A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy

A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy

BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 23, n. 35)

Week 17 in Ordinary Time: July 27 – August 2, 2025

(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: July 20-26, 2025, 2025 please go to ARCHIVES Series 23 and click on “Ordinary Week 16”.

Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY: July 27 – August 2, 2025.)

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July 27, 2025: SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR C

WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR GRANDPARENTS

AND THE ELDERLY

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us to Pray”

BIBLE READINGS

Gn 18:20-32 // Col 2:12-14 // Lk 11:1-13

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Lk 11:1-13): “Ask and you will receive.”

Greg Hefernan’s article, “John Wayne’s Grandson Reflects on His Priesthood” (cf. St. Anthony Messenger, June 2004, p.36-40) contains Fr. Matt Wayne Munoz’s account of the confident and persevering prayer of his grandmother, Josephine Saenz. Like St. Monica, Josephine never stopped praying for John Wayne, one of the greatest actors of all time. She was married to him from 1933 until 1945. He later remarried and fathered additional children. The Oscar-winning actor became a Catholic shortly before his death and was buried with the prayers and rites of the Church in a private family funeral. Fr. Matt, who is assigned to our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Orange County, California, testified: “My grandmother was very devout and so was my mother … In fact, my grandfather, John Wayne, was very true to God, but he wasn’t much of a church attendee … Maybe it took 40 years to sink in … He had cancer in the last days. And his dear friend Bishop Clavell, of Panama City, asked him if he wanted to be baptized. I wasn’t there when it happened, but I was at the hospital frequently to visit him with my mother. I really think my grandfather’s admiration for my grandmother is what made him take the spiritual step and say yes. I also believe my grandmother’s prayers were heard. Jesus doesn’t let us down.”

Last Sunday’s Gospel reading on the visit of Jesus, the Divine Master, to the house of Martha and Mary underlines the preeminence of listening to his saving Word. Listening to his Word in order to act upon it is the most intense expression of love and hospitality we can show to Jesus, the sweet guest of our soul. Today’s Gospel reinforces the importance of listening to Jesus and contemplating the Word he speaks to us so that it may be transformed into prayer. Indeed, prayer is a response to God’s Word. It entails an attitude of receptivity on the part of the disciples. Prayer involves attentive listening to Jesus, who communicates to us his life-giving Word. The Word of God we receive is then transformed into prayer. The praying Christian disciple listens attentively to the words of Jesus, the Master of prayer par excellence.

In today’s Gospel account, the evangelist Luke records the beautiful image of Jesus as the Orante – the Master in prayer - and the reaction of his disciples to this contemplative act. The disciples know he draws strength from prayer and so it is natural for them to request him to teach them the Christian way of praying. The Lord’s Prayer is the Christian prayer par excellence and the model of all prayer for his disciples. In forming his disciples in the spirit of prayer, Jesus teaches them to address God as Abba – a very intimate word for “father”.

After teaching his disciples the content of the model prayer, Jesus delineates the goodness and the magnanimity of the Abba by means of stories and figures of speech. He narrates the parable of the importunate friend who is able to obtain, in the middle of the night, the three loaves of bread needed to serve an impromptu guest by knocking incessantly at the door of his neighbor already in bed. He also appeals to the common experience of a father who will never give his son a serpent if he asks for a fish or a scorpion if he asks for an egg. By using the dynamics of contrast and the power of exaggeration, Jesus reinforces his message concerning the Father’s graciousness in responding to the needs of his children who are united with Christ’s paschal journey. If a reluctant friend obliges to help an importunate friend, if a human father provides for the needs of his child, how much more will God care for his very own. Indeed, the Abba Father who loves us always responds to our prayer in ways that we may not expect, but are best for us.

B. First Reading (Gen 18:20-32): “Let not my Lord grow angry if I speak.”

The Old Testament reading (Gn 18:20-32) is an intuitive, picturesque and “folksy” presentation of God as patient, kind and merciful – as one who could be engaged in a personal dialogue. Abraham could talk and bargain with God because of his solid relationship with him as a favored friend. The charming story of Abraham interceding for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah reveals a just God who is patient with human weakness, attentive to our needs, and kindly disposed to a friend’s prayer. Abraham’s dialogue with God teaches us that our own prayer must also be marked with candor and vehement trust. Prayer is a manifestation of trust in the loving, welcoming God. It is efficacious because it is based on a personal relationship with our “Abba” – our heavenly Father - who desires our infinite good.

Here is an example of a, audacious trusting prayer (cf. Rhoda Blecker in Daily Guideposts 2014, p. 42).

I was racing around like crazy because my husband, Keith, was in the hospital. I rushed home to feed the animals and let our dog out. Once Anjin was back inside, I thought I’d done everything I needed to and was ready to go back to the hospital. I grabbed my purse and fished for my cell phone. It wasn’t there.

Under normal circumstances, losing my cell phone would be nothing more than a bother, but these weren’t normal circumstances. All the phone numbers I needed were programmed into that phone, and it was the number the hospital would use to reach me. I dialed the cell number from our landline, but I couldn’t hear ringing anywhere in the house. I searched my car and the garage.

It had been a long time since I’d yelled at God, but I did. I planted my feet in the middle of the living room and shouted, “I don’t want to keep bugging You, God, but I will, because I need my cell phone and I need those numbers! I can’t find them myself, so I need help!”

I searched the house again but found nothing. Then, for the second time, I searched the car. Under the passenger seat, my groping hand encountered a smooth metal lump, which turned out to be my phone.

C. Second Reading (Col 2:12-14): “God has brought you to life along with Christ, having forgiven us all our transgressions.”

The meaning of Christian prayer takes on a deeper hue against the backdrop of the Second Reading (Col 2:12-14). We approach the Father with radical confidence because we have been redeemed by his own Son. God brought us to life in Christ and with Christ. Moreover, his beloved Son Jesus himself taught us how to pray properly. Our prayer is directed to our benevolent God who acts on our behalf. The heavenly Father loves us so much that he enabled us to die to our sins and rise to new life by immersing us into Christ’s sacrificial “blood bath” on the cross. Jesus removed the bond of our indebtedness when he died for our salvation. We share in his paschal mystery of death and rising through baptism. Christian prayer is thus an exquisite response to the loving God whose gracious initiative brought us to new life. But prayer is also our spontaneous cry to our heavenly Father in our deep need. It is a plea for help when confronted with crisis and difficulties.

The beautiful reality of God’s redeeming love that inspires a prayerful response can be gleaned in the following story (cf. Cathy Bloom, “I Am Here for You” in 101 Inspirational Stories of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Sr. Patricia Proctor, Spokane: Franciscan Monastery of Saint Clare, 2006, p. 210-211).

Nauseous from feelings of fear, depression, loneliness, and betrayal, I sat alone in the church 300 miles from where I used to call home. How did I reach this point at the age of fifty-five? I was now divorced for the second time, and I had moved to be near my daughter, leaving behind my family and long time friends. I felt so alone. I had been betrayed, and that left a pit in my stomach and a pain in my heart. I wondered if I would ever be free of the ache.

I was early for Mass, sitting in a back pew seeing nothing but darkness and shadows. Slowly the lights illuminated the church as time for Mass was approaching. The church was now bright and I looked up, my eyes going straight to the image of the risen Christ on the cross behind the altar.

Suddenly, I felt Jesus say to me, “Let me hold you in my arms. I am here for you. It will be okay.” His outstretched, welcoming arm beckoned me. He was there for me, and I was not alone. My heart stopped aching, but I was still unsure of what to do next with my life and not sure what could be salvaged. I went through the motions of Mass with my eyes fixed on the risen Christ image.

My answer came during the Our Father. As I prayed, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”. I heard the words deep in my soul. I knew I needed to go to confession and that I needed the sacrament of reconciliation to renew my life. As I left Mass, I felt this was something I could actually do to help the way I was feeling and to get back on the right track in life.

Saturday arrived and I sought out the newly ordained Father Russ to hear my confession face-to-face. I was very nervous, and he was very calming. As I proceeded, we talked and he consoled and reassured me. I said an act of contrition, received absolution, and said my penance. Afterwards, I felt a relief that I had not experienced in years. I knew I was okay, that things would work out, and that God was there for me always.

There are no words to describe the internal feeling that comes over me now when I think of that special moment of spiritual rebirth. I am so thankful that I made use of the sacrament of reconciliation that day. It helped me rebuild my life and my faith.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

How does the image of Christ the Orante impact our spiritual and apostolic life? Do we treasure the Lord’s Prayer, the Christian prayer par excellence? How?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name;

thy kingdom come;

thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread;

and forgive us our trespasses

as we forgive those who trespass against us;

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

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.

“Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray …’” (Lk 11:1)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Pray the Lord’s Prayer, using Luke’s version, slowly and meditatively. Pause after each petition and let its meaning sink into your heart. Teach the Lord’s Prayer to someone who does not know it.

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July 28, 2025: MONDAY – WEEKDAY (17)

“JESUS SAVIOR: His Kingdom Is Like a Mustard Seed and a Transforming Leaven … He Intercedes for His People”

BIBLE READINGS

Ex 32:15-24, 30-34 // Mt 13:31-35

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 13:31-35): “The mustard seed becomes a large bush and the birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.”

In today’s Gospel (Mt 13:31-35), Jesus uses the figure of a mustard seed that grows into an enormous “welcoming” tree to symbolize the hidden power of the kingdom of God. The tiny mustard seed, with its dynamic character, represents the kingdom, which has humble beginnings but is destined for universal greatness. Jesus, moreover, depicts the transforming character of the kingdom by using the image of yeast which a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch is leavened. The kingdom of heaven is hidden in the world like yeast and will transform the world with radical newness. We are “leaven” in the world, vibrant and acting as ferment in the society, on account of Jesus who powers our witnessing and activity.

I went to the Sacramento State Fair in 2012. It was an awesome experience of America’s noble spirit. I muttered: “How come we always hear the bad, and very little of the good?” I had a great time at the livestock pavilion, horticulture pavilion, county pavilion, etc. At the end of the day I was tired. I found a bench near a plot of beautiful flowers and relaxed. A beautiful lady sat beside me and started a nice chat. Her disabled husband in a wheelchair also came. As ministers in their church, they help “at-risk” youth and guide them on the right path. One way is to bring them to the State Fair, which is very educational and inspiring. When I bid them goodbye, I was full of gratitude to God for their ministry and for all the wonderful works I witnessed that day. They all have “mustard seed” beginnings and testify that the “leaven” of God’s kingdom continues to be at work in today’s world.

B. First Reading (Ex 32:15-24, 30-34): “This people has indeed committed a grave sin in making a god of gold for themselves.”

Today’s Old Testament reading (Ex 32:15-24, 30-34) depicts the apostasy of Israel and Moses’ intercession on their behalf. God again summons Moses up the mountain and entrusts to him the stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments as well as instructions on worship. As Moses encounters God on the mountain for forty days and nights, the people left under the care of Aaron and Hur apostatize. They instigate Aaron to fashion a gold bull-calf. They worship it, saying “Israel, this is our god, who led us out of Egypt.” Their festival to honor the bull-calf degenerates into an orgy of drinking and sex. Coming down from the mountain and confronted with the people’s idolatry, Moses is furious and smashes the tablets of the divine commands. The people have turned away from God and their sinful action has ruptured the covenant. The breaking of the tablets signifies the destruction of their covenant relationship with God. After subjecting them to a punitive action, Moses goes up once more to the mountain to intercede for them. Moses, a self-sacrificing mediator whose prayer of intercession eventually leads to a covenant renewal, prefigures Jesus Christ, the ultimate mediator between God and people.

The following article gives insight into the meaning of “idolatry” or the seeking of false gods in today’s world (cf. Gerard Murphy, “Special Feature” in Alive! January 2013, p. 4).

Last month we reflected a bit on the notion of freedom that dominates in today’s world. It is a simplistic notion that resents all limits, whether they come from other people, the law, nature or even God. The individual should be allowed to make virtually any choice he or she wants, so long as it doesn’t “harm anyone else”.

At its extreme we have demands that two people of the same sex be allowed to “marry” each other – human nature shouldn’t be allowed to restrict marriage to a man and a woman. If a woman wants to abort her unborn child, that should be her choice, and if we want help to kill ourselves, the law should permit it.

Ireland recently voted to allow parents to hand over any of their children to be brought up by the State. Even rearing their own children has become a matter of choice for parents.

When people still believed in God, the Commandments saved us from the most absurd and destructive extremes of this understanding of freedom. But with the loss of religious faith and with growing indifference to God, all barriers are being torn down – pure whim rules.

The decision of the strongest, or of the best manipulator, is the only rule now. No wonder bullying is such a huge problem in society. And government is becoming little more than the exercise of naked power.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do we treasure the miracle of small beginnings and the transforming power of the kingdom of God? Do we allow ourselves to be a part of the miracle of the heavenly kingdom?

2. How does Israel’s sin of idolatry and unfaithfulness impact us? How does the figure of Moses and his ministry of intercession inspire us?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Lord Jesus,

we thank you for the grandiose destiny of your kingdom.

Help us to embrace the challenge of its “mustard seed” beginnings.

Let us be leaven of transformation in today’s world

and instruments of the radical newness your salvation brings.

We love and adore you;

we praise and bless you, now and forever.

Amen.

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All-powerful God,

you are loving and forgiving.

You heeded the ministry of Moses

on behalf of an idolatrous and unfaithful people.

We, too, lift up our hands in union with Jesus Christ,

the ultimate Moses-mediator,

for the people of today

who have made a false “idol” of their self-will.

Have mercy on us, Lord,

and bring us back to you.

Let us live under the protective shadow

of your saving will.

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.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed... like yeast that a woman took …” (Mt 13:31, 33) //“This people has indeed committed a grave sin in making a god of gold for themselves.” (Ex 32:31)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Be responsive to the challenge of small beginnings. Use the resources you have, however small, to promote justice and peace in society and the integration of creation. // In reparation for the sins committed through the mass media and digital/social media, resolve to fast from the excessive and abusive use of these media.

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July 29, 2025: TUESDAY – SAINTS MARTHA, MARY

AND LAZARUS

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Living Word and Eternal

Life … He Speaks To Us Face To Face”

BIBLE READINGS

Ex 33:7-11; 34:5b-9, 28 // Jn 11:19-27 or Lk 10:38-42

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A, Gospel Reading (Lk 10:38-42): “Martha, Martha, you worry and fret about so many things.”

One thing I have in common with Sr. Mary Adele, a remarkable Sister born in a small scenic town close to Naples, Italy is a love for pasta. One day as we were enjoying a delicious, hot serving of spaghetti cooked “al dente” and topped with dense rich tomato sauce and grated Parmesan cheese, she narrated to me a modern version of the Gospel story of Martha and Mary.

Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. A plate of pasta and a glass of wine will do.”

In today’s alternative Gospel text (Lk 10:38-42) for the memorial of Saint Martha, Jesus, in the course of his paschal journey to Jerusalem, stops to rest in the home of Martha and Mary. The sisters receive him with solicitude and hospitality. Martha’s type of hospitality, however, is anxious and her intense concern misdirected. Martha’s “over-reacting” hospitality thus provokes a good-natured reproach from Jesus. He cautions her not to be anxious. It is the same advice that Jesus gives to his other disciples as they journey towards the cross and Easter glory. Indeed, Martha’s endeavor to prepare a perfect meal and her preoccupation for the “details of hospitality” detract her from the essential and primordial: to welcome Jesus in his life-giving Word.

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Alternative Gospel Reading (Jn 11:19-27): “I have believed that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

The missionary tale in Maryknoll magazine (December 2004, p.5) narrated by Joseph G. Healey, M.M. is about a little girl who escaped the clutches of death and lived. This interesting story of a Tanzanian girl’s rescue gives us a glimpse of the marvelous work of Jesus in saving his beloved friend, Lazarus from death and bringing him back to life.

One morning when Father Joseph Brannigan went to say Mass at a mission chapel in Shinyanga, Tanzania, he discovered an inert baby lying in front of the altar. The mother, explaining that the little girl was dead, asked if the priest could say Mass for her. Just then, the bundle moved. “She’s still alive,” Brannigan declared. “But she’s sick and I have no money for medicine. She’ll be dead soon anyway,” the mother replied. Giving the mother 10 shillings, the missionary sent her to the hospital with the baby. Seven years later a woman stopped Brannigan on the road. Breathlessly she explained, “My little girl lived. Here’s your 10 shillings. I’ve spent a long time looking for you.”

Today’s alternative Gospel reading (Jn 11:19-27) is also about the triumph of life over death. The raising of Lazarus from the tomb is a “sign” for it reveals Christ’s messianic and divine identity as the resurrection and life. The theological center of today’s account is found in Jn 11:25-26: “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live; and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Martha, the sister of the deceased Lazarus, responds fully to Jesus’ words and declares: “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” Formerly an over anxious hostess who has no time and leisure to welcome Jesus in his life-giving word, Martha has progressed deeply in her discipleship. Today’s episode shows her as listening to the words of Jesus and responding with full faith to Christ’s offer of eternal life.

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Today, the memorial of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus, the following poem composed by Angela O’Donnell is meaningful (cf. America, February 9, 2009, p. 35).

ST. MARTHA

“She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word.” (Lk 10:39)

A silly child she ever always was –

our mother said so a thousand times –

her quick eye caught by the flight or buzz

of some pretty creature’s mastering wings.

Lazarus tried to keep her out of sight,

to spare his clever sister women’s tasks.

I hauled the water, rose before first light,

set bread upon the board before they asked.

The day You came to us our prayers were granted.

My hands obeyed the rhythms of my labor

while Mary sat beside You like a man,

embraced within the circle of Your favor.

I stood apart, Your beauty kept from me,

and only when You left us did I see.

B. First Reading (Ex 33:7-11; 34:5b, 28): “The Lord spoke to Moses face to face.”

Today’s Old Testament reading (Ex 33:7-11; 34:5b-9, 28) is about the intimate relationship of God with Moses and how the mediator’s intercession leads to a covenant renewal. Moses is indeed God’s intimate friend. At the Tent of the Meeting, the Lord speaks to Moses “face to face, as one man speaks to another”. At Mount Sinai where he summons Moses once again, God reveals himself more intimately to Moses as “the Lord, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity”. In the awesome presence of a forgiving God who does not declare guiltless the unrepentant guilty, Moses begs for clemency: “If I find favor with you, O Lord, do come along in our company. This is, indeed, a stiff-necked people; yet pardon our wickedness and sins, and receive us as your own.” Moses stays again at Mount Sinai for forty days and nights, at the end of which the covenant with God is renewed and the words of the Ten Commandments are inscribed once more on stone tablets. Indeed, Moses’ prayer for forgiveness is based on his intimate relationship with God as well as his sympathetic identity with the people of Israel. The salvation of Israel hinges in no small amount on this unique mediation of Moses, who prefigures the perfect saving mediation of Jesus Christ on the cross

The following story gives us an idea of what a “face to face” relationship with the Almighty God means (cf. Anthony De Mello, Taking Flight: A Book of Story Meditations, New York: Image Books, 1988, p. 163).

There was an old Sufi who earned his living by selling all sorts of odds and ends. It seemed as if the man had no judgment because people would frequently pay him in bad coins and he would accept them without a word of protest; or people would claim they had paid him when they hadn’t and he accepted their word for it.

When it was time for him to die, he raised his eyes to heaven and said, “Oh, Allah! I have accepted many bad coins from people but never did I judge them in my heart. I just assumed that they were not aware of what they did. I am a bad coin too. Please do not judge me.”

And a Voice was heard that said, “How is it possible to judge someone who has not judged others?”

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Are we hospitable like Marta, Mary and Lazarus of Bethany? Why or why not? In what ways are we Martha? In what ways are we Mary? In what ways are we like Lazarus? Is our Christian discipleship characterized by receptivity and true listening to the word of God? // Is our response to Christ’s faith assurance: “I am the resurrection and the life” (Jn 11:25) like that of Martha, the sister of Lazarus? Are we willing to be a “sign” of resurrection in the death-dealing situations of today’s wounded world?

2. How does God’s intimate relationship with Moses impact us? Do we long to have an intimate relationship with God? What do Moses and Jesus Christ teach us about personal relationship with God and the ministry of mediation?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

(Cf. Opening Prayer of Mass – Memorial of Saint Martha, Mary and Lazarus)

Loving Father,

your Son honored Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus

by coming to their home in Bethany as a guest.

By their prayers

may we serve Christ in our brothers and sisters

and be welcomed by you into heaven, our true home.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, forever and ever.

Amen.

***

Lord God,

you used to speak to Moses

“face to face, as one man speaks to another”.

You revealed yourself to him

as “a merciful and gracious God,

slow to anger and rich in kindness”.

His loving intimate relationship with you

brought healing to a contrite Israel

and the restoration of the ruptured covenant.

Help us to trust in the saving mediation of Jesus,

whose perfect prayer of intercession is offered on the cross,

the point of encounter between heaven and earth.

Restore us to your grace,

through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, forever and ever.

Amen.

IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO

The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.

“Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” (Lk 10:42) // “I am the resurrection and the life … Do you believe this?” (Jn 11:25-26) //“The Lord used to speak to Moses face to face.” (Ex 33:11)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Introduce the laudable practice of Lectio Divina to your family members and friends. Carry out your daily tasks with personal dedication and with a loving spirit drawn out from the love of Jesus. // Resolve to spend some quiet moments during the day with the Lord and allow him to speak “face to face” with you.

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July 30, 2025: WEDNESDAY – WEEKDAY (17); SAINT PETER CHRYSOLOGUS, Bishop, Doctor of the Church

“JESUS SAVIOR: His Kingdom Is a Treasure … He Is the Splendor of God”

BIBLE READINGS

Ex 34:29-35 // Mt 13:44-46

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 13:44-46): “He sells all he has and buys the field.”

Jesus’ parable of the treasure hidden in the field and the parable of the finest pearl (Mt 13:44-46) underline the absolute value of the kingdom of God, the joy it brings and the total commitment it entails. The response of the treasure finder and the pearl merchant who sold all they had to buy the greatest treasure of their life is an example of how we should pursue the heavenly kingdom. It is the chance of a lifetime. It must be pursued at any cost – without regret or hesitation. The heavenly kingdom deserves our deepest love and concern. It is our utmost treasure and absolute good.

The following story, circulated on the Internet, gives insight into what must be our stance in order to achieve our true treasure.

Once upon a time there was a rich King who had four wives. He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to the finest of delicacies. He gave her nothing but the best. He also loved the 3rd wife very much and was always showing her off to neighboring kingdoms. However, he feared that one day she would leave him for another. He also loved his 2nd wife. She was his confidant and was always kind, considerate and patient with him. Whenever the King faced a problem, he could confide in her, and she would help him get through the difficult times. The King's 1st wife was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and kingdom. However, he did not love the first wife. Although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her.

One day, the King fell ill and he knew his time was short. He thought of his luxurious life and wondered, "I now have four wives with me, but when I die, I'll be all alone." Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I have loved you the most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No way!" replied the 4th wife and she walked away without another word. Her answer cut like a sharp knife right into his heart. The sad King then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No!" replied the 3rd wife. "Life is too good! When you die, I'm going to remarry!" His heart sank and turned cold. He then asked the 2nd wife, "I have always turned to you for help and you've always been there for me. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?" "I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!" replied the 2nd wife. "At the very most, I can only walk with you to your grave." Her answer struck him like a bolt of lightning, and the King was devastated. Then a voice called out: "I'll go with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go." The King looked up, and there was his first wife. She was very skinny as she suffered from malnutrition and neglect. Greatly grieved, the King said, "I should have taken much better care of you when I had the chance!"

In truth, we all have the 4 wives in our lives: Our 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it will leave us when we die. Our 3rd wife is our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, it will all go to others. Our 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how much they have been there for us, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave. And our 1st wife is our Soul, often neglected in pursuit of wealth, power and pleasures of the world. However, our Soul is the only thing that will follow us wherever we go. Cultivate, strengthen and cherish it now, for it is the only part of us that will follow us to the throne of God and continue with us throughout Eternity.

B. First Reading (Ex 34:29-35): “Seeing the face of Moses, they were afraid to come near him.”

Today’s Old Testament reading (Ex 34:29-35) is about the radiance of Moses’ face that results from his intimate encounter with the Lord. As he goes down from Mount Sinai carrying the Ten Commandments, his face shines because he has been speaking with the Lord. The radiance of Moses’ face reflects the divine glory that he has contemplated and experienced on the holy mountain. Moreover, his shining face is a symbol of the authority he has received from God. Indeed, Moses’ face becomes radiant when he communes with God and when he fulfills his ministry of mediation on behalf of the people. The one who has been challenged and rejected by the Israelites as mediator now restores them in covenant. Moses, a figure of Jesus Christ, the splendor of God, is imbued with divine glory as he continues to participate faithfully in the divine saving plan.

In Moses’ selfless “self” the divine glory shines through. The radiance of the spirit shines when the “self” is overcome through contemplation and deep communing with the Absolute. We can glean this in the following story (cf. Anthony De Mello, Taking Flight: A Book of Story Meditations, New York: Image Books, 1988, p. 138).

A woodcarver called Ching had just finished work on a bell frame. Everyone who saw it marveled, for it seemed to be the work of spirits. When the Duke of Lu saw it, he asked, “What sort of genius is yours that you could make such a thing?”

The woodcarver replied, “Sire, I am only a simple workman. I am no genius. But there is one thing. When I am going to make a bell frame, I meditate for three days to calm my mind. When I have meditated for three days, I think no more about rewards and emoluments. When I have meditated for five days, I no longer think of praise or blame, skillfulness or awkwardness. When I have meditated for seven days, I suddenly forget my limbs, my body; no, I forget my very self. I have consciousness of the court and my surroundings. Only my skill remains.

“In that state I walk into the forest and examine each tree until I find one in which I see the bell frame in all its perfection. Then my hands go to the task. Having set myself aside, nature meets nature in the work that is performed through me. This, no doubt, is the reason why everyone says that the finished product is the work of the spirits.”

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do we pursue the kingdom of God with the creative zeal of the treasure finder and the diligence of the pearl merchant? Do we consider the heavenly kingdom, fulfilled by Jesus Christ, our ultimate treasure and utmost good?

2. Have you experienced divine glory shining through you? What does it mean to be filled with the splendor of God’s glory? What are its implications?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Loving Jesus,

you invite us to pursue the kingdom of God.

Grant us the creative zeal of the treasure finder

and the diligence of the merchant searching for fine pearls.

Help us to make the right choices.

Be our help and protection

in contentious situations and difficulties.

You live and reign, forever and ever.

Amen.

***

Almighty God,

your glory shines through in the face of Moses

after an intense commune with you.

His face also shines

as he carries out his ministry of mediation

on behalf of your people.

But the full splendor of your glory

rests upon your Son Jesus Christ.

Help us to be totally configured to Jesus

so that we, too, may share in your divine glory,

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.

“He sells all that he has and buys the pearl of great price.” (Mt 13:45) //“His face had become radiant while he conversed with the Lord.” (Ex 34:29

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

In your daily choices, be conscious of what brings you closer to the kingdom of God and what draws you away from it. // Resolve to be faithful to the practice of meditation and contemplation. Allow this to shape you into persons capable of radiating the glory of God, just like Moses and Jesus, the Mediator par excellence.

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July 31, 2025: THURSDAY – SAINT IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA, Priest

“JESUS SAVIOR: His Kingdom Is Like a Dragnet … In Him the Divine Glory Dwells in Us”

BIBLE READINGS

Ex 40:16-21, 34-38 // Mt 13:47-53

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 13:47-53): “They put what is good into buckets, what is bad they throw away.”

In today’s Gospel (Mt 13:47-63), Jesus gives us the parable of the dragnet. The dragnet, hauled to shore by fishermen, brings with it all the fish of the enclosed area. Some of the catch are inedible and some unclean according to Jewish law, and these will have to be thrown back into the sea. The good edible fish will be separated and put into buckets. The parable of the dragnet underlines the same point contained in the parable of the weeds growing among wheat: the good and bad exist together until the end of the age, when the Son of Man will make the final judgment.

At the conclusion of his series of parables, Jesus asks his disciples a significant question: “Do you understand all these things?” The disciples answered an emphatic “Yes”. The Divine Master has been helping them delve into the meaning of the kingdom of God with the use of parables. The disciples are like “scribes” who study the divine word. The “storeroom” of their lives contains what is “new” – the teaching of Jesus – and what is old – the law and prophets. They are called to see the radically new act of God in Christ in the light of the Old Testament tradition. They realize that Jesus’ message of the kingdom now takes precedence over the old and gives it new meaning.

The following story gives insight into how we will be judged at the end time (cf. Anthony de Mello, Taking Flight: A Book of Story Meditations, New York: Image Books, 1988, p. 137-138).

An old woman died and was taken to the Judgment Seat by the angels. While examining her records, however, the Judge could not find a single act of charity performed by her except for a carrot she had once given to a starving beggar.

Such, however, is the power of a single deed of love that it was decreed that she was to be taken up to heaven on the strength of that carrot. The carrot was brought to court and given her. The moment she caught hold of it, it began to rise as if pulled by some invisible strength, lifting her up toward the sky.

A beggar appeared. He clutched the hem of her garment and was lifted along with her; a third person caught hold of the beggar’s foot and was lifted too. Soon there was a long line of persons being lifted up to heaven by that carrot. And strange as it may seem, the woman did not feel the weight of all those people who held onto her; in fact, since she was looking heavenward, she did not see them

Higher and higher they rose until they were almost near the heavenly gates. That is when the woman looked back to catch a glimpse of the earth and saw this whole train of people behind her.

She was indignant! She gave an imperious wave of her hand and shouted, “Off! Off, all of you! This carrot is mine!” In making her imperious gesture, she let go of the carrot for a moment – and down she fell with the entire train.

There is only one cause for every evil on earth: “This belongs to me!”

B. First Reading (Ex 40:16-21, 34-38): “The cloud covered the meeting tent and the glory of the Lord filled the Dwelling.”

Today’s Old Testament reading (Ex 40:16-21, 34-38) is about the preparation and the dedication of the “Tent of the Lord’s Presence” (also called the “Tabernacle” or the “Dwelling”). Moses meticulously follows God’s commands regarding the Tabernacle, the vesture and the anointing of priests. The Lord God then takes possession of the sanctuary and his glory fills the “Dwelling”. Israel’s care for the elements of worship is salutary. It enables Israel to experience the “divine beauty and glory”. Cultic elements are linked to, and manifest, the presence of the Lord among his people. The Book of Exodus concludes with a very consoling note of divine indwelling. As Israel journeys to the Promised Land, the cloud of the Lord’s presence covers the Tabernacle and the dazzling light of divine glory fills it.

Israel’s experience of “divine beauty and glory” through cultic and artistic elements gives them hope. In the same vein, Pope Benedict XVI, in his address to artists, gathered in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican in 2009, underlines how the experience of “divine beauty and glory” through the work of artists leads to hope (cf. Our Sunday Visitor, February 5, 2013, p. 12).

Dear friends, let us allow these frescoes to speak to us today, drawing us toward the ultimate goal of human history. The Last Judgment, which you see behind me, reminds us that human history is movement and ascent, a continuing tension toward fullness, toward human happiness, toward a horizon that always transcends the present moment even as the two coincide. Yet the dramatic scene portrayed in this fresco also places before our eyes the risk of man’s definitive fall, a risk that threatens to engulf him whenever he allows himself to be led astray by the forces of evil. So the fresco issues a strong prophetic cry against evil.

For believers, though, the Risen Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life. For his faithful followers, he is the Door through which we are brought to that “face to face” vision of God from which limitless, full and definitive happiness flows. Thus Michelangelo presents to our gaze the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End of history, and he invites us to walk the path of life with joy, courage and hope. The dramatic beauty of Michelangelo’s painting, its colors and forms, becomes a proclamation of hope, an invitation to raise our gaze to the ultimate horizon.

The profound bond between beauty and hope was the essential content of the evocative Message that Paul VI addressed to artists at the conclusion of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council on December 8, 1965: “To all of you”, he proclaimed solemnly, “the Church of the Council declares through our lips: if you are friends of true art, you are our friends!” And he added: “This world in which we live needs beauty in order not to sink into despair. Beauty, like truth, brings joy to the human heart, and is that precious fruit which resists the erosion of time, which unites generations and enables them to be one in admiration. And all this through the work of your hands … Remember that you are the custodians of beauty in the world.”

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do I prepare myself for judgment day with acts of charity so that I may become an object of God’s mercy and saving grace? Do I treasure the radical newness of the Christ event and see it against the backdrop of the Law and the prophets?

2. How does the expression “the glory of the Lord filled the Dwelling” impact you? What are your experiences of “divine glory and beauty”?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Jesus Lord,

at the end time,

let us be the object of your saving grace.

When the dragnet of our destiny is hauled into the eternal shore,

please count us among the redeemed.

Grant us divine wisdom so that,

as scribes of the kingdom,

we may delight in the radical newness of your saving work.

You live and reign, forever and ever.

Amen.

***

Almighty Father,

you are the font of beauty.

You fill with your glorious presence

the Tabernacle of the Ten Commandments tablets.

The works of Israel’s artists and craftsmen

adorn the Tabernacle of your divine presence.

Dwell in us with your beauty and grace

for we, too, are “tabernacles” of your Holy Spirit.

Transfigure us into the image of your Son Jesus Christ,

the Beauty that saves the world.

Let the works of artists and artisans

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.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind.” (Mt 13:47) //“The glory of the Lord filled the Dwelling.” (Ex 40:34)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

By your acts of mercy and kindness, prepare for the definitive encounter with God’s mercy and justice at the hour of death and at the end time. // Pray for artists that through their gifts and ministry the people of today may experience the divine beauty and glory. Do what you can to make the church where you worship conducive to prayer and a true dwelling place of the glory of God.

*** *** ***

August 1, 2025: FRIDAY – SAINT ALPHONSUS LIGOURI, Bishop, Doctor of the Church

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Experienced Rejection and He was Persecuted … He Calls Us to a Sacred Assembly”

BIBLE READINGS

Lv 23:1, 4-11, 15-16, 27, 34b-37 // Mt 13:54-58

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 13:54-58): “Is he not the carpenter’s son? Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?”

In today’s Gospel episode (Mt 13:54-58), we come face to face with the mystery of a resisting and unbelieving heart. One can close one’s heart and mind to the Prophet of truth and Savior of the world. The townsfolk of Jesus are prejudiced by the utter ordinariness of his background. Jesus is amazed by the lack of faith that he found at Nazareth. The popular proverb he cites, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house”, situates him in line with all the prophets who were subjected to rejection by their co-citizens. Jesus is affected by the power of their unbelief and is not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. Jesus respects human freedom. The decision of an unbelieving and resisting heart, which negates the gratuitous offer of his love, is respected.

The Lord’s frustrating experience of “rejection” also surfaces in our daily life, in one way or another. This can be verified in Papa Mike’s ministry to the homeless (cf. Mike McGarvin, Poverello News, May 2012, p.1).

When homeless people tell me about the difficulties of their lives, I tend to be a good listener, which is why they talk to me, I suppose. However, I also have a habit of jumping in and giving them my opinion. Sometimes, it’s because I think that I can actually help them; other times, I see someone “stuck on stupid”, and I want to give him a reality check.

Like Rodney Dangerfield, it seems that when I offer my two cents’ worth, I don’t get any respect. It’s a little frustrating, because here I am, freely giving this person bits of McGarvin wisdom achieved through that famous School of Hard Knocks, and he completely ignores my advice. You’d think I’d learn to just shut up, but I guess I can’t help myself.

One woman approached me during a lunch meal and, talking very fast, told me how bad things were getting “out there”. She said she doesn’t drink or use drugs anymore, but she doesn’t seem to get away from those who do. I suggested she stay at Naomi’s House, a suggestion that was quickly rejected. This woman suffers from schizophrenia, which may account for her reluctance to accept help, but it was yet another case where I gave someone a good suggestion that was ignored.

B. First Reading (Lv 23:1, 4-11, 15-16, 27, 34b-37): “These are the festivals of the Lord on which you shall proclaim a sacred assembly.”

We begin today the readings from the Book of Leviticus. It is a call to a life of holiness founded on the presence of the “Holy One” dwelling among his Chosen People. Today’s Old Testament reading (Lv 23:1, 4-11, 15-16, 27, 34b-37) presents the liturgical calendar of Israel. It is a schedule of important feasts to be celebrated with a holy assembly. God himself calls his people to assemble and celebrate these festivals: the feast of the Passover and Unleavened Bread, the feast of Weeks (Pentecost), the Day of Atonement, and the feast of Booths (called also Tabernacles, Tents, Ingathering, or Sukkot).

The feast of Passover celebrates Israel’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt through God’s mighty hand. The Jewish pastoral rite of Passover becomes enriched with the springtime agricultural feast of the Unleavened Bread (Massot), which honors God, as the Lord of the harvest and of new beginnings. The feast of Weeks (also known as Pentecost) is celebrated seven weeks after the feast of the Unleavened Bread and marks the conclusion of the wheat harvest and the offering of the first fruits. The feast of Pentecost becomes a fitting commemoration of the gift of the Torah at Mount Sinai and of the spiritual gifts that result from it. The Day of Atonement is a day of fasting and sacrifice in atonement and reparation for the sins of the people. The feast of Booths, celebrated at the autumn harvest, commemorates the “booths” made from branches and the tent dwelling of the Israelites in their desert sojourn. This feast reminds God’s people that they are still on pilgrimage.

These annual festivals celebrated with a “sacred assembly” (that is, with the active participation of God’s people) help them to be attuned to God’s word. In these festivals and in their religious observance of the Sabbath, they are able to focus their attention on the Lord and discover more deeply that he alone is God. They empower them to contemplate the saving events in their life as God’s Chosen People and “to remember” the transforming marvels God has done.

The freedom to worship and to come in a “sacred assembly” ought not to be taken for granted. The following story illustrates this (cf. Rhoda Blecker, January 30 Reflection in Daily Guideposts 2010, p. 35).

Saturday morning services had become kind of routine. We sang the same songs; we said the same prayers. Some of the joy and mindfulness had gone out of worship, and most of us hadn’t actually noticed that we were only going through the motions.

Then one Saturday a woman we had never seen before came to a service with our social action chairwoman Clara. The new woman seemed nervous, despite the welcome we gave her. Clara explained that she had recently come over from the former Soviet Union, where she had not been allowed to attend a synagogue or even to admit openly that she had a religion.

Instead of having the Torah carried through the congregation before it was read, our rabbi created a ritual of passing it from person to person. Each of us took the velvet-covered scroll from the person on one side of us and passed it to the person on the other. It all went as usual until Clara held out the Torah to the Russian woman.

For a moment she was just frozen, staring at it. Then she reached out, hands shaking, and let Clara put the scroll into them. She slowly lowered her head over the Torah, cradling it, and silently she began to cry. Several minutes went by before she could turn and let the person on her other side take the Torah from her.

We were stunned, and as the Torah made its way through the rest of us and up the platform for reading, our surprise became excitement. The Russian woman had reminded us of how precious the freedom to worship together was and that we must never let it become routine.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. What is our response to experiences of rejection? Are we gracious, or do we allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by frustration?

2. What is our attitude toward “sacred assembly” and the call to worship as members of God’s people?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Lord Jesus,

your co-citizens were scandalized

by your humble “roots”.

You were not able to perform many mighty deeds in Nazareth

for the people’s lack of faith.

You are the true prophet who speaks the word of life.

Grant us the strength and the courage needed

to be true prophets like you.

You live and reign, forever and ever.

Amen.

***

Gracious Father,

great are your works.

How gracious you are

in calling us to celebrate your saving marvels

in a “sacred assembly”.

Let our festivals be life-transforming

and help us to be thankful

for the freedom to worship as Church.

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.

“And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith.” (Mt 13:58) //“These are the festivals of the Lord which you shall celebrate at their proper time with a sacred assembly.” (Lv 23:1)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

In reparation for the rejection suffered by Jesus from his neighbors, do not react negatively to someone who treats you with hostility, but rather, respond to him/her with an act of kindness. // Be mindful of the great gift to freely assemble to worship. Resolve to participate more actively, consciously and fruitfully in the Church liturgy.

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August 2, 2025: SATURDAY – WEEKDAY (17); SAINT EUSEBIUS OF VERCELLI, Bishop; SAINT PETER JULIA EYMARD, Priest; BVM ON SATURDAY

“JESUS SAVIOR: The Baptist Shared in His Paschal Destiny … He Proclaims the Great Jubilee of Salvation”

BIBLE READINGS

Lv 25:1, 8-17 // Mt 14:1-12

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 14:1-12): “Herod had John beheaded. John’s disciples came and told Jesus.”

In the Gospel (Mt 14:1-12) we hear that in upholding the integrity of moral truth against the malice of King Herod and his partner Herodias, John suffered martyrdom. His death was an intimate participation in the paschal destiny of the Messiah, of whom he was the precursor. In sharing intimately the universal work of salvation of Jesus Christ, the words of Yahweh in the Second Servant Song, could also be applied not only to Jesus but also to John: “I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth” (Is 49:6).

The courageous stance of John the Baptist in defense of truth and justice lives on in the Christian disciples of today’s world. This is marvelously illustrated in the lives of Fr. Gregory Schaffer and Fr. Rother (cf. Kayla Ann Smith, “Standing for Guatemalans” in Maryknoll, May-June 2005, p. 19-21). Kayla, a Minnesota teen inspired by those who champion oppressed Central Americans, writes:

Father Schaffer’s true courage to stand up for the poor of Guatemala was put to the test when, in the 1980’s, there were armed campaigns pointed at the natives of Guatemala. Even though the priest from the New Ulm Diocese knew he could be killed at any time for helping the indigents of Guatemala, he remained with the people he had come to love. He was in an especially dangerous position, since he was aiding the innocent of Guatemala as well as being a Catholic priest. Through his many acts of charity, he spoke plainly and boldly that the poor cannot be ignored, and that we are called to help the less fortunate.

Soon Father Schaffer found that he had been put on a death list. Although the fact of possible death would have scared many people to leave the terrorized country, Father Schaffer remained in Guatemala. He barely saved his life by convincing a military commander that he was not an ally of the guerrilla terrorists. Father Rother, who was a priest in the neighboring town, Santiago de Atitlan, was not as fortunate as Father Schaffer. Father Rother was murdered by the death squads. The farmer’s son turned priest from Okarche, Oklahoma, paid the ultimate price for being a soldier of Christ.

The loss of Father Schaffer’s fellow priest friend saddened him almost to the point of anger until he realized that Father Rother’s passing would be a powerful event that united all the people.

B. First Reading (Lv 25:1, 8-17): “In the year of the jubilee you shall return, everyone of you, to your own property.”

In today’s First Reading (Lv 25:1, 8-17), God establishes in Israel the observance of the Jubilee. This fiftieth year, announced on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), is to be a sacred time proclaiming “liberty” for all. The goals of the Jubilee Year are human liberation (releasing captives and so curbing the institution of slavery), economic liberation (restoring land to its original owner and so controlling the distribution of wealth), and ecological liberation (respecting the earth and the animals on it by allowing them to rest and replenish themselves).

The biblical scholar Armando Levoratti comments: “The legislation associated with the Year of Jubilee presents the most radical program for continuous social reform to be found in the Old Testament. The main purpose of these laws is to prevent the utter ruin of debtors. People who incurred debts they could not repay could be forced to sell off their land or even their personal freedom by becoming slaves. When left unchecked this process leads to serious social division, with a class of rich landowners exploiting a mass of landless serfs. Leviticus 25 prohibits all the people of Israel from selling themselves or their land permanently. Therefore Israelites may only rent out their land or their labor for a maximum of 49 years. At the end of that period those who have been enslaved return to their families, and the land sold during the preceding years was to be returned to the original owners or their descendants.

Israel’s Jubilee celebration prefigures the day when God’s reign would be finally and fully revealed. In the fullness of time, Jesus Christ proclaims the great Jubilee of salvation and by his paschal offering on the cross makes it operative for all peoples and creation. The Church’s “Great Jubilee of Redemption” at the beginning of the new millennium fosters the salutary effect of the “Jubilee of salvation” ushered in by our Lord Jesus Christ. The following song composed by the Filipino priest Carlo Magno S. Marcelo captures the meaning of the Christian Jubilee.

THE JUBILEE SONG

It’s a time of joy, a time of peace,

a time when hearts are then set free,

a time to heal the wounds of division.

It’s a time of grace, a time of hope,

a time of sharing the gifts we have,

a time to build the world that is one.

Refrain:

It’s a time to give thanks to the Father, Son, and Spirit,

and with Mary, our Mother, we sing this song.

Open your hearts to the Lord

and begin to see the mystery

that we are all together as one family.

No more walls, no more chains,

no more selfishness and closed doors

for we are in the fullness of God’s time.

It’s the time of the Great Jubilee!

It’s a time of prayer, a time of praise,

a time to lift our hands to God,

a time to recall all our graces.

It’s a time to touch, a time to reach

those hearts that often wander,

a time to bring them back to God’s embrace. (Refrain)

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Like John the Baptist, are we prophets of truth and are we ready to undergo sacrifice for the sake of truth?

2. What does the Jubilee Year, established by the Lord for the observance of Israel, mean to us? What does the Great Jubilee of salvation ushered in by Jesus mean to us?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

God our Father,

you called John the Baptist

to be the herald of your Son’s birth and death.

As he gave his life in witness to truth and justice,

so may we strive to profess our faith in your Gospel.

When persecuted for our faith,

let us feel your saving power.

Grant this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

***

Father,

in your great compassion you establish the Jubilee Year

for the observance of Israel.

This is meant to bring liberation

to people, the land and all that dwell therein.

And for this we greatly thank you.

Above all, we give you glory and praise for Jesus Christ

for his “Great Jubilee of salvation”.

Help us to treasure the spirit of the Christian Jubilee

and let it transform our life.

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.

“Herod had John beheaded in the prison.” (Mt 14:10) //“It shall be a jubilee for you, when every one of you shall return to his own property.” (Lv 25:10)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Pray for Christian disciples who promote God’s kingdom of truth and justice. In your daily life, endeavor to be a prophet of truth. Pray for the persecuted Christians and for the courage to be peaceful. // By your acts of compassion and Christian charity, help those who are enslaved by any form of addiction to be set free.

*** *** ***

Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang PDDM

PIAE DISCIPULAE DIVINI MAGISTRI

SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER

3700 North Cornelia Avenue, Fresno, CA 93722 (USA)

Tel. (559) 275-1656

Website: WWW.PDDM.US