart transplant, even though my medical problems posed a great risk. Having been a gambler in my rodeo days, I didn’t like the odds they were giving me, but I saw no other option. Being accepted by a transplant team was no easy task. As a diabetic and double amputee, some teams wouldn’t even consider me. And even if I was accepted, I would have to go on a waiting list, which could take months or years. Even if I got lucky and received a heart, there were no guarantees that the surgery would work.
When I had the bypass surgery years earlier, I was put on a heart-lung machine to keep my heart pumping during surgery, and then an electrical impulse restarted my heart to function on its own. But this time, someone else’s heart would be placed in my body. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that the only One who could make a brand new heart start beating was Almighty God, and I figured I had alienated Him completely the day I cursed Him. I was tired of the anger and bitterness, and I didn’t want to live what life I had left tugging against my circumstances. So, I made my peace with God.
Eventually, I was accepted as a transplant candidate, and on the day after Christmas, I went into the hospital with hope and apprehension to wait for a new heart. It was like living with life and death at the same time. One minute I thought of being healthy again; the next minute the reality surfaced that I might die. Finally on January 22nd, the doctor told me a heart had been located. I gathered my family together. As they prepared me for surgery, I felt complete peace.
Suddenly, the doctor came and told us there was a problem. Hesitantly, he said, “We have a seventeen-year-old boy on a ventilator who probably won’t make it through the night without a heart.” He paused awkwardly: “I don’t know how to ask you this, but would you consider giving him the heart?” He emphasized that the heart was originally intended for me, and it was my choice. I could keep it, since there was no way of knowing when another heart would become available or how long my body would make it without one.
From the moment I was notified a heart had been donated, I had gone from disbelief to elation, from apprehension to acceptance, and now I wasn’t sure what I was feeling. How do I choose who lives or dies? The tough part was knowing what my family would go through if I didn’t receive another heart. I didn’t want to make my wife a widow. I wanted to live and see my grandchildren grow up. The easy part was knowing who needed the heart most. It was the toughest and the easiest decision I ever made.
The young man survived the surgery, and one week later I received my new heart, an even better physiological match for my body than the previous one. Several months later, one of the doctors told me that he knew no one in medical history who had chosen to give up a donor heart to someone else.
That was seven years ago. Today, it takes extra energy for me to walk, but I enjoy going places and meeting people. I wear shorts everywhere I go, no matter what the season or weather. I want people to see my prostheses and ask questions, so I can tell them about my medical miracles. When they ask, I tell them that God gave me new legs so I could walk with Him. Then, I explain how He gave me two new hearts – this physical heart transplanted into my chest cavity and a spiritual one deep in my soul, which overflows with His love.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. What is our response to the Lord’s invitation, “Come to the feast”? What is the symbolism of the “wedding garment” mentioned in today’s gospel and its significance for us?
2. What does it mean for us personally to have a “new heart” … a “new spirit” … a “ new creation”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
O loving God,
we thank you for the “feast of rich food and choice wines”
you have prepared for us on your holy mountain.
The “banquet of salvation” at the end time
celebrates the definitive triumph of your kingdom
and the glory of your Paschal Lamb.
In our daily celebration of the Eucharist,
we have a foretaste of the eternal joy
and the bounty of that heavenly feast.
Grant us the grace to weave a “wedding garment” of integrity and holiness
that we may be ready to participate fully and joyfully
in the eternal “banquet of salvation”.
Above all, grant to us, O Lord, a heart renewed
and recreate in us your spirit.
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.
“Many are invited, but few are chosen.” (Mt 22:14) // “I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you.” (Ez 36: 26)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
By your small acts of charity and good deeds, strive to weave a “wedding garment” of integrity and holiness that will enable you to participate fully at the heavenly feasting. Animated with a new heart and new spirit give thanks for all the goodness that God continually does for us.
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August 23, 2024: FRIDAY – WEEKDAY (20); SAINT ROSE OF LIMA, Virgin
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us the Meaning of Love … He Calls Us to Rise from the Grave of Sin and Despair”
BIBLE READINGS
Ez 37:1-14 // Mt 22:34-40
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 22:34-40): “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself.”
(By Warren Padilla: Member: Pastoral Assistance and Community Education Mission)
Can you still remember your emotions when you first fell in love? What was your reaction? Didn’t you feel so excited and high, thinking about your beloved? You spent sleepless nights dreaming of being with your sweetheart. Oh, how love can be the most exciting thing in the world! If there is anything that makes a person so excited, it is love.
In like manner, there is nothing in the Christian life that is as exciting as the life of holiness. It can be said that the holiest people are the most excited people in the world. Wouldn’t you like to be excited, the way saints are? Well, be in love. If you love your fellowman the way Christ loves, you will be amazed how interesting life can be. Then the other blessings of God that you need will flow like a river into your life. That is why in today’s Gospel Jesus was asked by the Pharisees, “Teacher, which commandment of the law is the greatest?”
Jesus answered: “You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, with your whole soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it; you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments the whole law is based, and the prophets as well.”
A Christian can be considered obedient to God only if he obeys first and foremost, the greatest commandment of God. This is the foundation of holiness, the first thing that makes him pleasing to God. On the other hand, the unwillingness of a person to live up to this great commandment equally becomes the basis for his condemnation – the greatest failure he can ever commit.
It is impossible for a Christian to reconcile hatred and ill-feeling with his/her love of God and neighbor. You can never be with God if you have in your heart feelings of remorse, indifference, resentment and jealousy. You can never please God while trying to avoid somebody who has caused you trouble. There is no such thing as loving the Lord, when at the same time you bear grudges towards a certain person. The happiest people in the world are those Christians who are in love with God and with their fellowmen. In other words, loving God and hating your fellowman can never go together. You have to be filled with love towards one another in order to be with God. A Christian then is a person of love. The more in love you are, the holier you become.
B. First Reading (Ez 37:1-14): “Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. I will bring you back from your graves, O my people Israel.”
Today’s Old Testament reading (Ez 37:1-14) is fascinating, evocative and beautiful. Ezekiel’s vision of dry bones takes place in Babylon where Ezekiel is led out by the spirit of the Lord into a plain in which the remains of those who have perished in battle are unburied. By speaking the word of God, the dry bones take on flesh. By invoking the spirit from the “four winds” to come, the dead bodies are brought back to life. Ezekiel’s mystical vision symbolizes his mission to the exiles. Through his prophesying, the despairing will receive a new spirit that will enable them to rise from their lost hope and to lead a new life in the land of Israel. Indeed, the origin and future of Israel are found only in God. Israel has existed and can exist only by the action and grace of God. It is so for its birth and it is also for its rebirth. The Lord alone has the power to bring Israel back to life, to its own self and to its own land. Ezekiel’s vision of hope thus plays a vital role in the rebirth of Israel as a people after the exile.
The following modern day account is very inspiring and, like Ezekiel’s vision of the dry bones being raised to life, brings hope to a despairing world (cf. http://www.faith2share.net).
JOHN TAE-SUK LEE (1962-2010): The Unknown Korean “Saint” of Sudan: John Tae-Suk was a South Korean missionary to southern Sudan, who was a medical practitioner before he became a Roman Catholic priest. He died on 14 January 2010 at the age of 48 from colon cancer but not before leaving behind a truly wonderful legacy and motivating thousands of people to do the same as he did; mainly, to feel and show unconditional love towards those less fortunate and to know that happiness exists everywhere, even in a country suffering from war, poverty and disease.
After his ordination in 2001, he traveled to Tonj, a town in southern Sudan deeply affected by war. He provided medical services, built a medical clinic with his own hands, established a school, gave music lessons, created a brass band with the children, and much more. However, the most touching mission he did was his tender ministration at the Tonj leper colony. Leprosy (or, rather, Hansen’s disease) is prevalent in that particular region and John Lee spent countless hours cleaning wounds, bandaging rotting limbs, driving out to make personal visits to those who could not move, and procuring medicine to alleviate the patients’ pain. He worked tirelessly to save the lives of those others had abandoned, while giving the people of Tonj hope through music and education.
John Tae-Suk was known to have a special way with the young people of Tonj. They were drawn to his winning personality and radiant smile. The locals knew the gentle confessor as “Fr. Jolly” – a name that stuck. He built the local school with the help of students and taught math and music. John Lee also started the Don Bosco Brass Band and found that music lifted up the youth, who were in dire circumstances. The Brass Band is now the most famous music group in southern Sudan.
John was extremely bright and had a joyful temperament. His, all too brief, life shows the great feats just one missionary can accomplish. As a result of his work there is now an infinitely higher standard of care for the victims of Hansen’s disease in southern Sudan.
After his death a Korean television documentary about Fr. John’s life in Tonj was adapted into a powerful film, “Don’t Cry for Me Sudan”. Within 10 minutes of watching him most people are reduced to tears. Some 120,000 people have watched the film in Seoul alone. Members of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, the largest Buddhist denomination in South Korea, were greatly moved by the scenes depicting Fr John tending the lepers. Venerable Jaseung, the head of the order admitted that he was unsure whether to show it to Buddhist monks and lay people for fear they would convert to Catholicism after seeing it. “It depicts the good life of a Catholic missioner and I was worried some of us would convert to Catholicism after being moved by the film”, he said, but he went ahead because he believed that Fr. John was a good role model for Buddhists. “If we could have one Buddhist cleric like him, the better it would be for Buddhism”, he said.
Meanwhile, Catholics who are devoted to John Tae-Suk Lee are becoming greatly dissatisfied with his nickname, “the Schweitzer of Sudan”. For in some respects John Lee was an even better missionary than the Franco-German doctor and theologian. Albert Schweitzer was a great man, but is often charged with having held a snooty, superior attitude towards Africans. This could never be said of John Tae-Suk Lee, who is regarded by the southern Sudanese as a healer, friend and now an intercessor in heaven.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we love God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind? Do we love him with everything we have: a love that is whole-hearted, dynamic, and carried out with conviction, courage and commitment?
2. How does Ezekiel’s vision of the dry bones taking on flesh and coming to life by the breath of the Spirit impact you? What are the various desperate situations you are experiencing that need the consoling message of the prophet Ezekiel?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Jesus said: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind …You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt 22:37, 39).
“This is my prayer to thee, my Lord – strike, strike at the penury in my heart. Give me strength never to disown the poor or bend my knees before insolent might, and give me the strength to surrender my strength to thy will with love.” (Rabindranath Tagore)
Jesus said: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind …You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt 22:37, 39).
“Grant me to recognize in other men, Lord God, the radiance of your face.” (Teilhard de Chardin)
Jesus said: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind …You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt 22:37, 39).
“Give us patience and fortitude to put self aside for you in the most unlikely people: to know that every man’s and any man’s suffering is our own first business, for which we must be willing to go out of our way and to leave our own interests.” (Caryll Houselander)
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.
“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind …You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mt 22:37, 39) // “O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them.” (Ez 37:12)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Offer a concrete act of charity on behalf of the poor, the marginalized and the lonely, and the victims of man-made and natural calamities. That we may experience hope in the midst of despair and discouragement, make an effort to spend some quiet time of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.
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August 24, 2024: SATURDAY – SAINT BARTHOLOMEW, APOSTLE
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Promises Greater Things … His Apostle Bartholomew Is a Foundation Stone of the Church”
BIBLE READINGS
Rv 21:9b-14 // Jn 1:45-51
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Jn 1:45-51): “There is a true Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
Today’s Gospel (Jn 1:45-51) is a beautiful example of “vocation recruitment”. When Philip becomes convinced that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah foretold by the Law and the Prophets, he shares this discovery with his friend, Nathanael of Cana. Although Nathanael reacts rather cautiously by commenting “Can anything good from Nazareth?” he does not close himself to Philip’s “Come and see” invitation. When Jesus sees Nathanael coming toward him, he utters a statement of praise about his integrity: “Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him”. Integrity and critical open-mindedness are the remarkable attributes of Nathanael, a man in quest of truth.
Nathanael is overwhelmed by Jesus’ power to read hearts: “Before Philip called you I saw you under the fig tree.” Jesus knows that Nathanael has been studying the Torah under the fig tree, something that a true and perfect Israelite is expected to do. Nathanael spontaneously proclaims his faith in Jesus as the Son of God and the King of Israel. Jesus responds by promising “greater things than this” to Nathanael, who will see the vision of “angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man”. In Jesus is the embodiment of salvation. In his public ministry and in his paschal mystery of death and resurrection, the glory of God is revealed. Like the angels on Jacob’s ladder, Jesus will join to himself the “above” and the “below”, that is, the heavenly and the earthly. Nathanael, who is also known as the apostle Bartholomew, will be a witness to this.
B. First Reading (Rv 21:9b-14): “On the foundations are the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb.”
The reading (Rv 21:9b-14) gives us a vision of the New Jerusalem, which represents the ultimate bliss. It also symbolizes the Church in its final and ultimate glory. Saint John’s end-time vision of the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God inspires us to strive for the fullness of light and life resulting from God’s presence. The wall of this city is built on twelve foundation stones, on which are written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. This detail is very meaningful as we celebrate the feast of Saint Bartholomew the Apostle. It reminds us that the Church, the New City of Jerusalem, is built on the foundation of apostolic witnessing. The preaching of the apostles and prophets constitutes the Church. Saint Bartholomew is one of the twelve foundation stones of the Church. His name is inscribed in the beautiful and radiant city of the New Jerusalem. Saint Bartholomew now participates in the glory of the eternal city of light and life together with the victorious Lamb, Jesus Christ.
The following biographical sketch gives us an idea why Saint Bartholomew is an important foundation stone of the Church (cf. Wikipedia on the Internet).
Bartholomew the Apostle: He is one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and is usually identified with Nathanael, who is mentioned in the gospel of John. “Bartholomew” comes from the Aramaic “bar Tolmay”, meaning “son of Tolmay” or “son of the furrows” (perhaps a ploughman).
In the gospel of John, Nathanael is introduced as a friend of Philip. He is described as initially being skeptical about the Messiah coming from Nazareth, saying: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”, but nonetheless, follows Philips’s invitation. Jesus immediately characterizes him as “Here is a man in whom there is no deception.” Some scholars hold that Jesus’ quote “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you”, is based on a Jewish figure of speech referring to studying the Torah. Nathanael recognizes Jesus as “the Son of God” and “the King of Israel”. He reappears at the end of John’s gospel as one of the disciples to whom Jesus appeared at the Sea of Galilee after the Resurrection.
Eusebius of Caesarea’s Ecclesiastical History states that after the Ascension, Bartholomew went on a missionary tour to India where he left behind a copy of the gospel of Matthew. (…) The studies of Fr. A.C. Perumalil SJ and Moraes hold that the Bombay region on the Konkan coast, a region which may have been known as the ancient city Kalyan, was the field of Saint Bartholomew’s missionary activities.
Along with his fellow apostle Jude, Bartholomew is reputed to have brought Christianity to Armenia in the first century. Thus both saints are considered the patron saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church. He is said to have been martyred in Albanopolis in Armenia. According to one account, he was beheaded, but a more popular tradition holds that he was flayed alive and crucified, head downward. He is said to have converted Polymius, the king of Armenia, to Christianity. Astyages, Polymius’ brother, consequently ordered Bartholomew’s execution (…)
The existence of relics at Lipari, a small island off the coast of Sicily, in the part of Italy controlled by Constantinople, was explained by Gregory of Tours by his body having miraculously washed up there … Of the many miracles performed by Bartholomew before and after his death, two very popular ones are known by the townsfolk of the small island of Lipari.
The people of Lipari celebrated his feast annually. The tradition of the people was to take the solid silver and gold statue from inside the Cathedral of St. Bartholomew and carry it through the town. On one occasion, when taking the statue down the hill towards the town, it suddenly got very heavy and had to be set down. When the men carrying the statue regained their strength they lifted it a second time. After a few seconds, it got even heavier. They set it down and attempted once more to pick it up. They managed to lift it but had to put it down one last time. Within seconds, a wall further downhill collapsed. If the statue had been able to be lifted, all the townspeople would have been killed.
During World War II, the Fascist regime looked for ways to finance their activities. The order was given to take the silver statue of St. Bartholomew and melt it down. The statue was weighed, and it was found to be only a few grams. It was returned to its place in the Cathedral of Lipari. In reality, the statue is made from many kilograms of silver and it is considered a miracle that it was not melted down. St. Bartholomew is credited with many other miracles having to do with the weight of objects.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we believe that, like Saint Bartholomew, we will see the “sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man”?
2. Do we value the apostolic witness and martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew? How do we imitate his commitment to Christ and his service to the Gospel?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
we thank you for the apostle Saint Bartholomew,
a man of integrity and a true seeker of truth.
He followed you in your paschal destiny
and witnessed to the nations
that you are indeed the point of encounter
between God and man.
Through his intercession,
may we have the grace to go out to the whole world
and proclaim to all peoples
that you are indeed the Son of God and the Messiah.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
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(Cf. Opening Prayer, Mass on the Feast of St. Bartholomew the Apostle)
Lord,
sustain within us the faith
which made St. Bartholomew ever loyal to Christ.
Let your Church be the sign of salvation
for all the nations of the world.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“You will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” (Jn 1:51) //“The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation, on which were inscribed the twelve names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb.” (Rv 21:14)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for the Church in Armenia and India that it may be strengthened in its Christian witnessing. Imitate Saint Bartholomew in his quest for truth and in his integrity. In any way you can, continue to promote the Gospel witness of the apostles.
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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