A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 22, n. 41)
Week 23 in Ordinary Time: September 8-14, 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: September 1-7, 2024 please go to ARCHIVES Series 21 and click on “Ordinary Week 22”.
Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY: September 8-14, 2024.)
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September 8, 2024: TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR B
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Saving and Healing Lord”
BIBLICAL READINGS
Is 35:4-7a // Jas 2:1-5 // Mk 7:31-37
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mk 7:31-37): “He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
In the middle of the 30-day Ignatian retreat that we – silver jubilarians in religious profession - attended in 1999 in Baguio, a scenic mountain city in the Philippines, our spiritual directress gave us a break. Our group went to the Ecological Sanctuary run by the Maryknoll Sisters. After the “Cosmic Journey” tour, led by Sr. Peg Dillon, that helped us to contemplate the various stages of cosmic history, she brought us to the adjacent “Deaf Centrum”. The deaf and mute students entertained us. They danced with precision to the rhythmic beat of the drums and other ethnic musical instruments. At the end of their beautiful presentation, the deaf-mute performers tried to sound off their names. I was very much impressed by the teachers who patiently taught them to communicate through sign language and other means. They also helped them to produce sounds that approximate human speech. We were full of admiration for what the Maryknoll Sisters and the staff of the “Deaf Centrum” were doing for the deaf and mute children in Baguio City.
This sense of admiration for a job well done is likewise present in today’s Gospel reading (Mk 7:31-37). The evangelist Mark situates the healing episode of the deaf man in the context of Jesus’ journeys outside Galilee. According to the Marcan account: “Again Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis” (v. 31). This roundabout route of Jesus and his travels through largely Gentile territory may have been intended by Mark as an anticipation of the Church’s mission to the Gentiles. After chastising the Pharisees and scribes for their rigorous legalism that prevented them from listening to the voice of the Spirit and truly obeying God’s commands (cf. Mk 7:1-23), Jesus goes to the Gentile territory of Tyre where he hears the cry of a distraught woman, a Syrophoenician by birth (cf. Mk 7:23-30). The pagan woman begs for the healing of her daughter and fends off Jesus’ restriction for the Jewish ministry with the retort: “Even the pups under the table eat the children’s crumbs” (Mk 7:28). Against this backdrop, the cure of the deaf man in the district of the Decapolis underlines the reality that the growth of the kingdom of God beyond the local confines of Galilee is inexorable and its expansion inevitable.
Jesus’ healing ministry facilitates and enhances the growth of God’s kingdom. In this Sunday’s narrative, the people bring him a deaf man with a speech impediment that he may lay his healing hand on him. Jesus takes the deaf-mute aside from the crowd privately, puts his fingers into the man’s ears and touches his tongue with saliva. Looking up to heaven in a gesture that shows intimacy with God, Jesus breathes out a sigh, a sign of deep emotion over the man’s pitiful condition. Then he speaks a powerful, efficacious word, “Ephphatha!” (“Be opened!”). The word and gestures of Jesus are “sacramental” in that they effect what they symbolize: the opening of the deaf man’s ears and the loosening of his tongue.
Jesus’ cure of the deaf and speech-impaired man in the Decapolis region indicates that the messianic times have come. It has a vital implication even for the people of today. Harold Buetow remarks: “All those who up to the present have been deaf, can now hear his word, confess that he is the Messiah, the Son of God, and go into the world to proclaim the good news, in their turn, and sing his praises.” That healing miracle becomes a sign of new times, of radical salvation and wholeness, and of the dynamic eruption of God’s kingdom into our lives. Indeed, together with the Decapolis’ inhabitants who have witnessed the miraculous cure, we exclaim with wonder and with joy about Jesus: “He has done all things well” (Mk 7:37).
B. First Reading (Is 35:4-7a): “The ears of those who are deaf will be cleared and the tongue of those who are mute will sing.”
When I was assigned in India, I obtained a very interesting manuscript in Italian. It is a story written by a Society St. Paul priest about Sr. Maria Lucia Bouchet, who is of French-Burmese origin and one of the two first PDDM Sisters in India. When the Japanese invaded Burma at the outbreak of World War II in Asia and the Pacific, Lucia’s father joined the armed forces to fight the enemies and was killed. To avoid the horrors of Japanese occupation, the rest of the family, consisting of seven-year old Lucia, her five-year old brother and her Burmese mother, tried to flee to Calcutta, passing through the jungles of north Burma and the territories of the head-hunting tribal Nagas. In the trek through the jungles, they came across the bodies of thousands of refugees who had died from illness, hunger and sheer exhaustion. The mother, taking them by the hands, plodded through, until she herself collapsed lifeless on an isolated mountain trail. The two children were howling in desperation and fear, when two strong Naga tribesmen suddenly appeared. Each of them took a child and, with the human cargo slung over their neck and shoulders, walked side by side on the trail. When the trail diverged, the other tribesman took the other path, carrying her kid brother away. The brother and sister screamed for each other. Lucia would never see her brother again. Lucia was so traumatized by the loss of her loved ones that she became mute that very day. She remained hostage in that Naga family for almost two years, until she was rescued by the British and brought to a children’s refugee camp.
Lucia had to participate in the classes even though she was mute. One day the teacher was teaching the children the poem “Two Little Brothers Lost in the Woods” and was asking them, one by one, to read the text. Lucia was aghast – she felt that the poem told her own story. The teacher was about to skip the mute Lucia, when the latter stood up and recited the poem in perfect English. Her tongue was loosened! That day was a special moment in her personal healing. Her ability to speak was a sign of inner healing. Young Lucia would eventually meet Blessed Giacomo Alberione in Allahabad, India and enter the religious congregation (Piae Discipulae Divini Magistri) that he founded.
The phenomenon of healing is a wonderful sign of the presence of the saving Lord and the advent of the messianic times. The Old Testament reading (Is 35:4-7a) is an invitation to exaltation at the coming of the saving God and the eternal happiness that would result from his liberating action. This prophetic passage was written while God’s chosen people were in exile in Babylon. The biblical scholar, Eugene Maly, comments: “All seemed lost. The people experienced the absence of God in the misery in which they lived. But our author had firmer convictions. He knew that the saving Lord was no absent God. He knew God was close at hand and that he would soon reveal his saving arm. He expresses this conviction in an outburst that surely cannot be limited to the literal meaning of the words. He is speaking of the end-time when the fullness of the divine healing will be manifest.”
Indeed, the Old Testament author encourages the people who are fearful and in need of liberation. He depicts the acts of salvation that the gracious God would accomplish for them as a phenomenon of healing – the healing of the blind, deaf, mute and lame – and as an environmental transformation – the gushing forth of the water in the parched land and the flowering of the arid desert. Harold Buetow remarks: “Today’s passage from Isaiah can be regarded as a commentary on today’s Gospel. Actually, this portion belongs to the Deutero-Isaiah, a part written toward the end of the sixth-century Babylonian captivity, which was long after the great eighth century prophet. The vision, dreamed in the midst of disaster, provided a joyful picture of confidence that new deliverance similar to the Exodus would happen. In highly poetic language that would color the hopes of the Jewish people long after Isaiah described the future return of Israel from captivity. The promise came to be applied to the age when the Messiah appeared.”
Against the backdrop of this Old Testament passage, the Gospel miracle of the healing of the deaf-mute ushers in the coming of the messianic times. The restoration to wholeness brought about by Christ’s compassionate act for the deaf-mute symbolizes the destruction of evil and the intensified presence of the saving God. Indeed, Jesus’ merciful gesture to the deaf-mute is a parable of greater healing and the marvelous sign of new times.
C. Second Reading (Jas 2:1-5): “Did not God choose the poor to be heirs of the kingdom?”
In Jesus Christ, the miracle of transformation continues to unfold in each believer and in the Christian community as a whole. What impedes the movement of grace and what nips the beautiful bud of wholeness is our sinful attitude of partiality and favoritism. The Second Reading (Jas 2:1-5) confronts this problem, reminding us of God’s impartiality to us and our equal status in the Church. God’s election is to the poor as well to make them rich and equal in faith.
The biblical scholar, Cain Hope Felder, explains: “James expounds on how the standard of righteous doing applies to specific socio-economic difficulties and class conflicts within Christian communities and assemblies. The leading issue in this pericope is the blatant inconsistency of claiming to be a Christian and yet discriminating against the poor and otherwise oppressing the needy or fellow Christians of lower social class. James (2:3-4) depicts a flagrant example of class discrimination within a congregation … James’ illustration in vv. 2-4 probably was searing at that time, but it remains searing today … James 2:5 has for its essential intent a word of caution to members of the assembly who discriminate against the faithful poor in their midst. The text reminds the nominal Christians exhibiting class prejudice that they are oppressing a rich part of God’s elect … Unfortunately, the problem is worse among James’ communities.”
The letter of Saint James is a rebuke to the false standard of today’s world, which is senseless and cruel, for it is based on the values extraneous to the inner worth of the person, such as power, wealth, physical beauty, etc. In spite of our distorted values and human frailty, however, the wondrous miracle of healing, wholeness and grace continues to challenge and unfold. The following article of “Papa Mike” McGarvin illustrates the triumph of true beauty and the power of grace (cf. Poverello News, July 2009, p. 2-3).
By now, Susan Boyle, a once obscure Scottish spinster, is a household name. It seems as though every pundit in America has written about her amazing performance on the show “Britain’s Got Talent”, so I am chiming in kind of late in the game.
If you haven’t seen Ms. Boyle’s performance on TV or You Tube, here’s what happened. Forty-seven years old, never married, and with a very plain appearance. Ms. Boyle had grown up in an impoverished village. She is a faithful Christian who took care of her elderly parents until they passed away. Children and teenagers tormented her because of her looks, both when she was a child and as an adult. However, she has a glorious singing voice, and using her immense talent, she for many years performed in neighborhood churches and at karaoke sessions in local pubs.
Her opportunity to go on this show, a spin-off of American Idol, seemed particularly ill–fated. Described by many as “frumpy”, this unlikely candidate strode onto the stage to the cruel laughter of both the judges and audience. She seemed confident, but embarrassingly awkward, and the judges smirked as she described her goal of one day becoming a professional singer. To say that they didn’t take her seriously is a huge understatement.
And then, she opened her mouth and sang. A stunned panel of judges gazed, shocked and unbelieving, as the voice of an angel took command of the stage. The audience’s mockery turned to wild adulation. Susan Boyle’s magnificent contralto voice did not match their preconceived ideas of her. Her choice of songs, “I Dreamed a Dream” from the Broadway musical, Les Miserables, emotionally complimented her exquisite artistry. To a society that grossly overvalues physical attractiveness and wrongly equates it with goodness, talent, and prestige, Ms. Boyle stood as a refreshing rebuke. Jesus said that the last shall be first and the meek shall inherit the earth. Susan Boyle pretty much inherited the civilized, wired world that night as her performance spread like wildfire on the Internet. (…)
We don’t see a lot of physical attractiveness on the streets here at the Pov; but if there’s a lesson in Susan Boyle’s astonishing performance and the show’s dazzled judges, it’s that we cannot afford to dismiss people as unworthy or useless. God sees the whole person, and He sees beauty where, in our frailty and prejudice, we see none. I’ve always believed that He wants us to start viewing people with His vision of them. Our fallen human tendency is to label those who don’t meet our culture’s exacting standards as worthless; however, seeing someone through God’s eyes allows us to be open to many surprises, as well as many blessings that we otherwise would have missed.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Jesus heals us by his Word and sacraments. He opens our ears and loosens our tongue. Do we listen to his saving Word and then proclaim the Good News of Christ? How do we respond to Christ’s “Ephphatha” today? How do we spread the efficacy of Christ’s “Ephphatha” to those who are unable to hear or proclaim God’s Word? Do we know how to affirm the good deeds of others? Are we able to say with fondness and enthusiasm: “He has done all things well”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
healer of soul and body,
we have been deaf to your word.
We did not obey your saving will.
Let your healing touch and word open our ears
that we may listen to your saving word
and hear the cry of the poor.
Dear Jesus,
you have the words of eternal life.
Our tongues have cleaved to our mouths
because we were afraid to speak the truth about you.
Heal us and give us courage to proclaim the Gospel of salvation.
Open our lips that we may speak your praise to all nations,
saying: “He has done all things well!”
Let every people love and serve you.
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 has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” (Mk 7:37)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Ask the Lord Jesus to touch your ears and your mouth and speak his powerful command, “Ephphatha!” Present to him all the spiritual maladies that prevent you from listening to his divine will and proclaiming his divine praise, and ask for healing.
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September 9, 2024: MONDAY – SAINT PETER CLAVER (USA)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Does Good on the Sabbath … He Is the Paschal Sacrifice to Be Celebrated
in Holiness and Truth”
BIBLE READINGS
1 Cor 5:1-8 // Lk 6:6-11
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 6:6-11): “The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely to see if he would cure on the Sabbath.”
On another Sabbath, Jesus goes into the synagogue to worship and teach. The scribes and Pharisees are there to actively scrutinize him. They watch closely to see if he would cure on the Sabbath and thus find a reason to accuse him. They legally interpret healing as a medical intervention and, therefore, as a kind of “work” that transgresses the law of the Sabbath. Jesus, however, realizes how wrong they are. He, therefore, responds to the conflict situation proactively. He deliberately heals on a Sabbath day to teach them its true meaning. The law of Sabbath rest is meant for the good of people. To do a compassionate act on the Sabbath – to heal a man with a withered hand and to relieve him of suffering - is therefore “lawful”. To refuse to do the good that can be done is akin to evil. There is no “Sabbath” that restricts us from doing good to another human being. There is no “Sabbath” that prevents us from loving. Indeed, the refusal to love is a betrayal of life.
In light of today’s reading (Lk 6:6-11), we are being challenged to be courageous like Jesus in doing what is good and not allow “false restrictions” to impede us. When I was a teenager, I saw on television the movie “The Nun’s Story”, starring Audrey Hepburn. She was a missionary nun in Africa and was serving as a nurse in a hospital. The medical doctor was out of town when a bleeding patient was brought for treatment. An emergency surgery has to be done to save the injured man. Although she did not have a medical license, she took the risk and operated on him. The courageous nun saved his life.
B. First Reading (1 Cor 5:1-8): “Clean out the old yeast for our Paschal Lamb, Christ has been sacrificed.”
The reading (1 Cor 5:1-8) depicts the challenges of Christian living and obstacles to it. Saint Paul clouts on a very disturbing issue within the Corinthian community: incest. A man is sleeping with his stepmother while the community takes an “enlightened” stance about it. Pride has taken hold of the Corinthians as they rejoice in their “broadmindedness”. They falsely surmise that since they have been saved, they are no longer subject to the dangers of the flesh and the ethical norms governing it. Saint Paul inveighs against the grave moral disorder and their blatant rejection of common moral standard. The apostle is grieved that the fledgling Corinthian community is not capable of discerning conduct consistent with their Christian commitment. They are spiritually immature and lack true wisdom.
In the meantime, Paul in Ephesus has already pronounced his verdict on the guilty man. With full apostolic authority Saint Paul commands his decree of excommunication to be promulgated to the assembled community. The incestuous man is to be excommunicated and, hopefully, this punitive action would be a means of his coming to repentance. And to the whole community, Saint Paul addresses these words: “You must remove the old yeast of sin so that you will be entirely pure … Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us celebrate our Passover, then, not with bread having the old yeast of sin and wickedness, but with the bread that has no yeast, the bread of purity and truth.” Indeed, belonging to Christ demands holiness and purity of life.
The following disturbing news item gives insight into the “moral issue” that has gripped the apostle Paul and vitiated the church in Corinth (“Judge Argues Incest Now Okay in Liberal Society” in Alive! September 2014, p. 10).
A judge in Australia has been suspended from criminal cases after he suggested that liberal society may now be open to accepting consensual sex between an adult brother and sister or two brothers.
The judge caused uproar by linking incest with a change in attitude towards homosexual encounters and pedophilia. “We’ve come a long way from the 1950s … when the position of the English Common Law was that sex outside marriage was not lawful”, said Judge Garry Neilson.
As homosexuality was once a criminal offence and seen as “unnatural”, but is widely accepted today, he believed, the same is happening with incest. Incest is now a crime only because it may lead to abnormalities in offspring, he argued, but this no longer holds because contraception and abortion are available.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Are we like the scribes and Pharisees, who prevent others from doing good to the needy? Do we have a healthy understanding of the “Sabbath” that enables us to be more compassionate to our needy and suffering neighbors?
2. What are the different moral issues that challenge the integrity and the holiness of the Church today?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
we thank you for Jesus, the Divine Master.
He is the Lord of the Sabbath.
He heals even on the Sabbath
to teach us that the Sabbath is made for the good of man
and that man was not made for the Sabbath.
Help us to imitate him
in acting compassionately with the freedom of the Holy Spirit,
the principle of life and good.
Let us be convinced that refusal to do good
is a betrayal of life.
We love you, dear Father in heaven.
We give you glory and praise, now and forever.
Amen.
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Lord Jesus,
you are the Passover lamb
that has been sacrificed for our saving.
We belong to you.
Help us to celebrate your Passover,
not with bread having the old yeast of sin and wickedness,
but with the bread that has no yeast,
the bread of purity and truth.
Teach us to live a holy life
and let us be totally consecrated to you.
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.
“Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath?” (Lk 6:9) // “Clean out the old yeast … For our Paschal Lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed.” (I1Cor 5:7-8)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that you may have a healthy understanding of church and civil laws. Endeavor to do charitable acts every day so that you will be ready to do good even in extraordinary situations and/or conditions. // Pray for the victims and those involved incestuous relationships and for a deeper understanding of human sexuality in the plan of salvation.
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September 10, 2024: TUESDAY – WEEKDAY (23)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Spends the Night in Prayer … He Teaches Us What It Means to Be Sanctified”
BIBLE READINGS
1 Cor 6:1-11 // Lk 6:12-19
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 6:12-19): “He spent the night in prayer. He chose Twelve whom he also named Apostles.”
The night is fascinating. It can be a moment of deep commune with God and a time of profound prayer. In today’s Gospel (Lk 6:12-19) we hear that before choosing his apostles, Jesus spends an entire night on a mountain in prayer. Once again, before making a decisive decision crucial to his messianic mission, he prays. When the day comes, he calls his disciples to himself and chooses the twelve apostles, who represent the “twelve” tribes of the New Israel, the Church. Like Moses descending from the mountain to deliver the Law to the people, Jesus comes down from the mountains to share with them the word of life and his touch of healing. On the plain, people crowd around him to hear the word of God and to experience his healing touch.
Prayer is a very important element in the life of Jesus and his disciples. Harold Buetow remarks: “It’s in prayer that we learn the mystery of Christ and the wisdom of the cross. In prayer we perceive in all their dimensions the real needs of our brothers and sisters throughout the world; in prayer we find the strength to face whatever lies before us; in prayer we get the strength for the mission which Christ shares with us.”
The following account in the life of John Michael Talbot, a modern day disciple-apostle and a “troubadour for the Lord” gives us a glimpse into the role and importance of prayer in the Christian vocation (cf. Dan O’Neill, Signatures: The Story of John Michael Talbot, Berryville: Troubadour for the Lord, 2003, p. 43-45).
It happened in 1971 in a hotel in mid-America. “Things now rush together in my memory about those years, probably the endless touring and performing lulled me into a stupefied indifference about where I was or when I was there, and, of course, there were far more important matters on my mind at that time”, John points out. “All I remember about the general circumstances is that we were in the middle of a tour, probably somewhere in the Midwest, and spending this particular night at Holiday Inn. I had my own room – the walls I recall as being blue – probably matched my disposition at the time.”
The other band members and road crew were checking into their rooms down the hall as John closed the door and collapsed on the double bed, turning his tired gaze toward the window. The soft eerie glow of the neon hotel sign filtered softly through the drawn blue drapery, bathing him in a pattern of light and shadows. As had become his custom when there were quiet, restful moments at hand, John began to pray to a God he did not know deeply but had come to believe in. Almost imperceptibly, his silent, interior meditation became an audible, vocal question: “Lord, who are you?”
Then it happened. Light seemed to fill the room, gradually intensifying to a mind-bending brilliance. Startled, John sat up, blinking his eyes to behold the figure of a man in white robes, arms outstretched, with long hair and a beard. “I saw an image”, John says, “that looked like Jesus – it was a traditional Christ-figure – an incredible sight.” A surge of adrenaline tore through his body like a hot rushing current, yet there was no fear or panic.
“I looked up out of my prayer and saw Christ bathed in light before me”, says John Michael. “He didn’t say anything. He didn’t give me a ‘great commission’ or anything like that. He was simply present. His love poured over and through me – it even seemed to emanate from me. In that experience I knew that my prayer for God to reveal himself to me was answered in the person of Jesus. I didn’t understand any Christian theology. I just knew that God loved me through this revelation of Jesus, and that any of my past sins or failings were forgiven. He stood before me, somehow almost around and within me, in infinite greatness yet total humility. I felt compassion. And I felt acceptance. I had been reading about Jesus and feeling him in my heart, but at that moment I actually experienced his touch. I knew it was Jesus. From that point on, I begin calling myself a Christian again.” (…)
As they say, “the real test is in the fruit”, and the fruits of John’s life were definite changes for the better. John’s band-mates said that he became a more mature and well-balanced person. His newfound faith was making him a better human being. He was nicer to be around. The photos of Mason Proffit show the change. The early ones show a dull-eyed, aimless teenager. After the Christ experience John Michael Talbot looks like a young man with a vision about the direction of his life.
B. First Reading (1 Cor 6:1-11): “A believer goes to court against a believer and that before unbelievers.”
We have a friend in Los Angeles. He is self-effacing and unassuming, but quite a successful building contractor. One day he came to see me at the convent, asking for prayers. A client was suing him. He tried to dialogue with her and asked what could be done to avert a legal suit. He is a man of integrity and has always tried to do the best for his customers. But the client was not open to negotiation. My friend was troubled. Together we prayed for divine guidance and the strength he needed to overcome the crisis. He then went to Beverly Hills to see his lawyer. (By the way he could afford to pay a $500 per hour lawyer.) My friend told his wife that even if he loses the case he could hold his head high. He did not defraud anybody. After several months he called to share the good news. He won the case and the client had to pay him more than $100,000 in damages. It was evidently litigation for money and the client must have been very sorry to have presented the case before a civil court.
In today’s First Reading (1 Cor 6:1-11) Paul is likewise dealing with lawsuits. He warns the Christians in Corinth against bringing their disputes before pagan courts. The apostle considers it absurd that petty quarrels among believers must be brought before civil courts. Paul asks indignantly: “Don’t you know that God’s people will judge the world? Well, then, if you are to judge the world, aren’t you capable of judging small matters?” It is shameful that they have refused to recognize in their own leaders the authority to reconcile their differences. Moreover, not only they do not endure injustice patiently as Jesus counseled, but they inflict injury on their fellow Christians. The apostle Paul then reminds them that, though they were formerly sinners, they now have a new identity. They have been washed, consecrated to God and justified “in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God”. They must therefore act toward each other in the same gracious way that God acts towards them.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. What role does prayer play in our life, and especially in our Christian vocation? Do we give fundamental importance to prayer and contemplation? Do we see the intimate connection between prayer and deep commune with God and the call to mission and service of the Kingdom?
2. How does Paul’s assertion that we have been washed, sanctified and justified by Christ and the Spirit impact us personally?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
you spent an entire night in prayer
to discern the divine will
with regards to your mission
and the future leaders of the Church.
Help us to perceive
the great importance of prayer in our life.
Grant us the strength
to carry out our mission
on behalf of your kingdom of justice, peace and love.
Let us be deeply aware
that we have been washed, sanctified and justified
in your blood and by the power of the 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.
“He spent the night in prayer to God.” (Lk 6:12) // “You were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of God.” (1 Cor 6:11)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Tonight spend quiet moments in prayer to God. Allow your prayer to be transformed into acts of self-giving and service to the needy. Be deeply aware that you have been washed, sanctified and justified, and realize the implications of this in your life.
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September 11, 2024: WEDNESDAY – WEEKDAY (23)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Blesses the Anawim … He Teaches Us to Focus on True Values
BIBLE READINGS
1 Cor 7:25-31 // Lk 6:20-26
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 6:20-26): “Blessed are you who are poor. Woe to you who are rich.”
In today’s Gospel (Lk 6:20-26), Jesus blesses the anawim (from anawah = humility). They are a people - humble and lowly - who find their well-being in God. These humble believers are eager to welcome God and ready to do his will. They put their hope and trust in God alone. Formed by his mother Mary, the Lord’s humble handmaid, Jesus is the ultimate anawim. As the Servant-Son of Yahweh, he is meek and humble of heart. In his inaugural discourse as Divine Master, Jesus declares that the anawim – the poor, the hungry, the grieving and the persecuted - are blessed by the Lord. They are recipients of salvation and of God’s infinite favor. Immersed into the baptismal waters of his paschal destiny, the Christian disciples in today’s world are the anawim. Like Jesus and Mary, they are called to proclaim the beatitudes of God’s anawim.
Instead of beatitudes, woes are to fall upon the rich who do not use their wealth to help the needy, hoarding it for themselves. Woes are to fall upon the well-fed who are oblivious to the hunger pangs of the poor, not sharing with them the bounty from their table of plenty. Woes are to fall upon those who seek the joys of the world, not commiserating with the grieving and the afflicted. Woes are to fall upon the false prophets, basking in the adulation of friends made complacent by their false words of comforts.
But what does it mean to live the spirit of the anawim today? This personal account can give an insight.
A few years ago, I conducted a liturgy class at Maryhill School of Theology in Metro Manila, Philippines, that included the topic “Liturgy and Creation”. I invited an ecology team from Barrio Ugong to share their endeavors with my students. The team was composed of enterprising housewives. None of them had a college or even a high school degree, but they became a leaven of transformation for their local community. Speaking in Tagalog, for none of them was proficient in English, the medium of instruction in higher Filipino schools, the housewives conducted the seminar on waste management, recycling, composting, organic gardening, etc. in very simple terms, but with expertise. They also shared the initial resistance of some people to their community project. The “macho” men in the neighborhood were hostile. But the women steeled themselves from their unjust attacks and persisted with single-hearted devotion and courage. Their humility and prophetic stance paid off. Barrio Ugong was judged the best barrio in the Philippines!
B. First Reading (1 Cor 7:25-31): “Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek a separation. Are you free of a wife? Then do not look for a wife.”
Paul’s conversion to Christ enables him to see things in proper perspective. It transforms his notion of salvation. His value system is radically upturned. Instead of relying on the diligent observance of the Jewish law as the means of redemption, he embraces Jesus Christ as the font of life and salvation, the only treasure and the absolute good. Responding to a very difficult situation in Corinth, where the early Christian community (ECC) is being assaulted with freewheeling ideas and lifestyles that are noxious to Christian discipleship, Paul exhorts them to assume a responsible behavior. In today’s first reading (1 Cor 7:25-31), he challenges the Christians in Corinth to develop an appropriate value priority in the midst of temporal and transient realities. The fact that “life is short” and that “the world in its present form is passing away” is not a license to indulge in a frenzy of pleasure and unbridled desires. But neither should it provoke them to despise and disregard earthly realities, since the Son of God became incarnate in this world and our salvation is carried out within this context of the created world.
With pastoral insight and paternal concern, Paul exhorts the Corinthians and the Christians of all ages to live the earthly realities with discernment and to appreciate them at their just values, proportionate to their purpose. He teaches us that marriage is not an end in itself and that the married life should be seen in the perspective of the eternal and absolute: union with Christ. He also enjoins us that sorrows and joys must be lived, as everything else, in the Lord. Indeed, God is in control; he does not forget the tears entrusted to him nor disregard the moments of happiness we relish by his grace. Moreover, Paul encourages us not to be defeated by trials. He warns us likewise not to be wildly elated by false joys – by merriment and pleasures that do not lead to God. Furthermore, he reminds us not to act as the absolute owners of our possessions, for what we have received from the Lord is meant for the good of all. The right to use and abuse acquired goods at one’s whim is definitely un-Christian. It is utterly abhorrent and displeasing to God. Thus Paul advises us to use material goods in a spirit of detachment. We should be greatly aware and wary of their temporary character and perishable nature that we may appreciate and pursue more fully our eternal destiny with God, in Jesus Christ.
The following personal testimony written by Felix Carroll on November 24, 2008, illustrates the wisdom of the Pauline order of priorities, the need to trust God and seek first his kingdom, and the challenge of divine mercy, cf. Felix Carroll, “Go Ahead, Let It Fly, It Will Come Back, I Promise (Works of Mercy)” in The Army of God – 1st Saturday Devotion Newsletter, December 2008, p. 5-6.
This story is not about how wonderful I am. (The jury is still out on that one.) Rather, this is a story about how wonderful God is. I recently gave away $400 that I didn’t really have. I am writing about this now because, miraculously, I’ve incurred a net financial loss of exactly $0.00, which proves a fact of simple spiritual economics: when we show our love for God by caring for those in need, God fills us with abundant graces, someway, somehow …
A month ago, my wife and I decided to financially help one of my brothers and his family. They were – and still are – in desperate financial straits. Like hundreds of thousands of Americans this year, my brother lost his job – a high-paying job. Then he lost his house, then his car. He, his wife, and their two boys live in a ramshackle rental that should probably be condemned. Their world has been turned upside down. But the bad news wasn’t over yet. In September, my brother finally landed a low-paying job in a warehouse, but on his very first day, a forklift operator accidentally dropped the forks down and crushed my brother’s right foot. His doctors believe he will be permanently disabled … Then a few weeks ago, my brother’s wife was laid off from her job … The day his wife lost her job, I said to my wife, “I’m going to send them $200.” We didn’t really have $200 to give … It has pained me to see how my brother, a formerly successful businessman who went to work each morning looking sharp, proud to be a breadwinner, has now been reduced to sitting all day at home with his foot up and struggling to find purpose in his life. Sending him the $200 recently was my attempt to take great pains to help him. But the pain part of the equation didn’t work out that way. The following day I was offered a quick photography freelance assignment out of the blue, which, of course, I took. By the time I logged in my hours, I had earned exactly $200. I thought to myself, “Hmm, interesting.” So I sent my brother another $200.
Now just bear with me … OK, so at this point, I’m down $200, right? Now just bear with me a little more. In an effort to save money on heating costs this winter, I installed a woodstove in our home. I had done the math. We had free wood to burn, and the stove and piping would still cost less than half of what we would have spent on heating fuel. But my plan hit a snag two weeks ago. I couldn’t manage to get the last two sections of stovepipe up on the roof. We had to have scaffolding set up to finish the job, though we weren’t too sure how we would pay for it. We hired a contractor named David – the husband of a woman my wife works with – who came with his crew and set up the scaffolding for us at my house so I could finish the job. Neither my wife nor I had ever met David. After the stovepipe job was complete and the scaffolding taken away, my wife and I were going over our monthly expenses. We estimated the bill for the scaffolding (considering set-up time and travel expenses) would probably cost us at least (you guessed it!) $200. This Wednesday, we received an invoice in the mail from David. It said: Amount owed ………… $0.00
And David included a typewritten note to us that read: “Dear Felix and Cara … At times like these, when someone is able, they help out friends. If we all did that maybe the world would be a better place. I could say to you, ‘I have done this for you, now go out and do the same thing in some way for another person,’ but I have a feeling you are the type of people who already would. So go use this money that you would have used to rent this scaffolding and buy something for Henry for Christmas. Glad to help … David.” Henry is our son. I couldn’t believe David’s kindness. I want to laminate his letter. My wife and I read it to each other – twice …
Then, like a tidal wave, it hit me: God arranged this! He arranged it because he pours an abundance of graces upon us when we help those in greatest need. That’s his promise to us. And he keeps his promise. I’m sending my brother more money today to help pay for his family’s Christmas … Please take special care to help many families who are suffering these days because of our country’s economic collapse. I’m convinced that, like my new friend David says, if we all sought to lessen the pain of others, “maybe the world would be a better place”.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. How does Jesus’ proclamation of the Beatitudes impinge upon us? Do we accept his declaration that the anawim are indeed blessed by the Lord? Do we try to live out in our life the beatitudes of the anawim? Do we look upon Jesus as the ultimate anawim and imitate Mother Mary who has lived the spirit of the anawim?
2. What is Paul’s teaching about the temporal order and transient realities? How do you respond to his exhortation to put things in proper perspective and develop an appropriate order of priorities in relation to the eternal and absolute good, Jesus Christ?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Jesus,
you are the true anawim.
In Galilee, you taught us the beatitudes of the anawim.
Help us to live the spirit of the anawim
and total dependence on God.
Grant us the wisdom you gave to St. Paul
That we may order our priorities
in relation to you, our eternal and absolute good.
We adore you, Jesus, meek and humble of heart.
Live in us, Christ our Lord, now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“Blessed are you who are poor.” (Lk 6:20) // “The world in its present form is passing away.” (1 Cor 7:31)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Meditate on the Beatitudes and our identity as Christian anawim. In your service to the poor, those who mourn, the victims of injustice and violence, etc., endeavor to be an instrument of God’s beatitude for them. Resolve to order your priorities in daily living according to the eternal values of heaven.
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September 12, 2024: THURSDAY – WEEKDAY (23); THE MOST HOLY NAME OF MARY
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Calls Us to Radical Forgiveness and Mercy … He Teaches Us that Love Builds Up”
BIBLE READINGS
1 Cor 8:1b-7, 11-13 // Lk 6:27-38
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 6:27-38): “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
In today’s Gospel (Lk 6:27-38), Jesus challenges us to be radically God-like in extending forgiveness, love and mercy to all. Jesus’ exigent demands resound: “Love your enemies … Do good to them … Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” The words of Jesus on forgiveness and compassion, however, should not be falsely interpreted. His words on non-retaliation and forgiveness do not promote passivity nor permit us to succumb to evil and injustice. Rather, Jesus’ words are a call to radicality. Aelred Rosser asserts: “It’s about being radical: radically loving, radically generous, radically God-like. All the kinds of behavior that Luke records here are summed up in one kind of behavior: God-like behavior. To what extent can we behave like God? To a far greater extent than most of us do. The bottom line may be put this way: if there is no difference between how Christians behave and how non-Christians behave, where’s the evidence that Christianity is different?”
Indeed, Jesus challenges us anew. He who invites us to this radical expression of God’s benevolence and compassion will also give us the grace and inner strength to be radically loving and forgiving. In the case of someone who loves God and Christ, everything is possible. Trusting in the grace of God, the Christian disciple is able to say: “In him who is the source of my strength, I have strength for everything” (Phil 4:13).
The following two stories illustrate what it means to live the challenge of forgiveness and mercy. The first story is about radical forgiveness (cf. Mary Brown in Daily Guideposts 2010, p. 270) and the second is about radical compassion (cf. Brenda Wilbee in Daily Guideposts 2010, p. 271)
Story 1: I’ve been deeply concerned for my friend. Her teenage daughter has moved in with her older boyfriend and his dad. The boyfriend and his dad treat my friend with hostility. To make matters worse, my friend’s ex-husband has joined them in their anger at her. Together they’ve leveled false accusations against my friend and have alienated her daughter from her.
Over the past months my friend has poured out her despair to me. Tonight, however, when I phoned her, I heard an amazing change in her voice. “I feel as though a huge weight had been lifted off me”, she said. “What happened?” I asked. “Well, when I heard the Gospel reading at church this morning – to love your enemies and to pray for those who persecute you – I knew that somehow I had to do what Jesus said, even though it seems impossible.” “Considering how you’ve been treated, it does seem impossible to respond that way.” “I felt that I couldn’t but that God could. For the rest of the service, I prayed for them. When I came home, I still felt overwhelmed by my hurt and anger, so I prayed more. Instead of praying for them to change, I simply asked God to do good to them. Suddenly, everything inside me changed, I felt a lightness I’ve never felt before. I know that somehow everything will work out. I’ll keep praying for them and trusting God. I finally have peace.”
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Story 2: David Denny founded the city of Seattle in 1851. I know the man well; I wrote six books about him and his Sweetbriar Bride Louisa. With only twenty-five cents in his pocket, he went on to become the city’s third richest man. With assets of three million dollars. In the panic of 1893, his brother begged that he shut down his enterprises to weather the terrible recession.
“I can’t”, he replied. “A hundred families will starve.” David instead mortgaged everything, and the recession rolled in. He and Louisa celebrated their fortieth wedding anniversary in an empty mansion and then moved on to a log cabin he’d once given his daughter Abbie. He died ten years later with less than twenty-five cents to his name but with a reputation worth more than gold. Seattle loved Honest Dave.
Before he died, he wrote: “If I could live my life again, I’d still come West, I’d join the same church and marry the same woman. But I’d endeavor to be a better Christian.”
B. First Reading (1 Cor 8:1b-7, 11-13): “When you sin against your brothers, weak as they are, you are sinning against Christ.”
This happened many years ago. I was invited to a parish in Metro Manila to conduct an evening seminar on Liturgy. Two gentlemen from the parish committee were tasked to transport me and my companion. The seminar finished late and at 11:00 P.M. we were on the way to our convent. Our drivers requested permission to drop by “Seven-Eleven” to get some sodas and chippies. We did not want to stay alone in the car and so we went with them. We later realized that it was “perplexing” for people to see two young Sisters in full flowing habit, accompanied by two nice gentlemen, at a convenience store, almost at midnight. We resolved never to give an occasion of “scandal” to others.
In today’s Second Reading (1 Cor 8:1b-7, 11-13), Paul is likewise dealing with a “scandal” and specifically, with regards to food offered to idols. Those who claim themselves “enlightened” or “knowledgeable” argue that since idols do not exist, they are free to eat meat that has been used in idol worship. Those with “delicate” consciences attribute a tangible impurity to sacrificial meats. They do not want to be defiled. They feel that in eating food offered to idols they are entering into a relation with pagan deities or demons. Paul first asserts that “knowledge” puffs a person up with pride, but love builds up. The apostle warns the “knowledgeable” not to let their freedom of action induce those with a “weak conscience” to fall into sin. Indeed, Saint Paul is here dealing with a double issue: the lack of love manifested by the “knowledgeable”, through their contempt of the scrupulous Christians, and the danger of idolatry. True, there are no idols, but demons do exist; and participation in pagan worship constitutes idolatry, that is, communion with demons.
The following story gives insight into the love that “builds up” mentioned by Saint Paul (cf. Keith Miller’s September 27 Reflection in Daily Guideposts 2010, p. 302).
When statewide inoculations started in Oklahoma during the Depression, my first-grade class was one of the first to be given shots. My mother came to school that day to help the teacher and the nurse calm us down.
When the first girl got her shot, she screamed and then sobbed. Many of the other children started crying too. I slipped toward the back of the room, hoping they would run out before I got up there.
I saw my mother talking to the teacher and the nurse. Then she walked briskly toward me and whispered, “Keith, everyone is afraid. It would help so much if you would go up there and say you want to get your shot now. It only hurts a little. You can do it.”
It was the last thing I wanted to do. I didn’t care how the other kids felt; I felt terrible. But I had to do it. So I calmly walked to the nurse, looked her in the eye, rolled up my sleeve and said, “I’ll go next.” Somehow I managed not to cry or scream. Then I rolled my sleeve down and calmly walked back to my desk.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. How does today’s Gospel on forgiveness and mercy challenge me? What is my response to the command of Jesus: “Love your enemies and do good to them … Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful”? Do I use Christ’s teaching on forgiveness and compassion as an excuse to hide the absence of justice and to acquiesce to the onslaught of injustice and evil?
2. What does it mean for us personally that love builds up? Have we caused scandal that induced others to sin?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord God,
you are merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
We thank you for your Son Jesus Christ
who incarnated the meaning of forgiveness and mercy.
He calls us to be forgiving and merciful.
Give us the grace to show to the world
that “love builds up”.
Do not let us commit scandal
that will cause others to sin.
O loving Father, 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.
“Love your enemies … Be merciful.” (Lk 6:35 - 36) // “Love builds up.” (1 Cor 8:1b)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Name someone who has hurt you. Pray for that person for a period of time and offer him/her your gift of forgiveness even from afar. Offer an act of compassion and mercy for someone in deep need. Let the people around you experience that “love builds up. Pray for the “9-11” victims and for peace and reconciliation in today’s world.
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September 13, 2024: FRIDAY – SAINT JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, Bishop, Doctor of the Church
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Condemns False Condemnation … His Gospel Is for All”
BIBLE READINGS
1 Cor 9:16-19, 22b-27 // Lk 6:39-42
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 6:39-42): “Can a blind person guide a blind person?”
In today’s Gospel reading (Lk 6:39-42), Jesus, the son of a carpenter, uses carpentry images to deliver the irony of hypocrisy and false condemnation: the righteous with a wooden beam in the eye wants to remove the sawdust in another’s eye. In the biblical world, the “eye” represents a person’s attitude and understanding. Indeed, our pride obstructs the light of compassionate understanding and blinds us to our own faults and the duty of charity. Jesus warns against exaggerating our neighbor’s faults and minimizing our own. He wants us to remove the “wooden beam” of our hypocrisy and pride that we may be able to remove charitably the “splinter” that hurts our neighbor’s eyes. He does not condemn fraternal correction, but false condemnation. Jesus Master counsels true compassion in dealing with our brothers and sisters.
In a funny vein, the following story illustrates how prejudice could pervert our judgment (cf. Anthony de Mello, Taking Flight: A Book of Story Meditations, New York: Image Books, 1988, p. 122).
Two Irish laborers were working on the road outside a house of prostitution. Presently the local Protestant minister came along, pulled down his hat, and walked into the building. Pat said to Mike, “Did you see that? What can you expect? He’s a Protestant, isn’t he?
Soon after, a rabbi arrived on the scene. He pulled his collar up and walked in too. Said Pat “What a terrible example for a religious leader to give his people!”
Finally, who should pass by but a Catholic priest. He drew his cloak around his head and slipped into the building. Said Pat, “Now isn’t it a terrible thing, Mike, to think that one of the girls must have taken ill?”
B. First Reading (1 Cor 9:16-19, 22b-27): “I have become all things to all, to save at least some.”
In today’s Second Reading (1 Cor 9:16-19, 22b-27) Paul shares with us his zeal for the Gospel. Preaching the Gospel is rooted in his call received from God and is not a ground for boasting. The only “meritorious” thing Paul can do is to proclaim the Gospel free of charge. For the sake of the Gospel of salvation he becomes the servant of all. He asserts: “I am a free man, nobody’s slave; but I make myself everybody’s slave in order to win as many people as possible.” Even Paul himself desires to share in the blessings of the Gospel. The desire for participation makes him aware that final salvation will not be so easy. In order to share in the Gospel blessings, Paul exhorts the Corinthians to dedicate themselves to this goal with sacrifice and self-renunciation like athletes running to win a race and boxers who train themselves to win the fight.
The following profile of a missionary helps us understand better the meaning of “becoming all things to all” for the sake of the saving Gospel (cf. Fr. Michael Calabria, OFM, “My Franciscan Journey” in The Anthonian, Spring-Summer 2013, p. 32-33).
Living and working as an academic librarian in New York City in the 1980’s and 90’s, I was struck by the very desperate conditions of the homeless. “How could I respond to such a misery?” I thought. The friars provided the answer. On my first visit to the church and friary on 31st Street, I was profoundly impressed by the way the friars treated those in need with the utmost respect, compassion and love. In time, the friars taught me this and put me in contact with people I would not have otherwise known. The friars preached a Gospel of inclusion and they lived it.
As a novice I ministered to sick in a hospital in Massachusetts, where I encountered not only the infirm and dying, but society’s outcast: AIDS patients, prostitutes and drug addicts. I learned to see people beyond their illness, addiction or stigma, to see them as beautifully made in the image and likeness of God.
Many years before entering the Order, I had earned degrees in Egyptology and spent time as a student doing archeological work in Egypt, a country I had come to love. It was at this time that I first became acquainted with Islam …. Over the years, my interest in Islam continued to grow. In discerning a vocation with the friars, I learned of Francis’ peaceful encounter with the Sultan al-Malik al_kamil in Egypt in 1219. I learned that he, too, had been impressed by his experience of Islam, such that many scholars believed it influenced his writings and prayer. I felt that at last my path had become clear: God was calling me as a friar to follow where Francis had gone, to go among the Muslims as a friend, servant and brother.
After completing two years of theological and pastoral studies at Washington Theological Union, I began that journey in earnest. I spent my pastoral year of 2001-2002 (the year before taking Solemn Vows) in Egypt ministering to people with leprosy. Like the homeless of New York City, the lepers were outcasts, feared and forgotten by society. The disease causes irreparable damage to the face, hands and feet, and it was difficult not to see in them the image of the crucified Christ. This was and continues to be one of the most formative years of my life. I was formed by the love and support of co-workers, but perhaps more profoundly by the patients themselves. Even in the midst of great suffering and disfigurement, they continue to give God thanks and praise. (…)
I travelled to Syria, a country now torn apart by a terrible war. In Damascus, I visited the great Umayyad Mosque which houses a shrine containing the head of John the Baptist who is considered a prophet in Islam. There I saw Muslims and Christians praying at the shrine side by side, shoulder to shoulder, and I thought: “I have had a glimpse of the Kingdom of God.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do I give in to a righteous tendency to judge my neighbors and condemn their “faults”? Do I endeavor to remove the “wooden beam” in my eye in order to help my brother remove the “sawdust” in his eye?
2. Do we imitate Saint Paul in his zeal for the Gospel? Are we willing “to become all things to all” for the salvation of our brothers and sisters?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Jesus Lord,
you are God’s compassion and righteousness.
Help us to stop judging harshly that we may not be judged.
Help us to be compassionate.
Deal kindly with us.
With true seeing “eye”,
may we perceive the beauty of charity
and embrace our duty to care for our brothers and sisters.
Teach us to imitate Saint Paul
in his zeal to proclaim the Gospel to all.
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.
“Remove the wooden beam from your eye first.” (Lk 6:42) // “I have become all things to all.” (1 Cor 9:22b)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Before making a judgmental remark, hold your tongue and pray to God for the spirit of compassion and the grace not to make false judgments. To help you make life-giving choices that are pleasing to God, make the examination of the heart a part of your life. In your own little way imitate St. Paul’s apostolic endeavor “to become all things to all.”
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September 14, 2024: SATURDAY – THE EXALTATION OF THE CROSS
“JESUS SAVIOR: We Glory in His Cross”
BIBLE READINGS
Nm 21:4b-9 // Phil 2:6-11 // Jn 3:13-17
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Jn 3:13-17): “So the Son of Man must be lifted up.” /
This true story took place in 1945, during World War II, in the Japanese-occupied Philippines, a former American colony. During the fierce battle to liberate the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines, the American forces were bombarding Japanese military installations. Hundreds of civilians took refuge in a big school run by Catholic nuns. The refugees feared that the American troops, unaware of the civilian presence, might bomb the school and kill them all. To avoid being killed by their own liberators, the civilians rushed to the open playground and, with their trembling bodies, formed a gigantic living cross, easily recognizable by the American pilots from the sky. Sure enough, the incredible outline of the living cross, formed by the bodies of hundreds of refugees, deterred a disastrous and involuntary attack on innocent civilians. In assuming the form of the cross, the Manila populace experienced salvation. Indeed, the cross is an enigmatic sign. The mystery of the cross is the font of salvation.
The “Feast of the Triumph of the Cross” is an invitation to contemplate the saving mystery of the cross, the instrument of our salvation. The entrance antiphon of today’s Mass asserts: “We should glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, for he is our salvation, our life and our resurrection; through him we are saved and made free.” The true value of the triumphant cross is derived from the Crucified and Exalted One, Jesus Christ, the Son of Man who was “lifted up”. Therefore, the true focus of our contemplation today is our Lord Jesus Christ, who has taken the shape of the cross, a dreaded tool of criminal punishment, in order to save us and set us free. The cross, as a Christian symbol, has meaning only in relation to the primordial sign of the Son of Man in whom heaven and earth meet, especially as he hung upon the tree of condemnation and salvation.
The Son of Man died on the illustrious cross on Mount Calvary. His death on the cross was a summation of his whole life given to God in humble obedience. St. Ireneus remarks: “Through his obedience unto death, hanging upon the cross, he destroyed that ancient disobedience committed on a tree of wood.” By loving unto death on the cross, Jesus crystallized God’s love for humanity in his very person. The sole motive for his sacrificial death on the cross is the ineffable mystery of divine love. According to the Gospel proclaimed in today’s liturgical assembly: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that he who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life” (Jn 3:16).
B. First Reading (Nm 21:4b-9): “Whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.”
The lifting up of the bronze serpent that we hear about in the Old Testament reading (Nm 21:4b-9) is fascinating and illumines the mystery of the cross that we venerate. The bronze serpent on the pole that brings healing to those bitten by poisonous seraph snakes is a symbol of God’s benevolent saving will. Like the terror-stricken Israelites seeking salvation from the serpents in the desert, we too are in need of redemption from the snares of sin and death. And just like the Israelites who have experienced God’s mercy for the umpteenth time by gazing upon the bronze serpent on the pole, we too must look at Jesus lifted up on the cross that we may not die but live.
In the following article by Mother Angelica of EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network) she gives an example of a redemptive experience (cf. Mother Angelica with Christine Allison, Mother Angelica’s Answers, Not Promises, New York: Pocket Books, 1987, p. 141-142).
I’ve counseled so many women who have aborted children, and when they come to me, distraught, anguished, and bereft, I can see that they are devastated by the realization that they have taken a human life – and they just don’t know what to do about it.
I believe that the guilt over having aborted a child is one of the more severe pains a person can experience. I’m reminded of a letter received from a woman in Michigan:
Mother, you won’t remember this, but four years ago I called you to ask you to save my life. I had attempted suicide twice, and a friend suggested that I call you.
It only took a couple of minutes to get to the root of my problem. I had aborted two children within six months of each other. When I told you, I knew you were as heartbroken as I was. Well, I know you probably won’t recall our conversation, but you told me something odd. You told me I was not alone and that I still had two children, even though they had gone to the next life.
You told me to name my children. You told me to ask them to pray for me. I thought you were some kind of weirdo, but I had nothing to lose. I did what you said to do. Over time, I realized that my children were not lost, but were created and loved by God even though they are no longer in this world.
Two years later I married a wonderful man, and last month we had a little girl. We named her Mary Michael. This is a birth announcement, Mother. I know I love her with a depth I could never have had were it not for God’s forgiveness and healing Power. I’ve tried to warn other woman about abortion, and I’ll fight it now with an even greater love for God and the life you helped me find.
This woman had experienced an extraordinary healing from God through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. She had suffered tremendous guilt and remorse for her abortions and had asked God for his Help and Forgiveness. She had repented for her sins and was now healthy, fueled with a higher joy and understanding than most people today. She didn’t sugarcoat her sins. With God’s Grace, she had overcome her guilt.
C. Second Reading (Phil 2:6-11): “He humbled himself; because of this God greatly exalted him.”
In today’s Second Reading (Phil 2:6-11), Christ’s death on the cross is the climax of a life totally given to God in humble obedience. Upon the cross, the Son-Servant of God carries out the ultimate act of sacrificial love and fulfills the Father’s benevolent plan of salvation. The cross of Christ is therefore a glorious throne, a font of healing and a means to eternal life. Saint Paul and the early Christian community, therefore, sing this beautiful hymn of faith: “Christ humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him, and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth. And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
The following story illustrates the participation of Christian disciples in the mystery and triumph of the cross (cf. Full Sail with the Wind of Grace: Peter Kibe and 187 Martyrs, written and edited by “Martyres” Editorial Cimmittee, Tokyo: Don Bosco Sha, 2008, p. 44-46).
Genka’s daughter Maria was married to the son of Kondo Kisan, the commissioner of Tachiura (Hirado City, Nagasaki Prefecture). Kondo was a devout Buddhist. He tried to convert his daughter-in-law and make her give up her faith. Maria always responded with the same words: “I was baptized by my father and have always walked the way of God that was taught to me. I cannot give up my faith.” “If you do not renounce your faith, we cannot keep you in our household. Think well and choose either my son or your faith.” Kondo oppressed Maria with these harsh words. After two years of struggling with the situation, Maria told her husband of her decision, and returned to her father Genka.
“It must be Genka who encouraged her to leave. He must pay for this!” Kondo discussed the matter with his friend, a Buddhist monk in Hirado, and appealed to Shigenobu to punish Genka. Shigenobu was furious with Genka who not only disobeyed his orders and continued to practice his faith, but also worked as a Christian leader. Shigenobu ordered the execution of Genka together with his wife Ursula and their eldest son John Mataichi.
Genka was handed over to the commissioner of Yamada (Hirado City, Nagasaki Prefecture), Inoue Umanojo, to be executed on 14 of November 1609. To Umanojo, Genka was a friend for whom he had a great respect. Genka told him of his only wish. “Lord Inoue, could you do me a favor and perform my execution at the Kurusu (cruz = cross) Trail? “Why the Kurusu Trail?” “Once a cross stood there, and my parents and friends are buried there, too.”
Umanojo nodded and they started to walk toward the Kurusu Trail. When they arrived at the spot, Genka said to Umanojo, “Lord Inoue, it was my heart’s desire to offer my life here. None of this is your fault. Please be at peace.” Genka knelt down, raised his tied hands toward heaven and silently bowed his head. Umanojo, choking down his tears, performed the execution with one stroke of his sword so that Genka would not suffer too much.
Genka’s wife Ursula and their son John Mataichi were also beheaded about the same time at a place nearby. Gaspar Nishi Genka and his wife Ursula were both 54 years old. Their oldest son John Mataichi was 24 years old. Their remains were buried at the Kurusu Trail. The Christians secretly planted a pine tree on the spot.
In 1992, the Christians of Ikitsuki built a large cross on the Kurusu Trail. It is to remind them of the importance of faith strengthened in the family, a precious heritage of Gaspar Nishi Genka.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Why is the cross of Christ the supreme proof of God’s infinite love for us? What made the triumph or exaltation of the cross possible? Are we disposed to participate in the folly of the cross and the mystery of Christ’s sacrificial love?
2. What was the significance of the bronze serpent that Moses fashioned and lifted up on the pole? What was its saving effect on the distressed people of Israel? How is the mounted bronze serpent a symbol of Jesus Christ? Are we willing to fix our gaze on Jesus Christ crucified and seek healing from him?
3. How does the Pauline hymn of Christ’s self-emptying (“kenosis”) and exaltation impact us? Do we wish to share in the Divine Master’s twofold movement of self-abasement and exaltation? Are we willing to meditate on the mystery of the cross and its meaning for us? Are we willing to proclaim to the world the triumph of Christ on the cross and give a living witness to it?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
the mounted bronze serpent
that saved the ancient Israelites from sure death
prefigures your crucifixion and redeeming death on Mount Calvary.
We thank you for your obedient sacrifice.
Above all, we render praise and thanksgiving to God the Father
who loved us so much that he sent you, his Servant-Son,
to be lifted up on the cross.
Now in faith we look upon the cross of your sacrifice
and see in it the source of healing and the font of eternal life.
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
Through your cross you brought joy to the world.
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.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son.” (Jn 3:16)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for the victims of violence, hatred, and war and all those suffering from acts of injustice and oppression. By your compassion and charity, allow them to experience the healing and saving love of Christ on the cross.
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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