A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 23, n. 40)
Week 22 in Ordinary Time: August 31 – September - 6, 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 24-30, 2025, 2025 please go to ARCHIVES Series 23 and click on “Ordinary Week 19”.
Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY: August 31 – September 6, 2025.)
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August 31, 2025: TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR C
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Exalts the Humble”
BIBLE READINGS
Sir 3:17-18, 20, 28-29 // Heb 12:18-19, 22-24a // Lk 14:1, 7-14
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 14:1, 7-14): “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled; everyone who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Mike McGarvin, the founder of Poverello House in Fresno, was an alcoholic, a drug addict and a substance abuser. Mike was converted in his early twenties when he met the tenderhearted and welcoming Franciscan priest, Fr. Simon Scanlon, in the Tenderloin district of urban San Francisco. The Tenderloin district was notorious for its poverty, prostitution, and violence. Fr. Simon, the pastor of St. Boniface Church, responded to the hapless situation by gathering some volunteers and opening the Poverello Coffeehouse, a safe haven and place of refuge where people on the streets could find acceptance, hot coffee, and a warm welcome. Fr. Simon asked Mike to volunteer at Poverello. The burly ex-football player said “yes” and, in accepting to serve the poor and the homeless, was set on the road to recovery. In 2003 he wrote a very interesting book, “Papa Mike”, about his conversion and his service to the poor, the marginalized and the homeless. After reading the book, I concluded that Mike McGarvin is a living example of one who had humbly recognized his human frailty and weakness and turned to God for salvation. He is a realization of the words of Jesus: “The one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Lk 14:11b).
The following anecdote that Mike wrote in his book made me chuckle for it fittingly illustrates the other aspect of Jesus’ lesson on humility: “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled” (Lk 12:14a).
At St. Boniface and Poverello, I got a real slice of life. The Tenderloin was the bottom of the social barrel, and all sorts of desperate cases drifted in and out …There was a regular at Poverello who was exceptional. He looked like a typical street person: dirty, a ratty beard, deteriorating, mismatching clothes. One day someone told me that he had once been a chess champion, ranked eighth in the United States. He had been involved with a love relationship that didn’t work out, and it had taken him over the edge. He started drinking too much, and eventually landed on the streets in San Francisco.
One evening, a volunteer, who was a lawyer, looked out over the coffeehouse and said, “I’ll bet these people aren’t smart enough to play chess.” I was offended by his remark, but immediately thought of a way to cool this guy’s arrogance. I pointed to the chess champion, and said, “I’ve seen that guy play a little chess; why don’t you try him out?” The lawyer played three games with him, and the old wino beat him resoundingly every time. The attorney fancied himself an excellent chess player, so he was devastated. He came back up to the counter, and kept saying over and over, “I can’t believe that old drunk beat me three times.”
This Sunday’s Gospel reading (Lk 14: 1, 7-14) tells us that on a Sabbath day Jesus went for a meal to the house of a leading Pharisee. Jesus noticed how the guests were choosing the places of honor at table. In this meal setting populated with “social climbers”, the Divine Master narrated to the guests a parable that ends with a powerful dictum: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Lk 14:11). The biblical scholar, Eugene Maly, explains the faith context of this parable: “Jesus is not concerned with ordinary social etiquette. He has more in mind than that … This is a Kingdom talk. This is the way it is in the Kingdom of God. A presupposition of the saying is that God issues the invitation to the Kingdom banquet. And he issues it to the lowly, the humble, those who recognize their total dependence on God’s salvation. These are the ones who will be exalted. But those who say, ‘Look at me, Lord! See my strength, my wealth, my influence’, are the ones who will be humbled. This humility, this total openness to the strength of God leads to greatness.”
The Christian stance of humility springs forth from the disciples’ union with Jesus in his self-emptying or kenosis. Jesus Lord, who incarnated the spirit of humility by his total submission to the Father’s saving will, calls his disciples in every time and age to live out this principle of total dependence on God. The humble way as a path of life is best exemplified in Mary, the first Christian disciple, who sang in the “Magnificat”: “He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly” (Lk 1:52).
True humility leads to a loving service of the poor of Yahweh. Our total dependence on God expresses itself in humility before our neighbors, in openness to others who are all welcomed by God to the table of his feasting. Indeed, the spirit of humility makes us realize that the saving banquet is for all. As Christian disciples, we have a vital role in making God’s gracious, inclusive invitation to the feast of his kingdom known. We are humble servants of God’ saving plan to bring everyone into the joyful banquet of his kingdom. The greatest service we can render to the “anawim”, or the poor of Yahweh, is to lead them to the love of God and the bounteous feasting of his eternal kingdom.
B. First Reading (Sir 3:17-18, 20, 28-29): “Humble yourself and you will find favor with God.”
In the world of martial arts, humility is an exigency and expediency to avoid serious injury. During a judo tournament, “Papa Mike” (i.e. Mike McGarvin, the founder of the Fresno based Poverello House, which ministers to the needs of the poor, homeless and the outcasts) learned it the hard way. In his inspiring and beautifully descriptive autobiography, PAPA MIKE, p. 64 & 66, he narrates:
God was transforming my life through the Poverello. Joining the Catholic Church gave me a new outlook, and my life had meaning now. Despite the glow of my conversion, though, I was still restless and edgy. Kicking drugs was no picnic. I had come to depend on them physically, but they were also my emotional crutch. When I was alone, the old emptiness and depression would return. I needed something to constructively fill the time when I was by myself, because the temptation to go back to the drugs was ever-present. It was about this time that I discovered martial arts. Not long after I began volunteering at Pov, I also started taking judo at the YMCA. It was kind of a diversion at first, just something to do. However, the longer I stayed with it, the more I liked it. It channeled my energy, and because I progressed rapidly, it probably helped my battered self-image. I also had the good fortune to fall with an instructor and a group of students who were excellent martial artists. My instructor, Fred Lee, was an eighth-degree black belt. He was not only a consummate judo expert, but he also tried to practice a philosophy of peace. It came from a deep sense of security that he had, the knowledge that he was capable of physically defending himself against almost anyone. Knowing that, he had nothing to prove, and he tried to bring calm and goodwill to potentially violent situations … I eventually earned a first-degree black belt in judo. I was hoping to go on, so I kept participating in matches. In our system, you advanced by winning ten matches in one year. At the black belt level, we were allowed to break bones and wrench joints. The idea was that this was the big league, and it was your responsibility to “tap out” (indicate you surrender by tapping the mat) before someone hurt you. It had to be a quick decision, because it could be a fraction of a second between your decision to tap out and a serious injury. In one bout, I was pretty evenly matched. However, my opponent managed to get my leg in a good hold. I thought I could wiggle out of it, even though it hurt, so I didn’t tap. He then twisted just a little bit more, and something popped. My knee was dislocated, and, boy, did it hurt. There was a doctor at the match. In fact, he had a black belt himself. He broke a guy’s arm in a match one time, then set it at his office for free. Anyway, he told me to bite down on my belt, which I did, and he put my knee back in the right place. I was lucky I didn’t swallow my belt; the pain was excruciating. I had to have a cast, and it took several months to heal. After that, I was quicker to say “Uncle” when I was playing with the big guys.
This Sunday’s Old Testament reading (Sir 3:17-18, 10, 28-29) is from the Book of Sirach, which contains words of wisdom of a famous Jewish teacher, named “Joshua, son of Sirach”. The early Christian community (ECC) received moral training from his writings. Composed circa 180 B.C. in Jerusalem, the Book of Sirach later became known as “the Book of the Church” or Ecclesiasticus, from ecclesia, the Latin word for “Church”. In today’s passage, Ben Sirach or “the son of Sirach” issues several teachings on humility: “My child, conduct your affairs with humility and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts. Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favor with God. What is too sublime for you, seek not, into things beyond your strength search not” (v. 17-18, 20).
Humility is truth, that is, the ability to recognize our limitations as well as our real worth especially before God. Since it gives us an honest estimate of ourself, this virtue shapes and builds true strength of character and deeper rapport with God. Derived from the word humus, which means “earth”, humility enables the people of Israel to take an honest stance concerning their earthen vessel fragility and to relate to the Lord Yahweh in filial trust and full surrender. Indeed, humility is one of the fundamental attitudes of wisdom, a sure foundation of life.
The spirit of humility extolled by Ben Sirach takes on a deeper meaning in this Sunday’s Gospel reading (Lk 14:1, 7-14). On a sabbath day, Jesus Master goes to dine at the home of a leading Pharisee. He tells a parable to those invited, noticing how they are choosing the places of honor at table. In the parable of the wedding banquet addressed to the Pharisees, Jesus underlines the importance of humility, not as a social virtue or etiquette, but as a Kingdom value. Lawrence Mick remarks: “The wedding banquet is a symbol of the kingdom. Those who are invited to the banquet must abandon any pride or claim of merit. None of us deserves to be saved; none of us can earn salvation. The host, God, will decide each person’s place in the kingdom.”
C. Second Reading (Heb 12:18-19, 22-24a): “You have approached Mount Zion and the city of the living God.”
In the Second Reading (Heb 12:18-19, 22-24a) we glean that the marvelous things the Lord God has done for the humble – destined to share God’s saving love with other anawim - is made possible through the “sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ, the mediator of the new covenant”. The assembly of the redeemed “humble poor” is able to approach “Mount Zion, the city of the living God” through the life-giving sacrifice and total self-emptying of Jesus, the “Humble One” par excellence.
The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 6, conclude: “Jesus took the last place … Because of this, he was exalted to the right hand of the Father in the inaccessible glory that belongs to him as his Son. And yet, he allows us to share in it by traveling, with him a similar paschal road. Baptized into his death and resurrection, we have drawn near to God and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, who is open to the poor, the lame, the blind, and those sick with every illness that requires a doctor. We have no right to raise or thrust ourselves into the places of honor. But God’s strength is great, and it is on his grace that we rely. He exalts the humble; he sets them at his table and, showing them the example, he, the Master, goes among them as a servant.”
True humility leads to service. The following excerpt from a lovely story about an actress who ministers to the poor is an inspiration for us (cf. Emily Procter, “What Inspires Me” in Guideposts, August 2010, p. 40-43).
I’ve lived in Los Angeles for 18 years, and for the past eight, I’ve been blessed with what actresses dream of – a starring role on a hit television show, playing Detective Calleigh Duquesne on CSI:Miami. I’m comfortable here now, content with bring my down-to-earth southern self in a tough and glitzy business. But I wasn’t always. (…)
In the fall of 1996 it hit me that except for taking care of my cat Kevin, my days were all about me. Was I thin enough? Did my hair look right? Did I prepare enough for my next audition? Where was my career going? I really need to take the focus off myself and do something for someone else, I thought. I could almost hear my mom saying, “Go for it!” My parents were big on helping others – my dad was a doctor, my mom volunteered at a home for people with AIDS, and we were always signing up for service projects at church. When I heard about the soup kitchen at All Saints Episcopal a few blocks from my apartment, I decided to volunteer.
Monday lunch was my shift. Every Monday I’d put on my green corduroy overalls – for some reason that became my serving-line outfit – and walk up Bedford Drive, cross Wilshire Boulevard, then turn right onto Santa Monica Boulevard to get to the soup kitchen. I kept noticing the same guy at the corner of Wilshire. A homeless man in a wheelchair. He was in his fifties and sat quietly in his shorts and red windbreaker, reading. He didn’t hassle people, just said thanks when someone dropped money into his cup. I’d say hello, but that was it. He seemed reserved, and I wanted to respect his privacy.
But one Monday in December something made me stop and say, “I work at All Saints soup kitchen. Want to go with me and get lunch?” He looked up at me with these bright blue eyes and said, “Yeah!” “I’m Emily.” “Jim.” I grabbed his wheelchair and started pushing, but I couldn’t maneuver it in my clunky clogs. “I’m sorry, Jim. I’m not going to be able to get you there today … not in these shoes.” He didn’t say anything. “I’m going home for Christmas, but I’ll be back. We’ll go the first Monday after New Year’s”, I promised. “Okay”, he said, but it seemed like he didn’t believe me.
That Monday after New Year’s I put on tennis shoes and ran to Jim’s corner. There he was in his red windbreaker and wheelchair. His eyes got really twinkly when he saw me. “All right!” he exclaimed, “Let’s go.” I wheeled him to the soup kitchen, got him settled with some food, then took my place in the serving line. After lunch we went back to his corner. “I’ll meet you here next week”, I said. That became our little ritual every Monday. I’d pick him up at the corner and we’d head to the soup kitchen. We talked a bit, but mostly we just enjoyed each other’s company. It was a relief not to get into the typical Hollywood conversations – What do you do? Who’s your agent? What roles are you up for?
One day about three months after we met, Jim seemed more serious than usual. He took my hand and pressed some money into it. Forty dollars. What’s this for? “I want to tell you something”, he said. “I think you’re very pretty, but you need to buy a new outfit. I saved up this money.” I realized every time he saw me I was wearing my green overalls! “Jim, I didn’t get around to telling you, but I’m an actress. I have other clothes.” We had a good laugh.
Our friendship grew from there. When I didn’t have an acting job or auditions, we’d have breakfast at a place across the street from his corner. We’d sit and talk about our childhoods, our families, our experiences. Well, Jim shared his life wisdom with me because it wasn’t like I’d acquired much yet.
Once I asked Jim, “Were you in Vietnam? I’d assumed he was a veteran, so I was surprised when he said no. “Then how did you end up in a wheelchair?” “Emily, ending up in this chair saved my life. So I don’t want you to feel bad about what I’m going to tell you.” He went on. “I was a terrible alcoholic.” During a binge, he got into a fight and was beaten into a coma. When he came to, he realized, “God stood by me even when I wasn’t standing by me.” He wanted to make the most of the second chance he’d been given. He quit drinking. He read every book he could get his hands on. He couldn’t afford regular therapy appointments, but there was a nighttime radio show where the host was a therapist. Jim called in every night for two years and worked through his issues.
The closer we’ve gotten – and we’ve been good friends for almost 15 years now – the more I see that Jim really lives by the advice he once gave me: “If you don’t like the way your life looks, change the way you look at it.” He’s more content and at peace with himself and with the world than anyone I know … He savors every moment, even the struggles, because they often turn out to be blessings.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
What does Jesus’ dictum on humility mean to us, personally and concretely? Are we willing to replicate in our life the humble stance of Jesus, the Servant of Yahweh and the Son of God? What will I do to make God’s gracious, inclusive invitation known to all?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
your only begotten Son Jesus is the humble Servant
in whom you are most pleased.
Help us to participate fully
in the saving event of Christ’s self-emptying
that we too may be exalted with him in glory.
Help us to realize more and more
that the feast of your kingdom is for all.
Fill us with zeal and apostolic strength
to spread your invitation to all peoples,
especially the poor and needy,
the lonely and the abandoned,
the underprivileged and the marginalized.
At the banquet of your eternal kingdom,
may we experience “the resurrection of the righteous”.
We ask this through Christ our Lord
who lives and reigns,
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.
“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Lk 14:11).
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that the spirit of today’s Christian disciples may be transformed into service. By your dedicated service to the world’s poor and the lowly, give witness to the world that God shows favor to the poor and the lowly.
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September 1, 2025: MONDAY – WEEKDAY (22)
LABOR DAY (USA)
WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE CARE OF CREATION
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Was Rejected in His Own Country … We Will Be Always with Him!”
BIBLE READINGS
1 Thes 4:13-18 // Lk 4:16-30
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 4:16-30): “He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor. No prophet is accepted in his own native place.”
(Gospel Reflection by Heather Jacobs, Bluff City, TN – U.S.A. // Illustrative Account by Sr. Mary Margaret, pddm)
As I reflected on the Gospel reading, the question kept coming to mind, why did Jesus’ relations and countrymen respond to him the way they did? Even though they saw the miracles and heard His profound wisdom, they still would not accept Him.
As I applied this question to my personal experiences, I realized that oftentimes we do the same thing with our own family members and those whom we have known for a period of time. When we’ve grown up with someone and known them through various stages of their life, we often take that person for granted. There doesn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary about them. They become another increment of our regular, predictable, everyday life and we can’t imagine that person as anything other than the ideas we’ve formed about them through our limited experiences of that person.
Often, we limit our knowledge, respect, and love for a person to the roles they’ve played in our own lives. For example, when I think about my dad, it’s hard to think of him in any way other than as fulfilling the classic role of the father. He helped raise me with discipline and love, and worked hard to provide for my needs. All this is very important, but I must recognize that there’s more to him than just this, much more. To know him more fully, I have to learn to step outside my own personal experiences of him and try to walk in his shoes. A few years ago, my dad entered the deacon program. Now, each time I go home to visit he seems more and more different from the person I grew up knowing. It can be difficult to readjust and accept change, even when that change is positive.
I think a similar thing happened with Jesus’ relatives and countrymen. They helped raise Him, they fed Him, and played with Him. They helped clean Him and change Him when he got dirty as a young one. They helped teach and instruct Him. Suddenly, this man, who they thought they knew so well, returns and has profound wisdom and is working incredible miracles. They grew up with Him, what’s so special about Him that such a change has occurred? How and why did this change come about? If Jesus was a stranger to them and they didn’t have such preconceived ideas about Him, they probably would have accepted Him.
From this I realize that we need to learn to take a step back and try to view our acquaintances (especially those we know most closely) in a new way, rather than taking them for granted and just settling in our limited perspective of them. Most of all, we need to step back and ask: how is God working in and through this person? What is special and unique about this person? And how can I love and know this person more fully and completely by recognizing who they are as an individual, not just according to the way I’ve chosen to perceive them from my limited experiences of them.
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The rejection that Jesus has experienced from his countrymen continues to be replicated in the life of today’s Christians. The following modern day account, circulated on the Internet, is an example.
This was sent by Father John Pitzer, formerly at Holy Ghost Church and now in New Orleans. Please offer your prayers and share with as many people as possible.
Dear Friends,
Just a few minutes ago I received the following text message on my phone from Sean Malone who leads Crisis Relief International (CRI). We then spoke briefly on the phone and I assured him that we would share this urgent prayer need with all of our contacts.
"We lost the city of Queragosh (Qaraqosh). It fell to ISIS and they are beheading children systematically!!! Oh, dear God, what a world we are living in!!!!!
This is the city we have been smuggling food to. ISIS has pushed back Peshmerga (Kurdish forces) and is within 10 minutes of where our CRI team is working. Thousands more fled into the city of Erbil last night. The UN evacuated it's staff in Erbil. Our team is unmoved and will stay. Prayer cover needed!"
Please pray sincerely for the deliverance of the people of Northern Iraq from the terrible advancement of ISIS and its extreme Islamic goals for mass conversion or death for Christians across this region.
B. First Reading (1 Thes 4:13-18): “God, through Jesus, will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.”
Today’s First Reading (1 Thes 4:13-18) is a Pauline masterpiece. This beautiful passage declares that God will unite with him the faithful departed. Animated with divine wisdom, Paul assures the Thessalonians, distressed about the destiny of their loved ones who died before the Lord’s parousia or final coming. They need not fear that their beloved dead would miss the glorious deliverance. Indeed, that we shall be united with the Lord always should be a deep consolation for us all.
The liturgical scholar, Adrian Nocent, comments: “Saint Paul is trying to instill hope into the Christians of Thessalonica. His message, in brief, is that the resurrection of Jesus is what gives meaning to every Christian life, and that God will take to himself those who have died with Christ. We died with Christ in baptism; we shall also share his resurrection. The confusion in the minds of the Thessalonians provides Paul with an occasion for describing what will happen at the end of time. He works with images, but his point is clear. His essential teaching is that all, whether already dead or still living when Christ comes, will be taken up with Christ into glory.”
In light of Saint Paul’s words of wisdom, we believe that death is a participation in the death and resurrection of Christ. It is also our last act of self-giving to our heavenly Father. As an intimate participation in Christ’s paschal mystery, death is life’s completion. It leads to eternal and intimate union with God. The following story can help us appreciate the beauty of this tremendous mystery and realize that the faithful departed are indeed with God (cf. Brian Clark, “September 11 Journeys of Faith: Vision of Hope” in Guideposts, September 2011, p. 54-55).
I lay on my side in bed, a week after the attack, waiting for the comfort of sleep, still trying to make sense of everything that had happened. Tomorrow, I was supposed to return to work at Euro Brokers’ new office space. I was one of the company’s executives. People expected me to be there, but was I really ready to go back? After what I’d been through?
It was still so surreal. I’d survived. Scrambled down 84 floors from my office in the South Tower of the World Trade Center. Some in the media were calling me a hero, because I’d stopped to pull a man from the rubble on the eighty-first floor. But surely anyone would have done the same. The truth, Stanley Praimnath has saved my life as much as I’d saved his. If not for him … I shuddered at what might have been. Just minutes after we got out, the building collapsed. I thought of the colleagues I’d lost, more than 60 in all. I’d never see them again.
I closed my eyes and I was back there in the South Tower with Stanley, holding onto each other, the stairwell lit only by my flashlight, pushing past huge pieces of drywall, water cascading down the steps. The air was thick with dust. Hacking, coughing, we got to the seventy-fourth floor, and suddenly it was like we’d entered another world. The lights were on. I could breathe again. We hurried on.
On the sixty-eighth floor we met a man coming up. Jose Marrero. He’d worked in the Euro Brokers’ security department for years, a friend to everyone he met. He was a handsome man, in his mid-thirties, with a 100-watt smile that told everyone that things were right with the world. But that day he was drenched in sweat, breathing hard, holding a walkie-talkie to his ear. “Jose”, I said, “where are you going?”
“I can hear David Vera’s voice up above”, he said. “I’m going to help him.”
“Dave’s a big boy”, I said. “He’ll get out on his own. Come on down with us.”
“No”, Jose said. “Dave needs help. I’ll be all right.”
It was the last time I saw him alive. I opened my eyes, staring into the empty darkness of my bedroom. My wife stirred and put her arm around me. Had Jose made it all the way to Dave Vera? Where was he when the tower came crashing down? He’d never again know his wife’s touch. He’d had his whole life ahead of him. Like so many of the others. Now, there was nothing.
My thought faded: tired …
I was awake again. I’ve gotta get some sleep. I was lying on my back looking at the foot of the bed. I never sleep like this. Why don’t I turn over? And then, suddenly, there was the image of Jose, standing inches from my feet. He was wearing the most unusual shirt, blousy and brilliant white. I stared at him. Jose, you’re alive. How did you do it?
He just smiled that glorious ear-to ear grin. He was okay, joyful even, like he was in on some kind of wonderful secret, and he seemed to be telling me, “You’ll figure it out.”
Then he was gone as quickly as he had appeared. Still, there was something that lingered. A powerful, reassuring presence. Jose is with God, I thought. But more than that, I sensed God was with me.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we allow the adage “Familiarity breeds contempt” to take hold of us negatively and thus diminish our positive response to God’s marvelous actions and prophetic voice? Are we open to the positive change that occurs in the people around us? Do we welcome the “surprises” that each new day brings to our life?
2. Are we heartened by the truth that God, through Jesus, will bring with him those who have fallen asleep and that we shall always be with the Lord?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
you sent prophets
to speak your word of mercy to your erring people.
In their ministry of salvation,
they experienced the agony and the ecstasy
that their proclamation entails.
In the fullness of time,
you sent to us your divine Son, the Incarnate Word.
He is the ultimate prophet and message-bearer,
the radical revelation of your saving love.
Jesus was rejected in his own native place.
As Christian disciples,
we, too, are called to proclaim your word today
and thus experience the agony and ecstasy of prophecy.
Give us the grace to be faithful to our vocation.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
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O loving God,
we believe that Jesus died and rose again
and that you will take back with Jesus
those who have died believing in him.
We believe that the faithful departed
will experience the fullness of life
through the power of Christ’s death and resurrection.
In the spirit of the wisdom-filled Saint Paul,
let us be messengers of hope to the bereaved.
Help us assure the grieving
that their deceased loved ones are in your care.
We are deeply consoled
that we shall be always with you
and live in your presence, 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.
“No prophet is accepted in his own native place.” (Lk 4:24) //“For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Thes 4:14)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that Christian disciples may be faithful to their prophetic ministry and be strengthened by the Holy Spirit in their task of witnessing to God’s message of truth, salvation and liberation. Offer a helping hand for modern day prophets who are being ostracized, abused and persecuted. // By your acts of kindness and compassion to the bereaved and the grieving and by your words of comfort, let them experience the hope of resurrection in Jesus Christ.
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September 2, 2025: TUESDAY – WEEKDAY (22)
“JESUS SAVIOR: His Word Is Confirmed by His Deed … He Died for Us that We May Live Together with Him”
BIBLE READINGS
1 Thes 5:1-6, 9-11 // Lk 4:31-37
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 4:31-37): “I know who you are – the Holy One of God!”
Today’s Gospel reading (Lk 4:31-37) depicts the early phase of our Lord’s public ministry. Jesus is in the synagogue at Capernaum on a Sabbath, speaking the saving word of God and teaching with authority. The evangelist Luke describes the impact of his ministry on the worshipping assembly: “They were astonished at his teaching because he spoke with authority.” Jesus then manifests the power of God’s saving word by performing a healing sign. He cures a man possessed by an unclean spirit. His word is confirmed by his deed. Both word and action manifest that he is truly the Messiah sent from God.
Cardinal John Henry Newman remarks: “Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. In him God is fully and truly seen, so that he is absolutely the way, and the truth and the life. All our duties are summed up for us in the message he brings … Christ has brought from his Father for all of us the full and perfect way of life. Thus he brings grace as well as truth, a most surprising miracle of mercy.”
A contemporary Church mission that is dear to me is the Vladivostok Mission: Reviving the Catholic Church in Eastern Russia. A way of collaborating is to send Mass stipends. I sent $20.00 requesting that a Mass be offered for two special intentions. Fr. Myron Effing’s letter of acknowledgment, dated July 31, 2012, contains an update of their mission and shows that their Gospel proclamation follows the way of Jesus, that is, by word and deed.
More good news, Sister Mary Margaret! You remember that our Lesozavodsk parishioner Vladimir needed to fly to Korea for a cancer operation – he came through the operation just fine, but now the extra good news. The two tumors were not cancerous! The doctor said that it was extremely dangerous anyway, and could be fatal if it had burst accidentally. He has returned home. And he says that for the first time in 57 years he feels normal! Most of his life he has lived with fever and a high white cell blood count. He wants to write a personal letter to all those who helped him with the operation. The donations for him from America came to just over $5000. Donations from the Russian side came to $3500. Most of this came from the active work of the parishioners of Visitation Parish in Lesozavodsk. Congratulations to everybody! Thanks be to God!
B. First Reading (1 Thes 5:1-6, 9-11): “Jesus Christ died for us so that we may live together with him.”
In today’s First Reading (1 Thes 5:1-6, 9-11), Saint Paul exhorts the Thessalonians to stay awake and sober. They must be personally involved and absolutely ready for the Day of the Lord. It will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. The Day of the Lord has a twofold connotation: salvation for the just and judgment for the evil ones. The authors of the book Days of the Lord, vol. 4, remark: “For certain people, it will be catastrophic because, living heedlessly – in peace and quiet, as they see it – they will be taken unawares. For others who remain watchful, this coming will hold no surprise. It will happen in the night of the world; but Christians are not in darkness, for they are the children of light. They behave as in full daylight. They remain at all times spiritually awake, ready to welcome the Lord as a friend they have waited for; to him, they will joyfully open the door.”
The reason for Christian optimism is God’s saving activity. We are not destined to wrath, but for that future salvation that comes on the Day of the Lord. He died for us that we may live together with him. That definitive salvation is already at work in the present. With this assurance, we are to console and encourage one another as we look forward to the Day of the Lord.
The following story is a powerful example of how a believer prepares himself for the Day of the Lord (cf. Deena Burnett Bailey, “September 11 Journeys of Faith: A Glimpse of Heaven” in Guideposts, September 2011, p. 60-61).
I was married to Tom Burnett, one of the passengers on United Airlines Flight 93. Terrorists hijacked the plane, intending to fly it to Washington D.C., perhaps aiming for the White House. Tom managed to call me several times from the plane and he told me that he and other passengers were going to try to wrest control of the cockpit from the hijackers. Thanks to the bravery of those passengers, the plane didn’t reach its target but instead crashed in a field in rural Pennsylvania, killing all aboard.
A ray of light cut through the darkness of that day for me – Tom’s faith. In the months leading up to September 11 a profound change had come over him, a deepening of his connection to God. At the time neither he nor I understood why. Then on September 11, it became clear to me.
Tom grew up Catholic. Unlike me, raised a Baptist, he seldom talked about his faith, though his rock-solid commitment to God was one of the things that drew me to him. After we married and had kids, I would go to church with him and I began to understand how he drew spiritual sustenance from the liturgy. The public prayer and sharing of faith experiences that I’d grown up with just wasn’t part of his makeup.
One day in the fall of 2000 Tom got home from work and said, “Deena, have you noticed that I haven’t been coming home for lunch lately?” We lived in California, where Tom was an executive at a medical-device company. Though he traveled frequently on business, whenever he was at the office he made a point of heading home to have lunch with me.
“I figured you were busy”, I said. “Actually, I’ve been going to Mass”, he said. I looked at him, puzzled. He went on, “A parish near the office has a noon Mass and I’ve been attending every day.”
“Why?” I asked. Tom paused. “I don’t know how else to say this. I feel like God is trying to tell me something. Maybe if I go to church every day, I’ll be able to hear better.”
Now I was really surprised. Tom never talked like this. “What do you think it is?” I asked. “I don’t know”, he said. “I have some sense that it’s going to affect a lot of people. And … well, this is the weird part, I think it might even involve the White House somehow.”
I had no idea what to make of this. Neither did Tom. Still, he kept attending Mass daily. He prayed more often and more openly, and we talked a lot about his growing relationship with God.
Tom never grew any more certain about the message being sent to him. But that didn’t matter. What mattered was the wonderful closeness that he shared with me.
That’s why even as the events of September 11 were unfolding, I had no doubt about the source of Tom’s courage about Flight 93 that day. And I believe his experience offers a ray of light through any darkness. A light that shines through my life even now, and forever.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. How do we share in Christ’s prophetic ministry? How do we make the voice of truth resound in the world today? In imitation of Christ, are we ready to support our prophetic proclamation with prophetic action?
2. How do I prepare for the Day of the Lord so that it will not overtake me like a thief in the night?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
you are the true prophet.
The words you speak are confirmed
by marvelous signs and healing actions.
We thank you for revealing to us, by word and deed,
the mercy of God.
In you, we have received the vocation to proclaim the Gospel.
Give us the wisdom of the Holy Spirit
that we may fully discern and carry out the divine saving will.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
O loving God,
we thank you for Saint Paul
who exhorts us to be ready for the Day of the Lord.
As children of light,
may we imitate him in living the life of Christ
and radiate the light of the Gospel to the world.
Please do not allow the Day of the Lord
to overtake us as a thief,
but rather, let it be for us a saving grace.
For the kingdom, the power and glory are yours,
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.
“What is there about his word?” (Lk 4:36) //“Our Lord Jesus Christ died for us so that we may live together with him.” (cf. 1 Thes 5:9-10)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Endeavor to bring the word of God and his healing love to a painful predicament and/or an unjust social situation. // Pray for the grace of a holy death and for greater readiness for the coming of the Day of the Lord. By your acts of justice, kindness and compassion, manifest that you are children of light, eager to welcome the Day of the Lord.
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September 3, 2025: WEDNESDAY – SAINT GREGORY THE GREAT, Pope, Doctor of the Church
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Heals, Prays and Proclaims the Gospel … His Gospel Is Proclaimed to the Whole World”
BIBLE READINGS
Col 1:1-8 // Lk 4:38-44
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 4:38-44): “To the other towns also I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God because for this purpose I have been sent.”
Today’s Gospel (Lk 4:38-44) depicts our Lord Jesus as in full swing in his public ministry. The paschal victory of Jesus is prefigured in the healing he carries out on behalf of Simon’s mother-in-law afflicted with a severe fever, the many others suffering with various diseases and those possessed by demons. The healing ministry of Jesus is a sign that the kingdom of wholeness has come. By his mission of healing, he asserts that sickness, suffering, and death do not have the ultimate word.
At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place. The “dawn” of Jesus is poised in earnest towards greater intimacy with the loving Father and the proclamation of the Gospel. The saving ministry of the healing Lord is sustained by his life of prayer and personal dialogue with the Father. Hence, the restoring touch of Jesus reaches out more extensively and the Good News is carried even farther, propelled by a life of recollection and prayer. Indeed, the ability to make core decisions for God’s kingdom is made possible by his profound communion with the Father in a relationship of prayer. Jesus’ tryst at the dawn of day and his deeds of healing invite us to sustain our own healing ministry by a life of prayer.
The following story of a consecrated religious, Sister Blandina Segale (cf. Margaret and Matthew Bunson, “Woman of the Wild, Wild West” in Our Sunday Visitor, March 25, 2007, p. 12) made me smile. I find her life of total dedication to the service of God’s people very inspiring and interesting. United with the Lord, she heals, prays and proclaims the Gospel.
One of the most intriguing Catholic women serving the people of the United States was Sister Blandina Segale, a Sister of Charity who cared for those who journeyed along the dangerous Santa Fe Trail. In 1872, Sister Blandina was sent alone to Trinidad, Colorado, a Wild West haven for outlaws and renegades. She was 22 at that time. Because she was a Catholic nun bent on aiding the local Native Americans and the poor, Sister Blandina was not welcomed to Trinidad with overwhelming enthusiasm. The residents of Trinidad faced hard lives and did not fancy the sort of concerns that a nun might have. They were not cruel or insulting toward her, but they obviously had little interest in her labors. That changed rather abruptly, however, when her “patron” announced one day that he expected one and all to treat her with respect and courtesy. If any of the good people of Trinidad caused Sister Blandina any problems, he would deal with them personally. Actually, he promised to shoot them down like dogs.
The townspeople knew the “patron” well, and some recalled that he had shot a man for snoring too loudly at a campsite, so he was a man to take seriously when he made a threat. The “patron” of Sister Blandina was William Bonney, known in history as Billy the Kid. She had given nursing care to one of Billy’s companions when he was shot and left for dead in an abandoned hut, and the famous outlaw was repaying her for her merciful care of his friend. He also appreciated her efforts for others. The first time they met, actually, Billy the Kid had come to town to scalp the four doctors who had refused aid to his wounded companion. Sister Blandina talked him out of it.
She had also saved the life of another man soon after arriving in Trinidad. Caught after fatally wounding a companion in a gun battle, the man was about to be dragged from the jail by an angry mob. Sister Blandina hurried to the bedside of the dying victim and talked him into forgiving his attacker. She and the sheriff then walked the murderer through the streets to the victim, who did forgive his assailant and then died. When Sister Blandina announced the deathbed scene to the angry men standing outside in the street, the mob thought it was all a bit peculiar, but they lost their enthusiasm for a hanging and let justice prevail in a courtroom. (…)
Sister Blandina was transferred to Santa Fe in time, where she continued establishing charitable institutions and programs. She labored for 21 years in the American West, becoming famous and respected … In time, Sister Blandina was assigned to Cincinnati, where she continued her labors with her sister, who was also a nun. She died in Cincinnati on February 23, 1941.
B. First Reading (Col 1:1-8): “The Gospel has come to you just as in the whole world.”
We begin today the semi-continuous reading of Saint Paul’s letter to the faith community in Colossae, a town in Asia Minor east of Ephesus. Though not established by him, Paul feels responsible for the Colossians as he sends out workers from Ephesus, the capital of the Roman province of Asia. Epaphras, a Colossian who is described by Paul as a “dear fellow servant” and “Christ’s faithful worker”, has brought the faith to Colossae. Epaphras, who may have been converted by Paul at Ephesus, reports to Paul of the love that the Spirit has given to the Colossians. In today’s reading (Col 1:1-8), Saint Paul thanks God for their faith in Christ Jesus and for their love for all God’s people. Indeed, the Gospel that has been proclaimed to the Colossians and abroad is growing and bringing abundant blessings upon the believers.
Like Saint Paul, the apostle of Christ Jesus, and his fellow worker Epaphras, we too are called to proclaim the Gospel and experience its abundant fruits in our daily life. The following story gives a glimpse into the fruition of Christian faith (cf. Scott Walker, October 24 Reflection in Daily Guideposts 2010, p. 333).
All of our children are now in college or graduate school: Drew, a student at the University of South California Law School; Luke, a senior at Samford University; and Jodi, a sophomore at Furman University. Over the years many older friends told us that our children would grow up before we realized it. They were right!
But we have anything but an “empty nest”. My wife Beth is the international student relations adviser at Baylor University. One of her responsibilities is to find host families in our community of Waco, Texas, who will befriend international students. This year we have adopted three students: Lulu, a pre-dentistry student from Singapore; George, a prelaw student from the Philippines; and Lian, a graduate student in photo-journalism from China.
This afternoon I received an e-mail from George’s father. Tonight Lulu ate dinner with us and is spending the night. Yesterday Beth had lunch with Lian. Our life is enriched by our friendship with these wonderful young adults from Asia. They are now part of our family.
Beth and I are discovering that when we extend friendship and hospitality to God’s children, we receive far more than we give. And when we embrace people from around the world, God is able to multiply goodness and love between cultures and nations.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do I witness to the healing power of the Good News? Do I incarnate the healing compassion of our Lord Jesus Christ today? Do I derive strength and meaning for my healing ministry from deep communion with God in prayer?
2. Do we imitate Saint Paul and his fellow workers in proclaiming the Gospel and in letting it bear abundant blessings to all?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus, our healing Lord,
people are hurting more than before.
Hold the sick in your arms.
Comfort them.
Fill their lives with meaning.
Touch their sufferings with your gentle healing hand.
And though we pray for health and healing,
let us find you in the mystery of suffering
and continue to work as God’s co-workers.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
Lord God,
we give you thanks for the spread and growth of the Gospel.
Give us the grace to be Christ’s faithful workers
in proclaiming the Good News of salvation to all.
Let our faith in Christ grow,
our love for one another inspire
and our hope of final union with Christ Savior be satisfied.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“He laid his hands in each of them and cured them.” (Lk 4:40) //“The Gospel is bearing fruit and growing.” (Col 1:6)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Anointing of the sick is understood incompletely by many as “extreme unction” to be administered to a dying person, with the result that the person no longer has control of his/her faculties and so is incapable of receiving it with complete awareness, faith and devotion. As part of your healing ministry as a Christian, encourage a seriously ill person to receive the Anointing at the proper time. // By your kind words and acts of charity, let the Gospel spread and bear abundant fruits. See what you can do to utilize the digital media to proclaim the saving Gospel.
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September 4, 2025: THURSDAY – WEEKDAY (22)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Calls Us to Put Out into the Depths … In Him We Share the Lot of the Saints in Light”
BIBLE READINGS
Col 1:9-14 // Lk 5:1-11
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 5:1-11): “They left everything and followed Jesus.”
Some years ago our class at Maryhill School of Theology celebrated the “Misa ng Bayang Pilipino”, the Filipino inculturated form of the Roman Mass, with the barrio inhabitants of Talim Island, located in the middle of Laguna de Bay, a beautiful lake in the Philippines. We lodged there overnight, hosted by several families. The following sunrise, we went to celebrate the Morning Prayer beside the lake. As we sat on the sand, we heard the waves gently touching the shore. We gazed upon small boats, called “bancas”, lying upturned on the sand and fishing nets hanging on bamboo poles and fences to dry. Indeed, the “bancas” and the nets are the life-blood of fishermen. In light of this experience, I can vividly imagine the episode described by the evangelist Luke at the Lake of Gennesaret. It is easy for me to glean the significance of Simon Peter and the other fishermen renouncing their boats and nets and leaving everything behind to follow Jesus.
The mission of Jesus is to bring salvation to all, in accordance with the Father’s saving plan. Today’s Gospel (Lk 5:1-11) describes him preaching beside the lake. In order to minister more effectively to the great crowd pressing on him, Jesus gets into Simon’s boat and asks him to put out a short distance from the shore. Jesus then sits down and teaches the crowd from the boat. Seated on that improvised pulpit, his voice as true Teacher resounds as the people listen attentively to his saving word.
The next scene portrays the power of the word of God. After proclaiming to the crowd on the shore, Jesus commands the boat owner, who has worked all night without a catch: “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” If the night fishing has been unprofitable, the daytime fishing would be even more so. Hence, it seems preposterous for a village carpenter-turned-prophet to command that to a professional fisherman. Simon, however, acts upon the Master’s word. As a result, they catch such a great number of fish that the nets begin to tear. They signal to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. All are “awed” by the catch. Simon falls at the knees of Jesus saying, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” Jesus assures Simon and gives him a mission: “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”
The reading concludes with an image of a dynamic response: “When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.” The Lord who proclaimed the saving word of God to the eager crowd at Lake Gennesaret and challenged Simon and his companions to put out into the depths is the same Lord who calls us today to discipleship. The response of Peter and his companions inspires us to make a total commitment to Jesus and follow him into the depths of his paschal destiny. Like them, we too must be willing to launch into the deep waters and thus share in the bounty of salvation.
B. First Reading (Col 1:9-14): “God delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of his beloved Son.”
In today’s First Reading (Col 1:9-14), Saint Paul prays for the Colossians: that God may give them the knowledge of his will – with all the wisdom and understanding that his Spirit gives. This “knowledge” is not conceptual, but personal. It is a personal experience of God’s loving plan to save us in his Son Jesus Christ. True knowledge of the divine will implies living a life that is pleasing to God. It bears fruit in good deeds and is a total commitment to the divine saving will. The Christian believers are sure to encounter difficulties in their “walking in a manner worthy of the Lord”. Hence, Saint Paul prays that they may be strengthened by God’s glorious power. Then they will be able to endure everything with patience. Paul now invites: “Let us give thanks to the Father for having made you worthy to share in the lot of the saints in light.” God is worthy to receive thanks and praise because it is he who rescued us from the power of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of his beloved Son. Through the paschal mystery of his Son Jesus Christ, we have redemption and our sins forgiven.
The following story is an example of a call and response to share “in the lot of the saints in light” (cf. Linda Lochtefeld, “A Different Light” in 101 Inspirational Stories of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Sister Patricia Proctor, Spokane: Franciscan Monastery of Saint Clare, 2006, p. 11-12)
I grew up a Protestant, active in my church until I went to college. I never paid much attention to other faiths until I met my husband-to-be. Joe was a Catholic from a very Catholic community. I began attending church with Joe and tried to learn about his faith. When we got engaged, I decided to join the Church – mainly because it was important to Joe and his family. I believe I joined the Church with my head and not my heart, which is why things began to fall apart shortly after our wedding.
Within a year after our son, Lee, was born, my mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Suffering had begun. I was very confused. I got angry at everything and everybody: my husband, the doctors, and God. All I saw everywhere, including the church, was suffering and I couldn’t handle it. I felt that God had abandoned all of us. I quit going to church. My actions and attitudes became full of sin. I emotionally began leaving my marriage and unknowingly went into a deep depression.
In 1997, a few years after my mother’s death, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I hit bottom. I had never been more terrified in my life. Worst of all, I had no faith. When I checked into the hospital for surgery, I was asked what church I attended, what my faith was. I had no answer. I felt abandoned by God, but He was there watching over me, along with my husband, who never left my side.
After surgery, I turned on the TV trying to calm down, and that’s when I found the channel with the camera on the crucifix in the chapel at the hospital. I left that channel on all night. Every time I woke up there’s a soft glow from the TV filling the room – and there was Jesus on the cross. I stared at Him and began to see His suffering in a different light. For the first time I started to see within my heart the beauty and love of our crucified Savior on the cross. My life began to change.
My mother-in-law gave me a tape of the rosary that Joe and I played and prayed together whenever the fear set in. During this time, I experienced one of the greatest healings of all, through the sacrament of reconciliation. I had only gone to confession once, when I first joined the church fifteen years previously. As a Protestant I had been taught that all I had to do was tell God I was sorry for my sins, and He would forgive me. I had been doing that over and over since my surgery, but I couldn’t stop feeling guilty for the many, many sins of my past.
Finally, I made an appointment to see our priest, Father Daniel Conlon, now bishop of Steubenville, to celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation in his office. Before my confession, I wrote down everything I could think of then, even though I dreaded facing Father with my embarrassing sins. I felt this push from the Holy Spirit and I couldn’t stop. I poured out my past amidst tears and Kleenex. Father counseled me, and then he stood up, laid hands on me and prayed over me. He told me that in the name of Jesus, my sins were forgiven. I felt numb as I left his office.
In the days ahead, I became aware that a change was happening. Every time I would begin to think about the past, my thoughts immediately would turn to something else. Later, I would realize that I had not spent any time thinking about my guilt or my sins. Thoughts and feelings that I couldn’t seem to control before were being cleansed completely from my mind. My past was being lifted once and for all.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. What is our personal response to the Master’s command: “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch”? Do we ever allow our human unworthiness and insufficiency to daunt us? Do we imitate the faith-response of Peter and his companions: “When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him”?
2. How does this Pauline faith affirmation impact us: God rescued us from the power of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of his beloved Son. Through him we have redemption, the forgiveness of our sins?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord and Master,
you challenged Peter to put out into the deep.
May we imitate Simon Peter’s faith response
and experience the bountiful catch.
May poverty and insufficiency never daunt us.
May we trust in your words: “Do not be afraid!”
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
Loving Father,
grant us a true knowledge of your will.
Help us to live in a way that pleases you.
Make us bear fruit of good deeds.
Let our faith grow and produce abundantly.
We give you thanks, God our Father,
for calling us to share in the lot of the saints in light,
through Jesus your beloved Son.
Through him we have redemption,
the forgiveness of our sins.
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.
“Put out into deep water.” (Lk 5:4) //“Let us give thanks to the Father for having made you worthy to share the lot of the saints in light.” (Col 1:12)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for all Christians that we may realize the greatness of our vocation as “fishers of men”. Offer special prayers and acts of charity for the increase and perseverance of priestly and religious vocations. // At the end of the day, find a quiet place and moment, and pray meditatively Col 1:12-13. Consider also the possibility of celebrating the sacrament of reconciliation one of these days.
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September 5, 2025: FRIDAY – WEEKDAY (22)
N.B. In some places, today is observed as the Memorial of Saint Theresa of Calcutta.
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Bridegroom-Messiah … He Is the Image of God and Icon of God’s Love”
BIBLE READINGS
Col 1:15-20 // Lk 5:33-39
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 5:33-39): “When the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast.”
Today’s Gospel (Lk 5:33-39) depicts Jesus as the Bridegroom-Messiah. He invites us to a new relationship that transcends mere legal observance and superficial piety. A loving relationship with the Bridegroom entails a radical transformation and infuses new meaning into such religious practices as fasting, an issue raised by some people when they observed that John’s disciples and the Pharisees fast, while Jesus’ disciples did not. Jesus answers them, “Can you make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, they will fast in those days.” The reference to the Bridegroom being taken away is an allusion to the death of Jesus that led to his saving glory.
Indeed, in the new dispensation that resulted from the paschal event of the death and resurrection of Jesus, his disciples would fast, but not in the meaning given to this religious practice by the disciples of John and the Pharisees. Following a new lifestyle based on the radical salvation won for us by Christ’s saving death on the cross, the Christian disciples would also fast, but for the right reason. An erroneous notion of fasting has no place in the messianic kingdom ushered in by Christ. Indeed, the followers of Jesus would exercise various forms of salutary asceticism, in a spirit of receptivity to the coming of the Kingdom. They would carry these out in anticipation of the full joy that is prepared for them by the victorious Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, in the nuptial banquet in heaven.
The radical newness of our relationship with Christ can be compared to a piece of new cloth which should not be sewn into an old cloak, for it will make the tear even greater. It can also be compared to new wine which should not be poured into an old wineskin for it will cause the skin to break and spill the wine. Indeed, the love-relationship with Christ, the Bridegroom, demands an exhilaratingly new vision and life-style, symbolically portrayed by Luke as “new wine” poured into fresh wineskins.
The Redemptorist John P. Fahey Guerra gives insight into Christian fasting as an opportunity to gauge our cooperation with God’s plan (cf. Ligourian, A Redemptorist Pastoral Publication, February 2012, p. 11).
We have formed attitudes, feelings, and beliefs about the poor and about poverty in our lives that are simply not in accord with our faith in the God of Jesus Christ. Many of these attitudes have become so habitual that they appear “natural” to us, and, as a consequence, we don’t see the need to reflect on them.
Fasting is a spiritual exercise that seeks to break the power these habits of mind and heart have over us. It is not deprivation for deprivation’s sake, but rather a distancing of ourselves from our present worldview so that our faith in God’s view of the world might take hold of us.
Our encounter with the poor family in Mexico was disconcerting to us; it broke the pattern of our comfortable view of the world. It questioned our way of living. It showed us that we were far from where we were called to be. Fasting is a way for us to intentionally bring into question our present way of living.
B. First Reading (Col 1:15-20): “In him were created all things.”
We are called to love. This Christian imperative takes on a deep meaning and broad perspective when seen against the backdrop of today’s First Reading (Col 1:15-20), which is an early hymn of the Church extolling Christ as Creator and Redeemer. As the first-born of all creation and the first-born from the dead, he is the head of the body, the Church, and has primacy in everything. It is astounding that this highly exalted Jesus Christ fulfilled the divine saving plan “to reconcile everything” both on earth and in the heavens through “the blood of his cross”. Christ is the image of the invisible God. By his paschal mystery, he revealed the fullness of the God’s love for us and became the perfect icon of the Father’s compassionate love. Through his sacrificial death that brought redemption and peace to all creation, Christ manifested radically the absolute and uncompromising love of God for all and thus became the utmost sacrament of salvation.
As Christian disciples, we are urgently called to be deeply involved in the work of creation and redemption. We do this by following the demands of covenant love: “You shall love the Lord your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” We too need to be icons or living images of God’s compassionate love for all. One efficacious way to reflect the goodness of God is to treat with sensitivity and preferential concern the poor and needy, the weak and vulnerable among us.
The following story is lovely and very inspiring. It illustrates how we can be “icons of love” in today’s world. We need more inspiring and heart-warming testimonies like this (cf. “The Life Cycle of the Egg Salad Sandwich” by Colby Thiele and Roger Williams in The Way of St. Francis, March-April 2010, p. 11-15).
It all began in December 2008. The U.S. economy was continuing its decline, foreclosures were mounting, unemployment rates were steadily rising, and newspaper articles were being written about how the growing homeless population had increased the strain on the local food banks. That was when we – Roger and Colby – decided we wanted to give back to the community by volunteering our time. The two of us shared an employer and rode the bus to work each day. As luck would have it, our route passed right by St. Mary’s Basilica, a Franciscan parish in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. Each morning we observed a congregation of homeless men and women in the church’s parking lot, waiting in line for something. Our curiosity aroused, we called to inquire about volunteering our services – and to find out what was really going on.
Our journey began in earnest the first week of February 2009 when we met Linda and Tom, the couple in charge of the St. Mary’s Food Program. What we had been witnessing from the bus was a church-sponsored effort that provided a sack lunch to some 200 to 300 people a day. We were immediately welcomed into the volunteer family of the morning food program. Initially, we thought we could give a little of our time to help those less fortunate. After our first day, however, we found that we had committed to volunteering three days a week: every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning. Little did we know that we would benefit more from our efforts than those who received food from us.
On occasion, the two of us had discussed just how fortunate we both were in life. Life, after all, can take many different paths. Depending on your philosophy, you can attribute your path to luck, choice or divine intervention. After our first few weeks of volunteer work with the food program, we were both overwhelmed with questions. We wondered, if we had made different decisions, or if our circumstances had been slightly different during periods in our life, would we be on the other side of the receiving line? We came to the conclusion that this could have easily been the case.
Our first day consisted of placing sandwiches in brown paper bags that already contained round tortilla corn chips and candy. After that, we were escorted by Linda and Tom to the street level with the bagged meals and a cart full of juice boxes. We began the distribution process by joining hands and reciting The Lord’s Prayer. Twelve months later, it is safe to say that the two of us have recited The Lord’s Prayer more often in the back parking lot of St. Mary’s than in all our other days combined!
We handed out the sack lunches and the drinks, and offered simple greetings such as “Good morning” or “How are you?” Each of our guests replied with a pleasant “thank-you” or “God bless you”. It felt good to receive such a warm response and see the appreciation in the eyes of the men and women. Then came the first ripple in the pond that provided the moment of change – we asked a person for his name. He said his name was Clyde, and we, in return, introduced ourselves. The look in Clyde’s eyes and his demeanor immediately changed. The idea that someone would ask his name and take more of an interest than just handing out food surprised him.
As each day went by, we made a point to introduce ourselves and find out the name of at least one additional person per day. Before long we knew Clyde, Chet, Adam, Tony, David, Guy, Anna, Pat, Adrian, Meagan, Blake, Ed, Floyd and many more. We became familiar with some of their likes and dislikes. Guy, for example, likes Costal Cooler juice boxes, so we would save one for him each day and slip him two sandwiches so that he could keep one for dinner. Blake prefers bologna sandwiches with a crunch, so he would take his chips and add them to the middle of his sandwich. Forearmed with this knowledge, we were able to make Blake feel that his preferences were known and important: when he showed up, we’d have his sandwich ready, chips already inserted in the middle.
It didn’t take long before we had our first uncomfortable encounter. One of the homeless men began shouting at others in line. We didn’t know what to do or how to handle it. Fortunately for us, the situation resolved itself. The shouting ended and the man left. The next day the man was back, and we were worried about another confrontation. Instead, the man took his place in line, and we asked his name. He told us his name, Michael, and we introduced ourselves, thus beginning a dialogue that lasted nearly a year. Then we had Sam get upset over a candy bar. He threw it on the ground in front of us and stepped on it. The next day we greeted Sam and went out of our way to be nice and befriend him. We found out very quickly that the way to change people was through kindness and understanding.
As the days and weeks past, we realized we were receiving more from the program than the homeless were. We looked forward to our Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. We found that beginning our day at St. Mary’s was not only good for our souls but actually energized us. We work in an office building with more than 300 coworkers, yet we noticed we were saying hello to more people on the streets than to coworkers in the office. Over the course of the last year, we have become involved in the lives of the people we serve. We have raised funds for cross-country bus tickets; donated watches, hats and clothing; purchased brakes for bicycles; and made hundreds of brownies to add to the food bags. We do these things because we feel we are making a difference. And each time we give, we receive.
Our week begins before 6:30 each Monday morning at St. Mary’s. Immediately upon our arrival in the church’s downstairs social hall, we add 180 to 216 ham and cheese sandwiches to bags already packed with other items. While we are getting the meals ready, Linda is hard at work, running up and down the stairs to the friary kitchen to boil 15 dozen eggs. At 7 a.m., we move the ham and cheese sandwich lunches to the street level, recite The Lord’s Prayer and spend the next sixty minutes handing out food and greeting the people we have come to know over the last year. During this sixty-minute period, other volunteers are peeling the hard-boiled eggs (yes, all 180 of them) and crushing them into sizes small enough for egg salad. The crushed eggs are wrapped and refrigerated.
On Wednesday morning we arrive – again, before 6:30 a.m. – and once more place the day’s sandwiches (this time tuna salad) in the pre-packed bags. Once we have completed this task, it’s time to mix the crushed eggs with mayonnaise into a mixture with the proper consistency to spread on bread. We then proceed to make 180 to 216 egg salad sandwiches. These sandwiches are bagged, boxed and refrigerated for the following day.
On Thursday morning we arrive and transfer the egg salad sandwiches from the refrigerator to the pre-made bags for distribution to the homeless that morning. We have come to know our week as The Life Cycle of the Egg Salad Sandwich. Our journey begins on Monday with the raw eggs and ends on Thursday with very tasty sandwiches.
As an aside, since we became involved with the St. Mary’s Food Program, our professional careers have flourished and our personal lives have improved in ways that are indescribable. Coincidence? Some may think so, but we know better.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we respond to God’s eternal and faithful love incarnated in Christ, the messianic Bridegroom? Do we cherish the radical newness that God’s forgiving and renewing love brings to us through his Son Jesus Christ? Are we ready to share the tenderness of God’s love with the forlorn and abandoned of today’s world?
2. Do we truly honor Jesus Christ – highly exalted in creation and salvation history – by allowing ourselves to be molded by him into “icons of divine love”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
you are the Bridegroom of the Church,
Renew us in your love
and pour “new wine” to our feasting.
Let us be faithful servants and trustworthy stewards.
Purify the motives of our hearts
that we may render God fitting praise,
now and forever.
Amen.
***
Loving Father,
Jesus Christ is the image of your compassionate goodness.
Your Servant-Son Jesus is the primordial sacrament of your saving love.
He is the first-born of all creation and the first-born from the dead.
He is the Lord of all creation and our Savior-Redeemer.
Grant us the grace to be transformed,
through our intimate participation in Christ’s paschal sacrifice,
into living “icons of love”.
May we reflect the radiance of your life-giving love
in today’s fragmented and suffering world.
Bless us, loving Father.
We love and serve you;
we give you praise
and glorify you as the font of love,
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.
“When the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.” (Lk 5:35) // “Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God.” (Col 1:15a)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for those whose marriage bond has been adulterated and shattered. Offer your contribution to promote the healing of nuptial relationships and the integrity of the sacrament of matrimony. // By your active works of charity to the poor and vulnerable, strive to be “icons of love” in today’s world.
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September 6, 2025: SATURDAY – WEEKDAY (22); BVM ON SATURDAY
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Lord of the Sabbath … By His Death We Are Reconciled to God”
BIBLE READINGS
Col 1:21-23 // Lk 6:1-5
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 6:1-5): “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”
The Pharisees, the religious experts, become more and more critical of everything Jesus does. In today’s Gospel account, the Pharisees accuse Jesus’ disciples of profaning the Sabbath, the seventh day. According to Jewish tradition, the Sabbath is to be kept holy and as a day of rest since God rested on the seventh day. The biblical scholar Samuel Oyin Abogunrin comments: “In order to make sure no one did any work during the day of rest (Friday evening until Saturday evening), the rabbis later added numerous additional regulations so that scrupulous people could be sure they obeyed the Torah rule properly. In the process they focused on doing the right thing and making sure others did the right thing; as often happens in such cases, some people lost sight of the true meaning of the Sabbath.”
In today’s Gospel reading (Lk 6:1-5), the Pharisees confront the disciples of Jesus for doing what is unlawful on a Sabbath. Eating the grain out of someone’s field in not unlawful, but plucking the grain and rubbing the kernels to remove the husks is tantamount to “plucking” and “winnowing”, farm tasks that break the Sabbath law. Jesus defends his disciples by appealing to sacred scriptures. He asks the Pharisees if what his disciples have done is wrong, what about David: he and his hungry men went into the house of God, took the bread and ate the bread which can be “lawfully” eaten only by priests. In this incident (cf. I Samuel 21:2-7) the disciplinary restriction of the law gives way before human need. Jesus then makes a climactic assertion: “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.” Jesus is the “Son of Man” who ushers in the dawn of salvation even on a Sabbath.
The following story gives a glimpse into the perversion of the Law/religion as well as its true interpretation/meaning (cf. Anthony De Mello, Taking Flight: A Book of Story Meditations, New York: Image Books, 1988, p. 90-92).
Among the Jews, the observance of the Sabbath, the day of the Lord, was originally a thing of joy. But too many Rabbis kept issuing one injunction after another on how exactly it was to be observed, what sort of activity was allowed, until some people felt they could hardly move during the Sabbath for fear that some regulation or other might be transgressed.
The Baal Shem, son of Eliezer, gave much thought to this matter. One night he had a dream. An angel took him up to heaven and showed him two thrones placed above all others. “For whom they are reserved?” he asked. “For you” – was the answer – “if you make use of your intelligence, and for a man whose name and address is now being written down and given to you.”
He was then taken down to the deepest spot in hell and shown two vacant seats. “For whom are these prepared?” he asked. “For you” – the answer came – “if you do not make use of your intelligence and for the man whose name and address are being written down for you.”
In his dream Baal Shem visited the man who was to be his companion in paradise. He found him living among Gentiles, quite ignorant of Jewish customs, and, on the Sabbath, he would give a banquet at which there was a lot of merrymaking, and to which all his Gentile neighbors were invited. When Baal Shem asked him why he held this banquet, the man replied, “I recall that in my childhood my parents taught me that the Sabbath was a day of rest and for rejoicing; so on Saturdays my mother made the most succulent meals at which we sang and danced and made merry. I do the same today.”
Baal Shem attempted to instruct the man in the ways of his religion, for he had been born a Jew but was evidently quite ignorant of all the rabbinical prescriptions. But Baal Shem was struck dumb when he realized that the man’s joy in the Sabbath would be marred if he was made aware of his shortcomings.
Baal Shem, still in his dream, then went to the home of his companion in hell. He found the man to be a strict observer of the Law, always apprehensive lest his conduct should not be correct. The poor man spent each Sabbath day in a scrupulous tension as if he were sitting on hot coals. When Baal Shem attempted to upbraid him for his slavery to the Law, the power of speech was taken from him as he realized that the man would never understand that he could do wrong by fulfilling religious injunctions.
Thanks to this revelation given to him in a form of a dream, the Baal Shem Tov evolved a new system of observance whereby God is worshiped in joy that comes from the heart.
When people are joyful they are always good; whereas when they are good they are seldom joyful.
B. First Reading (Col 1:21-23): “Christ has now reconciled you to present you holy and unblemished before him.”
In today’s First Reading (Col 1:21-23), Saint Paul reinforces the idea that God made peace through his Son’s sacrificial death on the cross by applying it to the personal experience of the Colossians. In their pre-Christian pagan past, they were alienated from God by the evil things they did and thought. But their former existence has given to a new one through Christ’s reconciling action by his death on the cross. Through the death of Jesus they are reconciled to God and are presented to him “holy, without blemish and irreproachable before him”. Paul urges the Colossian believers to maintain this present state of holiness and blamelessness. They must continue to be faithful and steadfast in keeping the Gospel that has been proclaimed to them. The apostle Paul is at the service of this transforming life-giving Gospel that has been proclaimed to the world.
Christ’s act of reconciliation lives on in today’s here and now through the works of his ministers. The following story is an example (cf. Daniel Longland, “Won’t Go to Confession” in 101 Inspirational Stories of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Sister Patricia Proctor, Spokane: Franciscan Monastery of Saint Clare, 2006, p. 17).
I am a priest in the Diocese of Plymouth in England, and for seven years I was the Catholic chaplain in a rather large local hospital there. One day as I was visiting patients, a man told me that he did not want to see me. I said, “Okay, that is all right.” Each day as I passed his bed, I would greet him and then walk on.
On one occasion he called me and said, “Listen, if I wanted to receive the sacraments again after more than sixty years, I know I would have to go to confession and I cannot do that.” I assured him that going to confession would be quite easy, and that I would ask him the questions. We talked for a long time and finally he said he would go to confession. I made an appointment for him for three days later.
The following day as I passed his bed he called to me and said, “Sorry, but I cannot possibly tell you what I have been doing all these years. I won’t go to confession.” I sat at the foot of his bed and asked him, “What are you afraid to tell me?” To my amazement, he told me about all the sins he thought he could not tell in two or three days’ time. When he finished talking, I asked him, “Is there anything else you have to tell me?” He said, “No, that is everything.”
I asked him if he was truly sorry for all these faults and failings because he had now confessed everything! Then I told him about God’s love for him and for us all. I gave him absolution and anointed him. He was so happy!
The next day when I went to the hospital, I was informed that the man had died that night. All I could say was, “God is so great! His love is beyond understanding”.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. What does it mean for us personally that Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath? How do we keep the Lord’s Day holy?
2. How do we respond to the affirmation that God has reconciled us to himself in Christ and that we are called to stand before him “holy, without blemish and irreproachable”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
O Jesus Lord,
you are the Lord of the Sabbath.
Teach us the meaning of compassion
and help us discern the true demands of God’s commands.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
Lord God,
we thank you for the ministers of the Gospel.
Above all, we thank you for Christ’s death on the cross
which reconciled us to you.
Let us be steadfast in faith, hope and love
and keep us “holy, blameless and irreproachable” in your sight.
Teach us how to be of service to the Gospel
and imitate Saint Paul and the apostles in their missionary zeal.
We bless and adore you, 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.
“The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.“ (Lk 6:5) //“God has now reconciled you in the fleshly Body of Christ through his death.” (Col 1:22)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Endeavor to celebrate Sunday as truly the Lord’s Day. // In any way you can, enable your friends and family members to appreciate the meaning and importance of the sacrament of reconciliation.
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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