A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 22, n. 47)
Week 29 in Ordinary Time: October 20-26, 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: October 13-19, 2024 please go to ARCHIVES Series 21 and click on “Ordinary Week 28”.
Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY: October 20-26, 2024.)
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October 20, 2024: TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR B
WORLD MISSION SUNDAY
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Came to Give His Life
as a Ransom for Many”
BIBLICAL READINGS
Is 53:10-11 // Heb 4:14-16 // Mk 10:35-45
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A, Gospel Reading (Mk 10:35-45): “The Son of Man came to give life as a ransom for many.”
In the October 2003 issue of Reader’s Digest is Lynn Rosellini’s remarkable story about a veteran skydiving instructor who sacrificed his life to save a student tumbling out of control in midair during a training session. If a student’s chute is not open by 2,000 feet, the U.S. Parachute Association requires instructors to release the student and deploy their own chutes. But Robert “Bobo” Bonadies held fast to Cindy Hyland, plummeting past the cutoff point. The heroic instructor, in making sure that she would be okay, would not have time to pull his own ripcord. Rossellini narrates: “Bobo Bonadies died on impact. He slammed into a pasture near the airport. His chute was in working order, FAA and police investigations later showed. But he hadn’t had sufficient time to deploy it. He was too busy saving Cindy Hyland’s life. In a wake that spanned six hours, more than 1,000 people waited to pay respects to Bobo in a line that stretched out the funeral home door and around the building … Bonadies’s real legacy is in the hearts of his family, friends and students. Bobo, they feel, taught them how to embrace life, not run from it.”
This beautiful story of Bonadies’ self-sacrificing service gives us a glimpse of the utmost life-sacrifice extolled in this Sunday’s Gospel reading (Mk 10:35-45), about the Son of Man who did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Jesus affirms that there is no greatness, no ranking first, unless there is self-giving. Jesus’ affirmation: “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” crystallizes the way of servitude that he lived as the Son-Servant of God. To give one’s life in loving obedience to the Father’s compassionate will is the key to glory. Those who bear the name of Christ are called to the same life offering and self-giving.
The outrage of the other ten disciples at the ambitious streak of James and John is understandable for it mirrors their own selfish absurd expectations. The Divine Master, patient as ever, responds by rectifying his disciples’ selfishness and covert tendency to engage in a power game. To be a Christian disciple is to take an uncompromising stance against false values such as “lording it over others”. To be first and the greatest according to Christian norms is to excel in service – in serving the needs of others. Jesus’ challenge presented in today’s Gospel is particularly relevant to anyone in a leadership position in the Church. It is a call to “servant leadership”. The Bible scholar Philip Van Linden remarks: “The church’s leaders are meant to be the first to drink the cup, daily serving the needs of their brothers and sisters, whatever those needs are, wherever they are perceived.”
B. First Reading (Is 53:10-11): “If he gives his life as an offering for sin, he shall see his descendants in a long life.”
John Rosengren, in the July 2006 issue of St. Anthony Messenger magazine, presented an excellent sketch of the mission and martyrdom of Father Stan Rother in Guatemala (cf. p. 31-35). Murdered 25 years ago by three tall men wearing ski masks and civilian clothes in the parish rectory of Santiago Atitlan, the memory of the American missionary, Fr. Stan, lives on in his native Oklahoma and in his adopted homeland. John Rosengren writes:
Father Stan Rother so endeared himself to the Tzutijil (Mayans) over 13 years as their parish priest that they still feel his lost today, a quarter century after his death by a paramilitary death squad. Caught between the revolutionary poor and the military government in Central America’s longest and bloodiest civil war, Stan refused to preach rebellion, but his pastoral devotion to his people eventually cost him his life. July 28 marks the 25th anniversary of his death. Declared a martyr, and since proposed for sainthood by the bishops of Guatemala, Stan was an ordinary man who found extraordinary courage in his faith … In Santiago Atitlan, the room where Stan was murdered has been converted into a chapel visited annually by hundreds of people from as far away as Japan and Kenya. The church fills to capacity every year on the anniversary of his death for a memorial Mass attended by many children named after him. His heart rests in a shrine inside the church, part of a memorial to all of the Atitecos who have died for their faith.
The life and death of Fr. Stan Rother illustrates emphatically the insight given by the prophet Isaiah concerning the destiny and mission of the Suffering Servant: “The Lord was pleased to crush him in infirmity. If he gives his life as an offering for sin, he shall see his descendants in a long life, and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him. Because of his affliction he shall see the light in fullness of days; through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear” (Is 53:10-11). As can be gleaned from the above biblical passage that is taken from “The Fourth Song of the Suffering Servant” (cf. Is 52:13-53:12), the Servant remains one with all the people in sorrow, but is paramount in his innocence and total service of God.
Through the suffering and obedience of the Servant of Yahweh, the saving plan of God would be fulfilled. The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 5, comment: “Innocent, he offers himself voluntarily as a sacrifice to justify others. Through him, the will – the plan – of the Lord will be fulfilled; he is an artisan of the work of salvation in which God has been engaged from the beginning. For his part, owing to his expiatory immolation, he shall see the light in fullness of days. What an extraordinary reversal! He will live because he delivers himself to death. Contrary to what normally happens, his death will allow him to see his descendants.”
The Christian believers consider the Suffering Servant as a figure of Jesus Christ in his redemptive passion and death. The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 5, explain: “It comes as no surprise that the Songs of the Suffering Servant have played an important part in the understanding of Christ’s passion and, early on, in the preaching during the apostolic times, and afterwards, in the elaboration of the theology of redemption. The insults and sufferings that Jesus, the Just One among the just, endured; his death on the shameful gallows of the cross of evildoers, forsaken by humans and, it seems, by God himself (cf. Mk 15:34) were a scandal for those who had placed their hope in him (cf. Lk 24:21). The Songs of the Suffering Servant offer the key to this terrible enigma defying reason. The prophet’s oracle helps us to recognize that Jesus saved the world by dying on the cross; that far from abandoning him, God has exalted him above all things because of his obedience unto death (Phil 2:6-11). Jesus on the cross appears at once as the supreme manifestation of God’s love for the multitude and as the ultimate reason for our hope.” In the light of the Old Testament personage of the Suffering Servant and its full realization in the paschal sacrifice of Jesus, the Christian disciples regard suffering and sacrifice as an intimate participation in his mission and saving work.
C. Second Reading (Heb 4:14-16): “Let us confidently approach the throne of grace.”
In the Second Reading (Heb 4:14-16), the author of the Letter to the Hebrews depicts the ministry of the glorified High Priest, the Servant-Messiah Jesus Christ, as that of leading his brothers and sisters to the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace. By his paschal mystery and by intimately sharing our human situation, but not succumbing to sin, Jesus enables God’s alienated people to have access to the throne of grace in the highest heaven. Indeed, the service of the great High Priest is a ministry of compassionate mediation and reconciliation, of mercy and unity, of hope and encouragement.
Mary Ehle comments on the Second Reading: “In contrast to last Sunday’s reading which served as a warning to Christians, this Sunday’s reading serves as a source of kindhearted encouragement … By presenting Jesus as the great high priest who is able to understand our weakness because he shares fully in our humanity – although without sin – and who passed through the heavens to God’s throne, the author identifies Jesus as the mediator between heaven and earth – one with us in all things but sin and one with God in his divinity, thus one able to unite us with God. The throne of grace, which we can approach with confidence because of Jesus the high priest, is God’s throne but also Jesus’ throne because he has forever existed as one with God. Our Christian hope for eternal life resides in this confidence we are able to have through Jesus the high priest enthroned with the Father as God.”
As Christian disciples we are called to be servants in the Servant-Son Jesus Christ. He claims our confession and he is worthy of our love and faith. We have been made slaves in Jesus Christ, in terms of service and commitment to the Father’s plan of salvation. The following article illustrates the beautiful ministry of mediation of Rita, Papa Mike and other concerned persons at Fresno’s Poverello House (cf. Mike McGarvin, “Lost and Found” in Poverello News, August 2009, p.3-4). Their act of charity manifests the service of hope and reconciliation of the Servant-Son Jesus Christ, the great High Priest.
For several years, we periodically heard from a woman in Arizona named Rita. She was looking for her brother, who was homeless due to mental illness. She had heard that he had been seen in the Fresno area. Very dutifully, we would take down the information, and then post a note on our bulletin board advising the brother, whose name was Robert, to call his sister. We would then search our mail list that we keep for our homeless clients, in hopes of running across his name, but were never able to find the elusive Robert.
After several of these calls, we had given up on Rita ever finding the brother. From the description of his condition, we were, quite frankly, afraid that he might never be found or would end up dead. We get many calls from desperate relatives who want to locate a missing father, brother, son or sister who has been lost to the streets; there is seldom a happy ending to the story. We hadn’t heard from Rita in a long time. Then, last April, we received a check and a letter from her. The letter contained something unexpected:
Dear Poverello Staff,
My wholehearted thanks for keeping “an eye out” for my lost brother, Robert _______, who was last seen some seven years ago in the Fresno area. I had asked a few times over the years if you had seen him. Well. It happened in February. He contacted me and was surprised and glad that someone was even looking for him. Another thing that Mike (McGarvin) might like to know is that Robert’s attitude mirrored the feelings Mike mentioned in April’s Poverello News. It was “as if you are surprising him by showing a tiny little kindness …” (…) Thank you for all you do.
Although we had thought this poor woman would never talk to her brother again, she didn’t give up hope. Faith and perseverance are sustaining virtues, and Rita possesses both in abundance. This was a great example of someone hoping against hope, and being rewarded in the end. Family members with loved ones on the streets often surrendered the idea of things ever being “normal” again. However, the agony of doubt and the unknown is nevertheless hard to endure. Simply being able to communicate with that cherished person, to know that he is still alive in spite of being homeless, is something these relatives treasure. It’s one reason we do all that we can to reunite homeless people with loved ones who are searching for them.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do we have an ambitious streak that prompts us to ask: “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you … Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left”? Are we ready to respond to the Christian challenge: “Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”? In the light of Jesus’ affirmation, “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many”, how do we live our Christian discipleship?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
(Adapted from the Intercessions, Liturgy of the Hours, Evening Prayer, Monday of Holy Week, and from Mk 10:45)
Redeemer of the world,
you did not come to be served but to serve
and to give your life as a ransom for many.
Grant us a greater share of your passion
through a deeper spirit of repentance,
so that we may share the glory of your resurrection.
In their trials,
enable your faithful people to share in your passion,
and so reveal in their lives your saving power.
You humbled yourself by being obedient even to accepting death,
death on the cross,
give all who serve you
the gifts of obedience and patient endurance.
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.
“The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mk 10:45)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for Church leaders that they may be truly animated by the spirit of Christ’s “servant leadership”. List the names of three persons you know who have given their lives in the service of others. Pray in thanksgiving for their self-sacrificing lives and ask them to intercede for you that you may imitate Christ’s servitude in God’s saving plan.
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October 21, 2024: MONDAY – WEEKDAY (29)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Essential One … He Reveals to Us the Riches of God’s Grace”
BIBLE READINGS
Eph 2:1-10 // Lk 12:13-21
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 12:13-21): “And the things you have prepared to whom will they belong?”
Disputes regarding family inheritance can be very bitter and destructive. A priest narrated to our Sisters an incident that he witnessed personally. He was called to assist a dying rich man. While he was praying over him and administering the last rites, the children were quarrelling in the kitchen over the inheritance. The priest was disappointed and frustrated.
We see in today’s Gospel (Lk 12:13-21) that this is probably the same feeling that Jesus has when someone in the crowd asks him: “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me”. Jesus’ response to the request shows that he is a wise Teacher. Refusing to be dragged into the litigation, he denies any jurisdiction over the dividing of inheritances: “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” Then he turns to the crowd, warning them about the trap of earthly possessions: “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions”. As the Divine Master, he wants to show his disciples and would-be followers the true and efficacious way of dealing with earthly possessions. Jesus does this by narrating a parable about the hoarding Rich Fool. The latter is eagerly looking forward to a life of abundance and leisure, unaware that he is to die that very night.
The final words of Jesus in the parable of the Rich Fool wield a cutting edge and a tone of judgment: “Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God” (Lk 12:21). The indictment against those who are obsessed with material possessions should make us focus on what is essential. Romano Guardini asserts: “Here is the sharp division between the essential and the non-essential … Eternal possessions or temporal possessions – which are essential? Naturally, the eternal ones, for the others fade away … The more deeply people realize that Christ is the essential, the less concerned they will be about everything else.”
B. First Reading (Eph 2:1-10): “God brought us to life in Christ and seated us with him in the heavens.”
The First Reading (Eph 2:1-10) delineates not only the abundant riches of God’s mercy and grace, but also the need for a dutiful response to his forgiving love. Once we fully realize how much God loves us, we are able to respond wholeheartedly and spontaneously in loving deeds. Deeply conscious that we are recipients of the undeserved gift of God’s love, we are filled with thanksgiving and contribute to the wellbeing of the Church, humanity, the entire creation and the whole world.
The liturgical scholar Adrian Nocent remarks: “We contemplate the superabundant grace the Father has bestowed on us. We are saved by grace. This grace is inexhaustibly rich and makes our actions good in God’s sight … As we contemplate it, we must grasp the marvelous coherence of God’s plan of salvation. But more than that, we must ask ourselves how we are to live out the mystery in our everyday lives.”
Here is an example of how one can respond to the mystery of undeserved grace in his everyday life (cf. Bob McGreevy, “Treated to a Blessing” in Amazing Grace for the Catholic Heart, ed. Jeff Cavins, et. al., West Chester: Ascension Press, 2004, p. 257-258).
Walking out into a crisp September afternoon, my mood soared. My co-workers and I had just completed the first milestone of a very important and complicated project. As an energy and environmental comfort specialist, I had sold a product for renovating the heating, cooling, lighting, and indoor air quality for a 220,000 square foot, ten-story building in Norristown, Pennsylvania.
“This deserves celebration”, I thought to myself as I walked into the convenience store next-door. As I looked at the shelves for something to treat myself to, a thought came to me: “Someone needs this more than I do.” It was not as if I was down to my last dollar and had to choose between buying myself something or giving to charity, but the thought seemed to be a direction – a prompting. Recently, I seem to be getting more direction from God in my life since I changed my morning prayer routine. My new routine involves sitting quietly and trying to be fully present to the Lord, to be open to what He wants me to do. I am no mystic. I do not hear audible voices, but I sense that this morning spiritual exercise has helped me to be more in tune with God’s plan for me each day. On this particular day, it would have been easy for me to brush the thought away and go ahead and buy myself a candy bar or cupcake. After all, the idea that interrupted my confectionary plans seemed totally subjective. I could choose to listen to this soft prodding or brush it aside. I turned on my heels and left the store.
Back outside, there were street maintenance vehicles and personnel working nearby. I watched what they were doing for a few minutes. A man alongside me explained that a transformer had blown the day before. The crew was working on the repair. As we were watching the scene, another man walked up to me and asked, “Can you spare fifty cents?” The middle-aged man looked homeless. He carried his belongings in a bag. He had probably slept outside on some park bench or in some doorway entrance. Despite his appearance, you could see that he was probably new to living on the streets. He was certainly down on his luck, but perhaps it was only a temporary situation. He had a pleading look in his eyes as he quietly said, “Even a dime would help.”
I reached into my pocket, and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill and gave it to him. The man looked at the bill and then back up at me, obviously surprised. Looking me square in the eyes, he said, “Thank you! You do not know how important this is to me.” He then turned and walked away with a livelier step than when he approached. I watched him pump his fist and mouth, “Yes!” That look in his eyes and that gesture of excitement gave me much more satisfaction that any treat could ever have offered.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. How do I deal with material goods and temporal possessions? Is it obsessively, or with true freedom and wisdom? How do I respond to Christ’s indictment: “Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God”? Do I deeply realize that Christ is the essential? How does this realization affect my daily choices and actions?
2. How do we manifest to the world that God is indeed rich in mercy? How do we share the rich treasures of divine grace with the people around us? Do we realize that as God’s handiwork, we are created in Christ Jesus for good works and that we are instruments of the divine saving grace?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father, source of all good and rich in mercy,
you give to us the greatest gift - your Son Jesus,
the essential one and the ultimate good.
He is the Divine Master
who invites us to trust in your providence
and deal wisely with earthly possessions.
Fill us with concern for the poor, hungry and needy
so that we may share with them your blessings.
Let us listen to the voice of Jesus.
In him you have shown us
the immeasurable riches of your grace.
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.
“One’s life does not consist of possessions.” (Lk 12:15) // “By grace you have been saved.” (Eph 2:8)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Thank the Lord for the blessings you have received from him. Then ask him to inspire you how to share the goods you have received from God with others.
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October 22, 2024: TUESDAY – WEEKDAY (29): SAINT JOHN PAUL II, Pope
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us to Be Ready … He Is Our Peace”
BIBLE READINGS
Eph 2:12-22 // Lk 12:35-38
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 12:35-38): “Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.”
Christian faith entails readiness and expectation of eternal glory. In the Gospel (Lk 12:35-38), Jesus, the faith-filled person par excellence, invites us to deepen our faith and calls us anew to vigilant faith. The liturgical scholar Adrian Nocent remarks: “Each is called, during the night of faith, to stand ready for the final encounter unto which God calls. This invitation is most important. Everything else must take second place when it comes to having one’s lamp lit and trimmed, to being a faithful steward, to being always alert and watchful by the light of faith. That is the lesson of today’s celebration. The whole existence of the Church is a long, seemingly endless watch in which, century after century, she awaits her encounter with the Lord. She is ever alert and ready, confident as she is of the glory in store for her. Christ has promised that glory; more than that, he enables his Church to perceive the sign of it in the Eucharistic sacrifice.”
When my father was diagnosed with terminal cancer, I witnessed how he prepared for his final encounter with the Lord. Daily Communion and prayers were an important part of his preparation. A naturally compassionate man, he started to give his meager possessions as inheritance. I received a Hawaiian shirt, one hundred dollars in cash and two very small plastic statues of Santo Niño and Saint Joseph, which I greatly treasure. Above all, I witnessed how he was able to let go of a grudge that lurked in his heart. He requested us to wear white at his funeral. The day before the Lord took him, he was crying: “Lord, please come and take me with you!” When the final hour came, he was ready to go with the Lord.
B. First Reading (Eph 2:12-22): “He is our peace; he made both one.”
In today’s First Reading (Eph 2:12-22), we hear of the redemptive and unifying work of Jesus. He brings peace and reconciliation and makes the Jews and Gentiles one people. He unites people of all races and brings them back to God through his paschal mystery and in the power of the Holy Spirit. In the pastoral ministry to the people of Israel and especially through his sacrificial act on the cross, Jesus Christ leads the dispersed flock back to God the Father.
Adrian Nocent remarks: “We had gone astray, but now we are led by a Shepherd who has given his life for us. We have become a single people and have access to the Father in the one Spirit … The Lord stands before us who have gone astray and need a guide: he stands before the peoples of our time as they seek for some unity in their lives. Each individual wants unity within himself; human groups seek for unity; the peoples of the earth are looking for common ways of thinking and for common life. There is only one hope of succeeding in this manifold quest for unity, and that is to find unity in Christ, who as Shepherd has shed his blood in order to bring peoples of the world together in unity and peace.”
The life-giving sacrifice of Jesus on the cross is in accord with the divine plan “to restore all things”. Every Christian disciple, by virtue of baptismal consecration and configuration to Jesus Shepherd-King has a duty to seek peace and to work for reconciliation in our fragmented world. As Christians, we have tremendous responsibility to promote unity within us and to bring healing to our wounded society and our deeply afflicted world. God calls us to incarnate in our lives the pastoral mission of Jesus. Our loving God the Father entrusts us today with the ministry of gathering his flock and challenges us to “restore all things in Christ” by the power of the Holy Spirit.
R.W. Dellinger’s article, “GRYD: A More Comprehensive Anti-Gang Strategy” in The Tidings, Southern California’s Catholic Weekly, is very inspiring (cf. p. 4 of the July 10, 2009 issue). It illustrates the laudable effort of today’s concerned and responsible citizens to eliminate violence and crimes in our society. Capt. Mark Olvera, of the Los Angeles Police Department, and Father Stan Bosch are examples of those who continue the pastoral mission of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, in the here and now.
With more than 400 street gangs and 40,000 gang members – resulting in some of the nation’s worst youth-on-youth violence – the City of the Angels has the dubious distinction of being the gang capital of the U.S.A. Through the police department, Los Angeles has long tried to arrest and suppress its way out of this deadly urban dilemma. (…)
LAPD Capt. Mark Olvera – a classical Flamenco guitarist who, with wife Sylvia and sons Garrett, 17, and Joseph, 15, comprise the music ministry for the Saturday vigil Mass at Sacred Heart Church in Lincoln Heights – is on the front lines of the city’s new anti-gang strategy. The outwardly calm commander of what is euphemistically called “Shootin’ Newton”, part of which has been designated a gang-reduction GRYD (Gang Reduction and Youth Development) zone, is sitting at a round table in his back office of the grey-stone station on Central Avenue at 34th Street, right across from St. Patrick Church. Three paintings hang from the back wall, including an expensive Japanese watercolor. On top of a glass-front bookcase, an army of knick-knacks stand guard. An acoustic guitar rests nearby in a corner. The 52-year-old policeman born and raised in East L.A. explains that his wife, who decorated his office, wanted to make it as comfortable as possible as he was going to spend so much time there working – often 12-hour days that stretch from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Most Saturdays, after the evening Mass, he comes in to catch up on paperwork.
“It’s probably not written down anywhere, but the main thing with GRYD and its gang interventionists is to stop the retaliations. Once there’s a shooting, stop pay-backs by being on the scene. That’s the first goal,” Capt. Olvera explains. “The second goal is to let us know where there are hot spots so we can deploy for them. “But at the same time, the interventionists should be working to: ‘OK, let’s be preventive. Let’s make sure there is no shooting to begin with.’ And that’s where Father Stan Bosch (GRYD supervisor for both the Newton and 77th division areas, who is a Trinitarian priest as well as a trained psychotherapist) comes in with his counseling and wraparound services. He deals with the healing part at the scene and then after counseling families and gang members. “There’s also the reentry part – Who’s coming out of the probation camps?” he adds. “We can work with the probation and then connect the youths to services and Father Stan right away to get them out of harm’s way.” (…)
Still, Olvera admits that GRYD, which has only been in operation in the Newton area since April 1, is a work in progress. He and his staff are examining different ways of doing things and making changes based on what works. There’s one factor, however, that has really helped the team make inroads with certain gangs so far – Father Bosch’s connection with gang members through a shared Catholic faith. “The power of the symbolism of a Catholic priest working with these kids meant a lot,” he says. “I think we can really do things with that in terms of dealing with the violence. “Also, it’s a matter of tolerance,” the LAPD commander adds. To those who think it’s OK for a gang member to be killed, he replies, “That’s not the Christian way. None of these killings is OK. And that’s what we have to change. I think with GRYD we’re on the verge of changing that attitude.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we respond fully to Jesus’ call to vigilant faith? How do we prepare for the triumphant return of the Son of Man who comes unexpectedly?
2. Why is Jesus Christ our peace and the font of unity, bringing people from all nations into one? Do we endeavor to be a source of peace and unity ourselves?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
your Son Jesus Christ is our Savior.
By his blood outpoured on the cross,
he made us one people of the new covenant.
Help us to heed the call of Jesus
for he is our peace and reconciliation.
Make us your faithful servants, 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 those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.” (Lk 12:37) // “He is our peace.” (Eph 2:14)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that Christian disciples may learn to live in vigilant faith for the Lord’s coming. By our commitment to pursue justice, seek peace, protect human rights and give preferential concern to the poor and needy, let us allow our vigilant faith to make an impact on today’s fragmented society and prepare them for the definitive coming of the Lord’s kingdom at the end time.
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October 23, 2024: WEDNESDAY – WEEKDAY (29); SAINT JOHN CAPISTRANO, Priest
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Wants Us to Be Faithful Servants … He is the Mystery Revealed”
BIBLE READINGS
Eph 3:2-12 // Lk 12:39-48
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 12:39-48): “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much.”
In today’s Gospel (Lk 12:39-48), Jesus exhorts us to be ever ready because his coming is as uncertain as the coming of a thief. Peter asks a question which Jesus ignores because it is impertinent. The lesson of Jesus’ parable is meant for all disciples, but especially for Church leaders who are called to greater accountability. They are to be punished in proportion to their irresponsibility. The leaders of the faith community are called to greater fidelity in fulfilling the mission Jesus entrusted to them. Jesus warns them: “Much will be required of a person entrusted with much … and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”
My mother mirrors for me the quality of faithful vigilance. She was an elementary school teacher for 38 years. No matter how tired or stressed she was, she would prepare the following day’s lesson plan. School supervisors would come unannounced to check. She would rather be absent than go to school without a lesson plan. She did not want them to find her unprepared for that would be a big blot on her integrity as a teacher. But I suppose, even if there were no school supervisors, she would continue her good work just the same because of her loyalty to God and her sense of responsibility for the children entrusted to her care.
B. First Reading (Eph 3:2-12): “The mystery of Christ has now been revealed and the Gentiles are coheirs in the promise.”
Today’s First Reading (Eph 3:2-12) contains a very concise Christian message: by means of the Gospel the Gentiles have a part with the Jews in God’s blessings. As members of the same body, they share in the promise that God made through Christ Jesus. This is the saving “mystery” once hidden, but is now made known to Paul and to the apostles and prophet by the activity of the Holy Spirit. Paul is a minister of this “mystery”. God gives him the privilege of taking to the Gentiles the Good News about the infinite riches of Christ. Like Paul, the Church has a mission in the breaking down of barriers and the coming together of people. In union with Christ and through our faith in him we have the boldness to go into God’s presence with all confidence. The saving “mystery” needs to be contemplated in great depth before we can grasp its implications in daily life.
The following modern day account gives insight into how we can promote the divine saving plan in our daily life (cf. Scott Walker in Daily Guideposts 2010, p. 333).
All of our children are now in college or graduate school: Drew, a student at University of South Carolina Law School; Luke, a senior at Samford University; and Jodi, a sophomore at Furman University. Over the years many older friends told us that our children would grow up before we realized it. They were right!
But we have anything but an “empty nest”. My wife Beth is the international student relations adviser at Baylor University. One of her responsibilities is to find host families in our community of Waco, Texas, who will befriend international students. This year we have adopted three students: Lulu, a pre-dentistry student from Singapore; George, a pre-law student from the Philippines; and Lian, a graduate student in photojournalism from China.
This afternoon I received an e-mail from George’s father. Tonight Lulu ate dinner with us and is spending the night. Yesterday Beth had lunch with Lian. Our life is enriched by our friendship with these wonderful young adults from Asia. They are now part of our family.
Beth and I are discovering that when we extend friendship and hospitality with God’s children, we receive far more than we give. And when we embrace people from around the world, God is able to multiply goodness and love between cultures and nations.
God’s greatest gifts to us have been Drew, Luke and Jodi. We just didn’t know that He would also give us the surprise package of Lulu, George and Lian.
Father, help me to know that all children are my children because they are Your children. Amen.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we heed Jesus’ exhortation to be vigilant and faithful? How?
2. Are we grateful that the divine mystery of the salvation of all peoples has been revealed and fulfilled through Jesus Christ? How does this reality impact us?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
you teach us to be ever ready for your second coming.
You warn us that from those who have received much,
much more will be demanded.
Teach us to prepare for your coming
by our faithful service and personal dedication.
Help us to be persevering and responsible servants
until you come again.
Be with us as we promote the divine saving plan
in our daily living.
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.
“Much will be required of the person entrusted with much.” (Lk 12:48) // “The Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same Body.” (Eph 3:6)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
When you are tempted to be lax in the responsibilities entrusted to you, remember the words of Jesus about faithful vigilance. Find in them inspiration for renewed commitment. Seek ways to promote the gathering of nations and the unity of all peoples in Jesus Christ.
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October 24, 2024: THURSDAY – WEEKDAY (29); SAINT ANTHONY MARY CLARET, Bishop
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is a Prophet of Contradiction … In Him, We Are Rooted in Love”
BIBLE READINGS
Eph 3:14-21 // Lk 12:49-53
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 12:49-53): “I have not come to establish peace but division.”
I was in my third year of high school when I came across Leo Tolstoy’s novel, “War and Peace”. It was irresistible. I did not go to school for three days to read it from cover to cover. I am fascinated by the Russian “prophet” Tolstoy. I appreciate his commitment to Christ’s teaching on love, compassion and non-violence. Conscience-stricken and upset by the plight of the poor, Count Tolstoy opted for a simplified life and dedicated more greatly his literary pursuits to socio-religious themes. His wife Sonya did not share his zeal for reform and for his new lifestyle that was simple and austere – for example, making himself a brew of barley and acorns because coffee was a luxury! She was chagrined that he chose to work on pugnacious tracts that put people off, when he could be producing wonderful novels that would bring in lots of money. Tolstoy did not care about money, but she had to, otherwise what would become of their children? Unable to bear any longer the divisive and oppressive situation at home and detesting the luxury found in his estate, Yasnaya Polyana, the 82-year old Tolstoy left home on November 10, 1910, accompanied only by his doctor. He fell ill on a southbound train and died at a stationmaster’s house on November 20, 1910. Leo Tolstoy is a fascinating figure – a modern day example of a prophet of contradiction.
Today’s Gospel (Lk 12:49-53) presents the divisions that Jesus’ mission creates even in families. The way of Jesus catalyzes separations and provokes conflicts among those who had made a radical choice for him and those who had not. Aelred Rosser remarks: “The division Jesus speaks of with such force (listing several familial relationships for emphasis) is an inevitable consequence of well-lived faith. Into every life there comes a time when the choice to be truly Christian comes into conflict with another choice – perhaps a good choice. When that moment comes, we recognize the division Jesus brought into the world. The peace that comes from making the right choice is also something Jesus brought, but it is his peace, not the kind of peace the world gives.”
B. First Reading (Eph 3:14-21): “Rooted and grounded in love, you may be filled with the fullness of God.”
Today’s First Reading (Eph 3:14-21) contains Paul’s beautiful prayer of adoration and intercession for the Ephesians. In an intense and solemn posture of worship, the apostle kneels before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. That God “names” the family indicates his power and authority over every family, which has a very important role in the divine saving plan. In a contemplative mood, Saint Paul prays that the faithful may be strengthened inwardly by the Spirit, that Christ dwell in their hearts through faith, that they be rooted in love so that they may have insight into the full extent of Christ’s love that surpasses all understanding, and that they may be filled with the fullness of God, who by nature is “love”. Saint Paul’s prayer concludes with a celebration of the glory of God whose power transforms the lives of believers: “To him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” In this prayer of glory and praise, Christ and the Church are deeply united, in the here and now and in the ages to come.
The following story gives insight into the meaning of being rooted and grounded in love (Anthony De Mello, Taking Flight: A Book of Story Meditations, New York: Image Books, 1988, p. 160).
It was time for monsoon rains to begin and a very old man was digging holes in his garden. “What are you doing?” his neighbor asked. “Planting mango trees” was the reply.
“Do you expect to eat mangoes from those trees?”
“No. I won’t live long enough for that. But others will. It occurred to me the other day that all my life I have enjoyed mangoes planted by other people. This is my way of showing them my gratitude.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Are we willing to embrace the detachment, renunciation and opposition that the peace of Christ may entail? Are we willing to be fully united with Christ and become, in him, a “sign of contradiction” in today’s world?
2. Are we rooted and grounded in love of Christ and do we allow ourselves to be strengthened by Christ in the Spirit?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
You are the prophet of contradiction.
Grant us the grace to be faithful
when our radical choice for you creates division.
Help us to embrace the detachment and opposition
that our Christian commitment entails.
Let us experience the peace that you bring and
not the deceptive peace that the world offers.
Let our life be deeply rooted in you
and strengthen us inwardly by the power of the Holy 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.
“Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” (Lk 12:51) // “To him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus!” (Eph 3:21)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
While avoiding facile compromises and easy tradeoffs, endeavor to bring the peace of Christ to a distressing situation that needs healing and reconciliation. Have the courage to be a “sign of contradiction” when the situation calls for it. In your daily actions and choices, seek to be deeply rooted in the love of Christ.
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October 25, 2024: FRIDAY – WEEKDAY (29)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Exhorts Us to Read the Signs of the Times … In Him, There Is One Faith”
BIBLE READINGS
Eph 4:1-6 // Lk 12:54-59
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 12:54-59): “You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time?”
In today’s Gospel episode (Lk 12:54-59) we see Jesus talking to a crowd. He is disappointed that they are able to read correctly the signs of the weather, but not the signs of God’s kingdom on earth in the person of Jesus. He exhorts the people to interpret correctly the “present time”, that is, the meaning of his mission. If only they were receptive, they should be able to perceive in the ministry of Jesus – in his words and deeds – that the kingdom of God has come. They should therefore respond to his call to conversion. The certainty of divine judgment should lead people to seek full reconciliation with God. Jesus warns them not to delay decision making for the kingdom. When God’s righteous judgment comes, they will wish that they had settled the issue before – just as a losing plaintiff wisely settles a legal case with a powerful opponent on the way to the magistrate and thus escapes punishment.
As Christians in the modern world, we too are called to scrutinize the “signs of the times”. We are called to recognize and understand the distinctive characteristics, expectations, longings and needs of the people of today. We are called to be receptive to the signs of the kingdom value and the tasks it entails. The following story illustrates the receptive stance of a Christian disciple to the demands of the kingdom values (cf. Sarah Ball, “Stay-at-Home Help” in Guideposts, October 2012, p. 19)
Earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes. They all played out before me on the evening news. I clicked off the TV. Every scene of people in need made me want to rush out to do something. But rushing out to do anything was impossible for me right now. I was recovering from surgery for breast cancer. With drainage tubes in my side, expanders in my chest, not to mention all the medications I took for the pain, I could barely move. What help could I be to people in trouble?
I can pray for them, I thought. And pray I did. I prayed for God to comfort those who were grieving, to heal the injured, to speed recovery. But I still felt helpless. “Please, Lord, isn’t there anything I can do myself?” I can’t even lift a gallon of milk these days, I thought. How can I help anyone? I couldn’t go anywhere. And although I’ve fostered animals in the past, even taking care of one displaced pet seemed beyond me.
The next day I got word of another disaster looming – the one close to my home in Iowa. Weathermen were predicting massive flooding in my area. There was a call out for volunteers. Workers were frantically piling sandbags against buildings and strengthening the levees. And here I was, stuck at home – not in danger, but still on the couch. The only way I could help would be if the Lord dropped something in my lap.
During a call to a friend I told her about my frustrations. “My friend Francis is really in a bind”, she said. “She lives on the flood plain and has decided to evacuate her mobile home, but she can’t afford a storage facility for her things. She’s scared she’ll come home and find all of her furniture destroyed. I can’t take any of it because my place is too small.”
“She can store it here!” I said. “Our basement is nearly empty; there’s plenty of room. It’s perfect!” Friends moved Francis’ furniture into my house the next day. It was the answer to her prayers – and mine.
B. First Reading (Eph 4:1-6): “There is one Body, one Lord, one faith, one baptism.”
The theme of “the unity of the Body” is underlined in today’s reading from the letter to the Ephesians (4:1-6), which is called “the epistle of unity”. Jesus Christ is the Savior sent by the Father to gather all human beings in the unity of the one body and one Spirit. Their vocation is to serve one Lord and to share one faith and one hope. Immersed into the blood bath of Christ, they are reborn and renewed by that one baptism and become the beloved children of the one God and Father of all. Cognizant of this reality, Saint Paul exhorts the Ephesians to live a life worthy of the calling they have receive and to be always humble, gentle, patient and loving to one another.
In the following story, we have a glimpse of the spirit of love and unity at work in a domestic Church in Guatemala (cf. “Missioner Tales” in Maryknoll, March 2009, p. 6.)
A village in the highlands of Huehuetenango, Guatemala, where I served as a missioner, was having its annual festival for its patron saint. Standing on the fringes observing the comings and goings, I noticed a man and a woman and two children – a girl about 8 and a boy maybe 6 years old. Most likely they came from an outlying area, and from their clothing, I sensed they were quite poor. Quietly and respectfully, they stood as a family enjoying the music and the activities.
Nearby a man was selling ice cream cones. They were not expensive, maybe the equivalent of 10 cents. Suddenly, the father approached the ice cream man and bought just one cone. What I witnessed then made a lasting impression upon me. The father returned to his wife and children, and the four of them shared one ice cream cone.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we make an effort to read the “signs of the times” and ask the Lord for the grace not just to perceive them, but to be able to respond to them?
2. Are we grateful to God for making us one Body – united in “one Lord, one faith, one baptism”? How do we promote the unity of the Body?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Jesus,
you exhort us to read the signs of your kingdom.
Give us the grace to be receptive to the “signs of the times”
and help us to carry out our duties
on behalf of the kingdom value.
We thank you for making us one Body,
united in one Lord, one faith and baptism.
Help us to build up daily the unity of the Body.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“Why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” (Lk 12:56) // “There is one Body and one Spirit.” (Eph 4:4)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for the grace to scrutinize the “signs of the times”. In your own little way, respond positively to the demands they entail. Be thankful for the one Body of Christ and by your daily acts of charity, promote the growth of the Body.
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October 26, 2024: SATURDAY – WEEKDAY (29); COMMON OF BVM ON SATURDAY
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Ultimate Chance … He Is Head of the Body”
BIBLE READINGS
Eph 4:7-16 // Lk 13:1-9
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 13:1-9): “If you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!”
In an article by Jerry Davis in Guideposts magazine (February 2004), he tells us about a remarkable journey that led him on the right path. He was kicked out of school repeatedly as a teenager. One sleepless, cold evening in February 1963, while living on charity at the Salvation Army in Kentucky, where he sought refuge, something clicked in his mind, as if everything had suddenly been put into focus for his 19-year-old eyes. Jerry narrated: “Somebody had to be looking out for me. Somebody who wouldn’t let me push him away, no matter how hard I tried. In fact, the farther I ran from God, the closer he seemed to pull me. I slipped out of bed and knelt in a patch of moonlight. Lord, I prayed, the words finally coming. Thank you for your patience. Thank you for your love. I don’t know what’s good for me. Please, I need your guidance.” The runaway college dropout found work at a Kentucky hospital and enrolled at a nearby college. That was the beginning of a long road that led to graduate school and a Ph.D. Today he is the president of a college in Missouri – the College of the Ozarks. Indeed, Jerry Davis has given us a testimony of what it means to be given another chance and what it takes to respond to that chance. His was a beautiful story of a positive response to the patient mercy of God.
Today’s Gospel (Lk 13:1-9) underlines the Christian call to metanoia, which means conversion, repentance, and inner change, and encourages us with the reality of God’s patient mercy. In this account, Jesus calls for decision and conversion by referring to two contemporary disasters and by narrating the parable of the barren fig tree. Jesus dispels the popular belief that links disaster with punishment for sin. Indeed, in the present age, good fortune and disaster are not indications of a person’s spiritual state. In the judgment to come, however, the evil ones will experience the ultimate disaster - complete alienation from the life-love of God. Jesus dismisses the popular speculations regarding the personal culpability of the victims of the Galilean massacre and the Siloam accident by stressing the universal need for repentance. Unless all repent and respond positively to the Gospel, all will suffer the greater disaster of being alienated from God.
The last section of the Gospel reading is Jesus’ parable of the barren fig tree which received a reprieve, or stay, from the impending punishment by the vineyard owner in response to the gardener’s compassionate plea: “Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down” (Lk 13:8-9). The biblical scholar, Samuel Oyin Abogunrin remarks: “The parable reminds us of the long-suffering of God but it also implicitly warns that those who persist in their sinful refusal to repent will suffer and eventually be cut down.”
B. First Reading (Eph 4:7-16): “Christ is the head from who the whole Body grows and builds itself up in love.”
Today’s First Reading (Eph 4:7-16) underlines that in the basic unity of the Body, there are diverse gifts from the Risen Christ so that each member may contribute in a unique way to the growth and well-being of the Church. Christ, who descended victoriously into the realm of death and ascended in glory into heaven, is the giver of gifts. The various gifts that the exalted Christ bestows empower the ministers and are meant to build up the Church. The Church leadership with its special ministries as Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers is integral to community harmony in Ephesus. The goal is to become mature people, reaching to the very height of Christ’s full stature. This means they will not take on a childish stance when confronted with false teachings brandied about by deceitful men. By speaking the truth in a spirit of love is to grow in every way to Christ, who is the Head, from whom the whole Body grows and builds itself up in love. When each separate part works together as it should, there is unity in an attempt to attain unity in Christ.
The following is a beautiful modern day example of how a member contributes to the building up of the Body of Christ (cf. “A New Side” in Extension, Fall 2014, p. 6-8).
Stepping into the shoes of the people you serve can change your ministry. Just ask Deacon Randy Canale of the Diocese of Lubbock, Texas. As a longtime minister to the sick, he experienced a bout with cancer that left him weakened and scarred. This event changed everything – his commitment to his ministry, the response he received from the sick and his understanding of God’s intentions.
Hospital Ministry: Hailing from Memphis, Tennessee, Randy started his career in the cotton business in 1966 at age 20, two years after he wed his high-school sweetheart, Cindy. His international company sent him to Texas, the largest cotton-producing state in the U.S. In 1975, Randy started his own cotton company in Lubbock, buying cotton from farmers and selling it to merchants and mills. The cotton business was perfect for him – allowing lots of time to socialize with people on both ends of the trade.
As he welcomed three sons into his family, Randy began to think more seriously about his faith – a part of his life that he sometimes neglected. With a Catholic upbringing and a wife who converted to Catholicism a few years after their wedding, Randy wanted more God in his life. In 1978, he started attending daily Mass at 6:45 a.m. at Christ the King Cathedral. It was peaceful and reflective. Soon, a fellow parishioner asked Randy to help with hospital ministry. Randy obliged. One Sunday, Randy went to the hospital and returned home several hours later – exhausted, but moved. He had brought Communion and prayers to people who otherwise would have been alone. He was hooked.
In 1992, his friend, Bishop Michael Sheehan of Lubbock, who is now Archbishop of Santa Fe, asked Randy to consider joining the diaconate. Randy laughed. He had no idea what a deacon did and wasn’t interested. He was happy with his life: he had active teenage boys, the cotton business was demanding, he enjoyed golf, and his hospital ministry was meaningful. He wasn’t looking for a new commitment.
While he thought of how to gracefully say “No”, Bishop Sheehan asked him to pray. When Randy asked God why he should become a deacon, he wasn’t thrilled with the response, “Why not you?” To further give him a nudge, Bishop Sheehan told him, “You’re already doing the work of a deacon; you just haven’t been ordained yet.”
Health Scare: During his diaconate training, Randy’s health took a major turn. In 1995, he was diagnosed with cancer of the parotid gland – the salivary gland located between the ear and jaw. Surgery removed the tumor, but in the process, he lost an eardrum and part of his sight. Speaking also became difficult. As he recovered, Randy continued training with a fresh commitment to the diaconate and renewed dedication to his ministry. When he was ordained in 1996, Randy said, “Becoming a deacon reaffirmed my faith and my need to serve, and helped me become a better bridge between people and the Church.”
But cancer was still waiting in the wings. In 1997, it was discovered in his left lung, and half that lung was removed. The following year, cancer was found in the other lung, and the bottom of his right lung was removed. After the surgery, doctors told him that he likely wouldn’t be around for long., but Randy said, “God had other plans for me.”
Randy’s cancer gave him a new appreciation for vulnerabilities and a different visage to show to the sick. His face has an indentation, his smile is crooked, his eye droops, his breath is short, and his voice is raspy. But it’s a combination that works. “His cancer is a special scar”, Cindy said. “People know he’s been through something and overcome it. It gives them hope to see he survived. One thing they know for certain – this person will understand me.”
For years, Randy has been visiting 30 to 40 people a week in all kinds of venues: hospitals, nursing homes and individual homes. He sees the young, the elderly, the remote and the forgotten. Sometimes, he meets people whose families have abandoned them.
Sacred Work: For Randy, ministering to the sick is sacred work. (…) In his humble, cheerful way, Randy brings the light of Christ to those who are infirm and physically unable to be part of a parish community, but want to keep their faith alive. Randy Canale, cancer survivor and dedicated deacon, gets in his car and brings them hope.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we respond to Christ’s call to conversion and apostolic fruitfulness? How do we react to the local and universal disasters that impinge upon our senses day after day through the mass media? What challenge does the parable of the barren fig tree give to us?
2. How do we contribute to the building up of the Body the Church? Do we build up ourselves in the love of Christ?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Father of mercy and goodness,
you revealed to us your patient mercy
by offering us the “ultimate chance”,
Jesus Christ, your beloved Son,
who loved us unto death on the cross.
Help us to welcome your forgiveness and love.
We are truly grateful for making as members of Christ’s Body.
Make us mature in faith
and personally dedicated in serving love.
We give you glory and praise, now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“If you do not repent, you will all perish as they did.” (Lk 13:4) // “We should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ.” (Eph 4:15).
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray to the Lord for the gift of repentance and sincere conversion from sin, and for the gift of spiritual renewal. Pray for prisoners, especially those who have received the death penalty, and for all those who minister to their care. Do what you can do be a means of conversion for others. Let your daily acts of charity be for the building up of the Church.
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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