A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 23, n. 37)
Week 19 in Ordinary Time: August 10-16, 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: August 3-9, 2025, 2025 please go to ARCHIVES Series 23 and click on “Ordinary Week 18”.
Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY: August 10-16, 2025.)
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August 10, 2025: NINETEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR C
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Prepares Us for the Final Call”
BIBLE READINGS
Wis 18:6-9 // Heb 11:1-2, 8-19 // Lk 12:32-48
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 12:32-48): “You also must be prepared.”
The call to a faithful response is underlined in this Sunday’s Gospel reading (Lk 12:32-48). Through various images (the treasure in heaven, the servants awaiting the Master’s return, the burglar who comes in unexpectedly, the faithful steward and the abusive, irresponsible slave), the Gospel passage reminds us of the challenge of our Christian vocation, especially for those called to priestly ministry and religious consecration. We are called to share our resources with the needy and seek “the inexhaustible treasure in heaven”. We are exhorted to be vigilant and ever ready for the coming of God’s kingdom. We are challenged moreover to fulfill our daily tasks with personal dedication and to be the faithful stewards and responsible servants of our Lord Jesus Christ. Priests and religious, who have received gifts and blessings more abundantly in view of their particular vocation and mission, need to be keenly aware of the double-edged warning issued by Jesus: “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more” (Lk 12:48).
The following story illustrates dramatically a person’s response to the final call (cf. Edward Mullen, “Answering the Call” in Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul, ed. Jack Canfield, et. al., Deerfield Beach, Health Communications, Inc., 1997, p. 245-246).
Father John’s little desert parish truly loved and appreciated his sincere style and caring ways. During the Sign of Peace, he always called all of the children attending Mass to come up and give him hugs. He did it for himself I’m sure, but he did it for the children, too. Each and every child waited for the time during Mass when he or she could stand next to the altar, be the center of attention and hug the not-so-old, and slightly plump priest.
On one particular Sunday, after all the hugs were thought to have been completed and the “Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world”, had begun, one small voice from half-way back in the church said, “What about me?” Father John stopped his prayer, and held out his arms. The little voice with freckled face, slicked black hair, shiny cowboy boots and shorts, ran down the aisle towards the altar, crying because he thought he had been forgotten. Father John just held out his arms, picked up the little boy and held him very near, and held him very dear.
Three weeks later, I returned to the little desert parish and there was a different priest, one I didn’t recognize, saying Mass. I sat next to a woman who silently cried as she held my hand as we all sang, “Our Father, who art in Heaven …” It seems that Father John had lost his place in the same part of the Mass the Sunday before. He told his parishioners, “As the Lord so taught us to pray …” and the parish responded with the “Lord’s Prayer”. And after they were finished, Father John again said, “As the Lord taught us to pray …” and again, the confused, but willing parish responded with the “Lord’s Prayer”. And for the third time after the prayer was finished, Father John said, “As the Lord so taught us to pray …” But then, before his willing congregation could have obliged him for the third time, Father John stopped and he fainted, and then Father John died. And once again, Father John had stopped his prayer, and held out his arms, and he answered the one who called out to him.
B. First Reading (Wis 18:6-9): “Just as you punished our adversaries, you glorified us whom you have summoned.”
The First Reading of this Sunday’s liturgy (Wis 18:6-9) highlights the vocation of Israel, radically “summoned” by God and eventually formed into a chosen people through the Passover events. The “transitus” or crossing over from a situation of slavery in Egypt into an experience of freedom in the Promised Land helped forge the tribes of Israel into a holy, priestly and kingly people consecrated to Yahweh. The trials and duress of the Exodus experience led to an intimate, covenantal relationship with the liberating God. As for the people of Israel, the Lord God is the origin of our Christian vocation and of priestly and religious vocations in the Church. The vocation to priestly ministry and to religious consecration occurs through God’s initiative and is accomplished in his Son Jesus Christ. Just as the saving will of God who “summoned” his people Israel manifested its special power during the night of Exodus, the divine call in Jesus Christ to religious consecration and priestly ministry manifests its irresistible force in our daily “paschal” experiences – in moments of trial, suffering and sacrifice. Intimate union with Jesus Christ in his paschal mystery disposes the Christian disciple to open up to God’s call to religious consecration and priestly ministry.
My own vocation story illustrates this. I was almost sixteen when my father was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. When I heard the terrible news I wept inconsolably. After midnight, I realized that the light in my mother’s room was still on. I peeked and saw my mom praying intensely, with arms extended in the form of a cross. I went to my mom and told her that if my father would get well, I would enter the convent and become a nun. By the healing power of God, my father miraculously recovered and lived for thirty more years. Three years after that paschal experience, I entered the PDDM congregation and dedicated my entire life to a ministry of prayer.
C. Second Reading (Heb 11:1-2, 8-19): “Abraham looked forward to the city whose architect and maker is God.”
The Second Reading (Heb 11:1-2, 8-19) depicts the wonderful response of faith of Abraham to God’s call. Faith is our response to God. “By faith, Abraham obeyed when God called him” (v. 8). He put absolute trust in the word of God and the divine promise to make out of him a great nation. Harold Buetow comments: “Abraham’s faith was not according to the principle of most people, who cautious and comfort-loving, put safety first, his faith went into the unknown, where it could not see the end of the path. Abraham did everything God wanted of him – and, sure enough, ultimately his wife conceived and his son Isaac was born. Then, when God asked him to leave the comforts of his hometown Ur in the Chaldean mountains for what came to be known as the Promised Land and endure all the problems of a stranger in a foreign land, he did it – even though he was not sure where God was leading him. God, to test him even further, some years later asked him to give his young son Isaac as a living sacrifice. Despite his hope that through Isaac he would have descendants, he prepared to do as God asked. It was only at the last moment that God prevented him from going through with his sacrifice. We, like Abraham, should let go and let God!”
The life of my former student, Rhoel Gallardo, who was ordained a Claretian priest, is an example of a total faith response to God. After ordination, he was assigned in Basilan Island, in southern Philippines, a place infested by the dreaded Abu Sayaf Muslim rebels, notorious for senseless crimes and kidnapping. The young Fr. Rhoel was kidnapped together with some catechists of his parish. He was mocked for his faith and ordered to do something ugly and awful – to rape his own catechists. The priest refused. He was tortured and eventually, killed. He sacrificed his own life to protect his sheep. His response to his priestly vocation was total and sacrificial. Fr. Rhoel was faithful to his priestly ministry until the end.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do we truly believe that God is the font of the Christian vocation? Are we receptive to his “summons” and loving plan for us? How do we respond to the demands of Christian discipleship? Are our lives coherent with the faith we profess? Are we ready and vigilant to answer God’s “final call”? Do we pray that those called by God to the priestly ministry and a life of religious consecration may be total in their response and integral in their commitment?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
you summoned Israel to be your people.
In Jesus Christ you summon us
to be part of your new chosen people.
Give us the grace to respond faithfully to your call.
Let us be ready and vigilant
for our final encounter with your judgment.
Grant to your Church
more priestly-religious vocations
who will serve you in your people
and give witness to the eternal value of your kingdom.
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.
“You also must be prepared.” (Lk 12:40)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for the grace of a happy death. Do what you can to promote and care for vocations to the ministerial priesthood and to the consecrated life.
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August 11, 2025: MONDAY – SAINT CLARE, Virgin
“JESUS SAVIOR: His Passion Redeems Us … He Teaches Us to Love and Serve the Lord”
BIBLE READINGS
Dt 10:12-22 // Mt 17:22-27
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 17:22-27): “They will kill him and he will be raised. The subjects are exempt from the tax.”
In the Gospel episode (Mt 17:22-27) we hear that Jesus Master wants to rectify the false adulation that honors him as a political leader, miracle worker, and breadbasket king, and not as the Suffering Servant to redeem the world from sin. The three predictions of the passion that he made on separate occasions are meant to dispel a false Messianic expectation that is based primarily on temporal powers, and not on service to God’s saving will. Today’s Gospel reading contains Jesus’ second prediction of his passion: “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day”. His paschal destiny does not involve constraint on his part, but total union with the Father’s saving will. Jesus freely accepts his passion and death to bring about our redemption. He pays the price for our salvation. His paschal sacrifice is sheer grace. For this we are deeply thankful.
The following story, circulated on the Internet, gives us an insight into the “grace” aspect of Jesus’ saving sacrifice.
There once was a man named George Thomas, a preacher in a small Texas town. One Sunday morning he came to the Church building carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, the preacher began to speak.
"I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright. I stopped the lad and asked, "What do you have there, son?" "Just some old birds", came the reply. "What are you going to do with them?" I asked. "Take 'em home and have fun with 'em," he answered. "I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out their feathers to make 'em fight. I'm gonna have a real good time." "But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do then?" "Oh, I got some cats," said the little boy. "They like birds. I'll take 'em to them."
The preacher was silent for a moment. "How much do you want for those birds, son?" "Huh?” Why, you don't want them birds, mister. They're just plain old field birds. They don't sing. They ain't even pretty!" "How much?" the preacher asked again. The boy sized up the preacher as if he were crazy and said,"$10?" The preacher reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the boy's hand. In a flash, the boy was gone.
The preacher picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free. Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, and then the preacher began to tell this story.
One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden and he was gloating and boasting. "Yes, sir, I just caught a world full of people down there. Set me a trap, used bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!" "What are you going to do with them?" Jesus asked. Satan replied, "Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna teach them how to marry and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other, how to drink and smoke and curse. I'm gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I'm really gonna have fun!" "And what will you do when you are done with them?" Jesus asked. "Oh, I'll kill 'em”, Satan glared proudly.
"How much do you want for them?" Jesus asked. "Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no good. Why, you'll take them and they'll just hate you. They'll spit on you, curse you and kill you. You don't want those people!" "How much?” Jesus asked again. Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, "All your blood, tears and your life”. Jesus said, "DONE!" Then he paid the price.
The preacher picked up the cage and walked from the pulpit.
B. First Reading (Dt 10:12-22): “Circumcise your hearts. Befriend the alien for you were once aliens yourselves.”
In today’s Old Testament reading (Dt 10:12-22), Moses gives another exhortation to the chosen people Israel as they face the Promised Land. He reiterates the great commandment that calls for total commitment to God: “Love and serve the Lord, your God, with all your heart and all your soul”. Israel’s experience of a benevolent God who works marvels on their behalf is a motive for the covenant observance. Indeed, love of God is the centerpiece of Israel’s response to God who has singled them out as his own people. This love response entails a “circumcised heart”, that is, an obedient heart, as well as acts of service: charity to the most needy and vulnerable members of the society. Together with the widows and the orphans, God’s preferential care includes the aliens who have no protection against the trespass of their social rights. The Israelites need to care for the foreigners for they themselves were once “alien” in the land of Egypt, departing from it “as numerous as the stars of the sky”. If the chosen people wish to secure their future in the Promised Land, they need to be faithful to the Lord and keep his commands and statutes.
The need to care for vulnerable aliens and to give hospitality to them can be gleaned from the following personal testimony (cf. Erna Kirk, “Home at Last” in Country, June/July 2011, p. 38).
When World War II started, my parents were farmers in the Soviet Union. But my father was of German descent, so the government took away their land and livestock, and forced them to leave the country. I was born in Poland in route to Germany.
When we arrived in Germany, no one wanted us there, either, because they regarded us as Russians. So my parents began working to find a way to come to America. It took seven years to find a sponsor who would take on a family with four children.
In 1954, we arrived on Ellis Island with all our belongings in three suitcases. Even though we spoke no English, we made our way to the hills of Tennessee, where we had arranged to sharecrop some land. We learned the language by watching television.
After five years of long, hard hours in endless rows of cotton, we were able to purchase 140 acres with a beautiful frame house. When all the papers were signed, my parents knelt on the ground, kissed it and thanked God for the thousandth time. We were home at last.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we appreciate the meaning of Christ’s passion and its significance for us? How do we respond to this wonderful grace and great act of love?
2. How do we carry out the exhortation of Moses and the supreme teaching of Jesus about the love of God and compassionate care for our needy neighbors?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
you suffered for us.
To redeem us you paid a great price.
You suffered the passion and death on the cross
to free us from the clutches of sin and death
and to give us eternal life.
Grant that we may treasure
your sacrificial love for us.
We give you glory and praise, now and forever.
Amen.
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Loving God,
how marvelous you are
and great are your saving acts for Israel!
You brought to fulfillment your saving plan
through your Son Jesus Christ,
who teaches us how to love and serve you.
Help us to live with an obedient heart
and teach us how to give preferential care
for the most needy and vulnerable of our society.
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 week. Please memorize it.
“They will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” (Mt 17:23) //“Befriend the alien, for you were once aliens yourself.” (Dt 10:19)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Make an effort to unite the sacrifices of your daily life with the redeeming passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Be present to the people around you in their trials and difficulties and help them in any way you can. // Be aware of the immigration issue being tackled by the nation and resolve to have a compassionate approach to it.
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August 12, 2025: TUESDAY – WEEKDAY (19); SAINT JANES FRANCES DE CHANTAL, Religious
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Wants Us to Be Childlike and To Care for the Little Ones … He Urges Us to Be Steadfast”
BIBLE READINGS
Dt 31:1-8 // Mt 18:1-5, 10, 12-14
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 18:1-5, 10, 12-14): “See that you do not despise one of these little ones.”
Today’s Gospel (Mt 18:1-5, 10, 12-14) tells us that the disciples’ response to the Divine Master’s patient endeavor to help them understand his messianic mission and paschal destiny is disappointing. They fail to understand. They even put a question that is tinged with a power struggle: “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Their narrow vision degenerates into an authority issue. Jesus therefore teaches them the meaning of true greatness. He calls a child and puts him in front of them saying, “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
A child represents complete dependence. The heavenly kingdom is for those who are completely dependent on God and, in the spirit of a child, trust fully in him. An authentic Christian follower relies totally on God. The greatest in the heavenly kingdom are those who imitate Jesus in his complete trust and dependence on the Father’s will. Jesus also warns us not to despise the “little ones”, that is, the humble and lowly, all those who put their faith in God with childlike trust. He teaches us that it is not the will of the heavenly Father that any of the “little ones” be lost. By his pastoral ministry, Jesus invites us to promote the well-being and salvation of the poor and vulnerable.
The following inspiring story gives us insight into how to care for the “little ones” in our midst (cf. Rick Hamlin’s reflections in Daily Guideposts 2010, p. 260).
My father gets around with a walker these days, and he doesn’t get around much. But he was there when the whole clan – twenty and counting – gathered for a week at the beach, staying at a rental on the sand. We sailed, we surfed, we rode bikes on the boardwalk, swam out to the buoy and kayaked in the bay. Dad seemed to enjoy having everybody together, but even from under the umbrella on the porch, he got frustrated at not being able to do half of what he once could.
Late one afternoon, I suggested a walk. “I’m not sure how I can do it with this walker on the sand”, he said. “Let’s try”, I said. “You can hold my hand if you need to.” He made his way down the beach, leaning on the walker or me. We stopped to watch some sailors bring their boats to shore and take down their sails. “Hey, Mr. Hamlin!” one of the guys called. “How are you doing?” “Just fine”, he said, his hands on the walker.
We trudged back next to the water, choosing the hard sand. A pelican dipped past us and plunged into the bay, picking up dinner. A kayak cut across the smooth water, a fish leaping in its wake. The shadows of the palms lengthened across the sand in front of us. “The shadows lengthen”, he observed.
They do, I thought. The years go by, and you don’t know where they went. Age brings us struggles. But at the end of the day there are still beauties to be found in a setting sun and a slow walk on the beach, father and son.
B. First Reading (Dt 31:1-8): “Be brave and steadfast for you must bring this people into the land.”
Today’s Old Testament reading (Dt 31:1-8) is about the appointment of Joshua as Moses’ successor and how Moses encourages him in his mission as leader of Israel. Deuteronomy 3:23-29 presents a very interesting scenario. Moses pleads with God to cross the Jordan River and see the fertile land on the other side, the beautiful hill country and the mountains of Lebanon. But God does not allow him to enter the Promised Land: “That’s enough! Don’t mention this again … Give Joshua his instructions. Strengthen his determination because he will lead the people across to occupy the land that you see.” Moses resigns himself to the will of God. At the threshold of Canaan, the one hundred-year-old Moses makes it clear to the Israelites that he will not be able to enter the Promised Land and that it is Joshua who will lead Israel on the last stage of their journey into the Promised Land. Moses exhorts the Israelites: “Be brave and steadfast; have no fear or dread for it is the Lord God who marches with you; he will never fail you or forsake you.” Moses summons Joshua and exhorts the new leader appointed by God: “Be brave and steadfast, for you must bring this people into the land which the Lord swore to their fathers he would give them … It is the Lord who marches before you; he will be with you and will never fail or forsake you.” Moses tells Israel in general, and Joshua in particular, that they will succeed if they trust in the presence of God, the true liberator and warrior of Israel.
The following story is very inspiring. It depicts a “leader” whose trust in God is complete and whose faith has been passed on to his descendants (cf. Harold Hostetler, August 2 Reflection in Daily Guideposts 2010, p. 243).
Like many parents, I care about the faith of my children and grandchildren. I pray for them and hope they will always love God. But it’s easy to wonder how future generations will respond when it’s time to make their own decisions about following Christ.
That made me pull our family’s genealogy, an almost-1,200-page tome printed in 1928 titled Descendants of Jacob Hochstetler, which includes the history of my Swiss Amish ancestor as well as lists of the hundreds of family lines descended from him. My dad Ira is among those whose names appear in the book.
What struck me most about Jacob was his faith. His family had fled Switzerland and come to America in the early eighteenth century because of religious persecution. Like the rest of the Amish, he took the commands of God literally – he wouldn’t kill other human beings, even in war. During the French and Indian War he refused even to defend himself when Indians attacked his Pennsylvania home; he was wounded and lost his wife, a son and a daughter. As he and his two remaining sons were captured and about to be taken to separate villages, his parting advice was “Do not forget the Lord’s Prayer”.
Jacob and his sons survived the war and went on to spread the Hostetler (there are various spellings) lineage westward until, today, you can find us throughout the United States. Most of us are no longer Amish, but in our Jacob Hochstetler Family Association’s newsletter I’ve read of many Hostetlers down through the years who have gone into the ministry or otherwise heeded God’s call. What a legacy!
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we heed Jesus’ teaching that unless we become like children, we will not enter the kingdom of heaven? Do we care for God’s “little ones”?
2. Are we brave and steadfast in love and service of God and in our discipleship of Christ? Do we believe that God is present to us and walks before us as our true leader and liberator?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Jesus,
you revealed to us
that only those who become like children
will enter the heavenly kingdom.
Help us to be childlike in our dependence on God
and teach us to be fully trusting in him.
You exhort us not to neglect the “little ones”
but rather to care for them.
Let our ways be compassionate
on behalf of the poor and vulnerable in our midst.
We praise and bless you, now and forever.
Amen.
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O almighty God,
you will never fail or forsake us.
All your ways are true.
As we journey to our final homeland
you are present to us.
Jesus Christ is the “perfect Moses”
who leads to the eternal kingdom
of love, justice and peace.
Help us to trust in you
and to be brave and steadfast in following Jesus
to the ultimate Promised Land.
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.
“It is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.” (Mt 18:14) //“Be brave and steadfast … He will never fail you or forsake you.” (Dt 31:6)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Show God’s care and compassion for the “little ones” in our midst by your kind words and deeds. With childlike trust, ask God for the grace to be instruments of his pastoral care for the “little ones” in our society today. // When the ministry of leadership is overwhelming and when the challenges of discipleship are difficult to bear, allow yourself to be strengthened by the exhortation: “Be brave and steadfast … The Lord God marches before you … He will never fail or forsake you.”
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August 13, 2025: WEDNESDAY – WEEKDAY (19); SAINTS PONTIAN, Pope, AND HIPPOLYTUS, Priest, Martyrs
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us the Duty of Fraternal Correction … He Fulfills the Task of Moses”
BIBLE READINGS
Dt 34:1-12 // Mt 18:15-20
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 18:15-20): “If your brother listens to you, you have won him over”
The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 4, remark on today’s Gospel reading (Mt 18:15-20): “The community for which Matthew collected and presented the Lord’s teachings was already a motley group. There were brothers and sisters who did not behave in an evangelical manner toward the little ones. There were leaders concerned more with honors than service. There were even disciples who lived in sin, publicly and scandalously. What to do about them? What should be the means by which they could be helped to become aware of their disorderly ways and be converted? Certainly there was no question to prematurely separate the weeds from the good grain (Mt 13:24-30). But in some cases, it became necessary to expel from the community brothers and sisters whose conduct could not be tolerated. These questions are still with us. The Gospel of Matthew shows us how to address them. The concrete modalities of the procedure outlined in Matthew cannot be followed to the letter, but we must remember their spirit and perspective. The sins of brothers and sisters cannot leave their kin and other members of the community indifferent. Charity and the spiritual welfare of others demand that we exert ourselves to bring back onto the right path whoever has wandered off. The parable of the lost sheep (Mt 18:10-14) immediately precedes Jesus’ words on charitable correction. The art of reprimand is certainly among the most difficult and delicate; yet this is no reason for us to evade our duty.”
The famous English ballerina, Margot Fonteyn, narrates an incident in which she experienced a sisterly correction from her best friend, Pamela May (cf. MARGOT FONTEYN: Her Own Best Selling Autobiography, London: Wyndham Publications Ltd., 1976, p. 98-99).
Pamela May was away from the ballet for quite a while having a baby. June Brae, the other member of our ‘triptych’, had met David Breeden at Cambridge at the same time that I met Tito and Pamela met Painton. June and David married early in the war and their daughter was born soon after Pamela’s son. I seemed to be the odd girl out.
Alone in No. 1 dressing room, without my closest friends, I developed a star complex, and for a time I was really impossible, imagining that I was different from, and superior to, those around me. Then Pamela came to see us. It was soon after she had been widowed. Completely broken up by her loss, and living as she did facing up to stark reality, she was in no mood to put up with my fanciful airs She told me outright that I had become a bore.
Thinking it over, I decided that I far preferred the company of my friends to the isolated pinnacle implied by the title Prima Ballerina Assoluta, which I had been trying to reach, so I climbed down. As a matter of fact, it had been partly the fault of what I call false friends – those who, with the best will, and believing themselves your warmest admirers, unwittingly destroy you with such talk as: “People didn’t realize how great you are”; “You are the greatest ballerina alive; people should fall back in awe when you leave the stage door”; “You should be treated like a queen.” All of which is, of course, rubbish.
B. First Reading (Dt 34:1-12): “There Moses died as the Lord had said and since then no prophet has arisen in Israel like him.”
Today’s Old Testament reading (Dt 34:1-12) is the final chapter of the Book of Deuteronomy and concludes the Pentateuch, that is, the first five books of the Hebrew-Christian Scriptures. The 120-year-old Moses, still strong and with good eyesight, climbs Mount Nebo. God lets him feast his eyes on the Promised Land that he will not be able to enter. After having a panoramic vision of the whole land, the Lord’s servant Moses dies in Moab and is buried there. The people mourn his death, for no prophet has arisen in Israel like Moses. Though Moses is remembered as a great leader, others will have to take his place if Israel is to remain loyal to the covenant. Joshua succeeds Moses as the leader who will lead the Israelites to the Promised Land. He is filled with the spirit of wisdom for Moses has laid his hands upon him. The people of Israel obey Joshua and keep the commands that the Lord has given them through Moses.
The role of Moses is to be carried out by future leaders for succeeding generations. In the fullness of time, Jesus Christ brings Moses’ task to completion. The prophetic and shepherding ministry of Jesus, the perfect Moses, lives on in the Church. Saint Maximilian Kolbe exemplifies this (cf. Notes from Wikipedia on the Internet).
Kolbe was canonized on 10 October 1982 by Pope John Paul II and declared a martyr of charity. He is the patron saint of drug addicts, political prisoners, families, journalists, prisoners and pro-life movements. Pope John Paul II declared him “the patron saint of our difficult century”. Due to Kolbe’s efforts to promote consecration and entrustment to Mary, he is known as the “apostle of consecration to Mary”.
He was born Raymond Kolbe on 8 January 1894 in Zdunska Wola in the kingdom of Poland, which was part of the Russian Empire, the second son of Julius Kolbe and Maria Dabrowska. His father was an ethnic German and his mother was Polish. He had four brothers: Francis, Joseph, Walenty (who lived a year) and Andrew (who lived four years).
Kolbe’s family moved to Pabianice, where his parents initially worked as basket weavers. Later, his mother worked as a midwife (often donating her services) and operated a shop in part of their rented house where she sold groceries and household goods. Julius Kolbe worked at the Krushe and Ender Mill and also worked on a parcel of rented land where he grew vegetables. In 1914, Julius joined Josef Pilsudki’s Polish Legions and was captured by the Russians and hanged for fighting for independence of a partitioned Poland.
Kolbe’s life was strongly influenced by a childhood vision of the Virgin Mary that he later described: “That night I asked the Mother of God what was to become of me, a child of Faith. Then she came to me holding two crowns, one white, the other red. She asked me if I was willing to accept either of these crowns. The white one meant that I should persevere in purity and the red that I should become a martyr. I said that I would accept them both.
In 1907 Kolbe and his elder brother Francis decided to join the Conventual Franciscans. They illegally crossed the border between Russia and Austria-Hungary and enrolled at the Conventual Franciscan minor seminary in Lwow. In 1910 Kolbe was allowed to enter the novitiate where he was given the religious name Maximilian. He professed his first vows in 1911 and final vows in 1914 in Rome, adopting the additional name of Maria to show his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Kolbe would later sing hymns to the Virgin Mary in the concentration camp.
Kolbe was sent to Krakow in 1912, and later in the same year, to the house of studies in Rome where he studied philosophy, theology, mathematics and physics. He earned a doctorate in philosophy in 1915 at the Pontifical Gregorian University and a doctorate in theology in 1919 at the Pontifical University of St. Bonaventure.
During his time as a student, he witnessed vehement demonstrations against Popes St. Pius X and Benedict XV in Rome during an anniversary celebrating the Freemasons. According to Kolbe, “They placed the black standard of the Giordano Brunisti under the windows of the Vatican. On this standard the archangel, St. Michael, was depicted lying under the feet of the triumphant Lucifer. At the same time countless pamphlets were distributed to the people in which the Holy Father (i.e. the Pope) was attacked shamefully.
This event inspired Kolbe to organize the Militia Immaculata or Army of Mary to work for the conversion of sinners and enemies of the Catholic Church, specifically the Freemasons, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary. So serious was Kolbe about this goal that he added to the Miraculous Medal prayer: “O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. And for all those who do not have recourse to thee, especially the Masons and all those recommended to thee.
The Immaculata friars utilized the most modern printing and administrative techniques in publishing catechetical and devotional tracts, a daily newspaper with a circulation of 230,000 and a monthly magazine with a circulation of over one million. Kolbe also used radio to spread his Catholic faith and to speak against the atrocities of the Nazi regime. He is the only canonized saint to have held an amateur radio license, with the call sign SP3RN.
In 1918 Kolbe was ordained a priest. In 1919 he returned to the newly independent Poland where he was very active in promoting the veneration of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, founding and supervising the monastery of Niepokalanov near Warsaw, a seminary, a radio station, and several other organizations and publications. Kolbe founded the monthly periodical Rycerz Niepokalanej in 1922 and in 1927 founded a Conventual Franciscan monastery at Niepokalanov, which became a major publishing center. Kolbe left Poland for Japan in 1930, spending six years there. The monastery at Niepokalanov began in his absence to publish a daily newspaper, Maly Dziennik, which became Poland’s top-seller. (…)
Between 1930 and 1936 Kolbe undertook a series of missions to Japan where he founded a monastery at the outskirts of Nagasaki, a Japanese paper and a seminary. The monastery he founded remains prominent in the Roman Catholic Church in Japan. Kolbe decided to build the monastery on a mountainside that, according to Shinto beliefs, was not the side best suited to be in harmony with nature. When the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Kolbe’s monastery was saved because the other side of the mountain took the main force of the blast.
With the invasion of his nation by Nazi Germany, Kolbe provided shelter to refugees from Greater Poland including 2,000 Jews whom he hid from Nazi persecution in his friary in Niepokalanov. On 17 February 1941, he was arrested by the German Gestapo and imprisoned in the Pawiak prison. On 28 May he was transferred to Auschwitz as prisoner #16670.
At the end of July 1941 three prisoners disappeared from the camp, prompting SS Hauptsturmfuhrer Karl Fritzsch, the deputy camp commander, to pick 10 men to be starved to death in an underground bunker in order to deter escape attempts. When one of the selected men Franciszek Gajowniczek cried out: “My wife! My children!”, Kolbe volunteered to take his place.
In his prison Kolbe celebrated Mass each day and sang hymns with the prisoners. He led the other condemned men in song and prayer and encouraged them by telling them they would soon be with Mary in heaven. Each time the guards checked on him, he was standing or kneeling in the middle of the cell and looking calmly at those who entered. After two weeks of dehydration and starvation, only Kolbe remained alive. The guards wanted the bunker emptied and they gave Kolbe a lethal injection of carbolic acid. Some who were present at the injection say that he raised his left arm and calmly waited for the injection. His remains were cremated on 15 August, the feast day of the Assumption of Mary.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. What is my attitude to the erring members of the Christian community? Do we dedicate ourselves to the ministry of Christian correction? Do we believe that only God’s grace can change hearts and effect conversion? Do we allow ourselves to be instruments of grace for others?
2. Are we receptive and obedient to Church leaders commissioned by God to help us in our spiritual journey? How do we respond to the prophetic and guiding ministry of Jesus Christ, the perfect Moses?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
(Cf. Commission Francophone Cistercienne, Tropaires des dimanches, 109, Fiche de chant U LH 68)
When one human being wins another,
heaven rises on earth.
When two or three agree to implore the Father,
heaven surrounds them and unfolds at their bidding.
Earth and heaven are reconciled.
Jesus is in our midst.
Love and truth meet;
glory will dwell on our earth.
Truth will sprout from the earth
and justice will lean down from heaven.
God himself offers happiness
and our earth will give its fruit.
Earth and heaven are reconciled.
Jesus is in our midst.
***
Lord God,
we thank you for the leadership of Moses
on behalf of the journeying people of God.
We thank you for his successor Joshua and all future leaders
in the history of Israel.
Above all, we thank you for Jesus Christ, the perfect Moses,
who guides the Church, the new people of God,
to our true destiny.
Grant us a docile heart to follow Jesus
through the cross to Easter glory.
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 your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault …” (Mt 18:15) //“Since then no prophet has arisen in Israel like Moses.” (Dt 34:10)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for the erring members of the community and for the grace needed by the Church to carry out its task of Christian correction. In a most humble and charitable way, exercise the duty of fraternal correction and forgiveness on behalf of erring members of your family and community. // In a spirit of thanksgiving for people who make present in today’s world the prophetic-pastoral mission of Moses and “the ultimate Moses” Jesus Christ, promote the apostolate of the Catholic media.
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August 14, 2025: THURSDAY – SAINT MAXIMILLIAN KOLBE, Priest, Martyr
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us to Forgive Seventy-Seven Times … In Him We Journey to Freedom and Victory”
BIBLE READINGS
Jos 3:7-10a, 11, 13-17 // Mt 18:21-19:1
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 18:21-19:1): “I say to you not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”
(By Mario S. Estrella: Member of the Religious Congregation Opifices Christi, Philippines)
When I was working as one of the training officers of the different training programs of the Department of Education, I had made a decision that was detrimental to the mandate of the Department to provide continuous service to teachers and principals. My immediate superior called it to my attention when he discovered my irresponsibility and incompetence. I thought I would be reprimanded and incriminated for negligence and my conduct, which was unbecoming to a government employee. The superior asked me if I was guilty of the offense and I replied affirmatively. He surprised me when he asked, “If I keep you in your present capacity, can I trust you in the future?” I replied, “I am sorry, sir. I have learned my lesson and you surely can trust me again.” He must have detected the sincerity of my repentance. “I am not going to press charges anymore and you can continue in your present responsibility,” he said. He told me then that he had once succumbed to the same situation, but he was given mercy and was asked to learn from it. His position now in the Department can attest how far he has gone because of the opportunity accorded to him.
Truly, according to Steve Goodlier, those who forgive best are those who are forgiven. The story is centered on the fruit of forgiveness. Forgiveness multiplies when freely given to the offender. Whether we like it or not, something good may come from the experience and could possibly change the person for the better.
There is another way of looking at why Jesus asked us to forgive seventy-seven times (cf. today’s Gospel reading, Mt 18:21-19:1). The number of times we exonerate is most likely equivalent to those who will have a change of heart for the better. The number of recipients who have been rehabilitated as a result of forgiveness is already a great contribution to the continuing proclamation of the Kingdom of God. If the recipients will do the same to their offenders, forgiveness multiplies until it reaches the core number that will make the world a better place to live in.
B. First Reading (Jos 3:7-10a, 11, 13-17): “The ark of the covenant of the Lord will precede you into the Jordan.”
Today’s reading (Jos 3:7-10a, 11, 13-17) depicts the crossing of Jordan River to the Promised Land. This saving event concludes the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt and manifests marvelously that indeed “there is a living God in their midst”. It is the loving initiative of God through and through. It is he who enables the chosen people to cross the Jordan, to evict the enemy nations and to take possession of the Promised Land.
Today’s episode of the crossing of the Jordan dramatizes and re-evokes the great deed of the Exodus. As the Lord has dried up the Red Sea so he works marvelously in drying up the waters of the Jordan. This miraculous event occurs in harvest time when all the banks of the river overflow with water from the melting snows of the northern mountains. Carried by the priests, the “ark of the covenant”, sign of God’s presence, precedes the people into the Jordan. The priests who carry the “ark of the covenant” remain in the middle of the Jordan until all the people have walked on its dry shod river bed. The saving event at the Jordan river confirms Joshua’s authority as leader and successor to Moses. Above all, it shows that the living God, the Lord of heaven and earth, is responsible for bringing Israel into the Promised Land.
The following article about the V-E Day 1945 (Victory over Europe Day) gives insight into the marvelous experience of victory and salvation of Joshua and the Israelites (cf. Lawrence Batley, “A Letter to My Parents” in Reminisce, June/July 2015, p. 21).
After flying from England to France, I was wounded in the Battle of Metz on November 14, 1944. I recuperated and was placed with the 3rd Division of the 8th Air Force as a mechanic, at their headquarters at Elveden Hall in Norfolk, England. On V-E Day, I wrote the following letter to my parents back home in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It was an attempt to describe the greatest celebration I’ve ever experienced.
May 9, 1945
Dear Mom & Dad,
We’re celebrating V-E Day today, and everyone’s up to the square for the dance tonight. Boy, there were sure a lot of fireworks. I guess the Air Corps uses them for signals but used them for fireworks last night and today. They had a big baseball game in the front of the tent. All I had to do was roll up to the side, sit on my bed, and watch the game. It was between the enlisted men and the officers. The enlisted men won 6 to 2.
We had hot dogs, cheese sandwiches and egg sandwiches, and tomato and grapefruit juice. Then we had ice cream. Got a big dance tonight. There are loads of balloons and three great big silk parachutes; one red, one blue, and one white, and they were really used at one time or another.
The beer is going fast. They must have had at least 10 small kegs here.
I didn’t do much today. It’s a day off. I stood at a parade this morning, then went to church, then ate dinner. Later took a shower. We had a nice service for V-E Day.
Well, guess I’m going to close. I’ve been eating so much tonight, I can hardly breathe.
Your Loving Son, Larry.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we ever forgive? Do we set limits and conditions on Christian forgiveness? Do we imitate God in his willingness to forgive? Do we respond positively and fully to God’s healing and forgiving love? In our daily life, do we act like the merciless and unforgiving steward? If so, what do we do about it?
2. Do we believe that God has power to work marvels in our daily lives and especially difficult and crisis situations? Do we trust that he is for us and that his plans for us are wonderful?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Jesus Lord,
thank you for your forgiving love!
We have a duty to forgive
for you have been truly merciful.
Heal us totally of our resentments
that we may be able to forgive seventy times seven.
Let our hearts be open to your saving grace
that we may be instruments of your peace and benediction
to a wounded world in need of healing and reconciliation.
Let us never be separated from you.
We adore you and glorify you,
now and forever.
Amen.
***
Loving Father,
how marvelous are your saving works for Israel!
We trust in you for we too are your chosen people.
Let us feel the wonders of your love.
Lead us to freedom and victory
as we cross the deep waters and challenges
of the “Jordan” in our daily lives.
You are “living God in our midst”
and 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.
“I say to you forgive, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (Mt 18:22) // “There is a living God in your midst.” (Jos 3: 10)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Seek to extend God’s forgiving love to those who have wronged you. In a spirit of contrition, beg forgiveness from the people you have wronged that you may truly experience God’s forgiving and healing love. // Be deeply aware of the presence of the “living God in your midst” and the wonders he continually works in your life.
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August 15, 2025: FRIDAY – THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
“JESUS SAVIOR: His Mother Mary Is Raised to Heaven
Body and Soul”
BIBLE READINGS
Rv 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab // 1 Cor 15:20-27 // Lk 1:39-56
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today’s feast of the Assumption celebrates the fruit of Christ’s paschal sacrifice - eternal life and joy in God’s kingdom - bestowed upon his mother Mary in fullness. The Blessed Mother Mary points to our own glorious destiny with God. The French liturgical scholar, Louis Bouyer, remarks: “Mary should be looked on as the living pledge of Christ’s promises to the Church: that where he is, we also shall be; then the glory given him by the Father, he will give to us, as he received it.”
The First Reading (Rv 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab) depicts a “great sign in the sky” – a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. The image of a woman in childbirth is used to describe creative acts that involve time and sacrifice in order to be brought to full maturity. The heavenly vision of the woman in labor in the Book of Revelation evokes the painful and challenging process of the birth of Christ in the hearts of the faithful, as well as Mary’s vital role in the birthing of the Church.
From the Second Reading (1 Cor 15:20-27a) we can deduce that the power of Christ’s own resurrection makes the mystery of Mary’s assumption possible. Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the “firstfruits” of those who have fallen asleep. In Jewish cultic terms, the offering of “firstfruits” symbolizes the dedication of the whole harvest to God. As “firstfruits”, the Risen Lord Jesus pledges the resurrection of us all, of which Mary is the exemplar of a promise fulfilled. Indeed, God triumphs over death. Death is ultimately vanquished through the power of Christ’s resurrection. It is no longer a dismal end. In Christ, the “firstfruits”, death becomes a passage or passing over to eternal life. Though Christ’s victorious Passover is complete, ours is not yet. As Church, we need to open ourselves to the effects of Christ’s saving works and offer the “fruits” of redemption to the fragmented humanity of the “here and now”.
Mary’s assumption is a powerful sign that in our intimate union and full response to Christ, the Paschal Mystery is brought to fruition. Likewise, Mary, in her Magnificat (cf. Lk 1:39-56), invites us to praise the Lord for the great things he has done for her and to proclaim with her the final victory of God, of which she is a full recipient. With Mary assumed into heaven, we glorify the Lord!
The following story inspires us to have recourse to Mary, assumed into heaven, as a patroness of a happy death (cf. Susan Mountin, “Homecoming” in America, February 15, 2010, p. 19).
On the day my mother died, she entered into a state that hospice caregivers know well – the body’s oxygen supply diminishes. She was unable to communicate with us from about noon that day until about 3. Then, to our amazement, she calls for my dad and reached out to hold his hands. She became quite anxious and thrashed about (another expected pattern in the death process).
But what happened next will be etched in my heart and soul forever. About an hour before her death she reached out her arms and began distinctly saying, “push me, pull me, push me, pull me”. Mom was not speaking to any of us in the room. I had no doubt that she was being greeted by angels and her deceased sisters and brother, whom she missed so much (she was the oldest of eight children born in close succession, and they were very close).
Those were her last words, “push me, pull me”. Then she became quiet. I felt her soul slipping from her body. We gathered my siblings and dad around the bed and began to pray: Our Father; Hail Mary. We all touched her. I put my arm around dad’s shoulder as he sat on his walker next to the bed, and had one hand on mom’s foot. I instinctively began praying the Memorare, a prayer that had been renewed as a deep part of my own spiritual journey when I struggled with some issues years earlier. Then from the deepest recesses of my memory I prayed aloud the novena prayer to the Mother of Perpetual Help. Mom took five or six deep breaths and died. If there is such a thing as a peaceful death, we were blessed with one for mom … I remember and relive day after day the journey to my mother’s death because it brought all of us closer to our own destiny and to God.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
How did Mary participate in Christ’s paschal sacrifice as well as in the victorious event of “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep”? How do you participate in these saving events, personally and as a community? How does the meaning of the Blessed Mother’s assumption into heaven affect you personally?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
in Mary’s assumption into heaven,
body and soul,
we see our own beauty and glorious destiny in Christ.
But the Blessed Virgin is also a model
of intimate participation in Christ’s paschal mystery.
Her Son Jesus Christ rose from the dead
and became the “firstfruits” of those who have fallen asleep.
She is the exemplary recipient of the “fruits” of redemption.
Teach us to be receptive to grace.
Grant that we may truly experience the power of the resurrection
and relish the “firstfruits” of salvation.
United with Mary assumed into heaven,
we glorify you and exult in your goodness,
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 has lifted up the lowly.” (Lk 1:52)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that Mary, assumed into heaven, may intercede for us as we endeavor to spread the “firstfruits” of Christ’s redemption to the fragmented humanity of our modern society. By our preferential option for the poor and vulnerable, let us allow the people of today to have a glimpse of our glorious destiny in heaven.
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August 16, 2025: SATURDAY – WEEKDAY (19); SAINT STEPEHN OF HUNGARY; BVM ON SATURDAY
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Blesses the Children … God Has Accomplished Marvels through Him”
BIBLE READINGS
Jos 24:14-29 // Mt 19:13-15
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 19:13-15): “Let the children come to me and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
The Gospel reading (Mt 19:13-15) tells us that as Jesus makes his way to Jerusalem, teaching and healing, children are brought to him to be blessed. This account precedes the story of the young man who wants to follow Jesus but fails to do so because of his attachment to his possessions. Unlike the rich young man, the children are a symbol of the anawim – of the poor and lowly who depend totally on God. The kingdom of God is meant for the “children” who, in their simplicity and trust, totally rely on God. Jesus delights in them and he wants the children to come to him. The heavenly kingdom belongs to such as them. Jesus lays his hands upon the “little ones”. This gesture signifies his bestowal of the blessings and abundant riches of the kingdom upon them.
The following story entitled “Potato Chips”, circulated on the Internet, gives us a glimpse into the child-like quality that enables us – whether young or old - to experience the presence of God.
A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with a bag of potato chips and a six-pack of root beer and started his journey. When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman. She was sitting in the park, just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry, so he offered her some chips. She gratefully accepted and smiled at him. Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer. Again, she smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.
As twilight approached, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave; but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old woman, and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever. When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, “What did you do today that made you so happy?” He replied, “I had lunch with God.” But before his mother could respond, he added, “You know what? She’s got the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen!”
Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, “Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?” She replied, “I ate potato chips in the park with God.” However, before her son responded, she added, “You know, he’s much younger that I expected.”
B. First Reading (Jos 24:14-29): “Decide today whom you will serve.”
Today’s Old Testament reading (Jos 24:14-29) is about the renewal of the covenant in the Promised Land, which the Israelites have entered and taken possession of through God’s assistance. Joshua clarifies the covenant obligation: total commitment to God. He challenges God’s chosen people: “Decide whom you will serve!” The people respond that they, as Joshua’s household, will serve the Lord who has been for them the “God of Exodus and of conquest”, and “the giver of their land”. To Joshua’s warning that Yahweh is a “holy and jealous God” who does not tolerate rebellion and infidelity, the people assert: “We will still serve the Lord.” The Israelites thus resolve to live within the bounds of a covenant that keeps them united with God. The Book of Joshua ends with the triumph of fidelity of the people of God and their leader Joshua, a precursor of our Savior Jesus Christ.
The new covenant established by Jesus Christ by his blood calls for total commitment. It challenges us to choose God, the giver of life. The following article illustrates a positive response to God’s offer of life (cf. “Quads’ mother: I’m proud of what we have achieved” in Alive! May 2013, p. 9).
An English mother who repeatedly refused to let doctors kill any of the four children she was carrying has spoken about the joys and difficulties the family had faced in the children’s first year of life. (…)
The four boys were conceived naturally at odds of 750,000 to 1, and were delivered by Caesarean section on the 29th of February last year. Despite the physical risks of multiple births, they are flourishing. (…)
Emma Robbins, a project manager from Bristol, spoke about the pressure put on her from early on to “selectively reduce” two of her unborn babies to give the remaining pair a better chance of survival. But she refused. The couple knew all that could go wrong, and that even if all the boys survived, it would be a huge burden for their finances. “But I couldn’t bring myself to choose between them”, she said. “How could anyone? I knew I had a strong marriage, that Martin would support and help me every step of the way, so I decided to let nature take its course.” (…)
It wasn’t an easy pregnancy, but eventually the babies were delivered two months early. “I’d worked so hard to keep my little stars safe and it was the most incredible feeling to know they had come into the world”, said Emma. Despite all the demands, the couple is now enjoying their role as parents. (…) She said, "And every day one of the boys will do something that makes me think: ‘You’re the sweetest, most beautiful thing in the world’.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we believe that the kingdom of heaven belongs to the “little ones”? How do we prove that we are truly children of God?
2. What is our response to the challenge “Decide today whom you will serve”? What will give us strength to make a positive response to this challenge?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Jesus,
you said, “Let the children come to me,
and do not prevent them;
for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
We are your disciples
and within us is the spirit of the “little ones”.
Draw us to you.
Bless us and lay your hands upon us
that we may be filled with the abundant riches of your kingdom.
You are meek and gentle of heart.
You call us to serve God the Father
for we are his own children
and you are our dear brother.
We love and adore you, now and forever.
Amen.
***
O loving God,
you are the God who led us out of slavery
and led us to our gracious heritage in the Promised Land.
Help us in our fundamental option to love and serve you.
Let us never forsake you.
Give us the grace to be faithful
to the new covenant ratified in Jesus Christ.
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 week. Please memorize it.
“Let the children come to me … He placed his hands on them.” (Mt 19:14) //“Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.” (Jos 24:18)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Cultivate a child-like attitude that will enable you to perceive the blessings of God and his presence in every moment of your life. // Today renew your covenant to love and serve the Lord and let the covenant commitment be translated into daily life by your loving service to the needy people around you.
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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